Endless Agony of Eastern Tamils Must be Ended

April 23rd, 2005

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The Tamil people of the Eastern Province particularly those of Batticaloa and Amparai districts are fast becoming the wretched of the Sri Lankan earth. A continuous and consistent pattern of inter - ethnic and intra - ethnic political violence directed against them over the years has seriously debilitated them. This systemic violence was compounded and institutionalised in military campaigns conducted by the state and its agents. Adding to their woes has been Mother nature herself. Massive floods, cyclones and now “tsunami” killer waves. This agony is now being aggravated by the fratricidal bloodshed caused by the vertical and horizontal split in tiger ranks.

The Tamil Easterners strong sense of Tamilness, committed devotion to the Tamil Language and expression of vibrant Tamil nationalist militancy are all attributes that any nationality or sub - nationality can be proud of. The Tamil consciousness and political courage displayed by the “Kilakkuthamilar” (Eastern Tamils) in the post - independence period is a heroic saga indeed.

The scholar - poet Swamy Vipulanantha was the epitome of this Eastern Tamil culture and refinement. In later years Tamil scholars and poets like “Pulavarmani” Periyathambypillai., VC Kandiah, FXC Nadarajah, Eelathuppooraadanaar, Neelavanan, Kasi Anandhan, Thimilaithumilan, Vaaharai Vaanan etc contributed to and helped form a powerful Tamil consciousness. The journalistic writings of ST Sivanayagam during his “Suthanthiran” era was a very powerful influence in this respect.

The fiery oratory of “Sollin Selvar” Selliah Rajadurai spearheaded this Tamil nationalist renaissance in the East.Further help in stirring this nationalist cauldron was provided by political activists like Rasamanickam, Manickavasagar, Manickam, “Arappor” Ariyanayagam, “Notharis” Kandiah, Velmurugu master, Sivagnanachelvam Kurukkal, Mala Ramachandran, Sam Thambimuthu, Kala Thambimuthu and the inimitable Kasi Aanandan. Eastern Tamils participated far in excess of their population ratio in all non - violent protests of the past ranging from Satyagrahas to long marches.A large number of Batticaloa Tamils were under house arrest in Panagoda.

When youth rebellion began in the Tamil polity Batticaloa youths were not lagging behind though standardisation was not an issue that hit them badly. Kasi Anandan, “Mandoor” Mahendran, Nadesanantham, Alphonse Mary, Pa. Sinnathurai etc were in the original batch of Tamil youths detained without trial under Mrs. Bandaranaike in the seventies. In later years an innumerable number of Eastern Tamils were arrested, tortured, incarcerated and even killed.

This Eastern Tamil militancy has not been without sorrow and sacrifice. Sinhala dominated governments deliberately deprived the already impoverished and underdeveloped areas of the Eastern Tamils. While Sinhala colonization was encouraged and Sinhala residents given preferential treatment Muslim areas too were relatively looked after well by Colombo regimes at the expense of Tamils. Muslim Parliamentarians being aligned to Governments in power in contrast to Tamil MP”s being in opposition helped this situation further. Politicians like KW Devanayagam, Rajan Selvanayagam. SU Thambirasa, S. Rajadurai, M Canagaratnam, Ranganayaki Pathmanathan etc also joined Govt ranks and attempted to reverse this but the escalation of the ethnic conflict negated these efforts.

The Eastern Tamil problems were further exacerbated by two other factors. A dynamic Muslim minority excelled in trade, small industry and large scale agriculture and fisheries. The Muslims of the East virtually eclipsed their Tamil counterparts in these spheres. This helped fuel resentment.

The second factor was Jaffna Tamil domination and exploitation. The Top Government and semi - government jobs as well as clerical andteaching jobs were monopolised by the “Jaffnese” for a long, long time. So too were vast segments of transport, trade , manufacture and large - scale farming. Many professionals too were from Jaffna. It was only after the seventies that Batticaloa Tamils began asserting themselves forcefully in these fields. Unfortunately the ethnic conflict fall - out prevented positive gains. Today like that of Jaffna the Eastern Tamil elite is scattered in Southern Sri Lanka or is abroad as part of the wider Tamil Diaspora.

It was the ruthless manner in which the Sinhala dominated state responded to legitimate Tamil agitation in pursuance of their rights that affected the Eastern Tamils most. The question of a North - Eastern linkage in the envisaged Thamil Eelam or a greater unit of devolution was anathema to successive Colombo regimes. Dissent had to be suppressed in the East. So attempts were made to bring Eastern Tamils under the state jackboot.

