There’s video of the bra bomber on the net. You can see her sit down at a desk, in orange sari, thin and seemingly attractive. A man points at her chest, something odd. Her chest explodes, sending her torso flying and the man reeling into a pool of blood. It’s pretty sad, meaningless, and, well, just sad. At this point – after 25 years of armed failure – you have to realize that the suicidal path has failed. When the latest suicide bomber could be the child of the first – when it has become generational – suicide bombing ceases to be a tactic. It is now a way of life. Suicide bombing used to be a means. Now it’s just an end. The Tamil nation under Prabhakaran is just committing suicide.
Terrorism has failed. It simply doesn’t terrorize like it used to. People hear about the No Limit bombing – at one of the more crowded intersections in Colombo – and many just worry about the traffic home. Within minutes there are jokes around the water cooler because, as sad as it is, this is not that unusual. We all know someone who missed the Nugegoda bomb by minutes. But then they kept driving. And we all keep going. It’s just another day in a war that has lasted a lifetime.
There is nothing the LTTE can do to us that they haven’t already done. Attack the armed forces, done. Hit the Central Bank, done. Religious sites – bombed and machine gunned. Airport – struck, shut down, etc. Civilian massacres – but of course. Dead Presidents, Prime Ministers, Indian Prime Ministers, leaders and civilians? In the dozens. Bus bombs, trishaw bombs, assassinations, etc, ad nauseum, yadda yadda. Been there, done that. LTTE terrorism doesn’t shock anymore, and terrorism without shock value is just amateurish war.
In another video youth mill about in fatigues, carry guns, smiling and unsmiling. It’s the Anuradhapura attack where 20+ suicide cadres died while destroying millions worth of military hardware. Out of a budget of billions. The LTTE trained for months and lost all that human capital. For what? Really, just to make a statement. Just to show that they could. But all those young lives are irretrievably lost.
After 25 plus years, the suicide cult is stripped of all pretense. The LTTE is not a suicide cult that will lead to Tamil Eelam. It is just a suicide cult. Its cadres aren’t committing suicide towards an end anymore, they’re just committing suicide. Prabhakaran has said that if he betrays the dream of a separate Eelam, to kill Prabhakaran. And if the Tamils give up the dream of Eelam? If they decide they’d like to live in Wellawatte or travel and trade among the whole island? Then kill all the Tamils. That is what Prabhakaran is doing. His terrorism has failed. It does not work anymore. All he has to offer the Tamil people now is suicide.
The sad thing is, you’re absolutely right. Sri Lankans have become so de-sensitized we’re just short of animals now. Heck, animals have more sensitivity than us now.
Guys, while arguing here, do something for our Murali here as well
Throw in some weight !!!
“The Tamil nation under Prabhakaran is just committing suicide.”
Err, what exactly did you mean. Or was that just for effect?
There is no ‘Tamil Nation’ per se, it’s a self proclaimed construct of that leader. That construct, under his leadership, is committing (metaphorical and literal) suicide.
I tend to agree there’s no objective Tamil nation, Sinhala nation or Sri Lankan nation. They are all self proclaimed constructs.
Don’t know how a self proclaimed construct can commit literal suicide. What does that even mean? It’s the kind of gibberish talk one gets into when you try to say things purely for effect because you think it sounds nice. Political commentary calls for some maturity that goes beyond this type of intellectually vacuous sloganeering.
Its interesting that this is something you think is merely a slogan.
Tamil culture in Sri Lanka is slowly killing itself because it is dominated by Prabhakaran. Demographically you are er..frakked. About 20 more years of this and there will be far fewer Tamils than there would have been otherwise. The war has disenfranchised and impoverished mostly Tamil people.
You must agree that Prabhakaran is a key player in this war and could have handled this war (on behalf of the Tamil nation) better right?
I mean you get the metaphor right?
Do I think the Tamil people are suffering due to the war? Yes. Do I think both sides are to blame for this state of affairs? Yes. Do I think there is a valid metaphor being used here? No. Do I think “the Tamil nations is committing suicide” is a responsible way of expressing what the Tamils are going through? No. Do I think the “Sinhala nation is killing the Tamil nation”? No. See my point?
