Couple of questions to Satheesan Kumaaran

by Helasingha Bandara

(December 22, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The article “Is the LTTE on its death bed?”,19 Dec 2008,appeared in Sri Lanka Guardian raises few questions that only the author of the article can answer.

The primary question is that are you redelivering Prabhakaran’s hero’s’ day speech in the written format because the speech did not make any impact at the time of delivery as it was drowned in the media pandemonium of Mumbai attacks?

Are you supporting Prabhakaran’s plea to the international community to lift the ban on LTTE? Are you prepared with sufficient arguments and facts to convince the international community in this regard because it will be an uphill task for you as the LTTE have killed a Prime Minister, a President, a Foreign Minister, attempted to kill an ambassador, many other politicians, intellectuals, foreigners, the young, the old and the invalid, priests, monks, swamis and who not. Are not the LTTE known for their arms smuggling, drug trafficking, human trafficking, credit card fraud and many other crimes that the world do not approve of?

Do you really think that the LTTE can win the war in the long run? Many don’t. Do you not think that if they win at all it will take another thirty years because the Sri Lanka armed forces have reversed most of the LTTE gains of the last thirty years? Do you not agree that it will be useless even to win after another thirty years because there won’t be any gain in such a victory after losing so much?

Do you truly believe that Prabhakaran will talk peace if he believes that he can win the war? Are you telling us that Prabhakaran truly means peace? Do you have any single fact supporting that his intentions are honourable. Do you dispute that the LTTE breached ceasefire agreement 3850 times of which some were very serious breaches? Do you still believe in the cliché Singhalaya modaya?

Do you not think the GOSL has offered the LTTE a good opportunity to come to the negotiating table provided they renounce violence, surrender arms and come to talk? I have no doubt you would say who can trust the GOSL. I agree. Do you not agree that there are still ways to stop a Government not going back on its word?

Do you agree with Prabhakaran when he said that LTTE have never stood in the way of national, geographical or economic welfare of any other country? Have you forgotten that the LTTE caused murder and mayhem within Indian soil? What about Rajiv murder and Meena Bakkam airport blast etc? Can I remind you that his hero’s’ day speech in 2007 he said that there are eighty million Tamils in the world without a country of their own. Do you not think that India would take note of such statements and other countries that have significant Tamil minorities may suspect a hidden threat in that statement? Do you not think some of the current LTTE elements were involved in the invasion of the Maldives? What about the mafia activities of the LTTE all around the world. Do they not threaten national welfare of those countries?

Whoever said whatever; there is no denial that Sri Lanka is for everyone, not only for the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Malays Burghers but also for any other legal immigrants. Despite differing views of the historians it is a fact that the Sinhalese are in the majority and their religion is practiced by the majority. Can this be reversed? Is it fair for the Tamils to claim that certain parts of Sri Lanka is for them that no one else can settle in? Yet they should be allowed to settle in any where as they please. Is it not better if we agree that any one can live anywhere in the country if they wish? Was there ever any hidden agenda among the ordinary Singhala folks not to allow Tamils settling in among themselves? Do not bring the 83 riots into the argument because it was a one off incident for which the ordinary citizens cannot be held responsible. Are not the systematic LTTE massacres of Singhalese and Muslim peasants in Border villages very different?

Is it not ideal to have a peaceful country devoid of all criminal elements and crimes? Is it not better for the LTTE to give up crimes, murder, mayhem, instilling fear and imposing slavery upon Tamil people and embracing a new path? Karuna and Pillayan have not been punished for their crimes. They have been included in the democratic process. Should we not accept that the GOSL has been sincere at least in this occasion? - Sri Lanka Guardian