DMK’s Rajaram asked diplomat whether U.S. would back Tamil Nadu secession
Posted on April 10th, 2013
M. Kalyanaraman B. Kolappan Courtesy The Hindu
A week into the Emergency when the relationship between the Congress government at the Centre and the DMK government in Tamil Nadu was becoming increasingly hostile, Labour and Housing Minister K. Rajaram asked a U.S. diplomatic representative in Chennai whether the U.S. would give assistance to the State if it decided to secede from India.
In a diplomatic cable dated July 3, 1975, obtained by WikiLeaks (1975NEWDE08889_b, secret), the representative said his direct answer to this question was that the U.S. would not support such a move.
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-This was an internal affair of India and we supported the territorial integrity of India and other countries,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ the representative said.
To the diplomatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s query whether the DMK regime was seriously considering independence from the Union, Rajaram is reported to have said: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-No, not at the highest levels.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
The conversation was taking place 13 years after the DMK abandoned separatism. A separate Tamil Nadu was a key demand of the DMKƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s parent organisation, the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK).
It was also part of the DMKƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s platform but during the India-China war, the partyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s founder, C.N. Annadurai, gave up the demand after the Nehru government passed a strong anti-sedition law in 1963. The party has since advocated federalism. It sent its first ministerial representatives to the Centre in 1989 and has been a member of coalition governments in the 2000s.
Rajaram, who died in 2008, told the U.S. representative at the 1976 meeting held at his residence that while no such move was in the offing, young people within the DMK were talking about separation.
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The USSR and other communist countries are backing Mrs. Gandhi in her efforts to kill democracy here. If this succeeds, communist influence will grow and [the young party workers felt] Tamil Nadu should secede.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Rajaram said that was his reason for floating the trial balloon.
The U.S. diplomat notes in the cable that despite the talk among the younger elements secession is not something ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-that is now being seriously considered by the higher echelons of the party.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
The cable also details a meeting between the same diplomat and a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-local educatorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ who said he had told the then Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-that if the rest of India were under a communist-influenced dictatorship, the U.S. might help.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
But Mr. Karunanidhi reportedly told the educator that after Vietnam he did not think the U.S. would take on anything new in Asia.
April 10th, 2013 at 2:06 pm
wOw! WoW! WOW! What a revelation by Wikileaks!
We know that secession of Tamil Nadu was the objective of the Tamil National Army (TNA) before the Government of India passed the anti-sedition law in 1963, and Tamil parties backed off from separatism rather than be shot by a firing squad for treason.
But, what we did not know, was that these Indian Tamil Traitors were sounding out the US for support if they do decide to secede, as confirmed by this Wikileaks document.
I wonder what would have happened if the US had agreed to support secession by Tamil Nadu (and indeed Dravida Nadu as a whole)!
In view of this historical precedent of Indian Tamil Treason exposed by Wikileaks, it is no wonder that the peripatetic former US Secretary of Defence, Hillary Rodham Clinton, felt quite at ease in bypassing the Government of India and holding talks with Tamil Nadu politicians, such as Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi among others (such as non-Tamil chief minister Mamata Banerjee, current Chief Minister of West Bengal and leader of the All India Trinamool Congress [AITMC or TMC]).
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It is at this meeting that Hillary Clinton, among other things, plotted the strategy against Sri Lanka at the United Nations, and devised a scheme to blackmail the UPA-led Federal Government of India at election time, and schedule the timing of the US resolution against Sri Lanka.
All Patriotic Indian citizens should be IMMENSELY CONCERNED about two things:
1. The worlds only superpower that has now turned its eyes on India as a major pawn in its global chess game,and has begun to INTERFERE in India’s INTERNAL POLITICS, placing at risk the stability of even its Government.
2. There now exist tried and tested Indian Quislings, with a history of supporting separatism within India itself, who are willing to collaborate with the United States with separatist goals in mind.
April 10th, 2013 at 2:14 pm
I think SL should help Tamilians like Rajaram today. Then we will become good boys for USA once again and break up our enemy. Pro-Endian TN and separatist TN will fight each other.
Our kings did just this in the past.
April 10th, 2013 at 9:08 pm
I dont understand why Ananda is so concerned about India’s territorial integrity. This is our weak spot to think of others at the cost to ourselves. Lorenzo is correct. We should do to India what they did to us. Invite Tamil Nadu and other “rebels” to set up base here and receive funding and logistics from the USA. Invite Nam Thamilar ballo and train them to attack Hindian effigies only. Then we solve 2 problems with one approach. Again we are in the good books of the USA and China wont be upset either as their interest here is purely commercial and business will boom with more stability. India gets a dose if its own terrorism. Terror and bullying is the only language Indian Govt understands. So both problems solved from a position of strength.
