SL-BLACK JULY- 1983 ------------- Shenali Waduge

Irrelevance and Relevance of Black July’83

By Shenali Waduge

There have been many articles, lectures and even photo exhibitions to mark 25 years since “Black July” – many of these organizers have laboured to portray the brutality of a month that led to deaths, destruction of property and looting. Overnight Sri Lanka and most importantly the Sinhalese were branded as “racists” . That was the relevance of the taint upon the image of the Sinhalese. This is what will continue to haunt the Sinhalese for ever.

Is it really relevant to continue to remember the Black July as if a repetition of it is just round the corner when despite scores and scores of atrocities carried out by the LTTE since July 83 upon innocent civilians has not resulted in a single attack on the Tamil minorities .It is today common knowledge that while the nation may have been awed by the news of the deaths of these soldiers the incidents that took place therein would not have happened unless it had not been orchestrated by the then Government run by J R Jayewardena who allowed the situation to get out of hand.

It is poignant at this stage to emphasize that “looters” or “mobs” comprised Sinhalese, Muslims and even Tamils who belonged to the poor income groups and they took on the opportunity to “loot” irrespective of the “race” factor. The ordinary people – the Sinhalese will all know their individual roles in assisting their Tamil friends and providing them safety. Be that as it may the “Black July” created the passage for many to seek “refuge” in sympathetic nations resulting in the “Tamil Diaspora”.

The thousands of Tamils that eventually went to “reside” overseas became the perfect tool for the LTTE to ensure a steady flow of funds and to internationalize their cause and provide easy avenues as a channel to legitimize their operations.

The ordinary people of Sri Lanka’s majority the Sinhalese do not require to be repeatedly reminded of the brutality that occurred that dark July in 83…the public are really not to be blamed though they must shoulder the humiliation of the shortsightedness of the decisions of the country’s politicians at the time…similarly these leaders have also to share the blame for making cannon-fodder of the country’s armed forces, belittling them over the years. Yet the country today is at a critical juncture closing in on its enemy giving the opportunity for the Tamil people who cannot deny that they have not suffered by the LTTE – the opportunity will soon be theirs for them to say that they do not want the LTTE but to live in peace amongst all the communities. We are all waiting to see what the Tamils will decide to do.

Those who tirelessly endeavour to bring out the Black July in its blackest of forms are really addressing the English readership that really had no part in the “mob violence” – it then makes us wonder why so much of effort is being taken unless of course it is as a means to fortify their hidden agendas giving stronger articulation that the Sinhalese in general strive to deny the rights of its minority.

It would be good if those who enjoy depicting the July 83 memories so fondly would also organize similar lectures and photo exhibitions to depict the macabre actions of the ruthless LTTE.

Australia apologized to the aborigines recently and the world is well aware through years of examples how the blacks were treated by the Americans and South African whites .

July 1983 was an incident for which the country and its people continue to apologize and for which for no reason the Sinhala populace must bear the guilt.

25 years on despite thousands of provocations the Sinhalese have not allowed any such incident to occur and to be fair by the successive Governments they too have not allowed a repetition of what JR Jayewardena did to occur.

There is only one question to these lobbyists that enjoy dramatizing Black July – do they not want fences to be mended and the past to be healed? If not…we must then wonder why?