The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
by Manivannan
Today the Tamil people can realise the extent of the popularity of
the Liberation Tigers in foreign countries by the very fact that the
Sri Lankan Government uses all its potential communications
media in thwarting this popularity of the Tigers in the outside
world. It is therefore possible to understand that the growth in the
popularity of the Tigers has greatly impacted the Government. In
this propaganda war, the Sri Lankan Government has a great
advantage: the availability of immense Government funds; the
service of specialists; the control of all internal communications
media as well as advice and guidance from local and international
military experts which give it an undeniable advantage over the
Tigers in the war front. But the strength of the Liberation Tigers
lies in the justness of their cause and the determination of the
Tamil people, which undermines all the false propaganda of the Sri
Lankan Government.
As far as the Sri Lankan Government is concerned, its propaganda
reaches every nook and cranny in the island through its Television
network, Rupavahini and the Lake House group of newspapers
which it controls, while its access to the latest technology in the
communications revolution, the Internet enables the Government to
reach a sizable audience all over the world, irrespective of the truth
or credibility of its propaganda. Not only do the newspapers
published in Colombo come under Government censorship, they
are also greatly influenced by its opinion so that the newspapers are
obliged and sometimes even threatened to publish the Government's
point of view.
Even foreign corespondents living in Colombo come under the
direct influence of the Government's news conferences and press
releases. They have no free access to the war-torn Tamil areas to
determine for themselves independently the exact situation and the
feelings of the people there. The Government's own propaganda and
dissemination of news (which would otherwise not be available to
them at all), obliges several foreign correspondents to fall in line
with the Government's intentions and to avoid publishing any
contradictory news. Several of these international organisations are
manned by a large number of Sinhalese assistants who, because of
their racial affinity, are unable to understand the justness of the
Tamil cause.
Even some of the Sinhalese elite, intelligentsia and media who are
convinced of the problems the Tamils are faced with, still consider
the Liberation Tigers as terrorists. It is therefore clear that even
these people do not view the war in its true perspective.
The Sri Lankan Government also continues to manipulate the
Colombo-based leaders of the Tamil United Liberation Front, as
well as other insignificant players who call themselves
representatives of the Tamil people in the north and east. The recent
defence by TULF leaders of certain remarks by President
Chandrika concerning the Tamils bears testimony to their moral
depravity. Even some Tamils living in Colombo who consider
themselves the cream of intelligentsia have formed themselves into
an informal organisation, called the Jaffna University Teachers for
Human Rights, without even the knowledge of Jaffna University
administration, to smear the image of the Liberation Tigers for the
sake of position and money. Their services are utilised by the Sri
Lankan Government for its own ulterior motives.
On the top of all these underhand dealings, President Chandrika
makes use of the so-called Tamil, Lakshman Kadirgamar, who does
not know or even understand Tamil, in her propaganda efforts to
destroy the Tamil Eelam cause. Under Foreign Minister Lakshman
Kadirgamar, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry uses its Embassies
and diplomatic Missions overseas in order to spread its
scandalising propaganda concerning the image of the Liberation
Tigers and the just cause of the Tamil people and their liberation
struggle. The main task of Sri Lankan Foreign Missions is to make
use of Sinhalese people, mainly Buddhists, living in foreign
countries to organise activity against the Tamils. Instead of
concentrating on their normal diplomatic duty of maintaining
friendly relations with other countries, these diplomatic missions
and their staff are charged by Lakshman Kadirgamar to be alert for
any developments in favour of the Tamils in those countries and to
take immediate measures to counter such developments. Whenever
there is a sign of sympathy for the Tamil cause in foreign countries,
Lakshman Kadirgamar does not hesitate to condemn it as a
violation of Sri Lankan internal affairs.
In spite of all its comparative advantage, the Sri Lankan
Government has failed to impress on the outside world and put a
stop to the ever growing popularity of the Liberation Tigers, for the
simple reason that all its propaganda does not have an iota of truth
and does not reflect the real situation of the war in Sri Lanka.
