By Ameer Ali –
Dr. Ameer Ali
Freedom adds more value to the freed when it is taken from the master instead of given by him. While India fought and won its freedom Sri Lanka received it in a platter. When the British, the then super power, discovered oil under the sands of Persia and the Arabian Desert, and when Winston Churchill decided to switch British naval power from coal to oil, India lost its economic and strategic value and even became a financial liability. Gandhi’s demand for independence and Jinnah’s demand for Pakistan turned into mob violence and bloodshed. The British were in a mighty hurry to cut and run. India won its freedom and along with it Jinnah won his Pakistan. With India, the jewel in the crown, gone, of what use to the British was Ceylon? Thus, independence was a gift to the island without any struggle. This may be one of the reasons why the nation’s post-independence leaders became so lackadaisical towards and non-committal to build up the spirit of nationalism to unite all communities in the country but allowed it to be fractured into competing ethnic nationalisms and provincialism. This mismanagement of the country’s pluralism is the most glaring and enduring item on the debit side of Sri Lanka’s national balance sheet after seventy years of independence.
On the credit side, the country can indeed feel proud of its economic transformation from an open export economy narrowly dependent on three planation crops on the eve of independence to a more diversified export-import economy thereafter. The sectoral composition of GDP in 2015 shows that agriculture has declined to around 8% while industry and service have increased to 26% and 57% respectively, depicting a trend common to other economies in similar stage of development. Although the published unemployment and inflation rates have to be accepted with some reservation because of questionable methodologies of estimating them these rates are however, not at worrying levels. The informal sector is absorbing significant numbers of otherwise openly unemployed.
On the social side, 74.9 years of life expectancy and 93.2% of average literacy rate are commendable achievements on any comparison. However, the quality of our educational institutions particularly at the tertiary level, the deterioration of the public environment, and sky rocketing cost of medical treatment do bound to impact those rates negatively. Education to drive out illiteracy is one thing but educating to enhance the nation’s skill stock is another. It is in the latter that the balance sheet shows gaps.
On the economic front, the country’s national debt based on IMF, Eurostat and CIA data stood at 77.1% of GDP in 2016, increasing from 76% in 2015 which is a worrying sign. The burden of servicing this debt will be passed on to the next generation of innocent Sri Lankans. A substantial part of this debt was the financial cost of fighting an unwanted civil war engendered by the mismanagement referred to earlier.
The credit side of the balance sheet is further devalued by the economic and social cost of corruption that is now endemic in the country. The bond scam saga in which the Central Bank Governor and leading members of the government are alleged to have been involved demonstrates that corruption has been institutionalised. The only way to arrest this evil is to bring the corruptors to books and punish them without fear or favour. The wealth accumulated illegally and through corruption must be confiscated and credited to the treasury. To do that, the judiciary must be independent and rule of law should be upheld. Here again there is a lot to be desired in the current political environment. When ministers, their deputies and even politicians at regional levels behave like warlords and treat their electorates as petty fiefdoms what hope is there for honesty to prevail in public administration and for ordinary people to get their grievances redressed?
An even more serious item on the debit side of the balance sheet is the erosion of the country’s sovereignty. This again is the ultimate cost of the civil war which made the rulers to look desperately for assistance even from a devil as long as they could achieve victory in a war with their own people. Those shylocks who provided this assistance are now demanding the pound of flesh. That flesh is the increasing foreign control over chunks of Sri Lanka’s commanding heights. Given this situation can one really claim that the country is independent? As a result of the civil war, the country, having been pushed into the vortex of a geopolitical swirl in the Indian Ocean, is paying a very high price for its political stupidity.
What about the distribution of wealth? Here again the picture is not reassuring. According to one survey Sri Lanka’s per capita income is higher than that of her neighbours India and Pakistan. However, being the 119th wealthiest nation among a total of 180 it is still almost in the bottom third as part of the Third World. What is growing faster than the total wealth is the wealth gap between the rich and poor. While the richest 10% holds 40% of the total wealth the poorest 10% holds just over one percent. This gap is set to widen given the global climate of economic neoliberalism. According to a UN estimate 45% of Sri Lankans are living on less than $2 a day or Rs.225.