The Special Task Force was almost exclusively located in the East. These STF personnel described as the cream of the armed forces were nasty, brutal and cruel. A well - designed and cunningly camouflaged scorched earth policy was practised in stages at various times in various places. Villages were destroyed, paddyfields ravaged, fishing boats demolished, people massacred. The bread winners of many rural families were killed or indefinitely incarcerated. Youths were arrested and tortured. Women violated sexually. People were driven out of strategic areas.

Today the largest number of orphans, children with single parents, young widows etc are proportionately higher among Eastern Tamils than in Northern Tamil areas. Malnutrition, illiteracy, lack of gainful employment, infant mortality, lack of proper sanitary and medical facility etc are also relatively higher in the East than elsewhere. A foreign tourist without any preconceived opinion traveling through the East will definitely be struck by the visible uneven development between Tamil and other areas.

Another device adopted by the state has been playing the Muslim card. The existing differences between Tamils and Muslims were widened. Cracks became chasms. Inter - ethnic strife between Tamils and Muslims was promoted. A case in point was the notorious Richard Dias of military intelligence who masqueraded as the Muslim Capt. Munas and coordinated Tamil civilian massacres. No action has been taken against this war criminal despite his name being implicated in the Soza Commission report as well as the killing of Tamil youth in Colombo.

The Tamil - Muslim violence where the state instigated, aided and abetted mob violence inflicted much harm on the Tamils in the eighties. But Tamil militants themselves were not blameless. Many Muslims were killed, abducted and held for ransom. Their property was seized. Later on massacres like those at Kattankudi. Eravoor, Sammanthurai etc were conducted against the Muslims by the LTTE. The tigers fortified by strength of arms have oppressed the Muslim people.

There has been anti - Tamil violence by some sections of Muslims too. Though not very desirable at this point of time an impartial survey of Tamil - Muslim violence in the East will certainly reveal that both communities have suffered. Quantitatively the Muslims would have suffered more. This does not obliterate the fact that Tamils have also suffered.

Apart from inter - ethnic violence and state - sponsored, state - aided violence the Eastern Tamils have undergone and continue to undergo massive intra - Tamil violence too. The internecine warfare among various groups resulted in a lot of bloodshed. The tigers are the chief culprits in this. The onslaughts against TELO and EPRLF saw many Eastern Tamils killed. Eastern cadres were murdered not only in Batticaloa or Amparai but in Jaffna too where many were deployed. While northern cadres managed to evade capture the Eastern cadres were virtually stranded in the North and proved easy prey to the LTTE.

With the advent of the Indian Army the situation reversed to some extent. Tamil groups allied to the Indian army took revenge against the LTTE. The tigers retaliated wherever they could. This resulted in phased out carnage. Then came the infamous conscription campaign encouraged by the Indian forces. Thousands of youngsters were dragooned into the Civilian Volunteer Force known as the Tamil National army. When the Indians were leaving the LTTE aided by the Sri Lankan forces attacked and decimated these poor Eastern conscripts. Witnesses saw truckloads and tractor loads of bodies beingtaken away for disposal.

The violence continued. Thiugh the tigers were stronger than before the suffering of the Eastern Tamil people did not cease. A war of attrition took place. Tamil civilians were regularly rounded up and detained. People went missing. Restrictions were placed on agriculture and fishing. The worst was the slow and systematic killing of civilians in singles and twos instead of wholesale massacres as in the past. This regular killing of people in seemingly negligible numbers did not cause an outcry. Yet the cumulative number of those killed was massive.

The East also became the theatre of war for anti - tiger groups to combat the LTTE. The Razeek unit of the EPRLF, the Mohan group of the PLOTE, the Varathan group of the TELO were all active here. The killings unleashed by these outfits against those suspected of being tiger supporters was great. LTTE retaliation was equally horrendous. The ultimate victims as is the case always were the Batticaloa - Amparai Tamils.

The ceasefire brought some relief to the Tamil people but not to the Eastern Tamils. Several things happened. The LTTE conducted a campaign of murder and abduction against members and those it suspected of belonging to other Tamil groups . Even past members were targeted. Several Tamils suspected of being collaborators were assassinated in Batticaloa and even in Colombo.

The tigers also stepped up a widespread conscription campaign where thousands of youngsters were abducted or forcibly recruited in the East. It is also a fact that several children and youths affected and in many instances impoverished by the war also joined the LTTE. The greater number however was conscripted through force and intimidation. Many people left their children as domestics outside Batticaloa to save them from tiger clutches.

