Families of disappeared living slow death under state terror: Leena Manimekalai

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15 NOVEMBER 2013 Film maker of the latest documentary !hite Van "tories#$ %eena Manimekalai says that her t&o'hour lon( film on the enforced a)duction and disa**earances )y the state forces &as +ust a fraction of &hat is still (oin( in "ri %anka$ &hich is currently hostin( the )iennial ,ommon&ealth -eads of .o/ernment Meetin( 0,-O.M1$ amid (ro&in( international concern o/er its human ri(hts track record2 3n an e4clusi/e inter/ie& &ith the 56"$ she said that the (o/ernment criti7ues$ +ournalists$ la&yers$ former re)el sus*ects and aid &orkers are still )ein( a)ducted usin( the notorious 8&hite'/an9 and made to disa**ear fore/er2 "he says the coalition (o/ernment of :resident Mahinda Ra+a*aksa is lon( carryin( out this terror cam*ai(n &ith the dual strate(y of eliminatin( its o**onents and instillin( fear amon( the *eo*le2 "ome ri(hts (rou*s say that at least t&o *eo*le are made to disa**ear e/ery &eek$ &hile some say more2 ;he truth is that the most'feared &hite'/an a)ductions and enforced disa**earances are still takin( *lace and no one &ould ha/e an actual count of it$# said the critically'acclaimed inde*endent 3ndian film'maker$ &ho s*ent more than t&o months &ith the affected *eo*le in

the former &ar <ones to make this *o&erful !hite Vans film2 =ee*in( this already /ictimised *eo*le under constant rei(n of terror and stress is nothin( )ut a slo& death2 ;his is actually &hat is ha**enin( in "ri %anka9s North and the East$# she said$ stressin( that one &ould need an e4traordinary stren(th to stomach their horri)le stories and e4*eriences2 E4cer*ts from inter/ie& &ith %eena Manimekalai> 56"> !hat *rom*ted you to make such a risky film? %eena> -o& can a human )ein( disa**ear? ;his 7uestion has )een hurtin( and hauntin( me e/er since 3 heard a)out forci)le disa**earances in nei(h)ourin( "ri %anka2 !hen 3 ha**ened to meet the families of the disa**eared$ 3 &as eternally im*ressed )y their sheer resilience$ *erse/erance$ stru((le$ ho*e and their &aitin(2 3 &as (ettin( in touch &ith them re(ularly2 3 actually (ained faith in humanity from them$ )ecause for them there is a /ery thin line )et&een disa**earances and death2 3f they could risk their li/es$ continue their stru((le for +ustice$ 3 think as an artist 3 am )ound to share their *ain2 3 did not ha/e anythin( to lose2 3 &anted to transform their *ain into my &ork of art$ so that$ it &ould )e shared )y anyone &ho is interested in humanity and com*assion2 Enforced disa**earances are a humanitarian crisis and e/eryone &ith humanity should &ork to hold the "ri %ankan state accounta)le2 @s a country$ "ri %anka has a /ery /iolent history as thousands of *eo*le ha/e in/oluntarily disa**eared for three decades2 "ri %anka is almost )ecomin( the &orld9s leader in enforced disa**earances2 -ere is a state in the modern history$ a)ductin( and makin( its o&n citi<en disa**ear2 ;hey can )e re)els or se*aratists$ )ut &hen they surrender they cannot disa**ear2 ;his is a &ar crime2 ;his is my *rimary o)+ecti/e for makin( this film2 56"> Ander *re/ailin( rei(n of state terror$ you &ould ha/e o)/iously needed a lot of coura(e$ stren(th and )acku* to &ork on film such as yours2 -o& did you mana(e to (et all these? %eena> 3nitially$ 3 did not (o to "ri %anka &ith an o)+ecti/e to make this film2 3 &ent to a literary conference in 5affna as an o)ser/er2 Bein( a ;amil$ nei(h)ourin( "ri %anka al&ays remained an emotional 7uotient for me from my childhood$ )ut merely )ein( a ;amil is not +ust the reason for makin( this film2 3 ha/e )een &ritin($ /oicin( and dealin( "ri %anka9s ethnic crisis in my o&n films in my +ourney as an acti/ist2 @fter literary conference 3 stayed )ack and met a set of ama<in( *eo*le such as human ri(hts acti/ists and &riters &ho ha/e li/ed throu(h the )loody &ar$ )ut still retained their faith in humanity$ tryin( to fi(ht this horri)le "ri %ankan state2 ;hese *eo*le ha/e lost their lo/ed ones$ seen death throu(hout the years$ )ut still they ha/e the undyin( 7uality of *erse/erance and resilience left in them2 3 think this is the least 3 could do as an artist and acti/ist from the nei(h)ourin( country2 ;here is an a)solute darkness and silence2 ;hey &ere keen in makin( their stories 0of tens of thousands of disa**eared1 heard$ )ecause2 3n that s*ace 3 realised that 3 can )e of some hel*2 3

