by Dineke Pardijs
Summary executions, bodies of raped women, and families hiding from bombs in hastily dug trenches. The images shown in a recent Channel Four documentary bring back memories of tragedies such as the killing fields in Cambodia and the genocide in former Yugoslavia.
But these massacres occurred just two years ago in Sri Lanka, at the bloody end of a conflict that had been going on for more than twenty-five years.
Despite suggestions from the United Nations, the Red Cross and Amnesty International that war crimes and crimes against humanity had possibly been committed, there has not been an international inquiry. Why is it that Sri Lanka does not seem to be able to keep the international community’s attention?
The civil war in Sri Lanka was a result of an attempt by the Tamils’ (the largest minority group in the country) to create their own, independent state. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, initiated a bloody conflict, fully controlling a part of Sri Lanka for years. In 2008, the government launched a large-scale offence on Tamil areas. They encouraged civilians to gather in ‘no fire-zones’, and proceeded to shell these areas, targeting hospitals and denying humanitarian assistance to the 330,000 people trapped there. With the LTTE preventing civilians from leaving the area, estimates of casualties ranged from 40,000 to 75,000.
While the International Criminal Court opens investigations into Africa very regularly, it seems strange that there has not been an investigation into what happened in Sri Lanka. However, since Sri Lanka is not a member of the Court, the Court can only have jurisdiction if the Security Council refers the situation to the prosecutor. With the lack of interest from the permanent members of the Security Council, this is not very likely to happen.
One reason for rest of the world’s disinterest might have been the lack of information. With foreign observers removed “for their own safety”, no journalists present, and conflicting stories from the army and the LTTE, it was not an easy story to report. The images that have surfaced now were made on small cameras and on mobile phones as trophies for the army; a far cry from the constant twittering and the abundant presence of television crews during the uprisings in the Middle East.
Another problem might be that over the years, the word ‘Tamil’ has become synonymous with terror. The LTTE was responsible for several high-profile attacks on politicians, and introduced the use of the suicide belt and female suicide bombers to the world. To change this narrative and identify the government as the main perpetrator against Tamil civilians proved to be a very difficult task without sufficient evidence.
A less immediate factor that could have contributed to the lack of attention from the world’s media and governments is the fact that there was and still currently is not much at stake for other countries. The UK has hardly been involved in Sri Lanka since the country gained independence in 1948. As opposed to conflicts in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, there is little chance for a spill-over: the situation is essentially an internal problem. With regards to the War on Terror, Sri Lanka is one of the few remaining Buddhist countries, and apart from rumours that certain LTTE tactics were copied by Al-Qaeda, there is little evidence that the groups are linked. In short, Western countries did not have anything to gain by getting involved in the conflict in Sri Lanka.
With the beaches once again open for tourists, and the country hosting part of the cricket world cup this year, it seems as if peace has returned to Sri Lanka. Refugees are flocking back: last year, almost 200,000 internally displaced persons were able to go back to their homes, and this trend is expected to continue this year. However, many more Sri Lankans are still displaced, both inside the country and abroad. Sri Lanka is still a large recipient of foreign assistance, but the economy is starting to catch up now that the war has ended.
The government’s defeat of the LTTE seems to have brought some stability to the country. However, hundreds of thousands of civilians have had to pay a large price for this. Even if the story does not fit into a larger narrative, powerful states should act to make sure it is not forgotten. courtesy: The Impact Magazine-University of Nottingham
”The government’s defeat of the LTTE seems to have brought some stability to the country” ?
http://www.minorityrights.org/10458/reports/no-war-no-peace-the-denial-of-minority-rights-and-justice-in-sri-lanka.html
No war, no peace: the denial of minority rights and justice in Sri Lanka, Report by Minority Rights Group International, 19 January 2011:
With the end of the conflict between Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eelam (LTTE or ‘Tamil Tigers’) in 2009, normality has returned for much of the population of Sri Lanka. But for members of the country’s two main minority groups – Tamils and Muslims – living in the north and east of the country, harsh material conditions, economic marginalisation, and militarism remain prevalent. Drawing on interviews with activists, religious and political leaders, and ordinary people living in these areas of the country, MRG found a picture very much at odds with the official image of peace and prosperity following the end of armed conflict. … In light of the findings of this report MRG calls on the government of Sri Lanka to respect the economic, cultural and political rights of minorities living in Sri Lanka and to ensure that they gain from post-conflict reconstruction and development projects in the areas where they live. … The UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues should be granted an invitation by the government to visit the country in order to report to the United Nations Human Rights Council on the situation of minorities in Sri Lanka.’’
