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The Rediff Interview/Dr Krishnaswamy

'India must support Tamils, not Lanka govt'

Dr Krishnaswamy of the Puthiya Thamizhagam had been a very vocal supporter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He was from the pro-LTTE camp. But, when he spoke to Shobha Warrier, he tried a different line. "Let us not focus on any organisation. What is more important is the welfare of the people," he said. He suggested that we not differentiate between the people and any organisation fighting for their cause.

It was a difficult to pin him down, as he has been traveling from one district to another, holding meetings to garner support for Tamils in Sri Lanka. Excerpts from the interview:

You said at a public meeting in Coimbatore that the Indian government should help only Sri Lankan Tamils. Who should the government help, the LTTE or Tamils in Lanka?

In 50 years, no prime minister of India has helped the Lankan Tamils. It is a grave ethnic issue and India must solve the problem. They should have solved the problem earlier, but nobody was interested. Whenever the Indian government got an opportunity to solve the problem, they bungled. You should not differentiate between the people and the organisation fighting for their cause. The most important aspect is to solve the problem of people suffering for several years.

How can the Indian government help the Lankan Tamils? Militarily?

It seems that Indian governments did not approach the issue with an open mind. The problem did not arise one month back; it has existed for 50 years. Just when the organisation fighting for the cause of Tamils is about to capture a part of Lanka, the Indian government expresses willingness to be involved, to help the Lankan government. This is not good or advisable.

What should be India's role in this conflict?

Without anybody's help, they are fighting for the liberation of their motherland. In what capacity can the Indian government interfere? It has no moral right to interfere now. If India wants to intervene, it should force the Lankan government and militants to agree to a ceasefire. How else can it help?

The Indian government has said that it will intervene only if both parties agree to a ceasefire.

It has not said that openly.

It did.

As of now there's no mention of a ceasefire. Instead, the Indian government exerted pressure on the Lankan government to request its assistance, and it is very bad. We cannot decide for them. How can we? All look at the problem as a struggle between the LTTE and Sri Lankans. But you have to first think of the suffering Tamils and also look at the reasons behind the problem. It is an age-old problem. Instead of looking at the problem from a wider perspective, everybody is restricting it to the LTTE.

The LTTE is not the problem. Did the LTTE create these problems? No. The Sinhalese created this as they refused to accept Tamils as citizens of Sri Lanka. They refused to respect Tamils. Thousands of Tamils were murdered by the Sinhalese. Now, everybody says that the LTTE is the problem.

If India steps on Lankan soil, it should be to solve the problem and not to support the Lankan government. The Indian government has to disclose its objectives. It should tell us whether it has any solution.

There are eight lakh people in Fiji, of which only 44 per cent are of Indian origin. But when Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhary was thrown out by locals, India raised its voice. Why can't India do the same for Lankan Tamils?

Why is India not doing this?

Double standards. It thinks Tamils are inferior. Warnashrama thinking! Even now, Tamils are not given the respect they deserve.

The Tamil Nadu chief minister recently commented that the LTTE did not represent Tamils of Lanka, and that they were not saviours of Tamils. Do you agree?

We are far from the island, so we cannot make any judgment or offer solutions. The local Tamils will decide whether the LTTE is their real representative. If it does not have any support from the people, how can it remain at the forefront for 15 years and fight against the establishment? However, my anxiety is not the LTTE.

Do you agree with the terrorist activities of the LTTE?

I don't want to comment on the LTTE's activities. Anybody would have taken up arms when faced with such a situation. You cannot expect rules and regulations to be adhered to in a war. What forced them to take up arms? They may have made mistakes, their activities may not be acceptable, but the question is, who forced them to go to such an extent? Many leaders, like Amruthalingam and Padmanabha, had fought for the cause, but has anything come out of it?

You cannot blindly label the LTTE as a terrorist organisation on the basis of one violent activity. It may have done some things, which are unacceptable to us.

Has it not been involved in several assassinations?

But what is its aim? The goal is very important in a struggle. Nobody will condone Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and many such activities. I am not the LTTE's advocate. My concern is for the Tamils of Lanka and not the LTTE. I want the long pending ethnic problem to be solved at the earliest.

The LTTE is accused of killing its men, like Amrutahlingam and Padmanabha and more recently Jaffna's Mayor. Don't you condemn this violence?

I can condemn its activities only if I can help the Tamils more. I can only give moral support to the Tamils. If Tamils who reside in Lanka find the LTTE's activities violent and unacceptable, they will respond.

PART II
'There is an anti-Tamil psyche'

The Rediff Interviews

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