It took so many years for Pirabaharan to realize that without the help of India they can't do anything by fighting or negotiating.

The writer has outlined the LTTE’s stand to win the confidence of Tamil Nadu. My view is that the LTTE has missed the great opportunity when the LTTE joined hands with the late Premadasa to fight the IPKF.

What will be the answer of the LTTE spokesmen Nadesan and Balakumaran if Indian leaders ask for VP or Pottu Amman or to disclose the place of the LTTE quarters where these two are stationed, if they are to interfere and solve the position. Can any Tamil politicians answer this issue.

Since MK is old and corruption rearing in the DMK, there is a possibility for Jayalalitha to seize power. As usual people opt for a change. Her stand on the LTTE is perfectly clear. She is only against the LTTE and not against the Tamils knowing that they are helpless in view of the threat from the LTTE.

The people of Tamil Nadu are a noble race with the distinct culture and not a destructive society as created by the LTTE. A comparison of the population of Tamil Nadu with that of the Sri Lanka Tamils also points out to a pertinent question as to why the LTTE cannot come within their fold. Parties led by Vaiko and Dr.Ramadas cannot decide this factor as they appear to be parasites of DMK and AIDMK. Further the Tamil Nadu Congress is also tough with the LTTE for the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. All in all the people of Tamil Nadu will not only easily for get the murder of Rajiv Gandhi in their own soil but also the internecine war within the Tamil organizations and of the murders of the moderates of intellectuals, politicians, government citizens and professionals. Tamil Nadu people will not easily forget the humiliating remarks on India made by these spokesmen and their Parliamentarians. (for instance the LTTE won the fourth largest army in the world and also agreed with Anton Balasingam that Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was dead during the signing of the CFA). These spokesmen should have realized that Tamil Nadu people are part of federal India and there is unity in diversity.

The silence of the LTTE over these murders and abductions are not acceptable to the people of Tamil Nadu. As such Nadesan or Balakumaran cannot make justifications to India especially to Tamil Nadu. Sometimes their statements have provoked the Tamil Nadu signaling their interference in their domestic affairs (to join hands with Vaiko and Ramadas). Recognizing the legitimate aspirations of the Sri Lanka Tamils does not mean that they should comply with the appeals of Nadesan or Balakumaran. India had its respect for Dr.Neelan Thiruchelvam, Amirthalingam and other moderates, but not to the murderers.

As for Priyanka-Nalini meeting, I do not think Priyanka would be happy over her silence to disclose who the assassins were and the motive for killing Rajiv Gandhi. - A.Rajasingam

Two and a half decades after the Sri Lankan Tamil rebellion took the form of an armed struggle, Indian policy makers are still wrestling with the complexities involved in formulating a clear and unambiguous policy towards the political aspirations of this embattled community that can be consistently followed without the wild, volatile and seemingly schitzoid swings that have ranged from manic military intervention to depressive and moody withdrawals that we have seen over this period. The outcome of this volatile ambivalence has been the steady genocidal destruction of this community accompanied by the rapid dispersion of its individuals throughout the world forming an exiled diaspora that has shown itself both able and willing to stoke the flames of rebellion and support it in ways both legal and illegal.

Preoccupation with the political nature of the rebellion and the fact that the rebels are equipped with heavy arms, gunboats and aircraft has so far taken precedence over concerns over the need to evolve a democratic framework and process that can contain the political aspirations involved and this fact is largely responsible for the disorientation of Indian policy in relation to the Sri Lankan Tamil Community. No such disorientation is evident in the policy of the rest of the International community which centers around ensuring the maintenance of law and order amidst the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora and the pressuring of the Sri Lankan Government to work towards the creation of such a democratic framework and process. If India can emulate this simple principle there will be a rapid reduction in the genocidal massacre of Sri Lankan Tamils, a strengthening of the democratic framework and process within the island and movement towards a political solution to the crisis that all minority communities within the island are faced with. Is India so obtuse as to be unable to perceive the obvious?

Dear Col.Hari haran

Good.I am a regualr reader of your articles not because you are unbiased,telling the truth or based on "Justice and Facts"....