Ok then.
Prabhakaran may have caused enough harm to Sri Lankan Tamils to the extent that they may be a far less viable a community in the future and SL Tamils did not do enough to avoid this situation?
No sorry, that’s just too general. Prabhakaran has left Sri Lankan Tamils worse off than before. Agree or disagree?
The LTTE calls for a seperate Tamil nation. Tamil Eelam if you will. Prabhakaran’s method of gaining that nation is killing and displacing the Tamil people. Hence “The Tamil nation under Prabhakaran is just committing suicide.†As in, Tamil Eelam is a complete failure, descending into a suicide cult.
Well, let’s ask the question a little differently. Do you think the Sri Lankan Tamils are in danger of dying out as a people as a result of the war? If one thinks they are, and if one also believes that the leadership of Pirabaharan worsens their predicament, then it is a legitimate metaphor to say that the Tamil Nation is committing suicide under Pirabaharan’s leadership.
Prabhakaran is calling for a separate state Indi. A state is distinct from a nation. Multiple ‘nations’ may exist within a state and the definition of ‘nation’ is nebulous, it generally connotes a ‘people group’ who identify themselves as a nation. The definition of a state is very clear though. I fear some of the disagreement stems from this confusion. If your point is that Eelam as a state is unattainable, I wholly agree. I’ll all for a federal solution.
That’s almost impossible to answer. Prabhakaran has been an actor in a process that has left Tamils worse off. The Government of Sri Lanka has also been a part of that process. In fact if you invert your question, it’s almost certain that Sinhala politicians have been part of a process that has left Sri Lanka worse off than before. That proves nothing, just that the whole of the island is in a general state of deterioration. The process needs to be reversed without blurring the issues.
I think you meant that multiple states can exist within a nation. I have never heard of multiple nations existing within a state.
Actually, Safem, most states in Asia have a number of nations existing within them. Although “nation” is used to mean “country” in common parlance, it actually refers to a cultural and social entity, not a political one. So, in the context of Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese are a nation, as are the Moors, as are the Tamils, all of whom exist within the state of Sri Lanka. Similarly, the Scots, Welsh, and English are nations who exist within the state of the United Kingdom. And so on.
No it’s not, it’s actually pretty straightforward.. NKR didn’t ask you whether Prabhakaran was solely responsible for leaving Sri Lankan Tamils worse off than before (which he clearly isn’t – solely responsible that is).
Your reply is needlessly longwinded and attempts to digress into a larger political discussion about the reponsibilty for the state of the Sri Lankan Tamil, when a simple ‘yes’ would suffice.
Are the successive governments of SL responsible for Tamils being worse off now than ever before? – undoubtedly
Is the apathy and nihilism of the rest of the Sri Lankan population to the plight of Tamils also guilty for their situation? – yes
Has Prabhakaran left Sri Lankan Tamils worse off? – well duh
You can actually answer each question independently without blurring the issue (as you so succinctly put it). It may sound too simplistic but it doesn’t make it less true.
In addition your final argument – “That proves nothing, just that the whole of the island is in a general state of deterioration” – does a disservice to your reply. The country is most deifnitely in a state of deterioration and no amount of “patriotism” can change that but Prabhakaran has made Tamil lives (and Northern and North Eastern Tamil lives in particular) far worse off relative to the rest of the population – that is undeniable and no amount of ‘fence-sitting’ changes that.
Also I can see why Sophist thinks so highly of you as a lawyer.
Aadhavan & I have discussed this many times, and he stubbornly refuses to admit that the NE is worse off than the rest of SL. Many Tamils feel unable to publicly aportion the majority of blame on the LTTE, no matter how much they might want to. Maybe it’s an instinctive thing. Can’t say I don’t understand it.
Of course he’s responsible in part and I’ve said as much in this very thread. Prabhakaran is partly responsible for having left the Tamils worse off. That’s stating the bleeding obvious. This Bushesque provlivity to yes or no answers to questions on nuanced matters of policy has had much more influence on educated elites in SL than I had imagined. Perhaps if you followed the “Tamil nation is committing suicide” context to my comment, you would appreciate the offending answer better.
