Sri Lanka: ‘Gently Weeps’
By Chandi Sinnathurai
23 November, 2007
Countercurrents.orgThe seeds of war were sown in Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, no sooner Britain gave independence in 1948. Since then, until the 1980s, a serial of race riots were unleashed on Tamils killing scores, plundering wealth, raping their wives and daughters and burning down their cultural sites. 1958 saw a full blown pogrom against the Tamils. Many a thousands were slaughtered and burnt alive. Then in 1983, the mother of all pogroms occurred. All these were planned and executed by the State. The worst tragedy was, the Buddhist Sangha – the moral compass of the Sinhala masses, colluded with the Government in their “Tamils-extermination Project.” All of these animus actions produced the underground Tamil militancy in the early 1980s. So, now the talks of terrorism in Sri Lanka is a bit like the kettle calling the pot black.
The saintly Pope John Paul ?? once said, one cannot sow seeds of injustice and expect to reap a harvest of peace.
State Terror
There are those, who defend the right of the State to eliminate ‘terrorism’ in Sri Lanka. Their selective memory of history nonetheless, conceals the fact that these ‘terrorists’ Tamils were a procreation of the Sinhala state. The subtext of ‘Tamil terrorism’ provides a convenient pretext for the continuation of the “Extermination project” of the Sinhala State. It is not the so-called terrorism that is eliminated here. Sadly, it is the innocent Tamils who are exterminated, “one by one.” That is the real context of the conflict. And it is an open secret.
The gravity of such an ethnocide and cultural genocide is yet to register on the global conscience.
Self-determination
The question often not asked is this? “What do these ‘terrorists’ want?” They are asking for the fundamental rights of the Tamils. They are struggling for self-determination. Quite recently, the Political head of the Tamil Tigers Mr Nadesan announced that, the main plank of any future Dialogue will be based on recognizing the Sovereignty of the Tamils. In other words, there is no leg room now for duplicity. “Do they want a separate state?” Well, if you can’t treat the Tamils with equity of status, as fellow citizens; if you keep murdering them, if you keep denying them justice and defrauding their right to exist, only an ‘external sovereignty’ will be a logical conclusion. This could create disquiet in the minds of geo-political hawks.
Arms Struggle
The Tamils have most reluctantly adopted an arms struggle as a mode of achieving their liberty. Now does this defensive action constitute the definition of terrorism? No one, in one’s right mind, sets out to “glorify” violence. But none, not even the international community – the US and the UN in particular are prepared to acknowledge the existence of state terror in Sri Lanka. Token statements, sympathetic sentiments, and ‘sound bites’ won’t be sufficient, in order to screw the final nail on the coffin.
There is of course, a moral argument: Must a terrorized people take up arms against the state? Archbishop Tutu, out of the chaos of apartheid observed that, desperate people, do desperate things. Furthermore, another question arises: Doesn’t terror tactics refuse to recognize the rights of others – innocent bystanders in particular? These questions ought to be first be answered by the State. The state by its very nature and virtue has the legal obligation and the moral responsibility to protect the rights, and preserve the lives of every citizen. When the State fatally fails what is the duty of the citizens?
Sinhala Only
There are those who send me E-mails after reading my articles. Some are good and intelligent. Many are filled with hatred, vulgarity, obscenity and insanity. Recently some one wrote to me that, ‘Tamils must return to Tamil Nadu in India.’ This is, one must know, is a well rehearsed taunt. He said, ‘Tamils are immigrants – ‘Kalla thoni’ - boat people. Only the Sinhalas are Sri Lankans.’ ‘ONLY the Sinhalas can rightfully live in Sri Lanka,’ he concluded. This mentality is quite prevalent among the majority community. Sri Lanka for the Sinhalas ONLY. That is unfortunately, the State-nodded Doctrine. It therefore, impacts their views, opinions and actions.
Talk of plurality in Sri Lanka is a stale joke. Astonishing though it is, in the 21st century.
Defacto State
When Sri Lanka entered into peace talks with the Tamils there was a clear understanding of the existence of a Tamil Defacto state in the North and East of the Country. The Tamil Tigers were not seen then as non-state actors. The negotiators of the Tamil side were seen by the Sinhala state as officials of the Tamil defacto-state. They sat as equals at the negotiating table.
Military Aggression
The rationale of aggression now runs among Government circles thus. The east – Mattakkalppu has fallen into the hands of the state. On the Northern front, Yarlpannam, Jaffna – the cultural capital of the Tamils is under government control. The Tiger heart-land Vanni/Vavuniya will be captured sooner than later. Mannar will be a cake walk. Mission accomplished.
Should all were to go according to plan, would this translate in to the ground reality:
Firstly: will there be sustainable peace in the island?
Secondly, will the Tamil Tigers go into liquidation and disband?
Most likely, the answer to both will be in the negative.
Underestimating the honor and dignity and resistance of a people will be a fatal flaw.
Protecting the integrity of the sovereignty of the “Sinhala Sri Lanka” with increased suppression and superior terror might only achieve an uncomfortable, artificial peace. But for how long is a matter of time? That will only be a time bomb.
Aerial Attacks
The Tamils Tigers are a politico-military organization. The world knows that they fought the Sinhala state employing both conventional military methods and Guerrilla warfare. If the State armed forces were to attack the Tiger heart-land the strategy might be is to advance mainly by air raids and by other tactical measures. Having said that, they might be in for a surprise. It cannot be as easy as it sounds. By such action, they could also make the Tamil Tigers return to their roots – engaging in a ferocious Guerrilla warfare, in order to take the war into to the Sinhala heart land in the South.
The real danger is that the whole country would transform into a ball of flame! It will be catastrophic and ungovernable.
One must also take into this equation, the Air Wing of the Tamil Tigers and its Kamikaze type operations. The recent Anurathapuram attack is engraved in the psyche of the Sinhala nation.
It is one thing for the State to engage in an aerial campaign but, it is totally a different matter, if it is ground warfare.
Civilians
It is generally believed that the state forces are not psychologically prepared for a ground attack – especially in the Tiger heart land. Even if this were to happen, it is the vulnerable civilians, both young and old, in their hundreds of thousands that will perish in this indiscriminate fire power.
The questions that need to be raised by all who care for human rights is this: How long can this denial of justice continue? How much more time is needed for the world community to sit quietly and watch, and even supply arms under-hand for such an immoral act to continue?
This war must halt.
Chandi Sinnathurai is a peasant-priest. He has an active interest in human rights and social justice. He can be reached at: [email protected].
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