From 1983 To Digana Communal Violence: The Crisis Of Impunity In Sri Lanka!
Lukman Harees
The anti-Tamil pogrom, also known as “Black July,” started on the night of July 23, 1983, which caused the mass exodus of Tamils from the island to many Western countries ,and sparked the start of a 26 year-old war that ended in May 2009. The war ended but with serious allegations of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law being levelled. After the end of the war against Tigers, a sense of triumphalism prevailed in the country initiated by the majoritarian lobby interpreting the war victory as the win over the Tamils , which resultantly marginalized and alienated the Tamil community. Then the supremacist groups close to the higher echelons of power ventured to marginalize the next numerically smaller community –the Muslims, instilling fear and a sense of insecurity among them by way of well- orchestrated spate of violence, hate attacks, boycott campaign and pogrom style campaigns inflicting much damage on the community in the Post-war period.
The common thread for all these violent acts is a culture of impunity that has persisted in the island from the time Sri Lanka gained independence 71 years ago. Sri Lanka has been unable to hold accountable the perpetrators of these spate of violence, riots or the war that ended in 2009, despite its continued commitments to international organizations –a lack of substantive movement towards accountability pervaded specially in the past decade. The government continues to shield the perpetrators from any form of accountability. As Sri Lanka stands in its own shadow, it should reflect on the harm that impunity has caused to its’ international image and the gradual erosion of confidence of its’ people in the process of rule of law .Failing to hold those accountable for their actions, and inactions that lead to harm and loss, and compensate the victims adequately, fails humanity as a whole. Thus, almost ten years after the end of the war, Sri Lanka is still grappling with its recent past and many challenges remain unresolved and many of the physical, emotional and psychological wounds of war and communal violence remain unhealed.
With regard to the victims of the 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom , in July 2004, President Kumaratunga issued a national apology for the July ’83 riots as an interim reconciliation measure and appointed a special commission to pay compensation to victims who lodged claims with the Commission. Then, thirty-five years after , it was only last year, that this government apparently engaged in a series of measures including the launch of Enterprise Sri Lanka in the North, laying out a vision for a future of hope, engaging with the people and very importantly for women’s issues, cancelling micro credit loans up to Rs.100,000 mostly for the single women headed households, among other measures.
However, displaced Muslims in the North are yet to be treated fairly. Although the end of the civil war created high hopes among the northern Muslims that their displacement would come to an end and they would be able to return to their traditional villages, no concrete plan or program was initiated by successive post-war governments. These displaced Muslims have voiced their grave concerns and wanted the government to recognize their displaced status and facilitate their return and resettlement in their traditional villages. However, the authorities continued to neglect these issues.
Muslims in the Post War Period
However, despite the nation’s resolve not to allow any repeats, the mentality, the politics and rhetoric which enabled and created July’83 has sadly not entirely left our public discourse. Worryingly the same rhetoric later emanated from the self-proclaimed saviours of the Sinhala people particularly in the Post-war period , in relation to the Muslim community, which instigated mini pogroms from Dharga Town Aluthgama in 2014, to Ampara and Digana Kandy during this Yahapalana government which ironically promised the country- national reconciliation and to ensure such impunity will not be repeated. Perhaps the most enduring lesson of July 1983 was not learnt and at worst repeated.
It may be boring to the readership to remind over and again how a well-orchestrated hate campaign against the Muslims ,was organized with tacit support from those in power. So let me just comment on min-1983 type pogrom which happened in Aluthgama in 2014, causing three deaths and extensive destruction of Muslim owned properties. The whole episode of orchestrated hate attacks on Muslims and their properties in Aluthgama reportedly began when a Buddhist priest alleged that some Muslim youths attacked him without any provocation. The fiery monk Ven Galagoda Atte Gnanasaraharped on that incident, made a provocative ‘Aba Saranai’ speech and the rest was history. However, 4 ½ years later, in February this year, the judiciary held that there was no case and acquitted all the Muslim youth jailed, in view of the number of contradictions and the unreliability of the evidenceagainst them. Kalutara Magistrate Chandima Edirimanne acquitted all three accused on 27/02/2019, in the case where three Muslims from Dharga Town were charged with causing hurt by attacking Ven. Ayagama Samitha Thero, Chief Prelate of the Kurunduwatte Sri Wijerama Viharaya, Dharga Town and his driver Vishwa at Aluthgama on 12th June 2014.
This belated acquittal should be viewed in the light of consistent demands from the Muslim community to institute an impartial Presidential commission to inquire into these disturbances and hold those responsible to account. The previous regime simply ignored this demand while the Yahapalana regime which promised to do so have also been evasive of this demand to-date for reasons of political expediency. The nation then stood aghast when the then Defence Secretary and his puppet deputy DIG of the area worked hand in gloves to ensure that Ven Gnanasara stood above the law. Will the law enforcement authorities charge Ven Ayagama for making a false complaint which led to a major catastrophe? Judging by the past, this will not happen.