David, the view I had expressed in an earlier discussion is a very different position to the silly one you have attributed to me. There’s no point reopening that discussion, but I would appreciate some minimal level of integrity to the source when you consider paraphrasing me next time around. Perhaps nuanced views with qualifiers and provisos aren’t your thing either, but permit me to request that you go out of your regular way in representing my views to others.
Btw, Blacker and Tariq. Who do you apportion the majority of the blame on for the predicament of the Sunnis in Iraq? GWB Jr, the Iraqi resistance, Al Qaeda fighters, Shiite militias or Shiite politicians? I’d really like to know what you think Blacker, especially your methodology in determining who’s to be blamed over the other.
Ranil and Rauf just got fucking shafted in the budget vote. Good on the JVP for standing up to the pack of conniving bastards that largely represents the opposition.
You don’t get it do you Aadhavan it’s not about my proclivity to a bushesque “cowboys and injuns” world view which frankly is a bottom of the barrel insult for someone of your intelligence, it is reductive and in fact subscribes you to the same line of thinking. My reply was directed specifically at you and in a larger context the Tamil Sri Lankan’s inability to come right out and say that Prabhakaran is one of the worst thing to have happened to them sans any caveats, addendum’s or qualifiers. I fail to understand why you cannot condemn him outright.
We all realize (well some of us anyway) that the ‘blame’ as you so neatly put it cannot be pinned on anyone particular person or group. The blame can be apportioned to all of us maybe not equally but every day we standby and do nothing as Sri Lankans are harassed and imprisoned for no reason other than their name, makes as guilty as well.
Oh and I certainly don’t subscribe to the view that Sri Lanka’s issue is a nuanced matter of policy, in my view this a pretty shameless destruction of a peoples way of life, there is nothing subtle or nuanced about it
Mahinda won the Budget !
Ado Indi goooo kapan – Ranil ge puka lewakapan….
You don’t get it do you Aadhavan it’s not about my proclivity to a bushesque “cowboys and injuns” world view which frankly is a bottom of the barrel insult for someone of your intelligence, it is reductive and in fact subscribes you to the same line of thinking. My reply was directed specifically at you and in a larger context the Tamil Sri Lankan’s inability to come right out and say that Prabhakaran is one of the worst thing to have happened to them sans any caveats, addendum’s or qualifiers. I fail to understand why you cannot condemn him outright.
We all realize (well some of us anyway) that the ‘blame’ as you so neatly put it cannot be pinned on anyone particular person or group. The blame can be apportioned to all of us maybe not equally but every day we standby and do nothing as Sri Lankans are harassed and imprisoned for no reason other than their name, makes as guilty as well.
(apologies all round accidentally posted)
You might think that it is unimportant for you to just do so and to be honest I don’t need you to come out and do it but the plain truth is that the majority of this country continues to look at you with suspicion and will continue to do so as long as you cannot or will not condemn Prabhakaran out right. You have to realize that the average Sinhala man sadly does subscribe to the Bushesque (or should I say Mahindasque – such has been his ability to sell this issue in black and white terms) view of Sri Lanka and at the end of the day their voice is a lot louder than mine.
You and I will definitely be able to sit down at the SSC and share a beer and not treat each other any differently but until you come right and condemn him unequivocally the longer you’ll appear as a stranger in your own country in the eyes of the junta. We need people like you to make known your private thoughts on him, it will of course be treated with suspicion initially but so long as the Tamils in Sri Lanka don’t see their own standing up and calling him out on his bullshit the longer they will stay silent and we’ll be on this piss poor merry-go-round for a damn sight longer.
