Bishan said,
[JS thanks for your insightful post (inverted comma’s)]
“I have been thinking a lot about what makes it possible for Sinhala people who in most areas of their lives seem kind, generous, helpful, caring people but become something else when it comes to the Tamils. People who can and do deny what is happening to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka… who say things like “there is no oppression of Tamils” or “Tamils have no legitimate grievances”, etc., Sometimes I have thought that it might be guilt… that it would be too painful for people to accept and allow into their consciousness what is being done in their name and by a state they identify with as their own…etc”

[I think it is a combination of the reasons you mention, also, i would add simply “pure ignorance from not wanting to see things from the other persons perspective”. This goes for some Sinhalese, and some Tamil people hand in hand.]
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I agree this is something both Tamils and Sinhalese (and pretty much all people I have come across in fact) have difficulty with this… and the sad truth is (I believe at least) that all of us human beings are yearning to be understood and seen from our perspective and yet so few people are able to give this to each other…
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[Also JS, my answer to your question]
“And at times, I have been in despair about how to ’speak truth’ in a way that can be heard (without denial, without rejection of the messenger and the message both)…”
[I think the way to speak the truth best is with balance. ie give both sides of a story, and remember not to generalise.]

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Thanks for this… I am aware that generalizing is definitely a problem… I think I do this sometimes when I am in pain/despair and sometimes when I am not clear in my thinking… and I do know the damage this does… and it leads to such unnecessary pain (people feeling not seen for who they really are, etc.,). So I am glad to be reminded of this…
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[I think whilst I agree what you’ve said about all these flawed view point, which happen to be owned by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority in many cases (or most case even as the case may or may not be), I still believe we shouldn’t “generalise” these views to Sinhalese Buddhist ideaology. Firstly because these views are not the case in all Sinhalese Buddhist, which is not the case, because I myself could use this label, and I do not think this way, and secondly for all the sinhalese buddhist people out there who are also against these things, or slightly against these things, they might not embrace this concept if they feel they are being attacked or insulted.]

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Yes, this is the other problem with generalizing… putting people into camps based on a label or category… I don’t like it when its done to me and I regret doing it to others… in a sense, this is the intellectual equivalent of putting all Tamils into buses and sending them off to the North east simply because they are Tamil and stay in lodges… (which is an extension of generalizing “Tamil speaking people” to mean “LTTE” or “potential LTTE” or “dangerous”, etc.,) It all begins in our minds, in how we label and categorize people instead of seeing them fully human. Our thinking determines our actions after all. So, I want to apologize for generalizing about “Sinhala people” and therefore not seeing you who think differently than what I outlined above.
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A quote I found online which speaks aptly to this discussion:
“Run your fingers through my soul. For once, just once, feel exactly what I feel, believe what I believe, perceive as I perceive, look, experience, examine, and for once; just once, understand.” – Anonomoys

And another on to follow Gandhi’s quote which initiated this discussion in the first place:
“Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is.” Gary Zukav (American author)

I agree that Tamils can’t live in harmony with Sinhalese, or for that matter anyone else. We must therefore grant them a homeland in the North and all the Tamils living outside the North should be sent to their homeland. No Sinhalese would want to go to the Tamil homeland and no Tamils would be allowed to live in the Sinhala homeland. How great and peaceful would that be!

Mind you aadhavan, this time Gotabaya is not going to provide free buses.

Of course, there’s the small matter of fundamental rights to all citizens but has snoo snoo accepted the Tamil homeland claim? That’s one of the Thimpu principles accepted. One down, two to go.

You obviously have a pretty bleak view of the future and the potential of Sri Lankans to rise above the kind of examples you have provided.

The fact remains that there is a de facto Tamil state in Sri Lanka, and terrorist attacks in Colombo are almost exclusively carried out by “citizens” of this state (let’s forget RLO Sinhala kotiyas). Isn’t it fair then if the government imposes some degree of restriction on these people in order to protect the residents of Colombo. Of course we don’t officially recognise this country, and by all means our government should take it over, but we should at least acknowledge its existence for the time being.

If Israelis can prevent Palestinians from coming into occupied territories, why not Sri Lanka. How about the US army restricting movements of Iraqis in their own country entering restricted “secure” zones. Are we expected to conform to a higher standard of conduct than these developed first world countries? We didn’t even arrest them, simply sent them back to their homeland. If they don’t even want to be Sri Lankans, why do they want to be in Colombo. It’s hard to expect any ordinary Sinhalese to empathise with their plight when we are fully aware of how the Tamils drove aware tens of thousands of Sinhalese from North and East.

