Will the problem be solved only by killing Bin Laden...?
This was the title of one of my newspaper articles published on 6th October 2001(Divaina). Terrorism related issues have inspired me so much since this has become the most prominent threat of the human civilization after the Second World War. Along with the life experience, I've got the feeling that my life is interlinked with riots and terrorism in a manner of unknown possibilities. Perhaps this may be just a thought I've got either owing to my birth-place or after writing some newspaper articles and a book on the current subject. Anyhow, as I remember, when I had my first personal experience on a terrorist riot, I was just six years old. As a child then, I had heard so many stories of how young rioters had been killed and I had seen how the dead bodies had been floating on the calm waters of the river "Kalani" that flew nearby my home town.
Although I had the idea during the secondary school, a few months later having the A/L exam results in hand, I was intensively considering for leaving the country (even the migration) for higher studies, when suddenly thirteen SL government soldiers deployed in the north were killed by terrorists led by Prabhakaran. This was the impulse for outbreak of the first civil unrest (terrorism related) in the island called later as "the Black July" at the time of which I saw people hammering innocent Tamils on streets while looting shops. Dead bodies were lying on narrow streets of Colombo and I had to jump over them to find a way back home. Meanwhile, the civilians, at different locations of Colombo, had caught and handed over to the Police some suspicious Tamil males arrived from north wearing blue T-shirts and black trousers.
During the six-year long period of my university education in Europe, I experienced the thoughts of my friends who had suffered due to the tough rule of the communist government. Just one year before the completion of my higher studies at the university, I could happily participate at the outbreak of the anti-communist riots that sprung all over the former European communist block. However the political power transmission in Czechoslovakia was too gentle (this is the only revolution I involved) and later it was called "the Velvet Revolution". At the same time in Sri Lanka, outbreak of the riot of the J.V.P. against the government, opposing the presence of the Indian Army in north, was militarily suppressed. This time corpses could not be seen on waters of the rivers, instead of that the "Tayar Seya" or the method of cremation on tyre had been introduced.
Thus the Indian Army returned home but Prabhakaran became stronger and stronger killing innocent people day by day. At the dawn of the new millennium my first book was launched pointing out the challenge of terrorism and the urgency of defeating it by identifying the common enemy. Except the Sri Lankans no one else felt the real danger of the terrorism until America became a victim of Islamic-terror on 11 September 2001.
As it was stated in my article "Will the problem be solved only by killing Bin Laden..?"; addressing the congress on 20th September, George W. Bush requested America to get ready for the war. Then he threatened the other countries of the world asking "Are you with us or with the enemy?".
This was followed up by sending over hundred of B-1 and B-2 fighter aircrafts to the Arabian Gulf while F-15 and F-16 aircrafts had been stationed in Kuwait, Bahrain etc. Despite of this fifteen war-ships and three large aircraft-troop carriers were kept standby in the waters of the Gulf. Everything described in my newspaper article happened in the past. Now we are well aware of the result of the Afghan war and in spite of out-throwing of the Taliban government in Afghanistan what is the achievement that America and it's alliance have proved to have grabbed after 8 years of war....? What is the impact of the Afghan war on neighbouring Pakistan...? By whom ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in order to place her husband Zardari on throne...? These are some of the questions which have emerged after eight years of war in Afghanistan.
When I look back at the first decade of the new millennium, while referring the above article, there is a particular chapter that always attracts my attention. Now this chapter is capable of creating an odd feeling in my mind, whether I have misjudged something important while writing this article eight years ago.
In the article I have stated that it could be a day-dream to expect the help of America and it's alliance to eliminate the terrorism in Sri Lanka. What do you think..? Am I correct in this...? Could Sri Lanka alone do this by handling all international obligations emerged under different circumstances...? Didn't America and alliance help us in eradicating terrorism from the country...? Or instead of helping did they do it for us...???
In case, if the death of Prabhakaran could be considered as the end of terrorism as well as the re-establishment of long lasting peace in Sri Lanka, one may argue why not this principle be applied in Afghanistan too.
