The latest attempt to stop the military offensive is to propagate a campaign alleging “genocide” of the Tamils by the Security Forces. While Ronald Buerk, the BBC correspondent dismissed the charge of “genocide” on BBC’s Asia network as “an expression going too far” Dr. (Mrs.) Thaya Thiagarajah, wife of Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel S. Thiagrajah, Bishop of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South . India , is circulating letters alleging “genocide”.
I questioned the Bishop on his wife’s letter asking him whether he can substantiate his wife’s allegation. In my e-mail to him I stated: “Tamil leaders are on record saying that Prabhakaran has killed more Tamils than all the other forces put together. So who is committing “genocide”? Who is c au sing the displacement of the Tamil people? Who displaced the Muslims and the Sinhalese from Jaffna ? …….When the options are open for Prabhakaran to stop this war (it was possible under Indo-Sri Lankan Agreement, the CFA and even now) why are others blamed for Prabhakaran’s arrogant intransigence? “ Despite a reminder the Bishop has responded with a stony silence.
The following is the full text of the letter written to Bishop Thiagarajah:
The Rt. Revd. Dr. Daniel S. Thiagarajah
Bishop
Church of South India , ( Jaffna Diocese)
Bishop’s House
Vaddukoddai
Sri Lanka
My dear Bishop
Letter of Dr (Mrs) Thaya Thiagarajah on “genocide” in Sri Lanka
You may recall meeting me in Melbourne after your lecture. You may also recall the cordial discussion we had after the lecture on the crisis faced by our people. At question time you may recall that I asked why the Church – the only institution which had influence in both camps —failed to build bridges between the two communities. I asked why the Church failed to heal the wounds of both instead of rubbing salt into the wounds. I asked why the Church silently endorsed the robbing of the statute of Holy Mary – and object of veneration for Christians and even non-Christians – and handing it over to a Church in the Tiger-controlled territory. Does Holy Mary belong only to the Tamils? I asked why Bishop S. Jebanesan, a worthy scholar, decided to manufacture a theology only for the Tamils as if others are not children of God? I asked why Bishop de Chickera closed the doors on those displaced people who came seeking refuge in his premises?
I can’t quote some of your answers for obvious reasons and I can’t remember the rest of the answers you gave. But I do remember Ian Fry, an Australian journalist, and I, approached you and told you politely that you did not answer our questions. I’m raising this not to blame you as such but to point out the dilemma and the failure of the Church to live up to the standards it expects from others, let alone Christian standards.
Now I have received the letter written by your dear wife to the Christian Council of Churches accusing the government of committing “genocide”. As you know, this is a serious charge and I would like to get confirmation from you whether you endorse this statement and, if so, whether you can substantiate it.
I must confess the letter saddened me and, knowing the chaotic conditions prevailing in a war theatre, I can well imagine the impact on the individuals who are victims of this futile war which, as you know, originated in the Vadukoddai Resolution of 1976 endorsed by the Jaffna Tamil leadership. No other community has ever declared war on other communities other than the Jaffna Tamils. The Jaffna leadership must accept full responsibility for the consequences of their ruthless decision more so bec au se the alternative was there as in any situation. As stated in the Bible, man has to choose between God and Mammon and those who choose Mammon must bear the consequences.
I’ll come to this aspect later. But let me deal with your wife’s letter first. I’m disturbed by this letter bec au se it does NOT say one word about the conscious policies adopted by Velupillai Prabhakaran which have been the primary c au se for the situation described by your good wife. Every line of the grim picture drawn by your wife is related to the conscious policies of Prabhakaran who is not only keeping the helpless Tamil people as a human shield to protect his self-interests but also to produce heart rending stories, as narrated by your wife, for global publicity. Prabhakaran wants the world to believe that the Sri Lankan government is committing “genocide” bec au se it helps him and not the Tamil people whom he has imprisoned under conditions worse than those described by your wife.
The most tragic element in Mrs. Thiagarajah’s letter is the absence of the moral balance. The partisan accusations placing responsibility only on the government lacks credibility. This explains why the world, as a whole, has turned a deaf ear to cries of worst perpetrators of war crimes committed by the Tamil Tigers. As usual, like most Tamil intellectuals, she has taken the easy way out by blaming the Government and the military. Isn’t there a greater share of responsibility for Tamil leaders, who shed copious tears in public for their people, to protect them from all sources of evil? What have they – particularly the Church– done to stop Prabhakaran from committing crimes against his own people?
If you read between the lines of Mrs. Thiagarajah’s letter you will find that though the conditions are not ideal, or even at the desirable standards, the Tamils are faring much better than under Prabhakaran’s Pol Potist regime. At least, it can be argued that anything is better than what Prabhakaran has offered to the Tamil people. Besides, the Sri Lankan government did not turn its back on the Tamils like the way Bishop Chickera did. With its meager resources it has done what most governments would do to serve its people in distress. Mrs. Thiagarajah confirms that the people are fed, though the quantity is less than the stipulated amount (according to her) which, if true, may be the work of the contractors and not the government that pays the suppliers. (Here I am speculating). The wounded are given the best available medical care, including operations etc. – something which Prabhakaran has not given despite receiving $300 million annually from the Tamil diaspora. He did not give them a slice of bread or an aspirin. It is the vilified Sri Lankan government that gave those amenities to the Tamil people.
