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 

Tamils - a Nation without a State

Mauritius - மொரிஷியஸ்
- an estimated 100,000 Tamils live in Mauritius -

Mauritius  Protests against Genocide of Tamils  in Sri Lanka

TamilNet, Friday, 21 November 2008

Comment by tamilnation.org  The protest march by  hundreds of Mauritian Tamils to the Indian High Commission in Mauritius, demanding that the Indian government prevail upon Sri Lanka to stop the genocide of Tamils in the island  is a welcome demonstration of the growing togetherness of 70 million Tamils living today in many lands - a togetherness that will continue to grow in the years to come - and that particular river is not about to flow backwards.  Said that, Tamils everywhere will be concerned to ensure that protests such as these do not simply serve to secure New Delhi's own strategic interests in the Indian Ocean region at the cost of justice and independence for the people of Tamil Eelam. New Delhi's strategic interests were explicitly stated by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee with disarming frankness on 23 October 2008. -

“We have a very comprehensive relationship with Sri Lanka. In our anxiety to protect the civilians, we should not forget the strategic importance of this island to India's interests,... especially in view of attempts by countries like Pakistan and China to gain a strategic foothold in the island nation...Colombo had been told that India would 'look after your security requirements, provided you do not look around.'. We cannot have a playground of international players in our backyard."

It is more than self evident to the Tamil people that New Delhi's foreign policy is driven by its concern to secure that Colombo does 'not look around' and convert India's 'backyard' into a 'playground for international actors.'.  After all, the Tamil people have seen it all before.  In the early 1980's New Delhi armed and trained Tamil militants so that it may pressure  Sri Lanka to move away from extra regional powers in the Indian Ocean region.

"...Tamil militancy received (India's) support  ...as a response to (Sri Lanka's).. concrete and expanded military and intelligence cooperation with the United States, Israel and Pakistan. ...The assessment was that these presences would pose a strategic threat to India and they would encourage fissiparous movements in the southern states of India. .. a process which could have found encouragement from Pakistan and the US, given India's experience regarding their policies in relation to Kashmir and the Punjab...."  Paper by J.N. Dixit on Indian Involvement in Sri Lanka and the Indo Sri Lanka Agreement: A Retrospective Evaluation in Negotiating Peace in Sri Lanka, International Alert Publication, February 1998

And in 1987, the Indo Sri Lanka Accord secured New Delhi's strategic interests in the Indian Ocean region. The Exchange of Letters that preceded the signing of the Agreement declared that "Trincomalee or any other ports in Sri Lanka will not be made available for military use by any country in a manner prejudicial to India's interests" and that the " work of restoring and operating the Trincomalee Oil Tank will be undertaken as a joint operation between India and Sri Lanka.".

And once New Delhi's strategic interests were secured,  the people of Tamil Eelam were left with the comic opera 'reforms' of the 13th Amendment with Provincial Councils.

 "It is difficult to discuss the provisions of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lanka Constitution seriously - they are so impossibly burlesque and farcical... Under the 13th Amendment power will continue to reside in a Sinhala dominated Central government, within the frame of an unitary constitution. It has created Provincial Ministers who will not exercise executive power but who will have executive power exercised 'through' them! At the same time it has created a Provincial Governor appointed by the Sri Lanka President (and holding office at his pleasure) who will exercise executive power in respect of provincial matters - a Provincial Governor who is also the administrative head of the provincial public service and who has control of the Provincial Finance Fund. And the 13th Amendment has created a Provincial Council without control of planning, without control of the provincial budget, without control of police and public order within the province, without control of disposition of state land within the province, without control of higher education and whose remaining meagre legislative powers are subject to the over riding will of the Central Parliament. Finally, the provisions of the Provincial Councils Act itself may be amended from time to time by a simple majority of members present and voting in Parliament." 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka Constitution - Devolution or Comic Opera?, 1988

