This book is dedicated
to
the Tamils who
perished waiting for justice
Preface
Introduction
Conclusion: Concept of
Peace through Self Determination
Table of
Contents
[see also Struggle for Tamil Eelam
- Overview ]
From the Preface:
"This
book traces the poignant history of Tamils in Sri Lanka after
independence.It catalogues the Sri Lankan Tamils� descent from a
once thriving vibrant Nation to one that is today fighting for
its very survival. This is a story about how a majority
population consumed with religious chauvinism can corrupt a
democratic process with untold consequences.The book is
organised into three sections covering the physical harm
suffered by the Tamil community, the destruction of their
cultural heritage and the attempts at negotiating a settlement
which has come to nothing. The book also strikes a hopeful note
at the end on how lasting peace can be achieved from the rubble
of destruction. The reader is likely to find some images
depicting examples of violence difficult and is left to imagine
the suffering endured by not only the victims but also their
families and communities over the years. Unlike the usual Sri
Lankan state sponsored propaganda material that is normally seen
on the international news media, this is refreshingly narrated
from a Tamil perspective - one that rarely gets an airing on the
worldstage. A reader with limited time and interest, used to the
democratic system in theWestern world with its checks and
balances tends to give credibility to a government�s statements
over any other. In Sri Lanka, the reality is far from the
�truth� claimed by its Government. By systematically documenting
the key events, this book is bound to add to the reader�s
knowledge of what Tamils in Sri Lanka have endured post
independence in 1948."
From the Introduction
Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon): a beautiful island off
the south coast of India, and a land rich with sandy beaches,
rolling hills and ancient temples, where hundreds of thousands
of tourists visit every year and enjoy the friendly hospitality
of the locals. A harmonious nation, where all communities �
Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims � live side-by-side participating
in the national life as brothers. Perhaps this is the image of
Sri Lanka that most people have of the country; at least, this
is the image the Sri Lankan government tries to project to the
world, spending millions of dollars on public relations.
Beneath the veneer of this �picture postcard� image lies a
country that has increasingly become genocidal towards Tamils; a
brutal society in which the fundamental rights of some of its
people are denied. The judiciary, polity and the armed forces
are corrupt and stacked against the Tamils. The brutality and
lack of accountability puts the worst dictatorships in the
shade. Sri Lanka is widely considered as a failed state and only
propped up by international aid.
This work is an illustration of the post-independence history
of Sri Lanka from a Tamil perspective. In particular, it deals
with the plight endured by the Tamils at the hands of their new
colonial masters, the Sinhalese, and how the Sinhala Buddhist
hegemony betrayed the trust of the Tamils and pushed them
towards the restoration of their nationhood.
The engagement and efforts of the International Community in
the resolution of the confl ict and the effect this has had on
the confl ict itself are detailed here. The views of the Tamil
nation, the Tamil diaspora, and the Tamils� aspirations for the
resolution of confl ict are laid out, and a process for reaching
lasting peace is suggested. This work seeks to set the record
straight by challenging the myth created by those with vested
interests in the failure of the Tamil�s quest for nationhood.
Authors have taken care to be sensitive with photographic
illustrations; however, some readers may fi nd certain images
distressing. They have been nevertheless included in order to
demonstrate the depth of the suffering of Tamil civilians in Sri
Lanka.
Conclusion: Concept
of Peace through Self Determination
4.1 Representation of Tamil Aspirations
Tamils have come through a sixty-year journey of oppression
and brutality at the hands of every post-independence Sri Lankan
government. For the fi rst thirty years, they struggled for
their rights through non-violent agitation. Having tried all
other avenues, these peace-loving people were forced to take up
arms to fi ght for their freedom. With the loss of over hundred
thousand civilians and over twenty one thousand freedom fi
ghters, legitimate calls for Tamil nationhood continue to grow.
