Monday, May 31, 2021

The Kamloops residential school represents the very dark history of Canada



The Remains Of 215 Indigenous Children Have Been Found At A Former School In Canada

The remains of 215 children, including some as young as three, have been found in a mass grave on the grounds of a former residential school that was once part of a nationwide effort in Canada to separate Indigenous children from their families in an attempt to assimilate them.
From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 First Nations children were required to attend state-funded Christian schools as part of a program to assimilate them into Canadian society. They were forced to convert to Christianity and not allowed to speak their native languages. Many were beaten and verbally abused, and up to 6,000 are said to have died.
Justin Trudeau stated ;
The news that remains were found at the former Kamloops residential school breaks my heart - it is a painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter of our country’s history. I am thinking about everyone affected by this distressing news. We are here for you

Friday, May 28, 2021

Combat Trauma And Post War Sri Lanka

   


Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D. 

The Sri Lankan society experienced a 30-year prolonged armed conflict that changed the psychological landscape of the Islanders. A large number of combatants, civilians, and members of the LTTE underwent the detrimental repercussions of combat trauma. Following the armed conflict in Sri Lanka over 90,000 people lost their lives and thousands of families are still grieving. A large number became physical and psychological casualties of the war.  The war trauma still echoes in Sri Lankan society.

War has serious consequences for both short-term survival and longer-term recovery and development (Sørensen, 1998). War trauma represents a horrendous experience for the Sri Lankans. The Sri Lankan society is still struggling with the negative aftermath of the 30-year armed conflict.  If not addressed effectively the psychological scars following combat can stay behind for many years. It can change the psychological markup of people making them more dysfunctional. 

Londoño and colleagues (2012) indicate that exposure to violence in general and to armed conflict, in particular, has been consistently associated with an increased prevalence of mental illness.  Although mental disorders are a major public health problem, the development of mental health services has been a low priority everywhere, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (Minas, 2012).

 War trauma has impacted Sri Lankan society at every level. The social fabric has been severely damaged. It has become a part of social experience and memory.  As the Salvadorian psychologist Martin-Baro wrote of his own country, what was left traumatized were not just Salvadorian individuals, but Salvadorian society. This expression is totally applicable to Sri Lanka.

During the post-war period interpersonal violence, child abuse, rape, alcohol and drug abuse, social violence have been increased in significant numbers. Many of these social maladies have direct or indirect connections with war trauma.  Deplorably Psychological wounds of the Eelam war were not adequately addressed and the deleterious effect of combat trauma impacts the post-war Sri Lankan society.

Nature of the Sri Lankan Conflict

The Sri Lankan Conflict was the longest-running armed conflict in Asia.  It was a conflict between the Government Forces and a rebel separatist group better known as the LTTE (The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam).  The LTTE was regarded as the most lethal terrorist group in the world. In the subsequent years, the LTTE was banned in the UK, the US, and Canada. The LTTE   attacked the Sri Lankan armed forces with modern high-tech weapons. In addition, the LTTE used numerous unconventional methods to fight the Sri Lankan Forces using child soldiers and suicide bombers. The Northern conflict consumed many lives and caused damage to the property worth billions of dollars.

Sri Lankan Combatants and War Trauma

Sri Lankan military forces deployed their entire bayonet strength for nearly 30 years.  During this critical period, the Sri Lankan military launched nearly 20 major military operations against the LTTE. Over 200,000 members of the Sri Lanka armed forces and Police had been directly or indirectly exposed to combat events during these years.  They were exposed to hostile battle conditions and many soldiers underwent traumatic battle events outside the range of usual human experience. In 2009 May the Sri Lankan government declared that the country won the war against the LTTE. Although the armed forces were able to gain a decisive victory it came with a huge social cost. The Eelam war affected the psychosocial health of the combatants. Significant numbers are still impacted by combat trauma. During the post-war era, high numbers of desertions and suicides have been reported among the combatants.  According to the Military Spokesperson of the Sri Lanka Army from 2009 to 2012 postwar period nearly 400 soldiers had committed suicide (Sriyananda, 2012).

The Social Impact of Combat-Related PTSD

The experts believe that the circumstance of war can produce a range of emotional, psychological, and behavioral stress reactions among soldiers and officers that can lead to a condition known as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that engenders both symptomatic distress and severe disruption in interpersonal and social functioning (robertson et al. 2004).

