FORGOTTEN VILLAGERS
Posted on June 24th, 2012
Malin Abeyatunge
Recently a Minister (reported in the Daily News) made a statement ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that the Govt is spending Rs.1 million to settle one single indisplacedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil family. No one has any qualms for that as they are our own citizens though perhaps many of the IDPSƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ would have overtly and covertly supported their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-OUR BOYSƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as Rev. Rasappu JosephƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ intimately calls the Tamil Tigers.
But there is a totally ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ forgotten factor in this equation.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They are the poor innocent villagers ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of the once Tiger threatened villagesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ indisplaced, who lost their lives, family members, means of living and everything. LTTE after cleansing the Muslims and Sinhalese from Jaffna startedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ cleansing the Sinhala villagers on the borders of NCP EP (emphasis provincialƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ borders created by the British) this time not by merely chasing them but hacking them to death with swords and machetes not even sparing unborn in an attempt expand further to the south of the provincial borders. As the war is now over , what has the Govt done to date to compensate the few survivors and kith & kinƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s of the victims. Pardon my ignorance, I havenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t seen a single report in the mainstream papers or the Govt. News letters whether these poor indisplaced Sinhale villagers were compensated at any stage. There were substantial Muslim villagers also in the Eastern province who lost their lives in the hands of the brutal Tamil Tigers and part of this equation.
The villagers in the LTTE threatened villages were a natural buffer and a deterrent to the Tamil Tigers to advance further to the south of the provincial borders. The villagers never moved away from their villages in fear of the Tamil Tigers but most of them paid their lives indirectly in protecting the borders. The villagers spend their day time and creep into nearby jungles with the families in the night in fear of the two legged Tigers. These villagers who bore the blunt of indiscriminate killing by the Tigers were the dead and living silent heroesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of the nation. The Govt nor the so called NGOs and INGOS ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ never took notice of them. These heroes, the few survivors and their kith and kinƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s are unfortunately a forgotten factor. LTTE tigers wiped offƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ some villages completely leaving no trace of its existence. I do not remember reading either UNP or the JVP ever spoken for the unfortunate plight of these victims and their survivors in the threatened villages. I havenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t read anything evenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ from the Govt to the effect these unfortunate forgotten villagers have been looked after.
Among the thousands of exhaustive list of villagers killed by LTTEƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on the provincial borders of mainlyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ NCP and Eastern Province (like-welikanda, Weli Oya, Padaviya, Mahaoya, Gonagala, Ethimale, Monaratenna), I picked few official figures to remind the readers.
18 September 1999ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ –Gonagala, Ampara- LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists struck at three villages of Kalpengala and Bedirekka of Ampara DistrictƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 31 males, 15 females, 2 pregnant mothers and 14 children have been hacked to death.
11/06.1996 ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Eluwankulama, Puttalam ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ – LTTE Tamil Tiger terrorists attacked a village and killed 14 civilians (including three children). Eight members of the same family were among the 14 civilians, including women and children who were hacked to death by over 200 tigers. The Tigers also burnt down several houses;
November 1995 ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ –Kotiyagala; Nineteen sinhale villagers were hacked to death:
21.10.1995 ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ –Galtalawa village, Weli Oya ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”LTTE attacked the village killing 19 villagers;
23.10.1995 –Ethimale, Kotiyagala, Moneragala – Terrorists attacked the villages and killed 19 villagers (seven males, eight females and four children);
21.10.1995 –Monaratenna, Bowatta, Polonnaruwa – Two groups of armed terrorists attacked the villages, killing 36 civilians (nine males, 16 females and 11 children) and injured 12 civilians including children;
