P.O.Box 782, Egmore, Chennai 600 008, India.
ISSUE 139 FEBRUARY 2004
SINHALA VISITORS INTERACT
WITH TAMIL REFUGEES AT OFERR WORKSHOP ON PEACE BUILDING
A workshop on the theme
“Role of Refugees in conflict situation in Ceylon” was conducted on the 24th
and 25th of January 2004. The sessions were moderated by Mr.Malcolm
Rodgers of Christians Aid, London and were held at the Nallayan Research Centre
for Sustainable Development. Among the distinguished invitees who graced the
occasion were, Dr.Manivannan the Commissioner of Rehabilitation in the
Government of Tamil Nadu and His Excellency the Deputy High Commissioner for
Sri Lanka in Chennai who holds the rank of an Ambassador. Rev. Dr.Kambar
Manickam and Rev.Fr.Dr.Elias two very experienced resource persons who have for
many years assisted OfERR in training its volunteers also attended the
workshop. The workshop also had the benefit of 19 Sinhala participants on the 1st
day. All the Sinhala participants regretted that they had acquiesced in the
successive Sinhala majoritarian rule in Ceylon that had denied equal rights to
the Tamil people. They vowed to go back to the Sinhala people particularly at
the grassroots and reiterate the rights of the Tamil people. This helped the
discussions very much and both sides were able to look within themselves and
see where he or she had not positively contributed to the building of bridges
between the Tamil and Sinhala communities. In all 120 persons of whom more than
90 were from refugee camps participated in this effort. Speaking to the
participants Mr.Malcolm Rodgers said that a mental and psychological phase has
commenced by two peace processes. One is the big process where the two sides
have been coming together but were not sure of the outcome. He said his aim was
to talk to the participants about the second process. This is the one that
every refugee has to do when he or she returns. The big people in the big
process will not be there. They will not come to the village and even if they
do they will not understand.
OfERR Erode regional
Staff participated in a discussion on human rights on the 26th of
January. Senior OfERR volunteers provided inputs on human rights issues at the
commencement of the discussions. The
participants were thereafter divided into smaller units to discuss human rights
issues in Ceylon particularly after the signing of the MoU an 23rd
February 2002. Later the groups made their presentations at the plenary
sessions. There were 33 participants at this discussion. On 27th
January, 75 refugee participants had gathered at OfERR Erode regional office
for the sessions on the “Follow up on the Nallayan Declaration”. The
participants were provided inputs by OfERR senior volunteers on the refugees
Database, legal documentation, self help groups and democratisation, awareness
on landmines, sharing of Nallayan Declaration with International Governments
and NGOs and discussions on the sharing on Nallayan Declaration at the camp
level. Mr.Chandrahasan explained the present political situation in the island
vis-à-vis the peace process. Thereafter the participants formed themselves into
small groups and undertook the task of formulating future strategy in the
context of the peace talks being stalled. At the plenary they shared the
strategic plan of each group and it was decided that the similar discussions be
held in the other 3 regions followed by a plenary at Nallayan Research Centre.
On the 28th
of January thirty-four Trichy and Nellai regions’ volunteers participated at a
discussion on human rights violations. After two senior volunteers had provided
the thoughts for discussion, the participants were grouped into smaller units
for discussion and later reported to the plenary session.
On the 29th a
workshop on Human Rights was conducted at Chennai at OfERR head office to train
OfERR volunteers in the Chennai region and at the Head office. Mr. Malcolm
Rodgers of Christian Aid moderated the workshop. The point’s he put forward to
the participants to stimulate their thoughts centred on: 1. Civil 2. Economic
3. Social and 4.Cultural rights. While
speaking on the Universal Declaration of rights he adumbrated the four cardinal
principles enshrined therein. Namely 1.Freedom of speech and expression,
2.Freedom of Association, 3. Freedom from fear, 4.Freedom from want. The
participants were thereafter divided into small groups for discussions and they
reported to the plenary on what needs to be done. The sessions on Human Rights
awareness gathered such momentum that discussions and clarifications went on
till afternoon and ended with the participants expressing their appreciation
and gratitude to Christian Aid and Mr. Malcolm Rodgers.
PEACE CONFERENCE IN LONDON
ANALYSES CAUSES FOR PRESENT STALEMATE
A “peace Confernce”
organised by the Centre for Culture, peace and Development was held in London
on 28 December 2003. Political analyst Sivalingam living in London gave an
analysis of the actions adopted by the Sri Lankan government, the LTTE and the
opposition parties vis a vis the Peace process and the Ceasefire following the
signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Sri Lankan Government
and the LTTE, causes for the present stalemate and the experiences to be
learnt. Stressing the importance of a deep and objective analysis, which he
said is imperative to enable all concerned parties to identify the shortcomings
so that they may be rectified in the interest of a durable peace which all Sri
Lankans long for, Sivalingam pointed out that the major opposition political
party was not included in the formation of the memorandum of understanding.
