TIRUCHELVAM,TIGERS AND THE TAMIL “TRAITOR” TRAGEDY

Ten years ago on the morning of July 29, an unknown 'human bomb' exploded at the Rosmead Place-Kynsey Road junction. The suicide attack resulted in the death of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam.
In a few seconds of madness the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had murdered the foremost intellectual in contemporary Tamil politics. The void created is yet to be filled. It is particularly felt at this juncture as the Sri Lankan Tamils flounder in a rudderless, leaking boat on choppy waters deprived of able sailors to steer boat safely ashore.
“Any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in Mankind,” wrote the metaphysical poet John Donne. The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka has extracted a heavy human toll. In my personal capacity as a Sri Lankan Tamil and in my professional capacity as a journalist , I have lost count of the number of people related or known to me who have encountered violent deaths.
But no man’s death as a result of the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka has diminished me as that of Neelan Tiruchelvam a decade ago.
NEELAKANDAN
Neelakandan Tiruchelvam, well-known as Neelan or Dr. Neelan, strove ceaselessly to achieve a peaceful solution to the Tamils issue. He dedicated himself to that cause with a sense of purpose.
Although he could have easily enjoyed a lucrative academic or professional career abroad, he chose to remain in Colombo through very trying circumstances and pursued his vision of a lasting political settlement where all communities, including that of his own, the Sri Lankan Tamils, coexisted with justice, dignity and peace.
In that context, his death is an irreparable loss to the country in particular and humanity in general. The positive and constructive endeavours of Neelan remained unknown to the Tamil world while the abrasive yet negative play-acting of others received undeserved praise.
The widespread grief and condemnation expressed by a spectrum of human rights organisations at his killing demonstrated the extent of his contacts and was a tribute to his untiring yet unpublicized efforts on behalf of the Tamil people.
Although a citizen of the world in every sense Neelan also felt deeply about the plight of “our people” as he would refer to the Tamils when talking to me. It was this concern about the Tamil predicament and the yearning to do something meaningful about it that drew me closer to him.
At the same time Neelan was not ethno-centric and realized fully that ultimately a solution acceptable to all sections of the people had to be found.
RELATIONSHIP
I had a close personal relationship with Neelan. He was my friend, philosopher and guide. He was greatly instrumental in moulding my career. He was in a sense my political mentor. I will always remain grateful for the advice, knowledge ,assistance and help provided by him during various phases of my life.Neelan and his wife Sithie were like an elder brother and sister to me.
I was one of the last persons to speak to him on that fateful day. I spoke with him on the telephone from Toronto for 50 minutes from 7.50 am until 8.40 am (Sri Lankan time). I used to call him regularly those days. Usually he winds up the conversation after a while saying “you are going to run up a massive phone bill”. But on that day he was in a mood to talk and was pensively reflective .When I ended the conversation he seemed a little surprised.
Thirty – Five minutes later Neelan was killed at 9.15 a.m on his way to office at Kynsey terrace as the assassin waiting for him near the Kynsey road-Rosmead place junction threw himself upon his vehicle.
When the office aide Rajah rang me from Colombo to convey the tragic news I could not believe it. “I spoke to him only a little while ago” I wailed. Sadly, the loyal Rajah too is no more having passed away a year ago.
Whenever I cautioned Neelan about his safety he had a fatalistic attitude about death. "No one can prevent it when it happens, we just have to go on doing what we have to do," he told me once.
He also seemed to have a premonition about how he was going to die. "There are countless vehicles in Colombo now. There is a traffic jam at every junction. All security measures become a mockery if my car is held up. None of the police assigned for my safety will be able to do anything." How prophetic were those words. The lone assassin slipped easily between vehicles held up at the traffic snarl at Rosmead Place and blew himself up.
RESPONSIBILITY
The LTTE in customary fashion has neither claimed credit nor denied responsibility for the despicable crime. Yet two factors point significantly to the involvement of the Tigers in the murder.
Firstly, the human bomb had become the trademark of an LTTE-type assassination. In this instance the modus operandi bore the Tiger stamp conclusively. The second and more important factor was the consistent hostility displayed by the LTTE towards Neelan Tiruchelvam. Tiger-controlled media organs in Sri Lanka and abroad had attacked him for many years.
