{"id":55237,"date":"2016-06-02T15:35:02","date_gmt":"2016-06-02T22:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=55237"},"modified":"2016-06-02T15:35:02","modified_gmt":"2016-06-02T22:35:02","slug":"sinhala-triumphalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2016\/06\/02\/sinhala-triumphalism\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018SINHALA TRIUMPHALISM\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The Government of Sri Lanka defeated the LTTE in Eelam war IV on 18th May 2009.\u00a0 There was a spontaneous outpouring of joy\u00a0 at the crushing defeat of the \u2018invincible army\u2019. People showed their joy island wide. The entire island erupted in jubilation. \u00a0On 22nd May an estimated 150,000 people converged on Colombo for a mass celebration. They came from all parts of the country, including remote villages. Senior citizens, toddlers and\u00a0\u00a0 disabled persons took part in the celebrations.<\/p>\n

President Rajapakse held a banquet for the officers of the armed forces. Journalists who had reported on the war were felicitated by the Thunhela National Movement. There was all night pirit at Sri Lanka embassy in Moscow, to invoke blessings on President, government, citizens and the war heroes. Monks were conducted to the venue in a colorful perahera.<\/p>\n

The victory celebrations had started well before the war ended in May 2009.\u00a0 The public watched the war closely on the website run by the Defence ministry. When Kilinochchi, the headquarters of the LTTE fell on 2nd January, the website received 13 million hits within a few hours, the highest number of hits ever received by a locally hosted website. The public knew the importance of Kilinochchi.There were firecrackers throughout the country. The loudest crackers I heard at my home were for Kilinochchi.<\/p>\n

Three days later, citizens across the country hoisted national flags and observed two minutes silence for the fallen heroes of Kilinochchi. A large crowd including Buddhist monks, gathered as the entrance to Parliament to praise the security forces for taking Kilinochchi. In Akuressa town, they celebrated with kiribath made of 500 kilos of rice.<\/p>\n

In Nuwara Eliya they gathered in the town, chanted slogans praising the soldiers, let off a 150 meter line of fire crackers and listened to the Maha sangha at the Post Office. In all state schools pupils observed two minutes silence.\u00a0 In Kandy, teachers and pupils went in procession along Dalada veediya and gathered before the Dalada Maligawa. Academic and non academic staff of University of Peradeniya observed two minutes silence. Unichela garment factory workers at Pannala\u00a0\u00a0 sang the national anthem and observed two minutes silence for Kilinochchi.<\/p>\n

Durand Appuhamy observed that the victory celebrations in May 2009 were spontaneous.\u00a0 The sense of liberation and gratitude was so overwhelming that it needed spontaneous celebrations, with dansalas and kiribath at street parties, he said. It was an instinctive appreciation of the work of the armed forces. Why should one restrain such joy?\u00a0 Why cannot people give vent to their emotions in a positive way? he asked.\u00a0 N.A. de S Amaratunga said Sinhala nationalism has a history of self preservation rather than aggression.\u00a0 It is this sense of nationalism that is on display in the celebrations, \u2018resisting successfully everything that Tami separatism could throw at it locally and internationally\u2019.<\/p>\n

Sinharaja Tammita Delgoda says one of the most strking things about Eelam War IV was the chorus of derision and condemnation in which the operation was conducted. No other fighting force had faced this kind of ridicule during a campaign. Bogollagama noted that the war was fought in an unhelpful and hostile background.\u00a0 The army was winning, but it was publicly ridiculed by a section of the political elite.\u00a0 But this did not deter the armed forces. They were determined to win.<\/p>\n

Certain sections of the media \u00a0supported Eelam. They said that LTTE could not be militarily defeated, the army could not hold liberated areas, and the \u2018international community\u2019 would not allow the government to defeat the LTTE. The media protested when INGOs, NGOs, and UN agencies were asked to leave LTTE held territory and alleged that the Sri Lanka Air Force had used cluster ammunition and had targeted civilians including schools. \u00a0\u2018It was a shock to all that the LTTE was defeated on its own territory,\u2019 said Shenali Waduge. The Eelam war was categorized as an unwinnable war. \u00a0It was always the Sri Lanka government that had to offer compromises, the LTTE got away with countless crimes.<\/p>\n