Sivalinham further stated,
“In the context of the
Sri Lankan political scenario, it is imperative that it is accepted by both
major parties in Sri Lanka. There should have been consultation in this issue
of national importance. It is because the agreement is between the Government
of Ranil Wickremesinghe and the LTTE; the opposition party expects the
agreement to collapse so that they can gain power. Therefore for a permanent
and durable solution to the national question there must be contribution by the
two major parties. The Government should have prepared a work plan for the
agreement of the opposition parties”.
On the other hand,
because of the preoccupation of the LTTE with the exploitation of the situation
to merely transform it as the sole leadership of the Tamils, the opportunity to
create political pluralism among the Tamil speaking people had been completely
obliterated. Despite the trend of the modern world to move towards democratic
pluralism, there were blatantly overt efforts by the LTTE to dominate the TULF,
the elected representatives of the people and thereby making them political
imbeciles and making a mockery of the parliamentary system. Furthermore, he
said, the LTTE has obtained supplies of arms. Youths and children were abducted
for combat training. There were extortion and harassment of the Muslims. The
Tamil people who had suffered immense economic hardships for the last twenty
years are being subjected to an additional taxation regime. This is daylight
robbery. Political appointees as well as members of the public who would not be
obedient to their line were killed. This had the effect of silencing many. As a
consequence of these incidents in the Tamil areas, the Government was accused
of insensitivity and incompetence. It was also accused of helping the LTTE by
turning a blind eye to its activities. Such actions helped the propaganda of
the opposition parties that the LTTE was preparing for war. This put pressures
on the Government and weakened it. It was in this background that President
Chandrika took over the three Ministries including Defence. The TULF leadership
cannot attribute these developments and the sorry state of the peace process to
the Sinhalese parties only. The TULF leadership too has to bear responsibility
for having pushed the government to this position.
A Tamil woman in
Akkaraipattu has commenced a hunger strike demanding that the LTTE gives back
her house in which they had opened an office. Army Operational Headquarters
received information that the LTTE was running an office after forcefully
occupying the house belonging to the woman, sources said.
This office was opened
by the LTTE at Sagama Road in Akkaraipattu three months ago. Following the
forcible occupation by LTTE, the woman’s son had complained to the security
forces. The SLMM too had been informed, sources added.
Muslim traders of
Katankudy, who run their business in Batticaloa, were fined a total of Rs.29,
000 by the LTTE for their part in a hartal organised by the Muslims of the East
on December 18 last year. The entire muslim business ventures in the East were
brought to a standstill due to this hartal. When Tamils owned vehicles
attempted to drive through the places where the hartal was observed in
Kattankudy, they were stoned and damaged by Muslim youth. Following complaints
by Tamils, the LTTE had barred the Muslim traders from conducting their
business till the fines were paid as compensation to the owners of the damaged
vehicles.
The LTTE claimed it was
not responsible for the actions of Tamil public but Muslim traders in turn
claimed that there were instances when vehicles owned by Muslims had been
damaged by Tamils but the Tamil traders were not penalised.
LEAFLET THREATENS WAR AGAIN
IN JAFFNA IF LTTE’S ISGA PROPOSAL IS REJECTED
A leaflet dated 11th
January in northern Jaffna peninsula warned, that "war would be
inevitable" if the Sri Lankan political leaders rejected the proposal by
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for an interim self-governing
authority (ISGA).
According to reports
from Jaffna, a self-styled organisation, Tamil National Awareness Movement,
allegedly a front organisation for the LTTE, issued the leaflets, which also
allege that the Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, "took over
the Ministry of Defence because she could not face up to the LTTE's ISGA
proposal." Charging that Ms. Kumaratunga’s "expressed opinion about
the ISGA proposal was released only after Indian officials said what they
thought about it" and was "only repeating the opinion of Indian
officials," the leaflet said, the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe's
Government had also "not expressed its opinion on the LTTE's
proposal."
Security authorities in
charge of Vavuniya decided to revive stringent security measures that were in
place in the Government - administered area before the cease-fire agreement
between the UNF government and the LTTE came into operation in February
2002.“We want to activate a security plan on a priority basis” a senior
security official told The Island. He acknowledged the difficulty in activating
the plan without jeopardizing the cease-fire agreement.
