Episode 2: Bloody Pearl
It was conventional British colonial policy to look for minorities in colonised territories to use them where possible as the administrative class. Minorities, like the Tamils in Sri Lanka, tended to be more amenable to be used in this fashion because at times this strengthened their position in society. Following Sri Lanka’s independence from the British, the majority Sinhalese ethnic group take power. Racial tensions escalate, erupting in a war in 1983, with government sanctioned troops killing thousands of Tamil civilians as they attempt to suppress the Tamil Tiger movement. Priya and Nades are caught in the middle of it.
But what role does Australia play in this civil war? And Australia says things are better since the war ended in 2009, but what is it actually like for the people living there?
Media
Resources
Key Resources
Are you like Jay? Do you know nothing about Sri Lankan history or the war? Click here to get a quick (un)nuanced run through of its history before you get into the weeds with us!
People have many feelings about the Tamil Tigers, and its legacy is complex. Click here to get some insight.
If you want to know what the Permanent People’s Tribunal and the International Human Rights Association thought on what went on during the war, click here.
A lot happened during the ceasefire and the peace negotiations in Sri Lanka. Read the evaluation by the Chr. Michelsen Institute, University of London together with the School of Oriental and African Studies.
Check out some of the reporting by the International Truth and Justice Project on what life can be like in Sri Lanka.
Other references
History of Sri Lanka
https://pptsrilanka.org/accusations/crimes-against-peace/
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=437&dat=20060517&id=LkwzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AyUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=700,3444758&hl=en
https://frontline.thehindu.com/world-affairs/article30243662.ece
https://www.indexmundi.com/sri_lanka/demographics_profile.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/09/from-traitors-to-heroes-sri-lanka-pardons-19-who-resisted-british-rule
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/asia/2012-08-02/buddhists-behaving-badly
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24711006?read-now=1&oauth_data=eyJlbWFpbCI6ImppYW5sb25nb29pQGdtYWlsLmNvbSIsImluc3RpdHV0aW9uSWRzIjpbXX0&seq=1
https://web.archive.org/web/20080320050247/http://www.iccsus.org/IstConf/111.html
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24711006?read-now=1&oauth_data=eyJlbWFpbCI6ImppYW5sb25nb29pQGdtYWlsLmNvbSIsImluc3RpdHV0aW9uSWRzIjpbXX0&seq=8#page_scan_tab_contents
https://www.britannica.com/event/Sinhala-Only-Bill
https://hir.harvard.edu/sri-lankan-civil-war/
https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/remembering-1956-sri-lanka-s-first-anti-tamil-pogrom
https://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2007/02/070202_kandy_library
https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/history-flames-remembering-burning-jaffna-library
https://www.britannica.com/place/Sri-Lanka/Independent-Ceylon-1948-71
https://www.britannica.com/place/Sri-Lanka/The-Republic-of-Sri-Lanka#ref341603
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2009/4/28/the-history-of-the-tamil-tigers
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-23402727
https://sangam.org/pirapaharan-vol-2-chap-3-the-final-solution/
https://pearlaction.org/black-july-a-tamil-genocide/
https://www.sciencespo.fr/mass-violence-war-massacre-resistance/en/document/massacres-sri-lanka-during-black-july-riots-1983.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2009/4/28/the-history-of-the-tamil-tigers
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2004/3/3/splits-rise-among-tamil-tigers
Terrorism
https://www.ohchr.org/en/terrorism
https://www.militarystrategymagazine.com/article/clausewitzs-definition-of-war-and-its-limits/
Sri Lanka and the World
https://thediplomat.com/2022/07/how-australia-can-help-sri-lanka/
https://www.dfat.gov.au/international-relations/regional-architecture/quad
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/1325226.pdf
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/06/china-new-silk-road-explainer/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03086534.2022.2084932
https://www.britannica.com/place/Sri-Lanka/The-Republic-of-Sri-Lanka#ref341603
https://www.oecd.org/countries/srilanka/49035074.pdf
https://www.unhcr.org/3e954fb54.pdf
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07COLOMBO303_a.html
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/030914/
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/tg22#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20Department%20of%20State,13224.
https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/d/former/armitage/remarks/19615.htm
https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4a2cc67e2.pdf
https://euobserver.com/news/22264
http://permanentpeoplestribunal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Sentenza-Sri-Lanka-and-Tamil-II.pdf
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/071125/News/news00033.html
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09546553.2018.1432214
https://www.smh.com.au/national/devastation-in-sri-lanka-too-horrific-20041231-gdkemk.html
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/tigers-down-under/234813
https://brucehaigh.com.au/peoples-tribunal-on-sri-lanka/
https://www.theage.com.au/national/local-tamils-deny-funding-secessionist-brothers-20051125-ge1b7d.html
https://nautilus.org/apsnet/diaspora-dilemmas-australia-and-the-sri-lanka-conflict/
https://tamilnation.org/intframe/us/070515Lunstead_US_Role_in_SL_War.pdf
https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4a2cc67e2.pdf
https://itjpsl.com/assets/ITJP_death_toll_A4_v6.pdf
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/22/sri.lanka.victory.parade/index.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-04-22/tamils-rally-in-sydney-to-demand-sri-lankan/1659136
https://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-support-for-sri-lanka-hunger-strike-20090131-gdtbun.html
https://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/learn-about-genocide-and-other-mass-atrocities/what-is-genocide
People in Detention
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/16/australia-holding-people-in-immigration-detention-for-record-689-days-on-average-report-finds
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/1/8/refugee-diaries-10-years-in-immigration-detention-in-australia
Transcript
Thinesh
Hey friends, just a warning that this episode talks about war and has graphic descriptions of violence. Please take care whilst listening to this episode.
Jay
It’s 2001. Kylie’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head is hot on the radio waves; iTunes has just launched. And it’s the year of Anthrax, 9/11, and the start of the US’s war on terror.
Thinesh
It’s also the 18th year of the Sri Lankan civil war.
