5th Column - No apologies just expressions of regret from the Wanni

The long distance call for Bala was from the Wanni. It was from Velu and he was angry…

"Bala, what have you done this time?" Velu asked.

"Why, Thambi, what is wrong?"

"You have apologised to India for killing their Prime Minister…"

"No, Thambi, I didn't…"

"But that is what everyone is saying and it’s all over the newspapers and television…"

"I only expressed regret, Thambi…" Bala explained.

"I would think, that is the same as saying sorry…"

"No, Thambi, it is slightly different…" Bala pointed out.

"What is the difference anyway? After all, the man is dead now…"

"But, Thambi, why are you so worried about this?" Bala asked.

"Why, Bala, can't you think of what will follow?"

"There is nothing to worry about regretting an incident, Thambi…"

"But imagine what can happen next, Bala…"

"Why, Thambi, what are you worried about?"

"Everyone will be demanding apologies, Bala…" Velu said.

"And who would they be?" Bala queried.

"Why, we have so many on the list, I do not know where to begin…" Velu observed.

"But Thambi, we don't have to apologise to any of them…" Bala assured.

"Just imagine, Premadasa's family will want an apology, Gamini's family will demand an apology and so will Ranjan's family…" Velu pointed out.

"But that does not mean we will apologise to any of them…" Bala insisted.

"And even Satellite might demand an apology for trying to get her killed and damaging her eye…"

"But we will not apologise to her either…" Bala persisted.

"And then, what about the thousands we have massacred at various times, Bala?" Velu wanted to know.

"Well, what about them?"

"They too will be demanding apologies and expressions of regret…" Velu argued.

"But the truth is, we don't regret any of those events…" Bala said.

"But they will still demand apologies…" Velu argued.

"And we will not apologise, Thambi…"

"But, Bala, there is another problem…" Velu said.

"What is that, Thambi ?" Bala wanted to know.

"Now we are denying everything that we do; we even denied what happened in Kebithigollewa…"

"But that has been our style all these years…" Bala said.

"But when you start apologising for killing India's Prime Minister, people will think we are a murderous outfit and will lose faith in our denials…" Velu pointed out.

"Thambi, did you really think that people believed our denials?"

"Well, at least some of them might have…" Velu was hopeful.

"No, Velu, I don't think anybody did…" Bala said.

"Then, why do we take the trouble to deny all that we do?" Velu was puzzled.

"Ah, we do that because we have to look decent and because all the foreign media will then begin their reports of the incident with the fact that we have denied it, instead of reporting the actual incident…" Bala explained.

"Bala, there is still something I don't understand…" Velu said.

"What is that, Thambi?"

"What is this difference between expressing regret and apologising that you refer to?"

"Take the incident of Karuna leaving us, for instance…" Bala said.

"Well, what about that?" Velu asked.

"It is an incident we deeply regret now," Bala said, "but we do not apologise for it, do we?"

Velu thought he understood.