FOUNDATION FOR MODERN TERRORISM FROM THE ANNALS OF THE WORLD HISTORY
COMMENTARY ARCHIVES, 29 Apr 2009
"The Black War of Van Diemen’s Land" was the name of the official campaign of terror directed against the Black people of Tasmania between 1803 and 1830. The Black aborigines of Tasmania were reduced from an estimated five-thousand people to less than seventy-five. With the declaration of martial law in November 1828, Whites were authorized to kill Blacks on sight. Although the Blacks offered a heroic resistance, the wooden clubs and sharpened sticks of the Aborigines were no match against the firepower, ruthlessness, and savagery exercised by the Europeans against them.
After the Black War, for political expediency, the status of the Blacks, who were no longer regarded as a physical threat, was reduced to that of a nuisance and a bother, and with loud and pious exclamations that it was for the benefit of the Blacks themselves, the remainder of the Aborigines were rounded up and placed in concentration camps.
In 1830 George Augustus Robinson, a Christian missionary, was hired to round up the remaining Tasmanian Blacks and take them to Flinders Island, thirty miles away. Many of Robinson’s captives died along the way. By 1843 only fifty survived.
On Flinders Island Robinson was determined to “civilize and Christianize” the survivors. His settlement–at a windy site with little fresh water–was run like a jail. Children were separated from parents to facilitate the “work of civilizing” them. The regimental daily schedule included Bible reading, hymn singing, and inspection of beds and dishes for cleanness and neatness. However, the jail diet caused malnutrition, which combined with illness to make the natives die. Few infants survived more than a few weeks. The government reduced expenditures in the hope that the native would die out. By 1869 only Truganini, one other woman, and one man remained alive."
The tragedy of the Black aborigines of Tasmania, however painful its recounting may be, is a story that must be told. What lessons do we learn from the destruction of the Tasmanians? Truganini’s life and death, although extreme, effectively chronicle the association not only between White people and Black people in Tasmania, but, to a significant degree, around the world. Between 1803 and 1876 the Black aborigines of Tasmania were completely destroyed. During this period the Black people of Tasmania were debased, degraded and eventually exterminated. Indeed, given the long and well-documented history of carnage, cruelty, savagery, and the monstrous pain, suffering, and inhumanity Europeans have inflicted upon Black people in general, and the Black people of Tasmania in particular, one could argue that they themselves, the White settlers of Tasmania, far more than the ravenous beast portrayed in American cartoons, have been the real Tasmanian devil.”
From “BLACK WAR – THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TASMANIAN ABORIGINES” by RUNOKO RASHIDI, 1998
There are many annals in the world history books has similar stories. There are many more race on the planet earth have been subjugated to total annihilation. The above story reminds me what is going on in my homeland. My people are going through the same at the present time in the hands of the Sinhala Buddhist rulers of the beautiful Island nation. In the name of fight on Terror and eradicating Terrorism (hence the Tamil race), they were terrorized by the host of nations who are sponsoring the GENOCIDE.
Writings on the wall
I have been writing to the web publications and I am very upright and outspoken. This has put me in hot waters many times both in my personal life and professional life. I only write when I feel that I have to express my feelings to the outside world or to the others that either someone or something is very wrong.
I have requested the International Community to act for Peaceful solution many ways I can. What we need at this time is not beating our chest who won or who lost like a third grader, rather how could the Tamils and the peace loving Sinhalese can live without killing each others for the next many centuries to come.
I am not a war monger or an LTTE member. In fact I have been tortured and beaten by both parties in the eighties and early nineties. I see things in Physician stand point such as what causes the disease than to treat the symptoms. I look for the cause, contributing factors and I tell the patients that not all the diseases can be cured with the medications. I see my own homeland turmoil as a disease, I see that the root cause has never been addressed and all the so called DOCTORS are trying to eliminate the symptoms than addressing the disease. The disease is slowly killing both the nations. It is slowly bleeding and the effects will only be felt in the near future. Some of the spin Doctors who only talk about some virulent symptoms try to cure with unconventional methods.
I am not a poet but I wrote the following titled “Only if the tables have turned” three years ago .
We only asked decision making equal opportunity
We only asked a federal system
We only asked to be respected and
We only talked about our rights
We didn’t ask a separate state
We didn’t ask any preferential treatment
We didn’t talk about our homeland and
We didn’t start the fight
You asked why minority want equal rights
You asked why minority want federal system
You said minority is asking preferential treatment and
You picked the fight by killing innocent Tamils
You wouldn’t be asking this if Srilanka has Tamil Majority
You wouldn’t be asking this if the (majority Tamil) government has massacred (minority Sinhala) youths for attending Sinhala language research conference.
You wouldn’t be asking this if the government burned your schools, library and Buddhist temples
You wouldn’t be asking this if you were sacked from the job or demoted for not learning the Tamil.
Instead,
You would ask equal right with majority Tamil.
You would ask for a federal solution.
You would ask a separate Sinhala state and
you would fight with the Tamil Government, Only if the tables have turned
I received the response from a Sinhala Chauvinist saying “Are the Tamils fit to rule the Tamils” blaming all the misdeeds to the LTTE and its activity and the cast system of the Eelam Tamils.
From that point I knew that Sinhala Majority Government has nothing to offer to the Tamils and they will find every excuse to subjugate the whole Tamil Nation.
Systematic elimination
In return I have listed some of the historic events in the history of the Island nation starting from the 20th century. I have listed the historic mindset of the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism and its real face dating back many decades when there is no Tamil militancy. It was systematic effort by the successive Sinhala Buddhist government made the two communities looking to part each others. It was a systematic violence, pogroms and ethnic cleansing that lead to the current climax of genocide.
