Sri Lanka's silent horror

For as long as i can remember, Sri Lanka has been in war with itself. My first recollections of Sri Lanka's Tamil crisis is the decision of sending the Indian peace keeping force to Sri Lanka in 1987-88 by Rajiv Gandhi. The IPKF was thoroughly unsuccessfull in doing much in Sri Lanka and Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991. For long the Sinhala - Tamil crisis has been raging in Sri Lanka and there has been no effort by the successive democratic governments and international community to address the issue in an amicable manner. The troubles date back to political and social attempts of the Sinhala dominated administration to isolate the Tamil community and subjugate them. The deeply ingrained racist prejudice had resulted in marginalization and alienation of Tamilians, social ostracism, economic blockades, pogroms and torture. Now it morphes into the worst yet: Genocide, the mass killing of innocent unarmed civilians.

In the fresh round of offensive launched on the Tamil dominated north areas, the Sri Lankan army has systematically decimated the LTTE strong hold. However, what lies beneath is a more sinister Human tragedy unfolding. Tamilians are being subjected to genocide in Sri Lanka and the world is unaware of it. There has been a silence on the issue and it has not hit the media but then, word goes that there is no Free Media in Sri Lanka. While there have been voices from around the world, the spot light on the issue was generated by Arundhati Roy in her article, "The silent horror of the war in Sri Lanka", which was published by Times of India, Guardian and many other news houses around the world.

There is a studied silence around the horrors perpetrated by the Sinhaleese army on the Tamil population. Sri Lankan army's war on terror has turned from its anti LTTE offensive to a well orchestrated conspiracy to wipe out the island's 350000 Tamilians. The Tamilians are being subjected to unspeakable crimes and the army rationale driving this is that every Tamilian is a terrorist unless proven otherwise. Earlier, this year, when its offensive on LTTE was abating, Tamilians in the north were deported to Welfare Villages/Safety Zones (thinly veiled concentration camps) while the countryside, villages and Tamilian homes were razed to ground by the army and airforce offensive. Civilian areas, hospitals, shelters have been bombed for being friendly towards the "Tigers".This brazen racist war has already claimed several thousand lives and more face starvation, mal-nutrition and death at the welfare villages. A humanitarian tragedy of gigantic proportions in unfolding here and now. Dissenting voices are being quickly stiubbed out by abduction and assassinations. Death Squads and White Van abductions terrorize the innocent Tamilian population.

India is silent and according to Arundhaati an accomplice! The UN and other international forums are willing to overlook this crisis. It is for the 350000 tamilians out there, India and other nations need to step in before it is too late.