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Featured Article: International community must act !-

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Monday, 13 November 2006

“We want the world to know the truth and the reality in Sri Lanka. We appeal to the international community not to be silent over the deaths of innocent civilians”. This was the voice of Parliamentarian Raviraj opposite the Colombo office of the UNO. But within 24 hours, this voice was silenced.

He was assassinated in broad day light on a busy road surrounded by check points in the city of Colombo in the high security zone. Abductions, disappearances and other acts of violence take place in Colombo although the city of Colombo is on high alert.

People express concern whether the government machinery has lost its control over the affairs of the State. It is discussed at the international level that the law and order must be maintained in Sri Lanka. International human rights organizations have offered to extend their support to the government to ensure human and democratic rights. But forces who are not inclined to observing human rights wield great influence. The political forces in the south reject all such international offers and argue that they have adequate resources locally.

Therefore, the international community must not confine itself to issuing statements and expressing shock. It must act and act fast.

An English translation of the Editorial in Thinakkural, a Tamil daily,based in Colombo

Comments (11)add comment

A Well-Wisher said:

Irony never cease to amuse... A hot topic in Colombo is about the image of the white van which invokes an era of terror on the Tamils, especially the ones who are standing up for the rights of the Tamils. Tamils disappear in Colombo in a spate of abductions under the very watchful eyes of the law. In some cases, victims have been released after reportedly paying huge ransoms. Few have been found dead. Fate of many unknown.

Tamil parliamentarians have raised the issue with the government to urgently act to prevent such acts.

complaints from families of victims to the Police are not bearing any fruits. Instead the the police are demanding more information, but have produced no results. (Probably these information are given to the perpetrators to hide to destroy whatever evidence and to ensure investigations remain as investigations without any conclusions). It must be noted that most of the tamils abducted are well known successful Tamils who who spoke for the rights of Tamils and against the GoSL violations and atrocities being committed on the Tamil population. What does all these mean. The white van culture - is this a new ploy by the government to suppress the voice of the Tamil speaking people.

Any Tamil who stand up for the cause of the Tamil people and their well bing is seen as a threat by the GoSL and the Singhala community; and so will have to be eliminated either by killing or abduction. Is it not the Government who is behind the spate of abductions. Is it not the case of the fence swallowing the crops.

One wonders!!!
2006-11-13 11:31:20

Richard Cunningham said:

One must never forget the fact that the possibility that the LTTE is behind the TNA paliamentarian's death is one that should be seriously considered. The LTTE never fails to take advantage of a situation to gain International sympathy and support. What better than the voice in front of the UN office?
Just as much as Tamils see it as the responsibilty of the GOSL to see that Tamils do not suffer, it is the greater responsibility of the LTTE in so doing.

NEVER FORGET THAT MR.RAVIRAJ (M.P) LIVED IN COLOMBO!

The LTTE is responsible for the murders of Mayors, M.P's, Ministers, a President killed and a President maimed, and a former Prime Minister of India not forgtting highly acclaimed Tamils such as Neelan Tiruchelvam, Kumar Ponnambalam, S.Amirthalingam, Lakshman Kadirgamar and many more.

RETHINK THE PROVACATEER AND THE PROVOKED. TO DIVIDE A SOVEREIGN NATION IS NOT A CALL FOR JUSTICE.

If it were South Africa would be two nations. One for blacks and the other whites. They chose to live in unity.
THINK AGAIN!!!!!!
2006-11-13 12:46:09

Jay Jay said:

Dear Richard. The reason for SL government's impunity and genocide is the blinkered support of some countries (and individuals). In South Africa the majority (the Blacks) were forgiving, here the majority (the Sinhalese) are far from that. Can you not see the difference. Oh yes. There are 60,000 SL armed forces for 600,000 people in the Jaffna peninsula.

How many murders, kidnappings and rapes are solved there? None, Richard. One SL armed trooper for every 3 households on average, what incompetence! Perhaps the cashier has his fingers in the cash box?
2006-11-13 17:18:15

Ami said:

Another fact of the matter is yes Tamils do live in Colombo but with knowledge that the State is putting on "an act" for outside world. The riots of the past are a constant reminder that the Singhalese are a fickle if not disturbed bunch. They would have a lot to lose in terms of tourism and the economic links they are trying to forge if they started harrassing Tamils and Muslims wholeheartedly as they have done in the past. Call it marketing or sales...a type of campaign of false toleration with the occasional reminder that if you start speaking the truth once too often you die. RIP Truthseekers.
2006-11-13 22:21:59

Jaffer said:

Thousands of tamils get arrested in colombo on charge of being LTTE supporters invading the capital and each time a sinhala person slain then tamils are stripped and checked to find the killers. But unfortunately with all such arrests they cannot catch the real culprits behind these murders. The obvious conclusion is that the government is behind all these several tamil slayings and the arrests and enquiries are just to protect the real killers from being prosecuted and possibly sent away with glorified promotions to foreign lands with government resources to learn more of tactical killings of tamils.
2006-11-14 03:03:21

