vssubramaniam

You are a most prolific correspondent. Good for you. I am most pleased with this above letter. It seems that you put the finger on a grave error made by not only the Tigers but most of the Tamils generally, apparently also in Tamil Nadu. Most, but not all, have not done what you propose–join hands in common struggles in other nations, as well as offering support to Latin American lands in the ALBA network.

It seems from my reading and many of the mails I receive from readers of this series is namely, that this failure isolated the Tamils from those peoples and their righteous struggles. This may have influenced the vote for many of those Non-Aligned Movement including ALBA governments to vote for Sri Lanka’s government on the Human Rights Councils. This is not to suggest that I excuse them but simply describe a real possibility.

Add to that that many groups in the Diaspora actually demonstrated and wrote for US imperialism to intervene, and a small group asked for Zionist support, for Christ’s sakes.

There is lacking a coherent and solid solidarity politic.

Thank you for your contribution,
Ron

- Social Movement Indaba expresses solidarity with world Tamils (Rassool Snyman SMI provincial Coordinator)

By Brian Senewiratne

January 23, 2009 — There is a humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, where the Tamil minority in the island’s north and east are facing annihilation at the hands of the Sinhalese-dominated government.

This article will deal with the current crisis, with the more fundamental problem of the legacy left by colonial British rule (1796-1948) dealt with in later articles. These colonial administrative structures will need to be reversed of there is ever to be peace or prosperity in Sri Lanka.

I am a Sinhalese, from the majority community, not from the brutalised Tamil minority. I quit Sri Lanka in 1976.

Who runs that country is of no concern to me, as long as it is run without serious violations of human rights. Sri Lanka was tossed out of the UN Human Rights Council in May last year due to its human rights record, and the drift of a democracy to a fascist politico-military dictatorship, none of which have been publicised internationally.

Read more at: http://links.org.au/node/885

“Even the editor of the pro-imperialist Armed Forces of the UK magazine contended that it was not the Tigers who fired upon their own people but that is was the Sri Lankan government, which used imprecise air-burst and ground-impact mortars to annihilate anything alive.”

{Iran is US’s most important inside ally with the Quisling Iraq government.}

The United States and Israel are involved in kidnapping and killing Iranian diplomats in Iraq and elsewhere.

Iran is treated with such hostility since the revolution, 30 years ago. Iran is trying to build a pipeline to India through Pakistan for more than a decade but due to pressure from the Zionist terrorists and their proxy, US, has not been able to. On the other hand racist Hindus in India have become Zionists’ latest allies and cooperate with them in carrying out terror against other groups in the region.

The Iranian reactor, due to pressure from the Zionist puppets, Clinton and Obama, has not been completed yet although it should have been completed 10 years ago. On the other hand, due to cooperation of racist Hindu in India with Zionist terrorists India’s illegal nuclear bomb making industry got recognized by the United States due the Hindu’s services to Zionism. Now, this model of cooperation and collaboration with the Zionist has been picked up by some of Tamils in Washington and Canada by sending letter after letter to professional whores in Washington who have done nothing against the latest terror imposed on Palestinians, building another 900 houses for colonist thieves who came from Europe and other countries to Palestine on demolished Palestinian houses. Shame on those who collaborate and cooperate with professional whores and terrorists in washington and elsewhere.

Russia, another racist state where cooperates with Israel and US to gain more concessions from the west since the US is occupied by the ZIONIST TERRORISTS using Iran Card. Down with Russia. Down with zionists and their puppets.

“Our task is to recruit a barrier and once again put the fear of death into the Arabs of the area,” – Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli defense Minister (later prime minister of the Zionist entity).

“Israeli interogators routinely ill-treat and torture Arab prisoners. Prisoners are hooded or blind-folded and hung by their wrists for long periods. Most are struck in the gentals or in other way sexually abused. Most are sexually assualted. Others are administered electric shocks,” – Ralph Schoeman, Sunday Times, June 19, 1977.

“There is no country in the world in which use of official and sustained torture is an established and documented as is in the case of Israel,” – Amnesty International.

http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/terrorism-theirs-and-ours/

When the reputation of a group of Tamil abroad is STAINED due to their desire to collaborate with Zionism based on fake history and background, using a manufactured history created by the Zionists to steal Palestine, then you create distrust among international community and people will develop doubts about your true motives. Palestinians have resisted against collonists for over a century. When few opportunist Tamils are sending letters to Washington to show that Tamils have similar history as ‘Jews’, thus, they deserve zionists’ attention, then you are engaged in lies and deception because there is no ‘jewish’ race but Hebrew who have lived side by side with Palestinians and Muslim in peace for century but are treated as second citizens in Israel. I am sure these opportunists are not talking about second class citizen Hebrews, rather are trying to get the attention of Zionist Jews in Washington who are supporting genocide in Palestine and have a hand in every secessionist movement in the Asia, Africa and the Middle East for expansion of their influence in order to establish ‘Greater Israel.’ Those Tamils, who have sent letters to Washington begging EUROPEAN COLONISTS for help must understand that these colonists adopted Judaism in 9th century and have nothing in common with the indigenous population of Semite in Palestine. The history of European colonists in Washington is different from Tamils. Why Tamil movement has not issued a warning to notify others that Tamils liberation movement do not support these people action? The international community is not willing to go with the wishes of Zionism to partition states in the region to create allies for Zionist terrorists and thieves.
We are not going to support more partitions to create state with 2 million people, Cassava, or 4 million, Tamils and so on. People should solve their problems through negotiations and dialogue to overcome their differences not through secessionist movement which is supported and directed by Israel in Asia and Africa and the Middle East to expand their influence thrugh the game of ‘divide and conquare.’

Ms. Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State, Government of USA
2201 C Street NW Washington DC 20520
Respected Secretary of State Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton
We, Indian Tamils are thankful for your and your Government’s sympathies to the plight of the Internally Displaced Persons in Srilanka. But we are sad that Governments of the World are not comparing the Tamil genocide with the Jewish Genocide of last century. The irony is Jews who were persecuted in last century are not expressing solidarity with Tamils in this century, may be present generation had forgotten their past.
We all know the genocide of Jews during Second World War. Scholars opine that “The murder of the European Jews in the Second World War was unique. Never before did a state decide to kill a specific group of humans — including old people, women, and children — without any reservation or examination of the individual case, and enact this murder with the means of State power.” — Eberhard Jäckel, German Historian and Director of the Institute for Contemporary History, University of Stuttgart.
But the irony is before our eyes, in our own times, while leaders like you are in seats of power, not a dictator like Adolf Hitler with a massive war machine, but a tiny island’s sadistic President Rajapakshe, who could come to his senses if strong signals are sent remains determined to carry out his genocidal civil war to the finish. We thank you for talking to him, but the speed with which USA acted in Pakistan recently is unfortunately missing with regards to your Governments initiatives to stall the civil war and stop the Genocide of Tamils in Srilanka.
We read that the Srilankan President assured you of some all party conference as panacea not to end civil war, but to offer some power to Tamils of Eelam. We wish to bring to your kind attention on how many initiatives of past, how many pacts, how many packages, how many conferences were offered but ultimately none was fulfilled, because it had been the mindset of all Sinhalese parties in power, not to grant any power or autonomy or peaceful coexistence formula to Tamil population.
We want USA and the Nations of the World to offer Tamils the same panacea offered to Jews in last century. The modern state of Israel has its roots in the Biblical Land of Israel and the heartland of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The only living classical language on Earth still spoken by millions and millions of Tamil people living across continents has in its Literature evidences in plenty about the Tamil rule and Tamil habitation of current Srilanka much before the so called Sinhalese set their foot there. If Biblical Land could be freed, why not Tamils land is freed?
This question haunts every Tamil heart which pleads silently to leaders like you to understand the similarities.
The birth of Zionism in 1897, its acceptance by the British Balfour Declaration followed by the League of Nations adopting the British Mandate of Palestine after World War I, which was “in favor of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which might prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine…
The birth of Tamilism dates back to 2500 years when Tamil grammarian enunciated a rule to keep pure Tamil letters only among Tamil alphabets. Since then various struggles to preserve Tamil language, culture, and religion had been waged. In Independent India when Hindi was to be imposed as sole official language Tamilnadu, an Indian State waged a fierce battle to stop making India uniform in the name of ushering unity. India realized its folly after Tamil martyrs committed self immolations, thus yielded to democratic protests and made English continue as official language.
Much before Tamilnadu, the Tamils of Eelam fought for Tamil language. Until 1956 Tamil and Sinhalese enjoyed equal rights, which was deprived by the Official Languages Act of 1956. We all know that in Latin America many official languages are there, not one language is imposed. In Europe too many nations have multiple official languages. In Singapore and Malaysia that progressed well in post colonial era, Tamil is one of the official languages. Thus the main reason for conflict remains solved in all these nations. But Srilanka with whatever amendments brought till date had not accorded equal status to Tamils. UNESCO recognized worlds endangered languages and assists the preservation or revival of languages under threat. Tamil is the only living classical language in the world spoken by millions of people, and to preserve this language demanding equal official language status in whole of Srilanka is not an unpardonable crime. We in India too are fighting for such status, and our states with truncated powers under our Constitution have yet to succeed in obtaining this right from Indian Union. This only reason could be enough to declare that any Indian model of devolution of powers will not meet the demands of Eelam Tamils. India has 14 languages and may find it difficult to resolve the issue, but with only 2 languages Srilanka could resolve but never wants to solve the thorny language issue.
In 1947, following years of communal strife, the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab; partition was accepted by Zionist leaders but rejected by Arab leaders. We Indian Tamils and Tamils forced by genocide in Srilanka who had to become global citizens living in many countries, want the United Nations Security Council to follow the same precedent and vote for partitioning of Srilanka.
Please read the rest of the letter here:

