Sri Lankan Tamil Question: Empowering or Reconciliation?

International community, although never congratulated for the victory over terrorism, delivered the messages emphasizing the immediate requirement of healing the pains and reconciliation with minorities.

Consequently, the same requirement was accepted and pledged to accomplish by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse too, at Sri Lanka’s 62 Independent Day celebrations as well as at his graduation ceremony at Moscow, Russia.

Thousands of travelers moving to the Jaffna and other cleared areas of the North-East further symbol the unprecedented desire of the people for such reconciled and peaceful atmosphere.

However, apparently waked up from a wrong direction, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, and leader of DMK, M. Karunanidhi reportedly have called upon the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa to share power with Sri Lankan Tamils or else face the consequences that his central government would cause (Asian Tribune 14/02/2010). Going behind the chief minister’s way, External Affairs Minister of India, S M Krishna also had reportedly called upon the President to politically empower the Tamils in Sri Lanka (Island 16th February 2010). What the democratic leaders, these are?

Surprisingly, both of them had failed to refer to any reconciliation process as most international communities now concern but opted to speak out an antiquated mantra. Then, a question that should be clarified by any of them is what lacks Sri Lankan Tamils in the current political frame and what a miracle, they would expect to do by owning “further political power”? Isn’t this power greed responsible for the pathetic situation of the Northeast Tamils today? All Sri Lankans without prejudice to their racial or religious identity have been empowered equally by Sri Lankan constitution and its amendments.Today, the Tamil is a state language of Sri Lanka that all Sri Lankans should learn compulsorily and such a status does not exist even in India. What more India expects the Government to do to empower Tamils in Sri Lanka?

Only the separatists as well as politicians have benefitted from the power devolution which was proven to be ineffective in the context of ordinary peoples in Sri Lanka. Other than securing a golden opportunity for political parties to gratify their active supporters by finding an occupation for them in a council, even the provincial council system which was established following Indo-Lanka accord signed in 2007 as a solution for the LTTE problem was never served the purpose. But, the Sri Lanka is still supposed to maintain this “White Elephant” in the name of Tamils as it was gifted by India!

This piece of writing is aimed to recommend a realistic reconciliation and restoration process as it is now becoming a timely important matter which should not leave to evade in the face of election heat.

Since the hundreds years of time, Sri Lanka, under its receptive and generous culture, has been offering a tranquil environment to accommodate varying range of cultural and religious based communities. Such a peaceful society would not be a reality unless a mutual understanding (an implied agreement) prevails for coexistence among all of them. Because of a huge demographic disproportion prevailed in the Northeast areas of the country, one section of the Tamil community (LTTE) breached that understanding deeply hindering the peaceful atmosphere and prosperity of the country. Although that breach of the peace (LTTE) was remedied by military actions, the resultant losses also should be recompensed for any permanent reconciliation.

The most critical injustices propelled upon the people of Sri Lanka by LTTE terrorism are the loss of the economic development and the loss of people’s rights for free movement and settlements anywhere in the island. Therefore, no economic development is justified in the Northeast provinces unless the loss of the rights for settlement in the Northeast for all communities is restored and remedied. In other words, the remedial actions should be there to reinstate all the discriminated communities to the same position where they should have been if not the LTTE. I would brief the necessary elements as follows which should be considered in equal weight.

1. Remedy for Displacement: Resettlement of Tamil people now living in refugee camps should be expedited providing reasonably good houses. No settlement should be done hurriedly without clearing the mines which could risk the people lives. Such incident happened recently in Jaffna where two children were killed from a toy like bomb, should not be left to happen again in these new settlements. Government should continue to facilitate a decent life for these people by developing the infrastructure and other employment generating projects in the area.

2. Remedy for Dispossession: There is a huge number of Singhalese and Muslims expelled by LTTE from the North and East area. It was reported that around 154,000 Singhalese only have fled from Jaffna peninsula due to terror. President Mahinda Rajapakse should appoint a special commission to investigate those who fled the war torn area and take necessary steps to provide their abandoned lands and properties in the area. All these settlements should be followed by necessary facilities and developments.

In the same manner, a commission should investigate all those Tamils who have fled the southern cities during the uprising in the July 1983 erupted as a result of LTTE provocations. Government should do the needful to provide them their lost lands and properties or in lieu of that, a financial compensation.

3. Remedy for Deterrence:-Free movements and settlements from densely populated areas in to vacant lands were a natural phenomenon throughout the world history same like Tamil people gradually migrated to northeast areas of Sri Lanka from densely populated Tamil Nadu.

Northeast provinces constitute one third of the total land mass and two thirds of coastal line and are home for most valuable natural resources. Nevertheless, the population of the North and East constitutes around 8% of the total population only and rest (around 92%) have been living densely in southern part of the country facing acute shortage of the lands. LTTE terrorists for last 30 years have deterred the free movement of Singhalese and Muslims to the Northeast from the densely populated areas of the Island.

Therefore, Government of Sri Lanka should proceed with the peasant colonization in the vacant lands of the Northeast provinces with the clear development plan so that the continuous employment opportunities are ensured. This will remedy the injustice that has been happened for last 30 years preventing the people from taking any settlement in the vast uninhabited parts of the Northeast provinces.

This solution would be in fact the best reconciliation arrangement which eventually lead for healing the aggrieved hearts by closing them as wished by the international community and the majority of the Sri Lankan including the president. With this solution, any grievances coming out in respect of any economical, social or political issues will not be able to racially categorize as all communities live together under equal circumstances and facilities.

Dreaming to be a monopoly for any nationality would be a dreadful threat to the world peace and its own race. There are number of personnel characters in history like Mussolini in Italy, Adolf Hitler in German who have attempted to create a monopoly for their nation and made enough havoc to the world. Very close example is Velupillai Prabaharan in Sri Lanka. It is an indispensable duty of any democratically elected government not to leave the soil for such mischievous monopoly. Only thing excessively prevailing over Sri Lankan Tamils is the unnecessary interference of Tamil Nadu politicians which should be stopped for the best interest of the Tamils and peace in Sri Lanka.

- Asian Tribune -