No more tears for Tamils

By Dr. Noel Nadesan

(May 28, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, deserves the congratulations of all Sir Lankan regardless of their ethnicity. More than any other community, the Sri Lankan Tamils owe him their thanks for ending their misery. As every body knows Tamils in Sri Lanka were under the delusion of Tamil Eelam. His victory should at last cure this mental illness of the Tamils. Sri Lanka has at last found the leader who can act above the pressures of communal forces that had beveled Sri Lankan politics for the last 60 years.

President Rajapaksa arrived on the political scene at a time when all the communities were sick of this war. All communities wanted an end to the futile war. He arrived at the correct time to win the backing of all peace-loving people.

His political leadership was strengthened by his brothers Basil Rajapaksa who played a key role in the political field and Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the military field. He was ably assisted by a talented military commander, Gen. Sarath Fonseka. This is the first time in last thirty years political leadership did not interfere in military matters. Nor did they use military successes to their political advantage though the advantages fell into their lap automatically. .

LTTE performed pathetically by rejecting Norway mediation, demanding parity of status with the Sri Lankan government and by sending imbeciles for the negotiation with Sri Lankan government. A look at the list of the Tamil negotiators made it clear to me that LTTE was not interested in negotiating peace. Most of them are from Australia where I live. I will not even send them even to buy a packet of cigarettes from the corner shop, let alone bargaining for Eelam. Prabakaran dream was shattered when the Eastern commander Karuna split with the Wanni leadership on genuine grievances. Predictably LTTE leadership sent a team to kill him so. He had no option but to defect to the government.

LTTE killed the Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar during the ceasefire with Sri Lanka. The government maintained commendable restraint. LTTE, however, overstepped its mark when it attempted to assassinate the military commander. War was inevitable as LTTE increased tensions and violence.

In Mavil Aru and Mutur, LTTE gave legitimate reasons for the Sri Lankan government to counter-attack which ended on the beaches of the Jaffna lagoon. These are some reasons that led to Eelam War IV. But there are also deeper and intrinsically ingrained reasons for the war. It is little known that Veluppilai Prapaharan’s personality was not conducive for peace. He revealed his sadistic tendencies from a young age. As a young boy he was given to killing garden lizards and birds with his catapult. He is a school drop out who quit school at the age of 10. It was during this time that the Jaffna student agitated on the language issue and admission to university. Prabhakaran was engaged more in internal and personal power struggles even during this time killing his opponents. In 1979 April he killed his comrade-in-arms, called Suthumali Pattkunam, when he was fast asleep. By this time he was addicted to killing. The internecine warfare among Tamil militants began in the seventies. All these happed before 1983. We cannot blame the Sri Lankan government or Sinhala community for the crimes committed by Tamil militants. . Tamils were killed even for petty thefts. Early in 1982, when I was passing Columbagam and Kachcheri Road in Jaffna, I saw the body of one petty thief left to rot on the road. I was told that he was killed by Tigers and he was left there as a lesson for others. This is the first time I realized that Jaffna was breeding a fascist outfit. What most do not know is that he was born with sadism in his bones. As a young boy he was once playing marbles with another young Tamil boy. He soon found that he was losing to his friend. Angered by this he took a stick and poked in his friend’s eyes, blinding him forever. That is Prabahakaran.

That cruelty turned me off the LTTE. I also made it a point to study his tactics more closely. His cruelty was also predictable. But it is sad to note that his fascist cult attracted many intelligent people. And some of them even became victims of his fascist cult.

When I was in India helping refugees during 84-87, I had opportunity to learn more about him.I had the opportunity to listen to his order to liquidate TELO issued through the wireless set up in Chennai. I was also getting first hand information about LTTE massacring other Tamils in Kanthankarunai in Nallur. After I received the news of the massacre news, I felt sick in my stomach. I can still remember the feeling even after 22 years...

After coming to Australia I was disappointed that the Sri Lankan governments allowed it to be hoodwinked by the Tigers. My fellows Tamils too supported this “pathological serial killer” (Prof. James Jupp) in the name of Tamil Rights. .

Tragically, some Tamil writers and NGO groups built a halo around him and created the myth of Prabahakaran as a mighty warrior. He basically used expatriates’ money and Jaffna Tamils ingenuity to build a human fortress around himself, using Tamil civilians as stones for his walls.. Interesting thing is he believed in his invincibility. He had a grand ride until the Sri Lankan army commander Sarath Fonseka took him on. His determined effort to continue the war relentlessly until the Tiger outfit is crushed has paid dividends. He has liberated not only Sri Lanka but also Tamil community at last.

