The Sinhala refugees who were ousted from Jaffna merely because they were Sinhalese
When one hears the name, Jaffna district one does not expect to find a single Sinhalese or a Sinhala name in the whole area. The communal and ethnic based politics in the North has prevented the Sinhalese from living in Jaffna. But, these communal minded politicians are acting to hide the stark reality. The Jaffna that was is different to what it is now. A number of Sinhalese who lived in Jaffna about 30 years ago has come in search of the heritage and are living in a village called Navakkuly.
Today, they recall how happy they were living in Jaffna. They remember the past loving memories with passion. They were young then but are now going through their late middle age. They are indeed happy that they are able to spend their final stages of the lives in an area they were used to living, The first among many who chatted with us was Hewakotabage Sirisens ruminating the past he spent in Jaffna, He is now 70 years old he started unfold his past.
“ I first came to Jaffna in 1949 and I was a small boy then. My uncles were living in Jaffna then. I came and stayed with my uncle. They were managing a big bakery here called Chandra Bakery. The uncle had been living in Jaffnafrom 1920s. At that time it was the Sinhalese who ran bakeries in Jaffna.”
“I also assisted in bakery work as a small boy There were no differences between the Sinhalese and the Tamil then The Sinhalese are the ones who were handling bakeries, jewellery shops and carpentry shops them. Those were beautiful days.”
“I remember well that around 1958 some Tamils started agitating against the Sri letter, But, ,no one thought that the incidents will grow to such big proportions. I was then married and lived with my wife in Jaffna.. Even after the Sri incidents we continued to live in Jaffna. Then the troubles began in 1977 and we left Jaffna and came to Anuradhapura. Again, when the situation became normal we went back to Jaffna. But, 1983 there came a situation when we were not able to live in Jaffna peacefully. There was a call from the Army camp for us to go to Naga Viharya. We went to the temple without carrying anything except the dresses we wore. When we heard about the incidents which had taken place, we could not believe our ears. We were told to get into buses and go to Anuradhapura”
“We cannot explain properly the feelings which ran through our minds. That was the most sorrowful day of my life. We had to leave everything we owned and we earned. There were more than 15.000 Sinhalese in Jaffna and there were nearly 480 bakeries run by them, At Sinhala Maha Vidayalya in Jaffna there was one of the biggest science laboratories. From around 1983 some Tamils attacked the Buddhist temple. We became a displaced lot, and we were taken to Ratanamali Hall at Anuradhapura. Then we were settled in Mamaduwa area in Vavuniya. We could not live there and we had to live in Minhinatle. later. Then after the recent war ended we came back to Jaffna .No one speaks of the Tamil communal riots which took place in ’83. These unfortunate incidents which took place in Jaffna are erased from the minds of everybody completely by the smoke of black July which arose du to Sinhala communalists.”
Even during the LTTE war period the Sinhalese lived in Jaffna. They remembered their past with tears rolling down from their cheeks. Rupawathi, a lady who lives now in Navakkully related her emotion filled story to us.
“ My birth place was Jaffna. We were having a jewellery shop and all my uncles were running jewellery shops in Jaffna. We were living a comfortable life in Jaffna. But, the dark days dawned and our shops were looted and set on fire. Bombs were thrown into the Buddhist temple premises They destroyed the Sinhala Vidyalaya. In 1977, we left Jaffna but came back. The racial troubles erupted again in 1983 and we were told by the Army to go beyond Anuradahpura. But, we could not proceed as two our brothers have been arrested by the Tamil Tigers. With my mother and father we were looking out for my brothers and stayed back in Jaffna.”
“ Tamil Tigers surrounded us in Jaffna and we heard that our brothers have been taken to Vavuniya. We then went to Vavuniya and when we made inquiries we were told that they will be released sometime late. In 1996 , there were heightened clashes between the Army and Tamil Tigers and my brothers were killed as prisoners of the Tamil Tigers. Then we came back to Jaffna and hid in Navakkully , I too was injured,”
About 15,000 Sinhalese who lived in Jaffna at that time were chased out from their homes by the communal minded Tamils. Some helpless Sinhalese became prisoners of these communalists and ended their lives in the prisons. The only offence they committed was that they were Sinhalese by birth,
Over 100 shops were set on fire merely because they were owned by the Sinhalese. The Sinhala Vidyalaya was destroyed. The future of over 3000 students of this college was blasted. The Buddhist temple in Jaffna was bombed on several occasions and was flattened. This despicable crime was caused not by the average Tamil persons, but, the Tamils who were intoxicated and misled by the propaganda carried out by the Tigers.
There is hardly any person who talks about the displaced Sinhala people who have been destitutes in their own country. There is no one who speaks about their human rights or their helpless state which was a direct result of them being attacked and robbed of their properties and other resources which they were enjoying in Jaffna. There are no Human Rights organizations to dwell on hundreds of Sinhalese who were killed in the prisons of the Tigers.
Living hand to mouth existence in various places as refugees and attempting to settle down on more than one occasion and whose lives were snuffed out including the ones who have returned to Jaffna and compelled to lead an extremely difficult life have escaped the attention of any person. This is the tragedy.
A partly built house of a Sinhala IDP Villager in Nawakkuliya Village in Jaffna. There are over 20 such houses partly constructed and need assistance to complete them.
There is no difference in the consequenceof barbarism perpetrated through communalism. The Southeners have realized fully the dangerous repercussions of black July. No one can expect a similar carnage again. BUT, the crimes committed against the Sinhalese in Jaffna have been either ignored or completely pushed under the carpet by the country.
Todate , unfortunately the North is controlled by communal politics and this naked policies are not held to accountability by anybody. Some of the Tamil politicians are strengthening the narrow ethnic issues attempting to fuel ethnic tensions. These insensitive politicians will never allow the wound inflicted by the ethnic difference to be healed. There is hardly any space for co-existence.
To arrive at an acceptable and reasonable result one should consider primarily the justice and not communal expectations. We are looking ahead to see how the justice will be done to the
15.000 Sinhalesea who were chased out of Jaffna and whose tragic story remains buried.
(Translated from Sunday Diwaina on 28th Sep. 2014 written by Prasanna Pradeep of Mulative app )
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