The real healing story can only be scripted in Sri Lanka.
That the United States has no moral right to talk about human rights does not take away the urgent need to discuss the issues at the heart of the final resolution now in the making in Geneva. Irrespective of how it is voted at the Human Rights Council meeting on Friday, what needs to be debated is whether it will make a difference to the situation now prevailing in Sri Lanka. In all probability, it will not.
The reasons are not too far to seek.
Already, the great debate over the impending vote has ethnically polarised Sri Lanka like perhaps nothing else did since the war against the LTTE ended in May 2009. The government has thrown everything it can behind its diplomatic war on those it feels are needlessly intervening in its internal affairs. That those sections of the Tamil diaspora that backed the LTTE are with the U.S.-sponsored resolution and that the West for decades played host to the LTTE have only added fuel to the still raging ethnic fire. If the resolution does get majority support, it could well further widen the Sinhalese-Tamil divide. It is near impossible for Sri Lanka to let any international body carry out an independent probe into the civilian casualties and “war crimes.”
War's final stages
Let there be no doubt that civilians did die in large numbers during the final stages of the war on the LTTE. With Sri Lanka fearing a possible electoral defeat of the Congress in India in May 2009, and with the now dead Velupillai Prabhakaran also wrongly assuming that this might happen, both parties were desperate: the former to quickly achieve victory and the latter to prolong the fighting. Both felt that a return to power of the BJP could radically alter the situation. This lay at the root of the civilian crisis that followed.
Intending to remain alive, the Tigers forced a large mass of civilians to stay put in their territory, in the belief that this would halt the punishing Sri Lankan blitzkrieg. The victory-sniffing military, knowing it had to press on no matter what, used overwhelming firepower that not just destroyed the LTTE completely but did not spare the nowhere-to-run civilians either. The Tamil population, which had borne the brunt of suffering in Sri Lanka since 1983, paid a huge price even as the Tigers went down.
But this was not the first instance (hopefully it will be the last) of mass killings in Sri Lanka. On two occasions — in 1971 and 1988-90 — the state slaughtered tens of thousands of leftwing Sinhalese youths who revolted under the JVP banner. It was among the dirtiest wars ever seen in Asia. In the Eelam drive, massacres became commonplace, the victims drawn from all three major communities: Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. The average Sri Lankan is bound to ask: where was the West then?
Yet these arguments cannot hide what happened in the war zone in 2009. If only the country's leadership had, after crushing the LTTE, offered a genuine general apology to all Sri Lankans for all the suffering everyone endured for over 25 years, it would not be facing a vote in Geneva today. Sadly, that didn't happen. Wedded to the idea that there was never an ethnic conflict but only a “terrorist problem,” Colombo went back even on the promises it made to friendly countries on how it planned to deal with its minorities — a question other Asian countries too face in varying degrees. In the process, it forced countries which had covertly and overly backed Sri Lanka vis-à-vis the LTTE to become its vocal or silent critics.
Over a quarter century of bloodletting has turned the once idyllic island into a troubled state. It won't be easy for anyone to heal the many festering wounds on all sides of the ethnic divide. Miracles do happen but are unlikely in Colombo. A state which spews belligerence even after vanquishing the enemy will always see a foe behind every shadow.
Beyond a point, Geneva won't matter. If New Delhi votes for the resolution, it will do so only if its language has been stripped of every rough edge and is acceptable to Sri Lanka too. In any case, a politically beleaguered Manmohan Singh cannot afford to openly antagonise its ally, the DMK. However clichéd this may seem, the real healing story can only be scripted in Colombo.
Having been repeatedly brought to its knees, Sri Lanka under the Rajapaksas became an LTTE to defeat the LTTE. It succeeded, albeit after inflicting terrible pain on its civilian population which was not its enemy. It now needs to shed its Tiger stripes. The Tamil civilians killed in LTTE zone in 2009 were as innocent as their Sinhalese counterparts in Anuradhapura in 1985. Justice is not just given; it must be deemed to be given. Colombo needs to alter its postures radically to bury its warring past and reach out to its minorities with abundant generosity. Though late, this can still happen, Geneva or no Geneva.
