JVP Supports UN’s R2P Intervention in Haiti with Sri Lankan Army
February 17th, 2008
by Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne
An avatar is haunting the country. It is the avatar of foreign military intervention. In the aftermath of the unilateral withdrawal of the Ceasefire Agreement by the Rajapaksa regime and the growing civilian massacres, destruction and absence of the rule of law, there can be little doubt that the Government’s intention of a military victory is bringing grief and suffering to huge numbers of civilians of all communities of the people of Sri Lanka. In order to get out of this barbaric situation the Government should halt air bombardments, artillery shelling on civilian settlements that negates any political solution based on self-determination, end hostilities and restore the Ceasefire. Only then will pressure bear on the LTTE to stop their attacks spread throughout the country.
Escalation of terror
The escalation of terror by the Government will only enhance counter-terror of the Tamil militants. Even the British Foreign Minister says, ‘I urge all in Sri Lanka to take steps to safeguard the civilian population and find ways to reduce violence. Violence can never provide an answer to Sri Lanka’s problems. People in Sri Lanka need to find space to realise their many similarities, rather than becoming further polarised by their differences. A sustainable solution to Sri Lanka’s conflict can only emerge through a just political process involving all communities.’ This is a point on which we Marxists can agree with a leader of global capitalism.
Since 1974, we have been campaigning for the recognition of Tamil nationality, autonomy for their homeland and the right of self-determination, as a basis for the resolution for the deteriorating conflict in Sri Lanka. As one of the leaders of the United Socialist Alliance I have participated in a large number of well attended public meetings and demonstrations, on the Tamil national question, amongst threats, intimidation, and severe hardship. I have also taken this campaign outside Sri Lanka with the help of my socialist friends and Fourth International of which I am a member. We have participated in many anti-war meetings and seminars in India, the UK, Canada, Australia, Norway, South Africa and Honk Kong. No doubt the majority of this country supports peace and settlement, though it is spread in different directions. On the basis of this experience I believe that the Left in Sri Lanka has an important role to play at this moment.
Collective duty
The Left has a collective duty of solidarity towards subjugated people of oppressive regimes, and thus to defend the cause of the Tamil people and to demand justice and peace in their homeland. Perpetual uncertainty of natural life and absence of productive life are condemning hundreds of thousands of Tamils in their own homeland to refugees without shelter, with shortages of food, fuel, medical supplies and electricity with untold suffering to women and children. Whilst the Left campaigns for the just cause of the Tamil people, it must also campaign vehemently to end the untold suffering of the Sinhala and Muslim masses due to globalisation, inflation, economic mismanagement, corruption, despotism and cronyism. In addition, the Left should demand to end emergency regulations, to bring an end to attacks on media and media people, death squad killings, disappearances, illegal arrests and detentions. This the Left has done in the past and it will be doing so in the future as well. However in the absence of political negotiation and the reneging on every agreement, the growing number of internally displaced people, the economic embargo on the Jaffna peninsula and increasing death rates in addition to the war of oppression, the Mahinda regime is thrusting the only option of separation on the Tamil people.
Western intervention
A letter by B. Nadesan, LTTE political wing leader to the UN General Secretary requesting the UN to recognise the sovereignty of the Tamil nation, is the consequence of this situation. The JVP was a prominent actor in creating this situation and has been seeking western intervention to curb the Tamil liberation struggle. Recently it has started a campaign against Radhika and Rama Mani, claiming they were conspiring to erode the sovereignty of Sri Lanka by invoking R2P, the UN principle of Responsibility to Protect. Strangely enough, the same JVP vehemently supports the Sri Lankan involvement in the R2P intervention in Haiti. They do not see that as an imperialist project!
At this time of trial, the Left should stand in solidarity with the Tamil people, their right for liberation and with their legitimate elected parliament representatives, the Tamil National Alliance. It is the duty of the Left in this country to appeal to Left organisations, trade unions, socialist intellectuals and progressive media in India and the world over, to join us in our campaign to arrive at a united solution on the basis of the recognition of the Tamil homeland, their nationhood, autonomy and the right of self determination. If the Left fails at this juncture the vacuum will be filled by the global capitalist policemen. Rama Mani has admitted, ‘the R2P is for those who are desperate,’ and added, ‘The military corps of this country has a proud, strong tradition. There are countries that do not have that.’ So it is clear when and for what purpose they would come!
