Do provide statistics for the number of Tamils displaced by the building of High Security Zones in the North and East. It will be interesting to see how this figure compares to the number of Muslims displaced by LTTE demographic alterations.

I hope I have answered your queries and my apologies once again for the late response.

I will get back to you on the issues raised. At the moment I am unable to sit down to respond – and have actually missed some of your responses of the past couple of days. I do want to engage with the issues you raise.

I do not have a problem with “anger” on this forum, but what I do have a problem with is when the “anger” that translates to pointless insults, and vicious attacks of a personal nature. As such I find it disturbing that even intellectuals of this country cannot steer away from such pointless attack at a time like this.

It is obvious that deep distrust, mistakes, violence, wrongs of the past will generate anger – and perhaps we should be able to understand and see past it. But anger in itself will get us no where.

It is perfectly possible to talk through differences – as long as we are aware that people want to genuinely want to engage and discuss the issues with the view of the justice of all people in the nation.

Thanks again.

I read your exchange with SomewhatDisgusted with interest.

Please correct me if I am wrong, I detect an angry (probably justifiably) Tamil but who basically is humane and rational. Even your nom de plume conveys such a “smoldering person”. I say this not with any sarcasm but in all honesty.

The need of the hour is building bridges not throwing wild accusations as some do. We have what we did not have many years ago, a medium through which we can exchange views in order to build bridges. But how many are using it constructively? Only a small minority do

Please allow me to quote from a discussion between me and Dr Devanesan Nesiah on this website but on a different thread. This is what he stated
“…….I agree that Sri Lankan society is not basically racist, but we have individuals and small groups that are racist ………” This is what ALL of us should remember and should try to build on.

The ground is fertile, but do we have the courage and the humility to build on it or to sow the seeds of harmony instead of that of hate?

The Tamils think that they were wronged and marginalized and the Sinhalese think that such is not the case, they think that they were the people who were at the receiving end of Tamil racists policies when the Tamils held the reins of the Govt Bureaucracy. This throwing the ball, about who did what first wont get us anywhere.

The Sinhalese are an overwhelming majority in SL, there is nothing anybody can do about it short of exterminating them the way Prabhakaran tried.

Racism and racists policies were rampant in the West. I have seen on TV, documentary films that depicted Police using batons as a battering ram on the genitalia of Black women who were participating in peaceful Civil Rights protests on the streets of America. What the Ku Klux gang did in America to the coloured people is well documented. The USA gives pride of place to Christianity. It advertises Christianity even on its currency. The UK even burnt people alive at the stake. Torture was used by the state and even machines were used for torture (still on display). Her National anthem is a prayer to God. The Head of State can only be a Christian even today. Anybody reading History will know what the Inquisition was. What Canada did to the indigenous population has to be read to be believed. Children were purposely exposed to TB and allowed to die a slow an agonizing death. France is not second to anyone in the above respect. In fact looking back at any western nation will show how barbaric they were before.

My point in all of this, is that these countries have moved on (although from time to time State Racist policies resurface when economic or strategic considerations give way to righteousness (Forcible removal of Chagosians, Iraq war, Afgan war, Abu Grhaib, Guantanamo etc are such manifestations)

Tamils living in the West do not worry about its past or what surfaces from time to time in the present.

True, July 83 was inhuman but its also true that thousands of Sinhalese harboured, fed and protected their Tamil friends at the risk of their own lives, the lives of their wives and children and their properties. Not many Tamils acknowledge this publicly. I have seen five Tamils acknowledging it, one was from Australia, another from Canada and three on DBS Jayaraj’s website.

Let’s exchange views and discuss problems based on the existing situation in SL and not keep harping back to the past (though references to it may be required to establish a point) where both communities have justifiable grievances.

I almost missed your previous reply.

You said: “For those living it, it might feel quite different. To some degree, how the “occupied” territory feels matters. Because if they feel threatened, fearful and nervous, then that matters.”

I understand what you’re trying to say and agree with you. Who in their right minds would like to live in any area occupied by people armed to the teeth? But that’s not usually the only reason people end up using words like “occupying army”, “Sinhala Nation”, “Tamil Nation” etc. There are too many ideologues on either side of the ethnic divide, who, as a part of their propaganda, try to subtly instill a dichotomous relationship between Sinhalese and Tamils in one’s mind by careful use of vocabulary that reinforces such (imagined) divisions. Slowly but surely, we too end up unconsciously using those words, further dehumanizing the “other”, and what’s subsumed in the process is our own humanity. For a stellar example of this kind of thing, read this old thread in groundviews and the resulting discussion: http://www.groundviews.org/2009/05/23/the-sinhala-conquest-of-the-tamil-nation/

At the end of the day, these epic battles between Sinhalese and Tamils are largely constructed as Pradeep Jeganathan highlights (http://www.pjeganathan.org/south-paw/2009/5/4/sri-lankas-conflict-an-interview-with-pact-part-i.html) and the reality is that all these ethnicities have co-existed in Sri Lanka for many many years.

