Siritunga Jayasuriya: Need Urgent People Uprising Against Genocidal War
As the genocidal war in Sri Lanka is at its peak, and the dignity and human rights of Tamils at its nadir, there are hardly any sane and somber voices from people of Sinhala ethnicity. Even if there are any they are promptly silenced. In this context only it was so refreshing to hear from Sritunga Jayasuria, General Secretary of Sri Lanka United Socialist Party, at a meeting in Chennai.
Organized by "Payani Veliyeetagam" the meeting on Sri Lankan war and the state of Tamil people was insightful. Even though the main speaker and other organizers belong to various Socialist parties and Trade Union organizations, the main agenda was sharply focused on the Genocidal war in Sri Lanka and what should be done to stop it.
Chenan of Committee for Workers International from London introduced Mr Jayasurya to the audience. Mr Jayasurya has been traveling across India to speak on this important topic and to create awareness among the Indian people about the Sinhala Chauvinistic war and the plight of Tamils. He has given speeches in Kerala and Madurai prior to this meeting and he will be continuing his tour to New Delhi and Bangalore. You can imagine, when BBC, CNN and ambassadors of Germany and Switzerland are threatened to be thrown out of country for saying there may be Human Rights violations, what kind of reception would Mr Jayasurya receive for his request to "Stop the genocidal war". Amid such threats to his life he has taken this journey to India for campaigning for a cause he thinks is right.
As quote says "A liberal is a person whose interests aren't at stake, at the moment." When even the people who's interests are at stake not ready to raise their voice here is a gentleman who says, "I am not hiding any where. I will go back to Sri Lanka. I may be killed. Lot of my comrades have been killed". Prior to this meeting he has given interviews to Junior Vikatan and Kalaignar TV. His party colleagues back home are already aghast at the content of these interviews and have warned Mr. Jayasuriya that he is putting his life under serious risk. I bow my head to the courage of this gentleman.
As far the matter of his speech, I have taken only few notes and the following is compiled from my memory. Valarmathi has extensive notes as he was doing the translation(He did an excellent job of it) and he may post it in detail.
Mr Jayasuriya started with a brief history of the politics.
- Basically every president came to power on the platform of finding an answer to national question and stopping the war. But all failed owing to the intransigence of Sinhala chauvinistic hardliners in not accommodating even basic aspirations of Tamils. In fact from independence till late 60s the main point of Tamil non-violent struggle is for equal status of Tamil language to Sinhala as national language. Even that, the Sinhalese could not give. That gave rise to call for Eelam independence and eventually to armed struggle for achieving it.
- In Sri Lanka most of the media is under full control of the state. The media is full of propaganda. While an average Sinhala citizen is not racist and they are perfectly OK in living with Tamils harmoniously, the continuous propaganda has poisoned their attitude. During the presidential election in 2005 even artists, intellectuals and left thinkers supported the hardliner and the SLFP candidate Mahinda Rajapakse. USP is one of the few independent voices that stood alone.
- Whether you like it or not I have to tell you that LTTE's main blunder is the cause for Mr Rajapakse's election. In 2005 presidential election, at the last moment, LTTE asked Tamils to boycott the election. Hence, barring few Tamils in east, no Tamil voted. So Mr Rajapakse was elected with little more than one hundred thousand votes. LTTE thought Mr Rajapakse is an idiot, but the problem is idiots getting power to command army.
- Now we see the result with the catastrophic war. The army says they have restricted Tigers into a small patch of jungle land in Mullaitivu district. And that the tigers are using around 1,00,000 people as human shield. Whatever army says is full of propaganda. No one knows for sure what is actually happening.
- My opinion is that most people trapped in Vanni would rather die with LTTE than to come out and get detained by Army. Vavunia is nothing but prison. No external visitors are allowed. Army guards do not speak Tamil so they don't understand what the people in Camps need. Over that, lot of people are taken for interrogation.
- Don't think the war is conducted by Mr Rajapakse alone. It is actually conducted with the full backing of India, Pakistan, China, Israel, Japan, US and UK.
- While Tamil National question needs to be addressed in longer term the immediate need it to stop the war. Don't expect the International Governments are going to do anything for it. If Obama gives statement against war, do you think the war is going to stop? No. Likewise symbolic protests like one day fast, and dharnas are not going to achieve anything either.
- Only a mass uprising in a large scale can make the powers reconsider their war. We need not thousands of people but in millions in the street protesting against the war. And we need it now.
- May be a general strike for three days in entire Tamil Nadu and may be all other southern states with complete participation from all common people. This is what will hit at the root of the capitalists and make them think.
After this speech there was a question and answer session. Couple of important points.
- What is the interest of Indian/Asian/American capitalists in Sri Lanka? Sri Lankan business and economy is fully dominated by Indian capitalists. Automobile industry is full of Indians. All buses are Ashok Leyland, Autos are Bajaj, Two wheelers are from Hero Honda and Cars are from Maruti. Sri Lanka's major export item is Ceylon Tea. It constitutes significant amount of Forex SL earns. Now, in fact, there is no Ceylon Tea. It is only Tata Tea, because more 60 to 70% of Tea estates and distribution and export is controlled by Tata. Indian Oil Corporation owns more than 50% of oil distribution chains in Sri Lanka. Now Airtel has come with "Hello Sri Lanka, What do you want?" mimicked and modeled by Sharukh Khan. (No wonder India says nothing about wiping out of Tamils there)
- What is the role of Buddhism in SL conflict? It is not that because Buddhism preaches non-violence people would be non-violent. Religion should not enter into politics. Once it enters it creates serious impacts like what is happening in Sri Lanka. But as is the case with normal Sinhala people, there are lot of monks who are really peace loving. But in some cases Buddhism as a religion has been hijacked by hardliners.
