By S. Narapalasingam –
Dr. S. Narapalasingam
Recent comments on federalism in the light of the forthcoming new constitution for the discordant Sri Lanka, highlight the preconceived mindset that denied peace and development to the nation after independence. The living conditions of the people, particularly those in the low and middle income groups were constrained by this neglect. Mothers had to seek employment in the Middle East as domestic helpers to supplement their family incomes. Some had young children who were left with close relatives. Even educated men sought employment in foreign countries. The economy did not grow fast enough to meet the needs of the citizens because of the muddled situation linked to internal disturbances.
The abnormal situation also contributed to mismanagement of public funds and excessive borrowings. Public debt is a burden on the people unless the benefits are more than the settlement obligations. There was a time when public sector projects were implemented only if positive results obtained from fair feasibility studies.
The failure of some projects to function as intended casts some doubt about the approach used, as to whether it was just emotive as in the case of some political decisions or based on proper feasibility studies. Hopefully, these introductory remarks give the implications of hasty decisions taken from narrow perspectives, ignoring the long-term effects on the living conditions of the people and the balanced development of the entire nation, which is vital for the well-being of present and future generations. The environment to progress steadfastly will not emerge, if the country is in a turbulent state as has been the case in Sri Lanka since the emergence of divisive politics, ignoring the need to maintain unity and confidence of all citizens in the governing system.
The process of pushing for separation
The process of focusing on emotive issues, neglecting the real ones that relate to the needs of the people for improving their living conditions, ensuring equal rights and justice for all started in 1956 with the enactment of the ‘Sinhala Only’ official language Act for narrow political gain. This process has continued inflicting enormous losses to the nation, intensifying the ethnic division and neglecting national development. The issues raised by major political parties were for winning the votes of the Sinhalese which also heightened the feeling of alienation of the ethnic Tamils and loss of confidence in the unitary system, which in effect is governance by the ethnic majority Sinhalese.
Opportunities to settle the ethnic problem were lost because of competitive party politics that induced the main opposition party to oppose the moves by the main governing party to take remedial action as in a negotiated settlement with the Tamil leaders. The following events illustrate how the process of pushing for separation intensified by the narrow political interests of the two main rival parties. Sinhala nationalists too played the obstructive role in seeking a political solution.
The push to engage in violent struggle for liberation from the discriminatory rule intensified after the 1983 anti-Tamil riots that destroyed many Tamil lives and property. The attacks took place without any hindrance as the Police did not interfere. This violent approach of suppressing the minority Tamils existed earlier too but not to the 1983 level. For instance, the peaceful protest staged by Tamils in Gall Face (Colombo), days before the enactment of the ‘Sinhala Only’ official language Act was disrupted by thugs who violently attacked the Tamil protesters. The police did nothing to protect them. In short, the shift from peaceful protests of seniors to violent struggle by the frustrated Tamil youth arose from the irresponsible approach of past government leaders to please the Sinhalese voters at the expense of denying equal rights and opportunities to Tamils. The media-wise standardisation of marks making it difficult for Tamil students to seek admission to the University of Ceylon also increased the frustration of Tamil youth. Some joined the militant groups and took arms to fight for the liberation of the oppressed Tamils.
In short, the push for separation gained momentum following the successful efforts of Sinhala nationalists in sustaining the Sinhala majority rule throughout the island, ignoring the fact that the majority of residents in the Northern and Eastern provinces are not Sinhalese. Tamil is also the mother tongue of the Muslims living in the two provinces.
The fact that the Sinhala nationalists were responsible directly or indirectly for obstructing several attempts to settle the ethnic problem by some amendments to the constitution is evident from the abandonment of the agreements reached by the Tamil leader S.J.V. Chelvanayakam with the past Prime Ministers S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and Dudley Senanayake.
1957 Bandaranaike–Chelvanayagam Pact
The 1957 Bandaranaike – Chelvanayakam Pact was abandoned because of the opposition of Buddhist priests. Many have the preconceived Mahavamsa mindset. The non-violent protests (satyagrahas) of Tamils against the discriminatory policies that began in 1956 with the enactment of the ‘Sinhala Only’ official language Act later turned violent as a result of the government backed violent methods deployed routinely to end the non-violent protests of dismayed Tamils.
The B-C Pact did not concede fully all the demands of the Federal Party led by S.J.V. Chelvanayakam. These were: 1. Federal Constitution; 2. Parity of Status for Sinhala and Tamil languages; 3. Repeal of citizenship laws which had discriminated against Tamils of Indian descent; 4.Immediate halt to the colonisation of the Tamil homeland. The agreement reached in 1957 did not concede these demands but gave some concessions. It was agreed that “the the proposed legislation should contain recognition of Tamil as the language of a national minority of Ceylon, and that the four points mentioned by the Prime Minister should include provision that, without infringing on the position of the Official language as such, the language of the administration of the Northern and Eastern Provinces be Tamil, and that any necessary provision be made for the non-Tamil speaking minorities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces”.
The pattern of obstructing agreements to settle the national problem started in April 1958 when the B-C Pact was repudiated by the then Prime Minister Bandaranaike following a campaign led by the Buddhist clergy and politicians. Prominent Sinhalese leader was J.R. Jayewardene, who was then leader of the opposition in Parliament and who on “4 October 1957 led a march to Kandy to invoke the blessings of the gods for his campaign”.
1965 Dudley Senanayake – Chelvanayagam Pact
According to the 1965 Dudley Senanayake – Chelvanayakam Agreement, the then UNP government was to take action on the following lines:
1. Action will be taken early under the Tamil Language Special Provisions Act to make provision for the Tamil language to be the language of administration and of record in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
2. A Tamil speaking person should be entitled to transact business in Tamil throughout the Island. In this regard, the Language of the Courts Act to be amended to provide for legal proceedings in the Northern and Eastern Provinces to be conducted and recorded in Tamil.
3. Action to be taken to establish District Councils vested with mutually agreed powers. It was also agreed that the government should have the power under the law to give directions to the District Councils in the national interest.
4. The Land Development Ordinance to be amended to provide all citizens the right to the allotment of land under the Ordinance. The Prime Minister also agreed that in the granting of land under the colonisation schemes, the following priorities will be observed in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
(i) Land in the Northern and Eastern Provinces should in the first instance be granted to landless persons in the District;
(ii) Secondly – to Tamil speaking persons resident in the Northern and Eastern Provinces; and
(iii) Thirdly – to other citizens in Ceylon. Here the preference to be given to Tamil citizens resident in the rest of the Island.
On the basis of this Agreement, the Federal Party extended support to the United Natioanl Party to form the Government and the Federal Party nominee, Mr.M.Thiruchelvam was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Local Government. Since the Agreement was not given effect to by the then UNP government, the Federal Party nominee quit the cabinet in 1968.
1976 Vaddukoddai Resolution
The relevant parts of the Declaration calling for sovereign Tamil Eelam, as a result of allowing the ethnic problem to aggravate and the Tamils losing confidence in the unitary system which supports the Sinhala majority rule throughout the country are reproduced below:
“The first National Convention of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) meeting at Pannakam (Vaddukoddai Constituency) on the 14th day of May, 1976, hereby declares that the Tamils of Ceylon by virtue of their great language, their religions, their separate culture and heritage, their history of independent existence as a separate state over a distinct territory for several centuries till they were conquered by the armed might of the European invaders and above all by their will to exist as a separate entity ruling themselves in their own territory, are a nation distinct and apart from Sinhalese and this Convention announces to the world that the Republican Constitution of 1972 has made the Tamils a slave nation ruled by the new colonial masters, the Sinhalese ,who are using the power they have wrongly usurped to deprive the Tamil Nation of its territory, language, citizenship, economic life, opportunities of employment and education, thereby destroying all the attributes of nationhood of the Tamil people.
And, while taking note of the reservations in relation to its commitment to the setting up of a separated state of Tamil Eelam expressed by the Ceylon Workers Congress as a Trade Union of the Plantation Workers, the majority of whom live and work outside the Northern and Eastern areas,
This convention resolves that restoration and reconstitution of the Free, Sovereign, Secular, Socialist State of Tamil Eelam, based on the right of self determination inherent to every nation, has become inevitable in order to safeguard the very existence of the Tamil Nation in this Country.
This Convention further declares: That the State of Tamil Eelam shall consist of the people of the Northern and Eastern provinces and shall also ensure full and equal rights of citizenship of the State of Tamil Eelam to all Tamil speaking people living in any part of Ceylon and to Tamils of Eelam origin living in any part of the world who may opt for citizenship of Tamil Eelam.
That the constitution of Tamil Eelam shall be based on the principle of democratic decentralization so as to ensure the non-domination of any religious or territorial community of Tamil Eelam by any other section.
That in the state of Tamil Eelam caste shall be abolished and the observance of the pernicious practice of untouchability or inequality of any type based on birth shall be totally eradicated and its observance in any form punished by law.
That Tamil Eelam shall be a secular state giving equal protection and assistance to all religions to which the people of the state may belong.
That Tamil shall be the language of the State, but the rights of Sinhalese speaking minorities in Tamil Eelam to education and transaction of business in their language shall be protected on a reciprocal basis with the Tamil speaking minorities in the Sinhala State.
That Tamil Eelam shall be a Socialist State wherein the exploitation of man by man shall be forbidden, the dignity of labor shall be recognized, the means of production and distribution shall be subject to public ownership and control while permitting private enterprise in these branches within limit prescribed by law, economic development shall be on the basis of socialist planning and there shall be a 1ceiling on the total wealth that any individual or family may acquire.
This Convention directs the Action Committee of the Tamil United Liberation Front to formulate a plan of action and launch without undue delay the struggle for winning the sovereignty and freedom of the Tamil Nation;
And this Convention calls upon the Tamil Nation in general and the Tamil youth in particular to come forward to throw themselves fully into the sacred fight for freedom and to flinch not till the goal of a sovereign state of Tamil Eelam is reached”.
This appeal to the Tamil youth led to the belief in the need for armed struggle for independence from Sinhalese rule. Thus the need for separate Tamil Eelam arose from the push for it given by the Sinhala nationalists.
The enactment of the sixth Amendment to the Constitution in August 1983 was the response of the Government to the call for separate Tamil Eelam, which intensified after the Vaddukoddai Resolution. This prohibited violation of territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. Article 157A states:
(1) No person shall, directly or indirectly, in or outside Sri Lanka, support, espouse, promote, finance, encourage or advocate the establishment of a separate State within the territory of Sri Lanka.
(2) No political party or other association or organisation shall have as one of its aims or objects the establishment of a separate State within the territory of Sri Lanka.
Other sub-sections deal with the way and kind of punishment that will be given to those violating the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. The real fact is no democratic country can expect to protect national unity and territorial integrity by divisive actions of its government expecting constitutional protection!
Thimpu principles or Declaration
The Thimpu principles or Declaration were set of four demands put forward by the Sri Lankan Tamil delegation at the peace talks held with respect to the civil war in the island. In July-August 1985, the Indian government organised peace talks in Thimpu, Bhutan aimed at bringing an end to the civil war between Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups and the government of Sri Lanka. The declaration made by the Tamil delegation at Thimpu in response to a government proposal is known as Thimpu Declaration or Thimpu principles.
The Tamil delegation consisted of representatives from the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) and Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF).
The draft legislation proposed by the Sri Lankan government delegation for devolution of power was rejected by the Tamil delegation. On 13 July 1985, the Tamil delegation responded issuing the Thimpu Declaration with four key demands (the cardinal principles). The four cardinal principles became known as the Thimpu principles.
The declaration stated: It is our considered view that any meaningful solution to the Tamil national question must be based on the following four cardinal principles:
- recognition of the Tamils of Ceylon as a nation
- recognition of the existence of an identified homeland for the Tamils of Ceylon
- recognition of the right of self-determination of the Tamil nation
- recognition of the right to citizenship and the fundamental rights of all Tamils in Sri Lanka
Different countries have fashioned different systems of governance to ensure these principles. We have demanded and struggled for an independent Tamil state as the answer to this problem arising out of the denial of these basic rights of our people. The proposals put forward by the Sri Lankan government delegation as their solution to this problem is totally unacceptable. Therefore we have rejected them as stated by us in our statement of the 12th of July 1985. However, in view of our earnest desire for peace, we are prepared to give consideration to any set of proposals, in keeping with the above mentioned principles, that the Sri Lankan Government may place before us.
The Sri Lankan government rejected all but the last principle as they violated Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. The peace talks collapsed on 18 August 1985 due to the intransigence of both delegations. (Source: Wikipedia)
Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution
On 29 July 1987, Indo-Sri Lanka Accord was signed between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene which stated the devolution of powers to the provinces. On 14 November 1987, the Sri Lankan Parliament passed the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution and the Provincial Councils Act No 42 of 1987 to establish provincial councils. The amendment aims at creating provincial councils in Sri Lanka.