Nades
Between the Tamil and Sinhalese people, there were a lot of language problems, discrimination. A lot of Tamil people were killed. They were put in tires and burned alive; their lives were taken in front of our eyes. Our land was occupied. Even though I was young, I had no choice but to witness this. I knew that these things happened.
Thinesh
There is no shortage of stories of the Sri Lankan civil war, especially from Tamil people in the North and East. And for people like Priya and Nades, this is what they’ve known for most of their lives.
Priya
There were people in military trucks shooting out from both sides.
Nades
There was a Pucara…
Thinesh
A ground attack aircraft.
Nades
…that dropped a bomb on us. I was wounded.
Thinesh
But 2001 is also the year where a ceasefire commences.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
And that was maybe the only time in the entire history, since 1948, where there was actually the possibility for a just resolution.
Thinesh
But not everyone cares about peace. Other countries have their own agenda in this war. So, what happens if peace isn’t reached?
Jay
And how does this affect Priya and Nades? What actually causes them to leave for Australia?
Thinesh
You’re about to find out…
Titles
You Have Been Told a Lie. To stop the deportation of a Tamil family. Let them in, let them stay. Protecting Australia’s borders, hypocrisy. Detained on Christmas Island. The United Nations Convention on Refugee’s. This is our Country. We are a generous open-hearted people.
Thinesh
I’m Thinesh Thillainadarajah.
Jay
I’m Jay Ooi.
Thinesh
This is episode 2, Bloody Pearl.
Jay
Thinesh, I have to admit, before starting work on this series I didn’t even know Sri Lanka had a civil war.
Thinesh
Which is like, crazy to me, considering one of your best friends is Tamil and the war literally went on for over 25 years.
Jay
I’m sorry! It just must not have been reported much in the Australian news. That or I didn’t really follow the news.
Thinesh
Or you don’t really care about me, let’s be real.
Jay
Aww.
Thinesh
Let’s be real - you don’t really follow the news! But I digress. I think the sort of reporting we usually see, particularly in the west, is this sort of good guys vs bad guys, rebels vs the officials, terrorists vs the government kind of reporting.
Jay
But I’m guessing there’s more to it than that?
Thinesh
War and history is always complex, but I think it’s important to at least get an overview, because it’s the reason Priya and Nades both fled Sri Lanka.
Jay
Okay, so who was the war between?
Thinesh
It’s broadly between the Sri Lankan government, and an organisation known as The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also known as the LTTE or the Tamil Tigers.
Jay
Ah that’s the group Nades was a part of! So how did this war start?
Thinesh
You are about to find out. Sri Lanka crash course here we go!
Thinesh
So, Sri Lanka’s this island just southeast of India
Jay
Yeah, I knew that bit, it’s roughly the size of Tasmania, right?
Thinesh
Yeah, but I don’t want to assume anything with you Jay.
Jay
Harsh but fair.
Thinesh
It’s made up of a few main ethnicities - the Sinhalese who account for around 3 quarters of the population, Eelam Tamils who are just over 10% of the population, and Moors, who are just under 10% of the population. Priya and Nades, as well as myself, are Eelam Tamil, and the Sri Lankan Government is pretty much run by the Sinhalese at the time of the war.
Jay
Okay, Priya and Nades are Tamil, the government run by the majority Sinhalese. So…it’s an ethnic war?
Thinesh
Yeah, partially….
Jay
And what are they fighting over?
Thinesh
Be patient Jay! There’s a bit we need to establish first. So, the British colonise the island in 1815, but they can’t run the country all by themselves. So, the British do something a bit sneaky and strategic.
Damien Kingsbury
It was conventional British colonial policy to look for minorities in colonized territories, and to use them where possible as the administrative class.
Thinesh
This is Damien Kingsbury, Emeritus Professor of Deakin University.
Damien Kingsbury
Minorities would tend to be more amenable to be used in this fashion because they were minorities, and that, if you like, strengthened their position relative to ethnic majorities in those colonized areas.
Jay
When we say minorities, we are talking about Tamil people here?
Thinesh
Yeah, absolutely.
Jay
So, giving Tamil people disproportionate power over the majority Sinhalese population would feel like favouritism? I don’t imagine the majority Sinhalese took it well.
Thinesh
Yeah, and when the British hand back independence to the island in 1948, the Sinhalese are looking to shift the balance. They take power by pure numbers.
Damien Kingsbury
If they were to the as an ethnic block they would, by definition, have a majority.
Thinesh
And you have this sort of Sinhalese nationalism that’s starting to come out.
Damien Kingsbury:
The Sinhalese in Sri Lanka have fused their understanding of being Sinhalese with their religious belief, Theravada Buddhism, and their conception of nationalism. They've regarded the Tamils by way of contrast, and Muslims, as being, if you like, interlopers. As being, at best, visitors in their land, not being genuine citizens in the sense that they constructed nationalism around a Sinhalese Buddhist identity.
Thinesh
And so, the Sinhalese start to enact all these things to disenfranchise everyone else. Here’s Umesh Perinpanayagam, who was a researcher at the University of Auckland on…
Umesh Perinpanayagam
…how to characterise the crimes committed against the Tamils in Sri Lanka. One of the first acts that was implemented by the new government was to disenfranchise about 800,000 of those million workers.
Jay
And are these workers Tamil?
Thinesh
Indian Tamil labourers brought to Sri Lanka by the British, so sort of yes but sort of no.
Thinesh
And now that the Sinhalese are in power, they’re basically over correcting for centuries of colonisation, so…
Umesh Perinpanayagam
So, then in 1956 they passed the so-called Sinhala Only Act.
Jay
I’m guessing that makes Sinhalese the official language?
Thinesh
At the exclusion of Tamil.
Damien Kingsbury
That automatically excluded a lot of ethnic Tamils from government positions which they had previously occupied. Also from educational opportunities, which were regarded as very important by most Tamils.