Rather I need to kinow your mind set and yourslike Indian offcials (wheather in power or retired)innner thoughts and hidden plans,stratigies.

For tamils like me this is very very imporatant because in liberation struggle one need to

1.Know who and what is the oppressors inner mindset and strategy and their strengths.

2.Know one's own strngth and weakness.

Please continue your service and I am thankfull for your writtings.

I request you to increase the frequency of your articles.

regds
S.K.Sundaram,Jaipur

"To the LTTE, now beleaguered in the ever decreasing constricted domain in the north..."

Happy to read this. The more those in the anti-LTTE camp underestimate the LTTE the more the overwhelming majority of Ealam Tamils will be happy.

Col. Hariharan has forgotten that LTTE's firm believe is that "no outsiders going to help Eelam Tamils", this includes India.
On the other hand they don't want outsiders to "help" sinhalese governments. This puts India in a tough situation.
LTTE maybe gone in another 5 to 10 years, but not Eelam cry.
Eelam Tamils will not forget India's silence on North - East demerger.

Karunanidhi sent the condolence message to Tamilselvan death.Still Kalaignar supporting to Eelam,s struggle. Why you didnot write about Nedumaran AND Ramdoss?
Gopalan Ottawa

Col. Hariharan is talking about the murder of Rajiv Ghandi. But it seems hard for him to mention all the violation against the Tamil people during IPKF time.

"So probably the LTTE has to plough its own furrow now, because support from India and Tamil Nadu will require a total change of its act."

You say that the LTTE has to change their acts to get support from India. Let me ask you just a single question. What did the Sinhala Government change that your great India is still supporting them? They´ll get arms from China and Pakistan. Is that the change you mean? If Tamil Eelam is born, you will clearly see who is loyal to India and even now you can see how isn´t loyal to India at all. - Son of Eelam

The LTTE definitely needs to position itself as friendly and loyal towards India.

But as A.Rajasingam correctly points out: The LTTE should have been friendly towards India at the time when India sent its army to the Northeast (1987). Now it is too late.

Because now, the LTTE is in a very precarious situation. Surely, their fascist ways in the Vanni will be their own undoing; at one point the Vanni Tamils will no longer support the LTTE. Essentially the LTTE rules by coercion. They can conscript 17 year old Tamils, solely because they have a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence in the Vanni. The main reason the Vanni Tamils tolerate the Tiger regime, is because the Sri Lankan government is EVEN WORSE (to Tamils in the Northeast). For the time being, the LTTE is the lesser of the two nightmares. But the Vanni Tamils can not live under this fascist subservience to the LTTE indefinitely. Eventually coercive compliance runs out of gas. The people themselves will revolt against the LTTE. Therefore, the days of the Tigers are numbered.

The LTTE is only sustained by the nearly genocidal (Sinhala Buddhist) nationalist socialism practiced by Rajapaksa against Sri Lankan Tamils. Therefore, the Tamils have for the time being, accepted the LTTE as the lesser of the two nightmares.

But the LTTE can not maintain its support through the barrel of the gun forever.

The days of Jaffna and of our people are also numbered.
1. (Stalemate scenario) If the LTTE continues to march the next generation to the frontlines, and the Sri Lankan government continues to use its air-force to bomb the Tamils to our knees, then the end result of this never ending war is that there will be no more Sri Lankan Tamils left in the Northeast.

2. (GoSL victory) If the SLA reduces the LTTE to a hit and run "rag-tag" force, then Colombo will abuse the state apparatus to commit what amounts to a slow genocide of the Tamils. Just look at how Colombo recently abused its power in Sampur, where it destroyed the homes of thousands of Tamils to build a Coal energy plant within a Military high security zone.

3. (LTTE victory) Why are SL Tamils gambling the survival of their nation on the glimmer of hope that the Tigers can deliver?

Barring something unexpected, our days as a people are numbered.

-Murugan

LTTE cannot be described as a terrorist group.