During the Eelam War, many soldiers experienced combat-related psychologically distressing traumatic reactions. Most of these acute traumatic reactions were not appropriately diagnosed or treated. Some soldiers were emotionally overwhelmed as a result of war trauma. There was no apparatus to identify these distressing reactions and offer psychological first aid without delay. Some soldiers lived with the traumatic ruminations for years while serving in the operational areas. These victims were later diagnosed with combat-related PTSD.

For a number of years, the Sri Lankan authorities were reluctant to believe that combat-related PTSD   was emerging in the military. PTSD was regarded as an American illness and there was an unofficial taboo to use the term PTSD. The tension of combat trauma was mounting in the military over the years and there had been suicides and self-harms reported from the battlefields. The soldiers affected by war trauma had behavioral problems and their productivity was plummeting. Many soldiers who had positive features of combat-related PTSD without any physical wounds were compelled to serve in the operational areas and engage in active combat. In the early days of the war, soldiers were sometimes charged with malingering when they tried to seek medical attention. Many traumatized veterans deserted the army or joined underworld criminal gangs. Until 2005 the Sri Lanka Army did not medically discharge any combatant on psychological grounds especially PTSD.

The laborious work of Dr. Neil J Fernando- the former Consultant Psychiatrist of the Sri Lanka Army gave an insight to the authorities to think about war trauma and PTSD seriously. The first soldier who was able to get a medical discharge with PTSD (in 2005) was a Lance Corporal with malignant PTSD. He was a POW who was held by the LTTE for nearly 5 years.

Combat-related PTSD has impacted combatants hugely.  The wounds that they received from the war were not confined to the battlefield. It was not an individual trauma anymore.  The war trauma frequently transformed their domestic environments. Domestic and community violence, child abuse addiction issues, self-harm, etc. became massive social problems. War trauma has turned into a vicious cycle affecting individuals as well as the entire society.

The Residual Effect of Combat Trauma

It is important to know that in the post-war era late reactions of combat-related PTSD can emerge. Combat stress has a residual effect on some veterans. For some soldiers combat related traumatic reactions can emerge at a later date. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop as a serious long-term consequence of traumatic experiences, even many years after trauma exposure (Lecic-Tosevski et al. 2013). There is a risk of emergence of late reactions of combat-related PTSD in the post-war Sri Lankan society.

According to Dr. Michael Robertson of the Mayo Wesley clinic, ex-servicemen can experience delayed reactions to combat stress. A large number of WW2 Veterans who never had any anxiety-related symptoms later complained of Delayed PTSD. Some reactions were manifested 40-50 years after the original trauma. Therefore the health authorities in Sri Lanka should be aware of the late reactions of combat-related PTSD.  Studies are needed to systematically assess the mental health of the members of armed services who fought a prolonged war.

Combat Trauma among the ex LTTE Carders

Combat Trauma among the ex LTTE Carders is least discussed. Very few studies are available on the mental health factors relating to ex-militants. Many surviving members of the former LTTE either now live in Sri Lanka or live abroad. Most of these ex-militants joined the movement as children and throughout the war, they underwent the harsh realities of war trauma.

As children, these members witnessed and engaged in violence. While spending time on the battlefield they turned into adults. As adults, they continuously lived through battle stress until the end of the conflict in 2009.

Mental health experts believe that psychological trauma experienced by people during their childhood has a higher tendency to manifest mental health problems in later life.   According to several mental health experts, some of the ex LTTE members suffer from malignant PTSD (Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified or DESNOS). These victims live with rage, guilt, alienation and suicidal ideation. They lack social skills and unable to form families due to a lack of parental skills and intimacy. Although a number of rehabilitation projects were launched by the Sri Lankan government to rehabilitate the former militants some of them still live with scarred minds. Those who managed to flee and live as refugees in the Western countries do not receive culturally fitting psychological rehabilitation therapy. These individuals need psychosocial rehabilitation in order to reintegrate into society.

The Child soldiers in the Sri Lankan Conflict 

Over 7000 children were forcibly recruited and sent to war by the LTTE during 1983 – 2009 (Human Rights Watch). Children were abducted and forced into weapon training and they were subjected to torture, indoctrination, sleep deprivation, and often forced to commit atrocities.   During the Eelam War, these children witnessed absolute carnage that would impact their future adult lives.

Former child soldiers have numerous mental health issues. Children who survive traumatic events exhibit a diverse set of symptoms and physical signs often meet with diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorder, etc (Perry, 2003).

