Ratanapala

3 Jun 2010
Ann isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  a person who lives in Sri Lanka but is completely alienated with the ordinary Sri Lankan. Her thinking is foreign as her first name and probably the faith she professes to. She has to go half way around the world to Gettysburg in USA to find her example. She is fond of using foreign metaphors completely out of context to find answers to the treatment of the LTTE war dead. She has to quote Abraham Lincoln because her audience is as alienated from the land they live as Ann is and can only find resonance with things half way round the world and foreign. No country in the world erects monuments let alone maintains those erected for terrorists!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As for triumphalism, even after 60 years the world is still awash with World War II stories and movies all extolling the virtues of the victorious allies. Even after the humiliatingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  defeat in Vietnam there are Rambo movies trumpeting heroism of cry baby American commandoes. She will not call that triumphalism because her mindset is those of the Christian Westerner. In her mind it is not right for the victorious Sri Lankan Armed Forces to celebrate what they achieved with their blood sweat and tears terminating a 30 year war that bled the nation white. She is not able to appreciate the bravery of our Ranaviruwos and their war cry ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Zero Civilian CasualtiesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ For 30 years our nation suffered because we didn’t have the guts to go after our traitors and the country was awash with traitors who carried the can for the terrorists in and outside Sri Lanka. The Christian Church ran with the hares in Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  (when not running with the Lady of Madhu!) and hunted with the hounds abroad carrying the can for funds and white washing the terrorists as freedom fighters.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Every year they celebrate ANZAC day they call on us to wear a poppy to express our sympathy with them. We all feel it is the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”rightƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ thing to do. Where were the Ann’s of this world when Vietnam and Cambodia bled? Where her poppies, her flowery language and bleeding heart when hundreds are killed, maimed and orphaned daily in Iraq and Afghanistan for the riches in the middle east.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In 1946 in England the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ man they called Lord Haw Haw was hanged in public after pronouncing him ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a traitor. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ His body was unceremoniously dumped inside an already occupied grave. There are no memorials for Lord Haw Haw. He happened to be aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Britisher who carried out propaganda for the Nazis. If Sri Lanka follows the same example many of the publishing houses in Sri Lanka would be closed and one year hence we would still be hanging our ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ traitors.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We all know about those who betrayed our Deep Penetration Unit heroes led by Col Muthaliff and the massacre of his team at the Millennium City, Athurugiriya . We all know about the traitor who signed a Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE behind the back of the nationsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ representatives and the nation. Ann is ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ more in tune with those who were going to Pamankada and Madawachchiya than with our heroes who marched victoriously through Alimankada and Kilinochchiya!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Over 400 years ago the man they call Guy Fawkes was caught trying to bomb the British Parliament. He was subsequently tortured and immediately before his execution, Fawkes jumped from the scaffold where he was to be hanged and broke his neck, thus avoiding the agony of the drawing and quartering that would have followed. Even to this day they celebrate Guy Fawkes with much fanfare and fireworks which ends with the burning of an effigy of Guy Fawkes. Even to this day the British Monarch does not enter the British Parliament without a proper ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”searchƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the premises making it a part of the parliamentary traditions to keep the memory alive for generations to come. . This is how they keep those memories alive. I guess our Ann too participates in the Guy Fawkes Day celebrations and light firecrackers and fire sky rockets to boot!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ann would have more empathy for bombing of the British Parliament or the Twin Towers than the bombing of Dalada Maligawa or our own Central Bank and the World Trade Center. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ June 19 marks the anniversary of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg’s were sent to the Electric Chair ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in 1953. Found guilty of relaying U.S. military secrets to the Soviets, the Rosenbergs were the first U.S. civilians to be sentenced to death forƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ espionage. In America there are no memorials for Ethel and Julius!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We thank Ann for bringing up this subject. For now it is abundantly clear that we too as a nation must keep the memory of the victory over terrorism alive so that for generations to come our progeny will remember this nationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s victory over terrorism and neocolonialist ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ tyranny.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Every year on May 19^th we all must fly the National Flag and hold events to commemorate this historical event. We must celebrate the march of our heroes from Maha Veli Oya ( Mavil Aru) to Nanthikadal Laggon in Mookalan Duwa ( Mulaitivu). This must be part of our modern history – ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ all our victories as well as debacles with warts and all. The nation for generations must know why we won in the end and most importantly ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ why it took so longƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  due to traitors in our midst. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We must not let Ann and other Anns in Sri Lanka to destroy that memory. Now it is the time for the writers to write war stories and for the movie makers to make movies depicting victories of our ranaviruwoes.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Keeping that memory live in the national psyche will be a deterrent in itself for any further adventures by the Tamil Racist Ealamists within Sri Lanka and in the diaspora.