tamilweek.com

by T. Earakan

The Sri Lanka government is open in accusing its critics in the press of treason and terrorism, points out Seth Mydans of the New York Times in an article on Apr 4, 2009.

That is, if any independent journalist or humanitarian activist speaks of Tamils rights being violated by the Government of Sri Lanka under various guises, the humanitarian hearts are demonized by state propaganda machinery.

Appeasers of the Sri Lankan racism too waste no time in ratcheting up a war of words and spew it up via the Sinhala government sympathetic organs around the world.

The Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi and US-based Sri Lankan writer and ‘social activist’, Ruvani Freeman aka Ru Freeman has written discrediting Arundhati Roy’s recent syndicated article on the plight of the Tamil war refugees in Sri Lanka.

Here are reader responses to some of the charges the New Delhi Sri Lankan High Commission laid out in a Times of India article to say that Ms. Arundhati Roy is making “false assertions“:

GoSL: “Today, around 54% of Sri Lanka’s Tamil community live in areas other than the North and East and in locations where the majority population is Sinhalese. This intermingling of the communities symbolises the pluralism inherent in Sri Lankan society,”

Response: If the Government bombs the Tamil homelands and deprives them of economic wellbeing (fishing is banned, crops are burned), where do you expect the Tamil people to go. Live there and get killed!

A million of them escaped the island as refugees to India and elsewhere. Those unable to go abroad chose escape to Colombo, where they are safer.

“Safer” – This is relative – many who live in Colombo are subject to white-van abductions and disappearances.

Many Tamils are uprooted from their livelihoods and into Colombo as the civil condition in the Sri Lanka North-East is not suitable for study, business etc. Tamils in Colombo say, “ask any Tamil in Colombo (of course not in front of the Sri Lankan army or police), they would always love to leave the place and live in their home land. Better civil conditions in Colombo are, is that one will not get their homes bombed, and will not see kith and kin dying in front of them, no sounds of Kfir jets and not have to hide in bunkers.

GoSL: “The LTTE by contrast has sought through the use of terror to carve out a mono ethnic state.”

Response: Not true. They are only seeking a Tamil majority state, where the Tamils can have a say. The Muslims and even the colonized Sinhalese can stay as minorities, with their rights protected by law – in words and spirit. It is the Sri Lankan government that is seeking a mono-ethnic state – one language, one religion.

GoSL: “They have consistently rejected the path of negotiation and the several attempts to evolve a political solution equitable to all communities on the island, including through the provisions for devolution”,

Response: Not true again. They even gave up at one time their claim to secession in favor of federalism. ‘Devolution’ is not the same as ‘Federalism’.

GoSL: “Tamil and Sinhala are equal official languages.”

Response: Not true. Read the Sri Lankan constitution and the thirteenth amendment.

GoSL: “Tamils have killed more people than the government” – “Tamils have killed more Tamils than the government”

Response: Not true. Sinhala websites have listed all killings attributed to LTTE. It doesn’t add up to 4,000. If the government’s own figure is 70,000 (real number is over 100,000) who killed the rest?

LTTE political head Nadesan-IBN interview via email:

The LTTE political chief has said it is inappropriate to use the word “trapped” to describe the present situation of Tamils in Vanni. He pointed out that Sri Lanka government is attempting to continue with the uprooting of Tamils from their own land, in an email interview with Indian TV IBN.

The source of strength and security for India’s southern flank is intertwined with the political stability and security of Eelam Tamils, political head of LTTE further said in the interview.

Full text of the interview:

CNN-IBN: How do you respond to Sri Lanka government’s claim that the LTTE is blocking a safe passage for civilians trapped in your areas?

Nadesan: First of all, it is not appropriate to use the word “trapped.” It is these people’s land, where they have been living for generations until the Sri Lankan government chased them out of their homes. They are not trapped; they are still struggling to get their life back in their land with dignity.

CNN-IBN: Where is Prabhakaran at the moment?

Nadesan: As you said, yes, there are rumours and speculations. But I can confirm that our leader is here with our people as always.

CNN-IBN: What do you think the LTTE can do to change India’s stand on the conflict?

Nadesan: We have neither ever committed any act against India’s interests nor have any intentions to do so. The source of strength and security for India’s southern flank is intertwined with the political stability and security of Eelam Tamils.

CNN-IBN: Would the LTTE chief be willing to meet Indian government officials and hold talks with them?

