indian expansionism on sri lanka

[Ramachandra]

M.Karunanidhi the chief minister of the Indian state Thamilnadu recently claimed that the island Kachchativu which is a part of sri lanka should be taken in to the hands of India.This statement was followed by various anti-sri lankan slogans made by some south Indian political parties.
Karunanidhi is a main supporter of the Indian ruling congress party which entered into an nuclear agreement with the George Bush government some time back.In addition some weeks back three head Indian officers-including the defence secretary of India gave a sudden visit to sri lanka.They met the president and some high officials of the island nation but no official press release were made after this discussions neither by the government of SL nor India.
This was followed by a series of huge protests lead by racial tamil political parties in southern india which urged the central indian government to take immediate action against the Sri lankan government which is in a war with the Liberation tigers of tamil eelam or the LTTE.The LTTE is facing the worst military defeats it has ever experienced.Their administrative capital - kilinochchi is above to fall-even the anti government media sources have pointed out.Pranab Mukharjee a high indian official is supposed to visit Sri lanka and is expected to be emphasize the need of entering into a ceasefire with the LTTE to the colombo government.
All these incidents clearly shows a change in quality of the Indian attitude towards Sri lanka.
India a regional super power and a tough ally of the US (in the present) has shown it’s desire to control other small neighboring countries affairs in order to achieve it’s expanding economic and political needs.In the case of Sri lanka the indian influence on the body of islands economy is rapidly increasing.The most recent act was handover the power of Oil researching to an indian company (Scientists have predicted that the north coast of sri lanka contains oil resources) on the basis of 9 to 1 ratio. A significant slice of the SL market - Which includes medicine,oil distribution,vehicle-is mainly controlled by indian companies.To carry on this economic power India needs to have the SL political structure under indian control.In order to do so It kept on using the internal conflict in sri lanka and now that intervention is arriving to a decisive point.
It is true that Sri lanka has a conflict and that should be solved.What is happening here is while pretending that they are going to be the saviours of the common tamils of SL indian Expansionism is playing a tactical political game.The need of the Indian bourgeoisie government is destabilizing the neighboring island and to keep on the conflict without letting any party to get victory.
When the SL army gets defeated India backs the armed forces through providing military aid and stuff and when the LTTE is going to be defeated it interferes proposing ceasefires etc.in order to protect separatism.
Without understanding this and without rallying against both colombo regime and LTTE’s semi fascism the common people in sri lanka will never win independence nor liberation.
Progressives through out the world - Oppose indian intervention on Sri lanka’s sovereignity!
Oppose the pro imperialist regime of colombo!
Oppose the racist seperatism of the LTTE!
Let us fight for a progressive change!

[S.O.I]

so whats your deal with the tigers fighting for liberation. hindus, buddhists and muslims may live in peace when the racial tension and armed conflict is OVER... and it aint gonna stop anytime soon, because of india.... i didnt know the tigers were fascist or right wing. i thought they were pretty left or center, i do know however they are very pro-feminist.

enlighten me please

[Ramachandra]

so whats your deal with the tigers fighting for liberation.
Liberation of whom?Tamils?We don't accept the LTTE as a liberation organisation as it has proven that it is a backward pro imperialist movement.
Tigers are getting a significant support from the royal Norwegian government,during the ceasefire agreement 2002 to 05 they clearly stated that their economic policy is "open market"economy-Dr.Anton balasingham 2002 April-,south indian bourgeise are a main power base of the tigers and simply they are a group which is pro imperialist as same as the colombo regime.Even if they get their demand - a seperate state that state would be a strip of colony which is boned to the imperialist yoke.No imperialist dependant movement can bring national liberation to any nation.we beleive only a proletariate based revolution can overthrow imperialism and national oppression and bring liberation for both tamils and sinhalese whom will be united under a sri lankan republic.

