Tamil National Alliance is to take issues with New Delhi

‘A large area of Valigamam has been declared a high security zone by the army. The Tamil people, who had been living there, have been displaced as refugees, having lost their houses and their properties. They are unable to return to their native places. India is unconcerned about their sufferings. All these developments have angered the Tamil people.’
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by V.Sivaram

(July 21, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Mavai Senathirajah, Tamil National Alliance senior Parliamentarian and the son of the soil of Mavitapuram, reiterates that TNA will not let any country for that matter even India to exploit the resources in the Tamil homeland without the consent of the Tamil people, and that they would vehemently, oppose, defeat and deter all such moves at any cost. They are prepared to pay any price.

TNA, which has been pro-India and loyal to India in respect of the Sri Lankan ethnic issue, is now determined to express explicitly its frustration, dissatisfaction, displeasure and disappointment over the New Delhi's machination.

India poked its nose into Sri Lankan affairs following the communal disturbances that erupted against the Tamil people 25 years ago. Black July paved the way for it.

It was Appapillai Amirthalingam, who was the leader of the Tamil people at that time. He had been the Leader of the Opposition too. It must be said that the Tamil leadership whether it was the TULF or whether it is the TNA, have always been inclined towards India.

In fact, it even consented to the pressures exerted by India to form an alliance with EPRLF and TELO and contest an election, while it was committing aggression in the name of Indian Peace Keeping Force. The Tamil leadership agreed to this pressure in deference to India, despite the fact that the decision was an aversion to the Tamil people.

Those, who had been close to Amirthalingam, are fully aware how distressed he was over this move. A leader, who ought to have been very resolute regarding the interests of the Tamil, whom he represented, danced to the tune of India and he had to pay dear price for it.

The new development is that the Tamil National Alliance that represents Tamil people of Sri Lanka has begun to take issue with India on being frustrated over the machination of New Delhi over the Lankan Tamil issue.

It is this submissive role played by the Tamil leadership that has made New Delhi to treat it and its demands lightly and as a spent force. Now, the TNA has woken up from its slumber.

Recently, TNA Parliamentary Leader Sampanthan expressed the displeasure of the Tamil people in no uncertain terms to India’s high power delegation that visited Colombo recently.

India chalks out a strategy to exploit the resources in the Tamil homeland as a partner with the South taking advantage of the ethnic problem and the tragedies of the Tamil people. It is this machination that has irked the TNA.

India is engaged in thermal power generation in Sampoor, a Tamil village that has been captured by the government. There are attempts by New Delhi to take control of the mineral resources in Pulmottai. Efforts have been taken by New Delhi to carry out oil exploration in Mannar. On top of all that, New Delhi is eyeing the cement factory in Kankesanthurai.

A large area of Valigamam has been declared a high security zone by the army. The Tamil people, who had been living there, have been displaced as refugees, having lost their houses and their properties. They are unable to return to their native places. India is unconcerned about their sufferings. All these developments have angered the Tamil people.

TNA is naturally irked over this machination by New Delhi to exploit the resources of the Tamil homeland without the consent of the Tamil people, while being insensitive to the sufferings of the Tamil people and to their tragedies.

It is leant that TNA Leader R.Sampanthan is scheduled to address the Parliament on an adjournment motion on July 23rd and that these anxieties of the Tamil people and their frustrations will be reflected on the floor of the House.

The coming weeks will reveal whether the TNA will be consistent on its stand or whether it will reconcile over this issue!
- Sri Lanka Guardian