|
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha:
The most important thing is negotiation. Unfortunately,
the LTTE Tigers have not been willing to negotiate,
basically for 4 years, although there were brief talks
last year. What the government has done is, it has
thought that it should really discuss a future
constitutional package with the non-LTTE Tamils plus
other minorities. And there is an on-going process.
BBC Presenter:
But the All Party process, I think, that you are
referring to – Tamil National Alliance isn’t a part of
it, the main opposition isn’t a part of it, what did you
hope to gain by killing S.P.Thamilselvan? After all he
was one of main public faces and one of the negotiators
of the LTTE.
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha:
If he was committed to peace we should have actually had
talks. I think the poor man was withdrawn from peace
talks. In fairness let’s give him the benefit of the
doubt. He had been in military fatigue during most of
the last year, but even assuming that he really wanted
to negotiate; as he is dead let us give him that
benefit, the LTTE withdrew him twice. We still hope that
perhaps even now they will return to the table.
BBC Presenter:
But it is rather unlikely that you have taken out one of
their chief negotiators on the very same day we saw
colonel Karuna arrested here in London and the charge
that’s put is that it was the Sri Lankan government that
enabled him to travel – to get him out of the way – on a
diplomatic passport.
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha:
That charge I have certainly read and it is conceivable
but when I first saw he was in London I thought that
this was a wonderful British way of removing a problem
and agreeing to have him.
BBC Presenter:
Not a wonderful Sri Lankan government way?
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha:
I thought it was conceivable that they were together,
but certainly all indications are that British knew
nothing about it - which is remarkable.
BBC Presenter:
But indications are that the British government was
quite upset with Sri Lanka for how that happened?
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha:
You have to recognise that in the murky world of people
who have been militants or whatever in the past, perhaps
trying to reform perhaps not doing so, there are
agencies at work that perhaps would not be in an
official government position, just as they might not be
in an official British government position. But I think
certainly the fact that Karuna is no longer in the East
would help in reducing some of the tension. The problem
in the north must be resolved through talks but if they
are not happening with the LTTE, then we have to talk to
whoever is willing. And that is what the government is
trying to do, to produce a package that is serious
devolution within the context of a united Sri Lanka.
BBC Presenter:
Is there a way ahead in concrete terms apart from just
talking the needs of negotiations?
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha:
I think it is pretty remarkable that the Trotskyite who
heads the APRC has managed to bring together two sides
that seemed at logger heads – one saying you need a
merger of two provinces and other saying nothing larger
than a district - into a consensus on the unit of the
devolution, which of course we have discussed with India
as well. And this is in terms of the 1987 peace accord
which I think couldn’t be properly implemented as the
LTTE started fighting with India. So in a sense we
should implement that if possible with full devolution
so that the minorities could have the political rights
that in the 80’s they were pretty badly deprived of.
|
