My lai..one more witness of war crime
On 16th march 1967, during the vietnamese war American soldiers demolished one of the villages in vietname "My lai".
My lai massacre has been one of the most gruesome incidents of the Vietnamese era.
Hundreds of villagers including women and children were brutally raped/murdered.
Before the attack on the village the instructions to the American troops was that any moving being to be considered as enemy and to be shot dead without any discrimination.
The justification given by the commander in charge of the troops was that he was following the orders from the top and that he wasn't guilty of the murders committed.
The incident itself came to light a year later because of the bold inspection by one of the American soldier himself who heard it across from the mouth of one of the other soldiers who boasted about the incident.
16th March earmarked the 40th anniversary of the massacre. The survivors still remember every moment that happened. One of them could survive because she was under the debris of dead bodies.
This is one more evidence of what war can do...and that the same is being witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Who will bear the social costs of the trauma that the people go through? In what way is war justified?
A recent study came up with the result that at 1/6th of the cost of Iraq war, US could have revamped its social security system and get rid of all the flaws in it.
Similar situation is about to happen in our immediate neighbourhood, Tibet. For whatever be the reasons, the amount of trauma that the people in both the countries have to go through is tremendous and in no way a justification for the costs incurred on the war. Restriction of access to tourists and media proves the point that there is an unprecedented use of force and violation of human rights to make sure that the ego of one nation is satisfied.
Probably the same can be said about India's denial for UN resolution on the issue of Kashmir. The other states in India feel that Kashmir is their right and that kashmiri's also believe the same. Of course I as an Indian want my Kashmir's brethren to remain with me, but it is my preference which I cannot enforce upon. My arms are open for them any given day and my forces are present to ensure its safety if asked upon. But they have a right to say their point and if UN resolution gives them a chance to entertain that option, let them use it.
Let us not be insecure of ourselves. If not as an outsider, let us at least act in the sane manner of making people believe in their rights.
My lai massacre has been one of the most gruesome incidents of the Vietnamese era.
Hundreds of villagers including women and children were brutally raped/murdered.
Before the attack on the village the instructions to the American troops was that any moving being to be considered as enemy and to be shot dead without any discrimination.
The justification given by the commander in charge of the troops was that he was following the orders from the top and that he wasn't guilty of the murders committed.
The incident itself came to light a year later because of the bold inspection by one of the American soldier himself who heard it across from the mouth of one of the other soldiers who boasted about the incident.
16th March earmarked the 40th anniversary of the massacre. The survivors still remember every moment that happened. One of them could survive because she was under the debris of dead bodies.
This is one more evidence of what war can do...and that the same is being witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Who will bear the social costs of the trauma that the people go through? In what way is war justified?
A recent study came up with the result that at 1/6th of the cost of Iraq war, US could have revamped its social security system and get rid of all the flaws in it.
Similar situation is about to happen in our immediate neighbourhood, Tibet. For whatever be the reasons, the amount of trauma that the people in both the countries have to go through is tremendous and in no way a justification for the costs incurred on the war. Restriction of access to tourists and media proves the point that there is an unprecedented use of force and violation of human rights to make sure that the ego of one nation is satisfied.
Probably the same can be said about India's denial for UN resolution on the issue of Kashmir. The other states in India feel that Kashmir is their right and that kashmiri's also believe the same. Of course I as an Indian want my Kashmir's brethren to remain with me, but it is my preference which I cannot enforce upon. My arms are open for them any given day and my forces are present to ensure its safety if asked upon. But they have a right to say their point and if UN resolution gives them a chance to entertain that option, let them use it.
Let us not be insecure of ourselves. If not as an outsider, let us at least act in the sane manner of making people believe in their rights.
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