In flagrant violation of the social distancing rules announced by himself, President Gothabaya presides over victory celebrations with large crowds of Sinhalese gathering to watch the military parade. In contrast, Tamils in their homeland were prevented, citing the COVID pandemic, from remembering their loved ones who were massacred at Mullivaaikkaal in 2009. The Tamil homeland is under massive military occupation, which is using the COVID pandemic to stop any remembrance events from taking place. These two scenarios once again prove that two Nations are poles apart exist on the island.
President Gothabaya Rajapakse, himself a credibly accused war criminal for leading the chain of command, serving as the Defense Minister overseeing the mass killings of unarmed Tamil men, women, and children, issued veiled threats aimed at the international community. He vowed to withdraw from any international bodies attempting to investigate his criminal armed forces. It should be noted that Sri Lanka co-sponsored UNHRC Resolution 30/1, promising to investigate itself. After backpedalling its commitments and getting two two-year extensions to implement it’s undertaking, Sri Lanka withdrew its co-sponsorship of the Resolution in 2019. After patiently waiting for justice for eleven long years, the Tamils have no hope of getting justice within Sri Lanka. Tamils are not surprised by this outcome given the dismal track record of Sinhalese governments over the past seven decades. It should be noted that May 22, 1958, was the first pogrom against Tamils in the island that was instigated by the inaction of then Prime Minister S.W.R.D Bandaranayake, which resulted in the murder of hundreds of Tamils and the arson and destruction of their property. No one was ever punished for this pogrom.
President Gothabaya Rajapakse’s promise to shield his armed forces from any investigation is equivalent to ”open season” on Tamils, who are already under massive military occupation. Last week, the army opened fire on a Tamil youth en route to deliver food to his ageing father. The entirely Sinhalese armed forces have attacked many Tamils irrespective of whether they are young or old. Given the President’s assurance of no investigation, the armed forces proceed carte blanche with extrajudicial killings of Tamils under cover of the COVID pandemic. While the Tamils have waited eleven long years for justice, their plight is getting worse day by day. It is time the international community, as well as the UNHRC, take serious note of the ground situation and develop strategies to stop the ongoing genocide of Tamils in the island.
It is the responsibility of every nation with the conscience to stop the genocide and protect the Tamils. Only an international intervention can save the Tamils on the island from destruction. The conditions that led to the beginning of the armed conflict back in the early 1980s is manifesting itself on a much draconian scale in the last eleven years. There can be no peace and stability in this region until the Tamil National question is addressed genuinely.
