THE WORLD PRESS REPORTED,

"The handing over of arms only signifies the handing over, the transfer, of this responsibility of protecting our people....I wish to very firmly emphasize that by virtue of our handing over our weapons to it, the Indian government should assume full responsibility for the life and security of every one of the Eelam Tamils."

-Mr.V.Prabakaran, LTTE Leader, Jaffna
The Hindu
August 4, l987

"They (Indian Peace Keeping Force) came here to keep the peace, but they are very uncivilized," said a business man. "I saw them drag a fourteen year old girl into the lane and shoot her." They behaved like mad dogs" said a professional, "I saw it myself. They were carrying a gun in one hand and a petrol can in the other."

- Adam Kelliher, Journalist
Colombo
October 23, 1987

When the village of Chavakacheri was strafed by Indian gunships two weeks ago, New Delhi blithely maintained that its "deep concern for civilians" prevented any such use of air power. The bureaucrats didn't reckon with a courageous Calcutta reporter, who endured the attack and splashed it across the front pages of the Telegraph.
After a day of denials, the military finally conceded its helicopters had blasted the village with rockets. But it was billed as a surprise attack on a Tamil Tiger base camp, with devastating effect on the militants and no harm to civilians.
Wrong again. The Indian journalist had seen two dozen men, women and children killed in the assault. An IndiaToday photographer captured that and other grotesque tableaux in a spectacular photo spread.

- Globe and Mail
November 17, l987

Other cabinet ministers, notably the Minister for National Security, Lalith Athulathmudali, have said privately that they want to exclude the Tigers totally from the interim provincial councils to be established under the terms of the peace agreement.

- Bruce Palling, Journalist
Colombo
October 22, l987

WHO IS GUILTY?

On the 29th of July 1987, the historic Indo-Sri Lanka Accord was signed. Six days later Mr. V. Prabakaran, although not a signatory to the accord, declared to a gathering of over a hundred thousand people that, he has accepted the accord. In his address at the Sudumalai Amman temple in Jaffna on August 4th, h e said,

"Were we not to hand over our weapons we would be put in the calamitous circumstance of clashing with the Indian Army. We do not wants this. We love India. We love the Indian people. There is no question of our taking arms against Indian soldiers."

- The Hindu
August 8, l987

And yet, six weeks later he did clash with the Indian army. He and his army of a mere two thousand took on the might of the fourth largest army in the world, with as he very rightly predicted, calamitous consequences. To any sensible, intelligent person this would seem totally irrational. Was Prabakaran guilty of being contentious and irrational?

Voluminous News Reports.
Ever since the accord, unlike in the years past, we in the US have been bombarded with a tremendous amount of news on Sri Lanka. The New York Times, for instance, started reporting on the matter on a daily basis. The events were numerous; there were a variety of incidents; and they all occurred in quick succession - all of these factors resulting in a copious amount of news.

There was also confusion and disorder. There was confusion as to which group did what. There was disorder with different limbs of the same governmental (both Indian and Sri Lankan) agencies doing different and contradictory things. The situation was further confounded by inaccurate "official communiqués."

In the quagmire of this voluminous news material are buried certain salient facts that can shed some light on the seemingly irrational events that followed the accord, and we wish to recreate the "story" as it happened based solely on news items that have been published by the world media.

The accord itself started on the right foot, at least as far as the stated sentiments of the different parties involved.

Asked for a message for the Sri Lanka Tamils, Mr. Jayewardene said: "Forgive, I have forgiven them." The political veteran sounded a self critical note, admitting mistakes made by his party, the UNP... These self critical observations followed a remarkable statement at the press conference on Wednesday. There responding to a question by a foreign journalist whether all this could not have been worked out before, avoiding much bloodshed, Mr. Jayewardene said; "There are many other things I am going to tell the Sinhala people, There was a lack of intelligence on my part. There was a lack of courage on my part. There was a lack of foresight on my part."

- The Hindu
July 31, 1987

Mr. Rajiv Gandhi simply said,

"We hope this agreement will bring an end to the violence."