In 2009 the Sri Lankan Government liberated all the child soldiers that were held by the Tamil Tigers. These child soldiers were reunited with their families and they were offered rehabilitation.  Among the conflict-ridden countries, Sri Lanka became the first state to free all the child soldiers that were held by the rebel group.  Today Sri Lanka is free of child soldier menace.  This is a major victory to the civilized world that sternly condemns the military use of children.

Today these ex-child soldiers undergo rehabilitation. Most of them go to schools and receive vocational training.  But still many are trapped with their dreaded combat memories. According to the local clinicians, a considerable number of Sri Lankan child soldiers are suffering from depression, PTSD, somatization, and adjustment disorders. They need effective long-term rehabilitation and acceptance by society.

The Civilians Affected by the War   

In armed conflicts, civilians have little protection from collateral or incidental damage and often they become vulnerable. Among the consequences of war, the impact on the mental health of the civilian population is one of the most significant (Srinivasa Murthi & Laksminarayana , 2006). The recent military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq had a large number of civilian casualties.  The Eelam War in Sri Lanka was no exception. A large number of civilians from the North and South became innocent victims of the war in Sri Lanka. Many became casualties due to the colorectal damage following military offensives against the rebels (in the North) and suicide bombing by the LTTE (in the South).

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (2003) between 1980 and 2000, the LTTE carried out 168 suicide attacks causing heavy damage to civilian, economic, and military targets. Suicide bombings and other forms of explosions can cause long-term repercussions on survivors. Bashir and colleagues (2013) highlight that civilian victims of suicidal and improvised bombings present with a wide range of neurological symptoms and injury patterns, which often differ from the neurological injuries incurred by military personnel in similar situations, and thereby often require individualized care.

The Sri Lankan conflict caused mass displacements. At the end of 2006, at least 520,000 people in Sri Lanka were victims of conflict-induced displacement in a country of 20 million, making up one of the largest displacement crises in Asia in absolute terms and particularly in terms of the proportion of the population displaced (Civilians in the way of conflict: Displaced people in Sri Lanka September 2007).  Many civilians who became displaced lived in shelters for long years and fled the country. Adverse mental health consequences have been reported among the displaced people.

The war trauma in Sri Lanka destroyed the social fabric and a large number of civilians underwent hardships of war. People lost their loved ones. They lost their property and livelihoods.  It affected the individual as well as on a collective level.  For most of the Sri Lankans, the war became a collective trauma. Tens of thousands of Sri Lankans still face the bitter consequences of the war. They live with their traumas suffering silently.

Civil society has been degraded by war trauma. Hostility, suspicion, alienation, emotional numbing, indifference, scapegoating became the common components in the war-ridden Sri Lankan society. Empathy, tolerance, and compassion gradually disappeared as the war progressed. There is a noticeable lack of quality in civil society, partly due to the crippling brain drain, but also due to the devastating effect of the war. There is also a widely reported perception in northern Sri Lanka that there has been a marked deterioration in social values evidenced by changing sexual and social behaviors. (Somasundaram 2007)

The researches indicate that armed conflict can have long-term consequences. Nandi (2013) investigated to what extent the soldiers and young women of World War II were affected by PTSD symptoms over the course of their lives and in this study, the researchers recruited 52 male and 20 female Germans aged 81-95 years and interviewed regarding war experiences and PTSD symptoms. Of the men, 2 % and 7 % met the criteria for current and lifetime PTSD diagnoses, respectively, as compared to 10 % and 30 % of the women, respectively. These researches show that the impact of war trauma can affect Sri Lankan society for long years.

 

The Eelam War and the War Widows

One harsh reality of the war is that every soldier killed in war leaves behind grieving family and relatives. It has been a reality since the Trojan War. The women who have left widows as a result of the Sri Lankan conflict are facing radically altered circumstances. There are estimated thousands of war widows who still experience grief reactions. Many widows young and with the death of their husbands these women have become a psychologically and socially vulnerable group. Most of the women who underwent severe emotional pain still have not completely recovered. Many have become the victims of pathological grief and were clinically diagnosed with Prolonged Grief Disorder or PGD.

They are unable to work through their grief despite the passage of time. With widowhood, they experience identity change, role adjustment, and change in social status.

Many researchers concur that the mental trauma of the war widows can last for long years. Depressive reactions are common among the Sri Lanka war widows. Many LTTE carders who died in action left their wives in grief-stricken situations. The war widows of the Northern part of Sri Lanka experienced a similar plight.

