Response to "Christmas in Sri Lanka 2008

Dear Ruki

Merry Christmas
I'm glad you managed to to spend it with you family

Unfortunately i had to be here at work in Anuradhapura and could not be with my family.
It was interesting to note that even here in Anuradhapura, despite being a Sinhalese Buddhist majority town the Christmas lights were shinning bright, and and to my pleasant surprise I even saw a Sri Lankan Santa Clause dressed in red, prancing in the main street of Anuradhapura as I ate my Christmas kothu rotti.

I read you reflections with interest, but also with some difference. I found what you had written to be very thought and emotion provoking - which has led me to contribute to this forum. Forgive me if what I have to say is somewhat lengthy but I feel it to be important all the same.

Ruki wrote:
- There were prayers for the rulers and the military that they will soon bring about an end to the conflict with their ongoing military operations, which is on the verge of “victory”.

- But there were no prayers for a negotiated, just, political solution that will meet aspirations of all communities.

I share you sentiment in agreeing that it is very saddening that we are at war. Living here you cannot escape this awareness. In fact this conflict is heartbreaking for anyone who is aware, as I'm sure many readers here will agree.

However, to me, your writing omits the fact that there "are" prayers by many Sri Lankan's for a peaceful end to this conflict - i can vouch for at least one person (myself) but know of many many more who have this very prayer. What you report is the lack of guided prayer on these topics by the Minister of your service perhaps, rather than the prayer that exists in the mind of ordinary people - a much more difficult thing for one to profess to know. I challenge everyone who reads Ground views to write in if they have themselves had a prayer to the end of violence, or knows of others who feel this way - i'm sure it is many in number.

When I talk to the public about what they want it is most definitely "peace" and not "violence". I live amongst many casualties of war here in the North of the so called "South". However there is a strong belief that, amongst the people with whom I talk, that the LTTE will "not give up their armed fight" for a separate state at any cost, and that a ceasefire without commitment will only lead to re-arming and further violent conflict. This is the only reason why they support the government military stance.

Whilst living here it has saddened me to learn at close hands that the civilians in the LTTE controlled areas are "erroneously" led to believe that "the Sinhalese" want to wipe out the entire Tamil race. One trip down to the capital of Sri Lanka and it is plainly obvious that this is not the case, as Tamil will be the main language one can hear being expressed in many areas of Colombo, however, the people of the Wanni do not realise this until they become the fortunate few who are able to leave (only to find that they cannot return without being at risk of conscription to the LTTE).

We know about this misconception because patients who are casualties of war are often treated in Anuradhapura hospital and they express these erroneous and hurtful views to the doctors treating them, often fighting hard to save their lives. Of course these civilians themselves are not to blame, because under Prabakaran's LTTE regime this is what they are led to believe.

There was incident not too long ago (within the last 6 months) where a Tamil patient from the Wanni was transferred (which is a common occurrence) for treatment of a traumatic injury and despite several hours of surgery and intensive care they eventually succumbed for medical reasons. However, the family member that accompanied them from the Wanni was adamant that medical care was withheld and their relation was killed because they were a Tamil. The consultant spent a very long time trying to convince the bystander that this was not the case - despite being in a very busy hospital and having other pressures, for the very reason that it was important to them they they did not have this wrong view that the Sinhalese are trying to kill the Tamil people, however, this these efforts were sadly in vain as there was no changing this deep seated view that had likely been the result of much brainwashing.

PEACE CAN START AT A COMMUNITY LEVEL FOR ALL OF US

I am not claiming there are no hardships faced by Tamil people in Sri Lanka today (scrutiny at checkpoints, which in some cases is clear harassment, being just one example of a difficulties faced by Tamils living in Sri Lanka at present), after all I could never know what it is to be a Tamil person in Sri Lanka. At the same time I also know that there is very little positive light being given to the ethnic harmony that also exists despite this ongoing conflict, at least in my experience. I have had the pleasure of working alongside people of all ethnic minorities in this country since i arrived here 3 years ago, and even in Anuradhapura, which is so close to the conflict. For the last 2 years I have had Tamil co-workers who were all clearly treated with equality to the Sinhalese Majority and other Ethnic minorities, as one would expected (but perhaps may not realise).

I was privileged to be able to offer a Puja at the local Kovil with both Sinhalese and Tamil colleagues together in Anuradhapura only a few months back. Here the the Hindu priest told us that he has been offering puja's and serving the community for years, and certainly throughout this conflict. What was heartening for me to hear was that he had such a good relationship with the local "Harmaduruwo" (Buddhist Priest), where he said that if there was ever a need they could freely call upon one another. The greatest conflict he had received was pressure from other Hindu priests residing the North of Sri Lanka who criticised him for maintaining his support of a Hindu Temple in a Sinhala predominant area, despite not having any trouble from this community. This was saddening to hear as such pressure only encourages separation rather than unity, however, it was pleasant to see his courage in doing what he felt was right.