Faced with this deficiency, it is therefore obliged to spread
unwholesome lies and half-truths and make improper use of its
propaganda machine in order to counter the upsurge in the
popularity of the Liberation Tigers in the outside world.
1. Are Liberation Tigers an organisation of terrorists?
The primary motive of the Sri Lankan Government's international
propaganda is to portray the Liberation Tigers as a terrorist
organisation and its war with the Sri Lankan armed forces as
terrorist activities. Its principal objective is therefore to cause
damage to the image of the Liberation Tigers in the outside world
and thereby belittle the Eelam liberation cause. The Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam is the national liberation movement of the
Tamils. It is an organisation with a long history of the Tamil
liberation struggle for the past 24 years. It is a national organisation
with an infrastructure consisting of military, political, social,
economic and legal institutions. It. has been forced to resort to
armed struggle after all the democratic and non-violent struggle of
the Tamil people to win their legitimate rights had ended in failure.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had been recognised
by both the Sri Lankan and Indian Governments at one time or
another. And during the recent cease-fire, the Governments of
Norway, Netherlands and Canada had recognised it as a national
liberation movement and had volunteered their services as
observers.
Under the Chandrika Government, economic embargoes, a ban on
deep sea fishing, denial of freedom of movement, arrests,
disappearances, sex violations, cold blooded murder and disposal
of bodies in secret pits in areas under army control are premeditated
and have become the order of the day. Aerial bombardment,
artillery fire, attacks from gun-boats, and other destructive
measures undertaken by the Chandrika administration, are intended
to exterminate the entire Tamil people.
Government terrorism has reached its zenith under the Government
of President Chandrika. Floating bodies in the Polgoda Lake, the
inhuman aerial bombardment of the catholic church at Navaly and a
school in Nagarkovil, the Kumarapuram massacre, bombardment in
Nachchikuda, the excavations in Jaffna which reveal secret killings
and disposal of bodies have all taken place during Chandrika's
regime, which the whole civilised world saw with shame and
horror.
2. Linking the Liberation Tigers with drug traffic
The policy of the Liberation Tigers is that drugs are dangerous to
humanity and hence all sources of its traffic should be destroyed.
Due to the untiring effort of the LTTE in the past, there were no
sellers or users of drugs in the regions under its control. Even illicit
arrack (liquour) and prostitution are banned [by the LTTE civil
administration] because they are detrimental to the well-being of
society. In contrast, the use of drugs and child prostitution are an
everyday occurrence in Colombo and other Sinhalese areas in the
south of the island. The child prostitution is carried out with the
blessings of those with direct links in the higher echelons of the Sri
Lankan Government.
3. Extortion of money under threat
The Liberation Tigers are burdened with the responsibility of
assuring the security of the Tamil people from wanton attacks by
the Sri Lankan forces, rehabilitating the hundreds of thousands of
refugees who have been forced out of their homelands, countering
the Government's economic embargo in Tamil areas by undertaking
development projects, maintaining social and economic growth
among its people, safeguarding the cultural heritage, health,
language, education and other human values of the Tamil people
from destruction. They need a large fund to finance all these
projects. The Liberation Tigers therefore levy taxes from the Tamil
Eelam people, from commercial and industrial undertakings in their
territory, and receive financial assistance from local and foreign
well-wishers and benefactors.
It is important to note that what the Liberation Tigers receive as
funds for maintaining the internal security of its people are also
used for rehabilitation, development, linguistic, educational, and
cultural purposes. But what the Sri Lankan Government does is the
exact opposite - it diverts economic assistance it receives for
rehabilitation, development, education and other social, economic
and cultural projects either in its entirety or a good part of it for
continuing its war effort. The whole world is now aware that the
Government uses the development funds destined for the north and
east for its military operations against the Tamil people. It is for
this reason that donor countries now insist that they oversee the
work undertaken by the aid receiving countries. Thus it can be
concluded that the premeditated false propaganda of the Sri Lankan
Government against the Liberation Tigers is a cover for its own
mishandling of international aid.