(The author, a long-time Sri Lanka watcher, is Executive Editor at IANS.)
Keywords: LTTE, Sri Lanka war crimes, UNHRC
The Sri Lankan government should reach out to the Tamils. If it does that and makes them feel like equal citizens, there would be no room for any intervention.
It is nearly impossible for a UN backed to resolution to solve internal problems of a country. We have seen many failed attempts of similar resolutions elsewhere in world. A lasting solution to the problem of Sinhalese-Tamil conflict should come from within. Srilankan government should accept the fact that the operations which supposedly ended with killing of LTTE chief will be successful only with reconciliation of remaining Tamil people in the region.Otherwise it will soon realize that some other organization will replace LTTE like a wounded snake.
I think the best possible outcome for every one in Sri Lanka is to restore equal rights to all minorities. It is about time Sri Lanka focuses in rebuilding the beautiful country with economics inclusive than pretending all is well as LTTE had now become a history. Pent up emotions can be pretty dangerous.
A well balanced analysis of the the Srilankan tamil issue. America has
no right to talk about human rights issues in Srilanka or any other
country, the world knows what they do to humans in Afghanistan and
Iraq. It's time for Srilanka to wake up and find an acceptable
solution to the problem. LTTE was not a political party it was a
terrorist group who put it's own people's lives at risk to defend it's
ideologies. The end of terrorism is a well come sign for the
Srilankans to march forward.If the politicians and the majority
sinhalese are patriotic they should rebuild the country by bringing
all community people together and make them feel Srilankans.
What will India do if it faces a group like LTTE in Kashmir or any one
of the naxalite infested states? What will India do if one of its
states having majority of some ethnic group acquire weapons and
organize a formal army and demand for a separate country? What America
did in American civil war?
What Russia is doing in Chechnya? What Israel is doing in Palestine?
What China is doing in Tibet? In my opinion Sri Lanka did what it has
to do.
What happened there in 2009 was a war and wars where always brutal. In
a war all is fair if it means wining it!
Beyond the voting pros and cons, it is necessary for the
wonderful people of Sri Lanka to, after the military
resolution, bring in a human and political resolution so
that the issue does not flare up again if unaddressed.
Bringing an empathic, comprehensive resolution to all
issues will prevent vested interest from stirring up the
water and interfering in Sri Lanka's sovereignty.
Sir,
The Tamils and Bengal chauvinism is adding to the Punjabi penchant for
Pakistan. Lately Bihar wants to tilt the Nepali hassles. Regional
leadership as they emerge now and rule these States ought to learn
statesmanship. Look at China they know the issue is emotive in the
region and they stand to side with Sri Lanka.
With people like Priyantah Rao, how on earth can SL usher peaece. Excellent article by Radhakrishnan. Yes its time SL and the Sinhalese accept the Tamis as part parcel of a united Sri Lanka. Its better to have the Tamils and India on their side than the chinese, hope SL realises this, the Tamils made Singapore a miracle and surely they can make SL a miracle if they recognise and give them self respect & dignity, without forcing sinhala and budhiism in their, own provinces of course sinhalese are welcome to come and settledown in the North on their own but not state or military aided, just as the Tamils settled in the south of the island.
There were inter marriages between Kandyan Royalties and Jaffna Royalties.
The great divide between people Thamils and Sinhalese began with the introduction of Theravada Buddhism. Even then Sinhalese kings married into Pandya Royal family. Except for the legendry Vijaya those followed him were Naga kings and Hindus by faith. The first hundred Kings to rule from Anuradhapura bear names mostly with suffix Naga or Tissa right up to Parakramabahu 1.
Parakramabahu 1 was of Pandya Tamil lineage. He belonged to the house of Pandians. His father was a Pandian Tamil prince and his wife Ulakamahadevi was a Pandya Tamil princess. Theravada Buddhism portrayed non-Buddhists as infidels and killing animals. "evil unbelievers" carries no more weight than killing animals.