I would like to re-iterate for this forum that the Sinhalese "does not" want to "exterminate" the Tamil people as Tamil people in the Wanni have been led to believe in order to continue fighting this war for the LTTE. This ideology is not only erroneous, but it is extremely damaging to all communities.

In my personal experience of working in this region, the only real threat of physical harm that has come to both me and my Tamil colleagues was when the LTTE planted a bomb in the local Anuradhapura "pola" (community market) back in February this year, which was luckily defused before it caused any damage.

Don't get me wrong, as far as I'm concerned "any" form of war or physical violence is terrible and a real mess- and I have always been a proponent of non-violence as you know. Anyone working in the medical sphere knows that the human destruction of military or guerilla/terrorist warfare is terribly devastating. I also agree that more thought and action can be done to help those who are casualties of war.

RIGHTS OF CIVILIANS IN THE WANNI

However, if feel the current conflict in Sri Lanka should always be presented as function of the conflict between two sides. A lack of attention to the terrible conditions the civilians in LTTE controlled areas have to face because of the LTTE is unbalanced reporting and also unfair to these poor civilians who do not have the benefit of getting their message out in a forum like groundviews. Where is the reports of the plight of families who have to give up not one but two children to be LTTE cadres? Or those who cannot return (even medical officers) who are at fear of being forcibly conscripted. These people cannot voice their opinion for fear of their own lives and their families lives. However, I feel I never read much of these people's plight at these sort of forums, sadly.

Ruki wrote:

- There were no prayers or mention of hundreds of thousands of displaced, men, women and children, with inadequate shelter, food, medicine, education, water and sanitation.

- There were no prayers for children and adults conscripted as soldiers, their families.


I agree that there should be prayers for these people, and publicly so.

WRITING WHAT ONE FEELS

I think writing about the conflict is a very difficult thing and I commend you Ruki to have the courage to write what you "feel", and I do believe this the piece your wrote here is primarily about "feelings"

So in response I have shared some of my thoughts and "feelings".

My main criticism of "feeling-based" writing (including my own piece of writing here) is that what ends up being presented is a usually a one sided argument.

One sided arguments run the risk of further to deepen the divide between "us" and "them" (whichever side, or view, you support) instead of realising the beauty of the oneness that we are all bound by.

I believe the media, including "groundviews" has a very important role to play in generating peace, by being as balanced as possible. The provision of the website to make comment and provide feedback is commendable. Thank you to the organisers for creating this platform. However the balance is only as good as the diversity of contribution so I encourage all with differing opinions to present their view as I am weary of reading the same viewpoints over and over, and I am sure there are other who feel the same.

I thank you for your patients with my "reflections", and will leave you with the best Chirstmas prayer that I can think of to achieve decreasing the divide between "us" and "them" in favour or peace for all.

I pray that we don't project only "despair" in our current situation as this will only lead to more despair,
Instead I pray that we start look for the light in the current situation,
As "difficult" as it may be because of the scars that we bear, and because of how dark it may currently seem,
And I pray for us to build upon what we good we have, no matter how little it may seem.
We should not look to blame others, but look for solutions for ourselves
Including the simple acknowledgement of the goodwill that exists in our communities are this very moment in time
I assure you that this goodwill is there- we just need to nurture it further
Only then as community we can find and promote lasting peace in Sri Lanka

God Bless
Ishallah
Om Shanti
Theruwan Saranai

Merry Christmas
Bishan - 25/12/08


http://peaceandunity-bishan.blogspot.com/

“Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong”

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

“Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected”

(quotes by Mahatma Gandhi)

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that"

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

(Martin Luther King, Jr.)

I can't sleep

I've been very quiet on my Peace Blog which was meant to be an ongoing account and archive of what peace activities are happening here in Sri Lanka, an ongoing dialog of positive ideas, and a platform to have non-partisan discussion for a better future. Unfortunately I got too bogged down with my academic work.

However, today was a very very sad day for me which really drove home the reality of what it means to be at war. There are a lot of conflicting emotions to deal with. Since Saturday there have been 3 bombs set off by the LTTE that have resulted in the death of 31 people and the injury of more than 150 people.

Saturday 2nd Feb - A public bus going from Kandy to Anuradhapura was blown up in Dambulla, killing 20 and injuring over 50 people (people who were on a pilgrimage).

