We have a democratic choice! 

We welcome the newly minted Conservative Party born out of wedlock between the Progressive Conservative Party and Canadian Alliance Party. Henceforth the swords will be pointed at the Liberals, not at each other, which augurs well for democracy.

This might sound somewhat queer in the face of the known right-wing agenda of these parties, especially the Canadian Alliance. But a critical look at the policies, programmes and philosophy of political parties in Canada will show that they have no fundamental differences between them. If there are any differences it is in the style not the substance.

To illustrate, the current provincial liberal premier of Quebec Jean Charest was the former leader of the federal PC Party. He switched sides overnight with the ease of a duck taking to water.

During the 1993 general election campaign, Liberal Party leader Jean Chretien lambasted the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) authored by the Mulroney government.   He shouted from every election platform that if elected to power he would abolish the GST and re-negotiate the NAFTA.  On being voted to power Prime Minister Jean Chretien did neither. If at all he tightened the GST to make it a better cash cow. As for NAFTA he effected some cosmetic changes. 

This shows the difference between the Liberals and the Conservatives, like beauty, is just skin deep. When the Liberals were voted to power in 1993 only singers changed, but the songs remained the same!

The entrenched and powerful Canadian bureaucracy carries on regardless of which party comes to power! Bureaucrats daily brainwash the Ministers systematically and continuously without letting the Ministers to think or act on their own.   

We welcome the birth of the Conservative Party for two good  reasons:   

(1) Canada needs a strong opposition party for democracy to function more effectively and efficiently.

(2) There has to be a strong countervailing force to check the Liberal Party that has become increasingly dictatorial
despotic and arrogant.  

Dissent is the essence of democracy. A strong opposition party in waiting is a sine qua non in a democratic system of government. What we have today in parliament is a weak and splintered opposition, none of which is capable of forming an alternative government. This state of affairs has to change.  

The Liberal party grip on the government both at federal and provincial is really frightening.  Out of 301 members in the current (2000) federal parliament the Liberal count is 172. The next largest party the Canadian Alliance has only 66.  

At the Provincial level the Liberal party is in power in the three a most populace province viz Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.  It is all red from coast to coast.  

As far as Thamil Canadians are concerned the Liberal party has adopted a hostile stance since coming to power in 1993. The former organizer of the WTM was arrested and incarcerated because the LTTE was considered an organization engaged in terrorist acts under Immigration and National Security Acts.  The status quo remains unchanged.  

Foreign Minister Bill Graham has now threatened to list the LTTE under the Anti-Terrorism Act if they walk out of the current peace process! This is irrespective of the fact whether such walkout is justifiable or not. The Minister’s logic is very scary, if not odd and stupid.   

Last month  Minister Bill Graham hosted a forum on “Sri Lanka, the Peace Process, and Canada’s Role in the Region” in Toronto. This is a step in the right direction, but more has to be done. 

Canada will have no role in the peace process unless the Minister reverses the sterile foreign policy of the pre-1993 era. This policy laid down by the Mulroney government has to be changed.  

If the Minister is really serious about Canada having a role in the peace process, then he should remove forthwith the terrorist label attached to the LTTE.  If the European Union (E.U.) can remove the LTTE from the list of terrorist organizations, we don’t see any reason why Canada cannot do likewise.  

He should also cause the removal of the current immigration restrictions placed on LTTE activists to enter Canada, inter-act and explain the peace process to the Thamil Canadians first-hand.  LTTE is the authentic representatives of the Thamil people and any affront shown to the LTTE is an affront to every Thamil.    

We welcome visits by the Canadian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka to Vanni and her talking to the LTTE leadership. Why then they are denied entry into Canada?

The refusal of the Minister to meet LTTE leader in Vanni during his recent visit to Sri Lanka has caused great disappointment among Thamil Canadians. Even the civil society of Jaffna expressed deep disappointment over the failure of the Minister to visit Vanni.

If Chris Patten, Commissioner in charge of European Commission External Relations could meet the LTTE leader and have talks with him in Vanni; we don’t understand why the Minister cannot.  Vanni region was the epicentre of the war and the worst affected region in the whole of Northeast. It is the people of Vanni who suffered the maximum destruction and devastation during the conflict.   