Tiger propagandists and LTTE fellow travellers were blatantly transparent in their criticism of Neelan even after he was killed. In fact I had an acrimonious exchange with the late Kumar Ponnambalam in the columns of “Sunday Times” in the process of defending Neelan after his death. The LTTE and its supporters were critical of the constitutional reforms proposals, known generally as the devolution package, which sought to find a solution to the decades-old ethnic strife.
PROPOSALS
The legal, constitutional and political expertise of Neelan Tiruchelvam along with that of Prof. Gamini Lakshman Peiris contributed greatly to the formulation of the package in 1995.
While Sinhala hardliners accused him of promoting separatism by trying to push through the devolution package, the LTTE and its cohorts charged him of betraying Tamil interests.
These contrasting allegations made by the hawks on both sides were proof enough that Neelan Tiruchelvam was on the right track in seeking a negotiated settlement that would provide maximum devolution within the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka.
As for LTTE propaganda, Tiruchelvam had been the most reviled Tamil politician and pet object of hate. The LTTE's poet laureate, Puthuvai Rathinadurai, writing under the pseudonym “Viyasan”, had constantly referred to him as a throgi (traitor), who clung to President Chandrika Kumaratunga's munthanai (free end of the saree) and who must be destroyed.
As stated earlier Neelan’s fault in Tiger- eyes was the co-authoring of a set of constitutional reform proposals with Prof. G. L. Peiris. These proposals released on August 3,1995 were described as the "GL-Neelan package" by sections of the media.
These proposals were hailed as the most progressive breakthrough in the political sphere of resolving the Tamil national question.
Within a few days of the package details appearing in the newspapers, the LTTE summoned a press conference on Aug 11, 1995 at their Chundikuli headquarters in Jaffna. It was held by the LTTE’s political adviser Anton Stanislaus Balasingham and LTTE's Political Wing Head Suppiah Paramu Thamilselvan.
Balasingham condemned the package even though it had not been submitted to the Tigers formally. Rejecting the package as an act of treachery against Tamils, Balasingham went on to say -
“The Government is operating with an absurd and ridiculous scheme that proposes a political solution to Tamils and a military solution to the Tamil Tigers. This scheme is based on a misconceived fantasy that the LTTE and the Tamil people could be separated by enticing the Tamils with a devolution package. "
CAMPAIGN
That was the green light! Thereafter the vicious campaign against Neelan began in the Tamil and even sections of the English media. He was called a traitor to the Tamil community because he participated in a positive exercise of constitution making instead of rabble rousing like some other Tamil sycophants of the LTTE. Few bothered to analyse the package constructively. Despite its shortcomings, the GL-Neelan package was the best possible scheme of power sharing to be evolved in post-independence Sri Lanka. As Neelan himself said "the proposals of August 3,1995 represented the boldest attempt to redress the imbalance in the relationship between the different ethnic groups through devolution of power to the regions."
Neelan with characteristic modesty and disdain for hogging the limelight played down his involvement in the August 3 proposals known as the “GL-Neelan” package. In private and in form that mattered, Neelan stoutly defended the package. He would often lament that much of the mud slung at him in Tamil circles was “ill-informed” and without any grasp of what the package was all about.
He was very proud of the package but accepted that it had its shortcomings from a Tamil point of view. What he felt was that the package was the best possible as a starting point. A particular source of satisfaction was the proposed change of the unitary state into a union of regions. He felt that if there was a Tamil consensus around it and the LTTE lent its bargaining clout the package could be enhanced further. Alas! That was not to be and the LTTE campaign sought to undermine the package as a complete sell-out.
PACKAGE
With the LTTE taking up cudgels against the package and the war intensifying, the Chandrika Kumaratunga government too altered its approach. Naturally, Neelan was placed in an unenviable position while his critics became increasingly strident.
