CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

"FRONTLINE"MAGAZINE CONCEALED THE TRUE FACTS OF TERRORISM IN SRI LANKA.

A.A.M.NIZAM MATARA, SRI LANKA.

We Sri Lankans appreciate the regular news and editorial coverage being given by the journal “The Hindu” and its “Bi-weekly magazine Frontline” on the Sri Lankan affairs. However, we find that the coverage given by the latest issue of the Frontline as its Cover Story entitled “Peace in Peril”(Vol. 23, Issue 13, July 1 – 14, 2006) is highly prejudicial and devoid of explanations relating to root causes of the current Sri Lankan imbroglio and would certainly mislead the Indian readers, the prime readers of this magazine. The person it has selected to imply as a one representing independent Sinhala opinion, Jayadeva Uyangoda, is well-known in Sri Lanka as a heterodox upholding alien opinion and slavish to foreign inducements. Given below are some comments about the articles in question which I hope would be published in one of the immediate future editions of “Frontline” so that it may help Indian readers to allay the misconceptions they could have formed by reading the articles contained in this special coverage.

The opening article “Engagement is the Key” covering the interview with Dr. Palitha Kohonne, is well balanced and he has quite rightly explained not only about LTTE’s intransigence but also on the depth and extent of its rigidity and unwillingness for a negotiated settlement. Although details of Jayadeva Uyangoda’s academic credentials has been given presumably as a means to strengthen his credibility in the eyes of the Indian readers, no attempt has been made to divulge who Dr. Palitha Kohonna is, despite he being the Head of Sri Lanka’s Peace Secretariat.

The coverage remains incomplete as it has failed to give details of the role played by India in making the LTTE monster that has become a threat to peace and harmony not only in Sri Lanka but also in the Asian region and a role-model for other terrorist organizations. Also it lacks any reference to the colonial misdeeds that implanted hatred among the people of different ethnicity living in Sri Lanka.

The divide and rule policy of the British Imperialists was the root cause for Sri Lanka’s present problem. The majority Sinhala Buddhist population of Sri Lanka was against the British rule in the island and hence the British imperialists made every effort to make them suffer in the long run. Confiscation of several thousand hectares of Sinhala land, expulsion of the Sinhala population from these land and convert these land as Coffee/Tea Estates by bringing in several thousands families from South India and settling them in these confiscated land as cheap labourers was one such effort.

The most damaging act was denying government employment to Sri Lankan population on an equitable or fair basis and providing all government and government related jobs to the Tamils and a handful of anglophile brown sahib Sinhala elites (they are called Kalu Suddhas in Sri Lanka – meaning “the blackish whites”). English education that required for acquiring government jobs was made available only to the children of urbanite anglophile elite Kalu Suddhas and the urbanite Tamil
population.

In the years prior to the departure of the British Imperialists, the elite Vellala (calling themselves as High Caste) Tamil community despite their denial of even basic rights to ordinary Tamils in the Tamil populated areas, agitated for enacting regulations guaranteeing equal share for Tamils in Parliamentary representations and other governmental bodies. Albeit the percentage of Tamils in Sri Lanka is very low at present due to majority of them settling down in western nations for economical advantages, they represented only 12% of the Sri Lankan population at that time. Although the Britishers rejected Tamil proposals for equal representations, at the time they left Sri Lanka, Tamils were grossly over-employed in all government Departments and Institutions. It was a miracle to find a Sinhala person holding a decent post in the Railway, Health, Public Works or many other government Departments.

The Tamil Vellala leadership vehemently resisted the gradual transformation of the Sri Lankan society on an equitable basis and the rural youth educated in vernacular languages gaining government employment annulling the British made and elitists endorsed disparity. They projected these natural transformations (that happens in any country in the post-colonial era) as a premeditated attempt to enslave the Tamil youth and espoused them to agitate against these transformations and demand for equal rights. The birth of Tamil terrorist groups that has eventually and almost eliminated the Vellala
society was the result of this misguided, foolhardy campaign.

India too played a major role in creating these terrorists who is presently a menace for the whole world. In apprehension of the blindly pro-western foreign policy of the former Sri Lankan President, the late Mr. J.R.Jayawardene, India took a myopic decision to arm, train and strengthen the Tamil separatist groups as a measure to weaken the Sri Lankan government. It was India that provided military training to the main leaders of the terrorists groups in many camps in North and South India. Initial training was made available at Chakrata in Uttar Pradesh, Ramakrishnapuram near New Delhi and at a location near Delhi Airport. Later training camps mushroomed in Tamil
Nadu and Karnataka States.

India mistakenly believed that these terrorists will remain loyal to India and would be grateful for its patronage. The Indian political and military leadership assumed that they could use these terrorists to undermine the Sri Lankan government. It was due to these misconceptions that India even earning international discontent forcibly intervened in 1987 when the Sri Lankan forces were in the process of almost defeating the terrorists and eliminating this menace.