21.10.1995 Mangalagama, Ampara -TerroristsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ attacked the villagers, killing 16 civilians, injuring five;
14.04.1991 –Ethimala, Moneragala ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”Armed terrorists hacked to death 17 Sinhalese villagers;. The Tigers also set fire to six houses;
02.10.1990 –Wahalkada, Padaviya -Armed terrorists killed seven Sinhalese villagers, burnt 39 houses;
21.09.1990ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ – Pudukudiyirippu, Ampara -Terrorists attacked the village, killing 15 and injuring 11;
19.09.1990 ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ –Vellamundal, Puttalam ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Terrorists killed 23 Sinhalese villagers and set fire to 11 houses;
07.08.1990 – Bandaraduwa Uhana, Ampara -About 40 armed terrorists had gone to a Sinhalese village and killed 30 Sinhalese and injured four
27.02.1989 – Borawewa, Polonnaruwa -Armed terrorists shot dead 37 Sinhalese villagers;
02.02.1989 – Bogamuyaya, Maha Oya, Ampara -Armed terrorists hacked to death 112 Sinhalese villagers;
09.10.1988 Mahakongaskada, Medawachchiya ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Armed terrorists shot dead 44 Sinhalese villagers and set fire to 11 houses;
14.11.1988 Paniketiyawa, Gomarankadawala, Trincomalee -Armed terrorists shot dead 28 Sinhalese including five security force personnel;
25.08.1988 Marawila, Polonnaruwa– Terrorists had killed 11 civilians by cutting their necks;
08.04.1988 Horowpathana, Meegaswewa, Anuradhapura -Armed terrorists killed 14 Sinhalese;
28.07.1988 Ethawetunuwewa, Weli Oya -Armed terrorists hacked to death 16 Sinhalese villagers;
17.03.1988 Deegavapiya Damana, Ampara – Terrorists hacked to death 13 Sinhalese villagers;
02.03.1988 Morawewa, Trincomalee -Armed terrorists shot dead 14 Sinhalese villagers;
06.10.1987 Sagarapura, Kuchchuveli, Trincomalee– Armed terrorists shot dead 27 Sinhalese villagers;
30/11/1984:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ LTTE attached dollar Farm and Kent Farm killing 62 and wounding others;
What is the current plight of the survivors ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and their kith& kinƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of these atrocities committed by LTTE ? Have they been looked after the Government or else completely forgotten?
There were so many villages wiped off by Tamil Tigers leaving no trace of the inhabitants. The Government should identify those Sinhala ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ villages and resettle with Sinhale farmers even from outside the periphery by giving them land and money to settle in same way they are doing to the Tamil IDPs. The vellala Christian elites likeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ T Sumanthiran who speak vociferously of the Tamil resettlement cannot talk against such move as those villages were habitations of Sinhale villagers before the Tamil Tigers completely cleansed them off.
ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s a pity that no count has been taken of the innocent poor villagers including women, children, infants and unborn babies in once LTTE threatened villages who lost their lives, their dwellings, their means of living. ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s high time that these forgotten people are compensated with means of living,, resettlement etc as itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s being done to the Tamil IDPS.
OTHER FORGOTTEN PEOPLE
There are many other forgotten people among many ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ whose survivors, their kith and kinƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ need to be compensated. To name a few are, 34 monks brutally killed by LTTE, 645 Policemen who were summarily executed, by LTTE, 120 devotees killed in Anuradhapura etc,.. Unfortunately, so far no one has been charged for this heinous crimes.
It is still not late to take an account of all these forgotten villagers from the provincial borders on NCP and EP to do something substantial to compensate their losses. If the Govt has already taken steps like the Resettlement of the IDPs with Rs 1 Million for each Tamil family, the public would wish to know about it.
Malin Abeyatunge
24/6/2012
June 24th, 2012 at 2:12 pm
True.
Patriots suffer while parasites enjoy.
The good news is UPFA will NEVER get votes from Tamils. It is money wasted.
June 24th, 2012 at 7:27 pm
People in many remote districts including Hambantota, Anuradhapura, Pollonnaruwa, Matara, Puttlam feel they have been let down. Hambantota development has benefitted many but it cannot uplift everyone.
That is why government goons killed 2 JVP activists (one woman and one child) to stop Sinhalese rising up against deformed peace which only benefits Tamils. Northern Province development and economic activity only benefits Tamils. Most development activity within Colombo City limits also benefit Tamils than anyone else. Sinhalese have been let down.
There will be many more attacks like the Katuwana attack to keep people silent as people start to move away from the government due to poverty, very high inflation, disparities in economic benefits, violence against Sinhalese, suppression of freedoms and lack of control in spending.
