Why Americans Should Care About What Happened in Sri Lanka

Western media has ignored the Tamil Genocide and the plight of fellow journalists.

Image from the International Day to End Impunity 22 Nov 2011

(SALEM) - The survival of humanity itself involves a concept of inter-dependency. Each time this essential synchronicity is stripped away by a religious government, the dogs of war assume their battle stations and sickening patterns of brutality begin. The horror that enveloped Sri Lanka just over two years ago is beyond description. 160 thousand people ceased to exist and their deaths were grisly; their fear and suffering unparalleled.*

No crime in history is worse than the one visited upon a people by its own government.

Sexual depravity accompanied mobs of morally disorganized soldiers who had orders to kill, everyone. The President of Sri Lanka ordered this nightmare, it was part of a decades-old pattern to eliminate the equal rights of Tamil people; Majinda Rajapaksa's charm is a facade that hides a man with the cruelest tendencies.

He ordered the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) into the country's northern regions with a mission of ethnic cleansing, and Rajapaksa's soldiers turned a tropical paradise into a bloodbath. The SLA represents the country's majority culture, the Sinhalese Buddhists. They invaded this mostly Hindu, partly Christian region, where for decades, a minority culture, the Tamils, had flourished.

There were the famous white flag incidents where Tamil political opposition leaders and the head of the Tamil Tigers separatist group waved white flags and where murdered by the SLA.

Slaughter of Journalists

The truth behind the Sri Lanka Genocide against the Tamils, is that the event only took place after the government eliminated all pro-Tamil journalists. I have written about it extensively and I find this disgusting aspect to be the most disturbing. Sri Lanka's government is guilty of the foulest type of state terrorism, and it is an ally of the United States, just as Rwanda and Uganda are. The sense of decency in Americans, who are supposed to care about humanity, has left the room. Their biggest foe is ignorance and the broker of this ignorance is the mainstream media.

In the simplest terms, Americans have no concept of the idea of a regional, military takeover. They might someday, God forbid, but until it happens, they are apparently incapable of realizing the pain and fear their own country inspires in the world.

WARNING, SHOCKING VIDEO IMAGES!

What makes Americans good, is not 'America'. This is just a bunch of land that has been divided and placed under governmental control. What makes people good are the values they treasure and hold close to their heart. These values are family, education and fairness, truth, justice and peace.

Perhaps the expansion of the Europeans to this place was inevitable, but there has never been any real degree of responsibility as the evidence clearly shows. Still, the American people believe they are good, and if they could put two and two together, things would change.

Let me make this point. It is not too late for Americans to care, and to change their way of thinking. The video shows you what happened, the evidence is overwhelming, and if you want to really learn more, watch the video documentary below by Jon Snow with Channel 4 in London.

Write to your representatives and senators and everyone else with power to bring change, and tell them how you feel. Tell them the Sri Lanka Genocide is fully unacceptable to Americans and demand that until the UN War Crimes Tribunals have concluded, and real atonement made, and punishments ordered; that the U.S. refrain from any political dealings with this place that do not benefit the minority Tamils. Also, participate in the Sri Lanka Boycott.

And another thing you can do is contact your local and national media organizations and ask them why they have turned their backs on the Tamil Genocide, ask all of them and remember to always shoot for the top; news directors, general managers, editors and publishers.

* After the Genocide, 160k people were either missing or dead. Those close to the Rajapaksa regime place the number of dead somewhere in the area of 40k. Others, including Salem-News.com, contend that the death toll easily topped 100 thousand. The SLA destroyed government buildings and burned vital records, which in the end allowed for no clear or accurate count of casualties.

Here is part one of this extremely important documentary by Channel-4 in the UK:

Jon Snow presents a forensic investigation into the final weeks of the quarter-century-long civil war between the government of Sri Lanka

With disturbing and distressing descriptions and film of executions, atrocities and the shelling of civilians the programme features devastating new video evidence of war crimes - some of the most horrific footage Channel 4 has ever broadcast.

