By Brian Senewiratne –
Dr. Brian Senewiratne
29/3/2019
Michelle Bachelet
High Commissioner for Human Rights
Geneva
Switzerland
Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka
Dear High Commissioner Bachelet
I am writing to express my outrage of the document released at the 40th Session of the UN HCHR
25 February – 22 March 2019.
I am an Australian, originally from Sri Lanka, ethnically a Sinhalese from the majority community and not from the brutalised Tamil community. I have campaigned for the past 70 years for the right of the Tamil people to live with equality, dignity and without discrimination in the country of their birth, Sri Lanka.
I am, like you, a doctor of medicine. I am not a politician but sadly I come from a family that has produced two Prime Ministers and a President, all of whom have wrecked Sri Lanka.
I have published numerous articles, some of which have been collected in a book “The struggle for Justice of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka” which will be sent to you when it is published. I have already published a book “Sri Lanka: Sexual Violence of Tamils by the Armed Forces”. The 1st Edition was published in April 2015, and the 2nd Edition in April 2017. The book has doubled in size and is now 265 pages. It indicates the rate at which sexual violence is progressing. The Foreword was written by a Senator in the Australian parliament. It was handed over to Justice Navanethem Pillay, one of the finest UN Human Rights Commissioners your organisation will ever have. She wrote to me thanking me for writing the book and thanking me for sending her a copy.
In March 2009, Canadians for Genocide Education – an umbrella organization comprising some 48 multiracial and multi-religious organizations selected me to receive the prestigious ‘Educators Award’. I accepted the Award and spoke on “Peace with Justice in Sri Lanka. Genocide of Sri Lankan Tamils. Its causes and solution”.
In April 2018, I was awarded the Nelson Mandela Memorial Award presented to a person from any country who is deemed to be promoting peace and reconciliation and for fearlessly advocating on behalf of War Victims, Refugees, Stateless persons, Victims of Torture, prisoners of conscience, ethnic and national minorities and de-territorialised population in any country or State across the globe. I was only the second person in the world to receive this Award, the first being Yasmin Sooka the Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights, South Africa.
I am writing all this to get the point across to you that where Sri Lanka is concerned, I know what I am talking about.
106 Tamil Diaspora Groups
On 1 March 2019, in an unprecedented show of solidarity, 106 Tamil diaspora groups around the world, jointly urged the UNHRC: 1) Not to give any more additional time to Sri Lanka stating that giving an extension of time will permanently deny justice for the Tamils. 2) To refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or to specifically create an internationally credible tribunal for Sri Lanka and 3) To appoint a UN Special Rapporteur to Sri Lanka to monitor and report to the Council every six months about the plight of the war affected and other international human rights and humanitarian issues.
Not one of these was done. 106 Tamil diaspora groups consist of more than a million people.
Tamil areas in Sri Lanka come to a standstill
On 17 March 2019, tens of thousands of Tamils held a massive protest rally in the northern city of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, against attempts to give any extension time to Sri Lanka by the UN Human Rights Council for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity including sexual assaults and rape committed by the Sri Lankan Security Forces.
They also urged the UN HRC to refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court and appoint a Special Rapporteur for the war affected.
The Tamil areas came to a standstill. Schools, shops, offices and markets shut down in solidarity with the rally. Busses and other public transportation vehicles did not operate. Very few private vehicles were seen on the roads.
High Commissioner, it is a matter of serious concern if tens of thousands of ordinary civilians protest. They are the people on the ground that have to put up with the dreadful situation in the Tamil North and East which I will set out below.
Two Submissions
I have two Submissions. One of them is an extensive 31-page document which was obviously written by you. The other is a 2-page scrap of paper that says nothing. I gather that it was this useless document put together by the “Core Group” on Sri Lanka that was finally released as the UN HRC document on Sri Lanka.
I was going to deal with your document in detail but since it is not going anywhere, I thought it was an exercise in futility. I will therefore deal with just a few points – if only for your information.
You have gone into everything in detail except the things that matter. You do not mention that the Tamil North and East are not under the Sri Lankan government but under the military/police. This of crucial importance – far more important than anything you have dealt with.
You have not commented on the massive Military – much larger than the military in France or the UK. Is this not important?
You have not even mentioned the mass relocation by the Government of Sinhalese from the South into the Tamil North and East – “Sinhalisation’ of the Tamil areas to use a new word. If this goes on at the current rate, there the entire North and East will be full of Sinhalese and there will be no Tamil ‘homeland’. The agenda of the Sinhalese government is to make multiethnic, multicultural, multireligious, multilingual Sri Lanka into a Sinhala-Buddhist nation. What then happens to the Tamils who are not Sinhalese or Buddhists? Is that acceptable?
You state that “No developments were reported in 2018 with regard to the case filed in 201 by several human rights groups in Brazil and Columbia, under universal jurisdiction principles against retired Army General Jagath Jayasuriya”. What you do not say is what you propose to do about this. Let it die a natural death?
In paragraph 57 you express concern at the appointment if Major General Shavendra Silva as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army. You go on to state that he was the commanding officer of the 58th Army Division during the last stages of the war, and allegations were documented against troops under his command with violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including by the Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka appointed by the Secretary-General in its report and the OHCHR on Sri Lanka. What you fail to point out is that this man was a Major General under the Army Commander, who in turn was under the so-called ‘Defence Secretary’, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the former President’s brother. There is overwhelming evidence that Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave orders directly to those in the Armed Forces, some of which were to execute those who had who had surrendered – the “White Flag” murder. To execute those who have surrendered and are Hors de Combat is a serious war crime.
I need hardly draw your attention to “Command Responsibility”- the Yamashita standard – which is a legal doctrine of hierarchical accountability for war crimes. The Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita was prosecuted in 1945 for atrocities committed by troops under his command in the Philippines during World War 11. He was charged in a military court in the Philippines with “unlawfully disregarding and failing to discharge his duty as a commander to control the acts of members of his command by permitting them to commit war crimes”. The court found Yamashita guilty and sentenced him to death. He appealed the sentence to General MacArthur, who refused to alter it. He then appealed to the Supreme Court of the Philippines and the Supreme Court of the United States, both of which declined to review the verdict An appeal for clemency was made to U.S. President Harry S. Truman, who declined to intervene. Yamashita was sent back to the Philippines where he was executed by hanging.
Just for the record, on 23 December 1948, Yamashita’s chief of staff in the Philippines, Akira Mutō, was executed after having been found guilty of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.
High Commissioner Bachelet, there are several ‘Yamashitas’ in Sri Lanka, some in military uniform and others not in military uniform. They must all be charged. My concern is that one of them might be the next President of Sri Lanka.
I refer again to paragraph 51 of your document. “Some segments of civil society have continued to call for international investigations and for the Security Council to refer the situation in Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for international prosecutions and adjudication of those most responsible for these crimes”. High Commissioner, this is not something that civil society can do. It is something that you must do. You must be realistic. Do you seriously believe that if any member of civil society which I am part of asks the Security Council to refer Sri Lanka to the ICC it will be taken seriously? If you do, you are not in the real world.
You go on: “The High Commissioner once again encourages Member States to prosecute Sri Lankans suspected of crimes against humanity, war crimes and other gross violations of human rights……” Could you name just one Member State likely to do this? You must know that China, a supporter of Sri Lanka for geopolitical reasons is a member of the Security Council and will veto anything that adversely affects Sri Lanka. That is the reality of the Security Council and the UN and probably the UN HRC.