Nadesan: If the talks are without preconditions and towards the political aspirations of Eelam Tamils. India is the super power of this region; India is our friend. We always want India to get involved and be on our side.

CNN-IBN: Does the LTTE feel that politicians in Tamil Nadu are using the Eelam Tamil issue for domestic political gains?

Nadesan: It is obvious that all political parties have their differences of policies regarding domestic affairs; it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment on that. However, the Eelam Tamils sincerely appreciate the solidarity of all the people of Tamil Nadu. The strength of Eelam Tamils today is the support of the people of Tamil Nadu and the entire Tamil diaspora.

Nadesan declined to answer this question:

CNN-IBN: Does the LTTE feel that had it not been for the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, India would have supported the Eelam Tamil cause? Does the LTTE regret the Rajiv Gandhi assassination?

by W.G. Chandrapala

The media has revealed that the government has sought a US$ 1.9 billion loan from the IMF. Even though, the conditions set by the IMF for the grant of this loan have so far not been revealed by the Central Bank, I wish to make my personal views on this matter in the interest of the country and its people.

Earlier, the government raised a loan in the open market at a high rate of interest saying that it would not seek loans from the World Bank or other international lending organisations because of the unfavourable conditions set by them would directly affect the sovereignty of the country.

Now it has chosen to obtain this facility from the IMF to be utilised for the ‘development of the north and the east’ and other purposes like resolving the balance of payment issues affecting the country, or so the government says. Financial reports published in the newspapers say that our foreign reserves are enough for not more than five weeks.

Every government that came to power since independence obtained loans from the World Bank and other international financial institutions for the development of the country. But it is a well-known fact that successive governments used these funds for consumption purposes instead of using them to eradicate poverty in the country.

The international lending agencies were able to find out that the country has not reached the required level of development despite their granting subsidised loans for many years because all the funding made available had been used for consumption purposes and not for any development. They also realised that in instances where the funds had been made used of for development, the projects were lopsided and did not benefit all sections of the people.

Having set up various mechanisms to ensure that the funding was made use of for the purpose it was granted, the financial institutions learned to their dismay that the funding was being used for matters other than development and the main cause of this was the politicisation of public institutions. The financial mismanagement in the government also contributed to this evil.

The loans obtained by the governments have to be paid back not only by the present generation but also the generations yet unborn.

Recently, the government passed a new electricity reform bill in parliament, which leaves room for corruption, waste, and abuse of power. Most of the government institutions unlike in the past do not have a consistent policy. Ad hoc policies are drawn up by the ministers in charge of these institutions with an eye on how it could benefit them, instead of the institutions concerned.

Therefore, if ‘unfavourable’ conditions are set up by the lending agencies we cannot blame them, for we as a nation are responsible for this state of affairs. Naturally these lending agencies are concerned about the safety of their funds and hence the unfavourable conditions set by them.

I wish that the IMF grants this loan to Sri Lanka without any unfair conditions being imposed, because if used properly the funds would benefit the people of this country. But the government on its part has to be prudent and more transparent in its policies. The lethargy of the government — and especially the President in delaying the setting up of the Constitutional Council, and the road blocks set up by the constituent parties of the government to derail the Constitutional Council — and consequently the other independent commissions is a serious issue. [courtesy: the Sundayleader.lk]

[Appeared in 'Letters to the Editor,' ~ the Sunday Leader of March, 22, 2009]

More civilians have died in the military assault by Sri Lanka armed forces, than in Gaza yet the United Nations and the world media has shown very little attention to the plight of the suffering Tamil civilians.

Tamils say Sri Lanka is in brutal campaign to uproot the Tamil civilians under a guise of ‘war and terror’ and put them in internment camps.

Members of the Tamil community lament that only an increased awareness will bring an end to the suffering, and are seeking media attention to the plight of Tamil civilians. To increase the awareness they are continuing with vigils, rallies and writing letters to the editors in newspapers etc.

[Tamil Demonstration in Toronto - January 30, 2009-more pics by: TricotTreat]

One such letter that appeared in the Toronto Star by Ganes Selva of Toronto on March 7th is as follows:

We heard on a daily basis about the events in Gaza earlier this year. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for what’s been happening in Tamil areas of Sri Lanka, where 2,000 innocent people have lost their lives and hundreds of thousands more have lost their homes as the government seeks to end what it calls the terrorism of the Tamil Tiger rebels.

