Old India Strikes Back

Stuck

Slip deeper into the abyss

Rudderless…adrift in a violent storm

The calm within triggers occasional alarm

The alarm fails to provoke

Time and Wealth

An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth

Bonnie Friedman

LTTE'S Rudrakumaran reacts to JDS footage on Headlines Today

1. How do you respond to the Video released by the JDS ?

I am horrified that such a terrible crime against humanity was committed with such casualness by the Sri Lankan armed forces that it seems to be a routine event. However, I am not surprised because this is not the first time the barbarism and the brutality of the Government of Sri Lanka has been on public display. We have seen pictures of small children who were literally hung to death in Vaharai and the explosion of bombs in a woman’s private parts to hide evidence of rape by members of the armed forces. We fear there have been many more atrocities committed. There have been tens of thousands of disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Tamils over the past 25 years, for instance, while this is the first to be captured on film.
We are very concerned about the basic human security of the IDPs in the camps and the former combatants in places unknown. General Sarath Fonseka says that 4-5 suspected combatants are being taken from the camps every day, while Human Rights Watch says that there are “concerns of possible ill-treatment or enforced disappearance” for these individuals removed from the camps without accountability.

2. Does this vindicate the stand by various Human rights groups of massive human rights violations and war crimes in the last phase of what is now being called "Eelam War 4." ?
There is no doubt that war crimes have been committed by the Government of Sri Lanka. How else can one explain the killing of more than 20,000 civilians within the last ten days of the war? In addition to killing tens of thousands outright, the Government deliberately starved 300,000 civilians for months, withheld medical care and deliberately bombed and shelled hospitals, homes, fields, and temples and is holding the survivors in concentration camps indefinitely.
In fact, the carnage committed by the Government of Sri Lanka clearly satisfies the definition of genocide in the Genocide Convention. The intent to eliminate large numbers of Tamils can easily be inferred from the acts themselves.

3. How do you see the Sri Lankan government's reaction calling the footage doctored and saying that its security forces have not committed any war crimes or human rights abuses ?
What else do you expect from this government? The fact they haven’t even offered to have a domestic investigation reveals where the guilt lies.

4. Will this video be now part of your legal campaign?

Definitely this video will be part of the legal campaign to bring justice to the victims. We believe this kind of revelations prick the conscience of the international community. It is appalling to see even after the killing of more than 30,000 people and the detaining of more than 300,000 people in a clear effort to be rid of an entire community, Sri Lanka is still treated as a normal state. The international community’s failure to bring these criminals to justice not only reinforces the betrayal of the international community of the Tamils, but also undermines the rule of law and the integrity of international institutions such as the UN. We hope that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will do an investigation on its own, will refer the matter to the Security Council and get the Council’s approval to initiate prosecution in the ICC. India’s support for such action toward justice will be very important.

A Lizard on my Car Window

Touch Down at Sharm el Sheikh

Latest media release from the LTTE

Headquarters,
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
21 July 2009
LTTE officially announces restructure process: Selvarasa
Pathmanathan heads the Organisation
"The Executive Committee of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,
wishes to officially let our beloved Tamil people and the international
community know that Mr Selvarasa Pathmanathan, who had been
appointed as Head of International Relations by our National Leader, will
lead us into the next steps of our freedom struggle according to the vision
of our esteemed leader", said LTTE's Executive Committee in a press
statement released today.
Full text of the statement by the Executive Committee of the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam is as follows:

"The Eelam Tamil people are in the midst of a critical and
sorrowful period in the history of the struggle for freedom of our Nation,
Tamil Eelam. No one can deny the fact that we have experienced massive
and irreplaceable losses, losses we would not accept even in our worst
dreams.
Against the backdrop of Sri Lanka's boastful propaganda that the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been annihilated and destroyed, it
is our historic duty to rise up and fight for our legitimate rights ­ a duty
that has been left in our hands by our peerless leader and those martyred
heroes and civilians who have given their lives in defending our soil.
At this historic juncture, cognizant of the new circumstances, we
have set out to take our freedom struggle along new pathways.
Accordingly, we humbly announce to our beloved Tamil people that we
have reformulated the administrative structures of our liberation
movement.

Like all liberation struggles, we will modify the form and strategies
of our struggle according to times and demands. Yet, our ultimate goal of
a free Tamil Eelam does not ever change. In view of this, we, the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, wish to join hands with our people in
order to take forward our freedom struggle to its next phase. Hon Mr
Veluppillai Pirabakaran was then, now, and shall remain forever, the
leader of Tamil Nationhood.

