Peace and Justice for Sri Lanka’s Tamils
Posted by jonathanfryer on Sunday, 22nd March, 2009
This afternoon I spoke at a large gathering of London-based Tamils in Alperton (Brent), who were there to hear what Liberal Democrats had to say about the appalling humanitarian situation in the Vanni area of Sri Lanka. Though there has been comparatively little coverage in the British media (partly because the Sri Lankan government has kept journalists out), the Tamil civilian population there has come under horrendous and protracted bombardment as the government has tried to crush the separatist LTTE. Colombo says it believes the rebels are almost beaten, but as I said in my speech, there can never be a permanent military solution to the Tamil question on the island. That can only be resolved through negotiated/political means, which means delivering peace with dignity and justice and a substantial degree of self-rule to the predominantly Tamil areas, whether that is as an autonomous region within a federal state, or a separate entity; it is not for an outsider like me to judge.
I was dropped into the deep end of Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict in the summer of 1983, when, by sheer fluke, I flew into Colombo on the very morning when the anti-Tamil incidents flared up. As I was driven into the city from the airport, Tamil businesses and homes were literally going up in flames and later I saw gangs of youths being disgorged from minibuses, armed with machetes, knives, sticks and other improvised weapons, ready to lay into anyone of the wrong ethnic group. It is a tragedy that more than a quarter of a century later, the issue has not been satisfactorily resolved. Britain as the former colonial power must engage more proactively in the situation and the EU itself should use its undoubted clout to promote true democracy and human rights on the island.
Matthew Huntbch said
OK, so we have an island with two cultural populations. One, the minority, is concentrated in the north-east corner, and identifies with a larger group across the sea on the mainland. One of the differences between the two groups is their religion, and the majority population on the island have a sense of separate identity from the mainland because they have preserved this religion while it has largely been lost from the mainland.
And the solution is to partition the island?
Perhaps you should get Gerry Adams MP to comment on this.
Ron Kass said
The terrorists outfit of Sri Lanka known as LTTE does not want a permanent solution to the ethnic problem nor they want the Peace. The war and terror is their main income. So talking about non-military solution with the LTTE is useless. No matter where, the terrorism must be defeated militarily.
I agree with Matthew – You cannot resolve an ethnic problem (or differences) just by partitioning a multi ethnic and/or multi cultural country. Imagine doing the same thing in India or the USA, where over hundreds of ethnic groups live under one flag.
Matthew Huntbach said
I am not saying that partition is never a solution, I’m just noting there aren’t easy solutions.
I remember arguing with naive people, often Americans who had got into their Irish ancestry and from this had become vocal supporters of Sinn Fein and the IRA, who claimed that partition of Ireland was an evil British imperialist thing, and the whole problems of community division in Ireland would never had happened had partition never happened. So we Brits were all to blame, we deserved terrorist bombs for imposing and maintaining this partition, and taking it away would mean peace would break out.
Sri Lanka is such a close parallel, except here’s the case where partition didn’t happen. And the lack of partition didn’t lead to peace, did it? If the argument is that it’s all the fault of us wicked imperialist Brits for not imposing partition, well, it just proves we can’t win – and perhaps those from either side in the conflict should stop using the “we can’t help it, it’s all the fault of the wicked Brits” line as an excuse for their intolerant and violent behaviour.
HARAN said
before the invasion of the europeans mainly british there were two kingdom. british made together for their admin purposes. when they left they gave it to the majority. ok forget about that . How come you live in a country there you cannot chose your education, language, culture, religion, …… THIS IS THE FACT FOR THE ARMS STRUGLE ITS CALL “FIGHTING FOR LIBERATION” IN YOUR LANGUAGE TERRORISM.
KILLING RAPING DISAPPEARING TORTURE. WE ARE LIVING WITHIN IT. GUYS YOU DONT UNDESTAND THE PAIN OF OUR HEARTS. THATS WHY WE ARE FIGHTING AGAINST IT. SIMPLY WE CAN SAY “WE ARE FIGHTING FOR AUR HUMAIN RIGHTS”
THANKS
RAPHAEL.J