In conservative Asian societies, widows face social, economic, and legal handicaps. Widow as its name denotes is associated with some form of socio-cultural stigma and humiliation. They are considered a bad omen in many Sri Lankan rural areas. They are marginalized by their own communities. These factors affect their self-esteem. In some events, the accusations were made by the in-laws stating that the husband’s death occurred because of the unluckiness of the wife and they are partially answerable for the husband’s death. They experience a lack of social support and loss of their social possession in their own family circles.

The war widows face a number of mental health problems. They have suffered bereavement as a result of the violent deaths of their husbands and these traumatic memories hound them for long years. They are often subjected to extreme forms of discrimination and physical, sexual, and mental abuse. Therefore, widowhood represents a form of “social death” for these women.

Healing the Post War Sri Lankan Society

Post-war societies are highly vulnerable. Therefore the combat trauma in the post-war era has to be managed effectively. There are numerous examples from other countries that reveal the susceptibility of the social networks and communities in the post-war period.  For example, soon after the American Civil War, some of the traumatized soldiers formed an extremist movement called KKK which engaged in racial violence. Many American volunteers who participated in the Spanish Civil War engaged in social violence and some Lincoln Brigade soldiers became top criminals. Post-Vietnam War caused vast social chaos in the USA. Similarly, many Afghanistan veterans of the Red Army engaged in organized crimes in the former USSR.

Soon after a mass conflict like war, there is a tendency to political extremism and sometimes religious fundamentalism to emerge. In a post-conflict, society the social fabric is fragile, people are traumatized and they become easy targets to these extreme and damaging forces. Soon after WW 1, Germany faced such a situation, and NAZIS could exploit the collective trauma experienced by the German people. The Taliban fundamentalists grabbed power at the end of the Afghan-Soviet conflict. Hence, there is an impending risk that Sri Lankans face today and the Democratic forces have an absolute responsibility to restore the peace and justice system in the Country

The major impacts of war include the disintegration of communities and damaging the psychological well-being of the people. Therefore, major psychosocial interventions are required to restore the damages caused by the war. The promotion of human rights and justice are the key way to reinstate the social equilibrium. The victims of war trauma need appropriate treatment psychosocial support and culturally sensitive rehabilitation. Apart from these measures infrastructure reconstruction and reconciliation should be focused in the post-war Sri Lankan society.

References

American Psychiatric Association (APA) (1994) . Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association

Baro, M. (1994) . Writings for a liberation psychology, Harvard University Press.

Bashir, M.U., Tahir, M.Z., Bari, E., Mumtaz, S. (2013).Craniocerebral injuries in war against terrorism — a contemporary series from Pakistan. Chin J Traumatol.  16(3):149-57.

Batista, P. & Wiese, E. ( 2010) .   Culture and Migration: Psychological Trauma in Children and Adolescents.  Traumatology   16: 142152

Child soldiers global report (2009) .

Fernando, N. & Jayatunge, R (2011) . Combat Related PTSD among the Sri Lankan Army Servicemen. Retrieved from

http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/02/combat-related-ptsd-among-sri-lankan.html

Human Rights Watch. (2004) .  Sri Lanka: Tamil Tigers Forcibly Recruit Child Soldiers.  November 12, 2004 Retrieved from

http://www.hrw.org/news/2004/11/09/sri-lanka-tamil-tigers-forcibly-recruit-child-soldiers

Jayatunge, R. (2004) . PTSD Sri Lankan Experience , ANL Publishers Colombo.

Lecic-Tosevski, D.,Pejuskovic, B., Miladinovic, T., Toskovic, O., Priebe, S.2013). Posttraumatic stress disorder in a serbian community: seven years after trauma exposure.J Nerv Ment Dis. 040-4. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000051.

Londoño,A,.   Romero,P.,    Casas , G.(2012).The association between armed conflict, violence and mental health: a cross sectional study comparing two populations in Cundinamarca department, Colombia.Confl Health.6: 12.

Minas,H (2012). The Centre for International Mental Health Approach to Mental Health System Development. Harv Rev Psychiatry.20(1): 37–46.

Nandi,C. (2013).War trauma and PTSD among German war survivors : A comparison of former soldiers and women of World War.

Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23695004

Perry, B.D. (2003) Effects of Traumatic Events on Children. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealthconnection.org/pdfs/perry-handout-effects-of-trauma.pdf

Robertson, M., Rushton, P.J., Bartrum, D., Ray ,R. (2004).Group-based interpersonal psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: theoretical and clinical aspects.

