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united kingdom
& the Struggle for Tamil Eelam
International Tamil Foundation to UK
Government
on proposed proscription of LTTE
7 February 2001
Rt Hon Jack Straw
Secretary of State
Home Office
50 Queen Anne's Gate
London SW1H 9AT
Dear Sir
Proscribing the LTTE
We, the members of the International Tamil Foundation, based in London and
functioning as a 'think tank' in this country for the past thirteen years, wish
to submit the following for your urgent and earnest consideration.
There have been disturbing reports in recent weeks that the British Government
is giving serious consideration to pressures being exerted by the Sri Lanka
Government to proscribe the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on British
soil. Repeated demands for a ban have been made by Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister,
who, as you would know is NOT an elected member of parliament, representing
neither a Tamil nor a Sinhala electorate. Sinhala racist organisations in
Colombo have also now joined the noisy chorus. We of course do not believe, as
they expect, that making an unnerving din in Colombo should become a good enough
reason to ban an organisation in Britain, 5,000 miles away. After all, every
country is known to act in its own self-interest, and not in the self-interest
of another. It is a heartening sign however that Her Excellency the President
herself has not hitherto made a public issue of this.
History of proscription in Sri Lanka and the lessons to be drawn from it
It is not widely known that though the war in Sri Lanka is in its eighteenth
year, the proscription of the LTTE goes back to
twenty two years! On the 22nd May 1978 the Sri Lankan government, under a
previous President, Junius Richard Jayawardene, introduced what was described as
"Proscribing of Liberation Tigers of Tamil eelam and other Similar Organisations
Law No.16 of 1978". The period of that proscription was limited to one year, in
the expectation that the LTTE yet in its nascent stage, could be suppressed
within that time. Instead, it appeared to be getting stronger. One year later,
on the 21st May 1979, the earlier Act was amended substituting the words 'two
years' in place of 'one year'. But when it was discovered by July the same year
that the exercise was becoming profitless, it was decided to replace the earlier
law proscribing the LTTE by a wider one - the
Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act.
Three years later, in July 1982, the PTA, despite the indications of its
temporary nature, was made a part of the permanent law of the land. One year
later came the horrendous
State-aided,
anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983. The now ongoing ruinous war that had its
beginnings then, has been going on endlessly. What price proscription? There is
a saying "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail". In Sri
Lanka, Sir, the experiment with proscription has also led to an entrenched
racist outlook: in the eyes of the government, every Tamil (in bad light) looks
like a Tiger!
India and the US
The two other governments that have proscribed the LTTE are India and the US,
each for a different reason; India, which having gone into Sri Lanka as a
'Peace-Keeping Force' has been unable to live down its history of a fruitless
war against the LTTE, and the US, because Madame Albright at that time thought
it would be a good idea!
India, the country next door to Sri Lanka, the regional superpower with a long
history of intervention in Sri Lankan affairs, and a country that once spelt out
the doctrine that she has the first exclusive say in her little neighbour's
affairs, today stands like a helpless onlooker while faraway Norway has taken
centre stage as a virtual mediator. Why? The price of banning the LTTE. She has
lost credibility in the eyes of the world as a legitimate interventionist and in
the eyes of the Tamils as an honest broker. So has the US, the world's only
superpower that has a finger in every pie.
This issue of proscription Sir, is not one that affects the LTTE only. It is an
issue that affects all Tamils, including the 100,000 Tamils living in this
country, leading peaceful lives, and contributing towards the economy of this
country in various ways. One should not fall for the fiction that Sri Lankan
governments have all along propagated - that the LTTE and the Tamil people are
two different entities. It has been a convenient ruse to point out at some small
Tamil parties functioning in Colombo as representing a different, wholesome
Tamil opinion. That theory now stands exploded, after a group of ten Tamil
parties, consisting of men who have been 'democratically' elected to parliament
met the British High Commissioner in Colombo and emphasised the need to talk to
the LTTE.
We, who represent the International Tamil Foundation, consist of professionals,
many of whom were born under the British rule in Ceylon, and who have lived in
this country for several years and become part of the landscape here. We have
learnt to admire the sturdy foundations of British Democracy, and Human Liberty
going back to the Magna Carta of 1215. It therefore alarms us that a
self-important, non-elected Foreign Minister of a non-functioning Democracy,
such as Sri Lanka, dependent on international doles, should succeed in laying
down the law to the Mother of Parliaments, and threaten this country with dire
consequences if she does not proscribe the LTTE. Viewed in isolation, one could
dismiss Mr Kadirgamar's performance as some light comic opera, but what really
alarms us are the reports that the British Government is giving serious
attention to his threats.
We live in the hope that you Sir, will not be a party to what could become an
ominous precedent in Britain's long history of tolerance and liberal values.
With assurances of the highest esteem, we remain, Sir,
C J T Thamotheram - Founder
R Ganeshalingam - Chairman |
