I do not know which verse to pick as an example. I just picked the one above as it says about having to stifle the pain of losing her (assume woman) own two daughters have to be the greatest pain suffered.

Excellent poetry – certainly for a first-timer! The narrative too is also very powerful, as it adumbrates the plight of one of the most dispossessed group of human beings in the world. There is also the touch of the old ‘iambic pentameter.’ Well done! Keep writing.

These people are illegally interned in those Concentration Camps only because of this government’s viciously vindictive nature. There tens of thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) for whom this government doesn’t care for. Recently, IDPs, whose land and homes were wantonly confiscated, were driven out once again from the refuge they sought in Jaffna Railway Station.

Tamils are not allowed to help their own in anyway. Individuals have been socially active and generally helpful in the neighbourhood have been literally killed, in many parts of Jaffna alone. Many charities that have been helping relieve the hardships felt by the Tamils in general have been driven out and some have been killed. Now only Sinhalese can help Tamils in destitution, because the Sinhala Fascists in government want to take credit for helping the Tamils. Sinhala generosity in general is not in doubt. Many Tamils have personally vouch how Sinhala courage, valour, compassion, warmth, friendship, caring and affection spontaneously erupted into an unstoppable river to protect the Tamils who were the targets of Sinhala mobs unleashed by the Sinhala government. But, what happens now is the complete opposite. The raw and pristine Sinhala generosity is adulterated by the corrupt handling by the Fascists with ULTERIOR MOTIVE to continue to subjugate Tamils. Absolutely marvellous people these Fascists are! There is nothing in the world that these Fascist can not and would not corrupt!!

As a Tamil, I totally agree with you

As i tamil, i totally agree with you

However it is disturbing to see so much absurd complaints on not having them returned to their villages and ill treatment of them by SL government be made.

Should not the the villages be cleared of any hazards like land mines before letting them there?

Should not the infrastructure be restored?

Should not the brain washed LTTE cadre still hiding among the IDPs be filtered out?

As a third world country Sri Lanka is doing its best to provide for these unfortunate individuals who suffered for decades under LTTE jackboot, to restore their everything – life, property, livelyhood, education and health. The most people who are crying here please ask your selves what have I done to help them?

I hope that everyone will get together to help the government to help these unfortunate brothers and sisters of ours to get out of this mess.

There is misleading info…

It wsa true that at the ‘last days’ of fighting, many of people who trapped were closer families to tigers and people who had injuries (who cannot move) and their relatives.

Is it true those relatives are not innocent?

Also most of them at the last hours of fighting masscared or shot to death… as whole world knows and many of them want to use it to gain their control over SL. But not to get the justice out…

Even though those ‘maaveerar family members’ and close to ltte don’t have a voice on tigers. They were not gypsies, they did not have an alternatives to follow. No body wants to win their mind, but many wanted to defeat them… even after the war. It is kind of JVP mentality. Means – JVP who wanted to kill families of Army personal in 1987 does not have a different.

History of SL shows the lack of vision. It is true that LTTE’s idology was wrong. Not the individuals or relatives. Same way if you see MR & Bros, their ideology – one Sinhala Buddhist Country – is wrong. It should be defeated without mercy, if SL should prosper at the first place as tigers got defeated.

Mangala Samaraweera’s intervire to DM is an eye opener.

It is indeed a terrible situation the IDP’s are facing now and they were in a worse situation when the war was going on.

it is all good and well to argue, make allegations and counter allegations in this forum. But at the end of the day you got to sit down and think to yourself “what have I really done to alleviate the suffering of these people and have I done enough?”

honestly if you really want to help the IDP’s you could easily find the way. there are enough organizations and people in Sri Lanka who have access to these camps. Be creative.

But if you only want to get some cheap publicity at the expense of the IDP’s, ofcourse send another mercy mission ship and antagonize the GOSL. And provide the GOSL some excuse to turn the ship back.

See the point is if you want to send aid through the government channels, you need to follow the protocols for that, and you need to cooperate with the govt. Be pragmatic if you really care for the IDP’s.

But if you dont want to use the government, then dont. There are ample opportunities for you to channel your supplies through other NGO’s and INGOs. its just a question of whether you have the willingness to take the trouble to find out what those channels are.

Also please dont use these innocent people as political tools to further your political agendas anymore. I think they have suffered enough. while you live in relative luxury in your adopted countries, these people have been suffering immensely in Sri Lanka.

