REHABILITATION OF LTTE DIASPORA

Please find below a questionnaire for self assessment to be self determined, of the degree to which your a member of the LTTE diaspora. 

We welcome the comments of all, whilst assisting the LTTE diaspora.

This is a community project carried out for the benefit of the LTTE diaspora, so that they can (hopefully) become responsible and civil citizens in the society.

WE wish the LTTE diaspora, all the very best and to have the self determination to move away from racial hatred, animosity and anger, which is futile now.

1.       When did you start or stop voluntarily contributing financially to the LTTE or supporting the LTTE ideology of eelam ?

2.       When did the LTTE start or stop using duress  and intimidation to collect monies from you ?

3.       When did you run away from Sri Lanka, to avoid joining the LTTE who were fighting for eelam ?

4.       How much of money did you contribute voluntarily or otherwise to the LTTE monthly or yearly at the opportunity cost of your family ?

5.       How much do you suffer to realize that the LTTE used your money to kill Sinhalese, tamils, muslims, Indian civilians and Rajiv Gandhi or did you celebrate each killing ?

6.       While you educated your children in foreign countries, are you aware that the LTTE abducted children ages from 13 to 17 yrs old, both girls and boys and trained them to kill and be killed ?

7.       How much of your valuable time have you wasted for the LTTE and how much more time do you wish to waste on this  ?

8.       When the LTTE killed tamils, as being traitors or dispensable, did you rejoice and celebrate or silently clapped at home and supported the tamils to kill tamils ?

9.       When you supported  the LTTE to commit genocide of Sinhalese by killing thousands and thousands over a period of 30 years, did  you get a sick feeling in your stomach or chose to celebrate the killings with delight ?

10.   When the LTTE committed ethnic cleansing of the Muslims, did you rejoice daily or fantasize everyday about your racist attitude from abroad?

11.   Do you mingle with Sinhalese or muslim friends, or only with people who contributed monies to the LTTE and wave the flag of the LTTE ?

12.   Do you plan to go to India and celebrate the killing of Rajiv Gandhi, in front of the Indian Parliament, any day soon ? If so have you bought a one way ticket ?

13.   Have you helped the Sri Lankans, the ex-LTTE child combatants or the ex-LTTE terrorists now that the war is over to make their lives better, or only contribute monies for the destruction of people, such as the purchase of cyanide capsules, guns and suicide jackets  ?

14.   Why didn't you or your children wear a cyanide capsule or bite one and only got other tamils to bite the cyanide ?

15.   Why did you only contribute monies to manufacture suicide jackets, suicide trucks, suicide boats, suicide planes, and conveniently escape the task of being part of it ?

16.   Why did you get thousands of tamils in Sri Lanka to kill and be killed for the LTTE for a cause called 'eelam', while you stayed far away from Sri Lanka ?

17.   Are you aware that by your silence and inaction, that  you have accepted the following statements contained in the Darusman’s Report, which are against the LTTE and the LTTE diaspora :-

Section 32, Page 9 - "The LTTE pioneered modern suicide bombing, which it used against military, political and civilian targets. LTTE suicide bombers, both men and women, were responsible for the deaths of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (1991) and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa (1993) as well as numerous Sri Lankan ministers and members of parliament, and moderate Tamil political leaders. It also carried out suicide attacks, often with large numbers of civilian casualties, on economic and religious targets. The LTTE pursued exclusionary politics, expelling Muslims from their homes in the north in 1990 and massacring Sinhalese and Muslims living in villages bordering areas it controlled. Violence,threats and fear were increasingly used by the LTTE to control the Tamil population. The LTTE was also known for its forced recruitment and use of child soldiers, including boys and girls. Its tactics led to the organization’s proscription in numerous countries, including Canada, the European Union, India, the United Kingdom and the United States; its proscription intensified after 11 September 2001."

Section 417, page 114 - It is to be expected that the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, large parts of which provided vital moral and material support to the LTTE over decades, continues to harbor grievances about the plight of Tamils and to protest the actions of the Government during the last stages of the conflict. However, significant elements of the diaspora create a further obstacle to sustainable peace when they fail to acknowledge rights violations committed by the LTTE and its role in the humanitarian disaster in the Vanni.