There is armed conflict (war) in Sri Lanka between the armed forces of the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The conflict is governed by humanitarian law: the Hague Conventions, the Geneva Conventions (including all provisions of the Protocols Additional considered customary law) and all treaty-based and customary laws of armed conflict. A fundamental rule of humanitarian law is that combatants in a war are entitled to combatant status. The LTTE meet all factual and legal tests for combatant status under humanitarian law rules. Laws relating to terrorism do not apply to combatants in wars or to acts carried out in the course of war. Because the LTTE has combatant status, the LTTE cannot be considered a terrorist organization nor can its acts in the course of war be treated as terrorist. Therefore it is legally incorrect to include the LTTE in a list of terrorist organizations.

The laws and customs of war do not exonerate all acts undertaken in wartime. There are numerous violations of the laws and customs of war taking place in the Sri Lanka - Tamil war both by the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. The existence of violations of the laws and customs of war on either side do not reduce the parties to the conflict to terrorists and the war itself to terrorism: the armed forces of both the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE maintain their combatant status. Individual violators, however, could charged with breaches of the laws and customs of war.

Applying the criteria for armed conflict to Sri Lanka, it is patently obvious that there is a war in Sri Lanka and that it is between the forces of the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. The government military forces utilize the methods and materiel of war to carry out military actions to defeat by military means the military forces of its enemy the LTTE. On its part, the LTTE carries out military actions against the military forces and military targets of the government of Sri Lanka. There is nothing random or sporadic about this war, nor is there anything clandestine about the LTTE -- the LTTE is very public. The LTTE does not play week-end war games but fights militarily on military battlefields day in and day out.

A fundamental principle of humanitarian law is that combatants in a war are entitled to combatant status. While this principle has been one of customary international law for centuries, it also find expressions in treaty-based humanitarian law. For example, Article One of the Hague Regulations grants the rights of war to members of armies. Members of militia and volunteer corps are also entitled to the rights of war if they meet certain conditions: they must be under responsible command, wear some visible emblem to distinguish them form civilians, carry arms opens and conduct operations in conformity with the rules of war. Even civilians are entitled to engage in combat when they spontaneously take up arms on the approach of the enemy. Because there is a war in Sri Lanka between the government forces and the LTTE, the LTTE have combatant status and the right to engage in combat. This status is inconsistent with a label of "terrorist" -- a terrorist does not have combatant status or the right to engage in combat.
A war is a war of national liberation when a group having a claim to self-determination carries out military actions against the occupying state, which can be a colonial or alien power or a racist regime. Self-determination is the collective right of a people to freely determine their own political status and to pursue economic, social and cultural development. People claiming self-determination must show a history of independence or self-rule in an identifiable territory, a distinct culture, and a will and capability to regain self-governance.

The Eelam Tamil claim to self-determination is one of the strongest in the contemporary international scene. The three main elements of a claim to self-determination -- historic self- governance in an identifiable territory, a distinct culture and a national will and capacity to govern -- are all present in the Eelam Tamil case.
The Tamil people have a centuries-old tradition of independence on the island of Ceylon, broken only by colonial powers. Early mention of a distinct Tamil kingdom and culture exists in the 6th century B.C. in the great Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. A series of Tamil kings founded the ancient capital Anuradhapura and ruled until 101 B.C. when the Tamil Ellaran was defeated by a Sinhalese prince. This capital was retaken by the Tamils and other Indian invaders in the ninth century. By 1214 A.D. however, the Tamils held power in the kingdom of Jaffna, extending into current Tamil lands in the North and East. A 1789 map of the area by the cartographer Du Peron clearly indicates the territorial divisions of the two kingdoms.

The colonial period began in the early sixteenth century when the Portuguese captured the Sinhalese kingdom in the south of Ceylon. The Tamil kingdom remained free until 1621, more than 100 years later when the Portuguese captured the Tamil king Sankili. The Portuguese were defeated by the Dutch in 1658, and the Dutch soon began to import Tamils from south India as slaves and textile workers. The British replaced the Dutch in 1796, who by 1833 governed both Tamil and Sinhala kingdoms under unitary colonial rule.

