Forget Eelam and join Govt

EROS’ military commander-turned-politician Rajanathan:

At a moment when the LTTE is on its knees with debilitating fighting capabilities, it is time for all the political parties to lend their support to the Mahinda Rajapaksa government to defeat terrorism and to find a durable solution to solve the national question, the former Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS) military commander of the East, Rajanathan Prabhakaran said.

Rajanarhan, who had joined the Tamil militants hoping to fulfil the aspirations of the Tamils in the 1980s, said that the idea has become a ‘myth’ today.

He pointed out that the majority of the LTTE cadres are desperate to abandon the arms struggle now that the outfit was losing its ground due to severe shortage of man and fire power, to face the military on slaught.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa was genuinely interested in finding a durable solution to the North and East crisis but the unpatriotic acts of treacherous elements, who want to thrive for their political survival have become a hindrance in his efforts.

“President Rajapaksa has done a lot to revert to democracy in the North and East within a short period of time”, Rajanathan who is contesting for the Eastern Provincial Councils said.

Following are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: What is your line of thinking on a separate unit for Muslims in the East?

A: Unlike in the North all three communities are living in the East. So a political arrangement should be made to see that all communities in the province live in peace enjoying equal rights. The Provincial Council system was introduced to devolve power at Provincial level.

So I feel creating a separate unit within the province for any community won’t be a healthy idea. Through devolving powers the unity and the dignity of all people irrespective of their race or religion must be determined through the Provincial Council system.

Q: Majority of the political parties urge that the Pillayan group should be disarmed in order to have a free and fair poll. Do you agree?

A: What we understand is that the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) of Pillayan is now an active political party. However the TMVP faces threat from the LTTE as its members were former members of the outfit. So to ensure the safety of the TMVP members allowing them to carry arms becomes inevitable.

But it is the responsibility of the TMVP members to ensure that they are not turning their weapons against other political parties which are also in the fray to restore peace and democracy in the East.

Q: Do you think that the presence of the International monitors is vital at the forthcoming Eastern Province polls?

A: The polls should take place without any foul play. Our party is not for overall international monitoring. We believe the Indians could play an effective role in monitoring the polls as it was India which was right behind Sri Lanka in introducing the Provincial Council system in the Island.

Q: The TMVP claims that a Tamil should become a Chief Minister in the Eastern Province. What is your comment?

A: Of course. Our party is also for a Tamil Chief Minister to the Eastern Province. It is the Tamils in the North and East who made enormous sacrifices to fulfil their political aspirations. Thousands of Tamil youth have lost their lives in the past three decades of war to achieve their political rights.

It is the struggle launched by the Tamils in the North and East provinces even led to the creation of the Provincial Council administrations a solution to the ethnic question. Therefore It could be Pillayan, myself or anyone else, we insist that a Tamil should become a Chief Minister of the Eastern province as the Tamils are the majority in the region and it’s they who were agitating for their rights since the independence of this country.

Q: There are indications that the LTTE is not in a position to continue with militant activities as the Security Forces have taken the upper hand in crippling them in the East as well as in other areas where they were in control. So how do you see this situation?

A: We believe that the LTTE has been weakened and confined very much into Wanni jungles. Since Karuna left the outfit its activities have been curbed to a greater extent in the East. Some times back the LTTE was using anti-aircraft weapons to face the aerial threats from the SLAF.

However the SLAF aircraft now successfully targeted several key LTTE positions in Wanni. It shows that the outfit now faces severe shortage of weapons in dealing with the air attacks.

There are also reports that several cadres are now not in a mind frame to continue with the armed struggle. The LTTE also faces shortage of manpower to carry out attacks against the Security Forces in a big way.

So it is their tactics to use their suicide cadres to launch attacks on prime targets such as they did at the Anuradhapura air base and the recent killing of Minister Fernandopulle to create an impression that they are still in a strong position. But what I won’t say that the military operations have crippled them completely.

However their movements have been restricted. Gun running activities between North and East have been stopped to a greater extent. Until the LTTE militancy comes to an end either militarily or politically, none could predict the precise strength of the LTTE.