A large part of the debits and credits in the balance sheet is the product of the twins born in 1977. One was political and the other economic. The Jayewardene constitution and the neo-liberal economy which were introduced simultaneously in that year has produced a civil war, enduring ethnic nationalism, brain drain, institutionalised corruption if not kleptocracy, yawning wealth gap and erosion of sovereignty. As long as employment opportunities in the Gulf countries persist and foreign investment continues to flow there is some amelioration for Sri Lanka’s economic and social woes. Yet, after seventy years of independence the national balance sheet shows too many fundamental worrying items that need critical auditing and correction before the situation reaches calamitous level.
Sri Lanka is a resourceful country and its people are highly innovative and enterprising. They certainly deserve a better management system than prevailing now. How to bring about that change after seventy years is the sixty-four thousand dollar question.
*Dr. Ameer Ali, School of Business and Governance, Murdoch University, Western Australia
Niro / February 2, 2018
WHEN PIGS FLY–AND SCOLD: BRITS LECTURING SRI LANKA! By Gary Brecher
By all accounts, the Sinhala/Kandyans were harmless slackers, who didn’t need or want much from the outside world. All they asked was for people to leave them alone up on their big rocky highlands to do their Buddhist thing. Unfortunately that wasn’t the British policy. It irked the redcoats that Kandy still had a king, an army, all this impudent baggage that went with independence. The British decided to break the Sinhalese completely, crush the whole society.
The Collected Writings of Thomas De Quincey: Historical essays and researches ( – 1897) David Masson
It is proper, however, to add, that since the conquest of this country in 1815, there have been three rebellions, viz.: in 1817–18, in 1834, and finally in 1842.
Its a myth that Ceylon received independence on a platter. The Kandyans/ Maya-rata or the people in the center of the country kept fighting till the end. These people have remained Sinhala speakers and most of their history never translated into English. It is the western province Sinhalese who were subservient to the Brits. I say this as someone whose ancestors came from Etul Kotte, Matale, and Galle.
After 1842 the Sinhala kept on making a ruckus. As people who survived Indians, Persians, Moors, Portugal, and dutch- they were unwilling to live as slaves on their land of their ancestors. Something ALi and his alien tribe might not understand. Hence Indians were brought to work on tea Plantations.
Ali does not know about the heroic student E.W Perera of Etul Kotte who sneaked into the Chelsea Hospital, London and retrived the Royal banner of the Last King of Sinhala over 90 years after its capture. This untied the Sinhala faction to agitate for Independence. Maybe it was not as glamorous as the Indian struggle. But the Sinhalese did something. And it did result in the Lion flag fluttering on Feb 4th 1948 as the Union Jack came down. Ali does not know about Weera Puran Appu, Gongalegoda Banda, and Monarawila Keppetipola of Matale.
It is a historical fact that vast majority of Muslims were illgal fisherman in the north east ( like now ), while the few who could read and write like Rasheed Fareek – were English boot lickers.
[Edited out]
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K.Anaga / February 2, 2018
Until the Britishers came came to our island the Northern province was separate kingdom similar to Kandian kingdom. Kings in the Northern province too fought the Britishers till the last and lost like Prabaharn loosing because of help From China and India in particular and the world in general. Now the result is China and India is fighting to have strong foot hold in Srilanka. Where will it end is left to be seen?
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / February 2, 2018
Also all the last kings of Kandy and most of the so called Kandyan aristocrats were all Tamil speaking Naickers from Madurai and Thanjavur. in what is now modern day Tamil Nadu. The last king of Kandy and his children were deported back to their homeland in Tamil Nadu and he died in Salem Tamil Nadu , His descendants still live on Salem Tamil Nadu. Even the so called kingdom of Kotte was founded by a Tamil Alahakoon. from South India. Most of these so called Sinhalese were traitors who collaborated and fought with the Portuguese Dutch and British to defeat the Tamils from the Jaffna kingdom . Now trying to rewrite history. The Kandyan king was betrayed by his own Sinhalese chiefs because he and many of his courtiers were Tamils. Pandara Vanniyan was the last independent Tamil chief from Vanni , fought against the British and lost . The very same place where the last battle for Tamil independence was fought and lost in 2009 , due to India Pakistan China the USA and many other countries , who were all fighting with each other but joined to help the war criminal genocidal racist and the racist Sinhalese armed forces to defeat the Tamils and commit genocide and war crimes on them. The Sinhalese tried their best to change history and make Pandara Vanniyan a Sinhalese by Sinhalising his name to Vanni Bandara , but failed.