You said: “how does one confront a situaiton where the majority want this to be a Sinhalese Buddhist nation, and expect Tamils (whether in the North or East, or central province or Colombo) to feel that they are equal”

I think there are two problems being conflated here. One created by Sinhalese nationalists who think this island “belongs to the Sinhalese” on account of them being a numerical majority. The other created by Tamil Nationalists who wish to be a majority in their own right and cannot accept the fact that the Sinhalese are indeed a majority. I hope you clearly see the distinction I’m making here. Both these types of thinking are in error and responsible for perpetuating the problem.

Let’s keep in mind that our post-colonial project is to somehow forge a multi-cultural nation in which all ethnicities can live in dignity and with equality. But when we talk about equality, two things need to be accepted. The Sinhalese must accept that all ethnicities living in this country have equal rights and that they must not mistakenly assume that what’s good for them is good for everyone else. The Tamils must accept that the Sinhalese are indeed a numerical majority and that the greater presence they have in day to day affairs is an inevitable consequence of them being more numerous. I think you will agree that this is reasonable?

So the failure of the “Sri Lanka project” so far is due to these two parties failing to accept these realities. The way forward must also be for both parties to correct their perspective distortions. We should not assume that all is lost however. Remember that slowly, (but bloodily), we’ve been making progress. Tamil is now a national language. There is no ethnicity based discrimination in the constitution, higher-level public officials are required to learn Tamil etc. etc. and to a large extent, we are on the way to a reasonably equitable society (You are welcome to point out serious cases of ethnic discrimination which are not a result of the LTTE). Not to say everything is hunky-dory, but there has been a lot of progress, despite the people who refuse to acknowledge and prefer to ignore it.

A significant stumbling block in the project so far has been the LTTE. This is the quintessential example of the Tamil racialism that has also been a significant problem throughout the “Sri Lanka” project. And just as the Sinhala nationalists had to yield slowly towards more just and equitable solutions, so too should the LTTE have yielded to more equitable solutions instead of promoting their own hideous racism. Ultimately, the LTTE too paid the price for its refusal to compromise. Nature has its own heartless way of correcting imbalances.

“Simple examples – a recent visit to Osu Sala pharmacy – the govt one – revealed that it has all its notices in Sinhalese, and all its staff speaking Sinhalese. If one is a Tamil then you are finished! ”

I assure you that were you to go to Jaffna, a Sinhalese person would encounter a similar problem. I agree with you that there *should* ideally have been signs in Tamil or maybe a Tamil speaking person but let’s not confuse this as discrimination on purpose. There are quite often, implementation problems, especially in a 3rd world country like Sri Lanka and are you sure you are not unrealistically expecting 1st world standards from a 3rd world nation? To my knowledge, it’s more or less mandatory for all govt. forms to be made available in all 3 languages, so I’d genuinely like to know what these forms are that were not made available in Tamil? I don’t intend to dismiss all the examples you cite as being invalid, I’m sure there are valid instances where it can be discriminatory in nature, but I don’t think we should interpret everything as being “purposefully” discriminatory in nature. Nevertheless, I would like to hear more instances of actions which are significantly discriminatory towards Tamils, just for my own information.

Fixing problems like this are not so hard when adequate resources can be funneled in for the purpose. That’s why I said, if the Tamil Diaspora were to take a positive role in promoting Tamil language and culture, we could see this kind of thing being fixed sooner. The $300 million per year formerly channeled to the LTTE could easily plaster boards in Tamil on every square inch of the country.

You say that there are “over 250,000 IDPs in Menik Farm and many more in other camps”.

Obviously you have access to reliable information. Assuming these figures are factual could you please provide the source?

In view of the above, would it sufficiently accurate to estimate the total number of IDP’s to be in the region of 300,000 from 70,000 families?

If that estimate is too high what could be the likely number of family units involved?

Do the authorities provide a housing unit (tent or similar) per family or are they required to share?

Sorry , the link is broken.

Tell me, is this severely malnourished old man from the concentration camp in Sri Lanka is equal to his Sinhalese counterpart?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8297760.stm

This one should work
Mawatha Silva

“So there are no minorities then?”

Sri Lanka Government, as always, is vomiting worms of lies. Please don’t forget the infamous SL President Mahinda Rajapakse statement “ZERO civil casualties in the civil war”

Tell me, is this severely malnourished old man from the concentration camp in Sri Lanka is equal to his Sinhalese counterpart?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8297760.st

smoulderingjin , a bit worrying for me this cruel reshuffle of Tamils (like cattle) from one to concentration camp to another. It looks like; it will become a norm – rampant colonization, resettlement-but not to the native villages, ridiculous and un-ending “security clearances” even for 1 year old orphan- child and the vile enslavement of all Tamils.

