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LTTE to push for Thimpu principles

By  D. B. S. Jeyaraj 

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organisation is planning to draft a comprehensive set of counter proposals in response to the discussion document submitted by the United National Front (UNF) government on the proposed interim administration for the North Eastern Province.

The LTTE has set up a constitutional consultative committee comprising political scientists, legal luminaries and constitutional experts from different countries to help formulate and draft a documentary response to the government proposals.

The panel of experts both Tamil and non-Tamil are expected to meet in Paris after August 15. The tentative date for the consultative committee to convene has been fixed for August 18 but is subject to change depending on logistical arrangements.

LTTE Political Wing Head S.P. Tamilselvan will chair the inaugural meeting while New York based lawyer Visvanathan Ruthirakumaran will function as coordinator.

Tamilselvan who toured the Eastern Province last week has explained to Tiger political wing members the strategy and objectives behind the LTTE decision to draft a response to the government.

He reportedly stated that the response will be a comprehensive one presenting the history of the ethnic conflict from a Tamil perspective and emphasise the need to seek solutions accepting current political realities.

The response will also outline the structure and scope of the proposed interim administrative structure and argue for it to be set up outside the ambit of the current constitution by invoking the doctrine of necessity. It will also seek full powers over lands, police and matters concerning finance, etc.

The LTTE will also seek the dismantling of High Security Zones (HSZ) and bringing the lands and property presently within those zones under civilian control as envisaged by the interim administration.

The Tigers will also require the recognition of core principles such as Tamil nationhood, self-determination, homeland, etc. as enunciated in Thimpu in 1985. These core principles are to be accepted as prerequisites prior to setting up an interim administration.

The Tigers also hope to build up a broad Tamil consensus around this set of counter proposals before submitting it to the government as in the case of the Thimpu principles where the TULF, LTTE, PLOTE, TELO, EPRLF and EROS forged a common consensus around them.

The LTTE will seek and obtain the approval and endorsement of Tamil political parties and organisations for its proposed response to the government draft.

While the TULF, ACTC, TELO, EPRLF (Suresh) will be definitely approached, it is not clear as to whether parties like the EPDP, EPRLF (Varathan), EROS (Shankar Raji)and PLOTE will be asked as well.

Senior LTTE functionary Velupillai Balakumaran speaking in Jaffna last week revealed that LTTE Supremo Velupillai Pirapaharan has given instructions to the effect that a comprehensive legal and political response be prepared by the committee.

"This response will alter the fate of the Tamil people," Balakumaran said.

Meanwhile informed Tamil sources told The Sunday Leader that only three of the 25 - 30 persons invited to participate in the constitutional consultative committee have confirmed attendance so far. Several have consented in principle but find it difficult to make the necessary arrangements to participate, they said. The sources said that due to the short notice given and the uncertainty of the time frame required, professionals and academics are unable to plan accordingly.

  Other informed circles said that some of the persons approached were reluctant to identify openly with a Tiger project at this time because "permanent peace was an imponderable commodity" at this point of time. If the talks collapse and war erupts, these people don't want to run the risk of being victimised as sympathisers or fellow travellers of the LTTE in the countries they are living in, they said. Besides there was also the question of career advancement they said.

 Another reason attributed for the hesitation on the part of some independent persons is concern about the LTTE's authoritative nature. While sympathetic to the Tamil predicament, these persons do not want to be dictated to by the LTTE in adhering to a hidden agenda.

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