Richard Cunningham said:

Dear Jay. There is an an argument for everything. However the fact remains that this is a sovereign nation. My heart goes out to those suffering whatever community they belong to. But facts are stubborn. All communities live in harmony in Colombo until the serious side effects of conflict find its way and security risks are contained even to the point of abuse.
Yes, hands are in the cash box on both sides. Do you see a skinny Prabhakaran or Mahinda Rajapakse starved, malnourished and battle scarred? NO! You and I can have it out here but nothing is to come of it. Get to the roots of the problem and you will see that culture in the form of caste had condemned and damned those who now lead this war in the name of a homeland. Some of my closest and dearest friends I would give my life for are Tamils. I even gave many Tamils safe refuge in my home in 1983 together with all my family. I have nothing against the Tamil people.

But sovereignity of a nation has no compromise. Atrocities unfortunately, have become a necessary evil. For a moment think of all the opportunities in the form of lives that would have made a great difference had they lived a normal way of life and achieved their potential in a field they could have excelled in. Now they are six feet under, maimed or paralysed, blinded or merely vegetables. Is this what we fight for. Is a mythical homeland justifiable enough for such a sacrifice? Cut any type open and they are the same inside. Efforts should have been made for equitable distribution in all areas. You do not find Sinhalese living in the North but you do find Tamils all over. Think of the benefits if all this money spent on both sides was chanelled for progress to live together in harmony as in Pettah, Wattala, Wellawatte and a host of other areas. There would not be time to think of racial differences as is evident in many marriages. This war is not about anything that is spat out but simply a divorce of communities headed by those who have been condemned at birth by their own culture. Espouse the new order. Transcend the boundaries of race and religion and be one and the same. Until such time the barbarism of both communities will be the significant factor that will infect and fester this deepening wound. Yes Jay, some will become very rich as you have implied. Painfully unfortunate.
2006-11-14 06:08:51

Jay Jay said:

Very considered reply, Richard. Over 90% of people (Tamils) living in the NorthEast voted for the Tamil National Alliance, hence you consider 90% of Tamils to have been condemned at birth. They did this with the knowledge that LTTE (people of lower caste according to your information) will be the negotiators (on their behalf) with the SL government. How extraordinary, that makes almost all Tamils from low castes and condemned at birth.
"Sovereignity of a nation has no compromise", you say. How novel. How long has Pakistan and Bangaladesh existed, and why and how did they come in to being? What ever happened to the Soviet Union? And Bosnia and Yugoslavia? Mythical homeland you say. And you offer all the riches and opportunities to the Tamils who are denied of a home(land)?
The money that was given by the world's citizens to the people who lost everything through the sunami, whatever happened to that money? Why are those Tamils who lost most in the sunami are still living in temporary accomodation? What happened to the P'Toms that was supported by the World Bank, the 4 Co - Chairs and signed by then Sri Lankan President? Why was the funds of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) frozen? This is the same organisation that was praised for it's work with all communities in the NorthEast and entirely funded by the Tamil's abroad. All the sufferers cannot come to Pettah, Wattala and Wellawatte. They can make a good life for themselves in their own background. Why were they not given the funds the world had donated on their behalf? Please Richard; revisit Sri Lankan history, say from 1948. You will come across agreements, just like P'Toms, months and years to arrive at but never actioned. Pay particular attention at every election propaganda.

Lastly, if you only consider one side, although you may sound well informed, you are preventing yourself understanding the other. Low caste, condemned at birth are derogatory remarks that are put forward by the southern politicians and the southern press. This is nothing new and every goverment (and individual) will have their own prejudices and reasons for denying something to someone. But, are these the reasons for denying the Tamils their right to self govern?
2006-11-14 15:43:28

Richard Cunningham said:

Dear Jay, much of what you sat does have a great deal of validity. However I believe you are missing my point.

There is no system in the world that can be compared on a similar basis with the Hindu caste system. Look at marriage proposals even in India and I believe you may understand it.

I have no alegance to caste or creed or whatever. In fact I am married to a Tamil myself.

Unfortunately one must consider the fact that there is great possibility that the leadership of the LTTE was motivated by the need to overcome the menace of the caste system that I too despise. 1983 brought all Tamils together since no caste was considered when the Sinhalese went on a senseles rampage. The need to retaliate brought support from all quarters. If you do consider caste as derogatory I am sorry but you will have to consult the high priests of your culture to undo that. I never meant it to be derogatory but merely a placement of a fact that should not be in this day or age. It is very sad that I have to say that this same culture even prevents the same race from dining at the same table because of the unreasonable and preposterous system within the culture. I strongly believe that this is what the LTTE leader is trying to overcome. Self governance is a right every one does have. But alas we will have many thousands of small countries if that were made possible.

