Learning From Wanathamulla

by Tisaranee Gunasekara The Defence Secretary came here.Mr. Gotabhaya told me I want to speak to you. e and I are of different status. So I asked him! Is it ri"ht for me to speak to you# e said! $o you can say anythin". Then I made certain criticisms. e "ot an"ry% Sunil Samaradheera of &anathamulla ' (ebruary )*! )*+,! -olombo! Sri .anka Guardian/ In +0,*! a year before they be"an implementin" the (inal Solution! the $a1is had a trial2run. 3 "roup of German24ews were deported and the Gestapo watched closely for the reaction of their non24ewish nei"hbours. The surroundin" populations.hardly noticed.% 5einhard eydrich stated in his report.

&hat if the surroundin" populations chose to notice the pli"ht of their 4ewish nei"hbours# &hat if they protested that trial2run# 6erhaps a partial answer can be "leaned from what happened when a "roup of non24ewish Germans did protest the deportations. In +0,7! in a 8en"eful response to Stalin"rad! 4osef Goebbels declared 9erlin a 4ew2free city. +!:**; 4ews with non24ewish spouses were arrested as part of the final roundup. <ndeterred alike by the $a1is brutal mi"ht and the free1in" cold! around )** non24ewish 9erliners! mostly women! camped outside the 5osenstra=e detention2centre demandin" the release of their 4ewish husbands>relati8es.

Object 1

3fter a week of threats! the authorities "a8e in. In his fascinatin" account of the 5osenstra=e 6rotest! $athan Stolt1fus ar"ues that this small "roup of protestors could e?ercise disproportionate influence because the $a1is were concerned about the ne"ati8e effect of their protest on the lar"er populace. @The protest was effecti8e because it made the 4ews more costly to obtain.% Impunity is not e?clusi8ely a function of power and force from abo8e. It is also a result of apathy and indifference in the middle and bottom. Aften resistance is absent not because it is impossible! but because the 8ictims are too cowed and their nei"hbours are too uncarin". The people of 5athupaswala would still be li8in" ne?t to a to?ic2factory! if they did not protest. Sunil Samaradheera is a leader in his communitys resistance to the 5aBapaksa attempt to e8ict &anathamullas le"al residents! take o8er their lands sans compensation and force them to buy smaller! poorly2constructed flats 'which are subBect to de facto military2control/. e reportedly had a heated encounter with Gotabhaya 5aBapaksa himself. The ne?t day he was white28anned. The people of &anathamulla demonstrated in their thousands demandin" the safe return of Mr. Sunil. DIG 3nura Senanayake reportedly announced that Mr. Sunil will be returned but the people reBected such political promissory2notes. They refused to lea8e until Mr. Sunil "ets home! safe and sound. The re"ime may ha8e unleashed the police>army on the protestors but for two reasonsC the upcomin" pro8incial election and the loomin" Gene8a challen"e. Those two impendin" encounters rendered unaffordable the spectacle of unarmed men and women bein" tear2"assed!

