Tamil Nationalism will not fail!

- Virakesari Editorial

(August 23, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) M.K.Narayanan, India’s National Security Avisor has made an observation that the Lankan Government can secure military victories but not win the war against the LTTE unless the Lankan Government wins the hearts of the Tamils. The Tamils are not on the side of the government. This, in essence is the reflection of the experience gained by India which tried to defeat the LTTE militarily.

Every commander, who headed the IPKF in Sri Lanka, has written articles and submitted reports about the conduct of the war by the IPKF in Sri Lanka. All of them held a singular belief that they could not distance the Tamils from the LTTE since the Tamil people were not offered self rule.

This view has been confirmed even by Kartthigeyan, who led the team that conducted investigations into the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In his book, he stated that in 1989 he was summoned by the Chief Secretary of the Indian Cabinet and directed to visit Sri Lanka and submit a report as to why the IPKF was in a sorry plight in the war against the LTTE.

He recalls that he interviewed 100s of Indian soldiers, the captains of the IPKF and also militant groups such as EPRLF, TELO and TULF and finally with the members of the public to ascertain the reason.

Following such consultations, he expressed the view that the self rule offered to them was half baked and that the Sinhala government officials stood in the way of the Tamil people enjoying self rule, as a result of which the North East Provincial Council and the Tamil militant groups that were supportive of the peace efforts could not offer any political option to the Tamil people that could replace the LTTE’s stand point and that therefore the influence of the LTTE over the Tamils did not decline.

Finally, he reiterated in his report, that this failure to find a political solution acceptable to the Tamil people was the reason why the IPKF could not side line the LTTE and bring an end to the war.

It is in the back drop of such a wealth of evidence lying with the Indian government that M.K.Narayanan made the observation that the Sri Lankan Government cannot win the war because the Tamils are not with the government. This view is expressed by none other than M.K.Narayanan, who has had intimate contacts with all the militant groups that are engaged in the war and with the Sri Lankan ethnic affairs. He is one who has felt the pulse of the Tamil people and their aspirations. Similarly he is also aware of the trend of the government.

It is relevant here to quote that he has stressed that the minority Tamil people must be treated with honour by the Sri Lankan government. Although the Tamil people consider that this view reflects the concern of the Indian government, Tamils are disturbed over the manner in which India handles the ethnic problem in spite of its knowledge of the aspirations o the Tamils based on Thimpu declaration.

When Narayanan met Tamil Alliance Leader R.Sampanthan, he assured that India has not led down the Tamils and insisted that the merged north east would be the solution to the ethnic problem.

India is not unaware of the fate of the north east merger. India is not unaware that every successive Sinhalese leadership prefers military solution rather than a political resolution. India is not unaware that every agreement arrived at between the Tamils and the Lankan government was abrogated unilaterally. Therefore, it is doubtful whether the failed approach of India can succeed.

But, one thing is certain. Tamil nationalism that did not lose to India will not fail. Therefore India must persuade Sri Lanka to move forward towards a peaceful political solution!

(An English translation of the Editorial in Virakesari, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo.)
- Sri Lanka Guardian