Replying to questions,
he said: “Gunmen believed to be Tigers operating in the cleared area killed ten
men over the past six months. The last victim was an ex- policeman. We have no
option but to conduct operations in the cleared area to neutralize the group of
hitmen.’’
All of them were shot
through their heads, he said adding that three bodies had been subsequently set
on fire. Some of them were believed to be police informants. Others had
vehemently refused to toe the LTTE line, the official said. Police and the army
intend setting up roadblocks as part of the security measures. The army will
assist the police to implement these measures, the official said. “We have
irrefutable evidence to link the LTTE with the ongoing wave of killings. Our
investigations came across an LTTE ‘hitlist’ that contained the names of 11
persons,’’ he said.Senior police and army officials in charge of Vavuniya
security discussed ways and means of neutralising the gunmen who were taking
advantage of the cease-fire agreement to operate freely in the Government -held
area.
The cease-fire agreement
gives Tigers access to government-held areas in the northeast. The Vavuniya
office of the cease-fire-monitoring mission was informed of the killings taking
place in the district, police said. The LTTE continued to deny any involvement
in the killings.
Parents of 234 Tamil
youth who allegedly disappeared after arrest by the Sri Lanka Army in 1996,
1997 met the Minister of Justice, W.J.M. Lokubandara.
They said they appealed
to the Minister of Justice to treat their arrested children according to the
law, as peace prevails in the country at present. Out of the 234, twenty four
were arrested by officers of the Navatkuli Army camp, the parents said. The
parents said that their children were not linked to the LTTE. They were
arrested at the request of Tamil political parties of the North, who are allied
with the Sri Lanka Army. The Association of Parents is titled ‘Guardian
Association for persons arrested by the army and disappeared in the North’.The
persons who came to meet the Justice Minister said that, they went back to
their villages in 1996, 1997 at the request of the President, soon after, their
children got arrested by the Sri Lanka army. A delegation of about fifty-five
persons had came to see the Minister of Justice, in a private bus hired from Jaffna.
They said they would not leave Colombo without a positive response from the
authorities.
ALWAYS STRESSED THE
JUSTIFIABILITY OF THE CEYLON TAMIL CAUSE BUT CONDEMNED SEPARATISM, FASCISM AND
CRASS MILITARISM
The ‘Island’ newspaper
in a feature article has described the former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister
Laksman Kadirgamar, as a “Journalists delight”. Media persons always throng his
press conferences not just because he would have something significant to say,
but also because he had a way with words which made for excellent copy.
Having been a leading
light of the Oxford debating society as a student at Balliol College,
Kadirgamar brought to his legal practice and political career back in Ceylon an
unusually analytical mind and a persuasiveness, which few of his adversaries
could match. As a lawyer, Kadirgamar touched the pinnacle becoming the
Presidents Counsel. As a politician, he reached a height no other minority
Tamil did, as a participant in the Sinhala dominated, mainstream Sri Lankan
politics. He became foreign minister, the first Tamil to hold that post. He
brought to his post the rich international experience he had gained as top
official of a Geneva based organization dealing with intellectual property
rights.
By any yardstick,
Kadirgamar was an outstanding foreign minister. “One of the best in the world”
as a former Indian high commissioner put it. As foreign minister he did what
most Sri Lankans thought was the impossible- get US and UK to ban the LTTE. And few Sinhalese expected a Tamil
to pursue this objective with such devotion and energy. Right from the early
eighties, the West had been very sympathetic to Tamil militancy and tended to
blame the Sri Lankan State for it. But, Kadirgamar’s tireless efforts and
lobbying in key world capitals yielded unexpected results. While stressing the
justifiability of the Tamil cause, he deprecated separatism, fascism and crass
militarism.
“Separatism is a kind of
tribalism and I am not a tribalist,” he once said. He is also passionately
against the partition of countries, though ethnic nationalism considers it a
panacea. “Partitions create haemorrhage which lasts for generations,” he says.
In a situation, where separatism has become the accepted and legitimate creed
of the Ceylon Tamils, it is not surprising that Kadirgamar has incurred the
wrath of the Tamils. To the LTTE, he is the quintessential drohi-betrayer –and
is only too well known his life is under severe threat because of that. But
Kadirgamar is unfazed. “I’ve got used to living with this threat” he would say.
A Hunted man he is ringed by tight security. In a country, which is craving for
the internationalization of its problem, Kadirgamar’s cry for preservation of
independence and sovereignty is a voice crying out in the wilderness. -
Janata party President
Dr.Subramanian Swamy requested Defence Minister George Fernandes to consider
establishing a cantonment base in three Squadrons of the Indian Air Force (IAF)
before responding favourably to Sri Lankan government’s request for assistance
to meet the LTTE threat to the island’s integrity’.