This amendment to the present Constitution also recognised Tamil also as an official language. This was possible because of India’s intervention without the usual obstruction by Sinhala nationalists. The extent of devolution of powers under the Provincial Council Act was more than in the Regional Council system proposed by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike but not implemented because of the abandonment of the B-C Pact. But the current PC system is not functioning the way as expected, since the crucial land, police and financial powers are still with the central government. The real objective of devolution has been lost by this restraint.
Other Missed Opportunities
After the official language issue intensified following the failures by the Government and Tamil leaders to settle it through bilateral agreements into the ethnic conflict, which later turned into civil war following violent moves to suppress the Tamil protests, there were several attempts by the governments to seek a political settlement based on the recommendations of advisory committees, whose members were knowledgeable farsighted persons. These too failed to get the support of the main opposition party. The LTTE too missed several opportunities to seek a negotiated settlement because the leadership wanted nothing short of independent Tamil Eelam. The efforts by Norway during the period the peace treaty was observed strictly by both parties to seek a mutually agreed settlement failed. Many analysts have written about the extra-ordinary way the internal conflict in Sri Lanka remained unresolved for decades inflicting huge losses. The incomparable way the conflict remained unresolved was highlighted in their analyses.
A truly democratic governing system for a multi-ethnic country with some regions having a totally different mix of ethnic communities compared with the pattern of the whole country must not ignore this regional diversity in vocal language, religion and culture. The ethnic composition of residents in the Northern and Eastern Provinces is at variance with that of the whole country which does not reveal the regional differences in the ethnic composition of the regions. In the entire country, the Sinhalese constitute 75 per cent of the total population. This is not the case in the Northern and Eastern provinces where the Sinhalese are the minority ethnic community.
Consequences of the inapt system
The poor state of Sri Lanka’s economy and the sharp rise in the culture of corruption and fraud that has made life extremely difficult for the poor, while the rich are better off with the money earned unlawfully are also the result of the muddled state related to the failure to solve the national problem politically. Government debt has also skyrocketed with the Treasury taking over the debt of Sri Lankan Airways amounting to Rs. 461 billion. A comprehensive review of the public sector audit system is also needed.
Without a fair governing system consistent with true ‘democratic and socialist’ principles applicable to the multi-ethnic society in Sri Lanka with regional differences in the ethnic composition and the related needs of the local residents, the environment needed for uninterrupted development of the multi-regional nation with diverse regional needs will remain elusive.
It is a fact an incompatible system that emerged after independence based on the dominance of the Sinhala majority ignoring the basic regional differences denies the ethnic minorities any self-rule right for attending to their concerns and needs. The unitary system supports the majoritarian rule, ignoring the ethnic and regional diversities. The latter includes the traditional dwelling pattern of the ethnic communities. This diversity is well known to have existed since Portuguese invasion in 1505. The indigenous Tamils are not the descendants of the immigrants who entered the Sinhala Country. The existence of a Tamil kingdom in the island is a fact.
Unitary system of governance for a multi-ethnic country ignoring this diverse pattern of habitat that has existed for centuries with the Tamil speaking people as the major group residing in the Northern and Eastern provinces has failed to build a united prosperous nation since the emergence of the divisive politics under the unitary system. The system ignored the real diverse features with regard to the residents in different regions of the island nation.
National unity is essential for creating and sustaining the favourable environment needed for steady social and economic development. The environment that emerged from the failure to have the appropriate governing structure with powers resting with the citizens and the elected representatives functioning on their behalf for the well-being of the people and the entire nation helped the self-centred politicians. The flawed system also helped the corrupt persons to amass wealth at the expense of denying public funds for the well-being of the poor. The weaknesses in the present system have been overlooked at enormous cost to the nation. The knowledgeable members of the civil society in Sri Lanka too failed to enlighten the people on the misuse of powers for personal or some narrow gains at the expense of the common people. Recent revelations on the misuse of public funds intensify the need for an efficient system to monitor the utilisation of public funds. The indifference of the people to the misuse of public funds and excessive foreign borrowings is also a national disaster. New constitution is definitely needed but this alone will not liberate the people from the deceptive system that is not fully beneficial to their welfare.
Conclusion
According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the country cannot grow with short term fiscal and monetary push. Formidable challenges lie ahead to pull the country out of the trap and put it on the correct path to steady progress without any interruption in this much needed effort. The long standing national problem should not continue further to deter this effort to strengthen the economy and reduce dependence on foreign debt.
Public debt has increased in recent years due to financial mismanagement and high level of corruption facilitated by the muddled state. National unity is vital for lasting peace and the advancement of the multi-ethnic country in the modern world. Any useful governing system must recognise the realities concerning the differences in the traditional homelands of the ethnic communities and the different cultures prevailing in the regions inhabited largely by the ethnic minorities.
Even democratic countries having citizens speaking the same language but different traditions as for instance in the UK do not have the centralised system embedded in Sri Lanka’s constitution. The word ‘federal’ is abhorrent to many Sinhala nationalists and politicians afraid of losing their support. The fact is all decentralised governing systems are not federal. The way the push for separatism came in Sri Lanka is not under a federal but the unitary system. The latter has proved to be unsuitable to sustain national unity, which is vital for the wellbeing of all citizens.
The future of all Sri Lankans will remain uncertain, if national unity remains elusive and there is no significant improvement in the political and economic conditions. The new constitution must be drafted bearing in mind the real needs to make the country united and promising for all citizens in all parts of the island to live peacefully with high hope. Thi is the challenge facing those who want a united country with no prospect for separation.
*The writer: Retd. Addl. Deputy Secretary to the Treasury; UN Advisor Development Economics/Planning.
Analyst / May 7, 2016
A very good analysis of the Tamils Past in this divided Nation ,
When the Past President continued to bark in his Broken Tamil on stage in SL or anywhere else Or at the UN saying we are One Nation and One People , The whole world knew it was a blatant Lie to Hoodwink the Eyes of the world.
Castles were built for his and his families pleasure in the lands of the Tamils while they were banged up in Camps in cramped conditions and in total poverty.
Since the Independence 60 years ago the 2 Major parties used the Tamils as Punch Balls , Pilfered the Nations wealth, and Preached Racism to the Village idiots in the south .
All because the Tamils were flourishing with their Education and becoming Prosperous.
The Politicians found the way to Fan Racism and Hate.
In the process they have completely forgotten about the country and how to compete in the world Arena.
No devolopements or Forward thinking in the progressive world.
In the Madness they Passed the motion in the Parliament of ” Swabasha Medium “
What we see now one unable to communicate in the International Arena because of this Madness.
Remember soon after the independence we Boasted that our Literacy rate was above 90% if I can remember!!
The result of Swabasha Medium the Politicians became champions in sending Maid servants to foreign lands because there were no jobs created to the Local men and women.
Along this while the Politicians were Pilfering the state and becoming Rich boxer night the families and friends too had a free Ride in Pilfering the state.
We became world class crooks and thieves around the globe!! While the Education and Judiciary system suffered too.
Justice was not served rightly so in Law courts .
It was a Paradise lost to these Muppet Politicians.
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bernyKdasa / May 7, 2016
Father of Sinhala Nationalism was SJV Chelvanayakam and his bastard child was tamil Nationalism. Now All Tamil writers blame the sinhalesewithout giving the Sinhalese even an iota of consideration that they are the Bhumiputhras of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Tamils shhould have the honesty and courage to accept the fact that they are Bhumiputhra’s of Thamil Nadu who migrated to SriLanka legally or illegally from Anuradhapura period upto late 60’s. Govt. Sri Lanka had to deploy the TAFFAII -the Task Force to fight againstsmugglars of contrabrand and Illegal Immigrants. descendants of illegal immigrants like CV Vignaswaran are suffering from inferiority complex think a separate state is the only way they can regain Bhumiputhra status. in thi land of Sinhalese. The genuine Tamils who are descendats of the subjects of King Elara. They are the genuine Tmil Bhumiputhra’s of Sri Lanka who were quite comfortable with their sinhala counterparts. look at Bala Tampo Hon.Lakshman Kadirgamar the only two from among the thousands of our tamil brother Bhumiputhra’s of this country.
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J.MUTHU / May 7, 2016
[Edited out] grow up, u live in 21st century. if u dont accept tamil rule their land, u will regret it later…
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Mallaiyuran / May 7, 2016
You are showing a very high, undue proportion of stress in your comment. But for that all you are showing a reason of “Now All Tamil writers blame the sinhalesewithout giving the Sinhalese even an iota of consideration that they are the Bhumiputhras of Sri Lanka.”.
Unlike the other Appe Andu cooly commentators like Soma, Eusense, Vibhushana, Sumane…who just carelessly comment and collect the money and bugger off, you appears to be panicked and nervous. Because you explicitly showing your lacks honesty in your interpretation of the Ceylon’s history that is only derived from legends and epics(and you purposefully ignoring Ramayana but upholding only Mahavamsa, where Mahavamsa has copied the Yaka theory of Ramayana into it, but it was never corroborated by any artifacts found and not found anywhere else other in than Ramayana and Mahawamsa), it is hard to tell what is the real reason for you nervousness when you couldn’t cite any danger for any of the parties you care other than Tamils simply blaming for you something. One othing I can assume here is, other than the other coolies, you may feel the mistake of surrendering to rogue countries for quench the thirst of unmitigable hate and urge to destroy the Tamils. So, again dishonestly, you feel like to turn the blame of the unfortunates you fear falling on you. If so I do not think it is a way to release your pain. And it may not be too late to save the country from the massive debts and divert from an action of unwantedly hosting others atomic war in your land. How much you target to destroy Tamils, they will pledge minimum that much to protect them and to fight against you. On the other side how much you lose to rogue nations seeking help for destroy Tamils, they will inflict that on you too to extract the benefits from you. They know they will not receive anything from Tamils as their end is destruction, so they will extract all the wages for the job they are doing for you is from you. That is a matter for your common sense you have to put it in you head.
stop your idiocy of using the funny language of “Bhumiputhras” while Ceylon and Tamilnadu were one land separated by sea only just ago a two and a half millennium. Once you have done it you will find find your path to for relaxation for your nervousness. Best of Luck!
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Celeo / May 7, 2016
The Tamils and Sinhalese have a very different language, religion, culture, food and traditional areas.. The Tamils are the majority in the northeast and the Sinhalese are the majority in the south.. The problem is, One majority (Sinhalese) is trying to rule another majority (Tamils).. It is like India trying to rule Pakistan.
Even though Mohd Ali Ginna was a close friend of Gandhi and Nehru, he did not want the Muslims to be ruled by Hindu India and asked for separation (Pakistan) at independence. Unfortunately, the Tamil leaders foolishly trusted/believed the Sinhalese leaders. At independence, they should have at least asked for federalism.
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Shrikharan / May 7, 2016
Celeo
“At independence, they should have at least asked for federalism.”
That was because of the short sighted thinking of the Tamil politicians of that time and do not blame the Sinhalese for it. The Tamil leaders did not have any vision of the future under the new self-rule after colonial rule came to an end in 1948.
The Tamil politicians of that time rejected Federal state which was offered by SWRD Bandarenayake himself. But The Tamils politician rejected the idea because of their short sighted thinking that they will lose the hold Tamils held all over the country, in the sense that then the Railway Station Master in Galle was Tamil. The Post master in Badulla was a Tamil. The Head Master in schools in Colombo was a Tamil. The Professor of Physics was a Tamil. The Professor of Surgery was a Tamil.
So if they accept Federal state they felt Tamils will lose the hold they held in the entire country and will then be limited top the North and East only! The Tamils did not have the sense to think with the change of rule from colonial to ‘self rule’ the masters will change and will be replaced by Sinhalese masters who form the majority and Tamils will lose the support they had by the British with their ‘divide and rule’ policy.
Sorry that the Tamils lacked this foresight, which the intelligent Ali Jinnah of Pakistan had and he saved his people being enslaved by the Hindus of India. Certainly subsequent Pakistani politicians ruined their country. Possibly Pakistan would have better off under Indian rule!
Do not first blame the Sinhalese for our plight, but first blame the short-sightedness on the Tamils side. Certainly Sinhalese had their contribution for Tamils plight. Remember Federal solution we are clamouring now was put forward by a Sinhalese (SWRD Bandaranayake the father of ‘Sinhala Only’).
Tamils certainly had a lots of missed opportunities and the best was the Indo-Lanka accord in 1987. Tamils are now in a very weak wicket after losing the war and it is now much more tough to get even a fraction of what was offered by the 1987 accord which we simply threw away because it came so easily! Now Tamils are crying at least for the crumbs of the 1987 Indo Lanka accord!
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Celeo / May 7, 2016
Shrikharan
You are right!
Most of the white collar jobs in the Ceylon Civil Service during the British period were held by the Tamils. The Tamils were holding top positions in the government service whereas the Sinhalese were working as peons and drivers.
Even after the British left, most of the Doctors, Postmasters, Railway Station Masters, Police OICs, PWD overseers, Colombo School Head Masters, University Professors, and most of the Executive Officers in the public/civil service were Tamils, even in remote Sinhalese village government dispensaries, the Doctors were Tamils whereas the laborers, attendants, peons, and drivers were the Sinhalese.