Our hope now is with the new  Prime Minister Paul Martin who assumed office on the 12^th.  He has promised to do away with the strangle hold exercised by the PM’s office and empower the backbench MPs in the governing process. But he has to do lot more.

He should amend the draconian Anti-terrorism law which poses a threat to the charter   rights of all Canadians.  He must cut to size the bloated bureaucracy which currently wields enormous power and influence.   Above all he should reign in the law enforcement agencies now on the loose. Arresting persons on mere suspicion is not democracy. It is autocracy fit only for military dictatorships!

Unless the Liberal government under Paul Martin makes a conscious effort to break with the past and address the concerns of the Thamil Canadians, we reserve the right to make a democratic choice at the next elections. That may be good for democracy as well.Mirror-December 24, 2003)  

“Leave The Thamils Alone” (Editorial- World Mirror, Canada, November 26, 2003)

The political tug-a-war between President Kumaratunga and Prime Minister shows no sign of abatement and that means the peace process is in limbo. Neither the Prime Minister nor the President wants to hold the ‘peace baby!’ 

Prior and just after the constitutional coup, President Chandrika has been complaining that the government stood idly while the LTTE built up their military strength, especially in and around Trincomalee, recruited children, carried out political assassinations, smuggled ships load of arms, beefed up their control over civil functions such as police, judiciary and revenue collection.  

Specifically she charged Ranil Government of allowing 6 out of 9 ships loads of armaments into the country by the LTTE.

In general she accused Ranil government of caving in and giving too many concessions to the LTTE that will lead to the division of the country.

A week  before President Chandrika sent a missive to the Defence Minister instructing him to take action to dismantle the LTTE camp at Maniyarasankulam in the Trincomalee district.

Since then the President has climb down from her high pedestal. When President grabbed the three key portfolios of Defence, Mass Communications and Interior Ministry she justified her actions on the ground of “national security concerns.’ 

Likewise after characterizing the MoU document as illegal, she now says the peace process can proceed despite the illegality.

After rejecting The LTTE counter proposals for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) as a sure recipe for the division of the country, now she says the ISGA could form the basis for further negotiations.

The vacillation and fickle mindedness of President Chandrika Kumazratunga has now become legendary.

In 1994 she promised to abolish the all-powerful executive presidency within one year.  But once elected to power she has been gleefully enjoying and exercising the enormous powers the executive presidency confers on her.

She also came to power promising to stop the bloodshed by putting an end to the bloody war. But she launched the most vicious war against the LTTE and imposed a near-total economic blockade of the northeast. The numerous military operations launched by her during her rule under the cloak of “War for Peace” brought nothing but death, destruction, misery and starvation to tens and thousands of Thamil people.

This compelled  LTTE leader to describe "President Chandrika’s five-year rule as a curse on the Tamil people.” He added, “ The monumental tragedy that our people encountered in the form of war, violence, death, destruction, displacement, hunger and starvation was the worst form of tyranny ever suffered by the Thamils. Chandrika's oppressive rule marks an epoch consisting of blood stained pages of our history. Her tyrannical rule left a permanent scar on the soul of the Thamil nation. “

So no body will be fooled by her current posture that she is committed to a negotiated political settlement with the LTTE. It is a ruse, albeit belated, to justify her power grab and  political survival.  

President Chandrika’s calculated derailment of the peace process for political power grab has put on hold a healthy discussion on the ISGA proposals.

On the contrary the government control media now under her control has overtly and covertly carrying a propaganda campaign to discredit the ISGA. The general tone and tenor of their argument is that “ISGA lays the foundation for Eelam.” It is said that Rupavahini has gone to the extent of telecasting war songs!

Such vicious propaganda will give added strength to the fascist groups like the Sinhala Urumaya and the Patriotic National Front to beat the war drums!

The European Commission External Affairs Commissioner’s scheduled meeting with LTTE leader  on Wednesday has drawn howls of protests from Sinhala fascists  and racists. 

