Nor has ethnic cleansing and war against the Tamils abated in Sri Lanka. Not with the improved civilisation of the Sinhalese people and their leaders. Not with the numerous involvements by the international community for cheering the talk of peace talks.

Not with the highest level of devotion to Buddhism and humanity by the Sinhalese people. Not with burgeoning peace talks and some antiwar sentiments lasted during the last four years.

During the 58 years since the Independence of Ceylon, for so many “premeditated” and planned strategies and executions have been carried out by the Sri Lankan government to marginalise the Tamils in Sri Lanka and deny them the rights to self-determination and homeland. On any single day during these 58 years, the Sinhala nation consistently took actions against the Tamil humanity.

As I write, a low intensity and undeclared war is going on between Tamil nation and Sinhala nation and at least some is being killed right now. This low intensity war will become another arena for outbreak of a major, possibly the final war between the Tamils and Sinhalese. This can only be averted by the Sri Lankan government by immediately recognising and declaring that the Tamils have the rights to their self-determination and homeland. This is a required and necessary condition for future participation with Sinhalese by Tamils in finding peaceful resolution (not the talk of talk for peace) to the Tamil national question.

At the Thimpu talks held in Bhutan in 1985, the united voice of the then Tamils delegation established the foundation for negotiated political solution to the Tamil national question – homeland and self-determination. Deviating from this foundation and engaging in talk by any Tamil group or leader will surely add to the history of continuing deception by the Sinhalam. This assertion can be substantiated by the fact that the four years of “talking to talk peace” have not yield positive tangible outcomes for the Tamils. The Sri Lankan Government is using the “psychology of peace” not only to deceive the Tamils, but also to benefit from the International community.

It is very clear that the Sri Lankan government is not prepared to accept the “self-determination” and “homeland” demand from the Tamils. In June 2006, the Sri Lankan President and the Foreign Minister have clearly stated that they will not consider and recognise the “self-determination” and “homeland” for Tamil in finding a political solution to the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan Government said that any solution to the crisis should be acceptable to the majority of Sri Lankans (the Sinhalese)”. In order to ensure this Sinhala position, the Sri Lanka President has appointed an advisory committee in June 2006 to work out the formalities for finding a solution to the ethnic conflict. This committee has no true Tamil members in it. It should be noted that the appointing a majority of the Presidential Advisory Committee members - 11 out of 12 belonging to the Sinhala speaking ethnic group, with no Tamil representative, reflects a true and calculated move that the whole exercise is a forerunner for enforcing a Sinhalese solution to the Tamil issues.

This deep-rooted ethnic cleansing attitude is the reason for the total failure of the “Oslo-2” - talking for peace talk - in June 2006. The “Sinhala” solution to the ethnic conflict will not win the hearts and minds of the Tamil community. Therefore, the Sri Lankan government should first recognise the rights to “self-determination and homeland” for the Tamil people before calling them for yet another futile “talk for talking peace”.

The “Thimpu” foundation “is a joint and unanimous view that any meaningful solution to the Tamil national question must be based on the following four cardinal principles”:

1. Recognition of the Tamils of Sri Lanka as a Tamil nation.
2. Recognition of the existence of a designated joined north-east homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka.
3. Recognition of the right of self-determination of the Tamil nation.
4. Recognition of the right to citizenship and the fundamental rights of the Tamils who look upon the island as their country.

The conception of the 'nation' reinforces the fact that the Tamil 'possess' a recognised territory, with which they are habitually associated. This is also reconnecting the Tamil to their history and their kingdoms. This principle is vital because of the unwillingness by the Sri Lankan government to dismantle the unitary Sinhala constitution in order to accommodate the aspirations of the Tamil people - recognise the homeland, self-determination, and inalienable language rights and cultural diversity. Thus, the recognition of homeland and self-determination should be the “non-negotiable” condition for the future talk with the Sinhala nation to find a resolution via negotiations.

It is a fact that the Tamils lobbied Britain for a united “Ceylon” in the 1940s and totally supported it without knowing that the “Sinhalam” will marginalise the Tamil humanity upon independence. Who would have thought that the Sinhalam would do this for the Tamils? Because the Sri Lankan government had began and is continuing with the marginalisation of the Tamils, the need for recalling and reemphasising the self-determination has become paramount important for the Tamils.

The 'self determination' demand should not be interpreted in such a manner as to dismember the Sinhala nation and its sovereignty. Two demarcated nations could co-exist side-by-side by conducting their political, economic, social, and cultural business in compliance with the principle of international protocols and diplomacy. Possibly, Tamils and Sinhalese can be friendlier than ever in the living memory of the Sri Lanka through the political separation.Since 1948, the majority Sinhala race is pursuing a policy of genocide against the Tamils in Sri Lanka. The genocide is not a mere fact of there being ethnic violence between the Sinhalese and Tamils. There is clear intent on the part of the Sinhalam to destroy the Tamils, either in total or in part, by using land, education, employment and cultural heritage as the tools. Over the years, the genocide intent was accomplished through state-sponsored violence and terrorism and counter violence and terrorism. However, the majority Sinhalam was more responsible than the Tamils were for the acts of violence taking place in Sri Lanka recently.

The Tamils have asked for independence and self-government through the peaceful and consensual subdivision of the Sri Lanka during the period between 1948 and 1980s. They asked the Sinhala government not to change the borders and composition of the population of the Tamil homeland within the unitary constitution with intent to eliminate the voices of the Tamils. However, the Sri Lankan government unilaterally executed legislations and established power to take away the fundamental rights of Tamil people by violent means. This is the root cause of the demand for separation by violence means by the Tamils. It should be noted that non-violence approach taken by the Tamils were defeated by the Sri Lankan government by the use of forces and violence.

The sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Tamil nation within the established international system, and the principle of equality of opportunity for all people, both of great value and importance, will be protected within the Tamil homeland. Within an independent Tamil nation, every ethnic, religious or linguistic group can co-exist and there would be no limit to build security, peace and economic living. Respect for democratic principles at all levels of social existence will be ensured within communities. Our constant duty should be to maintain the integrity of each while ensuring equity and equality of opportunities for all.

Certainly, the recognition of homeland and self-determination by the Sri Lankan government is the only way out to find a lasting peace between Sinhalese and Tamils. Tamils want peace with dignity, equity and justice. This will be the real peace and lasting solution.

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