Listen to democratic voices

Democratic Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader Veerasingham Anandasangaree has written again. This time to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi urging a meeting between them to enlist the latter's support for promoting the Indian model of power devolution in Sri Lanka.

Though the LTTE and its sympathisers laugh at the democratic TULF leader saying that Sangaree's only job today is writing letters and issuing statements to the media they must sooner or later realise and begin to appreciate the efforts of Anandasangaree in a democratic process.

The TULF leader is among the few democratic Tamil politicians we have in this country today. Others have been killed, bought or their voices stilled by the LTTE.

Veerasingham Anandasangaree does not kill people, he does not harm or encourage others to kill or hate people. He does not abduct children and arm them to the teeth or tax his own people.

The only thing he does today is to take great pains to bring about a solution to the problems this country is faced with in a democratic manner. He follows the civilised way. He dreams of walking freely in Kilinochchi among schoolchildren and his village people.

He is trying to help President Mahinda Rajapaksa, another consensus builder, to bring about an agreement among all parties to find a just solution.

Sangaree wrote to Vellupillai Prabhakaran recently addressing him as 'Thambi' (younger brother). He requested the LTTE leader to lay down arms and to join hands with other political leaders and the people of Sri Lanka in finding a solution to the problem Sri Lanka is faced with.

The TULF leader told him that shedding blood would not help find a just solution. In his letter sent to Chief Minister Karunanidhi yesterday, the TULF leader says: "My proposal to the Government of Sri Lanka to adopt a constitution like the Indian model has received very wide support."

We are of the view that the TULF leader has written to the Indian politician with a great sense of responsibility because the democratic TULF leader maintains cordial relations with all parties in the South including the JVP and the JHU and other parties such as the SLMC and other Tamil parties.

Because of his democratic ways other parties like to give a hearing to the TULF leader. In fact he has made many of them understand the problems facing the innocent

Tamils in Sri Lanka, including the ones living behind the 'iron curtain' in the uncleared areas.

Anandasangaree has even asked the international community and the Norwegian facilitators to ask the LTTE to take them behind the iron curtain to see the real plight of the Tamil people.

It is the way to get about. In fact it is the only way to find a solution to the problems we are faced with. The firearms and claymore mines would not talk.

It would only kill and silence people. It will not bring peace but pieces. So, let us listen to Sangaree and listen to the democratic voices of Sri Lanka.

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