What is the Tamil National Alliance complaining about?

The present TNA before it was created by the LTTE in 2001 were all members of some Tamil political group. We know that LTTE took up arms alongside 35 other militant groups against the State of Sri Lanka well before 1983. The same parties and members that were scared to open their mouths except to say ‘Yes’ to everything LTTE ordered, today enjoys freedom of speech and a whole lot of other freedoms that they did not enjoy under LTTE even as Tamils. The TNA leader did not mind surrounding himself with Sinhala body guards then but he does now – what hypocrisy! The Northern Chief Minister lived over 70 years of his life in Colombo but now complains of hearing only Sinhalese voices after living just 3 years in the North. LTTE is now no more. People need to now compare the silence of these Tamil representatives including the incumbent Chief Minister of the Northern Province throughout LTTE reign and the noise they are making now that the Sri Lankan troops have eliminated the LTTE ground force.

M Abraham Sumanthiran MP at the second reading of the budget on 28^th Oct 2014

“You stop people of this country going to meet their very near relatives” – how many Tamils were able to leave the North and how many Tamils from the South could travel to the North during LTTE reign and did the likes of Sumanthiran come out to complain?

How many in the TNA were actually living in the North when the LTTE was running a defacto territory?

How many in the TNA were too scared to even travel to the North during the reign of the LTTE?

How many in the TNA continue to live outside of the Northern Province still?

Who is pulling the wool over the eyes of people?

Who says roads, bridges, mega projects are built for Tamils? These infrastructure belongs to the State of Sri Lanka and ALL of its citizens, not ONLY Tamils. Sumanthiran et all need to get that correct. The projects will continue whether Tamils appreciate it or not.

We would like to know how many times Sumanthiran and Sambanthan actually travelled to the North unless they were ordered to attend LTTE meetings? How many times did they travel on their own without permission by the LTTE?

If Sumanthiran and bandwagon don’t appreciate the development in the North it is understandable – the LTTE which created the TNA did not spend a cent on infrastructure except to build LTTE offices, bunkers and homes for Mahaveer families.

Why does the TNA not wish to have the Yal Devi train running from South to North and North to South? Is it because with travel and exchange of people and communication, the people will soon begin to realize that the TNA has been fooling them. Let’s also remind ourselves that Vanni, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi areas were denied electricity by the LTTE for the sole reason that they wanted the Tamils living in these areas to be totally in the dark about what was going on around them. It was from these areas that LTTE plucked its cadres. If not we would like to be statistically shown by the TNA how many of LTTE cadres were men, women or children who were from rich high caste/class homes!

There are security zones overseas, there are restrictions to areas that people can travel to overseas, there are areas that even natives have to get permission to travel to overseas, people cannot go anywhere at any time they like without permission overseas – why should that case be any different in Sri Lanka?

Sumanthiran asks ‘why is the North being treated as a separate country’ – why did he not pose this question to the LTTE who wanted to separate not only the North but even part of the East. TNA has yet to translate the ITAK Constitution into English where the question has been asked if ITAK is Federal or Confederal.

Can Sumanthiran claim that LTTE was destroyed fully when the Security Forces nabbed a former LTTE collecting signatures on blank UNHRC war crimes forms for a member of the TNA? What about the scores of other LTTE members who have been helped to flee Sri Lanka and claim refugee/asylum status? Thus we would like to know how many more LTTE cadres remain in Sri Lanka pretending to be civilians and how many other LTTE have fled overseas for until they are apprehended and legal action taken against them the country has to remain alert and the security needs to remain beefed up throughout the country.

Let us remind the Tamil people that before 1983 there were 35 Tamil armed groups operating in the North but how many Tamils actually informed this status to the State authorities in order to take action against them before they turned into murderers that killed Sinhalese, Muslims and even Tamils in what was a killing spree? Let us also remind Tamils that Tamil homes throughout the country whether forced or otherwise kept Tiger operatives on intelligence missions as well as allowed homes to hide caches of arms! There is a big dent in the trust factor which to be broken requires a lot of giving from the Tamil side in the light of some hard home truths!

Sumanthiran is also saying that the money given to the North was not given to the people’s representatives meaning the TNA… however the more important question is what did the TNA do with the money allocated to the Northern Province to provide for the needs of the people. As far as records stands the TNA has yet to spend the allotted money that they requested. Of Rs 5,831 Million allocated by Govt for North, the TNA Provincial Administration has utilised only 25.17% up to Sep 30th 2014.

