03/08/2011
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Groundviews
The following article was published in the Uthayan newspaper on 5 March 2011. The translation to English is based on a Sinhala translation published in Vikalpa.
Not a single Sinhala newspaper to date has published a similar account, though many reported on the opening of the new Army Headquarters in Jaffna. Of the English media, only the Daily Mirror quotes a BBC report on the desecration of the graves. As well-known blogger Guruparan notes in a succinct tweet, “This is really sad. A local newspaper has to quote an international media to report on a local story.”
No other English media online or in print have covered this story. Readers on our Facebook page have expressed grave concern and outrage over this action by the Army. Sadly, this is not the first time the Army has desecrated LTTE graves. An interview with Prof. Michael Roberts conducted in December 2010 explores this issue in detail, and why it is so damning to reconciliation and a lasting peace in Sri Lanka. As Prof. Roberts notes in an essay dealing with this outrageous practice, “The absence of tuyilam illam, in other words, will serve as a focal point for enhanced embitterment towards the government.”