Daily Mirror (DM) - What was the purpose of your visit to Geneva and what was the outcome?
Thamilselvan (TS) - The ISGA proposals have already been formulated and submitted to the government and are subject to review vis-à-vis certain criticisms from the south. Our sole intention is to accelerate the peace process, to restart the peace talks as soon as possible and for which we expect a response from the government. On the premise that, that will be done very soon we are now getting ready to take forward the peace process.
DM - So are you considering reviewing the proposals?
TS - We do not see a necessity to review it, what we mean is, based on the criticisms, we are taking a multi-pronged approach of meeting the criticisms and making clarity of certain issues, which are misinterpreted. A campaign of misinformation appears to have been condoned in Colombo and so we are trying to make things clear. The commitment of course remains the same. But when the government is ready to sit down at the negotiating table of course the views of the government will be taken on board for discussion; nothing is final.
DM - What is your view on the government's response to these proposals?
TS - They are seriously proclaiming their intentions to sit down and negotiate but intentions do not mean anything when it comes to implementation. So what we feel is there has been no constructive move on the part of the government to make use of this opportunity and then sit down and negotiate.
DM - Do you see a difference between this government's approach to the peace process and that of the earlier government?
TS - It is true that the UNF government expressed its readiness and accepted these proposals as the basis for the re-commencement of the talks and immediately after that the government was dissolved and elections held, the President took over the new regime and from that day onwards nothing happened amidst nuances of positive changes. We are only anticipating a positive response from the government, we have told the facilitators that this is our position and the facilitators are waiting for the right response from the government saying 'yes we will proceed with this process.' So yes there is a vast difference between the last government and this government.
DM - Do you trust President Kumaratunga to push forward the peace process?
TS - Our commitment and yearning for peace dictates that we should not utter things that will disturb the process so we will refrain from making comments on personalities. We will only say the President should have exhibited greater yearning to take forward the peace process, which she has not.
DM - Do you believe the JVP's position within the government can become an obstacle to the peace process?
TS - Very much. Ahead of the ISGA proposals and the President joining hands with the JVP, the JVP had expressed dissatisfaction over the process and the facilitation process and even towards the entire Tamil national problem. On the whole the JVP has been cynical. Under the circumstances a person of Presidential stature, having known the premises of the JVP and the position the JVP holds, vis-à-vis the peace process, her joining hands for political expediency does not augur well for the peace process. There seems to be a contradictory position.
On the other hand she has a golden opportunity because the main opposition party has very clearly indicated to the President and to the general public and the TNA, another force to reckon with, to take forward the peace process but she does not seem to be using the opportunity.
DM - You constantly talk of the commitment the LTTE has made, could you point out some to prove it?
TS - On a general basis the fact that the LTTE entered the peace process on a very strong position and, prior to that, declaring an unilateral cease-fire agreement, concentrating all their attention on formulating a body of proposals for the first time in the history of the LTTE, preparing proposals on behalf of the Tamil people, realizing the urgent humanitarian needs of the people, in a post conflict situation, especially after nearly 20 years of war. That is the commitment. Commitment to the people's needs, and based on the people's needs our commitment gets stronger and despite the various provocations we have had in maintaining the cease-fire agreement, we have been steadily holding onto the agreement. And again our demonstration of commitment to the peace process is indicated clearly by inviting all the experts and diaspora, a serious proposal was formulated and submitted to the government and from the time these proposals were submitted we have been holding on to the cease-fire agreement. We have also been very receptive of the criticisms levelled against the ISGA and subject that to scrutiny with the same constitutional experts. It involves a lot of hard work doing this but, we are only doing this because of our commitment.
DM - But the LTTE continues to violate the cease-fire. International human rights groups are still blaming the LTTE for Human Rights abuses, including the continuing kidnapping of children and over that, you are involved in a killing spree wiping out Tamils opposed to the organization. There are two aspects to this question firstly your weak record on human rights and secondly your inability to face opposition.
