Shenali D Waduge

Commencing with the ITAK in 1949 and its aims and objectives to the TULF and the Vaddukoddai Resolution of 1976 and the formation of the LTTE in the same year/month, to the demands made by LTTE (Thimpu Principles/ISGA as solutions) and India’s solutions (Indo-Lanka Accord/13^th amendment) the similarities in the demands being made and the wordings used cannot be a coincidence. Taken together these highlight a very concerted effort with foreign support to divide an island nation using an ethnic group as excuse for the political aspirations of a handful of elite caste/class whose aspirations have combined well with the geopolitical needs and wishes of parties/countries & organizations that have been aligned to these players over the years. Demands for self-determination, autonomy, self-rule are all terminologies created by the British/West and indoctrinated into locals through colonial education system. The first demands have come even under British rule and aligned to India’s Tamil Nadu self-determination so obviously Sri Lanka’s Tamils who descend from India’s coastal Malabar and adjoining areas are only continuing the initial clarion call. Sadly, the context of these calls have not been highlighted by the politicians in Sri Lanka in particular the Sinhalese politicians of all political parties.

ITAK – Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi

• Formed on 18 Dec 1949 (a year after Sri Lanka gained independence from the British)

• ITAK says ‘Shamasthi’ stood for Federalism why have they replaced it with ‘Innaipatchchi’ in 2008?

Excerpts from speech by Samuel J. V. Chelvanayagam, 1949, Maradana, Ceylon.  http://dh-web.org/hrsits/SJV1949.html

• We have met together with the common aim of creating an organisation to work for the attainment of freedom for the Tamil speaking people of Ceylon.”

• Tamil speaking people were divided into three groups: Muslims, Indian Tamils and Ceylon Tamils.”

• The Muslims and Ceylon Tamils occupy parts of the country which had been least developed during the British period and had actually under­gone decay.”

• “The Tamil people of Ceylon have rejected the Soulbury Constitution in as much as at the general elections not one Tamil candidate of the U. N. P. was elected to Parliament and all but one of the Tamil Representatives who voted for the acceptance of the White Paper of 1945 in the defunct State Council were (sic) defeated. The All Ceylon Tamil Congress demands a free constitution for Ceylon conferring sovereignty on its people with equal freedom for all communities and calls for a constituent assembly to frame a constitution acceptable to all sections of the people. An Unitary Government with present composition of legislature and structure of executive totally una­acceptable to the Tamils. In the absence of a satisfactory alternative we demand the right of self-determination for the Tamil people.” (Telegram sent by President of the Tamil Congress through the Governors Office to the Secretary of State for the Colonies on 20th November 1947)

The 15th National Convention of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi which met in Vauniya on 5, 6, 7 September 2014. The ITAK passed 15 resolutions https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/full-text-of-the-itak-15-resolutions-including-merger-of-the-north-and-east-provinces/

The 15th National Convention of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi which met in Vauniya on 5, 6, 7 September 2014. 15 Resolutions were passed

1. ITAK assures to take forward the political aspirations of the Tamil People until the objective of ‘autonomous rule in the North East based on the principles of self-determination and shared sovereignty within a united, undivided Sri Lanka’ is achieved.

2. ITAK invites Tamil, Muslim political parties, formations, forces and all progressive forces within Sri Lanka to join struggle through a new constitutional arrangement based on maximum devolution to solve the ethnic conflict. Requests India, international community and people of Sri Lanka not to permit GOSL to breach provisions of Indo-Lanka Accord. ITAK resolves that the Indo-Lanka agreement should be implemented in full.

3. GOSL has failed to keep its promises on a) war crimes investigations b)resettlement, rehabilitation and livelihood support c)political solution to India and international community. GOSL is accused of gender based and other violence on women and children. GOSL is colonizing Tamil areas. ITAK appeals to India and international community to halt ‘genocidal actions of the government”.

4. ITAK thanks USA and other countries and diaspora for March 2014 UNHRC Resolution. ITAK commits to assist them to conduct international inquiry. ITAK requests Tamil people to give evidence before the inquiry and ITAK assures to make available ‘avenues’ for this purpose. ITAK claims ‘our people have no faith in the present internal inquiry’.

5. ITAK expresses concern about forced disappearance during, prior to and after the end of the war. ITAK appeals to GOSL and international mechanism that those responsible must be identified and punished and those alive returned to their next of kin and compensation paid for those dead.

6. ITAK says thousands of Tamils displaced internally or taken residence outside of country. State aided colonisation schemes have changed demography and population percentage. Parliament seats in Jaffna district reduced from 9 to 6. People must be resettled in Valikamam North and Sampoor.