In your detailed account, you go into every problem in Sri Lanka except the problems of the most disadvantaged and discriminated group – the Plantation (Indian) Tamils. It was when they were disenfranchised and decitizenised in 1948 that I got involved in all this. I was only a 16 year old student when I lodged a protest in my school and two weeks later delivered my first public address. It is too long ago for me to remember what I said. All I remember is the title of my talk: “A bad start for Democracy” and that some 2,000 people rose to their feet when I stopped.
I have been in touch with these unfortunate people and find that little has changed in the past 70 years. They are still slave labourers who live and work in impossible conditions. They have no human rights. Just to mention their plight might make a difference.
I can go on but this document is getting too long.
Now for the second document, the two pages on nonsense put together by the Core Group on Sri Lanka. It is so absurd that there is nothing I can comment on. It says nothing – absolutely nothing, except to give Sri Lanka another 2-year extension to do what it has done all these past 10 years.
It is worrying that one country in this Core Group was the UK. It was colonial Britain that did some of the dreadful things that has resulted in the current mess. There is an entire Chapter on this in my next book which I have referred to and which I will send you when it is published.
It is worrying and sad to see that Canada was another country in the Core Group. Canada is a decent country which is why so many Tamil asylum seekers from Sri Lanka have gone there. I would have expected Canada to stand up for the victims in the Tamil North and East of Sri Lanka which Canada has not done.
*To be continued…
thumpane gamaya / March 29, 2019
Brian, why don’t you write your next book titled “Prabhakaran…the Saint of Northern Tamils”. and send a copy to Michelle Bachelet too?
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Don Stanley / March 29, 2019
Brian, thank you, but you may be wasting your energy.
The US UK France Japan Human Rights endgame in Sri Lanka is setting up a US military base in Trincomallee to fight the Cold War against China.
They want to turn Lanka into a colony to fight China in the Indian Ocean.
The UNHRC process is a stick to threaten Lanka into submission to the US military project, otherwise Gota Rajapaksa who is a US citizen would have been tried in his California homeland long ago.
Also, Brian, the ICJ ruled recently that UK and US are violating the Human Rights of Chagos Island people in the Indian Ocean who they forcibly displaced and then set up the notorious US military Base Diego Garcia. Sri Lankan Human rights
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Don Stanley / March 30, 2019
The Sri Lankan Human Rights I/NGO industry is marooned, totally lacking in honesty, imagination and intellect and fixated on the UNHRC ritual farce, orchestrated by US-UK-EU to Divide, Distract and Colonize post-war Lanka.
In a country drowning in corruption the HR industry fixated on UNHRC ritual farce has forgotten that Economic Rights and Justice is a fundamental part of Human Rights and that it needs to fight Corruption as it is the main reason for the lack of Economic Rights and Justice all over the country, for all ethnic and religious communities.
Moral of the Story is that SL Human Rights industry needs to broaden its outlook and stop expecting UK and US, the biggest violators of Human rights in the GLOBAL SOUTH, to deliver Human Rights to minorities, when in fact they actually are stealing the Economic Rights and futures of citizens of the global south with fake aid induced debt trap development and corruption projects.
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Niro / March 29, 2019
The democratically elected government of Sri Lankan put an end to an terrorist outfit that had menaced the island for over 30 years based on hearsay. During which time, the armed forces – may or may not have broken the Geneva convention laws.
Wars are brutal and South Indians lost to the Lankans. Unfortunately – when you lose- you are a loser. Nothing can change that fact. Indians, Tamils, Tamil Catholics – lost. Go back to the drawing board. Sinhalese have been consistently winning against Chola, Pandya, Kalinga , Persians, Muslims, Ming dynasty, Portuguese and Dutch We only lost to the English in 1815. If you want to undermined the Sinhalese -get smarter. We run the show on this island – suck it up or get out. : Disce Aut Discede. This goes for the Muslims too. Keep a low-profile and don’t antagonize us.
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K.Anaga / March 30, 2019
NIRO!
‘When you lose you are a loser’ to whom did the Tamils lose? Did they lose to the Sinhalese or to world- China, India, Pakistan,USA.? Please note that you never ruled the North and the East. It is only after you surrendered to Britishers, the N?E was a brought under their rule and Srilanka ‘unified”?. Was the so called’ Democratically elected government’ elected by the Tamils? no amount of clarification will satisfy you Throwing water on the DUCK’s back will not take any one any where.
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punitham / March 30, 2019
” Our inability to manage our own internal affairs has led to foreign intervention but more seriously has led to the taking of arms by a desperate group of our citizens. I think we need to rectify this bad governance and the first and foremost task before us is to undertake constitutional reform in order to ensure that we have adequate devolution of power. We have already missed several opportunities in the past; we have had an APRC functioning for quite some time but its report is still languishing in obscurity and needs to be presented to the public of Sri Lanka for discussion. We need to have State reform; we need to have rule of law established; we need to ensure non discrimination amongst our citizens; we need to have – as I said before – devolution of power and a tolerance of dissent and a strengthening of democratic institutions.” – Jayantha Dhanapala, former Ambassador to UN Geneva and the first UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament)
‘’So who started terrorism? It was we – and then the Tamil youth went into terrorism in the North. So terrorism did not come on its own. We created them, Sir, we created them.’’ – Mangala Moonasinghe (lawyer, former Ambassador and parliamentarian)
”If we do not feel guilty about the Northern military uprising we cannot go anywhere as a country in the future” – Prof Priyan Dias
– three of a large number of submissions to Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission(LLRC), by conscientious Sinhalese, 2010, https://www.scribd.com/doc/104705097/Conscientious-Sinhalese-Tell-LLRC (CT, pl allow the link so that readers may go there and read the rest)
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N. Ethirveerasingam / March 31, 2019
Well said Punitham. Tamil resistance from the Portuguese time to present has failed by intervention from outside the Island but continues. To what end no one can predict. Peaceful protest and resistance will continue.
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Amarasiri / March 30, 2019
Dr. Brian Seneviratna,
Thanks for your efforts. You are calling a spade, Para-Sinhala racism, a spade, that initiated the Para-Tamil separatist, terrotists LTTE.
Both are terrotists and racists. They differ only in the degree to which they practice racism and terrorism.
Now that the Para-Tamils had been defeated , only Para-Sinhala racism and terrorism remains.
So, the UN HRCcontrolled by the West, should discipline and bring reconciliation, close this chapter, by forcing down the throat of the Para-Sinhala.
UN has given two more years. Sri Lanka has been commuting crimes against the Para-Tamil people since independence to various degrees, intermittently and regularly.
Yes, two years is too long. UN is controlled by the West. The interst of the West supersedes.
What about the crimes committed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen etc. Same story.Delf-interest.
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Sinhala_Man / March 29, 2019
Dr. Brian Senewiratne has been consistent and has been hated by most Sinhalese for actually supporting the LTTE. He was making excuses for the actions of the Tigers, and even now doesn’t seem to realise that by the end of his days Prabhakaran was a monster.
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Brian’s cousin former President, Chandrika B.K., was no racist, and was actually elected on a Peace Platform. Prabhakaran rejected negotiations even with her, leading to her Party being taken over by a demagogue. There can be no excuse for that. CBK was not caste conscious – she crossed that barrier by marrying outside her caste. So, Brian, I can’t help feeling that you do go too far.
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It’s difficult for me to form an objective assessment of you. I’m much younger than you, but was educated in the same school, and in the same University as you. You had later lectured in the same University. They used to tell all sorts of nasty tales about you, but I only half believe them. I shudder at the thought of what accusations our fellow Sinhalese will throw at you. You have not told us that your wife is Tamil, but that is bound to come up in the very first batch of comments. What of it? You have committed no crime. On the contrary, we have to admire those like you who have crossed all barriers.
