Sri Lanka declares end to war with Tamil Tigers

[GracchusBabeuf]

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[Kamerat]

The Sri Lankan government have been treating Tamils as second-class citizens since the britsh left. And now Sri Lankan government have set up "welfare villages" where civilan tamil refuges escaping from the conflict zone are placed. The concentration cam... i mean "welfare villages" are secured with barbed wire and bombed by the Sri Lankan artillery and airforce. While those that have not been killed by bombs are straving to death in these camps.

Free Tamil Eelam

[Vargha Poralli]

Well the LTTE are effectively destroyed as an effective fighting force. Effctively the Tamil Eelam can be buried right now.

The Struggle will continue as it did not start with the LTTE or with Prabhakaran. It will continue provided the Sinhalese govt effectivly kills everyone who are in welfare villages.

[Marxist]

These are very sad news , I was really hoping that one day they will free themselves:(

[Revy]

in Sri Lanka it's actually Sinhalese Buddhists oppressing Tamils.
which shows how wrong the idea that Buddhism is an inherently peaceful religion is.

[Dimentio]

I hope this would not mean a general pogrome against the Tamils. It is hard to imagine how much they have suffered in general since the war started in 1983. My parents worked on a construction site there in the 1980's, and they have told me that the Tamils are generally very discriminated.

[Revy]

they say the war is over because they think they have defeated the Tamil Tigers.
as if Tamils would stop fighting just because some group has been defeated.
that's a bit like defeating Hamas and declaring the Israeli/Palestinian conflict over.

[Vargha Poralli]

Socialist is right here.

LTTE is demise is a odel for all resistance groups for what not to become. Too brutal,too militaristic and too much centralised. And more over a remander that an oppressed group cannot be liberated with the help of another oppressor.

This is not just the victory of Srilankan Armed forces but also a major victory for the Indian Intelligence agencies which actually conducted the war. They needed such a reaminder to various national struggles(Kashmir and north East) . Tigers represented a true danger to inspire self determination dreams in the Indian Nationalities dominated by Delhi Based politics. And also Indian Big Businesses(Tata and Reliance) Have too much vested interest in the Srilankan Market which they would now have to comete with China another partner for the Srilankan Army.

[OneNamedNameLess]

I believe the Tamil people will get back on their feet again and organize some sort of movement.

Although I didn't agree fully with the LTTE's tactics, I am concerned about the Tamil people due to the lack of strong resistance. On the other hand, the Tamils may receive more support externally as the Tigers were portrayed as a terrorist group which often made people doubt the struggle. Their absence could lead to better things. If persecution continues, peaceful movements could intensify support from the outside.

So I take it peaceful resistance has been attempted before? What were the results?

[Vargha Poralli]

So I take it peaceful resistance has been attempted before? What were the results?

Utter failure.

It is a mistake many outsider take the Tamil issue as ones which started with tigers. Tigers were active from 1977 and the issue was from 1950s itself right after the Brits left the Island. The rise of the Militant movements accelerated from 1970s after the failure of peaceful protest movements started by S.J.V Chelvanayagam and others.

The issue arise because of immense popularity of the LSSP(a Trotskyist party). Since the bourgeoisie parties cannot counter it effectively(Unlike congress in India none of them opposed British colonialism/Imperilaism) they resorted to the racialist politics. LSSP's corruption and oppurtunitism further complicated the problem and JVP 's sinhala chauvinist line further alienated the Tamil people from the mainstream left in Srilanka.

LSSP stilll exists along with 4 other trotskyists parties. All of them have been repressed to the core recently after the eelanm war 4 and many leaders wre once exiled in India. They hold the key to the issues further.

Sinhala workers who must be jubliant because of tehir govt victory against LTTE(Tamils) might go tired slowly and start to fight along with Tamils. The real question might be will the Chauvnists leave any tamils for that to happen ?

[Wakizashi the Bolshevik]

As far as I know this is just an ethnical conflict, and thus there are no "good and bad guys".

[Kamerat]

As far as I know this is just an ethnical conflict, and thus there are no "good and bad guys".
Well their is an oppressor (Sinhalese) and an oppressed (Tamils) in this conflict. The Sri Lankan government are occuping Tamil Eelam.

[OneNamedNameLess]

Well their is an oppressor (Sinhalese) and an oppressed (Tamils) in this conflict. The Sri Lankan government are occuping Tamil Eelam.

Lets not forget Britain's role in the conflict. Britain has sold millions of pounds worth of weapons to Sri Lanka. We also left the Tamils in a vulnerable situation when Sri Lankan independence was achieved.

[Vargha Poralli]

Well their is an oppressor (Sinhalese) and an oppressed (Tamils) in this conflict. The Sri Lankan government are occuping Tamil Eelam.

Well thw oppressor is Sinhalese Government to be precise.


Lets not forget Britain's role in the conflict. Britain has sold millions of pounds worth of weapons to Sri Lanka.

Every country does. You know it is the "War on Terror".


We also left the Tamils in a vulnerable situation when Sri Lankan independence was achieved.

Correct. Unfortunately Tamils are still paying for the crimes of British colonialism.