”The civil war in Sri Lanka was a result of an attempt by the Tamils’ (the largest minority group in the country) to create their own, independent state” ?
http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/08/outline_of_submission_made_to.html
Jayantha Dhanapala’s written submission to Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation
Commission(LLRC), August 2010: ‘’The lessons we have to learn go back to the past – certainly from the time that we had responsibility for our own governance on 4 February 1948 . Each and every Government which held office from 1948 till the present bear culpability for the failure to achieve good governance, national unity and a framework of peace, stability and economic development in which all ethnic, religious and other groups could live in security and equality. Our inability to manage our own internal affairs has led to foreign intervention but more seriously has led to the taking of arms by a desperate group of our citizens’’. (Dhanapala is a Sinhalese and was formerly UN Under-Secretary Generak for Disarmament)
Despite the tacit comparison that Channel 4 makes about the final war to the ‘Killing Fields of Cambodia’ and ‘Genocide in Yugoslavia’ nothing could be further from the truth about the final Eleam war in Sri Lanka.
Look at the facts below:
• Sri Lanka eliminated a dreaded terrorist group, with intricate global links, but receives little credit for it
• Unlike elsewhere in the world, Sri Lanka has succeeded in resettling 300,000 IDPs. There are
no starving children for the NGOs to feed but this gets ignored
• Sri Lanka has avoided mass misery, epidemics and starvation but the West takes no notice of this.
• Sri Lanka has attained enviable socio-economic standards for a developing country while eliminating terrorism but gets no acknowledgement
• The Government of Sri Lanka and its President continue to enjoy unprecedented popular approval through democratic elections but this is dismissed
• The economy continues to boom, but remains not encouraged by the West.
• The captured child soldiers (approximately 600) have undergone rehabilitation and have returned to their communities. The UNICEF documented 5700 child recruits by the LTTE.
• Of the 11,700 former LTTE combatants, over 7000 have been returned to their communities after rehabilitation despite the real risk of some returning to the only profession that they had been trained in – that of being trained killers.
• The risk is magnified by the fact that caches of buried weapons continue to be unearthed in the North and the Tamil militants in the West continue to drum up separatism and violence from their safe havens.
• The continued presence of the military in the North is naively criticized, but the above background factors are ignored.
• Only a fraction of the detainees will face trial as the evidence against the rest may not be adequate to satisfy the evidential requirements of the courts.
• A vast effort has been undertaken to restore the economy of the North and huge sums are being pumped in for the purpose.
All this receives hardly a mention in the West while an intense campaign is being orchestrated to pin down individuals allegedly guilty of war crimes and human rights violations. This must surely be the only case in history that a winner in a conflict has been hounded in this manner to account for alleged war crimes and breaches of human rights in the process of winning the conflict – leave alone defeating a ruthless terrorist group.
There have been no such demands made following World War II, or after the Korean Conflict, after Vietnam, after Gulf War 1, the continuing occupation of Afghanistan or Iraq.
Despite the above clear facts the attitude of a number of key Western countries and some high profile individuals seem to be oblivious to the realities on the ground. Were pure principled attachment to humanitarian standards be the reason, then Sri Lanka would, in their view, appear to be the one and only egregious offender in the whole world. This obviously cannot be the case. But Sri Lanka is certainly a developing country from the non-Western world and hence easier to beat up.
Another allegation that is faced by the Sri Lankan government is that over 40,000 civilians were killed in the last days of the conflict. Let us turn the argument on its head and ask the question, were thousands of civilians killed in the final stages of the conflict? Was the number 1000? 7000 (as claimed in an internal UN document, later denied)? 20,000 as claimed by Jeremy Page in the London Times? 40,000 as claimed in the Cage by Gordon Weiss (commonly known as Gordon the Unwise) and referred to in the Darusman Report to the UNSG? Or is the figure higher. The exact number will never be known just as much as we will never know the exact number of civilians killed in Afghanistan and Iraq following the intervention by Western governments. (The Lancet claimed in 2005 that already over 500,000 civilians had been killed).
But certain established facts cannot be ignored. In the final weeks of the conflict, the ICRC with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Navy evacuated approximately 7000 injured and the sick, including pregnant women, and over 8000 others from the last holdout of the LTTE. Is it likely that if there had been other injured, the ICRC would have left them behind and ferried out 8000 healthy persons? Experience and records of other recent conflicts would suggest that the number killed must be substantially lower than the number injured. This is a fact derived from experience.
But what is a fact is that in April and May 2009, close to 300,000 civilians streamed out of the LTTE enclave to seek the protection of the Government Security Forces. Importantly, the Government which adopted a zero civilian casualty policy had learned from the experience of other armies fighting amongst civilians in region that indiscriminate attacks on civilians only result in producing more volunteer martyrs.