The reason for the above was, the Tamils were hard working and English educated whereas the Sinhalese were lazy and did not bother to learn English. However, the Tamil leaders wrongly believed (myth) that the Tamils are intelligent whereas the Sinhalese are fools. It did not take long for Bandaranayake to replace English with Sinhala thereby replacing the English educated Tamils with Sinhalese.
Today the Sinhalese are challenging Wigneswaran in Supreme Court when he passed a resolution seeking a federal constitution for Sri Lanka. The ‘Sinhala Only’ Act was unconstitutional; however, I am still very confused as to why this was not legally challenged, given the expertise that the Tamils possessed at that time.
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Shrikharan / May 8, 2016
Celeo
Thank you for responding to my comments
“The ‘Sinhala Only’ Act was unconstitutional”
Certainly so. We lacked proper far sighted leadership. Tamils lost everything. Tamil leaders were sleeping.
I feel what Thanthai Chelva said then now holds. We cannot get any solution from the majority and only a fight for self determination will be only solution. They every time cheat the Tamils after getting their votes. So now NO going back and No looking back, lets not once again get cheated and do not trust these people and only solution is to get freedom.
I think that still holds, when Tamils went back on the golden statement of Thanthai Chelva and started once again to negotiate a federal solution and when the politicians gave false hopes once again and after winning the elections using the Tamils and now telling ‘No chance’ for a federal solution.
I think Thanthai Chelva’s disciples have let him down very badly again and by going against his advise and getting cheated once more. Thanthai Chleva’s golden advise must be etched in Gold.
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samanyan777 / May 8, 2016
“I think Thanthai Chelva’s disciples have let him down very badly….”
“The” one that let him down the worst is Pirabhakaran. while I respect the sacrifice the ‘sun god’ made knowingly or accidentally, he made sure or purposely looked the other way when other bootlickers tried for him, to obscure the sacrifices of the peoples like Chelva, Amirthalingam, Sivakumaran…etc.
truth has the highest buoyancy. it comes up one day even in its fossilized form at least…
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Native Vedda / May 9, 2016
Shrikharan
“That was because of the short sighted thinking of the Tamil politicians of that time and do not blame the Sinhalese for it. The Tamil leaders did not have any vision of the future under the new self-rule after colonial rule came to an end in 1948.”
1. Tamil elites trusted Sinhala elites more than their own people.
2. Even if they managed to obtain a Federal system of governance, under the Pancha Maha Balavegaya counter revolution anything and everything could have been changed by reactionaries.
3. Look at the state of Pakistan, Jinna was celebrated as a visionary who managed to establish an exclusive state for Muslims. Violence did not stop and no sign of receding either.
4. It is difficult to say how post 1948 could have been changed. If you asked SJ/sekera, he would have advise the Tamils/Sinhalese to merge the island with China, becoming an autonomous state of China.
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sach / May 10, 2016
The issue here is Tamil politicians ask for more than they can bite
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samanyan777 / May 8, 2016
for ‘fun’formation, by king Asoka’s time (the Hindu king from 304 to 232 BCE – who later supposedly converted to Buddhism and spread it to China, srilanka and other countries) the Mauryan empire included the present day Afghanistan and Pakistan ( there was no such religion as Islam and no countries by that name.only Hindu India. Afghanistan was Kantharam in Tamil or Kandhahar. ‘Pakistan’ was still part of India ).
the only part of India which was not conquered was Tamilnadu and some other parts of south India. and Srilanka, on account of the Tamil kingdoms.
borders change, given time new countries are always born ;)
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sekara / May 8, 2016
Sammanyan
Asokan empire stopped somewhere across Andhra. But Buddhism and Jainism dominated the Tamil countries for at least two, perhaps three, centuries. That was the golden period of Tamil language and literature. Saivaism came on top under the Pallavas and Vaishnavaism a little later. Saivaite and Vaisnavaite theology emerged several centuries later.
There was no Indian state until after the British colonialists. They too did not have the whole subcontinent under their administration.
Its people had and still have less in common than Europe as a region or for that matter sub-Saharan Africa or South America or what could have been an Arab nation.
The Indian state was an accident of history. It could have been made a happy accident had it not been for hegemonic attitudes based on Hinduism, an imaginary religion (truly the name assigned to a group of a myriad of faiths with little in common). Jinnah did not want Muslims to be dominated by caste Hindus. Ambedhkar did not want Dalits to be dominated by caste Hindus. Periyaar (EVR) did not want Tamil non-Brahmins to be dominated by Brahmins.
Jinnah had limited success in his project but the assumption that religion on its own could make a nation went wrong.
Ambedhkar’s true impact is being fely only in the recent decades after Dalit electoral politics failed the Dalits.
India owes it to Periyaar for keeping Tamilnadu relatively tolerant in religious matters and free of the Hindutva menace.
New Countries being born out of India? I doubt it in the foreseeable future. Countries annexed by India are still struggling against oppression.
What is feasible and most desirable is for India to be a true federation of autonomous states.
Are you thinking of Tamil secession?
Look at Tamil politics here and there— I am thankful that it is a most unlikely event.
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King Wala Gemba / May 7, 2016
When Dudly Senanayake came up with a federal solution, a handful of racist Sinhala politicians said,
‘Dudlyge bade masaala vadai’
Unfortunately the country and a vast majority of people had to pay for the crimes/sins of a handful of Sinhalese.
At that time, they did not have the wisdom to realize that they were digging their own grave, unfortunately even now they do not realize.
Again the situation is somewhat similar, like a handful of myopic politicians who disseminated discord at that time which was responsible for this mess, today also they are trying to do the same without realizing the future consequences.
It will only push the Tamil leaders to seek alternative measures like mobilizing large masses (within SL and abroad), if not all of the Tamil people, for a Non-violent campaign with Direct Action or even go further by calling for a UN sponsored referendum to be held for the North & East Tamils in Sri Lanka to establish a separate state like Kosovo.
It is time that the enlightened Sinhalese leaders educate the Sinhalese masses to ignore the myopic politicians a few others who are digging the grave once again for the entire country.
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Native Vedda / May 7, 2016
bernyKdasa
“Father of Sinhala Nationalism was SJV Chelvanayakam and his bastard child was tamil Nationalism.”
Are you implying that Anagarika Dharmapala (the homeless one) was the love child of SJV Chelvanayagam?
It is an interesting observation. It never clicked to me until you mentioned it. Thanks for clarifying murky family secrets.
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samanyan777 / May 8, 2016
Boy, if Sihalese are Aryans ;-), as most of you claim, you do not belong in the land mass which is just an extension of south India which is the home of Dravidians from time immemorial. Dravidians had the whole India for themselves until the so called Aryans invaded, pushed them further down towards south and also mixed with them.
if Polynesians could spread between the far flung islands of Pacific thousands of years ago, what makes you think the Tamils who were the best seafarers in the whole of India had to wait for Vijaya to arrive in his dinghy before they could go to an Island at their door step?
how come Sinhala has way too many Tamil words and similar structure if it was the language of the majority. it is the majority language that should dominate.unless the minority language was well developed and the speakers were politically, militarily and economically dominant for very long time.
simple theory is you guys are Tamils who were once majority in this Island whose language evolved into another similar language. just like Malayalam. the persecution of Buddist Tamils in Tamilnadu who poured into Ilankai also helped boost the numbers. it is the force of a new religion and the language it brought with it mixed with the existing language that made sinhala.
Tamil words did not “make way” into Sinhala. you are just keeping many words from your old mother tongue still BROTHER!.
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Kumar / May 7, 2016
The ethnic problem in Sri Lanka has a history of more than 60 years, and almost all the leaders in the government of Sri Lanka recognized it. Today the whole world (IC) talks about a federal solution, but still the Sinhala-Buddhist Nationalists with narrow mind and low mentality, with a primitive thinking Mahavamsa mindset cannot comprehend anything beyond their own race and religion. You cannot have Buddhism & Sinhala as national religion and language and expect other communities to accept it. Sri Lanka has failed in all counts of creating a secular multi-ethnic society where all communities are treated equally and fairly so that they can call it HOME. This is the reason for 30 years long war and destruction of the country and people.
The minority Tamils (a territorial majority) are not trying to grab something from the majority Sinhalese, we are only asking for our share which rightfully belongs to us. Sharing the power & wealth (Devolution/Federalism) is the rights of SL Tamils and its denial has forced them to seek separation. Tamils may have lost the war but they have not lost their rights to Federalism.
In multiethnic societies/countries like Sri Lanka where the ethnic differences is usually enough to create tension in the relation between races, if one race GRABS all the political or economic power for itself just because it is a majority, there will definitely be strong antagonism from other races, which causes political instability and violent confrontations as we see in Sri Lanka.
In such situations, no economic growth or development takes place, and therefore, the race which takes all for itself will find that it would be owning all of nothing of the country that is politically unstable and with an economy that not only fail to grow but would actually be shrinking, in the end, the race which grabs everything will find that it has nothing.
On the other hand, if the races decide to share political power and economic wealth under a federal system within a united country, the chances are the country would be stable and the economy would grow, each race will get less then 100% of the political power or economic wealth but the growth of the country in both spheres will ensure that the portion that each race gets would actually be bigger than the 100% of the original political power and economic wealth.
If I put in simple terms, it is better to own a slice of the political or economic cake which grows healthily than to own the whole of the cake that shrinks and disappears. That is, the races share political power and strive to redistribute wealth from the growing economic cake so as to ensure that every race has a fair share.
This fair share is what the Tamils are asking for the last so many years.
When the Europeans were ruling the country, they treated both Sinhalese and Tamils equally. They did not colonize the Sinhalese in Tamil areas, did not bring ‘Sinhala Only, Buddhist only’ laws, they developed Jaffna almost similar to Colombo with very good schools, they gave employment on merit basis, to put it in simple terms, the Sinhalese and Tamils were treated equally without any discrimination.
In 1948, the British handed over the entire country to the Sinhalese with the second highest GNP per capita in Asia. Where are we today?
Today, the economy (earnings) of our country depends mainly on slave trade, exporting the poor Sri Lankan women as House Maids, Janitors/Cleaners and Nannies to the Arab world, selling them for just a few dollars, to be exploited, abused, raped, humiliated and killed. Back home, their families are left in shambles, children go astray.
Sri Lanka is neither a Sinhala country nor a Buddhist country but a multi-ethnic multi-religious country. If the Sinhalese leaders treated everybody equally and fairly just like the British did, our economy would have grown, today Sri Lanka would have been in a better position in the world map, and will not be known as ‘the country of housemaids/nannies’.
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Amarasiri / May 8, 2016
Dr. S. Narapalasingam
“The result of Swabasha Medium the Politicians became champions in sending Maid servants to foreign lands because there were no jobs created to the Local men and women.”
“We became world class crooks and thieves around the globe!! While the Education and Judiciary system suffered too.”
Thanks. Expose, Expose and Expose. Question.
The Land of Para-Sinhala and Para-Tamils and Other Paras.
The Average IQ of the Land is 79. The IQ of Para-Tamils appeae to be bi-modally distributed. It must be true for Para-Sinhala and Para-Muslims as well.
Now getting a better understanding of the bimodal IQ distribution of the Tamils, as published in CT. It must equally be applicable to Sinhala and Muslims as well. May be need to compare to coconut or egg prices.
The Story Of Two Graphs drawn by A Tamil Man: By Mahesan Niranjan
Onion Prices and Tamil IQ Distributions
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-story-of-two-graphs-drawn-by-a-tamil-man/onioniqdistributions/
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-story-of-two-graphs-drawn-by-a-tamil-man/
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KA Sumanasekera / May 7, 2016
If the Vellalas get Federal Eelaam, our poor Dalits, mainly Sinhala and Muslims don’t have to send their Daughters,Sisters and Wives to Middle East.
Nice one.
They all can work for Vellas and the Colombo Elite in the Federal North and the Federal Megapolis.
These Diaspora dudes must be happy that Pirahaparan gave them the chance to live their current luxury lives.
With their golden nest eggs now ,they want to come back and spend their retirement in luxury at Budget rates in their own Eelaam.
How cool.
Will Wiggy’s Federal Eelaam accommodate all Tamils in Srilanka?.
Not according to his own submission to Yahapalana PM, Batalanda Ranil’s CC.
Can the Federal Up Country Federal Eelaam, which the Vellala CM recommended in his submission, accommodate our House Maids who are currently in the Wahabi Land?.
What we need is Four autonomous States with equal rights and opportunities for all inhabitants,regardless of their race religion or sex preferably without the crooks who are calling the shots now .
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Analyst / May 7, 2016
Well Said. Sumanakumari
We are in the same wave of thinking !
Excellent for all to live peacefully in 4 Autonomous states with equal rights , opportunities, for all inhabitants regardless of their race ,religion or sex , PREFERABLY WITHOUT THE CROOKS WHO ARE CALLING THE SHOTS.
While the products of the Elite schools getting all the plum jobs because of their fluency in English , the Sinhala village scholars are marginalised .
