"Reacting to the horrible Dehiwela Railway Station tragedy last evening, our Consulting Editor Victor Karunairajan poses the question as to why in the country’s civil war the two major armed groups, the government and the LTTE are training their bullets, bombs and grenades on the civilians. He wonders whether Fifth Columnists are also active and this terrible strife is not necessarily an ethnic war but one dictated by corrupt elements and that could include ministers, officials and others in positions of consequence in the country; the Diaspora and overseas personnel not exempted."____________________________
by Sri Lanka Guardian Consulting Editor Victor Karunairajan
(Sri Lanka Guardian May 27, Toronto, Canada) There is an ongoing deadly ethnic strife in Sri Lanka. It has lasted too long and there is absolutely no end in sight. This is all due to the two major ethnic communities being unable to resolve their differences and even ignoring the human rights factor or consideration as a vehicle to bring hostilities to halt.
If fundamental rights are at issue why should such a bloody, bitter war persist because such rights are inalienable? No community ought be denied its fundamental rights. This must be the natural law of the country; any country. If Sri Lanka is a party to the United Nations in this, then it must automatically devolve in the laws of the country. The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka must be cognizant of this reality; if necessary even direct the government to uphold fundamental rights as enshrined in the laws of the country.
Why is it difficult for the Sri Lankan government – and for the successive ones over the decades – to ensure every citizen is guaranteed his or her fundamental rights whether Sinhalese, Tamil or Moslem or Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or Islamic or for that matter any race, religion or ethnic group?
There is no point in the President of Sri Lanka traveling the world and preaching that he and his government are committed against terrorism because this is simply not true. He and his government are indeed presiding over terrorism using corruption as the means that enriches those holding the reigns of power. It is very convenient for the government to blame the LTTE for all acts of violence in the country.
But what if there are Fifth Columnists at work within the UNP and the SLFP to be the propagators of such violence to cause embarrassment and discord among the two major parties and the split groups? After all one cannot forget the reign of terror of the JVP in Colombo and the suburbs in the not too distant past. There must be perpetrators of violence in the pay of the government as well as the LTTE and among certain splinter groups too.
Terrorism had its roots in the very region where President Mahinda Rajapakse was born, not in Jaffna. Thousands of Sinhalese youth perished, butchered, piled up and incinerated en mass by the government of the time that had failed to develop the country on the two key fronts of agriculture and industry.
It was some years later the Tamil youth followed suit as their hopes for suitable higher educational avenues and their rights to gainful employment began to fade away and at one stage, quite rapidly. So much was loudly trumpeted about overseas development aid support and projects in Sri Lanka but hardly any of them have made productive impacts in the country.
Thousands of young girls and women are shamelessly exported as slaves to Arabian countries and no one in Sri Lanka seems to have any qualms about it. This has also created a terrible social problem that can become a major cancer in the community. Why is the government not being taken to task for such colossal failure and the continued insensitivity towards the rights and interests of the Sri Lankan citizens?
Today the news we have is that more civilians have become victims of the violence that is now endemic in Sri Lanka. There is a civil war no doubt but it is being directed against the civilians without any pity whatsoever by the forces of darkness that successive Sri Lankan governments have nurtured and through their proxies, the terror groups too, let loose on the people. War is generally fought between two armed groups but in Sri Lanka, the armed groups turn their fire and venom on the civilians.
The Dehiwela tragedy today is another such act of cowardice; there will be more, perhaps tomorrow, day after, and so and for all these, it is the government that must take the blame. If the ethnic issue is resolved, then the people will draw courage to end this bloody brutality that has come to prevail in Sri Lanka.
by Sri Lanka Guardian Consulting Editor Victor Karunairajan
(Sri Lanka Guardian May 27, Toronto, Canada) There is an ongoing deadly ethnic strife in Sri Lanka. It has lasted too long and there is absolutely no end in sight. This is all due to the two major ethnic communities being unable to resolve their differences and even ignoring the human rights factor or consideration as a vehicle to bring hostilities to halt.
If fundamental rights are at issue why should such a bloody, bitter war persist because such rights are inalienable? No community ought be denied its fundamental rights. This must be the natural law of the country; any country. If Sri Lanka is a party to the United Nations in this, then it must automatically devolve in the laws of the country. The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka must be cognizant of this reality; if necessary even direct the government to uphold fundamental rights as enshrined in the laws of the country.
