| SRI LANKA WATCH |
| “No peace with military action”
It is only the SLFP and the UNP that could work together to bring a solution - Dharmalingam Sidharthan The People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) Leader and one time parliamentarian, Dharmalingam Sidharthan, is steadfast in his view that military action will not bring peace to Sri Lanka. Blasting the JVP and JHU, he said that the actions of these parties were only complementary to the LTTE atrocities and added that they only strengthened the hands of the LTTE. By Wilson Gnanadass Following are excerpts; Q: The government’s attempt to win the war on the one hand, and at the same time, find a political settlement, seem to be a failure. How do you see President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political, as well as military, strategy in this regard? A: Well, at the moment, the government troops are at an advantage and especially in the East, the Army is in the process of taking control of the whole area. I believe that will happen within the next few weeks. But at the same time, the UNP and the SLFP MoU gives an opportunity for the President to find a permanent solution to the Tamil question. If both parties can agree on a reasonable solution, which can be acceptable to the Tamil community and seen by the international community as a reasonable one, then there can be a solution. While finding a solution, the aspirations of the Muslims also must be taken into consideration. There cannot be a solution through war. Q: The situation in Vakarai seems volatile. War goes on and both parties are trying to claim victory. What is your analysis? A: The government forces work according to a strategy. The strategy is to take the East under their control soon. Thousands of IDPs from Muttur East, Sampur and Eechillampattu area have moved into the Vakarai area. The Army is trying now to capture Vakarai. As I said earlier that might happen soon. I don’t think that the LTTE is strong there. More than 60,000 people were trapped in this area. Normally, in any war, the first victims are the civilians. It is true that at the beginning the LTTE did not allow the civilians to flee to the safer areas. But now a large number of them have entered, defying the LTTE order, and come to the Army controlled areas. Still, there are more than 15,000 IDPs in Vakarai, trapped in the LTTE areas. I think the international NGOs must help these people to find a safe passage out, avoiding the confrontation areas. I believe that these people must be taken back to their own places in the Trincomalee District, which is under Army control, and help them resettle in their own lands. Then only can these people can lead normal lives. Q: While Mahinda is hailed as a hero in the South, the Tamils in the North and East see him as one who is determined to trample Tamil aspirations. What is your view? A: President Rajapaksa is personally a pragmatic and an amenable politician. It is true that Tamils see him as somebody who is not sensitive to Tamil issues. But personally, knowing him for more than 14 years, I feel that he is definitely not a Sinhala racist. He feels that everyone in this country must live peacefully and honourably. I believe, with the intention of finding a permanent solution which can be acceptable to all, he has entered into a MoU with the UNP. It is a fact that if the UNP and the PA can put forward a solution, it will be accepted by at least 80 percent of the Sinhala community, which both parties command. At the same time, the Tamil peoples’ opinion of him cannot be shoved aside because, given the present ground situation, they feel he is responsible for the present war. But one cannot forget that it is the LTTE that is responsible for the present fiasco. Q: What does the UNP-SLFP MoU mean to an ordinary civilian who is a victim of the ongoing war, in your view, and how do you think that the MoU will solve the ethnic crisis given the disagreement even within the APRC already? A: True. Already parties are wavering but if this MoU is genuinely agreed by both parties, I think there would be something positive. Unfortunately in our country, MoUs and pacts have never worked. Take, for instance, the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam pact and other pacts that followed this. Nothing has been successful. This is due to lack of commitment. Even the Indo-Lanka pact has not been effective now with the de-merger and so on. So, I do not think that even the UNP-SLFP MoU will last long but our only hope is that at least this agreement would bring about a reasonable solution to the ethnic problem. Q: While war on one side ravages the country, abductions and extra-judicial killings are also rampant. This is a reminder of the 1989 period where people were just picked up and killed. Who do you hold responsible for this? A: This problem stems from the presence of a war in the