I am a bit despairing. The ceasefire is over in Sri Lanka and the shelling and firing have begun again. I keep reading reports about all the tragedy and devastation and human suffering and I just feel terrible. I don't even know what I can do to help apart from going to these protests and writing to politicians. I sign all the petitions and I comment on the news articles. But it's not enough.
I sometimes think about giving money to things like Vanni Mission and other organisations, but part of me is always fearful that secretly these things are funding the Tigers. I don't know where I stand with them. On the one hand I am glad they are fighting for our people and trying to reduce the discrimination against us. I can see why they exist - people can only be pushed so far. On the other hand, when I read that they are preventing civilians from leaving the war-zone, and when I hear about child soldiers and extortion and human shields and all of that, well, it makes me understand why they are condemned.
I just want the war to stop and the international community to step in and mediate and sort out a political solution. Ideally they need to devolve power in the North so that the Tamils finally have their own homeland. It's funny you know, when I read all the news articles and people complain about Tamil protesters and argue that this conflict is external and not the concern of the British people and why don't all these people just go over to Sri Lanka and protest there, I just think what idiots these people are. Of course we'd love to go back and live in Sri Lanka if we could, if we weren't discriminated against and treated as second class citizens. And of course we'd protest there if we could. Except if you speak out against the government you get silenced. Look at all the journalists and people who have been abducted in white vans never to be seen again. So Sri Lanka is a complete no-go if you've got any sanity. The problem is that there are millions of Tamil people who can't get out of there and so are stuck in the suffering. I wish it would all end. I know I'd love to live somewhere where I was actually meant to be, not just some immigrant.
At least maybe this war is doing one good thing in that it is highlighting to the world all the suffering in Sri Lanka. Perhaps a good solution will come out at the end after all.
Read more here from the BBC and here from the Independent.
I sometimes think about giving money to things like Vanni Mission and other organisations, but part of me is always fearful that secretly these things are funding the Tigers. I don't know where I stand with them. On the one hand I am glad they are fighting for our people and trying to reduce the discrimination against us. I can see why they exist - people can only be pushed so far. On the other hand, when I read that they are preventing civilians from leaving the war-zone, and when I hear about child soldiers and extortion and human shields and all of that, well, it makes me understand why they are condemned.
I just want the war to stop and the international community to step in and mediate and sort out a political solution. Ideally they need to devolve power in the North so that the Tamils finally have their own homeland. It's funny you know, when I read all the news articles and people complain about Tamil protesters and argue that this conflict is external and not the concern of the British people and why don't all these people just go over to Sri Lanka and protest there, I just think what idiots these people are. Of course we'd love to go back and live in Sri Lanka if we could, if we weren't discriminated against and treated as second class citizens. And of course we'd protest there if we could. Except if you speak out against the government you get silenced. Look at all the journalists and people who have been abducted in white vans never to be seen again. So Sri Lanka is a complete no-go if you've got any sanity. The problem is that there are millions of Tamil people who can't get out of there and so are stuck in the suffering. I wish it would all end. I know I'd love to live somewhere where I was actually meant to be, not just some immigrant.
At least maybe this war is doing one good thing in that it is highlighting to the world all the suffering in Sri Lanka. Perhaps a good solution will come out at the end after all.
Read more here from the BBC and here from the Independent.