Section 418, page 114 - During the last stages of the war, many in the diaspora remained silent in the face of numerous LTTE violations, including holding tens of thousands of Tamils hostage in the Vanni, using violence to prevent their escape and forcibly recruiting children into their rants. At the end, parts of the diaspora appeared more concerned about preserving the political State of “Tamil Eelam” than about the suffering of the civilian population trapped between two fighting forces.

Section 419, page 114 - The LTTE engaged in mafia style tactics abroad, especially among expatriate Tamil communities , to generate funds for their cause. Significant part of the Tamil disapora, who were supportive of the LTTE, played an instrumental role in fueling the conflict in this way. It is reported that former front organizations for the LTTE continue to operate through private businesses and to control some of the temple incomes. Activities of these organizations should be monitored. In addition, funds acquired by the LTTE from the disapora and elsewhere, and which still exist, should be secured for the purpose of making reparations to those in the Sri Lankan Tamil community who were victims in the conflict.

Section 420, page 114 - Members of the Tamil diaspora, through their unconditional support of the LTTE  and their extreme Tamil Nationalism, have effectively promoted divisions within the Sri Lankan Tamil community and, ironically, reinforced Sinhalese nationalism. A stable future in Sri Lanka demands that all of its ethnic communities, including those living abroad, recognize and respect the rights and interests of others with whom they share a common homeland. The diaspora which is large, well educated and has considerable resources, has the potential to play a far more constructive role in Sri Lanka’s future.

18.   When are you planning to sue the LTTE for waste of your funds or will that corner you with the LTTE friends that you have ?

19.   What are your grievances after wasting your money on the LTTE or is the LTTE still compelling you to contribute more of your hard earned monies ?

20.   Why did you go to Canada, Australia, UK, USA, Norway, Malaysia  and other countries without going to Tamil Nadu ?

21.   When you went illegally in a boat to these countries, didn’t you realize  Tamil Nadu was quicker, closer and cheaper ?

22.   If Tamil language is important, even though it is one of the official languages in Sri Lanka, then why didn't you go to Tamil Nadu, India ? In UK, USA, Norway, is Tamil an Official language ?

23.   Have you seen the pictures of Prabakaran in the pool enjoying a nice relaxing swim while he put others including tamils in pools of blood for 30 bloody years and how have you dealt with it knowing that you contributed monies to kill thousands and thousands of people by the LTTE ?

24.   Are you still suffering from the death of Prabakaran and his gang of murderers or do you believe that they are still alive ?

25.   Do you have money to seek psychiatric help in your country to overcome any one or more of the above ?

Hope this self determination (without loss of life to anyone) guide you in the correct path to be productive citizens and to move away from racial mindset for ever.
 

One Cup of Water

A woman, dying of thirst, asks for a cup of water. You offer a plate of food. As nutritious as the food may be, if this woman cannot find something to drink, she will continue to suffer. It is in this relationship that the Tamil Diaspora finds itself with Eelam Tamils. They are asking for our help. Our love for them is undeniable and our desire to help is unbounded. But if we do not give them the help they are asking for, we all will continue to suffer.

Since 2009, the Tamil Diaspora has sprung into action, raising international awareness and organising advocacy campaigns. These are valiant efforts which must continue. While we maintain an international platform, the Tamil Diaspora must remember to heed the voices on the ground. These are the sweet sounds of our future. Their requests are simple. They want food. They want jobs. They want bicycles.

International politics are fickle and filled with double-standards. Libya is one case. Tibet is another. Tamil Eelam is yet one more. No one can predict the tipping point which will swing international favour in our direction. In what way can we concretely rely on the international community to come the aid of Eelam Tamils? How long are we willing to wait for someone to attend to their basic needs?

The Tamil Diaspora must use its vantage point to see things clearly. In the past two years, not much has changed in Sri Lanka. Despite various reports, no international action has been taken against the Government of Sri Lanka. NGO’s have been effectively removed from all Tamil areas and there remains a lack of transparency and access to the war-affected population.

Individuals within Eelam are quietly addressing the humanitarian needs of our people. These people and grass-roots organisations are often unable to function openly due to government crackdowns. But they are not impossible to find. Through word of mouth via ex-pats who have been able to visit the island and make trustworthy connections, these groups can be contacted and a Diasporic support system may be developed. This will not be an easy fix. It is easy to knock something over, difficult to build it back up. For every $1 spent on war crimes, the Tamil Diaspora must find a way to send $2 back home. The Tamil Diaspora cannot afford to pigeonhole its view upon advocacy alone.

