Michael Roberts
Continuing with my presentation of “Motifs” from within Benjamin Bavinck’s diaries, this collection depicts the sentiments of moderate Tamils who were caught in between the main protagonists. Since Bavinck’s political leanings were firmly within this mould, the entries are extensive. This post, therefore, gives readers a sense of the difficulties faced by the Tamil civilians within the Jaffna Peninsula (maps are tacked on to aid the readers). It also reminds every one of the unfolding political scenario from the lead-up to the 1994 Presidential Election, the killing of Gamini Dissanayake, the peace talks of early 1994 and the LTTE’s demolition of that process to the SL Army’s invasion of the Peninsula in mid-1995 and the exodus of most Jaffna peoples to the western section and/or the Vanni …..and a whole series of fluctuating events thereafter.
Neelan 
Rajan 
Daya
Bavinck & Rajasingham
Note that Bavinck did not pen his entries day in, day out. An entry sometimes summarizes events in the days preceding. Again, he was out of the island on business or home-visits on several occasions — so there are temporal gaps in the historical data. Continue reading
Ranga Jayasuriya, 
