<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mario Arulthas writes\nto Al Jazeera on 8 Dec 2019 titled Trouble brews in post-election Sri Lanka\u201d.<\/em><\/strong>\nWhat are the concerns he raises:<\/p>\n\n\n\n He refers to Gotabaya\nRajapakse as a \u2018hardliner\u2019<\/em> exactly\nwhat does he imply by this? <\/p>\n\n\n\n He claims \u2018prospects for justice & reconciliation\nbetween the different communities on the island lie in tatters\u201d<\/em> \u2013 can he\ngive examples of justice & reconciliation that were brought to success by\nprevious government?<\/p>\n\n\n\n He says \u2018victory of Gota, sent shockwaves across the\nTamil-dominated northeast\u2019<\/em> \u2013 can he say how many are in shock and what is\nthe type of shock they are suffering weeks after the victory? Are any of them\nhospitalized by the shock, how many\nthousands<\/strong> have \u2018gone missing\u2019 \u2018how many thousands\u2019 have been abducted since\n16 Nov 2019? <\/p>\n\n\n\n What are the \u2018war\ncrimes\u2019 he is allegedly accused of \u2013 does Mario have direct proof &\nevidence or is it all hearsay from 3rd<\/sup> party and 4th<\/sup>\nparty sources? <\/p>\n\n\n\n On what grounds did\nSajith Premadasa become the \u2018lesser evil\u2019<\/em>\nis it because he promised to deliver the 13 demands made by TNA, didn\u2019t TNA ask\nthe same Tamil people to vote for the former President Sirisena, didn\u2019t TNA\nalso ask the Tamil people to vote for Sarath Fonseka the army commander as\nPresident in 2010, months after the same Tamils called him a war criminal! The\ntrend in voting was nothing that anyone was surprised over. Its just that the\nTamil leadership ensures Sinhalese do not mix with the Tamils for greater\nharmony and prefer to feed Tamils with lies. This has to now change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh Mario, you seem to\nhave got your wires crossed, Sajith was a key government minister in a\ngovernment that co-sponsored the UNHRC resolution and he didn\u2019t even object to\nLTTE getting compensation \u2013 so what crap about vowing to protect the military.\nWell, suggest you check whether he is actually a practicing Buddhist or has embraced\nanother religion too. Lots of politicians pretend to be Buddhists for votes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the Western\nnations can give Christian prominence and Islamic majority nations can give\npremier place to Islam, there is absolutely no harm in acknowledging the\nhistorical role of Buddhism that built this island civilization on the strength\nof the dasa raja dhamma practiced by all Sinhale kings even the invader kings\nthat ruled Sri Lanka. By the way invader Elara was no Tamil king. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Its certainly\ninteresting to see Mario refer to the Swiss affair. Very soon the Swiss embassy\nwill be exposed for its part in a Hollywood drama. Much of the gossip\ninternational media outlets are spreading will soon be nullified by factual\ndetails when investigations conclude. What is worrying is an embassy keeping a\nSri Lankan national & her family inside the Swiss embassy since 25th<\/sup>\nNov and only bringing her to give a statement before a court order lapsed\nwhereby she would have been declared guilty of contempt of court for not\narriving to make a statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Any journalist in any\npart of the world have self-censorship, while all journalists can write\nsparingly against other countries, try writing damaging pieces against the\ncountry they are domiciled\/working in and certainly action will be taken by the\nauthorities. How many US journalists write about the US or NATO crimes or\ndisclose secrets happening inside the US State Dept? Every government has a\nright to protect its national security interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for hate speech \u2013 these\nnew vocabularies and terms are simply meant to silence only one party with\npolitical correctness\u2026 how about doing a content analysis and seeing the scores\nof lies and fake news based on which many of the LTTE fronts are becoming\nultra-rich, opening charities to enable them to not pay taxes and accrue more\nbenefits and forcing Tamils overseas to help raise \u2018funds\u2019 the Human Rights\nWatch report on extortions by LTTE diaspora remain valid still. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Can Mario give any evidence\nof Tamils being attacked after the elections without simply brandishing his pen?\nWas it like Occupy Wall Street protestors getting attacked?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you Mario, tried\nto remove Christian domination from Western countries or tried to erase\nIslamic\/Muslim dominance from OIC member states! Why not you take this same\nargument to these countries and change them first. In the meanwhile, produce\nevidence what the minorities do not enjoy because they are a minority what only\nthe majority enjoys because they are the majority without simply parroting what\nothers say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Tamil self-rule culminated in the defeat of the LTTE\u2019<\/em> very interesting \u2013 so Mario means to say all Tamils\nwere with the LTTE, then how about explaining why LTTE killed so many Tamils\nand we can give a very long list for Mario to explain. Why did LTTE shoot at\nfleeing Tamil civilians and kill them, there are scores of Tamils giving witness\naccounts of being shot at. Why did even the UNSG appeal to the LTTE to allow\nTamil civilians to come to government controlled areas. Why not look through\nall of the statements made by various international bodies appealing to the\nLTTE to release Tamil civilians. So you Mario, are implying that our soldiers didn\u2019t\nsave 294,000 Tamils and that they voluntarily were with the LTTE! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mario, you are wrong\nagain. The UN never said anything about 70,000 deaths. UN report in Colombo gave\njust over 7000 deaths which tallies with the Government death statistics. Well\nactivists can give any number but the least they can do is match the number\nwith some names or NIC or even birth certificates. Anyone can say x number died\nbut without even a scrap of evidence that is a very lame argument. Demanding\njustice for dead without details is like that Swiss woman the embassy claimed\nwas abducted in a white vehicle but authorities have proved the details given didn\u2019t\nmatch at all with the evidence and every minute detail was given to the Swiss\nleaving them obviously speechless and embarrassed and now desperately trying to\nrecover from their stunt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mario and all those\nliving overseas need not worry about Tamils in Sri Lanka, the government will\nset up not only a structured development for all nationals but will address\ntheir issues and NOT the issues of Tamils living overseas or Tamils holding\nforeign passports. Tamil Sri Lankan problems will be addressed together with\nthe problems of all other communities. The GOSL will NOT solve the problems of\nLTTE Diaspora though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, you are wrong,\nTamils did not turn out in droves to commemorate LTTE dead which is what this\nMaaveerar Naal is all about \u2013 how about commemorating the Tamils killed by LTTE\ntoo, who is going to mourn for people like Alfred Duraiappah, Sam Tambimuttu\n& wife, scores of Tamil militant leaders killed by LTTE including Mahaththaya\u2026.\nWho is going to mourn for them, Mario? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Exactly what did LTTE\ngive the Tamil people? LTTE made $300m annual profits according to Janes\nIntelligence report \u2013 did LTTE build a school, train station, roads, a kovil, a\nlibrary, a sports complex for Tamils\u2026 what did LTTE give the Tamil people? Thousands\nof Tamils were given electricity for the first time by GOSL after 2009. They\nwere living using a kerosene lamp under LTTE rule. Some of these Tamils rescued\nby the Sri Lankan troops did not even know how to brush their teeth or use a\ntoilet when they were put in the refugee camps. They were this backward because\nof the LTTE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The President of Sri\nLanka must address the needs of all the citizens not only one community. As you\ncan see a new wave of hope is taking place and negative reporting or media\nreleases is unlikely to change their enthusiasm \u2013 streets are getting cleaned,\nwalls are getting painted with all citizens joining in, trees are being\nplanted, our sports stars are winning gold, youth are taking to farming, the\ninventors are busy thinking of ways to help \u2013 the whole country is looking\nforward, we don\u2019t need negative vibes or energies trying to disturb or disrupt\nthe people. Let them be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As for devolution – 36\nof the 37 subjects have been devolved since 1987 and what is the big deal you\nsee in 13a – we have been functioning\npretty well without provincial councils for 2 \u00bd years now and it is very clear\nto all we don\u2019t need the 13a. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t need political changes \u2013 we need changes\nbeneficial to the people. <\/strong>This is\nwhere media have erred in continuously drumming political solutions \u2013 we need only people\u2019s solutions for people\u2019s\nproblems. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So happy that Al\nJazeera has as disclaimer \u2018views expressed in this article are the authors own\nand do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera\u2019s editorial stance\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mario is an Advocacy\nDirector of Washington-based PEARL (People for Equality and Relief in Lanka)\nThe aim and objective of PEARL will help understand the objective behind his\narticle<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our mission<\/em><\/strong> is to advocate for<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n justice and\nself-determination for the Tamil people<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n in the North-East of\nSri Lanka.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our vision is for a\nTamil nation<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n that is inclusive,\nfree from oppression and able to determine its own future.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For over a decade, PEARL\nhas been advocating for<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n human rights in Sri\nLanka with U.S. policy makers,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n the United\nNations, European Union and<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n other governmental\nand non-governmental organizations.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We conduct innovative research and analysis, centred in the experiences of Tamil victim-survivors, to report on key issues affecting the North-East of the island.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shenali D Waduge<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mario Arulthas writes to Al Jazeera on 8 Dec 2019 titled Trouble brews in post-election Sri Lanka\u201d. What are the concerns he raises: He refers to Gotabaya Rajapakse as a \u2018hardliner\u2019 exactly what does he imply by this? He claims \u2018prospects for justice & reconciliation between the different communities on the island lie in tatters\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1498,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96167","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\/1498"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96167\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}