ABDF

Sunday, May 17, 2009

I know it’s been a while since I last wrote. I’ve been doing a lot of traveling about for our upcoming teacher project, and haven’t had much computer access. When I’ve had the access, I haven’t had the time. So it goes.

Tomorrow I take the day train back to Batticaloa. Then I’ll have both time and access to write a full account of what I’ve been doing and what I’ve seen. But today has been a special, unusual day, and so I’ll write just about that.

For those of you who haven’t heard, today the Sri Lankan government declared victory over the LTTE. Apparently all the civilian human shields have been let go, and the LTTE is confined to one bunker, of about 500 square meters (about 1,500 feet), according to the latest reports. There is a great deal of confusion about whether this means the Tigers have actually surrendered or not, and there are reports of explosions, implying that the LTTE leadership is committing suicide rather than fall into government hands. Either way, it spells the end of the Tigers as a conventional military force.

Needless to say, the Singhalese are jubilant. Colombo is bedecked in Sri Lankan flags, and there will undoubtedly be a lot of celebrations over the next few days.

Colombo Tamils, on the other hand, are filled with apprehension and more than a little fear. The thing you need to know is that there have been anti-Tamil pogroms in Colombo in the recent past, the most famous being “Black July” in 1983, when whole neighborhoods were burned down, Tamils randomly slaughtered in the street, and bodies piled on every corner.

I just got back from an evening out with my friend John. John is Tamil, hailing from the northern city of Jaffna. We go out a lot, mostly in Wellawetta (vel-lah-VET-ah), a predominately Tamil district of Colombo, and the scene of some of the worst atrocities back in 1983. This evening we went to a local eatery that we both like, to have a snack before going out for a beer.

The first thing I noticed was all the Sri Lankan flags hanging about. Most of the Tamils I know do not support the LTTE; the Tigers are (were?) as brutal to the Tamil people as they are the Singhalese. But all the flags hanging in Wellawetta had the feel of camouflage; it was obvious that folks felt obliged, considering the defeat of the LTTE, to fly the colors in order to protect themselves. Even the trishaw drivers who, in Colombo tend to be mostly Tamil, had flags flying from their vehicles.

But mostly what I noticed was the tension in the air. It was palatable. Right now, tonight, Tamils in Colombo are very much afraid of what might happen. People were rushing about, doing their business quickly so they could get home and lock their doors. I think they have good reason to be apprehensive; twice I saw long convoys of pick-up trucks and vans driving through Wellawetta, packed with young men waving Sri Lankan flags and chanting slogans through bullhorns. I mean, the Singhalese have every right to celebrate; their military has won them a victory after 25+ years of vicious civil war. But to take their parades right through the heart of Colombo’s main Tamil neighborhood seems like baiting to me; and all it would take is one little incident and this entire city will explode as it did during Black July. That is why the Tamil citizens of Colombo are so nervous tonight.

As I said, the tension was palatable. So much so that even I could feel it, in the pit of my stomach. I’ve never before felt flat-out nervous being on the street, even last summer, when there were bombs on trains and buses. I almost called off our expedition, but John assured me that nothing would happen; not tonight anyway. I insisted that we make it an early evening, so after one hurried beer, we called it an evening. I went to John’s apartment with him, as I didn’t feel it was safe for a lone male Tamil to be walking the streets tonight, then immediately came back to my room at the Ministry building.

OK, so maybe I’m overreacting just a bit. There really was nothing to indicate any sort of immediate impending danger. So some guys drove by waving flags – big deal. It doesn’t mean there’s going to be a general conflagration. But still, given the recent history of this country, and the generally anti-Tamil sentiment stirred up by the press and certain political parties, I felt it better to be safe than sorry.

It’s a rare thing to be witness at a singular moment in a country’s history. I’ve never really been around at such a pivotal moment except maybe 9-11. This, today, and the next few days, is THE pivotal moment in Sri Lanka’s modern history. Will there be anti-Tamil violence? Will the government act in a triumphant manner, lording it over the Tamil community, or will it take the high road, and offer a good solid political solution to the problem? Do the Singhalese political parties have the courage to make the significant changes needed to bring true peace, or do they just want revenge? It seems to me that the next few days, after all the hurrah-ing dies down, will set the tone for what is to come.

I earnestly hope that those in power will have the wisdom and courage to do what it takes to create a lasting peace and restore the traditional harmony between Sinhala and Tamil. I mean, the ultimate truth of it all is that Tamil and Sinhala have to live together on this island. That is the reality; the choice of the victors is whether to acknowledge and work with this reality, or against it.

Stay tuned, folks.

B.