Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 . Canada

6 April 2010

AN OPEN LETTER

A RESPONSE TO ASHOKƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  K. MEHTAƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢SƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”POLITICAL WILLƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢

Dear Ashok Mehta:

Your thesis on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sri Lanka becoming another Singapore is possible if there is a genuine reconciliation and power-sharing with Tamils, including winning over the Tamil DiasporaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, is a bit dishonest, a bit naive and is a bit simplistic, and it bothers me.

What your thesis has ignored is that the majority of the Sri Lankans are the Sinhalese who are 74% of the population who have absolutely no access to own even one-square-inch of the real estate in the North of the island where as 12.6% (now 3.9%) of the minority Tamils can and do own several perches of land in every nook and corner of the island.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And you say the Government should consider ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-power sharingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ with the Tamils.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Phew! ThatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s asking to forfeit a lot from the majority Sinhalese who have been the wronged majority during 450 years of colonial rule and still are after 62 years of Independence, isnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t it Ashok?

Your thesis has missed recognizing that 41% of the population of the capital of Colombo is Tamils, and there isnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t even 1% of the population in Jaffna in the North which you could chalk to be from the Sinhalese majority.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is a hellva-how-do-you-do, isnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t Ashok?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  There lies the problem where the Rajapaksa regime has to deal with to satisfy the aspirations of the majority Sinhalese as well as the rest of the non-Tamil minorities.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is not a case of TamilsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ TamilsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ andƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ Tamils all the time.

And you talk of power-sharing.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The question that you have to answer Ashok is, do the Tamils really want to share power with the Sinhalese?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That is the million dollar question.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You ought to get that answer by speaking with the leader of the Global Tamil Forum, Reverend Fr. S.J. Emmanuel, the former Tamil Roman Catholic Vicar of Jaffna now domiciled in Germany.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If you canƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t track this starched white collared man in cloth, then speak to other Tamil Roman Catholic Bishops and priests that dot the Jaffna Peninsula and you might find the answer you are searching for.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Here is a preview of what you might get as an answer. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We want our mono-ethnic, racist, Tamil state Eelam in the merged North and East Provinces, nothing more and nothing less.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-New Delhi has good reason to be angry over devolution being pushed to the back-burner despite its unpublished role in helping Sri Lanka win the war against the LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, you said.

You say that as if you are convinced that New Delhi really cares for the stability of Sri Lanka. ThatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s where my observation that you are ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-a bit dishonest and naiveƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ comes to play.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  LetƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s not ignore the fact that it was Indira GandhiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s India that took hundreds of barefooted Tamil Tiger guerrillas in late 1983, trained them in military camps in southern and northern India how to shoot straight with Kalashnikovs; how to throw hand-grenades after pulling the pin at targets like throwing a cricket ball at three stumps from a distance; how to carry RPGs on their shoulders and fire.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It was India who taught these bare footed Tamil guerrillas how to walk/march in heavy military boots and throw away their sarongs and banians and provided them with military fatigues when they graduated as terrorists and sent them back carrying Kalashnikovs cradling in their arms like babies; and festoons of bullets around their necks like Hawaiian leis, to fight and destabilize the democratically elected government.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  At one point in the late ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢83 and early ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢84 India was providing military training to seven different Tamil guerrilla groups on their soil to go to war against a democratically elected government whose country was on its way to become the second Singapore in the region.

So, Ashok, India is no paragon of virtue nor is she a loving neighbour of Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So letƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s get that clear in your mind.

You ought not to forget that by August 1985 Tamil NaduƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran lead a 16-member all party delegation to Delhi to meet with Indira Gandhi to show their support for their Sri Lankan Tamil brethren, calling a state-wide strike, which was supported by Indira Gandhi ordering all federal offices in the state to be closed; and then the Indian journal India 2000 claimed a scoop of the planned invasion of Sri Lanka in August 1983 confirmed by some sources in IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Defence and External Affairs ministries that a top-secret airborne invasion was indeed planned.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This was not for the love of the majority Sinhalese or Sri Lanka, but for RamachandranƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  55 million Tamils in Tamil Nadu and Indira Gandhi to pick up votes for her Congress (I) party at the Congress elections where it was running third in the polls in the south. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Right Ashok?

Remember, how Tamil NaduƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran became the chief organizer of a black flag sale in September 1985 to collect huge funds for the Tamil Tiger terrorists to go on killing innocent Sri Lankans in the name of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-EelamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And India resumed arms and ammunition supplies to the Tamil Tigers in March.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  India is no friend of Sri Lanka, Ashok.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  LetƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s not kid ourselves.