4. Does the LTTE have links with international terrorist organisations?
The Liberation Tigers, as its name implies is a liberation
organisation concerned with the struggle for the national self
determination of the Tamil people. They are anxious to establish
normal diplomatic relations with legally constituted countries in
the world and continue their efforts in this direction by their
political and diplomatic encounters.
Hence the LTTE is aware that it will be suicidal to establish links
with international terrorist or criminal organisations such as the
Mafia. The LTTE has no links whatsoever with such terrorist or
criminal organisations. The Liberation Tigers, on the other hand,
are concerned with maintaining friendly relations, even with
countries that give military training and other logistic assistance to
the Sri Lankan armed forces who are engaged in a genocidal war
against the Tamil people; and to convince these countries the extent
to which their assistance to Sri Lanka is causing misery for the
Tamil people. The LTTE gives due consideration to cooperate with
non governmental and volunteer organisations and to give them all
their assistance to carry out their missions. The Liberation Tigers
have clearly understood that it is the Sri Lankan Government and
its governmental machinery who are the enemies of the liberation
struggle.
In their 24 year history of leading the liberation struggle, the
Liberation Tigers have never indulged in any kidnapping of
foreigners, holding them as ransom, threatening them or even
causing damage to their property.But the Sri Lankan Government
has threatened the Secretary General of the United Nations for his
condemnation of the Sri Lankan Government for the massive
displacement of the Tamil people by its military operations,
threatened the M.S.F. for its condemnation of the Nagarkovil aerial
bombing, and boycotted the conference in Colombo of non
governmental organisations.
Thus the Sri Lankan Government has not hesitated to take punitive
measures against those countries and organisations which did not
agree with the Government's genocidal policy against the Tamil
people. The Government has enlisted the services of experts from
the United States, United Kingdom and Israel for training its
troops, and even used them in military operations. Unable to stand
the growing influence of the Liberation Tigers in the international
sphere and financial assistance given to them by Tamils living
abroad, the Sri Lankan government has made established contacts
with international terrorist organisations to hunt out and
exterminate LTTE activists in foreign countries.
This is evidenced by the recent cold-blooded murder of Nathan and
Kajan in France. Former President J.R.Jayawardena once said that
he would even seek the assistance of the devil to defeat the Tamil
Liberation struggle. Today Chandrika is fulfilling that wish. These
heinous actions of the Sri Lankan Government are a direct threat to
the balance of power in South East Asia, disrupt regional peace in
the Indian Ocean and help in organising a stage for a World Power
confrontation.
5. Passport frauds and illicit immigration
Unable to withstand the death and destruction caused by the Sri
Lankan Government's uncontrolled war in Tamil regions, people are
forced to leave their homelands and seek refuge elsewhere. Some of
them are helped to leave the country by hundreds of travel agencies
in Colombo and in other countries whose main motive is to make
money. Some of these flourishing agencies and their agents are
functioning in accordance with the law, while there are several
others who engage in deception and fraud. Most of them function
with the blessings of top level Government officers and institutions.
It is clear that instead of controlling and overseeing the activities of
these Agencies and Agents and maintaining law and order, the Sri
Lankan Government accuses the Liberation Tigers to distract world
attention on its incapacity.
6. Violation of human rights
Human rights are considered inviolable in the world order today.
The Tamil people are one of the world's oldest. They spread their
civilisation to other parts of the world. Human friendship, human
understanding, human rights, human civilisation and human culture
were brought to the forefront by the Tamils. It is therefore
unnecessary that the Tamils be given a lesson on human rights. The
Liberation Tigers who belong to this heritage do not hesitate to
punish those who work against the liberation cause and engage in
its betrayal. They also carry out raids against armed Sinhalese thugs
who have been settled in Tamil areas by the Sri Lankan
Government. Several thousand innocent Tamils have been killed or
maimed by these traitors and thugs. Many more have lost their
property and been driven out of their hereditary homeland. Hence
the Liberation Tigers do not show mercy to those who inflict such
losses on the Tamil community.
