This war without independent witness in itself is a crime against humanity.

It so happens, the civilians who are caught in this conflict don’t seem to have any real “no-fire” zones to run for safety. Over 50,000 civilians are said to be trapped with the Tigers, in a 4 square kilometer pocket of coast-land, surrounded by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.

More than 100 children had been killed in weekend shelling which the United Nations called a civilian “bloodbath.”

The UN Security Council must not treat this as a side issue, but for the sake of humanity, the Tamil civilian matter ought to be at the top of the agenda. All of them have suffered more than enough. It is so sad, that these innocent human beings, are being used as mere political tools.

The Western Governments and the UN must set an ethical example to the world. To be seen to send a strong message by action, that the value of human beings cannot be degraded for selfish and temporal reasons.

All human life without regard to race, creed, or color is precious. Tamil civilians must be saved, each one of them: women, children and men. Tomorrow is too late.

Ultimately, we all have to learn to be Sri Lankans. The day we are able to think as Sri Lankans first, and later as Tamils, Sinhalese, Muslims and Burghers, that is the day we will win. That will be the winning point.¹

The sad reality, however is, the Government forces are not winning. When they are indiscriminately targeting and attacking Tamil civilians they are indeed loosing. The war for the hearts and minds of the Tamil nation is not won. The ground is lost. There are more internally displaced people (IDP) created by this state-sponsored human catastrophe.

The government is fighting a losing battle.

It is reported that a government agent from the town of Killinochi has said: “As of August 8, a total of 113,397 people have sought IDP status inside the district.”²

Reports from on-the-ground reveal:

Civilians are also continuing to be killed and injured by the indiscriminate attacks. Since the attack of the Mulliathivu hospital complex at 1.00am on 9 August, five civilians were killed and more than 25 have been injured by shelling and bombing. A large number of schools as well as hospitals were displaced adding to the chaos created in civilian life.”³

Tamils, no doubt, appreciate the sentiments expressed by the Defense secretary. However, the suffering Tamils are acutely aware that comment is free, while fact is sacred. The fact of the matter is: action speaks louder than words, and the actions of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksha regime’s speak loudly.

How can the Defense Secretary hypocritically expound on peace when he has innocent blood in his hands?

1. “Learn to be Lankans, that is the winning point, says Defence Secretary,” LankaNewspapers.com, 15 August 2008.
2. From the Peace Secretariat of Tamil Eelam website.
3. Ibid.

There is also, as we know, the strange amalgam called the state religion. State puts its authority behind a chosen sect and gives it primacy over other religious bodies. In return, this chosen sect rubber stamps its spiritual cloak over the actions or inactions of the state. The classic example is, just before a territory-expansion/colonising war, this chosen sect can hoodwink the masses by declaring it to be a Just War or even a Holy War. The trickery is, people often don’t ‘see’ the subtle politicking of a state religion. State is left here, by hook or by crook, “to impersonate God.” William Cavanaugh observed in Torture And Eucharist, ‘As the state itself becomes guarantor of rights, human rights become tied, in bitter irony, to the security of the state.’

Theravada

Buddhism is state religion in the failed state of Sri Lanka. The divisive theology of the Buddha Sangha is the back-bone of the state. Sangha not only believes in the primacy of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, (as is enshrined in the Constitution) but also it believes that Lanka is the chosen land for a chosen race called the Sinhalas.² The Tamils (Demelu) are viewed as the contaminating element³ Angarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) the political activist/ scholar-monk preached the uniqueness of the land and the Sinhala nation. He promoted the idea that the Sinhalas were a pure Aryan race.⁴

So, the Sri Lankan state is well and truly a Sinhala-Buddhist state and there is no leg room for the flourishing of pluralism.

It is risible for western governments to expect the Sinhala state to guarantee the safety of human rights of the Tamils. Since the 1950’s there have been a series of state-sponsored pogroms and secret colonisation of the traditional homelands of Ceylon Tamils.⁵ Since the 1980’s there has been an unceasing war against the Tamils. Over 80,000 civilians have died and many more maimed. (There is “no official figure” as such, but this figure is generally accepted by HR organisations.)

It is in this context, the idea of Tamil Eelam has to be examined. If the result of a self-determination struggle claims back the traditional Tamil home-land as the sovereign state, then, that cannot be a criminal idea. The question is: can Tamil Eelam and the Sinhala state remain within the confines of a sovereign Sri Lanka in a twin-state solution?

