Appeal from a LTTE cadre for pardon

(By K.T.Rajasingham )

I am K. Athiththan, was a member of the LTTE for 14 years and is now kept as a remand prisoner for the last three years. This is my story narrated by me to 'Asian Tribune'. I take this opportunity to appeal to the Government and people of Sri Lanka through 'Asian Tribune' to apologize me for being with an organization knowingly or unknowingly, which has destabilized the country and brought misery, destruction, and deaths.

I commenced my primary schooling at Mullaitivu Government Tamil Mixed School. I continued my studies from 5th Standard to G.C.E.(A/L) at Mullaitivu Vidyananda College.

In the year of 1995, while I was at home in Mulliyavalai, after having sat for the G.C.E A/L examinations, I was forcibly abducted and kept in the L.T.T.E camp at Kilinochchi. During that period I was there, my parents were denied permission either to visit or see me and my father was issued with a threat to his life.

I was given training for a period of three months. Then, in view of the fact I had studied up to the G.C.E. A/L, I was posted to the Intelligence Wing and assigned clerical work.

Since my family was living in Vanni, I had no option other than staying with the organization whether I liked it or not.

No one was allowed to leave the LTTE outfit after joining it. If one persisted on leaving, he had to serve a term of punishment running into a few years before going home. Some members died while serving their term of punishment by performing duties behind the battle front. Even after having served the punishment period and released, one had to still live in the area under the control of the organization.

Those persons were treated differently. They were discriminated in every manner. For these reasons those who were in the organization did not like to leave it.

Furthermore, while I was working in areas outside the control of the organization, my family was to remain in the LTTE controlled area. Had I left the organization, the safety and security of my father and other members of my family would have been endangered. My younger brother and my little sister would have been abducted. During that period I did not fully subscribed to the policies of the organization. But I did not have any option other than remaining with it. Our lives were really at the mercy of the LTTE leaderships.

The war had been brought to an end; peace dawned. The LTTE and the Sri Lanka Government entered into an agreement. At this juncture, I was dispatched by the LTTE to a visit to Colombo. They sent me to Colombo, after having considered the fact that I have studied upto G.C.E (A/L) and my family is living in Vanni.

I arrived in Colombo; visited several places; then returned back to Vanni.

Subsequently they decided to dispatch me to Colombo where I had to function for them. The life in Vanni was very horrifying and it was full of hardships and travails. As I was in the younger in age, I ventured for independence. These are the factors that prodded me to be in Colombo.

The duty for me in Colombo assigned by them was monitoring economic targets. Accordingly I had been functioning. I had been functioning according to the instructions given from Vanni by the LTTE leadership. I venture to state that at this period or even at any time , I never killed anyone and I was no way responsible in any way for the death of anyone.

In such a way, my life veered off towards the functioning of the outfit; though I am a student of Bio Science, my student life came to a sudden end and I was prevented from entering the University. Today my life is a zero as I failed to have sufficient educational knowledge: I have been blindfolded; I have been rendered helpless.

I have knowingly and unknowingly have caused woes and agony to my family and to general public of Sri Lanka.

As one who had been associated with this struggle I state that nothing has been achieved during the Thirty Three years of armed conflict. The families who lived in the areas under the control of the organization did not enjoy any benefits at all.

They suffered without any basic facilities and one or more than one in those families either died or became disabled. They were remote controlled by the LTTE leaderships and were treated as human shield to safeguard them from the attack by the Sri Lankan security forces. Many innocent Tamils who lived in the Vanni region under the LTTE controlled treated inhumanely, arrested, jailed, or killed on suspicion they were planning to desert Vanni and go to the Government controlled areas.

By the middle of 2008, I was asked to leave for Tamil Nadu and wait for instructions. While I was in Tamil Nadu my family made arrangement for my marriage. It was a proposed marriage arrangement. When all the arrangement for my marriage completed, I was unable to get in touch with my parents who were at that time in Vanni.

Therefore, I came in search of them to Colombo in Early part of May 2009. In Colombo I was arrested by the Sri Lanka intelligence service personnel on 13 May 2009 by the SIS. After my arrest I was taken to a secret location and kept there for more than six months and later I was handed down to the TID and later to the CID and kept at the 4th floor and subsequently in April 2011 I was taken to the Magazine prisons in Colombo as a remand prisoner.

It is my bounden duty to point out that due to the decisions taken in the self-interest of those belonging to the top LTTE hierarchy; all who were in the organization have been affected both economically and psychologically. Now we have been pushed into starting a fresh from the scratch. I am indeed very much disgusted with the so called struggle of the LTTE. I wasted my prime youth and 14 years for nothing.

The people who could not leave the L.T.T.E controlled area due to the rigidly restrictive pass system could not have any opportunity to mix with the members of the fraternal community and understand their noble values.

Now, as the concept of one nation becoming a reality, there are opportunities for reconciliation - to meet with the Sinhalese and Muslim people and now I have realized that all could live happily together in Sri Lanka without any racial or religious differences. Also I could understand how much the Tamils have lost due to the mono-ethnic and divisive political ideology that led to defeat, deaths and destruction after Thirty Three years of armed conflict.

I cannot accept another war or armed conflict in any form. The consequence of a war means destruction to all three communities. As one who participated in the struggle, I state that instead of a war that leads to the path of destruction, I prefer a life of unity and harmony that ensures stability, peace and a happy life-hood. This is a noble faith which has gradually emerged within me now and I have begun to accept the reality.

To enjoy the benefits of human life which is a rare birth, we should lead a happy life. I wish to be a good citizen united with other communities of this country.

I would like to state that I did not take any human life with my hand during the time I was with the organization.

I whole-heartedly beg for pardon.

I very humbly beg for pardon from those who read this first person revelation.

Also in conclusion I request for an opportunity to live together with you all as a good citizen.

I really believe in Sri Lanka and I pray Sri Lanka believes with my first person narration.

- Asian Tribune –

Kanagaratnam Athiththan from Mulliyawalai, Mullaitivu is the son of S. Kanaagaratnam, a former member of Parliament and presently President’s Coordinator for the Mullaitivu district. Athiththan is also called Giritharan and he is at present languishing in the Prisons in Kalutura. I met him when he was in the New Magazine Prison as Prisoner No. 2677. When I met him in the Magazine Prison I had the opportunity to talk to him in detail to get to know his story.He said that he joined the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1995 and was in the outfit till he was arrested in Colombo on 13 May 2009 by the State Inteligent Servics (SIS). After his arrest he was locked up and interrogated initially in a secret location for nearly months and later, since from November 2009 and was handed over to TID on 12 November 2009. Later on March 2010 haqnded over to Police CID and kept in the Police 4th floor and by April 2011 he was brought to the New Magazine Prison and locked up with another 90 odd LTTE prisoners.Later when there was a prison revolt at the New Magazine prison on 24th January, all the 180 remand prisoners suspected of links with the Tamil Tigers had been transferred to the Kalutura prison and Athiththan is now kept in the Kalutura prison. Athiththan has expressed regret for being with the terrorist organization and told me that he wants to tender his apology to the Government and the people of Sri Lanka and hence this report – K.T.Rajasingham, Editor, Asian Tribune.