On the other hand, the original package itself underwent a series of revisions. The end result of all this was the systematic whittling down of the original package to which Neelan had contributed immensely. The August 3 1995 package lost much of its lustre when presented formally as government proposals on January 16,1996.The Parliamentary select committee proceedings saw the devolution proposals being diluted further when tabled as a white paper on October 24, 1997.
It was against this dismal backdrop that the LTTE assassinated Neelan. After Neelan’s death, the devolution package he conceptualised in its original form was further eroded.
In the short-lived honeymoon period between the PA and UNP the devolution proposals got reduced in scope and scale. Choksy was responsible for much of that. With Neelan’s demise, there was no one from the Tamil side to contribute positively to this exercise. Ultimately, a caricature of the original Neelan package came to parliament but even the TULF would not support it now.
Mrs. Kumaratunga in her address to parliament lavished her gratitude to Choksy but omitted to even mention Neelan’s name despite his having paid the supreme sacrifice. And then, the UNP did a somersault and refused to support the bill co-drafted by it.
Years later, the political scenario changed drastically. The LTTE entered a peace process with the UNP and began talking to a 'Sinhala' government about power sharing.
Lo and behold! The chief government negotiator was none other than G.L. Peiris with whom Neelan had engaged in constitution making, years ago. The Tiger chief negotiator was the very same Balasingham who dismissed the 'GL-Neelan' package derisively earlier. The GoSL-LTTE talks achieved a significant breakthrough in Norway when the negotiating parties decided to “explore” a federal solution. Despite this advance, the talks thereafter failed to follow through with this in subsequent meetings.
REVELATION
Meanwhile Anton Balasingham made a startling revelation on March 11, 2003 when he spoke at the ceremonial opening of an LTTE bank (vaippagam) at Kilinochchi. The speech was reported in full in the Jaffna based “ Uthayan” of March 13 2003. Here is the relevant excerpt -
"1995 aam aandu Neelan Thiruchelvam arasamaipputh thirutha varaipu ondrai samarppithhaar. Athu sariyaana varaipu.Athu etkakkoodiyathu. Aanaal pinnar 2000 aam aandu antha varaipin adippadayil Chandrika oru thirutha varaipai samarppithaar.Antha varaipu Neelan Thiruchelvathin varaipin oru araikkuraiyaana oru thokuthiyaagum."
(Neelan Tiruchelvam presented in 1995 a draft amending the constitution. That was a correct draft. That was acceptable. But, later in 2000 Chandrika submitted an amended version based on that draft. This one was only a half-baked version of the earlier draft by Neelan Tiruchelvam)
After vilifying Neelan as a traitor and the August 3rd 1995 devolution package as an act of treachery for years the LTTE was now acknowledging the merits of Neelan’s draft. After condemning the “GL-Neelan” package, Balasingham was now praising it. The wheel had turned full cycle.
Even though Neelan was vindicated in a way, the brightest star in the Tamil political firmament was no more and nothing could ever bring him back. The loss to his family, friends, colleagues and associates is irreplaceable. So too is the loss to his community, country, humanity at large and the intellectual realm. When replying to his critics after Neelan’s assassination I wrote that with the passage of time his positive contribution would be acknowledged by the Tamils.
SCENARIO
In the aftermath of the LTTE's "reappraisal" of Neelan's constitutionalism I wrote in 2003 of two possible future scenarios .
“As time progresses two possible scenarios could unfold. Positively the LTTE after fits and starts could really enter the negotiating process in a meaningful manner. If and when that highly unlikely occurrence does happen, the original scheme of devolution as drafted by Neelan in association with GL could very well be a starting point. Apart from a few modifications particularly in terms of the devolutionary unit, that original draft needs little addition. Against such a backdrop Neelan's reputation will no longer remain tarnished in the eyes of certain segments of the Tamil people.”
“In a negative light, the Tigers could continue to be intransigent and inflexible in their quest for Tamil Eelam. This could result in war. Initially the LTTE could have the upper hand and Colombo's position shaky. As time goes on, the international community could rally round Colombo in a way never seen before. The prospects are endless. Ultimately, the fortunes of the LTTE could turn for the worse. If that happens, the Tamil cause by extension would be weakened considerably. The Tamil plight would be terrible. In that context the wisdom and foresight of people like Neelan and their positive contribution to the Tamil people would be realised fully.”