April 10th, 2013 at 9:17 pm
This is the best way to meet “Tamil aspirations” and “dignity” that the Indians are perpetually lecturing us about.
April 11th, 2013 at 2:31 am
“Invite Tamil Nadu and other “rebels” to set up base here and receive funding and logistics from the USA. Invite Nam Thamilar ballo and train them to attack Hindian effigies only.”
FANTASTIC!
Help US NGOs to put up a radio broadcast to TN (jam these frequencies in SL) inciting Tamilian nonsense, banned MGR time songs, anti Hindian racist stuff, disruption to nuclear plants, instigating mass strikes, attacks on low caste Tamilians, vandalism, etc.
Tamils will love SL and protest against Endia voting AGAINST SL. But when Endia sends army to whack them, we should support the Endian army.
By way of deception thou shalt win the war. (Tagline of the best secret service.)
4 years ago north Korea sank a south Korean ship. The missile used was a typical Dolphin class sub torpedo used in German built Israeli subs. Very accurate. North Korean torpedoes are crap. What did Israel try to gain?
North Korea and Iran share nuclear technology. By giving the ENEMY North Korea a powerful torpedo, you get the fools to attack South Korea and get hammered by USA. Then North Korea will collapse and nuke program will stall depriving Iran any tech help. But sadly it didn’t work that way.
We MUST think like this.
Or look at the honeypot for an Australian traitor. An Israeli traitor was living in Australia. He was lured into Israel by secret agents. Once in the country he was eliminated in a prison “incident”. How many incidents happened in SL ACTUALLY?
April 11th, 2013 at 2:41 am
Voice123:
We direct our posts/comments sometimes towards Sri Lankan officials and citizens, and at other times towards officials and citizens of other countries who are enemies and friends of ri Lanka. As the audience changes, so must the viewpoint from which the message is delivered.
Here, I am trying to influence Indian readers and make them see that India’s actions are destructive to India’s own survival.
In trying to convince your opponents, you have to wear their shoes, and look at things from their perspective; not only from ours. If those arguments will also benefit Sri Lanka by helping to change India’s behavior to a position favorable to Sri Lanka, then our objective is achieved.
Nations act in their own self-interest, not in our self interest. If we can show them how acting in our self interest also benefits them, that is that there is a commonality of interests, then we will have helped to protect Sri Lanka by defusing their enmity.
This is not a vain hope; I have no doubt that there are small armies of Indian government officials, Indian citizens, and Indian voters, reading articles and comments posted at LankaWeb.
April 11th, 2013 at 3:00 am
Voice123 said:
“We should do to India what they did to us. Invite Tamil Nadu and other “rebels” to set up base here and receive funding and logistics from the USA.”
This sounds good on the surface, but this is a PRESCRIPTION FOR DISASTER for Sri Lanka.
This is what the UNENDING Indo-Pakistan conflict is all about. The only reason Pakistan still survives is because Pakistan has NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, therefore, a NUCLEAR DETERRENCE against India.
Sri Lanka, without a NUCLEAR ARSENAL, cannot take on India that way. Even China will not defend Sri Lanka and risk a major war; Sri Lanka is simply not that important to take that kind of risk.
No, Sri Lanka must not threaten the very survival of India. As long as the threat is not great enough to risk invading Sri Lanka in the face of Chinese support, India will not act militarily. But, if the threat outweighs the risks to India’s security … then India WILL ACT.
So, don’t get carried away by your patriotism alone and forget that we are a very small, very weak nation mostly dependent on foreign powers to fend off threats to our nation’s survival. There are LIMITS to the risks those allies will take on our behalf; we have to understand and assess those risks, and act accordingly.
We need SEVERAL DECADES of Rapid Development to become a nation like South Korea that is economically important to many foreign allied powers; and to develop a much more capable MILITARY DETERRENCE. Then Sri Lanka can become more assertive, in its own defence. Until then, we have to play POKER well.
April 11th, 2013 at 2:47 pm
“No, Sri Lanka must not threaten the very survival of India.”
