It was good of both Sri Skandarajah and Veeracingham to take the time to comment on Satya-Lobby. The express purpose of the work of such lobby is essential, especially at a pivotal time such as now when the Eelam Tamils are tortured and terrorized by the State. I’ve just finished being a delegate to an international conference in Scotland for a week. At the conference a report was tabled on being Peacemakers in the context of global terror. I took the podium to propose a counter-point as a Ceylon Tamil, the state of terror and state terror in Sri Lanka.

During conversation a Labor MP said that he had played a pivotal role in banning the Tigers in Britain. I asked why. The reply came because the Tigers were collecting funds forcibly in London and according to British intelligence that there are more than one group and hence there were “Gun fights and disorder”. Has the banning stopped such activities? The answer “Yes”. How do you know that these are not just Tamil gangs? The answer: We have records to prove.

Comment by tamilnation.org It may well be that the Labour MP believed that which he said. But one would imagine that strategic decisions such as the banning of the LTTE are taken at the highest level in the United Kingdom and not simply as a result of  the 'pivotal' role played by an individual MP. The UK Government did not ban Sien Fein perhaps because it was concerned to negotiate a settlement of the conflict in Northern Ireland. For the same reason the US did not list the IRA as a terrorist organisation.

Again if the reason for the ban on the LTTE was that  'the Tigers were collecting funds forcibly in London' the question may be reasonably asked: why was it that action was not taken under the ordinary criminal law of the land to prosecute the offenders.  Why was not the criminal law enforced in respect of 'gun fights and disorder' - particularly since they had 'records to prove'.

The reality ofcourse was that the ban was directed to prevent not  forced contributions but voluntary contributions to the LTTE.  And the political imperative for the ban was to 'manage' the LTTE and in this way  advance the strategic political interests of the UK government in relation to the conflict in the island.  We need to recognise that the 'international community' (consisting of the trilaterals - US, European Union and Japan but not India or China) are not disinterested good Samaritans helping to secure justice and peace in the island of Sri Lanka. They are concerned to advance their own strategic interests -  and in particular the 'containment' strategy that the US has adopted in relation to China, and less directly in relation to India. This explains what may otherwise appear to many as an irrational action - the  continued ban of  the LTTE in the UK on the ground of  'terrorism'  in Sri Lanka, whilst Sri Lanka itself has removed the ban on the  LTTE. All 'irrational' actions become rational once the frame of reference is clearly understood.

I went on to elaborate to the conference about the slow genocide and the aerial bombings on civilians. Thanks to the Israeli Kfir bombers. There was dead silence. Since the Geneva talks, the “Diplomatic victory” resulted in the murder in the Tamil country of over 400 civilians who mostly include women and children and the youngest victim being a 3 year old!

The blood-letting is continuing. We have to of course, deplore all killings. However, the Faith communities in Sri Lanka- Tamil Eelam ought to resist the temptation of offering pious clichés and strive to be a prophetic voice – offering instead the Kairos word - in condemning all forms of terror; state terror in particular. I wish to dedicate the following poem, if I may, to all who would be willing and able to be part of the movement of Satya-Lobby who would stand for nothing but the truth as a truth-witness. The lie will be exposed and be vanquished.  I shall now return to Katunayake…