Shenali D Waduge

Even to dance the tango the two have to dance to not only the same tune but to the same steps. What is clear from the very statements by Tamil leaders and their representative parties over the years is that their demands remain fixated while they expect the other party to be compromising and virtually giving in to their demands. What is equally shocking is that the so-called international community & the UN system well aware of these racist & separatist demands of the Tamil political players are very happy to play along as they see opportunities for their agendas in the demands made by these Tamils.

On 20th November 1947 the President of the ACTC sent a telegram through the Governor’s Office to the Secretary of State for the Colonies:

The Tamil people of Ceylon have rejected the Soulbury Constitution in as much as at the general elections not one Tamil candidate of the U. N. P. was elected to Parliament and all but one of the Tamil Representatives who voted for the acceptance of the White Paper of 1945 in the defunct State Council were (sic) defeated. The All Ceylon Tamil Congress demands a free constitution for Ceylon conferring sovereignty on its people with equal freedom for all communities and calls for a constituent assembly to frame a constitution acceptable to all sections of the people. An Unitary Government with present composition of legislature and structure of executive totally unacceptable to the Tamils. In the absence of a satisfactory alternative we demand the right of self-determination for the Tamil people.” 

It was only in 1951 that, for the first time, Tamil politicians defined the Tamils as a distinct nation. The first annual convention of the Tamil Federal Party (ITAK) declared:

“the Tamil speaking people in Ceylon constitute a nation distinct from that of the Sinhalese by every fundamental test of nationhood”

The Federal Party summoned its national convention in the naval port of Trincomalee in the eastern province. That convention, held on 19 August 1956 immediately after the passing of the June 1956 Official Language Act, passed the following resolutions:

1. the replacement of the present pernicious constitution by a rational and democratic constitution based on the federal principle and the establishment of one or more Tamil linguistic state or states incorporating all geographically contiguous areas in which the Tamil speaking people are numerically in a majority as federating unit or units enjoying the widest autonomous and residuary powers consistent with the unity and external security of Ceylon;
2. The restoration of the Tamil language to its rightful place enjoying the absolute parity of status with Sinhalese as an official language of the country;
3. The repeal of the present citizenship laws and the enactment in their place of laws recognizing the right to full citizenship on the basis of a simple test of residence for all persons who have made this country their home;
4. The immediate cessation of colonization of the traditional Tamil speaking areas with Sinhalese people.

Professor C. Suntharalingam – The man who fathered the Tamil Eelam concept and introduced the word EELAM into the Ceylonese political vocabulary. He created the Eela Thamil Ottrumai Munnani (Unity Front of Eelam Tamils) in 1959.

“We have made up our minds, come what may, that we shall constitute a separate state of Eelam”

Statement by S. J. Chelvanayagam after winning the by-election for the Kankesanturai Parliamentary seat, held belatedly on 7 February 1975

“I wish to announce to my people and to the country that I consider the verdict at this election as a mandate that the Tamil Eelam nation should exercise the sovereignty already vested in the Tamil people and become free.”

In 1975 its leader Chelvanayakam declared secession to be the goal of the Tamil people. In 1977, the Tamil United Front (TUF) was Reformed as the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), and in the subsequent general election asked the Tamil people for a mandate to secede as the separate State of Tamil Eelam. The TULF stated in its election manifesto

The Tamil nation must take the decision to establish its sovereignty in its homeland on the basis of its right to self determination. The only way to announce this decision to the Sinhalese government and to the world is to vote for the Tamil United Liberation Front.”

In 1972 combining the ACTC and ITAK (Federal Party) Tamil United Front was formed which later became TULF in 1976. Vaddukoddai Resolution emerged from the first National Convention of the Tamil United Liberation Front meeting at Pannakam (Vaddukoddai Constituency) on the 14th day of May, 1976 by Chairman S.J.V. Chelvanayakam. www.sangam.org

5 objectives were declared

1. State of Tamil Eelam to consist of North & Eastern provinces to all Tamil speaking people
2. Constitution of Tamil Eelam based on principles of decentralization. No foremost place to any religion or territorial community.
3. Tamil Eelamwill assure equal status to all
4. Tamil Eelam will be a secular statewith equal protection to all religions
5. Tamil will be language of the State but Sinhala speaking minority can educate and transact in Sinhala subject to reciprocity of Tamil speaking minority in Sinhala state.  (didn’t they demand equal language rights – if so why make only Tamil language of the state?)

