THE SUNDAY LEADER
19th April 2009
The choice before the Tamil diaspora
The failure of the Tamil diaspora on bringing the war to an end and the clash of opinion within the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) are factors that are bound to cause confusion in the minds of the people.
The international cry against the government’s war efforts in the north reached its peak last week when the Sri Lankan Embassy in Norway was attacked by ‘agitators’ who called for an immediate halt of hostilities.
The support for the LTTE by the Tamil diaspora, the Tigers being a banned organisation in many countries, has not dwindled despite the losses the outfit has faced in the battlefield.
The protestors have been calling for an immediate halt in the war and to protect the lives of civilians caught in conflict areas.
Despite the calls, the Sri Lankan government has continued with its war efforts, blaming the LTTE of forcibly holding civilians as a human shield.
Reason for the failure
The main reason for the failure of the protests in countries like France and Canada it is widely believed is that the ‘solidarity’ for the civilians was shown through the diaspora’s direct support to the LTTE.
Pro Tiger websites have often carried pictures of such protests on a daily basis.
The government on the other hand claims that it has successfully brought the LTTE to its end, a claim denied by the likes of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).
The TNA has said there would be a ‘transformation’ in the ‘struggle’ by the LTTE. Could the international outcry and attacks on embassies indicate this transformation?
However, the fact is that the protests have so far not yielded the expected results.
Confusing position
The Tamil diaspora has to make its stance clear on this issue. They have to decide whether they want their people or Velupillai Pirapaharan protected.
Unfortunately, many of the people continue to confuse the support for the civilians with the LTTE.
This has been the case in Tamil Nadu as well since late last year. A handful of politicians spoke boldly in support of the LTTE, thereby, diluting the whole agitation. In the end, the people caught in the war zone continue to fight for their lives on their own.
In the meantime a rift has also developed within the TNA following a decision by four of its key members to meet with Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon.
TNA Parliamentary Group Leader R. Sampanthan, Mavai Senathiraja, Selvam Adaikkalanathan and Suresh Premachandran visited Delhi last week to hold discussions with Menon on the prevailing situation in the country. Menon had extended an invitation to the TNA to hold discussions on the prevailing situation.
Should not meet the Indian Foreign Secretary
TNA MP, N. Sri Kantha said nine out of the 10 MPs who attended the party meeting last Thursday were of the view that the TNA should not meet the Indian Foreign Secretary until India brings about a ceasefire here.
According to Sri Kantha, MPs Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Sivanathan Kishor, T. Kanagasabai, Thankeswari Kathiraman, K. Pathmanathan, P. Ariyanethran, S. Cyril and K. Thurairatnasingham were against the meeting.
TNA consists of several parties namely, All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) and the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). The party has been facing several problems due to the increasing domination of the TMVP and the losses faced by the LTTE.
The argument put forward by the likes of Sri Kantha is that it is pointless talking to India when it had turned a blind eye towards the Tamil people despite the protest wave in Tamil Nadu.
Splits within Tamil parties and groups are not new. The LTTE, the TMVP and many more have experienced such rifts and break ups during the past few years.
But, the TNA, which has the largest Tamil representation in parliament, has to be careful that this latest ‘misunderstanding’ does not lead to a split.