Memories blaze even after 39 years for cultural Genocide of Jaffna Public Library

Although 39 years have passed after the scorching of Jaffna Public Library, which lauded as the knowledge Bank of South East Asia, the mental scars created by the outright Arson on Tamil people remain raw to date.

Tamil people look at this wanton destruction as a part of the genocide against Tamil people, planned and perpetrated by the UNP Government led by ‘righteous’ J.R. Jayawardene  in an attempt to destroy the identity, knowledge and culture of Tamil people.

97,000 centuries old rare Tamil and books and ola manuscripts were destroyed in this catastrophe.

The destruction of Jaffna Public Library which was celebrated as the biggest scientific treasure of South East Asia is the worst  grief that occurred to the human civilization.  Fr. David who witnessed this atrocity being committed on 1981.05.31, from the upstairs of Jaffna St. Patrick’s College, dropped dead on the spot in shock. This incident shows the value of the library, at its destruction.

Destroying our treasure and then just painting the wall white is not going to give us back, what had been destructed.