The government has declared a victory in its long-running battle with the Tigers, having captured what was once rebel-held territory. But at the same time, it has left many without food, water or sanitation. And it has kicked out the UN agencies, which might have helped to alleviate people’s suffering.

There are 250,000 Tamils living in Canada, many desperately worried for the relatives they have left behind. And while the civil war has cost more than 100,000 lives over its bloody path, the violence is far worse today. Since the New Year, 5,000 people have been injured. That’s more than the highest estimates for casualties in Gaza.

I hope our local media and everyone else will do their bit to ensure that a peaceful conclusion is reached to this bloodiest of wars. If we don’t act now, many more innocent people will lose their lives in the months ahead.

Vikalpa is a citizen journalism initiative located in Sri Lanka. It aims to build on the success of citizen journalism pioneered by the Centre for Policy Alternatives by providing content in Sinhala and Tamil that explore oftentimes hidden facets of democracy and governance in Sri Lanka.

Following videos are from Vikalpa on the July 1983 anti-Tamil riots:

A Colombo University student:

Leader of the Western People’s Front, Mano Ganesan MP:

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian R.Sampanthan MP:

Civil Society Activist Shanthi Sachchithanandan:

Parliamentarian T. Maheswaran and one of his bodyguards were killed and 12 people were injured when a gunman opened fire at the MP and other worshippers at the Ponnambalavaneswarar temple, a renowned shrine for Lord Shiva near the Colombo port.

The killing of a Tamil democratic leader T. Maheswaran comes amidst a world mourning the brutal killing of Benazir Bhutto, leader of Pakistan People’s Party and the best hope of restoring democracy and order in Pakistan. Military dictator Pervez Musharraf blamed others while there has been many news reports suspecting his role in the killing.

The government of President Mahinada Rajapakse posses a similar track record.

News agency Indo Asian News service (IANS) in a news report on Tuesday Jan 1st said, quoted an unnamed ‘leading military expert’ saying “the assassination had serious security implications because the temple was located outside the Colombo harbour, a high security area. If the Tamil Tigers have done it, it is cause of more worry because it shows they are prowling in the city in a high security zone,“ the expert told IANS.

[Her world crashed: heartbreaking picture of slain parliamentarian Thyagarajah Maheswaran’s distraught daughter Pavatharani (8), as she weeps for a father who will never return home]

The Sri Lankan Defence ministry quoted the police as saying that the gunman was injured when the MP’s guards fired back after coming under attack.

However its being suggested that Sri Lankan government authorities may coerce the suspect or the entire arrest may be a drama to pin blame on others.

The Government of Sri Lanka has not investigated the killings of other Tamil parliamentarians – Nadarjah Raviraj nor Joseph Pararajasingham. N. Raviraj was killed during daylight at a Colombo high security zone in Nov 2006 and Joseph Pararajasingham was killed during the Christmas mass in Batticaloa in 2005.

A Sri Lankan Deputy minister P Radhakrishnan told BBC Sandeshaya that the government should take the full responsibility as three Tamil MPs are killed since President Mahinda Rajapaksa took over since November 2005. “MP Joseph Pararajasingham’s killer is still at large in Batticaloa,” the Up Country Peoples Front (UPF) parliamentarian told BBC’s Elmo Fernando.

The slain MP is a legislator from the Colombo District belonging to the United National Party (UNP). The UNP said the slain legislator has planned to reveal the widespread human rights violations in Jaffna.

“He was planning to make a special statement at the parliament on abductions and killings in Jaffna on 08 January,” UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said.

Work towards ending impunity

Meanwhile a Sri Lankan media rights group has urged the media to work towards ending impunity in Sri Lanka.

The Free Media Movement (FMM), a Colombo-based media rights group, in a press release issued Tuesday, strongly condemned the assassination of United National Party (UNP) MP T. Maheswaran, and said the murder adds to the “incredible number of political killings and the suppression of those who seek to bring to light gross human rights abuses,” in Sri Lanka, and FMM is “mindful that the Sri Lankan Police have been unable and unwilling to bring the killers of other high profile political figures.”

The statement called upon the media to investigate this killing and larger and disturbing erosion of democracy in Sri Lanka, with a view to upholding all human rights for all and end impunity.

Related: Martyrdom staring at Sri Lanka Human Rights defender Mano Ganesan