Prabhakaran Thought of Suicide before
the Signing of the Accord

Vaiko

THE tragedy of the Tamils is a heart-bleeding tragedy because there are sanctuaries in Sri Lanka even for wild animals but there is no sanctuary for Tamils to live with dignity and decorum. For 30 long years, they have suffered persecution and plunder; murder and massacre. Their cultural trusses were destroyed. Even their places of worship were not spared. Our sisters and mothers were subjected to horrendous and indescribable indignities. No race in the world since the Second World War has faced the onslaught of genocide as did the Tamil race.

ACCORD BETWEEN A CRIMINAL AND A BETRAYER!

Jayawardene declared, 'Within 90 days we will liquidate the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.' He had launched all the three forces in the years 1985, 1986 and the first part of 1987 but he had failed. The armoured cars he had specially purchased from South Africa at a heavy cost—they were called Buffaloes—were blown to pieces, thanks to the mining technology of the LTTE. The battle of Vadamaradchi was a new heroic chapter in the annals of the war history of the world. The Tigers stopped the enemy forces re-enacting the battle of the Spartans (428 B.C.). Our heart goes out to Velupillai Prabhakaran who has become a legend in his own lifetime, the guiding spirit and the founder leader of the greatest liberation movement in the world.

It was then that Jayawardene accepted the hard reality that he could not win the war against the LTTE. He could never liquidate them and he could never wipe out that motivated force. He is a very matured tactician, a diplomat, and a cunning jackal. He decided to have an accord with India—an accord between a criminal and a betrayer! This accord is a deliberate fraud committed by two Governments against the interests of the Tamils. This is not an accord between the warring parties; not between the oppressor and the victim. It is between a criminal and a betrayer.

RAJIV'S CLOAK AND DAGGER DIPLOMACY

The LTTE did not give their consent before Mr Rajiv Gandhi put his signature to the Accord in Colombo. Mr Prabhakaran was tripped and trapped, brought to Delhi, and confined to room number 518 at Ashoka Hotel. On 29th July, on the very day the Accord was being signed in Colombo, I went to Ashoka Hotel. I managed to go near the door of room number 518. I was stopped by the black head commandos. I was not not permitted to enter and was asked to withdraw from the place immediately.

By 1 o'clock in the afternoon, Prabhakaran talked to me over the telephone. His words are still fresh in my memory. To the day of my death they will remain fresh. He stated, 'We have been betrayed by the Government of India, by Mr Rajiv Gandhi. I have been stabbed in the back.' Then he said, in Tamil, 'Brother, I am also wearing a cyanide capsule around my neck. I have thought of commiting suicide but I cannot. There are thousands of my colleagues in Eelam. My brothers and sisters are there. I cannot take that decision.' I agreed with him that the accord was a big fraud perpetrated on the Tamils.

This accord is an empty shell. Let us look at sub-clause 3 of clause 2. It goes on to say: 'That there will he a referendum on or before 31st December 1988 to enable the people of the Eastern Province to decide whether the Eastern Province should remain linked with the Northern Province as one administrative unit and continue to be governed together with the Northern Province'. Sub-clause 6 of clause 2 states: 'A simple majority will be sufficient to determine the result of referendum.'

What this simply means is that Tamils of Eelam have been denied their homeland. They were not accepted as a nation. The accord is a fraud. Has the Government of India, or anybody else on earth, got the audacity to tell the Palestinianas 'You have no homeland'? Have they got the audacity to tell the Blacks of South Africa that they have no homeland? But they tell the Tamils that they have no right to claim their homeland.

BLATANT VIOLATIONS OF THE ACCORD BY SRI LANKA

Where is the Accord? It is dead and gone, in letter and spirit! Mr. Jayawardene, on the very next day after signing it, stated publicly amongst the Sinhala masses, 'There is no need to fear about the merger of the two provinces, about the referendum. I myself will go and campaign against the merger.' The accord has been thrown to the dustbin when the Sri Lankan Government claimed that they would get logistic military support from many countries of the world including Pakistan, Israel, China, USA and UK.

