Understanding the changing roles of a national military in times of peace

It has been a sunny day and I am traveling with a visiting member of the Tamil diaspora who has been working on many charity based projects in Sri Lanka in affiliation with local State institutions. His work has encompassed the North as well as the South and has included building schools, hospitals and supporting health and education of children and adults. 

The term Tamil diaspora simply means a Sri Lankan Tamil who lives abroad and I am using this term to refer to him. His name will not be revealed owing to sensitivity of some of the content. 

I had met him sometime back in a university linked conference and was asked to accompany him to meet the commanding officer of a location in the North. This identity too is kept confidential. 

The purpose of the meeting is to ask the military what the local people need in terms of directing that need to donors as there are military personnel assigned to assist the area people. Many Tamil and Sinhala diaspora members engage with the military in carrying out their philanthropy based work across Sri Lanka.

Alongside several other projects we have been discussing the possibility of starting some community-led shoe and slipper creating entrepreneurship with the Tamil gentleman having noticed that many of the children are wearing broken slippers or shoes. 

“I feel very nervous you know,” whispers this stately gentleman as we climb the stairs of the military establishment.

“This is the second time I am entering such a premises. The first time was not that pleasant.”

As a youth in the early 1980s with the start of the Tamil Tiger militancy many Tamil youth who were not associated with the rebels were often rounded up after the sporadic bomb attacks that would be unleashed by the militants. Every youth would claim they were not associated with the rebels and until some notable citizen such as a school principal or religious leader said otherwise the youth may not be released. This was a similar experience that happened to this Tamil gentleman years ago and he still carries with him his past memories where humans are forced to descend from their humanness in the face of inhuman circumstances.

As we proceed up the stairs a few young officers rush to greet this gentleman. They apologise they were not there earlier to meet him at the gate. 

“Please come Sir. Come this way. You must be tired,” gushes one young man in uniform. He looks too young to have been in the battle grounds of the North in the fighting that ceased on 18 May in 2009, after three decades of unnecessary deaths. 

“He looks like one of my nephews,” quips the Tamil gentleman with a smile pointing to one of the young men.

As we enter the upstair section of the military building we are greeted by the commanding officer and three other high ranking officials. 

There seems to be genuine warmth in wanting to talk in depth to this gentleman. Soon the conversation becomes a beautiful human experience; between a senior person and those about 20 years junior who have been living life in two different spheres of Karma (fated life circumstances).

I decide to leave them and walk around the premises which has a lot or trees and head downstairs after excusing myself. Such interactions should be left to its own uninterrupted tempo as determined by the human heart. The Tamil gentleman knows no Sinhala and although the military commanding officer and his colleagues can muster Tamil they choose English, the link language of Sri Lanka to converse in. 

I spend a good 20 minutes amidst the well cared for trees lost in the wonder as to why humans of this world cannot be like them; the trees, who do not squabble for territory and fell each other. 

When I return upstairs I hear the laughter.

“Oh, we ate all of these,” laughs the commanding officer pointing to some near empty dishes. The child in me takes over and I make a cheeky face.

The Tamil gentleman then briefs me on what they have discussed which is about the requirements of the local populace.

“Our key focus now is to help the local people and whenever NGOs or foreigners or Sri Lankan diaspora come here asking how they can help the people we give as much information as possible,” adds the commanding officer. 

“We believe what is needed is assistance for entrepreneurship creation. There is so much potential for this where human resources are concerned. There is also need to prevent any malnourishment,” he emphasises. 

The conversation ends with the decision to look for donors to start a segment of entrepreneurship centres.

It is said that just as one man can cast a nation or world into war, that this similar power is there within the territories of the human mind and heart for the reverse. As we make our way from the military establishment I am reminded of this.

“Good chap, this Commander. He genuinely wants to help,” says the expatriate gentleman on our way back. I reply that I felt the same.

We then discuss the importance of engaging with the military, from a Tamil perspective, especially to counter or heal situations and experiences that may have occurred in a different setting. 

This can be a controversial subject with many view points and all these are equally valid, the Tamil gentleman tells me. I agree and tell him that in this world there are no terrorists or war heroes; only human beings actualised to fit these generalisations by lived in circumstances often beyond their control; just as puppets on a string are manipulated by a different force.

(SV)