UKTamilNews.com

ROAD TO JAFFNA REQUIRES GOVERNMENTAL REGULATION

by admin on Mar.12, 2010, under Sri Lanka

ROAD TO JAFFNA REQUIRES GOVERNMENTAL REGULATION

by Dr. Jehan Perera of   National Peace Council

The opening of the road to Jaffna was one of the dividends of the Presidential Election.  It illustrated the benefits that could accrue to the people due to the competitive bidding for votes by rival political parties.  In its bid to attract votes from the North prior to the Presidential Election, the government relaxed several of its security measures.  One of these was the restrictions on travel to Jaffna by the A9 highway.  This was promise that the government made, implemented immediately, and has kept even after the election.  Unfortunately, as I discovered on a visit to Jaffna last week, there were also promises the government made and did not keep which has bitterly disappointed the people.  They include the reunification of detainees in the camps with their families, and the dismantling of High Security Zones to enable people to get back their long lost lands.

The last occasion I had traveled along the A9 highway up to Jaffna was in 2005 during the period of the Ceasefire Agreement and just prior to the fateful Presidential Election that the LTTE decreed the Tamil people should boycott.  Even at the tail end of the ill fated Ceasefire there was quite a lot of traffic on the road beyond Vavuniya and running through the LTTE-controlled area.  Large numbers of Sinhalese people from the South used the period of the Ceasefire to make the pilgrimage to the historic place of Buddhist worship in Nagadipa, which is among the eight most sacred Buddhist places of worship on the island.

But there was a difference this time.  The travelers in the buses were more relaxed.  This was evident in the fact that at various intervals along the road there were groups of people who had stopped their buses and were having little picnics by the side of the road. By way of contrast, during the period of the Ceasefire there was a more regimented flow of traffic.  The LTTE monitored the road north of Vavuniya and drivers of vehicles took care to observe the strict speed limits set by the LTTE, as its traffic police could impose stiff fines on those who violated their traffic rules.

During the Ceasefire period, there was also an apprehension of LTTE cadre and roadside landmines that deterred travelers from getting off their vehicles and relaxing by the roadside.  This was accompanied by the belief that the LTTE did not permit anyone to get off their vehicles between Vavuniya and Jaffna, and no one appeared willing to take the chance that they might indeed mean business.  The LTTE was then a powerful force, and a virtual government in that part of the country.  But now with the LTTE defeated and destroyed nine months ago, there was no fear factor to deter the pilgrim traveler.
�
SOUTHERN INFLUX

In their bid to win the votes of the people, government politicians have been emphasising the government’s victory in war over the LTTE, which previous governments were unable to do.  Unless handled sensitively, this triumphal attitude cans spill over into one that sees the North as a place of conquest rather than a place of equal citizenship. There is an urging of the Sinhalese people in the South to travel to the North to see the history of their country and appreciate the sacrifice of the soldiers who heroically fought the war and, of course, the political leadership who made this all possible.  There was a widespread belief amongst the people I spoke to in Jaffna that there was government sponsorship of the Sinhalese pilgrims who are coming to the North. But this was not borne out by my inquiries.  The buses that come from the South invariably hold rural people who are coming on a religious pilgrimage of their own.

Indeed, the increased tourist traffic from the South into Jaffna is incredible.  When I went to the Nallur Temple on Saturday morning, I saw more than ten buses of all sizes, big and small, parked by and streams of pilgrims going into the temple precincts.  This increased tourism has been a boon to some sectors of the population in Jaffna and given a boost to the local economy.  There is a high demand for local products such as dried fish and prawns and palymrah products.  Apparently the demand is so high that similar products from the South are imported to Jaffna and sold to unsuspecting customers who are prepared to pay premium prices to obtain something authentically Jaffna.

Rooms in hotels and guesthouses are also marketed at a premium rate of between Rs 2000 to 4000 per night.  This matches the rates in Colombo and other parts of the country where the main market is for foreign tourists.  This has led some house owners in Jaffna to terminate their tenancy agreements and convert their spare rooms into guest rooms for the local tourists.  Despite this market-induced increase in the number of rooms available for tourists the number falls significantly short of the demand.  During the years of the war, investment in housing and property in Jaffna was understandably low.  Not many people wished to put their investments in assets that might be blown up in the course of fighting.  As a result many of the pilgrims coming in from the South are unable to find affordable accommodation.

This impels many of the pilgrims to find temporary accommodation in public spaces such as parks and inside the buses that transport them which are parked in public places.  But this again is part of the pilgrimage tradition in the South, where pilgrims to other sacred places such as Adam’s Peak and Kataragama also engage in similar practices.  But for Jaffna this type of mass influx of pilgrims is a new experience. The shortage of infrastructure in Jaffna also extends to toilet and washing facilities.  These are factors that are causing distress amongst the local population that need to be dealt with in a suitable manner by the government authorities. There are reports that the government is planning to convert some abandoned buildings into pilgrim rests which is to be welcomed.

JAFFNA CONCERNS

However, the lack of infrastructure facilities to accommodate the influx of pilgrims is not the only concern of the people in Jaffna.  Another of the concerns expressed to me by those I spoke to in Jaffna was the lack of seriousness and respect with which their religious shrines were being treated.  Most of the Southern pilgrims to the North would be only coming to Hindu temples as the lesser part of their pilgrimage to the ancient Buddhist place of worship at Nagadipa.  Going to a Hindu temple is a serious matter for those who are Hindus.  True worshippers are expected to have a bathe or at least wash their feet before entering the temple.  But the pilgrims who have come from far away are often in no position to conform to these requirements.  On some occasions the men may not remove their shirts although tradition dictates that they must.  However, this disrespectful attitude is certain to be only by a small minority.  When I passed a packed bus of pilgrims just leaving the Nallur Temple, I heard the traditional sounds of Buddhist veneration “Saadu, Saadu” from within.