TS - Part one of the answer. The cease-fire agreement has been very strictly adhered to and we never had any allegations of killing until the change of government, because the UNF government and its machine saw to it that clause 1.8 of the cease-fire agreement was adhered to. This was crafted into it, after much careful consideration, to avoid armed activities in the north and east because, that was a threat we foresaw earlier. The activities of the armed group during times of war are things we know off. We can name the EPRLF, EPDP, Karuna's group, Karuna was dismissed from the organization and he took along with him some elements and EPDP leader Douglas Devananda invited him over the radio and embraced all these people and tried to form a coalition against the LTTE. The LTTE has gained a place of prominence, first through international acceptance, for having entered in to the peace process and then buttressed by the people's mandate, giving a democratic face to the LTTE. There doesn't exist any reasons for the LTTE to start killing opponents, if we are to kill opponents we have several other opposing voices in Sri Lanka. Eliminating certain people who do not have a political standing does not mean the LTTE are the killers. Their killings are attributed and, political colour is given to them just because the people who arranged this want the LTTE's name tarnished and discredited in the international arena.
They were not allowed to enter into these areas and, after this government, with the use of the deep penetration team, some of them have gained access to it and on those occasions some of them have been killed. We have openly said that those who penetrated our areas, not under military control, and attempted to create chaos, have been dealt with in the way we deal with things normally. Apart from this we have nothing to do with the killings outside of the northeast.
DM - The killings did not start after the government changed the killings began after the LTTE split?
TS - We do admit there were killings (with the split) but they were minimal. The government should take action to ensure that the particular clause is adhered to it.
DM - But that is a case of passing the buck, even if you may argue that they have not implemented this clause you can't go around killing your opposition?
TS - Immediately when a killing takes place in the military areas everybody immediately blames the LTTE. On what basis is this conclusion made, how are the allegations substantiated? Is their evidence? Is there a case pending? Are investigations properly conducted?
DM - The LTTE is not blamed for every killing; accusations are made only because there appears to be targeted killings of LTTE opponents.
TS - The targets are selected in such a way by interested elements to make it appear that they are done by the LTTE. This is the modus operandi. Look at the number of killings that takes place elsewhere, underworld killings, all those killings are not resolved but, when it comes to a Tamil, immediately the LTTE is blamed. It is politically coloured.
DM - Could you comment on the accusations made against the LTTE for the continuous human rights violations?
TS - No such things take place at the moment (referring to abduction of children) things took place in a different way and they have been all rectified. We are an organization that started fighting against an oppressive regime based on human rights being denied to us and our children, when our children were denied human rights nobody cared about it. The mechanisms we have already put in place with UNICEF and TRO, of course they are all matters subject to evolution, it is an ongoing process, we keep improving our position.
DM - In many of your answers it appears that the LTTE is refusing to be accountable for their failures?
TS - There are various steps taken in this realm, all these things have been clearly addressed and the mechanisms set in place have brought results. The children identified as under age are transferred to a transit centre or a children's home. Vocational training centres have been set up .
DM - What has been the impact on the LTTE over the exit of Karuna?
TS - As a freedom fighting organization, with discipline as the basis of everything, we do take regular action, subjecting individuals who act against to discipline. This has taken place from the inception and, at no stage did anybody very much bother about such things. But, all of a sudden, this Karuna thing has been blown out of proportion because, some people thought that this could be exploited. There has been no impact at all on the organization but, there has been some confusion created, a bit of a chaotic situation prevails. The organisation never suffered any harm or any damage.
DM - But surely he was well respected by all of you seniors within the LTTE and popular in the East ?
TS - There are many leaders in the world who conduct themselves according to the book and then all of a sudden due to circumstances, may be beyond their control, they have changed and Karuna is one of those. The leadership found he committed certain offences for which he was asked to face a disciplinary inquiry. He refused to face the inquiry and then he availed himself of that opportunity and disobeyed the orders of the organisation. Had the respect been eternal and well-earned his reputation would have saved him to allow him stay in the Batticaloa, Amparai area itself. He need not have run away from the area and sought shelter.
DM - Is the LTTE enjoying peace or is the war alternative still imminent?
TS - Peace to us will be conditional to peace for all the people. We have entered the peace process, we have said many times that viable alternatives can be explored and, are now in the process of that. If the government takes this opportunity seriously and enter into negotiations then we will not be pushed again to take up arms. The onus is with the government to decide if the Tamil people will live in peace or not.
DM - But as of now, is the war option still existing?
TS - To the Tamil people and their leadership war is not an option. If war is unleashed on them, if there is a decision to wage war on the Tamil people, we have to face it.