Met a Tamil family recently who went on a train-trip to Kandy and discovered to their horror that the man conversing with them through the trip was an army officer stationed in the North/East. However, he straight away sensed their discomfort and made it clear to them that it was just a job for him to feed his family and that he didn’t have any feelings of hatred towards Tamils.

I think the international community will do what they find the easiest to do, and what takes the least effort. If you look at it from Japan’s viewpoint, surely life would be a lot easier for them if the country was going really well in terms of movement towards peace. The outside world will probably support an well constructed peace movement, but they won’t want to create it – that is why, again, i believe it is us, the people, who have to show them the way, and as JS has so nicely emphasized using Gandhi’s quote, this is best done with love.

It may sound a bit hocus pocus, but if the masses on the ground level start showing some compassion towards each other, then perhaps a tangible solution will become more likely and the government will have no option but to follow.

There are so many options if one actually opens their mind and ones heart to achieve this. For example both the Tamil and Sinhalese people have a very rich musical and dance culture. If you talk to most people who are interested in either listening to, or watching, or performing music or dance, you’ll find an interest that spans ethinc lines. So why don’t the Sinhala and Tamil cultures embrace each other more often in cultural shows, organised by each other patronaged by each other, and enjoyed each other.

The same goes for art, and for cuisine – which sinhalese person doesn’t like a really good Tamil curry, and vice versa?

So why doesn’t this happen? Because love for others goes out the window, and pride and hurt come rushing in to replace the empty space – compounding a much more selfish kind of love – love for oneself and for “only” one’s own kind.

JS thanks for your insightful post (inverted comma’s)

“I have been thinking a lot about what makes it possible for Sinhala people who in most areas of their lives seem kind, generous, helpful, caring people but become something else when it comes to the Tamils. People who can and do deny what is happening to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka… who say things like “there is no oppression of Tamils” or “Tamils have no legitimate grievances”, etc., Sometimes I have thought that it might be guilt… that it would be too painful for people to accept and allow into their consciousness what is being done in their name and by a state they identify with as their own…etc

I think it is a combination of the reasons you mention, also, i would add simply “pure ignorance from not wanting to see things from the other persons perspective”. This goes for some Sinhalese, and some Tamil people hand in hand.

Also JS, my answer to your question
“And at times, I have been in despair about how to ’speak truth’ in a way that can be heard (without denial, without rejection of the messenger and the message both)…”

I think the way to speak the truth best is with balance. ie give both sides of a story, and remember not to generalise.

I think whilst I agree what you’ve said about all these flawed view point, which happen to be owned by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority in many cases (or most case even as the case may or may not be), I still believe we shouldn’t “generalise” these views to Sinhalese Buddhist ideaology. Firstly because these views are not the case in all Sinhalese Buddhist, which is not the case, because I myself could use this label, and I do not think this way, and secondly for all the sinhalese buddhist people out there who are also against these things, or slightly against these things, they might not embrace this concept if they feel they are being attacked or insulted.

Don’t worry – I’m not in the slightest bit offended by your comments, and causing offense , but I know that some would be, and this is the dilemma i feel you describe by “(without denial, rejection of the messenger or message both)”. I think it is all about letting the so call moderates – expand on moderation, rather than convert to extremism. That’s not to say that deny the facts. But present more facts in addition.

For example, in the last week i’ve seen some heartning things:-
When talking to a Sinhalese Buddhist police officer in conversation, he relayed to me that he has been posted in all sorts of places in the North. He has been in Vavuniya and Jaffna and Muttur. During the Tsunami effort he worked along side people he knew were LTTE and they got on like friends – he had respect for those poeple on a personal level, despite being at war with them. Similarly, he felt that the Tamil poeple he delt with in Vavuniya “had really brought up their Children well, better than our people” – this is what he said to me in Sinhala in his own words. Now this isn’t an absolute truth in itself – because again this is one man’s impression and a generalisation at that. However what this represents is a Sinhalese Buddhist, in government agency of authority, who is able to say such thing, and have such open minded views.

Similarly today i saw 3 military women near a hospital who were talking to young tamil man and his daughter and playing with her like she was one of their own.

Sometimes the way that the we condemn the police and army in this country (myself at times) is justified, but we must remember that there are good people out there and by generalising our comments and views we are doing them a real disservice!

