Kaushi Muthukuda
Atrocities in Sri Lanka Seek Refuge in Truth Commissions and Education
Sri Lanka is a beautiful paradise island known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean.
Along with all its exquisite culture and beauty, Sri Lanka has been suffering from poverty
and terrorism for many years. The cruel hatred and cultural segregation that has sprung
about as a result of this violence has torn the country apart and caused ethnic divisions
between the people. I have been fortunate enough to live a luxurious life in Sri Lanka but
have also attested to the dark side.
The vast differences between the rich and poor have prompted me to dedicate my
life to help impoverished countries improve their standard of living. A major problem in
Sri Lanka is the recruitment of child soldiers, who are abducted against their own will
and are stripped of their childhood along with the chance to attain a sound education.
Even though the literacy rate in Sri Lanka is at 97 percent the recruitment of child
soldiers greatly hinders the economy, which has significant effects on the political and
social spectrum of society at present and in time to come. This is important because the
United States is facing a recession and the value of the dollar yo-yos at unpredictable
levels. The Sri Lankan rupee is worth less than a fraction of a dollar and continues to
decrease in value while the cost of living is rising at an expedited level. The problem with
this is that in a square foot radius of 25,000 km, the size of the occupying population is
20 million. After taking into account the great difference in the levels of income between
the rich and poor, this means that more and more people are starving or are on the road to
poverty everyday. Increasing the level of education and providing financial incentives
(employment, poverty line support, etc.) will keep children from straying in the wrong
direction, as well as force them to focus more on their studies and therefore, will better
prepare them to obtain great careers and in the long run, steer the economy in the right
direction.
After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the United States was under immense pressure
where a large amount of repression, hurt, violation, sense of insecurity, and an attack on
personal freedom was strongly felt. Imagine the same face of fear but on a daily basis;
imagine not knowing whether your kids will return home from school and imagine using
the word ‘bombing’ in your everyday vocabulary. Most Americans look at acts of
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terrorism as “events”. Rarely do they understand that in other parts of the world, such as
Sri Lanka, these “events” are just a regular part of everybody’s daily life.
Sri Lanka is currently in dire need of assistance with conflict resolution. A media
release from the Sri Lankan President in 2004 stated that the president had appointed a
“Truth Commission on Ethnic Violence” which recommended that, “the President and
Prime Minister must "give leadership to a new era of ethnic reconciliation and national
unity," and "the victims, their dependants or heirs [of violence] should be compensated as
a matter of right and not as a matter of charity” (July ‘83 Victims To Be Compensated
Before End Of August). A truth commission is “a commission tasked with discovering
and revealing past wrongdoing by a government, in the hope of resolving conflict left
over from the past” (Truth Commissions). Truth commissions in Sri Lanka aim to explore
the root of ethnic riots, the extent of the violations of human rights, those who are
responsible for these actions, and ultimately facilitate a period of transformation from a
time of repression to one of peace and respect for human rights. Commissions such as
Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) and International Center for Transitional
Justice (ICTJ) work to ensure that those who commit crimes against humanity in Sri
Lanka are held accountable for their actions. The large numbers of crimes such as suicide
bombings, abductions and assassinations are the famous work of the Sri Lankan Terrorist
group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), against humanity, and the country
desperately demands the presence of truth commissions.
In addition to suicide bombings, the number of abductions among young men in
Sri Lanka has sharply increased over the years. The Human Rights Watch reports that,
“Hundreds of enforced disappearances committed since 2006 have already placed Sri
Lanka among the countries with the highest number of new cases in the world” (Human
Rights Watch). They further report that, “though the numbers reported to human rights
groups and the Human Rights Commission are comparatively low… LTTE abductions
may also be underreported because the family members of the victims and eyewitnesses
are often reluctant to report the abuses, fearing LTTE retribution.” The LTTE actively
seeks to eliminate young men who voice their opinion against their organization as a way
of eliminating threats, which result in multiple abductions. Many men are taken away
from their homes, while on their way to work or even captured when they are on their
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honeymoon. My uncle, Joe, was abducted one morning on his way to work. All that his
family knows is that he left for work one morning and never returned. The well being of
his two young sons and a wife whom he had to leave behind are factors which are of no
concern to the terrorist group.
Another major problem in Sri Lanka is child recruitment. The problem of child
recruitment in war by the LTTE terrorist group is not only hindering the future of the
nation, but also the current economic and status quo. Children who are taken away from
their homes at the ages of around 9 or 10 are not only stripped of the chance to
experience a childhood but lack the comfort of a hug from their mother at night or even
the privilege of an education. If they are still alive after LTTE training and are able to
escape into a better life, the lack of education does not allow one to obtain a career.