A State school educated immigrant has been elected as the Mayor of London which speaks volumes in equality in education , and social back ground.
We keep voting for unsavoury characters with clue about Democrasy or how to behave in the Parliament when in session.
What’s the reason for these unsuitable candidates getting voted again and again to Destroy our country.
Take a look at the whole picture ! All citizens have a Right to live and contribute for a prosperous nation.
What happened for the last 70 plus years the same old saga of vengeance and marginalisation had lead us see the total destruction of our nation.
The answer is building bridges between the communities and work for a nation that all can be Proud of.
Enough is enough , throw the selfish greedy people out of the Parliament .
That may be a solution to build OUR NATION.
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Analyst / May 7, 2016
I Meant that Our Nation of Srilanka belongs to Sinhalese Tamils Muslims and Burghers to build together for a Prosperous nation.
Some of the comments above clearly shows the narrow mindedness of the racists who have not read the Author’s whole version of statement and jumped to conclusion , writing barrage of racists remarks as usual in total denial of the real matter.
He has not in any way expressed racism but Given an informative experiences of Tamils struggle over the years.
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Analyst / May 7, 2016
Correction:
Read as “who without a clue ” above.
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jim softy / May 7, 2016
Analyst, Why Tamils don’t fight for their motherland in Tamilnadu ?
Because, Tamils got at least a state only since 1964 ?
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Celeo / May 7, 2016
Jim Sothy,
Why Sinhalese don’t go to their motherland in Bangaladesh? If you go to the Dakha city and stand among the Bangali, nobody will identify you as a Sri Lankan.
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Vibhushana / May 7, 2016
.
Well bravo!
Tamil donkey is going to succeed with “Socialism” when Stalin, Fidel, Pol Pot and Mao failed!
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Native Vedda / May 11, 2016
Vibhushana
“Tamil donkey is going to succeed with “Socialism” when Stalin, Fidel, Pol Pot and Mao failed!”
I hate to agree with you.
You could have done us a favour by adding more home grown names such as, NM Perera, SWRD Banda, Siri Mao, Rohana Wijeweera, Somawansa, Wimal Weerawansa, Pieter Keuneman, Vasudeva, Colvin Silva, ………. Dayan Jayatilleka, AKD, ……..
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Mallaiyuran / May 7, 2016
The Federal State is not a solution for Tamils. NPC or its political parallel the TMP had come out with a solution. It’s all by and means under the 6th amendment.
After negotiating with the Sinhala Intellectual leaders for 30 years, SJV came to conclusion to demand for a separate country. The Sri Lankan Mussolini JR who went for the Kandy Walk, brought 6th Amendment in to make it sure that Tamils will have no option other than take arms. Armed struggle, whether the rebels like it or not, is always involve other countries into that. So, at the start, India’s involvement was favorable to Tamils. The greed of India grew on that. Rajiv wanted to bring the Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lanka under Indian colonization. This made the rebels to deviate from their path and associate with the Lankawe get out of Rajiv oppression. Now, under Modi, India has completely pulled out of the greed of occupying Lankawe (or he may be realizing that Lankawe has moved far away from that dream). But other International Countries who were interested in the Geographical situation of Lankawe may not lose their interest so soon. It is hard to predict how many years plan the Chine is scheming on this. But the minimum is 99 years, and moderate and maximum is infinity. Another actor America, it was said ending its Military Base contract in Diego Garcia, appeared to be interested in Lankawe. In the 2000s, America took many action they were favorable to Lankawe. This is comparable to Britain in 1940s, when it liked to keep it bases in Trincomalee, it draw a constitution favorable to Lankawe and handed over Tamil Eelam to Lankawe without a referendum to know the Tamils opinion. Britain did not get the Bases it wanted, but Sirimavo nationalized the British Tea companies in 1972. Thus Britain took its lesson after giving freedom for the country, which it ruled 150 years. By the end of the 2009 war, which had been a victory to Lankawe’s Aappa diplomacy by the help of America, Ambassador Blake had started to realize his faults. By March 2012 Assistant Secretary Blake had fully realized that his mistake was not reversible. He gave up on Lankawe and tried Maldives for bases. He failed on that too. India, who had a policy that America should not get anything from Lankawe even if China gets all what it wants from Lankawe, was very slow to understand the lesson from Lankawe. India was further suffering by its highly corrupted official like Narayan, Shiv Shankar Menon, and Dixit who easily bought out by Lankawe form the Chinese commission money. UN purposefully neglected to use its R2P. For that UN carried out an internal Investigation and condemned itself. Norway, to be honest on that had very little to benefit financially or politically on Lankawe’s deals, conducted a small eye washing investigation for its failure, but decided, the matter too difficult for it to handle. American Assistant secretary simply confessed that America was cheated. America never carried even a formality inquiry like Norway to find out how and why they continued helping the Lankawe Government even after an estimated 145,000 had been killed. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh simply brushed it off saying “If we tell Sri Lanka is not listening, then what we can do for that.” India never confessed its colossal mistake of supporting Lankawe’s Government even supplying of Chemical Weapon without showing interest to verify if the recipient will use it with India’s consultation or not. It never come to level of America to accept the cheating and never supported wholeheartedly the eventual, consecutive the resolutions America moved through UNHRC.
When Secretary Kerry came to power, America dropped down all the lessons the Assistant Secretary Blake brought home and once more tried its old techniques. In these struggles of Superpowers learning and forgetting – Learning and forgetting cycles of the lessons from Lankawe, Tamil did not simply lost the war with a massive number of killing, lootings and rapes, they lost even the judgement they should have received from UN and IC.
India’s negligent of Lankawe dealing with China and its full effort on blocking America on its UNHRC resolution has produced a very surprising result for them both. Lankawe is under massive debt to China and some estimates suggest these may not be fully paid up 50 years to come from now. China has captured Lands in multiple spots(the true details of actual locations and details of the total areas may not be released by Lankawe in the coming two-three even five years period – for the reason of hanging on to power), where its law will be implemented, like Britain had the Hong-Kong for 99 years. One American Company, Dole, managed to have a small plot in North Central Province, but it was reposed by Old Royals. It is said that America attempted make some deal in Hambantota harbor but failed. India, basically, is still struggling itself with a negotiation for Free Trade Agreement. Comparing China’s ability to capture multiple plots in Lankawe with enough right to Land War Planes and berth nuclear submarines, India’s failure to close a simple Free Trade agreement with its closest neighbor is astonishing.
After the China’s stunning diplomatic out maneuvering of America and India in Lankawe, they seems to trying to come for a truce for their inter country quarrels. It is well known for everybody it was Bush time American Analyst came out with the theory Perl String harbors of China in the Indian Ocean. Now its existence confirmed and it is recognized as modern era Silk Path. It is believed about 4 times a month Chinese Nuclear Submarines are spying in Indian Ocean and very close to India, sometimes. They two are struggling to come to an agreement of India opening it bases America. After 10 years passing of Ambassador Blake’s disastrous failure of negotiating a Base for America in Lankawe, now it seems, if not full bases, at least American Servicemen may find some resting areas in India. India is trying to protecting its sea ports from Lankawe abusing for Chinese benefits. It may or may not extend this protection to Airports too.
That agreement, if ever put in operation, may not bring any relief for Tamils who lost their freedom not once in 1624, but in 1948 too, for a very inhuman & immoral government. Their Country rulers’ last week’s inside parliament WWF entertainment, which miniscule-ing the Hollywood is very good example if in their brutal army’s hand the unprotected & vulnerable women and children get caught what would happen. That is why diaspora has given even very small interest to the Federal Government proposal put forward by NPC and TMP. No one was able to have the army reduced in the peace time. Still, it is accused the all 150,000 originally deployed is sitting there and sucking the North’s peace and prosperity. So diaspora believes a solution can be reached if a sincere investigation if carried into the war crime committed by the Lankawe’s successive governments. That is where the UN vested right of going separate for the deprived people can be invoked to apply to Tamils too. Now the Yahapalanaya government has cheated once more the interested International governments that if they relax to rules for Internal Investigation, then they would negotiate with Sampanthar for an acceptable solution for him. An acceptable solution has to stem from Vaddukoddai Convention which was convened after SJV resigned his Kankesanthurai seat against 1972 constitution and it was confirmed by the 1977 TULF’s referendum election. But as we saw at the start, the current Yahapalanaya government, still is using the TPA and the 6th Amendment to suppress the Tamils freedom of expression, will not allow TNA to put forward in writing for what the Tamils voted in 2013 NPC election, that is the internal self-determination.
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soma / May 7, 2016
Mallayuram
I am very confused and quite baffled as to why the Tamils are asking for a frderal unit rather than separation as per Vadukkodai resolution. There is something very fishy.
Beggining of Ealam war V is only two weeks away from setting up a federal unit. Sri Lanka will need huge military resouces to maintain it federal.
If Sinhalese are held hostage by external forces and extend support for seperation majority Tamils who are living outside North and East will be in big trouble.
Soma
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Mallaiyuran / May 7, 2016
Soma,
Thanks for providing me the correct spelling for name though you have no idea of what Magnificent Language Tamil is. But I still would prefer my spelling as I am used to it. That may not make you feel down as you never used the correct spelling of your name provided to you by Native Vedda.
It is not just you, now, even I am confused what the Tamils are asking for, after reading of what you wrote.
I thought you were asking me why the Tamils are asking Federal State instead of separation and said you thought it is something fishy. Then you are falling into the illusion of issuing a threat to International Community, with your perceived hostages of Tamils who are living outside the North-East, if they extend their support for the separation. How do you think IC may extend their support for something even the Tamils are not asking. I was planning to answer to your question of Tamils asking for Federal State as that the Federal talks recently started come back only because of 6th Amendment. But, now I am not sure if that will satisfy you as you look ready to sacrifice your life to deny a solution Tamils. If that is the case then what the difference the fishy Federal and pre-warned separatism can make?
You are bragging too much about your bravery but it was only Ranil looked for the slippers and gave it to the Old King in the Temple Tree House when the Old King wanted to run away even without those to escape from the UN Electric Chair. You did nothing when they hacked your computers and captured your pride Colombo and Hambantota lands. You are such a bottomless bloody fool, my friend SomeAss, to come to this thread and issue warnings and threats to IC. Why don’t you go to your native threads Mahindapala and Izeth Hussain open for you and do it there. They will love it a lot. This is thread for political discussion.
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soma / May 8, 2016
I honestly believe that any solution imposed agaist the will of the majority will have a serious negative impact on the Tamils(Tamil speaking people) living in areas outside North and East.
A federal unit for North and East will reduce the Tamils (Tamil speaking people) living outside North and East to second class citizens. Obviously this is NOT what should happen but this is what WILL happen given the history of post independence confrontation between the parties.
Soma
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Mallaiyuran / May 8, 2016
“I honestly believe that any solution imposed agaist the will of the majority will have a serious negative impact on the Tamils(Tamil speaking people) living in areas outside North and East.”
“Aadu Nanaiyuthu Endu Oonaai Alukithaam” – Crocodile tears? I believe you are really really worried about the Tamils let outside the North-East. Now you find lots and lots of positive effects from 1956,1958, 1971, 1977, 1983? You call it is a positive effect that is why you came to issue threats? You call it is a positive effect when do not want to investigate the 145,000 murders you committed in Mullivaikkal? You you want to cover up your open threat without knowing how to do it. Whom do you fool again and again?
Thanks for switching over to your Aappa diplomacy. But, is there a Tamil in the world to believe your Aappa diplomacy? Isn’t it that only for Internationational Community? If there is an atom of honesty left in the Sinhala Intellectuals, they all will pull their cloths off and jump into the sea. That a shameless challenge you undertook and have come back to your senses. Even that looks like have been taught to you by Soft, he is another ultra racist like you. Write here after politics. I let this time go without interpreting your sentences’ meanings, if you idiot did not know English. But next time write here only politics.
But for your switched over question of “What will be the status of the Tamils outside North East?” You better know one thing, UN has provisions of how to treat stateless minorities. They have to use R2P. Last time they let it go purposefully. As your challenge is against the IC helping Tamils, and if they are in the field with the aim of helping Tamils, I think certainly they will use the R2P.
Read back Dr. S. Narapalasingam’s essay. He has answered that question explicitly. Read the NPC’s proposal. It covers its solution up to South and central Tamils.
Arumugam Thondaman was one of the three leaders in the TULF(the Workers Congress leader). He had plan of dealing with the central people.
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Mallaiyuran / May 8, 2016
Please read as Savumiamoorthy Thondaman not Arumugam Thondaman. Sorry!
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jim softy / May 8, 2016
Soma
Don’t to reason with Tamils.
If they can reason, why they don’t haccept that they were statelees duyring the whole human histroy except 100 years like short period.
They were moving every where on earth.
From Africa to iraq to Kumarikandam to now tamilnadu and infesting Sinhale too.
