உயிரையும் துச்சமாக மதித்து போராட்டக் களத்தில் குதித்திருக்கின்றார்கள்.
இவர்களை ஆயுதப் போராட்டப் பாதைக்குத் தள்ளியது சிங்கள அரச பயங்கரவாதமே யன்றி
வேறொன்றும் இல்லை"
"பயம் என்பது பலவீனத்தின் வெளிப்பாடு. கோழைத்தனத்தின் தோழன். உறுதியின் எதிரி.
மனித பயங்களுக்கெல்லாம் மூலமானது மரண பயம். இந்த மரணபயத்தைக் கொன்று
விடுபவன்தான் தன்னை வென்று விடுகிறான். அவன் தான் தனது மனச்சிறையிலிருந்து
விடுதலை பெறுகிறான்."
"We are fully aware that the world is not rotating on the axis of human
justice. Every country in this world advances its own interests. It is the
economic and trade interests that determine the order of the present world,
not the moral law of justice nor the rights of people. International
relations and diplomacy between countries are determined by such interests.
Therefore we cannot expect an immediate recognition of the moral legitimacy
of our cause by the international community." Maveerar Naal Address -
November 1993.
"The historical storm of the liberation struggle is uprooting age old
traditions that took root over a long period of time in our society... The
ideology of women liberation is a child born out of the womb of our
liberation struggle.The Tamil Eelam revolutionary woman has transformed
herself as a Tiger for the liberation of our land and liberation of women."
Women's International Day Message - March 1993.
“The strength of our struggle arises from the fierce determination of our
fighters. Their firm commitment and their courage to act without the fear of
death are the force and resource of our struggle. The whole world is
providing arms and funds to our enemy. We are not begging from the world. We
stand firm on our own legs, on our own soil, on our own people and fight
with our own hands. Since we are firmly rooted in our own strength we stand
upright without bowing to the pressures of others." Maveerar Naal Address -
November 1992.
"Our women are seeking liberation from the structures of oppression deeply
embedded in our society. This oppressive cultural system and practices have
emanated from age old ideologies and superstitions. Tamil women are
subjected to intolerable suffering as a consequence of male chauvinistic
oppression, violence and from the social evils of casteism and dowry."
Women's International Day Message - March 1992.
"Today, we cherish the memory of a great martyr and salute her supreme
sacrifice. Mother Poopathi has earned our highest esteem as one of the noble
martyrs who have become legends in the history of our liberation struggle.
As a woman, as a mother, as the maternal head of the family, Poopathi amma
transcended her ordinary life and the bonds of existential attachment in
sacrificing her life for the emancipation of her nation. Our people are our
mountains. As long as the power of the people is behind us, we can face any
challenges" Annai Poopathy's Fast for Freedom - Second Anniversary Message -
March 1990.
How do we account for the contradiction in his people's perception of him,
and the vilification by the world?
Mr. Pirabaharan, born in the coastal village of Valvettiturai on 26th
November 1954 was a sixteen year old teenager when he took up arms and
became involved in the political struggle of his people. He was, in other
words, a 'child soldier' if we use the language of today. From those early
days he has never lived a 'normal' life. As his commitment deepened, he
mobilised and organised a group of radical youth who shared his views into
an underground guerrilla organisation and launched an armed resistance
campaign.
His daring guerrilla attacks brought him to the attention of the state
authorities and he became a 'wanted' man living an underground life in
Jaffna. His bold armed challenge to the might of the Sinhala state earned
Mr. Pirabaharan a noble reputation and he became a heroic figure amongst his
people. The shrewdness and intelligence he successfully deployed in
challenging the state was viewed by the people as their triumph and an
assertion of their pride and identity. Mr. Pirabaharan's sustained and
successful armed resistance against mounting state oppression has earned him
the mantle of national leader of the Tamil people's struggle for freedom and
independence. This noble objective fuels his passion and dominates his
spirit. The struggle has become his life and he has become the struggle.
Although Mr. Pirabaharan would never make any pretensions to being a
theorist or an ideologue, his politics place him squarely in the camp of a
patriotic nationalist. Mr. Pirabaharan's nationalism is not a manifestation
of Tamil chauvinism or racism, as many Sinhala critics would like to argue.
His national sentiment arose from a determination to resist Sinhala racist
oppression that aims at the destruction of his people. In other words, the
racism of the Sinhala state made him a fierce patriot, a passionate lover of
his oppressed nation.
His deep love for his people, their culture and more specifically their
language, fuels his dedication and determination to secure their survival.
For him, uncluttered by abstract concepts and theories, the problem
confronting the Tamil people is clearcut and simple and the struggle for
freedom is just. His psyche is deeply rooted in the soil of his motherland,
the Northeast, which he always refers to as Tamil Eelam. He has an
unshakeable view that his people have a right to live in peace, dignity and
harmony in their historic homeland. His perception of Tamil Eelam is neither
secessionist nor expansionist.
For him, Tamil Eelam belongs to the Tamils and they have the sovereign right
over their territory. Indeed, he has neither demonstrated nor articulated
any aspiration to annex traditional Sinhala territory nor does he dream of
an expansionist greater Eelam as projected by some Indian critics. Mr.
Pirabaharan has always maintained individuality and creativity in fashioning
the mode of the armed struggle of the Tamil people. Though he was familiar
with the history of the national liberation struggles and freedom moments of
the other countries of the world, he did not embrace or capitulate to any
established models or theories of liberation warfare.