Sections of the Sinhala and English language media have been calling on the government to ban Mr. Patten from Sri Lanka. The Sinhala-Buddhist flagship 'The Island' wrote a front page editorial and  depicted Mr. Patten with a Tiger tail in a cartoon in its Tuesday edition.

The burning of the effigy of Mr. Chris Patten by the Patriotic National Front to protest his arrival on Tuesday afternoon is
an ominous pointer for coming events.

The international community, especially the West including the European Union, must at least now realise the machinations and subterfuges indulged  by Sinhala racist elements bent on sabotaging any resolution of the ethnic conflict on a just and equitable basis.  They should now realise that it is practically  impossible for the Thamils to co-exist with the Sinhalese under a single state of Sri Lanka. They should let the Thamils to decide their own political future without outside pressure. The Thamils demand is simple- “Leave The Thamils Alone.”

Who are the real enemies of peace?(Editorial- World Mirror, Canada, November 12, 2003)

It was high drama just like a Hitchcock Hollywood crime thriller. There were intrigues, back-stabbing, firing of ministers, deployment of army, police and presidential guards to take control of crucial government institutions, throwing old bosses of Rupavahini and Lake House out and ushering president’s cronies in.

The timing of the palace coup was perfect. The Prime Minister was away with his Foreign Minister 10,000 miles away!

Prime Minister was happily sleeping in the Presidential Suite of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington when he was rudely awakened by the incessant ringing of the telephone just after mid-night on Tuesday (November 4, 2003).   

An agitated caller told the startled Prime Minister still half-sleep that there was a palace coup and President Chandrika Kumaratunga has prorogued parliament and sacked 3 key ministers, including   Defence and Interior Ministers.

With in hours President Chandrika went before the TV and justified her actions on national security grounds. She accused the Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government for compromising on national security by giving into LTTE’s demands. What demands she did not elaborate.

If the President thought that the two weeks prorogation of parliament was all she needs to engineer defections and form an alternative government, it did not materialize. She could not buy the support of even one solitary M.P. from the government ranks.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga has been contemplating such drastic action against Ranil’s government at least for the last six months. She was afraid if the peace process succeeds she would be left politically in the cold. Hence her first move against the Norwegian facilitators. After accusing the Norwegians of overstepping their role as facilitators she demanded from the Norwegian Prime Minister that he fires the head of the SLMM.  As a follow-up she gave instructions to the chiefs of armed forces not to take orders from him.

However, the immediate provocation for the palace coup was the proposals sent by the LTTE for an 'Interim Self-Governing Authority' (ISGA) for the merged Northeast.

After summarily rejecting the ISGA, even without the courtesy of studying it President Chandrika said,  "I suppose the Tigers want peace but they want peace with a separate state. From the document that they have recently presented that seems to be fairly evident."

The president with a view to minimize the effect of her stupid actions assured the nation through her political advisor Lakshman Kadirgamar that the MoU signed between the government and the LTTE is still holding.

But the subsequent reckless statements by President Chandrika destroyed the credibility of all such pious declarations.

President’s interview to the BBC correspondent that the MoU signed between the LTTE and the government was illegal since she has not signed it showed her in true colours.

She also told the BBC that she is no friend of Prabhakaran, but she has to talk to him because lakhs of Thamils are suffering under his oppressive rule.

Such statements coming from a person like the President of a country leaves one with a doubt whether she has lost her sanity if not her honesty.

There was also the comical side of the drama. The gazette notification called up on the armed forces to maintain law and order in all 25 districts in the island. That included Kilinochchi district fully  under the control of the LTTE. If the President’s order is to be implemented  to the very letter then the army has to launch large-scale military operations into LTTE held territory.

Appearing on the TV she accused the former defence minister and the government for allowing 6 out of 9 LTTE ships loaded with arms into country. 

After sacking 3 Ministers without a word with the Prime Minister and after rejecting the LTTE’s proposes for an ISGA, President Chandrika has now called for government of national reconciliation. This is ridiculous in the extreme.

Surely the LTTE is not going to negotiate with a President who has summarily rejected their interim proposals!

