Sri Lanka: Reconciliation Impossible Without Repentance And Punishing The Guilty – OpEd
Reconciliation is closely and directly linked to repentance by those who have committed sins or crimes- knowingly or otherwise. A fake reconciliation move on the part of any regime that has committed and perpetrated crimes against minorities for whatever reasons cannot ensure peace and stability in that country. The case in point here is Sri Lanka, an island nation in South Asia facing the threat of dangerous level of climatic disorders.
Sri Lanka, like India, does not seem to repent for their sins and crimes perpetrated against minority communities, especially the Tamils primarily because they don’t expect forgiveness of the Tamil community at all and want to coerce and pressure the besieged minority community to just forget about the past and try to assimilate themselves with the majority Singhalese.
If one watches Lankan TV channels and read news media portals one thing is crystal clear that the SL government and majority look at the Tamils and other minorities as a problem which needs to be put down by all means, including with force. They, thus, have got no sympathy for Tamils, whom Rajapaksha regime and military targeted. In fact, they have no regrets whatsoever for the crimes they committed against humanity in the name of fighting ‘terrorism’.
Sri Lankan war crimes against humanity are a very serious issue and both UN and USA have asked for in-depth investigation and prompt punishment for the culprits. Though president Sirisena had declared to proceed with reconciliation with Tamils and other minority communities, nothing has happened so far to fix the culprits, because Rajapaksha and majority Singhalese community do not want any punishment for their community and military.
Possibly, Sirisena does not want to be seen as a ‘traitor’ of Singhalese community to which he belongs. This predicament is very similar to Congress government unable to punish the Hindu criminals who demolished historic Babri mosque.
The Sirisena regime has to realize the harm of not punishing the criminals who killed so many Tamils as the collective punishment for the action of a few individuals in LTTE they also inflict on the psyche and life of Tamils who are the target of Singhalese military.
Tamils simply cannot forget, let alone forgive, the war crimes committed against their kith and kin by the Rajapaksha military, ill focused on minority communities.
President Sirisena should have announced repentance for the former regime and sought reconciliation with Tamils so that they would forgive the government’s crimes.
Crimes – state or private- against minorities is punishable offence. But that the SL government is neither willing nor ready to admit its crimes against Tamils only shows it’s petrified anti Tamil and anti-India mindset is still strong and Lankan military would relaunch the war on Tamils when they want.
The Rajapaksha regime committed the ghastly war crimes against Tamils on the strength of support extended by many sources and the Indo-US fight against so-called terrorism. Now the Sirisena is slow peddling with the investigation of UN, encouraging only a local enquiry to close the war crime file once for all. With a clean chit from the Sirisena regime,
Rajapaksha could stage a ‘valiant’ come back.
No! That should not happen.
The Sirisena government is duty bound to bring the war criminals to justice and make Tamil community and others feel free to live on the island.
The UN investigations into Lankan war crimes and punishment of the war criminals would strengthen democracy in the country and discourage war crimes across the globe.
‘Reconciliation is closely and directly linked to repentance by those who have committed sins or crimes- knowingly or otherwise.’ and ‘If one watches Lankan TV channels and read news media portals one thing is crystal clear that the SL government and majority look at the Tamils and other minorities as a problem which needs to be put down by all means, including with force.’ The first statement by Dr A.R. is erroneous..no sins or crimes were committed in the struggle against the terrorists in Sri Lanka who finally were eliminated as required by Sri Lanka law. The second statement is a figment of imagination by the same writer..either he needs to change the lens in his glasses to view TV and read the news correctly, or he his just a lackey of the west who earns a ‘dirty penny’ for his living. Shame on you.
@Riyad, Are you an agent of the alleged war criminal Sri Lankan regime? Tamils struggle as a result of Sinhala Buddhist state oppression, discrimination, land grab, state terrorism and the world knows about it. India under Indra Gandhi supported the armed struggle against the Sinhala Buddhist Apartheid regime and trained and armed the Tamil youth to fight the state terrorism. Sri Lankan media is mostly state controlled and to appease Sinhala Buddhist monks and racism. If LTTE is a terrorist organization, why the regime denying international investigation and include foreign Judges? You can’t fool all the people all the time. Truth is already surfaced and watch Global media AI, HRW, Channel 4, New York Times, Al Jazeera, BBC, and other NGO’s media to get to know the truth. Now India invades like the IPKF, there is no LTTE to fight and the Eelam will be annexed to India.
It is well judged by Dr.Abdul, Burma’s change of leadership can be the real democracy. But Sri Lanka leadership change on a cosmetic change. Erection of Navy, Air force, Army base in more than 3000 acres of Tamils private land dose not show the true reconciliation, No answer of thousands of Tamil political prisoners in the secret camp does not show the true reconciliation,
genocide of 146,679 Tamils can not be forgotten and no one in the world could ask Tamils to forget an forgive. War crime against humanity should be investigated by International Investigators and perpetrators should be put on trial and punished. Remedial Justice should be given to Tamils.
I doubt that the Sinhala leaders will change or respect the Tamils as the current regime continues to fail to investigate war criminals. Instead the army continues to terrorize Tamils, Tamil official attacked by Army commander in Mullaitivu, Buddhist Monks and destroying Hindu Temples and putting up Buddhist temples, Sinhalese and armed forces continue to occupy Tamils’ lands illegally as the current regime is playing politics and use delaying tactics to cover up genocide, mass human rights abuses. Without foreign military intervention like in Serbian attack, Sinhala leaders will never understand as their DNA is full of violence. India should send its IPKF at present as there are no Tamil militants and the Sinhala Buddhist Apartheid regime oppressing the Tamils. This will not only put an end to Sinhala state terrorism, but only India can effectively control the Indian ocean.
Thanks Dr. Abdul Ruff for the article with facts.
Victims all over the world join hands and support each other in the struggle for accountability, rule of law, justice, freedom and independence. Those who struggled for independence from the British, lost their freedom and sovereignty as the Indian federation corrupt and power greedy leaders’ committing crimes against humanity. Indian crimes against humanity and mass human rights abuses in Kashmir, Punjab and other states should be investigated by an international body to deliver fair and objective justice. India has become one of the worst abusers of human rights and discriminating untouchables. Indian election is a joke to democracy as it is highly politicized and corrupt. No wonder that Indian leaders alleged to have collaborated with Sri Lankan leaders to commit war crimes and genocide against the Tamils.