The Story of India and Srilanka and the Tamils by Selvaganesan

Author:Selvaganesan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Notion Press
Published: 2016-06-05T16:00:00+00:00

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IPKF vs LTTE – Political Gambit Declined

The key features of the Indo-Srilankan accord signed on 29th July 1987 in Colombo by the Prime Minister of India and the President of Srilanka were enunciated in the devolution of powers to Srilankan Tamils to address the discontent and militancy in the region: those powers included the Merger of Tamil majority Northern & Eastern provinces, devolution of power to the merged entity by amending the Constitution of Srilanka which would still retain its Unitary Status, and to agree to the status of Tamil as Official Language in all districts of Srilanka which was then limited to Northern province only. Additionally, India would guarantee peace by posting their Army in the Island Nation as Peace Keeping Force.

Post the accord between India & Srilanka Government in July 1987, IPKF (Indian Peace keeping Force), was sent to Srilankan Tamil areas. People of Northern and Eastern Srilanka and especially of Jaffna felt greatly relieved as the Indian Army marched into their land. The joy of people knew no bounds as they were able to freely move from one place to another without fear of being killed or attacked by the Srilankan forces, or getting caught in the cross-fire between Tamil guerrilla groups or the cross-fire between the Srilankan Army and the Tamil Militants. The joy of the Tamil people puzzled the LTTE men as they seemed too far stretched with their Leader being housed incommunicado in New Delhi, under the Supervision of the Government of India, to ensure signing of the Indo-Srilankan Peace accord by the two Governments. The Warlord of the Velvettithurai, a man who would never flinch at the fire of the battletank was subordinated by the Government of India, to agree to an accord after being called in for the talks with New Delhi, a snub that he would never forget. Not that he would immediately spur the accord because his stakes would be reduced, but the manner in which the terms of the agreement were dictated to him, reduced his stature from being a man of destiny to a seeker. The Pride of the Warlord was bludgeoned and it would not heal more so due to the events that followed with the presence of the Indian Army among his folks in Jaffna.

Once the Warlord was sent back to Srilanka several days after the accord was signed, IPKF had its task cut out; one, to ensure LTTE and Srilankan army do not fight with each other; two, as per the accord the elections were to be held in the Tamil regions of the Srilanka which would be merged and to have an elected Chief Minister; three, to disarm the Militant Groups including LTTE (in the political parlance LTTE was to be prodded to surrender its arms and resign itself to the Political Path dictated by India, fanciful wish indeed)!

A factor that was imbibed within the Indian Army but never articulated well within the Srilankan Tamil Circles was that the Gentlemen Cadets of the Indian

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