7. ITAK appeals to repeal PTA – Prevention of Terrorism Act. Former combatants released must be integrated into society and given assistance in education and jobs.

8. Suppression of media freedom must be removed. Corruption, dictatorship and family rule brought to an end and good governance restored. 18^th amendment to be repealed. Independent institutions established. Executive Presidential system abolished.

9. ITAK condemns majoritarian forces. State aided colonization to be halted. Dual citizenship must be given to Tamils who have settled overseas.

10. GOSL has neglected Tamil people’s economic condition using discriminatory policies.

11. Dispute between Tamil fishermen from India and Sri Lanka must not continue. Bottom-trawling that destroys marine bed to be banned. Indian Govt, Tamil Nadu State, Sri Lankan Government and NPC ‘Government’ to act jointly to find a solution. People from the south coming with the assistance of the army and navy must be stopped

12. Exploitation of those who depend on palmyrah should cease and no intervention from central ministry. Thikkam distillery has to be handed back to employees and given back to the NPC.

13. Natural resources – minerals, forests, sand in ‘Tamil areas’ to be preserved. Iranaimadu water project to be re-formulated. Arumugam Plan to be implemented.

14. National question can be solved only through maximum possible devolution of political power to the merged NorthEast province”.

15. If the GOSL continues ‘suppressing our people, grabbing more land, destroy our people’s wealth, subject our women and children to abuse and keep postponing the achieving of a political solution’ before the end of 2014 ITAK resolves to ‘commence a non-violent struggle in the lines of Mahatma Gandhi from January next year (2015)’. ITAK appeals to international community including India to support.

Sampanthan’s speech at the 14th Annual ITAK convention in 2012 Batticoloa covered the following points : http://www.tamilcanadian.com/article/6255

• ITAK ‘political symbol of the Tamil Nation with its own political culture and ideals’

• ITAK ‘single most recognized political organization both here and abroad, which embodies the political aspirations of the Tamil people’

• ITAK remembers the ‘Tamil youth who sacrificed their lives in armed struggle’

• ITAK is gathered following ‘our victory in the passage of the recent Resolution at UN Human Rights Council’

• ITAK created by SJV Chelvanayagam father of the Tamil Nation to establish self determination of the Tamil people. ‘This objective is evident in both the name of the party and the manner in which it operates’.

• ITAK is the leader of the TNA alliance

• ITAK is now the ‘legitimate representative of the Tamil people’

• ‘Tamil United Liberation Front, of which our party was a member took the historical decision to establish the separate government of Tamil Eelam in 1976’

• ‘India will never welcome a political solution in Sri Lanka that does not accord with the interests of India’.

• ‘Our expectation for a solution to the ethnic problem of the sovereignty of the Tamil people is based on a political structure OUTSIDE that of a UNITARY GOVERNMENT, in a UNITED SRI LANKA in which Tamil people have all the powers of government needed to live with self-respect and self sufficiency’.

• ‘North and East of Sri Lanka are the areas of historical habitation of the Tamil speaking people’.

• ‘meaningful devolution should go beyond the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution passed in 1987’.

• ‘our priority now is to expose the Sri Lankan government that for so many years in the past attempted to describe the ethnic problem and a ‘terrorist problem’”.

• The international practice prevalent during the mid eighties, when the intervention of India occurred, has now changed. Although the issue at hand is the same, the prevailing conditions are different. The struggle is the same, but the approaches we employ are different. Our aim is the same, but our strategies are different. The players are the same, but the alliances are different. That is the nature of the Tamil people. Although we still have the same aim, the methods we use are now different.”

• United States and India are to a great extent supporting our position.”

• the Sri Lankan government will eventually be forced to include our participation in schemes being implemented for the economic development of our people. However, until then, we must be patient.”

TULF Tamil United Liberation Front

Vaddukoddai Resolution emerged from the first National Convention of the Tamil United Liberation Front meeting at Pannakam (Vaddukoddai Constituency) on the 14th day of May, 1976 by Chairman S.J.V. Chelvanayakam.

5 objectives were declared

1. State of Tamil Eelam to consist of North & Eastern provinces to all Tamil speaking people

2. Constitution of Tamil Eelam based on principles of decentralization. No foremost place to any religion or territorial community.

3. Tamil Eelam will assure equal status to all

4. Tamil Eelam will be a secular state with equal protection to all religions

5. Tamil will be language of the State but Sinhala speaking minority can educate and transact in Sinhala subject to reciprocity of Tamil speaking minority in Sinhala state.

