"..This walk is symbolic for me; it is 300km or 300,000 meters. I am walking a meter for every life which suffers in these camps today. I aim to create awareness about their plight, and I ask for your help, so that together we can help release the Tamils and re-settle them in their villages again. I hope that we can provide them with the basic necessities and human rights that we freely enjoy as Australians..."

Seran Sribalan

Born 13th April 1982, London, United Kingdom
Migrated to Australia 7th September 1991
Currently living in Sydney
Completed education as HBHS
Profession – professional dancer, choreographer and teacher

Reason for Doing the Walk

I got my first chance to visit my hometown in 2003, where I visited Jaffna in the North of Sri Lanka. It was a trip that I could say was bittersweet, mixed with many happy yet haunting memories. We stayed in a house with our relatives, relatives who I never knew I had. The walls of the house had many bullet holes, in fact nearly all the houses in the area had been damaged by the war.

I never knew I had so many family members and relatives in Sri Lanka, however, they all seemed to know me. Prior to the war, families in villages formed a very close knit community and that seemed to have continued. My relatives from Jaffna knew everything about me and they kept in contact with family members from both Australia and around the world, making sure that we were all okay.

After all the suffering that they have gone through, I was quiet surprised by their concern over our welfare, but I began to understand that the only joy they have during these times of hardship lies in knowing that some of their loved ones were able to escape. In the space of 2 and ½ months I have become extremely close to my family and newly found friends.

Sadly, it is these same family members and friends who are currently detained within internment camps, even though they have homes and belongings of their own. They have become displaced within their own land and that is something they struggle with everyday. In my mind, there is no excuse for them to be there, the war is over, so why must they continue to suffer in camps? Along with them are 300,000 other Tamils, who are longing to return to their homes and homeland.

When I hear news of 1,400 people dying in a single camp (Manik Farm) and reports of forced prostitution, starvation, lack of proper sanitation and shelter, I can’t help but picture the faces of my family and friends. Images of my relatives, cousins, aunts and uncles flood my mind and I am engulfed in grief at the thought of them and what they are going through.

Being a professional dancer, and having been involved in the art of classical dance for many years, this form of expression has allowed me to stay in touch with my culture. More importantly in these times of heartache, traditional Bharatha Natyam has provided me with an avenue to show the psychological trauma that confinement is causing amongst the 300,000 Tamils now detained within the Sri Lankan governments internment camps.

This walk is symbolic for me; it is 300km or 300,000 meters. I am walking a meter for every life which suffers in these camps today. I aim to create awareness about their plight, and I ask for your help, so that together we can help release the Tamils and re-settle them in their villages again. I hope that we can provide them with the basic necessities and human rights that we freely enjoy as Australians.

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