The first British colonial secretary, Sir Hugo Cleghorn, recognized not only that the Tamil and Sinhalese kingdoms were politically separate, he also attested to their profound cultural, linguistic and religious differences.
The third element of self-determination -- national will and capacity to govern -- is also exceptionally strong in the Tamil case. Not only are the LTTE themselves evidence of a willingness to defend the right to self-determination with the use of force but the vast majority of Tamil civilians, whether in Sri Lanka or abroad, also show an exceptionally strong national will that has endured for the many long years of the war and indeed throughout the colonial period and post colonial period. Even those relatively few Tamils who do not strongly support the LTTE do not deny their insistence on some form of self-governance, whether in association with the Sinhalese or as a separate nation.

The case for Eelam can also be won in the International court using International laws.

The case against Eelam in the International court will be impossible to defend- so my point is maybe just maybe the pen is mightier than the swords in case of Eelam.

Hope the Eelam man/woman of laws knows or find out about International laws. - SNPost

Eelam Cry? LOL! Keep crying all you want. Cry from Canada, Uk, Australia or whereever... Just Don't Cry from Sri Lanka.

The writer (SMPost) has some points but some issues have to be thrashed out.

Terrorism is a 21st century phenomenon. One should not rush to connect Terrorism with liberation struggle. Can Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge of Cambodia be treated as a liberation organization. The term war should refer to a civil war but not to a war against a group of terrorists similar to the mafia organizations. Collective right of the people does not mean killing all intellectuals, moderates, professionals, government officers or brain washing small children (e.g. recent killing of Ms.Maheswary by a 12 year old who does not know what is right and wrong). The use of the word ‘Tamil war’ needs clarification - What about the Tamils in Colombo and in the Central Provinces, in addition to those not accepting the LTTE in the North East Province who have outnumbered the LTTE supporters. Other than the three main elements of a claim to self-determination, there is another factor which is recognition by civilized States.

The LTTE is a terrorist group having links with other international terrorist organizations and also for having dealings in illegal activities. There are many differences between a freedom fighting organization and a terrorist group. Now it may appear to be a liberation organization, but when its veil (its illegal operation of torture camps within its territory, arms and drug trafficking, communication with other international terrorists organizations, etc) is lifted, the nature of liberation movement becomes questionable. As far as the LTTE is concerned, there was no proper person to guide it like Lord Krishna guiding the Pandavas.

However, there are arguments for the cause of Tamils in Sri Lanka which cannot be denied. Neverthless it should be determined whether it is desirable in today’s context. If people claiming self-determination start showing a history of independence or self-rule in an identifiable territory, a distinct culture, and a will and capability to regain self-governance, then India, USA, Russia, Malaysia and other similar countries should be divided into separate countries. Consequent to the influence of western rulers in these countries and with the passage of time people began to mix with each other resulting into as one people and one nation, respecting each other’s rights. History has shown that after the first two world wars new countries emerged and problems continued. What is required is a Union among each continent to monitor the activities of the oppressing countries and warn them to respect the rights of oppressed countries. European Union stands as a symbol of unity though some countries are not members to it. As far as Asia is concerned there are different regional associations, such as ASEAN, SAARC, etc. Mention should be made that China and India (both in Asia) are the most populated countries in the world while Japan stands as one of the richest countries in the world. Western Asia accounts for different types of government and it appears that there are different levels of government in Asia. In such a complex situation it is difficult to form a Union like the European Union. However, every Asian will be happy to have a Asian Union if the ASEAN, SAARC and countries like Japan and South Korea can initiate it though communist countries might be reluctant to join it. If such a Asian Union is formed then a Asian Declaration of Human Rights can be promoted to have a vibrant force in the UN and issues like in Sri Lanka can be solved easily. Therefore speaking of the past will not in any way help us.

