After attending Tomoko Watanabe’s presentation, Grassroots Peace Activities, the participants were asked to write down their impressions of Hiroshima. Here is Ishan Wijetilake response. Ishan is a civil servant in the Sri Lankan government.
What are your impressions of Hiroshima?
It’s a very sensitive feeling when I remember Hiroshima. It’s not happy, but with a lot of sorrow. But I’m really delighted at the way Hiroshima got up, recovered, the attitude of the Japanese, Hiroshima people, to recovery.I really like the brave, energetic thinking and attempts by the Hiroshima people and the way of rebuilding the city. I encourage myself to attempt to disseminate peace all over the world. … The most important thing is that [the Japanese people] did not get frustrated about the past but were very dynamic, positive thinking.I myself suffered with the war in Sri Lanka. It lasted 30 years… many people were killed, a lot of infrastructure destroyed and development paralyzed.
Now the war is over. There is no conflict among communities. Tamils, Sinhalese, Muslims live peacefully. People need no war. No War. We need sustainable peace.Ishan Wijetilake
Civil Servant
Sri Lanka