Oh and I certainly don’t subscribe to the view that Sri Lanka’s issue is a nuanced matter of policy, in my view this is a pretty shameless destruction of a peoples way of life, there is nothing subtle or nuanced about it
Tariq, thanks for that meaningful comment. Perhaps you are right and the only way to ‘win over’ the Sinhalese masses to look at the issue differently is for Tamils to condemn the LTTE outright. The problem is that to condemn the LTTE outright without an equal condemnation of the government deeply offends most Tamils sense of justice. I tend to think that an outright condemnation of the government will always earn you the distrust of the masses whether or not there’s an accompanying condemnation of the LTTE, which is why Sinhalese who are sympathetic to the Tamil cause (like the CPA, Jehan Perera and the ‘peacenik’ NGO’s) are distrusted so much and branded terrorists. Also, for any Tamil involved in public policy I would think that strategy(of condemning the LTTE while not condemning the govt) is a sure fire formula for losing the trust of the Tamil community, which is counterproductive because you want to be able to influence your own people after all. There are Tamil politicians who have tried that approach, DD, A’Sangaree and Karuna of late. One of the reasons they are not wholeheartedly accepted by Tamils is that they are perceived as weakening the Tamils only bargaining chip on the table, since the government has only ever been willing to discuss federalism with the Tamils this side of fifty years was when the LTTE was at its strongest politically and militarily. Also, I don’t think these politicians have contributed in any meaningful way to ethnic harmony with their outright condemnations, neither do I think they have any leverage with the Tamil people anymore to be able influence their thinking. It’s a sad state of affairs because there’s no room for those nuanced views – both sides keep giving us the ‘you’re either with us or against us’ message.
Again, you’re right. Unless perceptions change this will go on forever. Some sort of imposed peace without justice will probably be imposed on the Tamils and the Muslims of the East after the decline of the LTTE, which may or not blow up fifty years later. With the type of stupidity and brutality you see from the government and Prabhakaran, I don’t think we can expect anything better.
This is what I don’t understand Aadhavan, when you say:
“The problem is that to condemn the LTTE outright without an equal condemnation of the government deeply offends most Tamils sense of justice.”
Implies that the general Tamil populace still sees a justification for the continued existence of the LTTE. Don’t you think “the cause” has long been forgotten and has been supplanted by rhetoric accompanied by brutality and terror (especially towards their own) as well as the quelling of any dissenting voices with extreme prejudice.
The thing is as long as the Tamil populace continues to see the LTTE as a bargaining chip and in effect the last line of defense between complete subjugation and not for what they really are – a brutal regime that would sooner snuff them out than give up the gravy train they are currently on ( I am referring to the senior most ranking cadres who are making a tidy profit from this war, not the actual front line fighters).
That’s what you as a people have to come out and condemn without looking for a need to balance it out by condemning your audience as well. The sad truth is that, from my experience, the general population doesn’t like to be told that they fucked up in galactic proportions, that they were part and parcel one of one of the darkest eras in this country’s history, it cannot and will not lead to any trust – which is what this country is truly lacking. I am not asking you to put aside the GoSL’s atrocious behaviour, but in order for you to air all your collective grievences you need the rest to be sympathetic and for that you need their trust. It’ll take a helluva long time but it’s better than the propects we have now.
There is a responsibility on your side as well in ending this.
By the way Aadhavan have you seen the following article on the Economist website (and in the print edition if I am not mistaken) no less:
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10251282
The story is irrelevant but its the map that’s interesting.
“This is what I don’t understand Aadhavan, ….Implies that the general Tamil populace still sees a justification for the continued existence of the LTTE.”
Let me try and help you understand Tariq. The average Tamil has little or no hope or trust in the government to protect their rights and generally look after them. They realize that while the IC is watching(which is going to end if the LTTE is wiped out) the government might be nominally committed to protect their rights, but there is such an absolute sense of distrust in the government’s bona fides that the “let’s hope the LTTE is snuffed out and hope and pray the govt treats us ok after that” attitude is never going to be accepted, because if the govt doesn’t, you’re back at square one, which is pre 1983. Tamils tend to feel that attacks against Tamils using state machinery after the late 1970’s have been at their worst when the LTTE is at its weakest. That this government has been one of the worst offenders against the Tamils is seen as a direct corollary of the military successes of the govt. Most Tamils feel that a deal should be worked out, that a separate state is not practical or desirable but that any real, honest sharing of power can be worked out only between the govt and the LTTE.
That’s the predicament. I continue to hope that some deal will be worked out. I don’t think trust building is a one way street and that the marginalized have to compromise on articulating the justness of their cause just in order to get into the good books. That’s not a recipe for a sustainable solution, because the critical issues are left untouched and unresolved.
