An Analysis of IPKF-LTTE War (1987-1990)
Thanjai Nalankilli
[First Published: November 2011]
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Abbreviations
Prologue
1. Background
2. India, Sri Lanka and the Tamil Minority
3. A Critical Assessment of IPKF-LTTE War (1987-1990)
3.1 Before 1987
3.2 1987: The India-Sri Lanka Peace Accord
3.3 1987: Illegal Arrest of LTTE Leader Prabhakaran in New Delhi
3.4 1987: Indian Army in the Traditional Tamil Region of Sri Lanka
3.5 1987: Other Anti-LTTE Actions before the IPKF-LTTE War
3.6 Attempt to Murder LTTE Leader Prabhakaran in Jafna
3.7 Final Remark on IPKF-LTTE War
4. Sri Lanka's Anti-Indian Activities
4.1 Has Sri Lanka Ever Killed Indian Soldiers?
4.2 During the India-Pakistan War in East Pakistan (Bangladesh) in 1971
4.3 Indian Soldiers in Northeastern Sri Lanka (1987-1990)
5. Concluding Remarks
6. Why Anti-Tamil Policies After the End of LTTE?
Abbreviations
EPRLF - Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
EROS - Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students
IPKF - Indian Peace Keeping Force
LTTE - Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
PLOT - People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam
TELO - Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization
TULF - Tamil United Liberation Front
PROLOGUE
Is India using the IPKF-LTTE war (1987-1990) as an excuse to justify its anti-Tamil actions starting before 1987 and continuing as of now?
1. Background
[If you are familiar with the Sinhala-Tamil ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, you may skip to Section 2.]
Ever since the British left Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka achieved freedom in 1948, minority Tamils complain about discrimination by the Sinhala majority. Peaceful Tamil protests were met with Sinhala police brutality. Thousands of Tamils were also massacred in half-a-dozen race riots, some incited by the government and the Sinhala Buddhist clergy and all passively watched by the police giving a free hand to the Sinhalese thugs to loot, torture, rape and murder Tamils in the thousands (in some cases police even participated in the orgy of violence against the Tamils).
The dominant Tamil political party Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF)'s demand for a federal structure of governmemnt for Sri Lanka was opposed by the Sri Lankan government controlled by majority Simnhalese. The Tamil reaction was The Vaddukottai Resolution of May 1976 that demanded an independent Tamil country (called Tamil Eelam) in the traditional Tamil homeland in Northern and Eastern regions of the Sri Lankan island. TULF contested the 1977 Sri Lankan parliamentary election on the basis of The Vaddukottai Resolution and won an overwhelming majority in the Tamil homeland. Peaceful protests by Tamils were again met with police brutality. Having failed to achieve their goal throgh peaceful means, Tamil youths formed armed militant groups (Tamil freedom fighters). 1983 saw one of the worst race riots against Tamils (you can read the murders, rapes and tortures in many reports found on the Internet). Consequently the armed Tamil groups increased in size and military capabilities. LTTE emerged as the dominant and most committed of all the Tamil groups. After 1987 it became the only militant group fighting for Tamil Eelam. What started as guerrilla fighting group, LTTE changed into a regular military force and fought the Sri Lankan military until its defeat in 2009.
2. India, Sri Lanka and the Tamil Minority
India's policies and actions in the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict has been decidedly anti-Tamil in nature. Not only India provides military assistance to Sri Lanka [Reference 1] it also provides much needed financial assistance. Indian state of Tamil Nadu has a population of about 60 million and they are linguistically, culturally and ethnically tied to Sri Lankan Tamils. Whenever someone in Tamil Nadu voices opposition to India's anti-Tamil policies, Indian government counters it by bringing up the war between Indian army sent to the northeastern regional of the island (Tamil Eelam), which India calls the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Is India using the IPKF-LTTE war (1987-1990) as an excuse to justify its anti-Tamil actions starting before 1987 and continuing as of now?
3. A Critical Assessment
3.1 Before 1987
To start with, India's anti-Tamil actions precede the IPKF-LTTE war that took place between 1987 and 1990. This is discussed in some detail in Chapter 5. So IPKF-LTTE war cannot be India's reason for its anti-Tamil actions.
3.2 1987: The India-Sri Lanka Peace Accord
India reached an agreement with Sri Lanka on the ethnic conflict and put it in the form of India-Sri Lanka Peace Accord of 1987. Both Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J.R. Jeyawardene. Sri Lanka got Indian assurance that it would have the Tamil militant groups disarmed, if necessary using Indian military. India got Sri Lankan commitment that it would not allow foreign navy into its ports without Indian consent. Tamils got nothing except promise of unspecified devolution of powers to one or two Tamil provinces after the Tamil militants are disarmed (thus have no leverage over Sri Lankan government). In essence Tamils got nothing after all the bloodshed and sacrifices. A detailed discussion of the India-Sri Lanka Peace Accord of 1987 may be found in Chapter 5. What Sri Lanka could not do over the past several years, India did it for them--that is, India promised to disarm Tamil militants which the Sri Lankan military could not do in those years. This anti-Tamil action happened before the IPKF-LTTE war.
