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'Separating Tamil people and LTTE is foolish' Tamil Nationalist Movement leader Pazha Nedumaran is one of
the most vocal supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and its
supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran. In a rare interview to rediff.com's
Shobha Warrier, he talks about the civil war raging in Sri
Lanka [Images].
When I interviewed
you in 2000, you stated that the LTTE [Images] was a
freedom movement and not a terrorist organisation. At that time, it had been
banned in India after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Do you still believe
that?
Yes, there is no doubt about it. The LTTE is a freedom movement. They are
fighting for a cause at the moment. They have been treated like secondary
citizens in their own country because of Sinhalese chauvinism. A systematic
genocide is going on there. The LTTE is the only organisation which is
protecting the Tamils living there. If the LTTE was not in the picture, almost
all the Tamils in Sri Lanka would have been annihilated ruthlessly by the
Sinhalese.
The LTTE has been banned and branded as a terrorist organisation by
the international community also.
The Indian government banned the LTTE for political reasons. Some of the
countries which banned the LTTE did so under the influence of the Sri Lankan
government. Wherever a freedom struggle is going on, the respective government
brands the organisations spearheading it as terrorist organisations. What
happened in South Africa [Images]? They
called Nelson Mandela a terrorist, and put him in prison for 27 years. His
organisation was banned by the racial government of South Africa.
What happened to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army?
The British called the INA a terrorist organisation.
What about Yasser Arafat? He was called a terrorist by the Israeli government
and America. Later, they invited Arafat and Mandela to America and the American
President went to the airport to receive them. So, it is the way of doing
things.
Many people, including officials from the Indian government, say that
we have to differentiate between the LTTE and the Tamil people of Sri Lanka.
They say that our sympathy should be with the people and not with the LTTE. What
is your reaction to this?
How can that be possible? The LTTE is the only organisation accepted by the
Tamil people in Sri Lanka. There is no other organisation there. Even in the
past two parliamentary elections, the Tamil United Front, which is supporting
the LTTE, won all the Tamil seats in Sri Lanka. Trying to separate the Tamil
people in Sri Lanka and the LTTE is a foolish act. It cannot be done. Without
the support of the Tamil people, the LTTE could not have survived or fought
there.
The criticism against the LTTE is that it has killed many Tamils and
many of its own leaders.
This is a baseless charge against the LTTE. Almost all other organisations
are under the control of the Sri Lankan government and the intelligence
agencies. They are helping the Sri Lankan army fight the LTTE. You cannot allow
this kind of people to remain during the war. They are not freedom fighters
fighting for a cause. They are only stooges of the Sri Lankan government. So,
the LTTE has to fight against them also.
What about the murder of some of the top LTTE leaders? It is alleged
that Prabhakaran is behind those murders.
You should not ask such foolish questions. I will give you an example. In the
INA, under Bose's order, a leader had to be court martialled and sentenced to
death. Why? Because he was a secret spy working for the British. Was it right or
wrong? What do you do with spies?
Are you still in touch with Prabhakaran?
How can I?
(laughs). That is not possible. There is no telephonic connection from here. So,
we cannot talk to him. It is impossible to contact him now.
The Sri Lankan army claims they have captured many areas in the north
and Killinochi. Do you think Prabhakaran will be captured?
They are bluffing. They could not capture Killinochi at all. Fighting is
still going on there.
The Sri Lankan President (Mahindra Rajapakse), in an interview to
The Hindu, said that once the army captures the entire north from the
LTTE, he would ensure that there is a political solution to the problem. Do you
expect something of that sort to happen?
Nothing will happen. He is bluffing. He is always talking nonsense.
Do you want the Indian government to work towards a
ceasefire?
Sri Lanka is in the Indian sphere of interest. So, the Indian government
should not allow any other country to interfere in the matter. During Indira
Gandhi's [Images] time, she
was aware of this, and never allowed any country to step into Sri Lanka.
Unfortunately, Pakistan, China, the United Kingdom, the United States Israel
and every country has entered the scene now. They are giving arms and economic
aid to Sri Lanka. Why? Sri Lanka is not a big market for them to sell their
goods. It is a small country. They just wanted to use Sri Lanka against India.
That is why all these countries are giving all kinds of help to the Sri Lankan
government. India must understand that this is dangerous for it.
How do you expect the war to end now? Will they destroy the
LTTE?
They have been trying to destroy the LTTE for the past two years but they
could not do so. They will not be able to do so even now. All the news stories
are false. Why don't they allow the international press to go to the warfront?
The international press will reveal the truth. That is why they are not allowing
the international press to go near the war zone at all.
From where does the LTTE get arms to fight the Sri Lankan army, now
that it has been banned internationally?
From where does the Sri
Lankan government get its arms? The LTTE is also procuring arms in the same way.
The people are against the Sri Lankan army and with the LTTE. Without the
support of the people, the LTTE would not have been able to resist the army.
In an interview to rediff.com, Samuel Selvanayagam's son
Chandrahasan said that the Sri Lankan Tamils were better off without the
LTTE...
Chandrahasan has not visited the Tamil areas in Sri Lanka in the last 30
years. He never saw his people. He is hiding in Chennai. What right does he have
to say these things?
Suddenly, all the political parties in Tamil Nadu are interested in
the Sri Lankan Tamil issue...
It is not suddenly. When our brothers
and sisters are dying there, how can we keep quiet?
Do you think that after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the people
of Tamil Nadu sympathise only with the Tamils of Sri Lanka and not with the
LTTE?
I don't think so. Recently The Indian Express
conducted a survey and they found that more than 51 per cent of the people
support the LTTE.
How do you expect the current turmoil in Sri Lanka to
end?
The international community must come forward to intervene in
the matter.
Will there be a political solution then?
If the
international community interferes, a solution will emerge automatically.
The Norwegian negotiators went back...
The Norwegians
negotiated for five years. Unfortunately, the Sri Lankan government kicked them
out. The international community should have warned the Sri Lankan government,
but they didn't do so.
By international community, are you referring to any particular
country or the United Nations?
I mean the United Nations and all the countries that supply weapons to Sri
Lanka. It is the duty of every country in the world to intervene in this issue.
They should have asked the Sri Lankan government, how can you kick out Norway?
Do you agree with the secession of the country? Or will the people of
Sri Lanka be able to live amicably?
For more than 30 years, the
Tamil people conducted their agitation in a peaceful way. They wanted equal
rights. When they wanted to eliminate all the Tamils and a systematic genocide
was conducted there, the Tamils finally picked up weapons. Otherwise, all the
Tamils would have perished. This is not terrorism. They are fighting to save
their people from the clutches of the Sri Lankan army.
Will there be a peaceful solution? Do you hope that both the
Sinhalese and the Tamil people live amicably one day?
I am hopeful
that one day the Tamil Eelam will be formed. Source: Rediff
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