Declare May as national month commemorating peace and trust

The right to celebrate a wholesome life, the right to mourn battlefield death

- BY SURYA VISHWA

On 18 May in 2009, the three-decade-running civil war in Sri Lanka ended

This page had previously featured narratives by some of the former surrendered and rehabilitated militants who are experiencing normal lives today and where their children are living as exuberant teenagers who when mentioned the word 'Sinhalese' only see the potential of making new friends.

Four years ago the Harmony page introduced an annual media campaign every May promoting the month as dedicated to peace commemoration, recommending that this be the official stand of the nation, and bring to an end the chasm between the two types of memorialising 18 May in the North and South

In the article series we ran over the years in the month of May we chose to show in different ways that the only result in any battleground is death of youth, aborted potential, economic and social destruction and unbearable misery

We have also chosen to point out that there are no heroes in any war, only unnecessary human sacrifice triggered by ignorance, superiority and shortsighted, ad-hoc policy creation

We have noted over the years that in any conflict there are no victors and no victory; that any parade celebrating a presumed triumph in war is smothered by invisible phantoms of beings forced to leave this earth in the prime of their human existence

In this May edition too we will feature over the next four weeks a series of writings aimed at transformation

We have proposed over the past years in this page and are doing so again, for the month of May in Sri Lanka to be declared as the national month of Peace and Trust

May as the national month of peace and trust in Sri Lanka will allow this country to set a foundation for authentic long term healing from the psyche of war mongering and also influence the rest of South Asia towards honouring and respecting differences with tolerance and dignity