COLOMBO: Tamil Tigers and those who often break the Sri Lankan governments mind appear to have reached agreement on one point after Delhi’s ban on the LTTE India is trying to destabilize the islands government.
The Tamil Tigers have reportedly accused India of working closely with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to destabilize the government of president Ranasinghe Premadasa. Interestingly the government-owned Sunday Observer which reported the LTTE charge has made the same accusation.
The papers main story May 24 was a list of charges made by the general secretary of the Peoples Front of Liberation Tigers (PFLT) Yogaratnam Yogi over Peoples Forum a program broadcast every Friday in Jaffna by the clandestine Voice of Tigers radio.
Yogi is reported to have said that after failing to bring down the Premadasa government through the former minister Gamini Dissanayake and his clique a reference to last year’s impeachment move against the president India was using the recently imposed ban on LTTE to sabotage talks between the Sri Lankan government and the militants. Yogi also said India was financing a leading newspaper group and others to destabilize the government
The Indian ban has triggered demands from the SLFP-led opposition groups and some Buddhist clergy for a similar Sri Lankan ban. The government however has argued that a local ban would close the option of government LTTE talks for solving the ethnic conflict.
The alleged SLFP-India link was also the theme of a regular column in the paper May 24. Anuraddha Tilakasiri whose columns aggressively back the government policy has questioned why India had not acted while the LTTE killed Sri Lankans over the last decade. The Indian policy makers so far had been curiously reluctant to give up the Tiger option. He adds This is because the Tiers were regarded as an important instrument in their proxy war of destabilization against Sri Lanka.
The recent ban he argues demonstrating some ones idea of a Machiavellian synthesis between ethics and morality and cynical self-interest. The banning is itself the latest instrument in India’s Sri Lanka policy.
The article tiled Destabilizing Sri Lanka says the ban doubtless welcome but argues India’s motives are suspect. It says the SLFP is seeking a short-cut to power courtesy of the Great and Friendly neighbor.
There are indirect hints in the column that the opposition demand for a Sri Lankan ban is India inspired and opposition papers were financed from abroad the same points made in LTTE statement. India is also chauvinists who demand a military solution by lavishing money booze and patronage on them.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 5, 1992
