Shenali D Waduge

 LTTE is a banned terrorist entity not just in Sri Lanka but in 32 nations as well. It remains banned despite its leader and key commanders eliminated. Since 2009 attempts have been made to commemorate dead terrorists in an obvious bid to keep the money-generating Eelam project alive. Mourning the dead – for Tamils is to gain refugee status to foreign climes, to LTTE diaspora it is a means to elevate luxury living styles by pocketing some of the funds collected, for NGOs/INGOs it is sustenance of their jobs, for the Church it has provided opportunities to harvest souls, for foreign governments it has enabled political and economic influence over Sri Lanka. None of them even know who they are mourning but a mother does and a mother whose child is her child irrespective of being a terrorist does not need a public display to mourn her child. Let’s us all be clear about this and stop the theatrics once and for all.

When there are uncountable number of conflicts prevailing globally and terrorism sees no likely end, Sri Lanka has every right to celebrate the Victory over the world’s most brutal terrorist outfit that had its own air and sea capabilities and one which lasted 3 decades.

The mothers who lost their children every day, every month and every year for 3 decades because LTTE chose to send suicide bombers, child soldiers, place bombs on passenger transport, along the roadside, inside offices, trains mourn their dead children every day privately. They do so generally on the day that their child’s life was robbed by LTTE. Also mourning the dead are close to 30,000 military personnel and 5000 more are still missing and none of LTTE’s supporters seem to be telling where these missing soldiers are nor are the international human rights champions bothered to raise a voice for them.

Only a mother has a right to mourn a child – even if he/she is a LTTE cadre. But does she need to have a public mourning? She would naturally want to mourn her child inside her home and privately. No she would not and why would others insist? Does she need NGOs / media / foreign diplomats to add value to her mourning? None of these LTTE cadres are their children (not even illegitimate!) This is a question posed to the Tamil diaspora, the TNA and the Northern Provincial Council & its Chief Minister. Why would they wish to make a public display unless it is with ulterior motives?

All that a mother mourning her LTTE child needs are some flowers to place before a picture of her child and some private time to utter a silent prayer. It is a private moment between a mother and her dead child.

Elsewhere Nazi’s are still being hounded and imprisoned even people above 80s with no remorse for their age. LTTE remains banned in Sri Lanka, entities that have had direct/indirect links to LTTE over the years cannot emerge post-LTTE defeat to push agendas completely ignoring their guilt.

What needs to be also said is that the Sri Lanka Police had banned commemoration of LTTE which was openly flouted by the NPC and its Chief Minister going to the extent of sending invites for the event where the Eelam flag was seen raised and the Eelam map part of the commemoration. These depict nothing of honouring the laws under which the NPC is bound by and stern action must be taken by the Government and the law enforcement against this single act. In any other country the Provincial Council would have been annulled. TNA in particular need to be investigate for links with LTTE having been formed by LTTE in 2001. NPC need to be also pulled up to ignoring state circulars and court orders. Flouting laws shows that TNA NPC have any regard for the law applicable to the entire country and it makes a joke of one-sided reconciliation bids which is simply to advance everyone’s agenda except for the Sinhalese majority.

Reiterated again is only a mother has a right to mourn her dead child even if he/she is a terrorist but she does not need to make a spectacle out of that mourning which she would prefer to do in private and without any assistance from the vultures attempting to use any excuse to gain cheap publicity for themselves.

Shenali D Waduge