AnandaUSA, youre talking about the ARTIFICIAL entity know as the Indian Union, which doesnt truly represent the people of India. It is the continuation of the British Empire in India. THe Indian Union did not exist before the British conquest. This anochronistic monster MUST be dismantled for the sake if further prigress and democratisation of Asia. The fact they are heirs of empire is the only explanation for their toxic policies towards the peoples of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka cannot threaten that artificial entity even if it wanted to. We mean no ill will to average person of India, only to those wittingly or unwittingly heirs to this imperial role. The very fact that officials and busybodies from that country are snooping around on this webpage perpetually obsessed with Sri Lanka (“namaste” busybodies) further proves my point. As suggested by yourself, we are indeed much too small and powerless to be any threat to them. The threat is the other way around. ONLY the modern day West, and well- meaning westerners can dismantle their own monster. Not even China nor the rest of Asia put together can do that. Take Indian interference out of the equation and the West and Sri Lanka can work really well. We are straightforward, straight talking people. Perhaps a little gullible, but we will take action to protect ourselves. A little bit of understanding will go a long way and save a lot of trouble down the line. Any Western policymaker (who isn’t in the pay of the LTTE or under their stupefying influence) should take careful note of this and start to RESTRAIN their anochronistic monster. It is in their own long term interest to do so. The global power balance is not going to remain static.
April 11th, 2013 at 3:18 pm
“We need SEVERAL DECADES of Rapid Development to become a nation like South Korea that is economically important to many foreign allied powers; and to develop a much more capable MILITARY DETERRENCE. Then Sri Lanka can become more assertive, in its own defence. Until then, we have to play POKER well.”
AnandaUSA, you are forgetting – the Indian Raj will NEVER allow us to do this as it would threaten their elite position.If India and our silly politicians didnt inflict 30 years of war on us, we woul already be at this level.
I predict that India’s greatest threat is within. Rising aspirations and globalisation will lead to a decades long series of bloody revolts and lawlessness together with more vicious crackdowns from the Raj until they are finally overthrown and dismantled. We must not stand in the way of this.
April 11th, 2013 at 4:36 pm
“We need SEVERAL DECADES of Rapid Development to become a nation like South Korea that is economically important to many foreign allied powers; and to develop a much more capable MILITARY DETERRENCE. Then Sri Lanka can become more assertive, in its own defence. Until then, we have to play POKER well.”
This is EXACTLY what Endia PREVENTS in SL!!!
LOOK what Endia is doing in SL.
1 TAKE OVER the economy
2 13 amendment that DESTROYS unity and then the economy
3 STOPS SL from ALL development work (e.g. how many obstacles Endia threw at Hambantota, Mattala, Mahaweli projects?)
4 DISRUPT ALL military development (“You should buy all weapons from Endia only and we (Endia) decides what you should buy!!)
IF JR and GR LISTENED to Endia, now we are not there. They went AGAINST Endia and that is why we are living today.
April 11th, 2013 at 4:48 pm
“So, don’t get carried away by your patriotism alone and forget that we are a very small, very weak nation mostly dependent on foreign powers to fend off threats to our nation’s survival. There are LIMITS to the risks those allies will take on our behalf; we have to understand and assess those risks, and act accordingly.”
I agree. But we are dependent on foreign powers to fend off threats to our nation’s survival on PAKISTAN, CHINA, RUSSIA even IRAN but NOT Endia.
Who brings those threats to our nation’s survival? Endia.
e.g. LTTE, TELO, IPKF, 13AMEND, LRRC, UNHRAC1, UNHRC2, TNA, DMK, LIOC
SL must actively support all attempts to destroy and smash Endia BEFORE Endia does that to us.
It is better not to have any than live with STEPMOTHER Endia.
April 11th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
If Australia can friend with China, we should become their ally openly.
Endia is not 1 country. How can Bengalis, Bodos,Gujaratis,Kannads,Kashmiris,Manipuris,Punjabis, Tamils all call Endia homeland. No way. In Tamilnadu even if you speak in Hindi , they answer you in Tamil.
Endia should be broken up into peices. We should support Tamils to break away from dreaded Endia.
April 11th, 2013 at 6:22 pm
Given the current geoplitical power balance, we need to convince the West it is in their interest to support a unitary, democratic, economically developed Sri Lanka with no ethnic enclaves. For this we have to develop mire business acumen and confidence in dealing with multinationals, banks etc. Flexing our puny muscles at the West wont work because we have no large patron. We need to convince the West it is in their interests to contain and reform the Indian Union before it begins to self-destruct and cause global mayhem. Unlike Sri Lankans, many Indians are insular people with deeply held prejudices against each other and against westerners also. The British people and westerners need to be reminded of 1850s, how they armed and trained Indians , only to have them viciously turn in them and massacre innocent British men, women and children in cold blood. Around 500,000 Britishers were murdered by the Indians. They even dragged children out of the cots and slit their throats in front of the parents. These stories need to be retold. Sri Lanka can facilitate some Hollywood films about this era. The west needs to know that if they hand too much power to the Indians, racist Indians WILL do it to them again.
April 12th, 2013 at 12:03 am
Voice123:
You are inconsistent in your arguments.
