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Who wants war ?
Do we not love to live in peace sharing what we have with every one
?
by Charles Perera
Nobody wants war. Those who have read or even heard of the second world
war knows how absolutely meaningless a war is, that motivates people
to kill for economic reasons, massacre human beings for nothing but
the accident of birth in one community or another. The children enjoying
love and affection, women happy in mother hood, men with hope seeking
means of protection of their families , are massacred by bullets and
bombs. The war should be shunned.
But what can we do against those foolish men who take arms against
establishments either to safeguard ethnic identity , or spread religious
fundamentalism, become blind to reason and human welfare. They kill
children young and old, women and men, the good and the bad, believing
that the bullets can solve their problems or establish their respective
ideology. What solution is their to make these mad men, blinded by the
belief that the only way to arrive at their object is through terrorism,
understand that there is another possible way to settle their problems
?
It has been shown through experience that these people who have taken
to terrorism to solve their problems through the bullet, are blind to
other solutions. They have confidence in none, therefore, they use all
the tricks to dupe authority, through lies, traitorous means, false
promises, and even false show of kindness and hospitality.
In the face of these persons who have accepted terrorism as their religion,
who do not listen to reason or pious sermons, what can the seekers of
peace, and the humanitarians do. They can call out from house tops,
tallest trees, or from tall towers and hold the largest possible white
flag of peace, and ask the terrorists to come and settle their problems
talking peacefully with their antagonists, but they will reply by killing
a peace loving individual or blasting a claymore mine.
In that situation, what is open to an individual who wants peace or
a government who is ready to negotiate to make the terrorists see reason
? The only means unfortunately is to speak their own language that they
easily understand. That leads to aggression, terrorism and war, which
respects no child or a grown up, a soldier or a civilian, a layman or
a priest.
In that situation the solution is not in discussion, not in peace negotiations,
not in sermons, and not on lectures on good conduct, because, that will
fall on deaf ears. It will be throwing pearl before pigs.
Their will be the anti war lobby, humanitarians, journalists, priests
and philosophers, writers and musicians, simple people men and women
who abhor killing and mutilation. But can they change the mind set of
a man like Prabhakaran, a smiling Tamil Selvam, aid seeking Daya Master,
double tongued Puleedevan. Haven’t we lost a number of reasonable
men, intellectuals, religious men who without exception loved peace
and spoke for peace ?
Do we still say that the only way to settle the problem with the LTTE
tiger terrorists is through negotiations for peace..? If we continue
to say so we have learnt nothing from the deaths of Loganathans, Kadirgamars,
Kulatungas, Muthalifs,Thiruchelvams.
How many more good peace loving people have to die before the Co-chairs,
the International Community, the good neighbour India, see the reality
of the situation in Sri Lanka ?
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