Why is it difficult for the Sri Lankan government – and for the successive ones over the decades – to ensure every citizen is guaranteed his or her fundamental rights whether Sinhalese, Tamil or Moslem or Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or Islamic or for that matter any race, religion or ethnic group?
There is no point in the President of Sri Lanka traveling the world and preaching that he and his government are committed against terrorism because this is simply not true. He and his government are indeed presiding over terrorism using corruption as the means that enriches those holding the reigns of power. It is very convenient for the government to blame the LTTE for all acts of violence in the country.
But what if there are Fifth Columnists at work within the UNP and the SLFP to be the propagators of such violence to cause embarrassment and discord among the two major parties and the split groups? After all one cannot forget the reign of terror of the JVP in Colombo and the suburbs in the not too distant past. There must be perpetrators of violence in the pay of the government as well as the LTTE and among certain splinter groups too.
Terrorism had its roots in the very region where President Mahinda Rajapakse was born, not in Jaffna. Thousands of Sinhalese youth perished, butchered, piled up and incinerated en mass by the government of the time that had failed to develop the country on the two key fronts of agriculture and industry.
It was some years later the Tamil youth followed suit as their hopes for suitable higher educational avenues and their rights to gainful employment began to fade away and at one stage, quite rapidly. So much was loudly trumpeted about overseas development aid support and projects in Sri Lanka but hardly any of them have made productive impacts in the country.
Thousands of young girls and women are shamelessly exported as slaves to Arabian countries and no one in Sri Lanka seems to have any qualms about it. This has also created a terrible social problem that can become a major cancer in the community. Why is the government not being taken to task for such colossal failure and the continued insensitivity towards the rights and interests of the Sri Lankan citizens?
Today the news we have is that more civilians have become victims of the violence that is now endemic in Sri Lanka. There is a civil war no doubt but it is being directed against the civilians without any pity whatsoever by the forces of darkness that successive Sri Lankan governments have nurtured and through their proxies, the terror groups too, let loose on the people. War is generally fought between two armed groups but in Sri Lanka, the armed groups turn their fire and venom on the civilians.
The Dehiwela tragedy today is another such act of cowardice; there will be more, perhaps tomorrow, day after, and so and for all these, it is the government that must take the blame. If the ethnic issue is resolved, then the people will draw courage to end this bloody brutality that has come to prevail in Sri Lanka.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
![](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2008/05/this-bloody-brutality-must-be-ended.html&media=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSpZk31XN5KNXzwVAij85gdX_IZbuiVpPsh0JD2rdefeogTRapIJPEo9wqCKZ7-6SJmTHgQIe4lHwrAmVvthbBqo_SeCMdFTgZ8lo5GOFHBeBoV7dMVZW6hBnaEo-Tt9GvRGOQVobNHM_/s72-c/pic.jpg&description="Reacting to the horrible Dehiwela Railway Station tragedy last evening, our Consulting Editor Victor Karunairajan poses the question a...){kind=link}
The author of this article Mr. Karunairajan has started this article using the wrong statement. He is completely wrong to state that "the two major ethnic communities being unable to resolve their majoe difference..."
First, he should understand this is not between the two major communities namely Sinhalese and the Tamils of Sri Lanka. If it is true, no Tamil would be able to live outside the North among Sinhalese though no Sinhalese is allowed to live in the North. Secondly, to resolve any issue two parties must be genuinely willing to resolve it and ready to give and take. Over the last twenty years GOSL has done everything to accommodate LTTE and to negotiate a settlement. Everyone should remember any government in the world has responsibilities towards its citizens who elected them intoo power. Still without the approval of the people GOSL has introduced the 13th Amendment and then the CFA which was completely in favour of LTTE and also implemented everything in the CFA on GOSL side. Who broke the negotiations and walked off and refused to negotiate with GOSL after that?
Thirdly, how can he blame the Army for Wanni killing? What evidence has he got? Is he taking the LTTE word? When was the last time LTTE tell the truth? You just have to watch "No More Tears Sister" to know how LTTE has sacrificed their own Tamil people to blame it on GOSL. You just have to think who benefits most from this killing? No doubt LTTE benefits most if they can put the blame on GOSL as it will justify their killing spree of innocent Sinhalese women and children.
So please Mr. Karunairajan please don't give into emotions but remember a good journalist will never try to mislead its readers. Get your facts straight first if you expect to be respected as a good journalist as I am a daily reader of Sri Lanka Guardian since its inception.
Post a Comment