The Left especially should appeal to the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, Socialist leaders, and the leaders of the Left Front of India, including the Indian Marxist Communist Party and the Indian Communist Party, to help us by joining our campaign, to expose the realities of the war in Sri Lanka and to support the cause of voluntary union of all communities.
Entry Filed under: Federalidea
8 Comments Add your own
1. Estavez | February 18th, 2008 at 5:14 am
JVP gave Mahinda two years to keep his promises during his election to presidency. Rajapakshe could not prolong further as the budget voting came to pass.
JVP has stumped Mahinda Rajapskhe government.
JVP has no strong foundation on policies and socialism.
The idea of JVP is to grab power via rebellion as same as Fidel Castro or Che guevera.
There’s no underlying ideals that make JVP a militant outfit except for grab of power by the use of rebellion and force. Hence, your president making strange bedfellows with JVP will come back to haunt him one day!
2. nathan | February 18th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
As things are, the lankan state sees no Responsibility to Protect citizens - especially tamils, from abductions, killings, extortions and arbitary arrests without cause merely because they are tamils. All these are occurring daily in the “high security” city of colombo, suburbs, and the notheast even in the “government controlled” areas.
Ambassoder Palihakkara says elsewhere that tamils can obtain swift justice as shown by the reversal of the decision to forcibly evict tamils from colombo lodges as happened recently. But he does not explain why or how this happened in the first place in a “democratic socialist republic” and ignores the fact that the reversal came about only after the international hue & cry about it.
It is optimistic to await “foreign military intervention” to implement “democratic socialism” in the near future.
As is well known the Junta wants to survive at any cost, as does the JVP.
The watered down 13th amendment is just an ‘eyewash’ as all know. But there are quislings waiting to assume the provicial ‘governership’.
Rama Mani was deported as a warning to all about speaking about R2P.
Only time will tell.
3. Subra S.Massey | February 18th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Hello Dr.V.K,
I am delighted to read your article.
Instead of addressing the problems of the Tamils why don’t we address the problems of Sri Lankans?
I think in the modern world this classification and stratification of people must come to an end. Try to define a Tamil and a singhalese, you will end up with numerous groups. When I tried the various combinations of race, religion and language there are more than 36 possible groups in Sri Lanka. An example is Aryan Singhalse Buddhist, Dravidian Tamil Hindu, Muslim Singhalese Islamite etc
so we have to overcome this feudal mindset and become Sri Lankans and world citizens. IDo you know in Jaffna alone there are about 15 castes so this problem will never get resolved. Here in Toronto these a Jaffanise have brought the caste system.
Sad isn’t it ? I live in Canada and I see at least 30-40 different groups but we all live as one people. We are all connected by economic properity. When people have something to wake up for they live as peaceful people but when they wake up like Sri Lankans they have nothing to lose so they go to fight.
I am pretty sure you know Late Dr.N.M Perera he had the right answer to our problems, he went on to improve the economic condition of Sri Lankans.
I wish if we can take our minds off race, religion and language and focus on giving people the real needs of education, healthcare, employment and self esteem.
60 years of struggle must come to an end, I lived through this struggle.
4. Dias | February 19th, 2008 at 2:06 am
Well said Subra. Indeed, one of the golas in national reconciliation is to create a Sri Lankan identity as opposed to communal identiies that always box-in people. The idea is to celebrate the beauty of the separate cultures, customs, and religions but all sub-ordinate to a broader common national identity. While creation of such an identity is the responsibility of us all, the govt. must take the lead on it. Your point about people living in prosperity has been scientifically explored and as Deepak Chopra, the Indian born American spiritualist sys, affuence lends to affluent thinking. The problem w. Sri Lanka is they are fighthing over how to share a small cake and i nthe process destroying the cake. As you say, we would all beetr served to think in egalatarian terms.