So you ask, what can I do about this? Start by writing a letter to the Embassy of Sri Lanka:

In the US:

EMBASSY OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA

Chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008

T.P. (202)-483-4025
Fax: (202)-232-7181

Email: slembassy@slembassyusa.org

Hours of operation: 9.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. EST (Monday to Friday)

In the UK:

HIGH COMMISSIONER OF SRI LANKA

No.13, Hyde Park Gardens
London W2 2LU,
United Kingdom.

Tel: 020 7262 1841
Fax: 020 7262 7970

Mission's Email addresses

General Email:

mail@slhc-london.co.uk (This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it)

Consular Division:

consulardivision@slhc-london.co.uk (This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it)

In Canada

SRI LANKA HIGH COMMISSIONER IN OTTAWA

All correspondence should be addressed to:

H.E. the High Commissioner
Sri Lanka High Commission
333 Laurier Ave. W., Suite 1204
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1C1
Canada.

For all Salem-News.com articles about Sri Lanka, visit this link: Salem-News.com articles under key word 'Sri Lanka'

Tim King's previous Salem-News.com reports on Sri Lanka:

Jan-11-2012: While UN Claims Zero Tolerance, No Discipline of Sri Lankan Abusers in Haiti

Dec-28-2011: Why Was a Red Cross Manager on Vacation from Gaza Murdered in Sri Lanka?

Nov-24-2011: Fear, Genocide and Torture in Sri Lanka

Nov-21-2011: London Calling: Time for Sri Lanka's Release of Post-Conflict Report

Nov-11-2011: Ode to a Humble Hero of Sri Lanka: Dr Brian Senewiratne

Oct-15-2011: Genocide 101: World and Media Apathy

Oct-08-2011: Sri Lanka Joins Israel in Naval Attacks on Unarmed Fishermen

Oct-05-2011: War and its Aftermath... a Real Killer for Tourism

Oct-01-2011: Sri Lanka in the Crosshairs of Canadian Parliament

Sep-13-2011: Sri Lanka Recalls Diplomat Accused of War Crimes

Aug-31-2011: 'No Song and Dance' Over Sri Lanka War Crime Admissions

Jul-25-2011: Former Sri Lanka President's Children 'Reacted With Anguish' to Tamil Genocide Program

Jul-22-2011: M.I.A. - A Beautiful Reflection of the Besieged Tamils of Sri Lanka

Jul-17-2011: 44 Prisoners Join Hunger Strike at Vavuniya Prison in Sri Lanka

Jul-14-2011: The Bush Administration's Role in Sri Lanka's Tamil Genocide

Jul-13-2011: Fields Should be for Sports, not Genocide... Sri Lanka

Jun-29-2011: Sri Lanka Continues Genocide, Thumbing Nose at UN and World

Jun-20-2011: Sri Lanka's Violence Toward Tamil Minority Continues

Jun-18-2011: 'International Day in Support of Victims of Torture'Remember the Tamil Genocide

Jun-17-2011: European Tourists Waylaid in Sri Lanka, Resurgence of 'White Van' Crime

Jun-15-2011: Tamil Genocide Explored in Sri Lanka's Killing Fields

Jun-02-2011: UN Experts: Sri Lanka Tamil Genocide Video is Real

May-31-2011: New Song 'Depression' - Graphic Truth of Sri Lanka Tamil Genocide

May-31-2011: Sri Lanka Tamil Genocide: Killing the Messenger

May-03-2011: Confronting the Tamil Genocide in Sri Lanka

Apr-27-2011: Tamil Genocide in Sri Lanka Emerges Into Public View

Apr-22-2011: World Ignores Genocide of Sri Lanka's Tamil Population

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Tim King, summer 2008, covering the Iraq War

Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

Tim King has more than twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim is a former U.S. Marine.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Silver Spoke Award by the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (2011), Excellence in Journalism Award by the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (2010), Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), First-place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Tim was a member of the National Press Photographer's Association for several years and is a current member of the Orange County Press Club.

Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. As News Editor, Tim among other things, is responsible for publishing the original content of 102 Salem-News.com writers. He reminds viewers that emails are easily missed and urges those trying to reach him, to please send a second email if the first goes unanswered. You can write to Tim at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com