The accord had been relegated to the gutters when more than 10,000 Sinhalese were brought by the Sri Lankan government to colonise traditional Tamil homelands. It was to protest against this state-aided colonisation that Thileepan started his fast unto death. He died, without even taking a drop of water for 12 days. The Government of India ridiculed the fast undertaken by Thileepan. The Accord has been buried a thousand fathoms deep when Thileepan died. The accord had been burnt to ashes and the ashes dissolved in the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal when 17 LTTE commanders, including Pulendran and Kumarappa, had to take cyanide capsule due to the betrayal, treacherous betrayal, by Mr Rajiv Gandhi.

The accord had made it very clear that the Sri Lankan troops were to be confined to their barracks as from 25th May 1987. They had no business, they had absolutely no right to arrest the 17 LTTE men. When they were arrested and detained at Palali camp, the Indian commanders had rushed to the spot and they did throw a cordon around the Palali camp and warned the Sri Lankan forces: `These 17 LTTE men should not be moved out from this place.' Prabhakaran sent an urgent message to Mr. Dixit that the lives of the 17 LTTE men were precious. If they were permitted to be moved to Colombo they would be tortured. They would commit suicide if such an attempt was made and it would precipitate disastrous consequences. This message reached the desk of the Hon. Prime Minister of India on 4th October. They had been arrested on 3rd October. Rajiv Gandhi wanted to blackmail Prabhakaran; he wanted to bully him, in pursuance of which he took an unpardonable and heinous decision. An urgent message was sent to the Indian commanders that the Indian cordon around Palali should be withdrawn, so that the 17 LTTE men could be thrown before the wolves. As predicted by Prabhakaran they decided to take cyanide capsules and die, which created spontaneous attacks of reprisal. More than 150 Sinhalese were killed. And we heard shouts of protest against these killings from the Indian Government as well as from many parts of the world. But these protestors never cared when more than ten thousand Tamil people were butchered in Sri Lanka.

ANOTHER NUREMBERG TO DEAL
WITH WAR CRIMES OF IPKF

I asked Mr Rajiv Gandhi on the floor of the Indian Parliament, whether the killing of 150 Sinhalese is a justification for waging war against the LTTE. Nearly ten thousand Sikhs were butchered and shot dead in cold blood, were burnt alive in the aftermath of the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi. Mr Rajiv Gandhi replied before the pressmen that when a big tree falls the earth is bound to shake!! I dip my head in shame, as a citizen of India, for the cruel, savage and dastardly killings of doctors, nurses, and innocent patients at the Jaffna Hospital by the IPKF. I dip my head in shame for the dynamiting of the Press officers in Jaffna by the IPKF.

Here is an affidavit signed by Mr. Krishnapillai Sriskantha Raja, 50 years old, a labourer in Valvettithurai. It is a very tragic story about. his son. There were even hung by their feet, upside down, and beaten. The son, Paramanathan, succumbed to the injuries he sustained, in his father's immediate presence. Later on, on 18th November 1987, some of the IPKF personnel took the father and the other remaining five detenues to the open space at Vallai, along with the corpse of Paramanathan, where they buried him. Then they got the captives to dig six graves, asked one of them, Baburaj, to lie down in one of the graves and proceeded to shoot and kill him in the presence of all the other detenues. One day or other, these dastardly crimes committed by the IPKF would be exposed to the, world, in the same way as the crimes of the Nazi army personnel were dealt with at Nuremberg!

When Mr Murasoli Maaran, leader of the DMK Parliamentary Group, condemned the genocide of the Tamils committed by the Indian Army, the Honourable Prime Minister lost his balance and dared to threaten, with dire consequences, anybody who dared to criticise the role of the Indian Army in Eelam.

Then I confronted Rajiv, on 11th November 1987—this is from the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha of the Indian Parliament. Iquote my speech: 'If we tried to expose the crimes and atrocities committed against our kith and kin by the IPKF, you can call it even treason. If it is a guilty act to expose the highest crimes committed by the Government of India; if it is a guilty act to expose the crimes committed by the IPKF; if it is a guilty act to plead for justice for our people, then I am ready to say that I am guilty.' Our Honourable Prime Minister, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi said that dire consequences would follow, when Mr. Maaran uttered the word 'genocide' against India. We have faced many such consequences during the emergency rule in India. I suffered detention for more than an year during the emergency. There can be only one ultimate consequence on earth, that is the consequence of the gallows and I am prepared to face even the gallows for the sake of my brothers and sisters of Tamil Eelam. Then one member from the House shouted at me, 'Are you for India or for LTTE?'