baton2char"ed and shot by police>military D or another white28an disappearance. Mr. Sunil found himself released! unharmed. The &anathamulla protest not only forced the maraudin" 5aBapaksas to take a step back. It also compelled the Apposition into unaccustomed acti8ity. The 4E6 is acti8ely assistin" the communityF 5anil &ickremesin"he 'and Garu 4ayasuriya/ actually 8isited Mr. Sunils home. The white28annin" of Mr. Sunil! a Sinhalese! teaches us that abductions are not Bust a Tamil problem or a $orthern problem but a .ankan problem. &hite28annin" can befall any Sinhalese who! knowin"ly or unknowin"ly! displeases the Siblin"s. The 5eality of the 5aBapaksa .and2"rab In )*++! the 5aBapaksas introduced the Sacred 3reas 3ct ! "i8in" the Minister of 9uddha Sasana absolute powers to take o8er any pri8ately2owned land! by simply declarin" it a 6rotection! -onser8ation! 3rchitectural or istoric or Sacred 3rea. This attempt at le"alisin" land2"rabbin" failed because a Supreme -ourt bench headed by -4 Shirani 9andaranayke decreed that the 9ill needed the consent of all pro8incial councils as land is a de8ol8ed subBect. The Hastern 6- opposed the 9ill! forcin" the re"ime to withdraw it. &ithin months the H6- was 'prematurely/ dissol8ed and the impeachment tra8esty tar"etin" the -4 launched. Sellin">leasin" land is a fa8ourite 5aBapaksa method of makin" a Iuick2buck. Their ille"al land2"rabbin" is not limited to -olombo. Hn8ironmental or"anisations are protestin" about the "radual destruction of the $ila"ala forest reser8e! belie8ed to be Gin" 9uddhadasas herbal "ardenC @The lands are bein" made fallow by the use of weedicide! di8ided and sold! one acre for around 5s. +*!***% . -oncerned or"anisations and citi1ens ha8e be"un to ordain trees in a desperate attempt to pre8ent this wanton destruction . 9ellanwila wetlands are bein" destroyed! reportedly by the <D3 while a plan to build a new city by denudin" the MuturaBawela wetlands is bein" hatched . This week! the 5aBapaksas tried to brin" in the -asino 3ct throu"h the backdoor. Two of the areas set aside for the use of 4ames 6acker and other casino2mo"uls are 4ustice 3kbar Mawatha and Glennie Street. The le"al residents of Glennie Street were e8icted some years a"oF they are still waitin" for the new houses promised to them . The same fate will befall the residents of 4ustice 3kbar Mawatha. .on"2time le"al residents of -olombo are bein" e8icted! to make room for casinosJ &anathamulla is not a shantie but a tenement2"arden 'watte/. Shanties are ille"al settlements. Tenement "ardens are le"al settlementsF many initially belon"ed to lar"e landowners. 3s Sirisena -ooray e?plained! @Durin" the early days under the Municipal Ardinance the landlord was held responsible for the maintenance of these "ardens. The houses had to be colour2washed annually. The Municipality used to be 8ery strict in the obser8ance of these laws. Gradually thin"s deteriorated because the landlords started bribin" the municipal employees. The situation "ot e8en worse when the "o8ernment took o8er the houses D because there was no one responsible for their maintenance.% (rom +0KK! the <$6 started "i8in" tenants ownership of their houses 'for a nominal payment/ and pro8idin" them with basic facilities! includin" water! electricity and sanitation 'with <$I-H( support/. This slum2clearance throu"h up"radin" 'rather than e8iction/ approach stemmed from two reasons. -olombos poor formed a key component of the <$6s electoral2 base and 5anasin"he 6remadasas support2base. The <$6 'especially Mr. 6remadasa/ realised

that shelter was a socio2economic and a psycholo"ical need! which was of paramount importance in pre8entin" indi8idual and societal instability. Today most tenement2"ardens ha8e well2built! spacious 'multi2storeyed/ houses! a result of state support and indi8idual initiati8e plus Middle Hast money. 9ut accordin" to 5aBapakse world8iew! -olombos poor are aliens! socially! sociolo"ically and often ethno2reli"iously! and undesirable! politically and electorally. 6lus they occupy lands the Siblin"s need to sell>lease. Ance the class2cleansin" of -olombo is completed! the 5aBapaksas will turn to the rest of the country. 9y that time the practice of ille"ally e?propriatin" pri8ate land sans compensation for de8elopment purposes would be a well2established habit. 3s per 6astor $iemLllers uni8ersal dictum! the middle classes and e8en the wealthy will realise their predicament too late. @In no way is one life to be re"arded as akin to another life%! was an a?iom of $a1i Bustice . Those who think that -olombos poor do not ha8e the same ri"hts as other .ankans is endan"erin" their own ri"hts. The people of &anathamulla are not Bust fi"htin" for themsel8esF they are fi"htin" for us as well. &e can for"et uni8ersal nature of Bustice and our common humanity only at our future peril.