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I have developed no theme in this comment; I didn’t know what to say, really, but with the word limit up, let me type, tbc.
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Sinhala_Man / March 29, 2019
Continuation: PART TWO: but these two parts will, without doubt, be separated by many hateful comments.
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I had to make these comments before any others appeared; to have done otherwise would have been unfair. To all those posting such comments, unseen as yet, I say, that given the sort of hateful language that is going to be used, we Sinhalese, too, are to blame.
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We all suffer, because we did wrong, and because the Rajapaksas refused to bring about reconcilliation. Instead they became corrupt. Some of us were enlightened enough to actually force a change, but then Maithripala Sirisena let us down. However, he had his reasons, too. Ranil Wickremasinghe has hardly been a Democrat and puts himself and his thirst for office, ahead of our country. He feels entitled to his position. That certainly is without excuse. That Bond Scam was a serious enough outrage for him to have resigned, even if he says he wasn’t aware of it happening the first time. And we are idiots to have allowed ourselves to be blackmailed into supporting Democracy. Ranil knows well enough that many of us don’t want the Rajapaksas to return. So, what are we to do?
The next elections we have are going to be Presidential – that is clear, although it is the Provincial Elections that are due next. So Ranil & Co are no respecters of law and decency either. What favours you is what you embrace.
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I did try to develop something like a theme in comments on this article:
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https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/defiant-nagananda-to-represent-himself/
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Perhaps, miracles do happen. There has been no power cut, and CT has come up with my first comment, and one other that is not so nasty from thumpane gamaya. Another gamaya!
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Mallaiyuran / March 29, 2019
” CBK was not caste conscious – she crossed that barrier by marrying outside her caste. So, Brian, I can’t help feeling that you do go too far “.
Ha Ha Ha, That is original you Sinhala Man!
Sinhala_Man Keep on doing your Social Service!
” We all suffer, because we did wrong, and because the Rajapaksas refused to bring about reconcilliation. “
It is not your fault man! It is the monster Pirapaharan started the war, made the nicest angels on the earth, the Sinhala Buddhists like you to look like not ready to come for reconciliation.
I don’t want to reply for your usual rotten racism. But I need to tell one thing here. It is just a repetition of something I had written in CT some time back. You mentioned about Dr. Brian’s Marriage. I need to reply to that.
You are baffling lot. It is absolute shameless behavior. You didn’t have any object, ever in your writing, other than internally boiling of your caste and race consciousness. You constantly struggle to hide it all, but always expose your racist and castial behavior. You are comparing CBK’s marriage to Vijeya with Brian’s marriage. I know Tamils don’t like CBK’s somersaults but almost all respect Vijeya.
You feel Dr. Brian married a Tamil, in which by your evaluation, a Tamil is lower caste than CBK married Vijeya. We all know even Sirimavo didn’t want CBK for long time (But is not all about CBK’s marriage). I don’t deny Dr. Brian married a person, a Tamil, whom in few of your, Sinhala Buddhist’s perception, very low. But that is the point I wanted to mention here.
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Mallaiyuran / March 29, 2019
It is in CT that I have written sometime back, that my first respect for Dr. Brian is not his lifelong Human Right activism or leaving his aristocratic family to continue his activism. It is neither the fact the length his fight for Tamils’ right is not anything shorter than our leader SJV’s. But it is his marriage. CV’s children also cross married. But there is nothing great that I can mention about it here.
Marriage is not a social service. It one’s private life. Those who want to work in social service too need great, suitable marriages for them to work strong in their endeavors. But Dr. Brian married a Tamil when Tamils would not respect Tamils. Still many Tamils who work with Dr. Brain on human rights would not respect all Tamils as he does.
What can I say? Brian’s self confidence in his talent, his intelligence, his strong background, or even something I may not understand what it is, but it contributed, Dr. Brain went for a marriage, it itself have to adored as great social service.
You remember Tamilini’ s life. Rapist Army released her on the condition that she should marry soon. Then they brought a EPDP supporter to marriage. She wrote a book against Tamils and died at the finish of it. It was told by Aanduwa that she died by cancer. But her EPDP UK citizen did not take her UK for treatment, but let her die. In contrast to Tamilini or Vijay, God gave a strong, long, happy, fruitful life to Dr. Brian. Thank for that God Grace.
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N. Ethirveerasingam / March 31, 2019
Sinhala Man. I have met Brian many times and read what he so passionately write. He wants to make a change but he tries the only way he knows how.
I am one of those who supported TNA leaders’ appeal to Tamils in and out of sri lanka to help elect MS and RW to bring a constitutional solution. I did so because I had met Ven Sobitha Thero twice in conferences. His loss is our loss.
During the past year I have come to the conclusion that the present two leaders cannot convince a majority of the Sinhala voters to resolve our problem. Nor can they prosecute those who committed war crimes and Crimes against humanity. SLPP who I think will win the next election is not going to help resolve our problems. But those international actors who sponsored 40/1 do not want SLPP to win. UNP, IC and Tamils need to come to an implementable solution and not promises. Otherwise Tamils have to abstain from the Prez election and turn to the IC.
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Sinhala_Man / April 1, 2019
Yahapalanaya has indeed been a bitter disappointment.
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What do we do now: I’ve had something to say to Kumar David, whom I don’t really know, here:
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https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/does-gotabaya-reflect-lankas-alt-right/
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From there, get on to the article on Nagananda Kodituwakku, to which I have linked you. A glimmer of hope there – please see the comments made by a number of people.
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I don’t think that there’s anything extraordinary that any of have to do on that front. Just be honest, and don’t create new problems. But combatting corruption, making people believe in positives: those are necessary.
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I don’t think that any War Crime will ever be punished – should be, of course! If the Sinhalese leaders start allowing you to live in peace, that may be all that is feasible.
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I’m not necessarily asking you to stomach all that!
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No, no! Don’t abstain. Please get back to me after reading what I have written that I have directed you to. This is why I say that even people like you haven’t studied the system of voting. We must push it to a counting of Preference Votes.
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Can Jeevan Hoole publicise it all? It doesn’t help at all when you have that horrible Kumar R gnawing at him. I think that you had met Rajan, right?
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shankar / April 2, 2019
Ethirweerasingham
” Otherwise Tamils have to abstain from the Prez election and turn to the IC.”
very foolish advise.Tamils should vote for lessor of two evils.Otherwise we become voiceless,faceless when ballot has overtaken the bullet.However sambanthan and other tamil leaders should tell the tamils to vote for anybody they want to but try to make the vote count without wasting it on some imbecile who has no chance whatsoever of becoming the president.Sri lankan tamil leaders are very poor at playing the game of elections unlike thondaman senior who always capitalised on elections to the maximum.Only thing is i did not like the way thonda used to align himself with sinhala leaders,thereby jeopardizing the indian tamil community.That is why Gamini dissanayake organized the attacks on them,because thonda was not allowing anyone to join gamini and the UNP.I hope sampanthan and other tamil leaders don’t make the same mistake.Let the tamils go and join any sinhala leader they want to.Then only the sinhala leader will become less racial and will want to have these tamils in his fold.Then it becomes harder for the sinhala racists to poison his mind.The politician only lives ,breathes on votes morning and night.You must know how to tempt him to get the tamil votes.For that you have to free the tamils to vote for whoever they want to without tying them up with ropes and telling them to vote for tamil parties only.In the long run ethnic political parties will backfire on the tamils.