Somasundaram , D. (2007) .  Collective trauma in northern Sri Lanka: a qualitative psychosocial-ecological study.   International Journal of Mental Health Systems 2007, 1:5

Sørensen, B. (1998).  Women and Post-Conflict Reconstruction.  Retrieved from http://www.unrisd.org/unrisd/website/document.nsf/0/631060b93ec1119ec1256d120043e600/$FILE/opw3.pdf

Srinivasa Murthhy, R.,Lakshminarayana, R . (2006) .  Mental health consequences of war: a brief review of research findings. World Psychiatry. 5(1): 25–30.

Sriyananda, S. (2012 September 24). Nearly 400 soldiers commit suicide in peacetime. The Island Newspaper. Retrieved on February 14, 2013, from  http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=62302

Tribe, R., & Silva, P. D. (1999). Psychological intervention with displaced widows in Sri Lanka. International Review of Psychiatry, 11, 184-190.

Watters,  E. (2010) . Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche.  Free Press.

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

අධෝ ගෑස් කොන්සෙප්ට් එක

මිනිස්සු නිතරම වාත යවනවා. අපිට පුලුවන් නම් පස්සට උපකරණයක් හයි කරලා මේ ගෑස් ලබාගෙන ඒවා විශාල සිලින්ඩරයකට පුරවලා පස්සේ අධෝ ගෑස් ලෙස පොඩි පොඩි සිලින්ඩර් වලට දාලා විකුනන්න , ඒක ආර්ථිකයට විශාල තල්ලුවක්. අධෝ ගෑස් වලින් කෑම උයන්න , ගෙවල් උනුසුම් කරගන්න වගේ වැඩ විතරක් නෙවෙයි වාහන පවා දුවවන්න පුලුවන් වෙයි.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

මා දැන සිටි ඔරුවල බන්දු

 



ඔරුවල බන්දු යනු සුවිශේෂී හැකියාවන් තිබු ලේඛකයෙකි. ඔහුට විදේශීය බස හැසිරවීමේ දක්ෂතාවය තිබුනේය. විදේශයන්හි ජිවත් වීම නිසා ඔහුගේ ජිවන අත්දැකීම් විශාල වපසරියකට අයත් විය. එම අත්දැකීම් මෙන්ම ඔහු තුල තිබු විදේශ සංස්කෘතීන් අවබෝධ කර ගැනීම සහ එම සංස්කෘතියනට අයත් මිනිසුන්ගේ සිතුම් පැතුම් ග්‍රහණය කර ගැනීමේ හැකියාව මත මෙතෙක් කිසිම සිංහල ලේබකයෙකු අතින් බිහි නොවූ ආකෘතියක කෘතීන් ඔහු නිර්මාණය කළේය. නැගෙනහිර යුරෝපයේ ජනතාවගේ සිතුම් පැතුම්, ජිවන රටා ස්වතන්ත්‍ර නිර්මාණ ඔස්සේ නවකතා මාධ්‍යයෙන් ලේඛනගතකොට ඒවා සිංහල පාඨකයාට ඉදිරිපත් කල එකම ලේඛකයා ඔරුවල බන්දුය.

ඔරුවල බන්දු පිලිබඳ මා සතු මතකය පාසල් අවදිය දක්වා විහිදෙයි. පාසල් සිසුවෙකු ලෙස මම ඔහුගේ පස් අවුරුද්දබිරියෝසා වැනි නවකතා රසවින්දෙමි. එසේම 1992 වසරේ ගිම්හාන කාලයේ රාත්‍රියක මොස්කව් හි ඔලිම්පික් ගම්මානයේ පිහිටි ලේඛක පියසේන මානිල්ගම මහතාගේ නිවසේදී අප ඔරුවල බන්දු ගේ පොත පත ඔහුගේ කුසලතාවන් ගැන කතා කළෙමු. එය ඉතා සොඳුරු රාත්‍රියක් විය. පියසේන මානිල්ගම මහත්මිය අපට ඉතා රසවත් ශ්‍රී ලංකික කෑම වේලකින් සංග්‍රහ කලාය. මානිල්ගම මහතා එම රාත්‍රියේ දී රුසියානු සාහිත්‍යය සහ ඔරුවලගේ නවකතා ගැන ඉතා අනගි විග්‍රහයක් කළේය. අද පියසේන මානිල්ගම මෙන්ම ඔරුවල බන්දු ද අප අතර නැත.

