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TAMILInformationwww.tamilarangam.netChiefMinisterof Jaffnajkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netChief Minister of JaffnaApplications are invited from suitable candidates for theabove post, which is likely to be created once the"Timbuctu talks" reach their finale.The main qualifications required are :THE GIFT OF THE GAB AND THE GIFT OF THE GRABThe salary is negotiable but the many "fringe benefits"would make a salary redundant.Persons in Jaffna or in exile with political ambitionswho have been waiting in the wings for a long time andwish to apply for the post are requested to write in toThe Editor, SATURDAY REVIEW, with full "curriculum vitae'so that the applications could be forwarded to therelevant authorities.Canvassing in any form will be a disqualification.The above "Advertisement" appeared in our sister publication, the SATURDAYREVIEW, Jaffna, in its issue of September 21.We are reproducing it by courtesy of SR because the "advertisement"deserves wider exposure.The Editor of SATURDAY REVIEW is Gamini Navaratne, one of the veryfew surviving courageous, independent journalists in Sri Lanka. He is also anauthentic Sinhala Buddhist, and sometimes known for his quaintvitriolic sense of humour.jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netfillInformationEditor: S. SiwanayagamFor Private CirculationIssue No 101st October 1985Published on behalf of theTamil Information Centre, 3rd Floor, 24-98Clapham High Street, London SW47UR, UnitedKingdomThe Priceof Violence!S. SIVANAYAGAMIt was the 5th April, 1956. Almost a 30-year oldmemory. I was journeying to Colombo from Jaffna,and had boarded the night mail at Kokuvil, onestation north of Jaffna. I had found myself a comfortablecorner seat in a 3rd class compartment, and inthose days, (as it is probably even now) securing acorner seat in a Jaffna-Colombo train was no meanachievement. When the train grated to a halt at theJaffna station, the sight that met my eyes puzzledme. Instead of the usual bustling and jostling withpeople charging in with upraised bags and baggagethere was a kind of mute inactivity. People weretalking in whispers or gazing at the train with a lookof vacant doubt, and most of them making no attemptto get in. What had happened ? I leaned out of thewindow and collared the nearest man at the platform.It appeared that there was "trouble" in Colombo, hesaid. What kind of trouble, I asked him. He did notknow. No one seemed to know. Even the train wastaking a long time to make up its mind to move. Ishrugged my shoulders and sat back. The youngblood in me told me that whatever trouble it was, itshould be well within my capacity to manage. Besides;I was in no mood to throw away my hard-earnedcorner seat. But I was wrong.History was made in Ceylon that day. A new sordidchapter had begun. The seeds of division of thecountry was sown that morning in Ceylon's Parliament.That was the day the "Sinhala Only" Act waspassed. That was the day that Sinhala mobs, tor thefirst time, began to lay their hands on Tamils withimpunity. That was the day Tamil leaders who sat insilent Gandhian non-violent protest — in closeproximity to the Parliament building — were surroundedby a hostile' mob and set upon with stones. That wasthe day when the ruling Prime Minister S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike ordered a helpless Police force not tointerfere; the day when Sri Lankan governments beganthe process of SANCTIONING violence againstTamils, a process which today has culminated inopen State War against them.All that, I was to know only later. Hugging the pillowthat I carried, I went to sleep in my corner seat,unmindful of history, unaware that I was to have abrush with Death the next morning. That brush withDeath came when a gang of ruffians got into thetrain at Ra^ama looking for Tamils to assault andkill. Almost pushed out of a moving train, if I managedto survive without loss of life or limb, it was probablya combination of tenacity and good luck that savedme. But I had learnt my lesson on that morning of6th April, 30 years ago, a lesson that all Tamilscontinue to learn to this day : Death by violencecould come to you in Sri Lanka for no other reasonthan that you are born a Tamil. That is a terriblefeeling to live with, in one's own country, in the landof one's birth, the land in which one's ancestors hadlived, and sometimes ruled, for centuries. ^jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netMob violence is one thing, but mob violence sanctionedby society and government is quite another. It mustbe said to the credit of the Sinhala people that whilesuccessive governments (with one possible exception— that of Dudley Senanayake) found it profitable tofan the flames of anti-Tamil violence through a seriesof acts of omission and commission, they, as a people,managed to stay outside that self-destroying processuntil around the mid-seventies. But they could notwithstand the pressure for long. When the 1977riots began, it was evident that mob violence hadbegun to earn popular approval and sanction in thesouth. An aggressive chauvinism had entered theSinhala blood stream. By July 1983, both the Stateand the Sinhala people had begun to identify themselveswith anti-Tamil violence. The Sinhalese whowere able to stand outside this process were reducedto the position of an ineffective minority.Violence they say breeds more violence, which ofcourse is an often repeated truism. But interestinglyenough when cowardly violence is met with a timidresponse, that also can breed more violence. Thefact was, all Sinhala mob violence was cowardly innature, and all Tamil response was timid in reply.Every time they were attacked, the Tamils only ran.They never stood their ground, except in a fewinstances in the plantation areas. There is also astreak in the Sinhala character that adulates successfulviolence, and despises failure. The Sri LankanNational Flag and official Emblem showing a ferociouslookinglion holding a sword in its paw in symbolic ofSinhala attitude and in fact representative of the inbuiltpre-disposition towards violence in the Sinhalacharacter. Which other nation or people would havebeen foolish enough to adopt such a motif to flauntnational pride ? On the other side of the fence, atotally unexpected development changed the wholepattern of happenings. Came the Tamil 'Tiger" ! ATamil society, that was phlegmatic and conservative,that revelled in pen-pushing and pensions, hankeringafter dowries and security, that worshipped MahatmaGandhi and Non-violence and certainly had nostomach for violence suddenly found itself givingtotal sanction to Violence, and taking pride in "ourboys". How did this sudden transformation occur ?Here is the rationale. Says a Western writer, JoelKbvel:"When the conditions for nonviolent developmentare absent, and a people is subjected to the rule ofinurderbus gangsters, then armed struggle is theonly recourse of dignity; that is, it becomes the lesserviolence and the assertion of the human powers ofself-determination. Violence by the oppressed isalways less violent morally — and usually substantiallyless violent practically — than violence by theoppressor. This is because of oppressor is violentwith a bad conscience ..." (Against the State of NuclearTerror — Crucible : Science in Society).What the Tamil youths launched was not only theviolence of the oppressed and an assertion of thepower of self-determination, but violence within aDiscipline. This was in stark contrast to the undisciplinedviolence of the Sinhala mobs and the ill-disciplinedviolence of the Sri Lankan armed forces. When theSri Lankan government spokesmen and the Colombomedia work themselves into a fury over the "menace"of Terrorism, and overwork all adjectives in theQueen's English to describe it, what they exhibit isreally a feeling of helplessness in the face of defensivedisciplined violence, a phenomenon which they werenever used to.But ironically enough when the Sri Lanka governmentcontinues to pay a heavy price for its policy of violence,the Tamils are paying their price right now for theimposed ceasefire that came in May and the Thimphuphase that followed. Violence that was disciplinedand designed for the people's liberation struggle,suddenly snatched of its direction, and deprived ofits momentum, is turning inward. This is a tragictrend that all genuine liberation forces have to check.Writing in the first issue of TAMIL INFORMATION(then Tamil International) in July 1984, we said :Tamil society has also to learn to look inward. Aclinical introspection is essential. Every society carrieswith it some canker in its vitals, which if not cleansed,can lead to its own destruction. Intolerance andfactionalism, inability to accept a contrary point ofview, self-inflated egoism, malice and mud-slingingare neither healthy nor happy attributes in a peoplefighting oppression and waging a struggle for liberation.If this debilitating process is not checked intime, that will be a sure way of defeating ourselvesbefore the enemy defeats us. All guns need steadyhands, but if they are used in the cause of liberation,they need CLEAN hands as well.We said it one year and three months ago. We nowrepeat it with greater relevance and with a greatersense of urgency. If what the Sinhala people learntto sanction was indisciplined violence what the Tamilssanctioned ws DISCIPLINED violence, nothing less.If Tamil militant groups do not realise that, theywould be forefeiting the trust that their people reposedon them. Once that trust is lost, no liberationmovement can ever survive for long. _jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netWhat it costs Sri Lankato kill Tamils IThe following news item appeared in the Sri Lanka governmentownednewspaper the DAI LY NEWS of August 17,1985, underthe headline "Danger signals in economy, says Ronnie" :-Finance Minister Ronnie de Mel warned of "danger signals" inthe economy and said prospects for the second half of the yeardid not "appear very favourable". The 1985 budget was estimatedto be in deficit of over Rs.5000 million, the Minister said. This is aturnaround of Rs.6700 million from earlier estimates of the budgetwhich promised a Rs.1700 million surplus."If we are unable to keep defence expenditure down due toincreasing tension in the country, our efforts to reduce thebudget deficit and enhance capital investment will not besuccessful", he said.Mr. de Mel has gone on record saying that the country's defencespending this year exceeded Rs.2000 million over and abovethe budgeted Rs.3600 million. Defence expenditure cost ofcountry Rs.16 million a day, he had said."The overall deficit may rise to 16 per cent of gross domesticproduct (GDP), while the projected rate of growth in inflationmay turn out to be between eight and ten per cent by the end ofthe year...He stressed that foreign aid and the creation of domestic creditalone could not help growth and create employment. The mereinjection of money without natural and human resources to backit, aggravated inflation rather than help the economy to grow, hesaid...Mr. de Mel was speaking at a seminar on "Profitability throughmaterials management under inflationary conditions" at the HotelLanka Oberoi on Thursday.Rs.5000 million deficit in 1985, Rs.32000 million in 19861"The Island" of 24th August reports :A Press release of the Ministry of Finance and Planning saidyesterday that the preliminary estimates of revenue and expenditurenow being prepared by the Treasury indicate the total expenditurei BW4VC AND OWeS*>tAAHAVEU \2fcCAU6e ciFHAO ivtfor 1986 at Rs.69000 million and estimated revenue at Rs.37000leaving an overall budget deficit of Rs.32000 million. The FinanceMinister has told the government that