TamilNet: The Sri Lankan Government has declared the war won and has claimed that Mr Pirapaharan, the leader of LTTE has been killed. Has Colombo really won the war?

Pathmanathan: The Sri Lankan government makes unverified claims. I am only able to ascertain that our National Leader is alive and well. It is true that many of our senior members and leaders have either given up their lives or been treacherously killed. This is very unfortunate, but it is important to realize that our struggle will continue until the aspirations of our people are realized.

The Sri Lankan Government may have declared a military victory. But it does not realize that it is a hollow victory. It has completely lost the trust and confidence of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

TamilNet: In light of the current situation, what is the future of the LTTE?

Pathmanathan: In several earlier statements we have clearly expressed the willingness of our movement to explore a solution to the Tamil national question given that credible political means are established enabling us to seek a political solution in lieu of a military strategy. We took this position in order to save the lives of our people. We could not continue to allow the Sri Lankan military nor the government to use the military option as an excuse to bomb and shell killing scores of people. But despite our plea to the International community to intervene with Sri Lanka and halt its offensive, Colombo decided to disregard and pursue its military push to what it viewed as the end. The information we received indicates that even cadres and leaders who had surrendered carrying white flags were mercilessly killed without any regards for international conventions. The international community too had refused to take a strong enough stand to convince the Sri Lankan Government to take a more conciliatory option.

We are extremely saddened by the turn of events. However, the future of Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Tamil national question still lingers on with no solution. The absence of a political process to address this and the need for a defensive mechanism to safeguard the Tamils is what drove the LTTE to take up arms in the first place. Today, an answer to this question is nowhere nearer.

The LTTE was mandated by the people to represent them and take forward the Tamil national question. At this juncture, we would like to reiterate that our movement is always prepared to consider viable alternative means to take the cause forward in accordance with the mandate of our people. We are also sure that Tamils living all over the world will unite as one people to contribute to this.

TamilNet: When you talk of a political process, the prevailing mood exhibited in Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka displays hardly any sensitivity to the aspirations of the Tamil people. How do you view this?

Pathmanathan: The trend and sentiments that are engulfing the Sinhala people in Sri Lanka is unfortunate. If Tamils are considered as equal citizens of the country, they will need to be treated with dignity and respect. But, the government and its military encourage the raw display of chauvinism. This only divides the communities further and does not allow for enmities to be resolved. The treatment displayed is as though the Tamils have been vanquished. This dehumanizes our people and deepens the ethnic divide. We are afraid this will not pave the way for a harmonious co-existence in the island.

TamilNet: There are forces that talk of 'post-LTTE' and 'post-conflict' scenario attempting to regard the LTTE as a spent force at this point in time. How is the LTTE going to mobilize the people behind it and give them the necessary leadership?

Pathmanathan: Our national problem is viewed as Asia's longest-running conflict and our leadership is aware that it needs to adapt to emerging realities while evolving strategies. You will note that the Tamil Diaspora has rallied behind the LTTE and behind the homeland Tamils, showing their strong support world over. The latest carnage in Vanni has only strengthened the unity of the Tamils and our leadership around the world and made them more resolved in their pursuit for justice.

We are also aware that this cannot be achieved alone. We fully appreciate the role every Tamil person and Tamil political party has to play, both in the island of Sri Lanka and abroad, to ensure that the welfare and future of Tamils living in the island is foremost. We are willing to work with all parties to achieve this, including the Tamil parties functioning in India as well. We need to put the welfare of the Tamil people first.

Several Tamil parties in Sri Lanka once had taken up arms and fought for the same cause in pursuit of the Tamil national question. Fundamentally, we hope that they still honour these principles. At this juncture, we earnestly hope that they would come forward to work together to achieve this.

TamilNet: You mentioned that the international community had failed the Tamil people. How do you propose to regain international credibility to take forward your struggle?

Pathmanathan: The International community is fully aware of the discrimination and marginalization the Tamils have faced since the Independence in 1948. They are not ignorant of this. We feel we can build a credible position with the International community through political means.

We recognize the role of India as crucial in this respect. The Tamil people of Sri Lanka and the Tamils living in India share a common cultural and linguistic heritage. This binds us strongly not only with the Tamils in India but also with Tamils world over: in countries like South Africa, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Fiji and the Reunion not counting our own who have adopted the many nations of the world as theirs.

We have always considered interests of India and Tamil people lie on the same line and historically the Tamil people in the Island are true friends of the Indian nation. At this crucial time, we now urge India to take a just stand to ensure the safety, dignity and self-respect of Tamils in Sri Lanka. We need to act prudently at this point of time. We are fully aware that India has a key role to play geo-politically in our part of the world and we need to work very closely with them. The LTTE at this juncture is ready to work together with India to ensure the future of Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka.