<p>Whether all insurgencies are acts of terrorism (or not) is an issue that has many facets: from political to moral, conceptual to propaganda. The political and moral angles tend to get a greater share of attention in public discourse. For instance, according to the official Indian version, Kashmiri militants are the Jihadi terrorist but to many others, they are freedom fighters. Another example is Palestinian militants, who are treated polar opposite ways by Israel and the Arab countries. UK and Spain see IRA and Basque separatists as a terrorist, whereas many Irish and Basque countrymen differ.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There are hundreds of such examples, where one category of interest groups or countries view certain activities as terrorism and others don&#39;t. Those who don&#39;t, often consider it as a legitimate armed political act called &lsquo;insurgency&rsquo;. The insurgency can evolve into a war for independence or greater political power. This can also transform into a civil war.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While both insurgents and terrorists advocate violence as a form of political act, there are fundamental differences between the two. The most important difference lies in the target of violence; security forces employed against the insurgents as well as physical structures and facilities related to security operation are widely considered to be the legitimate target for insurgents.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Insurgents live within their focus community like a fish in the water and often aim to graduate their struggle to a full-fledged war of independence or autonomy through the attrition of authority&rsquo;s military and administrative strength. Political scientists and security experts consider insurgency, to a considerable extent, as a natural outcome of long or intensive oppression of a community. In that sense, insurgents enjoy the support and political legitimacy to a certain extent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Unlike the insurgents, however, the terrorists also target civilians and their properties. Jihadi terrorists bring in a new angle in the complexity. They aim to establish a regressive Islamic theocracy in their targeted land.&nbsp;</p>

<p>An insurgency is a natural tool of political bargain and rearrangements. But insurgency, with the basic principle of not targeting civilians, remains till date a legitimate and sometimes essential instrument of political wish, particularly in constrained and difficult environments. Centralised powers of a preexisting state tend to resist the formation of new political units by their own logic, propaganda and even force; yet widespread and spontaneous insurgencies do represent people&rsquo;s will where there are no other fair channels of its surfacing. In fact, there are recent examples of de facto states or political units achieved through armed struggle doing relatively better for its people e.g. Somali Land, Iraqi Kurdistan, Abkhazia etc.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;In spite of the existing distinctions, sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish between insurgency and terrorism. This mistake in categorisation happens when a well-known insurgent group or isolated fractions of such a group carry out terror attacks, killing innocent civilians. While, it&#39;s important to judge them by their acts, picking a few incidents rather than a trend to make a conclusive judgment about a group could be a big mistake.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Often it so happens that because of their semi-formal and loose command structure, insurgent groups fail to exercise required control over all its dispersed components. Sometimes, they make ideological mistakes and later correct themselves. Premature de-legitimisation of an insurgent group and branding it as a terror outfit is unfair and dangerous as it might still want to be a regular insurgent group and not a terrorist outfit. It might keep receiving support from its population. Wrong and mistimed ascribing into categories may push it towards full-fledged terrorism. Even allowing terrorists to come back to the regular fold, with conditions and if they demonstrate enough commitment, should not be off the table as it might prevent further violence on civilians. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Neutral and liberal media and civil society have a great responsibility in promoting the truth and fair assessments. Governments in developing world often tend to adopt a narrative that suits their conservative and uninformed vote bank. That brings more bad than good. Mistreatment of a complex matter often engenders other related problems and issues.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Indian media and civil society vis-&agrave;-vis Rohingya are a case in point on the matter. While Indian government and the right-wing elements of Indian society and media are hastily linking the entire two million strong Rohingya population to terrorism, reputed media houses are asking difficult yet legitimate questions about the principles behind India&rsquo;s policy towards Rohingya struggle and refugee.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Were all the Tamils who took refuge in India terrorists?</h5>
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<p>Were all the Tamils who took refuge in India terrorists? Didn&rsquo;t India negotiate with the LTTE to find out a political settlement? What about harbouring and arming Bangladeshi freedom fighters of 1971? On the other hand, some big-name journalists are showing cracks in their resolve and giving into the official Myanmar line with regards to Rohingya. For instance, Praveen Swami of the Indian Express visited Cox&rsquo;s Bazar and wrote an article to establish remote, unsure and weak terror links of Rohingya insurgents, ignoring completely the several decades long intense political and economic persecution of these people. Rohingyas are an utterly disorganised community for these reasons.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The deprivation of Rohingya was so high in Rakhine that they were not given admission beyond primary schools. If one has noticed how the BBC exposed the raw theatrics of Burmese military even in that stage-managed tour of journalists in northern Rakhine, the viewers would know that the Myanmar authority is the most doubtful source of any credible information. They are also trying to take advantage of the global anti-Jihadi sentiment caused by the events in the Middle-East and the Af-Pak region.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Making a category swap between a terrorist and an insurgent carries a dangerous trap. It can lead us to forget how oppression breeds insurgency. In our bid to focus on the violence, we forget the oppression part and the need to ameliorate such suffocating situation so that insurgencies don&#39;t transform itself into violent acts of terrorism.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


While both insurgency and terrorism advocate violence as a form of political act, there are fundamental differences between the two.