Sunday 3rd Feb - A grenade thrown into the Dehiwala Zoo injured 4 people

Sunday 3rd Feb - A bomb set off on a train in Fort, Colombo's main railways station killed 11 people and injured over 100 people.

These are all civilian deaths. These are all a result of the LTTE terrorist activities.

In addition to these highlighted deaths there are the deaths that are occurring in the North of this beautiful island everyday, due to a military offensive against the LTTE, and the similar retaliations. Basically it's war up there. There are many casualties occurring, the exact numbers of which are not know.

The casualties included the LTTE fighters and SL army soldiers, but also the inevitable loss of civilians caught in the crossfire. This latter group can be considerable as the LTTE often use human shields or recruit children for fighting which means that these kids are victims to both LTTE conscription, as well victims to the artillery of the SL Army because they are now "the enemy". It's very sad.

WAR = KILLING

KILLING = suffering (for the family and friends of the victims)

What do we all want?

--- PEACE -----

I just wrote that because I feel it is easy to forget these simple logical conclusions and words of truth. The current climate is that "war is a solution", not just here in Sri Lanka, but in the entire world. You don't have to look far to find war, or advocacy of violence being a completely normal way to solve a problem. Why is this I wonder? Do we have no faith in the wisdome of some of these great leaders that existed in the past, and what they stood for? Look what they managed to achieve without resorting to violence.

“Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong”

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

“Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected”

(quotes by Mahatma Gandhi)

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that"

(Martin Luther King, Jr.)

People who advocate war and violence

I wonder what the people who advocate war in Sri Lanka, or in the rest of the world for that matter, really think when they consider the above statements? Whether they be LTTE supporters, or Sri Lankan army supporters - it doesn't matter - do they really believe taking someone's life is going to improve the world they live in, or even their little part of the world?

I also really wonder - would they be so keen for war if it were their own children on the frontline of the battlefield in the north? If you are and advocate of this war - would you want your own kith and kin on the frontline to be fighting it for you? Please think about that question properly before you answer it ?

My answer is a simple. No

And if this is the case, then I think they should stop hostilities and force a seize fire immediately.

Unless I am personally willing to jump to front line of a military offensive - how can I advocate somebody else to send their children to do my dirty work for me? Sound crazy ? Actually it makes sense, but sadly not a mainstream view point.

There's all sorts of much more sensible view points like " you don't understand, that's not how the world works", "you can't trust them, tho only way to be sure is to kill them and elliminate them " etc etc.

Is there any thought for the countless number of family members or friends who will still be left alive with grievances - no this is never thought about in the simple "kill and exterminate" model, because people who use this model operate on the basis of Kill now, and we can deal with those problems later, rather than let's not kill so we don't have to deal with those problems among other problems.

Anyway my feelings are clear to me. We should immediately stop all violence - re-evaluate the mistaken idea that a military solution to a problem is the correct path to take.


People who advocate war and violence (who themselves live outside Sri Lanka)

If you are living outside Sri Lanka and sitting in an armchair watching CNN or BBC or Al Jezeera - and your advocating or supporting this violence - whether you support the LTTE or the Governments of Sri Lanka or any group that promotes killing or violence - then why don't you come here and start catching the public buses which are being blown up in increasing frequency in the current situation.

Or again, answer the question "are you willing to send your own children on the frontline of the battlefield in the north?". (I pose it in this manner because the majority of people who want this violence somehow are poeple who are old enough to have children, and the children seem to follow what lead thier parents take)

I was due to travel through Dambulla tomorrow, past the very place where Saturday's bomb exploded. My cousin caught a bus from colombo fort railway station where the train exploded, but luckily hours before.

I don't want to be caught up in the next bomb.

Is the loss of even one life- too much? There has to be another way.
There is another way, and if we can't see it - well we just have to look harder.



Pro Peace does not equal Pro LTTE

"Being pro peace does not make you Pro LTTE", I am against "any group" that uses force and violence, and Sadly the LTTE is an incredibly violent group.

In addition to killing many innocent civilians, such as on occasions like today, they have also killed many many Tamil politicians and peacemakers alike. If they are really for a the cause of the Tamils of Sri Lanka they would not behave like this. Also if any group is going to justly represent the Tamil people they should be able tolerate debate within the organisation. Sadly in the LTTE there has very little tolerance of any alternative opinion. This fact is often not know by people unfamiliar with Sri Lanka's conflict and often overlooked by LTTE supporters because of their distrust of the Government is so high.