Mr. Prabakaran was cautious and pessimistic, but was willing to cooperate. In his public address at the Sudumalai Amman temple he urged all Tamils to go along.

"My beloved people, we have no way other than cooperating with this Indian endeavor. Let us offer them this opportunity"

- The Hindu
August 8, 1987

But behind these publicly expressed sentiments, there were plans, schemes and strategies, many of which were contradictory to the disclosed stances, and a number of these were subsequently executed. Most of these were reported by the media. But, despite the importance of their causal role in this catastrophe, they were relegated to insignificant spots in the media reports.

State Sponsored Colonization.
In spite of the fact that State Aided Sinhala Colonization of the Tamil homelands was one of the more important grievances of the Tamils; and in spite of the fact that one of the main objectives of the creation of provincial governments is to correct the past impropriety of this colonization, the government of Sri Lanka proceeded to accelerate its colonization schemes after the accord.

Reports say that attempts are being made to expedite the settlement of Sinhalese on 2,500 acres in Mullaitivu...To Implement this scheme a special project has been started in Welioya and a Sinhalese has been appointed Additional Government Agent...
More than 20 years ago Tamils were given land in these areas on a long term lease basis. After Black July 1983, the Tamils settled here fled these areas and sought shelter elsewhere... Up to now these Tamil colonists have not been able to return to their settlements... After the Indo-Sri Lanka accord was signed, plans have been formulated to settle Sinhalese colonists...
Similarly in Suriyanaru close to Kokkuthoduvai, about 1,500 acres which had been allotted to Tamils under a middle class scheme are being forcibly reallocated to Sinhalese settlers....
Again in Kokkulai area 80 houses were allocated to Tamils more than 20 years ago. They were forced to flee the area. Now these houses are being forcibly taken over by Sinhalese colonists.
A special vesting order has been made to settle 250 Sinhalese families on 53 acres in Nayaru East and West where Tamils had been settled earlier.
The citizens committee says that Home Guards and the armed forces are destroying the houses earlier occupied by Tamils in Kokkulai, Kokkuthoduvai and Karunattukerni.

- Saturday Review
August 22, 1987

The Tamils of Trincomalee are also furious about the reported settlement of 600 new Sinhalese families in Alakantalai area of the District, and they suspect the tacit connivance of Delhi in this.

- India Today
October 15, 1987

Since 1980, a scheme was commenced to provide 2 1/2 acres of land to those who left their jobs at the Sugar Factory. This scheme was then extended to employees leaving the R.V.D.B. with the result of distributing about 1,000 acres of land to Sinhalese. Since the Indo-Sri Lanka accord this scheme has been greatly accelerated.

- Virakesari
October 20, 1987

Democratic Freedoms Denied.
Soon after the accord Mr. Jayewardene, in reference to the proposed referendum to separate the north from the east, said,

"I will personally campaign against the merger of north and east"

Ceylon Daily News
August 25, 1987

The Tamils who wanted to keep the north and east united, were denied the democratic freedom to similarly campaign.

Officials imposed a 12-hour curfew in the eastern district of Batticaloa Saturday to keep Tamil separatists from holding a meeting to discuss the Indian brokered peace accord. State owned radio interrupted its morning music program to announce the curfew, but did not give any explanation.

- The Associated Press
September 12, 1987

Harassment of Tamils.
Since the accord, Tamils in various parts of the northern and eastern provinces were harassed by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, Home Guards and by Sinhala colonists.

Sri Lanka Security Forces who were withdrawn from their duties after the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, returned five days later to their original positions and were reported to have harassed the employees at the harbour at Kankesanturai.

- Saturday Review
August 22, 1987

Citizens Committees in Kokkulai, Kokkuthoduvai, Kavatukerni, Othiamalai, Patikuruppu and Periyakulam in Mullaitivu District have complained that though people who have left their homes due to harassment of Sri Lankan Security forces, wished to return to their homes their return was being frustrated by the (armed) forces... Further, Sinhalese fishermen who are now being settled in these places are provided with arms.