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Sinhala_Man / April 5, 2019
Dear Mr Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam,
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Before the power gets cut may I ask you to look at this article:
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https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-maldivian-parliamentary-elections-2019-where-a-happy-result-can-be-predicted/
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There will be Jeevan Hoole news for you there.
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I’m addressing you with great politeness, which may seem exaggerated respect, unless I remind you that your younger brother was a teacher when Rajan Hoole and I were students at Gurutalawa. I’ve told you that, but you must have forgotten. Rajan has since told me that the two of you have met.
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That article on the Maldives elections, which will be tomorrow, has been written by me. I hadn’t highlighted Hoole’s name sufficiently, so people may not have understood that what is happening in the Maldives takes on added significance because of our Sri Lankan involvement last year.
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Why I came here is because K. Pillai unwittinlyhelped me
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Power gone.
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K.Pillai / March 29, 2019
Surprised to find you writing 300 words WITHOUT dragging and inserting the words ‘High-caste Wellala Demelu’ and/or ‘Low-caste Demelu’.
Wait a second: You have said “I have developed no theme…………tbc”.
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Sinhala_Man / March 29, 2019
Dear K. Pillai,
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You surely mistake me for someone else. I never use such terms. Please re-check!
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I’ve begun to regard you as an intelligent man – and a decent one. There was a time when I mistook you for Prof. SJ – dash it I’ve forgotten his name, but you know whom I mean. He has his fixed hatred of our “Elections Hoole”, and he sabotaged the Sam Thiagalingam appointment; but I’ve granted him brilliant intelligence and admirable Marxist principles on other issues.
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I felt that I had to comment, but I said I was developing no theme because I’m not sure of moral compasses any more.
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You, I think, are abroad. I live as a poor villager. We will all suffer. That is certain. We may be able to mitigate it somewhat by emulating the qualities that Prof. Sarvan displays:
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https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-curse-of-caste/
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Let me forgive you that comment ahead of your recantation, since I know that you have mistaken me for somebody else, despite your quoting words that I have written.
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K.Pillai / March 29, 2019
Sorry Sinhala_Man. My comment was reply to Eagle-Eye elsewhere.
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K.Pillai / March 30, 2019
May I say, in mitigation, that the above apology was written before your Part II
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Native Vedda / March 31, 2019
K.Pillai
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Are you sure you did not go on binge with KASmaalam K A S Sumanasekere?
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Sinhala_Man / April 1, 2019
He may even have, to get so mixed up. However, this is no problem. As I’ve already said, I never took that comment of his seriously – knew it wasn’t what one normally gets from him.
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All these pseudonyms can be confusing.
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Below this, there are quite a few posts querying my identity. I think that I must look closely at what “kali” is saying.
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I know that I’m rather a bundle of contradictions. Actually, knowing that is not a bad thing for anybody. All this we can take good-humouredly.
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Let’s try to find solutions, dear K. Pillai. If we can share contact details I wouldn’t mind chatting or e-mailing you.
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Bunjappu / April 2, 2019
Mr Pillai,
Please check it again, none of us would use those terms either here or any other platforms. Please sake of the god, recheck and leave a note. I dont want my beloved friend Mr Sinahala man to insult that way. Thanks.
We together fought against Egel eye whenever he repeatedly use the term – Demmalu.
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I am sinhalaya but not living in the country. I always respect decent commenters to this and other platforms.
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I dont respect many on CT platform but Sinhala Man
I hope you will clear the misunderstanding sooner than later. Thanks BB
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Bunjappu / April 2, 2019
Apologies. I added it while travelling. please see my corrections below.
I DONT WANT Mr SM to be insulted that way. He would never use such terms whenever he comes with his comments.
I know this since I have raised this not once several times, not being able to bear the wording of EAGLE EYE.
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Sinhala_Man / March 29, 2019
PART THREE
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I’ve been typing off-line fearing power cuts, but they’re absent today. I prefer not to bring gods into this. Nature will not forgive us. The weather forecasts have been as consistent as Brian S. about what we can expect for 15 days.. With each chance we let escape, the future becomes more bleak. The next 200 words I had already typed before I had checked what my computer was bringing in.
Well nigh all the Sinhalese politicians have let us down – but not CBK. Her faults were trivial in comparison to those of others.
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We tend to live in the hope that “somehow” we will be excused. No, the price will be exacted. I have pointed out the one faint glimmer of hope that we have. At the Presidential Elections, we can register our protest by denying a first preference victory to the winner, so that we keep him under control. “He”, I said, because we have to be realistic. There is no prospect of a woman being elected; it’s almost definitely going to be a Sinhalese man. But let there be a few other candidates who take away enough votes from the winner to prevent him being an absolute tyrant. I hope that someone better placed than me will give us the details of how a count of Preferences will go, if we achieve that goal of weakening the politicians who come next.
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After all, some of us didn’t approve all that was happening. Yet, the task before us is huge. This message must go out to all citizens, in Sinhala and Tamil. Perhaps those more ignorant than even us will believe in “Deva Kopaya” when we have to pay the price that will be exacted from us for being collectively evil.
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Babalathappu / March 29, 2019
Hi Sinhala Man,
.
with all respect to you, but you need to differentiate these writers that publicly defend LTTErs for their own reasons. There are various kinds that are seen fighting for a common cause, but their motives become clear in the end. At the time, war was at its heights, this Brian Seneviratne and this articles sounded very provocative. Sure, he may mean good for the victimized parties, but we both suffered in that brutal war. As for me, I got to know honest tamils migrants and also the one that were part of LTTE slavery. Latter had always been collecting sums to please their masters. Some tamil friends known to me never wanted to contribute, but their lovely ones back in home country had to face brutalities, if they did not offer their contributions (funds).
–
I can imagine, if we would protect tamil srilankens and their rights not being bound to any propositions of any facists groups. But as for me, Brian Senviratna’s estranged behaviour was not overlooked by many of us over the decades. These men just forget all at once, just because of them being bound to their pvt reasons. Like for example, Brian’s wife is a tamil srilanken. So as is the case with Vasidhewa Nananyakara’s.And not forgetting, Late Mr Kadirgamar had married to a sinhalese.
If you would please take each of the aforementioned families, only Brian’s sound to be very strage; his reasoning may be aimed at for their famly. In the same time, late Mr Kadirgamar never thought it should be as such. He fought for the sake of the nation. He even went an extra mile to get some budhist statutes in Bangaladehs protected. His voice was known to entire world as an international figure, that fought against teror. Unfortunatley the gentleman got shot to death by terrorists, but until then, his struggle was for a peaceful country.
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Emil van der Poorten / March 29, 2019
Sinhala_Man:
Thanks very much for that “measured dissent,” it was such a pleasure to read something civilized in the comments columns of CT for a change!
/
JD / March 29, 2019
I felt the same, like reading the Portugeuse bible.
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soma / March 30, 2019
He is a Sinhala man.
–
Soma
/
Native Vedda / March 30, 2019
somass
–
“He is a Sinhala man”
= A fellow humanist
–
On the other hand
you are Sinhala/buddhist = A bigot = A racist = growing into a fascist = A 1983 Rock Star = ……………………
–
/
kali / March 31, 2019
Sihala man:
Part 1
The last time we traded blows you came across a decent , honest and plain talking sinhalese and I complemented you by caling you BROTHER. But I have a few bones to pick with you and before I do let me say something about Dr. Seneveratne. What he writes is not going to change 3000 year old hatred. You are not going to like this but it has to be said and it is true : Not because I say it but. You all have hatred in you but we are made to hate you all because like Brian says you brutalised us . Sad but it is TRUE. Let me challenge you
1) He was making excuses for the actions of the Tigers, and even now doesn’t seem to realise that by the end of his days Prabhakaran was a monster.