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Niro / February 2, 2018
The Monarchy has always been of different stock to the people they ruled over. House of Windsor ( Queen Elizabeth 11 ) is German. The first Greek King in 1821 was German ( Otto ) , the second was Danish. Swedes ruled over Danes and Norwegians. Scots ruled over English, and English ruled over Scots and welsh. Spanish ruled over Italians and Italians ruled over Spanish. Mongolians ruled over Turks. Turks ruled over Hindus. Arabs ruled Persians and Persians ruled over Hindus.
All this does not change the fact that Siw Hela, or sinhala survived the sinking of What Tamils called Kumari Kandam.
Furthermore Elam means people of Kerala not Tamil Nadu. Tamils are not Malayale or Telegu.
North Africa To North Malabar: AN ANCESTRAL JOURNEY
N.C.SHYAMALAN M.D.
It is well known in the history of Kerala that Dravidians were ill-treated as slaves by the superior Hindu class in central and south Kerala. Some opted to convert to Christianity, many went to Ceylon, and a few remained in south Kerala. After the arrival of Sri Narayana Guru, the group that went to Ceylon returned to Kerala; these people were known as Ezhuvas, the people from Eellam,Sri Lanka.
The Last king of Jaffna was Senarat of Uda rata who re-took the city in 1629.
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-last-king-of-jaffna-was-a-sinhala-buddhist/
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / February 3, 2018
Oh really ! Another fascist Sinhalese Buddhist of recent South Indian Tamil immigrant origin now trying to rewrite history. The Last king of Jaffna was Chinese not Sinhalese Buddhist . Satisfied?. Sinhalese Buddhist indeed! The native language of the Island was Elu which is a Semi Tamil Dravidian dialect and there is enough evidence of this. For formal purposes proper Tamil was used. The ancient Tamil word for the island Eelam /Eezham is derived from this. It also means land of toddy of metal in Tamil . The Eezhavas of Kerala are closely associated with toddy tapping and have an ancient Tamil origin which is supposed to have originated from the island of Eelam. Elu+ Prakrit = Hela. or old Sinhalese. Do not lie and try to rewrite history. Even the work Sinhala has nothing to do with lions it is the Pali/Prakritised version of another Tamil word for the island. Chingkallam meaning the land of red or copper coloured. and the Tamil or semi Tamil speaking people of the island were also called Chinkallavar and the island was called Chigkalla Theevu in ancient Tamil . This has nothing to with modern Sinhalese but was relating to the ancient Tamil speakers who came from the copper coloured island. With the arrival of Buddhism and the Prakritisation of the Tamil/Elu language in the south of the island , a new language and identity evolved in the south and they Prakritised the ancient Tamil word for the island Chingkallam to Sinhala and used it for them. This is like modern Slavic speaking Macedonians now living in the former ancient Greek Macedonia and using the Macedonian name and claiming this history as theirs. Now Sinhalese fascists are doing the same. Trying to rewrite history. Even foreigners have noted the Sinhalese now trying to deny the Tamils their ancient history in the island and trying to rewrite history to suit their Sinhalese Buddhist agenda
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Rtd. Lt. Reginald Shamal Perera / February 2, 2018
Niro,
Agree with you a 100%. The Kandyans are the only people to rebel during the British rule. The Kandyan kingdom was also the last to fall. Kandyans are the ONLY lions of the land while the rest are racoons and skunks masquerading as Lions.
The Muslim knife-men who robbed people along the coastal areas later bribed Southern Karawa fellas to make up Patriotic stories about how they helped Sinhalese Armies to fight the invaders. They never helped the Sinhalese in anyway. Instead they were Bounty hunters for the British. Where they would be paid 2 Shillings for each Sinhalese rebel whose hideout they tipped on.