Whether all insurgencies are acts of terrorism (or not) is an issue that has many facets: from political to moral, conceptual to propaganda. The political and moral angles tend to get a greater share of attention in public discourse. For instance, according to the official Indian version, Kashmiri militants are the Jihadi terrorist but to many others, they are freedom fighters. Another example is Palestinian militants, who are treated polar opposite ways by Israel and the Arab countries. UK and Spain see IRA and Basque separatists as a terrorist, whereas many Irish and Basque countrymen differ. There are hundreds of such examples, where one category of interest groups or countries view certain activities as terrorism and others don't. Those who don't, often consider it as a legitimate armed political act called ‘insurgency’. The insurgency can evolve into a war for independence or greater political power. This can also transform into a civil war. While both insurgents and terrorists advocate violence as a form of political act, there are fundamental differences between the two. The most important difference lies in the target of violence; security forces employed against the insurgents as well as physical structures and facilities related to security operation are widely considered to be the legitimate target for insurgents. While both insurgents and terrorists advocate violence as a form of political act, there are fundamental differences between the two. × Insurgents live within their focus community like a fish in the water and often aim to graduate their struggle to a full-fledged war of independence or autonomy through the attrition of authority’s military and administrative strength. Political scientists and security experts consider insurgency, to a considerable extent, as a natural outcome of long or intensive oppression of a community. In that sense, insurgents enjoy the support and political legitimacy to a certain extent. Unlike the insurgents, however, the terrorists also target civilians and their properties. Jihadi terrorists bring in a new angle in the complexity. They aim to establish a regressive Islamic theocracy in their targeted land. An insurgency is a natural tool of political bargain and rearrangements. But insurgency, with the basic principle of not targeting civilians, remains till date a legitimate and sometimes essential instrument of political wish, particularly in constrained and difficult environments. Centralised powers of a preexisting state tend to resist the formation of new political units by their own logic, propaganda and even force; yet widespread and spontaneous insurgencies do represent people’s will where there are no other fair channels of its surfacing. In fact, there are recent examples of de facto states or political units achieved through armed struggle doing relatively better for its people e.g. Somali Land, Iraqi Kurdistan, Abkhazia etc. In spite of the existing distinctions, sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish between insurgency and terrorism. This mistake in categorisation happens when a well-known insurgent group or isolated fractions of such a group carry out terror attacks, killing innocent civilians. While, it's important to judge them by their acts, picking a few incidents rather than a trend to make a conclusive judgment about a group could be a big mistake. It is difficult to distinguish between insurgency and terrorism. This mistake in categorisation happens when a well-known insurgent group or isolated fractions of such a group carry out terror attacks. × Often it so happens that because of their semi-formal and loose command structure, insurgent groups fail to exercise required control over all its dispersed components. Sometimes, they make ideological mistakes and later correct themselves. Premature de-legitimisation of an insurgent group and branding it as a terror outfit is unfair and dangerous as it might still want to be a regular insurgent group and not a terrorist outfit. It might keep receiving support from its population. Wrong and mistimed ascribing into categories may push it towards full-fledged terrorism. Even allowing terrorists to come back to the regular fold, with conditions and if they demonstrate enough commitment, should not be off the table as it might prevent further violence on civilians. Neutral and liberal media and civil society have a great responsibility in promoting the truth and fair assessments. Governments in developing world often tend to adopt a narrative that suits their conservative and uninformed vote bank. That brings more bad than good. Mistreatment of a complex matter often engenders other related problems and issues. Indian media and civil society vis-à-vis Rohingya are a case in point on the matter. While Indian government and the right-wing elements of Indian society and media are hastily linking the entire two million strong Rohingya population to terrorism, reputed media houses are asking difficult yet legitimate questions about the principles behind India’s policy towards Rohingya struggle and refugee. Were all the Tamils who took refuge in India terrorists? × Were all the Tamils who took refuge in India terrorists? Didn’t India negotiate with the LTTE to find out a political settlement? What about harbouring and arming Bangladeshi freedom fighters of 1971? On the other hand, some big-name journalists are showing cracks in their resolve and giving into the official Myanmar line with regards to Rohingya. For instance, Praveen Swami of the Indian Express visited Cox’s Bazar and wrote an article to establish remote, unsure and weak terror links of Rohingya insurgents, ignoring completely the several decades long intense political and economic persecution of these people. Rohingyas are an utterly disorganised community for these reasons. The deprivation of Rohingya was so high in Rakhine that they were not given admission beyond primary schools. If one has noticed how the BBC exposed the raw theatrics of Burmese military even in that stage-managed tour of journalists in northern Rakhine, the viewers would know that the Myanmar authority is the most doubtful source of any credible information. They are also trying to take advantage of the global anti-Jihadi sentiment caused by the events in the Middle-East and the Af-Pak region. Making a category swap between a terrorist and an insurgent carries a dangerous trap. It can lead us to forget how oppression breeds insurgency. In our bid to focus on the violence, we forget the oppression part and the need to ameliorate such suffocating situation so that insurgencies don't transform itself into violent acts of terrorism.

Rohingyas: Insurgents or Terrorists

The Norwegian peace mediator in the 30-year-long Sri Lanka civil war breaks his silence on his controversial role in an exclusive interview with WION

'I regret we could not spend more time with Prabhakaran,' Erick Solheim to WION

<p><i>He was the right-hand man for chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) &ndash; the armed separatist organisation that waged a bloody civil war against the Sri Lankan state for nearly 30 years. He was then known as &ldquo;Col. Karuna&rdquo; and as one of the most ruthless commanders among the Tigers.&nbsp;In 2004, Karuna and 15,000 LTTE cadres &ndash; all belonging to Sri Lanka&rsquo;s &ldquo;eastern board&rdquo; (Mullaithivu to Batticaloa on Sri Lanka&rsquo;s east coast) split from the LTTE and crossed over to the Sri Lankan Armed Forces (SLAF). There followed another bloody, three-way phase of civil war &ndash; the Tigers vs Karuna and his men, the latter along with the SLAF against the Tigers. The then president Mahinda Rajapaksa made Karuna the minister for &lsquo;national integration&rsquo; and vice-president of Sri Lanka&rsquo;s oldest Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). &nbsp;By the time the civil war ended with the defeat of the Tigers in May 2009, more than 120,000 people had been killed.</i></p>

<p><i>Earlier this week and after ten years in parliament, Karuna left the SLFP and announced his own political outfit, the &ldquo;Tamil United Freedom Party&rdquo; in Batticaloa, his home-town. &nbsp;What does the new constellation want to achieve? What does &lsquo;&rsquo;freedom&rdquo; in its name stand for?&nbsp;What do Sri Lankan Tamils expect of India, which continues to insist on the Rajiv Gandhi-authored 13<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;Amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution to grant autonomy to the Tamils, a move that is being fiercely opposed by various Sinhalese nationalist groups?</i></p>

<p><b>PRS</b>: Mr &ldquo;Karuna&rdquo;,&nbsp;your country has the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which won a democratic election and constitutes the government in Jaffna, Sri Lanka&rsquo;s northern province. It represents a wide spectrum of Tamil groups, big and small. It supports the current national coalition government in Colombo. So why do the majority-Tamils of your Northern and Eastern Provinces need yet another Tamil political party?</p>

<p><b>KARUNA</b>:&nbsp; The situation has totally changed. Tamil people now feel there is no good leadership. That is what I want to give them. Also, we have no solution (to the question of Tamil autonomy) so far. The Tamil parties united with the government and promised a lot of things to the Tamil people: that we are going to merge the North and East, we are going to evacuate army camps from peoples&rsquo; lands, etc. But nothing happened. We are going to give a voice and development to the Tamil people, but also to all islanders. The Tamil lands are our main motherlands and that is the main thing.</p>

<p><b>PRS:</b>&nbsp;The word &lsquo;&rsquo;motherland&rsquo;&rsquo; has been misused in the past, by the LTTE, to whom you belonged. Could you clarify what you mean by it now?</p>

<p><b>KARUNA:</b>&nbsp;The North and the East are Tamil lands. This is historically so. Northern and Eastern people have been living there for more than 2,000 years. They were divided into two provinces but they are one, our motherland. Of course, united with Sri Lanka.&nbsp; But they have to give us our rights. We need land power and development and &ndash; according to the 13<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;Amendment &ndash; we have to merge the North and East. India&rsquo;s 13th&nbsp;Amendment is a good solution for the Tamil people.</p>

<p><b>PRS</b>: The 13<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution was co-authored by former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi in 1987, i.e. 30 years ago. Surely outdated, since you say Sri Lankan Tamils have changed drastically and are a modern society today?</p>

<p><b>KARUNA:</b>&nbsp;Yes, but the Amendment provides for that. We can address and correct all problems through that 13<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;Amendment. We can adapt the Amendment to modern times. But the main problem is that in the north and east,&nbsp; they will definitely have to give power to the Tamil people.</p>

<p><b>PRS</b>: Are you seeking India&rsquo;s help in implementing the 13<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;Amendment?</p>

<p><b>KARUNA:</b>&nbsp;Most definitely. We are seeking only India&rsquo;s help. Because whenever western countries come, they do so with an eye on benefits for themselves. Only our neighbour India is closest to us. New Delhi has the responsibility because it was also involved here. India sent its army against the LTTE. That is why Indian leaders have to pressure our government for a good solution for the Tamil people.</p>

