Tamils & The Political Culture Of Auto-Genocide – II
By Rajan Hoole –September 19, 2015
Dr. Rajan Hoole
The Murder of Neelan Tiruchelvam
Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber in Colombo on 29th June 1999. The reactions to the murder tell us a good deal about how the ordinary Tamil people are cornered, silenced and suffocated by the elite lobby that speaks up for the LTTE. Members of this lobby – Kumar Ponnambalam (now deceased), Nadesan Satyendra and Wakeley Paul inclusive – have denounced Neelan Tiruchelvam as a traitor, and have in effect passed a posthumous death sentence on him. Fr. Xavier, a Tamil Anglican priest in Canada, when asked for his response to the murder by a Canadian human rights activist, replied that he had prayed about it. As though in answer to his prayer, he produced several responses from fellow Tamils. Among them were suggestions such as declaring the day of the murder a pubic holiday to commemorate the suicide killer who rid the Tamils of a traitor!
Thinakkural, the Tamil daily in Colombo edited by Sivanesachelvan, editorially mourned the loss of Neelan Tiruchelvam who had personally been helpful to the editor. The next day, the same paper published a cartoon justifying the murder. The cartoon in the form of the neck of a man wedged between the cutting edges of an instrument associated with moderation, depicted the ordinary Tamil man being crushed by the moderates, among whom Neelan was prominent. The members of the LTTE lobby revealed to worst in themselves. It was as though they would all be affronted by anyone seeing the slightest good in the dead man.
*Photo – Sithie Tiruchelvam and Neelan Tiruchelvam
Another group of LTTE-leaning Tamils pointed to thousands of tragedies affecting ordinary civilians and said that by comparison they could not find sorrow in their heart for Neelan Tiruchelvam. Many of them also suggested that Neelan’s activities as a democrat and human rights activist had no meaning for the Tamil people as the latter had neither democracy nor human rights. The main issue was avoided. The civilians wanted an end to war. But could not, owing to the LTTE’s intolerance of democracy, organise and speak for themselves. It is in this unenviable plight of the Tamil community that Neelan Tiruchelvam’s role became indispensable.