We are determined to overcome all the hurdles ahead of us in order
to strengthen our actions towards our liberation. We have undertaken a
long, elaborate and deep process of consultation among our members,
including our cadres who bravely fought their way out of the battlefield
and our representatives abroad and in the Diaspora, in order to make
some firm decisions. According to this collective decision, we, the
Executive Committee of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, wish to
officially let our beloved Tamil people and the international community
know that Mr Selvarasa Pathmanathan, who had been appointed as Head
of International Relations by our National Leader, will lead us into the
next steps of our freedom struggle according to the vision of our
esteemed leader.

We have set up a head office for our liberation movement, and
formulated various sector-based working groups and an executive
committee, in order to take our struggle vigorously forward. We shall
share the details of these in due course. We look forward to the support
and wise counsel of the Tamil people in realising our future plans.
If the Sinhala nation and those countries that support it consider
that the Tamil people's freedom struggle has been defeated through the
capture of historical homeland areas of the Tamil people and the
massacre of thousands of Tamil civilians, we shall shatter that illusion.
Let us demonstrate to the world through our actions that the fire of
freedom awakened by our great leader V.Pirabakaran continues to burn in
the hearts of all Tamils, and that only a free Tamil Nation has the power
to extinguish it."

Thank you
Yours Sincerely,
Mr.Suresh(Amuthan), Mr.Ram,
On behave of Executive committee,
Headquarters,
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

The Headlines Today Interview with LTTE's Selvarasa Padmanathan

1. Q- What are the facts about Mr Prabhakaran's death ?



According to information I have, our leader Vellupillai Pirapakaran has attained martyrdom in the fight against the Sri Lankan armed forces on 17th of May 2009.

2. Were you in touch with Mr Prabhakaran during the final hours? What were the final moments like ?



a. Yes, I had contacts with our leader during the final hours until his communication link was active. My final contact was with Col Soosai who was leading the defensive resistance of LTTE against the Sri Lankan armed forces during the final hours. He described to me in detail what was happening on the ground then. The final moments were full of horrific and brutal attacks by Sri Lankan armed forces. Thousands of our people were killed and injured. There were no medical personnel or facilities to take care of the injured people. People were dying due to lack of medical attention. Col Soosai confirmed to me that our leader was engaging the Sri Lankan armed forces and sacrificed his life for our cause of the Eelam Tamil Nation.

b. What remains of Mr Prabhakaran's family?

We have highly reliable information that our leader’s elder son Charles Antony and daughter Duvaraka were part of LTTE fighting formations and that they also attained martyrdom in the fight against the Sri Lankan armed forces during the final moments. Until now, we do not have accurate information on the fate of our leader’s wife, Mathivathani and their younger son Balachandran.

3. In an interview to Headlines Today Eric Solhiem said that the LTTE was in touch with him in the final hours of the last battle. Were you in touch with other world leaders ?



Yes. I had contacts with some world leaders. For diplomatic reasons we are not in a position to reveal the information on such contacts at this particular point in time.

b. Why did these efforts fail to bear fruit ?


International Community (IC) continued to insist on the LTTE laying down the arms before they took any meaningful steps to stop the war. Our leadership held the view that any process of laying down arms should be linked to an acceptable political solution. Instead of laying down of arms, we were seeking a ceasefire and a political negotiation for a political solution. Unfortunately our position was not acceptable to the International Community on the grounds that our position was not acceptable to the Sri Lankan Government, so no effective measures were taken to stop the war. In the final moments, after seeing the intensity and brutality of the offensive by the Sri Lankan armed forces and the non existence of any kind of medical facilities, our leadership then decided to silence our guns for the purpose of saving the lives of the civilians and the remaining cadres. Our leadership was concerned that if our organisation did not silence the guns, the Sri Lankan government would use it as justification for completing the massacre of our people. The message about silencing the guns was conveyed to me in the evening of the 15th of May. This was a Friday. We were working with the IC around the clock for the next 48 hours to implement an immediate ceasefire, and we got positive responses for our position of silencing the guns from the IC. Though the days left for us were a Saturday and Sunday of the weekend, members of the IC were trying to convince the Sri Lankan government to implement a ceasefire. But the response of the Sri Lankan Government remained negative. Sri Lankan Government and the armed forces were adamant on carrying out the final assault and finishing the final phase of their brutal massacre.