26 March 1977 Chelvanayagam said ,

My advice to the Sinhalese leaders is to allow us to go our way .. Let us avoid bitterness and agree to part peacefully. This will pave the way for greater cooperation between the two nations on a footing of equality. The Tamils are not with any other alternatives. Bitterness is growing in the midst of the younger generations. Without allowing it to grow any further, which may lead to inevitable confrontation leading to foreign intervention, therefore a method of peacefully working out this entanglement is necessary. We are confident that the truth will ultimately triumph and we will win in the war of endurance.”

Tamil United Liberation Front 
General Election Manifesto, July 1977

www.sangam.org

• “to establish an independent sovereign, secular, socialist State of Tamil Eelam…“.
• Even before the Christian era, the entire Island of Ceylon was ruled by Tamil Kings, Senan, Kuddikan and Elara  (Ellalan)” (These are all Indian – Tamil Nadu kings and Elara was not a Tamil)
• The Tamil nation must take the decision to establish its sovereignty in its homeland on the basis of its right to self determination. The only way to announce this decision to the Sinhalese government and to the world is to vote for the Tamil United Liberation Front”
• either by peaceful means or by direct action or struggle.”

When the UNP government put forward its conventional policy statement in August 1977, Amirthalingam, the leader of the opposition, proposed an amendment to it:

It [the policy statement] studiedly refrains from referring to the mandate given by the people of Tamil Eelam to the TULF for the restoration and reconstitution of a free, sovereign, socialist, secular state of Tamil Eelam . . . Government policy has failed to take note of the fact that the Tamils are a separate nation by all internationally accepted standards . . . and are therefore entitled to exercise their inalienable right of self determination”

President Jayewardene in October 1982

“They can’t separate, and what we give them can’t be different from any other part of the country.”

Yogaratnam Yogi, on behalf of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam speaking at a public meeting to commemorate the 15th death anniversary of Thanthai Chelva on April 26 1992 at Nallur, Jaffna

“Thanthai Chelva was the elder statesman who opened the path for the present struggle of the Tamils. He had to carry the struggle forward under great difficulties. We of the LTTE accord Thanthai Chelva and his sincere followers a respected position in the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle.”

In 2001 when Tamil National Alliance was formed comprising the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) their immediate demands were: –

• The immediate lifting of the economic embargo currently in force in parts of the northeast province
• Thewithdrawal of the residential and travel restrictions foisted on the Tamil nationality
• The immediate cessation of the war being currently waged in the northeast
• Theimmediate commencement of the process of negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE) with international third party involvement.

TNA 2001 election manifesto

www.tamilnet.com

1. Recognition of theTamils of Sri Lanka as a distinct nationality. 
2. Recognition of an identifiedTamil homeland and guarantee of its territorial integrity.
3. Based on the above, recognition of the inalienable right of self-determination of the Tamil nation.
4. Recognition of the right to full citizenship and other fundamental democratic rights of all Tamils who look upon the island as their country.’
5. Sambathan leader of TNA & present Opposition Leader (2003)

“The ISGA proposal submitted by the LTTE to the UNF government bears historical importance in the political history of Tamils in the island. The ISGA provides a base to find a permanent political solution to the Tamil national question,”

TNA 2004 election manifesto key areas www.tamilnet.com / www.thesundayleader.lk

• The high security zones and armed forces camps…. should be removed
• The political prisoners ……should be released (LTTE cadres are not political prisoners)
• …. removing the restrictions put in place by certain countries on the LTTE

2009 Tamil Diaspora global referendum conducted by TGTE.

“I aspire for the formation of the independent and sovereign state of Tamil Eelam in the north and east territory of the island of Sri Lanka on the basis that the Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka make a distinct nation, have a traditional homeland and have the right to self-determination.”

TNA 2010 election manifesto transcurrents.com

• Tamil people a distinct nationality
• Tamil speaking Northern & Eastern provinces are historical habitation of the Tamil people peoples.
• Tamil people are entitled to right of self-determination
• Power sharing arrangement must be established in a unit merged Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a federal structure
• Devolution of power over land, law and order, socioeconomic development including health, education, resources and fiscal powers
• Direct foreign investment in the North & East
• Tertiary education
• Demilitarization return to pre-war 1983
• Resettlement of Tamil people in their original places, housing and livelihood to be restored.
• Compensation paid to loss of lives, maimed as a result of military campaign
• Releasing persons detained without charges
• Tamils who fled country must be allowed to return
• Creation of employment opportunities for youth with participation of International Community & Tamil Diaspora
• No displaced persons
• Special commission to  uplift socially and economically disadvantaged sections of society
• TNA will raise standard of living of fishing communities providing them access to modern technologies
• Increasing salaries of government servants and private sector employees
• Equal status to women,
• TNA assures to secure employment opportunities to unemployed graduates

