Comments on: Jaffna: Tears, blood and terror https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror Journalism for Citizens Tue, 01 Jan 2008 13:44:39 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 By: vikalpa » So As You Look, So Shall You See https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2241 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 13:44:39 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2241 […] I read, with great pain of mind, Ruki’s article on “Jaffna: Tears, Blood and Terror” posted on ‘Groundviews” on December 11, 2007. The comments on the article were no less moving. I agree with all that has been said. […]

]]> By: Sam https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2240 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:51:07 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2240 t eat the cake and have it as well." Well, I think that people like you also should learn that lesson, I don't think it's fair to recommend that to only on side. For example, the LTTE is claiming 60% of the coastline and 30% of the land area for 12.6% of the population. Does that sound fair to you? It is a demografically unjust demand, but it is a Tamil nationalist claim that continues to be put forward. The proponents want to enjoy all the rights in the rest of the country, and yet have an exclusive preserve for Tamils. Now that is wanting to have the cake and eat it too, don't you think? It's rather like the 50:50 proposal. Please note that today Tamils can live anwhere they want to in Sri Lanka, but non-Tamils are barred from areas of their own country. I would like to put the some question to you: I don’t know if you are a believer in HInduism and rebirth - what is the guarantee you won’t be born as a Sinhalese? Lack of understanding isn't just a problem the Sinhalese have, it is quite prevalent among the Tamil community as well.]]> “People like Chanaka need to know that they can’t eat the cake and have it as well.”

Well, I think that people like you also should learn that lesson, I don’t think it’s fair to recommend that to only on side. For example, the LTTE is claiming 60% of the coastline and 30% of the land area for 12.6% of the population. Does that sound fair to you? It is a demografically unjust demand, but it is a Tamil nationalist claim that continues to be put forward. The proponents want to enjoy all the rights in the rest of the country, and yet have an exclusive preserve for Tamils. Now that is wanting to have the cake and eat it too, don’t you think? It’s rather like the 50:50 proposal.

Please note that today Tamils can live anwhere they want to in Sri Lanka, but non-Tamils are barred from areas of their own country. I would like to put the some question to you: I don’t know if you are a believer in HInduism and rebirth – what is the guarantee you won’t be born as a Sinhalese?

Lack of understanding isn’t just a problem the Sinhalese have, it is quite prevalent among the Tamil community as well.

]]> By: Simple minded https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2239 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:43:43 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2239 We know that both sides pretend that they are protecting the innocent members of the community and that is the only reason for their involvement.

However, out of the two opposites we have, who cares for at least a minimum level of wellbeing of the community in Jaffna and other parts of North East? LTTE at least a self interest in this – they need the community, otherwise they are a noboby. This Government on the other hand has already shown that they wouldn’t mind wiping out this community. Perhaps it has stopped even pretending!

BEFORE it does anything in the area this community lives in (the land belongs to the community!) – the Government has to declare what they have in mind for the future of this community. It has no right to rule that part of the world if it does not take any responsibility for the wellbeing of the community living there. It is otherwise a straight OCCUPATION!

If Chanaka and people with similar mentality believe this is their country (and not the Tamils’), please say so to the international community so that they get to know that there is no democracy in OUR country. Let’s stop pretending..

People like Chanaka need to know that they can’t eat the cake and have it as well. Just, for a moment, put yourselves in the Tamils’ place and THINK! I don’t know if you are a believer in Buddhism and rebirth – what is the guarantee you won’t be born as a Tamil? I am sorry for being a little personal here – but couldn’t help feeling frustrated at the lack of understanding..

The Tamils are still ready to live like brothers – so do many Sinhala friends..

]]> By: sarath Fernando https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2238 Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:55:36 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2238 I donot intend to compare the sufferings of the people in Jaffna and other places affeted by war and killings of civilians. Thank you for this report which helps us to undertand the plight of such people at least to some degree. Looking for solutions i feel it is important to recognize that all people, where ever they are or to what ethnic community they belong should be given the right to self government. Governments today, whether they are elected or not donot represent the interests of the people. They are just tools in the hands of greedy powers, national and international, who are making use of the “authority” that they have accuired to suppress and plunder all people and all nature’s resources. The worst of terrorists are supported by such powers, as long as such terror agrees with this process of plunder.