Another set of grievances relate to the traders who have set up rows of shops around the Nallur temple and made the usually quiet and serene precincts into a kind of bazaar.  Many if not most of these traders are Sinhalese and the people I spoke to believe that most of them have some connections with either the government or security personnel, which is why the Jaffna municipal authorities are unable to take action against them. Although the end of the war is a relief to all sections of the population, it is clear that the people of Jaffna are not happy with the way the future is unfolding, a future they which they may misunderstand and which they believe they have no power to prevent at the present time.

This goes back to the origin of the ethnic conflict, and indeed to the war itself, and to the feeling amongst the Tamil people that they were a marginalised community who have had no power to determine the course of their lives.  It is indeed worrisome that at the Presidential Election that was held in January and now again at the General Election to be held in April, the issue of a just and mutually acceptable political solution to the ethnic conflict is nowhere close to the centre stage in the campaign. The slogans of the main political parties, both of the government and opposition are bereft of mention of such an initiative.  As a beginning in creating a just and mutually acceptable political solution, the government could seek to work closer with the local authorities to ensure that there is better regulation of the people’s pilgrimage to Jaffna.

THE NEED TO ASSIST VICTIMS OF PROPAGANDA AND NEGLECT (by Dr. Jehan Perera, published Tuesday, 02 March 2010 09:42)

The last Presidential election was relatively peaceful and calm on the day of the election itself, which has led the government to declare it free and fair.  However, there were several aspects to that election that could do lasting damage to the country.  One was the government’s propaganda campaign that claimed a conspiracy to divide the country.  The support that the TNA publicly pledged to Opposition Presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka was said to hide a secret agreement to that effect.  In the last two weeks of the election campaign the government controlled media saturated the air waves and print with this propaganda. This had the effect of increasing the ethnic polarization already inherent in society, as manifested in the election results.

After winning those elections handsomely in most parts of the country except for the north and east, the government needs to heal the wounds and divisions its own actions have caused in society.  However, the sequel to the Presidential elections that saw General Fonseka being unceremoniously arrested and a large number of high ranking army officers compulsorily retired or sent on transfer has further divided society.  Not only has division rent the army, the much respected Buddhist clergy too appears divided on the post-election issue of General Fonseka’s arrest.  It increasingly appears that division is multiplying in society which only the spirit of magnanimity, self-critical thinking and mutual understanding can bridge.    

The reality of a continuing ethnic division manifested itself to me when I attended a workshop for provincial correspondents of national media organization in Gampaha a fortnight ago.  Gampaha is a district that is one of the strongholds of the ruling party and most of the participants were sympathetic to the government’s point of view.  The objective of this workshop was to remind these journalists of the continuing importance of a just political solution to the problems of the ethnic minorities.  During the discussion a question raised by a participant was how to deal with an ethnic minority that might be wishing the destruction of the country.  Underlying this question was the sense that the Tamil ethnic minority was not loyal to Sri Lanka and constituted a threat to it.

Now with another important election on the horizon there are enough and more leaders of the government who are going on public platforms projecting themselves as the saviours of the Sinhalese ethnic majority and of the country.  They are fomenting divisive thinking that leads people, who believe they are less informed than their leaders, to come to extreme conclusions, such as the one put forward as a question at the workshop for provincial journalists in Gampaha.  Unfortunately, the politics of trying to compete with the government for the votes of the majority would probably dissuade the opposition from challenging the falsehoods that are being propagated.  The opposition would not wish to inflict upon themselves the fate of General Fonseka who found himself accused of being party to a conspiracy with Tamil separatists.

CIVIC ROLE

There is a need today to redefine what patriotism means.  Leaders of government affirm that they are patriotic by fighting against conspiracies by Tamils, the international community and Sinhalese traitors who oppose them.  But patriotism is also about positive values, like working for all citizens and alleviating the sufferings of the victims of past conflicts.  Patriotism is also about justice that goes beyond one’s own side, as Mahatma Gandhi demonstrated when challenging British rule.  He dissented from his colleagues when they sought to cover up the wrongs done by their own side.  Today, when the government claims a monopoly  of patriotism and the people and polity is divided within, there is a role for those who dissent without trying to destablise.

In the current situation where nationalist propaganda is rampant, and politically unchallengeable, an important task of being a countervailing force devolves upon civil society and non governmental organizations.  Those opinion-forming sections of society that are politically non-partisan, and do not seek to be direct beneficiaries of the political process, are best positioned to be agents of healing and reconciliation at this time.   There are at least two important attributes of civil society groups and NGOs that need to be appreciated.  One is that they are not necessarily dependent on government or political patronage, and so can be politically non partisan.  Their main sources of support are the spirit of voluntarism amongst the local population and the financial support they receive from international donors.

Hopefully the role of civil society and NGOs as the main, or sole, representatives of the values of healing and reconciliation will only be a temporary phenomenon.  The end of the General Elections may permit the government to take the lead role in creating a more just and ethnically balanced policy environment.  Notwithstanding a greater governmental commitment to addressing issues of reconciliation and healing, there is also a second role for NGOs.  This is to address micro level issues, including the problems faced by individuals who are left out of the massive macro-level government programmes of relief, rehabilitation and development.

