Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Dharmalingam Siddharthan believes that permitting the Tamils in the North or East to commemorate their dead will not lead to another armed struggle or be viewed as encouraging separatism. In an interview with The Sunday Leader he said one man’s terrorist is another man’s liberation fighter.
He believes the relatives of the dead should at least have the right to mourn the death of their loved ones. According to Siddharthan, many of the issues facing the Tamils in the North are still not resolved and the government mechanism in this regard is extremely slow. He lamented that the crime rate in the North is rising and he also feels there is a breakdown of family values and traditions among the people. He said while the military was not directly involved in aiding certain gangs, some individuals encourage and support these youth gangs.
Following are excerpts of the interview;
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