Siva Parameswaran
War-affected Tamil mothers while rejecting the petty offer of 200,000 LKR per person who are victims of enforced disappearance have questioned the value of human life in Sri Lanka.
Family members searching for their relatives have reacted strongly to the proposal of the war crimes accused government of Sri Lanka’s proposal to offer a compensation of a maximum of roughly $550 (five hundred and fifty US dollars) for each Tamil life, which has dismissed as a humiliation and sham.
Continuing their protests for over two thousand days now, the family members say just need to see their relatives and can’t be bought for money nor their protests will die down.
Strongly condemning the government’s sinister move to pay a paltry compensation as ‘Money for life’, the Association for Enforced Disappeared (AERD) has questioned if that’s the value of human life.
Cabinet spokesperson minister Bandula Gunawardena’s statement, ‘the cabinet has approved to pay Rupees Two lakhs as compensation for persons identified and confirmed missing by the Office of the Missing Persons (OMP)’ has created a furore among those who are seeking to know about their missing kith and kin who were victims of enforced disappearance.
Tamil victims of the brutal civil war and international human rights bodies have called the OMP a sham which has not even found one missing person so far despite compelling strong ample evidence being provided to them AERD claims.
“We are searching for our relatives, not the dead or missing” Maria Suresh Eswary AERD coordinator of the Mullaitivu district told media persons locally.
Thousands of Tamils were handed over, surrendered to, or forcefully taken by the military as the brutal civil war was brought to a blood end by the Sri Lankan Military under the direct command of the war crimes accused former president Gotabaya Rajapaksha.
The vattuvakkal bridge stands a silent witness to the next handover and surrender as the Tamils crossed over to what the government called ‘Safe zone’ to be never seen again. International agencies including the UN estimate at least 40,000 are unaccounted for till date, while the numbers could be much higher as per local estimates.
Maria Suresh Eswary accuses the government of hoodwinking not only the Tamils but also the global community.
“There was a vote in Geneva. That vote was an eyewash and to hoodwink our people (relatives). It is just to show they have not done any crimes and hoodwinking. Is the value of our lives just 2 lakhs- This is our question? What can we do with those 2 lakhs? They are trying to pay money and make people dead”.
In what’s considered as one of the longest peaceful protests led by women the AERD has taken to the streets seeking answers who were victims of enforced disappearance, for over 2500 days now.
Seeking an international inquiry to find out the truth and accountability for the heinous crimes perpetrated during the final phase of the war in 2009, AERD says those accused of ‘war crimes’ should be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face trial.
“We have been protesting in the eight districts of North and East calling for an international inquiry. We continued to put pressure on the Sri Lankan government by continuously searching for our relatives. But the government never heeded to our demands. That’s the reason we are on the streets for over five years now”.
Constant attempts by the state to break their protest by intimidation, coercion and sowing seeds of discord among the protestors have miserably failed which has added more strength to the protests and protestors locals say.
Over dozens of mothers who were part of the AERD struggle in spite of the old age, physical and mental fatigues died without knowing what happened to their husbands, sons, brothers and grandchildren.
AERD Mullaitivu coordinator Eswary says they even handed over small children aged from 3 months to one year. Adding further she told media persons they are searching for people who were handed over, abducted in the notorious white vans, those arrested at mid-sea, and now for over 13 years still searching for them. “Their families stand testimony to these”.
Speaking to media people she said, the government headed by the war crimes accused former President Gotabaya Rajapaksha unable to counter their continuing protests brought in such a proposal. Adding further Eswary said “he thought if we are weakened, and our protests stop there won’t be any issue. The present President too does the same thing, like kicking a ball on the field”.
Whilst we are running from pillar to post both locally and internationally seeking justice and answers for those who were handed over or surrendered to the military, the government insensitive to our anguish and agony have brought a cabinet proposal to grant a compensation of two lakhs provided the OMP confirms that a person is missing and issues a certificate to that effect, she added further.
Accusing the government of trying to cover up the Geneva vote, she said “the compensation is just an eye wash and hoodwinking us”.
Stressing their protest would continue seeking justice for the victims of enforced disappearance, Eswary wowed they would continue their struggle until the perpetuators of war crimes are stand trial at the ICC. “We will decide what to do next after that”.
Refusing the compensation, the AERD Mullaitivu coordinator suggested the government use the funds for their other government purposes. “As victims and witnesses our only stand is those accused should stand trial, found guilty and accept the punishment awarded, and our struggle will continue till that”.
Tamil families still searching for their children who went missing during the final phase of the civil war even appealed to the majority Sinhala people seeking their support in finding their beloved ones.
Just before the fateful final week of the war in May 2009, the Sri Lankan army launched a multi-prong brutal assault with scant respect for humans and their lives, called upon the public in the war struck zone to cross over to the ‘safer side’ (areas controlled by the military) under what they called a ‘humanitarian operation’ to save their lives.
Thousands fearing for their lives crossed the vattuvakal bridge and surrendered to the military or handed over to them by their relatives with the family members being the only witness apart from that bridge, with a hope that at least their lives would be spared.
And alas that was not to be, and they were never seen again after that. Now a meagre amount of two lakhs has been offered as compensation which seems to be the value of a Tamil life in Sri Lanka. A compensation of five lakhs is being offered if an individual is killed due to Human Elephant conflict in the island nation.
‘The value of your life cannot be measured by any amount of money is the worldwide adage’ and Sri Lanka has failed to understand this.