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Native Vedda / February 3, 2018
Retarded Loony women sniffing Shamless Perera
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FYI smart ass read the excerpts and then the whole article for information about the original Kandy, Kandyans and Vedda:
Excerpts:
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“Further enquiries led Obeyesekere to believe that when the city of Kandy was founded in the fifteenth century it was a Vedda village named Katupulle, the chief of that village being known as Katupulle Vedda. “
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“Looking from my balcony up on my hilltop, I know that the mountainous area north of the Seligmanns’ field site was known in ancient Sinhala texts of nearly three hundred years ago as ‘the Vedda country,’ or as ‘the great [maha] Vedda country’, a huge expanse of well over a thousand square miles. But in my wanderings and meanderings in that latter region I found that there are no
Veddas today; all who live there claim to be Sinhala Buddhists. So the question that posed itself to me was: whatever happened to the Veddas who once lived in this part of the country?”
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‘Then, as my fieldwork and thinking progressed, I asked myself: if the Veddas were in this vast region north of the area in which the Seligmanns did their fieldwork, let me figure out whether they existed in other parts of the country, too. So I probed the sixteenth-century classic literature and poetry written by Buddhist monks and other erudite scholars. And some of their texts refer to Veddas in other parts of the country, for example, roughly around Sri Pada “
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From Aristocrats to Primitives An Interview with Gananath Obeyesekere
https://iias.asia/sites/default/files/IIAS_NL30_010405.pdf
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“It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt”
― Mark Twain
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Niro / February 3, 2018
Politics in Sri Lanka, 1947-1979 –
A. Jeyaratnam Wilson – 1979 –
Kandyan Sinhalese members in the House of Representatives have always supported legislation directed against the ‘Indian presence’ and have stoutly opposed any concessions that governments have at times tried to make to the Indians. In 1968, the Kandyan Sinhalese lobby organised the opposition to the Indo-Ceylon Implementation Bill of the Dudley Senanayake ‘national government’ in the Senate and they nearly secured its defeat in that chamber.
The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka:
Asoka Bandarage – 2008
The first community to call for a federal state in Sri Lanka were not the Tamils but the Kandyans, who had lost the most – their sovereignty, their land, their culture – under British colonialism.
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whywhy / February 3, 2018
Niro ,
Even today , if their investments are in danger, the investors from
the West or East , will pack up and rush out ! The British went back
peacefully from the country with the remote-control in their hands.
And it is that device that MARA and Wimal were screaming about
even in dreams “Electric chair.” Is it Kappetipola and Puran appu
who planted Tea , built roads , introduced motor vehicles , cut your
hair , put on shoes and dressed you up in fashion ? Talk of the size
of budget deficit , borrowings , debt traps and FOREIGN FUNDED
DEVELOPMENTS , not only roads and other high-rise new buildings
but also projects like Mahaveli and Victoria ! You cardboard heroes
haven’t learnt anything other than trivialising the arrival of other
communities who have contributed generously and more than the
majority in the past and continues to date ! Long before the arrival
of Portuguese and British that Muslims and Tamils introduced this
country to the outside world . It is the Portuguese that expelled
Muslims from Colombo to take over trade and port from their
domination . The King of Kandy invited them to Kandy and even built
Mosque for them . Muslims understand one thing now very clearly and
that , it is the outcast among the Sinhalese , Kandy or low lying who
distort history in hatred of other communities . But history is history ,
and it is only written by the winner . Losers are the boot lickers !
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Jim softy / February 2, 2018
Some political analysts come here talk about Democracy. but, compare the definition of the Democracy and what exists in Sri lanka. Sri lanka was born in 1948 and Bangladesh was born in 1972. Yet Bangladesh is more developed than Sri lanka. Only thing Srilanka has is youth unrest and family struggling to live and women lever the country to look after the families. Sri lanka is governed by Family Oligarchies called the parliament. What Sri lanka has is dictatorship of the Head of that Oligarchy. Even very NArcissitic royal family of Saudi Arabia took their practices under control by arresting all the corrupt Royals. In Sri lanka every minister is a thief and the HEad of the oligarchy and his most important minister were caught robbing the banks. So, what kind of democracy ? Earlier it was thuggery and now it is ROBBERIeS every where.