ඔරුවල බන්දු තම නවකතා තුලින් ඔක්තෝබර් විප්ලවය මගින් සෝවියට් ජනතාව ලැබූ ප්‍රතිලාභ, අධ්‍යාපන, නිවාස සහ සෞඛ්‍ය අංශ වලින් ඔවුන් ලැබූ ප්‍රගතිය මෙන්ම සෝවියට් සමාජවාදය යටතේ බිහි වූ පොලිස් රාජ්‍යයේ මානව අයිතීන් කඩවීම්, නිලධාරිවාදයේ රුදුරු බව බෝම්බ සහ බැලුන්, සෝවියට් සිර මැදිරියේ සිට, කේ.ජි.බී වැනි කෘතීන් මගින් නිර්දය විවේචනයන්ට ලක් කරන ලදී. නමුත් පෙරෙස්ත්රොයිකා ක්‍රියාදාමය මත සෝවියට් දේශය බිඳ වැටෙන විට ඔරුවල සැබවින්ම කණගාටු විය. ඔහුගේ පරම්පරාවේ සමහර තරුණයන් ආයුද අතට ගෙන ලේ ගලන සමාජ පරිවර්තනයකට මුල පුරන විට ඔරුවල බන්දු තුවක්කුව වෙනුවට පෑන අතට ගෙන සාහිත්‍ය තුලින් සමාජ මෙහෙවරක යෙදුනේය. ප්‍රචණ්ඩ ලේ හලන සමාජ පරිවර්තන මගින් මානව සාරාර්ථ සෝදා පාළුවකට ලක් වන බව ඔහු විශ්වාස කලේය.

ඔරුවල බන්දු රුසියන් සාහිත්‍යය රස වින්දේ වෙනත් විදේශීය භාෂාවක් හරහා නොව පුෂ්කින්, තෝල්ස්තෝයි, ගෝර්කි වැනි ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨ ලේඛකයන් තම සිතුම් පැතුම් ලේඛන ගත කල රුසියානු භාෂාව ඔස්සේය. ඔහු ගැඹුරින් රුසියන් සාහිත්‍ය හදාරා තිබුනා පමණක් නොව යුරි නිගිබීන් වැනි ලේබකයන් දැන අඳුනාගෙන සිටියේය. සිංහල බසින් රුසියන් බස ඉගැන්වීමට සමත් රුසියෙකු වේ නම් ඒ ඔරුවල බන්දු ය.

මට අවසන් වරට ඔරුවල බන්දු ලේඛකයා සමග කතා කිරීමට ලැබුනේ 2009 වසරේ මාර්තු මාසයේදී පමණය. අප දෙදෙනා දුරකථනයෙන් පැයකට වඩා අධික කාලයක් සාමිචියේ යෙදුනෙමු. "නිවාඩු වෙලාවක මේ පැත්තේ ඇවිත් යන්න එන්න, වේයන්ගොඩ ස්ටේෂන් එක ලඟට ඇවිත් මගේ නම කියල ඕනෑම කෙනෙක් ගෙන් අහන්න. ගෙදරට යන පාර පෙන්නයි. අපේ බිසවුන් වහන්සේ හදන කෑම ටිකක් කාලාම යන්න පුළුවන්." ඔහු මට කිවේය. ඔරුවල බිසවුන් වහන්සේ කිවේ ඔහුගේ බිරිඳටය. නමුත් ඉන් දෙමසකට පසු විදේශගතවීමට සිදුවූ නිසා මට ඔරුවල බන්දු හමු වීමට නොහැකි විය. ඒ පිළිබඳව අද මා පසුතැවෙමි.

ඔරුවල බන්දු ලේඛකයා සමග මම වාද කොට ඇත්තෙමි. රෝහණ විජේවීරට සැන්සිබාරයේ කරුමේගෙන් ලිපි ලැබුන බව ඔරුවල බන්දු සති අන්ත පුවත්පතකට පවසා තිබුණි. නමුත් එම කාලයේදී මම 71 කැරැල්ලේ ඉතිහාසය පිළිබඳව විමර්ශන කෘතියක් ලියමින් සිටියෙමි. එම කෘතිය සඳහා මම 71 කැරැල්ල විමර්ශනය කල සර්නි විජේසුරිය, උපාලි සෙනෙවිරත්න, ඇන්ටන් ජෙගනාදන්, ගයා පැටිකිරිකෝරාල, ඉයන් වික්‍රමනායක වැනි නිලධාරීන් ද රෝහණ විජේවීරට එම කාලයේ කිට්ටුවන්ත සගයන්ව සිටි ලයනල් බෝපගේ, කෙලී සේනානායක, කල්යාණ කරුණාරත්න ආදීන් සම්මුක සාකච්ඡාවන්ට ලක් කලෙමි. ඔවුන් කිසිවෙකු සැන්සිබාරයේ කරුමේගෙන් ලැබුණු එක ලිපියක් හෝ දැක තිබුනේ නැත. මම ඔරුවල බන්දුගේ මෙම ප්‍රකාශය අභියෝගයට ලක් කලෙමි. නමුත් ඔහු එය ශාස්ත්‍රීය වාදයක් මිස පෞද්ගලික කරුණක් ලෙස නොගත්තේය.