<p><b>PRS:</b>&nbsp;But you have been a member of the SLFP under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and even its vice-president. Are you disappointed in both Rajapaksa and current President Maithripala Sirisena?&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>KARUNA:</b>&nbsp; I am very friendly with both of them, there are no problems.&nbsp; But I have the right to offer good leadership to the Tamil people.&nbsp; I have certain strengths drawn from the thirty years I fought&nbsp;on behalf of the Tamil people. Even as an LTTE commander, I travelled all over the world for them. I am the only top ex-cadre still alive today.&nbsp; Then, I was a parliamentarian for ten years. All this undoubtedly gives me the experience to meet the needs of the Tamils. But we have to consult the entire leadership too. I can negotiate with them because I am on very friendly terms with all Sinhala leaders.</p>

<p><b>PRS</b>: You place great expectations on India. But your country&rsquo;s growing closeness to China under both ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa and present incumbent Maithripala Sirisena is disrupting India&rsquo;s relations with Sri Lanka. Given Sri Lanka&rsquo;s debt crisis, that doesn&rsquo;t seem likely to change overnight.</p>

<p><b>KARUNA</b>:&nbsp; Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa handled the Chinese very carefully and used China only for the purpose of development. He gave them only 750 acres of land in Hambantota for the port.&nbsp; But the current government has given away 15,000 acres to the Chinese government. Sri Lankans don&rsquo;t like this new deal.&nbsp;Rajapaksa used China, he got money from them and massively developed the war-savaged North and East with it. He built infrastructure rapidly. But the present government has to be very careful because without Indian support, there will be problems in future in Sri Lanka.</p>

<p><b>PRS</b>: You seem to hold Mahinda Rajapaksa in high regard. His party is split across the benches. His colleagues in the opposition have launched a new party and hope he will lead it. He hasn&rsquo;t said no.&nbsp; Have you told him of your new outfit? Will you support each other?</p>

<p><b>KARUNA&nbsp;</b>: I definitely approve of Mahinda Rajapaksa because he is a good leader. At the same time, he stayed loyal to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) &ndash; it is not he who split the party. There are a lot of internal battles going on within the SLFP. I have also told party cadres many times to sort them out as that would be best for the country.&nbsp; I appreciate Rajapaksa - no question.</p>

<p><b>PRS</b>&nbsp;: Does Rajapaksa know about your party?</p>

<p><b>KARUNA :</b>&nbsp;Yes. I have already negotiated with him. The Tamils are a little angry with Rajapaksa because he was president during the last phases of war.&nbsp;I told him that he could change that image by accepting my support. But I have also negotiated with the Sirisena faction of the SLFP. I have no problems with either.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>PRS</b>: There are more than 900,000 members of the Tamil diaspora around the world. How can they help their brethren in Sri Lanka?</p>

<p><b>KARUNA&nbsp;</b>: Diaspora people have a responsibility to the North and East. They have to support development and other good causes here. They could represent us in the global community.&nbsp; But recreating the LTTE is not good for us. We fought 30 years. Nothing happened, we didn&rsquo;t achieve anything. It is only through a political democracy, by collaborating with the government that we can get somewhere. My message to the diaspora is: don&rsquo;t try to recreate unnecessary violence here again.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>PRS</b>: It&rsquo;s all very well to announce a new political party. But there are cases pending against you, within and outside Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, you were arrested for the alleged misuse of a bulletproof luxury government vehicle late last year.&nbsp; Won&rsquo;t those charges hinder you from registering your party?</p>

<p><b>KARUNA</b>: No, there is no problem there. The government was misled and they arrested me. After I left parliament, I handed over all correspondence, documentation and receipts pertaining to the vehicle along with it to the authorities. It is based on that evidence that the Colombo magistrate granted me bail.&nbsp; Now, there is no criminal case against me. I never misused government property. We can&rsquo;t register any political parties in Sri Lanka right now because of some unrelated judicial issue. But the Election Commission has requested an application and we will submit one. It will be accepted later.&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>PRS:</b>&nbsp;I have spoken to plenty of other former LTTE cadres like you. Chief LTTE financier and gunrunner, K Pathmanathan runs orphanages today.&nbsp; LTTE&rsquo;s &rdquo;media officer&rdquo; Daya Master, &nbsp;works as a journalist at a TV station. They all want peace. Will they join you?&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>KARUNA:</b>&nbsp; Anyone can join. More than 12000 former LTTE cadres were rehabilitated. A lot of them have joined us. There are others too facing severe problems. They all have a right to be involved and some have even started a party of former LTTE cadres. Even that group was accepted by the government. We live in a democracy so whoever wants to come into the political fold, must be welcomed and rehabilitated. That&rsquo;s a good thing.</p>

<p><b>PRS</b>: In 2004 when you split from the LTTE, you had told me that it was because Eastern Tamils like you perceived a lot of discrimination by Northern Tamils like Prabhakaran. How are you so sure that those old animosities will not resurface again if North and East are merged?</p>

<p><b>KARUNA :</b>&nbsp; No, I have never blamed the northern people, only the leadership. Even now, Tamil parties never give eastern Tamils any leading positions. That is one big issue. But not with people. People are innocent and decent and will want to join the party.&nbsp; Now we are trying to merge the North and East &ndash; that is what people want. I had a lot of experience with the northern people. Throughout the 30-year war, I was, after all, &nbsp;in the North, so I know these people well. There are no problems.</p>

<p><b>PRS&nbsp;</b>:There&rsquo;s another serious charge. As deputy commander of the LTTE, you, too, stand accused by the UNICEF, HRW and many other international organisations of recruiting child soldiers.</p>

<p><b>KARUNA:</b>&nbsp; In the early stages of the LTTE, only those willing to fight joined the group. Later, there was a manpower shortage. That&rsquo;s when the LTTE possibly recruited children. I, too, didn&rsquo;t like that aspect and that is one of the main reasons why I broke away. Personally, I never agreed to those things and so far, nobody from Geneva has complained directly to me. But people still talk about this whenever I am mentioned. I left the LTTE and embraced the good, democratic path. I have never indulged in any violence.</p>

<p><b>PRS</b>:&nbsp; Escaped LTTE cadres are said to have regrouped in Europe &ndash; after receiving asylum &ndash; and revived the Tamil Tigers in exile. Will they ever meet with success in Sri Lanka?</p>

<p><b>KARUNA:</b>&nbsp;There are no chances of success at all. If they bring in that kind of ideology again, people will never appreciate it. Because Tamils have suffered a lot. Lives were lost, people wounded critically. The people&rsquo;s mindset has totally changed -they don&rsquo;t like those kinds of things. Again, I request the diaspora not to create unnecessary problems. They should support us in other ways. There are wounded soldiers, more than 3000 war widows in the North and East. They should support such people.</p>

<p><em>WION&rsquo;s Senior International Correspondent&nbsp;Padma&nbsp;Rao&nbsp;Sundarji&rsquo;s exclusive interview with former LTTE commander, &ldquo;Col Karuna&rdquo;, on his new political outfit, &ldquo;The Tamil United Freedom Party&rdquo;&nbsp;in Batticaloa, capital of Sri Lanka&rsquo;s Eastern Province.</em></p>

<div style="position:relative;height:0;padding-bottom:56.3%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PGFhharvBCk?ecver=2" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;left:0" width="639"></iframe></div>

<p>(WION)</p>


Former senior minister Col Karuna holds forth on concepts like motherland and freedom in a wide-ranging interview