In my conclusion I have asked “I have been a victim of both state terrorism and separatist terror activities and I survived. However, if LTTE is not strong enough to create a bulwark, there would have been many island wide pogroms after 1983. There is no justification for violence of any kind but history tells me that state sponsored massacres created the vicious cycle of massacres as you may check the dates. There is no question that LTTE is committing, committed and will commit grave violation of human rights.
Does it mean the state has every right to create more homelessness in the name of war for peace?
What have you, your WAPS, or the Government of Srilanka tabled so far to justify that they are talking peace? At the least, LTTE has tabled an Interim Self Governing Authority? How can anyone claim that this is a stepping stone for separation without even discussing or the least countering with a proposal acceptable to the majority Tamil speaking people? Is it an excuse not to find any meaningful solution in the name of LTTE terrorism or simply wolf is crying for the sheep is in the rain? What have you done to the Tamil speaking people in the Island to isolate them from LTTE if you are so worried about their terror tactics of the LTTE and the Sun God?
Again in the mid 2006, when violence was unleashed by both sides, I have written an article rightfully titled “Violence bigot violence, the unheard cries”. I have pointed out that “ Had the international community listened to the cries of the innocent civilians, and taken concrete measures to arrest the violence in the beginning, there would have many lives of innocent civilians including children were saved. Instead, they elected to side with the government who is committing the shadow war on Tamils and LTTE. Inevitably, the civilians on both sides continue to be the pawns of the game. Yet another vicious cycle has been started.”
As an academic, when the Human Rights Watch released a statement about the “Funding the final war”, I rightfully pointed out that “War is a Complex, Multi-Symptom Disease” and unless there are concrete measures taken to cure the disease, like the one in Sierra Leone by the UK with promising effort, treating or suppressing the symptoms will never help solve the problem. It is high time that all concerned parties focus on solving the disease rather than aiding, abetting and arming more and more people and groups. It is high time that the Western governments look into the fundamental problems of the Tamil Diaspora as an oppressed, Trans-National people, rather than simply yet another immigrant population. The only way to eliminate the violence against humanity is to eliminate the fundamental problem.
There are many good hearted and visionary people who have expressed sentiments and suggested to their prospective governments about this Genocidal Government as early as in the eighties. It seems no one listen to them as my writings are like spit on the ocean.
In 1984 Noach Dear a New York City Councilman expressed that the United States cannot simply write off murder and systematic discrimination as an ‘internal matter’ when the country happens to be non aligned and is willing to say nice things about our country. We should be putting pressure on President Jayewardene to move to resolve the terrible, terrible divisions within his country. We must let the Sri Lanka government know that we will not tolerate a government that is in any way complicit in the killing of its own citizens.
Instead of taking actions, those governments stood by and aided the very Genocidal Governments. Even today it is not too late than creating another Rwanda in the South Asia. If those governments, who are aiding and abetting this very genocidal war, ignore these warnings, they will one day see the birth of modern Terrorism from South Asia rather than from Mideast.
Building foundation for Terrorism
I am always amazed to see and read about the news on Terrorism and the Bush’s doctrine “war on terror “. However and how hard the effects of Terrorism can be, one thing that has not changed is the foundations of making terrorist. It is rightfully said that one man’s fight for the right to live could be other man’s terrorism.
Who are those terrorist, where did they come from. Are they alien to the world born out of the solar system became allergic to the human race and humanity. Did anyone studied and analyzed the birth of any of those special people?. Even those who studied and analyzed the Terrorism and terrorist are merely for the academic reason than to change the world and to understand the basic facts.
These people are from the very same community we were born and they were in the same class, same town and possibly went to the same church or temple. Their parents are the same next door neighbor. They didn’t study or elected to become Terrorist or carry out terror activity. They didn’t choose that path instead they were forced by some circumstances that they felt could have changed.
They were forced out of their homes, their kith and kin were slaughtered, raped or disappeared into some mass graves. They have seen their parents, siblings, friends and family lose their lives and limbs. They were or their family and friends were tortured, mutilated and locked up and possibly massacred.
Hamas did not exist 20 year ago. Birth of Hamas happened among the people of Palestine who were living under the extreme hardship with no hope.
Taliban did not exist before the super powers of the cold war made Afghan a playground for their power testing.
LTTE did not exist before 1976 and became stronger with people who were subjugated by the very Srilankan government. They wouldn’t have existed without the people’s support.
As far we all know that LTTE is a lethal force than any groups in the world. They are more technologically advanced than any known group in the world. Yet they have not sold the technology to any known groups like the Pakistan Atomic Scientist Dr, Khan who sold the nuclear Technology to Iran and North Korea.
It is a high time that world powers look into solve the Tamil National question and to contain all the information being sold to the other groups. It is my fear that if the Tamil National question is not answered in time, there will be wealth of lethal information can spill into the rest of the South and south East Asia.
As I see the news all over the world, the Tamils are more united than ever before and they are more in need of their own land, government and more than anything else PEACE. Millions of Tamils from the Island Nation need a land call Homeland free of any internal or external subjugation.
When Millions of Jews needed a HOMELAND, the state of Israel was created.
When the ethnic Albanians needed a home the Kosovo was created. So does the East Timor, Eretria, Bosnia and Bangladesh.
Why the Tamils of the Eelam are any different from the others. The need of the hour is a UN Intervention and a demilitarized Homeland be it a Federal Government or a Separate Nation State call EELAM.
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