The shock waves of the bomb blast a few minutes behind us reverberated through the vehicle we were in. We had left that area moments ago, unaware of a sinister force at work intent on creating its own distorted brand of independence through mayhem. They were the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or the LTTE.
Later that day, we came to know of the civilian dead and injured. Civilians who had no knowledge or inkling of the fate that was to overtake them that afternoon. Civilians that included women and children; ordinary pedestrians going about their business on a busy street in metropolitan Colombo.
An island nation just at the southeast tip of India, Sri Lanka is a multiethnic, multireligious country with a diverse and rich culture. Its population of about 19 million is by and large warm and friendly. At first glance one would easily mistake this island for a tropical paradise, with its unspoiled beaches, lush greenery, and cooler climates in the hilly regions famous for Ceylon tea.
But lurking below this tranquil façade of an island people are the murderous thugs who call themselves the LTTE, a terrorist organization that is intent on dividing the island, and carving themselves a nice chunk of real estate in the northern provinces of Sri Lanka. The composition of this group is primarily Hindu who have deviated from the humble sonnets of the Hindu religion and are conducting a terror campaign throughout the island.
Sri Lanka is made up of different religions, the largest being the peaceful Buddhists who make up about 70 percent of the total population. Hindus are the largest minority followed by Muslims and Christians, converts when their forefathers landed on these shores centuries ago. And while one senses no animosity between the different religions and the cultures associated with them, the LTTE with its pattern of random killings has made this country an uneasy state.
Taking a page from the Israeli ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, these like-minded terrorists have butchered various other sects up in the northern provinces where they are seeking to wrest control from the government. They have invaded villages, burned and slaughtered their inhabitants, and have been engaging in war with the government forces with substantial aid from their sympathizers outside of Sri Lanka.
The pitiful images of fallen bodies resulting from their criminal acts are painful to bear, to say the least. The widows and orphans left as a result of their crimes and fleeing their villages in fear and desperation are a daily occurrence. And while they have succeeded in securing some real estate, they are recognized as an unlawful tenant and a terrorist organization by the Sri Lankan government.
They have no legitimate rights or claims, but yet carry on the torch of Tamil nationalism through their pervasive methods. And they do not hesitate to put an end to the lives of other Tamils who do not agree with them.
The patience of the peace-loving people of Sri Lanka is wearing thin with mounting atrocities.
The government has to deal with them firmly and absolutely. This island is too small for it to be sectioned of to a small minority with no legitimacy. And the people of Sri Lanka deserve it to be so. Let their country be an unspoiled paradise, unstained by the actions of these thugs
Those who call themselves Tamil Tigers must display the courage of tigers and not the cowardice of hyenas who prey on the weak and defenseless.