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Mallaiyuran / May 8, 2016
Softy,
Thank you for your help to further confuse the topic that is already confusing Soma. You missed the point in Soma’s comment. He was reasoning to International Community why they should be staying out of helping Tamils to reach a solution. What is his reasoning to IC is that he will launch a massive pogrom, probably out of North-East, so they better stay out of it. if they help Tamils. That has nothing to with Tamils; it is a warning to IC. I am not sure what he was talking. It appears that he was talking about Tamil getting a solution, not about the war crime investigation which is IC is more interested than a solution. He has rejected IC helping Tamils to find a solution; but not rejecting IC investigating the War Crime. At least that is something good he is implying out of everything that is bad he talks.
Your point is Tamils did not have a country but they were living in Kumari Kandam. If you know the land covered by the name Kumari Kandam, the most part of the South India (not just Tamil Nadu), ceylon the entire Island and additional land merged in the Indian Ocean.
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Native Vedda / May 8, 2016
somaass
“If Sinhalese are held hostage by external forces and extend support for seperation majority Tamils who are living outside North and East will be in big trouble.”
During the war of independence too many Bengalis were trapped in Pakistan. Hndians accepted the surrender of 95,000 war criminals. You work it out for yourself.
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jim softy / May 7, 2016
Tamil eelam constitution….
Tamils had Tamil eelam. did it have a constitution as this gentleman says ?
Tamils live like drug addicted. Think if they were really taking cocaine or Heroine…
What a wonderful world..
Probably will be like homicide bombers, they kill themselves.
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soma / May 7, 2016
. recognition of the Tamils of Ceylon as a nation
.recognition of the existence of an identified homeland for the Tamils of Ceylon
.recognition of the right of self-determination of the Tamil nation
. recognition of the right to citizenship and the fundamental rights of all Tamils in Sri Lanka
Again “Tamils” is not properly defined even in this most important document. How can you expect to proceed with a meaningful discussion?
Does “Tamil” include those Tamils who practise Islam as their religion and those Tamils working in the plantation sector? Or only Hindu and Christian Tamil speakers in the North?
Soma
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Native Vedda / May 7, 2016
somaass
“Again “Tamils” is not properly defined even in this most important document. How can you expect to proceed with a meaningful discussion?”
Tamil
noun
1. a member of a people inhabiting parts of South India and Sri Lanka.
2. the Dravidian language of the Tamils, at least 2,000 years old, spoken by about 68 million people.
adjective
1. relating to the Tamils or their language.
Sinhalese
noun
noun: Sinhala; plural noun: Sinhala
1.a member of a people originally from northern India, now forming the majority of the population of Sri Lanka.
2.an Indic language spoken by the Sinhalese, descended from Sanskrit. It has about 13 million speakers.
adjective
adjective: Sinhala
1.
relating to the Sinhalese or their language.
somaasss
Could you define Muslims given that there are numerous main and sub division among them:
Sinhala Muslims, Tamils Muslims, Malays, Bohras, Khojas, Maraikayars of Batticaloa South, Sufi, Sunni, Shi`ite, Baha’is, Ahmadiyyas, ………….. Memons, and one man moron IH.
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Kulan / May 7, 2016
If a constitution is made with devolution of power not mentioning a unitary state or Federal State, we might get a break through.
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sach / May 7, 2016
This is simply saying if the SLG does not give federalism people in north would be forced to become separatists. They are actually separatists even today. TNA is a separatist party there is no question about it.
The point is there is no way separatism succeeds even if the government does not give them federalism. If Tamils threaten with separatism gover should realize tamil politicians have nothing to do about it as well.
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Native Vedda / May 7, 2016
sachoooooooooooooooooooo the very stupid II
“They are actually separatists even today. TNA is a separatist party there is no question about it. “
JVP was a Marxist-Leninist-Trotskyist-Maoist-Racist- terrorist ………. party.
Is it still a Marxist-Leninist-Trotskyist-Maoist-Racist- terrorist party?
SLFP was a racist, socialist(?), ……. Pancha Maha Balavegya Sinhala/Buddhist party.
Is it still a racist, socialist(?), ……. Pancha Maha Balavegya Sinhala/Buddhist party?
You have been a very stupid racist.
Are you still the same very stupid racist?
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sach / May 7, 2016
what nonsense idiot?
JVP was marxist now they are not, therefore TNA was separatist now they are not! What a stupid moron you are…
TNA is separatist according to what they do both overtly and covertly..
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Native Vedda / May 7, 2016
sachoooooooooooooooooooooo the stupid II
“JVP was marxist now they are not”
Has JVP given up terrorism?
“what nonsense idiot?”
You need at least a teeny weeny brain to grasp the point. Well I am not disappointed.
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jim softy / May 8, 2016
Dumb Tamil Natuive vedda is upset,
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Native Vedda / May 8, 2016
jim softy dimwit
“Dumb Tamil Natuive vedda is upset,”
Of course Native Vedda is upset, because JVP and state killed lot of innocent people.
You got that part right.
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Celeo / May 7, 2016
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA)-dominated Northern Provincial Council (NPC) has passed a resolution seeking a federal constitution for Sri Lanka.
It is all going back to Square one, History Repeats itself but still the Sinhalese have not learnt any lessons.. The longer they delay ‘Devolution’ the faster the demand for Separation is going to rise..
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sach / May 10, 2016
if history is to repeat who will be the biggest loser?
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Devaka S.Jayasuriya - Kadawata / May 7, 2016
Totally a biased article which promotes Tamil extremism . It is not the Sinhalese Nationalists who promote Separatism but the Tamil politicians themselves . The guile of Vigneshwaran and Sambanthan are welcome harbingers towards disrupting the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka . And for that matter We Sinhalese are resentful of a federal constitutional edifice . For Sinhalese ” Pluralism ” and in Colombo and suburbs we must live with appeasement and harmony with minorities , But for Tamils and Muslims , They want to have mono-ethnicity .
What a cohabitation is that ? The present government will not last long and it is well aware of it . That is why they are feared to hold even a local election . Ranil will be thrown into the doldrums again and he has misunderstood his precarious existence and dancing like the crab in clay pot . There is a ground swell of widespread resentment towards a federal edifice . And we will ensure that country will not undergo so-called federal solution.
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Ajith / May 7, 2016
Devaka
The article is not at all against Sinhalese or the right of Sinhalese. Whether you accept or not Tamils should have all the rights as Sinhalese. In your family, your younger brother should have the same right as you. Youger brother should be treated equally by parents in all terms. Equal shares, equal treatments will hold unity in the family and biased treatment will break the family. This is the fundamental for a family and same applies to the Nation. The author tries to explain the same. Federalism is not against pluralism. It will solve some of the problems associated with administration. Federalism is not extremism. It is a well accepted phenomenon in democracies. It will help to protect territorial integrity.
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Devaka Jayasuriya / May 7, 2016
Ajith . On what basis you say that Tamils are impaired of their rights ? in Fact, it is the Sinhalese who have been deprived of their rights . Behind this separatist movement clearly the cat’s paw of the Church lies . I thought under the 13th Amendment the necessary devolution was delegated . Isn’t it enough ? ” Little now, More later ” was the Theory propounded by Uncle Chelvanayagam . What is the issue of Tamils now which Sinhalese enjoy over them tell me . Advise your Tamils Uncles not to provoke Extremism and then when they reciprocate not to term Sinhalese are Murderers . We live harmony with Tamils . Its these Devious politicians like Vigi , Sambanthan and Sivajilingam destroy that harmony
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Ajith / May 8, 2016
Devaka,
Simply tell me who burnt Jaffna library and what actions so far the govts in Sri Lanka took those criminals who burnt Jaffna library? How many criminals who killed hundreds of Tamils during 1958, 1977 and 1983 and 2009 were brought under justice? On what basis Sinhalese have been deprived of their rights? If so, who was responsible for that when the Sinhalese hold the complete power over the government, military (99% Sinhalese) and all institutions? Are you living in a world of darkness? Do you know Vigneswaran’s two children married to Sinhalese and they live peacefully in separtae houses?
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J.MUTHU / May 7, 2016
U learn before punching u r key board u fool…Sinhala Buddhist brain ruined by 2500 yr crab called mahavamsa [Edited out].All tamils ask let and live in their land freely look after their affairs without any illiterate sinhala morons interfering their day to day life…
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SJ / May 7, 2016
JM
I guess that you want the Tamils to have other “illiterate morons” like the Indians, Americans, the British and so on (certainly not Chinese, Pakistanis or Russians) interfering in their day to day life
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PROUDMAN / May 7, 2016
SJ
you are really a moron. Do you understand what JM has written?
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Native Vedda / May 7, 2016
SJ/sekere
“I guess that you want the Tamils to have other “illiterate morons” like the Indians, Americans, the British and so on (certainly not Chinese, Pakistanis or Russians) interfering in their day to day life”
When did Indians, Americans, the British, Chinese, Pakistanis or Russians stop interfering in this island?
There was grand coalition of thirty countries which supported the state (SLFP led government) to destroy LTTE. The grand coalition included Indians, Americans, the British, Chinese, Pakistanis or Russians.
What is your problem?
If you don’t treat your family well not only the neighbours but also strangers are ready to grope your women folks.
Well you don’t mind your women folks are being groped as long as the gropers are Chinese, Pakistanis or Russians.
I suppose you prefer Marxist/Maoist/ISI grope to capitalist/Christian/Hindu one.
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sach / May 10, 2016
then go to TN..nobody stops you
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Native Vedda / May 10, 2016
sachooooooooooooooooooooo the stupid II
“then go to TN..nobody stops you”
You are right they should go to South India. When they go let them take you with them.
We will have less people and less noise.
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CountryFirst / May 7, 2016
Dr. Narapalasingham fails to recognize what is now clearly evident on surveying the history of Tamil politics in post-independence Sri Lanka THAT:
The pursuit of at least a fully Federal Solution, if not secession to form a separate state has been the ambition of the Tamil political leaders from pre-Independence times, inspired by the Partition of India and the formation of Pakistan. Tamil strategy had been “A LITTLE NOW, MORE LATER”, as clearly articulated by SJV Chelvanayakam.
IT SHOULD ALSO BE REMEMBERED THAT:
The goal of their separate state was projected to go beyond that of a merged North and East to encompass UVA, the hill country, and as much as possible of the Southern part of the island.
The LTTE was used to extract via terrorism increasing concessions of territory and power at successive rounds of peace negotiations, but the LTTE were never to be allowed the laurels of political power which were the exclusive preserve of the ITAK.
A TRAVESTY OF HISTORY & DEMOCRACY
The INJUSTICE of Tamil demands extend to the Sinhala people as well as to the world’s historians who, up to recent revisionist history now being financed by the wealthy Eelamist Diaspora, recognized and recorded the ownership of the island by a Sinhala civilization with artefacts and epigraphics that evidenced origins of the Sinhala language with Buddhism as its core value system, and the rule of Sinhala monarchies over the entire island, including a fiefdom in the Jaffna peninsula that paid tribute to the Sinhala kings. This Sinhala population has comprised ~80% of the island’s population from the time of records after Western Colonial ingress. No rational basis exists for how this demographic could have persisted over the centuries if the Tamil community had the historic position that it claims.
The international recognition of Ceylon as the island of the Sinhalese has been recorded time and again by the colonials and other nations with which it had trade and diplomatic connections. Furthermore, no evidence exists for the Tamil claim of “homelands” extending from the Jaffna peninsula through into the southern end of the Eastern Province…a claim refuted and laid to rest, but now revived in revisionist publications.
DEMOGRAPHICS TODAY
The Tamil community while establishing itself primarily in the Jaffna Peninsula has ethnic clusters residing all over the island, so much so that a majority of ~54% of Sri Lanka’s Tamils live in the South among the Sinhalese, and have no intention of making permanent moves back to the North.
SOLUTIONS
It is with the above facts in mind that any approach to a political solution has to be arrived at using modern concepts of democracy and power sharing that have superseded rule by monarchies.
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Native Vedda / May 8, 2016
Country Farce
Are you sure you know what you are typing?
Were the Sinhalese singing Sinhala National anthem since the begining of this island’s history.
A TRAVESTY OF HISTORY & DEMOCRACY starts with your lack of intellectual insight into both.
For example you type “ecognized and recorded the ownership of the island by a Sinhala civilization with artefacts and epigraphics that evidenced origins of the Sinhala language with Buddhism as its core value system, and the rule of Sinhala monarchies over the entire island,”
Could you cite evidence that “Sinhala monarchies over the entire island”.
A fully developed Sinhala language was non existent until about 1500 years ago.
Atefacts unearthed in this island mostly point to Amaravathi, a village in Guntur district, present day Andhra Pradesh.
Pomparippu Burial culture in the North-West resembles Vaigai-Tambapanni plains. Iron age aftereffects found in Kandrodai paralleled South Indian civilisation of Arikkamedu.
Archaeologists trace my people’s existence in this island to 33,000 BC.
So far the evidence unearthed does not confirm the existence of Sinhalese 2000 years ago, except the Mahawamsa myth.
Buddhism is Indian.
Mahawamsa written in Pali, Indian
Sinhala language is a mixture of Pali, Sanskrit, Tamil (Indian).
