Photo via the NYTimes.
The government has released an estimated death toll for the end of Sri Lanka’s Civil War (not the whole thing mind you, this is essentially 2008/2009). The number is around 9,000 dead. The BBC is quick to qualify this against a 40,000 report in the controversial UN report, but that report is essentially from a reading of TamilNet and dubious. My best guess was around 10-15,000. Let’s say that the government estimate is low but not unreasonable.
This number, of course, is more than a number. It’s people that died, including women and children, often in great suffering and without a proper burial. Until recently, the fact that they had died wasn’t even acknowledged, a great shame to the government and Sri Lanka. Thankfully they’re slowly starting to acknowledge basic reality, starting with the Lessons Learnt And Reconciliation report and now this.
Now they need to actually implement the LLRC report, offer some support to those that have lost, and – most importantly – further acknowledge and publicly mourn the thousands of people we lost. These are all positive steps (out of a hole, admittedly), but it remains a long and winding stairs.
this number is actually in a report on the northern province that seems to covers from 2005-2009 and has various statistics such as berths, deaths, etc (usual stuff you would find census report).
according to it the total number of deaths in from 2005-2009 is 22, 329 (natural, unnatural all)
unnatural deaths numbers at 11, 032 (2005-2009).
unnatural deaths in 2009 is 7, 934 (additional 715 is not stated or unknown reasons).
there are also 4, 156 cases of untraceable persons (63% of them in 2009)
this report does not identify whether these persons combatants, actual reason for the death, etc. also the gender and age is also unspecified.
and it may be very possible that great majority of the persons mentioned above did died fighting the government forces. Considering the fact that 3000+ soldiers died in 2009, i assume that they (government forces) were facing a strong opponent which had enough numbers to inflict that kind of damage.
page 19 & 20 (Arabic numbers) in the report:- http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/VitalStatistics/EVE2011_FinalReport.pdf
Indi
You are very brave to question the Government. I admire your courage to stand up for the truth and your kind care for the vulnerable and neglected.
You represent perhaps a ‘silent majority’ within the ‘majority’ community of Sri Lanka.
I just wonder, why did it take nearly 3 years for the Rajapaksa Government to come up with the numbers of the civilians killed? In 2009 Military said that around 79,000 bicycles were collected from the last battle field. If bicycles so meticulousnessly counted why not dead people ?
We need to ask how many servicemen and women perished in the final months. I am hearing number s of 20k dead and another 20k permanently disabled. How many are still classified as MIA?
I am heard that the dead are on full pension & full salary? Not sure if this is correct, can someone clarify? May also explain why the defence bill has gone up, post war.
Believe the 40k estimate is the upper end of a range.
“You represent perhaps a ‘silent majority’ within the ‘majority’ community of Sri Lanka.”
most probably not.
“I just wonder, why did it take nearly 3 years for the Rajapaksa…”
Because as I mentioned above, this is NOT a survey about the civilians killed in the war. It was a ordinary census done by the census department. The report which had this number contained lot of other demographical information.
As for counting the number of bicycles, those were found in a area of few square kilometres and they were on the ground (not buried). On the other hand these deaths most probably happened in various locations over a certain period of time (months if you consider 2009) and weren’t piled together so that they can be counted easily (unlike the bicycles).
And as for question why the dead people weren’t counted so meticulously, that is probably because above report is not a government effort to count the war related deaths meticulously (I don’t know whether they have done that or not).
The number of military deaths are already published and if you go and look for them in old articles, you would find them.
MIA number is also published as I can remember. The factual analysis of the war published by the MOD which contains all the numbers as I can remember.
The total KIA (from the 80s) was something around 30k (below that as I can remember).
The KIA in Eelam War IV is around 6000 with 3000+ occurring in the final months of the war (in 2009).
Lets pray this shit will never ever happen in Sri lanka again. Military or civilian or even LTTE all human lives lost in vain.
Sack , I hope , Sri Lanka Government value human being a bit higher than a value of a bicycle.
I am not really talking about the value system of the Sri Lankan government.
I am merely pointing out that this number was obtained by the usual procedure which is used in a census (that means interviewing).
Government is not digging up graves and conducting investigations on the dead.
That’s what we’ve all been waiting for! Great posting!