Then I stated, 'Yes I am for the LTTE first. I am a Tamilian first, then only an Indian. Therefore I am for LTTE.' But what sins have the LTTE committed? They are being hunted. What sins have they committed against the Government of India? Did Prabhakaran shake hands with the assasins of Mrs Indira Gandhi? How many times have we pleaded for negotiations? How many letters have we written? This is the latest letter dated 9th March 1988.

This is the letter from Prabhakaran to Rajiv Gandhi. I quote the letter:

'You will appreciate that our organisation has been appealing to ,you for peace, for cessation of hostilities, for negotiations, to put an end to this unfortunate conflict and to alleviate the suffering of our people. Morally and spiritually we are opposed to this war. We are always pleased to put an end to this painful tragedy which was not a choice of ours. In this context we regret to note that the Government of India has persistently rejected our urgent and sincere plea for peace. Insofar as the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord is concerned, the LTTE is glad to cooperate with its implementation. We still insist that the implementation of the Accord should safeguard the interests and aspirations of our people. Our concern for the interest of the people is built on our legitimate fear of the chauvinistic attitude of the Sri Lankan regime which has already faulted the Accord by failing to fulfil their commitments. I sincerely inform you of our readiness for unconditional talks to resolve all the matters between the Government of India and the LTTE.'

How many of our sisters have been brutally raped by the barbarian, uncivilised army of India? Someone was offering an excuse in Delhi that the victims of rape are not prepared to come and discuss it. How could they? Our Tamil sisters, cherish chastity as dearer than their lives. Many of them have committed suicide.

IPKF : CAME TO TEACH! STAYING TO LEARN!!

Godse murdered Gandhi in 1948. This is 1988. Rajiv Gandhi has murdered the principles of Gandhiji. Rajiv Gandhi bragged that they would take care of those 'boys', the LTTE. Within 48 hours the LTTE would be taught a lesson. But up to date it is the LTTE which is teaching a few lessons to the IPKF and Mr. Rajiv Gandhi.

Nearly six months have passed. The IPKF has deployed more than 100 thousand troops in Sri Lanka, more than 200 tanks, helicopter gunships and naval warships. The fourth largest army of the world is engaged in a war for the past six months and they have called it 'Operation Vaiira'. Our valiant brothers and sisters of the LTTE, have shown unbreakable resistance. They cannot be wiped out. They have bled their lives for the cause of Eelam. They have made a tryst with death, at the altar of the Goddess of Liberty. They are fighting this battle without food rations, without uniforms, without boots, without medicine. And, if anything had happened to Prabhakaran, I shudder to think about that, the very name 'India' will become the object of curse in the minds of Tamils living all over the world.

It is the darkest hour. We are at a critical stage; at a fateful hour. Miscreants from all directions want to attack and kill the living spirit of Eelam. But, darkness always precedes dawn. We all long and crave to see the glimpse of dawn. Prabhakaran is a great war hero born amongst the Tamils, after many many centuries.

Oh, my Tamil Mother! Oh, Providence! Let Providence bestow His blessings for a long long healthy life for my brother Prabhakaran. Let the remaining years of the lives of people like me be given to the ablest commander of the Tamils. Let us all merge our forces together. Let us all unite ourselves. Let us all pool our resources together to strengthen the hands of the LTTE. Let the candle of freedom of Eelam be lit in every heart, in every hut, in every home, in every hamlet, in every village, in every town of Tamil Eelam. Let us all stand shoulder to shoulder and speak with one voice and with one heart that our motto is, as Tennyson saidthrough Ulyssus, "To strike, to seek, to fight and not to yield." We shall never surrender. What moral right has India got to dictate terms to decide the political destiny of the Tamils? Therefore, it is high time for us, Tamils from all over the world, to unite. And our slogan hereafter should be—Do not mourn. Do not shed tears. In fact, we have no more tears to shed. Rise. Mobilise public opinion internationally. Mobilise opinion to pressurise the Indian Government to stop this blasphemous betrayal of our brothers and sisters; to halt this barbaric war against the Tamil race; to order cessation of hostilities and initiate talks.'

Let us take a vow to dedicate ourselves to the noble cause of Tamil Eelam one day or another, the sooner the better. The majestic flag of independent, sovereign Tamil Eelam should flutter in the sky at the United Nations building in New York.