Consider, for instance, this line: ”They (the Tamils running away from Prabhakaran) walked for hours in the dark, trying not to stumble on the dead bodies of those who got killed and the parts of the limbs of the human here and there.” Do you believe that it is the Sri Lankan government that forced them to walk for “hours in the dark” or is this due primarily to the heartless policies of Prabhakaran who is not allowing the Tamil to leave through channels opened by the government? Why are they walking in the dark into government-controlled areas risking their lives instead staying with Prabhakaran in daylight? Who is to be blamed? The Churches, the international communities and even NGOs hostile to the government have asked Prabhakaran to release the Tamil civilians held as hostages.
It is sad to note that your learned wife has not referred to the primary c au se and only focused on the conditions after they cross over? These helpless Tamils are crossing over in the night bec au se they want to escape Prabhakaran. They are the little Moses running away from the Egypt of Prabhakaran who is pursuing them as they run and shooting them in the back. Can you name a more shameful, villainous, and cruel act committed by any other community leader in Sri Lanka ? These are people who stood by Prabhakaran through thick and thin and now when they run to find a haven away from the theatre of war they are shot in the back. What kind of a coward is he to shoot unarmed civilians in the back when they on their volition decide to find political alternatives? Is the Church deaf, dumb and blind? When will Your Grace speak up for your people and ask Prabhakaran to let your people go to wherever they want to?
Perhaps, you and your wife may counter this by asking: Is the alternative to go into camps described your wife? Of course, the conditions are not as good as they are in the palatial, air conditioned houses built in the Vanni for Prabhakaran and his political menagerie for Tigers. There are no swimming pools – only showers. Your wife moans about the women bathing in public. I am sure Your Grace would have seen women bathing in public gathered round millions of well strewn all over Sri Lanka , or in rivers. So what’s the big deal of women bathing in public in the new set up? I agree that if there are no toilet facilities they should be provided toilets. But overall, isn’t the fact that there is some shelter without walking all night in the jungles, stumbling over corpses better than the conditions provided by Prabhakaran?
Your wife concludes on this note: “Now, what is happening here is genocide in many forms. Needless to say scattering people all over to unknown and unfamiliar places will ultimately lead to a weak population and result in damages done to our culture, education, and relationships. I can foresee a maimed Tamil generation with no hope in the future. The international community can make statements. But none will pay heed. For me the future looks
dark and gloomy!” First, this apocalyptic Jeremiah ignores the basic fact that the whole nation has been tr au matized and maimed by the violence unleashed by the Vadukoddai Resolution. It was the Tamil leadership that decided to go down this path of violence and when the Vadukoddai violence has boomeranged on the Tamils they blame “the Sinhala governments”. The Tamils in the diaspora were opening champagne bottles when their planes were bombing the Sinhala people. But they cry to high heaven when the Sri Lankan planes retaliate. Why the double standards?
Tamil leaders are on record saying that Prabhakaran has killed more Tamils than all the other forces put together. So who is committing “genocide”? Who is c au sing the displacement of the Tamil people? Who displaced the . Muslims and the Sinhalese from Jaffna ? If all human beings are children of God why cry ONLY for the Jaffna Tamils? When the options are open for Prabhakaran to stop this war (it was possible under Indo-Sri Lankan Agreement, the CFA and even now) why are others blamed for Prabhakaran’s arrogant intransigence? Those who claim the moral high ground cannot do so by condoning the greater crimes against humanity and focusing on the lesser crimes arising from combating the greater crimes. Besides, the conditions of Sri Lanka cannot be assessed on what is happening to the Tamils only. The misery is shared by all. To end the misery the source of misery should be eliminated. And you know enough of Sri Lankan conditions to detect the primary source of evil and misery.
Please convey my kind regards to your wife. Please tell her that I too cry for the Tamil people who happen to be the ones who are facing the brunt of the on-going crisis. But I do not cry for the reasons that she attributes. I cry bec au se the Tamil people who enjoyed some of the best conditions of Sri Lanka have been reduced to a miserable state as described by your good wife due to no f au lt of others but their own leadership which misled them with unattainable and false promises. I cry bec au se the Tamils produced a leadership that failed to grasp the consequences of the violence they initiated, unleashed and perpetuated invoking the most sacred values of all cultures, including God. I cry bec au se when there were other non-violent alternatives (remember Sen. M. Tiruchelvam warned S. J. V. Chelvanayakam against adopting the Vadukoddai Resolution) the Tamil leadership decided consciously to pursue “extra-parliamentary” violence which has run its full course and is now ending in Mullativu. I cry bec au se the Tamil leadership to this day refuses to take responsibility for their follies and indulge in their usual pastime of blaming all others as if they are the blameless victims of a conspiracy against them by the other communities.
I needn’t list any more bec au se the examples of Tamil leadership swearing to protect its people and shooting them in the back are well known to Your Grace. Doesn’t all this remind Your Grace of the Pharisees who made a public show of their hypocritical pieties?
Awaiting a early reply
Best wishes
H. L. D. Mahindapala