-Saturday Review
August 29, 1987

At the same time the deadly trio - the Sri Lankan security forces, Home Guards and armed Sinhala colonists - are actively preventing Tamil refugees resettling in their old villages...This is a flagrant violation of the spirit of the accord.

- Saturday Review
September 12, 1987

Sinhalese Provided with All the Help.
In contrast, the Sinhalese who were affected by the troubles were provided with all the help they needed to re-establish themselves.

Arrangements are being made by the government to send back Sinhalese people who were stationed in the North and East either in employment or in business but left in the early seventies due to ethnic troubles. Sinhalese schools are to be re-established and Buddhist Vihares to be repaired.

- Saturday Review
August 29, 1987

Police Stations Re-opened.
In spite of the fact that, in the past Police Officers under the direction of the Colombo government have been known to harass (and even kill) Tamil civilians; and according to the accord, the Police Department in the north and east is to be under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, Police Stations were opened with Sinhalese personnel, even before the interim administration was set up. This led to these police stations being burned down by residents of Jaffna.

India has also owned up to advising the Sri Lankan government to open Police Stations in Tamil areas. Clarified Nirupam Sen: "We advised Colombo to open Police Stations, Not Sinhalese police stations!"
Complaints about the opening of police stations staffed by Sinhalese and fresh Sinhalese colonisation have arisen out of the delay in forming the interim advisory council for the north and east.

- India Today
October 15, 1987

The Tristar Group.
Three Tamil militant groups that were inactive in recent years, but known rivals of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), were united to form an alliance called the "Tristar Group." Mr. Prabakaran charged that this was formed under the patronage of the Research and Analysis Wing(RAW) - the Indian Intelligence Agency.

"RAW has trained and armed these groups and landed them on Eelam soil," he (Prabakaran) charged.

- India Today
October 15, 1987

Although the Indian government denied these charges, the existence of this group and the assistance it received from the Indian Peace Keeping Force has been widely reported in the media.

Most Tamils in the north accuse the Indian army of being partial in its dealings with the different militant groups. INDIA TODAY certainly found them unusually friendly with the ENDLF, whose members are openly moving around in Paranthan with their AK-47s, rifles and grenades while the Indian soldiers look on.
... In the ENDLF camp in Killinochchi, and Indian army officer actually handed over to Rajan a grenade...
K. Mahesan, Professor of English at the Jaffna Hindu College (said): "We really cannot understand why India should encourage Tamil militant groups which had no stake at all in the liberation struggle."

- India Today
October 15, 1987

The purpose of the formation of this group under the auspices of the Indian Intelligence Agency, especially at a time when India was intervening in Sri Lanka to foster peace, is unclear. This was disturbing enough to the India Today reporter not only for him to have refused to accept the official explanation, but also to have come out with an outright condemnation of the Indian Peace Keeping Force.

An Indian brigadier in he Tamil areas, who didn't want to be identified said: "If in the process of maintaining peace, we have kept up contacts with certain militant groups which kept in touch with us, we cannot be accused of partiality."
But the explanation is facile. It was their responsibility to make sure that all militants surrendered all their arms. And with groups like ENDLF openly flaunting arms, it is obvious that the IPKF is not doing its job.

- India Today
October 15, 1987

Tristar Group Attacks Tigers, and Tigers Retaliate.
In early September, the Tristar Group started attacking members of the LTTE, and the LTTE retaliated resulting in more than 100 deaths. The media reports were clear on who started this bloodletting.

The fighting between the LTTE and its arch rival PLOT began September 5, when PLOT members (of the Tristar Group) shot and killed three LTTE leaders in the northern Vavuniya district and abducted eight others. At least 25 LTTE members have been killed in earlier clashes.

- United Press International
September 14, 1987

The feuding began after members of the three smaller militias' combined forces in a group called the "Three Stars" attacked the dominant Tigers.

- Associated Press
September 16, 1987

On September 7th, a Pastor and three others were killed by unidentified gunmen at Uduvil, while traveling in a van identical to the one used by Mr. Prabakaran.

Much more disquieting is the recent killing at Uduvil of innocent civilians, two of them from the South. This may have been a case of mistaken identity.

- Saturday Review
September 12, 1987

Mr. Prabakaran said: "Far from being responsible for the recent violence in Tamil dominated areas, the Tigers have in fact been at the receiving end. The LTTE has been maintaining peace. The atmosphere was vitiated when groups like ENDLF and TELA reentered the scene recently, armed with sophisticated weapons and began to use them against us. We surrendered our arms in the faith that the Indian Peace Keeping Forces and Indian government would protect the lives of the people, but we have been sadly disillusioned."

- India Today
October 15, 1987

About two weeks after they were first attacked, the LTTE retaliated against the "Tristar Group"; but with massive force. Over a 100 members of the "Tristar Group" were killed.

A military official said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam had launched an all out war against its rivals and fighting spilled into the streets of several towns in the eastern district...

- United Press International
September 14, 1987

Thileepan's Fast.
In the Northeast province of Sri Lanka there was no administrative setup to address the grievances of the Tamils. The LTTE made several complaints to the Indian Peace Keeping Force on behalf of the aggrieved Tamils, but to no avail. The following is one of several reports.

The Trincomalee District Liberation Tiger representative complained to the Commander of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in the district about this harassment. But apparently no action has been taken so far.

- Saturday Review
August 22, 1987

The LTTE then decided on a public fast unto death in order to draw attention to the problems faced by the Tamils.

The Indians are locked in a battle of wills with the Tigers over the hunger strike by their chief ideologist, Thileepan, who is demanding Indian action against what the Tigers say are abuses of the peace-accord by the Sri Lankan government.
The complaints are that police stations are being set up before the formation of an interim administration; that the government is settling Sinhalese in Tamil areas, while Tamil refugees are not being resettled; and that not all Tamil detainees have yet been freed.

- The Guardian
September 19, 1987

No action was taken, either by the Indian government or the Sri Lankan government to address these issues and Thileepan died on September 26, 1987.

A prominent Tamil separatist leader died today after a 12 day fast to protest the way Indian-Sri Lankan peace accord is being carried out.

- New York Times
September 27, 1987

Interim Administration-
Three days after Mr. Thileepan died, the Sri Lankan government, at the insistence of the Indian authorities, announced the establishment of an Interim Administrative Council.

The agreement reached between India and LTTE recorded the fact that the Sri Lankan President, Mr.J.R. Jayewardene, agreed to establish an Interim Administrative Council for Northern and Eastern Provinces.

- The Hindu
October 12, 1987

The agreement later collapsed when Mr. Jayewardene rejected the individual named by the majority party of the council (LTTE) for the post of Chief Administrator for the North-East Provincial Government.

Boat Trip to India.
On October 3, 1987 seventeen members of the LTTE, including the Jaffna regional commander Mr. Kumarappa and the Trincomalee regional commander Mr. Pulendran, were arrested on the high seas by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The official said the 17 men were arrested last Saturday and charged with smuggling weapons from the north to Trincomalee....

- New York Times
October 6, 1987

According to LTTE press release...The boat was bound for Vedaranyam (in India) to bring back documents and communication equipment.
Mr. Kittu said, "They had waited for six weeks for permission from India to sail. They sought this permission through the Tamil Nadu Food Minister, Mr. Ramachandran. But permission was neither denied nor granted. Then the LTTE members decided to sail.
Capt. Raheem denied the Sri Lankan Government allegation that they were carrying arms in the boat. They only had two rifles - G3 and M16 - for the security of the regional commander.

- The Hindu
October 6, 1987

The arrest occurred without struggle. If the LTTE was ferrying arms to Trincomalee; and if they were in possession of a "large cache of arms" as alleged, it is difficult to comprehend as to why they surrendered so easily. The only rational explanation is that the LTTE (mistakenly) believed in the "general amnesty" granted under the accord, and did not doubt the intentions of the Sri Lankan Navy when approached.

Mr. Kittu said: "We have paid the price for having implicit faith in the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement. Otherwise the Sri Lanka Navy could not have apprehended us. We also would not have put to sea so freely."