The Convention called upon Tamil youth to ‘throw themselves fully’ to ‘fight’ for freedom and to ‘flinch not till the goal of a sovereign state of Tamil Eelam is reached”.

TULF Manifesto 1977

http://www.sangam.org/FB_HIST_DOCS/TULFManifesto77.htm

The TULF formed an alliance with the three Indian backed paramilitary groups, Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF), Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), to contest the 15 February 1989 election. The alliance won 3.40% of the popular vote and 10 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Note: Prabakaran set up Tamil New Tigers (TNT) on May 22, 1972 at the age of 17 immediately after the Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka. In 1975 he killed Jaffna Mayor Alfred Duraiappah. He rechristened TNT as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on May 5, 1976 just days before the Vaddukoddai Resolution calling youth to fight for freedom.

http://www.sangam.org/FB_HIST_DOCS/vaddukod.htm

The TULF Manifesto also stated that Eelam would be ultimately established either by peaceful means or by direct action or struggle.”

TULF 1994

Then TULF President, M. Sivasiththamparam, petitioned the court on July 8, 1994 for cancellation of the Jaffna poll. TULF pointed out the absurdity in having an election in the Jaffna electoral district as only about 10 per cent of the population lived in the area, under government control, whereas the rest lived with the LTTE. http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=112090

 TULF Manifesto 2010

http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/03/election_manifesto_full_text_t.html

TNA – Tamil National Alliance

TNA formed on 1^st October 2001 month after 9/11 and the US War on Terror.

TNA 2001 election manifesto

http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2010/03/TNA_Election_Manifesto_2001.pdf

1. Recognition of the Tamils of Sri Lanka as a distinct nationality.

2. Recognition of an identified Tamil homeland and guarantee of its territorial integrity.

3. Based on the above, recognition of the inalienable right of self-determination of the Tamil nation. 

4. Recognition of the right to full citizenship and other fundamental democratic rights of all Tamils who look upon the island as their country.’

The immediate aims and objectives of the Tamil Alliance comprising the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) are the following: –

1. i) The immediate lifting of the economic embargo currently in force in parts of the northeast province

1. ii) The withdrawal of the residential and travel restrictions foisted on the Tamil nationality

iii) The immediate cessation of the war being currently waged in the northeast

1. iv) The immediate commencement of the process of negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE) with international third party involvement.

TNA 2004 election manifesto https://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2010/03/TNA_Election_Manifesto_2004pdf.pdf

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2014/10/26/dont-deal-with-pro-ltte-tna/

• Find a political solution to the Tamil national problem based on the acceptance of the fundamental proposals regarding (Tamil Nation’s) Tamil homeland, Tamil Nation, Tamils’ right to self-government (autonomy). 

• TNA on Muslims – Muslims have Tamil as their Mother tongue like the Tamils and on the recognition that they have lived in amity amongst the Tamil in the Tamil homeland, the TNA has decided that any solution to the Tamil national problem must incorporate matters and features that reassure the distinctiveness, security, culture and economy of the Muslims.

• Sinhala nation should accept ISGA document put forward by the LTTE which contains excellent proposals  

• The high security zones and armed forces camps which are located in areas populated by Tamils disregarding their welfare, priority given to strategic interest of warfare, should be removed and arrangements made for the Tamil people to return and settle in their places of residence.

• The armed forces’ interdiction and oppression imposed must be lifted

• The international community should step forward and directly assist in the pressing humanitarian needs and economic development schemes and improve the economic life of the Tamil nation.

• The political prisoners unreasonably held in jail for years should all be released forthwith.

• An international judicial inquiry should be conducted to deliver justice to our people

• All the provisions of the cease-fire agreements must be completely fulfilled and peace and normalcy should prevail in our homeland.

• The LTTE has for the past two years put up with the violent, surly behaviour of the armed forces without impairing the conditions for peace and observing the cease-fire and acting steadfastly and firmly towards the path of peace. Hence, the international community should create the environment by removing the restrictions put in place by certain countries on the LTTE, the authentic sole representatives of the Tamil people, so that they could, with authority, dignity and with equal status conduct talks with the government of Sri Lanka.

• Accepting LTTE’s leadership as the national leadership of the Tamil Eelam Tamils and the Liberation Tigers as the sole and authentic representatives of the Tamil people, let us devote our full cooperation for the ideals of the Liberation Tigers’ struggle with honesty and steadfastness. Let us endeavour determinedly, collectively as one group, one nation, one country, transcending race and religious differences, under the leadership of the LTTE for a life of liberty, honor and justice for the Tamil people. Let us work side by side with the LTTE, who are fighting for the protection and autonomous life of the Tamil speaking people, for the political initiatives under their leadership.  