In one comment, you are urging ” We should do to India what they did to us. Invite Tamil Nadu and other “rebels” to set up base here and receive funding and logistics from the USA. Invite Nam Thamilar ballo and train them to attack Hindian effigies only.” In response, I pointed out that if we arm, train, and deliver to India terrorists to undermine and destabilize India, just like Pakistan is trying to do in Jammu & Kashmir, and in the attack on Bombay, without the NUCLEAR DETERRENCE that Pakistan has, India will attack and occupy Sri Lanka, just as they did in East Pakistan/Bangladesh before Pakistan acquired its NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
In another comment you agree with me that “Sri Lanka cannot threaten that artificial entity (India) even if it wanted to” admitting that we don’t have the power to pose a real threat to India, and implying that India will crush us if we do.
So, what exactly do you recommend? You can’t have it both ways.
The leaders of Sri Lanka who have the responsibility to assure the survival of Sri Lanka and its people, do not have the luxury of indulging in confused, inconsistent, illogical thinking.
On the other hand, what I have been saying in my comments at LankaWeb is that
1. Sri Lanka should not do anything to DIRECTLY threaten the security of India. What India does to drive nails in its own coffin, is not something Sri Lanka should try to accelerate in any way. Sri Lanka will invite heavy retaliation from India if we do that. Our posture should be DEFENSIVE in military matters. For example, Sri Lanka should not follow, Pakistan’s approach in attempting to undermine India.
2. Influence Indian leaders and Indian citizens, as far as possible, to adopt policies favorable to Sri Lanka by pointing out the negative consequences of India’s policies on their own country, given the communal disharmony and divisions that are threatening to tear India apart from within. We should setup a small army of writers and think tanks to study the internal politics and social dynamics of India, and publish articles pointing out how India’s communal policies and weak federal system of governance are 1. destroying India, 2. are therefore unsuitable for Sri Lanka as well, and 3. how ill equipped India is to preach to Sri Lanka on human rights, democracy, efficient governance, and external relations with neighboring nations, given that Sri Lanka is far ahead of India in delivering social equity and a better life for its citizens, and has friendly relations with all of its neighbors, except the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
3. Assuming that India will continue to be driven by communal policies inimical to Sri Lanka, we should PROTECT Sri Lanka by DISCOURAGING and REDUCING THE INVOLVEMENT of India in our economy, our trade, our internal politics, our defense, and the reconstruction of the North & East of Sri Lanka. BRIEFLY: Prevent India from acquiring a dominant position in ANY FIELD in our country. These are DEFENSIVE measures to protect Sri Lanka by isolating Sri Lanka from India; they are not OFFENSIVE measures that pose a threat to India.
4. We should expand Sri Lanka’s circle of allies and partners elsewhere in the world in economic, trade, diplomatic, and military fields, with emphasis on China, Japan, the former Soviet Union, and emerging economic powers of South America, Africa and South East Asia.
5. Finally, we should do everything possible to maintain political and social stability to permit RAPID ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, and to increase the skills and productivity of our people, with the GOAL of becoming a First World Nation within the NEXT TWO DECADES. This, I believe, is also President Mahinda Rajapakse’s vision of Sri Lanka as the New Wonder of Asia. Many Asian countries have blazed many different trails to this goal for us: Japan’s Meiji Restoration, Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia to name but a few.
Ultimately, we must understand that the rich are surrounded by friends, while beggars are condemned to have none.
April 12th, 2013 at 2:41 am
“So, what exactly do you recommend? You can’t have it both ways.”
– AnandaUSA, I certainly dont reccommend undermining TRUE democracy in India, the type of democracy where people have responsible leaders who focus on local economic growth and uplifting their own downtrodden. India does not have such a democracy and never did so there is no question of undermining something that doesnt exist. We are not against the average Disempowered Indian and vice versa. We should be friendly neighbors helping each other in every field including security. Instead what you see is a self-perpetuating power oligarchy of an elite click of “brown Sahib” Indians perpetually seeking approval of the west and blaming Sri Lanka and stoking the flames of communalism. We must encourage Tamil Nadu to peacefully break away from this artificial Raj entity and replace with a responsible government focussed on social reform, development and upliftment of their own people, rather than a stooge state government engaged in “hate Sri Lanka” one upmanship. This new TN govt must be independent of India and FRIENDLY to Sri Lanka. Encouraging Nam Thamilar, etc to set up base in SL provided they dont attack us, enables our patriots to build genuine people to people links with patriotic Tamil Naduans and wean them away from this misconceived notion that SL forms part of their homeland. Rest assured, India wont attack us if it would cause “India” to become unpopular in TN itself. In other words, we have to turn the tables on India. I agree we should not follow the Pakistani path of making enemies with India. Pakistanis base their policies in religion. Ours should be good governance and social reform within India.