Recent events have shown the emergence of the negative scenario envisaged by me in 2003. The intransigent LTTE continued with war and ultimately paid the price with the entire world backing the Sri Lankan Government .The Tamils are in dire straits. Even the 13th amendment is under threat. The wisdom and foresight of people like Neelan who tried hard to bring about a just settlement earlier is being realised and appreciated. Whatever the future of the Tamil people, Neelan and all those killed under the pretext of alleged treachery will not be resurrected physically. Neelan was a man who respected the sanctity of life as supreme. He felt strongly that it was the most fundamental right of all as all other rights were meaningless to a lifeless person. Neelan was concerned about the growing intolerance and violence among the Tamil community itself. During the emergency debate of June 15th 1999 Tiruchelvam stated -
“We cannot glorify death whether in the battlefield or otherwise. We, on the other hand, must celebrate life, and are fiercely committed to protecting and securing the sanctity of life, which is the most fundamental value without which all other rights and freedoms become meaningless."
PHENOMENON
The glorification of death and the justification of political violence was abhorrent to him. It is pertinent therefore to ponder on this virulent phenomenon within the Tamil community at a time of remembering Neelan. The political violence that destroyed Neelan, Amirthalingam, Sri Sabaratnam, Padmanabha , Subathiran and hundreds of others is explicitly and implicitly justified by the perpetrators as being necessary to ensure Tamil unity and take forward the struggle for Tamil equality.
The tendency is to view all those holding or perceived to be holding different political opinions to that of the dominant one in vogue as being traitors. Dissidence is equated with treachery. Mythology and history is convoluted and signs of real or imaginary betrayals are portrayed as the causes for the downfall of those depicted as 'heroes.' Ravanan had his Vibeeshanan; Kattabomman his Ettappan; and Sankiliyan his Kakkai Vanniyan.
In contemporary times, the evolution and growth of representative democracy in Sri Lanka has seen the term 'throgi' or traitor being bandied about liberally and rather loosely. Politicians of all communities have at times accused their rivals of being traitors to the people or their just causes.
This phenomenon however has been more pronounced and deeply embedded amidst the Sri Lankan Tamil polity. Ever since universal franchise and territorial representation shattered the Tamil self-perception of being equal to the Sinhala 'numerical' majority, the nature of Tamil politics underwent transformation.
The underlying thread of Tamil politics became political emancipation. Be it balanced representation, responsive cooperation, federalism, regional autonomy or separatism - it was the discourse of Tamil liberation that dominated the polity.
The growing community consciousness and the high premium placed on ethnic solidarity created a situation where the people at large were expected to strike common course on political issues. 'Ottrumai' or unity became the dominant cry. It was seen as the most convenient mode of mobilising votes for a particular party on an ethnic basis. It was also easy to label any Tamil involved with Sinhala dominated parties be they nationalist or leftist as being collaborationist with negative connotations.
Thus, anyone differing or seen as deviating from whatever dominant political opinion within the Tamils was depicted as betraying the cause and community. They were described as weeds that had to be 'weeded out' (kalaieduppu).
TRAITORS
In the early days this weeding out of political rivals depicted as traitors was strictly electoral. They had to be defeated at the polls and nothing more. It was also easier to undermine those in power through this type of propaganda. So G.G. Ponnambalam and the Tamil Congress got the better of Sir Arunachalam Mahadeva and the UNP Tamils by calling those who supported the Soulbury Constitution traitors.
Then it became Ponnambalam's turn to be called traitor by S.J.V. Chelvanayakam and the federalists after he became a minister in D.S. Senanayake's cabinet.
When Chelvanayagam and the FP became ensconced in Dudley Senanayake's national government, former Kayts MP V. Navaratnam broke ranks and formed the Tamil Freedom Party.
His criticism of the FP as traitors did not carry much conviction because of the high esteem in which Chelva was held.
Earlier it was difficult to brand the Samasamajists and Communists as traitors by the Tamil nationalist parties because of the very progressive stance taken by the left on the national and language question.After the left changed course and joined forces with the SLFP and adopted the "Masala Vadai" line it became easier to 'traitorise' them too.