The Sri Lankan government agreed to and implemented almost all conditions put forward by the Indian government at that time. On the other hand the terrorist reneged on their promises and ultimately forced India to unsuccessfully intervene militarily and to lose one of its brilliant and energetic Prime Ministers at his prime youth denying India the enormous benefit it could have reaped through him.

The articles have also fallen short of giving the right picture of Tamils in Sri Lanka vis-à-vis the LTTE terrorists. Hence the reader could be misled to believe that the LTTE represents the Tamils of Sri Lanka which is the most distorted and erroneous claim being made by the terrorists, and erroneously assumed by many outsiders.

Nearly two thirds of the Tamils of Sri Lanka live in areas populated by the Sinhala and Muslim population in peace and harmony as brotheren of one family. In the Colombo metropolitan area, nearly 90% of the population in Wellawatte, Kotahena, and Pamankada are Tamils and they have no hindrance from the Sinhala or Muslim neighbours for indulging in their religious and other cultural activities.

Sari cladded ladies with conspicuous reddish Kungumam Pottu on their forehead, and men wearing Vetti and with a sandal Pottu and Patta on the forehead walking freely in the streets of Colombo, its suburbs as well as urban rural areas is a common site in Sinhala areas. The famous Vel Festivals in Colombo are held with complete patronage of Sinhala and Muslim population.

The Tamils living in the Sinhala areas can daringly challenge any politician or any Government authority. However, dissent or even a minor act against the terrorist outfit in the occupied areas would be the last act anyone could dare to undertake. The hand of a man identified as responsible for defying the terrorist edict against voting in the last Presidential election, and casted the solitary vote in Kilinochchi was amputated. Similarly a couple was reported to have been murdered for voting in the same election. As journalists cannot visit occupied areas, unless invited, the free flow of new from these areas is non existent.

Freedom and peace of mind is something unheard of for the innocent Tamils living in the occupied areas. No one knows what happened to Mahendrarajan (well-known as Mahattaya) Prabhakaran’s deputy who was reported to have criticized the LTTE and its leader. Children of Prabhakaran and other terrorist leaders are being educated in reputed expensive Colleges in European capitals whereas thousands of children in the terrorist occupied areas are denied even their basic education and are forcibly conscripted as child soldiers. At least one child of a family in the occupied areas must be given to the Tigers to serve in their terrorist outfit.

Despite increased violence and terror against the security forces and the innocent civilians the Sri Lankan the Government continues to provide all services to the people in the occupied areas. The government servants are paid by the government. Health facilities, water and electricity, transport services are provided by the government. The government is only unable to do Policing and provide protection to the people. The Government also makes emergency arrangements to airlift critically injured or ill persons including the terrorists who kill the masses. At the time of this writing the spokesperson of the terrorist outfit known as Daya Master was rushed to a private hospital in Colombo under military escort for urgent surgery.

The series of articles published in the “Frontline” has also highlighted the flow of what is called refugees to Rameswaram. There are more than one hundred thousand Sinhala and Muslim refugees expelled by the terrorist outfit from the Northern areas and living in refugee camps in Sri Lanka for more than ten years under dire conditions. It is undoubtedly clear that many of them entering Rameswaram currently as refugees are stage managed refugees of the terrorist outfit. In an interview with a South Indian TV one lady was claiming that they fled because the Sri Lankan Army enter the houses in the night through the ROOF for raping women. What is the need to enter through the roof and in the night when there is no one to stop them breaking in the doors and enter at any time? Also a report claimed that Tamil Nadu authorities have found several known hard core terrorists entered Rameswaram as refugees.

The brutal massacre of innocent commuters through the horrendous Bombay’s railway bombings this week, in which over 200 died and 700 injured with several hundred missing is a monumental display of the danger the terrorists pose to the civil socieety, whether they are Tiger Terrorists, whether they are Al Umama, whether they are Nexalites, whether they are Kashmiri or whether they are Al Qaida terrorists.

As the Indian Prime Minister rightly stated that “No one can make India kneel down” the peace loving masses and the leaders of all countries have the same feeling about their own countries.
Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse while expressing his and Sri Lankan people’s condolences to India and its people over the Bombay Train Tragedy, has rightly emphasised to India and other countries the need to fight terrorism jointly and erase this menace from the world. We earnestly hope that India will extend its fullest cooperation to the Sri Lankan Government for liberation of the oppressed Tamil masses and annihilate the terrorist menace from the
Sri Lankan soil.

As the “Frontline” articles were reproduced in many Sri Lankan dailies and Websites copies of this article has been forwarded to the Sri Lankan media as well..

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