*** At least in my view we have someone who speaks the truth. Prabakaran was your creation. You had power in your hand and butcherd us. Sinhala Lanka holds the record for RACE RIOTS. Prabakaran may have been a monster but he was dealing a DEAMON.
.
2) Brian’s cousin former President, Chandrika B.K., was no racist, and was actually elected on a Peace Platform. Prabhakaran rejected negotiations even with her, leading to her Party being taken over by a demagogue. The can be no excuses.
**** My friend negotiations will only stick if you Negitiate as Equal Partners . Not wielding a big stick. We are not SLAVES.
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kali / March 31, 2019
3) CBK was not caste conscious – she crossed that barrier by marrying outside her caste. So, Brian, I can’t help feeling that you do go too far.
*** That doesnt take away her track record. She is the daughter of SWRD who introduced Sinhala only and caused the first race riots. Will you trust her to deliver . I certainly wont. She produced MS look at the Mayhem he has created.
4) You have not told us that your wife is Tamil, but that is bound to come up in the very first batch of comments.
**** Does it matter who he sleeps with. MR”s brolter in law is a bloody THEMULU so is MR”s daughter in law.
Sinhala Man
Part 2
5) a) You, I think, are abroad. I live as a poor villager. We will all suffer.
b) I’m much younger than you, but was educated in the same school, and in the same University as you. You had later lectured in the same University.
*** Can you explain to me how a poor villager went to an elite school.
Please pass on.an urgent message to Don Stanley. Trinco Harbour has stayed IDLE for 72 years and will saty IDLE from here to ETERNITY without Indias permission.
/
Sinhala_Man / March 31, 2019
Dear kali,
.
You ask, “Can you explain to me how a poor villager went to an elite school?”
.
I guess that it is a fair enough question. Some of these terms are relative. I’ll try to provide honest answers.
.
My father was a teacher at the Branch School in Bandarawela. So I came through two branch schools which – well they may have been elitist in certain senses. Now, there is corruption there as well. This is the third of three articles that I wrote on them:
.
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-thomian-pharisees-are-unrepentant-why-this-matters-to-all-sri-lankans/comment-page-1/#comments
.
I may have to write another soon. It’s not easy, kali, to steer a clear path. This is when I first heard of Brian Senewiratne:
.
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2011/03/20/ragging-at-s-thomas%E2%80%99/
.
I was then posting comments as “Daya” – a name picked out of the air. Can explain!
.
With my father dying with me young, I drifted into teaching as a teenager. Most of my life a government teacher, but in the middle, I was an internal undergrad at Peradeniya. And did pretty well. I’m still not sure who Plato is (see below), but he long ago had identified me.
.
From there on, it wasn’t smooth sailing – there are ways of checking these things. I’ve never been out of Asia. Maldives, Oman, back to Sri Lanka’s State Schools. After that some experience in International Schools, but it is true that I
Power cut. Will post.
/
kali / March 31, 2019
Dear Sinhala friend,
There was no malicious intention. I always applaude people who come from humble background and are upwardly mobile through hard work. Something quite didnt add up and that is why I just wanted to suss you out whether you are fake or real. You say you studied at Peradeniya and so you must know Aniwatte where I have a friend from a famous and mega rich Sinhalese family with whom I studied in the UK and every time I come to Sri Lanka I visit him.
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Sinhala_Man / April 1, 2019
Dear kali,
.
I know Aniwatte, but an undergraduate wouldn’t normally go up there – such a steep climb.
.
But I had a motor-bike when an undergrad, so I did get about a bit more than others. And my bike was maintained at a place called Carsons by Mohan Rasiah, who is a capital fellow. He didn’t do that for everyone – I did have certain contacts. His workshop is just outside the tunnel, his home further up the road. I acted in plays, directed one. Mohan made the sets. Many thought he was an Engineering Undergrad, which amused him no end, since he had no O.Level, even. He had belonged to the batch that was required an exam called the National Certificate of Education.
.
I’ve recalled the undergrad days there. Life in Sri Lanka, unfortunately, has usually been grim. No hobnobbing with the very rich qua rich by me. I was already married. By 1985, I had my elder daughter in the Hillwood Hostel. Our family always spent a lot on education; I’ve got very little in return.
.
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/university-of-peradeniya-may-1983-when-majesty-stoops-to-folly/
.
Will post a few more comments if you come back to me, but it does take time! And it must serve a purpose. I’m already getting old.
.
Very little adds up in my case – beware!
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Sinhala_Man / April 2, 2019
Dear kali,
.
I don’t think that I will return to these comments again. If you want to catch up with me it may have to be elsewhere.
/
Desperate Sinhalaya / April 2, 2019
Dear Mr Sinhala Man,
.
please focus on the topic. That can help all the commenters.
I really dont want you to face the unexpected. Even if there are all srilankens that add their 2ctsworth to this platform, most of them are not honest. Lately I read somewhere, you yourself call to be more than little naive. That is I think is very right.
Please take care of you. Your exposures about you could bring you in danger. Not just you, but even your lovely ones. You are not living in Europe, but murderers- friendly SRILANKA. I love my country whenever I think of the natural beauty, but I am afraid, I loose my faith kept on srilankens in general since 26 Oct 2018.
I am not paranoic. But when hearing recent POST WAR murders occured in SL, regrettbly, I cant help thinking this way. Since I heard the misterious murder of Thadjudeen Wassima, a 28year old rugby player- I keep comparing its course with that of misterious murder of JAMAL KHASHOGGI, US based saudi journalist, murdered in the SAUDI embassy, Stambul, Turkey. If my memory is right, it was 02 Oct 2018.
Not just murdered, but the body is now believed to have been decembered by SAUDIs on very hours itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4j1yd-O5sc
–
You may have read about the brutal killings in CH in Newzealand few weeks ago. They the investigators took just 3 days to convict the murder with charges. But our so called INDEPNEDENT JUDICIARY in the country, yet today, takes unncessary time just making evasive public statements. I wonder why that SENIOR PO got killed by a drunk driver, the case was put off by 4 weeks with crime doers of that high crime being released on bail .. I really hate to even think o fthese repeats in my home country. I am so fed up of lanken legal system today.
TBC
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Sinhala_Man / April 6, 2019
Dear Desperate Sinhalaya,
.
I rejoice that there are a few like you who understand decency.
.
No, I don’t really think it’s all that few. Most people just want to live peaceful lives, but we all have our foibles. Yes, I’m rather naive. What of it. I have lived long enough.
.
Death must come. I don’t particularly want to die, but we have heard of no homo sapien who lived more than 125 years. Legends there are, but I’m sufficiently rational not to believe them.
.
I’m sorry. I live the only way I know how to.
.
By the way, it’s election day in the Maldives today. Please make comments on my article BEFORE the results are in – before midnight today.
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Real Revolutionist / March 29, 2019
This man Brian Senevirathne should know that there’re no places called Tamil North & Tamil East in Sri Lanka.
Mentally retarded?
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Goviya / March 29, 2019
R.R. – That depends on how you interpret the words. There are a number of different meanings those words can have. You are taking it too literally!
