Opinion:

'Only her missing husband matters to Sashitharan'

by K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

LTTE terrorists, their sympathisers and the TNA have been shouting from the rooftops over the people who had gone missing during the humanitarian operation. Based on the concocted stories and loads of false information fed by the LTTE rump and opportunist TNA politicians, the US initially declared the figure as many as 40,000, adding those who had sought political asylum or fled to other parts of the country.

Child soldiers conscripted by the Tigers. (File photo)

But the Government took the right decision by appointing a special commission to inquire onto large-scale lies and false information. Though the LTTE rump and the TNA made every effort to discredit the Government projecting higher number of persons missing, they were unable to furnish details of those who had gone missing.

Sympathy

The TNA politicians who have been all out to project a gloomy picture on the number of the persons missing, they were clueless when they were asked to furnish details about the persons they alleged to have gone missing. Instead, they continue to harp oninaccurate figures made up by them to woo the sympathy of the international community.

TNA's Northern Provincial Council member Ananthi Sasitharan could not believe her eyes when she arrived at the Mullaitivu Magistrate's Courts on Monday for the hearing of the case filed by her.

Even in her wildest dreams, the controversial NPC member would not have expected hundreds of Tamils to brave the scorching heat to arrive demanding their right to know the fate of their children abducted by the LTTE. They questioned what Sasitharan and her husband Elilan, a LTTE leader, had done to their children.

Angry parents

As the situation became even more intense, Sasitharan had to runaway to the protection of the Security Forces, which the TNA demands should be out of the North. If the Security Forces had not been there as TNA day dreams, the life of their own Provincial Council member would have been in danger as angry parents of the children abducted and killed by the LTTE when the terror group was in its peak before the Security Forces vanquished Velupillai Prabhakaran and his barbaric goons.

Earlier last month, a protest was held in Mullaithivu by group of over 300 people against Sasitharan. The group consisted of the parents and families of the children and men who went missing after being taken by force by a gang of terrorists led by Elilan during the last stages of the terrorist war.

Elilan and Ananthi Shashidaran - husband and wife. (File photo)

The fate of these innocent children and men are yet unknown. Elilan was a terrorist leader and is the husband of Sasitharan.

The protesters carrying placards had converged at Mullaithivu town where Ananthi and a group of TNA politicians including Suresh Premachandren, Sivagilingam, Selvarasa Gajendren, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam (TNPF), Thurairasa Ravikaran and Antoni Jeganathan were holding a protest near the Divisional Secretariat. In addition to the TNA members only about 25 to 30 people had taken part in that protest.

Mental agony

A case filed by Ananthi Sasitharan at the Vavunia Court on the disappearance of Elilan and a group of his followers was taken up at the Mullaithivu courts after the case being transferred.

Shasitharan should be ashamed of organising a protest to ‘support’ her own case when her husband and his merciless terror outfit had brought nothing but agony to parents in the North and the East.

The group of parents and families of the children and men abducted by Elilan arrived at last month's protest venue and voiced concern regarding the disappearance of their loved ones. They held placards faulting Ananthi Sasithadaran for her indifferent attitude towards the missing children and only talking about her missing husband. Mothers holding pictures of their missing children confronted Sasitharan with tears flowing uncontrollably from their eyes.

Despite being a leader of the then world's most ruthless terrorist outfit, Elilan would have been precious to Ananthi Sasitharan because he was her husband. But she be ashamed of her action as her husband and his terrorist group had abducted and killed husbands of many women. Not only the husband but also the children forcibly dragged by Elilan and his men to the battlefront, causing mental agony to Tamil parents in the North.

Notorious character

The emotions of the parents and loved ones of the missing children and men were clearly evident when they came face to face with the TNA leaders and their small group of supporters.

They accused her of usurping the power given to her during the provincial council elections to attaining petty political and personal goals. Police had to intervene to bring the situation under control.

Though the human rights groups, the UNHRC and certain Western countries have been making a big hue and cry over missing persons, none of them have ever uttered a word of comfort for these hapless parents in the North. Navi Pillay and her cohorts seem to be only interested in human rights of the LTTE terrorists killed in action while Sasitharan only talks for herself on her husband's death. She must keep in mind that her husband had been a hardcore terrorists responsible for many murders and acts against mankind. There should be no sympathy for a notorious character of that nature.

The Tamil families whose children had been abducted by the LTTE and killed in the battlefront deserve answers. But none of the NGOs, INGOs, UNHRC or those Western leaders who weep over the human rights of Tiger terrorists, have taken any note of these Northern children who had been abducted and forcibly taken to the battlefront. No Foreign envoy has been interested on the children ‘used’ by the LTTE.

Crocodile tears

Sasitharan would not have expected to see scores of Tamils arriving on foot to demand from her what she had done to their children. She least expected a TNA member subject to questioning by the Tamils in the North.

The West and a section of the international community have conducted in a questionable manner by allowing airtime of NGOs representing other nations to allow Sastharan stand before the UN and talk about her ‘missing’ terrorist husband? She is acutely aware that her so-called ‘missing’ husband had been responsible for taking scores of children during the last stages of the terrorism from grieving parents simply because the LTTE were running out of people to fight on their behalf. There are scores of NGOs, foreign envoys and local stooges to console Sasitharan who is shedding crocodile tears for her ‘missing’ terrorist husband. None of these self-appointed godfathers of human rights are even bothered to write a line or two on the missing children of the over 300 families that braved the hot sun on foot to arrive to voice their concerns.

It seems that the people in the North are gradually understanding the true nature of the TNA which is now trying to project itself as the sole representatives of the Tamils, a title once claimed by the LTTE. When the Tigers were at their best, the TNA leader R. Sampandan and his men looked mere puppets as they were remote-controlled by Prabhakaran from his Wanni hideouts.

No courage

LTTE's former political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvam ‘summoned’ the TNA parliamentarians as and when the Tigers wanted to convey orders given by Prabhakaran. But none of the TNA members had courage to utter a word on the sufferings of the Tamils or the abduction of schoolchildren by the LTTE. Even if they had done, none of them would have been alive today to indulge in TNA politics.

The political trend in the North is not looking that good for the TNA as the Tamils are gradually understanding that that the enemy is within them. While the Security Forces, which the LTTE and TNA had tried to project as an enemy to the Tamils, had done so much for the betterment of the people in the North and the East, the TNA had done precious little for their own community.

The silent majority of Tamils who had been confined to the Wanni and kept separated from the rest of the world are gradually realising the diabolical side of the LTTE as well as the TNA. The link is clearly visible and one that is showing cracks too. With the new Indian government adopting a clear cut policy against terrorism and separatism, TNA's political future looks gloomy, unless it abandons its blind loyalty on the now defunct LTTE terror outfit.

It is deplorable that the human rights mechanism has purposely kept out of their records examples of atrocities committed by the Tigers and their link party the TNA and in so doing allowed them to speak before the United Nations with human rights representatives taking the side of the very people that were responsible for kidnapping children.

Do we need not elaborate extensively on the hypocrisies that take place within the halls of the UNHRC where justice is one-side and where officials are paid to be one-sided and assured plum positions for their role?

The TNA will no longer be permitted to mislead the right-thinking Tamils who prefer to live with perfect peace and harmony with Sinhalese and Muslims.

TNA should desist from playing the racist card to win votes. Instead, they must give up LTTE ideology and work for at least their own people without trying to drag them for another era of uncertainty.