If you think you can reform the current Raj by placating them, good luck to you. Isnt this what weve been doing since independence and it clearly hasnt worked? Whats new? Time for some novel (or very ancient) approaches.
April 12th, 2013 at 4:45 am
“Endia should be broken up into peices. We should support Tamils to break away from dreaded Endia.”
Absolutely.
Endia is playing a ZERO SUM GAME with Tamil nation. It is either in Endia or SL. We should do what is good for us.
IF we remain with Endia, we will ALWAYS be poor.
What I can’t understand is even when GOTA is talking sense, some of our OWN people try to pull from his leg.
We are NOT going to FIGHT with Endia. We are only going to HELP Endia’s many POWERFUL enemies SECRETLY break up Endia.
April 12th, 2013 at 3:06 pm
Voice123:
You have begged the question by saying: “This new TN govt must be independent of India and FRIENDLY to Sri Lanka. Encouraging Nam Thamilar, etc to set up base in SL provided they dont attack us, enables our patriots to build genuine people to people links with patriotic Tamil Naduans and wean them away from this misconceived notion that SL forms part of their homeland. ”
There has NEVER been, and there will NEVER be, a Tamil Nadu government that is not deeply committed to the RACIST idea of “Tamils Uber Alles”. From TIME IMMEMORIAL, Tamil (Chola) Nadu has been Sri Lanka’s principal enemy …. there will NEVER be a Tamil Nadu that will be FRIENDLY to Sri Lanka and wiolling to CO-EXIST in peace with Sri Lanka.
Karunanidhi writes poems praising the SunGod .. the late unlamented Velupillai Prabhakaran. Karunanidhi was photographed and filmed displaying his maps of a future Greater Tamil Nadu that includes the bulk of Sri Lanka (North and East, and the Hill country). His entire DMK is wedded to this vision.
Jayalalitha, of the AIADMK, who was under a DEATH THREAT from dear old Velu during his heyday as the SunGod, demand and did not get personal state protection from either the then Chief Minister Karunanidhi, or the Federal Govt of India. She now espouses the idea of GREATER TAMIL NADU as well and waxes poetic in praise of the LTTE as well.
Should I dare to mention Vaiko, Ramdoss (another racist who was even campaigning a separate state for his Vanniyar clan), Thirumavalavan, and a host of other Tamil Racists who share the same vision? The Congress party is a minor voice in Tamil Nadu; it exercises clout only because it weilds power at the center of India’s government, but not in Tamil Nadu. All of these political parties, representing the majority of Tamil voters, are offshoots of the “Tamil Kazagham” that at one time advocated Tamil Separatism, and here is the rub … expansion of Tamil Nadu at the expense of both Sri Lanka and adjoining Indian states. In fact, they espoused the idea of a Dravida Nadu under Tamil Nadu leadership. The very fact that the former stare of “Mysore” chose to rename itself “Tamil Nadu” should give you a clue at their racist intentions. They are the very people who supported the Tamil National Army (TNA …. sound familiar??) against the Indian Union before the draconian anti-sedition act of 1983 was passed by Nehru.
My basic point is: Indian Tamils have been brainwashed for as long as Sri Lanka has been independent, of victimization by Aryan North Indians, of the glories of the Tamil empire under Rajadhiraja I and the need to resurrect it, and the need to re-consolidate ALL of that Empire, including large parts of Sri Lanka. You are not going to get Tamil Nadu to become a friend and ally of Sri Lanka, peacefully co-existing with Sinhala people.
On the other hand, indeed an independent Tamil Nadu is a smaller entity that Sri Lanka maybe able to handle unlike the Indian Union. But, it will not be easy: there are over 60 million Tamils in Tamil Nadu which is the most productive, industrialized, and military technology rich state in the Indian Union. Since independence, in the foolish belief that Tamil Nadu was a safe place to sequester its Crown Jewels, India concentrated them in Tamil Nadu. Now, the Tamils are threatening that assumption of safety …. compelling India to pay close attention to Tamil politicians.
If Tamil Nadu secedes and becomes an independent country, a LONG and DESTRUCTIVE WAR between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka will break out IMMEDIATELY and the Sinhala people will have to FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL as they had to over long periods in Sri Lanka’s storied history. Because there is a significant risk of both these events (Tamil Nadu breaking away and going to war with Sri Lanka soon after), Sri Lanka should pay great attention to developing and maintaining a large and effective military …. much as Taiwan and South Korea does today. urvival of the fittest will be the mantra.