(the interview : http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2006/nomoretears/special_uthr.html )

This interview with the University Teachers for human rights (Jaffna), and independant Human rights watchdog elucidates this phenomenon well in thier monitoring of LTTE activities over the years, particullarly in the way they killed Dr. Rajani Thiranagama (an LTTE supporter who worked with them and then disagreed with their methods), to send a message that no alternative opinion would be tolerated.



Pro Peace does not equal "Anti-government"

I maintain that it still makes sense to work within the framework of democracy, is supporting the government. However, if the government uses force and violence as their primary means of achieving things, then I cannot support the elements within that want this. I will not limit myself to being "anti-government" as some chose. Being "Anti" anything closes off the door to the opposing side of any argument, and forces one to disengage. In the same way I am not Anit LTTE, despite the killings and past action - I am against those elements who have chosen a violent an inhumane path, or continue to do so.

Whilst the current government is carrying out a military offensive, this doesn't mean that everybody who is within the government agrees with this. The news papers may be black and white, but the minds of many of the people whose ideas get written about are i'm sure a little more to do with "shades of grey". There is plenty of unvoiced opinion in favor of a more peaceful, non violent solution. This is why, a climate of one should be with the government 100%, otherwise you are against them is not the way forward for meaningful dialog and understanding in my opinion.

This is why I hold the government in a position of hope, unlike so many other citizens who are disillusioned by their current military stance. There has to be a way to reach out to the leaders of this country to feel confident that there is another way. If the entire population of Sri Lanka wanted peace by immediate cessation of violence, then the government would have to do this, or atleast it would given them the confidence to do so. Unfortunately this is not the case, but it is just to simple to blame the state without looking at our actions or lack of actions as being party to this tradegy.

I say, even if the current strategy of a "military solution" was carried out, and the LTTE was killed (along with countless civilians - which is what it would amount to). What would be the fall out afterwards - does the advocate of military tactics think of this?

No matter what happens we are going to have to deal with the consequence of so many loved ones having died, but the sooner this happens the less people who have died in an already far too high toll, and thus the better for us all.

Many people who question peace, often say "what is the point always appealing to the government to stop hostilities. Why don't the supporter of LTTE do the same form the LTTE" As mentioned before the very nature of the LTTE organisation is such that it doesn't tolerate descent or core differences opinion. We live in a democracy and we have the power to empower our rights as citizens that this state represents. Whilst people in Sri Lanka do experience problems with freedom of speech, and there are problems, I believe people sing this song far to loud. Since being here I have read many articles about on topics such as "Sinhala Buddhist Chauvinism" where they are publishing articles highly critical of some lines of thinking (which were quite valid opinions) but were published in national newspapers all the same.

When I went on a peace vigil on 31st of December last year (whilst there was an intense military offensive in the north). We had the message of "stop the violence and killing in 2008", and we were treated with respect and dignity by citizens passing by, the local police and military vehicles had passed by without any problem. Whilst mainstream journalism has had issues with freedom of speech, other mediums such as this one (blogging) goes without interference, after all I am expressing my views right now and this is some testament to the country in which I am living. I have read many similar such posting from many Sri Lankan citizens. (Having said this I do know that Tamil. net in blocked in Sri Lanka)

My point that should not be missed is that despite the problems we face here, we do not live in a "dicatorial state", unless we chose to feel that we do. The reality is that democracy of every country is flawed at some level - a recent talk that I went to by the American author, Gore Vidal - illustrated the flaws in US democracy quite nicely.

We can all realise the freedom that we do have and use it to our full potential constructively. We just need to have more constructive diaolog. This is another reason why i set up this blog - so please excercise your rights leave a comment for me and others to read if you so desire.


The real victims - the people who are most important not to forget


The poor people who are innocent victims in this conflict. The families of the people killed in todays bombs. The families of the Soldiers who are also killed . The families of the LTTE who often didn't have any choice but to let their family member join in the fighting, especially in the case of child soldiers. These Tamil civilians in the North who live amongst the LTTE, who are subject to Army and Airoforce attacks on one side, and LTTE forced child conscription on the other side.

These people are all the real victims.



(these are just pictures of regular people I have taken over the last two years, from markets in Wellawatte, Villages in the south, and hospitals in the north central province - with permission. They are not actual victims but represent potential victims - as we all do. Interestingly Tamils, Sinhalese, and Muslims are represented in these three pictures - which is quite fitting because all are victims of this conflict - it affects the entire Sri Lankan population)


Who is responsible for violence?

