Thread by @garikaalan

On a midnight like this,38 years ago,the #Jaffna Public Library,onetime Asia's finest library with thousands of books and rare documents on #Tamil culture made of ola leaves were burned to ashes by Govt forces. #cultural #genocide #NoJustice

The women who is seated here on a partly burned wooden chair with empty looks in her face is Mrs Nadaraja who was then Chief Librarian of #Jaffna Public library when it was burned down. No one brought before justice for this act of cultural genocide against #Tamil community.

Following the burning of #Jaffna Public library,Mrs Nadarajah left the country. Her new book titled “#Jaffna Public Library-Then & Now” on witnessing this worst cultural genocidal act committed against #Tamil community by Govt sponsored forces to be released in UK tomorrow.

Perpetrators behind this worst cultural crime committed against #Tamil community were UNP affiliated thugs who came down from Colombo with then leading politicians.UNP leadership yet to apologize. “Where they burn books,at the end they also burn people”-Jewish poet Heinrich Heine

When initiatives were taken to renovate burned #Jaffna Library in 2000,#Jaffna civil society groups requested Govt to keep the partly burned library in its form or part of it as memorial symbol;then Minister @MangalaLK refused & demanded for complete renovation to bury the past.

#Tamil scholar Fr. H.S. David who contributed extensively on researching Tamil cultural studies to the library & donated his entire personal collection of books to the library saw the burning library from his bed in a school;he felt severe chest pain & passed away hours later.

“They burned to the ground certain chosen targets-including Jaffna Public Library,with its 95,000 volumes and priceless manuscripts…no mention of this appeared in national newspapers,not even burning of the library,the symbol of Tamils' cultural identity” tamilguardian.com/content/38-yea…

“In my dream,last night
Lord Buddha lay,shot dead.
Government police in civilian clothes
Shot and killed him
He lay upon the steps
Of the Jaffna Library,
Drenched in his own blood.
In the darkness of the night
The ministers arrived,raging:
'His name wasn't on our list..1/

So why did you kill him?'
'No, sirs,'they said,
'No mistake was made. Only,
Without killing him,it wasn't possible
To shoot even a fly.
So...'
'Ok. OK.But
Get rid of the corpse at once,'
The ministers said,and vanished.
The plainclothes men
Dragged the corpse inside..2/

..And heaped upon it
Ninety thousand rare books
And lit the pyre
with the Sigalovada Sutta.
So the Lord Buddha's body turned
to ashes
And so did the Dhammapada.”3/ by Prof. M.A.Nuhuman, translated from #Tamil #JaffnaLibrary #WeRemember #CulturalGenocide

“A city’s public library is the eye of the city by which the citizens are able to behold the realness of their heritage, and behold the still greater greatness of their future.” K. Nesiah-Remembering #Jaffna Public library-treasure of #Tamil culture. tamilnation.co/indictment/ind…

Reportage by #Tamil press on the burning of #Jaffna Public library:”Jaffna Municipal employee testified saying that he saw some police uniformed personnel engaged in burning library./R.Premadasa blamed Gamini Dissanayake behind burning of library”-#EelaNaadu/Jun/1981 #WeRemember

Remembering burning of #JaffnaPublicLibrary:#Jaffna Municipal Council organized a remembrance event today to mark the worst cultural genocidal act committed against #Tamil community & commemorate Fr H.S. David who passed away after witnessing the burning library. #NoJustice

TNPF organized a commemoration event to mark burning of the iconic #Jaffna public library this evening;those who took part in the event remembered how this cultural genocide against #Tamil community was just the start & systematic pogroms were carried out thereafter.#WeRemember

Documentary on the burning of #Jaffna Public library-Burning Memories "It was a vast ocean of #Tamil knowledge" late Prof K.Sivathambi #WeRemember #JaffnaLibraryBurning

Digital archive of books at #Jaffna Public Library:an initiative is currently underway to digitally archive decades old books & manuscripts in digital format for longtime preservation in future. #JaffnaLibrary #NeverAgain