the overall budget deficitwas "unsustainable by any standards"...Finance Minister Ronnie de Melwith his begging bowl as seen bySri Lankan cartoonist Wijesoma.jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netAs THE TIMES, London sees itCLOSER TO CIVIL WARThe second round of peace talks to settlethe deeply entrenched communal rift inSri Lanka collapsed in discord last week.It had been expected that they wouldprovide the framework for a resolution ofthe Sinhalese-Tamil conflict. Instead theybecame lost in the cavernous divide thatseparfitestHe two sides.Worse still, with the entailed embarrassmentof the Indian government, which hadsponsored the talks, the best remaininghope of resolution has faded. Now SriLanka is not just back to square onebut very possibly on the brink of civil war.The primary responsibility for this putcomerests with the authorities in Colombo.At the June summit between Sri Lanka'sPresident Jayawardene and Mr. RajivGandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, whichlaid the foundations for the three-monthsceasefire and the Bhutan negotiations,the Sri Lankans appeared to be willing toaccept reality and make meaningful concessionsto the Tamils. It was understoodthat these would include -a substantialdevolution of power. In turn the Indianscajoled the T.amil guerrillas, based in SouthIndia, into forsaking, their demand for anindependent Eelam.Yet when the two sides met in Thimpufor the first set of talks the Sri Lankanteam failed to match that expectation. Thepeace process was saved by an adjournmentand by the time the second roundbegan earlier this month, the Indian's hadsecured reconfirmation from PresidentJayawardene of his willingness to compromise.Indeed on this occasion the presidenteven went on record claiming that he wasconfident of "good results". But, back atthe negotiation table, his delegation onceagain had little to offer, and as tensionson the island flared up with the massacreat Vavuniya, the Tamil delegates walkedout of the talks. The Tamils, it is believedwould have settled for control of finance,education and law and order. CertainlyMr. Rajiv Gandhi had repeatedly andpublicly committed himself to supportingno more than the sort of devolution givento the States in India; which he explained,was "considerably less than the Americanfederal system1* If President Jayawardenehad offered as much Mr. Gandhi couldhave seen to its acceptance. But the SriLankan President was unable to defy hisown right wing and the Buddhist clergy,both of whom have refused to countenanceany real devolution of power. Consequently,all that was offered was a repackaged versionof the district council scheme alreadyrejected by the Tamils in 1984. In thecircumstances it was bound to be unacceptable.For their part the Tamil guerrillas didnot assist a solution by formally tablingwhat they called a "liberation character".In it they demanded from President Jayawardenerecognition of a distinct Tamilnationality, of a Tamil homeland and oftheir right ot self-determination. On theface of it, these claims contradicted anywillingness to compromise.Yet while the peace process was on theIndian Government could have reined in.Tamil demands. With its collapse India'scapacity and perhaps its willingness to doso could now be in doubt. With a fiftymillionstrong Tamil population of his ownto consider, at best wary of Mr. Gandhi spressure tactics, he cannot easily repeathis strategy even if Colombo has a sincerearid convincing change of heart. Perhapsthis is why he chose instead to expelsome of the more belligerent guerrillaleaders. It may be a way of putting freshpressure on the Tamils to make their ownconcessions, but that is unlikely. Instead,it would suggest that Mr. Gandhi is washinghis hands of the problem.This leaves the Sri Lankan governmentto face the Tamil, guerrillas on its own.Already the island is effectively splitbetween an embittered Tamil north andeast and an unrelenting Sinhalese southand centre. The present flood 'of refugeestowards the areas where their respectivecommunities dominate will further exacerbatethis divide. And wfth the gyerrillashaving called off the ceasefire, the possibilityadvances of protracted and bloodycivil war. ««Or. HantharanWet actionto,«rfw^ deal W8lr^>«r«(*., e ^^ ^.is the son of Mr! C. GuriasWSirigapore from MarcM979to ltey;• " • "jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netSRI LANKA July-August 19852 YEARS AFTER THEHOLOCAUST & GETTING READY)FOR ANOTHER ?"Paradise Isle" Sri Lanka passed through its most horrifying nightmarein the last week of July 1983. Two years have gone since; but thatmemory is yet fresh and vivid and painful. Is that alone not sufficientindictment on the Jayawardene government ? What has this government,which paraded its belief in "Dharmishtra" [Righteousness] been doingthese two years ? What has it done to heal old wounds ? Or is it hell-benton inflicting new ones ? What has it done to redeem its own country'simage that had sunk very low indeed during that week of shame two yearsago ? What has it done to prevent another holocaust ? Do Tamils feelmore secure in 1985 than they felt in 1983 ? Are at least the Sinhalapeople feeling secure in the land which they had been claiming exclusivelytheir own ?Here is a phantasmagoric view of the Sri Lanka scene in July-August1985, as reflected in reports in the Sri Lanka Press itself. It provides all theanswers. This montage is made up of reports that appeared in 2 newspapers:the government-controlled DAILY NEWS: the independent THE ISLAND;The headlines above the reports are ours- Editor TAMIL INFORMATION.jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netA crushing thought byPresident JPresident J.R. Jayawardene, in an interviewwith the Indian magazine "Gentleman"has attributed the rise of terrorism to theapathy of all governments including hisown. "We should have crushed it at thevery beginning when they started demandinga separate state", he has said ....(The Island - 22nd July)Rs.70 million to bail outhotel IndustryOn a recommendation by the Minister ofState, Dr. Anandattssa de Alwis, the Cabinetof Ministers on Wednesday decided topump up to Rs.70 million to bail out thehotel industry which has been adverselyaffected by the ethnic troubles in thecountry....(The Island-19th July)General's "cease-firevisit" to ChinaBeijing-July 18 — Lt. Gen. Tissa IndrakaWeeratunga, Sri Lanka's Commander ofJpint Operations, visited a Chinese ArmyUnit and an Air Force Unit stationed inBeijing on Tuesday. There, he watcheda shooting exercise by soldiers and anair show....(The Island- 19th July)So, Prabhakaran was inJaffna!Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran hadbeen in the north over the week-end,landing at Point Pedro and meeting someof his key lieutenants, authoritative sourcesindicated on Tuesday.(Daily News - 25th July)Army officers chargeinto a train!Two Army officers were killed when themotor cycle they were riding ploughedinto a train at an unprotected level crossingin Induruwa during the early hours ofyesterday. Police said that the two victimshad been on their way to the PanagodaArmy camp....(The Island - 19th July)Sinhala soldier missingin VavuniyaSecurity forces are searching the Vavuniyadistrict for Private Nimal Jayawardene, asoldier posted to a unit in Jaffna, whowas kidnapped from his home in Vavuniya.A tip-off that the soldier had been killedand his body was lying in Parakulam wasinvestigated, but no body was found ....(Daily News — 29th July)"Stern warning fromRajiv to Tamil militants"New Delhi, July 16 — Prime Minister RajivGandhi has issued a stern warning to SriLankan guerrillas that they do not haveIndia's support for their separatist war.The Press Trust of India (PTI) quotedGandhi as telling reporters in the southerncity Madras last night that India did notsupport Tamil militants' hit-and-run warfor an independent state for the island's2.5 million minority....(The Island - 17th July)Coconut prices continueto fallThe price of coconuts continue to be onthe downward trend despite all efforts ofthe government to arrest falling prices ...(Daily News - 18th July)Security position better,says LalithThere were definite signs of improvementin the country's security position andmoney in the National Defence Fund maybe spent on development, National SecurityMinister Lalith Athulathmudali said onTuesday... "There are signs of the situationimproving and I wonder what to do withthe money", Mr. Athulathmudali said. Hesaid NDF had now over Rs.40 million ...(Daily News - 18th July)Sinhala families chasedaway, says ISLANDSecurity sources revealed that a groupof terrorists had attacked a village inVavuniya, Pavatkulam, and'chased anumber of Sinhala families last Monday.Those families are now staying in theBuddhist temples in the area. About 400are said to be affected ....(The Island - 18th July)Sinhalese girl was helpingEROS ?Police yesterday took into custody thefiancee of Ranjan the absconding memberof the EROS group believed to have beenresponsible for plotting the assassinationof the President last week. SapugaskandaPolice yesterday arrested a girl, a Sinhalesean uncle and one of her brothers... Thelove affair between Ranjan and the girlhad started during the time he was workingin the Telecommunications Department...Meanwhile, four Tamil women who hadallegedly assisted the terrorist suspectswere also taken into custody in Colomboby the CID yesterday...(The Island - 18th July).jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netPolice Sergeant too washelping EROS ?Further inquiries have revealed that thePolice Sergeant of the Cinnamon GardensPolice, who was taken into custody onWednesday in connection with the attemptedassassination of the President had beenspending the previous night with membersof the EROS organisation ....(The Island - 19th July)Bombs came inbags, say PolicesaltPolice investigations into the abortiveattempt to assassinate the President hasrevealed that the two bombs weighing70 and 50 kilos had been brought toColombo from Puttalam hidden inside saltbags and transported in a lorry bringingsalt... Meanwhile reports reaching Colombosay that a boat taken into custody by thePuttalam Police contained 2000 kilos ofIndian made gelignite....(The Island- 18th July)P.O. shootsBeliattaP.O. atA Police constable attached to the BeliattaPolice Station is reported to have beenshot dead by a fellow constable. Thedead policeman has been identified asKarunasena....(The Island - 18th July)Tamil youth in ColomboPark suspectedA Tamil youth who had entered the ViharaMaha Devi Park on Monday was handedover on suspicion by the park security tothe Cinnamon Gardens Police.(The Island - 17th July)Heavy steel object offsouthern coastMystery surrounds a heavy steel object,similar to a mine, found by a fishermanoff the coast of Bandarawatte in theAhungalla Police area. The mine 1 /2 feetin height had a yellow protective coveringwith a warning to inform the nearest Policeon finding the object....(The Island - 17th July)Raja sheds a tear forPresident!Raja, the Maligawa tusker, relieved ofthe casket and the perahera regalia onThursday knelt in veneration before theDalada and onlookers said there weretears in his eyes. Later, the tusker calledon President Jayawardene and one ofthose present said that the President toohad commented on the tears ...(Daily News — 3rd August)Premadasa in the footstepsof the MahatmaWhat is preferable, a Grama Rajaya, avillage minding its own business as a selfgoverningunit in the general frameworkof the country, or a senseless division ofthe country ?". Prime Minister Premadasaposed this question at a large-attendedmeeting at Puhulwatte... The PrimeMinister said that in has opinion if therehad been grama rajayas in India accordingto the Mahatmas ideal, instead of thefederal form of government, India wouldnot have the problems it faced today ...