Speaking in an interview on TamilNet's Palaka'ni channel, TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam asserted that Eelam Tamils were a nation and asserted their right to sovereignty, and outlined the Tamil National People Front's position as:
"The existence of the Tamil nation must be secured. The recognition of Tamil nationhood and its distinct sovereignty is non-negotiable, that is our party's position. As to how that status is going to exist, whether it is going to exist within a larger state, or within a larger country, so as in the country being a multi-national state, or whether the Tamil nation is going to exist as a nation state, is something the eventual peace process will decide. But our view, what is fundamental, is the recognition and the safe-guard of the Tamil nation."
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Asked for his comments on the terminology used to describe Eelam Tamils as either a minority or nation, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said,
"The question is not whether in fact Tamils are a nation, they are. Under international law itself they qualify for nationhood. Everyone knows that, that's a fact in existence, but politically - here's the difference, not legally, but politically - not that many people would want to recognise that because there are serious consequences to such a recognition."
"So in reality we all know that international law is there on paper, but in practice it is international politics."
Speaking on the aspirations of the Tamil nation and the TNPF's view on proposed devolution of power within a Sri Lankan state, he asserted that devolution could not take place within a state that was apparently intent on the opposite, with increasing centralisation of power.
"[Sri Lankan state] is not going to devolve power. It is a complete opposite that's happening. The [Sri Lankan] state is centralising more and more power, and it is becoming more and more Sinhala Buddhist in character. If you look at since the time the British left the island of Sri Lanka, constitutionally this process has been taking place, as well as administratively it's been taking place. So the direction in which the current Sri Lankan state is transforming, is towards more centralisation and more Sinhala Buddhisation. That is the only transformational project that is taking place today."
"In that context to ask for devolution, that is asking this centralising state to devolve power, in my view, is ridiculous. I mean that means we are not learning anything from history. And it is this centralising and Sinhala Buddhisation process that is resulting in the genocide of the Tamil people. That is the only way, it is through the systematic, structural genocide of the Tamil people, that they can actually ultimately achieve that goal of a highly centralised Sinhala Buddhist state."
"So devolution is never going to happen."
Addressing the international community's opposition to a separate state, in favour of a federal structure, he commented:
"Even if we are to commit to a federal arrangement, you are not going to achieve that federalism through a process of devolution. Because the state is transforming in the opposite direction, so the existing state is non workable."
"You will have to have a clean break, and you will have to start afresh. Where you recognise the existing units - which is the Tamil nation which is sovereign in its own right, and the Sinhala nation which is sovereign in its own right - and the peace process is where these two negotiate to try and find a way which is mutually beneficial to both, to co-exist. That would be the solution."
"Today they [Sri Lankan state] have carried out a war, to the extent of being accused of genocide, not because they want to share power, but for completely the opposite reason. To make sure they dismantle the existence of the Tamils as a nation, so they don't share power."
"The existence of the Tamil nation must be secured. The recognition of Tamil nationhood and its distinct sovereignty is non-negotiable, that is our party's position. As to how that status is going to exist, whether it is going to exist within a larger state, or within a larger country, so as in the country
being a multi-national state, or whether the Tamil nation is going to exist as a nation state, is something the eventual peace process will decide. But our view, what is fundamental, is the recognition and the safe-guard of the Tamil nation."
Dismissing the notion that the LTTE were in any way a justification for the Sri Lankan state's genocide of the Tamil nation, he said:
"In fact the LTTE were the problem, there is no LTTE today. But three years down the road, the Tamil people continue to not only be oppressed, but systematically there is a structural genocide that is taking place."
"The international community is struggling to try and explain what is happening. They are desperate to a point where they have to pass resolutions that purportedly address Tamil issues on the ground, when in fact none of this is happening. But they have to carry out this façade, because they can't explain this. If they are to explain this they will have to accept the truth, which means there are serious consequences that they have to take. There are serious consequences to accepting that truth."
"I think the party that actually has to get its act together here - there is no point in blaming the international community - is the Tamil people themselves. That is fundamental. If we don't do it, no one else is going to do it for us."
"As far as the international community is concerned, I don't think there it is necessary to educate them... They know exactly what's happening to the Tamil people, to the Tamil nation. The question is whether it is in their interest. And I think that is where we are at loggerheads."
Asked to justify condemnation of Sinhala colonisation of the North-East, in the face of Tamils residing in Colombo, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said:
"Sinhalese settling in the traditional Tamil homeland, have traditionally been state aided colonisation projects, so they are state aided settlements. And they have been done in a systematic way in order to change the demography of the region."
"It is not a natural change in demography. It is a systematically enhanced colonisation project in order to change the demography, deliberately."
"Tamils settling in the South, any where in the South - it is not state aided, for obvious reasons. And at no time have the Tamils gone to the South, with the intent of changing the demography, or for that matter, with the intent of essentially claiming some part of the south. Or denying the Sinhalese of their claim to the South. That is a completely different scenario."
"But today, we are in a slightly different position. After the war, we are in a slightly different position. The Tamil economy is down in its doldrums. We are scraping the barrel... And in such a scenario, we are unable to compete on any front - trade, business, in any way, savings wise."
"When the population and the entire Tamil homeland is vulnerable, when you take of all the stops, who are effectively allowing for an almost a voluntary Sinhalisation, given through consent, simply because you cannot compete."
"And this scenario where the Tamil people are being kept in such a vulnerable position is being sustained three years after the war. It is deliberately being done. Our opportunities to actually move forward is limited. That vacuum is filled up from outside."
"So in principle, we are not opposed to a Sinhalese who willing comes and settles in the North-East because he likes it. We can't be opposed to it. You know we are not racist to the point where we don't want to co-habit with anyone else, that has never been the issue. The problem is with regards to the demography. But as of now, even a voluntary person coming into the area is a danger, for the simple reason that our own power to compete is non-existent. At least if you create the conditions where the Tamil people can compete, and they can have some sort of equality or parity in buying power and all of that, economic power, then it is a different matter."
“So the state uses this, in a very sophisticated way to push forward their Sinhalisation even more. I mean the most apparent thing is not individuals buying land, but the very apparent thing, is businesses taking over Tamil businesses that just can't compete."
