Heroes’ Day Address 2009, released from the headquarters of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Friday, stressed the importance of people evolving elected political bodies in the diaspora for the liberation of their home country and to mobilise international support for the liberation. “We are aware that Tamil people will not accept or forgive structures already formed for achieving the goal of Tamil Eelam and activists of them deviating at anytime from the goal,” the address said, citing in the meantime that “the way ‘Sinhala chauvinism’ behaved even after causing grave human catastrophe has brought in permanent rift between Tamils and Sinhalese.” The address came hard on Colombo for serious human rights violations it is committing on interned LTTE cadres, especially women and mothers, and urged the silent IC to act immediately.
Excerpts of the speech addressed to the people of Tamil Eelam, the Tamil Eelam diaspora, the brethren in Tamil Nadu and the world Tamils:
Today, ‘Sinhala chauvinism’ is intolerant even to democratic expressions and actions of Tamils.
It is folly to expect justice would come from the Sinhala state.
The war has brought in loss of life, property, residence and self-respect to Tamils.
To ensure security of our people and to bring the human tragedy to an end we are working politically and diplomatically in the international arena.
PDF: Heroes’ Day statement (Tamil)
We bear the responsibility of spearheading the liberation struggle in varied forms, with due consideration to the internal and external milieu. In the meantime, world Tamils have a duty in the rehabilitation of people and in the restructuring of social institutions long demolished by the Sinhala rulers.
We request all Tamil and Muslim political parties to act selflessly and in unison to win our rights. We request world Tamils to embrace all, act in unison, seek new avenues and seek new friendships in achieving our liberation.
The willing sacrifice of life by more than 30,000 heroes for the liberation of our motherland and the killing of more than a hundred thousand of our people in the struggle have kindled the fire of liberation in every Tamil mind.
Let us all pledge today to continue the struggle for Tamil Eelam, as guided by Veluppillai Pirapaharan, the national leader of Tamil Eelam, and as demonstrated by the relentless determination of the Heroes who fought to the end for our rights.
The address thanked the diaspora, its youth and the brethren in Tamil Nadu for the support shown during the war.
The Heroes’ Day functions in the diaspora this year were accompanied with participants taking an oath for upholding the formation of independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam, by placing their thump imprint.
In the meantime, another Heroes’ Day statement addressed as ‘LTTE, Tamil Eelam,’ signed by A.Ram, a commander of the LTTE operating in the island, was distributed through the Internet in text as well as in audio forms.
The parallel address, without any explanation to circumstances or citation of evidences came out with a controversial announcement on the array of heroes.
Ram’s address contradicted the usual LTTE perspectives by saying that the human catastrophe was a consequence of the ‘uncompromising policies’ of the LTTE leader V. Pirapaharan.
The address looked upon the International Community to come out with a political solution to Tamils in the island and said that his organisation is prepared for ‘any compromise’ for that.
All countries that adamantly helped crushing the militant struggle should in the same way now bring in the democratic rights of people, the address said, adding that the Sri Lanka government too should place a solid and permanent solution.
A couple of days ago Ram made a statement accusing LTTE members and activists in the diaspora for their ignorance of current field realities and for taking political stands not conducive to the welfare of the 12,000 incarcerated cadres of the LTTE and Tamil people suffering in various ways in the current situation in the island.
His statement was in response to a circular sent by LTTE headquarters to media editors that Ram and some other LTTE members are in the ‘captivity’ of the Sri Lankan military intelligence and are forced to operate on its behalf.
Reports leaked in the media of Colombo indicate that the Sri Lankan government, as a counter Tamil-national tactic, is running a ‘parallel’ LTTE with the forced help of Tiger members in its captivity.
Involvement of the agencies of outside powers is also suspected in the operations of Colombo. Intelligence writers of some powers have been advocating for a long time now that to ‘push forward’ their respective power-agenda in the island, they should engage surviving LTTE cadres after crushing the Tigers.
Under current circumstances, any statement coming in the name of the LTTE from the island has to be viewed with caution, according to Tamil media circles. Most of the Tamil media didn’t carry the statement of Mr. Ram.
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