ඔරුවල බන්දු ජිවත් වුයේ සරල ආකාරයටය. 1988-89 භීෂණ කාලයේදී ඔහු රජයේ සහ කැරලිකරුවන්ගේ ඝාතන ලැයිස්තු වල සිටි විශ්ව විද්‍යාල සිසුන් තම නිවසේ පවා රඳවාගෙන ඔවුන්ගේ ජිවිත බේරා දුන්නේය. මිනිසත්කම ඔහු තුල සැමදා තිබුණි. සරල පුහු අටෝපයෙන් තොරව ජිවත් වු ඔරුවල ධනය බලය පස්සේ යාමට හෝ මැති ඇමතිවරු, බලවන්ත නිලධාරීන් පස්සේ පන්දම් අල්ලන්නට, තම කුසලතාවය ඔවුන් වෙනුවෙන් වන්දිහට්ටකමේ යෙදවීමට ඔහු ගියේ නැත. කියන දෙය ඔහු කෙලින් කිවේය. ලියන දෙය ඔහු කෙලින්ම ලීවේය. ඔහු මිය ගියේ නිදහස් මිනිසෙකු ලෙසටය.

අද ඔරුවල බන්දු අප හැර ගොසිනි. බිරියෝසා ගස සීතල සුළඟට වැනේ. හිම පියලි බිරියෝසා අතු අතර රැඳී ඇත. බිරියෝසා ගස යට ඇති බංකුව පාළුය. වෙනදා අළු පැහැති හිම කබාය ඇඳ බංකුව මත වාඩිවී පොතක් කියවන ලේඛකයා අද දක්නට නොමැත. ඔහු යලි නොඑන්නටම යන්නට ගියේය.

-වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග

Thursday, May 13, 2021

හෘද සාක්‌ෂියක්‌ නැති සමාජයක ඛේදවාචකය- ලලිත් අඹන්වල

 