Dr.Swamy drew the
Defence Minister’s attention to the recent naval developments in the Palk
Straits arising out of the activities of the LTTE “ Sea Tigers” when he met Mr.
Fernandes in his office. The meeting with Mr. Fernandes, who is also convener
of the National Democratic Alliance, assumes special significance with the NDA
looking for an electoral partner in Tamil Nadu.
Programme to rid the
North and East of anti-personal mines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) is
beginning to show results as 175,000 mines have been cleared from the Northern
peninsula and the Trincomalee district. Sources of the National Steering
Committe on Mine Action (NSCMA) said
that in Jaffna alone there were around 500,000 Mines and UXOs. The Government
took up the task of clearing an estimated 1.5 million land mines and UXO’s with
the assistance of international and local NGOs “qualified to do the job.” It
has also been able to bring down the number of mine related accidents through
extensive awareness programmes-on Mine Risk Education. The committee said that
the number of mine accidents in 2002 had been around 15-20 per month but the
number had been brought down to around four to seven per month by 2003.
However, the two areas
are still not completely safe. The government, with the help of the National
Steering Committee on Mine Action based in the Prime Minister’s office has been
able to clear the area for possible resettlement in the future. The steering
committee comprises – the Secretary to the Prime Minister, Ambassadors, NGOs
and UN agencies.
A United Nations agency has
rapped the LTTE for allegedly recruiting child soldiers and demanded that the
guerrillas release all underage combatants. “The LTTE must cease recruitment of
children… the LTTE must release all child soldiers” the UNICEF said in its
report released in January 2004. The report, first since UNICEF launched a
project to rehabilitate children affected by the conflict in the Island, said
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam had recruited 709 underage combatants and
freed 202 of them during last year and were still holding 1,301 child soldiers.
The LTTE has assured
UNICEF that it would not recruit children below the age of 18 in the armed
conflict. UNICEF representative Ted Chaiban, said the action plan estimated to
cost USD 14.2 million over a period of three years had helped provide for a
formal mechanism for assisting the release and reintegration of child soldiers.
“If fully implemented over the period envisaged by the plan, the result would
be a vast improvement in the lives of war affected children,” he said. He said that an estimated 50,000 children in
the embattled regions were out of school while 1,40,000 have been displaced
from their homes. Landmines have killed 20 children and maimed 17 others during
2003 alone. There was also a shortage of teachers in the former war zones and
UNICEF placed the shortfall at 5,800 in the Tamil medium and 200 in the Sinhala
medium.
LTTE EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER
INDO- SRI LANKAN BILATERAL DEFENCE COOPERATION
LTTE has
expressed "serious concern'' over a proposed bilateral defence cooperation
agreement between India and Sri Lanka, and termed it as one with
"far-reaching negative consequences for the peace process." The
LTTE's "objections'' were "conveyed'' to the Government of India
"through the Norwegian facilitators," a report in the TamilNet news
site said.
The LTTE's chief
negotiator, Anton Balasingham, had reportedly "pointed out to the
Norwegians'' that the proposed bilateral defence co-operation agreement
"might upset the balance of forces to the disadvantage of the LTTE'' and
"lead to the disturbance of the ceasefire agreement." He also
reportedly said that "a military pact with India would encourage the
Sinhala political leadership to take a hard-line, belligerent attitude towards
the Tamils'' and "destroy the mutual trust between the estranged
communities, a crucial factor necessary for the consolidation and promotion of
peace." Mr. Balasingham reportedly told the Norwegians that there was
"no strategic necessity'' for the Indian Government to "rush into a
defence agreement at this crucial time when the peace process itself is
endangered by the political crisis." An agreement "at this stage will
be detrimental to the interests of the Tamils and seriously damage their
bargaining power.''
The TamilNet also quoted
the LTTE political wing leader as saying that the proposed pact was "a
bogey to frighten the Tamils into submission'' and "a part of the grand
design of the international safety net'' of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister,
Ranil Wickremesinghe, "to involve external forces in the ethnic conflict
of the island." The moves for a bilateral defence cooperation pact was
mooted when Mr. Wickremesinghe visited New Delhi last year, and was followed up
by the President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, who had sent a high-level team to
India earlier in January 2004, after she constitutionally took over the Defence
portfolio last November.
