(June 01, Jaffna, Sri Lanka Guardian) A claymore bomb purported to have been used by the State forces or their agents targeting a civilian van near Murikandy killed 17 civilians including school children and women this week. Immediately after hearing about it, the sad but inevitable question on most people’s lips was: When and where the next butchery and with how many poor victims?The response came today with the blast in the train at the Dehiwela Railway station this evening reportedly killing 9 and injuring over 60 innocent workers returning home after their day’s work. How many families would have turned miserable as a result?
Most peace lovers and nations have called for a stop to the current violence and commencement of peace oriented talks between the warring parties, starting with at least an offer or presentation of a viable and just solution to the protracted ethnic problem. However the Government has reiterated through various Ministers that there is no question of a ceasefire or peace talks or even an offer of a formula for solution till war is brought to an end through war itself.
How many hundreds or thousands of precious human lives have to be lost before sanity prevails in this once beautiful and serene Island?
We do hope that the Government will do some serious rethinking at least after losing its position in the UN Human Rights Commission last week. There were very many clear warning signals in the past but it is pitiable that the Government wore blinkers as it were, obstructing its vision beyond the war track.
It is satisfying that many parties are really concerned about bringing about true peace in this land.
Cost of living is snowballing and the value of our money is dropping daily here not mainly due to the escalation of world fuel price but mostly because of this war. None seems to think of the breaking point ! Can we go on much longer with loans and more loans?
A sort of ‘carnival’ was staged last weekend at the Jaffna Stadium organized by the Security forces with various forms of entertainment, free bus rides from the villages etc. The announced objective was to entertain the people. However, many roads were blocked and all travellers on the roads had to face special stringent checks and much inconvenience and wastage of time.
What the people now really require is not such ‘panadol’ like temporary relief, but an honest effort towards a permanent solution.
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