By Rich Markandu, August 2, 2004
Pogrom/Extermination/Genocide are synonymous to Bandaranaikes and Jayawardenes. The meaning of ‘Pogrom’ ‘Extermination’ ‘Genocide’ implies the same expression when it comes to analyse the political-historical aspects of the two belligerent group of ethnic communities, Sinhalese and Tamils of Ceylon (now, Sri Lanka). For the last four to five decades the international community particularly the citizens of Sri Lanka who live in Sri Lanka has witnessed numerous perhaps series of thousands cowardly acts of pogroms orchestrated by Sinhalese-elected-politicians and people of ethnic majority towards Tamil ethnic minority community. These outbursts were slowly and steadily subjugated by the Sinhalese ethnic majority particularly political parties of Sinhalese, and made Tamils as second-class-citizens.
PURSUIT OF POWER: 1 The initial phase of the whole ethnic war was started as soon as British left the island when first Prime minister, D.S Senanayke introduced Sinhalese Colonisation Scheme in the eastern province to drive away Tamils who were predominantly living in those area for many centuries.
PURSUIT OF POWER: 2 Successive governments of Sinhalese ethnic majority community manipulated the legislative structure to deprive the legitimate rights, and made Tamils as second-class-citizens.
PURSUIT OF POWER: 3 The sneaky/dastard acts of genocide stated in the year 1958 after the introduction of ‘Sinhala-Only-Act’ in 1956, a racially motivated resolution put forward by CBK’s father S.W.R.D Bandaranaike (who himself was an ardent follower of Marxist-Lenin idealism). The pogrom of 1958 saw many people of Tamil ethnic minority community including women and children were burnt alive, slaughtered, houses and shops belong to them were set on fire, the damage estimated worth millions of sterlings/Dollars. The peaceful Tamils staged non-violent campaign without any resistance towards dominant Sinhalese ethnic majority community. But, the politicians of Sinhalese government of Sri Lanka took advantage on the peaceful people of Tamils of northeast, imposed ‘Sinhala’ as the official language.
PURSUIT OF POWER: 4 The pogrom continued around the country with the exception of Northeast – thousands of men, women, children, priests were taken outside their homes, shops, temples, cars, buses were mercilessly assaulted, beaten to death, burnt alive, looted their belongings when army, police, army and navy of Sinhalese government gleefully watched these horrible scene as if they watching a movie or cinema.
PURSUIT OF POWER: 5 Then again the pogrom continued – In the year 1974, the World Tamil Conference which was held in Jaffna, the historical city of Tamils. There were several delegated from foreign countries attending the conference when police force of Sinhalese government went on rampage, shot and killed many people and injured several of them.
PURSUIT OF POWER: 6 In the year 1977, the government orchestrated, and unleashed state-sponsored-terrorism killing several hundreds and raped several young girls and women and slaughtered many young men in Northeast.
PURSUIT OF POWER: 7 On July 29, 1979, the government of Sinhalese imposed PTA on Tamils’ resistance as they were defenseless. There were numerous arbitrary arrest, torture, massacre and genocidal nature of killings in thousands took place in Northeast.
PURSUIT OF POWER: 8 Two years later, on May 31st, 1981, one of the best, well-stocked libraries in the Asian continent region was torched by the police force of Sinhalese government. The Jaffna Public library with 90,000 rare volumes and precious manuscripts were destroyed by fire. The arson was carried out on the order of senior ministers of then government. There were other pogrom coordinated by the Sinhalese government with the police and armed forces to destroy and exterminate the Tamils from the soil of Sri Lanka. This was the main ‘theme’ employed by the Sinhalese government.
PURSUIT OF POWER: 9 During the month of July 1983, more than 4,300 Tamils were massacred to death by the Sinhalese ethnic majority around the country – This holocaust was perpetrated with the active participation and involvement of the Sri Lanka armed forces with the support of senior ministers of the government of Sinhalese.
PURSUIT OF POWER: 10, 11, 12,13 and so on.. Systematic genocide on Tamil ethnic minority community has continued until year 2002 with the destruction and occupation of Tamils’ homes, schools, college. From October 1981 until now the death toll climbed up to 90,000 perhaps more than 100,000. Those Tamils slaughtered to death in thousands were students, professionals, businessmen, religious dignitaries, priests, ordinary men, women and children. The Amnesty international have collected and compiled numerous reports on the atrocities committed against Tamil ethnic community.
Out of all phases of Sinhalese oppression on Tamil ethnic minority community was the military (of 45,000 to 50,000 soldiers) invasion of Jaffna and suburbs with heaviest fire-power supplied by foreign governments in 1995. They bombarded and destroyed several thousands of houses, buildings, temples, churches, libraries. Since then, the entire peninsula is occupied and administered by the armed forces of Sinhalese government. The invasion and occupation of Tamil homeland has been ordered, delegated and coordinated by CBK and her regime inflicted a deep wound to every soul of Tamils of Northeast.
As we analyse the entire episode of CBK’s deceptive adventure on Tamil ethnic minority community, the on-going ‘Karuna-affair’ (with her brother Anura B, Douglas Devananda and STF officers) aroused international attention. There’s a promulgated belief of CBK’s government and her allies in the supremacy of Buddhist nation to establish a Sinhalese state, weakening and suppressing Tamil ethnic minority with the help of stooges like Doulgas Devananda and controlling cultural, economic and political activities. But, at the end of the spectrum, we tend to see the recent unfolding events that have incessantly precipitated the ‘the scenario’ between these two belligerent communities, ‘Sinhalese’ and “Tamils’ in which secession has become a defacto political reality.