Heroes Day assault on Tamil political prisoners and reconciliation

'We Sri Lankans' organization say that the Tamil political prisoners detained in Anuradhapura prison were brutally assaulted by a group of prison officials yesterday.

'We Sri Lankans' accuse that the prison officers were drunk and assaulted the prisoners asking if yesterday was their heroes' day. Later the prisoners were knelt in open in rain.


Five of the 60 Tamil political prisoners who were seriously injured are admitted in the Anuradhapura hospital.

The convener of the We Sri Lankans organization Udul Premarathna says he and a group of lawyers that went to Anuradhapura prison to visit the assaulted prisoners were prevented by prison officials.

Premarathna says that this type of actions will hinder the efforts of much needed reconcilation among ethnic communities of Sri Lanka.


This is how Tamil nationalist Tamilnet reported the 'We Sri Lankans' mediation. "At the complaint of some of the prisoners, ‘Naam Ilangkaiyar’ (We Sri Lankans) outfit of the Sinhala nationalist JVP, has brought out the attack incident to the public, criticising the Colombo government that it is dividing the peoples of the island.'


This type of incidents were quite common before the end of war. 1983 July massacre of Tamil prisoners at Welikada prison and 2000 October massacre at Bindunuweva Rehabilitation Camp in Bandarawela were two such events. 


The raising of the ugly head of violence against the Tamil political prisoners shows that the country is further shifting towards Sinhala chauvinist violence against Tamils. 


Effort of the 'We Sri Lankans' is a good initiative that lacks support of the Sinhala society. At least the JVP factions also do not take is seriously. 


Sinhalese won the war. That is the only difference between then and now. 


No one is worried about much needed reconciliation efforts. Reconciliation solely depend on a democratic state reform that seems non entity in the agendas of political groups of the political south. 


Sinhala Sri Lanka is far from Lanka, a dream country of Lankans, Sinhala, Tamil Muslim, Vedi, Malay, Burger etc.