i didnt know the tigers were fascist or right wing. i thought they were pretty left or center
They can be anything but not LEFT.Actually in the early 80s there were tamil armed groups which clearly held a leftist viewpoint.One significant leader was Uma maheshwaran of PLOTE.All these leaders were brutally murdered by the LTTE.We refer the LTTE as semi facsist because
1.Their ultra chauvinism(which includes killings on muslim and sinhalese unarmed civilans only on the basis of ethnicity.Chased away thousends of muslims from their lands in 90s-ethnic cleansing-Aranthalawa/anuradhapura massacre on buddhist monks and civilians,Genocide on islamic mosque kaththankudi-As they claim north and eastern provinces only belong to tamils from the begining they carried on a process of aboloshing other ethnicities from those areas.Today in the north it is extremely hard to find sinhalese or muslims due to the pressure laid by the LTTE.)
2.Their autocratic nature
According to the LTTE they are the sole representative of tamils.No other group is allowed to exist and the groups which tries to exist face an enermous violent reaction from the Tigers.If you go through the tamil political history every non LTTE key tamil politician were murdered.
ex-Appapillai Amirthalingam(Leader Tamil United Liberation front)
Uma Maheshwaran(Leader PLOTE-peoples liberation organisation of tamil eelam)-This was an organisation which accepted marxism as their ideology in the 80s.
Neelan Thiruchelvam,sri sabharathnam
The group TELO was completely eliminated during 1986/87
The fact is they do not even accept and respect the minimum degree of at least bourgeise democracy.Though the colombo regime is suppresive no one can take the LTTE as a dignified alternative as it has also occured/still occuring brutal political crimes as same as the government.This is a grave problem not even the leftist tamils but also the moderate tamil community face.
No idea why do you call them pro feminist.Any facts?It is the first time i heard such a comment.
In addition of course i must say that there are particular features of the LTTE which we value.
ex-Their commitment for their desire etc.
But that won't change the picture.You can find commited members even from the Al queda

[Cheung Mo]

I've generally been sympathetic to the Tamils because the Sinhalese-dominated government won't even grant their language equal status, and need to do better on secondary exams to get into tertiary education. I don't have any ideological sympathies with the LTTE, but I think it's justifiable to react with lethal force against a regime that treats you as a second class citizen. The worst part is some of the Sinhalese organizations that support these racist policies claim to be leftist. At least the Malaysian racists are honest and admit to being religious wackos. By refusing to even to maintain a level of liberal bourgeois equality in its racial policies, the government is responsible for turning Sri Lanka into a war zon. None of this excuses Indian imperialism or absolves India's "communist" parties for entering into a coalition with pro-Washington INC.

[Ramachandra]

The worst part is some of the Sinhalese organizations that support these racist policies claim to be leftist
Yeah some.(If you go through the recent split of the JVP you will find interesting facts regarding this issue.A leftist uprising against the rightist oppurtunitism was a main cause for the split-the chauvinist issue was something the left section brought out)
But in some cases the situation is complicated.The picture which is internationally created is not the most correct one.Being anti LTTE is accused as being anti tamil or sinhala chauvinist generally.The thing is every anti LTTE r is not racist.There are particular factions in the left which holds an anti tiger perspective with in a leftist frame of thinking.They are falsely charged as racists which they are not.
By the same way I have disagreements with these factions with their methods of practice which indirectly cause to such a mis understanding.

[Cheung Mo]

As far as I'm concerned, if you refuse to respect their language rights or give them equal access to education, you're not a leftist.

[Revy]

Don't the Tamil Tigers use suicide bombings & acts of terrorism against civilians? Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Q]

I'm sorry, which organisation are you representing Ramachandra? Or where did you get the article from?

[Ramachandra]

I'm sorry, which organisation are you representing Ramachandra? Or where did you get the article from?
Sanhinda study circle.Not a political organization a study group which works basically on ideological issues.
The article is a brief translation which is due to be published in our magazine next issue.
May i please know why?

As far as I'm concerned, if you refuse to respect their language rights or give them equal access to education, you're not a l
completely agreed

Don't the Tamil Tigers use suicide bombings & acts of terrorism against civilians? Correct me if I'm wrong
That's why we oppose tigers as well as the government.

[Vargha Poralli]

What is your study circle main Ideology mainly derived from ? From where did you get your ideological influence from ?

What according to you will ensure after the Tigers defeat would protect the Tamils from the racist policies of the Sri Lankan government ? What is your groups stance to a practical solution to the decade long crisis ?

Just curious.

[Ramachandra]

What is your study circle main Ideology mainly derived from ? From where did you get your ideological influence from ?

marxist influenced.