He was the right-hand man for chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – the armed separatist organisation that waged a bloody civil war against the Sri Lankan state for nearly 30 years. He was then known as “Col. Karuna” and as one of the most ruthless commanders among the Tigers. In 2004, Karuna and 15,000 LTTE cadres – all belonging to Sri Lanka’s “eastern board” (Mullaithivu to Batticaloa on Sri Lanka’s east coast) split from the LTTE and crossed over to the Sri Lankan Armed Forces (SLAF). There followed another bloody, three-way phase of civil war – the Tigers vs Karuna and his men, the latter along with the SLAF against the Tigers. The then president Mahinda Rajapaksa made Karuna the minister for ‘national integration’ and vice-president of Sri Lanka’s oldest Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). By the time the civil war ended with the defeat of the Tigers in May 2009, more than 120,000 people had been killed. Earlier this week and after ten years in parliament, Karuna left the SLFP and announced his own political outfit, the “Tamil United Freedom Party” in Batticaloa, his home-town. What does the new constellation want to achieve? What does ‘’freedom” in its name stand for? What do Sri Lankan Tamils expect of India, which continues to insist on the Rajiv Gandhi-authored 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution to grant autonomy to the Tamils, a move that is being fiercely opposed by various Sinhalese nationalist groups? PRS: Mr “Karuna”, your country has the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which won a democratic election and constitutes the government in Jaffna, Sri Lanka’s northern province. It represents a wide spectrum of Tamil groups, big and small. It supports the current national coalition government in Colombo. So why do the majority-Tamils of your Northern and Eastern Provinces need yet another Tamil political party? KARUNA: The situation has totally changed. Tamil people now feel there is no good leadership. That is what I want to give them. Also, we have no solution (to the question of Tamil autonomy) so far. The Tamil parties united with the government and promised a lot of things to the Tamil people: that we are going to merge the North and East, we are going to evacuate army camps from peoples’ lands, etc. But nothing happened. We are going to give a voice and development to the Tamil people, but also to all islanders. The Tamil lands are our main motherlands and that is the main thing. PRS: The word ‘’motherland’’ has been misused in the past, by the LTTE, to whom you belonged. Could you clarify what you mean by it now? KARUNA: The North and the East are Tamil lands. This is historically so. Northern and Eastern people have been living there for more than 2,000 years. They were divided into two provinces but they are one, our motherland. Of course, united with Sri Lanka. But they have to give us our rights. We need land power and development and – according to the 13th Amendment – we have to merge the North and East. India’s 13th Amendment is a good solution for the Tamil people. PRS: The 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution was co-authored by former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi in 1987, i.e. 30 years ago. Surely outdated, since you say Sri Lankan Tamils have changed drastically and are a modern society today? KARUNA: Yes, but the Amendment provides for that. We can address and correct all problems through that 13th Amendment. We can adapt the Amendment to modern times. But the main problem is that in the north and east, they will definitely have to give power to the Tamil people. PRS: Are you seeking India’s help in implementing the 13th Amendment? KARUNA: Most definitely. We are seeking only India’s help. Because whenever western countries come, they do so with an eye on benefits for themselves. Only our neighbour India is closest to us. New Delhi has the responsibility because it was also involved here. India sent its army against the LTTE. That is why Indian leaders have to pressure our government for a good solution for the Tamil people. PRS: But you have been a member of the SLFP under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and even its vice-president. Are you disappointed in both Rajapaksa and current President Maithripala Sirisena? KARUNA: I am very friendly with both of them, there are no problems. But I have the right to offer good leadership to the Tamil people. I have certain strengths drawn from the thirty years I fought on behalf of the Tamil people. Even as an LTTE commander, I travelled all over the world for them. I am the only top ex-cadre still alive today. Then, I was a parliamentarian for ten years. All this undoubtedly gives me the experience to meet the needs of the Tamils. But we have to consult the entire leadership too. I can negotiate with them because I am on very friendly terms with all Sinhala leaders. PRS: You place great expectations on India. But your country’s growing closeness to China under both ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa and present incumbent Maithripala Sirisena is disrupting India’s relations with Sri Lanka. Given Sri Lanka’s debt crisis, that doesn’t seem likely to change overnight. KARUNA: Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa handled the Chinese very carefully and used China only for the purpose of development. He gave them only 750 acres of land in Hambantota for the port. But the current government has given away 15,000 acres to the Chinese government. Sri Lankans don’t like this new deal. Rajapaksa used China, he got money from them and massively developed the war-savaged North and East with it. He built infrastructure rapidly. But the present government has to be very careful because without Indian support, there will be problems in future in Sri Lanka. PRS: You seem to hold Mahinda Rajapaksa in high regard. His party is split across the benches. His colleagues in the opposition have launched a new party and hope he will lead it. He hasn’t said no. Have you told him of your new outfit? Will you support each other? KARUNA : I definitely approve of Mahinda Rajapaksa because he is a good leader. At the same time, he stayed loyal to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) – it is not he who split the party. There are a lot of internal battles going on within the SLFP. I have also told party cadres many times to sort them out as that would be best for the country. I appreciate Rajapaksa - no question. PRS : Does Rajapaksa know about your party? KARUNA : Yes. I have already negotiated with him. The Tamils are a little angry with Rajapaksa because he was president during the last phases of war. I told him that he could change that image by accepting my support. But I have also negotiated with the Sirisena faction of the SLFP. I have no problems with either. PRS: There are more than 900,000 members of the Tamil diaspora around the world. How can they help their brethren in Sri Lanka? KARUNA : Diaspora people have a responsibility to the North and East. They have to support development and other good causes here. They could represent us in the global community. But recreating the LTTE is not good for us. We fought 30 years. Nothing happened, we didn’t achieve anything. It is only through a political democracy, by collaborating with the government that we can get somewhere. My message to the diaspora is: don’t try to recreate unnecessary violence here again. PRS: It’s all very well to announce a new political party. But there are cases pending against you, within and outside Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, you were arrested for the alleged misuse of a bulletproof luxury government vehicle late last year. Won’t those charges hinder you from registering your party? KARUNA: No, there is no problem there. The government was misled and they arrested me. After I left parliament, I handed over all correspondence, documentation and receipts pertaining to the vehicle along with it to the authorities. It is based on that evidence that the Colombo magistrate granted me bail. Now, there is no criminal case against me. I never misused government property. We can’t register any political parties in Sri Lanka right now because of some unrelated judicial issue. But the Election Commission has requested an application and we will submit one. It will be accepted later. PRS: I have spoken to plenty of other former LTTE cadres like you. Chief LTTE financier and gunrunner, K Pathmanathan runs orphanages today. LTTE’s ”media officer” Daya Master, works as a journalist at a TV station. They all want peace. Will they join you? KARUNA: Anyone can join. More than 12000 former LTTE cadres were rehabilitated. A lot of them have joined us. There are others too facing severe problems. They all have a right to be involved and some have even started a party of former LTTE cadres. Even that group was accepted by the government. We live in a democracy so whoever wants to come into the political fold, must be welcomed and rehabilitated. That’s a good thing. PRS: In 2004 when you split from the LTTE, you had told me that it was because Eastern Tamils like you perceived a lot of discrimination by Northern Tamils like Prabhakaran. How are you so sure that those old animosities will not resurface again if North and East are merged? KARUNA : No, I have never blamed the northern people, only the leadership. Even now, Tamil parties never give eastern Tamils any leading positions. That is one big issue. But not with people. People are innocent and decent and will want to join the party. Now we are trying to merge the North and East – that is what people want. I had a lot of experience with the northern people. Throughout the 30-year war, I was, after all, in the North, so I know these people well. There are no problems. PRS :There’s another serious charge. As deputy commander of the LTTE, you, too, stand accused by the UNICEF, HRW and many other international organisations of recruiting child soldiers. KARUNA: In the early stages of the LTTE, only those willing to fight joined the group. Later, there was a manpower shortage. That’s when the LTTE possibly recruited children. I, too, didn’t like that aspect and that is one of the main reasons why I broke away. Personally, I never agreed to those things and so far, nobody from Geneva has complained directly to me. But people still talk about this whenever I am mentioned. I left the LTTE and embraced the good, democratic path. I have never indulged in any violence. PRS: Escaped LTTE cadres are said to have regrouped in Europe – after receiving asylum – and revived the Tamil Tigers in exile. Will they ever meet with success in Sri Lanka? KARUNA: There are no chances of success at all. If they bring in that kind of ideology again, people will never appreciate it. Because Tamils have suffered a lot. Lives were lost, people wounded critically. The people’s mindset has totally changed -they don’t like those kinds of things. Again, I request the diaspora not to create unnecessary problems. They should support us in other ways. There are wounded soldiers, more than 3000 war widows in the North and East. They should support such people. WION’s Senior International Correspondent Padma Rao Sundarji’s exclusive interview with former LTTE commander, “Col Karuna”, on his new political outfit, “The Tamil United Freedom Party” in Batticaloa, capital of Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province. (WION)

Exclusive: Ex-LTTE commander 'Col Karuna' floats new party to amplify Tamil autonomy demand

<p>V Gopalsamy, also known as Vaiko, founder of the political party Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), was denied entry into Malaysia on Friday&nbsp;at Kuala Lumpur airport.&nbsp;He was interrogated by&nbsp;officials for his alleged links with the&nbsp;Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).</p>

<p>In this video below,&nbsp;MDMK supporters protest in front of the Malaysian Consulate in Chennai.</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nilPvQ6_gD8" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>The LTTE, founded by Velupillai Prabhakaran in 1976, is a terrorist organisation based in northeastern Sri Lanka seeking to establish an independent Tamil state.</p>

<p>Ramasamy Palanisamy, deputy chief minister of Malaysian state Panag, invited Vaiko to attend his daughter&#39;s wedding on&nbsp;June 10.</p>

<p>Vaiko&#39;s name featured in the list of people who are dangerous. After hours of questioning he was denied permission to enter Malaysia.</p>

<p>Airport authorities specified that Vaiko&nbsp;is a member of LTTE. He will be returning Chennai tonight. LTTE has been accused of assassinating&nbsp;India&#39;s&nbsp;former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, and since then the group&nbsp;has been outlawed in India.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Vaiko's alleged links with the terrorist group LTTE made Malaysian authorities detain and question him

V Gopalsamy, also known as Vaiko, founder of the political party Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), was denied entry into Malaysia on Friday at Kuala Lumpur airport. He was interrogated by officials for his alleged links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In this video below, MDMK supporters protest in front of the Malaysian Consulate in Chennai. The LTTE, founded by Velupillai Prabhakaran in 1976, is a terrorist organisation based in northeastern Sri Lanka seeking to establish an independent Tamil state. Ramasamy Palanisamy, deputy chief minister of Malaysian state Panag, invited Vaiko to attend his daughter's wedding on June 10. Vaiko's name featured in the list of people who are dangerous. After hours of questioning he was denied permission to enter Malaysia. Airport authorities specified that Vaiko is a member of LTTE. He will be returning Chennai tonight. LTTE has been accused of assassinating India's former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, and since then the group has been outlawed in India.

Vaiko: MDMK party founder denied entry into Malaysia

K Pathmanathan collected funds from separatist-minded Tamil diaspora, bought weapons and shipped them to northern Sri Lanka

'MGR bought the ships, Tamil Nadu ministers cleared weapons transit to Lanka,' ex-LTTE guerrilla to WION

Wickremesinghe speaks exclusively to WION on ties with India and China, terrorism, LTTE and more