One of the government’s claims is that it is launching large-scale infrastructure development projects in all parts of the country, including the war-ravaged north and east. Roads, bridges and buildings are being put up newly in some places and repaired in others and could be of great benefit to the people in the future.  However, while this great development activity takes place, sometimes with foreign labour as in the case of some foreign-funded projects, there may be many individuals who are left out of the process, and who need to be looked after.  This is another area where NGOs , with their small scale, personalised and grassroots approach can come in to play a useful and supportive role to the government.
�
PERSONAL POSTSCRIPT

After the workshop for provincial media persons in Gampaha in the Western Province, which is by far the most prosperous and urbanized part of the country, I went right across the country to Trincomalee in the war-ravaged Eastern Province. The event in Trincomalee was the prize giving for school children who had taken part in a human rights quiz competition.  As the country has become free from guerilla and war-related violence after the end of the war, and has become safe for travelers, I took my three children along with me.  Through the NGO and religious networks that my organization has, I was able to visit a school and also a transit centre for displaced persons, of whom there are still a number even in Trincomalee.

At the time we entered the school, just before the mid-day interval, the classes were in progress. But when the little children in the school saw my children, they started waving at them and calling them into their classrooms.  Their school was a poor one, and so were most of the children, but they showed an abundance of loving attention.  The attitude of these Tamil children towards Sinhalese children who were strangers to them did not indicate the hostility of a community that sought the destruction of the country.  It meant that those Tamil children had not been taught by their parents or teachers to hate or be suspicious of those who were Sinhalese.  This people-to-people contact is the best answer to the question posed by the journalist in Gampaha.

At the school some of the children we met were from the Wanni.  We met a little girl of 9 years who had seen her mother die in the shell fire during the crossing from the LTTE controlled area into the government controlled area.  The family of five, father, mother, two daughters aged 11 and 9 and son aged 1 had been fleeing for safety.  The little girl had insisted that her father carry their mother’s body with them, and not leave it in the water.  So the father had given the little boy to the big sister and carried his wife’s body to a place where they could bury it.  They now live with relatives.  But as they are not in the welfare camp they do not get the resettlement allowance and other welfare benefits they might be entitled to.  There are many such stories, one of a child with shrapnel that remains in her head and who does not look quite normal, and a boy who lost his father.  These are all stories of people who fall between the cracks that the government alone cannot close.

On our return to Colombo, my elder daughter, aged 6, informed us that she had written an article in her notebook.  The spellings were a little off, but this is what she wrote.  “February 25-02-2010.  Trincomalee.  I saw a children’s school, home and a monkey on a tree and a peacock running and I saw an elephant eating and another elephant working and I saw camps and a mother and a child and I made friends with a lot of children and may God bless them and keep them in his care always.”


14 Comments for this entry

  • Karuppen
    March 16th, 2010 on 7:58 pm

    Uncle Sam sleeps now; And ´Mahi’ wags his tail

    In 2009 the US government spoke against the human rights abuse in Sri Lanka. The selective war on Sri Lankan innocent Tamils ended in the death toll of more than 50,000 innocent lives. Even the US Senate filed a detailed report on the war circumstances and the death toll during the war in Sri Lanka. It is more than ten months since the war ended. What has the US government done so far?

    It is time the US Administration filed a war report and initiated an independent inquiry into war crimes committed by Sri Lankan government headed by Mr Mahinda Rajapakse and his military hierarchy. The human rights groups in the US and Canada should mount pressure on the US government to initiate independent inquiry into Sri Lankan war crimes.

    Today the situation after the war does not distinguish itself from the one before the war too. Sri Lankan emergency laws are still in place and in effect to arrest any suspect and incarcerate him or her indefinitely. Women are sexually harassed by soldiers with impunity against any complaints by the victims. The country has slipped into extremism with no recourse to the rule of the law and order. This is the situation one expects where purposeful legislation circumvents the independent function of the judiciary. To ensure that citizens have their right to justice, the power bodies are separated into the legislative, the judiciary and the executive. None of the three bodies in Sri Lanka today functions with integrity of its own to guarantee the citizens their right to a life free from injustice and fear of state terrorism. State terrorism has become a tool to control the citizens.

    The US political alliance with Sri Lankan government is more of an economic mould than an issue about human rights abuse.

    Contrary to the US stand on sensitive issues like human rights abuse, the European countries show a real concern about the human rights record. They impose harsh economic sanctions against the countries which have abused human rights. The purpose is to tame the governments in question to correct their human rights record.

    The verdict of Dublin War Crimes Tribunal should serve as a catalyst in bringing Sri Lankan President Mr Mahinda Rajapakse, his logistic war architects, and his military hierarchy before the International Court to face charges on war crimes. Harsh punishment should be the verdict to those war mongers. To this list is India for providing hard military and chemical weapons to be used on innocent Tamil civilians.

    It is a popular thought that the present situation the Sri Lankan Tamils face resulted from the failure of the UN to take preventive measures in time to deter Sri Lanka from its military thrust against unarmed Tamils. This war waged by the Sri Lankan government under the pretext of eradicating LTTE militants exposed Tamil civilians to a germicidal mania which culminated in the death of about 50,000 lives. Painfully observed, one has to reckon with the helpless situation the innocent Tamils faced before their life sizzled out.

    The UN Secretary General Mr Ban-Ki-moon failed to wield his authority to implement corrective measures before and after the war. Was it a connivance with the Sri Lankan government at the genocide of innocent Tamils? The UN Secretary General lacks administrative abilities in coping with hot spot flare-up incidents around the world. Another example was his failure to take proper action when Palestinian children were murdered by Israeli military.

    The UN is a strong voice for the safety of global citizens, irrespective of who they are and what their creed, religion, and ethnicity are. The UN was not created to witness genocide of a minority by the majority around the globe. When this power organ dispenses with its meaningful existence by not complying with the UN Charter for Human Rights, it is time to realize a change in its power bloc. The world bodies should elect a ‘Shadow UN Secretary General’ a person with vested powers to implement a policy of corrective measure. Where the UN Secretary General fails, the ‘Shadow UN Secretary General’ presumes upon himself or herself the duty of honouring the compliance with the UN Charter for Human Rights.

    Atrocities committed by those in power should demand justice to prevent the recurrence.