4. Many pro-LTTE leaders in India have criticised you for announcing that Mr Prabhakaran is dead, this includes people like Mr Vaiko and Mr Nedumaran. It is reported that individuals within the LTTE's structure do not accept that Mr Prabhakaran is dead. How do you see this?



The message I brought to the Tamil people was very bad and a sad one. Of course, it also took me many hours to take the message in and accept the reality. Some carders and a large section of Tamil people were in disbelief of the news that I brought out. I understand their state of mind and I am very sympathetic towards them. Their reactions were the result of their emotions. As a responsible liberation movement, we cannot hide the truth from our people. It is also politically wrong to hide the truth from our people.

5. Does your assertion that the LTTE has shunned the path of violence have wide acceptability within the organisation? Is this permanent or does the LTTE retain its right to take up arms later?



The decision of silencing our guns was taken by our leader before his death. We are now moving forward towards a new path. This position has attracted wider acceptance within the organisation. LTTE’s political position is that any political solution for the Tamil national question should be based on the recognition of the fundamental principles of political aspiration of the Tamil people, i.e., recognition of Tamils as a nation, having the Northeast as their historical homeland and that they are entitled to right to self determination. We will continue our fight through political means until these aspirations of the Tamil people are realised. We will stick to this position. If you read the history of the evolution of armed struggles, you can clearly observe that fundamentally an armed struggle has its roots in oppression, occupation and denial of the political means of protest and denial of the democratic rights for fighting for the cause of an oppressed people. This also happened to us and the armed struggle of the LTTE was the historical product of injustice against the Tamil Nation. LTTE has now chosen to take the political path. I would leave the question of another armed struggle towards the rights of Tamil people for the pages of history.

6. What do you have to say to people within the organisation and sympathisers outside who still believe that only an armed struggle is the means to achieve Tamil Eelam?



Our leader had faced tremendous challenges during his more than three decades of armed struggle. He achieved the maximum that he could achieve within the prevailing conditions. He was very committed to the cause. Due to a world order that rotates on the axis of self interest, our armed struggle could not attract sympathy among the world countries. Instead, we have seen that the Sri Lankan Government has utilised the present world order and the geo-political structures to mobilise the entire world on its side. This was the fundamental reason for our military defeat in the recent war. The best option left for us is to be firm on the cause and the principles, and fight through the political means in our next phase of the struggle.

7. a. How do you respond to reports that talk of a split in the LTTE and a power struggle within the organisation?



I deny it. It is true that there were different views amongst us on the issue of announcing our leader’s death. We were not successful in reaching an agreement on the issue. We are now working to resolve the differences through dialogue.

b. What role will you play in the organisation going ahead?

As the head of the Department of International Relation of LTTE, I will lead the political programme and the required international relations for winning the international support for our course. We are planning a restructure of our organisation and will inform the Tamil people and the world when we make it.

c. What role will the new non-violent LTTE play in the future?

LTTE will continue to fight for the political aspirations of the Tamil people based on the principles of Tamil nationhood, homeland and right to self-determination. As we have decided to choose a new path, we are now transforming our organisation for the purpose of continuing our fight through political means. As one of our tasks, we need to work with the IC to remove the ban on our organisation with support of the Tamil Diaspora and fellow Tamils in Tamil Nadu and in other parts of the World. We hope that the IC, especially India and the West, would welcome our new path and reward it by removing the ban on our organisation to open the door for political engagement.

8. Can you tell us about the provisional Transnational government of Tamil Eelam? How will it be different from other governments in exile, which have not been very effective?

A committee has been formed to create a provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam under the leadership of our legal advisor, Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran. There are some conceptual differences between a transnational government and an exile government. I think that the coordinator of the Formation Committee, Mr Rudrakumaran, would be the right person to answer this question further.

9. Will the LTTE consider participating directly in elections in Sri Lanka? You have sought a link up with the TNA, how will this relationship work?

We do not see any rationale or space for participating in the elections in Sri Lanka. Fighting the cause through political means does not necessarily mean participating in the elections. LTTE would not participate in the elections until a political settlement is reached based on the principles of Tamil nationhood, homeland and right to self determination. We do not seek a linkup between LTTE and TNA, but realise the importance for a link up in the political programmes in the Tamil homeland and among the Diaspora. It is too early to comment on how this common understanding would emerge and function.