Bishan

They speak of the violation of cease fire agreement. What tangible steps have been taken by the international community to get the conditions implimentd?
The behaviour of the internaional community is very simlar to giving a gun to a confirmed muderer and asking n him not to use it.

Sivan

I have been thinking a lot about what makes it possible for Sinhala people who in most areas of their lives seem kind, generous, helpful, caring people but become something else when it comes to the Tamils. People who can and do deny what is happening to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka… who say things like “there is no oppression of Tamils” or “Tamils have no legitimate grievances”, etc., Sometimes I have thought that it might be guilt… that it would be too painful for people to accept and allow into their consciousness what is being done in their name and by a state they identify with as their own… and other times I have thought that perhpas it is because people are so scared that if they were to see with open eyes what goes on around them, they would have to change their believes and perhpas their whole identity would have to undergo a radical shift.. and so for the sake of ease and for the sake of self consistent identity of themselves as ‘good people’ and ‘sinhala buddhists’ at the same time, they would rather deny reality or not see what happens around them… And at times, I have been in despair about how to ‘speak truth’ in a way that can be heard (without denial, without rejection of the messenger and the message both)… it takes great inner reserves and outside support to be able to have love in ones heart in the face of so much disregard for ones humanity and refusal by the majority to see what is going on in their names and yet, that is what it will take if we are to get people to see and hear the “truth” when that truth is so painful to everyone involved… So, I am glad to be reminded that it will take love along wth truth to be heard/understood. I do believe that when we are heard and are able to hear the “other side”, we might actually be able to co-create a Sri Lanka that is just and inclusive of all her people. How long this will take and what will have to shift in order for this to be possible in the current climate is something I don’t have an answer for… But I am convinced it will have to done by the people (not by waiting for the government or any authority).

I was interested to hear some of his views on the current political situation in Sri Lanka. In summary, he felt that that he was willing to tolerate the atrocities of the LTTE because at least this movement gave the Tamil people some hope for a land that they could live peacefully. In my opinion he was extreme in his views because he believed in getting Eelam at “all” costs (no matter how much killing was necessary). I asked him why he wanted this fight that will cause much killing and suffering in the process, especially when there was really “no guarantee” that an autonomously run state run by a regime such as the LTTE would ultimately be able to offer a lasting peaceful living to it’s citizens? His answer was because he had “a complete lack of trust” in the government and that the government of Sri Lanka would ever be able to respect Tamils as equal citizens.

I sincerely hope that this person’s worst fears are wrong, and that the government of Sri Lanka and the people of Sri Lanka are capable of respecting all our citizens with the same dignity.

Recent facts go against this. As reported in the papers, police and army officers visited various lodges occupied predominantly by Tamils in Colombo and forcibly removing Tamils from these guesthouses on the 7th of June. This was not only breaching their civil liberties but a huge a step in the opposite direction to creating a sense of trust in the government within the Tamil people, which is so clearly and dearly need to dissolve this conflict.

However, there is glimmer of hope that comes with these recent events. The vigilance of an NGO, centre for policy alternatives, resulted in an interim order that was issued by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on the 8th of June 2007 directing the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse and eight other respondents, and preventing them from ordering the eviction of Tamil persons from Colombo.

The reasons for hope here are threefold in that a) there was a group that was ready to protest human rights injustices, or potential injustices, as they occurred b) people from community supported this protest in the form of a petition c) the legal system of the government of Sri Lanka supported the protection of it’s citizens by banning further evictions, within a day of the first events. Finally, the local newspapers have reported these events.

Many criticise human rights activists in this country as causing “sensationalism”, or being against the actions of the government, and not against the actions of the LTTE. Perhaps it appears this way on the surface sometimes. However, in most instances when one considers this more closely, a government is supposed to be a democratically elected body, that is answerable to it’s people.

What should be realised is one human rights violation doesn’t against one group does not negate another human rights violation against another ie. “an eye for an eye and the whole world is blind”.

If you look from a religious perspective, no religion to my knowledge advocates violence. Sri Lanka is a country when people have a strong sense of religion – then why do we not not practice what is preached in the doctrine of these religions when it comes to conflict?

It’s time for a change in people attitudes, and the time is now. Tomorrow may be even more difficult that what today seems like.

This is an invitation for positive ideas towards a peaceful united Sri Lanka, in the face of these current adverse times.

Bishan
Sri Lanka

“Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong” Mahatma Gandhi

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected” Mahatma Gandhi

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” Martin Luther King, Jr.