  • Yoganathan
    March 16th, 2010 on 4:33 pm

    NO REMORSE FROM SRILANKA NO RECONCILIATION

    NO SIN-HELLA TERRORISM BY SRILANKA NO NEED OF LTTE

    The ways to Make the NAZI Srilanka to come clean on Peace
    1)amils Boycott all NAZI Srilankan products and demand the shops to clear all the Products from the Sin_Hella terrorist evil POLPOTS running jungle called Srilanka
    2)Persuade the western consumers, by well organised and professional manner, to boycott all Srilankan made items on M&S, Tesco, etc
    3)Persuade the Westerners to stop the GENOCIDE TOURISM to the NAZI Srilanka
    4)Openl textlie factories in Tamils living countriles like Malysia, Reunion, South Africa, etc to make cheaper than the NAZ Srilankan made tectlies, by doing so, we can achieve two things, first tamils benefit out of the projects and Western companies will VOTE WITH THERIR FEET to cheaper items.
    5) Undermine all Srilankan exports wherever they go and destroy their exports altogether.
    India and China also exports, they cannot be consumers.
    then the NAZI Sin-hella SICK barbaric rulers will have no money to fund their NAZi terrorist military and beg for peace as South African Aprthied regime did.

  • Karuppen
    March 16th, 2010 on 3:45 pm

    The UN is under extreme pressure by Human Rights Activists in the US and Canada. Their collective pressure on the US Administration might force the US to release sensitive data about the Tamil genocide during the war on terrorism.

    What the global Tamils have to do at this crucial juncture is to inform the world citizens about the crimes the Sri Lankan government committed by waging war on unarmed and innocent Tamils. Mobilize a global voice for justice.

    The UN is not a zombie without a directional function. It has its commitment to comply with under UN Charter for Human Rights. If it proves a zombie, it needs discipline and direction under a strong replacement for UN Secretary General Mr Ban-Ki moon.

    Whether the initiation of UN inquiry into Sri Lankan war crimes is floated by UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon or some other official in his place is the question still to be answered. If Mr Ban-ki moon fails to initiate the inquiry by appointing legal experts, the time will prove to Mr Ban-Ki moon his decent exit from global politics. He has the vested power to initiate the inquiry.

    Already the UN has lost a strong voice Mr Gordon Weiss. His outspoken remarks about the Sri Lankan government’s genocide of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka have already exacerbated situation at the UN quarters and subsequently in protest he resigned his UN post. More are to rebel soon and it might throw Mr Ban-Li moon out of this office.

    Under the helm of Mr Ban-Ki moon the UN has become a show case of corruption and mismanagement. Does the UN accommodate officials already in the pay list of Sri Lanka who advise the Sri Lankan military hierarchy on the genocide of Tamils?

    Bring them to the International War Crimes Court for justice.

  • Karuppen
    March 16th, 2010 on 12:32 am

    ->->

    Yoganathan
    March 15th, 2010 on 11:08 pm

    We Tamils have no problem reconciling with remorseful srilanka but Srilanka doing the DEAD OPPOSITES but karuppen and P John living in CLOUD CUCKKOLAND and dreaming in BROAD DAYLIGHT.

    Hello Yoganathan,

    This is in response to your post addressed to P John and me.

    I, for my part, do not live in CLOUD CUCKKOLAND and dream in BROAD DAYLIGHT nor do I dream about any an overnight solution to the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
    Whether it be the Sri Lankan Tamil politicians or Tamils in Sri Lanka or Tamil Diaspora, they are not in a strong position to make any deal of their own with the ruling Singhalese government in power today. They have to bridge the gap by amicable ways acceptable to both dissenting parties.

    A certain fragment of Tamil Diaspora is not happy with having already seen the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Their combative instincts seek ways to revive militancy idea into action to create genocide of Tamils. It seems that they have not learnt from the past experience.

    They do not even realize that a solution is to the problems that the Sri Lankan Tamils face today, not for their problems abroad.

    If you the militant Tamil Diaspora mobilize another war machine, it will surely end up with the total exodus of Tamils from Sri Lanka.

    If existential politics does not appeal to you, be happy with promoting your militancy idea.

    Taste the sweetness of your militancy idea and be satisfied with the demise of an ethnicity.

  • Yoganathan
    March 15th, 2010 on 11:15 pm

    No sane person can see any reconciliation with the racist Srilanka who yet to show mercy on Innocent Tamils as they lock, starve, rape and kill them every day let alone the poor 15000 young Tamils abducted by branding them as LTTE members.
    If the Srilanka did not lock the 300,000 Tamils in CONCENTRATION CAMPS and Kill nearly 20,000 of them in the camps already
    If the Srilanka did allow all NGOs including the UN with red cross to look ater them.
    If the Srilanka did realese all young Tamils deliberately branded as LTTE members to massacre them like the Srilankan BUTCHERED 27 INNOCENT KIDS in Bindunuweva – not even one punished for the EVIL CRIME yet.
    If the Srilanka did not build 144 PERMANANT MILITARY CAMPS in Eelam alone,

    If the Srilanka have the guts to allow UN investiagttion into all killings of civilians since 1948 to date.

    We Tamils have no problem reconciling with remorseful srilanka but Srilanka doing the DEAD OPPOSITES but karuppen and P John living in CLOUD CUCKKOLAND and dreaming in BROAD DAYLIGHT.

  • Karuppen
    March 15th, 2010 on 11:14 pm

    I agree with P John’s meaningful remarks. They are very simple to understand.

    All my writings and posts are targeted towards a search for a peaceful solution to the grievances and agony the Tamils in Sri Lanka face today. We are more concerned with the root causes for the present condition rather than the agents who created this situation for the Sri Lankan Tamils.