For him, methods of struggle should evolve from the objective conditions
unique to each struggle. He devised his own methodology of warfare suited to
the necessities and conditions of the struggle of his people. Some of his
methods and tactics of warfare have earned him severe condemnation,
particularly among the Sinhala political and military analysts. Yet he has
defended his 'ruthless' tactics as a necessary means to protect his weak and
small nation of people against a strong, powerful and ruthless enemy...."
Meeting Velupillai Prabhakaran
A Consultant Doctor from UK and his wife visit the Vanni , 14 October 2004.
My wife and I visited Vavuniya and Killinochchi an year ago to do some
voluntary work, treating people with eye ailments. We ran some eye camps for
civilians as well as ex militant cadres. When we were coming to the end of
our visit, we were told that an 'important person' would like to meet with
us. It was only when we arrived at the place of meeting that we realised to
our pleasant surprise that the person who greeted us was Velupillai
Pirabaharan.
I felt that I should write an account of that meeting with Velupillai
Pirabaharan, his wife and son. Such a meeting was not expected nor requested
by us when we visited the Vanni but when it came, it turned out to be a
unique, pleasant and an unforgettable one.To us Pirabaharan came across
primarily as a soft spoken, deep thinking person with considerable depth of
knowledge in what ever topic we discussed, with a keen desire to gain a
proper understanding of each and every matter that he came across during our
conversation. . We kept politics and the future of our freedom struggle
totally out of the discussion not by any request but by choice. My wife and
I felt (independently) that we should use the opportunity to be free and
discuss any topic that was raised by the Pirabaharans. They were our hosts
and it seemed entirely appropriate that we should do exactly what we would
do when visiting close relatives or friends.
This was not pre planned but I suppose came naturally to us when there was
no pre conceived idea as to how one should handle such an unexpected
opportunity!Keen to gain knowledge and understandingWhat ever explanations
Shanthi or I gave on medical matters, as they were our main topics of
discussion, Pirabaharan and his wife as well listened with keenness and
asked very pertinent questions. Pirabaharan in particular was keen to
understand the basis of various eye disorders that became the main topic
both from a personal point of view as well as with regard to many of the
patients we saw during our short stay in Vanni.A caring coupleWe were both
impressed by his desire to know details of many of the patients we had seen;
most of whom he remembered by name and asked what treatment could be offered
to improve their conditions. He was visibly moved and was very empathetic
when we described the effects of the eye injuries we came across and
emphasised the importance of good medical facilities and after care. The
deep knowledge he had of the extent of the war injuries on the youngsters in
particular and the effects of years of neglect of the health services on the
public at large, made it abundantly clear to us the commitment they both had
for the welfare of our people.A good fatherDuring the course of our
conversation their son who would have been around 7 years played around with
his father, climbed all over him, threw flower petals on his head and
Pirabaharan accepted all that despite some concern shown by the minders
saying that “ let my son have fun” and asked us if we minded!
We shared our experiences as parents and the discussion often went into
raising children and the social responsibilities of parents and children. It
was nice indeed to share these ideas with a person who seems to have an
image outside only as a strong military leader. When Pirabaharan got himself
excused to go and feed his son the lunch, we saw the face of a loving father
and a dutiful husband who left his wife to discuss matters that interested
her with their guests. His wife discussed at length with Shanthi in
particular the problems faced by parents, by mothers in particular in
bringing up children and they both dwelled on spiritual matters as well as
educational issues. We both were made to feel so much at home by our hosts
and felt as if we had known them for years.Good hostsAt lunch our two hosts
made sure that Shanthi had her vegetarian dishes and both supervised
personally the servings and Pirabaharan took a great pride in explaining the
various dishes and how many vegetables and fruits were now grown in Vanni.
He made sure all others at the lunch table ate well too. It was typical
Thamil hospitality at it’s best, showered on us by a person who could have
been very aloof and remote to the two unknown visitors but chose to be a
ordinary man doing his duties as a host as expected by our traditions and
customs, with out any effort but naturally as it would come to a brother
feeding his long lost family.
There were many humorous moments as well during this meeting and we had a
glimpse of the good sense of humour our national leader has. We both were
very moved by the whole experience.Respect and decorumWhen we examined their
eyes they both listened with interest and showed immense respect to us.
Pirabaharan asked me very politely, if I had the time to examine
Mr.Thamilenthy. There was no compulsion or expectation , but a kind request
to help a close associate, which I could have refused if I wanted on the
basis lack of time .We were happy to oblige. When the time came to leave,
bodyguards appeared in the scene for the first time but Pirabaharan got into
his vehicle only when it was made sure that our transport was ready to take
us to Colombo and we will get to the barrier before the closing
time.ImpressionWe left the visit with the feeling of meeting a nice friendly
family but did not fail to notice some of the exceptional qualities of the
leader of a people.
Behind the strong, clever and able leader there is a loving husband and
father, a caring person and above all an intelligent man with an inquiring
mind. Not having once raised a military or political topic we were able to
involve ourselves totally with Mr. & Mrs.Pirabaharan and family and so can
be excused for forming an impression of them even though one feels
inadequate to make a judgement on a person who will be judged one day (if
not already) by history as an intelligent, trusted and caring leader of the
Thamil Nation.
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