by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Ten years ago on the morning of July 29, an unknown ‘human bomb’ exploded at the Rosemead Place-Kynsey Road junction. The suicide attack resulted in the death of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam.
In a few seconds of madness the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had murdered the foremost intellectual in contemporary Tamil politics.
[Neelan Tiruchelvam]
Hello Friends
Ten years ago on this day (July 29th 1999)that Dr. Neelakandan Tiruchelvam known generally as Neelan was brutally assassinated by a suicide killer of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) near his office on Kynsey terrace.
I was perhaps one of the last persons to speak to him on that fateful day. I spoke with him on the telephone from Toronto for 50 minutes from 7.50 am until 8.40 am (Sri Lankan time). I used to call him almost every week then.
Usually he winds up the conversation after a while saying you are going to run up a massive phone bill. But on that day he was in a mood to talk and was quite reflective of maters.
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The politico-military organization known as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has virtually ceased to exist within the borders of Sri Lanka.
Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran and most military cadres including senior military leaders are no more among the living. Thousands of other tiger cadres including senior members of the political and administrative wings are incarcerated by the Sri Lankan authorities.
Small groups of tigers are holed up in the jungles of the Northern and Eastern provinces trying to engage in guerilla warfare of a minor scale where and when possible. Their impact is negligible.
Meanwhile covert tiger operatives are being systematically hunted down in various parts of the country by the security authorities who prefer to keep this aspect away from media attention. Likewise tigers who sought refuge clandestinely in Internally displaced person (IDP) camps are also weeded out regularly.
Hello Friends,
Most of us know about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission appointed by Nelson Mandela in South Africa in the post-Apartheid years.
According to Wikipedia-
“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was a court-like body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Anyone who felt that he or she was a victim of its violence was invited to come forward and be heard. Perpetrators of violence could also give testimony and request amnesty from prosecution.”
Hello Friends
The Anglican Bishop of Colombo , Rt. Rev Duleep de Chickera is one of those leaders from the Christian clergy who strives to promote inter-ethnic understanding, justice and equality.
Bishop Duleep as he is generally known concluded a pastoral visit to Jaffna some weeks ago and issued a public statement afterwards.
I was very happy to post the statement on this blog on June 18th.
Wrote in my introduction then “I think the statement provides pertinent insight into the Jaffna of today and am reproducing it here on this blog”.
It was titled “The mood in Jaffna is that of being tragically marooned”.
Bishop Duleep encapsuled the feelings and mood of Jaffna vividly in that epistle.
His suggestions on fostering greater understanding and inter-action between the ethnicities deserved much thought.
On July 13th a symposium was held in Colombo to commemorate the departed Lanka Sama Samaaja Party (LSSP) leadr Dr. N.M. Perera. Among those who participated was Bishop Duleep.
Hello Friends,
Last month I posted on this Blog a letter written by a grand uncle to his grand nephew. The grand uncle was none other than the well-known trade unionist and human rights activist Upali Cooray.
This former stalwart of the Ceylon Mercantile Union was an active member of the Lanka Sama Samaaja Party (LSSP) who later broke away from it.
Upali Cooray a lawyer is now resident in Britain. He is senior lecturer in Law at the Metropolitian University in London. He is also involved with the centre for democracy and justice.
A vulgar and cruse exhibition of triumphalism was let loose in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Cooray’s young grand nephew was also one of those engulfed by the triumphalist tide. Observing the jingoist and triumphalist remarks posted by his grand nephew on his facebook the grand uncle wrote him a letter.
Stating “it is obvious that you have been swept by the chauvinist fever” Upali proceeded to point out precisely in the letter the inherent dangers of this misplaced triumphalism.
Hello Friends,
Various persons in different capacities have attempted to analyse and comment on the tragic post-independence history of deteriorating ethnic relations in Sri Lanka.
I happened to read an interesting and informative lecture on Sri Lankan ethnic relations by a brilliant left-leaning intellectual of Sri Lankan origin now domiciled in Britain.
Many of the younger generation may not have heard of this octogenarian who is however very well known to those of an earlier vintage interested and involved in the politics of race and class. He was actively involved in anti-racist struggles in Britain.
He is none other than Ambalavanar Sivanandan, director of the London based Race Relations Institute. He was also the founder editor of the much respected journal “Race and Class” of which he is now an advisory editor.
Sivanandan or Siva is also the author of a highly acclaimed novel relating to three generations of Sri Lankans. “When Memory Dies” won the Commonwealth writers prize. Two collections of his varuois essays have also been published.
Hello Friends
It is six months since the fearless editor of “The Sunday Leader” was brutally assassinated in broad daylight.Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge was murdered in cold blood at Ratmalana by a killer squad of eight riding four motor cycles. He was driving alone to work on that fateful January 8th.
pic by: indi.ca
Six months have passed and the Police are yet to progress in their so called investigation into the killing. The only “suspect” netted by them is the man who misappropriated Lasantha’s cellular phone.
Hello Friends,
The conditions prevailing at the Internally displaced person (IDP)camps in Vavuniya and Chettykulam are far from satisfactory.
Many of those who serve or have served as volunteers in these camps are upset over the continuing humanitarian tragedy .
It is widely acknowledged that the authorities are making sincere efforts to improve conditions as far as possible.
It is also accepted that conditions are improving gradually. But there is a crying need for vast and quick improvement .
Recently a team of volunteers returned after a stint at IDP camps in Manik Farm.