Asian Union is essential because the scenario in Sri Lanka has not satisfied the aspirations of the international community. I will narrate in short. After what happened to Rajiv Gandhi by the naval rating at the parade and the immediate release of the naval rating by R.Premadasa, no country will believe Sri Lanka. (Same can be said of the LTTE which murdered Rajiv Gandhi who came to rescue the Sri Lanka Tamils) Further, the LTTE and JVP subsversives have infiltrated into the forces under false names. Has the President ever condemned the immediate release of the naval rating by the then President R.Premadasa. At present leave alone the statement of P.Nadesan who is struggling to win the hearts of India. Like the past Presidents, President Rajapakse should not stick on to the concept of “Unitary” but concentrate on federalism which promotes power-sharing. When he says that we are all brothers irrespective of any part in the country, why not place the solution of federalism at least on the Canadian model. The Sinhalese political leaders should realize that Federalism is described by the division of powers between the federal government and the country’s provincial governments. They could study how federalism works smoothly especially in Canada and it is a way of life. Federalism is not separation but an advanced stage of bringing everyone together ensuring that there is unity in diversity. No sooner federalism is pronounced one can expect the stretching of friendly arms towards each other between the races, other than the political opportunists. No doubt terrorism is evil but it does not mean civilians should be targeted and treated cruelly when they are helpless. Earlier President Rajapakse was protesting over the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord when it was commended by the westerners at the time it was tabled at the General Assembly. Now on what ground can one rely on his call for negotiation. But to defeat terrorism, he should win the hearts of the Tamils for which he should place the federal solution as an initial step or at least as an experiment with courage in the presence of a mediator (which is a necessity) all of which can be accounted as a hot signal. He cannot cling on to the old concept of solving the problem within the framework of a Unitary State to ensure supremacy for Sinhala and Buddhism which is a false assumption. I would only point out that while they raise these cries for their survival, the Sinhalese political leaders are instrumental for the growth of terrorism. Another reason is that learned people (both Sinhalese and Tamil) are denied to thrash out this issue, though SWRD was partly instrumental for his own survival.
- A.Rajasingam

actions of LTTE in the ground will tell - Peri Casinathen

Hail the Tamil Eela Vidhutalai Pullikal, the sole DEDICATED defender of the noble Tamil race.

THANK YOU AND REALIZE IT FOR GOD'S SAKE !!! - Krishna

Many people try their hands at a perfect lie. This article is horrible even by any standards.
How could srilankan government go to international community with begging bowl for arms and money and at the same time you declare that srilanka is a sinhalabudhist nation which can be ruled only by sinhalese. Write the spech of Obama and Rajapakshe on the same page and compare their tone and tenor.
The rajapakshe regime is the world's most successful terroirist regime by any standards. Any prostitute can emulate their priciple for success in trade. They beg for money from International community and are using Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers and dumb cluster bombs from obsolete jet fighters to commit genocoid against tmamil.Will they use the same tactic against JVP or any other sinhala unrest in the souther part of their country?

They claim their dumb bombs and MRBL are surgical strike weapons with straight face to the international community destroying all priciples of humanrights killing innocent women and children by hundreds.It is not very different from LTTE suicide attacks against innocent tamils that kill a few civilians also.Then what is the difference between SLA and LTTE. Why Cannot theh commanders of SLA and Rajapakse be hanged like Saddam Hussein.I hold no brief for Prabakaran also.The same hangpost which can be used for hanging Prabakaran for murder of Rajiv gandhi is also fit enough for Rajapakse and Co.
(By the same way how can Rajiv answer for his policy blunder that let to killings of thousands of innocent tamils at the hand of IPKF. And how can he explain to his people that Srilankan government supported the LTTE with arms and money against IPKF).
India's foreign policy in respect to Sri Lanka has indeed been subject to such reviews and changes in the past. They have failed only when policy makers have misread ground realities. Such a failure occurred when Rajiv Gandhi mislead by a coterie of advisers physically intervened in Sri Lanka. The consequence was horrendous for the Tamils (of whom around 8,000 were killed) and losses for the Indian army (which lost close to 1,000 soldiers). J.N Dixit, India's High Commissioner in Sri Lanka during that ill-fated intervention admits that this was a failure in his book "Assignment Colombo" published 10 years after the event. His assessment of 'flaws' in this policy, however, falls far short of identifying the real reasons for the disaster. Dixit attributes "over optimism on the part of the Indians re Jayawardene's 'change of mind' " and "lack of 'reasonableness' amongst the Sri Lankan Tamils' as the reasons for the failure. Elsewhere in the book, he acknowledges his underestimation of the LTTE's resolve, the error in believing that the LTTE could be 'isolated from the Sri Lankan Tamils' and the 'xenophobic' mindset of the Sri Lanka Government. The book, however, is conspicuous by its failure to address the central cause for India's foreign policy disaster.

