25/02/2009 / SRI LANKA
Tamils abroad are living a kind of collective depression. Some are losing it and talking about getting back home, even if they know they can't. Every time somebody dies in the country, their family abroad holds a wake. I've been to four this month. On top of the sadness, we feel humiliated. Even if you're not a supporter of the Tigers, we're proud of their victories. Tamil people are the regular target of scorn in Sri Lanka. Our language isn't recognised by the state and we're not considered equal to the Sinhalese. My people have been in Sri Lanka for 200,000 years, but we don't feel Sri Lankan and we don't recognise the president as our own.
We don't know where these videos came from but I think they were shot by LTTE militants. Obviously it's propaganda. But to see these devastated villages and the corpses... it reminds us of what we've all been through. And it certainly strengthens nationalist feelings.
This report shows a factory that supposedly manufactures LTTE fighter planes. The country's television channels are all on the government's side. By showing these images they want to show the Sinhalese and the Tamils that the Tigers are in their dying days. We can see clearly what a Tiger arms factory looks like in this video. Everyone knows they don't have much military strength. But once again I don't believe that the military offensive will stop the Tiger rebels. At least eight Tamils living abroad have set fire to themselves, showing that the revolt will continue."
Tamils abroad "living a collective depression"
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are today facing extinction, cornered in the country's north-eastern jungle territory by the Sri Lankan regular forces. One of our Observers, a Tamil refugee in France, tells us of the torment endured by his community, which faces unending reports of casualties.
Civilians are the first victims of the military offensive. According to the Sri Lankan army, there are at most 70,000 people left in the narrow band of territory still disputed by the two camps. Humanitarian organisations put the number at 200,000. The Tamil rebels says that between 50 and 100 civilians are being killed each day. The Tigers say they are ready to accept a ceasefire, but without giving up their arms. The government, who's looking to obliterate the possibility of a counter-offensive, rejected the EU's call for a ceasefire and continues to pound the guerrilla.
Contributors
"Tamils abroad are living a kind of collective depression"
Kumar is a Tamil refugee living in France.
Tamils abroad are living a kind of collective depression. Some are losing it and talking about getting back home, even if they know they can't. Every time somebody dies in the country, their family abroad holds a wake. I've been to four this month. On top of the sadness, we feel humiliated. Even if you're not a supporter of the Tigers, we're proud of their victories. Tamil people are the regular target of scorn in Sri Lanka. Our language isn't recognised by the state and we're not considered equal to the Sinhalese. My people have been in Sri Lanka for 200,000 years, but we don't feel Sri Lankan and we don't recognise the president as our own. It's very difficult to see the LTTE defeated. But if the government thinks that this conflict, which has been going on for 25 years, will come to an end with a military feat, then they're mistaken. You only need to look at what happened in Iraq. The problems have political roots and it's only through politics that they can be rectified."
Tamil propaganda...
According to the caption, these images were shot on 18 February after the army drew fire. They were published by a Tamil website, but where the footage comes from is unknown.
We don't know where these videos came from but I think they were shot by LTTE militants. Obviously it's propaganda. But to see these devastated villages and the corpses... it reminds us of what we've all been through. And it certainly strengthens nationalist feelings.We're not happy with the foreign press because they're not stressing the civilian deaths enough. The problem is that journalists are embedded with the army, who only show them what they want to be seen. Here we receive tonnes of images and information from Tamil sites. In both cases it's propaganda. But what is sure, is that civilians are being massacred right at this moment. This is not a case of ‘civilian casualties' - otherwise, why would the hospitals and schools be purposefully targeted?"
Counter propaganda from the government
This report shows a factory that supposedly manufactures LTTE fighter planes. The country's television channels are all on the government's side. By showing these images they want to show the Sinhalese and the Tamils that the Tigers are in their dying days. We can see clearly what a Tiger arms factory looks like in this video. Everyone knows they don't have much military strength. But once again I don't believe that the military offensive will stop the Tiger rebels. At least eight Tamils living abroad have set fire to themselves, showing that the revolt will continue."