But at the same time, the Leader of the Liberation Tigers has
released - on humanitarian grounds and without any conditions -
several soldiers and policemen who had been taken captive during
combat operations. The Tamils have no enmity whatsoever against
the Sinhalese community. On the contrary, they only sympathise
with those who have become victims of deception by the racist
Sinhalese Government leaders. While these leaders live in
Velupillai Pirabakaran
Leader of the LTTE air-conditioned houses and send their children
to study in foreign countries or in famous schools in Colombo,
enabling them to play cricket and tennis, go to discotheques and
casinos and waste large sums of money, the children of ordinary
rural Sinhalese folk are dispatched to the battle front in the north
and east to die or be maimed for life. This has always evoked the
sympathy and understanding of the Tamil people.
7. International activities of the Liberation Tigers
The Liberation Tigers are arguably, the most organised and well
controlled liberation movement in the world. The Liberation Tigers
are a tightly knit organisation whose members do not indulge in
alcohol, tobacco, unlawful sex, theft of private property or any
other vices. They have established courts of justice, police and
other legal institutions within the areas under their control which
help maintain law and order, while at the same time they are also
involved in the social and economic development of the Tamils.
The civil population is free to participate in all these activities.
Even international activists of the LTTE have similar controls.
The Tamil Eelam national leader V.Prabakaran insists that all the
international offices of the LTTE should function in accordance
with the law of the individual country in which they find
themselves. However, it has been unfortunate that representatives of
the LTTE had been arrested in countries like Canada and
Switzerland. Even though these actions are the direct result of the
vicious propaganda of the Sri Lankan Government, the LTTE has
taken all legal measures in this regard. It is on the basis of this legal
action that the LTTE's Swiss representative was recently released. It
is hoped that the Canadian representative will also be released in
the near future.
The International Office of the Liberation Tigers is based in
London. There are several branch offices and coordination centres
in other countries of the world. There are more LTTE offices than
Sri Lankan Embassies in different countries and cities for the
dissemination of information. Tamil youths and intelligentsia who
are devoted to the Tamil liberation cause and victims of Sinhalese
racism form the backbone of this information network. They are
devoid of self interest and sometimes even sacrifice family
responsibilities. The LTTE volunteers are a set of devoted activists
who disregard the cold and the heat, face the wrath of disease and
fatigue, as well as all types of pressure and opposition, but
continue on their inexorable path of dedicated and selfless service.
The Sri Lankan Government which had left no stone unturned to
disrupt the popularity of the Liberation Tigers all over the world by
its false propaganda and legal procedures has finally unleashed its
tentacles of international terrorism.
State terrorism against the Tamils was hitherto confined to the
national limits of Sri Lanka. But now it has been exported to
foreign shores. There is no more security for the thousands of
refugees who have been obliged to flee their country due to the war
and seek refuge in foreign countries. Madam Chandrika who had
received her higher education in Politics and Science, in France
had resorted to international terrorism which even her diehard
predecessors J.R.Jayawardena and R. Premadsa had never ventured
to do. The Sri Lankan Tamils living in foreign countries are
therefore faced with the situation of protecting themselves from this
international Sinhala terrorism.
The whole world is now aware that preparations are under way for a
major military operation and extermination of the Tamils from Sri
Lankan soil, and that all talk about peace is an eye-wash to deceive
and influence international public opinion. At the same time, the
world has been awakened to the threat of international terrorism
exported from Sri Lankan shores. Hence it will not be long before
the international community recognises the inalienable rights of the
Tamil population in Sri Lanka, and that the only solution for a
permanent solution to the Tamil question and the establishment of
peace lies in the granting of the right of self determination to the
Tamils and the establishment of a separate state of Tamil Eelam
comprising the northern and eastern provinces of the island of Sri
Lanka.
by Manivannan
Head of LTTE International Coordinating Office
Tamil Eelam
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