When the Rajapakshas are ousted, almost all of them will face war crimes charges initiated by Sri Lanka itself under the leadership of UNP, TNA, JVP and Fonseka supported by UNHRC, USA, India, NGOs. So it makes it essential to stay in power. But silencing people to stay in power won’t work in the long run. Serve the voters who voted for the ruling party if the government wants to stay in power. If they can’t bring most benefits of the peace dividend to Sinhalese and Muslims who voted for the government and the President, the ruling family must get ready to face war crimes trials. When it comes to majority voters, they are very unforgiving and ruthless.
Examples include 1956, 1970, 1977, 2004 and 2010. 2013, 2014 or 2015 will be much worse for the losing party.
How quickly the Rajapakshas lost the common touch.
June 24th, 2012 at 8:14 pm
Malin has raised a very pertinent subject. The villagers in the so-called border villages are true heroic sons of Sri Lanka who are conveniently forgotten by the politicos. They are going around doing their best to get international attentions and kudos by pandering to the unfaithful traitorous racist tamils and by doing so try to save their skins for another day in office. The true heroes who defended Mother Lanka day and night along the strategic line of defense for decades are being tragically left along to defend for themselves. These villages were called Border Villages by the traitorous Colombians. – In their minds that was the end of Sri Lanka and where Ealam began.
We go around beautifying Colombo all for whose benefit? Colombo today is being encroached and bought over by the Racist Tamils and Islamists with no allegiance to Sri Lanka. Street by street invasion is going on with little thought by the politicos of the demographics of Colombo. Sinhalese are slowly leaving Colombo leaving the beautified and developed Colombo to the Christian, Islamist and Racist Tamils. Even at an ordinary Cricket match you can see them cheering for the foreigner! However much we pander to the Colombians – come the foreigners tomorrow, this scum will be on their side with little thought to Sri Lanka.
Throughout history it is the ordinary villager who defended Mother Lanka. Even at the last Sri Lanka war against racist Tamils it was they who gave their sons and daughters to the war effort. Sri Lanka must invest in the patriots and not on traitors with no allegiance for Sri Lanka. Politicians have enjoyed the limelight riding on the back of these unsung heroes. Having got the crown it is not right to forget who put them on the throne. It is time that they gave due attention and develop these strategic villages.
Future of Sri Lanka depends on self reliance and optimum self sufficiency on our own time tested and dependable resources – human and the natural bounty of our Motherland. So it is time that the President turn his undivided attention to these sons and daughters of Mother Lanka who worked the fields by day, rested in the forest by night and defended Sri Lanka 24/7.
All of Sri Lanka owes these humble villagers a debt of gratitude, at least for the freedom now they so selfishly take for granted.
June 24th, 2012 at 8:15 pm
Dilrook:
I think only Gota did and is doing some work. I don’t know others.
What is happening is unprecedented. They just accuse previous govts saying they also did the same thing and avoid the present responsibility.
June 24th, 2012 at 8:26 pm
AnuD,
How about Ponseka ? No he can’t he is so poor.
June 24th, 2012 at 9:05 pm
why wait for only for the government to act? Some monks had taken their own initiatives and are helping reconstruction works so what is stopping more sinhalas banding together to do some constructive works instead of always trying to look for some fault or another!
One reason why China developed very rapidly was mainly due to the input from the overseas chinese, so why cannot the sinhalas do the same to develop our Mother Land?
June 24th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
Herman,
Sure. I’m sure most patriots have contributed to their good work.
But still the money is VERY limited compared to UTTER WASTE IN,
1. 1,000,000 rupees per Tamil IDP family.
2. IIFA Indian film festival waste. Indian actors were entertained in IDP camps.
3. expensive weddings with jewellery for LTTE terrorists
4. beautifying Colombo
5. trying to win the Commonwealth games to waste more money.
6. commonwealth summit.
Instead of these wastages govt should help our “border” villages. They withstood MOST brutal terrorists and didn’t run away.
June 24th, 2012 at 9:55 pm
Anyway the GOOD NEWS is IDP families will NEVER vote for UPFA and Colombo will not vote for UPFA in larger numbers than UNP or any other dirt.
