ENGLISH DEYEA NEWS

By K.T.Rajasingham | India is on the verge of flexing its muscles on Sri Lanka subsequent to the shenanigans of Tamil Nadu political leaders who otherwise are working on an agenda on a separate state in Sri Lanka and to safeguard Velupillai Prabhakaran and his outfit from facing a humiliating defeat in the hands of war weary Sri Lankan forces.

India has decided to send its foreign Minister Pranab Mukerjee to urge the Sri Lanka Government to end its fight against terrorism in Sri Lanka.

It is still unclear how India which is one of the friendly neighboring countries, could interfere in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka and demand Sri Lanka, a sovereign state to enter into a ceasefire with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – a proclaimed terrorist organization.

Octogenarian Karunanidi, who gave up his cry for separation of Dravida Nadu (Dravidistan) in India in 1963, it is suspected that he continues with his sinister agenda of separation to establish a state of Tamil Nadu to begin with a separation in Sri Lanka to be a foothold to fight for separation of Tamil Nadu in India with allegations that thousands Tamils in Sri Lanka are being killed by the Sri Lankan troops in their military campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

With regard to the number of Sri Lankans in the Vanni region, international agencies and INGO's insist that in the Vanni region there are about 230,000 IDPS due to Sri Lanka Governments war on the LTTE. But doubts were expressed about this figure. Reports revealed ( that the total population of Kilinochchi and Mullativu districts in the Vanni region will not exceed more than 120,000.

"S.B.Divaratne - Commissioner General of Essential Services( in Sri Lanka,) who is in charge of supplying dry rations to Vanni disputed the INGO data, and said according to his information the total population of those two districts and a few thousand of Mannar district IDPS added together will not exceed more than 120,000 "

It is reported that thousands of Tamil parents who are today internally displaced are unable to leave the Vanni region as their underage children are forcefully recruited and are used as cannon fodder by the LTTE leadership in the battle front. These parents are waiting to flee Vanni whenever they get an opportunity to have their children back from the grips of the LTTE leadership.

Karunanidi meeting Indian Prime Minister

On last Thursday 4th of December, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and the leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was in New Delhi to meet Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. At the meeting he and the other leaders of the Tamil Nadu political parties insisted that India should interfere and force the Sri Lanka Government for a ceasefire forthwith.

The delegation presented a memorandum, where in they said: "Government of India has taken sincere efforts to prevail upon the Sri Lankan government to resolve the crisis in the island nation and arrive at a long-lasting political solution to Sri Lankan civilian Tamil crisis. However, without showing due regard to the efforts of the Government of India and the sentiments of Tamils across the world, the Sri Lankan government continues its fierce onslaught against Sri Lankan civilian Tamils. Hence, we believe that Indians in general and Tamils in particular cannot be mute spectators to the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka and violation of their basic rights."

After meeting the Prime Minister of India, Karunanidhi told a press conference “ I requested the Prime Minister to send Mukherjee to issue a strong warning to the Sri Lankan Government to announce a ceasefire immediately and to hold peaceful negotiations with them."

However, Sri Lanka has so far not responded to the latest development, but the visit of Pranab Mukherjee has been already on the cards for a while. When President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother visited Delhi as a special emissary in September, an invitation was extended to him and there was a talk that he would visit in a couple of weeks. The visit did not take place ostensibly because of heightened military operations.

With whom the ceasefire

But what Karunanidhi failed to disclose was with whom Sri Lanka Government has to enter into a ceasefire Agreement.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam a separatist outfit had been proscribed since May 1992, in India under ( the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (1967) as an unlawful association, (also see notification No SL330 (E) dated May 14, 1992 as published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary Part II - Sec. 3 sub section (ii) dated May 14, 1992) The proscription has been continuously renewed at the end of every two-year period.

The LTTE was banned in India following the assassination of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in 21 May 1991. Since then it is being renewed every two years. Under the UAP Act, a judicial tribunal must confirm the ban within six months.

Earlier on May 14, 2008 notification imposing the ban had said: "The Centre was of the opinion that LTTE is an unlawful association and there is a continuing strong need to control all such separatist activities by all possible means."

On 10 November 2008, the Tribunal constituted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act upheld the ban imposed by the Centre on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on May 14 for a period of two years. Justice Vikramajit Sen, judge of the Delhi High Court headed the Tribunal.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is an internationally banned terrorist organization – the outfit other than in India it remained banned in USA, Canada and in 27 European Union countries.

On 4th December Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi has urged the Indian Prime Minister to use his good offices to apply pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka to give up their war against LTTE.

The delegation led by him consisted of DMK Union Minister T R Baalu, State Ministers Durai Murugan, Arcot Veerasamy, TNCC president K V Thangkabalu, CLP leader D Sudharsanam, PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, party president G K Mani, Tamil Nadu Maanila Mulsim League president Kadher Mohideen, Samathuva Makkal Katchi vice president, actor Radhika Sarathkumar and Latchiya Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president Vijaya T Rajendher.

They all urged the Prime Minister to act fast and instruct the Sri Lankan government to usher peace immediately. They hoped that a solution can be arrived at only through dialogues. The Prime Minister assured them that appropriate action would be taken in this regard.

However, Sri Lanka President has time and again declared that in case Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam lay down their arms and agrees to come into democratic mainstream, his government is willing to enter into a peace talks with them.

Combating Terrorism

Sri Lanka and India are two friendly neighborly nations. At the 15th SAARC Summit, which ended on 3rd August 2008 SAARC leaders including Indian Prime Minister, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and the other six SAARC country leaders adopted resolution to combat terrorism jointly in the region.

