12) INDIAN COMMUNISTS DEBATE TAMIL ISSUE
An urgent political solution is still needed to protect the right of Sri Lankan Tamils to live with dignity and equality; this was the conclusion of a special convention held by the Tamil Nadu state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in late July.
The CPI(M) and the Communist Party of India received 1.6 million votes in last May's elections in Tamil Nadu, about 4.4% of the total. The two parties are part of the AIADMK coalition which swept that election. Sri Lanka's Tamils were largely brought from Tamil Nadu by the British as labourers, only to endure historic discrimination as a minority on the island.
At the CPI(M) convention, Prakash Karat, the party's general secretary, noted that the armed conflict ended two years ago, but the Sri Lankan government has failed to tackle the problems of the defeated Tamils. Instead, President Rajapakse has used delaying tactics while strengthening the process of militarisation.
Referring to the atrocities committed on innocent people during the last phase of the armed conflict, Karat demanded a high level enquiry with authority to hold accountable the responsible authorities. However, the Sri Lankan government is in a "denial mode", even though a UN panel report has reported on atrocities committed by both sides.
During the last phase of the armed conflict, more than 40,000 innocent Tamils were killed by the Lankan army, which bombed hospitals and even Red Cross vehicles. More than 5000 youth are still held by the army, and over 60,000 persons are in relief camps. The UN report has also noted human right violations by the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), such as the use of innocent people as human shields.
At this juncture, Prakash Karat pointed out, a key question concerns the rehabilitation and resettlement of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who are unable to return to their homes. The major barrier to settlement is the failure to dismantle emergency rule in the affected areas, where the army plays an important role in the administration.
This issue has become a concern for all democratic forces in India and Sri Lanka, said Prakash Karat, stressing the need for a fresh approach based on genuine autonomy. He called on India to press the Sri Lankan government to fulfil its commitment for a political solution, and urged the Sri Lankan government to immediately take up measures for rehabilitation and resettlement, demilitarisation, and ending emergency rule.
The leader of the Tamil National Alliance (which recently won local elections in Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka), and a member of the Sri Lankan parliament, Suresh Premachandran, also addressed the CPI(M) delegates.
Premachandran gave a chilling account of atrocities committed by the Lankan armed forces in the last phase of the armed conflict against the LTTE when the media was not permitted in the war zone. Since then, the armed forces have started encroaching the land, leaving many families with no livelihood. More than 100,000 families are to be resettled, and there is no information about many Tamils abducted during the armed conflict.
Prakash Karat announced that on August 9, mass rallies in Tamil Nadu will call for a democratic political solution. There will also be demonstrations outside the parliament in New Delhi, and the CPI(M) will discuss this issue at its upcoming Central Committee meeting.
A special resolution adopted by the CPI(M) convention stresses that "right from 1948, Sri Lankan governments have practised a discriminatory approach against the Tamils." The resolution calls for "an independent and honest inquiry of international standard" into the human rights violations and war crimes; the release of all Tamil youth being illegally held; the merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces with greater autonomy; equal treatment regarding language and religion; and a federal system of government to replace the presidential system.
(The above article is from the September 1-15, 2011, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)