country. I must also note with concern that the present situation is a direct result of the war. It is a by-product of the war. Initially, the so called INGOs turned a blind eye when the LTTE carried out similar killings and abductions in the North-East. For instance, a large number of PLOTE members have been abducted and killed and when we raised this issue with the SLMM and other foreign organisations, they ignored us. And today we see this spreading right across the country and we have come to a situation where nobody is able to either identify the killers or the abductors or do anything to avert this situation. In fact, the second in command of the PLOTE, Ganeshalingam alias Farook, was kidnapped while he was working in a resettlement area. We knew that it was done by the LTTE and when we complained to the SLMM and the Norwegians, they said that the LTTE denied any involvement, even though three of the kidnappers and two vehicles which were used for the kidnapping were taken into police custody. Then the LTTE subsequently published the photo of Ganeshalingam on their website and claimed that he, on his own volition, came to Wanni because he was unhappy with the PLOTE. I directly approached Eric Solheim and told him to appoint an international committee to interview Farook to find out the truth. But so far, nothing has happened. The Norwegians did nothing to secure the release of Farook. Subsequently, the political-wing leader of the PLOTE, Thirupathi Master, who organised a big protest march in Vavuniya to condemn the kidnapping of Ganeshalingam, was also killed by the LTTE in Vavuniya. And NGOs advocating the need to respect human rights never took notice of killings carried out by the LTTE. So I think the problem begins here and it goes on. Q: Despite the CFA, war goes on in the North and East. Do you think the CFA should be abrogated as claimed by the JVP? A: Initially we welcomed the CFA believing that this was designed to bring about a permanent settlement. We even surrendered our weapons given to us for self protection in 2002. But unfortunately, the CFA has helped the LTTE to annihilate its political rivals. I feel the Ceasefire is a must, for any peace process. But the present CFA is one- sided and is heavily weighed towards the LTTE. Whether we like it or not, the CFA is only a piece of paper at present. Even Prabhakaran in his hero’s day speech said the CFA is defunct. What I think is that both parties have now violated the CFA and both must now come to the realisation that the CFA should be made to work. Both parties must comply with the provisions embodied in the CFA and ensure it is effective. Q: Reports indicate that the LTTE is recruiting men from Tamil Nadu. Are you aware? A: Even after Rajiv Gandhi’s killing, the LTTE continued to enjoy significant support in Tamil Nadu. Some people there believe that the Tamils must have a country of their own. And they believe the only place where a Tamil state can be established is in the North-East of Sri Lanka, because of the military power of the LTTE. But I don’t have any evidence to say that people from Tamil Nadu are recruited by the LTTE. Q: You were one time actively engaged in fighting with the LTTE and agreed to the notion ‘Tamils need a nation.’ But later changed your mind and left the LTTE. Does it mean Tamils don’t need a nation? A: Initially, I also believed it. That is the reason I joined the LTTE. Then in 1980 there was a split and I joined Uma Maheswaran and now I realise that a separate state is not the answer to the Tamil question. We still believe a reasonable solution can be found within a united Sri Lanka and this country can progress well if united. Basically, I am a Tamil nationalist but not a chauvinist. I love my language and the people. That does not mean I hate others. After witnessing all the destruction and the ravage of war and the loss of life, I thought that continuing the struggle for a separate state was useless. I feel that everybody in this country can live happily if everyone respects each others’ rights. Besides, a separate state is unattainable and India will never allow a separation in Sri Lanka. If India does not support a separate state, there is no way it can be achieved. Q: Do you plan to contest future elections and enter parliament? A: As there is a general belief that the President might call for a general election soon, our party will contest the election in the North and East and we are very confident that we will be represented in parliament once again. Q: What is your impression of the role played by the JVP and the JHU? A: Certainly their actions strengthen the hands of the LTTE. By helping the LTTE they only help to continue the suffering of the Tamil people in particular and the country in general. Their actions are only complementary to what the LTTE is doing. TN, 25.1.2007 |
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