The continuing violence in Sri Lanka warns us of a dangerous situation that might explode into war any moment. As we witness the escalation of violence we are also aware of the views expressed against peace and in favour of violence. It is regretted to observe that the pressure exerted by certain countries of the world in the form of 'statements' only help to further complicate the inflammatory situation.

We have been already arguing that 'The Sri Lanka President Mahintha Rajapakse and his government are trying to find a solution for the Tamil national issue through military means.' His government is engaged in false propaganda in the world countries to strengthen the support for a military option. It continues to appeal to the world countries to ban the Liberation Tigers and to subject them to military and economical pressure.

'We feel that the views expressed by certain countries like USA, supporting these appeals which are detrimental to the peace process, will help only to obstruct the Tamils achieving a Just solution for peace.'

We wish that world countries like USA should consider certain historical truths.

What is the primary reason for the past problems and those of today? And who are the people responsible for these problems? The right answers for these questions will help realise the truth.

The Sinhala leaderships and the Sinhala regimes which had ruled the island of Sri Lanka since independence from the British had never upheld democratic traditions. On the contrary they had acted against the cannons and lofty values of true democracy. The democratic rights of the Tamils have been continuously refused and robbed. All their democratic and non-violent struggles to regain the lost rights were crushed by Sinhala regimes who unleashed violence on the Tamils. They have repeatedly violated the rights of the Tamils in every sphere of their life. Military violence, political violence( in the form of a discriminatory constitution), violation of education in the form of Standardization and racial violence are some of the notorious acts of violence against the Tamils.

The Tamils were driven to take arms and engage in armed struggle purely because the Sinhala regimes had desecrated democracy through violence and because they had failed to uphold democracy.

It is because the Tamils were able to successfully meet the Sinhala regimes' violence against democracy and the victories reaped in the Tamil armed struggle, the Sinhala regimes have been made to talk peace today!

The violent means by which the Sinhala regimes crushed democracy is nothing but State terrorism! The Tamils rose up with arms under the leadership of the Liberation Tigers to face the state terrorism and to preserve democracy. This is nothing but a struggle for the lost rights! Now we find countries like USA and Australia trying to brand this struggle of the Tamils as terrorism and to label the terrorism of the Sinhala regimes as democratic traditions! This itself is a gross violation of democracy!

It is foolishness on the part of such Western countries to turn a blind eye on the repeated and varied violence on the Tamils by the Sinhala regimes and to classify the struggle against these acts of violence as terrorism.

The views expressed recently by Mr. Jeffrey Lanceted, the US ambassador to Sri Lanka, clearly tarnish the values of democracy. He has said to the effect that If there is to be a war again, the Tigers will have to face a strong and effective Sri Lankan army and if Tigers reject the path of peace they will certainly face a difficult situation and that America has helped Sri Lanka militarily, only because it prefers peace in Sri Lanka. If America and its ambassador truly wish peace they should have issued such 'statements of pressure' to the Sri Lankan government!

The American state should actually have questioned the Sinhala regime and condemned its state terrorism which is the root cause of all the problems. How could a solution be found if America calls the struggle against state terrorism, terrorism?

The Sinhala people do not rise against their state in a creative manner even if they find fault in its governance. But if the American people feel that their government is in the wrong they rise against it to protest in a democratic manner. This behaviour continues from the time of Vietnam war.

But the government of America has not crushed such protests by employing means of violence. It wants to uphold and safeguard the time honoured traditions of democracy and its sanctity. Therefore its attitude to its people's likes and dislikes is based on democracy.

But the Sri Lanka regimes are notorious for having crushed democratic struggles through violent means. Therefore a struggle had erupted in response!

If this attitude of partiality in handling its citizens in one way and employing a contradictory policy for foreign countries like Sri Lanka is a fact, then it is obvious that it is belittling the American citizens and the democracy they hold sacred.

The parties concerned should realise that the Tamils neither expected the support nor hoped for the assistance of world countries like America, when they began their struggle for their lost rights. The Tamils have been continuously plagued by state terrorism for the last fifty years and the world countries have done nothing of consequence to remedy this situation. This maybe is due to lack of impartiality.

We wish to point another important matter here! The pressure thus exerted or assumed to be exerted by the countries concerned, may, after a certain stage, become altogether ineffective! We would like to say that they may become just hollow words in the future!

Having argued so far with the relevant facts from reality, we go on to state another matter concerning this discussion.

