Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Tamils re-affirm desire for self-rule
Share:
by sivakaran | August 11, 2009 at 10:59 am
253 views | 7 Recommendations | 16 comments
Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the party ran on the platform of self-determination won a key council in Sri Lanka. The government was expected to do well for the following reasons:
- The election was held too soon after the end of the war for people to vote and for democracy to be tested.
- The media was not allowed in, dashing hope of a transparent election.
- The TNA only allowed in just two weeks before the election for campaigning,
- The government has not given permission for Tamils in the internment camps to leave and return home.
- A large number of Tamil voters were missing, and/or were not provided with voter card.
- The government had promised to bring big development project, if they vote the government's party.
- The government also threatened to put more restrictions or not develop the area if they don't vote the government.
- Low voter turnout.
Certainly, normalcy in the battle-scarred north is a long way off: Nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians are being forcibly held by the government in camps near Jaffna and Vavuniya. Both towns are still surrounded by government checkpoints, and are largely inaccessible to nonresidents. Even residents can't leave without permission.
The military laid down tight security which required opposition candidates to get permission to visit the areas, while ruling party candidates moved about freely.
“The government doesn’t want the outside monitors, journalists or observers to have access to these people displaced by the conflict,” which critics describe as “concentration camps,” Jayasinghe says.
“When you say ‘we are having local elections’ it gives the impression that these are elections in which people who were recently displaced would be voting. In fact, none of them would be voting in these elections,”
Despite all this, the Tamil National Alliance, which supported the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) won the council. The TNA won most seats in (5 out of 11) seats in Vavunia, and came in close second in Jaffna council.
This clearly indicates the Tamils aspiration for self-rule remains.
The polls elected representatives to two councils on the edge of the area formerly controlled by the Tigers. The pro-rebel Tamil National Alliance won Vavuniya, taking 5 of 11 seats. In Jaffna, the government's United People's Freedom Alliance won 13 of 23 seats, though the Tamil National Alliance came in a close second.
The government's party was expected to do well in the north largely because it had promised to bring big development projects to the battle-scarred area.
The election in Uva Province, in the south, voted in favour of the government's party indicating that Sinhalese majority cheer the war and its successes.
Elections were also held in Uva Province in the south of the island, where the government's party triumphed, indicating that Sinhalese majority cheer the war and its successes. The recent arrest of the Tiger's new leader will have further bolstered Mr. Rajapakse's popularity, say analysts.
Observers say some measure of autonomy for Tamils, who have suffered decades of discrimination by the Sinhalese majority, is necessary for stability in Sri Lanka.
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Related Stories
Recommendations (7)
senthil5000
st Louis, United States
Suranee
Ratnapura, Sri Lanka
158
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Anonymous user
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (16)
at 17:39 on August 11th, 2009
A 25 year war just ended. I will take time to return to normal.
Tamils will have to accept they are part of Sri Lanka.
at 07:10 on August 12th, 2009
How can we expect Tamils to accept they are part of Sri Lanka while they are ill-treated? The government does not seem to be genuine about solving the Tamils' grivences rather, they are working toward fooling the world that everything is better.
There are still 300, 000 people in the internment camps, yet the government of Sri Lanka held an election to fool the world.
You have to understand that the war did not start over night. The Tamils were peacefully negotiation for settlement for over three decades. While they were participating in peaceful negotiation, the government of Sri Lanka used violent means to oppress them.
Just because they won, does not give them right to treat the Tamils however they want.
at 20:15 on August 13th, 2009
"....The Tamils were peacefully negotiation for settlement for over three decades......"
Mass Murders by Tamil LTTE terrorists
30 Nov '84 - 62 Farmers massacred in Kent and Dollar Farm, Mullaitivu
14 May '85 - 146 Pilgrims mechine gunned and killed, Anuradhapura
17 Apr '87 - 127 Bus commutators massacred, Habarana
02 Jul '87 - 35 Buddist preists slaughtered, Aranthalawa
04 Aug '90 - 147 Muslim worshippers massacred, Kaththankudi Mosque
15 Oct '91 - 109 Muslim villagers slaughtered, Palliyagodella
Oct '95 - Serial massacres (120 killed) in ethnic clensing easten Sri Lanka
Assasinations by Tamil LTTE terrorists
13 July '89 - A. Amirthalingam, TULF leader, former Opposition Leader of SL
21 May '91 - Rajeev Gandhi, former PM India
29 July '99 - Dr. Neelan Thiruchelvam
These are only random picks. The total list has many thousands of such comprehensively documented records.
Everything in this world is reletive to some reference point. If Sivakaran calls this "peaceful", one can imagine what the result would be, if the Tamils choose to be "violent" !!!
If Sivakaran represents general "Tamil thinking", GOD save this world !!!!
at 09:33 on August 12th, 2009
"The Tamils were peacefully negotiation for settlement for over three decades"
Hellllllp...somebodyeeee...please pinch me!!!
at 11:52 on August 12th, 2009
pinch!!
You're still asleep, at least pretending to be.
at 18:50 on August 12th, 2009
So think some zombie "freedom fighters"
at 07:43 on August 13th, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqsMfuMadb8
at 08:47 on August 13th, 2009
Siva, :)
'Ouch!' ..yet, thanks!!
I am wide awake...and have been all these days too, with of course the exception of normal beauty and nightly sleep!!!
Funny...you jumped to pinch me. I was only being civil - trying to avoid saying your statement is a flat-out lie!
at 10:04 on August 13th, 2009
Please read some history..
http://eelamweb.com/history/short/
http://www.tamilnation.org/indictment/index.htm
Got hurt by imaginary pinching? proves my point :)
at 19:22 on August 13th, 2009
First 'historical' link = LTTE's official website.
Second 'historical' link = LTTE's electronic "tongue" (now cut - off).
No better place for a history student to learn about the true 'history'. By the way, there is a funny map of displayed in the homepage of the first website. Pray what is that? Looks like that image need a big touch-up. Maybe the webmasters can ask the same person who designed this website for help.
http://www.priu.gov.lk/
Imaginary inhabitants of imaginary country indulge in imaginary everything. :-)
at 21:55 on August 17th, 2009
Please read some history..
EELAMWEB TAMILNATION ?
:-))))))))))))))
at 20:26 on August 13th, 2009
"Please read some history.."
Readers! please.. please take Sivakaran's golden advice....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_attacks_attributed_to_the_LTTE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assassinations_of_the_Sri_Lankan_Civil_War
Period hardcopy records are available in the newspaper archives of many international libraries all over the world. Afterall, 33 countries did not ban the Tamil terrorists for nothing!!
at 10:09 on August 18th, 2009
Also read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_attacks_attributed_to_the_Sri_Lankan_military
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_state_terrorism_in_Sri_Lanka
http://tamilnational.net/images/2009/april/Asia/TamilNational_Genocide_Part_I.pdf
at 22:04 on August 17th, 2009
Who said LTTE terrorists were mass murderers? This is bunkum.
They just kissed their enemies to death.
at 22:06 on August 17th, 2009
KP has promised to give some of the extorted money for the big development project. Thank you for your contribution, Siva.
at 22:08 on August 17th, 2009
KP has promised to give some of the extorted money for the big development project.
Thank you for your contribution, Siva.