Hither to, the international community notably USA, U.K. Japan, European Union and Canada with profound disregard to facts on the ground have blamed the LTTE as the party reluctant to sue for peace. Hence the covert pressure on the LTTE and the not so subtle arm-twisting to force the LTTE back to the negotiating table.

But last weeks events have proved once again that the enemies of peace are elsewhere. They are not the LTTE, but the communal forces in the south.

These forces have not lost a single opportunity in the past to torpedo all attempt to settle the ethnic conflict based on federalism, democratic pluralism and multi-culturalism. The same forces now continue to oppose a settlement even at the risk of resuming the war.

The war-songs telecast by government controlled Rupavahini is a bad omen. Equally the orders issued by the hawkish army commander Major General Sarath Fonseka that no Tiger flags should be flown in Jaffna looks worrisome. Undoubtedly he is itching for the resumption of hostilities.

It is time the international community see through the cloak of democratic pretensions of President Chandrika and her allies about national unity and peace.      

Sri Lanka security forces are institutionally racist!

(Ed- World Mirror, Canada, October 29,2003)

The conclusion by an official inquiry team that the police and armed forces are institutionally racist towards Thamils comes as no surprise to us.  They have simply stated the obvious.

The BBC correspondent in Colombo has described the report as a damning indictment of Sri Lanka's human rights record during the ethnic conflict.

The Chemmany mass graves, the aerial bombings of Nagarkoil Maha Vidyalayam and Navaaly church, the massacre of Thamil men, women and children at Kokkaddicholai, Mylanthanai, East University Refugee camp, Sathurukondan, Pillaiayradi, Kokuvil, Panichchaiyady etc. bear ample testimony to cold blooded murders of Thamils by the Sinhalese armed forces.

The inquiry team was asked to investigate into disappearances in Jaffna after it was captured by the Sinhala armed forces in 1995/96.  More than 640 Thamil youths disappeared after they were taken into custody by the armed forces.  Amnesty International said the army killed all of them.

The Inquiry team complained of indifference and a lack of co-operation from the military authorities.

They said they were effectively denied access to many serving army officers, whose evidence would have been critical.

A lif 37 suspects, including names, dates and locations was given to the military authorities, but they failed to identify a single person.

Only two serving army officers were interviewed, but the team's report said these men remembered virtually nothing, despite being directly implicated in many of the complaints of disappearance.

Although the finger of blame was pointed at the military, the report also said the police were complicit in attempts to cover up the disappearances.

The inquiry team said it appeared that thousands of innocent people could be arrested, tortured, raped and killed and have their bodies buried.isposed of by the armed forces without any record being kept.

The findings of the Inquiry team are not top secrets. They are well known facts for ages known to anyone who cared to know.  The dismal human rights record of Sri Lanka armed forces has been meticulously documented by human rights groups. 

The rot started in 1956 when S.W.R.D. rode to power on a wave of  “Sinhala Only in 24 hours” racist cry.

When  (1956) members of the Federal Party under S.J.V. Chelvanayakam performed Satyagraha to protest against Sinhala Only at the Galle face green, Sinhalese thugs belonging to the ruling party (SLFP) stoned and beat them. A few of them were forcibly carried and thrown into the Beira Lake. And the Sri Lanka police, guardians of law, stood idly enjoying the physical violence unleashed on the un-armed Thamils.

To add insult to injury, Prime Minister S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike poured scorn at the Satyagrahis in the parliament.

Never ever did the armed forces of Sri Lanka behaved like a national army. During the racial violence against the Thamils in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1983, the Sinhala armed forces either looked the other way or actively aided and abetted the Sinhalese hoodlums that attacked Thamils and looted their homes. 

As we said on previous occasions, the ruling Sinhalese parties have used the Sinhalese dominated armed forces (99% Sinhalese) as an instrument of terror to subjugate the Thamil people since independence. They were also used, like in Manal Aru,  to drive Thamils from their villages and settle Sinhalese.

There existed and still exists a climate of impunity that the Sinhala army could arrest, beat, torture and kill Thamils in complete freedom! The long-arm of the law will never touch them!