(Daily News — 5th August)Lalith reveals a sense ofhumourA team led by Deputy Minister of JusticeShelton Ranaraja will visit the United Statesof America to examine how the US governmenthas dealt with human rights problemsthere... Minister of National Security LalithAthulathmudali revealed this in Kandyyesterday. The visit is a prelude toestablishing a separate department...Tamils, Sinhalese, Muslims and any othercommunity could go before this body ...(Daily News — 5th August)Moratuwa undergrad &that Maggie bombInvestigators working on last week's bombplot believe that a Moratuwa undergradnow in custory, had a hand in the blastthat tripped through the airport railwaystation on th eve of Prime Minister MargaretThatcher's arrival. The engineering student,Jayakumar, was taken into custody lastThursday...(Daily News — 18th July)Two "farmers"through their ears shotTwo dead bodies of farmers with gunshotinjurites injuries through their ears, handstied behind and eyes covered, wererecovered by the Pulmoddai Police inthe jungle area at the 4th mile post inbetween Thennamarawadi and Kokilailagoon. The two bodies were identifiedas that of Amarasinghe Arachige Piyadasa(42) and Medagedera Jayasinghe (45),farmers both of Siri Tissapura Track No.13in Pulmoddai Police area ...(The Island — 20th July)jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netMahaveli work grinds toa haltWork at several sites coming under theAccelerated Mahaveli Scheme, in the "B"and "C" areas have come to a standstill,following threats by terrorists. The terroristshave hijacked jeeps, tractors and othermachinery from the work sites Contractorsengaged in construction work andin the preparation of paddy fields forcultivation by the farmers have fled dueto continuing threats by terrorists(The Island - 6th August)Qovt. loses TelecomequipmentA jeep belonging to the TelecommunicationsDepartment was hijacked by agroup of unidentified youths on the Thambalagamam-KinniyaRoad Police saidthe youths had also taken away telecommunicationequipment worth around Rs.1Lakh(The Island - 6th August)Will be "flushed out ofIndia shortly"National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudalisaid on Saturday speaking atthe final day of the 106th Mahapola heldat Ampitiya Maha Vidyalaya that SriLankan terrorists living in India will shortlybe flushed out. He appealed to theSinhalese not to have any fear as thegovernment will handle the returningterrorists in a fitting manner. He remindedthe people that despite the frantic effortsof the terrorists they have not been ableto grab a single inch of land in Sri Lanka(Daily News - 6th August)Tamil shot dead in a trainPerumal Rasiah Alphonso, former WelfareOfficer attached to the Department ofEducation in Batticaloa was shot dead byunknown persons while he was seated inthe second class compartment in the nightmail train from Batticaloa to Colombo onAugust 2(Daily News - 7th August)A 10,000 strong SlnhalaAuxiliary forceGovernment has decided to raise a 10,000-man national auxiliary force immediatelyto assist the armed forces in the defencerequirements of the north and east, Cabinetspokesman Dr.Anandatissa de Alwisannounced after yesterday's weekly meetingof ministers The cabinet yesterdayauthorised capital expenditure of Rs.2.5million and recurrent expenditure of Rs.16million for the NAF(Daily News - 8th August)No one wants to be S.P.,Jaffna!The Jaffna Police is operating without aSuperintendent for the past several weeks.THE ISLAND understands that this situationhad arisen as a result of appealssubmitted by senior SPs drafted for compulsorysix months service in the north todefer their transfers on medical groundsthree Superintendents have had theirtransfers cancelled on medical grounds(The Island - 9th August)Anura too busy to meetBhandariOpposition Leader MrAnura Bandaranaikehas told the Indian High Commission andthe Foreign Ministry that he would notbe able to meet Indian Prime MinisterRajiv Gandhi's special envoy Mr.RomeshBhandari for talks on Sri Lanka's ethnicissue due to "other commitments"...(The Island - 9th August)Guess who burnt theblue films?Terrorists are reported to have raidedtwo mini cinemas" at Jaffna where bluefilms were being shown. They set thefilms on fire and warned the exhibitorsagainst showing the public demoralisingfilms.(The Island - 9th August)Landmine servers roadlinkThe Trincomalee-Pulmoddai road was cutoff following a massive land mine explosionon Wednesday, the SLBC stated. TheSLBC quoting security sources added thatthe LTTE claimed responsibility for theexplosion(The Island - 9th August)jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.net"Terrorists" make themfleeThree hundred families fled the Trikonamaduwaand Kandakaduwa livestock farmsafter they were threatened by 30 armedterrorists, and have been accommodatedat the Welikanda and Kaduruwela livestock(arms, officials here (Polonnaruwa) said.(Daily News — ,9th August)Ex-SLFPorganizerAformerSLFP organiser at Vaddukoddai,Mr. V. Rajasunderam, has been abductedfrom his Chulipuram home. Four armedterrorists arrived there on Wednesday eveningand took him away. The reason for theabduction of the former Principal of VictoriaCollege, Chulipuram. is not known.(Daily News - 9th August)"Adamant on a State ofThe five major terrorist groups based inTamil Nadu have indicated to the Muslim'delegation which undertook a peacemission last week that they were adamanton a state of Eelam. A spokesman for theMuslim delegation which was led by Dr. Al-Haj Badiudin Mahmud told "The Island"on arrival from Madras yesterday that the"boys" were "die hard fellows" and benton Eelam ...(The Island - 10th August)Sinhala Btiddhist call toputoff TttimpuA memorandum calling upon Governmentto postpone the Thimpu peace talks untilterrorism is wiped out and all Sinhaleseare1 re-settled in their original homes inTrincomalee and Vavuniya was signed/yesterday at the Asgiriya Vihare. Thejnatories included the Maha Nayake|,the A|^riya Chapter Ven.PalipaneidJp(Bn.Madhihe Pannaseeha,i TheroAeader of the Opposi-I BandaVanaike, MEP leaderrtawardene and representativesother Sinhala organisations3AII QByten Buddhist Congress...nd — tOth August)Uma Maheswaran leader of PLOTE hasdemanded from Government the releaseof 20 of his close colleagues now in prisonfacing charges before the Thimpu talksscheduled to be held on August 12 begins."The Island" understands this is one ofthe conditions of PLOTE's participation inthe talks ... The demand is now beingconsidered by the government...(The Island - 10th August)VT demand being"considered by government"President Jayawardene'sprophecyNew Delhi, Monday (Reuter) — Sri LankanPresident Junius Jayawardene said in aninterview published yesterday that he wascertain his country's ethnic crisis wouldbe resolved at the peace talks which resumetdday in Bhutan. "They won't fail. I amcertain Thimpu II will be a success. I wantto settle it this time", Jayawardene said ina front page report in Calcutta's "Telegraph"newspaper...(Daily News — 13th August)"Time bomb arrives onYal Devi"Seven kilos of high explosive arrived inColombo yesterday aboard the Yal Deviat 6.22 a.m. It was a calling card from thelatest group of nothern terrorists to identifythemselves — the "Reddish Forces of TamilEelam". The bomb, timed to explode at7.45 a.m. was discovered by a securitycheck at the Fort Railway Station minutesafter the train arrived...(Daily News — 13th August)Thimpu and ImplementationMinister of National Security Lalith Athulathmudalitold the Sinhala refugees fromTrincomalee that until the refugees weresettled in their areas, the decisions arrivedat Thimpu talks would not be implemented.He revealed this when he visited the Sinhalarefugee camp at Agrabodhi Vihare, Kantalai,yesterday...(The Island - 13th August)Amir says Tamils readyto give up demand forEelamThe Secretary General of the Tamil UnitedLiberation Front Mr. Appapillai Amirthalingamhas made a fervent appeal toPresident Jayawardene to "act like astatesman" and agree to grant full autonomy.to the Tamils because they are ready togive up their demand for a separate state"...(The Island - 13th August)Mine kills 4 PolicemenA mine exploded at 6 a.m. yesterdayopposite the State Mechanised CarpentryWorkshop in Vavuniya kitting a Sub-Inspectorand three constables who were travellingin a Police jeep at that time. The Sub-Inspector has been identified as Mr. Dassanayake.Two others seriously injured wererushed to the Anuradhapura Hospital...Meanwhile, ten boutiques in Vavuniya townwent up in flames ...(The Island - 11th August)DaughterLife" father"WildDr. Shelton Atapattu, Director of Wild LifeConservation is charged in the MountLavinia Magistrate's Court with hayingvoluntarily caused hurt to his 19-year olddaughter Shereen. The plaint has beenfiled by Shereen herself charging her fatherunder Section ai^ef ihe Penal Code,which offence carries a penalty of oneyear's imprisonment...(The Island - 11th August)Mr. AmlrthallngamThimpuat"... There is one more lesson to be drawnfrom Thimpu I. On the first day, I learn,Mr. Amirthalingam took the centre seat,facing Mr. H.W. Jayawardene. On thesecond, somebody said "move ove>" andhe took another seat. By the end of thetalks, a cynic present at Thimpu said theTULF were like "book-ends"...(Columnist Kautilya — The Island — 11thAugust)Tamil constable killed :Mum's the wordThe mystery behind the brutal killing of aTamil police constableinthe barracks ofthe Tisswtiaharama Fpjice Station stillremains unsolved almost two months afterthe slaying took place. A senior *f>olieeofficial admitted that... nobody seems tohave seen the Killer despite the fact thatthe gruesome killing had taken place inthe Police barracks.(The Island - 12th August)jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netTrlncomil refugees fleeThe number of Tamil refugees crossingover from Trincomalee to Batticaloa arereported to be on the increase. Accordingto a spokesman of the Batticaloa Kachcheri,over 8.000 displaced persons who hadcrossed over to Batticaloa a few monthsago are still in refugee camps in Verugalas the situation in Trincomalee had reportedlyaggravated...(The Island — 16th August)But Slnhala villagers InVavuniya are lookedafterDry rations were rushed from Vavuniyayesterday to 750 Sinhala families now livingin fear of their lives in Pavatkulam andllukulam — two Sinhala villages north ofVavuniya. This has been done on a directiveby G.A., Vavuniya, Mr. K.C. Logeswaranto keep up the morale of the villagers...Earlier dry rations were rushed to about850 families in Kokkuveliya, Pumaduwa,Abaranthulawa and Galpotha villages...(The Island - 16th August)Gun battle In VavuniyaA raging gun battle between security forcesand terrorists in Vavuniya since 4.30 a.m.yesterday had so far resulted in the deathof 8 terrorists and several other unidentifiedpeople... The battle was sparked off afteran army convoy returning from Jaffnadiscovered a wire which led to a bomb,about 400 yards from the Air Force runway...(The Island - 17th August)"The Island" feels shy tosay they are TamilsThe funereal atmosphere here that hungover Vavuniya on Friday continued throughoutyesterday... Among the bodies in theVavuniya mortuary were those of tenchildren and a 6-months pregnant mother...Only 3 of the 21 bodies had been identified...Meanwhile, Sarvodaya leader AT. Ariyaratneflew to Vavuniya to comfort Sarvodaya'sRegional Representative Mr. Kathiramalainathanwho lost his wife, father-in-law andmother-in-law in the shpot-out...(The Island — 18th August)J.R. saysFederalism'No" toPresident J.R. Jayawardene in an interviewwith "The Hindu" has said that the Federalsystem as it exists in India was not necessaryfor Sri Lanka. "You cannot have a Federalsystem here. Ours is a unitary constitutionand we cannot change the constitution",he has said...