Author - ANIL CHAWLA
Sri Lanka army is heading for a victory over LTTE. The defeat of LTTE
has disturbed many in India, especially in Tamil Nadu. It is
understandable that many Indian Tamils emotionally identify with the
Tamils of Sri Lanka and are moved by their plight.
However, it is important to understand the true nature of LTTE before
Indian Tamils let their emotions rule their heads. LTTE under its
leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran has earned reputation as the most
violent and ruthless terrorist organization across the globe. There
can be no denying that Tamils in Sri Lanka had and still have genuine
grievances which were repeatedly ignored by the Sinhalese political
leaders. From the fifties to late seventies, the grievances were
constantly raised by many moderate Tamil leaders who believed in a
process of dialogue. Sure enough, the moderates among Tamil
politicians had a difficult time in convincing the Sinhalese
politicians to yield ground and work towards fair and equitable
governance. Nevertheless, the efforts of the moderates had attracted
attention and sympathy from the international community. It may not be
an exaggeration to say that the moderates might have succeeded if they
had been able to continue their efforts of dialogue, reconciliation
and integration.
Efforts of the moderates were cut short by a series of brutal
assassinations carried out by LTTE. The first major operation was
assassination of the mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiappah in 1975.
Assassination in 1977 of a Tamil Member of Parliament, M.
Canagaratnam, was carried out personally by Prabhakaran, the leader of
LTTE. These are just two examples of hundreds of cold-blooded murders
of Tamils carried out by LTTE. The violent and ruthless ways of LTTE
led on one hand to extermination of all other Tamil militant groups
and, on the other, forced moderate Tamils to either withdraw from
political activity or side with Sinhalese parties.
The radicalization of Tamil political space found its echo in the
Sinhalese parties and mutual hardening of stances closed all avenues
of national reconciliation and integration. This led to the civil war
that had been raging in the island for the past three decades.
The violent, merciless, cruel bloody ways of LTTE have no precedence
in the history of South Asia. Hindu and Buddhist minds have streaks of
kindness, compassion and pity. The militants of Indian Freedom
Struggle were often soft-hearted poets. There is no prior instance of
an Indian (or Sri Lankan) militant killing people of his own community
with such ferociousness as Prabhakaran did. It is also important to
note that for thousands of years, Buddhism and Hinduism have
co-existed through much of Asia, without a single instance of a major
clash.
It is hence necessary to clarify that the civil war in Sri Lanka was
not a Buddhist-Hindu war. Though much of Sinhalese leadership is
Buddhist, LTTE cannot be called a Hindu organization by any stretch of
imagination. LTTE leadership has never found any sympathy among Hindu
organizations of India. Prabhakaran is a Christian (his son’s name is
Charles Anthony) and most of his close associates are also Christians.
It seems reasonable to guess that LTTE could attain its superiority
over other militant Tamil groups (a) by its ruthless ways and (b) by
the vast superiority of resources that LTTE could manage. Rabid
fanatical elements of Christian churches are known to fish in troubled
waters across the world. In all probability, these elements supported
Prabhakaran and his men giving them money as well as arms and
ammunition. Along with the resources to fight the war, the rabid
Christian elements seem to have also supplied to LTTE a mindset that
is typical of one-book-religions and is completely alien to this part
of the world. All one-book-religions have no place for tolerance.
Spread of Christianity through Europe, Africa and America was achieved
by widespread genocide and torture. As the Pope talks of harvesting a
new crop of souls in Asia, there is no attempt on the part of Church
to apologize for inquisitions, witch-hunting, slavery, or opium wars
or even the Bengal famine. These are viewed as acts of piety necessary
for saving the souls of millions.
In the eighteenth, nineteenth and first half of twentieth century, the
evangelical agenda of Church was carried out in Asia by British,
Portuguese and other European colonial powers. Thousands were brutally
tortured and killed in Goa inquisitions. Script for Opium Wars was
written by Christian missionaries. After the Second World War, the
mainline political parties of Europe and America had turned too
secular and could no longer be relied upon to further the expansionist
agenda of fanatical elements of Church. The Church had to turn to
native converts to carry the flag forward. Prabhakaran is one such
native convert.