Shit that map is going to cause a small stir don’t you think. That must have been an oversight and not an editorial policy decision. Earlier maps of SL in the same magazine have not carved out Eelam if I’m not mistaken so don’t know what it’s all about.
Terrorism by nature operates on deception. It decives the very people it feeds on by false pretenses such as ‘glorious death’. terrorists don’t call themselves terrorists. They think of themselves as martyrs or freedom fighters or whatnot. they watch the media to see how their actions are being received. Maybe they might think having utube video is ‘cool’ how do you stop this? beats me!! maybe we can start as Dilbert suggested.. :D “calling terrorists “dingleberries,†as in “Troops wiped out a nest of dingleberries in a part of the world now commonly known as Earth’s Anus.â€
“Prabhakaran is partly responsible for having left the Tamils worse off.”
Actually, Aadhavan, this is false. The above statement gives the impression that VP is at best only partly responsible, when in reality most of the blame for the NE Tamils’ current plight is his fault. The NE Tamils were doing much better than they are today until the separatists decided to transform the conflict into open warfare. That was their decision — and that is when the destruction of the NE began. Yes, it was the GoSL’s fault that no other route seemed open to the Tamil nationalists, and the GoSL must take that blame. The bottom line, however, is that the LTTE and other separatist groups chose war — and have returned to war every time. Now knowing that, if you still wish to say the above, then Aadhavan, you’re cloaking yourself in a naivete that insults both your own and my intelligence.
“David, the view I had expressed in an earlier discussion is a very different position to the silly one you have attributed to me. ”
OK, so for the record, can I then take it that you agree that the NE has suffered more in this war and has yet more to lose than the rest of SL in the event that the war continues as is?
“There’s no point reopening that discussion, but I would appreciate some minimal level of integrity to the source when you consider paraphrasing me next time around. Perhaps nuanced views with qualifiers and provisos aren’t your thing either, but permit me to request that you go out of your regular way in representing my views to others.”
If by nuanced views and qualifiers, you mean muddying the waters and beating about the bush, no, that isn’t my thing. As for integrity, I would certainly appreciate it if you could be honest to yourself and discuss the issues with integrity rather than digress into Iraq and other unconnected areas. However, just to indulge you, I will add some context to qualify your refusal both see the reality of what VP has done for the SL Tamils, and the extent that reality extends. Yes, there’s no point reopening the discussion, but here it is if anyone’s interested in it, since I think I’ve been fairly accurate in paraphrasing you: http://www.indi.ca/2007/04/bad-day-for-sri-lanka/
“Who do you apportion the majority of the blame on for the predicament of the Sunnis in Iraq? GWB Jr, the Iraqi resistance, Al Qaeda fighters, Shiite militias or Shiite politicians?”
As I said before, you’re sidestepping the question and digressing onto a subject unrelated in a vain attempt to draw out a simplistic answer from one of us so that you can then scoff at the over-simplification rather than commit yourself to the question Tariq has put you.
I understand perfectly well the general Tamil inability to ‘betray’ the LTTE by blaming it or cutting off funds, and as I said before, I can empathise with it. What I was doing in my post was pointing it out to Tariq.
” The average Tamil has little or no hope or trust in the government to protect their rights and generally look after them. ”
Agree… there is very little that this government (or any previous one) has done to assuage the Tamil populations fears that we won’t return to a pre 1983 state if the LTTE is weakend (militarily) significantly enough to stop being a serious threat (I don’t think they can ever be wiped out completely)
“but that any real, honest sharing of power can be worked out only between the govt and the LTTE. ”
Honestly that’s a shame because I don’t think the LTTE have the Tamil’s best interests at heart any more. Furthermore any sharing of power (which now seems unlikely given the recent military successes of the GoSL) be it a federal structure or otherwise between the LTTE and the Gov will (in my opinion) exclude the average Tamil from governance. I simply see no way that the LTTE are going to just hand over the spoils of ‘their’ victory to the legal owners.
“I continue to hope that some deal will be worked out. I don’t think trust building is a one way street and that the marginalized have to compromise on articulating the justness of their cause just in order to get into the good books.”
