Tamil people around the world undergo the excruciating psychological trauma for the loss of their precious assets of more than 93,000 irreplaceable rare books and documents by the deliberate arson of Jaffna Public Library, by the willful, malevolent and calculated action of Sri Lankan state, remembering even after 44 years with no tangible action has been taken against the perpetrators or provide justice and accountability to the victims community of Tamil people to date.
Whilst the history chronically records numerous foreordained genocidal acts by the Sri Lankan state against Tamil people, among which 158 massacres, between 1956 and 2008, have been atrocious, considering the climax of the genocidal war in 2009 where devouring over 70,000 innocent Tamil lives according to Secretary-General’s Internal Review Panel report on United Nations Action in Sri Lanka, with the intention of decimating Tamil people in the island and continuously proceeding with erasing Tamil peoples’ footprints, historical records and heritage, expecting humanity of justice and accountability from the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinistic state have so far proved futile.
The arson attack on Jaffna Public Library, which then was surrounded by Jaffna Police Station, and Army camp in Jaffna fort in its proximity, while two cabinet ministers, Gamini Dissanayake and Cyril Matthew of the UNP government (both self confessed Sinhala supremacists) were stationed in a Jaffna near the library building, was carried out by Sinhala thugs brought from South using state owned apparatuses; buses and presumably equipped and paid by the state funds.
While Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Hyacinth Singarayar David, a Sri Lankan Tamil priest, scholar, and linguist, passed away from shock after hearing the burning of the Jaffna Library and observing the flames engulfing the library from his room at St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna, and while former Jaffna Municipal Commissioner Mr. CVK Sivagnanam was barricaded at gun points by the Sri Lankan army closing the access roads from preventing access to any fire-brigades or to the general public, burning down the Jaffna Library was executed by Sri Lankan state as a premeditated act.
Among several scenarios provided by Kamalika Peris in Lankaweb of 20 September 2021, the following important facts are recited at this juncture.
- Upon shooting and killing three policemen by unidentified gunmen on 31 May 1981 night at a massive pre District Development Council (DDC) election rally the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), about two hundred police personnel present there went amok and burnt boutiques, shops, houses, cars and ‘commercial establishments’ and these attacks were the worst that the people of Jaffna had experienced so far, reported the media.
- The TULF election rally took place in Nachchimaar Koviladi, which is nowhere closer to Jaffna Public Library.
- That night, police and paramilitaries began a pogrom that lasted for three days, said Wikipedia. The head office of TULF party was destroyed. The Jaffna MP V. Yogeswaran‘s residence was also destroyed. Four people were pulled from their homes and killed at random. Many business establishments, a Hindu temple and the office of the Eelanaadu, a local newspaper, were also destroyed. Statues of Tamil cultural and religious figures were destroyed or defaced, said Wikipedia.
- On the night of June 1, 1981, the Jaffna public Library was burned. The burning of the library lasted the entire night. Yogendra Duraiswamy, then GA, Jaffna, requested the Navy base in Karainagar and the Municipality for bowsers of water to extinguish the fire. He found that the Municipal Office was closed, and the water tower locked. The city was virtually deserted. Although the Navy’s browser arrived at the scene, its capacity was inadequate to douse the roaring fire. No one had dared to come out that night. None of the TULF politicians were present.
“It is regrettable that the government did not institute an independent investigation to establish responsibility for these killings (in May/June 1981) and take measures against those responsible. Instead, one police officer involved was promoted and emergency legislation was introduced facilitating further killings.” quoted by Mr. Orville H.Schell, Chairman of the American Watch Committee, and Head of the Amnesty International 1982 fact finding mission to Sri Lanka.
This abhorrence caused Tamil people to retain this charred Jaffna Public Library as a memorial monument of structural genocide of their priceless inheritance and to build an identical one nearby.
During the peace talks between the Chandrika Kumaratunga government (SLFP) and the Liberation Tigers was in progress during 1994 – 95, the Sri Lankan government (GoSL) wanted to include the burnt Jaffna library in the agenda and during the deliberations government delegates accepted the LTTE representatives’ proposal of preserving the burnt library structure as a living monument and building a new structure with modern facilities in the adjacent area. Preliminary feasibility studies and architectural drawings were submitted by the Tamil representatives to their counterparts for necessary action.
This was shattered when the Liberation Tigers lost control of the peninsula and the Sri Lankan government tacitly rushed to refurbish the ruined Jaffna Library building and hid all evidence of their genocidal act. This once again proved whatever political differences the Sinhala politicians have among their intra party rivalries, whether it be UNP, SLFP or other, they take a united stand in protecting their Sinhala Buddhist supremacist state craft.
The BTF, among its many pursuits at the UNHRC, has signified this inhuman act of “Burning of the Jaffna Public Library” as an important element substantiating with evidence to the ongoing OHCHR’s Sri Lanka Accountability Project (SLAP).
The BTF, on behalf of Tamil people in Sri Lanka, entreat the international community to establish a process to set up an international protection mechanism from continuing erosion of Tamil people in Sri Lanka and to arbitrate a sustainable political solution for them to live in peace and harmony recognizing their legitimate rights.
If there is a will, the international community have many ways. Truth and justice must prevail.
44th ANNIVERSARY REMEMBRANCE OF THE BURNING OF THE JAFFNA PUBLIC LIBRARY
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