What according to you will ensure after the Tigers defeat would protect the Tamils from the racist policies of the Sri Lankan government ? What is your groups stance to a practical solution to the decade long crisis ?
The national question of Sri lanka has a long history which has it's roots as far as the British colonial rule.imperialism,post "independent" bourgeois governments(both UNP and SLFP) have failed to defeat national oppression and construct unity among the ethnicities.We understand this problem as a problem which caused by the underdeveloed capitalist economic structure.As this weak economic structure cannot solve the basic problems of the masses the ruling class tries to convert these problems towards ethnic minorities so they can create a conflict between the minorities and the majority ethnicity which will weaken the class consiousness in politics and will bring out a racial conciousness.
ex-As the government fails to provide education facilities to the youth they introduced an unjust act in 1973 which brought out a limitation to the tamils to enter into the universities
1,We argue that the weak capitalist mode of society is a main cause for this problem therefore no practical long lasting solution can be brought out within the capitalist context.It should be overthrowed.
2.The issue of "defeating tigers"has to be looked in the similar manner.Within the capitalist context defeating the LTTE will bring nothing productive in order to solve the problems again because of the backward nature of the ruling class.
3.The only practical solution is ovetrhrowing the existing backward conditions marcilessly through a revolution.In classical terms the unfinished task of the bourgeise democratic revolution(solving the national question)has become a task of the socialist revolution so the socialist revolution is the solution.
4.Without a radical change of the context trying out various reformist actions (supporting either of the parties-LTTE or government)won't bring any good and it is proven that such reformist tactics are futile.
5.The working class of the country has proven it's militancy during the nationwide strike action held in july 10th this year.The eatate sector tamil workers succesfully participated in the strike without considering the reactionery stance of their so called leaders like Thondaman,Chandrasekaran(who are ministers).New leaders played an impressive role.The action was made through the contribution of both sinhalese and tamil workers.
There are lot more things to do,as it was just a trade unionist action.But we beleive real liberation of all the ethnicities can acheived only by the united proletariate.

[Ramachandra]

Vargha poralli,may i know your stance on the indian intervention on sri lanka?Why is the central government and the bourgeise thamilnadu political parties are so keen on "liberating"the common sri lankan tamils?
Just wanted your opinion as you live in thamilnadu

[Vargha Poralli]

marxist influenced.

I was expecting a more specific answer. May be my question was not clear.

Exactly from which group ? JVP or LSSP ?



Vargha poralli,may i know your stance on the indian intervention on sri lanka?Why is the central government and the bourgeise thamilnadu political parties are so keen on "liberating"the common sri lankan tamils?
Just wanted your opinion as you live in thamilnadu

Trust me Sri Lanka is the last thing in central government's minds.They have a lot of headaches and their hand are full in lots of domestic problems.To be specific they would be really terrified if Tamil Eelam was created as it would bring the fire here also as the Tamil people are really discriminated in other states most of the time.

As for Tamil politicians they have to pose that they are really intrested because lokh saba elections are just 5 months away. They don't have any intent to liberate Tamils in Srilanka just like they don't care about the workers who vote for them for five years. You have to take a look at the conditions of the Refugee camps for the tamils here.


As for the people it is no surprise that any crisis there causes a lot of concern here as we share the language,history and culture. We had to fight a lot to protect our identity here - which we have successfully achieved because of the constitution setup by foresight of Dr.Ambedkar and also to the fact that no single group has absolute majority over here and also very complex makeup of the Indian history and society - which Tamils in Srilanka unfortunately lacked. Majority of tamils here want a seperate eelam to be won by their people but majority doubht whether LTTE has best intrest of the Tamils in their mind.

[Ramachandra]

Exactly from which group ? JVP or LSSP ?


none.
LSSP is just a piece of board which has no public support.
The JVP's case is different as it has a significant basis among the proletariat but we have disagreements with their party on their stance on the national question.At least they should return to the stance/practice they held in the early 80's.

[Vargha Poralli]

LSSP is just a piece of board which has no public support.

Not LSSP of today I asked about LSSP of 50's. I was thinking about historic influence.

About JVP in my opinion its idelogy has been wrong from the beginning which led to its recent incarnation.