The victory celebrations \u00a0in 2009 and after were criticised as \u2018triumphalism\u2019. Kumar David titled his weekly essay \u2018Sinhala nationalism\u2019s triumphal moment.\u2019\u2019\u00a0 Sri Lanka was asked not to engage in triumphalism. Those opposing Tamil separatism pointed out that the Eelamists had also shown \u2018triumphalism\u2019 whenever the LTTE won. Eelamists were upset about Sinhala \u2018triumphalism\u2019 because the LTTE lost. \u00a0\u2018In their despair, they are arbitrarily pinning on the Sinhalese a non-existent \u2018triumphalism\u2019. \u2018Victory Day\u2019 celebrations were also \u00a0opposed by those who supported the LTTE. They questioned the annual Victory Parade. Anti-Eelamists replied that \u00a0Russia \u00a0annually celebrates its victory over Nazi Germany. No one speaks of triumphalism.\u00a0 World War II \u00a0Victory Day was\u00a0 still celebrated in Europe.<\/p>\n

Tamil National Alliance wanted the Tamils to mourn Victory day, May 17, 2010 as a day of catastrophe.\u201d \u00a0Dayan Jayatilleke said that victory day was just that, it was \u2018victory day\u2019. It cannot be also a day of mourning. It commemorates a historically significant triumph over a cruel foe. The heroism the armed forces and our citizens who did not capitulate to terrorism and separatism. It celebrates the spirit of resistance of our nation. It salutes the memory of the service of the soldier sailors and airmen and their families. It was a glorious day of liberation and reunification of a divide state. It must stand alone.<\/p>\n

Nalin de Silva observed that Eelam War IV was undoubtedly a great victory. The government of a small country had defeated a terrorist outfit supported and sponsored by the western powers. Col. C.R.Hariharan said LTTE has been outwitted, out-gunned and out-strategized by the Sri Lanka army, this must be accepted. Dayan Jayatilleke said that by defeating the Tigers so completely and utterly, Sri Lanka and its armed forces made a contribution to regional and global security. \u2018We have got precious little thanks for making the region a little safer\u2019 he added. Gotabhaya Rajapakse suggested that other countries facing terrorism should follow Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka had shown that terrorism could be defeated.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0 victory\u00a0 against Eelam \u00a0\u00a0was due also to\u00a0 the\u00a0 patriotism of the general public. Two minor employees of Sri Lanka Ports Authority detected two frogmen carrying explosives near the Jaya container Terminal. They alerted authorities and prevented an attack on Colombo Port in 1996. .<\/p>\n

Christians, Moors, Malays and Tamils\u00a0 played a very valuable role in the victory. Roshan Goonetilleke, Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force was a staunch Christian. Rear Admiral A.H.M. Razeek, Northern Naval area commander\u00a0 was appointed\u00a0 Chief of staff in 2000. The Pabbatha operation of 1990 was under Captain Razeek. He had recommended the Pabbatha crew for a very high gallantry medal. The commanding officer of Deep Penetration intelligence Unit at Batticaloa was Captain S. H. Nilam supported by Major T. N. Muthalif<\/a>. Helicopter squadron no 4 included Faizal Cazeer.<\/p>\n

Parama Veera Vibhushana, the highest gallantry award was awarded posthumously to Colonel Fazly Laphir. He has been the commanding officer of the first Special Forces regiment and played a major role in developing this regiment from the original Combat Tracker team. He was killed in 1996 during a rescue mission he led when Mullaitivu army base was attacked by LTTE. An auditorium at Diyatalawa Military Academy was named after Colonel Fazly Laphir.<\/p>\n

Lt.\u00a0\u00a0 Travis Sinniah, who is Tamil \u00a0and Christian, was instrumental in the detection of the LTTE boat Kadalpura in 1987. It had 18 LTTE leaders on board and was proceeding towards India. Trawler was fitted with radar, modern equipment and a range of weapons. When challenged they got ready to shoot. They were not going to stop.\u00a0 Sinniah and leading seaman Prematilleke leaped into the boat, commandeered it and brought it back to Kankesanturai.<\/p>\n

Travis Sinniah is described as one of the finest officers produced by the Sri Lanka Navy. He led the naval task force responsible for hunting down and blasting all but one of the seven LTTE arms carrying ships, an achievement which was crucial to the country\u2019s victory. Sinniah retired after the war, with the rank of Commodore. \u00a0Sinniah\u2019s valuable contribution is now in the public domain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS \u00a0The Government of Sri Lanka defeated the LTTE in Eelam war IV on 18th May 2009.\u00a0 There was a spontaneous outpouring of joy\u00a0 at the crushing defeat of the \u2018invincible army\u2019. People showed their joy island wide. The entire island erupted in jubilation. \u00a0On 22nd May an estimated 150,000 people converged on Colombo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55237\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}