An open letter to Arundathi Roy

By: Malin Abeyatunge

(April 06, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) I am referring to your articles in The Times of India (30/3/2009) titled “The silent horror of the War in Sri Lanka and differently labeled article on the same issue to The Age (3/4/2009) in Australia titled “Sri Lanka's war on the Tamils is about racism, not terrorism”. Both these articles are nothing but a mirror of your sheer ignorance of the Sri Lankan situation unless your intention was to advocate LTTE terrorism. Our First secretary Sugeeshwera Gunaratna has responded to you with the reality, actual facts and figures and you have got it bellyful in response to your article “the Silent Horror of the War……”. I am certain that you will dare to challenge her response and get yourself bogged in the mess you have created. However, I should reiterate the fact that you have no iota of knowledge of the demography of Sri Lanka. You may be a fiction writer but your journalism is at nadir. I shall comment on you as an activist later.

There is no doubt that you have like UN Human Rights Commissioner Ms. N. Pillay been parroting the information borrowed from infamous Tamil Net a.k.a “Lie Factory”of LTTE and other LTTE supported various propaganda networks. I would reiterate the fact that Gunaratna has mention that 54% of the total Tamil population lives in the South together with Sinhalese, Muslims, Burghers, Malays and other minorities in response to your letter. Doesn’t that figure alone answers your stand that the war in Sri Lanka is not of racism but of terrorism? Over 50% of the businesses in capital city are owned by Tamils and the rest is by Muslims. You call this war on Tamils? You call this racism? Majority Sinhalese is the smallest minority when it comes to business in the South. We do not have Bhumi Putra like in Malaysia. So her article to The Age that Sri Lanka war on Tamils is about racism and not terrorism is just bunkum.

I agree when she mentioned that there is horror of the war in Sri Lanka. But isn’t it by the LTTE terrorists who are holding the innocent hapless Tamil civilians as human shield to protect themselves?

This is what UN Secretary General Mr. Bank Ki Moon in his statement on 3/4/2009 mentioned”quote"The Secretary-General calls upon the LTTE leadership to allow civilians to leave the conflict area of their own free will. The severe restrictions of the LTTE on their freedom of movement violate international law. The Secretary-General also deplores the forced recruitment of civilians, particularly children."Unquote. Doesn’t this statement endorses the horror among Tamil civilians is created and committed by LTTE and not by our well disciplined armed forces?

Do you know that your new found foster child LTTE has gunned down more than fifty Tamil civilians to date during the last two months who were fleeing from LTTE captivity? Do you know that LTTE by force herded Tamil civilians from Killinochchi to Mulaithivu when armed forces captured Killinochchi and now they are using them as human shield? Do you know that LTTE sent a woman suicide bomber camouflaged as a fleeing civilian and blow herself up killing over 20 and injuring around fifty civilians at a IDP registration centre in Mulathivu? So who is created horror in Sri Lanka? Isn’t it LTTE on its own People? Come on Arundathi, get your facts correct or limit your writing to fictions. You have conveniently avoided mentioning in any of your above mentioned articles the horror created by LTTE terrorists in the North on their own Tamil civilians who are now confined to a small part of Mulathivu called Puthukkudiyiruppu. This explains your ignorance or your partiality towards the LTTE terrorists. If Sri Lanka‘s war is on racism why do the Tamil civilians entrapped by LTTE by force fleeing from LTTE captivity risking even their lives and coming into Government controlled areas and No-War Zones? Do you know that up to now, there are over 65000 Tamil civilians fled from LTTE captivity seeking refuge in Govt areas? You call this racism or horror committed on Tamils?

If any one appease or support any terrorist group by words and deeds is also a terrorist and in that context I would not hesitate to brand you also as a terrorist and you can join the Indian Karunanidhi/Vaiko group.

You have also found ammos to your article “the Silent Horror of the War….interviewing a bankrupt Sinhala politician Mangala Samraweera who was sacked by the Rajapaksa government. Sri Lankan does not take him seriously at all but it’s funny that you have. How pathetic being a writer you could not get a more reliable person for accurate information for your article that would enhance the quality of your article.

You call yourself an activist and let me ask what you have done to your motherland as an activist rather than poking your two cents worth to Sri Lankan affairs? What does slum dog millionaire tells about Bombay? The immense poverty, unhygienic living conditions, how street kids are used as beggars by various operating gangs. I think what is shown in the film is not fiction but truism. What actions have you taken even in a small way to uplift the conditions of the slums? As an activist, what actions have you taken to stop poor women are being used as surrogate mothers for childless mothers in the western world? What have you done to stop the poor selling their organs like kidneys to the westerners for a pittance? What action have you taken to ill treatment of Dailits as untouchables in your own society? What actions have you taken to stop child brides in your society? What actions have you taken to stop stealing and abducting street kids and selling to potential western buyers as foster children through supposed to be registered orphanages? What actions have you taken to stop the practice of women jumping into fire when husband dies? What actions have you taken to stop terrorist attacks on innocent people, public places, trains as it happened in Bombay ? There are hundreds are dying of starvation daily in India (no one dies of starvation in Sri Lanka) and what actions have you taken to address this issue with the Indian politics? There are farmers committing suicide in good numbers and what action have you taken to address this issue? I know the Indian society is so diversified with so many social problems and the list is so exhaustive for your actions as an activist but at least try a few of those I have mentioned herein and take action as an activist.

Lastly, both your subject letters are just based on your imagination and looks a short fiction which you may be good at but definitely not good journalism. Please stick to your fiction writing.

-Sri Lanka Guardian