(The Island - 15th August)Death fast after 18months without trialFive suspects under detention at Welikadeunder the Prevention of Terrorism Actbegan a hunger strike demanding that theybe charged in court or released, insteadof keeping them in jail indefinitely. Oneof them who grew very weak was rushedto the General Hospital and is now wardedunder strict security. Repeated requeststo the rest of the 4 suspects to call off thefast failing, Prison officials yesterday weresaid to be forcing food and water on them.These five suspects along with 170 othershad been remanded at the Welikade jail...(The Island - 21st August)"Panagoda Maheswaran's"visiting card ?A tense situation is reported to be prevailingin the Medawachchiya area... Followingthe recovery of a bomb in one of the buseskidnapped by terrorists on Wednesday andlater abandoned along a jungle road,security forces have intensified securityin the entire Medawachchiya area. Thebomb carried a tag identifying it with theThampapillai Maheswaran (Panagoda)group, the Tamil Eelam army. The groupis reported to have been very active in theremote Sinhala villages of Yakkawa andSiyambalagaswewa...(The Island - 16th August)jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.net"Mass exodus of Sinhalafamilies"A mass exodus of Sinhala families isreported from 10 villages in the Anuradhapuradistrict since Monday following posterswhich have come up in Seepukulam, 14miles off Anuradhapura. The posters inTamil have demanded that all Sinhalavillagers leave the district immediately...In Horowopatana alone over 1,000 villagershave left their traditional homes and soughtrefuge in Anuradhapura...(The Island - 14th August)Prostitution and TourismProstitution has eaten deep into the fabricof society in the tourist areas, states arecent in«depth study on "Tourism in SriLanka: The social impact" by Dr. NandasenaRatnapala, Director, Sarvodaya ResearchInstitute... There are instances wherehusbands personally compel their wivesto take to prostitution. Fathers and mothersmotivate or compel their daughters to plythe trade, the report adds...(Daily News — 17th August)False charge — 12months in Jail!Following the acquittal of the Nigeriancouple who spent a nightmare 12 monthsin the remand jails on a false charge broughtagainst them by the Kollupitiya Police thatthey had been dealing in drugs, a disciplinaryinquiry has been instituted... Thetwo Nigerian students (are) from MadrasUniversity — Olujimi Benire and his wifeMaria Sanbola...(Daily News — 22nd August)How about the Convicts*families ?As a result of the terrorist attack on theDollar and Kent Farms on November 30last year, four prison officers lost theirlives. Their families were compensatedby Mr. J.B. Bulumulla, Superintendent ofPrisons, Anuradhapura...(Daily News — 23rd August)"Terrorists" are Tamils,thugs are "local"!A 10-mernber gang described by policeas local thugs" halted the Jaffna-boundIval Devi" train about 400 yards outsidefcwrunegala station, and decamped withthe belongings and jewellery of eightpassengers...(Daily News — 24th August)Victim of lamp-postkillingThe body of Mr. K. Thambipillai who waselected to the Mullaitivu DDC on the TULFticket was found lynched on a lamp postat Mullaitivu Thursday, police said. Hehad died of gunshot injuries...(Daily News — 24th August)26 "terrorists" killedsays govt.Soldiers and trainees from the army trainingschool at Amparai inflicted heavy fatalitieson a terrorist training camp at Thirukovil,on the district border between Amparaiand Batticaloa, the National SecurityM inistry said. "The servicemen were on a3-day jungle training exercise when theyfound the camp. They were fired at andwere forced to take some military actionin which 26 terrorists were killed", thespokesman said...(Daily News — 26th August)Tamil worker*' linerooms set on fireGalaha Police are conducting investigationsinto a case of alleged arson of 14 linerooms at KirimetJya Estate in Patha Hewaheta... Police have provided temporary shelterat the Galaha Hindu kovil for the homelesslabourers...(The Island — 23rd August)DeathannouncedPO VOUUKfc A DUDsentenceTwo prominent members' ofPLOTE'straining camp have been sentenced todeath by its High Command. NadesuYamako and Parasuraman were the victimsof this death sentence. The PLOTE inhandbills distributed among the public,had stated that the High Command pronouncedthe death sentence on these twoafter an inquiry into charges of the murderof Comrade Jeevakumar, illtreatment ofother comrades in the camp and misuseof power...(The Island — 24th August)jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.net4 Army men killed, 1InjuredFour soldiers died and one was injuredwhen the vehicle in which they weretravelling ran over a land mine yesterday.The incident occured in the morning onthe Dehiwatte-Kantalai road...(The Island — 22nd August)Home Guard's gun wentoff!A Home Guard's gun is said to have goneoff killing a woman refugee and injuring asoldier. The incident had taken place onThursday at a temple in Vavuniya whererefugees were accommodated.(The Island - 24th August)Sri Lanka weaponschange handsSeveral Police officers attached to theKalkudha Police were injured when alandmine exploded yesterday morning.These officers, along with QIC Kalkudahwere on their way from Valaichchenai toKalkudah when the terrorists explodedthe landmine. The terrorists are then saidto have robbed 500 rounds of ammunition,a machine gun and a pistol, four helmetsand radio equipment...(The Island - 24th August)"War and Peace" talk byPresident JPresident J.R. Jayawardene said yesterdaythat the government was prepared for either"War or Peace". If the terrorists wantedwar it will be war and if they wanted peaceit will be peace, he said, speaking at theceremonial commissioning of the Kotmalereservoir. The President regretted nothaving nipped the problem of terrorism inthe bud... but felt that it was not the fault ofjust one government...(The Island - 25th August)Colombo "very happy"about deportationsMinister of State Anandatissa de Alwosyesterday expressed Colombo's satisfactionthat India is cracking down on Lankanterrorist groups in that country. Reactingto the news that India had deported twoTamil separatist leaders, A.S. Balasinghamand S.C. Chandrahasan, Dr. de Alwis said:"We are very happy that this has beendone. Terrorism in Sri Lanka would havestopped long ago if this had been donesometime earlier"...(Daily News — 26th August)Trinco-Nilavell road cutoffThe road between Trincomalee and Nilavelihas been completely cut off since terroristsdamaged Sampalthivu bridge, on theTrincomalee-Nilaveli road on Saturdaymorning. Police said the terrorists reportedlyused five bombs to blast the bridge. "Onlya push cycle can be taken across now", apolice spokesman said...(Daily News — 26th August)2O.OOOTrincorefugeesinAround 20,000 people, both Sinhaleseand Tamils — are now in refugee camps inthe Trincomalee district. According to agovernment official in Trincomalee'thereare about 10,000 Tamils and an equalnumber of Sinhalese in the 32 camps thathave been set up in the district...(The Island — 22nd August)jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netIndo-Sri Lanka relations:What Thondaman saidYour Excellency Shri Chattwal, YourExcellencies, Hon. Ministers, DistinguishedGuests, dear friends.I wish to express my thanks to all of youfor responding to our invitation which hadbeen extended to you at such short notice.This in a measure demonstrates the popularityof Shri. Chattwal and the appreciationfor the work he has done here.Shri Chattwal has been the High Commissionerfor India in Sri Lanka during a criticalperiod — critical in the history of the peopleof Indian origin and of the Tamil people,critical in the political history of Sri Lankaand critical in Indo-Sri Lanka relations.The historical antiquity of Indo-Sri Lankarelations, the determining influence of thegeo-political and geo-ethnic factors andthe inextricable links that exist betweenIndia and Sri Lanka need no emphasishere. The dynamics of Indo-Sri Lankarelations has operated in various ways.The people of Indian origin have a deepseated feeling that the dynamics of Indo-Sri Lanka relations has sometimes operatedto the detriment of their interests. Theirinterests had been sacrificed for the sakeof what was at certain times conceived tobe in the interests of Indo-Sri Lankarelations.The Indian origin people are descendantsof the 19th and early 20th century migrantswho came from India to Sri Lanka in thewake of the phenomenal demand for labourcreated by the plantation system. The19th century was a period of vast economicdevelopments and saw an unprecedentedgrowth in the modern system of production.Indian migrants went to settle in countriessuch as Guyana, West India, South Africa,East Africa. Mauritius, Reunion Islands,Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Fiji and other countries.The Indian Government had to formulatea clear policy about this group of peqplewho settled in other countries. This policyis exemplified in a statement made by SirGirija Shankar Bajpai during the Indo-Ceylon discussions of 1941. He said thatas a matter of principle India put forwardcertain claims on behalf of such settlersparticularly in other units of the BritishEmpire. He categorically stated that itwould not be possible for India to vary itspolicy in the case of any single country.Unfortunately in later years an exceptionwas made in the case of Sri Lanka. Bysigning the Srimavo-Shastri Pact in 1964,India adopted an approach that was uniquein respect of its overseas settlers. Todaythe long established community of Indianorigin Tamils in Sri Lanka has been tornasunder into two sections and are presentlyundergoing the trauma of this division.Every day the CWC Office is inundatedwith letters from repatriates explaining theserious difficulties undergone by them.The vast majority of repatriates — over70,000 families composing about 400,000people have not been properly settled.The CWC has sent a delegation to India tostudy the situation. We hope to take upmatters with the government of India afterthe report from this delegation is received.The CWC is considering institutional arrangementsin India to assist these people.For the remaining section of the communityin Sri Lanka who are divided into Sri Lankancitizens and "stateless", the situation ismarked with uncertainty. Even those whohave obtained Sri Lanka citizenship haveto live with a sense of insecurity. Theever deepening ethnic crisis is furtheraccentuating the situation.The denial of their legitimate rights tothe plantation Tamil people, the discriminationpracticed against them, the lack ofinfra-structural arrangements to enable theutilisation of the benefit of government'sprogrammes, the state of insecurity to whichthey are subjected to, afe all part of thetotality of the ethnic crisis and are clearlyset in the context of Indo-Sri Lanka relations.The deepening ethnic crisis saw anintensification of discrimination and thephenomenon of physical attacks. Theviolences of 1950,1977 and 1981 culminatedin the holocaust of July 1983.The July 1983 violence made both thegovernments of India and Sri Lanka realisetheir responsibility to jointly find a solution.The Indian Foreign Minister came hereand Sri Lanka sent a special envoy toIndia. I do not want to recount here thevisits made by the special envoy of thePrime Minister of India, the visit by ourPresident to India, the working out offormulas, the all Party Conference, andother developments.What is of significance is the universalrecognition that both India and Sri Lankahave to find a solution to the Sri Lankanproblem. -Under these circumstances, some ofthe statements made by both sides arerather puzzling. The Indian governmenthas described the situation in Sri Lankaas deplorable, brutal, barbaric and inhuman,and continues to say that they are in closecontact with the government of Sri Lankato find a solution. Concerned Sri Lankaauthorities talk about this being a purelySri Lankan affair, an internal problem andeven claiming that there is no ethnicproblem in Sri Lanka. In the meanwhileblood is flowing freely and destructiongoes on unabated.Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has spokenabout there being light at the end of thetunnel. The tunnel seems to be neverending and increasingly becoming darker.14jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netWe feel Your Excellency that there shouldbe a new and radical approach, a sharpbreak from the past. All this continuoustalk about violence is of little avail. ThePLO which has used violence is theirstruggle has been given recognition byUN of which both India and Sri Lanka areMember States. Is there no way of adoptingsimilar approaches in the Sri Lankansituation and quickly bringing to an endthe vast human tragedy ?I have spoken at length recounted variousdevelopments as Shri Chattwal is one whohas become well acquainted with ourproblems here.I well remember Shri M.S. Aney, theSpecial Envoy of the Government of India.He was a man of great stature and wascapable of making great decisions. Seeingthe extremely backward educational conditionof the plantation workers Mr. M.S. Aneyhelped to found the Ceylon Estate WorkersEducation Trust. Many children of estateworkers have benefitted from this trust.After Mr. Aney there were times whenproposals were even made to wind up thetrust. However, it continued. I am happyto record here that it was during Shri Chattwal'speriod that this trust received a new leaseof life!The number of scholars receiving supportwas substantially increased. MadameChattwal in her own way helped to raisefunds for the trust by doing a sale. We willalways remember this gesture of yoursMadame. Shri Chattwal has also beenable to double the contribution from theIndian Government to this fund.We greatly wish that you will be able tocontinue here. We are happy that you willgo as the Indian High Commissioner forCanada. We wish you all success andhope that we will again be able to meetyou in other capacities and intimatelyconnected with our problems.THANK YOUThe Right of Resistance underInternational Law"... The concept of resistance againstabusive exercise of political power has tobe viewed against the background ofdemocracy having gained worldwideacceptance. While it can be read in. alltraditional treatises that international lawregulates only the relations between statesand that it does not affect internal structures,democracy and monarchy here being totallyequivalent, or in other words irrelevant,the growing and overshelming supportfor the principle of self-determination is ademocratic concept. Since it signifies thatpeople have the inalienable right to bemasters of their own fate, it is based onthe premise that the people are the onlylegitimate source of political power. Anational community may well choose amonarch to rule its destinies or to serveas an institution representing national unity,but it does not thereby renounce its politicalauthority. Consequently, except for casesof revolutionary usurpation of power,government is always held to operate as atrustee of the people. It supposedlyexpresses the will of the people and isdeemed to constitute nothing but an agencythrough which the people exercise theirpolitical power."The difficulties which this democraticconcept of the state entails for a theory ofthe right of resistance are all too obvious.Since the people themselves govern,resistance might be held to amount toself-resistance, an utterly absurd and evenunthinkable idea. In socialist states,particular emphasis, is placed on theconciliation between all the interestsexisting in a given society, which the cominginto power of the working class allegedlybrings about. Even constitutional textsdo not shrink from stating that, becausethe proletariat has become the ruling class,any antagonistic tension between thegovernment and the people has ceased.Although the intellectual vigour of theargument cannot be denied, it should notbe overlooked that perfect unity betweenthe rulers and the ruled is primarily atheoretical postulate. What makes thispostulate a reality is the procedures throughwhich people may freely express theirwill, through which a government can bemade accountable and through which itsactions can effectively be controlled. Failingsuch devices, government may easilydevelop into an oligarchic power-structure,which has little, if anything, to do with thetrue political aspirations of the people.Therefore, the mere fact that a state claimsto be based on the democratic idea doesnot close the door definitively to exploringthe possibility of a right of resistance ..."Head Office, U.K.3rd Floor24-28 Clapham High St.(Entrance - Voltaire Road)London SW4 7URMadurai Office18. South-North 1st St.Singarayar ColonyNarimeduMadurai 2jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;15

www.tamilarangam.netColombo Set To Use ForceNeutralising India Key To StrategyBy A.S. ABRAHAMNew Delhi's snafu over the deportationof two Tamil militant leaders (a third leftthe country before the order could beserved on him), reinforces the gloomengulfing not merely the reconciliationtalks at Thimpu between the guerillas andthe Sri Lanka government, but also theoverall situation in Sri Lanka where theethnic conflict is fast taking on the dimensionsof a full-scale civil war. AlthoughNew Delhi is trying hard to put the talkson an even keel, the chances of it succeedingare daily becoming more and moreremote. If Thimpu is in danger of becominglittle more than an innocuous sideshowto the unstanched bloodletting in Sri Lanka,for which the brutal rabble that passesfor the Sri Lanka soldiery is mainly responsible,then that is because both antagonists,the guerillas as well as Colombo are busypreparing to settle the issue through theforce of arms.Again, however, the evidence, as providedby independent accounts by foreigncorrespondents and international humanitarianbodies like Amnesty International,suggests that Colombo is chiefly to blame.The June 18 ceasefire, which India helpedto bring about, was violated by Sri Lankasoldiers when the ink on the agreementhad scarcely dried, as our Colombo correspondenthas reported (August 19). Whilethe guerillas have responded in kind, theircommitment to the search via Thimpu fora political solution envisaging autonomybut short of "Eelam" has been genuine.Buying timeAlong with Tamil United Liberation FrontLeaders, they have been seeking a measureof self-governance for the Tamildominatednorthern and eastern provincesand for, if not the merger of, then at leasta structural link between, them. Initially,it is true, they set four principles as aframework for any settlement, and theseappeared to emphasise Tamil political andcultural separateness. But apart frombeing generalised formulations, there wasnothing in them that could not be reconciledwith the degree of autonomy theTamils could in practice be persuaded tosettle for and which would have beenwholly in line with Sri Lanka's unity.Unfortunately — and this New Delhieither cannot or will not see — the SriLanka government has given every indicationof being interested in palavering atThimpu only in order to buy time while itreadies itself for a military solution. Itsstrategy includes pressuring New Delhito crack down on guerilla operations frombases in Tamil Nadu and to twist themilitants' arms to induce them to climbdown more and more in negotiations, tryingto set the insurgents against New Delhi;putting India on the defensive by constantlyraising the bogey of "intervention"; andcounting on its western aid donors, whohave been as enamoured of the post-1977 Jayewardene government and itspro-western policies as they were previouslyhostile to Mrs.Bandaranaike's anti-westernsetup, to deter India from succumbing tomounting domestic pressure from TamilNadu, buttressed by growing internationalhumanitarian concern over the persecutionof the minority Tamils, to intervene militarilyand enforce a Cyprus-type solution.Vital to this approach is the show ofapparent reasonableness by publiclyagreeing with New Delhi's view that apolitical solution is the only way out andby going on participating in the dialoguewith Tamil representatives that New Delhihas arranged. In reality, however, -thepolicy is to use the ceasefire (theoreticallyin force until September 18) to build upthe Sri Lanka security forces and, evenwhile spinning out the powwow at Thimpuendlessly without giving away anythingof substance, to resume military operationsagainst the guerillas when their own handsare tied because of their commitment toThimpu and, more important, because theyare subject to the control of New Delhi,which has needlessly put its prestige onthe line in working for a settlement atThimpu.So it is that while Mr.Hector Jayewardene— Colombo has not seen'fit to sendto Thimpu anyone of greater politicalweight than a legal-constitutional expert,Albeit one who happens to be the SriLanka president's brother — regurgitatesthe same old proposals that were longago found inadequate by the Tamil delegates,the Sri Lanka army gets to work onTamil guerillas and civilians in Trincomalee,Vavuniya and elsewhere in an intensifiedoffensive aimed at bringing the rebelliononce and for all to heel.Poorer LightAnd when, incensed at Colombo's duplicityand at the butchery of hundreds offellow-Tamils, the Tamil representativesstorm out of Thimpu, New Delhi rounds,not on those who are in fact sabotagingthe talks while going through the motionsof taking part of them, but on those whohave shown a genuine willingness to lookfor a political solution at New Delhi'sbidding. What puts New Delhi in an evenpoorer light is that its irritation at thesudden rupture of the Thimpu deliberationsmakes it so edgy as to construe the returnto Madras of the guerilla delegates, insteadof going directly to New Delhi for discussionsat the Prime Minister's invitation, asdefiance of the Indian government, therebywarranting some deportations as exemplarypunishment. Its belated revocationof its expulsion of one of the militantleaders, Mr.Chandrahasan, after he hadjourneyed to the U.S. and back and afterhe had been detained in Bombay for over24 hours only underwrites its initial blunder.Should it revoke the marching orders ofthe other two leaders as well (as it properlyshould), its clumsiness would be fully exposed.Such erratic behaviour is not onlyunbecoming of a mature governmentrunning a major country, it is also downrightbad policy. It plays straight into Colombo'shands, confirming in its eyes the wisdomof its strategy of pitting the guerillas againstNew Delhi and of getting the latter topressure the militants into making moreand more concessions. It ensures thatColombo will have even less reason totake Thimpu seriously — except as a forumof procrastination while it prepares for amilitary solution. It diverts attention, toColombo's relief and delight, from the16jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netexcesses of its soldiers in northern andeastern SriianXa. Above all, it infuriates50 million Tamils in Tamil Nadu who'arehelpless with rage as reports come in ofthe brutalities against their fellow-Tamilsacross the Palk Strait and who, expectingthat New Delhi will use its clout to stayColombo's hand, find instead that it isturning the screws on those who representthe victims.Arming SoldiersParadoxically, while this unfortunate turnof events serves Colombo's purpose fornow, it may jeopardise