Why India Should not Interfere in Sri Lanka-Siva
Sivarama
India should do a soul-search and seek its
conscience before taking a
decision.First of all, no sooner Sri Lanka gained independance generations
of
Plantation Tamils living in Sri Lanka were rendered stateless,
by the
Sinhalese Government. They were treated worse than even
the dumb
animals, and India merely sacrificed them in order to have good
relations
with the Sri Lankan Government.
Secondly, since Independance of both countries,
both had a secret
arrangement and that is that India would always appoint a northerner
as
its High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka would appoint a
Sinhalese
as its High Commissioner to India.This had been so for the last
fifty
years, except once when Mr. Abraham of Kerala was appointed the
High
Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka. I believe that even he
did not
complete his full term and he was recalled. Thirdly, India which
voices
its support for the liberation struggles all over the world, pretended
everything was fine in Sri Lanka even when several state sponsored
racial
pograms and violations were set upon the
Tamils. However, only in 56
when the first state sponsored racial pogram was set upon the Tamils,
the
Tamils of Indian origin were also attacked. It was then the
Indian
Government warned the SriLankan Government. Thereafter the
full force of
the violence was turned against the Indigenous Tamils of Sri Lanka.
Fourthly, when the Indians in Bangala Desh were attacked the Indian
Government moved swiftly and partitioned the country.
However, the
Tamils of Sri Lanka had been at the receiving end for the last 35
years,
seeking justice by passive and peaceful means, and their plight
was
totally ignored. Both Indian government and the SriLankan
government were
the best of friends in the Non Aligned Movement. Not one word
was uttered
about the human rights violations against the Tamils. Now,
when the
Tamils said, "enough is enough" and took up arms to defend themselves,
should India interfere?
Fifthly, can we trust the Sri Lankan Government? So many agreements,
so
many pacts, so many accords, in the end none of these were
honoured, or
if honoured they remain so a dead piece of paper, never to be implemented
as what happened to the Indian Peace Accord, and the Official Languages
Bill.
-Siva Sivarama-
From:circlenews-digest@tamilcircle.org>
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