Prabhakaran’s bloody ways can only be compared to the medieval
Christian knights / vikings, who tolerated no dissent and killed
innumerable members of their own communities on slightest pretext. If
LTTE had succeeded to create a Tamil Eelam, Prabhakaran would surely
have been the worst possible despot the world has ever known. Tamil
Eelam would have done more harm than good to Tamils. Historically,
Tamils of Sri Lanka were well educated and quite progressive. This
changed after LTTE took control of Jaffna. During their reign in
Jaffna, the liberals were brutally killed. Even academicians were not
spared. Dr.Rajini Thiranagama was killed by LTTE on September 21,
1989. Her only fault was that she criticized LTTE for their
atrocities. She was the head of the Department of Anatomy at
University of Jaffna. She was also a Tamil human rights activist and
feminist.
The poisonous cancerous mindset of fanatic proponents of one-book
religions has led to balkanization of South Europe. Success of
Prabhakaran would have led to initiation of the same process in Asia.
The Prabhakaran effect would not have remained confined to just Sri
Lanka, but would have impacted the whole continent giving inspiration
and strength to separatist elements in various regions. For example,
Church-sponsored terrorism would have received a boost in
north-eastern states of India. The Maoist or Naxalite elements have
been known to receive support and cooperation from Churches in tribal
areas of India and Nepal. Having tasted success in Sri Lanka, the
fanatical rabid elements of Churches would have stepped up efforts
towards disintegration and Christianization of India, China and rest
of Asia.
India has been fighting various forces, both Islamic and Christian,
aiming to disintegrate her. Besides fighting them, India has had a
close brush with the brutal ways of LTTE. On 21 May 1991, LTTE’s
suicide bomber killed Indian ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. This made
Indian public lose patience with LTTE and Prabhakaran. The fact that
the assassination paved the way for a Roman Catholic (and her
Christian coterie) to get complete control of the oldest political
party of India may well be purely coincidental and need not be
discussed here.
The point here is only about the mindset of Prabhakaran and his
organization. The mindset that tolerates no dissent and has no
hesitation in cold-blooded killing of fellow politicians, women
professors and even old friends, is a grave danger to peace and
co-existence of human beings on this earth.
Fortunately, LTTE has lost the war. But it may not be the end of the
war. A war is fought not just on the field with guns and bombs. The
most important place where a war begins and ends is in the minds of
the people. As guns silence in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, the
challenge before Sri Lanka Government is to ensure that LTTE does not
become a myth – larger and more glorified than what it ever was.
Government of Sri Lanka must take steps to write a true history of the
civil war without mincing any words and portraying LTTE in its true
colours.
For the sake of good relations with majority population of India, the
academicians, journalists and historians of Sri Lanka should clarify
in unequivocal terms that the so-called civil war was a war between
Sri Lanka government and a terrorist organization. It is necessary to
underline the fact that there is no conflict between Buddhists and
Hindus, who have been brothers through thousands of years. Actions
speak louder than words. The Sinhalese political class must use the
end of civil war as an opportunity to initiate extensive efforts for
national reconciliation, reconstruction and integration. President of
Sri Lanka must walk over the ghost of LTTE to extend a hand of
friendship and brotherhood to Tamils of the country. If the Sinhalese
population can act with the Buddhist qualities of kindness and
compassion towards their Tamil brethren, they can surely win their
hearts over. That will truly be a victory for everyone in Sri Lanka.
Let us pray - May the Sinhalese have the strength and wisdom to be
kind, considerate and compassionate towards their Tamil brethren; And
May the Tamils of Sri Lanka have the strength and wisdom to exorcise
the ghosts of LTTE from their minds and rebuild bonds of heart with
their Sinhalese brethren. Lastly, let no tears be shed for LTTE either
in Sri Lanka or in India.
ANIL CHAWLA
26 April 2009
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Copyright - All Rights Free
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
ANIL CHAWLA is an engineer (and now a lawyer too) by qualification but
a philosopher by vocation and a management consultant by profession.
*read also *
*