Anandasangaree on Geneva
II
The Press Release on Geneva II (given below) issued by V. Anandasangaree
, the TULF leader, is instructive as Sangaree neither supports the
LTTE nor GOSL. He has sometimes been touted as the voice of the non-LTTE
Tamils, but GOSL has completely ignored him. His comments on Geneva
II are certainly instructive.
Sangaree gives three reasons why the LTTE is not interested in a
solution to the conflict. The "solution" that the LTTE wants
is to give them a separate state. Sangaree's solution is a Federal
state, but he too supports the union of the Northern and Eastern provinces
as the Eelaam-nadu state. If this were to happen the LTTE may contest
the election through its TNA proxy and may well get a majority. In
that case nothing would have changed, only the LTTE will use their
Federal state to launch a bid for complete separation on the Yugoslav
model. So we cannot answer Sangaree's three questions without knowing
what kind of "solution" that GOSL will agree to. It is increasingly
likely that GOSL may agree to federalism on the Indian model with
the Northern and the Eastern Provinces as two separate "states"
in the SL Union.
The matter that seems to interest Sangaree most is the opening of
the A9 road. This was also a key demand of Tamilselvan. Sangaree has
given a detailed account of how the LTTE extorted money from those
who used A9 to transport goods to Jaffna. When GOSL closed A9 this
source of revenue ended, hence their interest in re-opening A9. But
at Geneva GOSL gave a false reason for closing the A9. They said that
it was because of the threat of LTTE attacks. The real reason is that
the A9 between Vavuniya and Elephant Pass is controlled by the LTTE.
To admit this in Geneva would make a mockery of its claim that it
is the Government of the whole of SL. It would have exposed the surrender
of sovereignty implicit in the CFA. What is needed is not closing
the A9 but wresting it back from the LTTE. GOSL has failed to do this,
and under its present policy may never be able to do this. It is now
left for Sangaree to give the low down on how the LTTE uses A9 to
extort money.
One bit of information supplied by Sangaree is that Tamils who fly
to Jaffna are forced within 24 hours of their arrival to pay an entry
tax to the LTTE. This makes a mockery of the GOSL claim that it rules
the Jaffna peninsula. It would appear that its sovereignty is limited
here as well, and the LTTE can impose taxes in an area supposedly
controlled by GOSL. It would also appear that Presidents Cooperatives
in Jaffna are also appointed by the LTTE!
In spite of his criticisms Sangaree agrees with Tamilselvan on many
matters. He too wants the A9 opened and the LTTE to cease levying
taxes as it simply inflates the price of goods coming to Jaffna. Like
Tamilselvan Sangaree to welcomes the UNP-SLFP union as it is now more
likely that GOSL will give them Federaliam.
Thus Sangaree while critical of the LTTE is in favour of the Federal
solution, as the TULF has always been. What he does not realise is
that this will not be a complete or full solution, but only brief
period of peace until the Fifth Eelaam War begins.
