Jaffna university incident and bleeding hearts
Posted on December 20th, 2012
Janaka Perera
Following the tensions between Jaffna university students and security personnel resulting in some students being assaulted several pundits have been condemning the incident as a denial of freedom of speech, obstruction to reconciliation and a violation of the rights of Tamils to commemorate their dead ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” meaning no doubt those who died in the separatist war. Among the panjandrums who have been expressing what they imagine is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”righteous angerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ over this are Bishop Duleep Chikera, Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda, Anne Abayasekera, Island columnist ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Shanie,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Dr. Janaka Ratnasiri Past General President of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS).ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We all know Bishop Chikera has never been known to express his whole hearted support for eradicating LTTE terrorism from Sri Lanka at any time. As for Anne Abayasekara and Shanie, their writings during war largely reflected the call for a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”peacefulƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ settlement- never the need to crush the intransigent Tigers militarily. I cannot recall any instance where these panjandrums really saw our soldiers, sailors and airmen as heroes. Correct me if I am wrong. It is a small wonder since these critics have always turned a blind eye to the fact that the Tigers considered their so-called liberation struggle not as an internal conflict but a war between two countries ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Sri Lanka and Tamil Eelam. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Needless to say the same view still prevails among Tiger sympathizers both within and outside Sri Lanka.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Dr. Ratnasiri condemns the ArmyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s action is an attempt to repeat history that everyone wants to forget.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ My purpose is not to argue on the pros and cons of the ArmyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s action at the Jaffna university but to question why the university students chose November 27 ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Maaveerar Day (the date on which the first Tiger ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ShankarƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ died in 1982) ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” to commemorate the dead.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If the Jaffna University students really wanted to remember every Tamil who died in the conflict why did not they select another day instead of November 27 unless they wanted to deliberately provoke the Army? ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And did they include Tamil victims of LTTE terrorism in the list of the dead?
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The real culprits here obviously are the university students – not the military.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda argues if JVPers are allowed to commemorate their dead comrades why not allow the Jaffna University to remember the LTTE dead? He forgets that the JVP did not fight to destroy the State and bisect the country on ethnic lines but overthrow the government and replace the existing political system with a communist one. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The dead of the two World Wars are commemorated on November 11 (the day World War I ended) ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” not on the day of HitlerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s death or that of any other Nazi.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When the Western Allies and the Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany in World War II they not only militarily occupied the country but also engaged in a process of De-Nazification. Today not only the Nazi Party but even the Swastika (unfortunately) is banned in Germany all because of Hitler. Hundreds and thousands of German civilians died in Allied bombing of Dresden and Hamburg among other cities.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But all sensible Germans who were sick and tired of the war and of the Nazis welcomed the Allied Victory as liberation from tyranny.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Unfortunately in Sri Lanka, although our armed forces recaptured PrabharanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s rogue state, the government failed to fully engage in a process of eradicating the LTTE-inspired Tamil Jingoism. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And as long as this cancer is not cured no reconciliation is possible.
December 19th, 2012 at 7:40 pm
Understand the forces and it is easy to see the reason for these bleeding hearts. There is one thing that is common to the Bishop Duleep Chickera, and Fr Sarath Iddamalgoda – that is the Christian Church.
In whatever manifestation it is whether Anglican or Catholic their declared intent is to subjugate the will of the Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka. This is the ever present element in all Sri Lankan political situations that has to counted into understand the outcomes that affect the well being, the unity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. Although we have managed remain a majority Buddhist nation even after 500 years of Christian imperialism, we are not yet through the woods. In fact present day Sri Lanka is extremely vulnerable to the declared intent of the Christian Church – that is to make Sri Lanka a Christian lapdog country amenable to the Christian Western countries.
Anne Abeysekera if she is the wife or the daughter of Charles Abeysekera – they belong to the depraved Colombo NGO click. Charles Abeysekera – is the first Chairman of the Ceylon Steel Corporation and the first Civil Servant to be stood down from the service for alleged misdemeanours. He was a bankrupt left winger who finally resorted to milking the NGO circuit.
The Island newspaper and its Christian Editor look after Christian Interests and openly carry out a campaign to denigrate Buddhism and Buddhists, just like so called free press in Sri Lanka majority of which are under Christian Church influence.
The Victory of our valiant Ranawiruwoes that eliminated the Tamil Tiger Terrorists comprehensively on Sri Lankan soil is just anathema to these western bootlicking traitors.
December 20th, 2012 at 11:37 am
As always a very commendable article by Janaka. He explains why the dead should be remembered and without blaming the Jaffna University student for remembering their dead who ever they may be , tell what was wrong in their hero worship. It is the choice of the day.
No Tamil can say that Prabhakaran living or dead had been a hero or a Great Leader. He was a ruthless killer, he was acting like the incarnation of a blood thirsty demon. No Tamil could have any sentimental attachment to the memory of that devil, even If they make offerings to Kali and make animal sacrifices on their holy days.