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TAMIL CANDIDATE WHO CHALLENGED THE LTTE PROXY, THE TAMIL NATIONAL ALLIANCE IS SHOT DEAD BY TWO TIGER GUNMEN
Anandasangari on the nominations day
(photo courtesy: Divaina)
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
March 01,11.00 AM:While the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) became the only party in the Provinces of the North and East to declare that the separatist terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was the sole representative of the Tamil people, a Tamil candidate who dared to give nominations outside the TNA in the Eastern province was shot dead by alleged gunmen of the LTTE.
The Tamil candidate, Sinnathamby Sundaram Pillai who was earlier injured by gun shots in an unsuccessful attempt by the LTTE to abduct him from his home at Ariyampathy in the Batticaloa District was admitted for treatment to the General Hospital Batticaloa where the two alleged LTTE gunmen entered the hospital and shot him point blank, Batticaloa security sources said.
Election analysts expressed fear that the LTTE would prevent a fair and free election and would use their arms to intimidate non-TNA Tamil candidates to prevent campaigning freely in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Under the Ranil- Prabhakaran ceasefire agreement, believed signed under the blessings of the Western nations including the US, all other Tamil groups except the LTTE were disarmed while they engage themselves in politics today in virtual mortal fear, analysts point out
The Tamil National Alliance is contesting these general elections on the policy that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should be accepted as the sole representative of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. But latest reports from Tamil areas show the policy has led to more divisions in the area among the Tamils than ever before.
The policy, which empowers the LTTE Supremo, Velupillai Prabhakaran at the top of the command structure of the party to take arbitrary decisions like the decision that was made in the past to chase out all Muslims from the Jaffna Peninsula within 24 hours, was rejected by a major section of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) resulting in the TULF leader, V. Anandasangari not receiving nominations from the TNA, although TULF was the major component of the TNA. TULF and other party sitting parliamentarians also were removed from the nomination list to be replaced with active members of the LTTE. While the name of the President of the TULF was deleted from the candidate list the TULF Secretary R. Sampanthan who accepted the policy, that LTTE was the sole representative of the Tamil people was included as a TNA candidate. Anandasangari is leading a team of TULF candidates as independents in the Jaffna electoral district. . Today, the majority who are contesting under the TNA ticket in the Northern and Eastern Provinces are considered Tamil Tiger proxies.
The main organ of the LTTE published in London, the Tamil Guardian, said , “Throwing their weight behind the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the LTTE requested the Tamil people to do the same. Mr. Thamilselvan said the Tamil people are ready to demonstrate their collective aspirations at these elections and that it is on this basis that his organization has decided to support the TNA. That the TNA is standing on a policy that recognizes the Tamil peoples' rights and the role of the LTTE as their sole representatives at any gathering to resolve the Tamil national question makes it easier for the Tamil people also to step in behind the party. With the decision made to campaign on policies, rather than the popularity of individual members, the TNA again is telling its voters that the policy is all that counts.”
The elections manifesto of the TNA, just issued also states that the party accepts the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil people.
The LTTE has publicly stated that no Tamil should belong to any political party other than to one approved by the LTTE. The human rights report of the US State Department said that 36 individuals belonging to the other Tamil political parties had been gunned down by the LTTE during the year 2003 and there was evidence that they did so. During this election campaign already Sinnathamby Sudaram Pillai (63) who broke the LTTE directive by handing over his nominations from outside the TNA in the Batticaloa District was shot to death on March 1, as a first warning. He was undergoing treatment at the Batticaloa General Hospital, for the injuries sustained in the attempt of the abduction, security sources said. The LTTE has so far not claimed responsibility for the assassination and in the past they customarily denied any connection after such killings by them.
An alleged LTTE mob entered into Sundaram Pillai’s residence, demolished the furniture and attempted to abduct him. February 28, when some relatives present at the residence prevented it. Then, the suspected LTTE mob fled away by shooting and injuring the UNP candidate.
Commenting about restructuring the TNA to be forced to accept LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil people the Tamil Guardian said, “. This expression of support will once again show the international community, and indeed those in the Sinhala south who argue otherwise, that the Tamil nation is united in its purpose to achieve recognition of its rights and in the belief that that the LTTE is the sole organization entitled to represent them at any negotiations.
But it is insufficient for the Tamil voters alone to unite - Tamil politicians also must put aside their differences, working together to ensure that the will of their people is expressed. On April 3, the Tamil nation should be able to look back
with satisfaction at having stated their aspirations what seems to be the only manner that is understood and accepted by the international community.
But the LTTE attempt has defeated its very declared purpose and created more political conflicts in the Tamil areas , observers said.
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