TNA 2010 election manifesto

http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/03/full_text_general_election_201.html

• Tamil people a distinct nationality

• Tamil speaking Northern & Eastern provinces are historical habitation of the Tamil people peoples.

• Tamil people are entitled to right of self-determination

• Power sharing arrangement must be established in a unit merged Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a federal structure

• Devolution of power over land, law and order, socioeconomic development including health, education, resources and fiscal powers

• Direct foreign investment in the North & East

• Tertiary education

• Demilitarization return to pre-war 1983

• Resettlement of Tamil people in their original places, housing and livelihood to be restored.

• Compensation paid to loss of lives, maimed as a result of military campaign

• Releasing persons detained without charges

• Tamils who fled country must be allowed to return

• Creation of employment opportunities for youth with participation of International Community & Tamil Diaspora

• No displaced persons

• Special commission to  uplift socially and economically disadvantaged sections of society

• TNA will raise standard of living of fishing communities providing them access to modern technologies

• Increasing salaries of government servants and private sector employees

• Equal status to women,

• TNA assures to secure employment opportunities to unemployed graduates

TNA 2013 election manifesto (Northern Provincial Council election)

https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/full-text-tnas-northern-provincial-council-election-manifesto-2013/

• The Tamils are a distinct People and from time immemorial have inhabited this island together with the Sinhalese People and others

• The contiguous preponderantly Tamil Speaking Northern and Eastern provinces is the historical habitation of the Tamil Speaking Peoples

• The Tamil People are entitled to the right to self-determination

• Power sharing arrangements must be established in a unit of a merged Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a Federal structure, in a manner also acceptable to the Tamil Speaking Muslim people

• Devolution of power on the basis of shared sovereignty shall necessarily be over land, law and order, socio-economic development including health and education, resources and fiscal powers.

TNA 2015 Parliamentary Election Manifesto – issued by the TNA comprising of ITAK, TELO, EPRLF and PLOTE.

https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/tna-manifesto-full-text/

• The Tamils are a distinct People with their own culture, civilization, language and heritage and from time immemorial have inhabited this island together with the Sinhalese People and others (slight change to their earlier stand)

• The contiguous preponderantly Tamil Speaking Northern and Eastern provinces is the historical habitation of the Tamil People and the Tamil Speaking Peoples

• The Tamil People are entitled to the right to self-determination in keeping with United Nations International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both of which Sri Lanka has accepted and acceded to

• Power sharing arrangements must continue to be established as it existed earlier in a unit of a merged Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a Federal structure. The Tamil speaking Muslim historical inhabitants shall be entitled to be beneficiaries of all power-sharing arrangements in the North-East. This will no way inflict any disability on any People.

• Devolution of power on the basis of shared sovereignty shall be over land, law and order, enforcement of the law so as to ensure the safety and security of the Tamil People, socio-economic development including inter-alia health, education, higher and vocational education, agriculture, fisheries, industries, livestock development, cultural affairs, mustering of resources, both domestic and foreign and fiscal powers.

• Direct foreign investment in the North-East should be facilitated resulting in new industries and employment opportunities being created for youth

• Avenues for tertiary education should also be set-up so that those who cannot enter universities can pursue higher education in relevant fields

Anandasangaree writes to Narendra Modi in 2014 and says TNA is LTTE proxy http://www.mea.gov.lk/index.php/en/news-from-other-media/5352-mr-modi-tna-is-a-lttes-proxy-anandasangaree-

In a letter to Indian PM Modi TULF leader Anandasangaree says TULF MP Mavai Senathirajah who is in the process of reviving the Federal Party (ITAK) visited Killinochchi had meetings with the LTTE Deputy Political Commissar Thangan on 14-10-2003. The revival of the Federal party is being undertaken at the behest of the LTTE”…. The TNA was started by four parties of which TULF was one. The TULF was replaced by ITAK without any reference to anybody or to the party concerned. All concerned parties should now accept that both the TNA and the ITAK had been revived by dishonest means on the instigation of the LTTE to look after their interest. It is this TNA that nominated candidates for all electoral districts in the North and in the East for the 2004 elections, Mr. Tamilselvan retaining half the number of slots in each one of the electoral districts. Of all the members elected to the 2004 Parliament, majority belonged to the LTTE.”

In the same letter Anandasangaree writes that the secretaries of the ITAK, ACTC, Telo & EPRLF endorsed Accepting the leadership of the LTTE as the National Leadership of the Tamil people and also accepting the LTTE as the real sole – representatives of the Tamil people, we honestly and firmly pledge to give our full support for the struggle the LTTE had undertaken on behalf of the Tamil Nation”.