Except in a few isolated cases, members of the armed forces who tortured and killed thousands of Thamils have gone scot-free.  In fact some top army commanders were rewarded with promotions and diplomatic postings just for that.   A classic example is that of Janaka Perera, former army commander of Jaffna, who was posted as High Commissioner in Australia. It was during his tenure as army commander that these youths disappeared after arrest by the army.

Even as recently as last week (October 22,2003) Sinhalese soldiers assaulted civilians of Munai in Paruthiththurai (Point Pedro) in the Jaffna peninsula.

Sinhala soldiers at the micro breakwater at St. Thomas sentry point in Munai assaulted Maran, a young fisherman, who had returned to the Munai coast around 5 p.m. on Wednesday as he had fever.

According to SLA’s restrictions along the Jaffna seacoast, fishermen can return to shore only during the hours stipulated by the army. Hence, the SLA sentry refused to let Maran beach his craft.

Then the  ‘brave’ Sinhalese soldiers at the sentry assaulted the un-armed youth when he argued with them that he was sick and had to go home.

Seeing the young man attacked by Sinhalese soldiers, villagers came running to his rescue to the Munai beach.

The Sinhalese soldiers at the St. Thomas point sentry reacted true to form. They fired in the air while other troops beat up villagers with batons.

Later that evening troops from the SLA’s 52-4 Brigade in Pt. Pedro town poured into the village and indiscriminately assaulted residents in their homes. Twenty people, including 2 students were seriously injured and warded in the hospital.

The dignity and self-respect of the villagers were no concern to the SLA. They consider themselves as belonging to the master race and expect the poor Thamil villagers to put up meekly with indiscriminate assaults, insulting epithets and humiliating behaviour without protest.

Adverting to assault of press reporters covering such violence by the army, the regional commander of the SLA in Jaffna, Major General Sarath Fonseka made the audacious statement that it is natural for the soldiers to get angry when they see pressmen with cameras filming assaults on civilians. In such circumstances, he advised the press reporters to run for cover from the attacking soldiers and not stand in their way and get assaulted and/or lose their equipment.

If this is the mentality of the commander, we can very well visualize how his men will behave against Thamils, especially when those Thamils are ordinary folks.

On October18, (Saturday) two Sinhalese policemen on duty raped a retarded Thamil woman from Uyilankulam, Mannar.  

On October 23 (Thursday) three Policemen molested a mother of four. The woman, Mrs. Selvarajah, struggled herself free from the Policemen who were attempting to rape her.

Assaults, firing, rape have become the order of the day. The Thamil people have no alternative but to suffer in silence. There are the usual protest rallies and demonstrations, but the SLA cares a tub pence. They don’t understand the language and they don’t get the message.

The MoU signed between the GoSL and LTTE has brought no relief to the Thamil people. The expectation that normalcy will return to Northeast has not materialized. The ordinary Thamils continue to bear the full brunt of the occupation army. 

Terrorism by states spawns spiral of ‘violence’ and ‘terrorism’!

(Editorial-World Mirror-October 15, 2003)

President Pervez Musharaff of Pakistan is not our favourite idol. He is a military general who toppled a duly elected democratic government through a military coup d’etat. Had the coup failed he would have faced treason charges and hanged by his neck!

Addressing the Summit on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held at Almaty on 4 June 2002, President Musharaff said, inter alia, Terrorism by states apart from inflicting massive suffering on occupied people, spawns spiral of violence and terrorism.

Denial of freedom and the resulting desperation and humiliation are the breeding grounds for extremism. To eradicate terrorism we must address the root causes by eliminating injustice and honouring the commitments consecrated in the Charter principles.” (Emphasis ours)

President Musharaff reiterated his stand in his address to the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington on June 27, 2003.    He declared, “I urge the West to understand how many Muslims feel alienated by their perception of U.S. foreign policy. Many Muslims believe the U.S. only addresses "the symptoms of terror,” and not "resolution of political disputes led by the developed world to ensure despair and anger do not fester into extremism, violence and terror."  