3.3 1987: Illegal Arrest of LTTE Leader Prabhakaran in New Delhi
All the Tamil militant groups except the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) agreed to the accord. (The accord was prepared by India and Sri Lanka without the participation or consent of the militant groups; They were given an overview of the accord just days before the accord. The accord itself was not shown to them.) India invited LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to its capital New Delhi to discuss his concerns with officials and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He went to New Delhi on July 24, 1987. There he was shown a copy of the agreement for the first time. When he refused to agree to the terms of the agreement, he was put under house arrest ("hotel arrest") at Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi. This is outrageous. Indian Government invited Prabhakaran to New Delhi to discuss the accord. He was an invited guest. But he was arrested for not agreeing to the accord he was shown for the first time. You arrest criminals. His crime was not signing on the dotted lines but stood up for his people--the Tamil minority of Sri Lanka.
India tried to find some second level LTTE leader to accept the accord but it could not find a single traitor to do so. LTTE leaders in Jaffna refused to talk to Indian military leaders stationed in Tamil Eelam until Prabhakaran safely returns to Jaffna. India reluctantly flew Prabhakaran back to Jaffna. This all happened before the IPKF-LTTE war. LTTE has not done a single thing against India so far, even after the provocative arrest of its leader in New Delhi.
3.4 1987: Indian Army in the Traditional Tamil Region of Sri Lanka
LTTE fighters did not come to India and attack Indian soldiers. It is Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who sent the Indian army into the traditional Tamil region of Sri Lanka to disarm the Tamil militants.
3.5 1987: Other Anti-LTTE Actions
Now a large contingent of Indian army is stationed in Tamil Eelam; India called this military force Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). All militant groups surrendered their weapons. LTTE said that the protection of Tamil people was now in the hands of India. While all militant groups except LTTE went silent, LTTE asked India for clarification of the terms of the India-Sri Lanka accord, especially what powers would be devolved to the Tamil province. India did not like the fact that LTTE was not accepting the accord meekly like the other groups. India thought that Tamil militant groups would behave like lap dogs obeying its orders without question. LTTE was rather a guard dog protecting the interests of the Tamil people. Yet there was no war between LTTE and IPKF. There was peace. LTTE and India were talking on how to implement the India-Sri Lanka Peace Accord. While India is engaged in talks with LTTE leaders, India was secretly rearming the other militant groups. It is revealed by Indian army officer in command of IPKF, Major General Harkirat Singh, in his book published in 2007 [Reference 2].
Is the Indian government re-arming non-LTTE militants to fight the Sri Lankan Army? No, it is rearming non-LTTE militant groups to fight LTTE as India's surrogates. Why? LTTE is the only one questioning the India-Sri Lanka Peace Accord and pointing how Tamils are getting very little or nothing out of it. So India wants to destroy LTTE. It did not want the Indian army to directly attack LTTE because it would cause protest among the tamil people of North-eastern Sri Lanka (Tamil Eelam) but also in India's Tamil region Tamil Nadu. So India was planning to use non-LTTE Tamil militant groups to attack and weaken or destroy LTTE so they would stop qustioning India about the accord. India used the Tamil militants to act as its attack dogs against Dri Lanka so it would accept India's demands, now it is using non-LTTE militants as its attack dogs against LTTE.
These anti-LTTE activity was taking place before the IPKF-LTTE war.
3.6 Attempt to Murder LTTE Leader Prabhakaran in Jafna
As we mentioned in the previous section, LTTE and India were talking on how to implement the India-Sri Lanka Peace Accord. LTTE leaders used to go to IPKF headquarters in northern Sri Lanka to talk to IPKF officers including the IPKF Commander Major General Harkirat Singh. On the night of 14/15 September 1987, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka J. N. Dixit phoned IPKF Commander Major General Harkirat Singh and asked him to arrest or shoot Pirabakaran when he came for the meeting. Dixit told the instruction was from Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. After talking (phoning) to his superior Lieutenant General Depinder Singh, Harkirat Singh told Dixit that he would not shoot people in the back when they were coming for a meeting under the white flag. But for the professionalism and integrity of Major General Harkirat Singh, Prabhakaran might have been murdered in cold blood on the night of 14/15 September 1987. Major General Harkirat Singh revealed it in an interview with Rediff on the Net in 2000 [Reference 3] and, in more detail, in his 2007 book [Reference 2]. J. N. Dixit denied that he ordered the murder of Prabhakaran. A more detailed discussion of this murder plot may be found in Chapter 9.
This alleged murder incidence happened before the IPKF-LTTE war.
3.7 Final Remarks on IPKF-LTTE War
Now we have established that India's anti-LTTE activities precede the IPKF-LTTE war. LTTE never attacked any Indian military or civilian personnel before the IPKF-LTTE war. Only reason for India's anti-LTTE activities was that LTTE acted as the defender/protector of Tamil interests and would not accept the India-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987.