As part of the World Is One Global Leadership series, WION’s senior international correspondent Padma Rao Sundarji speaks to Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Read the full transcript below. PRS: Mr Prime Minister, thank you for talking to WION for our new World is One Global Leaders series.Sri Lanka's current coalition government came to power in 2015 promising to improve relations with closest neighbour India. They had plunged into a deep freeze under the previous government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. There have been a series of high-profile visits and symbolic gestures. but some core issues remain unresolved. Colombo's growing closeness to China, for instance, is seen as a "strategic threat". What is your government doing to reassure New Delhi? RW: We have always been friendly with China, but not at the expense of India. We are friendly with many countries but not at the expense of others. Our relationship with India is different from that with China. What you have to look at is our relationship vis-a-vis India and not get too worried about how we are doing with China, or the UK, or anyone else. As far as we are concerned, the Sri Lankan and Indian governments do understand what's happening and we are moving closely. So if there is some uneasiness, it is the Indian media that report from their point of view. There is nothing I can do about it. We have our good defence relationships, we have our economic relationships. we are looking at a number of projects. We are looking at how India can participate in Sri Lanka's effort to develop the Trincomalee harbour together with Japan. It's being planned out by (Singapore- based company) Surbana Jarong, which is also doing Amravati in India. We are both committed to seeing the success of the Bay of Bengal as an economic area - there's a lot of potential there in the next ten years. We are working with each other on an economic and technical cooperation agreement, one that will also lay the basis for a closer relationship between Sri Lanka and the economies of the five southern Indian states which should be at least worth 500 billion US dollars. And if we all work together, that can grow to nearly a trillion US dollars. On the security side, there is very close sharing of information. There are a lot of informal contacts between your ministers and our ministers, your officials and ours. I think this has been one of the good periods of the relationship between India and Sri Lanka. PRS: Your bilateral relationship with Beijing is your sovereign prerogative, of course. And yet, that relationship is skewered heavily in favour of China. You owe China 8 billion US dollars, i.e. a 12th of your overall overseas debt of over 60 billion dollars. Surely China's not offering you a mere hand of friendship? Surely it's more like an iron fist in a velvet glove? RW: I don't know why you are so worried about China. No one has offered us an iron fist, with or without a velvet glove. The bulk of the Chinese loans have been on infrastructure projects. When we were in the opposition, we argued whether some of those projects were the best options. But you have to remember that after the global financial crisis of 2007, China was one of the major players to assist a large number of countries with infrastructure development. It also helped the Chinese themselves. They send their work force out, they even send foodstuff. So I don't think you should take Sri Lanka as an exception. Many countries received assistance from China. Now there is the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in place. In fact and if at all, it is Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) who really have a special friendship, not Sri Lanka and China. Some people feel that the BRICS are trying to dominate other developing economies.So there are various views. Sri Lanka doesn't cooperate with China or Brazil even on global economy. But yes, we have taken a large number of loans from China but also from others. To repay those commercial loans is a concern.Therefore, we are now inviting foreign investment to our country. PRS: In your southeastern port of Hambantota, you have offered Chinese companies equity in exchange for some of that debt, even land for a Free Trade Zone.The nearby Mattala airport, too, is being run by Chinese companies. In Colombo, you delayed the Port City Project to assure India. After all, 80 per cent of transshipments from India transit Colombo. But the Project has been recommenced and is firmly in China's hands. Surely China's 'String of Pearls' is beginning to choke Sri Lanka? RW: Mattala airport is run by the Sri Lanka Airports Authority (SLAA). But we thought we would call for anyone interested in running the airport jointly with the SLAA. Sri Lanka has been the hub of the Indian Ocean and even from time immemorial, Chinese ships have come to Sri Lanka on the Silk Route. Hambantota port was built with Chinese assistance. There is also an agreement that our former President Mahinda Rajapaksa initialed with a Chinese company to further develop and run operations there. All our government has done is to say that we are unable to pay the debts of the Hambantota port and will therefore be unable to proceed with it. Or, that we will have to offer it to anyone who is willing to take it up. We discussed this with the Chinese and finally persuaded their government for a debt-to-equity transfer. Some Chinese companies applied. We took the best and have got the Chinese to agree to go up to 1.5 billion US dollars to pay for their share of the Joint Venture (JV). We have 20 per cent for the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). We could take that up to 40 per cent, even 45 per cent So if anyone else in Sri Lanka wants to invest in Hambantota, we will give them the freedom to do so. But it's a JV and the JV area of the land is leased out. It will come back to us when the lease is over.The military and security aspects of the Hambantota port are in the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy. Last week, your naval authorities and ours had a discussion on this matter. We have a large amount of land in Hambantota. And we have a port. But that port must have a load to carry. which means there must be industries.The land will be invested in and leased out to any industrial estate operator. The Chinese have indicated interest in taking some of the land themselves. But just outside that area, there is another very good block of land - closer to Galle than Hambantota It is fully developed. We want to work on that together with the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation.Then, there's more land in our north-western province. We are talking to Surbana Jarong on building an industrial estate there. Even Thais have come and looked at it. So Sri Lanka is like any other country! Industrial land is held by the government and any interested investor can lease it to run their industrial estate. We like it because that means bringing in investor to the country. Even India is discussing an industrial estate in Sri Lanka. PRS: Is that an open invitation also to India to invest in Hambantota? RW: Well, Indian ships can come to Hambantota, there is no problem at all. And we are already working with india. As I told you, we are developing Trincomalee port and we'd like India to participate and take a project or two there. We would also like Japan to do so. PRS: . Chinese military submarines have docked in Sri Lanka and caused annoyance to India. Mr Wickremesinghe, can you put on record through this interview to WION an assurance for India, that there will be no element of Chinese military presence in Sri Lanka's sovereign territory, at least during the remaining two years of your tenure in office ? RW: Chinese military submarines have been coming to Sri Lanka regularly. There is only one instance which became an issue. That was under former President Rajapaksa. Chinese submarines came here and the Indian government claimed - and I think - they were not informed. Actually, it was more troublesome for us because the Chinese submarines came just when Japan's prime minister was visiting Colombo! After we formed the government, we asked the Chinese why they sent them, considering they always followed protocol? They told us that they had indeed informed the government of Sri Lanka of the time. As far as China is concerned and just like any other country, their people will come to Sri Lanka and visit us at times agreed to by the Sri Lankan authorities and at times convenient to us. But there is no defence relationship with China. PRS: But of course Sri Lanka had a defence relationship with China, towards the end of the 30-year long civil war against the separatist terror group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). China provided a lot of military equipment and helped Sri Lanka defeat the Tigers. So are you really saying that there will continue to be occasional visits by the Chinese, but that the Indian government will be kept informed? RW: Actually, New Delhi is aware that there will be visits by the Chinese and other countries and that normal practices will be followed in all cases. PRS: In your address to a recent counter-terrorism conference, you said that the greatest "challenge" to the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) comes from "non-state-actors". Whom do you mean in Sri Lanka's case? RW: We had non-state actors. we had the LTTE's 'Sea Tigers.' Even the latest Australian defence studies say that non-state actors are going to be the biggest issue. It's already happening off the waters of Somalia. And it can keep increasing because the shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean are the most vital economic waterways of the world. PRS: But the "Sea Tigers" are a thing of the past... RW: Sure, but pirates are now using new technology. Look at the attack on the Saudi ship off the coast of Yemen. It was completely new technology. It was probably an automated boat run by robotics. So the Sea Tigers may have disappeared, but the Somali pirates are there. Piracy is becoming much easier. And the most vulnerable in this region are the high seas. PRS: Sri Lanka has 21.2 million Muslim citizens. After Hindus, they are your country's second largest minority. Your justice minister recently told your parliament that 31 "elite Muslims" from Sri Lanka have joined the Islamic State (IS). There is growing radicalization in the Maldives. And at least by the time Osama Bin Laden was located and killed in Pakistan, it should be clear to all that that country is the 'epicentre of terrorism". India, most of all, is a victim of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. But Pakistan, too, is Sri Lanka's close ally and supplied weapons to help you defeat the LTTE. You met Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif recently. Surely you expressed your concern over that country hosting globally banned Islamist terror groups like the Lashkar-i-Tayyaba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)? RW: I met Mr Sharif only for a very short time on the periphery of a conference in Davos. As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, the vast majority of our Muslims work together with other Sri Lankans. Yes, there were those who went to IS in Syria. Some have been killed. We have traced the others and are speaking to their families. we are speaking with their families. The latest message we are receiving from those men is that they are trapped and there is a lot of pressure on them as Iraqi, Syrian and other forces advance. PRS: The Indo-Sri Lanka accord of 1987 still seems relevant to New Delhi, at least on two counts. The first is on the promise of maximum autonomy for Sri Lankan Tamils in - and a merger of - your Northern and Eastern Provinces. The 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution to bring that about was co-authored by India. But your own Tamils say that very little progress has been made to implement that amendment, even by your government. Millions of Sinhalese Sri Lankans in the southern part of your country are staunchly opposed to it. Is this 30-year-old amendment now itself outdated and in need an amendment? RW: Not really. We have a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution. At the moment, there is a steering committee, we are discussing devolution. But may I tell you, every provincial council in Sri Lanka wants more power. At the moment, the division seems to be more between Colombo's parliament and all our provincial councils! It's not just a Tamil-vs Sinhalese issue, it's a centre-vs periphery issue. But we have to be realistic as to what can be given so we are discussing it. We are a democratic country. PRS: But is New Delhi also being flexible about the 13th Amendment? RW: Yes, there has always been flexibility. We appreciate that. PRS: The other aspect of the Accord relevant to India is the right an appendix grants New Delhi to develop Trincomalee port and a free trade zone there. But you say you have already awarded that development to the Singapore-based company, Surbana Jarong. Further, there is discord over 31 oil tanks that were leased out to the Indian Oil Corporation through another bilateral agreement signed in 2003. You were PM then yourself. Now, your government is asking for them to be returned. RW: You are all behind times. Trincomalee port is a Sri Lankan port. And in the Indo-Sri Lanka accord, we said we would not do anything prejudicial to the security of India. Surbana Jarong are the town planners in Trincomalee, just like in your Amravati. In fact, AP CM Chandrababu Naidu and I have remarked on how good that company is. So, we can engage whomsoever we want, to plan Trincomalee and we happen to have engaged one that is also planning out in Andhra Pradesh. As far as the Indian Free Trade Zone is concerned, yes. We have said we welcome India. And once India's areas are allocated and they are ready, we would like to have a free trade zone. And maybe India - or some other country - could operate hotels there. Right now, it's a zone in planning - where are the industries going to be located, where the tourism belt, how we are going to dispose of waste, etc. We are also asking the Japanese to be a part of it. Indian Oil Corporation is currently looking at the feasibility of a refinery to be run jointly with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). We should then be able to also refine petroleum to sell to India and others. Once that decision is taken, we'll know about the oil tanks. But I think remaining issues on the oil tanks have been settled between the two governments. PRS: But Mr Wickremesinghe, you make it sound as though all were hunky-dory between India and Sri Lanka. The Free Trade Agreement, for one, is still stuck over a raft of issues. Primarily it is the fear in minds of Sri Lankans that India's millions will invade the island and take away all your jobs. And yet, that's exactly what seems to be happening through your relationship with China, the world's most populated country. Chinese already enjoy a sprawling presence all over your small island-nation. Sri Lankans working with Chinese companies say they are obliged to learn Chinese and even follow China's, not Sri Lanka's labor laws. Critics in your own country say there is a quasi-colonization of Sri Lanka by China underway. The irony is that China is not even culturally, linguistically, historically and religiously linked to Sri Lanka like India is..... RW: I don't think we have to bring China into all these things. There isn't a sprawling Chinese presence here either - there are more Indians. But certainly, Mode Four is not part of free trade agreements, either with India or with any other country. The usual negotiations are taking place with India. But also with China, Singapore. We just finished talks with the European Union (EU) and will enter the next round. PRS : The opposition faction under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is appalled at your government becoming a co-signatory to a US-sponsored resolution for investigation into alleged human rights violations by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces during the final stages of the civil war. There is widespread confusion among ordinary Sri Lankans on whether the international community will continue to insist - and Colombo will be pushed to relent - over involving foreigners in that investigation. How could Colombo possibly have joined hands with countries, many of whom have themselves sheltered and nurtured the separatist LTTE for several decades? RW: Yes, we co-sponsored resolution 30-10215 and have gained a longer reprieve for two further years to sort out issues. In that resolution, there is provision for us to use expertise from abroad - legal opinion, judges, etc. - wherever we think it necessary. But like in India, foreign judges cannot sit on a bench in Sri Lanka. And on policy matters and like all South Asian countries including India, Sri Lanka will not join the International Criminal Court in Rome. PRS: First, the encounter with an LTTE operative 'Gobi' and his men and the subsequent unearthing of caches of weapons in the Northern Province some years ago. And more recently, the plot to assassinate your moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader, Mr M A Sumanthiran. Is the LTTE on the rise in Sri Lanka again? Or and like you often accused your predecessor government of doing, are these merely 'engineered' rumours to justify the continued presence of the armed forces in the former war zones even eight years after the war ended? RW: The LTTE has been wiped out. There may be some small groups being used by others. And the numbers of the army in the North are being reduced gradually. PRS: Former LTTE rebel Karuna has founded a "Tamil Freedom Party" in Batticaloa, while another former Tiger has just started a 'Rehabilitated Liberation Tigers Party" in Trincomalee. After 30 years of a debilitating war against the separatist LTTE in which more than 120,000 people were killed, how can the election commission of sovereign and united Sri Lanka possibly register party names containing words like 'Tamil Freedom' and "Liberation Tigers' all over again? RW: That has been questioned by some people but finally it's up to the election commission. There are no words that are banned, as such. At one stage, the LTTE was a prohibited name though.... PRS: You have you have pointed out the strategic importance of Sri Lanka's location in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) But many countries like Japan, India and the United States conduct routine joint naval exercises here. One just concluded in Hambantota. But all three countries I mention have territorial and other disputes with China, which is sprawling in the IOR and whose One-Belt-One-Road initiative Sri Lanka is part of. From your long years of political experience, what do you see in the region in future? Cooperation ? Or confrontation? RW: I think there will be cooperation. PRS: between all countries? RW: Between all countries. PRS: Including India and China? RW: Yes! There is already cooperation between India and China. PRS: Mr Prime Minister, a very last question. What is your personal equation with India's PM, Narendra Modi? RW: I have known him for a long time. In fact, I've kept in touch with him since his days as Chief Minister of Gujarat, when no one thought he would be the prime ministerial candidate. We continue that acquaintance and friendship. (WION)