The summit resolved for the strongest possible cooperation in the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime amongst the relevant agencies of the Member States especially in the area of information exchange. According to sprit of the resolution Sri Lanka Government is abiding accordingly.

Recently, on 27 November, in Mumbai, terrorists who came by sea attacked and more than 150 people were killed and properties worth several millions of dollars were destroyed.

Role of Sri Lankan Navy safeguarding India’s Southern coast

India is experiencing all sorts of threats in the North-east, North, East and West but calm prevails only in the southern most sea, the one that separate India and Sri Lanka – in Gulf of Mannar sea region.

Today the whole Northwestern coastal area has come under the Sri Lankan Government control and the sea region would be effectively patrolled by the Sri Lankan Navy. This would end the Indian LTTE supporters sending smuggled goods and other items for home made arms and ammunitions to the LTTE and also would be on the lookout for any terrorist group passing through the Sri Lanka waters for another Mumbai like operation in Chennai or in any other region in Tamil Nadu.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam presently led by the Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi in the initial stages advocated for the separation of Dravida Nadu (Dravidastan) consisting of all the Southern states. As Sri Lankan Navy patrol this region, enemies of India is finding it difficult to enter India through the southern sea region into India.

Instead of thanking Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Navy for preventing terrorists entering into Tamil Nadu through the sea region in the Southern tip of India, Tamil Nadu leaders encourage the Indian fishermen to trespass into Sri Lankan territorial waters in the guise of fishing to smuggle goods and lethal military hardware to the Tamil Tigers in the Vanni region.

Earlier it was the same Indian political leaders aided and abetted the LTTE to smuggle goods arms from India to the Tigers Vanni heartland.

Tamil Movie Industry and Aynkaran

Even Tamil Nadu politicians such as P. Nedumaran, V.Gopalasamy and host of others from the South Indian Tamil film industry have entered illegally into Sri Lanka and were with the LTTE leadership.

Those in the Tamil film industry went and met LTTE leadership to negotiate for funds for producing Tamil movies. Subsequently LTTE funds began to pour into the Tamil film industry. Even some mega films are financed by Sri Lankan Tamils. The movie 'Robot' is being produced by Ayngaran International owned by C. Karunamoorthy, Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora resident in the United Kingdom.

Karunamoorthy said to be earlier from Inuvil in Chunnakam, Jaffna. He almost dominates the Tamil movie distribution and exhibition in almost all the European countries. Since of late he broke into film productions and also involved with the Kalaingnar TV , a television channel belongs to DMK and Chief Minister Karunanidhi. Last month he met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidi and donated INR 10 Lakhs to the fund initiated by him to alleviate the sufferings of the Sri Lankan Tamils.

The latest mega film 'Robot' where Rajanikanth is playing a key role is being produced from by Karunamoorthy.

Indra Gandhi on DMK separatist agenda

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam presently led by the Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi in the initial stages advocated for the separation of Dravida Nadu (Dravidastan) consisting of all the Southern states.

In 1967 when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Sri Lanka for the first time, I had the opportunity to interview her in Colombo.

At that time I was a staff reporter attached to the Independent Newspapers group which published Sun, Dawasa and Dinapathi the three main morning dailies. I joined this group in 1964. When this newspaper group started the Tamil daily in 1966 I was transferred to Dinapathy for sometime on the request of the editor of Dinapathi, ( late) S.D. Sivanayakam. We had KKK Ratnasingham, the present editor of Sudar Oli as the news editor, Lateef Farook who joinrd the group in 1966 ( later he joined Observer) was with me in Dinapathi. Years later, I met him in Dubai; he was at that, if I remember correct, was with The Khaleej Times. I think Iqbal Athas joined the Sun in the latter part of 1965. During that time R.Jeyadevan's father Rajasingham was with us as a sub editor.

If I remember correctly during those days there was no separate international airport and international flights used to land in the Ceylon (Sri Lanka) air force airport also located in Katunayake.

In June 17, 1967, India’s Prime Minister Indra Gandhi visited Sri Lanka on a 4-day goodwill mission to Ceylon for the first time and I had the opportunity to interview her in Colombo.

Indira Gandhi arrived on an official visit to Sri Lanka at the invitation of the then Prime Minister Dudley Senanayaka.

Unlike now, there were no security problems and journalists were able to go near the visiting dignitaries and talk with them freely without any problem. Journalists who frequent the airports to cover the arrival of foreign dignitaries were well recognized and were duly respected by the authorities those days.

I had the opportunity to speak with Mrs. Gandhi freely for more than 15 minutes at the airport and she spoke to me very relaxedly and explained how Indian Government reined in the separatists moves of the DMK by bringing an amendment to the constitution and prevented separatists like DMK to give up their separatists agenda by preventing anyone with separatist goals from contesting in the elections. The 16th amendment to the Constitution introduced in the year 1963, enabled India to combat cries for secession from organizations and their activities which could not be restricted otherwise.

Accordingly in 1963, on the recommendation of the Committee on National Integration and Regionalism of the National Integration Council, the Indian parliament unanimously passed the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which sought to "prevent the fissiparous, secessionist tendency in the country engendered by regional and linguistic loyalties and to preserve the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity" of India. This was essentially in response to the separatist movement demanding a sovereign Dravidistan.

Subsequently DMK dropped its Dravida Nadu (Dravidistan) stance after the 16th amendment in the Indian Constitution.

I think it is high time Sri Lanka also brings in an amendment to the Constitution which would deprive separatist contesting in the elections if it is proved that a candidate has advocated for separation at any given time in his political career.