Thinesh
And two years later, there are riots because of this. Now the impact of the Sinhala Only Act changes over time,
Damien Kingsbury
But it was indicative of the view helmed by many Sinhalese that, Tamils were really only guests in what should have been a Sinhalese country that was preserved, moreover, for Theravada Buddhism.
Thinesh
Tamils take to the streets and peacefully protest with very little luck.
Jay
So, I’m guessing it escalates?
Thinesh
Yeah. You have the burning of the Jaffna library one of the biggest libraries in Asia, Not only is this done by a pro Sinhalese mob, but also in the presence of two Sinhalese cabinet members. And of course it’s in the north, which is a Tamil area. And things continue to escalate until…
Damien Kingsbury
Eventually it devolved to a point where many Tamils asked for independence or many Tamils demanded independence. That then spilled over into conflict, and eventually into Civil War.
Thinesh
Damien Kingsbury
It's conventional, if you like, in these sorts of situations for there to be unity for their to be one voice representing the people.
Jay
But what actually started the war?
Thinesh
Jay
The Sinhalese are rioting I’m guessing?
Thinesh
Not just that, but government ministers are seen directing people to attack Tamil civilians and their properties, including people who had nothing to do with the Tigers. The riots destroy shops and homes, families are burned alive.
Within the week of riots, 150,000 Tamils are displaced, at least 500 Tamil women were raped, and at least 3,000 Tamils lives were lost.
But interestingly, the Sri Lankan government put the death toll at around 300.
Five days after the start of the riots, President Jayawardene, who is Sinhalese, makes his address to the nation. He says the, “the time had come to “appease the natural desires, and requests of the Sinhalese people, to prevent the country from being divided […]”
Jay
So basically, siding with the violent mob, and offering no sympathy for the huge number of Tamils displaced
Thinesh
Now this period is what is often referred to as “Black July”.
Jay
So, you have this ongoing discrimination against the non-Sinhalese people that’s embedded and institutionalised, and it just gets worse and worse until Black July in 1983, and now there’s a civil war. You have the Tamil Tigers fighting for their own land and statehood so they can self-govern, and you have the Sri Lankan Government trying to take control of the whole island nation.
Thinesh
Yeah, and this is where you see the first wave of Tamil migration to Australia - this group consisted of Tamils who would meet the criteria for skilled migration and a small number of Tamils who were accepted on humanitarian grounds.
But it’s within this context of war where Nades and Priya are growing up.
Nades
We were 7 kids. I was the youngest child. Growing up, I was doted on.
Jay
Doted?
Thinesh
So, the word that Nades actually says is ‘Chellam’.
Thinesh
So, Chellam is one of those Tamil words that are difficult to translate into English. It’s almost like the favourite child; I’d compare it to the story of Joseph and his brothers in the Bible.
Jay
Like technicolour dream coat Joseph?
Thinesh
I mean like, only you would understand that reference to Andrew Lloyd Webber Joseph as opposed to the Bibles Joseph.
Jay
Yes! So, are you a Chellam?
Thinesh
Obviously, I am my Appa’s Chellam.
Jay
Aww that’s so cute! Can I be a Chellam too?
Thinesh
Yes, you can.
Jay
Actually, I don’t think I am. I don’t think there’s a favourite in my family.
Thinesh
Yeah, there is and, it’s your brother!
Jay
Probably true.
Thinesh
The thing is, you can tell that Nades was the Chellam of the family - he is so softly spoken and is like a “can I make you tea”, “no problems of course” kind of guy.
Jay
So as Nades is growing up, what is the war like for him?
Nades
I still remember they had rounded up this guy in my village, beat him in front of me, put a tire around him, poured gasoline on him, and burned him alive.
Jay
And the people doing this - that’s the Sri Lankan armed forces and their associates?
Thinesh
Correct. Now, Nades was living with his family in an LTTE controlled area, where the tigers effectively ran a de facto state. They provided public services like police, courts, and schools.
Jay
So, instead of complaining to your local government about like those potholes in the road, you would be going to the Tamil Tigers for assistance?
Thinesh
I don’t think people are worried about potholes to that extent but to answer your question, a bit of yes and a bit of no.
Jay
So where do the Tamil Tigers get their money from?
Thinesh
From a shit tonne of different sources - funds from the diaspora, real estate, business, and collecting money from locals - almost like a tax.
Nades
We had been giving money regularly to the Tamil Tigers. A family member had to join the Tigers, or you had to give them money. That’s how we lived.
I think we had been giving money for about 5 or 6 years. I was young so I don't fully remember, but at some point, we stopped giving money. Remember though, there were 7 kids in the family. So, when we went to the temple, I was taken by the Tigers. They said you have to join the movement; you can’t go home. You must join.
Jay
So instead of a monetary payment, Nades’ family paid with a human?
Thinesh
Yeah, um, with their Chellam.
Jay
I think I do know better, but this kind of sounds like forced labour or indoctrination.
Thinesh
Look, I think that’s very easy for us to say in our safe, cushy Australian homes where we’re not hiding from bombs every other day, but in times of war, conscription isn’t really that uncommon. Here’s Damien Kingsbury again.
Damien Kingsbury
Young Tamil men, in particular, were required to perform military service. Families often would accept that their young men would have to join the LTTE for a period of time and serve with it, in order for them to be able to just get along with life.
Jay
But this isn’t like the “government” conscripting people, it’s like, a military group forcing people to join them.
Thinesh
Well, what’s the difference between the Tigers’ conscripting people vs the Sri Lankan government? I think this comes back to that whole rhetoric around the LTTE being painted as terrorists.
Damien Kingsbury
I don't think the word 'terrorism' is very helpful in trying to understand political organizations. It means, in most contexts, to compel people to a course of action through the use of violence. Interestingly, that is also the definition of war, as outlined by Carl n Clausewitz, the great theoretician of war. In one sense, there's no difference. The difference is, I think, that where the people engaged in the violent activity are non-state actors. States claim legitimacy and they say by consequence if they are legitimate... And anyone opposing who is a non-state actor is illegitimate.... If they're legitimate, then they use labels like terrorism and so on.
