INTERNATIONAL FRAME &
THE STRUGGLE for Tamil Eelam

Labels and pliability

K. Sooriyakumaran
Oru Paper, 19 May 2006

"...30 years after the formation of the LTTE and with multiple international terrorist labels, it had become a mass based political-military organisation, with an extensive over ground and under ground network all over the world, and is celebrated and supported as the vanguard of secular Tamil Nationalism by majority of Tamils in and outside Sri Lanka. At the same time we find the Sri Lankan nation state almost economically bankrupt, its armed forces trapped in a military quicksand of Jaffna peninsula, its institutions racist and impotent, its media in collective amnesia and hysteria, its elites in denial and the Sinhalese stake holders in tribal exuberance. ‘It is the 25th failed state in the world, even worse than Ethiopia’ says an American institution. But with the Canadians and possibly, Europeans following suite with the Indians, British and Americans, by labelling the Tigers as terrorists what does the future hold? And the question of why can be heard muttered by many Tamil mouths all over the world. Could it be as one great Tamil said 3 years ago?

‘The sole, ulterior purpose of the US-European-Japan Bloc in trying to influence and manage the LTTE, is to stabilise the Sri Lankan state (25th failed state in the world) in a manner that would make the Tamil Nation sufficiently pliable to accommodate their respective strategic and economic interests’ (Sivaram, May 2003).

As it comes to light that a label of terrorists may be placed on the LTTE by the European Union (EU) thus banning its political activity within EU borders, let’s take a step through the history of bans and their effect on the LTTE.

Students of Tamil Nationalism know well that the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) was started by Mr Velupillai Pirabakaran 30 years ago, more precisely on the 5th of May 1972.

In 1978, Sri Lanka banned them under the then Emergency Regulations. At this small beginning the number of full and part time fighters under Mr Pirabakaran’s command was less than fifty. The Sri Lankan Tamils used to call them ‘our boys’, ‘extremists’ and ‘militants’. Mr Pirabakaran was labelled as just another angry young man willing to throw bombs at the Sri Lankan Police when ever there was an opportunity. He was politically insignificant.

Five years later, in 1983, the Tigers were banned again under Sri Lanka's notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act. This time the number of young Tamils under the Mr Pirabakaran’s command numbered hundreds. Young Tamils were becoming more aware of this man and his ideals, but his was not yet a politically popular organisation. It remained as a secretive network of young Tamil men, mainly interested in building up an efficient military machine to resist the counter insurgency forces of the Sri Lankan Government. The popular Tamil dailies, published in Jaffna at that time, continued to call them rebels, militants and extremists (theevira-vaathikal).

During the next four years, the Tigers’ military strength grew rapidly. They became the only credible military force to challenge the Sri Lankan state’s authority. But even at this point the political platform they were standing on was shaky and unstable.

At this time the Indian Army came into the picture. That’s when the Sri Lankan state was on the verge of collapse due to both LTTE and the JVP. Soon the Indians found themselves playing a ‘cat and mouse game’ in the jungles and villages of the Northeast of Sri Lanka. The LTTE suffered terribly with almost all the LTTE commanders and fighters with middle class back ground, deserting and many emigrating to the West.

When finally the Indians left Sri Lanka, Mr Pirabakaran ventured out of the Vanni jungles. That’s when it was decided, by many Tamils, that he was the political and military leader of Tamil Nationalism.

On the 14th of May 1992, India banned the Tigers.  As a consequence, the Tigers rear base and their extensive networks, that had been systematically built over the years in South India, were destroyed. 

Soon after the LTTE suffered a major military blow in conventional war fighting, when it tried to over run the Elephant Pass military complex. Sri Lanka watchers pointed out that the blow in Elephant Pass was as a direct consequence of LTTE losing its rear base in India and discounted the LTTE as a spent force.

However the LTTE bounced back with a string of semi-conventional set piece battles and political programmes. At this juncture the Sri Lankan Government, headed by Mrs Kumaratunge, started the famous ‘war for peace’.

During this war, the LTTE faced its worst political and military crisis. With division after division of Western and Indian trained Sri Lankan Government soldiers knocking at LTTE’s front and back doors in the Vanni, the foreign minister, Mr Kadirgamer, was knocking on diplomatic doors which led to the UK and the US banning the Tigers as terrorists within their borders.

With all these blows it was thought that the Tigers would not survive as an independent politico-military force.

However they did not give up their struggle, and what happened in Operation Jayasikurui, Elephant Pass military complex, Sri Lanka’s Air Force Base and Airport etc we all know.

Further success was achieved when in the last Sri Lankan general election Tamil National Alliance (the political front of the LTTE) won four electoral districts, Jaffna, Vanni, Trincomalee and Batticaloa, and became the third largest party in the new parliament with twenty two seats.

Thus 30 years after the formation of the LTTE and with multiple international terrorist labels, it had become the mass based political-military organisation, with an extensive over ground and under ground network all over the world, and is celebrated and supported as the vanguard of secular Tamil Nationalism by majority of Tamils in and outside Sri Lanka.

At the same time we find the Sri Lankan nation state almost economically bankrupt, its armed forces trapped in a military quicksand of Jaffna peninsula, its institutions racist and impotent, its media in collective amnesia and hysteria, its elites in denial and the Sinhalese stake holders in tribal exuberance. ‘It is the 25th failed state in the world, even worse than Ethiopia’ says an American institution.

But with the Canadians and possibly, Europeans following suite with the Indians, British and Americans, by labelling the Tigers as terrorists what does the future hold? And the question of why can be heard muttered by many Tamil mouths all over the world. Could it be as one great Tamil said 3 years ago?

‘The sole, ulterior purpose of the US-European-Japan Bloc in trying to influence and manage the LTTE, is to stabilise the Sri Lankan state (25th failed state in the world) in a manner that would make the Tamil Nation sufficiently pliable to accommodate their respective strategic and economic interests’ (Sivaram, May 2003).