It is: 'There is time enough for redress!'

The countries of the world should come forward to address themselves sincerely and honestly to the task of achieving true and Just peace in the island of Sri Lanka. If it is true that America does not wish a war breaking in Sri Lanka again, as has been said by the American ambassador Mr. Jeffrey Lancelet, America and other countries concerned should employ the necessary political pressure and must accept certain facts!

• The world countries should publicly accept that the Sinhala regimes are solely responsible for the ethnic issue which began from the day Sri Lanka gained independence from the British, and that which continues up to the present.

• The world countries should accept that this ethnic issue - the Tamils national issue - without being addressed rightly, has grown to such gigantic proportions because of the Sinhala governments!

• The world countries should accept that so far no Sinhala regime, including the present one, had come forward to solve the ethnic issue in a Just manner.

• The world countries should accept that the present constitution of Sri Lanka is not only opposed to the Tamils but also to democratic norms and traditions.

The public acceptance of the above mentioned facts by world countries including America and Australia, will help to create an impression of impartiality and dedication to democracy, in the minds of the people of Sri Lanka as well their own citizens who will then be proud of their countries' foreign policies.

The countries of the world should also take the following important measures immediately.

• In keeping with the Memorandum of Understanding, Sri Lanka regime should disarm the Tamil armed bands. The joint leadership countries of Europe too had recently stressed this point to the Sri Lanka regime. The countries of the world including America and Australia should condemn the Sri Lanka regime for using these armed bands to derail the peace process. They should exert pressure on the Sri Lanka regime to disarm these armed bands.

• As stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding, the Sri Lankan military should vacate the houses, schools, public buildings and religious places they now occupy in the Tamil homeland. The countries of the world should exert pressure on the government of Sri Lanka to effect this.

• As agreed in the MOU, attempts should be made in the right direction to create an atmosphere of normalcy in the Tamil homeland. The diplomats who issue statements from Colombo and foreign countries, should immediately visit the redeemed Tamil homeland and get to know first-hand, the step-mother attitude and treatment of the Sri Lankan government.

• The countries of the world should publicly condemn the human rights violations, assassinations and sexual violence carried out by the Sri Lanka armed forces on the Tamil public. These countries should exert pressure on the government of Sri Lanka to immediately stop these violations.

• Although an year has passed since Tsunami disaster, no proper rehabilitation work has progressed due to the interim stay order issued by the 'justice' faculty of the Sri Lanka government against the proposed Joint Administrative Body. The countries of the world should concentrate their attention on this serious human right issue.

• We see the countries of the world harping on the topic of Peace Talks again and again. Will they please come forward to explain one thing? If peace talks should commence, what should be the topic for talks? A solution under unitary rule? A peace talk which rejects the principles envisaged by the Tamils? The countries of the world should clearly state the basic principles of the desired peace talks. Because it is evident that the government of Sri Lanka is opposed to all principles accepted hitherto by the countries of the world. It is our firm belief that nothing of worth could result from the peace talks until these doubts are cleared.

The countries of the world concerned should publicly accept the truth presented above. They should take the necessary actions and exert political pressure on the government of Sri Lanka. Then only the Tamils will believe that the countries of the world are sincere in their quest for true peace in the island. Otherwise it is inevitable that, after a certain stage, they will completely loose faith in these countries of the world.

We wish to say another important matter. We feel the visits to Vanni by Norway and other countries would prove fruitless if the above mentioned problems are not attended to. The countries of the world concerned, who say that they have been interested in a peace solution for the past four years, should come forward to take genuine interest urgently.

We wish to end this article by presenting a poem written by Major Bharathi, a Woman freedom fighter, who presents the matters discussed so far, in a surprisingly simple and stinging manner.

'Gentlemen leaders of the world!
Seated on stages high,
Discussing peace and progress!

Bow down to look at the flowerlike carpet,
Under your feet!
Human bodies twist beneath,
Like worms in agony!
They will, by force,
Open your blinded eyes!

The wings of a mother hen,
Safeguard only her chicks!
But here in this country,
They harbour the hawks!

World Peace!!!?

You are but ostriches,
Burying your head beneath this noble concept!'

This article is a translation of the analysis broadcast on Melbourne's 3CR Tamil Voice on January 231, 2006. The full Tamil version is published in www.tamilnathaam.com. The article is written by sabesan and translated by Vannijan.

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