Jay
So, we see the Sri Lankan army as legit because they’re like officially state sanctioned, but if it weren’t for that, they’re not really more legitimate or “right” than the LTTE?
Thinesh
Right, and the LTTE are kind of functioning as the government in the North and East anyway, so asking people to help fight for their land isn’t always seen as a horrendous or inhumane act. I think Nades puts it quite well.
Nades
I had already seen some horrific things in Sri Lanka, so this didn't seem like a big deal. They were only fighting for our land and our struggle, so okay. I wasn't scared, I didn’t try to escape from the Tigers. It was okay.
I wasn’t actively looking to join, but here it was, right in front of me. It’s like, I quickly realised I had a chance to be a part of the Tigers, and this needed to be done. And I accepted.
Thinesh
Now he’s in the LTTE for around 11 years, and…
Nades
There are many things that I can't discuss or disclose openly for my own safety.
Thinesh
But Nades does talk about doing things like preparing food and organising the basic needs for LTTE soldiers. A few years into being a Tamil Tiger, and he’s yet to see his family. The thing is, this is the early 90’s where mobile phones aren’t really a thing. So, he does this really “Chellam” thing where he plays a prank on his mum.
Nades
My mom had missed the bus, and I saw her walking. She didn't realise who I was. I asked her, where are you going? She said that I have a son that I am going to see.
Jay
How cheeky of Nades!
Thinesh
Nades directs his mum to a nearby house saying, ‘this is where your son will be’ and leaves her there. But someone ruins it by accidentally revealing who he is to his mum.
Nades
Someone told her, “The guy that just dropped you here is your son!” As soon as I came back, she hugged me and said “you couldn’t even take the time to tell me it was you, my son. I haven’t seen you in so long, so I came to find you, and you couldn't even tell me that it was you, you rascal!”
Jay
I love that even during like a literal war, Nades is still trying to find ways to play little practical jokes.
Thinesh
Right? It’s so cute!
Jay
So, Chellam!
Thinesh
So, Chellam!
Thinesh
But, for Nades the war is becoming too much. It’s been going on his whole life, it’s completely broken up his family, and for what?
Nades
There was a rift between the Batticaloa and Jaffna leaderships of the Tigers. They had different objectives. It wasn’t even worth talking about trying to fix it. At one point we were all together hoping to win, but that wasn’t going to happen anymore.
Thinesh
He couldn’t see how it was going to lead to peace. He reaches a breaking point where…
Nades
I didn't feel like I could fix any of the problems, so I felt like the only choice was to leave to another country.
Thinesh
So, Nades attempts to leave Sri Lanka for Qatar.
Nades
When you join the Tamil Tigers, you’re given a new name by them.
Thinesh
He leaves using his birth name and goes to Qatar, then Kuwait, and back to Qatar for work. Each time though, he has to come back through Sri Lanka first.
Jay
How is he getting in and out of the country so freely?
Thinesh
He says it’s all through an agency.
Nades
It was a Muslim guy who would give money to people in the airport who would end up providing clearance to people who are travelling.
Jay
Ah….so essentially paying people off so that he can get on a plane.
Thinesh
More or less.
Jay
Wait, is this what Peter Dutton was talking about when he said Nades had travelled in and out of the country?
Thinesh
You mean when he made the false claim! Nades left a country multiple times, it’s just that country was Sri Lanka, not Australia. Now the second time he comes back to Sri Lanka…
Nades
I had been arrested in Batticaloa.
Thinesh
Which is a major city on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. His name is blacklisted there, which means it’s really hard to find work or shelter, like life is difficult enough under war conditions but it’s even harder now. Then the third time he comes back, he’s arrested again.
Nades
They said I wasn't allowed to leave the country, that they had my fingerprints and had provided these to the airport. If I tried to leave, the airport would identify me. They said, “if we catch you alive at the airport, your family won’t even know where to find your dead body.”
Jay
I’m guessing that’s why he decides to come to Australia on a boat?
Thinesh
Well yes, but before we get to that, let’s catch up on Priya’s life.
Jay
Of course, of course, okay, Priya.
Thinesh
So, for the first part of Priya’s life, it’s actually pretty good.
Priya
Until I was 14, I was the only girl. I was born in 76. my younger sister was born in 90 so I was an only child for a long time. I grew up in a loving family and we lived a very happy life.
Jay
And then, let me guess, the war happened?
Thinesh
You know it. And like Nades and all the other Tamils in the region, Priya has also seen some horrific things happen at the hands of the Sri Lankan government.
Priya
At that time, people who did the wrong thing would have their throats sliced and they'd be hung. This was around 86, 87, 88. My older brother and I were little kids. One day when we were coming home from school, we saw some people who had two guys with them covered in a sarong. These people had a knife, and with the flick of a button, the blade flung open and sliced one of the guy’s throats. We screamed and ran home. Hearing our screams, my mum met us halfway. We couldn’t go to school for a week after.
Jay
Wait, the Sri Lankan armed forces are executing people on the streets in front of children?
Thinesh
Well, Priya and her family are living in the midst of a war, so this kind of violence would not be unusual.
Priya
Our house was only 1km from an army camp. There were frequent shootings. Someone was found shot in a well near us. I had gotten injured. My dad had also gotten injured in his eye and had problems with one side of his body. When a bomb went off, my father, little brother and I were all injured. We had surgery in Colombo - I had pieces of shrapnel in my hip that were removed before we went to India.
We could not live like this, the army frequently searched for my dad, they also kept my mum and dad in a camp. They always came to our house, just searching.
Thinesh
Then someone who was on the cards for an arranged marriage to Priya is burned alive.
Priya
There were 4 others who were captured with him. They put shopping bags over their heads, a tire around them, and burned them alive. The smell of burning human flesh lingered for a really long time.
Thinesh
He doesn’t survive, and because Priya is associated with him, people start gossiping about why this happened to Priya and her family. What is it about Priya that brought this on him?