Putting money to places of NO RETURN is so damn foolish when the deserving suffer lack of it.
At this rate it is better for Sinhalese to become Tamils so that they can get all the UNDUE favours and don’t have to pay for them!!
How lucky to be bron a Tamil in SL after 2009 and how unlucky to be born a Sinhalese in SL after 2009!
No wonder they want part of this paradise for them EXCLUSIVELY.
June 25th, 2012 at 12:53 am
Today, one Tamil MP had said, they are not happy with the development and they want rights.
What rights Sinhala People have in their own country. If we talk it is racism, extremism, Chauvanism, Sinhala – Buddhism, Mahavamsa – mind set….
June 25th, 2012 at 12:55 am
Remember, if properly handled, even allowing to TNA to play tribal politics and developing ” tamil areas” better than the south also has positive effects.
June 25th, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Our many thanks to Malin for highlighting some of the more unpalatable realities, (usually swept under the carpet), in Sri Lanka, and for bringing to bear the injustices done to the very people of Lanka who mainly defend the land and its people, the Sinhala group. It is the Sinhala Village group who mainly die for the country as they feel most loyalty to Lanka as they have no place else to go to, unlike most minorities who establish strong links with other countries.
Earlier I had no idea of the number of Sinhala villagers massacred by the ltte. The word “ethnic cleansing” is a misnomer, it ought to be called “ethnic massacres”. The number of Sinhala villagers massacred by the ltte number 579 spanning a period of around 10 yrs. (1984 to 1995). We have to hold responsible GoSLs of that time for these “ethnic massacres”. Such “ethnic massacres” have stopped, thanks to the present GoSL & our armed forces.
By the way, since some Lankan writers use the word ‘colonisation’ quite liberally, why is Tamil & Muslim ‘colonisation’ of Colombo and other cities never called ‘colonisation’ ? People write in to talk of Sinhala ‘colonisation’ of the N & E, but when Tamil and Muslim people come to the south and other areas and ‘colonise’, it is never referred to as ‘colonisation’ ! Curious. Also, a people cannot colonise their own country. According to the definition of the word ‘colonise’, it is essential to go to a foreign country to ‘colonise’. A people can ‘settle down’ in other parts of their country. It is only the Tamil and other illegal migrants who ‘colonise’ Sri Lanka.
How do we counter future injustices to the Sinhala Village people, with sections of the Sinhala villagers appearing to be a sort of downtrodden minority in their own country after the world got Globalised and Tamils abroad used this after 1983 to gain political points in Sri Lanka.
We suggest that a small research centre called the Sinhala Research Centre be established to study such problems affecting the Sinhala people and advice the GoSL now and in the future with in depth studies done on the needs of the Sinhala village especially, and see to it that GoSLs do what is needed to support the Sinhala villager. This problem is beyond mere politics. It is a problem affecting the ‘backbone’ of the country itself and must be addressed without delay. The aim is not to have any more insurrections etc. from any ethnic group.
It is true to say that the present GoSL has brought in rural electrification to many villages and done many things re eduction etc. to upgrade the villages all over Lanka, which acts are highly appreciated by these villagers. Also to bring law and order to the North & East.
Here are a few other suggestions :
* Security must be maintained with Army & other armed forces units all over the island, on a forever basis, especially re illegal migration. All illegal migrants ought to be deported as soon as possible. Question: Are all so called IDPs true born Lankans ?
* Study of Science and Technology introduced to village schools on a larger scale, as well as made available to Buddhist monks.
* Study the village needs and invite Sinhala groups abroad to participate on an ongoing manner in village development (no religious edifices or research groups, please). Such groups should work under government supervision. Such groups should gain recognition and annual appreciation awards (certificates) given by GoSL. But pelase bear in mind that this particular period in time is a difficult one for those Sinhala groups abroad too.
* The “Thug Inc.” element has to be removed from the country.
June 25th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
We read in the news that injustices that took place to the Upcountry Sinhala people under British rule are being addressed and land is being restored to those families by the present GoSL.