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Kumarathasan Rasingam / March 30, 2019
Uneducated people without any knowledge of history write rubbish: Please refer these articles for more information:
Sri Lanka: Justifying the Right of Tamils’ Self-Rule
https://www.academia.edu/38336018/JUSTIFICATION_FOR_THE_TAMILS_TO_FIGHT_TO_REGAIN_THEIR_LOST_SOVEREIGNTY?fbclid=IwAR0ImpsTor1S0ywtkoiw8Hk3CJ7FhpaqIUzMDlMc9-5g64JFb6lN-GHkXO4
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justice / March 29, 2019
This first part is good and I await the second part.
No doubt that my fellow countrymen who are not Tamils, will say that all this is not credible, and will/may go on to elect a person who had command responsibility for war crimes as the next president – or, Sirisena himself who panders to the ‘killers’ a.k.a the military.
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Sinhala_Man / March 29, 2019
Dear justice,
.
As I type this now, there are six comments on display, two by me. No, the comments are not going at all as we expected them. I was taken aback by K. Pillai’s attack on me as well. He seems to have imagined that I was Eagle Eye (of all abhorred people!)
.
I have submitted two more comments, that have yet to appear. This will be comment number five from me, since I don’t expect the CT censors to castrate me.
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Jambu / March 29, 2019
A far more urgent issue has arisen and it affects over 500 million Buddhists around the world.
Freedom of faith I believe is a fundamental right. The core religious scripts have been taken and the teaching has been corrupted to an unimaginable degree.
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soma / March 29, 2019
When did the Estate workers brought in from India lose their Indian citizenship? I am trying to figure out how did they become “stateless”.
Why do they, to this day, prefer to continue with that pathetic, demeaning life rather than living in an environment of their own language, culture and religion among their kith and kin as equal citizens in their ancestral land when that option is available. (A picture of Mahatma Gandhi adorns their walls). Very difficult to comprehend.
–
Soma
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Native Vedda / March 31, 2019
somass
–
“I am trying to figure out how did they become “stateless”.
–
How did the Kallathoni Tamils and Sinhalese become citizens of this island in the first place?
–
You sound not only pathetic but also paranoid.
Go get a life.
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BSP / March 29, 2019
If Michelle Bachelet is going to listen to this man and others like him and believe all what they say, she is not suitable to hold that post
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SL kolla / March 29, 2019
This gentleman, Dr.Senewiratne deserves tons of respect and honour from the Tamils. While most politicos and officials are so busy denying war crimes and turning a blind eye at the ongoing torture and sexual violence in the north, Tamils are fortunate that they have a voice to speak on behalf of them.
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K.Pillai / March 29, 2019
There were several, confused and silent Brian Seneviratnes during the 1958-pogrom.
If only…….if only……..they were vocal like THE Brian.
.
Brian has not mentioned that when the former United Nation High Commissioner For Human Rights (UNHCHR) Navi Pillay visited SL, the then GoSL actively denigrated her as a LTTE sympathiser. A senior minister, at a meeting, offered to ‘marry’ her. This is the Lankan lowest of low obscenely obscene insult.
A silver lining Brian: The present GoSL not as crude.
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csj / March 29, 2019
Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues. Without truthfulness progress and success, in all the worlds of God, are impossible for any soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also be acquired.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, cited in The Advent of Divine Justice
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hancho pancha / March 29, 2019
UN is a behemoth a sitting Dodo to pamper those who have long passed their Sell by Date. It must be the most cost ineffective entity in the world. What is being squandered by the high flying officials, the money I mean, if a way could be found to do a hand out to the affected and hapless people directly, their miseries would be a thing of the past instead of living in false hope. Her Office is a dead mule which cannot even acknowledge issues of gross human rights violations brought to their attention for action. The yeoman effort put in by the writer to expose inherent incongruities of the UN System must be greatly appreciated. One cannot blame the messenger for the bad news. Annually it provides an excuse for the hypocritical leaders of the world to entertain themselves and their cronies in the Big Apple and pass on the bill to the overburdened taxpayer. Thank you Sir. We desperately need people like you who are very much in short supply.
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JD / March 29, 2019
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2
/
Karikalan / March 30, 2019
Thank you Dr.Brian. You have been a doughty fighter , championing the cause of the oppressed Tamils in Sri Lanka- fighting oppression for over six decades. In this mission, you have assumed the mantle of your illustrious uncle, Mr. Edmund Samarakody . Mr. Samarakody (later) represented BULATHSINHALA electorate (earlier Dehiowatta) in Parliament. His racist detractors derisively referred to him as M.P. for “BULATHTHEMALA”. Indeed, it was a compliment to a committed fighter. You have continued the fight with renewed vigour and verve, in the face of adversity. Tamil people owe you a great deal, Sir.
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Vanangamudi / March 30, 2019
Karikalan
I am impressed with Dr. Brian’s regular insistence “I will fight just as much for Sinhalese” meaning if they were subject to the same sufferings Tamils have had to face (since the late 1940s). It is clear he is against injustice and not blindly for Tamils against his own people. I know there are many Sinhalese who silently feel this way. The JVP youth, so anti-Tamil in the early 1970s, are looking at the plight of the Lankan Tamils in perspective. So did that once rabid racist Thera
the late Ven. Madulwawe Sobita. If he did not die (killed?) prematurely as happened, many Sinhalese would have changed their views on the Tamil issue differently. Until that change comes Sri Lanka and all its diverse people will continue to engage economic and political turmoil.
Vanangamudi
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soma / March 30, 2019
I do not want to waste time countering B.S. over Sinhalese discrimination of Tamils (Tamil speaking people irrespective of their religion,caste or the date of arrival) The Tamil desire to live in areas outside North says it all. Suggest that a separate Homeland be created for all Tamils scattered across the island and see for yourself their devilish anger.
–
Soma
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hancho pancha / March 30, 2019
This Bush Fire, now engulfing the entire country was triggered of by SWRD in his die hard determination to become the PM in 1956 to capture the votes of the majority Sinhala chauvinists by his campaign slogan “Sinhala Only” and “Sinhala with in 24 Hours” is still smoldering without any sign of being extinguished. Sad, sad and terribly sad. It has been a text book case for all politicians (looters) to adhere to, to get elected. This country is doomed for ever.
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John Silva / March 30, 2019
Having read the above comments by various people I can only conclude that reconciliation is a never attainable dream, mainly due to the uncalled for interference by diaspora groups now heavily supported by Dr. Brian S, whom I knew at Peradeniya University in the 1960’s. He was one who could not get on even with his colleagues because of his cranky mindset.
Reading his open letter to the High Commissioner of the UNHCR, he has proved himself a pathological liar. He is out of touch with the reality having settled down in a distant land over 40 years back. All his accusations against the government and the Sinhalese community are most distasteful and are full of fabricated stories, which is the strategy of the diaspora groups to turn the international opinion against this nation.
My response to these lies will be given soon.
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Citizen of S. L / March 30, 2019
Prof Brian Seneviratne is known from the time I was a medical student in Peradeniya medical school. He was not popular among students due to his errational behavior. He became a hero by supporting Tamil Tiger war machine and he was rewarded by Tamil diaspora. He uses words like Tamil Homeland which never existed in this island. This view going to divide our small island in future. We all live happily in this island with out any problem.
[Edited out]
/
Spring Koha / March 30, 2019
NO, Citizen of S L.
We do not ‘all live happily in this island with out any problem.’……….There is still an uneasy peace with many old issues still unresolved, and new ones on the horizon.
The truth is that most of our Tamil citizens take refuge in numbers. I saw with my own eyes the suffering of Tamils living outside the North and East in the times after independence and in the 50’s 60’s 70’s and until Black July in 1983.