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Burt / February 2, 2018
“Sri lanka was born in 1948 and Bangladesh was born in 1972. Yet Bangladesh is more developed than Sri lanka.”
Bangladesh has only a minute 6% of Buddhists and that too not the Sinhala Buddhist type.
Same thing with Singapore, although it has around 33% Buddhists over 90% of them are Chinese.
So the problem is Sinhala Buddhists. Skinheads will take to the streets even if you think of cleaning corruption.
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K.Anaga / February 2, 2018
Burt!
It may be appropriate to say that Srilanka was re-born in 1948,unfortunately with congenital defects. No scans were available during that time. The defects were building up even before the re-birth i.e Sinhala only. Buddhism the foremost place and colonization of the North and East, the predominantly Tamil speaking areas with Sinhala Buddhists to change the Texture of the population and make the Tamil Speaking people a microscopic minority in their own areas. Instead, if the successive Governments gave a thought to embrace all the population and develop Srilanka, to day, we would have been like CANADA, where the English Speaking population and French Speaking population are living peacefully with self respect and inviting refugees from other countries to make it a multicultural nation.
Unfortunately we are interested in chasing our own educated people away from Lanka. All what the politicians and their henchmen are interested in, is to Bond themselves in various scams and live happily ever after not realizing the fact that they have dug a hole under their very feet to take all Srilankans to HELL.
Please do not cheat the people by saying that we will make Srilanka a Singapore. Ha! Ha! Ha!
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Jim softy / February 3, 2018
Burt the Cartoon character. the reason is Former Bangladeshis are stricly muslim and follow their philosophy. buddhists let others live. Colonial parasites were european catholics and christian invaders who destroyed the country. Even the politicians are descendants of those colonial masters. both Ranil, Ravi and Percival Rajapakse are former catholics and anglicans. None are buddhists.
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Burt / February 3, 2018
Hay Dimwit:
Top five Buddhist countries:
Cambodia 96.90%
Thailand 93.20%
Myanmar 87.90%
Bhutan 74.7%
Sri Lanka 70.2%
What’s common: Poverty, Prostitution and survival thanks to aid from Christian and Muslim countries.
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Shenal / February 3, 2018
Burt & Jim softy,
Bangladesh is not developed more than Sri Lanka. It just do better business compared with Sri Lanka in the international market. The reason for that being the cheap labor of Bangladesh. Sri Lanka cannot match Bangladesh’s cheaper labor wages.
Moreover Burt, you have conveniently missed to mention about Thailand and Vietnam which are overwhelmingly Theravada Buddhist countries which is more developed than the South Asian countries.
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Mallaiyuran / February 2, 2018
Most important is, not how Lankawe got freedom, how it lost the freedom. Chankilian, Bandaravanniyan, Kaiilai Vanniyan and Vickramarajasingan, the kings and Chieftains from minority race fought against the foreign invasion. But the Ehelepola and Philimatalava of the Majority race played the traitor game against the minority kings. Doan Juan simply handed over the Kotte Kingdom, which was built by Tamil General named Alahakoon, to Portuguese only in return to sleep with a white skinned Portuguese Royal Palace servant girl named Dona Catherina (apparently she did not allow any descendants for king to claim the kingdom).
So, again the history is repeating : An even more serious item on the debit side of the balance sheet is the erosion of the country’s sovereignty. This again is the ultimate cost of the civil war which made the rulers to look desperately for assistance even from a devil as long as they could achieve victory in a war with their own people. Those shylocks who provided this assistance are now demanding the pound of flesh. That flesh is the increasing foreign control over chunks of Sri Lanka’s commanding heights. Given this situation can one really claim that the country is independent? As a result of the civil war, the country, having been pushed into the vortex of a geopolitical swirl in the Indian Ocean, is paying a very high price for its political stupidity.