10. What is your message to President Rajapakse?

Sri Lankan Government may have defeated the LTTE militarily but not politically. The fundamental causes for the Tamils struggle for self- determination remain unaddressed. Over the years since its independence, Sri Lankan democracy has become a strong Sinhala majoritarian dictatorship. Sri Lankan parliament, government and judiciary have been functioning as instruments for establishing Sinhala hegemony over Tamils and Muslims. The recent claim by President Rajapakse that there was only one country and one people in Sri Lanka, without recognising the identity of Tamils and Muslims in that island would lead to dangerous consequences for ethnic harmony there in the future. It is also absurd to make a claim that the island has no majority and minority, but only patriots and non-patriots, and this while ruling the country under Sinhala hegemony. President Rajapakse must understand that Sri Lanka has miserably failed in nation building. Tamils in Sri Lanka and in the Diaspora do not identify themselves as Sri Lankans but as Eelam Tamils. Tamils consider Sri Lankan rule as an alien rule. In this scenario, the only option left for true reconciliation is recognising the Tamils’ political aspirations, Tamils as a nation; their historical homeland in the Northeast, and that they are entitled to the right to self- determination. Now president Rajapakse has very strong popular support among the Sinhala people. If he decides to recognise the political aspirations of Tamil people, chances for strong resistance from the Sinhala people are minimal. If he considers himself as a true leader who treats all communities as equals, then he must prove himself by accepting the political aspirations of Tamil people.

11. How do you view India's role during what is now being called "Eelam War IV"? Do you think India could have done more to save Tamil civilians?

In the recent war, India took side with Sri Lanka firmly and provided full support to Sri Lanka. It is not a secret. Sri Lankan leaders, military commanders and Indian officials openly admitted it. Our organisation and the Tamil people have become victims of this Indian position. Even though we are fully aware how India has contributed for the military victory of Sri Lanka, we do not hate India. We consider Tamil people would be the true and reliable friends of India in its own geo-political struggle with other countries, especially with China. We firmly believe India would realise this one day in the future and support Eelam Tamils struggle for self determination.

If India had decided to do something more to save the civilian lives, it would have stopped the war when Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. M Karunanidhi, and other political leaders called for a ceasefire back in November 2008.

12. Will you initiate direct contact with India? Is there a role India can play in the formation of the proposed Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam?

Yes. I would initiate direct contacts with India and request to remove the ban on LTTE and seek support for Eelam Tamils political aspirations.

At conceptual level, support from other states is not a precondition for the formation of a transnational government. This is a people based exercise to be carried out at transnational level by the Tamil Diaspora. Of course, there is no doubt that the support from friendly States will strengthen the Transnational Government and the cause for which it would be working for. The committee for formation of the Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam would seek the support for the Transnational Government from many countries, importantly India.

13. There are some LTTE fighters who are still active in Sri Lanka. They are said to be operating from the forests in the East. Col. Ram is said to be a prominent leader. What information do you have about this group? What will your relation with these groups going ahead?

We have contact with them. They are following our new path by silencing their guns and functioning under my guidance. I am very much concerned about their safety and security since we could not reach any kind of acceptable mechanism for ensuring their safety. I strongly feel that the IC must take more responsibility on this matter.

14. The Sri Lankan government has launched an international campaign against you, seeking your capture. How do you see these efforts? How do you react to the Sri Lankan Government's charges against you?

I have read this news in the newspapers. I have been part of our liberation movement which took arms to fight for the legitimate rights of the Tamil Nation. This struggle has its justification under international law. A military defeat cannot erase the justification of the struggle. I have not done any crime or harm against humanity. Furthermore, I am now leading the process of transforming and developing our organisation as a political organisation. The decision of this transformation is taken for the interest of Tamil Nation, but it would also be beneficial for the Sinhalese and Muslims in the island. It is also important for the peace and stability in the island and indeed the region. I hope that actors concerned on the issue would approach it in a pragmatic way. However, I am ready to take any kind of risk or even to sacrifice my life for the sake of the Tamil cause.

15. What is the truth about Pottu Amman, the Sri Lanka government says he is dead but they have not been able to give any evidence?

According to our information, Pottu Amman has also attained martyrdom on 17th of May 2009 in the fight against the Sri Lankan armed forces.