    When the UN official inquiry or the US initiative into Sri Lankan war crimes proceed, it will bring to the International War Crime Court not only the Sri Lankan President Mr Mahinda Rajapakse, his military hierarchy, but also all the surviving LTTE combatants, cadres and the Australian nurse wife of the late LTTE political wing advisor Mr Balasingam who handed out cyanide pills to child solders in combat zones during trainings in Sri Lanka. The lady lives in Surrey, England. She should be brought along with others before the International War Crime Court to face charges against humanity.

    When justice knocks on your door, it never discriminates against anybody and its noise is loud enough to muffle the other moaning.

    Nothing is more appealing to a disturbed human mind other than seeing another human life wallowing in pain and suffering before it loses its life.

    The present plight of Sri Lankan Tamils is the result of a certain fragment of Tamil Diaspora who funded the combative manoeuvres through a war machine called LTTE against the helpless Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka. An ethnicity glowed with its fine human values, the Tamils in Sri Lanka have lost their glamour by the exposure to war they did not wage against the majority Singhalese government in Sri Lanka. Now is the time Tamil Diaspora refrained from funding further genocide through any war machines. Free your mind from combative instincts and mould a policy of co-existence with the majority Singhalese. The time has come to discover the art of reconciliation.

    Pretension will never help you free your mind. Do not pretend to yourself.

    There is no other option for the survival of Tamil identity in Sri Lanka than an amicable reconciliation. To realize it, the Tamil politicians should create the climate for the workable platform through TRUST. Give it a chance to work out and it will enlist the global support of democratic governments in power today. Democracy defines its existence through creating its roots in volatile spots where peace is the escaping culprit.

    The decimation of war machine LTTE and its shadow combatant roots have created a situation where a strong negotiation for peace is the antidote for the present situation the Tamils in Sri Lanka face today.

    Luxury produces self-forgetfulness, but pain and suffering awaken the mind to a search for survival.

  • Karuppen
    March 15th, 2010 on 7:17 pm

    ->->->
    Jaffna, Sri Lanka (CNN) — Raveendran Jenatha doesn’t exude the kind of excitement and wonder young adults often do when it comes to figuring out their future. She is 21 years old and confident about what her future holds. ”Nothing,” she said softly. Raveendran Jenatha is sure she has no future because of her past and what it has done to her. “Now I can’t do anything. That is the only problem,” she said. Then her sweet smile and confident tone broke, and she burst out in a moaning sob. Through her tears, she sputtered: “I need help for everything.”

    I read this article with remorse and a tinge of pain in my heart.

    This is the situation the Sri Lankan war has created. The post traumatic disorders are very rampant among war victims. A condition of seclusion becomes as a prerequisite for freeing the mind from the tormenting pain and suffering.

    Hello, young lady. Brush up and wipe the tears from your eyes. Nobody can steal your life. Your life is within YOURSELF. Always within YOURSELF. The situation is going to change soon. Already there are signs of a rolling stone gathering momentum. Keep up the flame of hope in your heart.

    Life condition for Tamils in Sri Lanka is going to change soon.
    ->->->
    I agree with P John to his proposing an idea of smooth talk.

    A certain fragment of Tamil Diaspora, out of their cosy situation, has supported a cult to survive through propagating violence against the majority Singhalese government. The recent Sri Lankan war has clearly shown that those being supportive of combative manoeuvres were deeply entrenched in a combative policy at the disposal of security of Sri Lankan Tamils. Not only has the war displaced the Tamils to the present stateless and pathetic condition in their own country but also whittled down the collective identity of Tamil community.

    It is imperative that Tamil political parties, irrespective of their differences, should cultivate an order of communication with the dissenting majority Singhalese political leaders in power today. Difference of opinion serves as a strong platform to identify unity in a collective voice. This is RECONCILIATION without losing communication. It is a good sign that TNA has dropped its nagging claim for an independent homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka. Anything revolved from the democratic platform has the charm of welcoming the support of democratic nations in power today. If the collective voice of the democratic nations gains momentum, it can tilt the scale in favour of an amicable solution to the grievances of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Even the UN can not sit back for fear of losing its face in the global politics navigation. The UN was created to solve the problems of global community through peaceful means, but not to be a voiceless organ of a spectator to the sight of commission of genocide of global citizens, the displacement of their simple happy life, and usurpation of their basic human rights to live as a human.

    In all my writings and posts I have made it clear that RECONCILIATION is the only powerful weapon Tamils have today to draft a policy of survival in the history of their ethnic integrity in Sri Lanka.

    One has to learn to reconcile oneself with one’s own differences before one marches forward to reconcile with others.

    Luxury may fail to show its charm, but the pain and suffering of a community never fail to assert their claim for a social justice.

    War does not decide who is right, but who is left.

    War is the result of a failed policy of reconciliation.

    Revenge is just like fire. Just as the fire destroys the wood, revenge will destroy life.

    The only means of survival is to seek ways to diffuse knots of tension in relationship with others, be it an individual or a community.

  • Karuppen
    March 15th, 2010 on 6:48 pm

    Already there are signs of change of policy to initiate inquiry into Sri Lankan war crimes at the UN level. Sri Lankan governments’ intransigence is going to welcome an inquiry from outside.

    The US Administration is going to release very sensitive satellite date to press an independent inquiry into Sri Lankan war crimes. Sri Lankan government has succoured the help of Israel to stifle out the inquiry into war crimes. Independent human rights groups have mounted pressure in the US and Canada to initiate the inquiry.

    When all these changes in policy are to emerge, India is not going to sit like a lame duck to assimilate its moral decay in foreign policy. The guilty conscience on the part of India will induce it to adopt corrective measures.

    The result from all these corrective measures will bring the Sri Lankan war criminals, both Singhalese and Tamils before the Independent War Criminal Court.

    Nothing has the power to rectify a situation like justice.

