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Tuesday, 22 June 2010

Tamil Nadu politicians continue to stoke communal "fires"

It has been the practice for Sri Lankan Tamils to solicit support from almost all Tamil Nadu politicians to seek support for their separatist claims in Sri Lanka. It is undisputed that the Tamil "Tigers" in the armed struggle to create a separate State for the Sri Lankan Tamils claiming the Northern and Eastern Provinces as Tamil Eelam became more active since 1948 after the British colonialists left the island for good. The Indian Union Government had to deal with attempts to create a separate Dravida State in the late 1940's. It gained momentum in the 1950's to break away resulting it illegal and punishable in law to call for separatism.



The Indian media reported these events. "Indian Today" in the early half of 1980's gave a detailed account of how the Government of India "turned a blind eye " to the Tamil Tiger training bases with training staff consisting of retired Indian servicemen - Kumbakonam, Ramanathapuram Forests , Meenambakkam etc- of inputs by the Indian Government under Indira Gandhi for the Sri Lankan Tamil separatists . The "rebels' as they were known were not only being funded but were also provided training, equipment, facilities, 'safe haven ' , propaganda in International forums and "silent" interference despite Sri Lanka being an Independent and sovereign nation .

Today even after the elimination of almost the entire leadership of the Tamil Tigers and their fighting capability, on land sea an air in Mid May 2009 , Tamil Nadu politicians with nearly 60 million Hindu Tamils have continued to make statements from time to time to keep alive Tamil sentiments for their own political ends. It is nearly two decades since former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was brutally murdered by the Tamil Tigers on Tamil Nadu soil at Siriperumbudur during an election rally on 21st September 1991. While the plan was hatched by the Tamil Tiger leadership, Tamil Nadu sympathizers gave logistical and direct support for the brutal murder. Some were living in the "refugee' camps in Tamil Nadu. This is the way terrorist repay their gratitude in this instance to Rajiv Gandhi for bailing them out with an "air" drop into the Jaffna peninsula when the Tamil Tigers were cornered in June 1987.

In the last days of the final defeat of the Tamil Tigers nearby Nandhithidal lagoon , Mullaitivu, Tiger sympathizers in Tamil Nadu demonstrated against Sri Lanka calling for an immediate ceasefire. The "Island " of 10th April 2009, reported from the Indian Express ( 9th) that the MDMK pro -Tiger leader Vaiko warned that "India's integrity would be in jeopardy" . Vaiko said:" All Tamils support Prabhakaran and if you don't stop this war, India won't be one country. If anything happens to Prabhakaran , a river of blood will follow in Tamil Nadu. Then the police and their guns will not matter. Vaiko had called upon the youth to join the armed struggle in Sri Lanka by asking what was wrong with Tamils going to Lanka and bearing weapons there if Che Guevarra , an Argentina could go to Cuba for a revolution...". All this rhetoric ended as a damp squib but these sentiments which could well backfire on India will however only attempt to keep alive the feelings of separatism. . P Nedumaran was the convener of the Movement and S.Ramdoss and CI secretary D. Pandian participated . The DMK Chief Minister and the AIADMK leader had also competed fiercely calling for a ceasefire and Indian intervention at various stages during the last stages of the conflict with the LTTE.

Tamil Nadu is only one of the states in the Indian Union despite its size and population almost three times that of Sri Lanka. However it must recognize Sri Lanka as a sovereign nation and a member of the UN which Tamil Nadu is not. As an Indian Minister stated some time ago that in as much India would not accept any other country to resolve its problems in Kashmir , Sri Lanka also must as a sovereign nation be permitted that same privilege.

"The Island" , 19th June reported that AIADMK Chief Ms Jayalalitha Jayaram had warned that India had "sanctioned Rs1,000crore towards reconstruction of war ravaged areas" Termed as "alarming " the media reports which stated that "more than 25,000 convict laborers from China have landed in SL to execute contract works ...alleged that this labor force has been "infiltrated with Chinese spies and intelligence personnel with a specific mandate to commence anti- Indian surveillance and espionage operations...To expose the hapless and vulnerable remnants of the Tamil population , consisting of the old , the disabled and the womenfolk , to the overtures and excesses of a 25,000 strong prison -labor force from China would be disastrous ". This statement whilst not only being uncalled for but also being undiplomatic will only give "oxygen", particularly to the Tamil Nadu extremists including LTTE terrorist elements known to exist in Tamil Nadu . This was the main reason why the Government of India called for an extension of the law to ban the LTTE as a terrorist Organization in existence since May 1992.

India is today facing the challenge of the Maoists . Since November 2004, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has declared that Maoists -also called "Naxalites" - constitute the country's "greatest challenge". He stated "There can be no political compromise with terror. No inch conceded. No compromise shown.. There are no good and bad terrorists . There is no cause, root and branch that can ever justify the killing of innocent people .No democratic Government can tolerate the use of violence against innocent people or against functionaries of a duly established democratic Government ..." . Sri Lanka is a duly established democratic sovereign state .Home Minister P.Chidambaam in September 2009 stated that Maoists were "active" in as many as 223 Districts across 20 States out of a total of 626 Districts and 28 states in the country ".

His Excellency, President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his Address to the Nation on the Victory Day Celebrations stated:" We are aware that some countries being battered by terrorism have taken strength and courage from these victories won by Sri Lanka .It is time for countries facing the terrorist attacks to look back and see where they have gone wrong .

It is a grave error of judgment to think that while being opposed to terrorism targeting you, to believe that terrorism which is no threat to you is good. The world has so far trod on this wrong path. Terrorism remains unvanquished because of this incorrect thinking . I must state that the countries that show sympathy towards terrorism and separatism will be the victims of terrorism . This is the lesson of history...".

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