What do you think about the Islets of Jaffna Tragedy?

Because the modus operandi of the Sinhalese Colonial Masters is cruelly unfolding right there. In my opinion, this is the future for the NE Tamils, period

http://www.tamilnet.com/search.html?string=islets+of+Jaffna

Can you look it over and give an input on this ? Thanks
Mawatha Silva

Gulag states…? Bit difficult to dismiss the possibility after hearing things like this!

Or maybe its all a bad dream, and we might all wake up and have a good laugh!

punitham
Thanks a lot, for your kind clarification about the ICRC.
What do you think about the recent events in Colombo. Apprehension has gripped the Tamil business community in Colombo and its suburbs after Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers called on them to register their assets with the local authorities. The soldiers had called on the community with a printed form, in Sinhalese language only ,which has to be filled with every miniature detail from the type of enterprise, to assets such as vehicles, etc, members of the family, relatives and employees. The Tamil business community is perturbed over this new regulation since they have already registered themselves with the relevant police divisions.It’s a dispirited sigh. Why are singling out Tamil traders only? A justifiable fear among the Tamils has risen as this act of targeting Tamil traders by SLA soldiers could be a measure to supply precise details to criminals to be used in abduction, extortion and robbery. You are welcome to my blog Mawatha Silva

“These (the military) are the guys who were winning the war – they could have raped every single woman on the way if they wanted to. ”

- Insane member of Sri Lankan regime, Palitha Kohona

“There were zero civilian casualties during the “humanitarian mission.”

- Insane leader of Sri Lankan regime, Rajapakse

All living things evolve physically over generations and cognitively(and psycholoically) in their own lifetimes..

That’s what the then-President Chandrika Kumaratunga said there in 1998 declining Nelson mandela’s offer of mediation.

All living things evolve physically over generations and psychologically in their own lifetimes..

Article 2 (7) was formulated to deal with the era of interstate conflicts. Man’s conceptual evolution. World War to Cold War. Decolonisation. Rise of internal colonialism and itrastate conflicts. Man’s conceptual evolution. R2P.

Buddhist Republic of Sri Lanka is falling behind times?

”On GSP+, Ambassador Aryasinha said the Government had not accepted the process of GSP+ investigation and a request for experts to visit Sri Lanka as a matter of principle, as it was felt inappropriate and unnecessary and the Government was not willing to compromise on its sovereignty.”

”Sovereignty” to refuse UN monitoring – human rights monitoring has been urged by UN Special Rapporteur for more than three years.

”Sovereignty” to separate Tamil IDPs from ICRC.

Though successive governments have been ACTING as though they have the sovereignty to oppress the Tamils, they didn’t put THAT in words.

http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/sri_lanka?OpenDocument
Since the beginning of July, the ICRC has been reviewing its operations and presence in the country at the request of the government. By 17 July 2009, four offices in Eastern Province had closed (Trincomalee, Mutur, Batticaloa and Akkaipattu) and activities in this region had been suspended. During the same period, activities carried out from Vavuniya and Mannar offices were put on hold pending further clarification and agreement with the government.

I think its going to be a hell in the Sri Lankan concentration camps when NE monsoon starts.

Some Sri Lankan newspapers said that the SL government has taken rapid action in the construction of the drainage system there.

However the images from the BBC are contradicting that.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8297760.stm

As you see, the drainage system is very shallow and utterly inadequate.

Why are the UN and Red Cross not involved in this process?

The camps occupy vast tracts of formerly forested land near the northern town of Vavuniya.

Because the ground on which many of the camps were built was cleared of trees recently, the soil is soft and porous.

Many Human Rights groups are worried that the hastily built camps will not survive the inundation.

Few months ago, he rain fell heavily for much of the afternoon , sent rivers of mud cascading between tightly packed rows of flimsy shelters, overflowed latrines , which have collapsed, sending human waste spilling all over camp.

HR groups urged Sri Lanka to free 300,000 Tamils detained in camps since the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in May, warning that an outbreak of disease triggered by imminent monsoon rains could claim many lives.

Mike Foster, the UK Minister for International Development who is visiting Sri Lanka, also said that Britain would no longer provide any funding for the controversial barbed wire enclosures once the monsoon was over in two months.

He added that many other donor countries were taking a similar position to put pressure on the Government to release the 300,000 Tamils who were detained after.