WION Global Leadership Series: Ties with China not at India's expense, says Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe

<p>Sri Lanka must make more progress towards meeting commitments to establishing a credible investigation into alleged war crimes during the country&#39;s civil war and enacting reforms, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) said on Thursday.</p>

<p>The Geneva-based body handed Sri Lanka a two-year extension to implement fully the commitments that were made under a 2015 resolution after the United Nations top human rights official, Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein, expressed concern at the &quot;slow progress&quot; of reforms in Sri Lanka.</p>

<p>The United Nations and rights groups have accused the Sri Lankan military of killing thousands of civilians, mostly Tamils, during the final weeks of the war and have pressed for justice for the families of those who disappeared.</p>

<p>The United Nations launched a probe in 2014 into war crimes allegedly committed by both state forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels. The government of then-leader Mahinda Rajapaksa resisted the probe and denied UN officials entry to the island nation.</p>

<p>Many council members welcomed Sri Lanka&#39;s engagement, but called on President Maithripala Sirisena&#39;s government to present a clear plan aimed at meeting reconciliation, reform and justice commitments.</p>

<p>In the eight years that have passed since the war ended, the government has failed to prosecute alleged war crimes such as torture, unlawful killings and enforced disappearances.</p>

<p>Families whose loved ones disappeared during the conflict have urged the United Nations to pressure the Sri Lankan government to speed up the war crimes probe.</p>

<p>More than 100,000 are believed estimated to have died and some 65,000 went missing during the 26-year conflict.</p>

<p>Sri Lanka&#39;s deputy foreign affairs minister, Harsha De Silva, told the U.N. rights body on Thursday that the government was striving to establish the rule of law and end impunity under &quot;Sri-Lankan government-led processes&quot;.</p>

<p>However, John Fisher, Geneva director of Human Rights Watch, said the president&#39;s opposition to the involvement of foreign judges, which had been agreed in the 2015 resolution, raised questions over the government&#39;s commitment to justice and undermined confidence in the government&#39;s efforts.</p>

<p>&quot;Sri Lanka needs to stop equivocating and move forward with a clear plan and timetable so that the promise of justice and accountability can finally become a reality,&rdquo; Fisher said in a statement.</p>

<p>Tania Baldwin-Pask, head of international advocacy at Freedom from Torture said security reforms were needed to ensure torure and other abuses were not repeated.</p>

<p>(Reuters)</p>


The Geneva-based body handed Sri Lanka a two-year extension to implement fully the commitments that were made under a 2015 resolution