The practice of demonising political adversaries as traitors took a qualitative turn in the 1970-77 period. The fiery Tamil poet Kasi Anandan thundered in 1972 that none of the six Tamil MPs who supported the Republican Constitution of 1972 should die of natural causes.
It also became clear that some Tamil politicians like the popular Jaffna Mayor Alfred Durayappah would be difficult to defeat politically because of widespread people support.
Durayappah was continuously described as traitor in the TULF organ Suthanthiran. He was portrayed as the cause for all problems affecting Tamils and that his elimination would usher in a new dawn for the Tamils. Impressionable young Tamil minds got the message. Durayappah was gunned down in July 1975. Later Prabhakaran was to call it his first "military" operation. None of the TULF leaders condemned Durayappah's killing then.
KILLINGS
Since then the spate of political killings within the Tamil community has not ceased . Tamil policemen, suspected informants, Tamil activists of the SLFP etc. were killed as traitors. After 1977 it became the turn of UNP Tamils to be killed.
Then Tiger guns turned on the TULF and ex-Kopay MP, Aalalasundaram was shot and injured in 1982. It was only then that Amirthalingam issued a hard-hitting statement saying "after biting the goat and cow the animal had now bitten a human." As the Tamil liberation struggle 'progressed' the militants began calling the TULF leaders traitors. Soon many were killed.
Amirthalingam who had described many a political opponent as being traitor was killed and unfairly accused as traitor himself.The guns also began turning sideways and inwards. Soon there was fratricidal warfare among the Tamil groups. Organisations were dubbed wholesale as traitors by the LTTE and were prohibited from the Tamil areas. Massive killings of rival groups followed.
When the Indian Army was here and war with the LTTE erupted, several tigers were killed by groups toeing the Indian line like EPRLF, ENDLF and TELO.
When the Indian Army left the tigers massacred wholesale those members of the pro – India Tamil National Army. Both sides described each other as traitors of the Tamil cause.This practice continued.
REVERSED
The LTTE killed more than 60 members of organisations like the EPDP and EPRLF after the ceasefire of 2002. They were branded as traitors. Later the roles reversed and Tamil “paramilitary” groups aligned with the state killed many Tamils suspected of LTTE links as “enemies of the state”.
'Traitorisation' turned inwards too. Former LTTE Deputy Leader, Gopalaswamy Mahendrarajah alias Mahattaya who went public in denouncing Amirthalingam as a traitor was himself later executed by the Tiger supremo.
Mahattaya too was now called traitor and charged with conspiracy to overthrow Pirapaharan. More than 150 of his supporters were also killed as traitors. The revolt of former eastern tiger commander Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan in March 2004 saw the “mainstream” LTTE executing a large number of “rebel” cadres as traitors. Soon Karuna allied with the State and unleashed violence against Praba loyalists dubbing them traitors of the east.
The LTTE has killed a number of people within and outside the movement as suspected traitors over the years. It is in the neo-fascist nature of the LTTE to discover more and more new traitors on a regular basis. Anyone seen as holding different opinion or not toeing the line was easily labelled traitor. There were numerous instances of many being wrongfully accused and executed.
TRAGEDY
Even in a post – Prabhakaran situation the LTTE tendency to demonise those with different viewpoints as traitors continues. Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias KP and his supporters are called traitors by those opposing him.This malady afflicting Tamils has resulted in countless people being killed as traitors. This is a Tamil tragedy for which others cannot be blamed. There is an urgent need for serious introspection. The Tamil people must address this issue that is literally and metaphorically killing the community.
Sanctity of human life and tolerance of political divergence are very necessary for the healthy future of the Tamils. Neelan Tiruchelvam was firmly devoted to these ideals. Ultimately Tiruchelvam himself became a victim to the on-going Tamil “traitor” Tragedy.
Even as sad memories of his tragic death are re- kindled this column hopes and prays that those values like the sanctity of life held most sacred by Neelan are reestablished among the Tamils again.
D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at
djeyaraj2005@yahoo.com