Style and architecture of Buddhist shrines (stupa) Indian
Sinhala Music Indian
Natum Indian
Production of early Sinhala Cinema, Indian
Music for Sinhala cinema, Indian
Saree Indian
Institution of Sinhala Caste, Indian
Ayurveda, Indian
Astrology, Indian
Pattini Deiyo, Indian,
Sinhala genetics, Indian
Most names are Indian
Jataka stories, Pali Indian
Sacred Relic of Buddha’s tooth Indian
Sacred Relic of Buddha was protected by Indian, Vellaikkara Pdei
The last few kings of Kandy were Inidan
Kandy Esala Perahera commenced during the reign of Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe, Indian
The Sinhala new year is Indian
The Tamil/Sinhala civilisation that both of you are proud of is Indian.
What else is Sinhala/Buddhist civilisation?
I have no problem with language replacement nor cultural intrusion.
Just get to grip with the facts, accept it and move on. The 80% bunker mentality takes you nowhere.
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CountryFirst / May 8, 2016
Native Veddah:
It is your typing that needs to be checked–
Your response reads:
“…..you type “ecognized and recorded the ownership of the island by a Sinhala civilization..”
While my statement reads:
“….. recognized and recorded the ownership of the island by a Sinhala civilization…”
If typing is what is at fault, whose typing is faulty, pray????
————————
I stand by everything I have stated in my statement.
That includes the existence of Sinhala monarchies (N.B. “monarchies”) that ruled the island from ancient times, as well as the lack of evidence of a “Iamil homeland” comprising the North and East of Sri Lanka, this latter assertion having been refuted by world recognized scholars, but which the Eelamists in Goebellian style keep repeating, in hope that repeated assertion will make it the Truth.
I certainly hope that a sense of realism will make the Diaspora-led Tamil political leaderships in Sri Lanka climb down from their fantasy creations and come to accept the need for workable solutions so that the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people of this island can move forward together into a Future that can be full of promise if handled with wisdom and maturity, but if not, can drag the nation down once more into a labyrinth of terror and chaos.
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CountryFirst / May 8, 2016
Native Veddah:
It is your typing that needs to be checked–
Your response reads:
“…..you type “ecognized and recorded the ownership of the island by a Sinhala civilization..”
While my statement reads:
“….. recognized and recorded the ownership of the island by a Sinhala civilization…”
If typing is what is at fault, whose typing is faulty, pray????
————————
I stand by everything I have stated in my statement.
That includes the existence of Sinhala monarchies (N.B. “monarchies”) that ruled the island from ancient times, as well as the lack of evidence of a “Tamil homeland” comprising the North and East of Sri Lanka, this latter assertion having been refuted by world recognized scholars, but which the Eelamists in Goebellian style keep repeating, in hope that repeated assertion will make it the Truth.
I certainly hope that a sense of realism will make the Diaspora-led Tamil political leaderships in Sri Lanka climb down from their fantasy creations and come to accept the need for workable solutions so that the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people of this island can move forward together into a Future that can be full of promise if handled with wisdom and maturity, but if not, can drag the nation down once more into a labyrinth of terror and chaos.
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Antany Peter / May 7, 2016
Agree to disagree, federalism won’t work in Sri Lanka
Tamils’ problem was sorted long time ago, but Tamils weren’t smart enough to accept it. Because their brain works wrongly and looks for ways to create disasters not solutions. When G G Ponnambalam was the leader Sinhalese generously agreed 40:60 solution even though Tamils’ population wasn’t 40% at that time. But Tamils rejected it. Later on Tamils decided to take arms from New Delhi to kill their fellow countrymen. Then second opportunity came through Indo-Lanka agreement. Again Tamils rejected the good offer, but decided to listen to the West and turned their guns against Tamils, Sinhalese and Indians.
If Tamils have little brain, little love for their motherland and people they would have found a solution long time ago. Tamils are the least when it comes to honouring smart people. Jealousy is eating Tamils. Tamils would do anything to undermine their fellow Tamils, even if they have to join with foreign powers. I have been living in Jaffna since last August. I have been to many public events. Indian High Commission and the Westerners are the VIPs not smart Tamils or Sinhalese. Therefore, if we share power with Tamils we are sharing with foreign power. This will lead to a bloody disaster. We have to be on our knees to please the foreign power, if we share power with Tamil leaders.
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Celeo / May 7, 2016
Antany Peter
Did you escape from mental asylum???
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Antany Peter / May 8, 2016
I have a message for Tamils. Their leaders have nothing in their head, therefore Tamils will get nothing. It doesn’t matter whether Tamils suck Indians or the Westerners. You get zero, if you multiply anything by zero. Likewise, Tamils will get zero results, if they continue to multiply their votes to elect foolish leaders.
Let’s see what you going to get by avoiding smart Tamils. I know the answer, you will continue to go backward.
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J.MUTHU / May 8, 2016
Anatany stupid,
U need real help, stop u r stupid argument. U are not going win anything against global powers. full stop.
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Antany Peter / May 8, 2016
You are a fool, you have achieved nothing by conducting the Asia’s longest brutal civil war with the help of India and the West. You never learn, you need to be watched carefully.
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Mallaiyuran / May 8, 2016
I have a feeling you are determined put on auction, not just Port City and Hambantota, not even the whole Ceylon, but including the Yahapalanaya Prime Minister Ranil mahata too to the China Communists.
Let me ask you a question man. Did the rapist army released any lands to you since the time you went to Jaffna? If so, where did you find the deed for that property? In a suicide jacket Pocket? Then careful man, if the jacket is intact the guy might not have died yet. We have to do something else as a workaround for that. We may have to write the scripts for Gobi III.
There are some reasons for some people for TNA not to receive Land and Police power. Thier properties are going to lose value too. Nobody will offer any price for those. What is your political reason to reject Federal Goverment? If you are real communist, you will not be able to put forward an argument that a particular constitution’s structure is not good for particular race; it is racism; Communist claims they are anti-racist; common for all labour classes.
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jim softy / May 8, 2016
Anthony Peter.
You also agree that Tamils are stupid.
they were always and they will be always.
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ramona therese fernando / May 8, 2016
Antany Peter,
I agree so much! Tamils THINK they are very clever, but they have little lateral understanding of how a proper-functioning democratic society should work. Proof is in the hitherto caste system (actually still in operation).
Even at this time Narapalasingam says, ” The indigenous Tamils are not the descendants of the immigrants [the Portuguese] who entered the Sinhala Country. Why? What happened to the Portuguese mixtures? Was Eugenics practiced to ensure the purity of the Tamil race? We’ve got the fascist statement right from the horse’s mouth.
Can you imagine going from caste system to a communist dictatorship? It will never happen. Old habits (genetically ingrained for millennia), die hard.
Narapalasingam also says that Tamil nation was there for several hundred years. Well, Sinhala Nation was there for 2,500 years!
Grossly unfair Tamil State in the North, will naturally liaison with Tamil Motherland, Tamil Nadu. However, Tamil Naduians will look down on Lankan Tamils as being low-caste (Jayalatha being very fair-skinned). Join up with the Sinhalese and it will be Buddhistic Socialistic Egalitarianism across the board.
We will hope that Tamils join up with Sinhalese 2nd cousins and incorporate their newly evolved ideas on Egalitarianism with the rest of the Buddhist Island. (of course we would expect a Tamil Prime Minister then…..next elections we might be able to have even a Tamil president).
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Native Vedda / May 8, 2016
ramona grandma ignorant therese fernando and equally ignorant IH, HLD M, Dimwit Jimsoft, KASmaalam, …….
“I agree so much! Tamils THINK they are very clever, but they have little lateral understanding of how a proper-functioning democratic society should work. Proof is in the hitherto caste system (actually still in operation).”
Here is something that you never read. Its about how caste calculation were done before nominating a candidate to contest elections:
Caste factor in Sri Lanka politics by Nalin Fernando
On Royal-Thomian cricket match morning in March 1996 I got a telephone call from someone very close to President J.R. Jayewardene saying that the Old Man, who was suffering from a bad head cold, was insisting on going to the Big Match that day against medical advice. Did I have any ideas to prevent him from getting out of the house?
The only way of thwarting him, I suggested, was to tell him that he was not as popular as he had been and there was a possibility of him being booed at when he walked imperiously to the Mustang Tent which was his custom for many years past with a retinue of his “catchers” basking in reflected glory. I was told to convey this view to H.E. since I was always free to tell him the exact score and not sweet-talk him with sunshine stories he was told by his staunch supporters through fear or to gain favour.
I agreed and I dropped in at Ward Place and we met at his breakfast table, the others present being Mrs. Jayewardene and Will Subasinghe, a first cousin of Mrs. Jayewardene and a regular visitor to “Braemer,” and his eldest grandson, Pradip.
As usual we indulged in political gossip, especially the forthcoming Southern Provincial Elections later that month. While listening to his learned dictums and off- the-record comments, at the opportune moment I suggested that he abort his intention of going to the R/T Match since he was no longer a popular President of Sri Lanka and there was the danger of someone hooting at him and the derision spreading.
He vehemently disagreed with my opinion about his popularity but when my views were echoed by the others, who had been briefed about this ploy, he reluctantly agreed to abort his visit.
Will Subasinghe and Mrs. Jayewardene had left us and only Pradip and I were at the table when he asked me whether I was going to the match. I replied that I had not decided at that moment of time whence he told me that if I do go to somehow meet Old Royalist Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was expected to be at the match and give him an urgent message.
The message he wanted conveyed to Ranil was that earlier in the morning he had been told by one of his trusted supporters that the UNP vote bank in the south was very poor and that Ranil should do something fast to rectify this situation to achieve positive results in the forthcoming elections
He said that the popularity of the UNP was always thin in the south and the area needed a lot of careful organization and nurturing as done during his leadership.
It was not too late, he said, for Ranil to make immediate arrangements to get Governor Gamini Fonseka (in Trincomalee at that time) to campaign for the party by addressing as many party meetings as he could.
My immediate reaction to his suggestion was to say: “Sir, what’s the point in calling on a jaded old film actor to assist the party at this time?”
His reply was: “I say, Fonseka may be old and jaded but he is a popular Durawa man who must be made use of to counter Mangala Samaraweera”
“Sir”, I replied, “caste and caste issues are dead these days.”
His voice had a tinge of annoyance at what he often called my “punditry” when he said; “Caste issues are dead when it comes to marriage now. But caste is certainly very much alive when it comes to elections, particularly in the south”
He then gave me a lesson on caste issues in the political affairs of the country and its importance to a leader of any party and election campaign managers adding that most of the younger politicians and party organizers did know anything about caste and caste issues.
It will be tiresome to write in detail what he said for almost half- hour and I am penning a few points of his thesis which I had noted down in my diary.
He told me that the support of the Durawa community was essential to win seats from Habaraduwa to Tissamaharama and that was why Ranil should invite Gamini Fonseka, a stalwart of that community, to address public meetings in the south,
Matara, he said, was a pivotal point, with the Samaraweeras leading the way and coming through almost unchallenged since Independence. Further, the Durawa business community had money and they were always willing to support a candidate from their community.
In other electorates in the area, including southern seats interior from the coastline, the winning candidates could be from the Goigama community but it was won because the winning candidate would have got most, if not, all the Durawa votes as well as the support of some of the other castes in lesser numbers who always voted en bloc.
I chipped in with the success of W. Dahanayake in Galle and he challenged me by saying that Dahanayake was able to gather around him the Durawa community which when added to the Goigama votes in the area became a winning combination. Further, Dahanayake had almost 100% of the Muslim votes.
Colombo South was another seat which had powerful Durawa connections. According to him Bernard Soysa and Edmund Samarawickrema , both Durawa stalwarts, and their nominees, held sway. Their influence spread into the Wellawatte –Galkissa area .
He spoke about absolute necessity to consider caste, as well as religion and community, in the choice of candidates for certain electorates. For example; Katana; Salagama, Sinhalese: Balapitiya; preferably Salagama, if not Karawe, Buddhist, Sinhalese: Moratuwa; Karawe, Sinhalese, preferably Buddhist but a Christian would be acceptable while Moratuwa and Ambalangoda should be Karawe, Sinhalese and essentially Buddhist.
He explained that from 1947 to 1956, A.H. Mathew, Cyril’s brother was the second M.P. with a walauwe-bred Molamure in Balangoda, because of a block vote of his Wahumpura caste people pocketed in parts of the electorate. He mentioned the Nawalapitiya seat as having a bloc vote of a particular Sinhala caste which complimented the estate Tamil votes but my notes are undecipherable with the letters REJ in the jumble which I presume stands for R.E. Jayatilleke, who was the M.P. for that seat sometime ago.
He then told me (something which I, a Wariyapola resident for the last decade or so, did not know) that the winner in Wariyapola, usually a Goigama candidate, has to have the support of the Kammal and the Badahala people who have influential vote banks. He opined that Karawe candidates can never win seats in the NWP and Central Province even if they are “kingfishers”.