The bitter lessons of history have left the Tamils in no doubt
that if the LTTE were to be militarily defeated, ethnic
cleansing on a grand scale would follow, wiping out Tamil
identity from the island of Sri Lanka. It is therefore of no
surprise that the vast majority of Tamils, both in Sri Lanka and
around the world, see the LTTE as the sole protectors of their
identity and heritage. It therefore follows that the actions of
the International Community to constrain and weaken the LTTE
contribute to the demise of Tamil identity and heritage.
4.2 Greatest Impediment to Accomodation
The once thriving centuries old Tamil nation now fi ghting
for its very identity is a testament to how far successive Sri
Lankan governments have dispossessed it of its rights. The
Sinhala Buddhist mono-ethnic vision of Sri Lanka as all theirs
has been the driving force behind this systematic process over
the past 60 years. The nationalistic tendencies gripping the
Sinhala state today aided and abetted by the highly politicised
Buddhist clergy makes accommodation impossible in Sri Lanka
without external infl uence.
4.3
Conflict Resolution and the
International Community�s Self-Interest
Given Tamil history, it would be hard to bemoan the peace and
freedom the Tamils seek - a status taken for granted by people
around the world. Yet, the people of civilised, democratic
nations have
unwittingly allowed their governments to contribute - and in
some instances actively assist and participate in � the genocide
of an entire people. Tamils have not only faced a brutal
oppressor at home, but have hitherto also faced an
unprincipled International Community too consumed by its own
self-interest, albeit minimal, to act in an even-handed fashion
in the resolution of this confl ict.
The protracted nature of the conflict can be partly
attributed to the International Community viewing it through the
prism of its self-interest. India and China, anxious how the
birth of a new nation in their region would play out in their
internal politics, have instead been prepared to sacrifice the
Tamils� right to self-determination. The West, following 9/11,
perversely linked the LTTE with the
�War on
Terror�, even though the LTTE had not harmed any interests
of the West.
4.4 Miscalculation by the International Community
Despite the objections of the Norwegian government
(facilitator of the Ceasefire Agreement), governments in the
West proceeded to proscribe the LTTE as a terrorist
organisation. The perversity of this proscription, and the
draconian terrorism laws that accompany it, not only make a
negotiated solution to the long-running conflict more difficult,
but also vilify the humanitarian efforts undertaken by Tamils in
the West to alleviate the suffering of Tamils in Sri Lanka. It
is widely accepted that the West�s proscription of the LTTE was
the catalyst for the Sri Lankan government abrogating the 2002
Ceasefire Agreement and pursuing the current brutal military
operation against the Tamils in Sri Lanka. This has resulted in
thousands being killed and several thousand being made homeless.
4.5 Primary Political Issue for Tamils Living Abroad
Over one million Sri Lankan Tamils live outside of Sri Lanka
- a consequence of the brutality they have faced in Sri Lanka
over the years. The majority of these Tamils live in the West
and contribute immensely to the fabric of the societies in which
they live. They feel betrayed by their respective governments
whose foreign policies have hurt them and instead helped their
tormentors - the Sri Lankan regime. The suffering of their
brethren in Sri Lanka and the risk of loss of heritage remain
the primary political issues for the vast majority of Tamils
around the world.
4.6 A Proposal for a Process to achieve Lasting Peace
Given the years of brutality and betrayal by successive Sri
Lankan governments, it is unrealistic to expect Tamils to now
accept political accommodation within Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has
demonstrated over the past sixty years that it is structurally
incapable of bringing about a peaceful resolution to this confl
ict. Peace in Sri Lanka can be best achieved through
self-determination and the resurrection of the historic Tamil
homeland, i.e. the recognition of Tamil Eelam.
The International Community should cast aside the minimal
vested interests it has in Sri Lanka and take a moral stand on
bringing about an equitable resolution to the confl ict. By
taking decisive action to stop the genocide in Sri Lanka,
recognizing the legitimate rights of the Tamils and
deproscribing the LTTE, they can restore the moral equivalence
necessary to achieving lasting peace in Sri Lanka. Perversely,
such a stand may well serve the International Community�s
interests by bringing stability to the region and restoring its
moral authority on this issue in the eyes of the world.