When the voices of reason fail, the vacuum is filled by the violent actions of the impatient.
Once again, we as a nation, are running out of time before another catastrophic conflagration engulfs us all. The voices of reconciliation need to work harder to avoid this.
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John Silva / March 31, 2019
Spring Koha, the problems started with the Tamil leaders’ insatiable hunger for a pound of flesh. The British discriminated against the Sinhalese in every sphere of their lives giving preferential treatment to the Tamils. The British rulers feared the Sinhalese and hated them as the Sinhalese fought many battles against foreign invaders, so that their policy was to weaken the Sinhalese in every way possible.. Hence they gave preferential treatment to the Tamils and other minority communities. This created a great imbalance and with the political power given to the indigenous people, i.e. Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, etc., the majority community would naturally take corrective course of action, resulting in undue privileges being lost to the Tamils. Tamil politicians did not want to lose the privileges they enjoyed and incited the Tamil people against the government. The few Sinhalese living in the Tamil majority areas were attacked killing many of them and the reaction was greater. Thus the troubles in the 50’s 60’s and 70’s. Tamil leaders did not want to co-operate with the central government and share power at the centre which would have benefited the Tamil citizens at large. Contrary to this the Muslim leaders worked with the government from the very beginning an they progressed. The stubborn attitude of the Tamil leaders, the poor ordinary Tamil people suffered. In future as well they will be the losers if they continue to tread the same path.
Although the Sri Lankan government is blamed for finishing off the terrorist outfit, if the war continued, Tamil community in the North and East would have been the net loser.
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Ugly American / March 30, 2019
To The Gembos in the well:
Don’t kill the messenger – look at the message.
Those who have a different view on a subject are not necessarily your enemies!
Those who have the same view as yours on a subject – are not necessarily four friends!
The author is married to someone of another ethnic background is irrelevant to the discussion.
Those who bring it up to support their view on the article and the author are delving into the deeper darker corners of their mind!
Unfortunately, 95% of the comments here display an abundance of ignorance and parochial thinking!
I say to them: Step out of the hole and get some fresh air – and use critical thinking – then express your views – for or against the article.
Analyze the article – NOT the author. The moment you analyze the author, then you entertain your own prejudices, biases and expose your own bigotry.
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Manicka Vasagar / March 30, 2019
Dear Dr Brian S,
I believe your loud screams will be heard. It is now about their conscience in the UN Human Rights Council and the International Community to sort out Sri Lanka.
Surely, sooner or later, whichever Sri Lankan regime in future, will have to buckle under pressure for justice, accountability and political devolution to the Tamil Homeland, before it is drained and collapses into a failed rogue state.
Move forward and prosper together with a two state solution with the Tamils, as the best option, to keep the monkey from the shoulder.
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Gonawala Sunil / March 30, 2019
I highly advise BS to see and get some answers from our cricketing great Mr. Muralitharan. He is the best Tamil brother who understood the problem really well
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Rohan / March 30, 2019
The so called cricketing great only made a fool of himself and proved that he was just an opportunistic jumped up estate coolie that he really was , trying to belittle and talk disparagingly about the real problems and discrimination that the island’s indigenous Tamils faced but also his own India origin upcountry Tamils faced. Just to please his Sinhalese masters and for cheap popularity amongst the Sinhalese, as his well being depends on them. He was basically singing for his supper. Ultimately even the politicians from his own Up country Tamil community , asked him to stop talking garbage and shut up. Stating that he is now living in some sort of bubble due to his popularity and does not have the intelligence to understand what the ordinary Tamils face.
/
Lanka Banda / March 30, 2019
I am, a Sinhala man (88 young) living abroad. Without commenting on what has been said, allow me to state my experience with the Tamil hierarchy. While still a student (18 young) of a No.1 College in Mt Lavinia, with all sports and educational qualification, I applied for selection to the very first batch of Ceylon Army Cadets to be sent to Sandhurst in the UK. Thirteen of of us were sent for medical examination and 10 were selected, and surprise – 5 were Tamilian from Jaffna. Why – the Permanent Secretary of Defense and External was a Tamilian. At that time, with no background in politics and ethnicity, I had no idea why I was NOT selected. Many years later, I realized that Tamilians were always selected their own people, Examiners even passing on question papers to their own kind. In my humble opinion, these people deserve the treatment to them by the Sinhala majority.
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John Silva / March 30, 2019
Lanka Banda,
I fully agree with your comments, Lanka Banda. I am 78 young , born during the colonial days and experienced the many difficulties we the Sinhalese faced when almost all the government departments were dominated by the Tamils. At that time our colonial masters did not favour Sinhalese for state jobs. There was a directive issued in 1908 by the colonial government not to recruit any Sinhalese for the Railway Department. There was no representation for the Sinhalese up until the Donoughmore reforms in 1931. Tamils were the heads of departments including the tri-forces. Even after gaining independence this discrepancy continued. Even during 1950s and ’60s 90% of the places in the Medical and Engineering Faculties in the 2 Universities in Colombo and Peradeniya were occupied by Tamil students. The extent of discrimination was such that when Sinhalese students faced practical test for the University entrance examination, the Tamil Lab Assistants were in the habit of subtlely manipulating lab equipment to show wrong results. Discrimination against the Sinhalese was institutionalized by the British. The Tamils most unfairly wanted the status quo to continue and demanded 50-50 representation in the House of Representatives.
The changes had to come and it was inevitable in any democratic system. In my opinion the mistake made in 1956 was not giving official language status to Tamil as well. However, soon after, Tamil was also recognized as an official language and the matters should have settled but the racist Tamil politicians were not satisfied. Aggressive resistance began when the Bandaranaike government enacted the Social Disabilities Act 21 of 1957 to prevent caste discrimination among Tamils allowing equal rights to all Tamils regarding school admissions, employment, entry to restaurants, places of worship and public cemeteries, use of water and wearing clothes etc.
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Jay / April 1, 2019
Absolutely rubbish. Your thoughts are thrash to the core. Oxygen thief.
/
punitham / March 30, 2019
Much obliged to Brian
/
nanda / March 30, 2019
We suspect that he paid by the LTTE even now for betraying this country. If you are not living here please mind your business, we Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils can live peacefully if you people shut your bad mouth that sprays venom all over.
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Mallaiyuran / March 30, 2019
Nanda,
Being chaff is not one man fault. It is nature of the human being. But who-where is only depends on their experience in their past life, education or other qualifications, and the matter’s complexity they are encountering.
Going for Biryani & Arrack, many times we write as, Sinhala Buddhists’ Nature. DS said “If it is a Tamil, let me know I will buy with a cup of coffee” But it is only for writing or political speech. It is irrelevant much we are educated or experienced on these in the past. It is not just accidents, but it is the human being’s ability limitation causes to commit these errors. Anybody trying to expose the defect in your comment is not that they can avoid what you did.
But beyond our political statements, there is something that are real in this world.
Some of Dr. Brian’s relatives carrying graduate certificates are only bought at western universities with the family’s. Dr. Brian is with many medical specializations obtained from Western universities but by his own effort without his familiy’s influence and he is working as a consultant to medical professionals. The Prime Minister-ship or President-ship that many of his family members or other politicians are dying hard to get are birthright and granted for Dr. Brian. But Dr. Brian earning on his own and spending on his fights of Women’s rights, Tamils’ right like noble causes. Very few Tamil political professional have matched even half the lot Dr. Brian has spent on his fight for Tamils’ rights.
