The Real War Heroes
SL Army KIA, east of Kilinochchi in early 2008.
SL Army KIAs lie where they were hit in front of LTTE earthen fortifications east of Kilinochchi in early 2008.
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“And some just went insane, followed the black-light arrow around the bend and took possession of the madness that had been waiting there in trust for them…”
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madhawa on Parama Weera David Blacker on Parama Weera David Blacker on Parama Weera 
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absolutely true! it is their blood that spilled for our freedom and that of our children.
I feel sorry for their families.
Gripping images.
RIP to our bros.
True heroes. What’s sad is that I was at a function at Temple Trees where all the dignitaries emphasized that it was MR that won the war, no mention of the soldiers and not even a moment of silence for those who gave their lives and limbs for our safety.
Could you please be sensitive enough to at least blacken their eyes before posting them on your blog ?
It is not a good thing to cuase trauma to a poor mother who is trying console herself by displaying her sons lifeless body for all to see. Specially as you have very clearly indicated the place and period.
They are heros, True but be sensitive o their grieving parents. This is the last thing that their parents want to see.
Do you know what it feels like to see you son lying in a ditch and on display for everyone to see ?
I hope you never know tha pain.
Grief is private and this is extreamly insensitive of you.
War was not fought by the likes of you who observed it in the comfort of a distance, it was fought in our homes and on our land. We watched them leave home never to return. Our parents still keep their smiling pictures and each year we still light candles on their bithdays.
Please, try to understand that just as you don’t want your kids blood spallerted picture displayed everywhere neither do we want ours.
We know that you did not do with any intention other than respect, but the act itself is not respectful and neither does it offer solace or dignity for our grief.
Kapila, while I understand your sentiments, I very much doubt that the mothers of those two soldiers will be reading my blog, even if they have computers, or even electricity, in their homes.
It is precisely because the majority of Sri Lankans have been untouched by the war that I have posted these pictures in their original form. It is important that the keyboard warriors and armchair patriots have at least a glimpse of what this war has cost us when they hold forth on war heroes and traitors.
And yes, Kapila, I say “us” because it seems you think I am not part of that “us”. It is my land too. And to the contrary, I haven’t observed this war from afar as you suggest, but very close up, as a soldier. I don’t blame you really for your assumption that a Burgher isn’t one of you. But many Burghers, Moors, and Malays have died in this war at a time when most Sinhalese wouldn’t have dreamed of fighting and dying for “your” country. You call them heroes now, but I’ve been laughed at by many of “you” Sinhalese for risking my life in “a stupid war that isn’t ours”. No, I haven’t experienced the death of a son, and while I hope I never will, I have seen my friends killed and maimed, and have carried their bloodied bodies off the battlefield with my own hands.
I am sorry if you’re offended by these pictures, but my conscience will not allow me to alter a thing.
On lighter note, it’s funny that you consider yourself a Burgher. Genetically, you’re almost completely Tamil, which is really the same as being Sinhalese.
If you were fair haired and light eyed I would understand, but since you’re not, why Blacker (or should I call you Balasingham?), why?
You can call me anything you like, Bardo, but I prefer ‘sir’.
David mate….I’ve seen worst photos from battle before but, war is war folks….! Having said that it suck what these have done after the battle ! Typical Sri Lankan bozo…infighting among themsleves rather than looking after the country or the people ! Stupid…Gen.Fonseka should have never run ? . He got his good name soiled by these greedy families who run the country, who for there own personal interest ruin other good poor folks lives in Sri Lanka ! Stupid ! But, I give credit where its due, wars are never won by Generals alone baby……ya gotta have a sound political will ! Having said that….David mate…who are those officers who got sacked ? Please ; -) Thanks mate !
Rajarata, the only confirmed name so far is Brigadier Duminda Keppetiwalana
@DB, my term “US” meant people living in the villages.
I never mentioned an ethnicity, yours or anyone eles’s.
Please re-read my comments, I did not mean to question your contribution to the country neither did I directly or indirectly imply that this country or war belongs to a certain ethinicity.
My comment that you observed the war from a distance is misinformed, I agree. I do most sincerley apologise.
You have been a solider and I have not. I have only comforted my parents of their loss.
All I ask of you is not to underestimate the six degrees of seperation. One need not have computers or electricity in their own homes to read your blog. The power of information intermediaries cannot be underestimated. The first time I read a blog post of yours was not on a computer. It was a printout stuck on a notice board at the canteen of Kelaniya campus.