its interests later.For if the reaction in Tamil Nadu to NewDelhi's harsh and capricious handling ofthe guerilla leaders snowballs into anavalanche of popular protest — withschools and colleges closed indefinitely,and with "rail rokos" and public ralliesplanned throughout the state, it couldeasily do so —, New Delhi will no longerbe able to ignore this sentiment-in thecavalier way it has done and will have nooption but to assuage it by taking, privatelyas much as publicly, a much tougher linewith Colombo.It is imperative that New Delhi be hardheaded.The Sri Lanka government hasnever taken Thimpu seriously. What ithas set about doing feverishly is armingits soldiers. The "Financial Times" (London),in an editorial on August 22, says that"... the western aid group, which haswatched with alarm as government armspurchases over the past six months haveincreased sevenfold, has, in effect, givenpresident Jayewardene an ultimatum :'Reach a political solution or aid willeventually dry up,." Whether such pressurecomes to be applied is not the point.What is relevant is that even Colombo'swestern benefactors are getting alarmedat the armament it is piling up. Furtherevidence of its militaristic intent comesfrom reports that it is refurbishing airfieldslong fallen into disuse, and fromthe Sri Lanka national security minister,Mr.Lalith Athulathmudali's exhortation toIndia to crack down further on Tamilguerrilla bases and training camps in TamilNadu — if the insurrection "were confinedto Sri Lanka, we could deal with them —while defending the butchery perpetratedby Sri Lanka soldiers — "I give a lot ofleeway to things done in the beat of themoment".It is often said that the Sri Lanka governmentcannot act decisively because it issplit between rival caucuses. Even ifpresident Jayewardene wants a politicalsolution, he is powerless to get one. Hardlinersin the government will not let himhave his way. Nor will the Buddhist clergy,no less hardline. Nor will Mrs. Bhandaranaike,now allied with the clerics, and withthem demanding that any settlementarrived at be approved in a nationalrevsrendum or a general election. Bydeliberately trying to reduce presidentJayewardene's room for manoeuvre, sheis seeking to discomfit him and eventuallyto bring him down to avenge his strippingher of her civic rights. Internal politicalrivalry is the name of the game in SriLanka, not finding a just and humanesolution to the ethnic conflict. Thesedifficulties, however, only make it plainerthan ever that Colombo has no stake inThimpu. It is trying to impose a militarysolution whjch it knows cannot be accomplishedwithout neutralising India throughseeming acquiescence in New Delhi'swishes. It is time New Delhi started tosee Colombo's motives for what they reallyare.§•jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netEastern Province Tamils Protest5 August 1985The Honourable Prime Minister of IndiaNew DelhiIndiaHonourable Prime MinisterWe are reliably informed that in an informalmeeting certain prominent Sri Lanka Tamilsheld with Mr Romesh Bhandari duringhis recent visit to U.K. he has categoricallydenied that the Tamils have any rightwhatever to the Eastern Province.• We who come from East Sri Lanka arevery pained and saddened at the attitudeof Mr Bhandari. We wonder if that is alsothe attitude of the Government of India.But you are on record as having statedthe contrary in a press conference inMadras on the 15th of July 85; you wereasked :Can't Sri Lanka Tamils ask for moreautonomy than what prevails in India?Your answer is:No. I have not said that the Tamilscannot ask for it. What I said was wewill never support the stand whichasks for nore than what prevails inIndia.Indeed what prevails in India as lived andexperienced by the millions of India today,with their varied cultures and customsand religions as well from the Himalayasin the North to Cape Comorin in the Southis what shaped them namely, their language.What prevails in India today is the demarkationof their huge country on linguisticbasis carved into flourishing linguisticStates.But this has been feasible and practicableonly because the Government of India atthe Centre is secular, just and non-partisan.Unfortunately the theory and practice ofthe Governments of Sri Lanka at the Centrehas been quite the opposite. For the lastthirtyfive years since Independence, thesuccessive Sinhala Governments havebeen thinking and behaving with onenation — one language — one religiontheory of Sinhala Buddhist Sri Lanka only.Further, we Tamils have been relegatedto a second class citizenry and made tofeel a subject-race by the various acts ofcommission and ommission by the SinhalaGovernments.As Tamils we have not had any activevoice when the Sinhala Governmentschanged the constitution of the countryon two occasions, once by the UnitedLeft Front composed of the Sri LankaFreedom Party, the Lanka Sama SangaParty and the Communist Party in 1972.On the second occasion it was under theleadership of the incumbent President ofSri Lanka and the leader of the UnitedNational Party in 1978.That we are a subject race is made amplyevident by the brutal and inhuman behaviourof the security forces serving in the Northand the East. Under cover of supervisinglaw and order situation, our Tamil housesand hearths have been desecrated bythem. They indulge in burning of Tamilproperties and people, raping our Tamilmothers and sisters and daughters, torturingand killing our male youths and youthsarrested in thousands by them havedisappeared. Indeed we are made asubject-race under the aegis of Sinhala— Buddhist expansionism.It is not presumptious on my part to suggestthat a subject-race has also the right toself-determination.But you have stated categorically that"we will never support the stand whichasks for more than what prevails in India".We, the Sri Lanka Tamils of the EasternProvince ask just that basic that thetraditional Tamil speaking Eastern Provincewhich we consider our traditional TamilHomeland be proposed, discussed andaccepted as forming one single linguisticunit together with the traditional TamilHomeland of the North.The Eastern Province of Sri Lanka hasalways been a traditional Tamil Homelandof Sri Lanka Tamils from very ancienttimes. The chiefs who belonged to theKandyan Kingdom and whose rule andreign extended even to the Trincomaleeand Batticaloa Districts of the EasternProvince accept the fact that "the Northernand Eastern Provinces in which the TamilsPredominate..."Subsequently in the last thirtyfive yearssince Independence the Tamil ethnicityof the Eastern Province has been erodedand dwindled by deliberate and calculatedcolonisation of the Eastern Province bySinhala majority race.At the moment statistically the Tamils arestill the majority in the Eastern Province.We have kept the memory and our claimalive to the Eastern Province being ourTraditional Tamil Homeland.We have a genuine fear that the traditionalTamil Homeland of the Eastern Provincewill be swamped by the majority racewith another wave of colonisation underthe Mathuru Oya settlement being plottedin the North of Batticaloa District. Earlierit was Gal-Ova valley settlement in theSouth of Batticaloa District. With thisnew wave of colonisation the fear loomslarge in our minds of what is in store forus Tamils of the Eastern Province onceagain at the hands of the contemplatedcolonists as much as the discriminationsand injustice at the hands of the Sinhalagovernments and at the hands of barbaricsecurity personnel. ^.18jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netFor the reasons stated above we whohave our origin in the Trincomalee, Batticaloaand the Amparai Districts of the EasternProvince request that the Eastern Province,our Traditional Tamil Homeland be proposed,discussed and accepted as forming onesingle unit together with the traditionalTamil Homeland of the Northern Province.This is the viable answer falling short ofThamil Eelam. This is what we seeprevailing in India too, a vast country withdiffering language groups, culture andcustoms, ably administered and governedon linguistic groupings into various States.This basic minimum is our demand thatthe Indian Government address their mindto the Historic Fact that Eastern Provinceand Northern Province form one singleunit of the Traditional Tamil Homeland ofthe Sri Lanka Tamils.Thanking youYours truly^TAMIL HOMELANDS AND EASTERN PROVINCEFrom about the 13th Century, a majordemographic movement took place in SriLanka. The Sinhalese drifted towardsthe Southern, Western and Central regionsand the Tamils to the Northern and Easterncoastal belts. The situation has beenvirtually frozen in this fashion for 700years. The Portuguese who ruled mostof Sri Lanka since 1606 treated the Northand the East as a territory different fromthe rest of the island. Similarly the Dutchfrom 1658 to 1796 identified the Northand the East as a separate territory. TheBritish too administered from 1796 to 1833the North and the East separately. Eventhough the British joined the two sectionsof the Island for administrative purposesin 1933, the two provinces in North andEast were considered as Tamil provinces.The earliest available census (1827) showsthat there were only 0.35% of Sinhalesein the North and 0.51% of Sinhalese inthe East. Even in 1921 the position hadnot changed substantially. During thewar time there was a movement of thepopulation for employment in the Trincomaleedistrict and the percentage ofSinhalese rose to 4.4%. However, due todeliberate state aided colonization (opposedby the Tamils) since independence aimedat disturbing the ethnic composition theSinhalese population has in 1981 (lastcensus) increased to 24.9% in the Easternprovince. (See table).Despite these changes both the Governmentsof the ruling party (in 1965) andthe opposition (1957) recognised the Tamildominance in the North and East in thepacts entered into to resolve the ethnicconflict. There is now an effort made bythe Sri Lanka Government to deny theright of the Tamil people to their homelandsin particular in the Eastern province. Astudy of the tables gives you a differentstory. Can a Government carry outdeliberate colonization and then deny thepeople their right to homelands ?The conditions placed by the Tamils atthe present talks in Thimpu are :Recognition of Tamils as a Nation, recognitionthat the Tamils have a territory oftheir own, recognition that the Tamils havea righ of self-determination and recognitionof all persons at the time of Independenceand their descendants as citizens of SriLanka.It is expected that the question of Governmentsponsored colonisation will be takenup and the Tamils are expected to insiston dismantling the Government sponsoredcolonization as a condition of settlement.It should be noted that most of the violenceis perpetrated by the Government sponsoredcolonists. The Sri Lankan Governmentis now arming them under the pretextof appointing home guards.jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netWhat U.S. Senator wroteto President JayawardeneUnited StatesWASHINGTON. DC 20510May 29, 1985Honorable J.R. JayewardenePresidentSri LankaColombo, Sri LankaDear Mr. President:As a supporter of the efforts of thepeople of Sri Lanka to build a democraticsociety, I am deeply disturbed by theescalation in the level of violence betweenSinhalese and Tamils over the past fewmonths.There is a large community of SriLankans in my state of Massachusetts,and they have expressed their anguishand anger to me in the hope that theUnited States Senate would support effortsto reduce the violence in your country.Several of my colleagues in the Senatehave previously expressed their concernsover the negative effects of Sri Lankagovernment policies as they impact uponthe welfare of the Tamil minority in yourcountry. This