He told me that he incarcerated Vijaya Kumaranatunga (Durawa) not solely because of his “Naxalite connections” but because he was a danger to the UNP and himself with his alliance with Chandrika Bandaranaike adding that when he met Vijaya Kumaratunga after he was released and apologized for ordering his incarceration, the latter had replied; “Sir, if I was in your position, I would have done the same.”
I recall questioning him about Kumaranatunga’s “Naxalite connections” but he artfully dodged my query and did not give me any explanation.
The “caste” talk was getting embarrassing. I felt it as much as young Pradip, who had quietly slipped away, and I told him that in this country one does not discus caste issues so freely over breakfast or any other time since it was not polite to do so.
He agreed with me that it was a “no no” subject as a topic of casual conversation. But it is a necessary strategy when it comes to politics and elections. He was rueful that most of the younger politicians were not aware that the caste issue is an important part of politics in this country.
He said that the UNP had a team of experts on the subject (spin doctors) and “caste” strategy was discussed and studied before the election campaign was launched and among the names I have noted down are Esmond Wickremasinghe and J.L. Fernando of Lake House and Politician/Advertising czar Anandatissa de Alwis, all three of them no longer with us, and a few senior UNP persons who are with us although not actively working for the party these days.
He said that one does not shout about caste from public platforms during election propaganda meetings and insult other candidates by talking about his or her caste.
But a good politician can use the caste issue effectively since it is always there, unheard and unseen, to be brought to the surface delicately.
He then told me how he personally manipulated the incredible defeat of a Rajapaksa nominee in the deep south by tactfully using the caste issue in the great “upset” results of a by-election in 1983.
George Rajapaksa, M.P. for Mulkirigala, considered one of the blue eyed Rajapaskas of the south, had died and his, daughter, Nirupama was contesting the by-election which was to be a cake-walk for her on the SLFP ticket.
The UNP had absolutely no chance at this pocket borough of the Rajapaksa clan and it had been so since the inception of elections for that seat.
He told me that the party hierarchy was not keen on wasting their resources and pressing for victory since it was a foregone conclusion that George Rajapaska’s daughter would sweep the polls but also that George was a well-liked with the UNP hierarchy of that period. (George was an Old Royalist who wore his white flannels with flair as cricket captain and preferred Scotch on the rocks rather than the Old Stuff favoured by the rest of the family politicians.)
While traveling down south with other party men to address an UNP meeting to support the UNP candidate, Ananda Kularatne, the discussion centered round the fact that a Rajapaksa (Goigama) was being contested by Kularatne, who was from the Wahumpura caste.
He was warned by the others, however, not to bring up the subject of caste into the campaign since it was very delicate issue and, further, it could rebound on the UNP as being a negative factor. He was silent on this subject until he addressed the single UNP rally in the electorate.
He told me that he only spoke a few lines at that meeting. All he said was that the Rajapaksas were good people and that the candidate was the daughter of George Rajapaksa who was a powerful and popular figure in that part of the country for a long time. He then added; “However, this time we are giving you one of your own people to vote for.”
There were no cheers or any outburst of support following what he had told the well attended rally. But he was sure that the UNP would have the support of the Wahumpura bloc vote as well as the other non-Goigama voters.
The result of that by-election was: Ananda Kularatne …23,109 votes: Nirupama Rajapaksa …19,588 votes
In the history of the elections for the Mulkirigala seat, this was the only time that a Rajapaksa or a candidate supported by the Rajapaksas ever lost.
POSTSCRIPT:
1. I conveyed the message from H.E. to one of Ranil’s staunch supporters, a classmate of his, who was going to the cricket match that day and would meet up with the UNP leader. He told me later that the message was got across to Ranil who had told him that the “south was already stitched up for the UNP” and there was no cause for worry. He was wrong; Chandrika and her alliance won the south handsomely.
2. In retrospect, I find it strange that neither H.E. nor I had brought up the subject of former President Premadasa’s caste during the lengthy conversation that morning. And now that “caste” is being discussed and written about in the opinion pages of leading English newspapers may I ask the question that I should have asked President Jayewardene that evening; “What is Mr. Premadasa’s caste?”
http://www.island.lk/
2010/01/03/features12.html
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ramona therese fernando / May 8, 2016
Native Vedda:
It’s like the blacksmith guild contesting for elections against the farmer guild, fisherman guild and merchant guild. All was either geographical and/or of trade profession.
But how like a typical city-person to spin yarns out of unnecessary things. Our simple Sinhalese mindset got contorted with Colonial descendants attempting to bluff and ridicule them with all kinds of ridiculous yarn making. Furthermore, the Tamils came down from Jaffna hooting all kinds of racial epitaphs for centuries. Everything is a hoot and yarn in the city-circles, trying to trip each other up and eagerly watch the confusion and resentment created. (typical produce of private Christian school undertaking)
That Egalitarianism Buddhism endured in our land these millennia with Hinduism at our back door and Colonialism that destroyed many another honorable place, is truly otherworldly. Sri Lanka is blessed by some divine power (who didn’t go to Nirvana but stayed on as a deva to protect our land so many more could become emancipated).
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Celeo / May 8, 2016
Oh dear, the ‘Egalitarianism’ nut case is back with the same hallucination and a whole lot of usual lies (picked up from thin air).
“Well, Sinhala Nation was there for 2,500 years!”
LOL!
Must be in her dream. Where on earth is it said, a Sinhala nation was there for 2,500 years???
Even the Sinhala historians are not saying so, even the Mahavamsa does not say anything about a Sinhala nation, and even the epigraphy/inscriptions does not say anything about a Sinhala nation.
Late Prof. R. A. L. H. (Leslie) Gunawardana, a historian/archeologist at the Peradeniya University in his publication `The People of the Lion: The Sinhala Identity and Ideology in History and Historiography` says, “Sinhala was a name adopted by a ruling linage group for whose origin the lion myth had been created.
” He further says, “contrary to popular belief, in ancient times the Sinhala identity was associated primarily with the dynasty which ruled Anuradapura. He goes even further by saying that, not only the Sinhala kingdom but also the Sinhala ethnic identity (race) in Sri Lanka emerged only after the 13th Century AD. Before that, there never was a Sinhala race or a Sinhala Kingdom, but only a Sinhala royal family (dynasty).”
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Native Vedda / May 9, 2016
Celeo
“Late Prof. R. A. L. H. (Leslie) Gunawardana, a historian/archeologist”
He was a historian and a Pali Scholar who used Marxism as a tool to investigate history. He was not an archaeologist.
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sach / May 10, 2016
Mahavamsa specifically mentions Sinhala nation.
Let me help you think.
1. who started Jaffna kingdom? A non Tamil
2. When did Jaffna kingdom start? In 13th century
3. Who were Aryachakravarthis? South indian
4. Is tobbaco growing a major thing in North now? Yes
5. Did Dutch brought Keralites for work in plantations? Yes, there are records in Dutch archives
6. How long did Jaffna kingdom exist ? 200 years
7. Did British got Jaffna kingdom from Tamils and did Tamils fight for it? No, Jaffna kingdom ceased to exist after Portugese killed Sankili
8. Where are the origins of so called Vellala caste? In Kerala, TN.So it is there Vellala as a community was formed
9.What are the historical works of Jaffna? very few the oldest being Yalpana Vaipawa Malai written with the backing of Dutch.
10. what are the historical monuments in NE? Buddhist temples mainly and Hindu temples built by Cholas
11. What is the main kovil of Tamils in North? nallur
12. Who built Nallur? Sapumal , adopted son of Kotte king
13. Were tamils aliens in SL? No, tamils lived in SL, there was a tamil presence but they never treated SL as their homeland, it was simply where they made money and not a tamil civilisation..
14. Any source that mentions any tamil kingdom in SL prior to Jaffna in SL? no SLn source
15. Any source that mentions any tamil kingdom in SL prior to Jaffna in foreign sources? none, not even Chola
16. Why did Chola mention the Sinhalas in SL and not Tamil kingdom? Was that invisible to Cholas?
And get a history book and read SL history. This is Sinhala people’s homeland, this is where our language developed, our people built a civilisation. Every historical monument in the country is a proof to Sinhala civilisation. Even the chola inscriptions in Welgam wehera in Trinco call the temple as welgam wehera.
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jim softy / May 8, 2016
Well, Sinhala Nation was there for 2,500 years!
Ramona:
Try to find the history of God Gale Bandara.
He is one Sothapanna buddhist devotee and had lived even in the previous earth and not only this one. the name Gale Bandara is not Tamil unless Tamils want to add letter at the end.
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King Wala Gemba / May 8, 2016
A group of scholarly Buddhist monks of the Mahavihara in Anuradapura lead by Ven. Mahanama thero (a nephew of King Dhathusena), observing two groups of people in the 5th century A.D. – Hindus, speaking Tamil and the converts (Buddhists) speaking the new language (Prakrit) – hatched the Lion story of Sinhabahu’s grandson Vijaya and his 700 followers (North Indians), about 1000 years after their alleged landing, with the motive of projecting the Buddhists as a separate ethnic group, the Sinhalese (who will protect the Buddhist dharma in the island) and the Tamils who did not convert to Buddhism were projected as invaders. That is how Sinhala originated and the non-Buddhist (Tamils) became invaders.
Later, the so called ‘Sinhalese’ became a majority after the colonials arrived. The Portuguese and the Dutch colonized hundreds of thousands of South Indian Dalit in the Southern parts of Sri Lanka as menial labourers/coolies for growing/peeling cinnamon, coconut planting/plucking and toddy tapping. These South Indian Dalit converted to Buddhism and eventually got naturalized as Sinhalese. Otherwise, today either the Tamils or the Veddas would have been the majority in Sri Lanka.
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sach / May 9, 2016
This is the problem with tamils.
1. They want sinhalese to accept that they are tamils
2. They have nothing to show as theirs in this island.
3. But they will bring stories from rear end misinterpret the history of the country.
First learn to be a gentleman and accept that this is the Sinhala homeland
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Celeo / May 9, 2016
This is the problem with Sinhalese.
1. They want Tamils to accept that they are a nation.
2. They have nothing to show as theirs in this island, everything is borrowed from the Tamils.
3. But they will bring stories from rear end and misinterpret the history of the country.
First learn to be a gentleman and accept that this is the Tamil homeland invaded by a group of North Indian thugs. The Sinhalese are nothing but Tamil converts to Buddhism who were given a new racial identity to sustain Buddhism.
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sach / May 10, 2016
1. Tamils to accept what? That there is a sinhala nation? lol we dont give a rat’s ass whether you accept that or not. The rest of the world accept and none cannot talk about SL without talking about Sinhala. One just need to go to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Magampura, Kotte, Yapahuwa, Dambadeniya, Sigiri and Kandy to see what Sinhala nation is.
At the present day Sinhala people dominates SL and a Sinhala is the president. Only a man out of senses ( probably a tamil) will find it hard to stomack this is a sinhala nation.
Every stone every tree every city all over the country is a testimony to the FACT that this is the sinhala nation. What do tamils have?
2. Go all over the country and see what Sinhalese have. They have their own language their literature their own arts their own cities…what do you have?
3. Sinhala history was first dig up by european historians..go and check what they have said.
Tamil is like a beggar when it comes to anything to show as theirs in SL
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Celeo / May 10, 2016
Sach,
“None cannot talk about SL without talking about Sinhala.”
None cannot talk about SL without talking about Tamil also.
“One just need to go to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Magampura, Kotte, Yapahuwa, Dambadeniya, Sigiri and Kandy to see what Sinhala nation is.”
Anuradhapura & Polonnaruwa were NEVER known as Sinhala kingdoms and has nothing to do with Sinhala. Not a single king of Anuradhapura & Polonnaruwa called themselves Sinhala. Please tell us which chronicles, stone inscriptions, archaeological ruins talk about a Sinhala King or kingdom.
“At the present day Sinhala people dominates SL and a Sinhala is the president. Only a man out of senses (probably a tamil) will find it hard to stomack this is a sinhala nation.”
Yes, today the Sinhalese are dominating because they became a majority after the colonials arrived and brought hundreds of thousands of Dalit from South India who converted to Buddhism and eventually became Sinhalese.
“Every stone every tree every city all over the country is a testimony to the FACT that this is the sinhala nation.”
Only today after the 13th century, the Sinhalese are trying to claim everything for themselves (labelled after Sinhala), not only Sinhala Vedakama /medicine or Sinhala Avurudda/new year but even the roof tiles are labelled after Sinhala. Before the 13th century, nobody knew what Sinhala was.
What do Tamils have?
Everything, every stone, every tree, has Tamil influence.
“Go all over the country and see what Sinhalese have. They have their own language their literature their own arts their own cities…what do you have?”
The Sinhalese are experts in importing or borrowing everything from others, making a few modifications and then calling them their own. A serious lack of originality in the so called Sinhala culture.
Buddhism that the Sinhalese follow was imported from North India. Sinhala language is nothing but Sanskrit, Pali and Tamil (from North & South India). The Sinhala script was borrowed from the Indian Grantha script. The name of the country ‘Lanka’ was borrowed from the Indian epic Ramayana. The name of their race ‘Sinhala’ was borrowed from the Indian epic Mahabaratha.