Remember, IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s great espionage scandal of January 1985, when a truck-load of stolen papers was retrieved in intelligence swoops which included a seven-page note describing New DelhiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s covert activities among Tamil Tiger terrorists in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It also detailed the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-TigerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ training bases and staging areas in Tamil Nadu, where these terrorists were treated as official guests with their headquarters in the hostel reserved for Tamil Nadu State government legislators.

Keep this bit of information in case you wish to re-write your thesis on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Political Will.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  India was and is no friend of Sri Lanka as her intention has always been to destabilize this little island nation and put a lid on her prospering incase she becomes another Singapore.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ On November 6, 1986 the Indian newspaper The Statesman reported from Madras, quoting Indian intelligence sources that there were 500 armed Tamil Tiger terrorists in Madras city alone and another 4,000-5,000 elsewhere in southern India, all ready to surf the waters of Palk Strait at night in fast moving fibre-glass boats with guns and ammunitions to kill and chase the majority Sinhalese in the process of ethnically cleansing the North and East of the island.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Power-sharing with these goons you suggest! Ha!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You must be out of your mind Ashok.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Although the Tamil Tigers have been defeated militarily, there are thousands still around in Sri Lanka and many have got away to foreign countries in the west as refugees and are agitating for their Eelam.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Eelam War V is now fought outside the shores of Sri Lanka and Canada is one such place.

The RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s should not naively believe that India which insists that it cannot support an Eelam will abstain from military interventionism.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  One has only to recall Bangladesh, Sikkim, Bhutan and perhaps Goa for evidence of IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  hegemonistic policy.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Although this may be a bit difficult now with China, Russia and Iran coming within the frame of geopolitical influence on Sri Lanka having stretched their hands with help.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I doubt IndiaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  will want to spoilƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for a fight with China over Sri Lanka on behalf of the Tamils.

You point out in your thesis the magnanimity of India ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-bigger than the deployment of the IPKF and sacrifice of 1,200 lives,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ You have not explained the real truth here Ashok.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Let me try and explain to you what really happened as Indian soldiers didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t come to Sri Lanka to become sacrificial lambs for the love of Sri Lanka.

India sent around 2,000 of their troops on July 30, 1987, to conform to the principles of the India-Lanka Accord that Sri Lanka was bullied to sign on July 29, 1987 when the boast of the third largest army in the world said that they will get over and depart after 72 hours having disarmed their protƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚©gƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚©s, the ragged bands of barefooted Tamil youth who they trained as terrorist-fighters in their army camps in India, having brought them to their knees.

But what was in store for this third largest army in the world was an embarrassment.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Their protƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚©gƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚©s took them on with the armoury that was provided by their master India, and 8,760 hours later there were 100,000 soldiers deployed to disarm the Tamil Tigers.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The 1,200 Indian soldiers who returned to India in body-bags were the results of IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s miscalculation of their prowess and the misadventure of their boast.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ThatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s what happened Ashok, not that they ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-sacrificedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ their lives willingly for the cause they strongly believed in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” love of their neighbour Sri Lanka.

But remember, most of us may not recall that before the Indian soldiers arrived in Sri Lanka on July 30, 1987, Mannar in the northwest was quiet. Trincomalee in the east was fully under Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s control with no interracial violence whatsoever.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Sri Lanka Task Force had the Tamil Tigers on the run in Batticaloa, and the Sri Lankan Army had taken two-thirds of the Jaffna peninsula in the Vadamarachchi operation before India decided to halt the Sri Lankan governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s progress.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This was in case India lost control of its agenda to destabilize Sri Lanka using its protƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚©gƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚©s, the Tamil Tigers.

Whatever the pressures are from outside, India included, the Rajapaksa government cannot ignore that the majority Sinhalese too do have their aspirations and should be aware of their historical and factual position in the island.

If the pressures from outside says that Sri Lanka should recognize the Tamils ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-historicalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ privileges, whatever they are, the RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s better point out to these nosey Parkers the historical privileges and aspirations of the majority Sinhalese and they got oodles of it to show and prove. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

And that means that if the Tamils being a minority can live in any nook and corner of Sri Lanka including the capital Colombo, so should the majority Sinhalese be able to live in any nook and corner of the island, and that mean in the Jaffna peninsular too with no questions asked.

If democratic reciprocity should be at play in Sri Lanka, if capital ColomboƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s 41% of its population is Tamil, so should 41% of the population of Jaffna, the capital city of the North be of Sinhalese.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Why shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t it be?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Right, Ashok? This is simple logic, simple arithmetic, and simple common sense.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦winning over the Tamil DiasporaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, you said.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  LetƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s reverse this thinking for a moment.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  How about the Tamil Diaspora winning over the Sri Lankan Government?

And I hope you will rethink your thesis of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Political WillƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and re-tool it for public consumption incorporating the pointers that I have made.

Good luck.

Sincerely,

Asoka Weerasinghe

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