1. Archbishop Oscar Romero, “The Last Sermon,” from The Church and Human Liberation, March 14, 1980.
2. Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, Buddhism Betrayed? The University of Chicago Press, 1992. This book was banned in Sri Lanka.
3. Urimila Phandis, Religion and Politics in Sri Lanka. London: C. Hurst and Co., 1974.
4. Lawrence J Swier, Sri Lanka: War-Torn Island. World in conflict series.
5. A. Sivanandan, “Sri Lanka: racism and the politics of underdevelopment,” Race and Class Journal, Summer 1984.

On October 22nd, at 3:20am, Kamakazi-type Tamil Tiger elite commandos attacked the Anurathapuram Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) Base crippling the recon capability of the Sri Lankan forces. It is reported that a multi-million-dollar spy fleet has been totally devastated by this defensive operation.

According to military analysts, the Tamil Tigers have neutralised the intelligence gathering capabilities of the Sri Lankan forces. Daily Mirror, a Colombo-based newspaper reported on October 26th, that Anurathapuram is:

Considered as one of most protected air bases, it housed the SLAF’s main pilot training school, 9th Attack Helicopter Squadron, 6th Helicopter Squadron, 1st Flying Training Wing, 7th Helicopter Squadron, 11th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Flight etc.

The paper further confirmed:

During the attack 13 air force personnel, including four officers and one soldier were killed and eight air craft were completely destroyed- Two Mi-24 helicopter gunship (9th Attack Helicopter Squadron), a Mi-27 transport helicopter (6th Helicopter Squadron), K-8 and PT6 trainer jets (1st Flying Training Wing), Cessna 150 aircraft (1st Flying Training Wing), a Beechcraft 200 HISAR, a Bell 212 fitted with guns (7th Helicopter Squadron) and at least two UAVs (11th UAV Flight) were completely destroyed. However, another ten air crafts, including three of PT-6 Trainer air craft, K-8 advanced Jet trainer and Cessna training air craft were also damaged.

The next day after the attack, the mortal remains of Tamil combatants were stripped naked and put on public display (as shown on photos). Any decent human being will see such outrageous action as a deep humiliation.

Internationally, Rajapaksha still seem to be the “our kind-a-guy”. There is still considerable covert support for the war machinery. The rhetoric however is, the Tiger terrorism has to be stopped. India is working over time behind the scenes. The UK Labour Government is willing to be a go-between for peace negotiations. But the Sinhala ultra-nationalists have made an uproar of disapproval against the British government’s involvement. ‘This is a national matter; leave it to us to solve the problem’ they protest. In other words, the Sinhala masses want Rajapaksha to continue the war against the Tamils. And win it.

The point is, this is hardly any longer a national matter. International involvement is inevitable. Both the ultra-nationalists and the international globalisers agree on a single point. The latter covertly and the first overtly. Both want war in the name of war against terror. Already, the US has signed up for further arms deals. Put it simply, the idea is, beat the Tamil Tigers to the negotiating table.

The human rights situation in Sri Lanka, particularly among the Tamil territories, is lamentable. A humanitarian worker recently described to me that, the communities are divided by fear and torture and barbed wires. There are visible barbed wires and there are invisible barbed wires, he explained. People’s minds and mouths are gagged. They are neither allowed to think for themselves nor are they permitted to speak for themselves. It is the barrel of the gun that speaks.

The problem is, the difference between the organ grinder and the monkey has blurred. Everyone lurks like a ghost. Fear rules.

Tamils have suffered more than half-a-century. And they want justice, peace and prosperity. REAL peace in which they can live with the dignity of difference.

It is worth quoting here what Simon Hughes (who is a constitutional expert) said on May 2 2007 during the British Parliamentary debate on Sri Lanka:

The Government of Sri Lanka must not run away from the need to accept that there will have to be autonomy and a democratic process. The people must be allowed to vote freely and decide which parts of Sri Lanka should have self-government. If Ukraine , which I respect greatly, can give self-government to Crimea and life can go on, Sri Lanka must give self-government to the Tamils, where they want it.

Of course, that does not mean that all the people in Tamil areas will be Tamils, just as in Northern Ireland communities are not confined to particular areas; Tamils will live in Colombo , just as Sinhalese will live on the east coast and in the north. There must be access. The roads have to be open so that people can travel. There must be no no-go areas. However, we have to make sure that the Government of Sri Lanka understand that they will not make progress unless they accept the principle of self-government.

Tragically in Sri Lanka however, the observation of Karl Marx is hardly ever found to be fallible:

History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, then as a farce.