concern has been heightenedby the latest round of violence and yourrecent call for the creation of martial-tawcourts and the right to arm local communities.Therefore, it is even moreimportant in light of the new outbreaksthat the government do everything it canto seek peaceful solutions to the problemsin your country and to prevent widespreadcommunal violence from occurring.There are several major areas of concernto me. First, the impact of governmentmilitary activities on civilians, especiallyin Tamil areas, can only contribute to aworsening of the situation in your country.Over-reactions by the military forces andreprisals against civilians for guerrillaattacks on the military can only contributeto a further polarization of the situation.The rights of all civilians must be securedagainst arbitrary arrests and detentionwithout trial.Second, the choking of the economyin many Tamil areas stemming from theimposition and curfews and light militarycontrols can only contribute to a worseningof the economic and political inequitiesalready felt by the Tamils. Fishermenhave been prevented from pursuing theirlivelihood, and the military have blockedor delayed food shipments from the southto areas in the north of your country whichare dependent upon such shipments.Third, 1 am concerned over the inequitiesin the distribution of U.S. economic aidwithin your country. I have been advisedthat despite large contributions of aid toSri Lanka, little or none of that aid isgoing into Tamil areas. As a member ofthe Senate Committee on Foreign Relationswhich has a responsibility for overseeingthe expenditure of U.S. aid funds, I wouldfind such discrimination, if it is occurring,to be unacceptable which would warranta major re-evaluation of our government'sprogram in your country.I am a strong believer that Sri LankaTamil refugees in SwitzerlandShould remain one, indivisible country.However, after studying the, history ofyour nation, I believe that some way mustbe found to grant the Tamils more autonomywithin a unified Sri Lanka. By refusing tonegotiate on this point now, I am afraidthat the government only strengthens thepositions of the separatists.I recognise there are regional aspectsto this conflict as well, and that India couldplay a role in facilitating a satisfactorypolitical solution. I hope that your respectivegovernments can negotiate to preservethe integrity of Sri Lanka and reduce thesources of conflict between Sinhaleseand Tamils.Also, I am aware there are those whocounsel that a tougher policy is the onlysolution. However, such a course seemsmore likely to lead to an endless cycle ofsuffering — a cycle that can only threatenthe democratic traditions which have sodistinguished Sri Lanka since you gainedyour independence.I hope that you will give considerationto the concerns I have raised and thatyou will seek a peaceful, political, negotiatedsolution to the issue which divide theSinhalese and the Tamils.Sincerely,John KerryFaced with the flood of requests for asylumin Switzerland, the authorities are planninga change in the law on asylum. In thiscontext, Therese Obrecht, a journalist ofthat country interviewed Elisabeth Kopp,Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of theFederal Department of Justice and Police.Among the questions asked, was one thatspecifically concerned Sri Lankan Tamilrefugees, and here is the answer:Question : Why did the arrival of about2,000 Tamils from Sri Lanka upset publicopinion so much, whereas the waves ofHungarian and Czech refugees wereabsorbed without great difficulty ?E.Kopp : This is probably because theCzechs and the Hungarians were Europeanrefugees and so that Swiss population wasbetter able to understand the reasons whythey came here. With, the arrival of theTamils from Sri Lanka, Switzerland wasfaced with a problem of minorities, thistime originating in the Third World. Lackof awareness of this problem is one of thereasons which provoked hostile reactionsfrom part of the population.(By courtesy: REFUGEES, UNHCR publication— August 1985). Mjkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netAppeal in Canada forSRI LANKA NATIONAL DEFENCE FUNDDear Friend,As you are well aware from recent newsreports, the territorial integrity of Sri Lankais being threatened by an imminent invasionfrom Southern India organized byterrorist groups. We strongly believe thatSri Lankan problems can and will be solvedinternally in a just and fair manner andthat South Indian adn other foriegn interferencein Sri Lanka should not be tolerated.It is imperative for ALL SRI LANKANSTO UNITE at this point and to fight forthe very existence of our country as wehave done in the past.A National Defence Fund has been establishedby the Government of channeldonations towards the defence of SriLanka. The Fund will be used to fortifythe national defences and to guard thesea lanes between Sri Lanka and SouthernIndia. It is imperative to guard the sealanes in order to prevent landless SouthIndians from illegally emigrating to SriLanka and occupying the land of ourNorthern and Eastern people, and alsoto prevent South Indian based terroristgroups from attacking Sri Lanka. Thesegroups are terrorizing the people in the'I;Southern India !Northern and Eastern areas of Sri Lankalooting homes, businesses and killinginnocent civilians who dare to opposethem.Further, civilians are being forced tocontribute money to the terrorists uponpain of death. It is clear that it has been aSouth Indian plan over several decadesto infiltrate Sri Lanka with illegal immigrantsand to create mayhem in the North andEast to help trigger a full scale invasion.It is regretful that a few misguided SriLankans of all races have let themselvesbe manipulated by the South Indiansinsidious plan to dominate Northern andEastern Sri Lanka, ultimately reducing itto a colony of some foriegn power. Thetreatment meted out by the terroriststowards civilians who oppose them is asure sign of the way they will treat thepeople under their domination.We are requesting all Sri Lahkans inCalgary and Southern Alberta to help theNational Defence Fund by :(1) contributing an initial amount, and(2) agreeng to make a small monthlycontribution over a six month period.P.O.Box 783Station TCalgary. T2H 2H3All funds contributed will be donated tothe National Defence Fund.We understand that some Sri Lankansare subjected to threats of loss of business,etc., unless contributions are made tothe terrorist cause. Our appeal, to thecontrary, is a fair and open one and werespect your right to make up your ownmind in this connection. Your annonymitywhether a contribution is made or not istotally assured. It is heartening to notethat similar efforts to contribute towardsthe Defence Fund are being made in manyother cities in Canada and the USA.If you wish to make a monthly contribution,please forward six postdated chequesdrawn in favour of "Sri Lanka NationalDefence Fund" to the above mentionedaddress. Initial one time contributionsshould be made by cheque, made out inthe same manner.The proposed scheme will be reviewedafter six months. A financial statementshowing the total amount donated andremitted will be provided at that time.Yours sincerely,_The Deportation Drama• August 23: Df portation orders issued on A.S.8a)astnigRam,S.C*

www.tamilarangam.netBuddhism has light to dispelSri Lanka's darknesssays Canadian Christian PriestEvery civilized person in the world isrepelled and horrified by the wantonbloodshed in Sri Lanka. It has beenescalated by a rampaging army, operatingwith the declared intention of repressingseparatism among the Tamil minority.In retaliation, an illegal organizationcalled the Tamil tigers has struck outagainst the military. Atrocity follows atrocityon both sides and there seems to be nopossible end to the killing.The Sri Lankan government has askedfor the help of India to mediate the conflict.Something must be done. Canada alsohas good credibility in Sri Lanka becauseof extensive aid for development givenover the period since 1948 when Sri Lankabecame independent from Great Britain.A mediation role for Canada may also behelpful. By whatever means — somethinghas to be done to achieve a state ofreconciliation in Sri Lanka.Some commentators have over simplifiedthe horrible situation by saying it isjust another conflict between the Buddhistswho form 65 to 70 per cent of the populationand the minority Hindus who arepredominently Tamil. Among the Tamilsthere is a Christian minority who havesuffered greatly, even though they arenot numerous enough to be protagonistsin the conflict.Even here in Canada, people are appalledthat a secretary with 10 years of capableand faithful service at the Sri Lankan HighCommission has been fired simply becauseshe is a Tamil. The firing was affirmed bythe home government despite a recommendationto the contrary by the HighCommissioner.As Christian people looking at theBuddhist beliefs of the majority of SriLankans, we want to see some hope forpeace in that country coming from theinfluence of this ancient religion. It is notan arbitrary exaggeration to state that asa religion founded on the four-fold valuesof compassion, freedom, kindness andtruth, Buddhism has the key to unlockthis dark chamber of violence and shedlight on the minds and hearts of reasonablepeople in Sri Lanka.Like medieval Christianity, Buddhismto this day has an influence on the governmentsof many nations in Asia. Nepal,Bhutan,Thailand, Laos, Compuchea andVietnam are a few countries where Buddhistinfluence has been felt.Sri Lankan claims an even deeperBuddhist presence than these countriesas its living relationship with Buddhismgoes back to 300 B.C. That religion hashad an enormous influence on the country'sculture, civilization, language, literature,art, architecture, laws, moral codes andcalendar.A sad episode in Sri Lanka which greatlydisturbed religious people all over theworld was the assassination of the President,Solomon Bandaranayake, Sept. 18,1959by the chief Buddhist monk Soma RamaThero. He was later executed.This unfortunate man departed drasticallyfrom the non violence teachingwhich was the brain child of Lord Buddha.Buddhists who resort to viojence betraytheir religion and are equally misguidedtoday.Buddhist monks and priests should letthe government of Sri Lanka know thatthe solution to human problems does notrest on the barrel of an automatic weaponbut in the "Tripitka" or Buddhist scriptures.The eight-fold path which Lord Buddhaleft for his followers is comprised of rightknowledge, right aspiration, right speech,right action, right mode of living, rightendeavour, right mindfulness and rightconcentration. We Christians pray thatBuddhist leaders will be faithful to thispath and persuade the leaders of Sri Lankato walk with them.It is a sure path which will lead to mOOflight than heat, more wisdom than militancyand more love than revenge. Only in thisway can the Killing which is destroyingSri Lanka be replaced by peace.This ethnic conflict must not be alloweato go on. It has already destroyed SriLanka as an island paradise for its peopleand as a country that was loved andrespected all over the world.Let us have a happy and contemporarystory of "Paradise Regained".(Father MacNeil, weekend assistant atHoly Cross Parish, is chaplain at St. JosephJr. High School).