Few notes on early beginnings of LTTE in the East of Sri Lanka and in Toronto

Sunil Vijayapala Oxley, Australia

Here are few facts about the early beginnings of the Tamil Tiger movement in the East of Sri Lanka and in Toronto.

Those of us who were living in Valaichchcenai attached to the Paper Mills, during the period 1972 – 1975, as Chemists, Engineers observed and experienced strange activities in the Housing Colony, while we were occupying the Bachelors Quarters, located half a kilometer from the Paper Mill. During 74-75, yours truly was the General Secretary of the Technical Association, considerably agitating the mismanaged, Management, with the support of few others.

During this period a brand new Kovil was put up in the housing colony, with the support of the Tamil community, which comprised about 98%. The Jaffna Tamils were apparently ‘running the show’ at Management level in the Mill and they looked down upon the Batticalo Tamils who were mostly workers in general labour. We Sinhalese, of course had only the backing of the Directors, resident in Colombo.

We too attended the opening ceremony of the Kovil which was on a grand scale. As time went by, we began to hear some ‘stories’, clandestine in nature, and meetings were being held in that premises at night. Few Muslims who worked with us had first hand information, which were turned out to be really disturbing news. Once there was a fear of a backlash against the Sinhalese, and most of us applied leave and returned to Colombo. Although it turned out to be a false alarm, we decided on a collective action and we too began ‘discussions’ and gathering information.

Proving that there was some ‘activity’ going on, a Laboratory Assistant was caught with a drawing of the Rising Sun flag of the Tigers or whatever they were known at that time. He was immediately summoned to Colombo and was questioned by the Management and was suspended, who was however later reinstated. Apparently the first meeting of the LTTE (or whatever name) was held in this Kovil.

Through a close contact, we had an audition with Mr. T. B. Subasinghe, who at that time was the Industries Minister, and put forward our case which warranted an investigation and as the issues were very serious we got the attention of the Minister. Apart from this meeting, we met Mahinda, who was then a Junior Member of Parliament and handed over some vital information and a long list of queries to be tabled in Parliament, which he did. Amidst this agitation, myself, and my good friend Weerasinghe, an engineer, ‘the incorrigibles’, were transferred to Colombo and few months later we came to know as a consequence of our meeting with the Minister, a CID man had worked in the Mill as a labourer and had gathered information on the ‘budding’ Tamil movement.

When I migrated to Canada I put up with a good friend of mine, a Tamil whom I met at Valaichchenai, for a few months. Once on an invitation of one of his friends, we attended a dinner in a suburb of Toronto and as I entered the living area of this house, I noticed a picture on the wall of the ‘proverbial’ map of Sri Lanka, with a clear demarcation in Red in the North and East. This was one of the moments where my blood turned into water (Sinhala saying) and I inquired the meaning of this and they politely ignored it. I was introduced to person called ‘Master’, who had been a teacher by profession, whom I later came to know, was a leading man behind the movement. Few months later, my friend through a party to all his friends, who were Tamil, and I got into a fierce argument with them on the ethnic issue and almost had a fist fight and left the place and that was the last I saw of my friend.

However in 1983, during the race riots, I contacted him over the phone and asked if he needed any help as I had contacts with the army. He told me that his family was safe and I left at that. We Sinhalese were castigated left right and centre, through media and as a result SLUNA was born in Toronto, with Daya, Mahinda and Ira and we were very active organizing seminars, media conferences, distributing leaflets on streets etc, to counter the propaganda of the Tamils and media.

On my return to Sri Lanka, in late 80s, the World Federation of Expats, - a venture organization, challenged the infamous 13th Amendment in the Supreme Courts in Sri Lanka along with several other parties. S.L.Gunasekera, appeared free of charge, and few others represented us but the vote among the Judges went against the challengers and the merger of East and North was finalized. Thanks to that old Anglised ignoramus, JR who is still being cursed by Sri Lankans be it Sinhalese, Tamil(Eastern) or Muslim, who was instrumental on this merger.

Several forces are behind the anti war movement in Sri Lanka, one fraction could be compared to the father of Dutugamunu, who was satisfied with the Ruhuna region and discouraged Gamini not to engage with Elara, the Dravidian king, who ruled the Raja Rata. Today, the same story is repeated with the same characters, and this time several opportunistic politicians, NGOs, mostly corrupt ones and international religious institutions with ulterior motives are behind discouraging the Sri Lankans and their Government to wipe out terrorism. More over, we should never repeat the mistakes our kings made, siding each time with Cholas and Pandyans, to hold on to Sri Lankan kingdom, by aligning ourselves with Karuna fraction, which shouldn’t be treated differently. They have their own Eastern Tamil Agenda, which we should be conscious of and any attempt to grab power should be thwarted.

Karuna has qualms with Prabah and is attempting to settle scores with the our friend and has no interest in Sinhalese or Muslims and would be the first one to pull the trigger to eliminate LTTE leader. Our Army personnel should exercise caution dealing with this dangerous character, who eventually will fight for a separate homeland for Tamils in the eastern province. He too should be convinced to negotiate with the government, unless otherwise, the next Sri Lankan forces flare up would be with his fraction.

The reluctance of Indians to play a mediator role, a stumbling block, could be the sour experience of IPKF saga and to avoid another tragedy of their PMs being killed by LTTE, if things go wrong. They wouldn’t even dream of losing a single Navy ships either, through suicide bombers, attempting to intercept LTTE, smuggling arms. Indians are playing a very cautious game this time and no bates will induce them to get involved in our mess and the British and Americans, playing the double game as usual.

The most disturbing aspect of the current situation is that it seems the country is heading towards another Premadasa era, where ‘disappearances’ were rampant, a very dangerous and a precarious situation indeed. Part of the problem could be Karuna and recent killings of TNA MPs and their bold ownership to eliminating TNA MPs is posing a major headache to GoSL and faster the situation is under control, the better.

If Prabah has given an ultimatum to declare war at the end of November 2006, the government should accept this challenge gladly and meet the LTTE head on in Vanni and wipe the LTTE from the face of Sri Lanka. Prabah too should show some courage to face the armed forces direct rather than blowing innocent peoples heads off here and there in the South and refrain from going after NGOs and other cohorts of his when he gets a battering from the armed forces. The day Prabah’s children are killed, he will realize the pain of losing a child, and Sri Lanka would be free at last of his meaningless killings of Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese to materialize an objective, which is now only turn out to be a dream.