Starting from the late forties, in sports, I have observed this distinction and togetherness. We respected each other’s identity and the identity that we were teammates and Ceylonese. Such recognition extended when I represented Ceylon in international games, including the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. In sports the distinctness and the Sri Lankanness co-exist.

My observation and interviews, during the last six months, in the Vanni, of those who went through the war confirms Prof Roberts observation on the resiliency of the survivors. Though they suffered, lost their belongings and family members, and many are disabled, they have not lost their identity and their rights as a Nation. In public functions they do sing the national anthem in Tamil.

There is an opportunity for peace with the recognition of the two nations as equals. Destroying or replacing monuments or ‘Resting Places’ may obliterate concrete objects, but the image of the destruction imprinted in the mind is a stronger memory than physical objects. If one travels in a bus or a Van past the new monuments and destroyed ‘Resting Places’ one will be reminded by those who witnessed such destruction and erection of new monuments the sordidness of the acts and the suppressed anger.

The monument in Kilinochchi (where a former Children’s Park rebuilt by two Sinhala gentlemen just after the Tsunami, with the stone inscriptions of the donors.) is a huge concrete cube. A large shell is embedded in the Cube with cracks radiating from the impact point. From it a lotus flower springs up. Sinhala tourists crowded at the base and laid flowers for the fallen Sinhala soldiers. A Tamil person, who knew me, mentioned what the Cube signifies to the people in Kilinochchi. “The Cube is Sri Lanka. The shell widened the crack in Sri Lanka.” One monument with two different symbolism by two nations of peoples. I hope the Tamils will not destroy that monument for the Sinhala fallen heroes.

Such actions and reactions does not augur well for political and emotional reconciliation and peace.

Ahhh, the Conradian solution: “Exterminate the brutes!” Except we know what happened to Kurtz, don’t we?

Why aren’t the roots being cut off, since that is such a logical solution? Could it be that a parasitic plant has attached itself to these roots, so that to cut off the “root” of the problem, is also to cut off the problem itself, which provides sustenance to this parasitic plant, keeps it going, so to speak?

Go to the root cause of the problem. Why start half way? Undue disproportionate demands for the resources (especially land) of this country by the Tamils is the root cause of the problem. Accept the injustice, help remove the root cause, that is the only solution.

Thanks!

http://www.groundviews.org/2010/10/17/an-allergy-to-analysis-and-historical-amnesia-in-sri-lanka/#comments
Allergy to analysis and historical amnesia in Sri Lanka, Dayan Jayatilleka, 17 October 2010:
”… The Bandaranaike administration sowed the dragon’s teeth and it took Mahinda Rajapakse to slay the marauding dragon, with all the corollaries and consequences that entailed. … Dozens of Tamil youth were imprisoned under Emergency for years, for the crime of hoisting black flags against the promulgation of the ’72 Constitution. …” (Jayatilleka was former Sri Lankan Representative to the UN)

http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/08/outline_of_submission_made_to.html
Jayantha Dhanapala’s written submission to Lessons Learnt Reconciliation Commission, 30 August 2010:
‘’’Your mandate artificially sets a time frame from 21 February 2002 to 19 May 2009 . That and its restricted mandate is also a limitation in your good faith efforts to discharge your task. The lessons we have to learn go back to the past – certainly from the time that we had responsibility for our own governance on 4 February 1948. Each and every Government which held office from 1948 till the present bear culpability for the failure to achieve good governance, national unity and a framework of peace, stability and economic development in which all ethnic, religious and other groups could live in security and equality. Our inability to manage our own internal affairs has led to foreign intervention but more seriously has led to the taking of arms by a desperate group of our citizens.’’ (Dhanapala was formerly UN Under-Secretary General for Disarmament. He also began to contest against Ban Ki-Moon but he was made to withdraw).

Alright, so I pay the madman the ransom money (and let him take one of my kids as hostage which he also demanded). Then he goes to the next door house and does the same thing there…

As I wrote earlier, surrendering to such methods means the end of civilisation.

Alternatively, when all attempts at negotiation fail, all us neighbours get together and decide to not give into these criminals any more and we band together to do something about it. Which is exactly what we (the British) did in 1939 against another notorious gang of political criminals also led by a psychopathic killer.

Read the latest WikiLeaks cables from ex Amabassador Blake about GoSL complicity in paramilitary crimes, including the use of abductions, murders, extortion, child soldiers and prostitution. You have a “magnificiant” civilization in Sri Lanka, a government of criminals, by criminals, for criminals. Keep your hollow words to yourself, or to the mass graves in your backyard; I will stay focused on getting a measure of justice.