The death of Vellupillai Prabhakaran
Is the fall of the LTTE leader a triumph of Sinhalas over Tamils?
Or is it the triumph of a nation over terrorism?
I know that the world over and in many parts of Sri Lanka, it is viewed as the former.
However, I personally like to see it as the latter.
As I see it there was one issue:
Issue number 1 - subjugation of Tamils in Sri Lanka
26 years ago, Prabhakaran stepped up and offered to sort out the issue but only ended up creating an additional issue making things worse.
Issue number 2 - terrorism converting the Serendib into an island of horror to foreigners
So now, we had 2 issues.
It was like giving cancer to a man complaining of a toothache, believing that the cancer would eventually cure the toothache.
Today, the government has after 26 years sorted out the second issue.
Now, it's up to the government and people of Sri Lanka, Tamils included, to rebuild on a foundation of equality and holistic patriotism rather than a Sinhala patriotism or a Tamil patriotism.
Hopefully, they will work towards the progress of the country which is only possible if the interests of every citizen is taken equal care of.
The government seems to have taken this route, what with the president delivering his speech in Tamil as well.
On Velupillai Prabhakaran:
Late Mr. Vellupilai Prabhakran's biggest mistake was to allow himself to get influenced by Marxist thinking. He saw virtue in resorting to violence.
He had a single minded strategy.
Rather simplistic don't you think? When he saw people failed to respond the way he expected, he steadily took the acts of terror up by few notches. That's all he did these last 26 years.
It never occurred to him to think of a different strategy.
Tamil children, boys and girls were snatched from their families to be taught to use weapons and to give up their lives to the cause of mass killings. Naturally, to get a person to agree to do something like this they would need to be brainwashed into a trance. They are denied the freedom to think otherwise. Needless to say, they were denied access to free information. (It would screw everything if you chanced upon the works of Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King or developed personal ambitions right?)
No one dared to think of an alternate strategy. What about peaceful demonstrations? What about giving up on a 'separate eelam' and focus on 'equal rights, opportunity and prosperity of the Tamils'?
No. The LTTE raised 3 decades of Tamils on propaganda. Many Tamils the world over swallowed the justification for all the brutalities. They still do! Its alarming because nothing really justifies violence. And we are talking about downright brutalities here.
I am happy to be in Sri Lanka, witnessing one of its most historic events. Winning over terrorism that is.
As for what happens next, I choose to be optimistic for this beautiful island and ALL its lovely people.
Or is it the triumph of a nation over terrorism?
I know that the world over and in many parts of Sri Lanka, it is viewed as the former.
However, I personally like to see it as the latter.
As I see it there was one issue:
Issue number 1 - subjugation of Tamils in Sri Lanka
26 years ago, Prabhakaran stepped up and offered to sort out the issue but only ended up creating an additional issue making things worse.
Issue number 2 - terrorism converting the Serendib into an island of horror to foreigners
So now, we had 2 issues.
It was like giving cancer to a man complaining of a toothache, believing that the cancer would eventually cure the toothache.
Today, the government has after 26 years sorted out the second issue.
Now, it's up to the government and people of Sri Lanka, Tamils included, to rebuild on a foundation of equality and holistic patriotism rather than a Sinhala patriotism or a Tamil patriotism.
Hopefully, they will work towards the progress of the country which is only possible if the interests of every citizen is taken equal care of.
The government seems to have taken this route, what with the president delivering his speech in Tamil as well.
On Velupillai Prabhakaran:
Late Mr. Vellupilai Prabhakran's biggest mistake was to allow himself to get influenced by Marxist thinking. He saw virtue in resorting to violence.
He had a single minded strategy.
Scare them so much that they will listen to anything you want.
Rather simplistic don't you think? When he saw people failed to respond the way he expected, he steadily took the acts of terror up by few notches. That's all he did these last 26 years.
It never occurred to him to think of a different strategy.
Tamil children, boys and girls were snatched from their families to be taught to use weapons and to give up their lives to the cause of mass killings. Naturally, to get a person to agree to do something like this they would need to be brainwashed into a trance. They are denied the freedom to think otherwise. Needless to say, they were denied access to free information. (It would screw everything if you chanced upon the works of Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King or developed personal ambitions right?)
No one dared to think of an alternate strategy. What about peaceful demonstrations? What about giving up on a 'separate eelam' and focus on 'equal rights, opportunity and prosperity of the Tamils'?
No. The LTTE raised 3 decades of Tamils on propaganda. Many Tamils the world over swallowed the justification for all the brutalities. They still do! Its alarming because nothing really justifies violence. And we are talking about downright brutalities here.
I am happy to be in Sri Lanka, witnessing one of its most historic events. Winning over terrorism that is.
As for what happens next, I choose to be optimistic for this beautiful island and ALL its lovely people.
PS: Just my opinion - I am a total 3rd party that happens to currently be in the country. Thats all.
Comments
the word mindless might have been used by you as it can always be seen accompanying the word terrorrism.
were the govt sponsored abductions and disappearances necessary,if it was only mindless terrorism that they were combating.
the goal of a separate country was never given up by the ltte,that will be described as steadfastness when eelam becomes a reality.
there is nothing mindless about that steadfastness,the resoluteness was inevitable in the face of the bigger power,india,which was inclined against these aspirations.
historically and culturally,eelam and lanka are different.
in this context,it is a tragedy as well as a comedy to witness the lankan establishment behaving otherwise.
eelam has to be established to preserve the fact of the uniqueness of the tamil culture.
there were systematic and consistent attempts by the sinhalese to alter this fact.
once eelam is established,the two nations will co exist.