Therefore, let me ask: Is it better to have the Indian Union restrain Tamil Nadu (just as our allies in Kerala and Pandya helped to do in days past) and defend Sri Lanka with other allies, and an effective military for deterrence against all comers, while minimizing Indian influence within Sri Lanka for added protection as I suggested,
or is it better to help Tamil Nadu breakaway from the Indian Union now as you suggest, and then wage a vicious 1000-year war against independent Tamil Nadu after that as we did throughout our history, until the current crop of Racist Tamils die off and a new generation weary of war decides to be FRIENDLY to Sri Lanka as you wishfully hope will happen some day? Does ANYTHING about Tamil society in Tamil Nadu, and how they treat each other, give you any confidence that they will happily become thick pals of the Sinhala people in the fullness of time?
What do your considered judgement on this? Still want to try to liberate the Tamils from India?
April 12th, 2013 at 3:18 pm
“and then wage a vicious 1000-year war against independent Tamil Nadu after that as we did throughout our history, until the current crop of Racist Tamils die off and a new generation weary of war decides to be FRIENDLY to Sri Lanka as you wishfully hope will happen some day?”
YES.
In the past TN was POWERLESS to impose restrictions on us like 13 amendment. We could handle the SMALL TN threat unlike the BIG Endian threat.
We will not be ALONE then. Kerala, rest of Endia will back us. They have their wars with TN. Today ALL 30 Endian states together are against us.
Now TN has Endia’s power. That is the problem. SL can’t reach out to relatives in Bengal today. Why? Because Endia OCCUPIES Bengal.
TN -Endia marriage MUST be broken. Unity is their strength.
April 12th, 2013 at 5:33 pm
Sorry Lorenzo, but I DISAGREE.
In my view, breaking away of Tamil Nadu from India to revive and enable an ancient enemy that is the GREATER EVIL.
Also, if the other Dravidian States (Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka) also become independent entities, they may join Tamil Nadu against Sri Lanka, with/without a formal union of Dravidian States. Their support for Sri Lanka is not guaranteed.
BTW, all of them are not the same people our kings dealt with in ancient times; for example, the present day people of Andhra Pradesh are not the Pandyan allies of the past. They have been pushed further away North into Orissa.
Furthermore, except perhaps for people from Orissa, the rest of India does not even know who Sri Lankans are. All of them will have their own fish to fry against their neighbors.
No, Sri Lanka will have to cope with an independent Tamil Nadu with non-Indian allies, for whose help we will have to compete against Tamil Nadu. We will largely have to fight our own battles.
April 12th, 2013 at 9:36 pm
In plain English, Tamil politicians are demanding much more autonomy, approaching sovereignty, than provided for by the 13th Amendment.
This is made clear in the statement: “We told the visiting MPs that the ongoing genocide has to end here. There are serious livelihood issues prompting Tamils to leave the country. We need an interim administration, overseen by India or the United Nations, until there is a final political settlement for the Tamils.”
This INVITATION to foreign powers to INTERVENE & PARTITION SRi Lanka by Sri Lankan citizens should be viewed as TREASONOUS and SEDITIOUS., and PUNISHED accordingly.
We need a DRACONIAN anti-sedition law similar to that implemented by Nehru in 1983 to arrest SEPARATISM in India. The PENALTY for such TREASON should be DEATH. ENACT such a law NOW!
………………………….
‘Obsession’ with 13th Amendment won’t help, say Tamil politicians
Meera Srinivasan
TheHindu.com
April 12, 2013
The obsession with the 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution will hardly help the Tamils, politicians and activists in northern Sri Lanka told the Indian parliamentary delegation, which wound up its visit to Sri Lanka on Thursday.
While members of the Indian delegation were rather reluctant to speak to the media here, enquiries with political parties, academics and civil society members who met the delegation revealed that the discussions gave the Indian parliamentarians an opportunity to listen to different perspectives, agendas and concerns in Colombo and in Jaffna.
In Colombo, the parliamentarians met senior members of the government, including Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa. On the interactions, Cabinet Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said: “It is always useful to have delegations come over, for they can assess the situation objectively.
Many in India – both at the Centre and in Tamil Nadu – are not aware of the progress we have made here post-war. The Indian MPs, who met a wide range of leaders and activists, will understand the intentions of the different groups they met,” he said.
In Jaffna, where the MPs spent nearly two days, the emphasis was on the need for transitional administration and for India to shed its “obsession with” the 13th Amendment — which followed the Indo-Lanka accord of 1987 — as it was “inadequate”. Civil society groups said starting with a clean slate would work better.
K. Guruparan, lecturer of Law, Jaffna University, said: “We told them that the 13th Amendment in itself had several contradictions and explained how, constitutionally, it would be difficult to implement anything beyond the 13th Amendment.” Mr. Guruparan, and Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) member and lawyer Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, reportedly emphasised that the 13th Amendment was not an adequate starting point in addressing the problems of the Tamils.
