CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Counter the Genocide of Sinhalas in the East

Dilrook Kannangara

East is far from safe; especially for Sinhala people. Although the government celebrated the Eastern Liberation on a grand scale in 2007, little has improved. People are gunned down regularly because they are Sinhalese and the government has become a prisoner of its own entrapment. It looks as if the seniors in the government and the military don’t want to question what they believe as universal truth which is in effect hilariously unintelligent. This is totally unacceptable and effective and proven counter-terrorism measures must be taken to arrest the situation.

The only genocide in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, like Rwanda, Australia and Serbia witnessed genocide. However, genocide in the island nation was committed against it majority. Today there are no Sinhala and Muslim civilians in the Jaffna district, Kilinochchi district, Mulativu district and Mannar district. More than 50,000 Sinhalese and close to 100,000 Muslims who lived in these districts a few decades ago have been completely wiped-out by LTTE terrorists. This is the unchallenged truth avoided not only by the LTTE, but also by the government in Colombo.

A tragicomedy is taking place at the Jaffna University and the Eastern University. No student of the majority Sinhala community can pursue higher studies in these universities despite the fact that these are funded by mostly Sinhala taxpayers. Muslim students also cannot go to the Jaffna University. Apart from genocide, such acts amount to racial discrimination. Unless the majority taxpayers are getting any benefit from these gigantic spenders, there is no logical reason why taxpayers’ money should be wasted on these centres of racial discrimination. In fact continuation of these institutions subtly justifies and approves their discriminatory demeanour even though it is due to the general conditions that prevail in the area.

Having succeeded magnificently in the North, Tamil Elamists are now into the East. Regularly Sinhala youth are killed in the East and nothing has happened to curtail this very dangerous, potentially genocidal development. If allowed to continue, the East will be devoid of the Sinhalas just like the North. Tamil Elam which is supposed to be a mono-ethnic Tamil only state comes a step closer to realisation.

Destroying the right political solution

The only political solution to the so called ethnic conflict is ethnic integration. Ethnic integration doesn’t need changing the unitary status; it doesn’t require changing the Constitution either! If people of all races live in every part of the country, there cannot be any ethnic problem left. However, there are racist elements like the LTTE that are vehemently opposed to ethnic integration because it will exhaust the Tamil Elam campaign. There are also certain Eastern regional Tamil elements who want to be kings in their own little mono-ethnic kingdom. Further, there are Al Qaeda/Jihadist elements active in the East who strive for a similar objective. Their mono-ethnic campaigns must be defeated decisively. Otherwise peace will always evade the East and the day will come in the near future when further disintegration of this tiny island will threaten national peace and coexistence.

Security apparatus has failed

The government must admit that its security apparatus has failed in the East. Every week civilians and security forces personnel are killed and there seems to be no end to it. A general worsening is seen in this development. The paramilitary group which is also entrusted with security in the region should be disbanded if it cannot provide adequate security where expected and it should be replaced with other units. Unconventional counter-terror operations that proved extremely successful in Colombo, etc. have almost stopped completely in the East. This may be due to the false belief that “East is safe”. Government officials must come down from their towers and appreciate fully the present dangerous situation in the East and it should be countered before it is too late.

Mysteriously security agencies have been unable to pinpoint who the actual culprits are and no culprits have been arrested so far. This may be due to the stoppage of unconventional counter-terror operations. These must be recommenced in the East, driving fear and terror into troublesome elements and these means will eventually liquidate the killers without burdening the system. However as long as the government stubbornly refuses to accept the reality that East is unsafe, nothing will happen.

Violence seems to be heading southward as people are killed in Yala, Kataragama and Hambantota areas for the first time in the 25 years old war.

The killers in the East must be killed by means legal and otherwise. And it got to be done soon.

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