Portrait of a dead body with a face, Mixed media on paper, September 2007
© http://www.lohangunaweera.tk
“Since it resumed serious military operations against the rebels last year, 315,000 people have had to flee their homes due to fighting. The government has forced some to return home in unsafe conditions against their will. Since January 2006, more than 1,100 “disappearance” cases have been reported. Almost all of the disappeared are Tamil men between the ages of 18-50, and in a majority of cases witnesses allege complicity of security forces. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….”
“According to a study by Johns Hopkins University, published by the British medical journal Lancet, through June 2006 an estimated 655,000 Iraqis were killed as a result of the invasion and occupation. Many more have been injured, and an entire society has been devastated. More than 3,400 American and other soldiers have been killed and nearly 25,000 injured. ………………………………………………………“
Unfinished Business 
EXCELLENT
THANK YOU!!! :-D
Very powerful, Lohang!
Thank you very much :-)
Your world is so different from mine. I work with the peace coalition here and we have crime and violence escalating in the streets but nothing like what you and yours are living with daily. Your work is powerful and I have no doubt that your voice – through your art as well as your compassionate journaling – will make a profound difference.
Hum well, this is more about United States of America than anywhere on earth. That quotation says very little :-) I am deeply concerned about what is going on in Iraq and daily lives of the people in the US. Each and every day we see the most devastating crisis on earth. Crisis of United States is more relevant than anything else. I do not live in a different world than yours :-)
If I explain a little further, I see mothers, wives, relatives carrying photographs of their dead or disappeared husbands, sons and loved ones without knowing what comes next. You can not exactly say which one is the dead body. Mother or the son, wife or the husband. In your country alone we have seen over 3500 families going through this solely as a result of the ongoing war in Iraq. I hope your peace coalition is aware of that as well.
Peace! No personal offense intended Mikell :-) I just wanted to clarify the origins of the painting.
We are aware. I was referring to my daily reality here in this country and the great contrast of the larger global picture. We know it is happening but to pretend to relate when we are so seperated would be unrealistic. We are buffered. It is a little like saying “I understand” to someone who has experienced the death of a child if you haven’t. You can care deeply and have great compassion but there is a difference.
Well I understand your point. I personally know Americans Iraqis and also Sri Lankans who lost their loved ones. All that’s a part of my daily life in that sense, in addition to being concerned about a “social” issue.
So do I. What I don’t understand is that there are people who have lost their loved ones and they are waving the flag higher and harder than others. Some – not all – feel that lives have gone for an honorable purpose. Others feel horror that their loved ones died for “Bush’s war”. We are all shaped by our own experiences. My brother is a retired Marine – I pray – and work in my own small way – for peace. Same town, same family, same generation, same upbringing – different views entirely. We don’t see the same world when we open our eyes in the morning.