Jay
Like, because he’s killed, by association, she’s cursed.
Thinesh
Right. And things get that bad that Priya’s family decide to flee to India.
Priya
We left everything behind.
My mom's youngest sister and her were inseparable. We all had gotten in the car, and as we drove away, she ran after the car as far as my eyes could see. Even today, I cannot forget this memory.
Thinesh
Priya never saw this aunty again. Now things in India aren’t necessarily better. Priya’s family are living in a refugee camp, and whilst they’re not in the middle of a warzone, they’re not safe yet. They would have to report into a special police unit, known as Q Branch, who were often tasked with anti-terrorism objectives. Q Branch would hold their immigration status over them, so they never felt safe.
Priya
We were there as asylum seekers, so we didn’t have any rights. We needed to register our details with the local police, the Q Branch. We also needed to report to them where we lived on a monthly basis. They would harass and question us about who was visiting us. They would repeatedly say that they are going to send us back to Sri Lanka. So, we understood that even in India, we aren’t safe. So, my younger brother and I made a decision to find safety.
Thinesh
Now while all of this is going on, you have Australia.
Jay
What are we doing?
Niro Kandasamy
So I think for Australia, at least, having Sri Lanka as a key neighbour within its region, within the Indian ocean region, which Australia is also a part of was crucial, both militarily, you know for economic reasons and political reasons as well.
Thinesh
That’s Dr Niro Kandasamy
Niro Kandasamy
I'm a lecturer in history at the University of Sydney.
Jay
But wait, why is Sri Lanka a key neighbour? And why is it important in the Indian Ocean?
Thinesh
Well, I mean if you look at Australia on a map, Sri Lanka is one of our closer neighbours in the Indian Ocean, and it’s kind of an access point into the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Niro Kandasamy
Sri Lanka has always been highly strategic for a lot of Western nations, because of where it's located. You know there are really significant ports in Sri Lanka. During World War Two, ports in Sri Lanka were used by the British, and that kind of thinking has continued even after World War Two.
Jay
All this talk of ports, what is the significance of ports?
Umesh Perinpanayagam
In the current context you can say that the major trading routes for China all go past the island.
Thinesh
That’s researcher Umesh again.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
Trincomalee Harbor, which is in the traditional Tamil-speaking area, is one of the best ports in the Indian Ocean region, one of the best deep seaports, which historically colonial powers have recognised its importance.
Jay
What makes it such a good port?
Umesh Perinpanayagam
Thinesh
This one harbour was sought after by the Portuguese, then the Dutch, then the French, and then the British, all within a few hundred years. Even after the British handed over independence to the island, they held onto Trincomalee for another 9 years because of its strategic position. The US even used it as an air base in World War II.
Jay
Okay, got it, it’s a very good port.
Niro Kandasamy
I think the fact that we now know the significance of the ports in Sri Lanka makes it important for Australia to, on behalf of the west, maintain useful relations with Sri Lanka.
Thinesh
Okay, so hold that thought, we’ll come back to ports and Trinco in a bit.
Now part way through the war, in 2002, peace negotiations started happening between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
There was a formal ceasefire agreement signed in 2002, February 2002. And then there was six rounds of peace talks in various places around the world.
Thinesh
It was quite a group effort with various countries involved in different parts of the talks, all trying to put forward their own version of peace.
The US though, make it every clear that there would be no self-governing of the north and east. The Sri Lankan government had to have control over the entire Island.
Jay
The US are throwing their weight around a bit hey, but it’s good that they’re even talking about what peace could look like.
Thinesh
My family and I actually went back to Sri Lanka around this time!
Jay
Oh, really what? What was it like?
Thinesh
I mean going to the North was like crossing a border - but we didn’t have any issues at this time. It was all fine - I think the most notable thing I remember was my parents and I going to what was like a customs interview, where they asked us questions about what we were doing overseas, what I was studying, and how I would contribute to Tamil Eelam in the future. My parents then paid a donation of some sort, and that was that.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
in this period, there was actually a decrease in the number of refugees leaving the island and some refugees were coming back to the islands. Yeah, I've met some refugees in Australia who, during that period, went back to the island from India.
Jay
Wait, so the ceasefire and the hope of peace actually meant less people were fleeing Sri Lanka as Refugees? And so, if peace talks succeeded, it would have solved one of Australia’s current “problems” of Tamil refugees fleeing to Australia?
Thinesh
It would yes, but it would also mean no access to Trincomalee for the US and Australia.
Jay
Right, so we’re back to ports. So, Trinco is that important?
Thinesh
For sho. Now keep in mind, this is all happening post 9/11. Terrorism has taken on a whole new meaning.
The US, along with the help of Australia, has invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, and during the process, they realise they could really use a good port like Trinco.
Jay
What do they want it for?
Thinesh
Well according to diplomatic cables on Wikileaks, the US wanted to use Sri Lanka, as a strategic location, in its focus on Asia.
The problem is, Trinco was surrounded by the Tigers.
Jay
…so, in order to access it, they need the Sri Lankan government to defeat the LTTE.
Thinesh
That’s right.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
…so one of the features of the LTTE is that they had a naval force. So, their existence essentially precluded the US.
Jay
So, what do the US do?
Thinesh
At a high level, the US takes a two-pronged approach. Firstly,
Umesh Perinpanayagam
So, the US had prescribed the LTTE as a terrorist organization in 97 under this legislation, the foreign terrorist organization.
Thinesh
This is of course before 9/11, but there’s a key meeting that’s held in the US in 2003, this one specifically about joint aid between the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government. Now because the Tamil Tigers are still a terrorist organisation in the US, their representatives aren’t able to obtain visas, so they can’t attend this key meeting.
Jay
I mean its a bit hard to discuss joint aid when one of the two parties involved isn’t there.
Thinesh
Exactly. It completely undermines the concept that both parties are equal in the peace process.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
Major countries in the EU were willing to support this joint kind of a joint approach to delivering aid, but the US didn't want that to happen.