By the time Mahavamsa was written in the 5th century AD, the collective consciousness of a Sinhala race has emerged. The war between Duttu Gemunu and Ellara was described as war between Sinhalese and Thamils, what Duttu Gemunu wanted was to capture Anuradhapura once ruled by his forefathers. Even during Mahavamsa days the island had no Sinhala name. It is the same today. This is because Ceylon was not a unified country, except during Parakramabahu 1, but consisted of at least 3 kingdoms. The Mahavamsa narrative discusses this war.
The remorse of Dutthagamani after the battle was quite severe and similar to Emperor Asoka's after his battle in Kalinga. As in the case of Emperor Asoka, a transformation occurred, though not so dramatic, in the life of Dutthagamani through the intervention of the Buddhist monastic community. Their intervention in relieving Dutthagamani's remorse can be seen as a "rehabilitation strategy" for an evil king who had caused much suffering by pursuing a battle. In this case, the strategy directs the king to Buddhist works. Though the "rehabilitation" of the king is noble, the justifications that the monks provided in consoling the king are controversial and problematic. They bear serious implications for the issue of whether there are justifications for violence within Theravada Buddhism.
The Mahavamsa states (25:104) that the arahants (i.e. the "worthy of reverence", people who have reached the stage before nirvana) in Piyangudipa, knowing Dutthagamani's remorse, sent a group of eight holy monks to comfort him; when Dutthagamani confessed that he had slaughtered millions, what they said to him to eliminate his remorse is highly problematic:
"From this deed arises no hindrance in thy way to heaven. Only one and a half human beings have been slain here by thee, O lord of men. The one had come unto the (three) refuges, the other had taken on himself the five precepts. Unbelievers and men of evil life were the rest, not more to be esteemed than beasts. But as for thee, thou wilt bring glory to the doctrine of the Buddha in manifold ways; therefore cast away care from thy heart, O ruler of men!" Thus exhorted by them the great king took comfort. (Mahavamsa 25:109-112)
It is all too simplistic to posit the theory that it was purely an anti-terrorist war against the LTTE which in the first place ventured to fight violence by the state against Tamils especially young ones from 1980's with counter-violence during and after the pogrom of black July 1983. A further boost was given by the west which blacklisted the LTTE as a terrorist organisation but let the SL state scot free despite a history of race riots and failures against Tamils organised by the state with monks and later joined even by the police and the elements of the military which had progressively after 1972 been made into a mono-ethnic one.Despite several thousands of deaths,looting and burning of Tamil homes and people not one criminal had been prosecuted by the state to date! The die had been cast for progressive dismal failure of good governance by the state and a division along ethnic and religious lines. Only if the UN Resolution is passed can there be any future hope.
This is one of the very few "unbiased" articles I saw on this topic. As
the author correctly identified, this US backed resolution, regardless
of its results, just widen the divide! The reconciliation process might
be slow but one thing to note is that after the war ended the SL made
significant improvements on building peace among its people. For the
first time in our lives, we are starting to look at and talk with others
without fear.
The ONLY way to progress is to help SL on developing the war effected
area and let the people to start their day to day life. Let the people
on both sides to travel to other areas and let them to communicate with
each other. Only the understanding of others will lead to a long lasting
peace. This kind of hostile resolutions wont build that environment at
the ground level.
It is very unfortunate that most readers conveniently skipped what Sri Lankans went through the past 30 years of terrorism and just talk about what happened during 2009.
India (Indira Gandhi's regime) punished us for aligning with US in 1980s. They trained and armed Tamil militants and helped them to cross the Palk Strait without any hindrance. Now, India is budding up with US and tries to punish us again for being friendly with China. Can somebody define the word 'hypocrisy' again?
Asking 97% of the country to share power with TNA who receive 3% of the vote is not realistic. War is bad and people die. Soldiers are people too. Americans call it collateral damage. By opening this wound up again, all the busy bodies are making the people relive it. Give it a rest. Time and encouragement in many other possible ways will eventually heal the wounds. Corruption of the govt. is something we all have to solve everywhere in the world.
For one the author is right in stating that, if at all a solution to the problem is found, it must be found in Sri Lanka and by the Sri Lankans. US is playing a geo-political game here to offset the leverage Sri Lanka has gained with the help of China. However, India being its immediate and long time neighbour has always stressed the diplomatic path for solving the crisis.