If you think LTTE paid for Dr. Brian, then let me tell you that there are some money even the Old Royals seems to have spent on worthy cause, instead of hiring hitmen to kill and rape. Because, probably, part of the LTTE paid to Dr. Brain might have come from the money Old Royals paid to LTTE to defat Ranil.
/
Ugly American / March 30, 2019
Sinhala Banda – it appears you only advanced in age and not in maturity or wisdom.
Even the angels in heaven will weep for you!
You make some unfounded statements with no basis at all. Your only claim is you were not among those who were chosen – therefore, the five others of different ethnic background must have been selected due to favoritism.
Your logic is highly questionable.
It is sad you have lived as an adult some seventy years harboring a grudge against the Tamils because you were bypassed in being selected for Officer training in Sandhurst. It is a blessing that you were not one of the selected candidates. With the hatred you seem to have in your soul (“these people deserve the treatment to them by the Sinhala majority”)- I doubt you would have ever graduated from Sandhurst. Even if you did – you would have made an Officer fit for recruitment by Nazi Germany under the Third Reich!
Please repent and cleanse your soul and get rid of the hatred before you make your final journey to meet your maker.
/
Fred / March 30, 2019
Having had to endure his illogical outbursts in the past it was a great relief to not hear from him for some time. But it seems that like a bad penny, Dr BS keeps coming back, with nothing new to add, merely to re-cycle his rantings of old. And predictably, whether it is relevant or not – and most times it has no relevance whatever to the topic under discussion – he has to remind us that he comes “from a family that has produced two Prime Ministers and a President” What does that tell us about the man?
Dr BS is like so many who do not seem to be genuinely interested in harmony between the races in SL. Former Supreme Court judge Vigneswaran is no different. These people would rather continue with their grievances and seek vengeance than try to bring about reconciliation and peace. They will never be happy and sadly seek also to spread their misery around. It is very simple – you cannot achieve harmony with a suspicious, accusatory mindset, you need to seek peace with the instruments of peace, not with the instruments of conflict. This is true of the UN as well. Where does it seek to bring about a peaceful resolution to conflicts? No, it would rather impose military solutions and keep hammering the weaker countries whilst letting the big and stronger players like Israel get away with murder.
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Unreal / March 30, 2019
Fred, You make some interesting observations putting the blame on the victims for everything you find unsavoury. Forget Dr BS, forget CVW, come up with one Sinhala name who worked for genuine peace and reconciliation. If you find this request difficult do not sweat.
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Fred / March 31, 2019
Fair comment, Unreal. I was not trying to put the blame on ‘the victims’. The point I was trying to make is that you cannot achieve peace through confrontation but only through a genuine desire to get there, and, clearly, I had not done a good job in getting my point across. If you are looking to find a peaceful solution, harping on grievances does not help –in was in that context that my comments on BS and CVW were made. The efforts to find a peaceful solution, as you have alluded to, need to come from all parties. For the present state of affairs, the culpability has to be shared by all. I often think of the establishment in 1950, by France and Germany of the European Coal and Steel Community, the forerunner of the European Union. Now, here were two countries who were bitter adversaries in the war that had so recently ended and in previous conflicts, now determined to put the past behind them and work towards securing a real peace on the Continent. That required courage, even daring and a true desire to get away from the wasteful paths they had so far followed. We need the same sort of spirit and the same conviction if we need to establish a real peace in SL. It is up to everyone, the leaders from all walks of life, especially, to create an atmosphere of goodwill to facilitate that and create the space needed to achieve the peace everyone so much desires. One reason why France and Germany could proceed as they did was that they were blessed with far-seeing leaders of the stature of De Gaulle and Adenauer. SL also needs leaders of like calibre.
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paul / March 31, 2019
Unreal – Dr Ariaratne (Sarvodaya)
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Plato. / March 30, 2019
Sinhala Man.
Kadirgamer [married to a Sinhalese] fought for the sake of the [Sinhala] Nation.
Dr.Brian Seneviratne [married to a Tamil ] is also fighting for the sake of the [Tamil] Nation.
Kadirgamer stood to gain for his fight.But for Dr.Brian the odds are against him; In that sense he is a Rebel With a Cause!
After Iraq, Afghanistan and Darfur, Srilanka probably has the highest number of casualties, of any conflict this century and yet the UNHRC is dragging its feet,YEAR AFTER YEAR. Dr. Brian is taking issue with the UNHCR over this.
My hats off to him!
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / March 31, 2019
You are correct Kathirgamer, married a Sinhalese Buddhist woman just to advance his career and be more acceptable to the Sinhalese masses with a Sinhalese Buddhist wife, so that be can become a future prime minister or even the president( day dreaming) . This was not a marriage for love but a cold calculated move. In my opinion and for 99.99% of the Tamils he was a selfish nasty and egotistical man who betrayed and lied about his own people , race and ethnicity to the world and damned them , so for his own personal advancement and what was the result , the Sinhalese assassinated him, as they felt he was becoming too big for boots and as usual conveniently blamed it on the LTTE. Mr. Seniviratne on the other hand married a Tamil lady for love and not for any personal advancement and is selflessly fighting for the rights of the island’s Tamils , a people not his own people and he is not going to gain anything from this, other than scorn and derision from his own people and family. He belongs to a very wealthy landowning influential Kandyan Sinhalese family and could have led a very comfortable life but he is a just honourable man. Despite having many close anti Tamil relatives , this includes his late aunty. He is selfless and unlike the selfish Kathirgamar who damned his own people for his own personnel advancement , Mr Seniviratne is not damning any one but is fighting for the rights of the island’s Tamils who are oppressed by his own people and many who started this were his close relatives. He is a man to be admired and we Tamil people will always honour him and scorn and curse the other.
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Dr C P Thiagarajah / March 31, 2019
The comments here are going out of point. Dr Brian was commenting on UHRC failure in drafting the final document 40/1. Instead of arguing that point all commentators are dragging caste creed and marriages. Tamil is supposed to be the oldest language so it will have a civilisation behind it. Now army commander Major Sarath Fonseka had publicly stated that some in the army high-ups committed crimes and he has evidence for it and Rajapkse’s were complicit in it. The crimes were so horrendous and the enormity of death was so great and unwanted as well there should be an international inquiry to solve this crime beyond any corruption.
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John Silva / March 31, 2019
Dr. Thiagarajah, so what is this enormous death toll? 40000, 50000, 100000 or 150000? No, it is not. These are invented figures by the Tamil extremists and other interested parties. Death toll is only 5000 according to Lord Nasbey’s report, and he gave this authentic figure with valid documentation. In a fierce battle such as this and also given the fact the LTTE was holding 350,000 innocent civilians, men, women and children, as human shield having uprooted them from their homes, which in itself is an unpardonable crime, to end the war only with the loss of 5000 lives is a miracle. If the war continued further how many more would have died?
My sympathies are with these innocent people on both sides of the divide. If this megalomaniac Prabhakaran was not finish off how many more on both sides would have died? And would you and I be living today with the terror unleashed by him with his killing spree of the innocent?
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Sinhala_Man / April 6, 2019
Dear Lanka Banda,
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You are pathetic. Well, I too, was at the same Mt Lavinia school for a time (having earlier been in two of its branches).
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I may write about the mess they are in, not because I’m bitter, but because I want today’s young kids to have a better world.
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I live as a poor villager now. In 1990, they actually wanted me as Warden (for the uninitiated that actually means the Principal, the Boss). It didn’t happen. Marc Billimoria is running it well enough. No.1, or not, I don’t care!
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Just forget all that. Today they are conducting elections in the Maldives. There’s an article by me on it.
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