I am unable to understand why being historically and culturally different makes Tamils need a separate nation.
I am familiar with cases where not just two but dozens of different cultures co-exist in the same nation.
Is the well being of Tamils the goal here or is it purely a political goal - separate nation - even if prosperity of Tamils can be achieved without it?
Were the govt sponsored abductions and disappearances necessary?
Well, i don't know.
Like i said 'subjugation of Tamils' has been the original issue
But, the terror caused by the LTTE did little to help the situation.
Yes, thanks to you..:)
True. Some of my friends here in Colombo expressed the same concern on the day the news broke...
can a tamil become the president in sri lanka?
eelam became a necessity after the consistent attempts to subjugate the tamils.
you mention the terror caused by the ltte,what about the terror caused by the government of sri lanka?
why did rajapakse say that buddhist principles will be the basis of the solution?
Kudos to Sri Lankan army for wiping out Prabhakaran and his gang of sickos. Whatever angle you look at it, terrorism has no excuse.
Let this be a new beginning in the history of the island nation.
Perhaps not today.
But the method to achieve equal oportinity is not through violence!
i am not denying that tamils have been treated unfairly by the govts in this country.
But this stubborn tactic of terrorism to tackle this issue was a terribly wrong approach.
Even Osama is hailed up as a hero by many people.
People such as Osama and Prabhakaran are but terribly misguided individuals.
they and their supporters believe they are doing their community a service.
But its easy to see, that violence and terrorism instead of proving your "power" actually ends up making the community it represents shamefaced.
i have come to beleive that by resorting to violence one abolishes the last chances of fulfilling the cause...
You are right. let this be a new begining.
what are the atrocities that he has committed?
you and pooja are exhibiting a kind of herd mentality and a lack of an ability of arriving at informed decisions,
both of you are terribly misguided in attempting to compare the ltte with osama.
osama took his grouses against the saudi establishment to the american people,the grouse was political in nature,the americans were not attempting to turn saudi arabia into a christian country.
the saudis have their own nation.
the tamils were deprived of their nation and dignity.
since right now,the guns have gone silent,will the sri lankan state accept the birth of eelam through a dialogue,since that is the overwhelming desire of all tamils worldwide,can the both of you consider that to be possible?
what the sri lankan state has instead set out to do is destroy the graves of ltte fighters in killinochi.
a human being will withstand only so much of discrimination,then the reactions begin,which results in the collapse of the middle ground.
1956 -1976 saw the genuine attempts at getting a dignified existence which were haughtily rebuffed at all avenues.
an old nation is being told that it has no right to assert itself because it disturbs the new status quo.
one knows and sees what has happened in america and australia due to human greed.
You may not regard the LTTE's actions as atrocities. u are entitled to your opinion.
I am sorry that P and Osama are compared but the truth is that
both relied on terrorizing the general public to get their point across. (the suicide bomb tactic too is common to both)
I AM NOT DENYING that there has always been descrimination but the LTTE only created more room for it.
Personally, I am yet to be convinced that Tamils in SL need a separate nation to prosper. The vote of Tamils living withing SL's should count on the matter. But i thnk the vote should be held a year from now, after the tamils get a chance to see wheter they feel discriminated against or not - in this new environment.
I agree about 1956 - 76. But that does not justify the actions of the LTTE. One should have patiently continued with the ‘genuine efforts’ in a dignified manner. That would have been more rewarding than terrorism has been.
Wrt. America and Australia, when it comes to the ‘discrimination’ issue, well Barrack Obama is the president today. (some thing unimaginable in yester years?)
the aborigines and the red indians are living in state sponsored colonies.
the sri lankans cannot enact an equal scenario as they dont want to dilute their homeland,in the process,they have become greedy to the extent that they have begun appropriating others homelands,who were there before they came along from somewhere,it is a believe it or not situation,actually,that the sri lankans are trying to suppress the claims for eelam,it must be a dream,a horrible dream,but it is true and it is happening right in front of our eyes,things can only get more extreme from here on.
if we indians cannot allow eelam to have its peaceful existence because we are not sure of our ability to hold on together,that is the most blatant selfishness,let them suffer lest we are disturbed from our cosy nation,for we are a nation that fears and doubts itself.such fears and actions were what resulted in the assasination of rajiv gandhi.
the hapless tamil labours against these massive forces in an attempt to reclaim his most basic right.
ha has been labelled a terrorist and has been tagged with osama and others,the greed of the sri lankan has turned into a bloodthirsty arrogance.
the red indians and the aborigines trusted the white,because they lived a simple and contented life,and had no idea about the consequences of human greed.
You say it is not about propering, it is about a homeland.
I say prosperity comes first.
i guess that is where we differ.
It is because there is undue emphasis on preservation of 'culture' and "identity" instead of protection of the "tamil people" that the LTTE was prepared to sacrifice generations of Tamils just to get a "nation" to themselves.
My concern is for humanity not for politics.
"a separate nation" is a purely political concern.
"equal oportunity for all" is a humanity concern.
Prakash
He grew too big for his own boots. The last straw in the battle was the US itself being attacked during 9/11. Once US got a taste of terrorism, it was quick to ban every other organisation. That was the begining of the end of LTTE.
In fact, am very happy to see Prabhakaran dead. Simply because he killed the PM of India. Its good riddance actually. Now SL can look at development of the country than spend valuable resources fighting this menace called LTTE.