By Paul Newman-20 Jul 2013Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam is a third generation Tamil politician from Sri Lanka. He hails from a family of well known lawyers. His father Kumar Ponnambalam, who championed the cause of Tamils in a racist milieu, was gunned down in Colombo in 2000 by unidentified assailants.
A former Member of Sri Lankan Parliament (2001- 2010) and leader of a political party, the Tamil National Peoples' Front (TNPF), Gajen as he is fondly called, is an articulate, out spoken young politician. He is a qualified lawyer, educated in England.
Gajen says India should recognize the Eelam Tamils as a distinct nation
|
.jpg)
Gajen is a marked man now. His call for an internationally backed Transitional Administration in Tamil areas of Sri Lanka, and his fearless crusade for Tamil rights, often taking contrarian positions to that of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has earned him many enemies.
In May 2013, four unidentified masked men surveyed his house. The obvious message to him is, “back off, or else…”
But the 39-year-old Gajen is not the one to heed to such threats. He gave an exclusive interview to The Weekend Leader, and spoke to Paul Newman on wide ranging issues.
The first part of the interview was carried last week.
Here, we are publishing excerpts from the second part of the interview.
India still feels the 13th amendment (to the Sri Lankan constitution) is the final answer to the Tamil problems and keeps pushing for it. Why are you against it?
