Sri Lanka: The Tsunami and the Conflict
Written byNeha Viswanathan
groundviews has the account of a woman, who has suffered at the hands of the Tsunami and the ethnic conflict, and the lack of assistance in the process of rehabilitation.
Written byNeha Viswanathan
2 comments
I have come across similar tragic cases during my three years assignment (December,2003- November2006) in the North-East.
North East Sri Lanka is a forgotten killing field where you find a plethora of criminals, led by the state security forces, Karuna group a breakaway gangsters of the Tamil Tigers, EPDP, a mercenary outfit with a government minister Hoodlum Nithiyananda Douglas Devananda as the commandant. The criminal mix is ably supported by the “sole representative” of the North East Tamils the Tamil Tigers led by the Interpol wanted criminal Velu the monster.
It is a fait accompli to always talk of Sinhala Government subjugation, massacres of innocent Tamils by the ruthless blood thirsty security forces, rape of young Tamil women by the Sinhala armed forces, the denial of basic human rights so on and so forth.
It is universally accepted fact, that from Anglophile D.S.Senanayake (the first P.M. of independent Ceylon) in 1948 to Sinhala ONLY SWRD Banda to Murderous JRJ to Slimy Mahinda in 2005 had been treacherous and hell-bent on marginalizing Tamil Language and obliterating the rights of the minorities (Tamils, Muslims and Burghers) in Sri Lanka.
After the pogrom of 1983 the Tamils realized the Buddhist Sinhala state will never accept them as equal citizens in the island nation. Hence separation from the vicious Sinhala state control caught the imagination of the Tamils.
Many Tamil professionals and youth migrated to far away lands – Canada to Australia to South Africa.
The successful professionals and migrants started supporting the Tamil Tigers(TTs) having bona fide trust and assurance that TTs were true representative of the Tamils.
Alas the VVT gang proved true to form by physically eliminating (murdering) every person / group who held different views or opinions. Intellectuals, professionals, journalists, academics, businessmen and fellow rebels were all tortured and murdered. Reason: not paying obeisance toVelu, the megalomaniac.
Overseas the loud farts who are Velu’s hit men and propagandists bullied and intimidated the Tamil Diaspora into total submission. The websites and papers run by the loud farts from Osaka to Washington sang hosannas to the Interpol wanted criminal Velu. If you dare( to) challenge Velu’s “wisdom”, the monumental blunder and crass stupidity such as, his assassination of former Indian P.M. Rajiv Gandhi the much loved and admired leader in India and around the world woe betide – the goon squad will liquidate you. This is Tamil justice Velu’s style!!!
Now, with Velu’s Final War of liberation, since November 2005- after Rajapakaya’s rule over 550,000 Tamils are internally displaced (IDPs) in North East and are living under trees and withered tarpaulin. Over 11,220 Tamils had been killed, abducted and missing. Velu is comfortable in his bunker with his henchmen at his beck and call.
These and more are highlighted and illustrated in HRW and Amnesty International Reports.
When Tamils such as Velu’s mobsters, Karuna’s gangsters and Douglas’ rapists are mean and wicked towards the broken and helpless Tamils what do you expect from the hedonistic workers attached to the NGOs and INGOs? They have Blue Elephant, My Kind of Place and Barefoot to think about. Perhaps a few of the expats feel for the miserable Tamils. Tamils are forgotten. QED(quod erat demonstrandum)
Having just finished a year assignment in the East–covering the districts of Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee–I believe there are more than just a “few expats” engaged in development work (whether it be tsunami projects or responding to the IDP situation) who both sympathize with and work in direct collaboration with Tamil communities and staff. To classify all NGO/INGO workers as “hedonistic” smacks of the same drivel coming out of Sri Lanka dailies on a regular basis. Indeed, INGOs, in general, are much more critical of both sides in the conflict, which neither side likes or agrees with putting most international agencies in a very precarious position: your own language here only fuels those flames…
One of the reasons why I left the country was the increasing amount of threats I was receiving for being outspoken (and developing programs to address) child recruitment and abduction. Both the government and Karuna deny this, but for anyone based in Batticaloa, it is ever-present and takes place only a daily basis. See for yourself–drive by any TMVP office and witness child soldiers at the guard…. I personally take offense at your assumptions–pigeonholing all INGO workers–that agencies do not care and/or are not working in close coordination with Tamil communities.