Struggle for Tamil Eelam - Sri Lanka's Peace Trap 1994/95

Tamils - a Trans State Nation..

"To us all towns are one, all men our kin.
Life's good comes not from others' gift, nor ill
Man's pains and pains' relief are from within.
Thus have we seen in visions of the wise !."
- Tamil Poem in Purananuru, circa 500 B.C

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CONFLICT RESOLUTION
TAMIL EELAM - SRI LANKA

Chandrika - LTTE Talks: 1994/95

LTTE and Sri Lanka Government Delegations at First Round of Talks, 12 October 1994
- LTTE flag and Mr.V.Pirabakaran photograph at centre

Sri Lanka's Sinhala dominated government commenced a 'Peace Offensive' in August 1994 and engaged the Liberation Tigers in talks with a view to separating them from the Tamil people. One year later, in an interview with the Sinhala owned Sri Lanka Sunday Times, on 20 August 1995, President Kumaratunga admitted:

"I have studied and acquired considerable knowledge on guerrilla warfare when I was a student in Paris, and we knew how they would behave. We conducted talks on the basis that the LTTE would not agree to any peaceful settlement and lay down arms." In the event, the attempted entrapment of the Liberation Tigers failed and the 'peace process' collapsed on 18 April 1995.

Chandrika - LTTE Talks: 1994/95 brings together the exchange of letters between the LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabaharan and President Kumaratunga during a six month period commencing in September 1994 and ending in April 1995; the LTTE Press Releases during the same period; the interviews given by the LTTE leader to the BBC at the commencement of the 'peace process' and after the collapse of the talks.; the text of leaflets dropped by Sri Lanka on Jaffna in October 1994 showing the intent of Sri Lanka to separate the Tamil people from the LTTE and an article titled "Towards a just peace or just a peace offensive? " written by Nadesan Satyendra in November 1994 questioning Sri Lanka's bona fides in the 'peace process'; and the text of the Cessation of Hostilties Agreement of January 1995. In separate articles, M.Vasantharajah, Dr. S. Sathananthan, Dr. Rajan Sriskandarajah, and Natkunam, examine the failure of Sri Lanka's Peace Trap. The Petition by the Swiss Federation of Tamil Associations of June 1995, details the steps that led to the collapse of the talks. [see also Politics of Duplicity - Anton Balasingham, Political Adviser, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]