by R. Jayadevan
(November, 24, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Almost three decades old killing spree in Sri Lanka is progressing without any mitigation and with daily count of deaths of combatants and civilian population. The daily deaths for the past three years are finding it hard to be included in the aggregate static number of deaths claimed for the past five years.
For the past five years the aggregate number of deaths in the war claimed by the media is a static 70,000. Whilst the 70,000 estimated deaths is stubbornly resisting any forward movement death spree is continuing without abating. The media says over 5,000 people have been killed in the violence since President Rajapakse came to power two years ago. It is claimed the death toll of LTTE stands at about 2,000 during this period.
During Indian Peace Keeping Force time, about twenty years ago the death toll stood at 35,000. With the declaration of full scale war by the former presidents Late Ranasinghe Premadasa and Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunga against the LTTE the official figure leapt to 70,000. But since then the upward movement is at static hold.
There is no real count of the deaths in this debilitating conflict. In the low intensity Northern Ireland conflict there is reliable count of deaths. Even in the Iraqi conflict since the removal of Saddam Hussein there is reasonable count of deaths.
The deaths of combatants are available. Death toll of LTTE cadres is readily available and claimed to be over 12,000. The LTTE worship them annually and do not hesitate to publicise the number of their dead cadres. Unfortunately, the government of Sri Lanka has not provided any official number of men in the forces died in the conflict. This too must have reached many thousands. In a high intensity war like this, when racial prejudice plays major part, civilian population of both sides of the divide takes the brunt of the violence and disproportionate number of civilian population have been killed for all kinds of reasons.
LTTE has killed thousands of its own people for all kinds of reasons. This includes combatants belonging to rival Tamil groups systematically wiped off with its sheer force and thousands killed in its internal purges. The notable cleansing was when Mahataya and his men were eliminated from its machinery.
Any statistics must reflect the anti-Tamil violence of 1977 and 1983 when state aided Sinhala mobs went on the spree and killed thousands of Tamil population. The 1977 violence was investigated by a special commission headed by Judge Sasoni. There was no official investigation for the worst violence of July 1983. To this day no one knows the exact number of deaths in these anti-Tamil violence.
Random shooting and massacres was common features of the Sri Lankan forces in the 1980’s and 1990’s. There are recorded incidences of thousands of innocent Tamils being killed. At the same token LTTE too had killed hundreds of religious leaders belonging to all the religious groups and many thousands of innocent civilians belonging to the majority Sinhala community.
The present claim that only 70,000 have been killed so far is not the reflection of true number of deaths. Every person in Sri Lanka has a true story tell on the deaths and the Tamils will tell stories in multiples.
For the past five years the aggregate number of deaths in the war claimed by the media is a static 70,000. Whilst the 70,000 estimated deaths is stubbornly resisting any forward movement death spree is continuing without abating. The media says over 5,000 people have been killed in the violence since President Rajapakse came to power two years ago. It is claimed the death toll of LTTE stands at about 2,000 during this period.
During Indian Peace Keeping Force time, about twenty years ago the death toll stood at 35,000. With the declaration of full scale war by the former presidents Late Ranasinghe Premadasa and Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunga against the LTTE the official figure leapt to 70,000. But since then the upward movement is at static hold.There is no real count of the deaths in this debilitating conflict. In the low intensity Northern Ireland conflict there is reliable count of deaths. Even in the Iraqi conflict since the removal of Saddam Hussein there is reasonable count of deaths.
The deaths of combatants are available. Death toll of LTTE cadres is readily available and claimed to be over 12,000. The LTTE worship them annually and do not hesitate to publicise the number of their dead cadres. Unfortunately, the government of Sri Lanka has not provided any official number of men in the forces died in the conflict. This too must have reached many thousands. In a high intensity war like this, when racial prejudice plays major part, civilian population of both sides of the divide takes the brunt of the violence and disproportionate number of civilian population have been killed for all kinds of reasons.
LTTE has killed thousands of its own people for all kinds of reasons. This includes combatants belonging to rival Tamil groups systematically wiped off with its sheer force and thousands killed in its internal purges. The notable cleansing was when Mahataya and his men were eliminated from its machinery.
Any statistics must reflect the anti-Tamil violence of 1977 and 1983 when state aided Sinhala mobs went on the spree and killed thousands of Tamil population. The 1977 violence was investigated by a special commission headed by Judge Sasoni. There was no official investigation for the worst violence of July 1983. To this day no one knows the exact number of deaths in these anti-Tamil violence.
Random shooting and massacres was common features of the Sri Lankan forces in the 1980’s and 1990’s. There are recorded incidences of thousands of innocent Tamils being killed. At the same token LTTE too had killed hundreds of religious leaders belonging to all the religious groups and many thousands of innocent civilians belonging to the majority Sinhala community.
The present claim that only 70,000 have been killed so far is not the reflection of true number of deaths. Every person in Sri Lanka has a true story tell on the deaths and the Tamils will tell stories in multiples.
 Almost three decades old killing spree in Sri Lanka is progressing without any m...){kind=link}
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