Q: As you now live in Europe, how do you see the LTTE activities abroad?

A: It was before the exit of Karuna from the LTTE, the outfit enjoyed a massive support in various countries. Switzerland where I live was described as the stronghold of the LTTE. But since the split that occurred following Karuna’s exit from the outfit, there is a decline in the overall support the LTTE had in several countries in Europe and in other parts in the world.

The extortions and other untoward activities carried out by the LTTE against its own people have made the Lankan Tamil expatriates to think that the outfit is doing everything for its own survival and not to bring any settlement to the North and East crisis.

The LTTE has also killed and abducted several Lankan youth who did not oblige them. So these sort of terror activities and their political as well as military failures in the island have made majority of the Lankan Tamil expatriates not only in Europe but also in various other countries such as in the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK to keep away themselves from supporting the LTTE.

The mishandling of the peace process by the LTTE has also made several countries to come hard on the outfit by proscribing it.

It was the founder of EROS Ratnasabapathy who played an important role in highlighting the North and East crisis abroad. Therefore several countries with genuine sympathy understood the problem and extended their support politically. But it was the LTTE that tarnished everything.

The scenario changed following the Indo-Lanka pact that was brought out with the Indian assistance to solve the national question in 1987. If the LTTE had accepted the treaty along with other Tamil parties at that time there would have been peace in the North and East and the country at large long ago.

Q: At the `Global Peace Support Group’ seminar held recently in London a South African Parliamentarian claimed that the LTTE was the sole representative of Tamils in the North and East. Does this mean that the anti-LTTE parties have been silenced abroad and the LTTE is still accepted by certain countries?

A: It is absurd. I don’t know what that South African Parliamentarian meant by saying LTTE was the sole representative of the Tamils in the North and East. How can she say like that? there are several Tamil political parties in the North and East.

The TULF, EROS (my party) PLOTE, EPRLF, TELO, EPDP and the TMVP are still very active in the region. Those parties have contested in several polls and gained the support of the people. Even in the recent Local Government polls in the East my party was able to gain a seat in the Batticaloa Municipal Council.

The TMVP won the majority of the local bodies at the recent LG polls in the East. So how come the LTTE could claim that it is the sole representative of the Tamils. If you take the situation in the North the EPDP leader is represented at the Parliament from the Jaffna district.

The PLOTE has its say in Vavuniya. However the LTTE could be one of the representatives of the Tamils with their strong presence in Kilinochchi. But that does not mean that they are the sole representative of Tamils. They had several opportunities to win the hearts and minds of the Tamils.

But it is due to their arrogant attitudes the outfit has lost the popular support of the Tamils in the North and East. Therefore the LTTE can not claim that it is the sole representative of the Tamils. The International Community is not prepared to believe its claim any more.

Q: Do you think the Tamil militancy to achieve the political aspirations of the Tamils have failed and it is through political means the Tamils could gain their political rights?

A: Certainly. The Tamil militancy has failed in reaching its goals.It was when the Indo-Lanka accord was signed majority of the Tamil militant outfits entered the political mainstream and gave their support to find a solution to the Tamil question politically.

There was a period where the Tamils believed that by carrying arms they could create a separate state called `Eelam’. But later with the Indo-Lanka accord they realised that it is absurd to depend on the arms struggle to achieve their political rights.

They realised that the Indo-Lanka accord and the Provincial Council system has given a good opening for them to get rid of their conflict.

Therefore I would say the three decades of militant struggle in the North and East has created nothing but aggravated situation by lose of lives and properties and making thousands of innocent Tamils in the North and East to leave their places of origin and become refugees both locally as well as abroad.

So it is certain the separation of the country is not going to happen and under a unitary system with an extensive devolution of powers through a Federal arrangement the ethnic question could be settled peacefully.

Q: What is your comment on the role that was played by Norway and the Co-chair countries in carrying out the peace process?

A: I believe it was a total flop. Norway which played the role as a facilitator could not live upto expectations. They hardy delivered anything constructive.When the LTTE violated the ceasefire, Norway and the Co-chair countries could not stop the outfit from violating the Ceasefire Agreement. Most of the time they danced to the tune of the LTTE.

