SLDF Condemns the Brutal
Murder of Kethesh Loganathan
For Immediate Release
Sri Lanka Democracy Forum Canada 14 August 2006
Shocked and grief-stricken, SLDF (Sri Lanka Democracy
Forum) unreservedly condemns the murder of Kethesh Loganathan, a rare
man for his times who continued to fearlessly voice the aspirations
of the Tamil people - of peace with human rights, democracy and dignity.
Kethesh stood for truth and justice, yearned and worked tirelessly
for peace with human rights for his people. He has been silenced by
the guns of the LTTE, who at this moment are taking the Tamil people
on a journey of destruction.
Like many other courageous and outspoken Tamil intellectuals who have
fallen victim to LTTE's terror, Kethesh stands out as one whose life
spanned a varied and rich political trajectory. A former militant,
then academic, journalist, and tireless advocate of human rights and
a return to democratic values in Tamil politics, Kethesh was one of
the leading activists of the dissenting Tamil community who firmly
believed in a negotiated democratic political solution to the ethnic
conflict as opposed to the bleakness of a maudlin Tamil nationalism.
Kethesh himself in rethinking the narrow nationalism of his early
militancy, challenged among other things its marginalization and alienation
of Muslims.
Kethesh's contributions to peace efforts began in 1985 when he represented
the EPRLF at the Thimpu conference. He was involved in the discussions
that framed the Indo Lanka peace accord and later the Mangala Moonesinghe
Parliamentary Select Committee discussions for devolving power to
the North and East. After his resignation from the EPRLF in 1995 he
continued with his attempts on working for peace and a democratic
solution as the Director of the Conflict and Peace Analysis Unit of
the think-tank, Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA). His consistent
campaign to make human rights central to the peace process, his critique
in arguing for a redesign of the Ceasefire Agreement, showed his independence
of mind and spirit, intellectual honesty and political integrity.
Many progressive SriLankans involved in the campaign for peace with
democracy and human rights were inspired by Kethesh's determined campaign
for human rights and against political killings.
It is precisely his sense of urgency and concern over human rights
and political killings and the slow progress on the part of the Southern
political formations in arriving at a formula for a peace settlement
to devolve power to the minorities that motivated Kethesh to join
the Peace Secretariat. The totalitarian hold of the LTTE on the Tamil
polity and the resultant barrenness of the Tamil political terrain,
the deafening silence of the Tamil media on the relentless campaign
of political killings by the LTTE and other armed groups, leave very
little space for people like Kethesh to make a meaningful contribution.
It was his unswerving commitment to the cause of the Tamil people
winning their legitimate rights within the framework of democratic
pluralism that made him to remain in Sri Lanka. At a time when many
Tamils chose to leave the island seeking greener pastures abroad,
Kethesh's decision to continue to remain at home, in spite of the
security threat he faced, demonstrated his sense of dedication and
sacrifice which had been the hallmark of his entire life.
By the political assassination of Kethesh, an intrepid and unequivocal
voice for Tamil democracy and human rights has been cruelly silenced
by the LTTE. SLDF calls upon progressive Sri Lankans of all communities
to look to Kethesh's memory and rededicate their commitment and to
redouble their efforts in the struggle for human rights and democracy.
Sri Lanka Democracy Forum www.lankademocracy.org
Sri Lanka Democracy Forum is a community that shares a commitment
to a democratic and pluralistic vision of Sri Lanka. We recognize
that in addition to the loss of lives, the costs of war also entailed
the erosion of democracy, the demobilization of pluralistic and independent
social movements, and the further victimization of marginalized communities.
In that context, we believe that movement towards a just and sustainable
peace must be accompanied by the reconstruction of a democratic community
that protects and promotes social justice, and the individual and
collective rights and freedoms of all communities in Sri Lanka. We
are in solidarity with, and have a commitment to support the efforts
of marginalized communities to address past injustices, whether such
injustice was based on the suppression of dissent, economic disempowerment,
and/or on ethnic, gender or caste discrimination at the national or
regional level. Among other efforts, we seek to proactively support
grass roots movements that seek to expand and revitalize conditions
for a vibrant, pluralistic and independent civil society that nurtures
freedom of conscience, diverse political affiliations and an independent
media. Thus, we believe that the terrain for engagement is not merely
macro-political policy, but also economic decision-making, cultural
production, and diverse local struggles furthering democratization
in all spheres of life.
The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum had its inaugural meeting in Toronto,
Canada in 2002.
Contact E-mail: contact@lankademocracy.org