Determined to find one way or another to stay alive, these young men often resort to
joining gangs or engaging in various forms of violence, thereby increasing the crime rate
in Sri Lanka. The war, which has been going on for many years, has not improved or
solved any problems except that it has destroyed many lives.
Other problems that affect society are racial segregation and religious separation.
The Human Rights Commission has only prosecuted a few “low-ranking officers” and
the Sri Lankan government has “[failed to] meaningfully implement the commissions’
recommendations for legal and institutional reforms aimed at preventing
“disappearances” in the future” (Sri Lanka). The failure of the government to implement
consequences for such atrocities leaves Sri Lankan citizens with no formal protection or
harmony in their daily lives. The Human Rights Commission states that, “abductions are
serious human rights abuses” and various UN experts have harshly criticized “the failure
of the Sri Lankan authorities to properly investigate serious human rights violations”
(Human Rights Watch). I feel that it is necessary to search for the truth in these
wrongdoings as “[t]ruth is a vital response to the crimes for family members, particularly
of those killed or disappeared, to find out what happened to their loved-one and to
establish their whereabouts” (Truth Commissions). The government must act promptly to
attend to the needs of the Sri Lankan people and demolish the increasing likelihood of
abduction among young men.
Kaushi Muthukuda
First, the purpose of instilling a truth commission in Sri Lanka will prompt the
commission to find those who are accountable for the crimes against humanity and hold
them responsible, which will promote a sense of truth and just retribution to those who
have been wronged. Amnesty International states that it is important “[f]or the affected
society to know the circumstances surrounding the reasons that led to violations being
committed to ensure that they will not be committed again, and to have their shared
experiences acknowledged and preserved” (Truth Commissions). Second, understanding
the nature and extent of the damage that was caused will show signs of predicting another
occurrence of the sort in the future and help maintain a sense of security and stability for
Sri Lankan citizens. Organizations such as ICTJ have worked towards building civil
alliances within the country “that forge links across ethnic, regional, and other social
divisions that have fed into and exacerbated the conflict… to deepen and broaden the
conversation about transitional justice in the country” (Amadiume). Third, compensation
for victims and their families will promote national unity and reconciliation because
government aid will benefit families, instead of letting people who are financially meager
suffer from terrorist attacks with no helping hand. One solution to promote national unity
can be found in a social movement, which allows the youth of both the majority and
minority races in the country to come together and assist with ways to develop
relationships between peace and justice, so that when the youth are ready to be future
leaders of Sri Lanka they will already have an understanding of the peace missions in the
country. Experts in political studies establish state that, “the role of social movements is
both necessary and problematic because they are the midwives of the good, the bad and
the ugly in human societies everywhere” and in order for a social movement “to have [a]
significant and lasting effect, it must be able to sustain collective action against betterequipped opponents” (Rupesinghe). Training the young scholars in the nation to think
about its future at the inception will not only stimulate their interest in politics, but will
also intensify the passion to serve one’s country. Another political science scholar
advocates that Sri Lanka requires a UN Monitoring Mission and must “encourage all
citizens to initiate a movement for national reconciliation” (White). The only way to
better the future of a dwindling nation is to educate the youth about the parameters of
violence within society, so that children are forced to break down those barriers and can
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rise above the hatred. The Sri Lankan government must be careful when acting upon the
recommendations of the truth commissions, as negotiating with terrorists is not a viable
option. A reputed professor of moral theory says, “It is appropriate to treat terrorists as
though they embody the most dangerous aspects of both warriors and criminals” (White).
This is because terrorists are under the mindset that they have no other choice except to
sacrifice their lives and those of others in order to do obtain a particular goal. Most often,
terrorists in Sri Lanka do not have a sound education and fail to understand the difference
between peace talks and violence because they think that violence will get them what
they want faster, when in fact violence only breeds more violence. Truth commissions
must take into account the demography, geography, political structure, economic status
and financial resources available to Sri Lanka and strategically eliminate crimes against
humanity such as suicide bombings, abductions, and assassinations.
The deteriorating economy makes investors worry about spending money in the
country and thus, the economy greatly suffers. The major exports of Sri Lanka, which
include tea, coffee and rubber, do not bring in large profits and the nation is in need of
foreign trade to accommodate the demand for foreign products. But the difficulty of
foreign relations due to the war destroys the tourism industry and other tremendous
aspects of possible economic revenue that Sri Lanka is capable of earning.
