The young as they cry out
The old as they die out
The middle aged as they shout
And the silence from the so-called leaders
Engulfs our lives
'Do something' we scream at them,
The do nothings
Who knit their rugs
Of self-protection
And doing nothing
With words like
'We are meeting our targets'
And 'we are leading the world'
Along with other lies
We no longer accept
And so we gather on our streets
While they still do nothing
Governments are attempting to prevent citizens from venting warranted opposition to destructive industries and businesses, as well as government itself. Yet, the fact they are continuing to pass laws that criminalise protesters shows this attempt to silent dissent interests isn’t working.
Losing Santhia: Life & Loss in the Struggle for Tamil Eelam
By Ben Hillier
Interventions, 2019
150 pages
In 2009, the Sri Lankan military launched a genocidal offensive against the island's Tamil population on a stretch of sand in Mullivaikal, in the island's north-east.
Claiming its offensive was to rescue civilians, the Sri Lankan military carried out an indiscriminate bombing offensive against Tamil civilians that killed tens of thousands.