by S. Makenthiran, B.A., FCCA, Canada, December 19, 2004
Refugees in Nilaveli
There have been some reports by interested parties about the so-called seminar held on December 12, by Human Rights Watch in Toronto. It is made to appear that those who spoke out at the Seminar were Tamil Tigers. It was nothing like that. Many of us who attended the seminar were senior Tamils interested in Tamil children.
What we were surprised to find was that it was a biased and one-sided condemnation of the Tamil Tigers based on one-sided information, parroting the propaganda carried out by Sinhala chauvinists to denigrate the Tamil struggle for survival. The services of the New York-based HRW individuals were utilized by interested parties to smear the LTTE. The colour of one’s skin does not give the licence to anyone to claim a monopoly on humanism, or honesty. Jo Becker’s assertions are a repetition of what the anti-Tamil propaganda machine has been churning out with sickening monotony.
We are parents, grandparents and great grand parents of Tamil children, who have gone through terrible trauma at the hands of Sinhalese thugs, armed forces, police and para-military forces. The organizers of the ‘seminar’ were not prepared to accommodate as speakers anyone who was likely to give views contrary to theirs. Those in the audience were agitated and there was an uproar as Jo Becker was presenting arguments to weaken the LTTE and strengthen the Sinhalese military power. Half truths and selective reporting can have far reaching, harmful and damaging effects on the victims. We regret to state that the organizers had a hidden agenda and are hostile to the victimized Tamil people of Sri Lanka. We are sure that Hon. Bob Rae had been unwittingly roped into this mess, and would have regretted his involvement.
SLA vacates Hartley College, 2002, but still maintains checkpoints around school (photo: TamilNet)
The demand for Tamil translation of Jo Becker’s speech by the interested parties was a delaying tactics to drag on the propaganda to prevent contrary opinion. It was obvious that there were none among the audience who could not understand English.
Jo Becker failed to interview the hundreds of thousands of children in the LTTE-held territories, including those in the care of the LTTE, TRO and NGOs. She failed to interview any of the 22 Tamil elected Members of Parliament ofthe Northeast or the Tamil MPs of the Upcountry, who represent the Tamils.
She has gone with a pre-determined judgment to find and collect proof for her decision to vilify the LTTE, and failed to make an objective, and comprehensive study of conditions of the Tamil children in the country. She has failed to submit a response from the LTTE, whom she has accused.
Her statement that no Tamil was prepared to get involved in her presentation is a clear indication that they politely refused to support one-sided reporting. If the seminar was based on a proper, unbiased and comprehensive report, many Tamils would have been glad to participate and give their support, even if it was critical of some of the LTTE’s actions.
As the report completely ignored the serious human rights violations by the Sinhalese and only condemned the LTTE, it is but fair that an accredited representative of the LTTE should have been included in the seminar. The truth was out of the bag, when Rev. Chandrakanthan, an intellectual Christian priest was refused permission to participate. He is no Tiger, but the organizers were not prepared to tolerate a Tamil opinion on the problem. This is fascism on Canadian soil and suppression of free speech.
Pon Kulendran of Kuviyam, V. Elagupillai, an ex-professor, scientist and industrialist and others who wanted to speak, but were not given a chance, are not Tigers. By grouping all Tamils with Tigers, their opponents are confirming the claim of the LTTE that they are the sole representatives of the Tamils.
When the Sinhalese army attacked Jaffna in 1995 and occupied it, the entire Jaffna Tamil population of about 800,000 were thrown out and fled into the jungles of Vanni. A similar situation happened when the Sinhalese army occupied, and ravaged, Trincomalee, Mannar, Batticaloa and Amparai. HRW has not cared to report on the impact of this on the Tamil children. This is a serious lapse on its part. It is shedding tears only for the Muslims, but has no consideration for other Tamil children dying of starvation.
HRW was not concerned that the Sri Lankan armed forces were forcibly occupying the homes, schools, hospitals, temples, churches, and fields of the Tamils in their homeland, thereby preventing the Tamil children from having a proper life. It has failed to report on the need to remove the High Security Zones in Tamil regions, which is preventing Tamils and their children settling down in their homes even after three years of cease-fire.
What HRW is saying in the report is that it is acceptable for cruelties to be inflicted on the Tamils and their children by the Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan state, but Tamils and their children should willingly submit to be killed and not defend themselves. HRW did not assert that the Sinhalese should not attack the Tamils in future, as that would solve the problem of child soldiers and put HRW out of business.
The USA, Israel, Pakistan, China and India are supplying arms and providing military aid to the Sinhalese. To HRW, it is acceptable to arm the Sinhalese, but not the Tamil children.
Jaffna refugee camp
HRW’s attack on the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation performing humanitarian work among Tamil refugees, women, orphans and children is an act of hostility against the Tamils. It is unfortunate that one humanitarian organization tries to destroy another.
In the 1960s, 500,000 Upcountry Tamils and their children were forced against their wishes to leave their country and go to India, a country they had never seen. Many children suffered in the process and this injustice is less important than child soldiers to HRW.
In the 1980s and 1990s, 800,000 Tamils and their children have fled from Sri Lanka to India, North America, Europe, Australia and different parts of the world. HRW has shown no concern for these affected children.
Young Tamil women were forcibly sterilized by the racist-motivated Sri Lankan government as part of ethnic cleansing to prevent the birth of Tamil children. Is this considered an international problem?
Many children have been gang-raped, like Krishanty of Jaffna, and killed. Many children arrested by the Sinhalese armed forces have disappeared. Many children died in the series of massacre of Tamils in 1956, 1958, 1971, 1977, 1983, and the numerous massacre of Tamils by the armed forces during Eelam Wars 1, 2 and 3. and the IPKF war.
For example, in October 2000, at Bindunuwewa prison, 27 Tamil children arrested and detained with funds donated by Canada were hacked to death by Sinhalese mobs with the connivance of the Sinhalese armed forces.
Tamil women arrested on suspicion are kept in jail for long periods without trial along with their babies under inhuman conditions. Women are sexually abused and tortured.
When the Sinhalese killed and uprooted Tamils in places like Manal Aru to colonise Sinhalese criminals in the 1980s, many Tamil children died. Tamils with their children from Vanni were packed into buses forcibly and taken to the Upcountry and dumped on the roadside in 1984 by the army.
The PREDO reported that 230,000 Tamil children are forced by poverty to work as domestic servants in Sinhalese households. They are abused and deprived of education. A politician’s daughter was recently found guilty of brutally torturing a 10 year old Tamil girl in Colombo.
HRW has shown no interest in the above tragedies suffered by Tamil children, and are condoning or conniving at Sinhalese atrocities. The Tamil audience came away with the impression that the emotional subject of Tamil children was being exploited and used for their own agenda by the organizers of the public meeting. HRW has lost credibility as a genuine Human Rights guardian. HRW is singing for its supper. Tamils will not tolerate such selfish policies and are justifiably outraged.
We have written to HRW to amend its report and respond to our above concerns. We are awaiting their reply.
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada