groundviews » Let this be the moment that defines us

Let this be the moment that defines us

April 24, 2009 at 8:52 am · Categories: Colombo, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Vavuniya | by Global Citizen

For over three decades, we have bombed and shot each other, split our tears and shed them only for ‘our own’, split our joys and celebrated as ‘their’ mothers, wives and children cried. This war will not end when the last shot if fired.

Let us not wait till the last shot is fired. Let us not wait for tomorrow… for the ‘war’ to ‘end’ to realise that we are but branches of the same family tree. Those who would have been our friends, and relatives if only we had not let murderous guns separate us, lie without shelter, unclothed, maimed, bloody and hopeless. They need us now.

So even while those on many shores protest and shout slogans, let us unite in our own communities, and use the power already devolved to us – not by any constitution or law, but by our inalienable inheritance – to collect clothes, food and other essentials for our fellow countrymen and women and children. Perhaps we still need a “political solution” for the “ethnic conflict”… perhaps warm embraces and sincere smiles would be the best start.

Let this be the moment that defines us.

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Sam Thambipillai said,

April 24, 2009 @ 4:12 pm

We must first remove the enemies of peace from our midst and understand that it is the truth and only the truth that will set us free. Let us reason out together.

Genocide is unequivocally an international matter and NOT an internal matter. The UN charter makes this aspect crystal clear because it is of international concern to protect human race. Russia and China know it better than all of us.

But, Russia and China called the genocide in Sri Lanka(SL) an “internal matter” and used their veto power when the genocide in SL was brought to the UN Security Council for discussion about a month ago, and even this week, and caused the Tamil genocide in SL to escalate.

If genocide within Georgia was not an “internal matter” for Russia, how could the genocide in SL be internal? Why then did Russian troops go into South Ossetia and Abkhazia?

The support to SL by Russia and China is not simply because Mahinda Rajapakse wears a piece of red rag around his neck running upto his belly to show that he is a leftist !!

The support to SL in the UN is solely because Russia and China sell illegal military hardware such as cluster munitions and lethal chemical bombs to SL. Empty cases of Russian made cluster munitions were discovered, photographed and published; having found in places in the North where they were used on Tamil civilians.

Russia and China are therefore participants in Tamil genocide. Therefore, they decided to blockade any UN security Council resolution on SL. Both countries fear international judicial action for their criminality.

A wanted criminal never runs into a police station to escape from his criminal charges but Russia and China are exactly doing that in the UN.

The UN should take appropriate action to investigate the use of cluster munitions and chemical weapons by the Sri Lankan state and punish the illegal suppliers and users of such weapons.

Dayan Jayatilleka said,

April 24, 2009 @ 9:36 pm

If anyone wants to be defined positively by this moment let them support the final thrust by the armed forces, oppose international pressure and interference, and not collaborate in opening an escape hatch for the LTTE..

kichchi said,

April 25, 2009 @ 6:27 am

Dayan Jayatilleka said,

April 24, 2009 @ 9:36 pm

What is the next step? We must know what is in store in the next step before we could lift our foot from the present step.

Would the permanent closing the escape hatch solve our problems? I do not see any openings that would encourage anyone to oppose international pressure.

Mr.Dayan Jayatilleka has still to comment or give his views on an escape route outlined by me, for all of us to escape into the foreseeable bright future. What are his objections, if any, to take that escape route or recommending it to the “ruling Elite” so that, all of us including the poor and voiceless could open the escape hatch and run to achieve freedom.

“Open the escape hatch and run into the bosom of freedom” is the wish of all of us – the oppressed under-dogs in the country. Can he help us?

Veedhur said,

April 25, 2009 @ 9:42 am

Dayan Jayatilleka said,

April 24, 2009 @ 9:36 pm

If anyone wants to be defined positively by this moment let them support the final thrust by the armed forces……..

And let hundreds more civilians – men, women and children be killed

Sarwan said,

April 27, 2009 @ 4:31 pm

There is nothing called the “final thrust”. It is follish to speak such nonsense. And Dayan likes to be in this pipe dream.

There will be no final thrust and there will be no final shot. This war will continue till Tamil Eelam is achieved.

Asking for Tamil support is a Sinhal chauvinistic call, asking for Tamil suicide.

“Let us all ignore the UN and the International Community and be crushed to extinction” is the call of Dayan .

citizen said,

April 28, 2009 @ 5:37 am

Dayan, what you endorse is precisely what is happening by Sri Lankans uniting to help out those affected and made helpless by war, including soldiers.
While most of you still shout meaningless slogans from the confort of your chairs, the final thrust is already pushing the manic LTTE out of its relevance to Tamils in Sri Lanka and thus its existence – albeit in the hearts and minds of its manic supporters abroad. Sri Lankans of all walks of life and backgrounds are reaching out and making a difference in th lives of Tamil civilians in the north – more profoundly and deeply than the LTTE or their insane brethren overseas ever did.

Sair said,

May 1, 2009 @ 10:23 pm

Can anyone here who supports the war answer why those caught in the crossfire are kept at camps and are dying of lack of food, water and medicine? When the world says we will give you the aid, why can’t they come in and give it? Are you telling me that old people and young kids are a security threat?

I have family in the camps. I am not a terrorist and neither are they, but we are not allowed to vouch for them and bring them out. What do you say to that? We are not being treated as equals. It is the same when all muslims were thought of as terrorists abroad…so history repeats itself and some of us allow it to be so.

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