NEW DELHI - THE HORROR that is unfolding in ສີລັງກາ becomes possible because of the silence that surrounds it. There is almost no reporting in the international press – or in the mainstream media in ອິນເດຍ, where I live – about what is happening. From the little information that is filtering through, it looks as though the Sri Lankan government is using the propaganda of "the war on terror" as a fig leaf to dismantle any semblance of democracy in the country and commit unspeakable crimes against the Tamil people.
ລັດຖະບານກໍາລັງເຮັດວຽກຢູ່ໃນຫຼັກການວ່າທຸກໆ Tamil ແມ່ນຜູ້ກໍ່ການຮ້າຍເວັ້ນເສຍແຕ່ວ່າລາວສາມາດພິສູດໄດ້, ແລະພື້ນທີ່ພົນລະເຮືອນ, ໂຮງຫມໍ, ແລະທີ່ພັກອາໄສແມ່ນຖືກລະເບີດແລະກາຍເປັນເຂດສົງຄາມ. ການຄາດຄະເນທີ່ໜ້າເຊື່ອຖືໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ຈຳນວນພົນລະເຮືອນຕິດຢູ່ໃນຫຼາຍກວ່າ 200,000 ຄົນ. ກອງທັບສີລັງກາກໍາລັງກ້າວຫນ້າ, ປະກອບອາວຸດດ້ວຍລົດຖັງແລະເຮືອບິນ.
Meanwhile, there are reports that several "welfare villages" have been established to house displaced Tamils in the Vavuniya and Mannar districts. The Daily Telegraph in ລອນດອນ reports that these villages "will be compulsory holding centers for all civilians fleeing the fighting." Is this a euphemism for concentration camps?
Mangala Samaraweera, a former foreign minister of ສີລັງກາ, told The Daily Telegraph: "A few months ago the government started registering all Tamils in Colombo on the grounds that they could be a security threat, but this could be exploited for other purposes like the Nazis in the 1930s. They’re basically going to label the whole civilian Tamil population as potential terrorists."
ເນື່ອງຈາກຈຸດປະສົງຂອງລັດຖະບານທີ່ລະບຸໄວ້ວ່າ "ກໍາຈັດ" ເສືອປົດປ່ອຍຂອງ Tamil Eelan, ການລົ້ມຕາຍຂອງພົນລະເຮືອນແລະ "ພວກກໍ່ການຮ້າຍ" ເບິ່ງຄືວ່າເປັນສັນຍານວ່າລັດຖະບານໃກ້ຈະເຮັດສິ່ງທີ່ອາດຈະສິ້ນສຸດເຖິງການຂ້າລ້າງເຜົ່າພັນ. ຕາມການຄາດຄະເນຂອງອົງການສະຫະປະຊາຊາດ, ມີຫຼາຍພັນຄົນເສຍຊີວິດແລ້ວ. ຫຼາຍພັນຄົນໄດ້ຮັບບາດເຈັບສາຫັດ.
What we are witnessing – or, rather, what is happening in ສີລັງກາ and is being so effectively hidden from public scrutiny – is a brazen, openly racist war. The impunity with which the Sri Lankan government is able to commit these crimes unveils the deeply ingrained racist prejudice that is precisely what led to the marginalization and alienation of the Tamils of Sri Lanka in the first place. That racism has a long history, involving social ostracization, economic blockades, pogroms, and torture. The brutal nature of the decades-long civil war, which started as a peaceful, nonviolent protest, has its roots here.
Why the silence? In another interview, Mangala Samaraweera said, "A free media is virtually nonexistent in ສີລັງກາ today." He described death squads and "white van abductions," which have made society "freeze with fear." Voices of dissent have been abducted and assassinated. The International Federation of Journalists accuses the government of ສີລັງກາ of using a combination of anti-terrorism laws, disappearances, and assassinations to silence journalists.
There are unconfirmed reports that the Indian government is lending material and logistical support to the Sri Lankan government. If this is true, it is outrageous. What about the governments of other countries? ປາກິສຖານ? ຈີນ? What are they doing to help or harm the situation?
In Tamil Nadu, ອິນເດຍ, the war in ສີລັງກາ has fueled passions that have led to more than 10 people immolating themselves. The public anger and anguish – much of it genuine, but some of it obviously cynical political manipulation – has become an election issue.
It is extraordinary that this concern has not traveled to the rest of ອິນເດຍ. Why is there silence?
Given the scale of what is happening in ສີລັງກາ, the silence is inexcusable. More so because of the Indian government’s long history of irresponsible dabbling in the conflict, first taking one side and then the other. Several of us who should have spoken out much earlier, have not done so, simply because of a lack of information about the war.
ດັ່ງນັ້ນ, ໃນຂະນະທີ່ການຂ້າຕາຍຍັງສືບຕໍ່, ໃນຂະນະທີ່ປະຊາຊົນຫຼາຍສິບພັນຄົນຖືກກີດຂວາງເຂົ້າໄປໃນສູນກັກຂັງ, ໃນຂະນະທີ່ຫຼາຍກວ່າ 200,000 ຄົນປະເຊີນກັບຄວາມອຶດຫິວ, ແລະການຂ້າລ້າງເຜົ່າພັນລໍຖ້າເກີດຂຶ້ນ, ມີຄວາມງຽບສະຫງົບຈາກປະເທດທີ່ຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ນີ້. ມັນເປັນຄວາມໂສກເສົ້າທາງດ້ານມະນຸດສະທໍາອັນໃຫຍ່ຫຼວງ. ໂລກຕ້ອງກ້າວເຂົ້າໄປ. ກ່ອນທີ່ມັນຈະຊ້າເກີນໄປ.
Arundhati Roy is a novelist based in New Delhi. She is author of "The God of Small Things," and a forthcoming book of essays, "Field Notes on Democracy."
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