Thinesh
The US continuously work to destabilise the balance by not only favouring the Sri Lankan government, but also…
Umesh Perinpanayagam
Thinesh
Even when the facilitators of the peace negotiation advise against this. This put the nail in the coffin in terms of both parties having the same ability to negotiate.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
And two months later, the government of Sri Lanka launched its full-scale war.
Thinesh
But while this is all going on, in the background, the US is also…
Umesh Perinpanayagam
…training Sri Lankan Special Forces on the island.
Jay
Ah, the second prong.
Thinesh
Now outwardly, the US expressly state that they support the peace negotiations. But behind the scenes, the US is training the Sri Lankan government’s military, and is donating equipment to them. They recommend the Sri Lankan government secure Trinco to give them an upper hand in the war.
Jay
And once peace negotiations fall through, the Sri Lankan army take Trinco?
Thinesh
Just like the US recommended.
Jay
And what about Australia in all of this?
Umesh Perinpanayagam
Yeah, so, so essentially Australia took the same line as the US during this period.
Thinesh
So, for example, in 2001 Australia bans the tigers as a terrorist organisation. Even back in 96, the Australian government refused to meet with Tamil groups unless they disowned the Tigers. Plus,
Umesh Perinpanayagam
There was an organization called the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization
Thinesh
Umesh Perinpanayagam
and Australia refused to give money to that, which was the same position of the US. But if you look at like EU countries, many EU countries gave money to the TRO. New Zealand gave money to the TRO…
Thinesh
UNICEF even donates the equivalent of almost 1.5million Aussie dollars to the TRO. Other governments, including Norway, agree to fund them directly. But, Australia identifies the TRO as funding the Tigers, which prevents fundraising. The US goes so far as to freeze the TRO’s assets because it considers the TRO a support network of the Tigers.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
There was a difference in policy between Western states and Australia was aligned with the US basically during the peace process.
Thinesh
Even one of our diplomats who was posted in Sri Lanka said that as a result of US pressure, Australia banned fundraising for the Tigers, harassing local members of the Tamil community in the process. The Australian Federal Police raided the homes of people alleged to be fundraising for the Tigers. In May 2007, they arrested Tamils living in Australia with terrorism charges.
In the same year, a bilateral trade agreement was concluded between Australia and Sri Lanka worth $232 million dollars per year.
Jay
So very one sided really, it’s just a demonisation of the Tamil Tigers and anyone who could be associated with them.
Thinesh
The war in Sri Lanka continues; the US continues to train Sri Lankan troops in order to take down the Tigers, and the Sri Lankan armed forces continue to take over more and more of the Tiger controlled areas. This escalates all the way up until late 2008. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped on a tiny strip of land called Mullivaikkal.
Jay
If you look it up on google maps like I did, it’s about 1km in width, surrounded by a lagoon to the west, and the open ocean to the east. So, what happens at Mullivaikkal?
Thinesh
Both sides, the Tigers, and the Sri Lankan armed forces, commit horrific war crimes. With respect to the Tigers, as Professor Kingsbury puts it,
Damien Kingsbury
…it did kill some civilians, there's no doubt about that. But it did see that as part of its broader purpose of trying to create an independent Tamil state. And by the same token, the Sri Lankan government used indiscriminate violence on a number of occasions, killing many civilians. Particularly, at the end of the war, in the last few months, some 40,000 civilians were killed by the Sri Lankan government.
Thinesh
News reporting
…that 150,000 Tamil civilians are being coralled in a corner the size of Central Park in Manhattan and being shelled by Sri Lankan troops…
Thinesh
…including hospitals and a UN hub. The Sri Lankan government says it’s only 9,000.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
My government precise and well co-ordinated humanitarian operation has succeeded in rescuing almost all civilians who were being used as human shields by the LTTE.
Thinesh
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
I’m proud to announce that my government has, in an unprecendented humanitarian operation, finally defeated the LTTE militarily.
Thinesh
For Tamil people, this day is marked as Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day, to commemorate the thousands of lives lost at the hands of the Sri Lankan government. But for the rest of Sri Lanka this is something that’s celebrated. Many people took to the streets to mark the end of a decades long war.
News reporting
In the capital Colombo, celebrations erupted on the streets as the government made it's announcement that the Tigers had been defeated.
Jay
And how was the rest of the world reacting?
Thinesh
There were protests all over the world.
London protest
We want freedom! We want freedom!
I have been in politics for 22 years. I have never seen a demonstration of this size in London.
Thinesh
In Australia, leading up to Mullivaikkal, a rally took place in front of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s residence in Sydney, urging our government to join the call for an immediate ceasefire. We even had five protestors commence a hunger strike, supported by 1000 others.
Jay
Woah, okay, so just to sum up, there could have actually been peace between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government. And this peace would have meant no Mullivaikkal, no slaughtering of 100,000 people, and no further war for another three years.
Plus, it would have meant the Tamil people in Sri Lanka have a land they can call their own, which they could self-govern. And it would essentially stop Tamil people fleeing by boat to Australia as asylum seekers.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
None of them would have come because basically the large outflow of asylum seekers to Australia were the ones that arrived by sea all started after 2009 or in the lead up to the final massacre.
Jay
Like, isn’t that what we want?
Thinesh
Some would say yes. But like the US, Australia’s idea of peace likely would not have included any type of separate Tamil state and there’s a lot we don’t know.
But what we do know is Australia had a huge problem with anything supporting the Tigers. We also know Australia has strong ties with the US that goes back decades, and we saw how pressure from the US impacted Tamils living in Australia. Plus, we also helped the US with their “war on terror” in both Afghanistan and Iraq. And this war on terror highlights how Sri Lanka and Trinco could be strategically important to the US.
Jay
So now with Australian troops in Afghanistan, it wouldn’t make much sense for Australia to go against US interests. I can’t see a world where Australia genuinely supports a separate Tamil state.
Thinesh
That would be my take as well, and Umesh’s.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
And the Australian position aligned with what the US was doing. So, in this regard, Australia should be held responsible for creating this refugee situation.
Jay
So now, Australia is faced with forced migration of Tamil asylum seekers arriving by boat to our shores, which our government does not want. Which then causes Australia to further rely on the Sri Lankan government to try and stop Tamils fleeing to Australia.
Umesh Perinpanayagam
So, it's the height of hypocrisy to destroy the peace that Tamils were enjoying or had so much hope in, and then after 2009, start doing everything they can to stop those people fleeing from a situation which they had an important part in creating.
Jay
That…is wild.
Thinesh
Right? Now many also consider what the Sri Lankan government did a genocide.
Jay
What exactly is a genocide?
Thinesh
It’s a term that only came about to describe the Nazi policies in the Holocaust. As Professor Kingsbury puts it.
Damien Kingsbury
It does have a particular meaning in international law, which is the destruction or attempted destruction of a people or a culture, in whole or in part. So, by that definition, what happened to the Tamil people over a period of time could be considered genocide.
Jay
But wait a minute, getting back to Nades and Priya, the civil war ends in May 2009. Nades and Priya don’t flee until 2012 and 2013. Are things not more stable after the civil war ends?
Thinesh
Well, think about it, you have these parts of Sri Lanka that are predominantly Tamil, and were previously controlled by the Tigers. There are still a lot of people who probably support what the Tigers were fighting for, so the Sri Lankan government can’t just let everybody go about their business.
Damien Kingsbury
Thousands and thousands of people were jailed and held in very poor conditions. Many people were murdered. There were widespread disappearances and a culture of disappearance. And that really did characterize the first couple of years after the war.
Jay
Okay, well, that definitely doesn’t sound great. But, I mean, things have to be a bit better now that the war is over, right?
Thinesh
Well, it depends on what you consider “better”. Sure, there aren’t shells going off around you all the time, but now the Tamil areas in the North and East are so heavily militarised. It’s like, the army moved in to secure an area during the war, and then they just never left.
Damien Kingsbury
It is, in effect, an occupied country in its own right, and the Tamil people do feel that they are being militarily occupied. Many of them have been moved or pushed out of their homes, their lands have been occupied forcibly. They feel discriminated against. The military acts as a defacto government in Tamil areas, yet the communication between the Tamils and the military, because the military is overwhelmingly Sinhalese, is very difficult. So, even though the war has finished, it's still like there's an army of occupation in the north of the country.
Thinesh
Which is just a very different picture to the image Sri Lanka is putting out into the world.
Tourism Ad
We’re multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious communities live in plural harmony as they have done in time in memorial.
Thinesh
So, it’s within this context that Nades and Priya decide to flee the country.
Jay
Right, so when we last left Nades, his passport had been seized, and he’d been told that if he tried to leave the country, he would be killed.
Nades
You will not be alive.
I didn't have any plans to come to Australia. But the opportunity came quickly to travel by sea as I couldn't go through an airport.
Thinesh
In 2012, Nades is put in touch with someone who said they can get him on a boat out of the country.
Nades
I had paid 3,200,000 SL rupees.
Jay
Which was around $22,000 AUD back then, or around $26,000 today adjusted for inflation.
Nades
They didn't tell us anything. They said there is a boat going to Australia. Do you want to go? That’s all they asked. We said okay. We were in a country that didn’t value our life. Australia wasn’t like that. If I went, I could settle there, and live my life safely. Rather than losing my life in Sri Lanka, I was hoping to save my life by getting on this boat.
I was used to boats so it wasn't a big deal for me. But a lot of other people were throwing up and had gotten sick. But I wasn't afraid of the ocean. I thought, “I am on a boat, but at least I’m alive.” The Sri Lankan navy are the ones who helped us get on the boat.
Jay
Wait, the Sri Lankan Navy? Like official government people?
Thinesh
I can confirm, you heard that correctly.
Nades
The government are the ones who helped Tamil people to leave on these boats because they don’t want us in the country. They had a list of names, and I would have been arrested if they could identify me. But it was night-time, and they couldn't identify any of us.
Jay
But I thought…I thought the Sri Lankan government were cooperating with Australia to stop asylum seekers coming on boats.
Thinesh
Yeah, I originally thought that too, and we’ll touch more on this later. But Nades even says the Sri Lankan Navy escorted his boat to international waters.
Nades
After they boarded everyone, we travelled quite a distance, maybe about 6 or 7 hours. At that point, the navy said "okay, you can continue on your journey, we will leave you here. We only came this far to make sure you get to this point.” After this we parted ways, and we continued on our journey.
Thinesh
Now for Priya, she’s been living in a refugee camp in India when her family tells her she should get on a boat.
Jay
So, Priya just, said, okay?
Thinesh
Yeah, in Tamil culture there is a strong sense of familial duty and honouring your parents. So, the cultural norms would include not going against your family’s wishes. At that time anyways, I wouldn’t...
Priya
They asked me to go so I went.
Thinesh
Priya was loaded onto a smaller boat that would take them to the larger boat. Her younger brother was meant to go with her, but…
Priya
So, once they had boarded us ladies onto the small boat, there was some issue when the navy arrived. This meant the men couldn't board. We were boarded in secret. Women were boarded onto the boat in a different area from the men.
Jay
So, Priya’s brother was meant to be on another boat?
Thinesh
Right, but her brother never made it on a boat. Only Priya did.
Priya
When I got on the boat, I only had clothes, and bedsheets. No food.
Thinesh
Priya is thrown on this boat.
Jay
Thrown?
Thinesh
Yeah, that’s how she describes it, and she says it’s like hell.
Priya
People were throwing up on top of each other. We couldn’t blame anyone. That's just how it was.
I started throwing up blood and was seriously unwell. Someone brought what I thought was water to me, so I drank it. Then someone told me that I had drunk out of a vessel that someone had vomited into. Then I looked at it, and sure enough there was vomit dripping off it. I will never forget this. It wasn’t easy to come on these boats.