In early 2009, the Committee to Coordinate Humanitarian Assistance (CCHA) to the North was working on the figure that there were approximately 121,000 people in Kilinochchi and 127,000 in Mullaitivu for the purpose of directing relief supplies to the North. It is quite likely that the LTTE took with them around 100,000 from Mannar.
Considering that around 60,000 escaped to Government controlled areas in the previous year, the numbers detained by the LTTE settles around the number accommodated in the Government organized refugee camps in May 2009. It is also on record that the Government adopted a zero civilian casualty policy and consciously adopted an infantry based approach. This resulted in 6000 deaths of security personnel as the final battles were fought by infantry when more devastating approaches could have been adopted. The allegation of deliberate targeting of civilians by the military and the large numbers killed appears to be a convenient and Machiavellian story to pin a charge of crimes against humanity.
Merlin,
You seem to have been reading much about the ethnic problem, as can be seen by your comments.
But you may not have studied the book prepared by an NGO-(NESOHR), detailing the massacres of Tamils by the Sri Lankan armed forces between 1956 and 2001.
You will then understand the reason behind the attrocities of the LTTE, which finally was defeated in 2009.
You don’t have to purchase the book. It is available on the web:
http://nesohr.org/files/Lest_We_Forget.pdf
Van Tweest,
Please explain to us how there happen to be 80,000 widows in the Northern and Eastern Provinces alone if less than 10,000 civilians were killed during the last stages of the war?
Tamil,
I have never heard of the NESOHR unless it is a local NGO. Thank you for the link. I have since read the contents and find that it is a point of view passionately expressed but lack verification, nevertheless it is document worthy of reference. In a similar vein I am certain LTTE atrocities can also be documented. While I abhor the suffering inflicted the introspection of the past misdemeanours from either side will not get us anywhere.
I have always condemned any atrocity whether committed by the SLA, LTTE or the political goons whose passions have been raised by irresponsible politicians in the past. There are many reasons for the violence on both sides in the past but we have now reached a watershed after the defeat of the LTTE, and it is left to all the citizens of Sri Lanka to look forward and leave the carnage and atrocities of the past behind.
A new Sri Lanka is now emerging phoenix like from the ashes of the last 60 odd years and it is incumbent of all Sri Lankans to ensure that never again political disagreements are resolved by arms and bombs. Indeed Tamil is also now a national language of Sri Lanka together with Sinhala. All children now have to learn both Sinhala and Tamil in schools with English as the link language. All new civil servants since the nineties must have a working knowledge of Tamil.
It is my personal wish that parties based on ethnicity will eventually vanish from the Sri Lankan political scene and any party based on ethnicity will wreak the opprobrium of all just like the ‘National Front’ in Britain. It does not mean that the Tamil culture and language will somehow become extinct, but in contrast the unique Sri Lankan Tamil culture and language will flower and be appreciated by all Sri Lankans irrespective of their ethnicity.
Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic country and being at the crossroads of east and west humanity has left an indelible genetic footprint on its entire people. To me there is no such thing as a pure Sinhala, pure Tamil, pure Moor, pure Malay, and pure Burgher (a contradiction in terms as being a Burgher assumes that you are of mixed race) in Sri Lanka as when we delve into each and every person in Sri Lanka each and everyone may share a plethora of similar genes. Indeed genetic studies have indicated that the Sri Lankan Tamils share fifty five percent of their genetic makeup with the Sinhalese. This proves that the Sri Lankan Tamils are much closer to the Sinhalese than to their so called cultural cousins in Tamil Nadu.
Indeed progress is being made in the economic front and progress in the political front will follow. It is that after nearly 60 years of mistrust inclusive of 30 years of devastating war it will take time to reach the goals we all aspire to. I leave you with a video from the Indian television station NDTV.
http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/ndtv-special-ndtv-24×7/truth-vs-hype-the-propaganda-wars-in-sri-lanka/210461
Merlin,
Bravo girl! You have laboured much and produced an impressive list. We just realise there has been no problem in Sri Lanka. The Tamils are all at fault from the beginning to now and conning to the world. As the Iranians tell the world there was never a holocaust during WW2, you are likely to agree there was no 7/83. What temerity of this Tamil lot – they have the audacity to set India, the UK/EU and the US against the innocent Sinhala Buddhist State on a series of non-events.
Realise you have been nice to me. Hate to irritate you.
ISS
Merlin,
Bravo girl! You have laboured much and produced an impressive list. We just realise there has been no problem in Sri Lanka. The Tamils are all at fault from the beginning to now and conning to the world. As the Iranians tell the world there was never a holocaust during WW2, you are likely to agree there was no 7/83. What temerity of this Tamil lot – they have the audacity to set India, the UK/EU and the US against the innocent Sinhala Buddhist State on a series of non-events.
Realise you have been nice to me. Hate to irritate you.