LTTE – Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

The LTTE aims to create a separate homeland for the Tamils known as the Tamil Eelam (State) in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. The LTTE leadership was organized along a two-tier structure: a military wing and a subordinate political wing. Overseeing both was a central governing committee, headed by the LTTE chief, Velupillai Prabhakaran.  http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/shrilanka/terroristoutfits/LTTE.HTM

Thimpu Principles – demands made by LTTE delegation in 1985

• recognition of the Tamils of Ceylon as a nation

• recognition of the existence of an identified homeland for the Tamils of Ceylon

• recognition of the right of self determination of the Tamil nation

• recognition of the right to citizenship and the fundamental rights of all Tamils of Ceylon

Note: Term Ceylon Tamils came to be used only after 1911 prior Tamils were known and referred to as Malabars by Portuguese, Dutch and British. Malabars are from India and have no right to seek self-determination in Sri Lanka while Ceylon Tamils earlier known as Malabars cannot seek self-determination either!

Global Tamil Forum

http://www.globaltamilforum.org/

Key objectives

• The creation of an independent, international war crimes accountability mechanism.

• A negotiated political settlement that ends Tamil marginalisation. GTF, along with other Diaspora groups and Tamil representatives in Sri Lanka, are working towards a Tamil Common Declaration, which will state the conditions conducive to a political settlement that addresses the underlying grievances of the Tamil people.

• The resettlement of IDPs to their places of origin.

• An investigation into the fate and location of persons reported to have been disappeared.

• The publication of a detainee database list.

• The demilitarisation of Tamil areas and the restoration of complete civil administration to all militarised government departments and national institutions.

• The end of the Sinhalisation of Tamil majority areas, with immediate effect.

• To engage with civil society in South of Sri Lanka, in order to facilitate better understanding of each communities concerns and problems on the island.

 Transnational Government for Tamil Eelam

The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a political formation to win the freedom of the Tamil people on the basis of their fundamental political principles of Nationhood, Homeland and Right of self-determination. http://www.tgte-us.org/about.html

It is not difficult to see that there is a very concerted and coherent call by ITAK, TNA, remnants of LTTE, LTTE fronts and even India to seek a separate nation. Their demands are aligned to the initial quest for self-determination in Tamil Nadu calling for a homeland for all Tamils of the world. The wordings used have been carefully articulated over the years so as to curry flavor with other self-determination quests and aligned to the UN (West’s instrument and puppet) who will be the mechanism to deliver these goals.

Sambanthan’s 2012 speech made in Batticoloa to the Tamil people is crucial to understand the psyche.

Although the issue at hand is the same, the prevailing conditions are different. The struggle is the same, but the approaches we employ are different. Our aim is the same, but our strategies are different. The players are the same, but the alliances are different. That is the nature of the Tamil people. Although we still have the same aim, the methods we use are now different.”

Sambanthan says the issue (self-determination for Tamils) is the same.

Sambanthan says the struggle (self-determination for Tamils) is the same

Sambanthan says their aims are the same (but strategies are different)

Sambanthan says the players are the same (but alliances are different

Sambanthan ends by saying That is the nature of the Tamil people. Although we still have the same aim, the methods we use are now different”

Where are our Sinhala politicians one has to wonder and what have they being doing about these calls to counter them with historical facts and evidence and place proper factual arguments before the world’s public who have been fooled all these years with lies and distorted history?

Shenali D Waduge

• http://www.onlanka.com/news/itak-stop-fooling-sri-lanka-is-your-constitution-federal-or-confederal.html

• http://www.sinhalanet.net/sri-lanka-demands-to-know-if-itak-is-pretending-to-seek-a-federal-solution-but-aiming-for-a-confederacy

• http://www.onlanka.com/news/what-is-tamil-national-alliance-main-constituent-party-itak-trying-to-hide.html

• http://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=26298 a good look at the websites of the LTTE fronts banned by the GOSL in 2014 will reveal their aims are similar.

• Indo-Lanka Accord – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Sri_Lanka_Accord

• 13^th amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution made following the forced signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord in 1987 by India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_Constitution_of_Sri_Lanka

• LTTE’s proposals for an Interim Self-Governing Authority in the Northeast region of Sri Lanka http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/shrilanka/document/papers/LTTE_northeast.htm

• Mannar Bishop, TNA resurrect LTTE’s ISGA demand                                        http://www.seithy.com/breifNews.php?newsID=80355&category=EnglishNews