[Comrade B]

Either one winning was a loss for the people of Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tigers were anything but saints, and the government refused to stop the attack on the Tigers even though they were stuck inside a civilian population. Neither gives two shits about the lives of the people. Good that the Tiger's leader is dead, too bad that it leaves the Sri Lankan government strong.

[Kamerat]

Well thw oppressor is Sinhalese Government to be precise.
Sorry about that did not mean to say that the Sinhalese people oppress the Tamils, just like you say its the Sinhalese government whos the oppressor.

[AvanteRedGarde]

Her's Monkey Smashes Heaven's take. I think it's important to note that the LTTE was one of the few parties to remain independent of Indian expansionism. This was picked up by the masses, hence their popularity.


Sri Lankan state defeats LTTE; Tamil nation still oppressed


(monkeysmashesheaven.wordpress.com)


After three decades of valiant armed struggle for national liberation, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were recently defeated by the Sri Lankan state. The Sri Lankan army succeeded in capturing the territory in the northern part of the island that was long controlled by the state of Tamil Eelam.

Sri Lanka is a large island off the southern coast of India. Its first inhabitants, the Sinhalese, migrated from India about 2500 years ago; the Tamils followed a couple of centuries later. The Tamils have long been dominant along the northern coast, while the Sinhalese dominated the rest of the island. The Sinhalese and the Tamils are culturally distinct populations. Their languages are different, even unrelated (Sinhala is an Indo-European language, Tamil a Dravidian one). The Sinhalese are mostly Buddhist, whereas the Tamils are mostly Hindu, with significant Muslim, Christian, and other minorities on each side.

European colonialism–Portuguese, Dutch, and English–occupied Ceylon (as the island was formerly known) for four and a half centuries until nominal independence was achieved in 1948. The Sinhalese majority, constituting 80% of the population, used the new “democracy” as a legal means of monopolizing political power, promoting itself economically, and oppressing the Tamil population. Righteous Tamil resentment led to the formation in 1983 of the LTTE, whose chief goal was to establish a separate state called Tamil Eelam in the northern and eastern parts of the island. A 26-year war of liberation ensued.

The LTTE enjoyed broad support from the Tamil population. Tamil Eelam controlled a sizable area in the far north of the island; it operated an effective state, with patrolled borders, customs, taxes, defense, schools, and other state services. It introduced a variety of progressive measures that were popular with the masses.

Very recently the Sri Lankan state gained the upper hand. (MSH is still investigating the extent of imperialist meddling on behalf of the Sri Lankan state.) As the Sri Lankan army invaded and conquered Tamil Eelam, the LTTE surrendered. Yet the Sri Lankan state refused to accept the surrender; instead, it perpetrated what a “U”N observer has called a “bloodbath,” killing the remaining soldiers of the LTTE and also large numbers of civilians.

To appeal to his “democratic” imperialist backers, Sri Lankan president Mahindra Rajapaksa has lately made vague promises of “autonomy” for the mostly Tamil regions and of greater representation of Tamils in the civil service. There is little reason to believe that these changes, if they are made at all, will meaningfully address the very real and legitimate national grievances of the Tamil population.

Imperialism and its lackeys labelled the LTTE a “terrorist” organization. As usual, U$ imperialism’s “terrorist” is MSH’s freedom fighter. MSH would consider “terrorist” a more appropriate label for the Sri Lankan goons, who mowed down the defenseless remnant of the LTTE’s army despite its surrender and request for humanitarian intervention on behalf of wounded people in Tamil Eelam, and who continue to hold hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tamils in concentration camps fenced in with razor wire.

MSH does not necessarily support (or oppose) the partition of Sri Lanka into two states, but it does consider the Tamil national movement justified. Oppression begets resistance. Although the Sri Lankan state ultimately managed to defeat the LTTE, the desire for liberation remains strong among the Tamil population, and it may well break out into another righteous rebellion if the Sri Lankan state goes on oppressing the Tamils. At the same time, MSH opposes all attempts by imperialists to use this conflict as an excuse to intervene in or expand their control of the region.
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[Vargha Poralli]

Also as usual just for the focus of US imperialism alone nothing about the role of India and China who largely stand behind this ongoing genocide for their own Imperialist gains.:thumbdown:

Anyway Channel4 seems to have managed to get inside the "Welfare Villages" http://www.stoptheslaughteroftamils.org/?p=276.

And it is not the Tamil Population alone is facing grave danger but also many Sinhalese Politicians and Journalists who have opposed war from the beginning and have supported cause of the Tamils who are also facing death Threats source (http://socialistworld.net/eng/2009/05/2301.html)

http://www.socialistworld.net/pics/2009/05/2301/pic01.jpeg

A picture is worth 1000 words. Above is the list of leader that Sinhala chauvinists put out whom they wish to be dead. Prabhakaran is the one who is just above the Soldier. Above him are the politicians of TN Indian and above are the list of Sinhala Journalists and Politicians who have opposed the war.

[Vargha Poralli]

Now LTTE themselves have confirmed death of Prabhakaran. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Tamil-Tigers-acknowledge-death-of-Prabhakaran/articleshow/4572635.cms)