http://nandhivarman.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/plea-to-hillary-clinton-to-support-tamil-eelam/

What we ask for is not division but freedom. Why we ask this is not because of narrow thinking. What we hope to achieve is not only the emancipation of the Tamil people but the greater good of the Sinhalese people themselves. Why? Because, thereafter, the so-called Tamil problem will cease to be a livelihood for opportunist Sinhalese politicians. That will provide a chance for the Sinhalese people to free themselves from the political, social and economic shackles that bind them today and realize where their true slavery lies. ……

….There is no testament in the world that declares that a people who fight to recover their own rights or work for their self-determination are guilty of sedition or terrorism. Had you endorsed our basic human rights at the very beginning this situation would not have arisen. You had not only not recognised our rights but for the purpose of clinging on to political seats of power you had been injecting into the poor innocent Sinhalese people hate and venom over the past 35 years. That not all the Sinhala people have fallen victims to your racist poison has been proved by the fact that many of them during the time of race riots, have time and again rescued Tamils from armed thugs and complete extermination. It has been customary for every opposition party in Sri Lanka that wants to come to power to obstruct any settlement of the Tamil question and rouse the Sinhala people for that purpose.

As against that, for a ruling party to permit racist violence as it has done during the past six years is more reprehensible. If the relationship between the Tamil people and the Sri Lanka government has reached the present deplorable state, that responsibility lies squarely with the present dispensation…..

For the past quarter century, the ruling governments have like parrots kept on repeating the same threadbare statements ‘we will solve the Tamil question’. Whether we accept your solutions or not, what honest attempts have been made to solve the problems of the Tamils? While holding out the bogus promise of solving the problems of the Tamil people, you have spent all your time in trying to blunt Tamil resistance. What have the Tamil people asked you? Not economic benefits, not employment opportunities. That no such benefits could come from you is a fact well known to them.

…Even if you do come forward to grant these benefits, what guarantee can you give the Tamils that they could live with self respect in this island in the future? What ever you give them without securing that self respect will be alien to them.

In this island there are sanctuaries for even wild animals but upto now there is no sanctuary in any part of this island where Tamils can live without fear. This is not something we can expect from you in the future either.”

-Nadarajah Thangathurai’s Statement from the Dock (1 March 1983)
Source: http://www.tamilnation.org/tamileelam/thangathurai/dockstatement.htm

” We are not lovers of violence nor victims of mental disorders. We are honest fighters belonging to an organization that is struggling to liberate a people. To those noble souls who keep on prating “terrorism, terrorism” we have something to say. Did you not get frightened of terrorism when hundreds of Tamils were massacred in cold blood, when racist hate spread like fire in this country of yours? Did terrorism mean nothing to you when Tamil women were raped? When cultural treasures were set on fire? When hundreds and hundreds of Tamil homes were looted? Why in 1977 alone 400 Tamils lost their lives reddening the sky above with their splattered blood – did you not see any terrorism then? Did your thoughts and feelings become deadened when it concerned Tamil lives and Tamil property or are your minds unable to conceive the very idea of Tamil suffering?….

