by R.S. Vasan writes from Chennai to Sri Lanka Guardian
(October 25, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Friday, 24th October was labeled as a black Friday by the media more with reference to the plummeting sensex which descended to alarming levels below that which prevailed in 2005. The label could be even applied to the unfortunate sequence of events that happened in Chennai on that very same day. The ruling party called for a human chain to be formed in Chennai to apply pressure on the center to bring about a cease fire between the Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE which was losing its control over territories that it held.
Those supporting political parties and the Government ensured that the educational institutions participated by parading their captive students for the cause irrespective of whether the participants believed in the cause or not. It can best be termed as a human chain at gun point. The State Government is quite confused to say the least. On one hand it arrested Vaiko the leader of the MDMK on 23rd October on charges of sedition for making a provocative speech. It also arrested two film directors at Rameshwaram likewise a day later for similar offences under section 153 A. The congress workers in the state have also staged protests against Tollywood for supporting a terrorist organization that killed their leader.
It may be recalled that the elected representatives from the ruling party which is also a part of the coalition at the center have decided to resign en masse if no action is taken to prevent the so called genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. That being the case, the need for subjecting the school children of all denomination to the vagaries of weather and making them stand for hours till the CM passed in a motorcade showed the rulers in poor light. That the students or their parents had no say what so ever in whether or not their wards should participate in the human chain shows that the ruling elite cared two hoots for democratic norms and basic human decency. There can be no greater example of violation of human rights. Many have been complaining of exploitation of children, if this case is not a case of violating the rights of the child then what else is? The courts should have interpreted this entire event as something that would bring about untold misery to the public and should have prevented the unwarranted show in public interest.
The weather gods were not kind either and the heavy rains that lashed the city from 3 pm onwards made the children lining up soak up to their bones and shiver in wind and rains. How many of them would fall sick is any body’s guess. Most of the civilians who were returning from work were stuck in heavy traffic and took up to 4to 5 hours to reach back. Many students did not return to their homes for hours beyond the normal time due to the traffic congestion and the misery inflicted by the Government, educational institutions and weather gods. The heads of the educational institutions obviously did not want to fall out of favour with the local politicians and the state machinery and were spineless in preventing their students to being subjected to this humiliation and torture.
Despite being part of the coalition at the center, the DMK and its allies wanted to make a political show in TN obviously with the elections in mind. Why don’t those in power actually resign instead of making a show of it if they are serious about what they have been proclaiming in public?
Time and again, it has been pointed out that the LTTE a banned terrorist organization are not the sole voice of the Tamils in the Island. The organization stands banned in many countries including the US, EU and Canada. The atrocities committed by the LTTE,their violent means in eliminating those who do not agree with them, the suicide cult, the extent of forced child recruitment, extortion and intolerance for dissent amongst its own cadres surely can not qualify it to be the true representative of the aspirations of the Tamils in the Island. It is sad that many parties in Tamil Nadu are supporting an organization that has resorted to elimination of political leaders including our own former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the Sri Lankan President Premadasa by violent means. If the regional parties in Tamil Nadu have such clout with the LTTE and are truly interested in the safety of the Tamils why that is is they are not attempting to bring the true representatives of Tamils to the negotiating table. The unequivocal stated stand of India is that it stands for a unitary Sri Lanka with adequate delegation of powers to the chosen representatives in the North and the East. The Tamil interest would be served well if the LTTE is brought to the table. This would not be easy as the leader of that organization himself is a fit case for extradition to India for trying in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. For the leader of the Tamil Tigers, it is a tough ask to get off the tiger that he is riding.
The black Friday again has brought out the insensitivity of the elected rulers who are willing to subject even children to their manipulations to serve a political cause. On the part of the educational institutions, they have failed to protect the interests of the students who were entrusted to them by not standing up to the political establishment in power. Even the ruling by the court some months ago that there should be no hindrance to public movement has been clearly violated by those in power themselves obviously making it a fit case for prosecuting the party for the contempt of court.
