Ira de Silva London, Ontario, Canada

Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India
South Block, Raisina Hill
New Delhi, India-110 011ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Dear Sir:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

I refer toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the statement made by your representative in Geneva on behalf of the Government of India and news reports that claim that India did Sri Lanka a favour by voting for the resolution with changes when the whole world knows that far from doing Sri Lanka a favour India supported the US for it’s own benefit. It puts other countries in Asia and particularly India’s neighbours on notice that IndiaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ will turn against them at any time, that India does not act on principles, andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that itƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ does not support Asian solidarity.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In my view, India did not have the moral right to vote against Sri Lanka given that India was the root cause for LTTE terrorism in Sri Lanka and even though the rest of the world may not know this, Asian countries are well aware of it. Far from being a good neighbour your governmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  has shown that once again it can not be trusted, is not an ally and has only self interest.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

I have just read the text of your message to the President of Sri Lanka in which you claim that youƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ had instructed your delegation to remain in close contact with its Sri Lanka counterparts in an attempt to find a positive way forward. If your delegation had contacted the Sri Lankan delegation even casually they would have got a clear message that Sri Lanka was totally against the resolution. If it had “close contact”ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the message from Sri Lanka would have beenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a deafening NO, yet, contrary to India’s statements that it was not in favour of country specific resolutions India voted against Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on the U.S. resolution. There seems to be a clear message in this not only to Sri Lanka but to all countries, especially those in Asia, that India does not doƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ as it says and willƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ say one thing and do another, in short, IndiaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is no friend and can not be reliedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on. If India considers this action as a “positive way forward” I trust the President of Sri Lanka getsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  this message loud and clear thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ India’s only interest in Sri Lanka is to promote division, and destabilisation so it canƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ act as viceroy – I remind the President of how Dixit behaved after the Indo-Lanka Agreement and urge him to see through the farce of India’s “positive way forward” because it spells disaster for Sri Lanka. Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ must reassessƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  it’s situation and policies and not be fooled by India. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ To not do so will be suicide.

Further your statement reads “your Excellency would be aware that we spared no effort and were successful in introducing an element of balance in the language of the resolution”. The only part of this statement that is correct is that India “spared no effort” because even to a casual observer it is apparent that India and the U.S. had devised this scheme against Sri Lanka and that the resolution was the result of your joint endeavours. The fact that your representative remained silent after the vote and made no comment till after agenda item 2 (instead of making it after voting on the resolution against Sri Lanka which was agenda item 1) was clearly because India and the U.S. had been in collusion from the onset and had planned the wholeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ sorry episodeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ which gives the lie to the latter part where you claim India was “successful in introducing an element of balance to the resolution”. The change wasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ done orally ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and no doubt with theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ connivance of the US. which remained silent after the resolution was passed. Your Government’s duplicity towards Sri Lanka stands exposed – will the President of Sri Lanka realise this? I trust that he will if, as he claims, he will defend the rights of the Sri Lankan people as he is obligated to do.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

As for your comments on the 13thƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Amendment ,which I would like to point out was forced on Sri Lanka by India, without the consent of the people of Sri Lanka, was to provide the LTTE and now the Tamil National Alliance with a tool to get their goal of Eelam. Having signed the Agreement, Rajiv Gandhi went directly to Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka to claim that the had got for the Tamil people all that they wanted.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Your reiteration of your Government’s commitment to continue to be of assistance in this important objective should be a warning to the President of Sri Lanka to not continue with the 13th Amendment but to seriously consider scrapping it altogether and replacing it with a Sri Lankan, “home grown” solution because unless and until Sri Lanka takes the initiative to do what is best for the people of Sri Lanka without India’s interference and “assistance” there will be no lasting peace or stability. India has shown that it’s interest in Sri Lanka is toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  promote and supportƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  LTTE terrorism in the past and now the Tamil National Alliance, who were and are the spokespersons of the LTTEƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the other leaders of the LTTE overseas who are funding this operationƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to get their separate mono-ethnic “TamilƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Eelam” carved out of sovereign Sri Lankan territory just as they funded the guns and bombs to kill thousands in Sri Lanka to get their Eelam, hence the support of the resolution. It was followed byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the statement fromƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Karunanidhi that Eelam is his unrealised dream. AskedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  whether there is a possibility of Tamil Eelam in the future, Karunanidhi said, “as far as I am concerned that is the goal.” He states “The Sri Lankan government has been forced to bow before the world and have to explain its acts”. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If the President of Sri Lanka even now does not realise what India’s plans are, takes heed of the interpretation that Sri Lanka has been forced to bow before the worldƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and takes immediate steps to counter India’s goals to divide Sri Lanka he will go down in history as the leader who defeated the LTTE militarily butƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ meekly surrendered the country to the LTTE via the Government of India andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil Nadu.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

One final comment is on what your representative said at the UN. HeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ referred to IndiaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ “as a neighbour with thousands of years of cordial relations with Lanka” – was he instructed to say this or was he just ignorant?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  He made this statement not immediately after the resolution was voted on but much later and reading the statement it is obvious that he had it all along so why not have it tabled directly after the vote? The fact is that for thousands of years instead of cordial relations, it has been thousands of years of invasion, subversion, direct and indirect attempts to militarily annex the country. Sri Lanka was under constant threat from India. It is the same today. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As forƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ “we cannot remain untouched by developments in that country” therein lies Sri Lanka’s problem particularly when India creates situations in Sri Lanka so that it can interfere.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I am sure that you are aware that itƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ was India that wasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the root cause for the growth of LTTE terrorism, that it was India that trained and funded the Tamil separatists on Indian soilƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ promoting theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  growth of LTTE terrorism because it was India’sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ policy to destabilise Sri Lanka. The world is fully awareƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that IndiaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ provided the LTTE withƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ training, bases in Tamil Nadu, political and financial support. Further, India threatened military action before forcing the Indo-Lanka Agreement on Sri Lanka resulting in the 13th Amendment which you nowƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  want implemented. CurrentlyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the Government of Tamil Nadu wants the Central Government to once again invade Sri Lanka, Karunanidhi wants to realise his goal of Eelam and the Government of India is doing what it can to comply, all in the name of cordial relations. These actions show that India’s guiding principle in dealing with Sri Lanka is not cordial relations but to impose it’s will, divide or annex the country. This is what it has done for thousands of years.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The only difference today is thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  India’s aggressionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  is in the guise of resolutions at the UN.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

For the sake of the people of Sri Lanka it is hoped that the people will realize your Government’s real motives,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that they will mobilise public opinion in Sri Lanka and overseas to save the country from India’s designs and that the Government of Sri Lanka will ,even at this late stage, determine to work to maintain the sovereignty of the country and not permitƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ your government ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to dictate to it because despiteƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ India talking of freedom and dignity what it is doing is to deprive Sri Lankans of freedom and dignity.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The greatest irony is that it is being done using the UN by the so-called leader of the free world who is violating the freedom, rights and dignity of millions across the globe and is being supported by India which is aspiring to be a “world leader” and showing that in it’s own wayƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ India will achieve it’s goal by following the example of the U.S.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that has a history of being the world’s worst violator of human rights and freedom.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Yours truly,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Ira de Silva
London, Ontario, Canada