Thinesh
Now there were 97 people on Priya’s boat, mostly women. Priya says there was water and food.
Jay
What sort of food?
Thinesh
Like congee
Jay
Ah like a rice porridge.
Thinesh
But they only had enough for 4-5 days, but nothing after that.
Jay
Not even water?
Thinesh
No water.
Priya
The salt in the winds and the extreme heat would make our mouths dry up.
Thinesh
They would collect rain on the tarps that were hung up, but sometimes the rainwater would be dirty.
Priya
There was no other choice, so we had to drink that water.
Thinesh
Priya’s boat was also falling apart. The rudder breaks 8 days in, and they had to tie a rope to the rudder to operate it.
Priya
So, on one side you pull the rope, the other side you turn the rope, another side you need to loosen it. It went on like this for 8 days, If the boat was in a good condition, the rudder would not have broken.
Jay
So, what about Nades?
Thinesh
Also, a similar experience. He had food for a couple of days…
Nades
They boiled us the leftover pumpkin. I threw up eating it. I only drank water after that. I thought, okay we will all die here on the ocean. Let's see what happens. Let's see whether I end up the dead in the ocean or alive in Australia.
The people on board were all about to faint, they had been throwing up repeatedly and no one could speak. They were all very sick. No one expected that we would arrive alive. I can recall people saying out loud they wouldn’t have gotten on this boat if it was going to be like this.
We were on a small boat with 99 people, and to sleep, we would lean on each other, if we needed to go to the toilet, we would have to step on people. It was a difficult journey, no one should have to experience this.
Thinesh
After 17 days for Nades, and 14 days for Priya, Nades finally nears Christmas Island, And Priya arrives at Cocos Islands.
Jay
Both external territories of Australia.
Thinesh
They are two of 578 boats that arrived on our shores between 2012 and 2013.
Nades
That is when I thought we will reach the shore, and I had faith once again that my life will be saved.
Thinesh
Little did they know that they were arriving in a country that has some of the toughest asylum seeker policies. A country that has kept people in detention for over 10 years. A country that will do almost anything to stop refugees from coming and staying.
Jay
Yet it’s also the country where they met and married and started a family, and where they established a life and community in Biloela. And it’s from this community that they were ripped away from on the 5th of March 2018. A community that would not stop until the family were back home safely in Biloela.
Thinesh
So how did they do it? That’s next on…
Credits
You have been told a lie.
Thinesh
Thoughts on today’s episode? Let us know over at @youhavebeentoldalie on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Because twitter has a character limit for its handles, find us @beentoldalie on twitter.
Jay
If you want to learn more about the history of Sri Lanka leading up to the civil war, the geo-political factors of the negotiations, and life in Sri Lanka post 2009, you can find links to those at our website youhavebeentoldalie.com, where you can also find all of our references and the transcript for this episode.
Thinesh
We note that asylum seekers experience a lot of trauma, not only before arriving at our borders, but also living in detention. This has an impact on recollection and details.
Jay
Due to the nature of Priya and Nades’s journey across borders, there are some aspects of their story that we will only ever know from their perspective. We have reached out to relevant parties where possible, and where comments were provided, a summary has been included.
Thinesh
This episode is written by Jay Ooi and produced by Jay Ooi and Thinesh Thillainadarajah me.
Jay
Audio editing by me, Jay Ooi.
Thinesh
Tamil translations by Thinesh Thillainadarajah and Neeraja Sanmuhanathan
Jay
Priya’s English translation is voiced by Emma Harvey and Nades’s English translation is voiced by Matthew Predny, who also composed the music you’re listening to right now.
Thinesh
The Consulting Producer is Rebekah Holt
Jay
Special thanks to Priya, Nades, Kopika, Tharnicaa, the HomeToBilo team, and the interviewees in this episode, Umesh Perinpanayagam, Damien Kingsbury, and Niro Kandasamy.
Thinesh
Thanks to Miles Martignoni, Jess Bineth, Cassandra Steeth, and Scott Spark for script and story advice, and Macarthur Amey for helping with research and fact checking.
Jay
This series is possible thanks to the Jesse Cox Audio Fellowship, thank you Que Minh Luu, Benjamin Law, Scott Spark, Jess Bineth, Kali Reid, Clare Holland, and the rest of the team.
Thinesh
There have been many people we’ve spoken to who have helped in so many ways, and many who have asked to remain anonymous. We see you and we thank you for your support.
Jay
This podcast was written, edited, and produced on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. We acknowledge all elders past, present, and emerging.
Thinesh
We also pay our respects to the traditional custodians of Gangulu country, where Biloela is now situated. This land were never ceded, always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
Thinesh
In the next episode, the family are held in Melbourne detention, where they’re told they can’t even make a phone call until they agree to leave the country.
Priya
3 days passed. In my mind, I thought, this is not going to work. I had decided, let’s sign the papers, get the number, and contact our lawyer because if we didn't sign it, we wouldn't be able to call anyone nor will we be able to do anything if they tried to deport us.
Jay
And the Biloela community are left shocked by the sudden disappearance of the family.
Bronwyn Dendle
You know, we’d been trying for 2 years to explain to the Government why this family needed to stay, and it made perfect sense to everybody.
Credits
Producer Jay Ooi and Thinesh Thillainadarajah
Consulting producer Rebekah Holt
Writer Jay Ooi
Audio editor Jay Ooi
Tamil translators Thinesh Thillainadarajah and Neeraja Sanmuhanathan
Priya’s English voice Emma Harvey
Nades’s English voice Matthew Predny
Credits music Matthew Predny
Interviewees Priya, Nades, Umesh Perinpanayagam, Damien Kingsbury, and Niro Kandasamy
Script & Story advice Miles Martignoni, Jess Bineth, Cassandra Steeth, and Scott Spark
Research & fact checking Macarthur Amey
This series is possible thanks to the Jesse Cox Audio Fellowship