The European Commission’s
Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) will contribute two million Euros (equivalent to
Rs.250 million) for mine detection in the northeast. The Charge d’ Affairs of
the EU Delegation Wouter L. Wilton told newsmen on Tuesday January 20th
that the paramount importance of the de-mining process had been recongnised by
the EU.
ECHO has stepped up its
anti mine activities with the provision of mine risk education surveys, field
fencing, mechanical and manual mine clearance operations and assistance to victims.
Wouter L. Wilton expressing optimism on the outcome of the peace process said
that the political conflicts in the South were entirely internal matters to be
resolved within the ambit of political leaders and urged them to resolve them
soonest for the future prosperity of he nation. Speaking further, Wouter Wilton
categorically pointed out that the financial assistance of the European
Commission to Ceylon are in the form of grants and not as loans. This is a
distinct advantage to Ceylon when compared with funds released from other donor
organisations, which are more in the form of loans.
US assistant Secretary
of State for Political Military Affairs Lincoln Bloomfield Jr. announced the
donation of six mine detecting dogs to the Sri Lankan Government, through the
courtesy of contributions from corporate and private US donors.
At a ceremony held at
the State Department in Washington January 14, Bloomfield said the six dogs,
valued at $20,000, will “accelerate the rate at which mined areas in Ceylon can
be identified, demarcated, cleared and double- checked to ensure that deadly
persistent landmines…. really have been cleared”. The assistant secretary
thanked the Marshall Legacy Institute for its role in inspiring US business,
Sri Lankan expatriates, school children and others to contribute the funds for
the purchase of the dogs, whose track record against landmines, he said, “ is
extraordinary”.
India has always shown
its strong resolve to campaign against terrorism and has often and matched its
words with deeds. This point was proved most eloquently in Ceylon recently.
Mr.David Binns the Australian High Commissioner to Ceylon had hosted a reception
in his Official residence on the 23rd of January 2004 to celebrate
the National Day of Australia. It was reported that several NGO’s had also been
invited to the reception. However, some NGO invitees did not hide the fact that
they were ‘close’ to LTTE and were seen standing reverently around LTTE’s ‘Jay’
Mahendran and keenly listening to the Tiger propaganda articulated by him.
The Indian High
Commissioner to Ceylon, was not aware of the presence of ‘Jay’ Mahendran at the
party. Having arrived a little late to the function, he promptly turned and
walked away when informed about the presence of a person whose organisation
remains banned in India and is persona non grata as far as India is concerned.
Thus the message conveyed by India’s High Commissioner in Sri Lanka was indeed
loud and clear to all in Ceylon and in the international community.
Sri Lankan President
Chandrika Kumaratunga’s Senior Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Lakshman Kadirgamar
speaking to ‘Hindu’ Correspondent took exception, to the ‘Chauvinist’ tag
attached to his party members by the ruling party led by Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Mr. Kadirgamar pointed out that it was the leader of his party Chandrika
Kumaratunga who had proposed a draft constitution conferring autonomy in August
2000. He asked “is that the action of a chauvinist?” When the draft
constitution was placed before Parliament by Mrs. Kumaratunga’s party, he
(Mr.Kadirgamar) was shouted down by members of Mr. Wickremasinghe’s UNP who
were then in the Opposition. Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe as leader of the
opposition sat through whole thing without making any attempt to quell the
obstruction by his party members in the parliament. Who then is the
Chauvinist?”
Useful progress on an
Indo- Lankan defence pact now being urged on both sides of the Palk Strait had
been made during the current visit to india by Science and Technology Minister
Milinda Moragoda as a special envoy of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Mr.Moragoda has advised Colombo that he had useful talks with Indian External
Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and would be meeting National Security Advisor
Brijesh Mishra later. He had also met with senior defence officials and staff
of the Prime Minister’s office. Moragoda had taken the opportunity to brief the
Indian Government on the present situation in Ceylon in addition to discussing
the outlook for the proposed defence cooperation agreement. President
Kumaratunga too has been keen on following-up the Prime Minister’s initiative
on a defence pact with India and sent senior officials led by Defence Secretary
Cyril Herath and Army Commander Lt. Gen. Lionel Balgalle for talks in India.
EELAM UPDATE IS NOW ON THE WEBSITE
Readers can now access
Eelam Update on the OfERR website at www.oferr.org
to download the monthly Eelam Update soon after it is released. Eelam Update
will reach you much faster through the website than through hard copies sent
through postal mail. You can also access the latest information regarding the
Ceylon Tamil Refugees in Tamil Nadu India through the same website.
Proteg@eth.net
ProTEG, P.O.Box 782, Egmore, Chennai - 600 008. India.