“A de-merger and concerted economic development in the east are probably the most effective way to isolate the Tamil Tigers and to make them understand once and for all that they never were and never will be the sole representatives of the Tamil people and that violence will only ostracize them further among the global community”

How justifiable is the Tamil Tiger concept of a “Tamil Homeland”?

The concept of a “Homeland” is essentially one that refers to European ethnic movements and it appealed to the psyche in the West when the LTTE scattered the seeds of a “Tamil Homeland” through its propaganda machinery since the early 1980s. In the Thimpu Talks mediated by India in 1985, one of the four cardinal principles the LTTE laid down was the “Recognition of the existence of an identified homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka,” even though it did not specifically state where the homeland is. Since then, the LTTE has refused to budge from this premise as a condition for negotiations. This raises a cloud of doubt as to the commitment of the LTTE to talk peace with the government of Sri Lanka when the government stance is clear that negotiations will be toward maximum devolution within a unitary state.

The “Tamil Homeland” concept received a tremendous boost through the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord of 1987 which had as a condition that “the eastern province should remain linked with the northern province as one administrative unit, and continue to be governed together with the northern province.” The Sri Lanka Supreme Court, on 16 October, 2006, declared this temporary merger extended annually for 19 years, as “null and void and illegal,” invoking “equal protection of law,” for the merged provinces, which, unlike the seven other provinces in Sri Lanka, were deprived of the right to vote for a Provincial Council. This judgment was in response to petitions filed by three Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna parliamentarians from the East who alleged that the merger of the two provinces into a single unit infringed on their fundamental rights to equal protection of the law. Moreover, many Buddhist artifacts have been discovered in the geographic area claimed as “a Tamil Homeland” while the origin of names in the area could be traced back to Sinhalese.

The international community was not enamored with the decision to de-merge the two provinces on the premise it would impede the peace process. Yet, the reality of Tamil Tiger commitment to peace is dubious at best. The LTTE boycotted peace talks in early 2003 when the merger was intact. It sabotaged the second round of talks scheduled to be held in Geneva and Oslo when the merger was intact. So what difference does a de-merger make to a mindset that will accept only a separate state?

Again, how justifiable is a “Tamil Homeland”?

There are just three pockets of Tamil settlements, Jaffna, Batticaloa and Colombo, with about half of the Tamil population living scattered in the rest of the country. Only about one-third of Tamils in Sri Lanka live in the north and east. In 1971, 29.2% of Tamils lived in Sinhalese-dominated areas while 4.5% of Sinhalese lived in the north. The 1971 census showed that 20,514 Sinhalese civilians lived in Jaffna. By mid-October 1987 there were none. Today there are neither Sinhalese nor Muslims living in the north. Ironically, since 1984, over 400,000 Tamils have left the north to settle in the multi-ethnic environment of Colombo, to live in security and harmony among the Sinhalese and other communities.

Furthermore, there are close to similar numbers of Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims in the east. Therefore, if the east has a separate provincial council, each ethnic group will have significant leverage in local administration. With the merging of the north and the east, the Sinhalese and the Muslims lose their voice in the administration in the East and the Tamils alone get to control the affairs of the East together with the Trincomalee harbor. On the other hand, a de-merger provides a much-needed opportunity for economic development for Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims living in the East. It is clear that investors will not step into areas controlled by terrorists, leading to a logical conclusion that the eastern province needs to be freed from the clutches of the LTTE and nudged on to achieve economic freedom, enhanced infrastructure and a higher quality of life for the people. A de-merger and concerted economic development in the east are probably the most effective way to isolate the Tamil Tigers and to make them understand once and for all that they never were and never will be the sole representatives of the Tamil people and that violence will only ostracize them further among the global community. They need to realize that the fruits of economic development will be theirs only if they commit themselves to peace. The Tamils in the east and in the rest of the country need to be reassured that there is a positive alternative to LTTE terrorism and that a traditional Tamil Homeland will be what it has always been, a pipe dream for a power-hungry terrorist group. Low rate credit card loan for Mercedes Benz, BMW, Lexus Car