I agree, partly… I am not for one second suggesting that Govt offences against the Lankan Tamil populace be ignored or go unresolved, that would be counterproductive becasue as you so rightly pointed out any lasting solution cannot be built or sustained if past grievences are not even acknowledged let alone resolved. However, any resolution will only realistically come if and when the majority are willing to listen.
At the end of the day Tamils will continue to be marginalized as long as their audience (the masses) are viewed as untrustworthy and require Tamils to highlight their crimes as a form of balance to any condemnation of a terrorist organization. You’re not going to win them over (which sadly is necessary for any lasting solution) if you’re going to condemn them in the same breath as you would the LTTE. For any change to happen one side has to be willing to initiate a dialogue and you can bet your bottom dollar it ain’t going to be the masses. Having said that though once started, they will listen.
About the map, I don’t think it was an oversight and nor do I think it was an editorial decision (which would have been a tremendously bad one) – I think it is either a hack or sabotage post editorial.
Tariq, a lot of what you have said makes sense. However re your point that the LTTE do not have the interests of the Tamils at heart, I’d like to make a point. I don’t trust the LTTE’s bona fides completely either, but I think there may be a strategic convergence of interests between the Tamils and the LTTE in the case of a federal solution. The LTTE have been notoriously bad at politics and continued support for them is contingent on the Tamils feeling insecure. A two state solution or a unitary state will perpetuate this sense of insecurity, while a fairly autonomous federal division of power should assuage Tamil fears, rendering the LTTE largely redundant in a peaceful and stable North-East.
Re capturing the masses, the problem is that once you compromise on the “condemnation of the govt in the same breath” approach, the justification for a permanent solution that changes the status quo also changes. If the govt hadn’t visited these atrocities on the Tamils and deserved outright condemnation, how do you justify the demand for a federal solution. If the govt was just a little naughty from time to time but largely ok in dealing with the Tamils, then why is a largely autonomous North East the solution to the problem? Wouldn’t that be a mere sop to the LTTE, who are primarily to blame. So while I take your point, I think following your suggestion might lead Sinhalese to trust the Tamils more, but will be counterproductive in helping them understand the desire for substantial autonomy.
David, i was just interested in finding out your methodology for apportioning relative blame over the course of a protracted and complicated conflict. The Iraq analogy was meant to test this methodology. Perhaps you found this line of questioning offensive, I apologize.
Also, thanks for the link. While I will not follow it and peruse those comments, perhaps others will. If you think you have paraphrased me accurately, you can feel good about yourself and I can feel shit. I see no point in continuing this line of argument.
“but I think there may be a strategic convergence of interests between the Tamils and the LTTE in the case of a federal solution.”
Maybe… but I have my doubts as to whether the LTTE will allow the Tamils to participate in any form of governance even if a federal solution is offered. I fear that the tamils will be just as disenfranchised from self governance as they are today because there has been too great a divergence in ideologies and politics between the two… plus only one side will still have the guns.
“So while I take your point, I think following your suggestion might lead Sinhalese to trust the Tamils more, but will be counterproductive in helping them understand the desire for substantial autonomy”
Probably but I think a much larger issue with respect to the Tamil’s desire for substantial autonomy will be that within the next few years (if not already) the Tamils Hindus will be the second largest minority to the Muslims, in effect making it that much harder to justify a significant portion of land for self governance.
As a qualifier in case there is any misunderstanding – I am in no way advocating that being the second largest minority precludes you from seeking self governance but it does make it harder to justify it in the eyes of the majority.
Suggest you guys wait till 2050 when the Muslims are the majority, you’ll have a better shot at self governance then. :)
Earlier maps of SL in the same magazine have not carved out Eelam if I’m not mistaken so don’t know what it’s all about.
You’re mistaken. If a map of the island is published in an article relating to the conflict, they always mark the area claimed by the LTTE and mark it “Eelam”. See this article from June this year, for example:
http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9299003
In the print edition, the map Tariq referred to was used to illustrate both the India-related story with which it appeared in the online edition, and a smaller story about the war in Sri Lanka, hence the “carving out” of Eelam.