Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the Head of LTTE explaining in his blog why a political and diplomatic path is needed at the current context to achieve freedom for Tamil people said that due to the existential situation of Tamil people, international environment, regional pressures, external factors and thinking from the perspective of Tamil homeland, fighting for the freedom of the people through political and diplomatic means is the most prudent way to move forward.
Explaining the current situation he said, military occupation of many areas of our Tamil homeland is being taken forward by the Sinhala nationalistic government in a most vicious manner.
About 300,000 people have been torn away from their traditional dwellings in Vanni and are being isolated in Sinhala military internments away from international observation.
Yet another 300,000 continue to live as displaced people in other parts of our Tamil homeland. In total, over 600,000 people are languishing as displaced under extreme circumstances.
In addition, more than 10,000 freedom fighters are being held in isolation and are subjected to torture by the Sri Lankan Government against international conventions.
The democratic and human rights of the people from the Northeastern homelands are being systematically denied. The people who are killed or affected have been orphaned with no means of judicial recourse.
The economic, educational and other opportunities of our people have been severely affected. They live in an environment where they have no immediate relief or medium to long-term plans. This is driving the Tamil people to poverty and to an extremely trying living condition.
In the mean time, exposing the catastrophical plight of the people of Tamil Eelam and the difficulties they face, Sri Lanka is principally succeeding in obtaining huge international resources and support.
By saying that they will engage in rehabilitation and reconstruction with the assistance, and portray a picture of immense concern for the welfare of Tamil people, the Government is trying to escape from being blamed for the Tamil genocide.
By establishing a civil administration with its military personnel, under the guise of reconstruction and development the Government is attempting to change the demography of Tamil homelands in favour of the majority Sinhala population.
The Sri Lankan Government is also moving forward with schemes that will disable the socio-economic infrastructure of the Tamil people from being self reliant as one that would be controlled and made dependent on Sri Lanka’s south.
The Sinhala Government is extremely focussed on destroying the politico-socio-economic and self reliant capacity of the Tamil people.
Apart from this, the Sinhala Government is intent on denying the uniqueness of the Tamil national race and attempting to imprison the people of Tamil Eelam on the principles of one country and one people under the Sinhala hegemony.
The Tamil national race is forced into a situation where they have to even fight to preserve their cultural identity and their national uniqueness.
In a situation of this nature, it is a practical necessity for us to think of everything from the perspective of our homeland and the existential situation of our people. This is the correct and truthful way said S. Pathmanathan.
He further said that in the current situation in our homeland, we are faced with many challenges in our path ahead; on one end while we work towards meeting the basic humanitarian challenges of ensuring the safety of our people and freedom fighters who are detained in Sri Lanka Government’s internment camps, caring for their needs, resettling our people back to their homes as soon as possible, working towards restoring normalcy to their lives and providing a new life for those people and freedom fighters who have lost their limbs, at the other end we are tasked with regaining the political aspirations of Tamil people under the principles of Tamil Nation, Tamil Homelands and their rights to self determination.
In such a challenging environment, taking into account the difficult living conditions of our people, the recent massive set back we encountered in our freedom struggle, the international environment, regional pressures and the external factors that affect the Tamil Eelam society it is our opinion that it is prudent that we move forward the fight for the freedom of the people of Tamil Eelam mainly through political and diplomatic means. This would be the most feasible and strong approach.
Based on these principles and according to the resolution made by our National Leader at Mullivaikkaal, The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have resolved to silence our weapons and take forward the next steps to achieve our freedom through political and diplomatic means.
This is an important position pertaining to the steps in our struggle for freedom.