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chiv / February 2, 2018
Sir you nailed it, excellent review of facts which will always hurt, more so to people in apparent denial or to some who disguise in name of ignorance, The truth is there has not been any true independence to mother Lanka, When people say the British looted our country at present our own politicians and the 10% scrub pickers are looting as well raping the country. The Irony is the the bottom 25% is more than happy in supporting these politicians to do so under the guidance and spin of religion????? But our people are supposedly literate/educated ??? The answer is common sense can not be learned from books and sure our politicians are street smart ( which again is not given in books) and too cunning to know how to manipulate and exploit the dumb, I do not expect any miracles to change this situation,
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chiv / February 2, 2018
Sir talk about corruption ??? In the US few senators and congressmen are behind bars, in UK few ministers resigned, same in Brazil,Italy,Israel….etc ….etc, Among the Asian countries in South Korea,Nepal in Pakistan Sherif and benazir , and India where Jeya, Karuna and now Lalu is in prison for graft and corruption, In Lanka ?????? when was any politician found guilty and if so was justice served upon them???? I do not remember any in my life time, viewers please have a go.
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K.Pillai / February 2, 2018
Ameer Ali ~ “According to a UN estimate, 45% of Sri Lankans live on less that $2/- per day”
Ask anyone of them: Why this poverty? The answer is: Corruption, nepotism and the culture of impunity.
The silver lining is: Lankans are getting to be discerning and so will take the necessary action – it may take a while.
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Jim softy / February 2, 2018
Mr. Amir Ali: what is the $ 64,000 question. . why did not you explain it. You are living in australia and you are safe. Yet you chose not to discuss it. Who is getting $ 64,000 per year I suppose from some govt ? I heard Mahinda Rajapakse is getting it and some one knows it. Is it Ravi thee LIar or some one related to a prominent politician.
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Punchi Point / February 2, 2018
K. Anga, there was NEVER EVER a legitimate Tamil kingdom in this island. The Tamil kingdoms were in Tamilakam, and this island is the island of the Sinhalese. The socalled called Jaffna kingdom was a Pandyan occupation started in the late 13th century, which morphed into a sort of semi-independent rule after the fall of the Pandyans in the 15th century. The Portuguese put an definitive end to the socalled kingdom in Jaffna, in 1620.
For the Sinhalese, whether it is the Portuguese or Dutch or British or the Tamils coming here trying to rule and plunder this island, is the exactly same – all of them were invaders with imperial motives. If the Portuguese didn’t come here, the Tamils would have been chased back to Tamil Nadu, already in the 13th-14th century.
Until the Tamils ethnic cleansed the Sinhalese from Jaffna in 1544, Sinhalese were living in Jaffna.
The ethnic cleansing of the Sinhalese from Jaffna is narrated in the Tamil document Yalpana Vaipava Malai and corroborated by the Portuguese:
After the massacre of the Christians Sankili’s insane fury longed for more victims and he fell upon the Buddhists of Jaffna who were all Sinhalese. He expelled them beyond the limits of the country and destroyed their numerous places of worship. Most of them betook themselves to the Vannis and the Kandyan territories.
So please do not try to distort history and claim parts of the Sinhalese island to set up your mono-ethnic Tamil country. Try to live in peace and co-exist with the Sinhalese on equal terms and do not demand too much. Sinhalese got their independence from European imperial powers, but Sinhalese will most probably not be able to get complete independence from the Tamil aggressors.
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / February 2, 2018
Sinhalese racist stop trying to re write history to suit your Sinhalese fascist agenda. The truth it was not the Tamil Jaffna kingdom but your so called Sinhalese kingdoms that were ruled by dynasties from South India. Tamil speaking Naickers from Madurai/Thanjavur and Kotte was founded by a Tamil prince from South India Alahakoon. Good try. Most of you present day Sinhalese are descended from South Indian immigrants who only arrived in the island thanks to the Portuguese and Dutch, who imported hundreds of thousands of low caste immigrant Indian Tamil slave labour. Now all their Sinhalised descendants have become anti Tamil Sinhalese Buddhist fascists, who are trying rewrite the island’ s history. You are good example.
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Mallaiyuran / February 2, 2018
After the massacre of the Christians Sankili’s insane fury longed for more victims and he fell upon the Buddhists of Jaffna who were all Sinhalese.