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Comments
Dubios claims
Submitted by Bhumiputhra (not verified) on Thu, 26/02/2009 - 02:47.It is hilarious to hear the claim of Kumar that their people (tamils) have been in Sri Lanka for 200,000 years. Perhaps he got his zeros mixed up and added three more at the end. At least the Sinhala people have a documented history of 2500 years in Sri Lanka.
Unregistered user
The Sri Lankan government
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 26/02/2009 - 00:54.The Sri Lankan government has systemically tried to remove (genocide) all Tamils from Sri Lanka. The latest report from Human Right Watch said - “This 'war' against civilians must stop, Sri Lankan forces are shelling hospitals and so-called safe zones and slaughtering the civilians there. They are held by the Government in squalid military-controlled camps and hospitals with little access to the outside world. The Government seems to be trying its best to keep its role in their ordeal away from public scrutiny." “James Ross, the group's legal and policy director.
According to - The HUMAN RIGHT WATCH group estimated that 2,000 civilians had been killed and 5,000 injured by both sides in the last month alone. When Human Rights Watch visited hospitals in the “safe zone”, it lacked even the most basic necessities: many of the hospital beds had no bed sheets, blankets, or pillows. And despite the obvious lack of capacity to handle all of the wounded and attend to their needs, the hospital personnel reportedly were instructed by the authorities not to ask for any assistance from international agencies, and very few agencies have been allowed access to the hospital. Relatives have had difficulty seeing patients, and some have later been visited by the security”
The Sri Lanka government has rejected any calls from the international communities to monitor the situation in Sri Lanka, even rejected the appointment of a British government envoy (Des Browne, the former Defence Minister). All independent journalists are not allowed in and those journalists whose reports are unbiased are either killed or put in prison. The classification of LTTE as a terrorist’s organisation was done so that there is no international outcry of what is happening in Sri Lanka, and this has worked. The reason why an armed struggle started is due to the Sri Lankan government not recognising the basic rights of Tamils. Before the British, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) had two federal states (Tamil state (Jaffna kingdom) in the North since 1258 and Sinhala state in the south). When Sri Lanka got its independence from the British Empire, it became a Buddhist state and from that moment the rights of the Tamil people were sealed. Even the Tamil language was not allowed to be thought in any school or spoke in the main capital (Colombo). Till to this day the Elam Tamils have no freedom or so called independence form the British Empire. UK has a huge responsibility to the people that they left in the hands of the majority, SRI LANKA NEEDS TO HAVE TWO FEDERAL STATE in order to end this civil war or alternatively we need a government who recognise the rights of the Tamil people and allow Tamils in to the government to represent the voice of the north. Peace can only be gained through dialogue from both parties. The governments do not represent the Tamil people.
Unregistered user
Our language isn't recognised by the state and we're not conside
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Wed, 25/02/2009 - 14:44.What utter nonsense is this?
Tamil IS a national language in SL and all sinhalese civil servants doctors etc must pass proficiency in it to progress in career.
Tamil students happily study and live in the southern cities of Colombo, Kandy etc but not a single sinhalese was alllowed to live up in the north!!
It is in the minds of such people who write these false propaganda to deceive the world.....
International community has a duty to ignore such false comments.
Unregistered user
If Sri Lanka is not
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Wed, 25/02/2009 - 17:35.If Sri Lanka is not torturing the Tamils, how come 1.3 MILLION Diaspora. Did they came for a vacation? The Sri Lankan's education teaches that Sri Lanka belongs only to Sinhalas and there was no Tamil territory in the North. Also know that Tamil had not been the official language of Sri Lanka. After years of protest, the government added the clause, "Tamil ALSO is an official language". This is more ridiculous. Anyone can verify my statements. Even Sri Lankans should research their constitutional laws and amendments.
Unregistered user
Tamil is only an official
Submitted by Kumar on Wed, 25/02/2009 - 16:31.Tamil is only an official language on paper. In reality, you need to speak singhalese if you want to get a good job, or being a civil servant. The opposite is not true.
Kumar