Therefore all people, the tamils in Jaffna, the muslims, the plantation workers, the fisher people, whose right to the sea and the beaches are being taken away in the name of rebuilding after Tsunami, the peasants in the country, the people all over the country who are now suffering impossible cost of living are all being suppressed and victimised for the purpose of this plunder and destruction by a few. So, the solution is in the recongnition that all these people should have their own self government, instead of agreeing to be under any form of centralised government. Can we all being to fight for such self rule, to be free of suppression and plunder by the “illegitimate powers” that claim to be legal governments. I say this as a person who was born a Sinhala and have lived in the Sinhala areas all my life- not by choise.

]]> By: groundviews » Present situation in Jaffna: A video interview in English and Sinhala https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2237 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:39:09 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2237 […] A video interview on the present situation in the embattled city of Jaffna in the North of Sri Lanka with Ruki Fernando from the Law and Society Trust. Ruki recently wrote to Groundviews on his experiences from a trip to Jaffna (read Jaffna: Tears, blood and terror). […]

]]> By: JM https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2236 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 03:13:18 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2236 Similarly, Nandasena, the Sinhalese have to deal with terrorist attacks, assassination of political leaders, tourist travel warnings, Tamil plantation trade unions, a massive defence expenditure, pressure from Tamil Nadu and all that. Sri Lanka would be hostile to a self-governed, independent Tamileelam, so it is unlikely that there would be any trade via A9 anyway. So it as much a level playing field as it ever could or would be. Yet the Sinhalese have prevailed, and the Tamils have run themselves into the ground.

]]> By: nandasena https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2235 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 04:41:21 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2235 What does JM means by “self governed” Northern Tamils? Northern Tamils are restricted in fishing, farming, livestock rearing, even doing labouring jobs by the “OCCUPIED FORCES”. By closing the A9, they are unable to market their produce. With curfews and the security forces occupying their houses and farm lands they are unable to persue their traditional occupation of fishing and farming. Even their livestock are being stolen by the “occupied forces” and eaten.

Have they been allowed to “SELF GOVERN” in the true sense, they would have been the envy of the people in the rest of the country. May be JM is not aware of the contribution of the Tamils to the economy of Sri Lanka before the “occupied forces” came into being.

]]> By: JM https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2234 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:24:38 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2234 Funny fact – Sinhalese are not “facing poverty”. Sri Lanka has the highest per capita income in South Asia and is now a middle income country. This may break your heart but it’s the “self-governed” Northern Tamils who are behind in terms of both income and quality of life. Sinhalese have done well.

]]> By: Bala https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2233 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:53:11 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2233 sure, sinhales are facing poverty which is delibretly created by the people who they select to govern them, unlike jaffana which is occupied by the GOSL against the will of tamil people. If they are not under the occupation , still face poverty, then the blame will fall into people who govern them, which is most likley LTTE.

]]> By: Des https://groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2232 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 07:09:32 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/11/jaffna-tears-blood-and-terror/#comment-2232 Lets not forget the suffering faced by the Sinhalese people in this country. Suffering is not relative. We can’t compare suffering of people in Rwanda to people in Jaffna and think it must be worse. In the same way we cant think of suffering of people in Jaffna to people in the south and think its worse (though thats a harder one to get one’s head around)

If you listen to what extremist Sinhalese like the JVP (or the group who was supposed to be pro-LTTE and arrested recently) say, they talk about extreme poverty faced by Sinhala people in the South. They talk about how some people go on one meal a day with the same despair that Ruki does.

The arrested Sinhala youth (who’s interview is available on the net http://defence.lk/videos/20070208_01.wmv) talks about the extreme poverty he faced in his life which pushed him to take up arms.

Lets throw that into the mix to get an even sadder situation in this country.

I think if we pay more attention to the JVP, JHU it will shed more light on how what they say is relevant and how their policies are trying to address those problems.

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