(Dr. Nadesan is the Editor of UTHAYAM, the Tamil community newspaper in Australia. He led the recent delegation of Tamil expatriates to open a dialogue with the Govt.of Sri Lanka)
-Sri Lanka Guardian
Maha said...

Dear Dr Nadesan
I congratulate you too taking an initiative to work together as Sri Lankans. If we have people like you, I am sure we all will have wondrful country.

AD said...

The truth is well written Sir, A Lot of our Tamil brothers and sisters who left our country and in the 80s,see only one side of the story,if they only had to live the lives the innocent Tamil people in the north lived then they will realize that LTTE was a blood hungry cult,with only one focus greed for power.they did not care about their community,they only wanted to gain POWER,the poor people suffered with their lives,because they were helpless,now that they are saved and safe,even before they can settle down,the so called human rights have started questioning so many issues from Srilanka,Where were these Human rights when these innocent people were kept as shields for the LTTE for 26 years,now that Srilanka won the war and is praised by the whole world,the Europeans US and the UK cant take it,for them its a shame, no matter what war they faught with IRAQ,IRAN, AFGHAN,they still couldn't bring justice to anyone but only make thing worse,but our little island showed them what unity and strength can do,and now they want bring all sorts of issues to stop the development of the country.there are so many countries in the world who is questionable with HUMAN RIGHTS BEEN taken away from them,but no one bothers,but now that Srilanka won the war,and killed the terrorist leader, and all the terrorism is over,NOW the Human rights organization want to investigate,What is there to investigate?now we should rebuild,No war was won without civilians, soldiers not been killed,that any fool will realize.The reason to this is the leader of the HUMAN RIGHTS is a TAMIL,and yes may be sir unlike you she too worships this cult of LTTE,who knows,they say prabakaran had all the support of so many high ranking leaders..
The world and the Human rights should be happy at least one country in the world is free from war,free from death,free from bombs,free from suicide bombers,free from cries,they should praise Srilanka for saving so much innocent civilians,but instead they QUESTION all the unnecessary.
WE as Srilankan s don't care we have only one VISION AND MISSION now to help our PRESIDENT rebuild and help our TAMIL brothers and sisters make them believe that that have hope and lives ahead of them,that they are all equal with us,and teach them that WE ARE ALL PROUD SRILANKAN S,and we don't bow down to anyone when it comes to protecting our motherland.

CruelTruth said...

Well done Nadesan. You never had and most know you are one of a very few who has the right to say it genuinly. There is a vacume now and I see you are among the plenty that are rushing in to fill it.
We will shed our teers for the cats and dogs only because they hurt when treated badly not people.

Cheers Doctor!

SLOssie said...

Thank you very much Dr. Nadesan for your invaluable insights to the murderous life of this dictator Prabhakaran. As you mentioned it was a Great victory for all of us who calls Sri Lanka our motherland.
This should be a good lesson for all of the so cold 'Super Powers' how to defeat a Terrorist Group. They ('Super Powers') should commend the Sri Lankan government for it's achievements rather than trying to accuse the government of 'Fictitious' human rights violations (just to cover their own inabilities of defeating terrorism).

Manjula - Melbourne

Unknown said...

I wish more people from Jaffna would speak out like this on the atrocities VP committed against his own people. By first killing off the Jaffna intelligentsia (a Pol Pot strategy), he managed to get the foolish Tamil diapora to annoint him as the King of Tamils.

World Citizen said...

Dear Dr. Nadesen- My hats off to you for your thought provoking article! Having close friendships with many kindhearted Sri Lankans in their homeland and keeping up with the news from my adopted home of 30 years in Japan, I was never hoodwinked by the propaganda of pro-LTTE diaspora around the world. I have become greatly disenchanted with the hypocriteical stance of my fellow country men and women of the west, the culture from which I was born. I have learned a lot in the past few months about human nature and the sense of duty and pride for country shown by Sri Lankans. I hope that you will be able to help to bring back the best in the Tamil communities around the world and provide a calm voice of reason for them to help to constructively bring Sri Lanka back to its rightful place in the world community. Sri Lankans stand tall in my eyes today.

Unknown said...

It is unfrotunate that we are reading about LTTE leadrer only after his death. Had these writers made the international communtiy of thre nature of LTTE and its leadership known to us, we would have averted the loss of many lives and possibly a war in the country too. Anyway, I thank this writer.