Response to Dr. Ellyn Shander, MD

The following is a response posted by the author of Dheshapalana to a speech delivered by Dr. Ellyn Shander, MD, in support of Tamil Eelam, at a Peace Rally at Capitol Hill, Washington DC, on July 23, 2007. The full text of the speech is available on transCurrents.

Dear Dr. Shander,

The overall manner in which the Government of Sri Lanka has conducted its war is deplorable indeed. It should be the dream of every man, woman or child, regardless of race, class, caste or creed to live in peace and harmony, with the right to life, access to education, health-care, shelter, food and water. This should be the right of the Tamils and the Singhalese alike. As enshrined in the Declaration of 1948, it should be the right of every human being. It is bad enough to take a life. For a government to take the lives of its own innocent citizens, whether intended or collateral, is far worse. There has been little understanding as to the social impact of GOSL defence and security policy, especially under the present regime. There seems very little differentiation between combatants and non-combatants. An all-encompassing policy of capacity-building for northerners is completely lacking from Colombo’s present agenda. The recent ‘repatriation’ of northern Tamils from Colombo is testimony to the fact. It is regrettable that the island is now compared to Darfur. There is a lot that can be criticised and a lot that can be changed with regard to Colombo’s policies on the Tamil question. Indeed, as has been observed by others before, the LTTE is a creation of Colombo’s chauvinism of the past, not a catalyst for it.

You capture the human perspective of the situation with feeling and rigour. You fail however, to mention the use of human shields which have often impelled Government forces towards the inflicting of collateral damage. You give little consideration or credit, for instance, to the account of Hoole, Somasundaram, Sritharan and Thiranagama in ‘The Broken Palmyrah.’ The authors have described how soft targets such as the Jaffna hospital, were used as cover by the LTTE when attacking Indian troops. The natural consequence was heavy collateral damage at the hands of the latter. You are perhaps unaware of the circumstances surrounding the death of Thiranagama, a Tamil herself. The same tactics as previously described, are often used by the LTTE against the GOSL. Recent reports have emerged of heavy LTTE artillery fire from the vicinity of the Madu Church. Your speech fails to consider such aspects.

I have no doubt that your dream also harbours hope for the day when parents can rest assured that their children will not be conscripted and deployed on the battlefields at short notice. I share your dream: Colombo must do everything in its power to show the people that it is capable of safeguarding its own citizens. Time has proven the irrationality of the present unitary structure of the state. A devolved system of power must be adopted without further ado. In its wake, the leaders of the north must show willingness to govern their people in an able and humane manner. The efficiency of northern leaders is now beyond doubt. You may however be unaware of the means adopted. If the tactics of coercion adopted by the LTTE’s representatives abroad, in order to secure funding for their war effort is any indication of what is to come, I regret to note that I see little hope.

I remain doubtless that it is also your dream that all Tamil people, whether in Sri Lanka or abroad, will see the day when they can live with no fear of threat and intimidation from LTTE agents attempting to extract blood money for the Eelamist campaign. Allow me a reference to a history that you may perhaps be unaware of: the events of the 1980s and how group after rival rebel group of fellow Tamil brethren were systematically eradicated, in what amounted to little less than meaningless, mass sanguinary violence. At such a time, Dr. Shander, I wonder, did the Tamil people ask: What is this madness? I have little doubt.

International pressure must thus be exerted not only against Colombo, but also against the LTTE to stop holding its respective people to ransom. What is this madness? Let us call a spade a spade!