The LTTE made USD300million annual profits. LTTE fronts were holding charity events to raise funds. LTTE fronts ran propaganda campaigns to raise funds. LTTE fronts appealed to charities to raise funds. With so much money collected over the years isn’t the Tamil people curious to know where that money went to?

When LTTE made USD300m a year and did nothing to the North, the GOSL gave the Northern Province Rs5.831m of which Wigneswaran and coterie has utilized only 25% as of September 30^th 2014. This allocation of Rs.5.831m is the highest allocation of all the provinces in Sri Lanka – what the TNA requested the GOSL gave without question so why has the TNA not spent that money?

What is TNA whining about when the money under its own control ends up not spent!

In addition to the Rs5.8m allocation to the Northern Province, the GOSL from its national budget has spent

• Rs.89,031m on Jaffna District
• Rs.60,529m on Kilinochchi District
• Rs.34,407m on Mullaitivu District
• Rs.39,500m on Vavuniya District
• Rs.62,804m on Mannar District

The GOSL has spent from its national budget Rs.290,271 million for the Northern Province alone from 2009 to September 2014.

How many Tamils in the North or even the rest of Sri Lanka, or for that matter Tamils living abroad including foreign embassies etc know that TNA Northern Provincial Council has spent only 25% of the budget that it requested from the Government of Sri Lanka? This is a perfect example of the TNA’s No Action Talk Only policy because just as the LTTE cared only for its deranged megalmanic objectives the TNA offshoot has the same objectives and have nothing to do with uplifting the lives of any Tamils apart from the high caste/class Tamil circle and associated nefarious entities it belongs to.

Sumanthiran claims that the development projects will not fool the Tamil people, who said these projects were to fool the Tamils? When none of those funding LTTE cared to enhance the productivity and help the Tamil people contribute towards the national GDP does the TNA wish to continue this status quo because from the manner it has withheld spending the money allocated to the Northern Province it is a clear indication that the TNA like the LTTE wishes to keep the Tamil people subservient and under their control in what is a run up to a master-slave scenario.

The TNA doesn’t do anything for the Tamils and doesn’t wish others to do anything for the Tamils too!

Why should the TNA complain about development being made to the North, that development is for the entire nation to reap. Sumanthiran and TNA are mistaken to think that development of any kind, upliftment of infrastructure and investment drives are meant only for Tamils – they are meant for Sinhalese and Muslims to enjoy as well.

What type of Tamil representatives would request the Tamil people to boycott an event wherein a train service that had been destroyed by the LTTE was relaunched to help people travel throughout the country without hassle?
Will the foreign envoys please request from the TNA to reveal how much the LTTE charged for people to travel during its heyday of terror, how many Tamils had to pledge their deeds in order to take medical treatment in the South, how many Tamils had to even keep a member of the family as guarantee of their return and how difficult it was for Tamils to travel to the North. Today, Tamils in the South are going every other day to the North and returning. Some even go early morning and return in the night!

Moreover as representatives of the people since 2001 let us ask in what ways did the TNA help the Tamil people

• Did the TNA stop Tamil children from being kidnapped by the LTTE? – NO
• Did the TNA stop Tamil children from being taken by force to LTTE ‘orphanages’ ? – NO
• Did the TNA stop Tamil children from being denied their fundamental right to education? – NO
• Did the TNA question LTTE on why Tamil children were being turned into child soldiers? – NO
• Did the TNA demand from LTTE that Tamil children be allowed to educate themselves and qualify themselves and become professionals instead of being given a gun and instructions to kill? – NO

How can this same TNA now come and complain about the welfare of Tamil children when for 30 odd years we do not know how many Tamil children were denied not only their right to education, but their right to live as a child, enjoy life as a child, be fondled as a child by parents and relatives and play like a child instead of holding guns and killing people.

How dare TNA come now after watching LTTE and being part of the LTTE by virtue of association pretend now to be paragons of virtue!

Let it also be said that it is ONLY and ONLY because of the largess of the Government and its leaders that the TNA remains uninvestigated nationally for links with a terrorist movement banned by nations. If the Government has taken action to incorporate UNSC Resolution 1373 to ban LTTE fronts and individuals what is stopping them from taking action against the TNA?

This is a big question mark raised by the general public of Sri Lanka which continues to ask why the TNA is not held accountable for its links, support and association with the LTTE over the years. If LTTE is held accountable by the UN investigation for any war crimes not only the banned LTTE fronts overseas but the TNA too must be held accountable and charges pressed against them. This is all the more poignant in the light of evidence that establishes the TNA was formed by the LTTE to carry out its agenda politically.

– by Shenali D Waduge