Today, New Delhi is once again touting the 13th Amendment and the Indo Sri Lanka Accord as the panacea for the genocidal oppression suffered by the people of Tamil Eelam.  Tamils everywhere  will continue to remind themselves of the old adage: once bitten, twice shy. It is not that New Delhi cannot stop the killing of Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka. It can. But it will not do so until two conditions are satisfied -

one -  Sri Lanka is weakened to the extent that Sri Lanka  stops 'looking around'  and falls within the orbit of New Delhi's influence in the Indian Ocean region and

two -  the Tamils are so weakened that they are compelled to accept comic opera reforms such as the 1988 13th Amendment.

New Delhi knows only too well (and is content to accept) that Sinhala ethno nationalism will always  prevent a genuine federal solution to the conflict in the island - a genuine federal solution where two independent and free peoples may associate with one another in equality and in freedom.

"'India loves to play all sides, and has always done that,' said Reva Bhalla, an analyst with the U.S. private intelligence firm Stratfor.  'They can cater to the Tamil politicians and benefit from the Tigers' military capability going down without taking too much political risk.'  Underscoring India's dual-track approach to Sri Lanka, furious denials erupted from Colombo and New Delhi last month after two Indian radar technicians were injured in a Tiger assault on a Sri Lankan military base. Rajapaksa later said the men were providing after-sales service to radars India's Bharat Electronics sold to the military. India has also helped Sri Lanka intercept Tiger boats, which it considers a threat to national security..." C. Bryson Hull in India Rumbles over Sri Lanka war, but to what end?, 17 October 2008,

March of the protesters to the Indian High Commission

Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr. Rama Sithanen, speaking at the agitation.
Standing on his right is the leader of the opposition Mr. Paul Berenger.

The speech of the Attorney General and Minister for Human Rights Mr. Jaya Rama Valayden.

The MTTF Presdient Mr. Veeren Comaren [left] with the Foreign Minister of Mauritius.

The Attorney General and Minister for Human Rights of Mauritius, Mr. Jaya Rama Valayden in his speech condemned the Rajapaksa brothers for the genocide committed on Tamils. Mauritius will not stop merely at protesting, he said.

The protest was organized by the Mauritius Tamil Temples Federation (MTTF), an organization running about 150 koyils (temples) in Mauritius, the Tamil Force an organization of youth for justice and fairness towards Tamils in Mauritius, the Hindu Maha Jana Sangham, the Tamil Union, and the Tamil Eelam Support Committee under the leadership of Ganess Permal.

The MTTF president Mr. Veeran Comaren explained to the Foreign Minister of the need of Mauritius government convincing India to take necessary action.

Former Foreign Minister Mr. Jayan Cuttaree, former leader of the opposition and General Secretary of the MSM party, former Foreign Secretary, Mr. Vijay Makhan and Tamil social activist, Thiruthondar Cheetaen were among the notables who condemned the plight thrust upon the Eezham Tamils.

While the MSM party was in power in 1985, its leader and the then Prime Minister spoke in support of Eezham Tamils at the United Nations.

Today’s opposition leader and the party chief of MMM, Mr Paul Berenger has always been supportive to the cause of Eezham Tamils.

Aya Agileshwaren, a native of Jaffna, conducted the prayer at the Maariyamman Temple.

Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, has predominantly been populated by people of Indian origin during colonial times. Tamils and people of European, African and Chinese origins are among the minorities.

Mauritius ranks first among all countries in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to India amounting to a total of nearly 11 billion U.S. dollars.

Former Foreign Minister Mr. Jayen Cuttaree (blue t-shirt) with Mr. Paul Berenger and former Foreign Secretary Mr. Viajay Makhan on his right, among the attendees.


Taml social activist Thiruthondar Cheeten [right] holding the MTTF banner.

General Secretary of MSM and the former leader of the opposition delivering his speech

Tamil Force is an organisation of youth for justice and fairness towards Tamils in Mauritius

 

Participation of women in the protest.