After ’83

By Gazala Anver and Maryam Azwer

Twenty seven years stand in between memory and the horrific riots of 1983. The Sunday Leader spoke to a few of those affected by these riots to find out what, reflecting on ‘83, they saw in the future, if they could see the country moving forward and most importantly, if they were still afraid.
“Not Afraid Anymore”

“My mother’s house was right next to the police station and we were separated by just one wall,” Agnes Navaratnam says. “We had lived there since childhood and I was so sure that nothing could happen. But they still burnt it down,” she reflects, adding that her hometown, Matale, had always been peaceful. “All three communities lived in harmony and when this happened, we looked to our Sinhalese and Muslim neighbours to help us. I am sure the people in Matale were not behind this. It was done by outsiders. Our friends tried to save our belongings but they couldn’t. My mother and my sister lost everything.
“I am not afraid anymore, but those who have suffered won’t be able to forget; we are humans after all. I think there is a little bit of fear left in some people, but I don’t think that sort of enmity exists any longer. We will never want to leave Sri Lanka even after all this. We were born and bred here and all our friends are here. But we are not sure of what the government can do. Politicians will be politicians.”

“Got Used To Things”

Niranjani Christopher was 14 years old when the riots broke out. “My family wasn’t badly affected, but we were still scared. For some reason I didn’t go to school that day. When my mother received a call in the afternoon and heard of the situation, our Sinhalese neighbours took us in, along with 15 others. We stayed with them until things died down. When I got back to school, there were only four or five girls in my class. The number gradually increased and by the time we sat our O/Levels there were 16.
“We were always scared after ‘83. We had a fear that we may have to move at any time and my mother packed our certificates and jewellery just in case.”
When speaking of progressing forward as a country, she says that she hopes it would happen. “It’s hard to tell. People only talk about it, but nobody can tell what’s really happening. But I’m not afraid anymore. We have got used to things.”

“The System Has To Change”

S. Selvam was newly married and had just moved to Colombo with his wife and mother. “When the riots broke out, our landlord protected us. We stayed with them for three or four days. He took us to the police station and we were then taken to a refugee camp. We were there for seven days after which we boarded a ship to Jaffna. We were scared until we reached Jaffna. We were newly married and that’s how our life started.
“There were times when I had wished I had gone abroad but I love Sri Lanka and I thought this would be over soon,” he says, adding that where progress was concerned, he was yet to see it. “The development process is still going on. Minority needs have to be fulfilled. I think for proper progress, the system has to change.”

“People Have Learnt Their Lesson”

“I was a teacher back then,” Ramya Joseph says, “and we were fortunate to escape unharmed; we had a Sinhalese amme who guarded our house, but there was a lot of burning in the lane next to ours.”
She went on to explain how the riots and the aftermath had a terrible impact on education in the years to come. “Children were scared. They didn’t go to school for a long time. For months attendance was bad. The children had gone through just too much. Also, between ‘83 and ‘95, in some schools, the Tamil medium was gradually closed. Some families went back to the North and the others left the country. But we had nowhere to go, after all, we were born and bred in Colombo.
“I don’t think another ‘83 would happen again. People have learnt their lesson, but until something is sorted out for the minorities, I can’t see the country moving forward.”

“There Is Bitterness In The Hearts Of People”

“When I heard the news that Colombo was burning, I was staying in a flat. My office was opposite the Fort Railway Station and I could not leave the house,” says Joe Roche, who was married and had two young children back then. “I received news that our office had been burnt down the next day and when I realised that our source of income was gone, I thought of my family. There was an element of fear.”
“Yes, the war is over now, but there is bitterness in the hearts of people. We need to forgive and forget. We need to move forward,” he continued. “It also depends on resettling refugees. Their necessities must be met and they should have a normal lifestyle. I hope people don’t make any more issues, don’t create tension and show no differences. If that can be instilled in minds of people, we can forge ahead. I did consider leaving to India at some point, but I realised I had more people to support me here. Now I have no fears, on the contrary, I feel a little more relaxed. In fact if security here was more relaxed this would be a wonderful place to live in.”

“Still A Great Restriction Of Freedom In The North”

“We were ready to go to school that morning, but we received news of what was happening and stayed back. Somebody said there were lorries burning in front of our lane,” says A. Jayanthi. “Our neighbours came over and around 20 of us hid in a bathroom. That was when people came in and started breaking and burning things. Fortunately, they didn’t see the door because it was the same colour as the wall. They left in about half an hour. We had to jump over the walls to get out and we hid in some bushes the whole night. The next day my father wanted us all to go to the police station and when we were walking down Galle Road, an army truck stopped and asked us to raise our hands and walk forward. They also beat some of the young boys among us, out of anger I think. We were taken to a school where we stayed for a day before we could board a ship to Jaffna,” she said, adding that while in Jaffna she didn’t think they would come back again.
Today, despite the war having ended, she feels that there is still a great restriction on freedom in the North. “But I’m not afraid anymore after all that we have experienced, because I know I have a right to stay here. I don’t see a political solution any time soon however, perhaps in the future there will be.”