4. Sri Lanka's Anti-Indian Activities
4.1 Has Sri Lanka Ever Killed Indian Soldiers?
As noted before, one excuse India gives for it's anti-LTTE, anti-Tamil actions was that LTTE killed IPKF soldiers during the IPKF-LTTE war. We already established in Section 2 that India's policy have been anti-Tamil even before the IPKF-LTTE war and LTTE never killed an Indian before. Let us look at Sri Lanka. Is Sri Lanka a true friend of India? Has Sri Lanka ever killed Indian soldiers before? Let us examine.
Sri Lanka never had a direct military conflict with India and Sri Lanka never fired a shot against Indian soldiers, as far as we know. But Sri Lanka is responsible for hundreds of deaths of Indian soldiers. Sri Lanka was like a snake in the grass. It strikes and kills unexpectedly and slides away. Here are couple of examples.
4.2 During the India-Pakistan War in East Pakistan (Bangladesh) in 1971
India and Pakistan fought a major war in 1971, primarily in East Pakistan (that later became Bangladesh). West and East Pakistan were not land-linked. They are separated by miles of Indian territory. Pakistan had to move military supplies and soldiers from West to East by going around the Indian peninsula. The only landmass on this circuitous route is Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka allowed Pakistani aircrafts to land and refuel in Sri Lanka. This is a decidedly anti-Indian action on the part of Sri Lanka. This is an unprovoked anti-Indian action because there were no quarrels or conflicts between India and Sri Lanka at that time. How many additional Indian soldiers died in the 1971 war because of this Sri Lankan action? 10, 20, 100? Whatever the number, Sri Lanka was indirectly responsible for those deaths. Yet India acted against the interest of Tamils and in support of Sri Lanka. Why are Indian government actions in Sri Lanka always anti-Tamil (1980s - today)?
4.3 Indian Soldiers in Northeastern Sri Lanka (1987-1990)
India sent its military into the Tamil region of Sri Lanka (northeastern Sri Lanka) in 1987 and stayed there until 1990 to enforce the India-Sri Lanka Peace Accord of 1987. Although Indian military captured territories held by LTTE, it was unable to destroy LTTE. The newly elected Sri Lankan President Premadasa started peace negotiations with LTTE and asked Indian military to leave immediately. India refused and said that it would leave at an unspecified later date. Angered by Indian refusal, Premadasa secretly supplied truckloads of weapons and ammunition to LTTE to fight the Indian military in northeastern Sri Lanka. LTTE and Indian military were at war with each other. Indian soldiers were killing LTTE and LTTE was killing Indian soldiers. Sri Lanka, while not fighting the Indian military openly as LTTE did, surreptitiously supplied weapons and ammunition to kill Indian soldiers. At the same time it was keeping "friendly" relations with India.
How many additional Indian soldiers died because of Sri Lankan weapons? 10, 20, 100, 200? Whatever the number, Sri Lanka was indirectly responsible for those deaths. Yet India acts against the interest of Tamils and in support of Sri Lanka. Why are Indian government actions in Sri Lanka always anti-Tamil (1980s - today)?
5. Concluding Remarks
Indian Government gives the IPKF-LTTE War (1987-1990) and Indian soldiers' deaths during that war as a reason for its anti-Tamil policies and activities. We have established that India's anti-Tamil policies started before the IPKF-LTTE war and thus it could not be the reason for India's anti-Tamil policies and actions. We also show that Sri Lankan government was indirectly responsible for the death of many Indian soldiers in 1971 and 1987-1990.Yet India continues with its anti-Tamil activities. We also want to point out that Indian soldiers killed LTTE fighters and LTTE fighters killed Indian soldiers in their traditional homeland. This is what happens in wars. Warriors on both sides get killed. What is not acceptable is that Indian soldiers raped Tamil women and massacred unarmed Tamil civilians. These "war crimes" have been well documented by international human rights organizations and may be found at their websites or archives.
6. Why Anti-Tamil Policies Even After the End of LTTE?
If LTTE killing IPKF soldiers during the IPKF-LTTE War (1987-1990), why is India continuing with its ant-Tamil policies and actions even after the demise of LTTE in May 2009? It conclusively shows that Indian rulers (that is, Hindi politicians) have anti-Tamil views and it has nothing to do with LTTE actions.
References
1. Indian Duplicity in Military Aid to Sri Lanka as Impotent Tamil Nadu Watches: Part I, "Tamil Nadu and the Battle for Tamil Eelam (Chapter 2)," edited by Thanjai Nalankilli, Free e-book available where you downloaded this book.
2. Major General (retired) Harkirat Singh, "Intervention in Sri Lanka: The I.P.K.F. Experience Retold", Manohar Publishers & Distributors (India), 2007 (188 pages); available for purchase in hardcover and paperback on the Internet.
3. https://www.rediff.com/news/2000/mar/31lanka.htm
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