Herold Leelawardena

In a write up to transcurrents.com Dr. Rajan Hoole says the government suspicion of a LTTE resurgence is a bad omen. Had he read the report of that western journalist who had an interview with a guerrilla leader of the LTTE rump in a Mulathivu jungle a few months back and the recent seizure of counter band by Indian authorities he couldn’t possibly have said so. I say; its a good omen that security chiefs do not undermine the comments by diaspora Tamil and their desperation to revive LTTE rump.

Hoole talks about excessive military force used by Sri Lanka government during the night of 27th August 2006. How one sided he is for he doesn’t even mention that there had been many a daytime carnage of civilians by LTTE human bombs when they blasted bombs wrapped in their bellies and bosoms before and after that date. Perhaps Hoole had expected the military to chase away the world’s most ruthless terrorists, LTTE with water cannons.

In his write up, Hoole natters about human displacement in Sampoor and many other places. Citing ICRC commentaries on human rights and humanitarian laws, Hoole accuses Sri Lanka government for suspecting Tamil civilians. Hoole had conveniently forgotten that LTTE had conscripted ordinary looking Tamil civilians as human bombs to rid its foes. What more proof than the blast to kill the ex-army commander by an ordinary looking pregnant woman in its own compound. And LTTE killers of Kadiragamar used an ordinary house owned by an ordinary looking Tamil civilian. If that was the situation, wouldn’t any government be burdened with a dilemma to suspect all Tamils as a hit-men or marauders.

During the JVP insurrection, it is not Tamils or Muslims that were suspected as killers but the Sinhala youth. Hadn’t a similar situation been created by Al Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan for sometime. The US and its puppets governments in Iraq and Afghanistan do not suspect Jews, Christians, Hindus or Buddhists as terrorists but Muslims. When the situation became unbearable, the US started to pull out their forces like they did in Vietnam. Now they could do that for those two countries are not a part of the US. However, in the case of Sampoor and other places that Hoole mentioned are part and parcel of Sri Lanka, not since Buwanekabahu but Pandukabhaya.

In their effort to reach their goal – Eelam, diaspora Tamils like Hoole are desperate to undermine the government efforts to keep LTTE rump out of Sri Lanka. They do not appreciate that no bombs had been blasted and no Tamils were killed for the last one year and four months. They wanted to take revenge from the government for vanquishing the entire LTTE leadership. They think they can reach their goal by throwing mud at the government by making fake films, writing false stories and made up anecdotes. In their desperation, they even placed ads to ask the American and the European hussies to boycott Sri Lanka made knickers. Hooles may have thought without American and European sluts wearing our knickers, we would be doomed. However educated Hooles are they are brain dead to understand that its all a futile excise for Sri Lanka relies more and more on new friends.

Let me ask the Tamil diaspora ; other than slinging mud and spitting venom from their write ups etc, what have they done to benefit their kith and kin that live in Sri Lanka to date? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. When KP started to do something for those unfortunate and misguided Tamil IDPs, this lot to accused him of being a traitor because he started to work with the government. Perhaps diaspora wanted KP to suffer and die in a dungeon as a martyr to their cause. It is pity that Hooles do not understand that without the government backing nothing can get done in Sri Lanka.

If Hooles had formed an NGO with the blessings of the government and one million or so diaspora Tamil cared to send one dollar a month since the end of the war, every IDP family would have had a high bread cattle by the time mines were cleared and they were send back home. Had they send ten dollars each, many of them would have had a decent house by now. Instead Hooles prefer to waste their time writing about displacement of Tamils as if it would bring them land, homes and happiness.

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Sri lanka is in the verge of a huge development take off. It must be said that wherever such development takes place, people had been displaced and were resettled. Four hundred odd Sinhala people were displaced and were relocated to pave way for Humbantota harbour project. There were detractors that tried their best to prevent it from comming up. And they wrote most diabolical things about it. But the government managed to commission the first stage of the Hambantota harbour nine months ahead. I am sure that the entire harbour would finish at least a year ahead of time.

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Norochcholai coal power project was delayed for more than a decade not for the lack of money but Tamil Bishop named Rayappu Joseph was against it. His pretext had been that it was arable land of the people that were living there for generations. Our former leaders had no spine to stand up to him. Likewise, Kothmale hydro power project was delayed by late Thondaman for he was against it on the grounds that Tamils inhabitants would be displaced. How long they had been inhabitants in Kothmale; we all know.

Whether Sinhalese think Tamils are usurpers as Hoole says or not, the vast majority of Tamil and Muslim of Sri Lankan live in the south among Sinhala people. They have all the property rights as well as other rights that Sinhalese enjoy. The question is; whether ‘Thesawalamai law’ restricts property rights of the Sinhalese in the North.

In Muneswaran temple precinct there are at least seven major hindu temples. In the secred area of Kathragama, there very many hindu temples. In Rajagiriya there is a large Hindu temple. Even in the Small village where I live 99% are Sinhala Buddhists but there is a Hindu temple for few Tamils. All these are all located in the south. So, Hoole saying, Hindus have no right to have Hindu temples in the south is a lie.

Hooles being arch Christians, I cannot understand Rajan’s cry to save Hinduism and Hindu temples. I say Hinduism has to be saved from evangelists like Hoole for we all know that Christian aim had been to proselytize Hindus and Buddhists by any means. Take for instant when ever a Christian marry a gentile, the church expect not the spouse but all children to be Baptised and be Christians. Buddhists do not have such traditions.

I wonder whether Hooles have a grudge against Sinhala Buddhists; otherwise Rajan’s brother Ratnajeevan wouldn’t have said he would rather be an Indian than being assimilated in Sri Lanka.

Herold Leelawardena