The United States can offer help when the state of a republic is in such great
danger. The undermining of human life by the perverse acts of degradation not only
brings embarrassment upon the Sri Lankan people, but also upon all of mankind. If we
stand aside and watch the country fall into shambles while the LTTE use counteractive
methods to obtain what they desire, the message that the powerful countries in the world
are sending out will be misinterpreted as being that of an uncaring and selfish
community. We must stop looking at ourselves as Indian, Sri Lankan, American,
Pakistani, Chinese, British, Middle Eastern and African, and instead learn to treat one
another as our own brothers and sisters with the same amount of respect and integrity that
we would expect from the other. There is no distinction amongst us, especially when
children are involved. To be aware of injustices that are going on in the world and not do
something about it when you are able makes a first world country no different from a
third world country. Superpowers can create change, which is why it is now more
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important than ever in the quest to join together and ban Prabhakaran, the LTTE leader,
from spreading one more inch south of the Jafna region in the northern province of Sri
Lanka.
We are fortunate enough to know both good and bad experiences, but the
definition of the two conditions greatly differ from one another depending on one’s
circumstances. An American might be worried about putting on weight when a single
mother of three in Sri Lanka is wondering how she will feed her children, so that they do
not die from malnutrition. While we complain about the size of our homes and think
about re-doing the deck or patio, there are people on the pavement seeking refuge under a
railway station shelter or in front of department stores. When we spend money upgrading
our cable channel from basic to premium so that our kids can enjoy a diversified array of
cartoons, there is a child whose parents cannot afford to buy him colored pencils to fuel
his vivid imagination. This is not to say that Americans shouldn’t enjoy their hard earned
money and feel guilty for enjoying themselves. It is to remind us how lucky we are to
have what we have and to also think twice about what we spend money on so that we can
better appreciate what we have. The carefree attitudes that most of us have developed
makes us concerned only about our own security and well-being and eventually hinders
our global security.
There is a large LTTE support base in Canada. LTTE sympathizers are led by the
idea that the Sri Lankan civil war is a conflict between the Sinhalese majority and the
Tamil minority when in fact it is a divide between the LTTE terrorists and the Sri Lankan
government. What if the hunger for taking over land in Northern Sri Lanka isn’t enough
and the LTTE decides that they want to take over land in Canada? There are many times
we feel that if a conflict is far away from us, then why bother? But you never know when
the state of affairs close to home can become extremely dangerous, which is why we
must take care of human rights violations in Sri Lanka even if it is a continent away.
Furthermore, allowing fund generation for the LTTE from Canada must immediately
stop. The cessation in monetary support to the LTTE will dramatically reduce their ability
to purchase weaponry and plan more attacks which will victimize innocent Sri Lankan
civilians.
Kaushi Muthukuda
A Resolution to the problem includes granting Sri Lankan youth a proper
education. An educated people will be able to serve as stable leaders and steer the nation
in a positive direction. The duty of a government is to serve and protect its people; the Sri
Lankan government must establish special task forces to seek out LTTE leaders and lead
them to justice, so that they can be tried for human rights violations and be sentenced
accordingly. This will be the start of giving Sri Lanka the peace and harmony it once had
and rightfully deserves. Lin Yutang, a Chinese writer and inventor once exclaimed,
“Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk
on it, the road comes into existence.” I could not agree more for I believe that
strengthening national unity through the punishment of human rights violators, giving
prominence to education and taking advantage of truth commissions is the only hope that
Sri Lanka has for a peaceful future.
Kaushi Muthukuda
Works Cited
Amadiume, Ifi, and Abdullahi An-Na'im. The Politics of Memory. London, UK and New
York, NY: Zed Books, 2000.
Human Rights Watch. "Recurring Nightmare." Human Rights Watch 20.2 (Mar. 2008).
21 Mar. 2008 <http://www.hrw.org/reports/2008/srilanka0308/srilanka0308web.pdf>.
"July ‘83 Victims To Be Compensated Before End Of August." Peace in Sri Lanka. 20
July 2004. Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process. 21 Mar. 2008
<http://www.peaceinsrilanka.org/insidepages/stories/PresidentPressRel20704asp.asp>
.
Rupesinghe, Kumar. "Report of the Presidential Truth Commission on Ethnic Violence
from 1981 to 1984- Facing the truth of July 1983 ." State Terrorism in Sri Lanka. 27
July 2003. Tamil Canadian. 21 Mar. 2008
<http://www.tamilcanadian.com/page.php?cat=392&id=2480>.
"Sri Lanka." International Center for Transitional Justice. 7 Mar. 2008. 21 Mar. 2008
<http://www.ictj.org/en/where/region3/627.html>.
"Truth Commissions." Amnesty International. 21 Mar. 2008
<http://amnesty.org/en/international-justice/issues/truth-commissions>.
White, James E. Contemporary Moral Problems War and Terrorism. Belmont, CA:
Thomson Learning, Inc., 2006.