Sampanthan’s speech at the 14th Annual ITAK convention in 2012 Batticoloa covered the following points : www.tamilcanadian.com a must read to understand what the demands are

Our expectation for a solution to the ethnic problem of the sovereignty of the Tamil people is based on a political structure OUTSIDE that of a UNITARY GOVERNMENT, in a UNITED SRI LANKA in which Tamil people have all the powers of government needed to live with self-respect and self sufficiency’. (this is echoing the 1947 demands by ACTC to the British)

The struggle is the same, but the approaches we employ are different. Our aim is the same, but our strategies are different. The players are the same, but the alliances are different. That is the nature of the Tamil people. Although we still have the same aim, the methods we use are now different.” 

TNA 2013 election manifesto (Northern Provincial Council election)

www.colombotelegraph.com

• The Tamils are a distinct People and from time immemorial have inhabited this island together with the Sinhalese People and others
• The contiguous preponderantly Tamil Speaking Northern and Eastern provinces is the historical habitation of the Tamil Speaking Peoples
• The Tamil People are entitled to the right to self-determination
• Power sharing arrangements must be established in a unit of a merged Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a Federal structure, in a manner also acceptable to the Tamil Speaking Muslim people
• Devolution of power on the basis of shared sovereignty shall necessarily be over land, law and order, socio-economic development including health and education, resources and fiscal powers.

TNA 2015 Parliamentary Election Manifesto – issued by the TNA comprising of ITAK, TELO, EPRLF and PLOTE.

www.colombotelegraph.com

• The Tamils are a distinct People with their own culture, civilization, language and heritage and from time immemorial have inhabited this island togetherwith the Sinhalese People and others (slight change to their earlier stand)
• The contiguous preponderantly Tamil Speaking Northern and Eastern provinces is the historical habitation of the Tamil People and the Tamil Speaking Peoples
• The Tamil People are entitled to the right to self-determination in keeping with United Nations International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both of which Sri Lanka has accepted and acceded to
• Power sharing arrangements must continue to be established as it existed earlier in a unit of a merged Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a Federal structure. The Tamil speaking Muslim historical inhabitants shall be entitled to be beneficiaries of all power-sharing arrangements in the North-East. This will no way inflict any disability on any People.
• Devolution of power on the basis of shared sovereignty shall be over land, law and order, enforcement of the law so as to ensure the safety and security of the Tamil People, socio-economic development including inter-alia health, education, higher and vocational education, agriculture, fisheries, industries, livestock development, cultural affairs, mustering of resources, both domestic and foreign and fiscal powers.
• Direct foreign investment in the North-East should be facilitated resulting in new industries and employment opportunities being created for youth
• Avenues for tertiary education should also be set-up so that those who cannot enter universities can pursue higher education in relevant fields

V Rudrakumaran, LTTE lawyer and present ‘President’ of TGTE

“…a social group characterized by distinct objective elements such as a common language and a common struggle, acquire subjective elements such as a sense of solidarity, of sameness or oneness and has a relationship to a defined territory,” such a group clearly constitutes a “people” and-is entitled to self-determination… the Tamils of Sri Lanka, who are united on the basis of such objective factors as a distinct language etc., and by such subjective factors as a passionate yearning for freedom, and who have a long-established relationship to the Northern and Eastern provinces constitute a people, and are therefore entitled to self-determination in the form of secession, in the face of denial of effective representation in Sri Lanka’s existing constitutional and political situation….

Feb. 10, 2015 Northern Provincial Council headed by C V Wigneswaran tabled a resolution alleging genocide of Sri Lankan Tamils, since 1948 (he cannot however explain how Tamil population is increasing after genocide)

Racism of Chief Minister Wigneswaran is exposed through these examples http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2017/04/04/racism-of-chief-minister-wigneswaran/

There are plenty more racist and hateful statements made by these so-called Tamil leaders most of these comments for want of space is not included. What is shocking is that no one seems to be bothered with their racism & separatist objectives.

Take all of the Tamil organizations/associations overseas and study their aims, objectives – every event they organize uses LTTE colours, LTTE flags, LTTE memorabilia, LTTE maps etc.

If the demands have not changed why should the other side only be the one to have to compromise, virtually give into demands that have no historical basis, factually incorrect, strenghtened by blood-money & illegal and illicit profits.

Shenali D Waduge