Would your mother like a similar picture of your lifeless body in a ditch displayed on a blog ? Would you display your friend’s ? That is all I wanted to convey to you.
Kapila, I’m sorry if my response sounded harsh, and my condolences for your loss. While I understand your viewpoint about parents being caused pain by seeing pictures of their dead sons, I strongly feel that it is the faces of the dead that make them human, and to hide the faces is to dehumanize them. This was posted at a time when the country seemed to have forgotten who the true war heroes are. I cannot speak for my mother, but I would certainly ensure that my friends’ pictures were seen if possible.
Your comment has been deleted because of its racist content. DB
Davidmate ,
Gotta story for ya ! Monday on Discovery channel “Pawn Stars” carried a guy who wanted to sell a clum of Ruphees taken from a 7th century ship wreck off Hamba. By Arthur C Clark ! This dude told the pawn shop Clarks family “gave it to him” ? BS ! Of the 3 clumps found ones with Clarks family, one this guys said got swept with the tsunami in 05′ ? The other he has it ? My ? How the hell can u smuggle out of Colombo or galle something that silver like that ?It’s huge mate size of a rugby ball. He couldn’t sell it & sounded shady man ! I know clarks would not give him silver ruphees even if he was MR. Have u heard of this treasure …. It’s belonged to the shah who built the Taj Mahal. Can ya check it out mate ? Good luck
[...] course these are naive simplistic thoughts. Since I never had to worry about a loved one ending up like this I might be expected to take a slightly more sophisticated view. I might come across a government [...]
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oh my dear…
why couldnt we all live with meththa karuna muditha and upeksha..
I feel sad seeing this. never again must we fight(i hope)
Almost an year ago, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, alias K.P, then the “provisional” head of the LTTE, announced the formation of what he described as a Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam. (http://tamilnational.com/news-flash/1327-transnational-government-of-tamil-eelam.html).
KP appointed the then legal advisor to the LTTE, Rudrakumar Viswanathan, to head a committee set up to work out the details of this so called transnational government.
Today, KP is enjoying caviar at the expense of the Sri Lankan government at Visumpaya, which earlier housed the current Minister of External Affairs, G.L.Peiris and before him, the former leader of the opposition and then speaker of the parliament, bon vivant Anura Bandaranaike.
In KP´s absence, Rudrakumaran just got himself elected as the CEO of the re-branded provisional government, now called a “Transnational Constituent Assembly of Tamil Eelam”.
The whole sordid saga of this election process, where Rudrakumaran appointed his close friend and business partner, Ramsey Clark to oversee his own election, is reported in detail (http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/opinion1/11758-the-politics-of-transnational-tamil-eelam-govt.html) by D.B.S Jeyraj, whose insider information provides illuminating details of the power struggle between Rudrakumaran and other LTTE factions to take control of the pot of gold KP left behind.
What he leaves out are or course the sordid details like how Rudra appointed friends and family to all the country working groups, or how the so called Independent Election Commissioners were all former or current associated of Rudra and his cohorts. While groups opposing Rudra did manage to get at least a handful of their supporters elected, more than 85% of the members of this fake government (for a country that does not exist) are all Rudra faithfuls, simply stuffed in there to give Rudra a semblance of authority and respectability, so he can go with his hand-out to get the hand-outs from friendly governments, NGO´s and of course, the collection from the much pressed Tamil Diaspora.
Young Obi2canibe, a student of the East Anglia University, born in Jaffna and who is proud to identify himself as from Tamil Eelam, has been good enough to give us a detailed list of those who were seeking to be elected to this fake government and those who were finally elected here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transnational_Constituent_Assembly_of_Tamil_Eelam_election_2010
All of these are in one way or another connected to an ruthless terrorist organization banned in many countries around the world. Now that we have these names out in the open, we need to find more details of who these people are and then bring them to notice of the proper authorities.
Please help the people of Sri Lanka and its diaspora around the world to get rid of this scrooge once and all. Go to the wikipedia page, look at the names, if you have any information concerning any one of these, post them here or send us a private email at Lankans Against terro with the details. Please remember to give us any URL´s, and any published documentation which we can attribute so the information is credible and stands inspection.
Join us in publicizing this page, our twitter account (https://twitter.com/Antiterroristas) our user page (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001137403792) and our anti-terrorism group page (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=116291341745319). We will soon start petitions to be sent to governments, letters to major western newspapers and will start a major advertising campaign here in Facebook.
We need every bit of help. Make it count!