(The author is presently the Head Strategy and Security studies at the Center of Asia studies, Chennai and can be contacted at rsvasan2010@gmail.com The views expressed by the author or his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Center.) - Sri Lanka Guardian
(October 25, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Friday, 24th October was labeled as a black Friday by the media more with reference to the plummeting sensex which descended to alarming levels below that which prevailed in 2005. The label could be even applied to the unfortunate sequence of events that happened in Chennai on that very same day. The ruling party called for a human chain to be formed in Chennai to apply pressure on the center to bring about a cease fire between the Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE which was losing its control over territories that it held.
Those supporting political parties and the Government ensured that the educational institutions participated by parading their captive students for the cause irrespective of whether the participants believed in the cause or not. It can best be termed as a human chain at gun point. The State Government is quite confused to say the least. On one hand it arrested Vaiko the leader of the MDMK on 23rd October on charges of sedition for making a provocative speech. It also arrested two film directors at Rameshwaram likewise a day later for similar offences under section 153 A. The congress workers in the state have also staged protests against Tollywood for supporting a terrorist organization that killed their leader.
It may be recalled that the elected representatives from the ruling party which is also a part of the coalition at the center have decided to resign en masse if no action is taken to prevent the so called genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. That being the case, the need for subjecting the school children of all denomination to the vagaries of weather and making them stand for hours till the CM passed in a motorcade showed the rulers in poor light. That the students or their parents had no say what so ever in whether or not their wards should participate in the human chain shows that the ruling elite cared two hoots for democratic norms and basic human decency. There can be no greater example of violation of human rights. Many have been complaining of exploitation of children, if this case is not a case of violating the rights of the child then what else is? The courts should have interpreted this entire event as something that would bring about untold misery to the public and should have prevented the unwarranted show in public interest.
The weather gods were not kind either and the heavy rains that lashed the city from 3 pm onwards made the children lining up soak up to their bones and shiver in wind and rains. How many of them would fall sick is any body’s guess. Most of the civilians who were returning from work were stuck in heavy traffic and took up to 4to 5 hours to reach back. Many students did not return to their homes for hours beyond the normal time due to the traffic congestion and the misery inflicted by the Government, educational institutions and weather gods. The heads of the educational institutions obviously did not want to fall out of favour with the local politicians and the state machinery and were spineless in preventing their students to being subjected to this humiliation and torture.
Despite being part of the coalition at the center, the DMK and its allies wanted to make a political show in TN obviously with the elections in mind. Why don’t those in power actually resign instead of making a show of it if they are serious about what they have been proclaiming in public?
Time and again, it has been pointed out that the LTTE a banned terrorist organization are not the sole voice of the Tamils in the Island. The organization stands banned in many countries including the US, EU and Canada. The atrocities committed by the LTTE,their violent means in eliminating those who do not agree with them, the suicide cult, the extent of forced child recruitment, extortion and intolerance for dissent amongst its own cadres surely can not qualify it to be the true representative of the aspirations of the Tamils in the Island. It is sad that many parties in Tamil Nadu are supporting an organization that has resorted to elimination of political leaders including our own former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the Sri Lankan President Premadasa by violent means. If the regional parties in Tamil Nadu have such clout with the LTTE and are truly interested in the safety of the Tamils why that is is they are not attempting to bring the true representatives of Tamils to the negotiating table. The unequivocal stated stand of India is that it stands for a unitary Sri Lanka with adequate delegation of powers to the chosen representatives in the North and the East. The Tamil interest would be served well if the LTTE is brought to the table. This would not be easy as the leader of that organization himself is a fit case for extradition to India for trying in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. For the leader of the Tamil Tigers, it is a tough ask to get off the tiger that he is riding.
The black Friday again has brought out the insensitivity of the elected rulers who are willing to subject even children to their manipulations to serve a political cause. On the part of the educational institutions, they have failed to protect the interests of the students who were entrusted to them by not standing up to the political establishment in power. Even the ruling by the court some months ago that there should be no hindrance to public movement has been clearly violated by those in power themselves obviously making it a fit case for prosecuting the party for the contempt of court.
(The author is presently the Head Strategy and Security studies at the Center of Asia studies, Chennai and can be contacted at rsvasan2010@gmail.com The views expressed by the author or his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Center.) - Sri Lanka Guardian
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