The conduct of war in Eelam justifies everything LTTE stands for.No true leader can kill his own citizens.So Rajapakse is no true leader of srilankan tamils.
They are prostituting with china by leasing Hambantota to them.They are prostituting very sucessfuly with INDIA by keep on repeating the RAJIV GANDHI name most succeessfully.Their skill in bed must be worth emulating for any prostitute.because SONIA MANMOHAN bleedindia combine has been given such orgasms that they are helping sinhala Budhists against Hindu Tamils.
But like every succesful prostitute who gets gangraped and murdered (look no further than the present PAKISTANI government which prostitutued both with Osama and America for a longwhile and now in a diplomatic no-man's land) the feeling of TAMILS in Tamil Nadu is being aroused like tsunami waves.Finally after Muthu kumar's self immolation the tamils had their awakening.They are now seeing through the Manmohan_SONIA combines pet family revenge and Karunanidhi family's money and power only motive.No tamilian with any self respect will ever vote for Congress again.The BJP is going to come back topower with the help of anti congress tamilians .And I'm afraid that the sinhala prostituion wont succeed with Hindu nationalistic nuclear bomb bursting BJP.Tamil BJP leaders are already hinting at that.
Then the Rajapakse clique will have its day of justice.They are not goinf to accomplish what USA,FRANCE,CHINA cant do in vietnam with all their politico-economic-military might.Or they cant do what IPKF cant do in SRILANKA.Insurgencies are never defeated with MRBL and JET fighters.Their wet dreams will be dried out in SUN.
Alredy DMK,ADMK and CHO RAMASAMY(Thuklaq) and N.RAM(HINDU) clique are urinating in their bed with the tsunami waves that are churning in TAMILNADU.How hard they are going to try it doesnt matter.The ground is shaking.It is started by student communities spontanioulsy.not by money minded political parties like DMK or ADMK.
I personaly lived under the illusion of this HATE LTTE FOR RAJIV MURDER midset for long years. Now I'm ashamed tha how easily I have been cheated all these years by these N.RAM CHO RAMASAMY clique.
If sinhalesereally want to know how to build a nation out of multi ethnic population, with grrrreeeeeeeeaaaaattttttttt difficulty they can look just under their very NOSE just 18 kms from their shores. How a new super power is flexing it's muscles blasting through the NUCLUAR CLUB making allmighty CHINA cry in silence(remember how they tried to sabotage INDO-US nuclear acord).
HOW a billion people belonging to hundreds of ethnic communities are living peacefully under the rule of law that guarentie ethnic cultures their identity, their rights and their tradition.
HOW a iITALY born SONIA and minority SIHK community MANMOHAN rule the nation?HOW a TAMIL MUSLIM ABDUL KALAM designed indian nuclear missiles? and become president? HOW various ethnic units of INDIAN ARMY raise their battle cries(VETRI VEL VEERAVEL for MADRAS regiment)

HOw SUPREME courts and ELECTION COMMISION functions?HOW 64% genuine voting can happen in KASHMIR surpsising even seperatist political leaders? Last but not the least HOW to write a constitution.

The tamil-sinhala divide is not very different from anti HINDI agitations in Tamil Nadu from which DMK and ADMK are born.They can learn HOW NHERU handled it justly holding the HIDI fantics in leash and acting justly to guarentee the TAMILS their rights.How INDIA is organised along ethno lingual lines as state governments and HOW their rights are enshrined in constitution

INDIA's voice is supreme in SOUTH ASIA not because of just its proximity with AMERICA. IT is supreme because how it functions as true democracy.
The same democracy with its free media can see through the sinhala prostitution sonn.Then RAJAPAKSE will know his fate.If INDIA starts supporting LTTE again bowing to tamil pressure where will RAJAPAKSEs go?USA wont raise a whimper because it needs INDIA now more tha ever.Like PAKISTAN SINHALESE will discover how (There is a saying there that CHINA will fight INDIA to the last PAKISTANI) CHINA will support them.If the standards set by RAJAPAKSE regime are any examples INDIA can justifiably walk into SRILANKA citing bosnian principles.