Sunday, March 15, 2009

Editorial in LAW ANIMATED WORLD, 15 February 2009 issue: TAMILS IN TURMOIL



TAMILS IN TURMOIL
now all over the world, but especially in Sri Lanka and also in Tamil Nadu, over the gory plight of the Tamils there bearing the brunt of the military offensive launched by the Sri Lankan Army to totally decimate the dreaded Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, fighting for a separate homeland for Tamils. Sri Lankan forces seem to have gained a clear upper hand and captured all the important LTTE bases including their bastion Mullaittivu and are now poised for the final strike against their last stronghold Puthukkuduyiruppu. From November 2006 onwards the SL military operations with terrific airstrikes and intensive shelling have not only devastated the LTTE ranks but also resulted in thousands of civilian casualties; even school children and hospital patients were and are not spared and the Tamils all over the world are furious that it is but a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Large protest demonstrations have taken place and are being held worldwide by the Tamil diaspora but especially Tamil Nadu is in intense agitation. At least three fanatic admirers of LTTE, and votaries of Tamil Eelam, beginning with Muthukumar, immolated themselves castigating not only SL chauvinists but also ‘Indian Imperialism’ and now LTTE flags and portraits of the iconic leader Prabakaran are being displayed openly in defiance of all anti-terrorist law. One can understand the intense anguish behind such protests since there have been and are close relations between Tamils across the sea, and Tamil Nadu has seen the origin of an ‘independent Dravid Nadu’ campaign as far back as in the 1950s even before any Eelam agitation was conceived in Sri Lanka. Truly the human tragedy in Sri Lanka is of staggering proportions and there is urgent need for the international community to immediately cause a cease fire and also restart of peaceful negotiations to solve the Sri Lankan ethnic problem. India should also actively intervene in the matter lest in not distant future our own South starts burning too §§§

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