Even the LTTE, with all their military efforts, supported the creation of the TRO. If the entirety of the Tamil Diaspora’s financial investment is devoted to pure advocacy, our people at home will continue to starve. If the TGTE truly wants to stand as the governmental representative of Tamil Eelam, they must develop a wing devoted to effective humanitarian service. Organisations such as BTF, CTC, and USTPAC are not beyond reproof. These organisations have been created in order to pursue service along the lines of political advocacy with our host nations. However as some of the premier groups which hold relationships with the Tamil Diaspora, they bear a similar responsibility to educate and remind us of the immediate needs of Eelam Tamils. Tamil Eelam cannot survive upon the shoulders of IMHO alone.

Eelam’s Tamils are asking for our help. If the Tamil Diaspora listens and gives the people the help they are asking for (not what we think they need), it will not be long before we can make a stand together. Our nation’s spirit will not be defeated.

A woman, dying of thirst, has come to us for water. Let us give her a cup. And once she has drunk all the water she needs, let us set the table and eat.

Preserving A Homeland

No homeland can exist without physical inhabitants. It is in the Earth’s nature to shift. As people migrate – whether through necessity or choice – the remaining inhabitants of an environment will shift into the vacated spaces. Regardless of expediting factors, this change is inevitable. One way to maintain a Tamil homeland is by becoming an actual part of it: by moving back.

The Tamil Diaspora’s ability to earn and send remittances to Sri Lanka is a gift. However, one must not underestimate the impact of actual contact. Take for example a rape victim. Money will not actually help her in her time of most immediate need. She will need doctors and counsellors who can be present, to hold her and emotionally restabilise her through the beginning phases of recovery. Sri Lanka’s Tamil population is suffering from post-war trauma and our community simply does not have the trained human resources to cope.

In addition to this trauma, our community is crippled by internal poisons. Domestic violence and alcoholism have become more prevalent. Adherence to the caste and dowry systems remains unabated. Without fresh blood, who will question and challenge these traditions, future generations on the island will perpetuate these ingrained practices. By returning to Sri Lanka, whether for 3 months or 3 years, members of the Tamil Diaspora can inject our community with fresh and forward ways of thinking.

For the coming-of-age Diaspora generation, the concept of homeland is doubly complicated. Many were born outside of Sri Lanka or emigrated at a very early age. We speak with western accents and have visited Sri Lanka only a handful of times. Yet we were raised with stories of yesteryear. Stories of ammammas chasing naughty chiththappas and quiet evenings beneath the maa-maram. Our bodies crave the exquisite combinations of pittu and kuzhambu, parappuand pickle. And while we are most comfortable in English, the Tamil language (whether we speak it well or not) becomes a portal into an inexplicably rich and deeper side of our character. We have needs to contribute to a community with whom we feel connected because within this community lies an integral element to our sense of “home”.

A homeland cannot survive if its members do not have the strength to stay. The Tamil spirit is strong, but the war has left our people emotionally weakened. The Tamil population in Sri Lanka has been significantly diminished. Those who had the financial opportunity have left. Others continue to search for ways to emigrate. There are brave individuals who choose to stay, to persevere in service towards our community. But without an influx of people who are willing and able to sacrifice the luxuries of a Diasporic life, people who have the knowledge and interest to contribute to a rebuilding of society, the Tamil community in Sri Lanka will continue to wane.

For many, the idea of returning to Sri Lanka is a fantasy but not a practical reality. There are limits to what one is able to do. Those who have children, extended families, and life responsibilities simply cannot afford to drop everything and go back. And deeper still, the idea of returning to the devastation of what once was a paradise home is more than some are emotionally able to bear. Even though the war is ended, the island is still not safe and those who are just beginning their lives may be unwilling to risk everything and return.

We must remember that a “homeland” is more than a vacation destination. Preserving a culture takes time and requires real connection. Those who are unable to move back to Sri Lanka can foster this connection with those who live there by visiting more consistently and for longer periods of time. Sri Lanka’s Tamil population is unbounded in its ability to love and survive. For those who have the freedom to be a part of this growth, please come. Your homeland is waiting.