NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

'The LTTE has killed more Tamils than the Lankan army'

As the battle for Jaffna intensifies, Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga told Aaj Tak that though she understood India's problem in providing military support to her country, the people expected a lot of support from India.

Asked if she was disappointed at India's stand, Kumaratunga told Aaj Tak's Jayashree in Colombo, "The Indian government has been very supportive of our ethnic policy. But helping us militarily is a difficulty for the Indian government, given the history of what happened here I suppose under another government. But people did expect a lot of support from India."

Kumaratunga admitted that at least on one occasion even a specific request for military help by Sri Lanka was turned down by India. However, she said, India had assured other help in case the fighting escalates.

About the kind of support Sri Lanka needs to combat the LTTE and her discussions with India, she said, "I had occasion to talk to several leaders from different countries and their governments to try and hurry things up, and I must say we have had a very good response from all of them. From India in the same way we asked for some military support -- I don't want to disclose the details -- very urgent support we required militarily, but I think the Indian government has decided that they cannot support us militarily. India has told us that they will be willing to help us politically and in a humanitarian way, in case of a bigger problem than what we have now,."

Kumaratunga also said Sri Lanka could not have accepted an Indian offer to mediate at this late stage as it was already being done. "We already have a mediator and we can't just drop somebody and pick up somebody else. At our request and with the agreement of the LTTE, the Norwegian government has been mediating for 15 months. Twenty to 25 governments have offered help over the last five years and international organisations have also asked us. India has always told us that they will be ready to help us politically. We appreciate the offer."

Kumaratunga said only her government can bring peace in Sri Lanka, since it had the support of a large number of Tamils in the region. However, she admitted that devolution of power is taking time. "How long has the Israel and Palestine problems been around? I think three times longer than ours. These problems are not solved that fast. Of course the Tamils want a guarantee of their rights. Through the constitution and also politically. Political guarantee that whatever the constitution says will be implemented. I believe the Tamil people of Sri Lanka have confidence in my government, that we have the political will required to give the minorities of this country their rights. We have fought Sinhala chauvinism. The Tamils know that we are the first people in 52 years to have gone to the heartland of the Sinhala people to talk to them. Other governments feared to talk to them, even those run by my party."

Asked about the speculation that the Lankan army may not be able to retain Jaffna, the embattled president said, "We will retain Jaffna. When we took over nearly six years ago the entire northern province, of which Jaffna is the capital, was completely under the control of terrorist forces."

Kumaratunga lambasted the LTTE and said it can never bring peace in the region. " The LTTE is totally incapable of accepting peace. They have been called the most horrendous terrorist movement in the world, also the most organised and most ruthless. I know of no other armed force which has have killed so many of its own people -- who they say they are fighting to liberate. There are more Tamil civilians killed by the LTTE than by Sri Lankan governments."

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report