"MULLAITIVU SAGA - exploring the textures of a planned genocide"
A video Documentary on last days of srilanakn war
‘Mullaitivu Saga’ an episode of planned massacre of the suppressed people in the name of Final War,
while most of the international human rights machinery remained a silent witness.
Incidentally the injustice is recounted through Mullaitivu Koothu played for the last time
in this very same historic land.
Camera Research direction S.SOMEETHARAN
Associate Directors N.MURUGAN / P.KAMALAKANNAN / ARAVIND. M
Editor B.PRAVINKUMAR
Music G. SHAYEEZ
Sound design NETAJI RANGANATHAN
Production Director ARAVIND.M
Produced by LEMURIA PICTURES
Email: someeth13@gmail.com / Mobile: 0091 9841380544
S. Someetharan is an audio visual journalist; working on different issues for the past 8 years. He started his career as a radio anchor in Colombo. In 2002 he moved to Tamil daily newspaper "Thinakural", Jaffna edition, reporting from Jaffna. He later joined to the English weekly ‘North-Eastern Herald’ in 2003 and served in its editorial board, working on social, cultural, political, and environmental issues across the island nation Later on as a freelance journalist he has penned several significant articles in the same areas for various publications. He has contributed his expertise in producing documentaries for the British Broadcasting Corporation in Sri Lanka. In 2004 he moved to Chennai, India and joined the Loyola College to further his studies in visual media. 'Burning Memories', his earlier film on the burning of Jaffna Library, set off waves among historical documentary films in South Asia, which documented the war scarred life of the library and the socio-political violence connected with it.
www.burningmemories.org
BACKGROUND
The Sri Lankan Civil war began officially in the mid 1983, with the Anti-tamil riots which left more than 3000 tamil civilians dead, but the discrimination, killings and oppression of Tamils and suppression of their political and socioeconomic rights have a long history which dates back to the time when the nation-state of Sri Lanka was created.
The last phase of the civil war saw the most intense massacres of Tamil civilians in the islands history, around 40,000 civilians got killed in a period of 5 months. The largest propotions of the dead civilians were killed in the beaches and lagoon lands of the Mullaitivu, due to the massive and intense bombardment from the Sri Lankan armed forces. This is a documentary which sheds light over the massive destruction of human lives and the environment caused by the last war. The documentary approaches the last phase in a way which scrutinize the genocidal character of the military offensive, which the Government termed "The Largest Humanitarian Rescue Mission In The World".
The documentary starts with the Kannaki kottu at the exact place in Mullaitivu where the government in May 2009, announced victory and the end of the civil war. Tens of thousand of civilians are left dead, and hundred thousands more wounded, battered and on their way to army run internment camps, the most basic form of justice, the acknowledgement of human loss, is neglected and rejected to the Tamils of Vanni and Mullaitivu. Kannaki is the epic heroine who fights for justice, who challenges the mighty king for his role in the execution of her husband. Kannaki is considered as the main deity of this land and has a significant role in the cultural practices of its people. In the epic, justice is achieved by Kannaki for the crime committed against her husband and her, but for the people of Mullaitivu, justice is rejected and blocked.
Through the documentary we will see that justice for the ones who got killed, who lost loved ones, who got injured and lost limbs in Mullaitivu, has been silenced and thus rejected. The epic justice of Kannaki which the people of this historic land have celebrated and cherished over centuries is unreachable for them when it is needed at its most. The documentary uses the kottu to contrast with the faith of the Mullaitivu people. In both circumstances a monstrous crime is committed against the powerless and the powerless challenge the powerful. Symbolized by Kannaki in the epic, the powerless attain justice over the powerful which are represented by the king and his court. In parallel, the people of Mullethivu fall victim to the seemingly endless and tenacious capacity of the Sri Lankan government to silence and block any form of justice from ever reaching them.
Justice for them can only be achieved through an externally and internationally monitored war crime investigation which will bring the individuals responsible for war crimes to trial. If found guilty a recognition of the crimes against these people will be acknowledged and the perpetuators will rightly be jailed. This is the only way of ensuring a basic feeling of security among the victims of the last offensive and to prevent such acts of inhumanity from happening again. A feel of security and justice grounded in that their pain and loss has been recognized and adequate justice provided with the powerful perpetuators punished.
Still the tens of thousands of tormented and restless souls lingers around Mullaitivu, awaiting their justice. Hundred thousands of civilians who escaped the war zone in the end, the ones who are incarnated in military run internment camps, the internally displaced and the inadequately resettled ones who struggles to revive their livelihood, are also awaiting justice.
www.burningmemories.org
BACKGROUND
The Sri Lankan Civil war began officially in the mid 1983, with the Anti-tamil riots which left more than 3000 tamil civilians dead, but the discrimination, killings and oppression of Tamils and suppression of their political and socioeconomic rights have a long history which dates back to the time when the nation-state of Sri Lanka was created.
The last phase of the civil war saw the most intense massacres of Tamil civilians in the islands history, around 40,000 civilians got killed in a period of 5 months. The largest propotions of the dead civilians were killed in the beaches and lagoon lands of the Mullaitivu, due to the massive and intense bombardment from the Sri Lankan armed forces. This is a documentary which sheds light over the massive destruction of human lives and the environment caused by the last war. The documentary approaches the last phase in a way which scrutinize the genocidal character of the military offensive, which the Government termed "The Largest Humanitarian Rescue Mission In The World".
The documentary starts with the Kannaki kottu at the exact place in Mullaitivu where the government in May 2009, announced victory and the end of the civil war. Tens of thousand of civilians are left dead, and hundred thousands more wounded, battered and on their way to army run internment camps, the most basic form of justice, the acknowledgement of human loss, is neglected and rejected to the Tamils of Vanni and Mullaitivu. Kannaki is the epic heroine who fights for justice, who challenges the mighty king for his role in the execution of her husband. Kannaki is considered as the main deity of this land and has a significant role in the cultural practices of its people. In the epic, justice is achieved by Kannaki for the crime committed against her husband and her, but for the people of Mullaitivu, justice is rejected and blocked.
Through the documentary we will see that justice for the ones who got killed, who lost loved ones, who got injured and lost limbs in Mullaitivu, has been silenced and thus rejected. The epic justice of Kannaki which the people of this historic land have celebrated and cherished over centuries is unreachable for them when it is needed at its most. The documentary uses the kottu to contrast with the faith of the Mullaitivu people. In both circumstances a monstrous crime is committed against the powerless and the powerless challenge the powerful. Symbolized by Kannaki in the epic, the powerless attain justice over the powerful which are represented by the king and his court. In parallel, the people of Mullethivu fall victim to the seemingly endless and tenacious capacity of the Sri Lankan government to silence and block any form of justice from ever reaching them.
Justice for them can only be achieved through an externally and internationally monitored war crime investigation which will bring the individuals responsible for war crimes to trial. If found guilty a recognition of the crimes against these people will be acknowledged and the perpetuators will rightly be jailed. This is the only way of ensuring a basic feeling of security among the victims of the last offensive and to prevent such acts of inhumanity from happening again. A feel of security and justice grounded in that their pain and loss has been recognized and adequate justice provided with the powerful perpetuators punished.
Still the tens of thousands of tormented and restless souls lingers around Mullaitivu, awaiting their justice. Hundred thousands of civilians who escaped the war zone in the end, the ones who are incarnated in military run internment camps, the internally displaced and the inadequately resettled ones who struggles to revive their livelihood, are also awaiting justice.
It is illegal judgement of blady srilankan:) rajapakshe will be must punished:)
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