This was the title of one of my newspaper articles published on 6th October 2001(Divaina). Terrorism related issues have inspired me so much since this has become the most prominent threat of the human civilization after the Second World War. Along with the life experience, I've got the feeling that my life is interlinked with riots and terrorism in a manner of unknown possibilities. Perhaps this may be just a thought I've got either owing to my birth-place or after writing some newspaper articles and a book on the current subject. Anyhow, as I remember, when I had my first personal experience on a terrorist riot, I was just six years old. As a child then, I had heard so many stories of how young rioters had been killed and I had seen how the dead bodies had been floating on the calm waters of the river "Kalani" that flew nearby my home town.
Although I had the idea during the secondary school, a few months later having the A/L exam results in hand, I was intensively considering for leaving the country (even the migration) for higher studies, when suddenly thirteen SL government soldiers deployed in the north were killed by terrorists led by Prabhakaran. This was the impulse for outbreak of the first civil unrest (terrorism related) in the island called later as "the Black July" at the time of which I saw people hammering innocent Tamils on streets while looting shops. Dead bodies were lying on narrow streets of Colombo and I had to jump over them to find a way back home. Meanwhile, the civilians, at different locations of Colombo, had caught and handed over to the Police some suspicious Tamil males arrived from north wearing blue T-shirts and black trousers.
During the six-year long period of my university education in Europe, I experienced the thoughts of my friends who had suffered due to the tough rule of the communist government. Just one year before the completion of my higher studies at the university, I could happily participate at the outbreak of the anti-communist riots that sprung all over the former European communist block. However the political power transmission in Czechoslovakia was too gentle (this is the only revolution I involved) and later it was called "the Velvet Revolution". At the same time in Sri Lanka, outbreak of the riot of the J.V.P. against the government, opposing the presence of the Indian Army in north, was militarily suppressed. This time corpses could not be seen on waters of the rivers, instead of that the "Tayar Seya" or the method of cremation on tyre had been introduced.
Thus the Indian Army returned home but Prabhakaran became stronger and stronger killing innocent people day by day. At the dawn of the new millennium my first book was launched pointing out the challenge of terrorism and the urgency of defeating it by identifying the common enemy. Except the Sri Lankans no one else felt the real danger of the terrorism until America became a victim of Islamic-terror on 11 September 2001.
As it was stated in my article "Will the problem be solved only by killing Bin Laden..?"; addressing the congress on 20th September, George W. Bush requested America to get ready for the war. Then he threatened the other countries of the world asking "Are you with us or with the enemy?".
This was followed up by sending over hundred of B-1 and B-2 fighter aircrafts to the Arabian Gulf while F-15 and F-16 aircrafts had been stationed in Kuwait, Bahrain etc. Despite of this fifteen war-ships and three large aircraft-troop carriers were kept standby in the waters of the Gulf. Everything described in my newspaper article happened in the past. Now we are well aware of the result of the Afghan war and in spite of out-throwing of the Taliban government in Afghanistan what is the achievement that America and it's alliance have proved to have grabbed after 8 years of war....? What is the impact of the Afghan war on neighbouring Pakistan...? By whom ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in order to place her husband Zardari on throne...? These are some of the questions which have emerged after eight years of war in Afghanistan.
When I look back at the first decade of the new millennium, while referring the above article, there is a particular chapter that always attracts my attention. Now this chapter is capable of creating an odd feeling in my mind, whether I have misjudged something important while writing this article eight years ago.
In the article I have stated that it could be a day-dream to expect the help of America and it's alliance to eliminate the terrorism in Sri Lanka. What do you think..? Am I correct in this...? Could Sri Lanka alone do this by handling all international obligations emerged under different circumstances...? Didn't America and alliance help us in eradicating terrorism from the country...? Or instead of helping did they do it for us...???In case, if the death of Prabhakaran could be considered as the end of terrorism as well as the re-establishment of long lasting peace in Sri Lanka, one may argue why not this principle be applied in Afghanistan too.
