Velupillai Prabhakaran

Maha Veerar Naal Address
மாவீரர் நாள் - National Heroes Day
27 November 1993
 

"We are fully aware that the world is not rotating on the axis of human justice. Every country in this world advances its own interests. Economic and trade interests determine the order of the present world, not the moral law of justice nor the rights of people. International relations and diplomacy between countries are determined by such interests. Therefore we cannot expect an immediate recognition of the moral legitimacy of our cause by the international community... In reality, the success of our struggle depends on us, not on the world. Our success depends on our own efforts, on our own strength, on our own determination."

Today is Heroes' Day, the day in which we remember our Departed heroes, who are the historical architects of our national freedom movement.

Today, we cherish in our hearts the memories of our heroes who have transformed our nation from the conditions of bondage and servitude into a realm of liberty where a fierce struggle for liberation is being fought. It is our martyrs who have internationalised our inalienable right to a homeland with the dictum that 'our land belongs to us'.

Heroes Day is not a day of mourning nor a day of weeping and lamentation. It is a day of national resurgence, a day we pledge and commit ourselves to the emancipation of our nation.

Our heroes have sacrificed their lives for a just cause. Their demise does not constitute an ordinary event of death. Rather, their death signifies a profound spiritual aspiration for national freedom.

Our martyrs die in the arena of struggle with the intense passion for the freedom of their people, for the liberation of their homeland and therefore the death of every martyr constitutes a brave act of enunciation of freedom.

From the tombs of the dead martyrs who lie in rest in the womb of our soil rises the cry for freedom. This cry for freedom is the articulation of the will and determination of more than 6000 martyrs which underlie the motive force behind our struggle.

The history of our liberation war continues as blood spilling politics. From the birth of our movement until now, within the space of this lengthy struggle though we have encountered innumerable problems, trials and tribulations we have not deviated from our basic political ideal. We are firmly convinced that the creation of an independent sovereign state of Tamil Eelam is the only and final solution to the Tamil national question. Our position is well known to our enemy and to the world.

The Tamil political parties which obtained the mandate from our people for the establishment of an independent state and the Tamil armed groups who pledged to fight an armed struggle for political independence have already given up their cause and betrayed the Tamil people. It is only our liberation movement that continues to abide by the principles to which it is committed.

We are fully aware of the Himalayan impediments that we have face in achieving the objective of an independent Tamil state. We are also aware of the forces that are opposed to our objective and how they would respond.

We are also aware of the modes of intervention that might arise from the hegemonic designs of the regional power and from the strategic objectives of the super powers. Whenever such interventions occurred we courageously faced those challenges. We stood by our principles even when we were pushed to the brink of destruction. We were not shaken by the violent storms unleashed against by dominant forces.

We are standing on a strong moral foundation. We are fighting for a just cause. Our political objectives conform with international norms and principles. Our people are eligible for the right to self determination. They have the right to statehood. Under international law this right cannot be denied. We must be firm in the cause of our struggle because truth and justice are on our side. Only when a people are firmly and resolutely committed to their cause can they win their freedom.

We are fully aware that the world is not rotating on the axis of human justice. Every country in this world advances its own interests. Economic and trade interests determine the order of the present world, not the moral law of justice nor the rights of people. International relations and diplomacy between countries are determined by such interests. Therefore we cannot expect an immediate recognition of the moral legitimacy of our cause by the international community.

But at the same time we must agitate for that recognition. The world is constantly changing and there will be unexpected changes. At a particular conjuncture the international situation might change favourably to us. At that time, the conscience of the world will be conducive to the call of our just cause.

In reality, the success of our struggle depends on us, not on the world. Our success depends on our own efforts, on our own strength, on our own determination. The moral legitimacy of the cause alone will not lead to victory. We must be strong, firm in our convictions and skilled in the art of war.

Our enemy, the Sinhala chauvinist regime is not prepared to resolve the problems of our people on the basis of justice and fair play. The Sinhala government wants to resolve the problem through the means of violence. Because of the ruthless militaristic approach of the Sinhala racist regime the Tamil ethnic problem continued unresolved for the last 40 years.