TNPF general secretary S. Kajendran said the MPs paid great attention to every word spoken. “We hope that they take our message back to the Indian government. India has to intervene and ensure there is no discrimination based on ethnicity,” he said.
The 13th amendment made to Sri Lanka’s Constitution in November 1987, provides for devolution of limited power to provinces. It has been implemented everywhere except in the Tamil-majority North.
On discussions with members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), an umbrella organisation of parties representing Tamils of the Northern Province. President of TNA Suresh Premachandran said: “We told the visiting MPs that the ongoing genocide has to end here. There are serious livelihood issues prompting Tamils to leave the country. We need an interim administration, overseen by India or the United Nations, until there is a final political settlement for the Tamils.”
According to Mr. Guruparan, one of the BJP MPs asked them if the Northern Provincial Council elections would provide a “window of opportunity.” In response, civil society members are said to have prescribed a “transitional administration” model, outside the current Sri Lankan Constitution, as an alternative, where in Tamil representatives have actual powers in realms of education, health and livelihood issues. “In this model, the Sri Lankan government will also have a role and so will representatives of various communities. If the government is willing to engage with this option, we could work out the modalities,” he said.
Douglas Devananda, leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) – currently with the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) – said his party urged the Indian delegation to put pressure on the TNA and enable dialogue. “The President [Mahinda Rajapaksa] had said that a Parliamentary Select Committee would look into political solution and had originally set a time-frame of six months for the exercise. However, the reluctance of the TNA to nominate its members to the Committee has delayed the initiative. We need India to put pressure on them [TNA] to help us have a meaningful dialogue,” he said.
The Indian MPs also met members of the main opposition party, United National Party (UNP), including its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had recently visited India. According to sources with the UNP – which is affiliated to the United National Front (UNF) – Mr. Wickremesinghe underscored the urgent need for democracy and devolution, in addressing problems facing the country.
The five parliamentarians — Saugata Roy (Trinamool Congress), Sandeep Dikshit (Congress), Anurag Thakur (BJP), Dhananjay Singh (BSP) and Prakash Javadekar (BJP), were for a ‘Track Two political dialogue’, initiative of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
April 12th, 2013 at 9:52 pm
When the TRUTH about INDIA INITIATING Tamil Terrorism in Sri Lanka HITS HOME, it become “Unacceptable” to who aided and abetted that Murderous Policy.
Yet, India has no trouble castigating Pakistan for sending terrorists to attack Bombay.
Mr. Narayan Swamy …. the CAP FITS India PERFECTLY …. so WEAR IT with SHAME, and stop saying BRAZEN BARE-FACED LIES to HIDE THe TRUTH!
It makes you look LUDICROUS!
………………….
Gotabaya remarks on India’s role unacceptable: Narayanasamy
TheHindu.com
April 12, 2013
“Sri Lanka is responsible for terrorism as Tamils took to terrorism because their rights were denied,” the minister said, adding New Delhi did not support any kind of terrorist activities.
India today disapproved of a top Sri Lankan official’s reported remark regarding terrorism in that country, saying the armed conflict there was a result of Colombo denying rights to Tamils there.
Responding to Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s reported remark that India could never absolve itself of the responsibility for creating terrorism in his country, Union Minister V. Narayanasamy said the statement was unacceptable.
“As far as India is concerned (late Prime Ministers) Indra and Rajiv Gandhi supported Tamils. We even lost Rajiv Gandhi (assassinated by members of LTTE), who sent Indian Peace Keeping Force to help Tamils. Rajapaksa’s statement is unacceptable. Sri Lanka is responsible for terrorism as Tamils took to terrorism because their rights were denied,” he told reporters at the Chennai Airport here on Firday.
New Delhi did not support any kind of terrorist activities, he added.
India has a duty to protect Tamils wherever they are and it had pressed for independent and credible investigation into alleged war crimes by Sri Lankan army at the UNHRC, he said.
“Unfortunately, the state political parties are concealing that. The truth will come out ultimately,” the Minister of State in the PMO, added.
Fishermen issue
Mr. Narayanasamy also denied the Centre was not acting on attacks on fishermen from Tamil Nadu by Sri Lankan Navy.
Indian consular officials were immediately asked to work for the release of fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, he said, adding that only talks between fishermen of the two countries could ensure a lasting solution to the matter.
The Minister also called for increased patrolling by the Indian Coast Guard and Naval ships in the area to prevent attacks on local fishermen.