These are the people instructing the people that fighting is the only way. The heads of the LTTE. Also the heads of state in this government, all the way down to "you" or "I", who have the ability to voice our opinions (unlike the people of the Wanni) but choose not to. We choose not to partly out of fear, but partly because we do not know how to voice our opinions in a effective way (again, why not try leaving a comment)


Why can we not find a better way?
Not tomorrow but today.

How many more deaths do we need to experience?
How close to home does it have to be before we give up the game of violence? Surely the whole world would be a better place if we just gave up violence?


Why do Pro Peace people never protest against LTTE bombings?

I've been asked several times by people who are against Pro Peace movements, saying "you are always jumping up and down whenever the government wants to try an eliminate terrorism in for the safety of the country, but why is it that nobody protests against the LTTE when they set off a bomb?"



I've been looking at my own responses as person who is pro peace -in how I view todays bombs

1) When the LTTE sets off a bomb such as in the Fort Railway station (where the Peace Vigil I took part in on Dec 31st was held) - it really destablises society. Right now I don't feel safe to go the streets. Nor do I think it will be wise to organise a group of people to stand out side fort Railway station with placard saying "LTTE" please stop killing civilians" because the reality is they are now targeting civilians, and a group of people protesting their actions might then be prime targets.

2) I also know that part of the reason the LTTE is targeting civilians is that they are desperate and they are using whatever means are available.

The reality is that in War there are no rules that people follow, especially in terrorist warfare. We can say "the LTTE really shouldn't target civilians", "this is a cowardly and inhumane act" (which it is). I "am" saying this. However, the reality is this is the LTTE do, whether we like it or not.

Therefore, when the government runs offensive military operations in the North, then given the tactics of the LTTE, they know that we will expect to see such bombing that occurred today in the south. Thus they know that their actions will result in civilian death, and are willing to tolerate it.

More force and aggression doesn't lead to less violence, on the contrary, it leads to more.

Anyone who is Truly for "Peace" is against "all killings" no matter who is responsible. Peace is non partisan (see Thich Nhat Hanh video in previous post). I agree that you can twist this by only calling peace when one type of killing occurs - this is certainly not the case in my experience of actually meeting with people who are for peace.

It scares me that society can sometimes actually be "against" peace

(I ask the question are these Buddhist monks or Christian priests really interested in overthrowing the government? Am interested in overthrowing the government - not at all. They just want peace. I just want peace. We all just want PEACE.

I guess the debate comes in peoples belief of how peace will come about - a "War for peace", or perhaps "Peace for Peace" - which one would you invest your money in? I know which one I would )

KILLING = SUFFERING , it's the simple formula. You don't need a degree to figure this one out.

The ultimate hope is that by showing the way of non-violence a peaceful solution can be achieved.

Time to sleep

Anyway, i'm tired, and I have a long PhD proposal to write, that's way overdue. It's hard to explain to supervisors who are in Australia that some of my lack of progress is about caring about the world that I living too much to just "get on with it". Also the belief that I can make a difference, no matter how small it may be, with positive ideas, also seems to hamper progress on the work front - nevertheless I am happy with my choices.

Happy 60th Independance Sri Lanka - let's make it worth something, I know we can, despite the odds.

Here's hoping that Sri Lanka moves toward the amazing country that it could be - one that respects unity in diversity, peace and understanding. I believe it can be, and when we think, talk and discuss, we are making positive steps in the right direction. To work with these "shades of grey" rather than to choose either "black or white" is the challenge that awaits us and could help us create the rainbow of our future.



Tonight please spare a thought for all the innocent victims of this senseless violence.
( I really mean "senseless" - violence never make sense when you really look at it - if you can give me a logical reason why violence does make sense please let me know)

Finally I would like to post the Dalai Lama's recent words on a his vision of a Compassionate Future (next post)

May all you all being be well, and truly find peace in this lifetime
B :)


Please read the Dalai Lama's message - it is beautiful piece of work and truely inspirational - i've copied the section that I think is relevant to my current discussion below

"But the genuine practice of nonviolence is still at an experimental stage. If this experiment succeeds, it can open the way to a far more peaceful world. We need to embrace a more realistic approach to dealing with human conflicts, an approach that is in tune with a new reality of heavy interdependence in which the old concepts of "we" and "they" are no longer relevant. The very idea of total victory for one's own side and the total defeat of one's enemy is untenable. In violent conflicts, the innocent are often the first casualties, as the war in Iraq and Sudan's Darfur crisis [ed note - "or the Sri Lankan conflict"] painfully remind us. Today, the only viable solution to human conflicts will come through dialogue and reconciliation based on the spirit of compromise."

My dream is that we have an end to human conflict. This dream is achievable if enough people believe it.

Standing fo peace is "not" Crazy.
B :)