You must not run away with the thought that our sole objective is to establish Tamil Eelam. Tamil Eelam certainly remains an objective because we have learnt through bitter experience over the past several years that it is only by establishing a State of Tamil Eelam can Tamils live with self respect. But our vision is broader than that. Our vision is global. Wherever there is oppression, wherever there is violation of human dignity, whether in Africa or in Latin America, we are prepared to link hands with the oppressed and the under dog. When our vision is so global how can it fail to take into account the future good of the Sinhala people?…

There is nothing that prevents two neighbouring nations living in co-operation. Even nations with differing policies get together for common economic good and for the purpose of common security. Does that mean that those nations give up their distinctive characteristics or sovereignty? ..

I want to ask this question from my Sinhala friends. Do you accept as correct and justified the various acts of oppression that the Tamil people have suffered until now not only in our land but in various parts of your land as a result of various acts of thuggery and terrorism? Do you also consider wrong our attempt to free ourselves from the inhumane oppression of your government? Or does it mean that you do not care what happens because the victims are Tamils? If that is so, our sympathies are with you. Believe me our freedom is an assured fact and will come. Once that happens your law books and terrorist laws cannot touch us. Thereafter you will be the sole ‘beneficiaries’ of the very laws that oppress us now.

Will you urge your government to stop the injustice against us and acknowledge our sovereignty? .Will you as a first step towards this and towards the eradication of terrorism, urge your government to recall the Sri Lanka Police Force and the Armed Forces – wholesale merchants of terrorism -from our soil? I leave it to you to decide whether you will show the world how committed you are to justice… ”

- Nadarajah Thangathurai’s Statement from the Dock (1 March 1983)

{I think a multi-ethnic Sri Lanka under a functional constitution would be a nice place to live. The Constitution defines certain fundamental rights, but there are also responsibilities. One is the sovereignty and very existence of a Sri Lankan state. Basically, to get the benefits of a Sri Lankan nation, you need to be loyal to it. Amidst the talk of power sharing under the 13th amendment people forget the 6th. That explicitly makes it illegal to even advocate for a separate state. It’s a bit harsh, but I don’t think you can have one without the other. Rights come with responsibilities.

I don’t support Tamil Nationalism any more than I support Sinhala Chauvinism. I am a Sri Lankan with friends and family of different races and religions and I don’t have any interest in a living situation based on race. Furthermore, many of the people I see advocating for a Tamil nation are comfortable ensconced in Colombo or abroad whereas Tamil people I meet in the north just want to travel freely, including to Colombo.

I support a national civil rights movement for all Sri Lankans, and I think Tamils are the ones getting disproportionately hammered under current Emergency Law. However, I don’t think a Tamil Nation is the answer to this. I think it just deflects the fundamental human questions into ones of racial rancor and pride. Borders and cleansing may separate people but it’s a small island and we ultimately have to live together. To that end, I think we need to strengthen Sri Lanka, and it’s Constitution. That means, on one hand, granting our Fundamental Rights to all Sri Lankans (including IDPs). These rights include the right to travel, to get government service in a national language, etc.

On the other hand, however, people also have the responsibility to accept the Sri Lankan government. Not this particular government, but just the fact that we do have an elected government and a legitimate state. And then to work through the government to address grievances and vote it out whenever possible and necessary. But I think that basic acceptance of Sri Lanka is a prerequisite to actual positive change.

Saying that the whole thing sucks and these guys are assholes (as I have said) is not especially mature nor productive. I mean, OK, then what? Personally, I think we need to work this thing out as united Sri Lankans through mutual respect and whatever institutions we have. To that end, I really wish Neelan Tiruchelvam was alive, that the LTTE hadn’t assassinated him. Because I think he’s the kind of clear-headed compassionate thinking we need today. To quote Radhika Coomaraswamy after his death:

His idealistic belief that he could persuade Machiavellian governments to do the right thing was often criticised and ridiculed. Only those closest to him knew that such an attitude stemmed from his belief that moral persuasion and dialogue were the only way forward, not rancour, bitterness or armed conflict.}

http://indi.ca/2009/07/constitutional-rights-and-responsibilities/