Furthermore the LTTE used the ceasefire to infiltrate Government controlled areas to conscript youths and also raise funds. People were often abducted for ransom. Few people were spared with businessmen, doctors, lawyers, school principals and ex - Mayors being detained till the demanded sum was paid. The most notorious example being that of the abduction of an 62 year old retired public notary. This diminished the Eastern Tamil economy further. The seizure of paddy lands, livestock, coconut plantations , vehicles, tractors and fishing boats earlier had affected the East greatly.

The cycle of violence worsened in the East after the Karuna revolt. The LTTE’s Eastern regional commander Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias “Col” Karuna revolted against Velupillai Pirapakaran and struck out alone. The tigers sent forces from the North to quell this rebellion. Around 175 Cadres supporting Karuna who were either captured or had surrendered were massacred in cold blood. Karuna came to an agreement with the leadership to avert further bloodshed and left Batticaloa.

Most of his cadres were disbanded and went home. But the problem did not cease. Hundreds of pro - Karuna cadres including seniors like Robert, Jim Kelly, Visu, Thurai, Thirumal etc were taken to the Wanni. Many are presumed dead. Several others were taken to a tiger camp and tortured. Many were killed. LTTE assassins started tracking down pro - Karuna cadres in all parts of the East and the South including Colombo and killed them. Even people in jails and courthouses were bumped off. The vicious campaign goes on with some youth or youths suspected of being pro - Karuna being killed. Furthermore the tigers are also targeting cadres and ex - cadres of the EPDP, EPRLF, PLOTE and TELO in the East.

This killing spree is not a one - wat street now. The Karuna faction now aligned with the ENDLF led by Paranthan Rajan is targeting the mainstream LTTE. Several tiger leaders of the political wing like Kausalyan, Senathy, Bawa etc have been killed. An unknown number of tiger military wing cadres have been killed too. This cycle of violence where both sides are gunning each other down goes on and on in the East.Many innocent civilians having nothing to do with either faction have been caught up fatally in the violence.

One consequence of the Karuna revolt has been the killing of people like Prof. Thambiah, Journalist Nadesan, Politician Rajan Sathiamoorthy, Ex - Parliamentarians Kingsley Rajanayagam , Ariyanayagam Chandranehru etc. Others like Professor. Thiruchelvam, Government Agent Mounagurusamy etc were injured seriously. If one were to examine this violent history one finds that the Eastern Tamils are being victimised for decades. Eminent people like ex - DDC chairman Sambandamoorthy, ex - DDC member Velmurugu, Former MP Sam Thambimuthu and wife Kala, Rev Fr, Chandra Fernando, Tamil teachers union stalwart Wanasingha Master, Government agent Anthonymuttu…… the list is endless.

The cumulative effect of all this violence is the progressive weakening of Eastern Tamil society. The killings and extortions have demoralised and undermined the elite and people capable of providing leadership. The killing of every individual regardless of his age, occupation, position or political belief deserves condemnation. Every mans death diminishes mankind. The killing of politically conscious people and action oriented intelligentsia causes much damage. Society at large is leaderless and rudderless. This can only weaken the Eastern Tamil people further and reduce them to subservience in the future.

The fratricidal intra - tiger violence is debilitating the Eastern Tamils. When Karuna revolted Pirapakaran promised that he would resolve it without bloodshed. When Karuna withdrew from the East he too stated he was doing so to avoid an armed confrontation where the casualties were going to be Eastern Tamils on either side. How true! But what is happening now?

Eastern Tamils are being killed almost daily. There is a climate of fear. Both sides are hell bent on killing each other. In the final analysis it does not matter whether the LTTE hierarchy prevails or the Karuna faction wins. The casualties are all Eastern Tamils. Either side can only score a phyrric victory.As Mahatma Gandhi said “an eye for an eye can only make the whole world go blind”.

The Eastern Tamils have been affected adeversely in the past through several natural calamities like floods, cyclones and now the tsunami. Furthermore the endless cycle of war related violence has diminished them further. The present man made crisis of intra - tiger fratricide is weakening them further. Is is not time to cry out “Stop in the name of your homeland! stop in the name of your people!! Batticaloa is known as “Meen Paadum Then Naadu” (The land of honey where fish sing) Let the land be sweetened with flowing honey again! Let the singing fish ring out the sound of concord again and again!!

Entry Filed under: transCurrents NewsFeatures