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'''Burning of ] library''' was a watershed event in the ongoing ]. A Sinhalese mob went on a rampage on the nights of ] to ], ], burning the market area of Jaffna, the office of a Tamil newspaper, the home of the member of Parliament for Jaffna, the Jaffna Public Library and killing four people.{{ref|1|3}} '''Burning of ] library''' was a watershed event in the ongoing ]. A Sinhalese mob went on a rampage on the nights of ] to ], ], burning the market area of Jaffna, the office of a Tamil newspaper, the home of the member of Parliament for Jaffna, the Jaffna Public Library and killing four people.{{ref|1|3}}
The destruction of the Jaffna Public Library was the incident which appeared to cause the most distress to the people of Jaffna.<ref name=Peebles>{{cite book |last= Peebles |first= Patrick |title= The History of Sri Lanka |origyear= 2006 |series= The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations |publisher= Greenwood Press |location= Westport, Connecticut |isbn= 0313332053 |pages= pp. 133 & 134|chapter= chapter 10}}</ref><ref name=Ponnambalam>{{cite book |last= Ponnambalam|first= Satchi|title= Sri Lanka: The National Question and the Tamil Liberation Struggle |origyear= 1983 |publisher= Zed Books Ltd. |location= London |isbn= 0862321980 |pages= pp. 207 & 261}}</ref> At the time it was South Asia's second largest library.<ref name=Ponnambalam>{{cite book |last= Ponnambalam|first= Satchi|title= Sri Lanka: The National Question and the Tamil Liberation Struggle |origyear= 1983 |publisher= Zed Books Ltd. |location= London |isbn= 0862321980 |pages= pp. 207 & 261}}</ref> The 95,000 volumes of the Public Library destroyed by the fire included numerous culturally important and irreplaceable manuscripts. Witnesses reported the presence of uniformed security e officers in the mob and their involvement in the deaths of four individuals.{{ref|1|3}}{{ref|4}} The destruction of the Jaffna Public Library was the incident which appeared to cause the most distress to the people of Jaffna.<ref name=Peebles>{{cite book |last= Peebles |first= Patrick |title= The History of Sri Lanka |origyear= 2006 |series= The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations |publisher= Greenwood Press |location= Westport, Connecticut |isbn= 0313332053 |pages= pp. 133 & 134|chapter= chapter 10}}</ref><ref name=Ponnambalam>{{cite book |last= Ponnambalam|first= Satchi|title= Sri Lanka: The National Question and the Tamil Liberation Struggle |origyear= 1983 |publisher= Zed Books Ltd. |location= London |isbn= 0862321980 |pages= pp. 207 & 261}}</ref> At the time it was South Asia's second largest library.<ref name=Ponnambalam>{{cite book |last= Ponnambalam|first= Satchi|title= Sri Lanka: The National Question and the Tamil Liberation Struggle |origyear= 1983 |publisher= Zed Books Ltd. |location= London |isbn= 0862321980 |pages= pp. 207 & 261}}</ref> The 95,000 volumes of the Public Library destroyed by the fire included numerous culturally important and irreplaceable manuscripts. Witnesses reported the presence of uniformed security e officers in the mob and their involvement in the deaths of four individuals.{{ref|1|3}}{{ref|4}}

Revision as of 09:51, 13 March 2007

Burning of Jaffna library was a watershed event in the ongoing Sri Lankan civil war. A Sinhalese mob went on a rampage on the nights of May 31 to June 2, 1981, burning the market area of Jaffna, the office of a Tamil newspaper, the home of the member of Parliament for Jaffna, the Jaffna Public Library and killing four people. The destruction of the Jaffna Public Library was the incident which appeared to cause the most distress to the people of Jaffna. At the time it was South Asia's second largest library. The 95,000 volumes of the Public Library destroyed by the fire included numerous culturally important and irreplaceable manuscripts. Witnesses reported the presence of uniformed security e officers in the mob and their involvement in the deaths of four individuals.

Initial reports

According to Nancy Murray in an article titled, the State against the Tamils in Sri Lanka - Racism and the Authoritarian State - Race & Class, Summer 1984 wrote that several high ranking Sinhalese security officers and two cabinet ministers, Cyril Mathew and Gamini Dissanayakewere present in the town of Jaffna, uniformed security men and plainclothes thugs carried out some well organised acts of destruction.

They burned to the ground certain chosen targets - including the Jaffna Public Library, with its 95,000 volumes and priceless manuscripts, a Hindu temple, the office and machinery of the independent Tamil daily newspaper Eelanadu.

Four people were killed outright. No mention of this appeared in the national newspapers, not even the burning of the Library, the symbol of the Tamils' cultural identity. The government delayed bringing in emergency rule until 2 June, by which time key targets had been destroyed.

The library's curator died the moment he heard of the library's demise.

Allegation by President Premadasa

In 1991 the then president of Sri Lanka Premadasa publicly proclaimed that his party members Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake were directly involved in the burning of the library in 1981

Government investigation and results

According to Orville H.Schell, Chairman of the Americas Watch Committee, and Head of the Amnesty International 1982 fact finding mission to Sri Lanka, the government did not institute an independent investigation to establish responsibility for these killings in May and June 1981 and take measures against those responsible. Instead, one police officer involved was promoted and emergency legislation was introduced facilitating further killings.

Photos

See also

References

  1. Peebles, Patrick. "chapter 10". The History of Sri Lanka. The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. pp. 133 & 134. ISBN 0313332053. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  2. ^ Ponnambalam, Satchi. Sri Lanka: The National Question and the Tamil Liberation Struggle. London: Zed Books Ltd. pp. pp. 207 & 261. ISBN 0862321980. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

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