We could hardly disagree with what President Musharaff says viz   “Terrorism by states apart from inflicting massive suffering on occupied people, spawns spiral of violence and terrorism. “

When President Musharaff alluded to “ internationally recognized fundamental right to freedom and self determination” he was obliquely referring to the armed struggle of the people of Kashmir. Repeatedly he has pledged  Pakistan’s moral, political and diplomatic support to the armed struggle of the Kashmir  people right to self-determination.

No one should   dismiss President Mushraff’s statement lightly, at least not the US administration. President George Bush, State Secretary Collin Powell consider President Musharaff as  “ a brave and courageous man”  “ a reliable ally” committed and dedicated to support the “War on Terrorism!”

What intrigues us is the sterile stance of the US Ambassador in Colombo asking the LTTE   to give up violence in word and deed and his veiled threat that LTTE’s proposals should be “reasonable” and “practical.”  

It is hypocritical and foolhardy for the US ambassador to speak about giving up violence when US administration is guilty of using military force to invade and occupy Iraq in defiance of international laws and conventions.

What type of democracy when U.S. is holding in the name of terrorism more than 650 terrorism suspects from about 42 countries without trial?    When it treats the detenus as enemy combatants and not as prisoners- of-war?  When they are tortured, kept incommunicado in leg chains without access to lawyers for over 2 years?

In fact, Washington is even contemplating that a handful of them could be put through military tribunals in the name of terrorism.

U.S.   pre-emptive strike against Iraq on the pretext " it threatens America and the world with horrible poisons and diseases and gases and atomic weapons" was a total lie.  

The claim by President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair that “Sadam Hussein is an evil and he poses a direct threat to the national security of America” is palpably false.

Reeling under an economic blockade imposed by UN at the bidding of US, Saddam Hussein simply did not have the wherewithal to mount even artillery attack on US or UK. 

“There will be spontaneous uprising of Iraqis against Sadam Hussein as soon as the first wave of coalition forces land in Iraq,” both claimed.  

In reality the US troops are being greeted daily with A.K.-47 rifles and RPGs not bouquets!  U.S. President George Bush cannot hope to   "conquer" terror by unleashing state terror. The Iraqis who are fighting the occupying forces are not terrorists. It is the other way round!

If there was one country that was free of Islamic fundamentalism and Al Qaeda  it was Sadam Hussein’s Iraq. Today President Bush unwittingly had turned that country the hotbed of Iraqi nationalism. American soldiers are unnecessarily dying at the rate of one in 1.75 days. Some 350 U.S. and allied troops have died in a $90 billion pre-emptive, unilateral war and occupation that grows harder to manage by the day. Even Bush's handpicked puppets like Ahmad Chalabi wants Bush to hand over "real power" to Iraqis to head off the prospect of people rising in fury against the foreign troops.

Fortunately Canada is clear of the Iraqi quakmire haunting President Bush and Prime Minister Blair.   The credit goes to our Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Foreign Minister Bill Graham. "The U.S. cannot  hope "to defeat terrorism on its own," by peremptorily flexing military muscle in trouble spots, rather, the U.N. must be the "primary vehicle" to confer legitimacy on multilateral international action,” Chrétien told the General Assembly in his last address as prime minister.

“When people don't control their own lives,” Chrétien told the U.N., "discontent, destabilization and violence find room to grow" as is happening in Iraq.”

French President Jacques Chirac is of the same view.  He is more popular in Baghdad than George Bush “the liberator” according to a recent Gallup poll. 

Robert Pape, a Chicago academic, writing in the New York Times clamed   that not   "Islamic fundamentalism" but old-fashioned nationalism is the force behind most suicide attacks since 1980.  Pape found most bombers seek "to compel liberal democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland."

They include Thamil Eelam Thamils, Palestinians, Chechens, Kashmiris and Kurds.

As stated by President Musharaff, to fight terrorism one should first find the root cause of terrorism. Fighting oppressive regimes like the Sri Lankan government, which militarily occupies Thamil homeland, is not terrorism. It is old-fashionednationalism!

The world will be safer and US could avoid loss of precious lives and valuable resources if this simple truth is understood and digested.