මධ්‍යම පළාත් විගණන අධිකාරි ලලිත් අඹන්වල මහතාට ඇසිඩ් ගසා වැරැදකරුවන් වූ හත් දෙනාට මහනුවර මහාධිකරණ විනිසුරු ප‍්‍රීති පද්මන් සූරසේන මහතා සිර දඬුවම්, වන්දි හා දඩ නියම කළේය. 2002 පෙබරවාරි 1 හා මැයි 20 අතරදී ඇසිඩ් ගැසීමට කුමන්ත්‍රණය කිරීම හා ඇසිඩ් ගැසීම ඇතුළු චෝදනා අටකට ඔවුහු වැරදිකරුවෝ වූහ. මේ සිද්ධියෙන් අඹන්වලගේ ඇසක් ද අහිමි විය. හිටපු අධ්‍යාපන අධ්‍යක්‍ෂ ආනන්ද මුණසිංහ, ප‍්‍රධාන ගණනාධිකාරී ආනන්ද වීරසිංහට බරපතල වැඩ සහිතව දස වසර බැඟින් සිර දඬුවම් ද, රුපියල් දෙලක්ෂය බැගින් දඩද නියම විය. මේ අනුව දෙදෙනකුට දඩ වසර බැඟින් ද, පස් දෙනකුට වසර 30 බැගින් ද සිරදඬුවම් නියම විය. ඇසිඩ් ගැසූ ව්‍යාපාරික මොහොමඩ් රාපික් මොහොමඞ් රියාස් 3, 4, 5 සහ චෝදනාවලට වැරදිකරු විය. ඔහු එක් චෝදනාකට අවුරුදු 20 බැගින් අවුරුදු 80 සිරදඬුවම් නියමවිය. එහෙත් එම සිරදඬුවම් එකවර ගෙවී යන පරිදී විසි වසරින් ගෙවී යයි. එක් වරදකට රුපියල් රුපියල් ලක්ෂ දෙක බැගින් ලක්ෂ අටක දඩයක් ද නියම විය. දඩ නොගෙවන්නේ නම් අවුරුදු දෙක බැඟින් අවුරුදු අටකින් සිර දඬුවම දික්වෙයි. මීට අමතරව ලලිත් අඹන්වල මහතාට රුපියල් ලක්ෂ 50 ක වන්දි ගෙවන ලෙස මොහොමඩ් රාසික් මොහොමඩ් රියාස්ට නියෝග කළ විනිසුරු වන්දිය නොගෙවන්නේ නම් බරපතල වැඩ සහිතව වසර අවුරුදු තුනක් ඒ වෙනුවෙන් ගෙවීමට නියම විය. හුසේන් සෙයියදු මොහොමඩ් සාපිට 7 වැනි සහ 8 වැනි චෝදනා වලට වැරදිකරු කරමින් අවුරුද් 20 බැගින් සිර දඬුවම් ද රුපියල් ලක්ෂ දෙක බැඟින් දඩ ද නියම විය. එම දඩ නොගෙවන්නේ නම් වසර දෙක බැගින් වසර හතරක සිර දඬුවම් ගෙවීමට සිදුවෙයි. ඔමාර් ලෙබ්බේ මරික්කාර් මොහොමඞ් නිව්ෆර්, එම්.ජේ. මොහොමඩ් රියාල් ඉස්රූම් රාමන් දෙ වැනි චෝදනාවන්ට වැරදිකරු කරමින් වසර 20 සිර දඬුවම් ද, රුපියල් ලක්ෂ දෙක බැගින් දඩ ද නියම විය. දඩ නොගෙවන්නේ නම් වසර දෙක බැගින් සිර දඬුවම් ගෙවීමට සිදුවේ. මොහොමඩ් හනිපා මොහොමඞ් ඉමිටියාස්ට දෙවැනි වැනි ‍චෝදනාවට සහ හත්වැනි චෝදනාවට වැරදිකරු විය. එක් චෝදනාවකට වසර විස්ස බැඟින් වසර හතළිහක බරපතල වැඩ සහිතව සිරදඬුවම විසි වසරකින් ගෙවි යන පරිදී නියම කෙළේය. එක් චෝදනාවකට ලක්ෂ දෙක බැඟින් ලක්ෂ හතරක දඩ ද දඩ නොගෙවන්නේ නම් අවුරුද හතරක සිරදඬුවමක් ද නියම විය. අඹන්වලට ඇසිඩ් ගැසීමට කුමන්ත්‍රණය කිරීම, ඇසිඩ් ගසා මරණයට පත් කිරීමට තැත් කිරීම ඇසිඩ් ගැසීම ඇතුළු චෝදනා අටකට ඔවුහු වැරදි කරුවෝ වූහ. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 විත්තිකරුවනට ඉහත දඬුවම් වලට අමතරව පළමු චෝදනාව යටතේ වසර 10 බැගින් වූ සිර දඬුවම් ද සහ එම චෝදනාවට රුපියල් ලක්ෂ දෙකක දඩ මුදලක් ද දඩ මුදල නොගෙවන්නේ නම් වසර දෙක බැගින් සිර දඬුවම් ද නියම කෙළේය. රජයේ මුදල් ද යහ පාලනය ද රැක දීමට ගොස් ඇසිඩ් ප්‍රහාරයට ලක්වූ තමාට යුක්තිය ඉටුවීම ගැන සතුටු වන බවත් එක ඇසක් පමණක් හිමි තමා ඉදිරියේදී රාජකාරී කරන බවත් ඒ ඇස ඇස් හයකට සමාන බවත් නඩු තීන්දුවෙන් පසුව අඹන්වල මහතා මාධ්‍ය අමතමින් කීවේය.

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Shell Shock to Palali Syndrome කෘතිය කේම්බ්‍රිජ් විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයේ අවධානයට



කේම්බ්‍රිජ් විශ්ව විද්‍යාලය විසින් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කරන ලද Advances in Psychiatry ග්‍රන්ථය සඳහා මා විසින් ලියන ලද Shell Shock to Palali Syndrome කෘතියෙන් කොටස් ලබා ගත් බව කතු මඞුල්ල විසින් මා වෙත දන්වන ලදි.   (Bibliography Number 44 )


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