1. Home
2. Opinion

PAINFUL MEMORIES OF TAMIL DIASPORA IN SRI LANKA

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 12/1/2021 2:22:18 PM

T K NANDANAN Tamil diaspora in Sri Lanka is highly aggrieved by the breaking up of Tamil memorials for Sri Lanka’s civil war dead and beat up journalists covering one ceremony in a former battle zone on November 27, the date commemorated as ‘Heroes’ Day’ by the Tigers to honour members of the militant group who died in the conflict. Grieving relatives were forced out of cemeteries on the weekend as they attempted to light lamps at graves of loved ones who died in the island’s decades-long conflict, which ended in 2009. It may be recalled that Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government had banned Tamil commemorations of the war dead since coming to power in 2019. The history is that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a guerrilla organization that sought to establish an independent Tamil state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka waged war with the Sri Lankan government for more thanthree decades and slipped into oblivion having been oppressed by the Sri Lankan army. Thousands were killed and many more were made homeless by the fighting. It may also be recalled that after 1948, the Tamils also became the targets of numerous riots that swept through the island nation. Believing that these riots were instigated by the Sinhalese authorities, Tamils began calling for an independent state and for an organisation to protect their rights. But their dream for an independent state did not materialise as the Indian government sent an Indian Peace-Keeping Force (IPKF)to Colombo to quell the insurgence by the LTTE. This was an unwise move of the Indian government and many foreign countries criticized India for sending Indians to crush Indians. However, following the withdrawal of the IPKF in March, 1990, the Tigers grew in strength and conducted several successful guerrilla operations and terrorist attacks. Thereafter as series of conflicts took place killing thousands of people and political leaders including former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa. As a matter of fact, President Gotabaya is still afraid of the Tamil community in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, and that was why he banned Tamil commemorations of the war dead as soon as he came to power in 2019, because this Tamil diaspora, he knows, can swing back to aggressive mood if they are allowed en bloc to recall the martyrdom of many for the Tamil Ealam. If the government grants some relaxations to them in this connection, they are likely to reorganise themselves and come back to aggressive mood like the phoenix. The government also fears the Tamil community for their organising power for a separate Ealam in northern and eastern Sri Lanka within a short span of time. Besides, the growing terrorism across the world and the undeniable presence of terrorist elements in Sri Lanka have made the government go stricter on this community.