A few weeks ago, I received a message from my cousin asking if I had any videos of her father from when he visited us in Denmark. I believe it was in 1996 when he came to see us.

Less than one year later, he was assassinated in Sri Lanka by the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) during a school opening ceremony. It was July 5, 1997.

More than 25 years have passed, and I wondered why she asked for a video of her father now. It really affected me and stirred up a lot of thoughts.

We’re talking about my father’s older brother, who was a member of parliament in Sri Lanka. He was a beloved man and an honest politician who genuinely wanted to help people. A politician who didn’t discriminate between Tamils, Sinhalese, or Muslims. Someone who wasn’t corrupt. Someone who was for the people.

His name was Thangathurai Arunasalam (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._Thangathurai).

Let me return to my conversation with her.

I’ve been unable to shake off the frustration of not being able to provide her with a few videos to let her glimpse her father again That was a time when smartphones didn’t exist. If you wanted to record something, you needed a large video camera, and pictures had to be developed back then.

That frustration made me think even further.

On April 21, 2019, Sri Lanka was hit by bombings at several churches and hotels, where Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen lost three of his four children, aged 5, 12, and 15.

I can’t even begin to imagine the pain that must have caused his family, and the pain they live with every day.

And the families who lost over 265 loved ones, including 45 children, in that single incident.

What about all the years Sri Lanka has experienced assassination after assassination of politicians, journalists, activists, and so on? And all those who have just disappeared into thin air, with families still waiting for answers?

If I were to make a list of kidnappings, assassinations, murders, the list would be so long that no one would want to go through it.

I hope the newly elected government will investigate these cases and bring justice. It certainly won’t heal the wounds, but at least there will be a sense of justice served.