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An Open letter to H E the President, Minister of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order Mahinda Rajapakse, Sri Lanka
His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapakse,
Janadhipathi Mawatte,
Colombo-01Sri Lanka
Honoured Sir,
CAUSE OF TERRORISTIC STRATEGY SHOULD BE DEFEATED BEFORE DEFEATING TERRORISTS Singhalese regimes have never evinced any readiness or ability to negotiate to quench the aspirations of the Tamils for the last 60 years, since independence: When the Tamils struggled since independence in 1948 for their basic and fundamental rights by ways of ahimsa, all their struggles were crushed by the Singhalese armed forces and the thuggish extremist Buddhist Singhalese by ways of himsa, precipitating several riots unleashed on the Tamils without confronting any counter attacks in retaliation.
Democracy is the quantitative strength of the people, not qualitative: Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people purely depending only on their quantitative strength, irrespective of their qualitative strength racially, linguistically or religiously.
In Sri Lanka, a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country with a diverse and rich culture the will of the majoritarian Buddhist Sinhalese should not be imposed on the minority Tamils by the domination of communal extremism of the Singhalese race, and chauvinism of the Buddhist religion.
Just like the numerical strength of the majoritarian Singhalese racially, that could defeat any proposals of the minority Tamils at any referendum, numerical strength of the Singhalese representatives in the legislative assembly, or a national government or any adhoc All Party Representatives Advisory Committee racially could defeat any proposals submitted by the Tamil representatives on behalf of the minority Tamils.
Equality, the central principle of democracy is of the essence in forging ahead with any peace talks: Main theme of any the peace process should ensure before any embarkation on developmental, rehabilitation or resettlement ventures, that the Tamils are empowered to live with their basic, fundamental and equal rights just like any Buddhist Singhalese, as they were before the advents of Colonial rulers in the year 1505, as the Tamils are entitled to pursue their economic, social and cultural development and establish their self-autonomy, and self-identity within the framework of the United Nations' Charter, International humanitarian and human rights laws without any discrimination.
Bipartisan approach to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is a prerequisite to ensure a happier future constitutionally for the coming generations, with the neutralization of patriotic frenzy of any community based on its qualitative strength racially, linguistically or religiously.
Your Excellency, in a less squeamish and more belligerent fashion by your demagogic oratory, successfully manoeuvre to equate irrationally on a par with the International terrorism the internal struggle of the Tamils aspiring for their political rights within their territories, by your rhetorical prevarications and highly contorted version of truths whenever or wherever you speak and bluff your way out of any embarrassing situation. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander: Given that Sri Lanka is endowed with sovereignty, it would be comprehensible not only to a man of low intellect but even to a moron or a buddhu that the Tamil community is fully independent with complete freedom to govern itself cherishing their independence in as much as the Singhalese community is entitled to.
As much as a husband cannot subdue his wife into submission of his wishes against her desire though a family is fully independent and with complete freedom to govern itself, Sri Lankan regime with Singhalese Buddhist supremacy mindset cannot subdue militarily the minority Tamils into submission of the wishes of the Singhalese and foist its extremist policies on them with a specious claim of empowerment to unrestricted sovereignty or autarchy.
Obsessed with communal bias if the Singhalese community cannot share powers with the minority Tamils, system should be changed, loosened up, or broken off with the secession of Tamil territories from the rest of Sri Lanka as it is the only alternative. After independence in 1948, somewhere only in 1970s, the Tamil militant group was in its embryonic stage and indulged in its retaliatory attacks in self-defiance only since 1983.
Since 1983, over the last 25 years to date, in the war that ensued between the armed forces and the Tamil militants within the Tamil territories, churches, temples, schools, refugee camps, houses and business establishments were bombed and destroyed indiscriminately, killing, wounding, maiming or mangling in thousands inclusive of children while leaving behind children orphaned and men and women widowed besides the mass exodus of the Tamils in hundreds of thousands to foreign countries.
Singhalese regimes one after the other had tantalized the Tamils with false hopes and assurances:Governments one after the other had tantalized the Tamils with false hopes and assurances in a desultory fashion from time to time with tiring and boring treadmill of pacts, accords, conferences, talks, agreements, memorandums, appointments of committees etc,etc, which all turned into a complete fiasco, so far. After the Independence in 1948, former Prime Minister S.W.R.D.Bandaranayake from SLFP prioritized Singhalese only policy of 1956 and captured power defeating the U.N.P. Bandaranayke- S.J.V.Chelvanayagam Pact of 1957 was abrogated because of the UNP protests. Dudley Senanayake - S.J.V.Chelvanayagam Pact of 1965 was abrogated because of the SLFP protest. The Republican Constitution of 1972, robbed the minorities of even the scanty safeguards against discrimination provided under Section 29 of the Soulbury Constitution, introduced at independence in 1948. Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 was abrogated by the National Singhalese protests.
Sri Lankan Constitution is replete with ethnocentric assumptions: Sri Lankan Constitution emphasizes that, only a Buddhist Sinhalese could be the Head of government and state, Buddhism could be the State religion, Singhalese could be the official language, colonization of Tamil areas by Singhalese could be done at State expense, and a contrived standardization procedure to enter higher education could be enforced to benefit the Sinhalese with the suppression of Tamil children who thrive on education.
And also, on the sly the past historical records or the archaeological evidences of the country are being reportedly tampered with surreptitious interpolations to be advantageous to the Sinhalese community under the powerful iniquitous Buddhist Singhalese rule. By virtue of the Constitution in effect and force, even the judicature or the judicial system in Sri Lanka is of a bias favorable to the Buddhist Singhalese extremism.