I still stand firm where sovereignity is concerned but I do believe that equality too is beyond compromise. We may otherwise say that Burghers should be in Portugal and Holland or Netherlands, the Tamils in South India, the Muslims in Malaysia and Pakistan.

The argument will never end. Lives on both sides are being wantonly wasted. Its old men talking and young men dying!
2006-11-15 05:54:20

Jay Jay said:

Hi Richard. Thank you for agreeing that my argument have validity. Sadly, as I have said before the arguments you put forward are based on prejudice and propaganda. Unfortunatly, when arguments are based on prejudice, there is seldom positive movements. I wonder what the Malasians would say about your proposals of sending all Muslims to their country. It seems to me that you are confusing religious beliefs and nationhood. What is clear here is that you have not responded to my charge that a leader of a country, the president with respect to the country that is being discussed, needs to be held responsible for the atrocities committed by his armed forces. Do you support the notion that a Commander in Chief is responsible for the actions of his armed forces?
2006-11-15 16:52:38

Jacob said:

Richard Cunningham:

Sovereignity or unitary does not mean much when minorities are subjected to cruelty and shame. I believe you are aware that long before Prabhakaran took up arms against the Sinhala state, there were moderate Tamils who wanted and wished to resolve disputes peacefully. And agreements were signed to seal their understanding and consent. As now, even then, none of those agreements were ever honoured by the GOSL. The infamous tearing-up of an Agreement by Solomon Bandaranaike stares starkly at the Tamils. Intimidation, indiscriminate attacks by thugs instigated by the Sinhala polity, the army's repressive and high-handed torture may be forgotten coveniently by those with short-memory. The Tamil girls and women raped and murdered by the soldiers cannot go unaswered.

Much as most of us despise war and bloodshed, the uncanny irony has been that the GOSL and the army only listens to the language of the gun. It was only after the LTTE pointed guns at the GOSL and the army that some changes were forthcoming. The present govt does not even want to honour the CFA signed by no less than a govt representing Sri Lanka and has demanded changes. How do you expect the Tamils to believe any GOSL in their words and deeds?

Look at the situation in Jaffna now. Instead of winning the hearts of the deprived Tamils, the army and GOSL are continuing with their repressive methods and tactics, with a hypocritic president helming a ruthless regime. Did they consider that these people are also Sri Lankans.

Despite what they would want us to believe, most Tamils know that there is no future under a Sinhala dominated govt and regime. Yes, there is bloodshed and suffering but Tamils know that these are caused by the oppressors. Too much hurt from too much hatred and repression with bloodshed cannot support the notion of a single sovereign Sri Lanka. You are trying to put oil and water in the same cup but with so much of animosity and irreconciliable differences, the only way to solve this problem is for the Tamils and Sinhalese South to go seperate ways. There is no other way except for the International community to understand and accept the deep-seated animosity and mistrust between the two and author the inevitable seperation of Sri Lanka, a situation created by fool-hardy Sinhala politicians.

Mahinda Rajapakse is a politician, and a worst bred politician, not a statesman. How else could you refer to him when, for the the coveted President's post, he was even ready to go as far as to make pacts with the devil. Nothing else matters except the President's post and having had enetered into a pact withe the devil, he has been gradually consumed by the devil itself.

So, continuing to champion the sovereignity has become very meaningless and most Tamils know from the bottom of their hearts that the inevitable establishment of a seperate state and nation for the Tamils would be achieved. There is already a 'de-facto' state in place with a complete administrative structure functioning for some time. Can't you see the bigger picture already?
2006-11-15 17:19:30

Richard Cunningham said:

Dear Jay and Jacob.
Sincerely I believe you should read my comments again to really and truly ascertain if I am prejudicial. I have quoted before thet I bear no allegiance to either community. I have mentioned my wife is Tamil and that makes my children have the same blood in their veins.

I still stand for one sovereign Sri Lanka with total equality for all. This senseless bloodletting has clouded many judgements and will go on breeding those that both communities do not approve of.

Now possibly is the last time that some sanity could and should prevail before the opportunity is available no more. I am no political pundit and I know my comments and suggestions will lead no where but possibly inflame other readers in some way because they do not really comprehend what I am saying.
But by the time different states or whatever is established by means of prolonged conflict and war the cost in human terms would never justify the outcome.
I pray that all you learned people would defy the call under racial banners and be members of the human race because it is some mothers or fathers child or parents that are sacrificing the outcome of their individual generations. A cost no particular family could afford cause when it is over as families or individuals they will stand alone. The soldiers on both sides cannot afford foreign education for their children. It will be a different divide in the future if all communities do not stand for one objective. UNITY!
Please join in one single voice for peace.
2006-11-16 12:26:57

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