  • Karuppen
    March 15th, 2010 on 11:30 am

    India is a great power and has developed its political imprint to wield power in world politics without any doubt. It can not be denied by any other means.

    The greatness within its political mould has broken down to tits and bits by its collusion with Sri Lankan government in the war against Tamil militant group LTTE and then the calculated mass murder of innocent Tamil civilians. The world has witnessed unbelievably the twist of its commitment to democratic principles enshrined in its constitution. Its collusion with
    Sri Lankan government has opened a wound of moral decay in Indian politics and the myopic thinking of its foreign policy architects in Indian power bloc.

    Already there are signs of disintegrated independent principalities of India which prove the wrong navigation in foreign policy of those leaders in power today. A question often asked is whether India will exist as an independent power nation in future after the disintegration of its principalities with reduction of its influence in the Indian Ocean. With a vying power thrust by its arch enemies China at its door, polishing its mouth for a fresh taste, and Pakistan bent on capturing any piece of barren land India claims as its own, it does not portend well for India to be a lame duck any more. India has to assert its rightful influence in the Indian Ocean by facing the enemy threats. Another factor that confronts India is a very strong presence of Chinese in Sri Lanka. It is arguably presumed that China has already installed a heavy military force in Sri Lanka under the pretext of various nice looking tactics. One can safely derive from those factors a clear view if China is going to target Indian communication satellites first and then test by firing missiles into Indian territory to break the will of Indian leaders. All in all it is an omen of future combat scenarios.

    India has to wake up now without wasting any more time before the real danger to its security materializes. India, the largest democratic nation, has two powerful trump cards at its disp0osal. One is to disengage itself from colluding with war crime nation Sri Lanka by cutting off its further support either politically or financially. The second factor is to raise the issue of displaced innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka. Tamils in Sri Lanka live today without any basic human rights, under fear of arrest or murder by unknown mercenaries both local and foreign, and in limbo where the law and order does not exist. With all its trump cards now available, India has to strengthen its hold in the Indian Ocean by forcing Sri Lankan government to adopt corrective measure to integrate Tamils into the main political streamline and reinstate ethnic identity of Tamils with security. If India is ready to adopt this move, it will reduce Chinese influence and in the end drive the Chinese away from the island Sri Lanka for good.

    It is not late now, and if not done anything now, it is going to be very late for any deterrent measures to protect Indian security in the Indian Ocean. India should not encourage Chinese to replace the words ‘Indian Ocean ‘by ‘Chinese Ocean ‘in the world map.

    Is it what the world’s biggest democratic nation India wants to see?

  • Karuppen
    March 13th, 2010 on 8:19 pm

    The wind does not blow always in a certain direction. Time changes for the sole purpose of bringing about improvement and survival in political thinking.

    There are already palpable signs among Western countries in the measures they have taken to clearly define the meaning of war crimes. If the Tamil Diaspora keeps the rolling stones in momentum, it will infuse their aspirations for an independent homeland for indigenous Tamils in Srilanka with direction and strength. A mind set on the task of common good will always give strength to the idea to reach the goal.

    The Srilankan government, immersed in bloody battles and inebriated with war victory over terrorism, has lost sight of right course in political navigation. Unless the Tamil Diaspora develops a language of accord to bring international pressures on such issues as refusal of continued IMF loans and foreign aids tied up with security and sovereignty of indigenous Tamils, any move taken by the Tamil Diaspora will hardly create the conditions for the independent homeland for the Tamils in Srilanka, but only sizzle out.

    Alienation, monetary isolation, embargo on Srilankan goods abroad, strict screening of visa applications of ruling government ministers, military hierarchy or anyone in the military duty, and scaling down of consular Section in Foreign Offices in Srilanka and abroad, investigation into charges of discrimination against the minority citizens in Srilanka and abroad, a very strict screening of High Commission officials before their posing abroad to verify if they have in any stage of their life involved in State terrorism are some of the measures the foreign governments can adopt in sensitizing the Sinhala ruling regime to the past political excesses and instil a code of discipline into its political thinking and framework.

    A rogue can not be a rogue all the time. He has conscience too and his conscience teaches him to open his eyes to his crimes he has committed and mistakes he has made. The flagellation of his own conscience never rests unless it has raised his consciousness to mend his ways of infraction of democratic principles in a society. This is the lesson the ruling Srilankan government is going to learn soon. Anything that happens slowly has a horrendous effect in the end. The Mother Nature reveals her laws to the mind attuned to her language and rhythm.

    If you appreciate the discordant and different views, you build up a strong principled fortress in your mental outlook to deal with any problem. The views different from one’s own are the key to understanding any personal and political problems. They create quantum-based possibilities for one’s own survival. This is the Universal Truth.

    The Tamil Diaspora keeps the torch of independent homeland for Tamils in Srilanka aflame with inspiration.

  • Yoganathan
    March 12th, 2010 on 9:32 pm

    Reconcile with SIN-HELLa NAZIs in our PERIL.

    The Master Plan of SIn-Hella NAZIs ruling Srilanka

    1)Colonise all VANNI Mainland with Sinhalese and sell most parts to China and Pakistan while keeping the Willing Victim India in hope.

    2)For the first one, they need money, therefore Srilanka sent so many spies to the west to divide the TAMIL DIASPORA and our BOYCOTT calls against Srilankan products in order to get the most needed foreign exchange to pay the LOANS FOR GENOCIDE and for COLONISING Sinhelse in Vanni as they Kill all Tamils there.

    3)Capturing all Jaffna businesses under SINHALESE and allow Tamils to be only consumers to tap all foreign exchange brought by the Tamil Diaspora coming to Jaffna and Colombo.

    3)When the Srilanka get prosper and prosper, the Srilanka will ban keep Tamils separated In Jaffna and Batticola OPEN Prisons by SINHALISING all VANNI Mainland, then Tamils need SEA TRAVEL or Planes which will be also controlled by the very Srilankan terrorists. WEST BANK and GAZA- ring the bell.

