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The revered United States broadsheet, The Wall Street Journal has published two reader responses today, 16th of January, 2008 - ‘Two Views of the Recent Violence In Sri Lanka’ – on its recent editorial ‘Rajapakse’s Big Bet’,

Full Text of letter by Roy Ratnavel as follows:

January 16, 2008

Regarding your editorial on Sri Lanka’s war against the Tamil Tigers (”Rajapakse’s Big Bet,” Review & Outlook, Jan. 11): Almost three decades ago, the Sri Lankan army occupied Tamil heartlands with logistic support from the government, and the tacit support of other Western nations. Since then, under the watchful and complicit eyes of the international community, millions of Tamils have been displaced; many thousands have been killed.

Sri Lanka is one of the poorest countries on our planet. It is also the largest recipient of foreign aid in Southeast Asia. I worry that some of this “aid” money may have been spent on buying arms and subjecting the Tamil people to this humanitarian misery.

Without the financial support of donor countries, Sri Lanka would not be able to survive a single day in Tamil heartlands, let alone three decades. The international community must share the blame with Sri Lanka for the atrocities committed against the Tamil people. To kill the innocent in a vast scale is horrifying; but the hubris of the international community to deny the horror is simply inhuman.

Sri Lanka and its Western supporters may beat their “democratic drums” around the world claiming that they are working for democracy and good governance. If Sri Lanka wins, it will be a stupendous victory for state terrorism — not for democracy.

Roy Ratnavel
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada
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Western media continuously use the phrase “address discrimination against minority Tamils,” which has no basis in fact: Click for letter by Ira de Silva
Colombo, Sri Lanka