The Malaysian Insight

DAP’S P. Ramasamy does not think of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist group because it was fighting against discrimination.

The Penang Deputy Chief Minister ll said the now defunct LTTE of Sri Lanka was formed in the 1970s when the Tamil community there were victims of discrimination by the government.

Ramasamy said that while he had never agreed with LTTE’s use of arms to demand autonomy for several regions in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, he did not brand the group terrorists because it was fighting for liberation .

“Nor do I consider Hamas in Palestine, the Acheh Independent Movement (GAM) in Indonesia, and the Irish Republic of Ireland terrorist groups,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Ramasamy said he agreed with Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah that the definition of “terrorist” needed to be reassessed.

Saifuddin had previously said that Malaysia’s definition of terrorist might differ from others in the international community.

Ramasamy said the LTTE was formed when the Tamil community in Sri Lanka felt helpless in the face of repression by the Singhala-majority government.

“As a result of the repression, they felt it was pointless to discuss with the Sri Lankan government.

“About five people, including Velupillai Prabhakaran (LTTE leader), had taken up arms in the north and east of Sri Lanka over their rights,” he said.

Peace efforts

Ramasamy said he was involved in peace negotiations in Sri Lanka as well as in Acheh, Mindanao in the Philippines, and in Colombia.

He said he did not represent the Malaysian government while working with the LTTE constitution committee in June 2003.

He said the Norwegian government had appointed him to the committee because of his expertise in world conflicts.

There were five others who brought legal and economic expertise to the committee, he said.

“Discussions were held in several countries such as France, Switzerland, and Ireland with experts there. All travel expenses were sponsored by the Norwegian government.

“I sympathise with the LTTE, but I do not support terrorist activities. I wanted to bring the LTTE and the government of Sri Lanka to the table for peace negotiations.”

“I explained to the LTTE leaders that violence would not resolve the conflict.

“I tried to bring them to the negotiating table but I found the conflict difficult to resolve,” he said.

He said the committee’s discussions ended in 2003 with a proposal for peace restoration in Sri Lanka, but it was rejected by the Sri Lankan government.

The committee dispersed after that. 

Ramasamy’s association with the LTTE is once more in the spotlight after the recent arrest of  12 men, including two DAP elected reps, for allegedly supporting and trying to revive the LTTE movement in Malaysia.

Calls were made soon afterwards by some quarters for Ramasamy to also be arrested for his past support for the LTTE cause.

He is to be questioned by police in Bukit Aman on Monday morning over an article he had written about his time as a peacemaker for LTTE and other separatist movements in the world. – October 21, 2019.