- The Hindu
October 6, 1987

This arrest was a violation of the "amnesty provisions" and the "cease fire provisions" of the accord. Regardless, and in spite of several protests, the Sri Lanka government, arranged for these men to be transported to Colombo.

On October 5th, twelve of the seventeen committed suicide.

There were also plans to prosecute some of those who were arrested, for alleged offenses committed before the accord, again in violation of the "amnesty provisions" of the accord.

A government official said Pulendran would have been charged in Colombo in connection with the massacre of Sinhalese passengers in North Central Province on April 17.

- United Press International
October 6, 1987

Neither the Indian authorities nor the IPKF (the latter charged with the responsibility of preventing hostilities between the Sri Lankan forces and the Tamil militants) did anything substantial to have the LTTE men released or to prevent their transportation to Colombo.

Indian High Commissioner J.N. Dixit said, he had suggested interrogation and identification take place in Jaffna rather than Colombo because of the danger of the 17 prisoners attempting to commit suicide.

- United Press International
October 6, 1987

By this statement the High Commissioner had also implied that he was aware of the possibility of the suicide, even before it happened!

The LTTE, taking view that the death of their men was caused by Sri Lankan government violating the cease-fire, retaliated by killing eight Sri Lankan army personnel held by them.

Late Monday, guerrillas dumped the bodies of eight soldiers at the central bus station in Jaffna.

- United Press International
October 6, 1987

Widespread Violence.
Violence erupted in the eastern province on October 3rd, two days before the retaliatory attack by the LTTE.

By October 6th, all hell broke loose in the entire north and east. There were so many reports of violence and from different parts of the two provinces that it was difficult to discern who did what.

A special correspondent to the HINDU reports from Delhi,

The information available to India also shows that the recent communal clashes in Trincomalee began with targeted attacks against innocent Tamils by Sinhala hoodlums who were issued weapons from within Sri Lankan police force.One agent provocateur captured by the IPKF was a Sinhala detenu released recently from the Boosa army camp.

-The Hindu
October 8, 1987

On October 3rd, the government military coordinating headquarters in Trincomalee was attacked.

"Tamil rebels" attacked a government base in Sri Lanka Saturday in their major offensive since the signing of a July 29 Indo-Sri Lankan pact.... the sources said government troops pursued the rebels for four miles before they were stopped and ordered to return to base by the Indian Peace Keeping Force. Two Sri Lankan infantry companies attempted to resume the chase and flew by helicopters across Trincomalee harbour to China Bay air base where they were stopped again by Indian troops.

- United Press International
October 4th, 1987

The "official sources" blamed the LTTE for the attack, but considering the friction that existed between the LTTE and IPKF, it is hard to believe that latter would have come to their rescue.

On October 7th in a series of attacks on Sinhalese villages, a train and a bus, 164 people were killed, most of whom were Sinhalese.

"The attackers" stopped the train and shot to death 40 passengers, mostly Sinhalese...In Pullikuda, a fishing village north of Batticaloa 38 Sinhalese were shot to death and all 75 homes were torched...Most of the attacks were in or near Batticaloa...and 157 civilians and seven Sri Lankan soldiers were reported killed.

- The Associated Press
October 7, 1987

The Sinhalese survivors of these attacks claimed that the attackers came with the Indian troops and the attacks occurred under the very eyes of the Indian Peace Keeping Force.

Refugees, almost all of them Sinhalese from rural villages in the Trincomalee or Batticaloa areas, also said that in many cases Indian Peace Keeping Troops had stood by while settlements were attacked by Tamil guerrillas. Several refugees said they had recognized Indian Uniforms.They also said, Tamil militants had often arrived in villages during curfew hours, sometimes in what appeared to be Indian Army vehicles.
A 38 year old refugee from the village of Mahindapura, six miles from Trincomalee, said that when he ran to a military outpost to report an attack on his village by about 40 armed men, he found the Sri Lankan officers he was seeking surrounded by Indian soldiers, who would not let him approach them. That man, Wimalaratne, said when he protested he was pushed back by an Indian soldier with the butt of a rifle. He pulled back his shirt to reveal a bruised and swollen shoulder.
Another refugee from Silmapura village said that, as he and dozens of his neighbors fled a Tamil attack on their homes after dark last Monday, Indian troops in the path of their escape fired killing two people before letting the refugees pass.

