LTTE misled diaspora, kept them in dark to exploit them says Daya Master

Colombo, 30 April (asiantribune.com): As the curtains are George & Dayafinally coming down on the LTTE saga, Daya Master, the media wizard for the Tigers for years, believes that Prabhakaran’s game is up. ‘People will not accept him (Prabhakaran),’ he says. ‘It is too late; the people have already rejected the man and if he takes a decision that he should have taken long ago …to return to his old native place to live in peace…. it will not help’, Daya Master, whose name is Velayutham Thayanithi, asserts.

He and George Master, who was an interpreter for late Tamilselvan, believe that Tigers had deliberately misled the Diaspora and that in fact had put them in the dark over the ground situation. ‘It is time the diaspora comes to grips with the reality of the situation back home and lend their might for furthering the political process’.

Daya Master and George Master were interviewed as they merged out of the LTTE shadows. George spoke in English. Daya spoke in native Tamil. Given here are excerpts from the interview. Daya’s replies are given in English translation.

Question: George Master you are a person who believes in non-violence. My question to you, when did you realize violence or terrorism was not the path to address the burning issues of the Tamil people and when did you decide to reject the crimes perpetrated by the LTTE? Any immediate reasons for your decision to slip out of the LTTE grip?

George Master: From the very inception of the political negotiations put into process by the Government of Sri Lanka in the 95’s ….First, because I came as a part- time interpreter in 94 October…. months later I was a party to the team that negotiated… that went on with the LTTE Peace Team which negotiated with the Government delegation ….from that time onwards, I was actively participating as a part-time interpreter with the firm conviction that negotiation should bring an end result - a negotiated settlement acceptable to all citizens of Sri Lanka wherein people can live in peace and in amity.

In that context, after Geneva 2, it was in 2006, I think in the mid 2006, I found that peace negotiations collapsed and there was no purpose in my continuing to be an interpreter, a part-time interpreter for Mr. Tamilselvan since there were no peace negotiations at all, no discussions were taking place with foreign dignitaries, I felt that my presence was not necessary, and I decided that I have to severe connections with the organization, because it was not necessary for me to continue with an organization that has as its goal, the settlement of the problem through violence means, which I am against, so I decided to quit even as a part-time interpreter on payment and I quit. Subsequently I was in my village, kept on trying hard to get out of this mess, as I wanted to join my daughter in Australia. Therefore I tried my best but then the conditions prevailed there was not conducive, the system did not permit me to leave Vanni.

>> Full Story