ISS
ISS
Aalavanthaan,
Remember this is a thirty year war and during this period many widows were created on both sides of the political divide. Some of these widows are the wives of LTTE carders. The argument pertains to the civilians killed and not to those who were involved in terrorism. Those who were the foot soldiers of the LTTE were legitimately killed in the war against a terrorist outfit. I have doubts about the 80,000 figure that you have bandied. Is this an estimate or statistic that came from ‘Tamilnet’?
ISS,
I have never denied that communal riots and pogroms did happen and that the victims of these riots were Tamils. Indeed I am on record as saying that these riots and pogroms are a malign blot on the resplendent isle. I am merely elucidating the facts as portrayed in my earlier blog about the reality of the situation in Sri Lanka currently and the International Community’s (mainly the West) hypocritical ‘double standard’ attitude to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the vanquishing of the LTTE.
I am never irritated by intelligent discourse in these hallowed columns and as always I have valued your contribution irrespective of whether I agreed with you. However I do draw the line at un-parliamentary language and personal attacks. I am willing to concede if the facts as I have portrayed are shown to be in error by argument and good advocacy.
As regards the happenings over the last 60 years, I do not reserve my opprobrium solely for the Tamil political parties as I believe both sides of the political divide are equally guilty. The majority community for not showing compromise when the opportunity availed itself and the minority community for their obduracy and not factoring in allaying the fears of majority community as regards any adjunct to separatism that would threaten the unitary state of Sri Lanka. I also deplore the tactics that the Tamil parties have attempted and are still attempting. Faced with a 75 percent majority a 12 to 14 percent minority have been banging their heads against a proverbial brick wall. There has been no change of tactics from the TNA/TULF despite the thirty year bloodletting.
The fact remains that a democratically elected government that obtained its mandate from the majority community will be akin to committing political suicide if even a smidgen of concession was made to threaten the unitary nature of Sri Lanka. Faced with this reality the Tamil parties have tried almost everything from civil disobedience to terrorism and have fallen flat on their faces. Faced with failures of the last sixty years the TNA/TULF is even now attempting a link up with the LTTE supporting Diaspora and their proxies the GTFE etc. This too is bound to fail as attitudes will harden in the majority community even if a whiff of the LTTE rump is involved.
In my humble opinion the TNA/TULF must take a leaf out of the African-Americans who worked with major parties and pinned their aspirations on the ‘rights of the individual’ in obtaining their civil rights. The day when nationality was based on ethnicity is dead. Nowadays nationality is based on citizenship as seen by the Tamil Diaspora who are citizens of various countries in Europe, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Provincial demarcation based on ethnicity will never happen in Sri Lanka as both the majority community and the largest minority community are more integrated than most observers admit too. Indeed as Sinhala and Tamil are taught in all schools with English as the link language the future Sri Lankan will be conversant in all three languages. Even now Tamil together with Sinhala is a national language in Sri Lanka compared to the birth place of Tamil where it is only a regional language. As I have argued elsewhere the TNA/TULF have an amazing Tamil politician that they can emulate – the very astute and likeable late Mr. Thondaman who worked with majority parties to obtain the best deals in citizenship and working conditions for those whom he represented. I am afraid the current leadership of the TNA/TULF are not fit to walk in the footsteps of this admirable man,
Dear Merlin:
I sent you a response earlier. My take is you have read far into much the negatives on the Tamil struggle and missed the larger salient portion. Also, you have made up your mind earlier that the other side is right and the Tamil side are the offenders. This is what Sansoni said in other words to oblige his friend JRJ in his much criticised report. Not many will go with his line of thinking that made the Tamils the villains in the 1977 pogroms.
The American Negro example is not the right one since they made their appearance in the present US only about 200 years ago whereas the Tamils have lived in their
lands for as long as anyone else here – until the Portugese disturbed the equation.
Parity for the Tamil language flow from the good hearts of the majority. It required the arrival of a foreign army – and nearly 40 years – to get the long delayed justice set right here.
Thondaman – “the astute and likeable” you rightly describe – was attacked day in and out when he was alive by the Sinhala press. Some cartoons pained him -but he took this with a grain of salt. He had to die for his good to be recognised. My long years of close association with him gave me an insight into his thinking.
The ideal people like you – with good intention and peace in your mind – can do for starters is to get this regime to allow the Tamils the right of rule of their Province – allowed to all others since 1987 expect them. The reason is a delusionary fear they will link with Tamilnadu – which is nothing but puerile thinking.
ISS
very true…meanwhile dacades of abuse of minorities has to acknowleged and an independent investigation has to be allowed.
good article.. but when there is a situation where the strong arrogant husband abuses the wife what can a less strong woman do to safegaurd her self tell me..