- New York Times
October 12, 1987

Blame the Tigers First.
The official position in Sri Lanka for some time had been, whenever a violent act is committed - BLAME THE TIGERS FIRST!

This strategy has been somewhat successful in that, the international media carried these "official communiqués" in their reports. To a cursory - hasty, superficial and careless - reader, the LTTE is an injudiciously violent group.

By the time such allegation is verified to be untrue, people have formed opinions based on impressions. It is hard to erase such impressions.

In this instance too, the LTTE was blamed.

The attacks, most of which were in or near Batticaloa, were attributed by the police to the largest Tamil rebel group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The Tigers, who accepted the India sponsored plan on September 28, denied they were responsible.

- New York Times
October 8, 1987

At their exile headquarters in Madras, India, the Tigers issued a statement condemning the attacks and denying responsibility.

- The Associated Press
October 7, 1987

From these reports it appears that, at least some segments of both the Indian and the Sri Lankan governments have gone to great lengths, including resort to mass murder, to create the illusion that LTTE was responsible for the breakdown of law and order.

Jayewardene Offers Reward for Prabakaran's Capture.
In this atmosphere of confusion and having successfully created an illusion that LTTE is engaged in indiscriminate violence to wreck the "Peace Accord," Mr. Jayewardene announced the withdrawal of the amnesty granted to the LTTE under the accord. He also announced a reward for the capture of Mr. Prabakaran.

Of significance is the fact that this announcement was made at a press conference in the presence of the Indian Defense Minister Mr. K.C. Pant.

Mr. J.R. Jayewardene said today that the amnesty offered to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after the signing of the Indo Sri Lanka agreement was no more valid, and that a million rupees would be offered for the capture of the LTTE leader Mr. Velupillai Prabakaran.
Mr. Pant who was sitting by his side, without naming Mr. Prabakaran, said anybody indulging in lawlessness and violation of peace and order would be strictly dealt with.

- The Hindu
October 9, 1987

Indian Offensive Against LTTE.
The Indian offensive against the LTTE started the next day. One of the first actions of the IPKF was to expel the Press from the area, showing clearly that what they intended to do in the Jaffna was not fit for publication.

Reporters were barred by Indian authorities from traveling to the Jaffna Peninsula on Sunday.

- Los Angeles Times
October 12, 1987

The Indian army has barred all reporters except an Indian government television team from the Jaffna peninsula...

- New York Times
October 17, 1987

Mr. Kittu said the IPKF had arrived at the two newspaper offices at 5 a.m. today....(and) used "charges" to destroy the printing machinery and later blasted the two buildings with explosives. Then the IPKF proceeded to LTTE's television network office, Nidharsanam, at Kokkuvil in Jaffna town and confiscated the audio and telecasting equipment.

- The Hindu
October 10, 1987

The offensive that followed resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and massive destruction of property of an already beleaguered people.

Conclusion.
Mr. Prabakaran, as the dominant leader of the Tamils, was not a signatory to the accord that was meant to resolve the ethnic conflict between the Tamils and the Sinhalese. In spite of this he was willing to cooperate with this venture.

But, as shown, a variety of steps were taken by agencies of both Indian and Sri Lankan governments to undermine his effective participation in the peace process.

He was denied the democratic freedom to speak to his people; A mercenary group was formed to destroy his party; Actions were taken to subvert and weaken the benefits Tamils could have derived from the accord; He watched helplessly as Tamils were harassed and evicted from their homes, and his pleas to stop these went unheeded; Cease-fire violations, and violations of the other provisions of the Accord by Sri Lankan government were ignored by the IPKF.

And finally, the Indian government, by proclamation placed all the blame on him for everything that went wrong, and ordered his arrest as if he was a common criminal, instead of a national leader.

The question raised at the beginning of the article is; "Was Mr. Prabakaran contentious and irrational?"