Following are excerpts:
Q. There are reports of isolated incidents of violence reported from the North more than two years after the end of the war. Are these happening? Why do they happen even after the end of the war?
The people underwent a lot of hardships at the hands of the LTTE. They lived amidst uncertainty. That sort of an environment is not there now. But I agree that there are problems in these areas. This can be compared to the drizzle that continues even after a heavy shower.
There are two reasons for such incidents. One is due to the social issues. The people have lived with violence for a long time and it is hard for some to adapt. They resort to violence whenever there is a problem.
For example, the proper way of settling a dispute is through negotiations or through legal intervention. But these people have not been used to such a system for the past many years. They are so used to the violence.
The other reason is that certain people indulge in these activities in order to create tensions among the people. Such people do not want the people to live in a peaceful environment.
One good example is the case of the Grease Man. No one has seen the person or persons. All these are done to create tensions among the people. These are things that create unwanted tensions among the people and disturb normalcy.
The media too has a part in ensuring that it provides correct information to guide the public. They should not make things worse by false reporting.
Q. The Grease Man phenomenon has indeed caused trouble in several places. There is a view that most of these incidents are reported from areas where the minority community live. What do you have to say about this?
As I said earlier, these are done by people who thrive on unrest. They need to create instability. If you look at this issue closely, these incidents are reported from very sensitive places like Navanthurai, Rajakiramam and Paalpannai. These are all based on hearsay.
Q. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had recorded a massive victory in the North at the last Local Government polls. How do you look at the political situation in the North?
The TNA continues to carry the ideologies of the LTTE. The LTTE did not believe in negotiations. Therefore, the Tamil people lost a lot of golden opportunities of coming to a settlement. The LTTE missed out on the opportunities given through the Indo-Lanka accord, the peace talks with the Premadasa government and then with Chandrika Kumaratunge government and then the 2002 ceasefire agreement. Even the current President was willing to negotiate. Now the TNA is going ahead with the same principles.
Q. But it was still able to win most of the divisions. How come?
The EPDP was sure of victory in most of the places. But things turned the other way with the Dharusman report and Channel 4. The TNA used these things to the maximum. I am not talking about the authenticity of the video. What I mean is that it was enough for the TNA to use it to its advantage.
Even though the TNA was able to win the elections, they are not in a position to take a stand on any issue. The TNA members recently visited New Delhi for a conference. One of its MPs was quoted as saying that the Tamil parties could not come to a common understanding with regard to the problems faced by the Tamils and the solution to the ethnic problem. How are they going to solve the problem?
Q. How do you look at your party's loss at the last Local Government polls?
I do not look at it as a loss. The EPDP has been very strong and it still is. The EPDP is an independent and individual Tamil party and does not have an alliance. The TNA is a formation of several Tamil parties. All these parties know that they would not stand a chance against us if they contest individually. Everyone knows this. The EPDP has a very strong vote base.
Q. The EPDP was openly accused of attacks carried out against Udhayan News Editor G. Kuganathan. What do you have to say about these allegations leveled against you and your party?
The EPDP has been accused of many things in the past. A similar attack was carried out on a journalist from the same paper a few months ago and it was blamed on the EPDP. He was a journalist who was also a tuition master during the evenings. He was not attacked because he was a journalist, but because of something he had done as a teacher. He knows that.
Q. But what about the attack on the Udhayan News Editor?
Even that attack was not carried out by the EPDP as assumed by many. It was carried out by someone else whom I cannot reveal now. All these attacks are blamed on the EPDP. The EDPD is firm on its principles. We do not believe in violence or resort to it. Everyone knows this. All I can say is that the EPDP is not involved in violence and it does not threaten people. We are a democratic party that sticks to our principles.
Q. There are allegations that the government was trying to do things that would be harmful for the Tamil identity. Issues were also issues raised with regard to the removal of the famous Sangiliyan statue in Nallur. Can you tell your views on this issue and explain as to what exactly happened?
The statue was removed in order to be repaired. This was done as part of the project to beautify Jaffna. We thought that it would be better to revamp the area as there would be people coming for the Nallur Kovil festival.
However, this incident was twisted by certain people saying that the government was trying to eliminate Tamil identity by removing Tamil historic symbols. This is not true.
Q. The Tamil Nadu has once again come into the foray against the execution order on three convicts in connection with the murder of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. What is your view on this?
The LTTE's ideologies were based on killing people. Therefore, they (LTTE) knew what it was doing. They should be punished for what they did. But, they have been languishing in prison for 20 years. And they were living with a lot of anxieties and fear each and every day. This issue should be looked at from a humanitarian point of view. That is my view.
I was targeted and attacked on many occasions. But I have not taken any actions against those who attacked me. It is because there is no point of avenging the person who carried out orders. The person who ordered the attack is no more.
By Arthur Wamanan
http://www.nation.lk/2011/09/04/newsfe3.htm
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