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Written by Huda Jawad
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Thursday, 12 February 2009 18:57 |
 All wars are different, and yet all wars are the same. The casualty is almost
always the civilians, either by wounds or an agonizing slow death caused by
malnutrition and starvation. The fighting in Sri Lanka is slightly more unique.
Someone decided this human catastrophe isn't as important as other headlines,
and as such, mainstream media is barely acknowledging the situation. Colombo has
rejected calls from foreign governments and agencies to halt its offensive
against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to avoid civilian
casualties, saying it is on the verge of victory.
Since the beginning of the government's military offensive in October 2008, the
LTTE has retreated into the northern area of the country. However, civilians
have been forced deeper into territory controlled by the separatist group,
leaving hundreds dead and some 250,000 civilians caught in deadly crossfire.
Calls for a "no fighting" period which would allow civilians the chance to get
out of conflict zones have been unanimously rejected by both the LTTE and the
Sri Lankan government. Human rights groups and foreign governments have accused
the Tigers of holding civilians as human shields. However, Sri Lanka is denying
any humanitarian crisis is taking place at all. Instead, the government claims
that the Tigers were "fabricating stories to invent a scenario of a human
catastrophe and are disseminating false information."
The truth? Shying away from the propaganda by both sides, the reality is that
250,000 civilians are cut off from the outside world in the area of Vanni.
According to the United Nations, aid agencies are unable to bring essential
relief supplies to the people in the area. According to the World Food Program (WFP),
the entire population of the Vanni region where fighting is taking place is
facing a food crisis due to displacement of the population, as well as crop
failure and recent floods. The last known UN convoy was sent in mid-January,
carrying enough food for about one week. To date, WFP has not been able to get
clearance to send in others, despite numerous promises from authorities that the
convoys would be able to enter safely.
Reports from the sealed war zone have been difficult to confirm for
authenticity. But the top health official in Vanni said last week that at least
300 civilians had been killed, and the UN said that at least 52 civilians were
killed Tuesday. The government has already built an alibi, by stating that the
civilians were shields for rebels, doing exactly what the Israeli army did in
its massacre of Gazans last month.
Amnesty International has also called for a ceasefire. "A quarter of a million
people are suffering without adequate food and shelter, while shells rain down
upon them," said Yolanda Foster, a researcher at the London-based rights group.
Why are these calls not heeded? Additionally, why does the international
community not care? To date, 70,000 people have died in the Tamil conflict,
which began in 1983 as a direct result of the marginalization of the Tamil
minority by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority.
Sri Lanka's government broke out of a Norwegian-brokered truce about a year ago,
and has thus far rejected a new ceasefire, vowing instead to crush the Tigers.
Top diplomats from Canada and the European Union are pressuring the government
to find a political solution; however, without determination by both the Sri
Lankans and the LTTE, such a truce will pass very little muster.
The current conflict cannot and will not ever be solved militarily; the past 25
years of fighting are a testament to this. It can only be settled through an
enduring political solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of all the
citizens of Sri Lanka. For the time being, international monitors must be
allowed to assess the humanitarian needs of a quarter of a million people
trapped in the Vanni region and to ensure proper distribution of food and other
humanitarian assistance. The media must be given free and unrestricted access to
the war zone; violent intimidation of media personnel has been consistently
reported for the past several weeks. A temporary ceasefire must be implemented
to allow the civilians a chance to access food and water, along with an
opportunity to flee the war zone. The Sri Lankan government must ensure that
displaced people who have fled the conflict zone to transit centers do not face
improper restriction on their movement and are kept safe.
Lastly, war crimes charges must be brought against both the Sri Lankan
government and the LTTE. Both parties in the conflict have terrible human rights
records. The LTTE have recruited children in the past. They also have a history
of silencing dissent in areas under their control, and they have sent civilians
to dig bunkers and work at the front lines. The government has directly and
indirectly been involved in disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and explicit
intimidation of critics. They have also silenced dissent in the south of the
country to crush critical voices, and since 2006, 16 journalists have been
killed in Sri Lanka.
It is time for the international community to end the silence on this egregious
issue. We owe this to the innocent children and civilians of Sri Lanka.
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This article originally appeared in Islamic Insights [www.islamicinsights.com]
magazine.
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Impressive piece, amazing rhetoric.