Organized by "Payani Veliyeetagam" the meeting on Sri Lankan war and the state of Tamil people was insightful. Even though the main speaker and other organizers belong to various Socialist parties and Trade Union organizations, the main agenda was sharply focused on the Genocidal war in Sri Lanka and what should be done to stop it.
 |
| From Blogger Pictures |
Chenan of Committee for Workers International from London introduced Mr Jayasurya to the audience. Mr Jayasurya has been traveling across India to speak on this important topic and to create awareness among the Indian people about the Sinhala Chauvinistic war and the plight of Tamils. He has given speeches in Kerala and Madurai prior to this meeting and he will be continuing his tour to New Delhi and Bangalore. You can imagine, when BBC, CNN and ambassadors of Germany and Switzerland are threatened to be thrown out of country for saying there may be Human Rights violations, what kind of reception would Mr Jayasurya receive for his request to "Stop the genocidal war". Amid such threats to his life he has taken this journey to India for campaigning for a cause he thinks is right.
 |
| From Blogger Pictures |
As quote says "A liberal is a person whose interests aren't at stake, at the moment." When even the people who's interests are at stake not ready to raise their voice here is a gentleman who says, "I am not hiding any where. I will go back to Sri Lanka. I may be killed. Lot of my comrades have been killed". Prior to this meeting he has given interviews to Junior Vikatan and Kalaignar TV. His party colleagues back home are already aghast at the content of these interviews and have warned Mr. Jayasuriya that he is putting his life under serious risk. I bow my head to the courage of this gentleman.
 |
| From Blogger Pictures |
As far the matter of his speech, I have taken only few notes and the following is compiled from my memory. Valarmathi has extensive notes as he was doing the translation(He did an excellent job of it) and he may post it in detail.
 |
| From Blogger Pictures |
Mr Jayasuriya started with a brief history of the politics.
- Basically every president came to power on the platform of finding an answer to national question and stopping the war. But all failed owing to the intransigence of Sinhala chauvinistic hardliners in not accommodating even basic aspirations of Tamils. In fact from independence till late 60s the main point of Tamil non-violent struggle is for equal status of Tamil language to Sinhala as national language. Even that, the Sinhalese could not give. That gave rise to call for Eelam independence and eventually to armed struggle for achieving it.
- In Sri Lanka most of the media is under full control of the state. The media is full of propaganda. While an average Sinhala citizen is not racist and they are perfectly OK in living with Tamils harmoniously, the continuous propaganda has poisoned their attitude. During the presidential election in 2005 even artists, intellectuals and left thinkers supported the hardliner and the SLFP candidate Mahinda Rajapakse. USP is one of the few independent voices that stood alone.
- Whether you like it or not I have to tell you that LTTE's main blunder is the cause for Mr Rajapakse's election. In 2005 presidential election, at the last moment, LTTE asked Tamils to boycott the election. Hence, barring few Tamils in east, no Tamil voted. So Mr Rajapakse was elected with little more than one hundred thousand votes. LTTE thought Mr Rajapakse is an idiot, but the problem is idiots getting power to command army.
- Now we see the result with the catastrophic war. The army says they have restricted Tigers into a small patch of jungle land in Mullaitivu district. And that the tigers are using around 1,00,000 people as human shield. Whatever army says is full of propaganda. No one knows for sure what is actually happening.
- My opinion is that most people trapped in Vanni would rather die with LTTE than to come out and get detained by Army. Vavunia is nothing but prison. No external visitors are allowed. Army guards do not speak Tamil so they don't understand what the people in Camps need. Over that, lot of people are taken for interrogation.
- Don't think the war is conducted by Mr Rajapakse alone. It is actually conducted with the full backing of India, Pakistan, China, Israel, Japan, US and UK.
- While Tamil National question needs to be addressed in longer term the immediate need it to stop the war. Don't expect the International Governments are going to do anything for it. If Obama gives statement against war, do you think the war is going to stop? No. Likewise symbolic protests like one day fast, and dharnas are not going to achieve anything either.
- Only a mass uprising in a large scale can make the powers reconsider their war. We need not thousands of people but in millions in the street protesting against the war. And we need it now.
- May be a general strike for three days in entire Tamil Nadu and may be all other southern states with complete participation from all common people. This is what will hit at the root of the capitalists and make them think.
After this speech there was a question and answer session. Couple of important points.
- What is the interest of Indian/Asian/American capitalists in Sri Lanka? Sri Lankan business and economy is fully dominated by Indian capitalists. Automobile industry is full of Indians. All buses are Ashok Leyland, Autos are Bajaj, Two wheelers are from Hero Honda and Cars are from Maruti. Sri Lanka's major export item is Ceylon Tea. It constitutes significant amount of Forex SL earns. Now, in fact, there is no Ceylon Tea. It is only Tata Tea, because more 60 to 70% of Tea estates and distribution and export is controlled by Tata. Indian Oil Corporation owns more than 50% of oil distribution chains in Sri Lanka. Now Airtel has come with "Hello Sri Lanka, What do you want?" mimicked and modeled by Sharukh Khan. (No wonder India says nothing about wiping out of Tamils there)
- What is the role of Buddhism in SL conflict? It is not that because Buddhism preaches non-violence people would be non-violent. Religion should not enter into politics. Once it enters it creates serious impacts like what is happening in Sri Lanka. But as is the case with normal Sinhala people, there are lot of monks who are really peace loving. But in some cases Buddhism as a religion has been hijacked by hardliners.
 |
| From Blogger Pictures |
posted by Jayakumar at 11:29 AM
2 Comments:
Thanks for the post :)
I sincerely appreciate your initiative on this regard.
Best Wishes.
Warmly,
valar ...
thanks
can you please post other pictures and work we are doing - v. much apreciated
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