On January 6 it was reported that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) would back former army General Sarath Fonseka who led the armies final assault on the Tamil Tigers. The title is not far from the truth considering that General Fonseka is Sinhalese and a nationalist. Originally from India the southern state of Tamil-Nadu they were brought by the British to Sri Lanka 150 years ago. Tamils are Hindu while the majority Sinhalese are Buddhist.
The Tamil's life on Sri Lanka has been one of struggle and hardship. Overtime the government has used the law to keep the Tamil people in a sub-servant role having banned the use of their language, cultural and art.
Given these facts one would ask the question: Why would the(TNA)back a presidential candidate who following government policy wouldn't allow civilians trapped in the conflict zone to escape: Rounded up 200,000 Tamil's placed them in camps that resembled prisons and wouldn't allow them to leave: Finally there is video from January 2009 which shows summary executions by the Sri Lankan army.
People say that enemies can reconcile and they have like South Africa through the Truth Commission or America and Vietnam over time. But given the Tamils place within Sri Lanka is it prudent to back a candidate whose life and beliefs are in complete conflict with yours.
No comments:
Post a Comment