A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Sunday, July 16, 2017
Let Memorial for Dead Chinese Nobel Laureate be built elsewhere, if not in China
( July 15, 2017, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) To
the “relief” of Chinese government and it’s leadership, Chinese Nobel
Laureate Liu Xiaobo has passed away. With characteristic ruthlessness
that the present government of China is known for, Nobel laureate was
given a sea burial, probably to ensure that there would be nothing for
the world to remember about him. Even his wife Liu Xia could not
participate in the funeral and see the coffin containing Liu’s body. She
was said to be very unwell but no one really knows.
Chinese government has been angry with, since he was daring enough to
show his courage of conviction and love for free China , by writing a
petition known as “Charter 08” that called for sweeping political
reforms in China and liberty and freedom to the people. The petition was
signed by 350 Chinese intellectuals and Liu was accused of being the
prime mover. One is not clear as to what is the fate of the other
Chinese intellectuals who signed the petition.
Liu was jailed in 2009, when the Chinese government accused him of
“inciting subversion of state’s power”, which was a charge that only
dictatorial leadership would make. He remained in jail for 11 years
until his death. Obviously, Chinese government waited for his death, as
it was not bold enough to cause his death in any other way , fearing
adverse global opinion and due to it’s anxiety to protect it’s “ forward
looking image”. When the Nobel laureate was suffering from liver cancer
and multiple organ failure, he was given a medical parole but he was
not freed in spite of his severe health conditions. This indicates more
than anything else the extent to which the Chinese leadership would go
to suppress the dissidents and opposition.
Not only Liu had to suffer for holding on to his view on need for
liberty and freedom in China , his wife was under effective house arrest
since 2010, though she was not charged with any crime.
It is sad that even as China has achieved spectacular growth in economic
, industrial and scientific advancements , such developments have not
been matched by the development of civilised attitude and progressive
outlook. This makes one conclude that economic growth and prosperity
need not go hand in hand with cultural and social progress.
The first glimpse of China’s aggressive and unethical attitude was seen
when it ruthlessly occupied the helpless Tibet, drove out hundreds of
Tibetans out of Tibet, suppressed freedom and destroyed Tibetan
traditions to a considerable extent. Even after several decades, the
torch of liberty for Tibet is yet to be seen, as it remains under
ruthless Chinese government.
It is ironical that USA and several countries in Western Europe who
pride themselves as vibrant democracies and claim that they value and
cherish freedom of expression , did nothing to make China see reason and
release the Nobel laureate. They were more concerned about the economic
and trade opportunities with China and therefore, readily ignored the
repressive jail term for Liu. Their double standards are crystal clear.
There should be thousands of citizens in China who feel extremely sad
about the death of Liu Xiaobo but do not have the freedom to pay tribute
to him eulogizing his call for rule of law, democracy and freedom of
expression in China.
It is gratifying that there have been some protests in Hong Kong when
several thousand people were reported to have held an evening vigil for
Liu and went for a silent march, hailing Liu as people’s hero.
One can be sure that governments in USA and other countries will not
take any steps to honour Liu and make the world remember him by building
a memorial for him. They know that Chinese government would not like
this and they would not like to displease Chinese government , so long
as it remains as an attractive place for trade and investment.
Certainly , they must be millions of people around the world who want
the memory of Liu to be kept alive and his call for freedom and liberty
in China remembered for all time to come. Such people should join
together and organize a forum to construct a memorial for Liu Xiaobo in
any part of the world that would remain as a Memorial for Liberty.
The statue of liberty in USA has not been adequate enough to persuade
the US government to effectively render it’s voice for the cause of
freedom that Xiaobo stood for. One hopes that the Memorial for Liberty
built for Liu would ensure that the aspiration for freedom for people
around the world would remain in focus for all time to come.
The Chinese government is bound to learn lessons sooner or later and
perhaps, sooner than later. The Memorial for Liu would ensure that this
would happen.