am +ust hel*in( their stories heard /ia this film2 56"> -o& did you co*e &ith the threats around you and your &ork? %eena> !hen 3 discussed &ith my close net&ork of *eo*le a)out my idea of makin( this film$ they unanimously &arned me that 3 &ould )e ra*ed$ made to disa**ear )y &hite /ans and &ould soon )e in the headlines2 ;he "ri %ankan state is /ery successful in kee*in( *eo*le in terror and mistrust2 ;he "ri %ankan state is systematically nurturin( a stron( feelin( amon( the *eo*le of the same community and nei(h)ourhood not to trust each other2 ;he *eo*le do not kno& &hom to trust and they find informants e/ery&here2 ;hey are )ein( forced not to trust one another2 ;he state is doin( this to *re/ent *eo*le from li/in( to(ether as a community and as a social (rou*2 ;he terror is instilled in each and e/ery)ody there in the )ackdro* of a hu(e military *resence2 3f you ha/e the &ill$ you &ill ha/e a &ay2 @nd 3 found the s*ace to &ork on this film$ thou(h it &as not so easy2 56"> !hat is your take on the current situation &ith re(ard to enforced disa**earances and a)ductions? %eena> ;his film is not e/en a fraction of &hat 3 heard2 ;he *eo*le are still )ein( &hite'/anned and made to disa**ear fore/er2 "ome ri(hts (rou*s say that at least t&o *eo*le are made to disa**ear e/ery &eek$ &hile some say more2 ;he truth is that a)duction and enforced disa**earance are still takin( *lace and no one &ould ha/e a count of it2 3 also found that )y no& the *eo*le are fed u* and tired of this terror cam*ai(n2 ;hey &ant to /oice themsel/es and they &ant them to )e heard louder2 E/ery indi/idual &ho has suffered durin( the &ar has thousands stories to narrate2 ;here are tens of thousands of *eo*le affected )y the &ar and su)se7uent terror cam*ai(n of the (o/ernment2 ;hey sim*ly &ant to share their *ains and stories2 3 found that the &hole e4ercise of tellin( their stories to a stran(er is so much thera*eutic to them2 ;here is an a)solute need for thera*eutic counsellin( for all these *eo*le2 Other&ise$ they &ill die and you &ouldn9t need a )om)2 3t is nothin( )ut li/in( a slo& death$ &hen you kee* them under the rei(n of terror and stress2 ;his is actually &hat9s ha**enin( in "ri %anka9s North and the East2

3 &as +ust standin( at Nanthikkadal from mornin( till e/enin(2 !hoe/er &ho &ent *ass had stories to say and im*ortantly each one &as different2 56"> 6o you mean to say that the *eo*le are (ettin( acclimatised to the rei(n of terror$ no& that it has (one on for four years e/en after the declared end of the &ar? %eena> 3 think so2 3t has )ecome a *art and *arcel of their daily routine to li/e &ith these threats2 Bou hear somethin( ha**enin( e/eryday in the hands of the state forces2 ;he *rofound military *resence has )ecome *art of their social fa)ric2 From runnin( a tea )outi7ue to ci/il administration$ the military is /irtually controllin( e/erythin( in the former &ar'<ones2 3f you see four )icycles (oin( on the road$ at least t&o &ould )e that of military2 Bou &ill see that in the film2 "e/eral &ailin( &i/es$ mothers$ fathers$ sisters and )rothers in/ited me to come and listen to their stories2 ;hey o*enly demand the army to shoot them to death$ )ut *lead &ith them to *ro/ide their lo/ed ones )efore )ein( shot2 '' 3f you say they are criminals$ take us to the *rison and sho& them$ other&ise$ (i/e their dead )odies# '' ;his is &hat they are askin( and not a se*arate nation2 56"> 3s it correct to say that the country is still on a &ar footin(? %eena> Of course$ yes2 ;here is no shellin( and there is no )om)in( or chemical &ea*ons )ein( used$ )ut the *eo*le are al&ays ke*t in terror2 ;hey cannot sim*ly o*en their mouth$ e4ce*t for eatin(2 3s this not the state of terror? 3s this not a state of &ar? @lthou(h the *ro/incial council election &as held and a *ro/incial administration is esta)lished as a result$ 3 do not think that the (round situation has chan(ed2 ;he *ro/incial administration does not ha/e ade7uate *o&er to chan(e the situation u*side do&n or e/en to im*ro/e it2 ;here is nothin( that can terrorise them anymore2 E/ery method has )een used on them2 3f you see the film$ you &ould see that they cry$ scream$ &ail and mourn$ )ut you &ould notice an a)solute sense of stru((le for +ustice there2 ;hey &ant to continue their stru((le2 E/en if their instincts say that their lo/ed ones are not ali/e$ they &ant to see their dead )odies$ they &ant +ustice$ they &ant the (o/ernment to )e accounta)le2 For them$ their lo/ed ones &ere taken or surrendered ri(ht in front of their eyes2 ;hey no& &ant the (o/ernment to sho& their &herea)outs2 56"> !hy do you think that the "ri %ankan state is usin( these kinds of terror tactics to terrorise innocent ci/ilians$ e/en four years after defeatin( the %;;E militarily? %eena> 3t is sim*ly )ecause of the fact that "ri %anka is an authoritarian state2 3t is an ultra Buddhist nationalist state2 ;hey use this chea* nationalist dru( to kee* *eo*le in control and to di/ide *eo*le and communities2 Other reason is that the Ra+a*aksa (o/ernment takes no note of this so'called international *ressure2 ;hey sim*ly i(nore *eo*le (i/in( them lectures a)out human ri(hts$ +ustice$ humanity and (ood (o/ernance2 3 think the international *ressure should

)e e4erted on "ri %anka in a tan(i)le manner$ until such a time they are held accounta)le for all these crimes2 56"> Bour comments on the difficulties you faced &hile makin( this film? %eena> No)ody kne& that &e &ere doin( this film2 3t &as totally an under'co/er film2 Bou can name it as (uerrilla film makin($ )ut &e had no other &ay to do this2 3 &as detained for many times and interro(ated for many hours$ my ta*es &ere confiscated2 Once 3 &as e/en asked to lea/e the country2 3 had to li/e &ith the risk of authorities comin( and takin( you for interro(ation2 More im*ortantly$ 3 had to do this &ithout further com*romisin( the safety and security of the *eo*le in/ol/ed2 3t &as not so easy$ )ut 3 &ill still try to &ork on more such films on "ri %anka2