They thought the organisation was listening to them. But everything happened other way around. Therefore the peace process backed by Norway and the Co-chair countries was nothing but a meaningless approach with the wastage of money and time.

Q: As a senior member of the EROS do you think that the national issue was an outcome of the false promises offered by the Tamil politicians?

A: That is the reality. The Tamil politicians have misled the innocent people by giving false promises. The Eastern province was neglected for a long period. Even the basic needs of the people in the East were not met properly.

It was in this the innocent Tamils in the North and East were misguided by the irresponsible Tamil politicians that through separating the North and East from rest of the country only a durable solution could be found.

The Tamil youth were brain washed to accept militancy as a solution to the North and East crisis. However the politicians who have misled the Tamils had paid a heavy price for what they did.

Therefore what my party EROS wants is that a political should be found not only to fulfil the political aspirations of the Tamils but also to see that the innocent and the hapless civilians who had felt the brunt of the war begin everything new in a healthy socio-economic background.

Q: The International Community has expressed its concerns over the human rights violations. Don’t you think that the LTTE is very much behind the human rights violations that are being committed in the North and East?

A :The human rights violations in the North and the East have been committed by all armed organisations in the region. However it is the LTTE which is responsible for most of the human rights violations.

They have annihilated the members of the rival militant outfits, assassinated several politicians, intellectuals and carried out the killings of innocent civilians on a mass scale in the North and East.

It is the continuity of the war which has led to severe violation of human rights in the North and East. But very little is known to the outside world of what is happening daily in the areas where the LTTE is in control.

Q: Why has the International Community not come down hard on the LTTE in denouncing the violence against its own people?

A: I won’t say the International community is ignorant of the LTTE violence. The International community condemned the violence committed by the LTTE on several occasions. We should remember that several countries affiliated to the European Union have proscribed the LTTE.

Apart from the action taken against the LTTE in Europe the countries such as the USA, Australia, UK and Canada have also banned the LTTE activities in their soil. Several key LTTE activists have been put behind bars in many countries. But the LTTE is not bothered at all about the condemnations or actions taken against it globally.

Q: Do you think that in the long run the LTTE would come forward to give up arms due to appeals made for them to enter the political mainstream?

A: To isolate the LTTE from the Tamil people a healthy solution should be offered to end the North and East crisis. Therefore if a constructive solution is offered to the Tamils by the Government, the Tamils will accept it and the LTTE will start fading away.

But without any proper settlement to the North and East ethnic crisis I don’t think the LTTE will give up the armed struggle and enter the political mainstream. The chauvinist attitudes of several parties in the south has only made the LTTE to thrive in the places where it operates.

Q: How do you assess the handling of the North and East issue by President Mahinda Rajapaksa?

A: I can very well see that President Rajapaksa is genuinely interested in finding a durable solution to the North and East crisis. I met President Rajapaksa in Geneva last year and had conversed with him for nearly an hour. I found that he was honestly working on an agenda to find a political solution to the ethnic crisis.

However the ground reality in the south is that he is unable to gain the overall support of the political parties for his efforts.

The setting up of the APRC under the Chairmanship of Professor Tissa Vitharana indicates the arrangements the President made to come out for a political solution for the ethnic question. But certain unscrupulous elements are creating obstacles for his efforts merely for their political survival.

Therefore it is the need of the hour for all political forces to shed their differences and join hands to bring an early settlement to the national question in order to make the country to focus on the development activities.

*Creating a separate unit within the Eastern Province is not a healthy sign.

* The TMVP’s responsibility is not to turn their weapons against other political parties.

* Tamils need a Tamil Chief Minister in the East.

*The LTTE is weak and is confined to Wanni.

*No support for the LTTE in the West.

*It is absurd to say that the LTTE is the sole representative of Tamils.

*Tamil militancy has failed in reaching its goals.

*Norway and Co-chairs dance to the tune of the LTTE.

*Tamil politicians have misled innocent people by giving false promises.

*The chauvinistic attitudes of certain southern political parties made the LTTE to thrive.