Just tell me Punchi Point, How many aquariums Chankiliyan had and how many human flesh eating sharks he was petting in those pools? Which port in Ceylon that Chankiliyan sold to Dragon to buy cluster bombs and Chemical bombs? Is Chankilian’s army is rated as one of the world notorious rapists? Where did Chankiliyan burry the Matara skeletons of his version. Can you tell me where concrete pillar making factory Chankiliyan operated to make pillars to tie to corpse and throw them in the middle of the ocean?
Sir your bestial leaders have killed 600,000 innocent Tamils, only to win elections. They never raised their guns against the Indian army even, but only against the widowed women. Chankilian killed 600 Christians fearing they would be colluding with enemy, who was many times well-armed than him. Portuguese converted Hindus only for that purpose, not because they having their welfare center for Hindus.
Man your history is not just one cannot be seen in the jaffnahistory.com, one cannot even find it in Shenal’s writing either!
Hurrah!
Keep it going until reaching the UNHRC at Geneva!
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Real Siva Sankaran Sharma / February 3, 2018
Please read this of what a UN officer stated about the genocide and war crimes committed on the Tamils of Sri Lanka and the establishment now trying to erase any trace of the ancient Tamil presence in Sri Lanka by trying rewrite and deny the Tamil history , changing place names and settling Sinhalese in large numbers in historic Tamil areas. Just like what Turkey did to the Armenians . Countries like India , China, Pakistan , USA and many others ,are also behind this genocide, for their own agenda. This is why Sri Lanka is allowed to go scot free , they just make noised but will not do anything and are gradually letting the war crimes inquiry fizzle away , as they are involved too.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/very-fair-to-say-sl-army-committed-genocide-former-un-staffer/articleshow/62673044.cms
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Native Vedda / February 3, 2018
Punchi Point with punchi parochial brain
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“K. Anga, there was NEVER EVER a legitimate Tamil kingdom in this island.”
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Could you define a “legitimate kingdom”? Where did the legitimacy come from?
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“The Tamil kingdoms were in Tamilakam, and this island is the island of the Sinhalese.”
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There were no such entities in South India Tamil Kingdoms. All those kingdoms were named after bloodline, Chera, Chola, Pandya, Pallava, ……………….. The borders of such kingdoms moved constantly.
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The Cholas , Pandyas, Mahas, …..IPKF (Sultanate of Delhi) traveled all the way from their respective kingdoms to this island just for fun. When they were bored they usually came to this island to kick some butts, plunder, rape, arson, …………. because those invaders found the so called kings of the island didn’t treat their people well and fought among themselves. When they went back they didn’t take back all their surplus Vellaikkara Padei (coolip padei, mercenaries) but left them to live in this island.
I am sure you are a descendant of this cooli padei. Surely your grand father would have narrated some stories about your ancestors. Jog your memory, you might find the link. There were several Erivirar (spearmen) Pattinams in South India where Vellaikkarar were trained and recruited by kings of South India as well as the Chakkravatins of this island.
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Check your DNA for you might find the link to Gangaikondacholapuram.
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Duck of Edinburgh / February 3, 2018
You people should allow the Country to be leased back to Britain or sell it to Singapore or Switzerland. That is the only way, you will recover from the Brown mess of 70 years that saw you going from one of the brightest prospects of the Post War Colonial nations to a basket case driven by corrupt foolish sub-educated politicians and post Sinhala education leaders who ruined it. Bring back the Whiteman to fix your nation or at least the Singaporean man with a Confucian work ethic to fix it. Otherwise there is no hope. You are like Zimbabawe. You should never have chased away your superior white colonial masters.
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Mallaiyuran / February 3, 2018
Duck of Edinburgh
When did we chase away them (the whites)? That is not true at all. We never fought with them freedom.
They left on their own, seeing herding this grass eating cattle is good for nothing!
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Burt / February 3, 2018
You think Britain has lost its mind?
I think Singapore got what it wanted when it wanted it.
Did you really mean Switzerland or Swaziland because Switzerland will not touch Sri Lanka with a nine yard pole.
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