Bogallagama! ‘Boru Kiyandeppa (Don’t tell lies)!!

"How long will this impasse continue? The civilian population in the war front are sick and tired of the bitter brutes and their sufferings cannot continue for ever. Both the government and the LTTE must be made fully accountable for the untold sufferings meted out to these innocent people."

(October 23, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) ‘Military operations to crush the Tamil Tigers are being carried out with the fewest possible civilian casualties’, says Sri Lanka's foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama according to news filed in the BBC News website. The Ministers statement comes when there is no other way of independently verifying his comments. Will the Minister say what is few in exact numbers with authentic evidence?

Even the reputed BBC is not permitted to visit the battle front to view and report the situation independently. All what the Sri Lankan government wants is to believe everything that is dished out by its military propaganda machinery.

Except for the ICRC, all the other local and international NGO’s have been debarred from operating in the conflict area, thus permitting the government to effectively silence the facts emerging from the war front. ICRC is under greater scrutiny and is maintaining silence to properly reveal issues affecting the civilian population.

The Foreign Minister in his interview further states: ‘We have to be mindful how best we are going to protect our own people. We don't want any collateral damage on our people. That is how the military operations are being carried out with least amount of casualties’. A Minster who is preoccupied with flying all around world to justify the military effort of the government has little time to verify the ground situation in the war front on his own. He has not flown to the conflict zone in the military AVRO planes to see the real situation there. Even the President who is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces has not made any visit to the northern war front since he was elected as President.

The rough handling of the media by the government only permits them to give limited coverage about the real situation facing the innocent civilian population in the North.

Sri Lankan army has a record of serious human rights abuses against the civilian population. The expulsion of the Sri Lankan army’s UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leon some months ago confirms the attitude of the army towards the civilian population in any situations.

In a critical analytical article in the Sunday Leader newspaper published in Colombo datelined 19 October 2008, starling revelations are made about the government claims on battle front causalities. It states: ‘It is all drowned out by the drum-beating 'almost done' euphoria of the military media propaganda machine. Therein lies the true, decisive victory of the Rajapakse administration. It is one of a marketing, not military, nature. But they, don't say that out too loud or you will be called a traitor.’

A table published in the Sunday Leader speaks for itself. The deaths of soldiers dished out daily to the media fails to tally with the official tally released by the Prime Minister in the Parliament every month.

Announcing the details of deaths and injuries to soldiers by the Prime Minister in the parliament in Sri Lanka has become a regular exercise comparable to the Monetary Policy Committee in the UK announcing their decision on the level of the Bank of England interest rate for the ensuing month.

Whilst both warring parties are good at releasing information about the deaths of their own fighters they do not give any regard to the civilian casualties. The civilian casualties are buried silently in this meaningless war of hatred of the warring parties. The government has a major responsibility to ensure the safety of the citizens and reveal the true numbers of their casualties.

When justice is not meted out on the appalling crimes committed by the agents of the government, what can anyone expect from the horrible war front?

How long will this impasse continue? The civilian population in the war front are sick and tired of the bitter brutes and their sufferings cannot continue for ever. Both the government and the LTTE must be made fully accountable for the untold sufferings meted out to these innocent people.

R. Jayadevan: London based writer is a political activist. - Sri Lanka Guardian