    4)As Srilanka become richer, the Srilanka will force the remaining few 1000 Tamils to study ONLy in SINHALA and tell the world there is no Tamil in the island.

    Then we can only see Tamils in the island in books only.

  • Yoganathan
    March 12th, 2010 on 8:48 pm

    IF THE USA STOP FUNDING the ISRAEL, ISRAEL WILL THINK ABOUT RECONCILIATION WITH PALESTINIANS.
    THE SAME APPLIES TO THE NAZI SRILANKA, WHEN SRILANKA MADE BANKRUPT, SRILANKA WILL TALK PEACE.
    As per reconciling with NAZI Srilanka even after 62 years of Ethnic Cleansing of Minorities and Genocide of Tamils with CONCENTRATION CAMPS of more than 300,000 Tamils, and still ongoing Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide in all over the island, IF ANYONE ADVOCATE RECONCILIATION WITH SINHELLA NAZI TERRORIST SRILANKA, I WILL TELL THEM TO LOOK AT THE DESPERATE SITUATION OF POOR PALESTINIANS BY USA AND WEST DOING THE SAME HELP TO ISRAEL DESPITE ISRAEL DOING THE GENOCIDE AND ALL ATROCITIES AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS,
    We Tamils must not allow the Srilanka to Prsoper and do the same like Israel to kill all Tamils and Muslims,
    Srilanka – with all the DEBTS- adamant on Sinhala NAZISM – will do worse tahn now if they are allowed to be richer than now,
    CUT OFF THE BLOOD STREAM of SINHELL ANZISM by Cutting of the ECONOMY allowing them to fund the NAZi SInhELLA terrorist military, then they cannot do the Sinhella terrorism against Minorities and will talk peace.
    ONLY A DEAD SINHELLA RACIST is the Best thing on the Earth.
    PLEASE DON’t GIVE POLLU to SINHELLA racists with your own money to be beaten by the same POLLU.

  • Karuppen
    March 12th, 2010 on 8:44 pm

    Unless a certain section of Tamil Diaspora, still imbedded in militancy idea, free their mind from the shackles of militancy, the Tamils in Sri Lanka will never have a chance of realizing their freedom for an independent homeland in Sri Lanka.

    Hello Vani:

    The militancy idea, translated by LTTE into action, not only failed but also has exposed the whole Tamil civilians to a stateless condition in Sri Lanka today. Those who have witnessed the genocide of innocent Tamils in 2009 will NEVER float this idea again. Once is more than enough to say NEVER AGAIN. Even if those voicing their indirect militant support will experience the same result by exposing the Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka again to another genocide or exodus of Tamils from Sri Lanka.

    It is easy to entertain the militant idea against majority Singhalese community. It was thought that India would hurry to support the Tamils by extending deterrence against Sri Lanka on its war on LTTE and Tamils civilians. The reality was to the opposite: Decimation of LTTE, displacement of innocent Tamils, the present stateless condition of Tamils, etc.

    Tamil politicians in Sri Lanka have to field in their efforts in wielding a joint democratic voice for the reinstatement of basic human rights of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka. Tamils or their political representatives ARE NOT IN A STRONG POSITION to make any deal of their own with the Singhalese government today. When you position is weak, you have to learn to refrain from exposing the innocent Tamils to further genocide. This is the old wisdom of surviving. This is the gist of my writings.

    Today the art of communication has refined to such as a level as to incorporate the powerful human values into the issues troubling a society. That communication is RECONCILIATION with your enemy.

    Vani Said:

    Vani
    March 12th, 2010 on 3:03 am
    Mr Karuppen, It seems you are a very good writer, but it may be a good idea to write these comments in Sinhalese websites. Perhaps you can write comments for the ant Tamil articles which are published in some Sinhalese websites.
    I hope you read the following article in this website.
    http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2010/03/from-barbaric-buddhism-to-civilized.html.
    Thanks.

    My answer to Vami’s comments:
    I do not write any articles to any Singhalese web sites nor am interested in pretending to write any anti Tamil articles to any news media. That is not the purpose in my articles.

    If accusation does not level to the commission of an act, it clearly shows a mind still growing, but not fully grown, through experimenting with its own fancy ideas.

    Everybody has the right to air his or her ideas. I do not expect anybody to concur with expression of my ideas nor do I agree with anybody if I see the other side of the argument more tenable and more meaningful.

    Your writings clearly show the readers how you poorly conduct yourself with informing yourself of the poly-sided argument of an idea that defies solution on a grand scale. Democracy is a basic right of each and every human being to disagree with others. A thing has more than one life just as an idea has more than one face.

    Whether my writings appeal to a fragment of Tamil Diaspora or not is not the issue here. The issue is the continued search for a lasting solution to the artificial problems the Tamil community in Sri Lanka face today.

    All the major achievements in life hide a simple fact. If you find it, you can win the whole world.