•§22jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.netEELAM TAMIL ASSOCIATION (Australasia)P.O. Box 215. Enfold, NSW 2136 Australia. Telex No: AA21822Members of the Eelam Tamil Association assembled at the Burwood Primary Schoolhall on 25 August 1985, RESOLVE THATWhereas we the Tamils of Australia hereby record our appreciation of the tremendoussupport extended by the late Mrs Indira Gandhi and her successor Rajiv Gandhi andindeed by the whole of the Indian People to the Tamil community at moments of crisis inthe past.Whereas we are greatly perturbed by current developments in India in that Tamilleaders who are at the forefront of our struggle and who have the unstinted supportrespect and faith of the Tamil People and in particular the unswerving support of theexpatriate Tamil community world wide have been deported from India. We are shockedthat they have been deported at a moment of time when in view of the recent massacre ofTamil civilians by the Sri Lankan security forces, India like the rest of the Internationalcommunity should be exerting pressure on the Sri Lankan Government to recognise andmeet the legitimate expectations of the Tamil Nation in Sri Lanka.Whereas we urge the Indian Government to consider the cultural and emotional links ofthe international Sri Lankan Tamil community with the People of India and realise theurgent necessity to recognise their legitimate expectations as to the future of the TamilNation in Sri Lanka and in particular to recognise those leaders who alone can ultimatelyagree on behalf of the Tamil People to any settlement to be reached.Whereas we the Tamils of Australia urge the Indian Government to revoke the deportationorders as Messrs Balasingham, Chandrahasan and Satyendra whom the internationalTamil community aknowledges as representing the true voice of the Tamil People.Telegramsent toChiefMinistersofthe South-"•WHEN INDIA CAME FORWARD TO ARRANGE FOR NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THETAMIL AND SINHALESE NATIONS IN SRI LANKA THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT PICKEDA MOST SKILLFUL AND EMINENT DIPLOMAT. A LONG STANDING AND TRUSTEDFRIEND OF THE NEHRU FAMILY MR. G. PARTHASARATHY AS MEDIATOR.MR. PARTHSARATHY WAS A VETERAN OF MANY AN INDIAN NEGOTIATING TEAMWHICH HAD SORTED OUT THORNY ISSUES INVOLVING THE VERY SECURITY ANDREGIONAL INTERESTS OF INDIA. HOWEVER THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENTCAST ASPERSIONS ON THE INTEGRITY OF THIS EMINENT MAN AND ON THE 50MILLION TAMILS OF INDIA BY REFUSING TO ACCEPT MR. PARTHASARATHY ASTHE NEGOTIATOR ON THE ONLY BASIS THAT HE WAS A TAMIL. THE MAN WHOREPLACED HIM AT THE THIMPHY TALKS, MR. BANDARI, IT WOULD SEEM WASTRYING TO FORCE THE TAMIL DELEGATES TO ACCEPT THE SRI LANKAN GOVERN-MENT'S PROPOSALS WHICH ARE NOT ONLY A COMPLETEJSELLOUT OF THE TAMILPEOPLE BUT WOULD EVENTUALLY PROVE TO BE AC/WIST THE LONG TERMINTERESTS OF INDIA. IT IS NOW CLEAR MR. BANDARI IS NO MORE ACCEPTABLETO THE TAMILS AS A MEDIATOR. IT :S FURTHER CLEAR THAT HE IS TRYING TOKEEP THE INTELLECTUAL ELEMENT FROM THE TAMIL NEGOTIATING TEAM BYEXPELLING MESSRS BALASINGHAM, CHANDRAHASAN AND SATYENDRA. THETAMILS OF SRI LANKA WILL NOT ATTEND ANY MORE NEGOTIATIONS WITHOUTTHOSE 3 INDIVIDUALS. THE SOUTH OF INDIA HAS MADE TREMENDOUS CONTRIBU-TION TO THE UNITY INTEGRITY AND CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENTOF INDIA. THE SOUTH MUST STAND TOGETHER TO BRING THE TRUTH TO THEWHOLE OF INDIA SO THAT INDIA WILL PLEDGE ITS WHOLE MIGHT TO THE DEFENCEAND FREEDOM OF THE TAMIL PEOPLE. PLEASE STAND UNITED WITH THE TAMILSAND URGE THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT TO DESIST FROM A SELLOUT OF THETAMILS. THE UNITY AND FREEDOM OF INDIA MAY VERY WELL DEPEND ON THEEVENTUAL RESOLUTION OF THE TAMIL CRISIS.Copy of telegra sent to all Chief Ministers of the Southern States of India, and also toselected Tamil Leaders and Organisations.jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;23

www.tamilarangam.netRajiv's Camp David ?Sri Lankan journalist asksAfter the next round of talks in Thimpu(Aug. 12) we may be in a better positionto know whether President JR can pulloff a Rajiv-like Punjab with Rajiv's help.With no trace of conscious irony PremierGandhi chose his Minister of State forExternal Affairs and our own DeputyForeign Minister Tyrone Fernando's "bigbully" of late April, Mr. Khursheed AlamKhan, to transmit that message to Colombojust 24 hours after he had signed a treatywith top Sikh leader, Harchand SinghLongowal.The Tigers' were frog-marched to Thimpureported INDIA TODAY'S Madras correspondentS. Venkatramani The pressureon the "boys" in Madras has been soheavy that every report on the mood inthe camp of the expatriate Tamil militantssuggests disappointment, despondencyand anger. Mr. Rajiv Gandhi must haveknown of this mood when he addresseda massive meeting in Madras. The main-Stream press in the Tamilnadu capitalrecorded another personal triumph forthe Indian leader but some Tamil sourcestook note of a boisterous section in thecrowd that at some points turned rudeand noisy.The point is that Mr. Gandhi cannot"solve" Punjab and then go on to converta traditionally orderly southern state intonext year's Punjab. Tamilnadu, as we anknow, was the first serious separatist threatto the Indian Centre from the south.Regional nationalism was appeased andthen co-opted by Mr. Nehru's skillfuldecision on language, a process greatlyassisted by the nationalism which transcendedthe regionalism when India wentto war with China.Tamilnadu opinion on the Sri LankanTamil issue tends to be ambivalent. Itidentifies itself closely and quite warmlywith the plight of fellow Tamils in thenearby island but it does not take tookindly to the presence of an estimated100,000 refugees and less so to theactivities of heavily armed Sri Lankan Tamilyouths roaming freely in the capital andits outskirts. As one Madrasi academicput it "The quarrel between the DMK andAIDMK has always been bitter as is usuallythe case between a parent body and ahostile faction which becomes a powerfuland independent challenger, in this casesuccessfully... but these fights, wheneverthey became physical and moved intothe streets, particularly during electionbattles, rarely went beyond cycle-chainsand sticks and stones. Never guns. TheJaffna 'boys' have introduced guns andthat really worries both the TamilnaduEstablishment and the Centre in Delhi."The problem is and will become increasinglyacute on account of an unpredictablefactor which is the key to any future powerequation — the state of health of Mr.M.G. Ramachandran. MGR, a charismaticfigure who holds political power in hispalm, could die at any time. The mostoptimistic medical reading is 1 to 2 years.Mr. Gandhi knows that. He also knowsthat the AIDMK will crack up. The Congressmust move in quickly to see that Tamilnaduremains under Delhi's sway. It is the onlystate in the South which is NOT ruled byan Opposition party. Mr. Gandhi wantsto make certain that when the AIDMKdoes crack up more than half of it — andhopefully the politically more influentialpart — will team up with the Congress.The problem of separatism and terrorismhaunts the Congress leadership, and thethreat of fissiparous forces frightens theIndian elite. The Indian government wantsto have the Sri Lankan Tamil issue out ofway and out of Tamil Nadu physicallybefore the post-MGR crisis faces Delhi.This explains Delhi's two-track persuasion-pressurepolicy; persuation vis-a-visthe TULF by Delhi and Delhi's politicalarm, MGR, and pressure vis-a-vis the 'boys'through Delhi's tougher arm, its intelligenceagency RAW.What accounts for the disappointmentand bitterness in Madras-based Sri LankanTamil circles is their shared view that thepressure has been more on them than onthe Colombo government. In their viewthis is the salient difference between thetwo Gandhis. Mrs. Indira Gandhi, theyfeel, would have put equal pressuresimultaneously on both the Madras-basedseparatist groups as well as the UNPadministration. Or, she would have allowedthe situation-on-the-ground to deteriorateso badly that Colombo would have beencrying for help, and therefore more amenableto granting much larger concessions thanprovincial councils, they argue.It is possible to argue however that theSri Lanka government has already madea major concession, not on the substantiveissue of devolution but on the highiysensitive and potentially explosive questionof the agreed modalities of popular (Sinhala)approval. President JR has said therewill be no referendum or general election.Any agreed package will obviously beplaced before the UNP, the CabinetondParliament. Opposition MP's and sectionsof the press see a contradiction betweenthe President's rejection of a direct mandatefrom the people and Mr. Lalith Athulattimudali'srepeated assertion that anysettlement will have to seek "the consentof the people". Any law student canresolve that imaginary contradiction.Parliament, after all, is the soveriegn forumof the people and the expression of theirwill!Thimpu stopped with "provincial councils*,though the Sri Lankan lawyers went throughthe motions of arguing first principles andsticking as closely as possible to whereAPC broke down. Thimpu 2 will be anexercise in filling an empty bag. Howmuch power to be devolved, which areas(jobs, education, police-and-judicial powers,language and most of all, land settlement),and the checks and balances. Even ifthe TULF's maximum is granted, wilt themilitants accept? If they don't, can RajivGandhi pressure Colombo into comingsomewhere between 'union territories"and Indian 'states'? If he does not, thenthe militants have to take the path recommendedby the Tamil Information editorial— flight it out on native soil. Then, a fieldThimpu 2 will lead to Battleground RoundTwo Both sides know it, and presumbalyboth are preparing for it.If that happends Mr. Gandhi's first essayin regional "conflict management' oroptimistically 'conflict-resolution' will notbe another APC nor a Punjab but awreckage of a South Asian "Internal1 CampDavid on a smaller scale. ••24jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;

www.tamilarangam.net"DEMOCRACY IN PERIL,SRI LANKA:A COUNTRY IN CRISIS"MONDAY AUGUST 26 1985LAWASIA announces the publication of a comprehensive human rights reporton recent developments in Sri Lanka (from July, 1983 to date), entitled"Democracy in Peril, Sri Lanka : A Country in Crisis".This recent report is an up-date to, and incorporates, an earlier report —"Communal Violence in Sri Lanka, July, 1983".The 483 page publication is the result of an investigation made in Sri Lankaby Patricia Hyndman, Secretary of the LAWASIA Human Rights StandingCommittee, in 1983 and again in February, 1985.The following is a summary of the contents of the up-dated section of thereport:-ESCALATING VIOLENCE* Grievances between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities* Some measures taken by the present government in its attempt to curbTamil militancy and the demand for a separate state including :-— the Prevention of Terrorism Act- mass arrests of young Tamil males— the Sixth Amendment— press coverage, propaganda and censorship regulations— the Emergency Regulations— the All Party Conference* Reprisals by members of the Security Forces* Government actions indicating a commitment to human rights principlesand to improve relations with the Tamil people* Examples of initiatives to re-establish discourse and trust between thedifferent communities.EROSION OF DEMOCRACY AND THE RULE OF LAWThe 1978 Constitution and the powers it confers upon the PresidentAmendments to the ConstitutionChanges — electoral lawsProscription of opposition partiesThreats to the Independence of the JudiciaryOther incidents which have tended to encourage lawlessness.The price of the report \sA$20.00 or (US$15.00), and includesairmail postage.Please forward a copy of the LAWASIA Report"DEMOCRACY IN PERIL,SRI LANKA : A COUNTRY IN CRISIS" to :-Name : Attn :Address:Country : Code :Enclosed is cheque/bank draft in the sum of AS20.00 (US$15.00), payable toLAWASIA. Return to :- LAWASIA, 170 Phillip Street, Sydney, N.S.W. 2000,Australia.Jyjkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;VI

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