TNA obstacle to post-war reconciliation-Arun T

By Shamindra Ferdinando


Western powers should realize that the TNA is still pursuing a separatist agenda at the expense of Sri Lanka recovering from three decades of bloodshed, SLFP’s Batticaloa Organizer and presidential advisor, Arun Tambimuttu alleges.



Slain EPRLF MP, Sam Tambimuttu’s son, Arun is concerned that the TNA’s partnership with Western powers can cause a debilitating setback to ongoing national reconciliation efforts.


Tambimuttu, in a brief interview with The Island, yesterday urged the US, EU countries and India not to be pawns in the hands of the crafty TNA leadership hell-bent on destabilizing the country.


Those wanting an international war crimes inquiry over accountability issues in Sri Lanka should inquire into the conduct of the TNA in the run-up to eelam war IV, during the war and the post-conflict period, he said.


The young politician claimed that the TNA’s declaration that the LTTE was the sole representative of the Tamil speaking people ahead of the April 2004 parliamentary polls set the stage for the bloodiest phase of the conflict. Tambimuttu alleged that a section of the Colombo-based diplomatic missions and some NGOs had thrown their weight behind the TNA’s sordid operation, aimed at regime change.


Arun moved to the UK following the assassination of his father and mother in Colombo during the UNP-LTTE honeymoon (May 1989 to June 1990). The assassination followed the abduction of Arun and his mother in Dec. 1989 in Batticaloa.


Having supported the LTTE’s war effort to the hilt, the TNA threw its weight behind former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka at the last presidential polls in Jan. 2010, he said. Unfortunately, those international players had conveniently forgotten the TNA’s conduct, particularly the failure on its part to oppose the use of child soldiers as cannon fodder, he said. Those politicians shedding crocodile tears today to advance political projects had never even bothered to condemn the LTTE’s reign of terror. Had they opposed the LTTE, thousands of lives could have been saved. "My parents were killed in Colombo during the ceasefire. They weren’t the only victims. The LTTE claimed the lives of those opposed to its ideals, regardless of the consequences. The TNA, too, is pursuing a destructive strategy, though the LTTE is not around to cause anymore death and destruction."


Responding to a query, Tambimuttu endorsed the SLFP-led government’s strong opposition to devolving land and police powers to the provinces. The implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution would be detrimental to national interests and could pave the way for the division of the country, on ethnic lines.


Nothing could be as important as swift implementation of much talked about trilingual policy and ensure equality among all communities, he said. Whatever the power hungry politicians said, those living abroad would respond positively to UPFA’s reconciliation efforts.


The SLFPer said that the PC system wasn’t workable and the general belief that the Northern and Eastern Provinces could be under one ruler was nothing but a joke.


Tambimuttu recalled a conversation with TNA leader R. Sampanthan, MP and Suresh Premachandran, MP, on contentious issues. "I asked them whether they can remember a time when both Jaffna and Batticaloa had been under one Tamil ruler. They didn’t respond to my query and I reminded them it was during the time of the Chief Minister of the then merged North-Eastern Province.


The TNA’s silence on the poaching issue involving the Tamil Nadu fishing fleet was indicative of their thinking. In spite of the livelihoods of those fisher families living in the Northern Province being seriously affected, the TNA wouldn’t raise the issue for obvious reasons, he said. Unfortunately, the TNA had been able to play politics with important issues, for want of counter measures.


Emphasizing the importance of Indo-Lanka relations, Tambimuttu said that Sri Lanka’s political and economical stability would be beneficial to India. The sooner India told the TNA to adopt a pragmatic approach instead of causing further turmoil for political gain, would benefit all stakeholders.


Commenting on a section of the LTTE joining the political mainstream, Tambimuttu emphasized the importance of Karuna et al working with the government. "Don’t forget Karuna’s decision to disband some 5,000 personnel under his command at the onset of hostilities between the Vanni and Batticaloa factions in early 2004 saved thousands of lives. Had he fought back, there would have been chaos at the expense of the government’s war effort." The politician declared that there wouldn’t have been peace without the eradication of the LTTE. The elimination of the LTTE was the key to peace. Unfortunately, those responsible for restoring peace were being targeted at the behest of individuals involved with the LTTE, he said.


An EU report, which dealt with the 2004 parliamentary polls, was evidence of the LTTE-TNA partnership, he said. Let Colombo-based embassies peruse the EU report before reaching a final conclusion, he said.


Asked whether he had ever contemplated giving up Sri Lankan citizenship, the politician said that since leaving the country following the assassination of his parents, he returned thrice before the conclusion of the conflict to renew his Sri Lankan passport. "I am not a dual citizen of any country but a Sri Lankan."