The UNHRC resolution, which Manmohan Singh has said India would vote in its favour given that it has been drafted with the right intentions is worth taking note. India should deal with this with diplomatic prowess rather than hardline faction backed resolutions. Only Time will tell.
It is important for the international community to show dissent to
crimes against humanity, be it Syria, Libya or Sri Lanka. Reading some
of the editorials and press releases given by the Sri Lankan state
media, one gets an impression that the attitude of the government is
not of introspection but of mud slinging. I weep for the plight of the
tamils in the island nation today, as much as I did when they were
under the tigers. As the authors has pointed out, there must be a
cultural change and the outcome of Geneva indeed has little to do with
it.
We hope the US led resolution will passage through UN. This will give the President of Sri Lanka a great escape route from the the Sinhala extremist and the Buddhist Clergy to accommodate all the Minorities
While agreeing with Sammy, I still have reservations on matters of providing equal status and respect for Tamils in Sri-Lanka by GOSL. This has never happened since or even before independence.
I spent my youth in Up-country in Sri-Lanka.In the late 50s communal violence and hatred was propogated by the then PM. There were bloodshed, brutal killings etc. Upcountry tamils suffered a lot.Now the current position is no different Geneva or Not, Nothing is going to change , until politicians of all colour,creed and religion realise that you cannot kill the will of the people by by brute force or by law.It is time that civil society take a lead. Sinhalese,muslim people are also the victims of these power hungry and greedy politicians and businessmen.
Let there be harmony among all the citizens of Sri-Lanka.THe majority of citizens want peace and live in harmony with each other. We are Upcountry Tamils, we have Sihalease friends,who would do anything for us.Why all this Hatred I ask
This is a genocidal war not a terrorist war. If the Sinhalese share power with the Tamils, then there would have been no problem. This problem will continue until the SL govt change their mind but they won't due to their extremist monks clergy.
Let us be clear in on e thing that there can be no lasting epace in Sri
Lanka and the region until and unless the Tamils in Srilanka have as
much rights as the Sri Lankans and have every opportunity to articulate
their views and get their dues and share political power. Until this is
achieved, it will be drifting like this with half-baked solutions.
Expecting generosity from Colombo is meaningless. Because the wounds in
tamil heart or so deep that requires a meaningful major departure from
colombo's current stand. To facilitate this UN vote is so important to
make the colombo change its attitude...
Any how ,Now they have peaceful time now.Let them live peacefully
"Though late, this can still happen, Geneva or no Geneva " ? . Why it never happend before? Sri Lanka still denies civilian deaths and what are the efforts taken after the War? - even after more than 2 years!
Does India have any moral authority to condemn Sri Lanka - as we have a special legislation - Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)1958 which gives legal immunity to Army Officers for their actions which include:
"Fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death, against any person who is acting in contravention of any law" against "assembly of five or more persons" or possession of deadly weapons.
To arrest without a warrant and with the use of "necessary" force anyone who has committed certain offenses or is suspected of having done so
To enter and search any premise in order to make such arrests.
This law passed in 1958 covers the north-eastern states (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura) and was extended to Jammu and Kashmir in 1990.
Even USA has not given such immunity to its soldiers in Iraq and Afganisthan
Well said Mr. Swamy. Understandably. Srilanka had to fight the LTTE on the same terms and same tactics. But, innocent civilians were also victimised, even if unintended. The Indian Government is making huge contributions to re-settle the Tamils. The Sri Lankan government should take the high road and make serious efforts to change the perception and reality of its new efforts to alter the past.
The author has omitted a crucial part that it was the government of India led by Indira Ghandhi which created LTTE in its terrorist form. They offered Tamil Nadu as a free heaven for terrorist activities, funded/trained...etc of course with the 100% backing of the infamous CM. M.G.Ramachandran. All this was done to learn a lesson to Sri Lankan President Jayawardene who took a more western approach in his foreign policy. It is an irony that now India with Westerners are trying to meddle in SL again...
A well written observation. If heart-fully felt and intended, a peace process could be authored. Will the Sri Lankan Government put aside its ego and deal with the situation to record a historical peace that will stand the tests of time?
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