5. Eric Nirmalan | February 19th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Vikramabahu wants to miss the target by a mile, in the first para itself. Get real.
He is yet to know of the LTTE targetting civilians again since 2006, and that Sri Lankans have said a clear ‘no’ to terrrosim.
6. Subra S.Massey | February 20th, 2008 at 7:42 am
#4
Mr.Dias,
Thank you.
A new website called www.Srilankansunite.com
is coming up soon by a group of people who had enough of these divisions. We are all Sri Lankans, that is what will unite this country and bring us out of this quick sand.
Subra S.Massey
7. Peter | February 26th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
It is easier said than done. It is such a fine and sweet feeling to thing as Sriankan and not as Sinhalese,Tamil or Muslim. Question is how to achieve this especially when you are stopped by a Police or Army officer and the first question asked is ‘ Thoppi sinhala the themalada’ or Ah yappanae or Madakalapuwa Id pank.and you are takenaway and you disappear.Recently one of my friend was in Colombo for a wedding and when he was pulled over at checkpoint by a policeman he produced his U.K passport . Then it was a case of Ratta Kotty and umbala serama kottinda honthatta sally thenawa naetha pank. Luckily for him he was having not the Srilankan ID but Ratta badu otherwise he would have endedup in a police station or worst Boosa. Can anyone still think you can reverse the process or make the JHU monks get back to the temple abandoning politics? I sincerely doubt it very much.
8. ilaya seran senguttuvan | February 29th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Somehow the mass of the Sinhalese people have been missing the point during CBK’s - and, now under Mahinda’s “reign”. These 2 regimes came to power on economic issues - though Mahinda
did an “achcharu” like SWRD in 1956 and promised everyone
who were willing to support him everything. To the JVP and the JHU - right in front of the Dalada Maligawa - he pledged he will renege on the CFA in 2 years. To India and the Donors he promised he will deliver peace under the CFA. To the JHU priests and the luxury jeep and TV Station permit racketeers, he assured he will let them have their way. To the UNP later he gave in writing he will not “pinch” their avaracious MP’s who are so vulnerable to
perks and know nothing of principled politics etc etc etc And to the people he promised he will bring prices down and make the land flow with milk and honey. Have’nt we heard this before?
Now the people cannot be contained - even with lies about the war and the excuse “all the problems are due to Prabakaran”
But there can’t be a Prabakaran and an LTTE because you have, according to your Army’s and the Media Ministry’s statistics, killed them all long ago. So, my dear Sinhala friends,
the war is being waged and Govt TV has kept you happy in the last 2 years so that you don’t complain of the CoL. You have been told the War will be over by 1998 - then end 2008 and now end 2009. Rice from Rs35 is now around Rs100/kj; Bread from Rs15 to Rs38;
Coconuts from Rs12 to Rs40; Seer from Rs300 to Rs800; Petrol that should be Rs65 is now Rs127/litre. One has to go to Singapore to eat large and medium prawns. Bus-Train fares are over 300% from then; Cooking Gas by 300% and soon Electricity by 60% That brilliant economist from the 2nd XI now the Central bank Governor
told us late 2005 he will help the Govt with his expertise to bring the rate of inflation to single digits by 2006. From 12% in 2004 its now 26%
Rice, Sugar, Lentils, Wheat Flour are all in short supply and soon will be out of the shelves. The owners of a popular brand of Rice - once JVPers - are now fleecing both the farmers by buying Paddy at low prices and selling Rice to consumers at highly inflated prices - all in the name of “the war against the LTTE and to save Buddhism in the country” Bandula Gunawardena and Cabraal tell us “all this is because prices in the world market have gone up”..R2P is good for Lankans serving in Haiti but bad for Sri Lanka - says the JVP. The Govt is living on the gullibility of the Sinhala “modayas” (I did’nt coin the phrase) But this cannot last long. Even that classic rogue
who similarly fooled the Romanian people for so 40 years -
Nicole Ceacescu and his “brilliant” wife came to a very sorry end. Old Abe’s celebrated words have a great deal of meaning
even to an un-educated society such as ours - tho with 98% literacy.
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