May be I’m idealistic or may be its the relative youthfulness. But I believe that those people who didnt raise their voices when the Muslims were evicted and became IDP’s (for alsmost 20 years) and when the sinhalese were evicted from Jaffna and other villages to become IDP’s and when they didnt demand LTTE to let the people go, those people have no real moral right on the issue.

I dont know what DBSJ said about the muslims and the sinhalese who were evicted as I was a kid back then, but at least he did ask the LTTE to “let my people go” so he is off the hook .

I do realize the importance of keeping up the pressure on the government to make sure they let the people go sooner than later. And to make sure they are doing the best they can do for the IDP’s. (after all SL is one of the poorest countries in the world and even a rich nation like US had trouble in helping Katrina victims due to logistical issues and communication lapses)

But at the same time do something tangible for the IDP’s. I know of Sinhalese who have lost their jobs and who have been unemployed for more than six months who still found the means to help their bretheren in the IDP camps. I also know of pensioneers who get a meagre pension from the government who have been helping. Similarly i know that lot of my tamil and muslim friends have helped out too. But when you consider the millions of dollars that were raised by the LTTE to carry out the war…. I dont think some of the diaspora tamils are doing enough to help the IDP’s. So SHAME on YOU!!!

This poem needs to receive the attention of the entire Lankan nation – more via the Sinhala & Tamil media – as well of all friends of Sri Lanka.

ISS

These people are now uprooted from their homes and compelled to live as “Internally Displaced Persons” in various camps described as welfare centers.”

These unfortunate people were IDPs for last 30 years under a madman Prabakaran!

Dear Helaka,
This mind set of the majority of our Sinhala people is the Root Cause for the Creation of the worst Guerrilla group in this world “THE LTTE” & the human disaster faced by all Srilankans.
You seem to be an educated man & surely you would have heard /learnt the Newtons third Law “every ACTION has an opposite & Equal REACTION”.
Now, do you realise the magnitude of the Oppression (ACTION ) Tamils would have faced by the past Sinhala Politicians, which lead to the creation of the deadly LTTE that destroyed Srilanka over the past 30 years
( OPPOSITE & EQUAL REACTION) ?
No doubt the war is over but our country has been ruined.
Who is the cause?
The innocent & friendly Sinhala majority who were brain washed by these Politicians.
Atleast from now on start believing that you are a SINHALA SPEAKING SRILANKAN.
And the Tamils should believe that they are TAMIL SPEAKING SRILANKANS.
If you really want our beautiful land to prosper again , may be in another 20 or 30 years, please forget the phrase from your vocabulary” Our Country” or “Apei Ratei”.

Thanks Sumathy for your poem. It’s very sad to learn that some Sinhalese are collecting old & used clothes to be given to IDPs thinking that the people behind the barbed wire fences are BEGGARS. This has been a good opportunity for their Summer Cleaning.
All should realise that those IDPs were people of means who lead a decent & honourable life.

Thanks.

Dear Helaka,
This mind set of the majority of our Sinhala people is the Root Cause for the Creation of the worst Guerrilla group in this world “THE LTTE” & the human disaster faced by all Srilankans.
You seem to be an educated man & surely you would have heard /learnt the Newtons third Law “every ACTION has an opposite & Equal REACTION”.
Now, do you realise the magnitude of the Oppression (ACTION ) Tamils would have faced by the past Sinhala Politicians, which lead to the creation of the deadly LTTE that destroyed Srilanka over the past 30 years
( OPPOSITE & EQUAL REACTION) ?
No doubt the war is over but our country has been ruined.
Who is the cause?

Thanks Sumathy for your poem. It’s very sad to learn that some Sinhalese are collecting old & used clothes to be given to IDPs thinking that the people behind the barbed wire fences are BEGGARS. This has been a good opportunity for their Summer Cleaning.
All should realise that those IDPs were people of means who lead a decent & honourable life.
The innocent & friendly Sinhala majority who were brain washed by these Politicians.
Atleast from now on start believing that you are a SINHALA SPEAKING SRILANKAN.
And the Tamils should believe that they are TAMIL SPEAKING SRILANKANS.
If you really want our beautiful land to prosper again , may be in another 20 or 30 years, please forget the phrase from your vocabulary” Our Country” or “Apei Ratei”.
Thanks.