Colombo: A leader of the Tamil Tigers has alleged that Tamils in India are not a free people but are slaves of the Indian state.

"In ancient times, the whole of India was a Tamil land. And the Chola kings (from Tamil Nadu) ruled over Sri Lanka for 70 years. Today, the Tamils are slaves in India and are fighting for their liberation in Sri Lanka," Tamil daily Sudar Oli quoted Thamilendhi as saying.

Thamilendhi is the "finance commissar" of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

He was speaking in Kilinochchi at the launch of a Tamil book, Let us Move Towards the Frontiers of Tamil Eelam, written by Anbuselvan.

Thamilendhi's comment came close on the heels of a strident anti-India statement in which the LTTE accused New Delhi of assisting Colombo to commit "genocide" against the Tamils.

Thamilendhi's remarks are significant because he is part of the non-military inner circle in the LTTE that also includes political wing chief B. Nadesan and intelligence chief Pottu Amman.

Detailing the plight of the Tamils in the world, Thamilendhi said that in Malyasia the community was left with no option but to come to the streets and protest.

In the West, the migrant Tamil population was in danger of losing its ethnicity and language. He blamed disunity among the Tamils and a tendency to trust other communities for their plight, whether in India, Sri Lanka or Malaysia.

Thamilendhi pointed out that the demand for a separate Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka was not new

"In the past, we had failed in our duty to secure an independent Tamil Eelam. If our present struggle does not succeed, the Tamils all over the world will surely perish," he warned.

Source : IANS