Sri Lanka must make more progress towards meeting commitments to establishing a credible investigation into alleged war crimes during the country's civil war and enacting reforms, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) said on Thursday. The Geneva-based body handed Sri Lanka a two-year extension to implement fully the commitments that were made under a 2015 resolution after the United Nations top human rights official, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, expressed concern at the "slow progress" of reforms in Sri Lanka. The United Nations and rights groups have accused the Sri Lankan military of killing thousands of civilians, mostly Tamils, during the final weeks of the war and have pressed for justice for the families of those who disappeared. The United Nations launched a probe in 2014 into war crimes allegedly committed by both state forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels. The government of then-leader Mahinda Rajapaksa resisted the probe and denied UN officials entry to the island nation. Many council members welcomed Sri Lanka's engagement, but called on President Maithripala Sirisena's government to present a clear plan aimed at meeting reconciliation, reform and justice commitments. In the eight years that have passed since the war ended, the government has failed to prosecute alleged war crimes such as torture, unlawful killings and enforced disappearances. Families whose loved ones disappeared during the conflict have urged the United Nations to pressure the Sri Lankan government to speed up the war crimes probe. More than 100,000 are believed estimated to have died and some 65,000 went missing during the 26-year conflict. Sri Lanka's deputy foreign affairs minister, Harsha De Silva, told the U.N. rights body on Thursday that the government was striving to establish the rule of law and end impunity under "Sri-Lankan government-led processes". However, John Fisher, Geneva director of Human Rights Watch, said the president's opposition to the involvement of foreign judges, which had been agreed in the 2015 resolution, raised questions over the government's commitment to justice and undermined confidence in the government's efforts. "Sri Lanka needs to stop equivocating and move forward with a clear plan and timetable so that the promise of justice and accountability can finally become a reality,” Fisher said in a statement. Tania Baldwin-Pask, head of international advocacy at Freedom from Torture said security reforms were needed to ensure torure and other abuses were not repeated. (Reuters)

UN presses Sri Lanka to meet commitments on war crime probe

<p>Sri Lankan security and police forces are reportedly still committing rape and torture, and the country must investigate and prosecute those involved as well as those implicated in past wartime atrocities, the United Nations said on Friday.</p>

<p>The U.N. and rights activists have accused the Sri Lankan military of killing thousands of civilians, mostly Tamils, in the last weeks of a 26-year civil war with Tamil separatists that ended in 2009 and have demanded redress.</p>

<p>In its latest report, the UN said Colombo must set a clear timeline for prosecuting crimes by all sides during the civil war, adding that offences are still being brought to the authorities.</p>

<p>&quot;Cases of excessive use of force, torture, arbitrary arrests and failure to respect due process during arrests by the police also continue to be reported,&quot; it added.</p>

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<h5>The lack of accountability risks derailing the momentum towards lasting peace, said the report by the office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein</h5>
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<p>The lack of accountability risks derailing the momentum towards lasting peace, said the report by the office of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein.</p>

<p>&quot;I urge the government and people of Sri Lanka to prioritise justice alongside reconciliation to ensure that the horrors of the past are firmly dealt with, never to recur,&quot; Zeid said.</p>

<p>&quot;The authorities at all levels, from the head of State to military, police, intelligence and local-level leaders, need to publicly issue unequivocal instructions to all branches of the military, intelligence and police forces that torture, sexual violence and other human rights violations are unequivocally prohibited and will be punished,&quot; Zeid said.</p>

<p>&quot;OHCHR received credible information from a well-known human rights organisation according to which &#39;white van&#39; abductions, and torture and sexual violence, by the Sri Lankan security forces persisted. These allegations must be properly investigated,&quot; the report said.</p>

<p>The U.N. and activists have also demanded that Sri Lanka include foreign judges in a credible inquiry, which President Maithripala Sirisena has opposed.</p>

<p>A task force appointed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, however, said in January the country should bring in international prosecutors and judges.[nL4N1EV4A4]</p>

<p>Addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the government &quot;maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards torture&quot;.</p>

<p>He said he expected draft legislation on a truth-seeking commission to be presented to the cabinet &quot;within the next two months.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>(Reuters)</p>


'A number of serious human rights violations... are reportedly continuing to occur in Sri Lanka,' it said in a statement

Sri Lankan security and police forces are reportedly still committing rape and torture, and the country must investigate and prosecute those involved as well as those implicated in past wartime atrocities, the United Nations said on Friday. The U.N. and rights activists have accused the Sri Lankan military of killing thousands of civilians, mostly Tamils, in the last weeks of a 26-year civil war with Tamil separatists that ended in 2009 and have demanded redress. In its latest report, the UN said Colombo must set a clear timeline for prosecuting crimes by all sides during the civil war, adding that offences are still being brought to the authorities. "Cases of excessive use of force, torture, arbitrary arrests and failure to respect due process during arrests by the police also continue to be reported," it added. The lack of accountability risks derailing the momentum towards lasting peace, said the report by the office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein × The lack of accountability risks derailing the momentum towards lasting peace, said the report by the office of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein. "I urge the government and people of Sri Lanka to prioritise justice alongside reconciliation to ensure that the horrors of the past are firmly dealt with, never to recur," Zeid said. "The authorities at all levels, from the head of State to military, police, intelligence and local-level leaders, need to publicly issue unequivocal instructions to all branches of the military, intelligence and police forces that torture, sexual violence and other human rights violations are unequivocally prohibited and will be punished," Zeid said. "OHCHR received credible information from a well-known human rights organisation according to which 'white van' abductions, and torture and sexual violence, by the Sri Lankan security forces persisted. These allegations must be properly investigated," the report said. The U.N. and activists have also demanded that Sri Lanka include foreign judges in a credible inquiry, which President Maithripala Sirisena has opposed. A task force appointed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, however, said in January the country should bring in international prosecutors and judges.[nL4N1EV4A4] Addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the government "maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards torture". He said he expected draft legislation on a truth-seeking commission to be presented to the cabinet "within the next two months." (Reuters)

Sri Lankan security forces still committing rape, torture: UN

The grievances of minority Tamils in Sri Lanka can only be addressed through a federal system of governance and the merger of north and eastern provinces, northern province chief minister CV Wignewswaran has said.<br />
<br />
Wigneswaran said he had conveyed this to the Colombo-based ambassadors including those from the European Union during his recent engagements with them.<br />
<br />
The Tamil issue should not be seen by the government from the view point of the nationalist extremists in the south, Wigneswaran said in Jaffna yesterday.<br />
<br />
Wigneswaran said that the only solution to the ethnic problem of Tamils is to merge the north and the east and establish a federal government system.<br />
<br />
Wigneswaran who represents the main Tamil Party,Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was elected with over 80 per cent of the vote in the northern provincial council election held in 2013.<br />
<br />
He said the TNA would not be satisfied with any accountability mechanism that does not contain foreign judges.<br />
<br />
Sri Lanka government has opted for a domestic mechanism as articulated by the President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.<br />
<br />
It called for an international probe on alleged human rights abuses blamed both on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the government troops during the final phase of the conflict which ended in May 2009.<br />
(PTI)

'The solution to the ethnic problem is to merge the northern and eastern province' said northern province chief minister CV Wignewswaran

The grievances of minority Tamils in Sri Lanka can only be addressed through a federal system of governance and the merger of north and eastern provinces, northern province chief minister CV Wignewswaran has said. Wigneswaran said he had conveyed this to the Colombo-based ambassadors including those from the European Union during his recent engagements with them. The Tamil issue should not be seen by the government from the view point of the nationalist extremists in the south, Wigneswaran said in Jaffna yesterday. Wigneswaran said that the only solution to the ethnic problem of Tamils is to merge the north and the east and establish a federal government system. Wigneswaran who represents the main Tamil Party,Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was elected with over 80 per cent of the vote in the northern provincial council election held in 2013. He said the TNA would not be satisfied with any accountability mechanism that does not contain foreign judges. Sri Lanka government has opted for a domestic mechanism as articulated by the President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. It called for an international probe on alleged human rights abuses blamed both on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the government troops during the final phase of the conflict which ended in May 2009. (PTI)

Minority Tamils in Sri Lanka need a federal system of governance

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