A response by Harin Chandradeva

http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/06/sinhalese_in_south_celebrate_a.html
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
According to the author, the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Sinhalese from the SouthƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ are celebrating, while the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Tamils from the NorthƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ are mourning. Is it just the Sinhalese from the South who are celebrating? What of the Tamils and Muslims from the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”SouthƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ who suffered equally when LTTE bombs went off? What of the Sinhalese and Muslims from the border villages who had to live in constant fear of attack by sadistic terrorists? Have we forgotten the Katankudy massacre of Muslims while they were praying in a mosque, and the hacking of pregnant women and crushing the skulls of infants in the Sinhala border villages, and other massacres in Kebithigollewa, Gonagala, Karalawa, Aranthalawa and Habarana, just to name a few. Should not the family and friends of those left behind celebrate the demise of the LTTE? Are they being ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”triumphalistƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ by celebrating the demise of the LTTE? Finally, donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t the Tamils in the North (who are no doubt mourning the death of family and friends and the destruction caused by the war), have reasons to appreciate (if not celebrate) the demise of an organisation which abducted their children on their way to school to put them in the front lines (while the children of the LTTE leadership wend abroad to study on Sri Lankan passports!), taxed from those who could barely afford to make a living, and tortured or killed any dissenters? I would add to this that even segments of the diaspora, who are no longer blackmailed to contribute to the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”causeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (by threatening their relatives in SL) must be breathing a sigh of relief.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I am all for learning from the past, but as Dr Dayan Jayathileke has pointed out, the Nandikadal offensive was a just war (brutal obviously, as all wars are) fought by the legitimate armed forces of a sovereign state against an unappeasable terrorist organisation (many including Rajiv Ghandi, Premedasa and Chandrika tried to talk peace but the LTTE responded by sending in the Black Tigers) which terrorised the whole nation. Hopefully we want have to go through something like that again, however, if we can learn how to do things differently to minimise the suffering of all concerned, whilst still achieving the desired result (the eradication of a terrorist organisation), I am sure every Sri Lankan (including the Security Forces) would be in favour. If May 19 is not a day for celebration, I donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t know what is. July 23 on the other hand is truly a day of shame for all Sri Lankans. What happened that day when Sinhalese mobs insulted, wounded and killed Tamils, their fellow Sri Lankans should be a day of mourning (and of appreciation for the non-Tamil Sri Lankans who risked their lives, as more should have done, to protect their Tamil brethren) for the whole nation. The fact that there were no more July 19ths since 1983 despite commission of callous terrorist acts by the LTTE (there was no ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”backlashƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ by the supposedly extremist Sinhalese Buddhists despite the repeated LTTE massacre of priests and the bombing of the sacred Sri Dalada Maligawa) is a credit to the nation.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I agree with the author that psychologists, psychiatrists and anyone else who can help the IDPs and others who suffered should be encouraged and assisted by the Government to do so. ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s the least we can do for those who suffered. However, we must ensure that they do infact work for the betterment of the lives of those needing help, and not to become ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”rich and famousƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ on the back of the real suffering of our fellow Sri Lankans. We are familiar with the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”humanitarian workƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ done by local and foreign NGOs who have nothing to show for what they have done for the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ other than their own heavy pockets. I hope that any medical and other professionals who go to the Northeast to help those living there are better equipped professionally, as well as morally and ethically, than some of the pseudo-journalists and activist who we have heard from recently. Having said that however, I donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t hear anyone advocating for similar assistance and professional help for those outside the North, including traumatised people in the border villages and Sinhalese and Muslim IDPs still languishing in IDP camps. ArenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t they worthy of assistance? Obviously their stories arenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t newsworthy.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ So Shanie,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ its not just the Sinhalese from the South who are (or should be) celebrating, itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s the majority of the Sri Lankan nation, many of whom are living without bombs going off, and their children being abducted for the first time in their lives. Having said that, we should all think of, and pay our respects to the innocent civilians who undoubtedly died during the war- hopefully the price paid in blood, swear and tears will be a reminder for future generations of the sacrifices made to end the war. Celebrating the demise of the LTTE and mourning the death of victims are not mutually exclusive. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