Joint Mechanism formulated on humanitarian grounds to dispel the hardships of the Tsunami victims in the North-East also had been abrogated by the Sri Lankan judicature.
In spite of the fact that North and East were merged on 8th September 1988 to fall in line with the Indo-Sri Lanka Pact signed between the Executive President of Sri Lanka J.R.Jayawardane and the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on 29th July 1987, the said merger had been nullified by the Sri Lankan myopic judicature and this will surely have its repercussion one day or the other by way of abrogation of the agreement on Kachaitivu signed between the then Indian Prime Minister Indra Gandhi and the Sri Lankan Prime Minister.
Tamil territories are tyrannized under false pretences: Because the Tamils who lived in peace and harmony in the Tamil territories under civil rule clamoured for their political rights, under the subterfuge of emancipating the Tamils from the Tamil militants conferred with the poisonous term of terrorists on them, your hawkish regime tries all its best resorting to all terroristic military aggression possible to bully the Tamil community into submission. They are being threatened with extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances, displacements in tens of thousands, arbitrary detentions, aerial bombardment, closures of highways, and forced starvation besides denial of their other basic facilities expedient and necessary. Further, by the encroachment of the armed forces, by enforced expropriations army camps have mushroomed all over while cultivation and fishing industry have either been crippled or perished.
Militaristic atrocities in the Tamil territories cannot be condoned at any stage: It has to be pointed out that, during the insurgencies of the Singhalese JVP extremists, the armed forces of the government had never resorted to such tactics in the Singhalese areas, in consideration of the safety of the Singhalese civilians.
Induced by racial frenzy the Singhalese rulers indulge in militaristic activities: Under the patronage of regional and super powers, by being a pet in their hands, the Sri Lankan government roams around freely, and commits worst terroristic attacks in the Tamil homeland without being cracked down until the Tamil community is exterminated gradually but steadily.
In addition to their numerical strength, the Singhalese armed forces brazenly with impunity had already amassed sophisticated weaponry and armaments to satiety, together with multi-barrel guns, naval ships and war planes reserving funds enormously in the budget for war, in addition to other foreign aids from parties with vested interest, to crush only the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
A thorn to extract a thorn: As anyone can have access to a thorn to extract a thorn, it is a moot point whether a suppressed community can have access to terroristic strategies to counteract the effect of any terroristic and militaristic atrocities racially unleashed on them by a regimes of the majoritarian community to coerce them into abiding by their hawkish policies in which they are entrenched.
Bona fides of the Local Human Rights Agencies are unproven: As Local Human Rights Institutions in Sri Lanka are prejudicial to the aspirations of the Tamil community; provision of technical assistance by the International Human Rights organizations to assess the violations should be replaced with deployment of International Human Rights Monitors in Sri Lanka.
As per the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka published on November 4, 2007, Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has told the Senate on 2nd November, that a field presence of the Office of the High Commission for the Human Rights with sufficient mandate and capability to conduct full and unfettered monitoring throughout the country, communicate its findings to all sides of the conflict and the public and provide advice and technical assistance, is long overdue in Sri Lanka.
Lumping of all terrorists put together in one class, regardless of their remarkably contrasting policies and ideologies cannot be the basis for any deciding factor on terrorism: As per the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka published on October28, 2007, no less the US Senator Ms Hillary Clinton, a politician with tremendous popular charisma , wife of former US President Bill Clinton and incidentally the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for the US Presidential elections in 2008 has been quoted as saying in an interview with the Guardian that all terrorists cannot be lumped together since they all may be connected only by the tactics they use, though the goals they are fighting for are different as seen for instance, the fighting of Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, the Basque separatists in Spain, or the insurgents in al-Anbar province with an emphasis that terrorism is a tool that has been utilized throughout history to achieve certain objectives, though some have been ideological, while others are territorial or motivated by personality -driven terroristic objectives with their political, economic or religious agenda.
His Excellency cling on to jingoism professing communal extremism with xenophobic attitudes, to be deep rooted in power:Your Excellency with the sole aim of personal aggrandizement targeting totalitarianism, bagged the coveted post in 2005 with a combination of circumstances, your hawkish stance against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and solid backing from Jathika Hela Urumaya the party of the Buddhist monks and the Marxist-nationalist party Janatha Vimukti Peramuna, jettisoning all the aspirations of the Tamils for peace by prioritizing war, with your own ideology called Mahinda Chinthanaya which emphasizes, no Norway, no federal constitution, no right to Homeland, no self-determination, no nation-hood for Tamils, no PTOMS, no recognition of anyone as sole partner in negotiation and no Oslo as venue for talks, Tamil community in Sri Lanka is obsessed with a fear psychosis, due to the dreadful terror and spree of violence in full spate that prevails among them by the existences of the SL Government sponsored Paramilitary groups comprising Tamil renegades quislings and stooges.
Ever since, Your Excellency took over the reins of power, brazenly with impunity with ramshackle government policies you wallow in nepotism and your regime has undergone a complete transformation by being ethnocratic and plutocratic comprising a jumbo cabinet draining the coffers to emptiness to precipitate a colossal wastage of money to the country.
Further, the extremist policies have severely depleted the intake of the Tamils for employments in the Government Departments and Corporations.
Thanking His Excellency,Most respectfully yours,M.R.Wilson
Copy to:
i) His Excellency Ban –Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General
ii) Honorable Ms.Louise Arbour, High Commissioner for Human Rights
Wilson - SiberNews
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