TN parties concerned over Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s win in Lanka

Political parties in Tamil Nadu have expressed concern over the condition of the minority Tamil community in Sri Lanka after Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected as the island nation’s eighth president.

DMK chief MK Stalin, in a statement issued on Monday (November 18), said the Sri Lankan Tamils and the Tamil diaspora are disappointed by Gotabaya’s victory, but hoped that the new president would realise that Tamils are also citizens of the country.

“Prime Minister Modi, who wished Gotabaya on his victory, should take steps to safeguard the rights of Eelam Tamils,” he said.

Gotabaya was the defence secretary of Sri Lanka when the country’s forces crushed Tamil rebels, LTTE and ended the decades-old civil war. Gotabaya’s brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was the president then. The new president has faced charges of human rights violations in the war, a charge he has denied.

Gotabaya’s victory has also shocked Sri Lankan Tamils as they had favoured his opponent Sajith Premadasa of the United National Party (UNP).

PMK founder S Ramadoss said Gotabaya’s election will in no way help in bringing peace in the country as he was “a war criminal” and he would now abandon the inquiry into war crimes.

“Till now, Tamils were treated as second class citizens. Hereafter, they will be treated as fourth-class citizens,” he said.

Gotabaya failed to acquire even 10% of votes in Tamil areas while Sajith got only 40% votes in Sinhalese areas. This shows the incompatibility of the Sinhalese and Tamils, Ramadoss pointed out and demanded “a separate Eelam” to put an end to the violence unleashed on Tamils.

Also read: Gotabaya: Sinhalese adore him; Tamils, Muslims fear him

Calling the election of Gotabaya a big disappointment, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan noted that international institutions like the United Nations did not cooperate with the Tamils in bringing justice.

“If an international probe had been done, the Rajapaksa family would have been punished. They couldn’t have had the chance to contest in elections,” he said.

MDMK’s Vaiko said the India government has a responsibility to safeguard Sri Lankan Tamils.

Addressing the media in Delhi, he said, “This day is a grievous day for Tamils across the world. Though Mahinda Rajapaksa is credited for the violence over Tamils, it is Gotabaya who organised all the atrocities. We have evidence to convict the war criminals. Let us have hope.”

Also read: Rajapaksa wins Lanka’s prez polls, Premadasa concedes defeat

He also alleged that the Centre has not taken steps to prevent the killing of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy.

However, M Ilango, chairperson, National Fisherfolk Forum, denied the charge and said the High Commission in both the countries are taking steps to protect the Indian fishermen.

“Political leaders in the state use fishermen’s issues for their politics. For them, the issue should not be solved. Even Tamil nationalists are taking up fishermen’s issue to be in the limelight. But the present Indian government is taking all the steps to ensure the safety of our fishermen,” he said.

None of the AIADMK leaders have commented on the presidential polls, which was expected as the party has had an equal share of history in Sri Lanka’s thirty-year civil war.

Also read: Minority voters attacked during presidential elections in Sri Lanka

Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi, which is said to support Tamils from the island nation, too has not reacted to the results so far.

Ramu Manivannan, professor, department of political science, University of Madras, told The Federal that no one will say Gotabaya is a good person and the Tamil political leaders’ stand is no different.

“It is not just about Gotabaya. Whoever has an enmity over Tamils, will continue to do whatever they like to do against Tamils,” he said.

During the regime of former president Maithripala Sirisena, Sri Lankan refugees in the state showed interest to resettle in the island. But this seems unlikely now.