  • Yoganathan
    March 12th, 2010 on 7:29 pm

    UN REFERENDUM is the BEST OPTION for Eelam People
    Hi Karuppen,
    One cannot see any difference between the Indo Srilankan Propaganda against Tamil liberation struggle by dividing LTTE and Tamils.
    Indian trained militant groups- EPDP, EPRLF, PLOTE, TELO, etc- have been killing Tamils while LTTE target only SINHELLa Military and Police without harming even Sinhalese people- Almost all Sinhala victims were killed by either Srilankan Military and Police or Srilankan and Indian aided Paramilitaries in order to blame the Tigers as terrorists, NO WONDER THE SRILANKA REFUSE and SABOTAGE ANY INVESTIGATION of ANY KILLING of CIVILIAN to save their Terrorist Military and Paramilitaries.
    If LTTE militancy failed, so did the Democratic Politics by the Tamil polity since 1915 to 1976.
    So, according to your theory, both failed, don’t go back to where we were.
    In my view, We must not go back to militancy anymore but take a leaf from the EAST TIMOR Liberation struggle and work for UN REFERENDUM in EELAM to decide the WILL of TAMILS and MUSLIMS of the island while making the NAZI SRILANKAN BANKRUPT like the world did to SOUTH AFRICAN APARTHEID NAZI REGIME.
    By supporting the DICTATORS MAHINDA & BROS Butchers, we are doing diservice to Sinhalese people also because they are at the receiving end of Terrorism by the BUTCHERS now.
    We have to synchronize all Tamil bodies and Tamils with Muslims to fight peacefully and democratically to put pressure to the international community to allow UN REFERENDUM in EELAM. As it is democratic way, No country can veto the referendum.
    As per the USELESS Indian Congress Mules ruling India UNFORTUNATELY, India can never ever challenge the Mighty Chinese anymore, China CHECKMATED the WILLING VICTIM INDIA and IMPRISONED the India within its Natural borders. NEXT LOGICAL PREDICTION WILL BE IMPLODING INDIA INTO PIECES as THEY WERE BEFORE THE BRITISH.
    Don’t Bet on SINKING INDIAN SHIP. India no more a power let alone a regional power.
    Only an insane will hope India will help Eelam Tamils while India cannot even CONDEMN the SRILANKAN NAVY klllings of Indian Fishermen.

    IF THE USA STOP FUNDING the ISRAEL, ISRAEL WILL THINK ABOUT RECONCILIATION WITH PALESTINIANS.
    THE SAME APPLIES TO THE NAZI SRILANKA, WHEN SRILANKA MADE BANKRUPT, SRILANKA WILL TALK PEACE.
    As per reconciling with NAZI Srilanka even after 62 years of Ethnic Cleansing of Minorities and Genocide of Tamils with CONCENTRATION CAMPS of more than 300,000 Tamils, and still ongoing Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide in all over the island, IF ANYONE ADVOCATE RECONCILIATION WITH SINHELLA NAZI TERRORIST SRILANKA, I WILL TELL THEM TO LOOK AT THE DESPERATE SITUATION OF POOR PALESTINIANS BY USA AND WEST DOING THE SAME HELP TO ISRAEL DESPITE ISRAEL DOING THE GENOCIDE AND ALL ATROCITIES AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS,
    We Tamils must not allow the Srilanka to Prsoper and do the same like Israel to kill all Tamils and Muslims,
    Srilanka – with all the DEBTS- adamant on Sinhala NAZISM – will do worse tahn now if they are allowed to be richer than now,
    CUT OFF THE BLOOD STREAM of SINHELL ANZISM by Cutting of the ECONOMY allowing them to fund the NAZi SInhELLA terrorist military, then they cannot do the Sinhella terrorism against Minorities and will talk peace.
    ONLY A DEAD SINHELLA RACIST is the Best thing on the Earth.
    PLEASE DON’t GIVE POLLU to SINHELLA racists with your own money to be beaten by the same POLLU.

    Hi P John,
    As per Hinduism, Hinduism is not a SINGLE religion as the India never been a SINGLE COUNTRY before the British came there.
    HINDUISM is an UMBRELLA of several religions and SAIVAM is one of them and the OLDEST. SAIVAM itself named after SIVA. Please don’t use SHIVA because the Aryan took H out of THAMIL and PUT the H in SHIVA to make both alien to THAMILS.
    SIVAPPU – In Sanskrit they translated RUDRA meaning RED- SIVA.
    Thamil civilisation FLOURISHED in SINTHU VELLI(now in Pakistan where they desstroyed mosy of them and India don’t care cos the civilisation belonged to Thamils)
    Then the ARYAN invaded and imposed their version of SAIVAM – called HINDUSIM- by using the KRISHNA as the MAIN God – VAISHNAVAM.
    Now, we Tamils also wrongly believe that We are Hindus but they know we are not Hindus and support the Sihella terrorist Srilanka.
    The HINDUISM promote the Krishna as the Main God whose behaviour the right opposite to the Tamil culture of ONE MAN ONE WIFE and HINDUSIM keep the GOD Siva as the DESTROYER.
    RAMAYANA itself created to HUMILIATE and DESTROY SAIVAISM and SAIVAM by fabricated stories against the SAIVA TAMIL KING RAVANAN and even called the TAMILS as MONKEYS in Ramayana.
    It is a LONG STORY.
    As per the reconciliation with NAZI Sin-Hella racist Srilanka, who show no remorse at all for all the Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide and still justifying, celeberating the Genocide as CONTINUOUS Victory celebrations and ESCALATED ETHNIC CLEANSING and GENOCIDE in Vanni MAINLAND as I write this moment, Then IN WHAT TERM Tamils can reconcile with the barbaric Bucthers ruling the island???????
    In the history of the world, If we look at the two NAZI racist terrorist regimes- SOUTH AFRICAN WHITE APARTHEID REGIME and USA and West Funded Terror state Israel, We can detect that ONLY PRESSURE and BANKRUPTCY of the South Africa made them to COME CLEAN on Peace BUT ISRAEL STILL CONTINUE TO DO THE SAME ETHNIC CLEANSING AND GENOCIDE AND NOW EVEN IF THE WEST WANTED, THEY CANNOT FORCE THE ISRAEL TO COME CLEAN ON PEACE AS ISRAEL NOW A NUCLEAR POWER.
    The same logic applies to the NAZI Srilanka whose ECONOMY must be broken beyond repair to amke

 

September 2010
M T W T F S S
« Aug    
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  

Blogroll

A few highly recommended websites...

Archives

All entries, chronologically...