'Colombo is procuring weapons from Pakistan'

R Sampanthan , secretary-general of TULF tells that LTTE has realised the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was a mistake.

Sri Lanka is on the brink of civil war. R Sampanthan, secretary-general of Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), which is Lanka's oldest Tamil political party and now a member of the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance, indicates that the peace talks are headed nowhere.

Sampanthan tells Frances Bulathsinghala that LTTE has realised the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was a mistake:

There have been at least four suicide attacks and hundreds of assassinations in the past months. Is LTTE serious about peace?

Yes. It is up to the government to engage LTTE and reach a solution that is acceptable to the Tamils.

Hundreds of Tamils have been killed by LTTE, including eminent Tamil politicians, at least six of them from TULF. It is regrettable that these killings occurred. It should not have happened.

Is it fear for your own life that prevents you from criticising LTTE?

No. no.

But other Tamil politicians who criticised LTTE have been killed.

As I said it is regrettable. It is horrible.

Do you think LTTE are the sole representatives of the Tamil people?

They are the representatives of Tamil people in the current negotiations based on the mandate given by the people in the last general elections.

Election monitors from European Union had stated that the elections were rigged by LTTE

Well, there would have been some overenthusiasm by the Tamils for this election. Tamils in uncleared areas (LTTE-controlled territory) had been deprived of their votes in a number of elections.

How independent of LTTE is TNA? Why does it not tell LTTE to stop the killings?

We have told them. We oppose all killings. We oppose the extrajudicial killings taking place in the north and east. We have indicated this to President Mahinda Rajapakse.

There are people disappearing everyday in the north and east. There have been gruesome killings and there have been no investigations by the government.

But it is LTTE that stands accused of a bulk of the killings which have taken place following the ceasefire. There are killings and killings. It is not only LTTE which is killing in this country. There are killings from both sides.

How do you see LTTE leader Anton Balasingham's apology for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi?

Well, it's a realisation of the grave mistake that has been made.

LTTE is preparing for war and is giving combat training to thousands of civilians. Aren't you disappointed?

The government too is preparing for war. The government military too is recruiting. It is procuring weapons from Pakistan.

 

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'War and peace begin and end in the mind'

A T Ariyaratne stands out among political leaders in Sri Lanka in these times of strife. A Sarvodaya activist, he believes there is hope for peace and that violence can't resolve questions of language and ethnicity. Winner of the Magsaysay award and the Gandhi Peace Prize, Ariyaratne tells Frances Bulathsinghala that he will work to change the mindset of Pirabhakaran, the LTTE leader:

Q: Now that Sri Lanka is on the brink of a war, is it too late for peace?
It is never too late for peace.

Q: Your ideas have been criticised as impractical.
Peace and war begin in the mind and also end in the mind. We will continue to build up in the south of the country as well as the north and east, a spiritual, non-violent society cutting across ethnic borders and religions. What is important is that we do what we can to change a sick mindset that we change the way people think.

Q: Do you mean to change the mindset of Pirabhakaran and the LTTE?
Yes, the way he thinks and the way many others think. Prior to the recommencement of fighting in the north and east three weeks ago, the Sarvodaya movement held a meditation camp in Amparai district in the east for over 15,000 persons of all communities. Before the fighting broke out we had asked the LTTE leadership to give us permission to hold a meditation camp in the LTTE-controlled region of Killinochchi.

Q: Do you think meditation camps held for Tamil youth can easily wipe out the war mentality?
Not easily, but yes, it can be wiped out.

Q: But you will first have to change the mind of Pirabhakaran?
Yes. But it is the Tamil people who can do this by saying 'no' to war. There has to be some good in this man called Pirabhakaran. That is why he has sent his children abroad for higher studies instead of sending them to die in his war!

Q: How much have you done to instil peace in the minds of people?
The Sarvodaya movement — while carrying out projects all over the country for the social betterment of people of all communities — has influenced people to think in the non-violent way of Mahatma Gandhi. Parents of a senior member of Sarvodaya were shot dead by the LTTE. She is one of the meditation teachers of the Sarvodaya meditation centre and has influenced many people to cultivate the art of forgiveness. Over the years we have had many meditation camps in Colombo where we have brought Tamil youth from Jaffna to encourage interaction with Sinhala youth here.

Q: To resolve the Tamil national question, would a federal model provide the solution?
Democracy has to evolve. When power is given to the villages, this problem will be solved.