An appeal to the Tamil diaspora in Canada

Daya PERERA PC

As peace and stability of a nation is fast approaching, escalation of demands are faster and variant. A baseless conflict that made millions of our fellow citizens, refugees of the world is tragic when one considers the number of decades long hostility and waste of human life. The steady erosion of normal life in a peaceful country thrown in to disaster has to be restored to normalcy. It is only through a truly democratic framework, that the country can be made stable.

This country is yours and mine; we do not have to pollute the minds of the people of the world with inaccuracies that only brings more disgrace. Look back at your own ancestry and tell your young how serene and peaceful it was. Think! As it dawned to another day in the village, a farmer leaving his home to the fields with a pair of oxen in tow, the village damsels giggling on their way to fetch water with their earthen pots clinging to the waist and the smiling faces of the children skipping cross the fields tracking to schools was the scenery. This passive people and culture never taught them to kill an ant or a fly. The soldiers are from these villages. Are these the soldiers engaged in genocide, mass killing and torture? Do you remember the Yal Devi screeching to a halt at the Fort station to fill Ruhunu Kumari to begin the run for the pilgrims to the Kataragama Shrine? That was the life. Why do we continue to insult ourselves with fallacies, the world has already begun to forget?

During your stay in Canada, most of you contributed money to front organizations supporting terrorism from time to time, some willingly and others under pressure. You had to join them in their demonstrations due to being misled or due to fear. You were obliged or compelled to pay money to enter areas held by the militants in Sri Lanka. You were penalized for not participating in the activities of terror. Your relatives and friends living in Sri Lanka were forced to join the organized militancy and the younger ones were conscripted a child soldiers. You were plundered and your properties were forcibly acquired.

Futile cause

This you know is the truth and yet you stand in street corners in defence of the few self centred individuals who live in the laps of luxury at the expense of the misery of millions people. It is high time to wake up and stop fighting for a futile cause that killed intellectuals and leaders of the Tamil community, robbed your wealth, a decent life style, self respect and a great childhood.

It is time to join hands with the rest of the people to save your nation and regain the peaceful life you long to lead. We Sri Lankans are of a complex ethnic mix we lived in peace and harmony for years until a selfish group of militants misled the people in order to achieve their own agenda for their own benefit. After decades of rioting killing and ruining the nation as the world has seen, the current demands of “stop genocide, save our kith and kin from the Army, declare a ceasefire” are ludicrous and if at all, must be addressed to themselves.

The war in Sri Lanka is between the Armed Forces of the legitimately elected Government of Sri Lanka and a terrorist organization and not against the Tamil people.

There are hundreds of thousands of Tamils living in Greater Colombo area among Sinhala and Muslims, thousands of Tamils are living in the Central Sri Lanka, a large number of Tamils living in the Government controlled area in the North with a large Tamil population living in the east as well. There is no animosity and genocide was a word never heard of.

It is a matter for the terrorists who are holding thousands of civilians using them as human shields to release them. They shoot at random and also target the people attempting to escape to the government held areas to save their lives. Since the protesters identify themselves as supporters of the militancy, and accept Prabhakaran as their Leader they should urge Prabhakaran and the terrorists to release the innocent Tamils.

Pinned down

The Sri Lankan troops are left to face a few hundred tiger fighters pinned down inside a few square kilometres in northeast Sri Lanka. This possibly includes the group’s sociopath leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran. The only thing preventing Sri Lankan troops from finishing off the tigers is the presence of thousands of Tamil civilians, whom the Terrorists are using as human shields. Since there is no response from the militants in-spite of the whole world urging to lay down arms, it is quite evident that their intention is to get time for the terrorists to rearm and regroup to resume the fight.

Numerous questions may trouble you:

If you are concerned with the safety of civilians trapped in the safe zone, the fate of militants if they surrender; civilians, once the war is over, where the IDPs will go once they come to the Government controlled areas and what will happen in the North once the war is over? The answer is there.

It is to ensure the safety of the civilians trapped in the safety zone that the Sri Lankan Forces are working tirelessly and many soldiers have sacrificed their lives to liberate them from the terrorists. Already 95,000 people have escaped to a Government controlled area by the third day once troops blasted through a massive earthen wall built by the terrorists and unleashed the exodus. “Confrontations are taking place. Whenever we come across the terrorist cadres, we are fighting them. The rescue operation is continuing,” says a military spokesman. The number of people who have fled this year is now around 167,000, according to the military tally. Two senior leaders said to have surrendered to the Forces.

Fair treatments

Daya Master, a former schoolteacher who became the Media Coordinator and Spokesman for the group turned himself in along with the chief translator, the military said.

The President has guaranteed a fair treatment to any leader who surrenders. They will be rehabilitated. The greatest example is the rehabilitation of the leaders like Karuna, a Minister of the Government and Pillayan who was a child soldier now a Chief Minister.

The Sri Lankan Government is continuing to feed the IDPs and also the militants who are stealing food supplies from the IDPs. Canadian aid is also utilized for this purpose. What the Canadian Tamils are demanding is to stop supplying to their own people. Among the people rescued, there may be suicide bombers and members of the Armed Divisions of the terrorist forces. Therefore, the government forces will have to keep an eye on them, check their background before they are transferred to special temporary centres.

This is being done for their own safety as a suicide bomber blew her self while being searched in a Camp killing others. However, the people who are housed in the temporary shelters will be provided with Food, Health facilities, Educational facilities, IDD facilities and will be treated in the most civilized and humane manner.

What will happen to the civilians once the war is over is an important matter. It has been assured that once the terrorists are completely defeated and the menace is eradicated, people will be permitted to return to their own villages and claim their properties and resume their normal lives. The North will be rebuilt on the same lines as the liberated East. Fair elections will be held in the same manner.

As you can observe, the normal life has begun in the liberated areas. Agricultural practices have commenced, Resort Hotels are being restored or re-built. Infrastructure facilities are being improved, tourists have started arriving. To top it all, the largest ever paddy crop has been reported. Jaffna will be restored to regain its glorious city status and rich Hindu Culture once again. Let us work together in harmony to reclaim our nation and our wonderful country.

The writer is Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Canada