Keywords: V. Narayanasamy, Eelam war, Rajapaksa government, LTTE, Indo-Lanka Accord, Sri Lankan Tamils, Sri Lanka war crimes, Indo-Sri Lanka ties, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Gotabaya Rajapaksa
April 13th, 2013 at 5:29 am
“Therefore, let me ask: Is it better to have the Indian Union restrain Tamil Nadu (just as our allies in Kerala and Pandya helped to do in days past) and defend Sri Lanka with other allies, and an effective military for deterrence against all comers, while minimizing Indian influence within Sri Lanka for added protection as I suggested,”
AnandaUSA, tell me one thing. Do you actually think India is restraining TN???
LOL!! No, they are egging them on against us. Never say never about a peaceful Tamil Nadu. Europeans used to say Germans have been warlike and would keep trying to wipe out the rest of Europe for thousands of years. But look at Germany today. Peaceful, developed and helping their neighbors. The problem is not Tamils, the problem is backwardness.
Tamil Nadu is not the most developed part of India. There is Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, all more developed. (FYI Tamil Nadu was not Mysore state, it was Madras State. Mysore is now Karnataka). If all these countries were independent, we could potentially align directly with all or some of them just like England aligned with France against the Germans and Germans against the French etc. TN is also in the bad books with some of them – or will be soon.
I agree with you that we need powerful friends elsewhere but where are they? Cuba? Burkino Faso? Youve got to be joking! No there are only 2 entities powerful enough to block India: China and the West. The West is brainwashed against us (mainly by INDIA and also by the diaspora) and our people too suspicious/brainwashed against the West to meaningfly engage them any more. China is still too weak. Just another 50 years may have been all our unique and proud nation needed to be saved from anhillation by maniacs. Very sad.
April 13th, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Voice123:
During Indira Gandhi’s time India’s Policy against Sri Lanka originated at the Center, not in Tamil Nadu. Although Taml Nadu was not the originator, it was a willing accomplice because it fitted perfectly with the Greater Tamil Nadu vision that was frustrated within India itself by Nehru’s threats and the anti-sedition laws he enacted.
Ever since India’s LTTE portege acquired a political base in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu tail has been wagging the Indian dog. That scenario was INEVITABLE given the Tamil propensity towards self-centered Communalism/Racism that continually pits them even against other Indians. Tamil social backwardness is a part and parcel of their communal nature, brainwashed and ingrained in them over thousands of years. It is a question of what came first …. the backwardness or their deeply ingrained prejudices.
I disagree, Tamil Nadu is economically and industrially the most developed State of India. Please study the issue state-by-state on the Internet; I will present the statistical details later in another post.
Yes, you are right … Tamil Nadu was indeed Madras State and Mysore was Karnataka. I knew that but made a stupid mistake in my hurried writing. My apologies. Mea culpa … Mea maxima culpa!
No, I was not referring to Cuba and Burkina Faso, good joke, LOL!. China is indeed our main defender, but there are others like Russia and Japan, and third-level emerging economic powers such as Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia, South Korea, etc. Also, at the United Nations … it is the number of votes counts, not the size of the country …. and here even smaller allies are important.
Also, as trading partners, most countries …. developed and developing …. are important to establish a diversified trading base, that cannot be easily shut off by an embargo orchestrated by a few countries, such as the US which frequently uses this tool to achieve its foreign policy goals. Although the US is the only superpower, it is not Sri Lanka’s biggest trading partner. The world’s economic base is shifting to the Asia-Pacific region …. even the US is adapting to that reality. You may have seen the GOSL making a sustained effort to establish economic links and markets for Sri Lanka in countries we have not previously interacted with closely. In economic, the cumulative level of trade and exports matters.
You said, “The West is brainwashed against us (mainly by INDIA and also by the diaspora) and our people too suspicious/brainwashed against the West to meaningfully engage them any more. ” This is TRUE, but the situation is not completely bleak, and the West is not a monolithic group acting in unison, so keep your chin up. The West is in deep economic trouble, and capitalist democracies have failed to protect their economies and provide for their people. Even the US is deeply divided between corrupt deeply intrenched politicians on the left and right, and the people are getting fed up with their insecurity.
Regarding your statement “Just another 50 years may have been all our unique and proud nation needed to be saved from anhillation by maniacs. Very sad.”, I concur but I am VERY OPTIMISTIC about Sri Lanka achieving her economic goals …. PROVIDED …. we maintain internal stability and unity and a PATRITIC Government committed to New Wonder of Asia vision remains in power.
I am CONVINCED that VERY LARGE MAJORITY of Sri Lanka’s people understand and support that VISION, irrespective of what dissatisfied elements bribed by foreigners and traitors say and do. I have NO DOUBT that Sri Lanka will achieve that vision in the NEXT TWO DECADES to benefit future generations of Sri Lankan citizens.