“Disease, if it takes hold, is going to spread rapidly. Without doubt there will a loss of life, he said. Given that there are 300,000 people living so close together, I’d hazard a guess that its going to be more than dozens” he said

Mr. Foster, also, said that progress on resettlement had been disappointing, that the majority of those in the concentration camps had already been screened, and that moving them to other concentration camps was unacceptable.

“There really is no reason why the IDPs cant return. If the gates are opened up, they can be the judge of whether its safe or not to go home”, he said. “That should be a choice for them”.

“Theres a pressing need, with the monsoon impending, to get civilians out of the camps”, Mr Foster said after visiting two of the camps before meetings with Sri Lankan officials in Colombo yesterday.

He said the monsoon, which is due to start this month, was almost certain to destroy tents already fraying after six months use.

Mawatha Silva

1. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL452057.htm
COLOMBO, Oct 8 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s government on Thursday sought an additional 39.6 billion rupees ($345 million) to fund its military, a 20 percent increase from the original defence budget despite the end of a 25-year war against Tamil Tigers in May.
The government allocated 200 billion rupees ($1.74 billion) for defence in its 2009 budget, when the military was fighting the last phase of one of the Asia’s longest modern wars.

2. http://www.slmfa.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2168&Itemid=134

‘Sri Lanka: Facets of Post-Conflict Development’ Photographic Exhibition inaugurated at the European Parliament, 2 October 2009:
He(Basil Rajapakse) said de-militarization had been successfully achieved.

I agree with the above statement. The real reason is that the Government is busy in trying to win the Southern PC election at the moment. So I do not see it doing anything in terms of reconciliation or learning lessons of the past. After the SPC election is over the Government will concentrate its focus on winning the Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
The Government is focussed on winning elections taking into account a largely Sinhala rural constituency. The minorities do not count. Devolution vis-a-vis the 13 amendment, minority rights, reconciliation, peacebuilding is simply not on the agenda as there is nothing that the Government can gain from these issues.
The APRC was an effort to placate India and the International community while the war was on. “To keep the hounds at bay” as it were.
Now that the war is over there is no need for the APRC seems to be the thinking of the Government. However, Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana put in a lot of time, patience and effort into the APRC. We have to thank him for trying even though the final document is not out yet.

I am in total agreement with your last post. That’s why I too believe that pressure on the govt. for gradual demilitarization is necessary. But all parties must use these latest developments to move things in a positive direction. And dismantling the ideological apparatus of the LTTE and exposing the moral poverty of their agenda is more likely to be achieved by members of the Tamil community than those outside of it. Especially now that the standing threat to those who disagree with the LTTE is no longer a significant factor.

You said: While there are likely a few cadres still on the loose and hidden arms caches out there they can utilize if they choose to for isolated incidents of mayhem. But their ability to seriously challenge the governments writ in any way is done

I agree. While I do believe that any attempts to started isolated incidents of mayhem should be systematically dealt with and which is why I’m not against the stipulated 6 month period of incarceration for any remaining cadres to be identified and for weapons caches to be discovered, I think it’s undeniable that there can certainly be no serious threat to the govt. in the near future.

Some of the the possible reasons for continued militarization I can think of are:
1. Pure paranoia on the part of the govt.
2. Some actual threats from remaining cadres and the LTTE international network that serves to amplify that paranoia. The increased military build up is explained as a “deterrent” to anyone entertaining such a notion.
3. Perpetuation of a “state of fear” onto the general populace in order to gain political clout.

In any case, I’m in complete agreement over gradual demilitarization. This must be done in order to return normalcy to civilian life in those areas.

You said: What we, as a community, had allowed the LTTE to morph into needed to be defeated.

The question now is a forward looking one – what do we see the future state of the country being? And how is the governments current conduct shaping that debate?

At present, I can clearly understand the apprehension that many people feel. But let’s keep in mind the fact that only six months or so have elapsed since the defeat of the LTTE. The demilitarization processes, the reduction of paranoia, the restoration of normalcy etc. will not happen over night. A sense of security must be gradually restored to the population at large and more importantly, the population in the north and east.

I should also mention an observation on certain rabble-rousers who expect overnight results from the govt. whereas these same people were appealing for patience and continued negotiations with the LTTE despite repeated failure. Strange don’t you think? I believe such people have narrower political agendas than a genuine interest in seeing this situation resolved. We should also see through the unnecessary fears perpetuated by such people.

This conflict was built up over many many years. Untangling this mess is also going to take some time. We just need to make sure things are slowly but steadily moving in a positive direction, with the less-than-stellar political leadership available to us. For us Sri Lankans, I think this is as good as it gets, and we have to make the best of it.

And I agree with you, we need to be forward thinking. How do we address the remaining problems, how do we restore normalcy, what rights are presently missing for minorities, how can they be guaranteed. These are also things that need to be discussed.