Sunday, September 28, 2008

"A trade off on my dignity"

This blogger is quoted in a news item that appeared on The Economist available on their website here.

"THE police served them toffee and sweet drinks as they queued up to register at designated centres in Colombo. But for many of the thousands of Tamil civilians obliged to turn up, this was scant consolation for a violation of their rights. Guru, a 23-year-old law student from Jaffna, called the toffee “a trade-off on my dignity”. The orders to register were given on September 20th by police with loudhailers moving slowly along the streets of Colombo’s Tamil areas, which have recently been receiving swarms of civilians fleeing the intensifying war in the north.

The government labelled the exercise a “census”, to determine whether there had been a change in the ethnic balance of the Western province, where the capital is located. It is increasingly edgy about attacks in the capital by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. For 25 years the Tigers, who have a history of terrorist atrocities, have been fighting for a separate homeland for the Tamil minority in the north and east of the island. But Tamil civilians fear the real objective is to weed out anybody suspected of Tiger links. The government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa says the war is entering its final stages. And the president’s brother, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the defence secretary, maintains that stringent security measures are an “inconvenience” that the minority Tamil community will have to endure."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey !

Macho, all these days i thought only walls has ears.., but now it seems to be that we almost don't have a freedom to express and the privacy as well!

we need to be very careful of what even put online.

Rgds,
Noor

MaXXa said...

Since toffees and drinks were served it amounted to " a trade off on my dignity". But if NOT even toffees and sweet drinks were served, undoubtedly the criticism would be that the registration amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment on Tamil citizens for keeping them in starvation..

Anonymous said...

Well, what dignity have you got to study in our universities with our tax rupees and then bag us. Typical bloody snake with no gratitude.

Why don't you keep your dignity and enroll in the Tamileelam Law College?

You're a potential terrorist and we have a right to be protected from you. That's why the census is for.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

"Our universities," "our tax rupees"...hmmm I believe the last time I checked "Anon," each and every one of us paid taxes, unless perhaps, there’s been a recent development unknown to us all, where you’ve undertaken the benevolent act of paying off all taxes on behalf of every Tamil in our country! If that be the case, my most profuse apologies dear sir (I'm assuming you must be a man, cos' I just can't believe that a woman could be so insufferably stupid!) Sorry guys, no offence.

In conclusion "Anon," I find it quite rich that you speak of this bloggers "dignity" when you don't even seem to have the "balls" (for want of a better word) to insult him in person! As for protecting ourselves from potential threats, I think it might be in the best interests of us all as a society, to be rid of the ignorant, racist, “empty vessels” such as yourself!

You have yourself a good day now! 