The Sinhalese men and women were topless until the arrival of Portuguese. The Sinhalese women were only wearing the reddha, the hatte was introduced by the Portuguese to cover their tops. The Sari was borrowed from India, and the style of wearing sari by the early Kerala women was exactly what the Sinhalese women wear now. The Osari/Osariya (sari that the Sinhalese women wear) came from Kerela. Even the so called Kandiyan traditional dress is not exactly the traditional cultural dress of Sinhalese but a borrowed, altered version of medieval Portuguese dress. Most part of the Kandiyan Costume has the Portuguese influence.
The hunchbacked, top-heavy women of Sigiriya, about which so many misplaced raves have been written, but copies unworthy of the prototypes of the cave paintings of Ajanta, Elora, Pappadakkal, and Sittannavasal in Tamil Nadu, South India and from which they were drawn.
Most of the food the Sinhalese cook/eat including the sweet meats such as the Kavum is Kerala’s cultural cuisines. The traditional food in Kerela is exactly similar to the Sinhalese food, pol sambol, aapa, idiappa, pittu, pol rotti and so on.
The Elephant and other procession in Dalada Perahera is an exact copy of Pooram Festival of Kerala. Sinhala Religious practices such as the Pattini deity worship (as well as the worship of Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama, Saman and Vibhishana) were also introduced to Sri Lanka from Kerala. Sinhala classical poems such as the ‘Perakumba Sinha’ and ‘Kokila Sandesaya’ also bear the Kerala stamp.
What the Sinhalese call Sinhala medicine is actually Ayurveda medicine brought to Sri Lanka from Kerela. Even today the Ayurvedic doctors (Wickramarachi, etc) in Sri Lanka used to go to Kerela for further higher studies.
All the ancient structures (including the irrigation technology) is from South India (Tamil).
All the well-known Sri Lankan musicians/singers (including Amaradeva) went to India to learn music. The so called Sinhala Baila music is borrowed from the Portuguese music and African Kaffiringa.
I can keep on listing, even the British has introduced several, Sinhalese have nothing to call their own (original).
Now sach, please do not run away with the tail between your legs.
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ramona therese fernando / May 11, 2016
jim softy,
That is one interesting god!
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Mallaiyuran / May 9, 2016
There are caste related problems in Tamil society. It is frankly accepted. Many times calls had been made to the notorious, divisible government to let the Tamils have the Law and Justice Power. They earnestly know Tamils’ modern democratic ideas are many times ahead of them and they would have solved their problem in a fortnight. This will make the racist government empty handed. So they never had devolved the power other than talking about the Tamils’ caste system. Just because the Tamils have the caste problem, it does not mean Romana Theresa, Mahindhapala and Izeth Hussain are “Pudam Pauddha Thangam”(purified gold). These rotten eating vultures are trying to be vigilant for find place to hit below the belt. They sawed hatred-ness and sold the Port City and Hambanttota to China so expecting that to work within Tamils too.
V. Ponnampalam was used by Sirima to divide the castes and collect votes to defeat SJV on his challenge that the Tamils did not accept the 1972 constitution. V.P, with all the Southern government’s money at his dispose, was dividing the Tamils for about 4 years in KKS electorate. Almost all the jobs in those four years were handled through Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam was one of the most eloquent orator Tamils had faced. Ponnambalam had the art and talent to move with every Tom, Dick and Harry of the deprived Tamil community in that district. SJV is opposite. He does not speak in election meeting more than five minutes. SJV did not mix well with the peoples, only controlled them with his honesty. He left with FP’s officers in KKS to manage the public relationship of FP. I have to honestly accept here one the man worked for SJV named Nataraja (nicknamed Potter) unbelievably a cad and chronic annoying person. While Ponnambalam was preaching magnificent stories about the communism and equality with the promise high flying jobs, this man was chasing a quarter of the electorate away from SJV. Unfortunately this man’s activities were very close to Ponnambalam’s operational headquarters. People were talking about supporting Ponnambalam and teaching this man a lesson. SJV, by our standards made a commonsense mistake. He said “Tamil can only be saved by the God. I do not think there is any way out for them”. This gave the needed ammunitions for the Communist Ponnambalam. He openly demanded “if is this man believes that Tamils can only be saved by God then why he wants to go to parliament. He needs to send only the God there. But I know what to do so vote for me.”
Election was closing. Amirthalingam like orators started to go there and were balancing Ponnambalam oratorical skill. SJV appeared in the election meeting and told the people a very simple message. He said not to listen to divisible politics of the agent of the government. He had resigned the seat to prove the government that the Tamils are not accepting the 1972 constitution. He told them without any caste or other differences, they all should vote for him and sent him back so the government will hear their voices. Tamils believed him. They wholeheartedly believed his statement on God and repeated that the Tamils political rights have gone beyond a resuscitatable stage. He won the election getting 75%. It was an unbelievable victory for the almost four year election campaign Sirima and Ponnambalam did there. Ponnambalam openly show his frustration on the deprived society for getting the jobs from him and voting to SJV. I heard stories of him even sending some of them out his office when tried talk to him. When he could not come out in that election Sirima treated him as curry leaves. Divisive politics based rise and fall of Ponnambalam ended their. Tamils showed to Sinhala Government that they are not Modayas like their Southern Brethren to follow the divisible Path of Don Stephen and sell the Port City and Hambantota to Chinese government. They told very loud and in stentorian voice that they want to be left alone to solve their problem and they did not ask any help form government on that.
Ponnambalam was not from a deprived caste family to blame his loss of the election for that disadvantage. Theresa has no idea of who was the man V. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam was known as a nice person. If there is question of how good he was, the answer can be was as good as the Ramayana’s character Vibhushanan. If cannot be compared to SJV, but considering him as politician working with a rotten government, he was considered as honest too. He was a real politician, so no talk of him with the current paramilitary rowdies like Karuna, Pillayan, Deva…. He was not even considered as one within the traitors worked government like Kumarasuriyar, Kanagasooriar, Kathirgamar, Thiyagarajah, Thuraiappah… He is so eminent and he had so much of confidence in his effectiveness so he has been comparing himself with C. N. Annadurai of Tamil Nadu. Though they all wanted him to lose, but when he lost some of the Tamils felt sorry for such a good politician with lots of talents go futureless defeated in a very important election by standing with the enemy. I have heard many people seeing his talents go wasted had advised him to give up his support for the government and join FP. They had advised him that his ambition of going to Parliament will be easily fulfilled by that. Deprived castes rejection of Ponnambalam in that election stands as a mountainous monument of Tamils unified voice in that their order of priorities is their entire race’s freedom is the far most important issue for them all than anything else.
As I said earlier, there is problem existing in Tamil society. But if Romana Theresa, Mahindapala and Izeth Hussain are they dream they can do (dividing Tamils) what Ponnambalam could not do, they are really the dogs barking at moon.
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Suresh / May 9, 2016
ramona therese Fernando the IGNORANT one,
“Join up with the Sinhalese and it will be Buddhistic Socialistic Egalitarianism across the board. We will hope that Tamils join up with Sinhalese 2nd cousins and incorporate their newly evolved ideas on Egalitarianism with the rest of the Buddhist Island.”
Sri Lanka is a Hindu-Buddhist society/culture right from ancient time. Buddhism and Hinduism/Brahmanism are the two main religions that existed and flourished in Sri Lanka from the very early period. It is interesting to note that the Sinhala-English Kandyan Treaty of 1815 refers to Buddhagama (Buddhism) and Devagama (Hinduism/Brahmanism). Buddhagama and Devagama can be considered the forerunner of present day Sinhala-Buddhism, which has a history going back to more than two thousand three hundred years if one believes in Vargapurnika.
Prof. N.K. (Nira) Wickramasinghe from the History and Political Science Department of the Colombo University in her article titled “Some Comments on Dress in Sri Lanka” explains about the puritanical influences that came with Western colonial rule and the imposition of Judeo-Christian culture on the liberal tradition of Hindu-Buddhist culture that prevailed in ancient Lanka.
Many Sinhalese are still practicing Hindu religious traditions openly. For example, auspicious times is a Hindu concept, Buddhism has no concept of auspicious times. The Hindu element is patent in the lifestyle of every Sinhala-Buddhist. They pray with great piety to Hindu gods, perform rituals, break coconuts, tie the pirith noola, surei, do important things at auspicious times, light the khoodu for Bhairava, hang ash pumpkins in a newly built house to avoid evil befalling any member of the house-hold, carry kavadi, walk on red hot cinders, chant Seth and Vas kavi, etc. Even on poya days, Buddhists offer poojas at Kataragama to God Murugan, and offer poojas to goddess Saraswaty. They observe Hindu New Year Day, April 14, (according to Hindu Solar and not Buddhist Lunar calendar) as their New Year Day.
The strong hereditary Hindu element in Dutugemunu (present even today in all Sri Lankan Buddhists) made him a devotee of the Dravidian God Murukan at Katharagama. It is said in the Mahawamsa that Dutugemunu invoked the blessings of the God Murukan to endow him with strength to defeat King Elara in battle. The Mahawamsa also says there were Hindu temples for Lord Ishwera in Lanka from pre-Buddha times (623 B.C.) such as Nakulesweram in the North, Thirukketheesweram and Munnesweram in the West and Konesweram in the East. Hindu kovils in the deep south for Lord Murukan at Katharagama and for Lord Vishnu at Devi Nuwara still exist due to continued patronage by Sinhala-Buddhists.
At every Buddhist temple (including the Dalada Maligawa) you find Hindu Gods (according to Buddhism, a Buddhist should not pray to any god). If you go to the Hindu temples like Katharagama or Muneshwaram, you find more Sinhala devotees than Tamil. On the other hand, even today if you go to the Naga Vihara Buddhist temple in Jaffna town (not the Nagadveepa), you will be able to see some locals (Tamils) worship the Buddha/Dagoba, it is a practice among some Tamils.
There are Hindu temples from ancient days in Kandy, testifying to a high concentration of Hindus in the Central part of Lanka. The temple for Nath (Siva), according to H.W. Codrington, is over 600 years old. The other temples, being for Murukan, Vishnu and Goddess Pattini, Robert Knox was of the view that Maha Esala Perahera in Kandy was celebrated from ancient times exclusively in honor of the Hindu deities. The Tooth Relic was taken in the Perahera for the first time during the reign of King Kirthi Sri Raja Singha at the request of the Siamese Monk Upali, to give a Buddhist touch to the festival. That practice was later stopped. These days only the empty casket is mounted on the elephant.
It may not be incorrect to assume that in the hoary past, Lanka was, from North to South, East to West and the Central highlands the homeland of Tamils of the Hindu faith. With the arrival of Arahat Mahinda, thousands of Tamils of the Hindu faith embraced Buddhism. With the mixture of Tamil, Pali and Sanskrit languages, evolved the Sinhala language during 8 A.D. Though more than 80 generations have rolled by, these converts have not given up their Tamil Hindu culture and practices. They still indulge in Hindu prayers and rituals.
Today the Sri Lankan Buddhists are Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Hindus are Tamils but that was not the case in the ancient past. In the past, not only there were Tamil Buddhists but also Hindu Sinhalese. The Buddhist archaeological sites in the Tamil North & East, or the Hindu archaeological sites in the Sinhala South are not strange phenomena in the island. The Sri Lankan Tamils had been living in all parts of Sri Lanka for many centuries. It was only after the Jaffna kingdom was formed in the 13th century, the Tamils were confined to the North and East. However, the Sri Lankan Tamils do not go and demographically claim Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa (a capital built by the Cholas), Padaviya, Kurunegala, Kandy, Kotte (Colombo) or the Dondra Head (the southernmost point in the island), citing the presence of Saiva (Hindu) sites there like the Sinhalese claiming the North & East citing the presence of Buddhist sites.
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ramona therese fernando / May 9, 2016
Suresh:
I don’t disagree. However, Hindu culture incorporated into Buddhism is superfluous. It can change with any culture that come in, and nowadays, it is also about worshiping Christian saints and angels. It has little to do with fundamental Buddhist doctrine, but an unfortunate dabbling with prohibited things….things that become indulgent when the order of Buddhist purity is tampered with, with concepts like Colonialism and Terrorism. But Buddhism, being far evolved, manages to hang on to its loft philosophical principles, and Theravada Buddhism has endured in Sri Lanka for millennia, and spread far and wide.
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ramona therese fernando / May 10, 2016
lofty*
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Suresh / May 10, 2016
ramona therese fernando
Buddhagama (Buddhism) and Devagama (Hinduism) including the Hindu-Buddhist culture is the forerunner of present day Sinhala-Buddhists. The Sinhala-Buddhist monks of the early period were preaching both, the Buddhist Pali cannon (Tripitika) and the Hindu Sanskrit texts (Upanishads & Vedas). If you listen to A.S. Balasooriya on Utube (just try to listen once), you will be surprised to see how he preaches Buddhism using the Hindu texts (Upanishads & Vedas) and he has tens of thousands of Sinhala-Buddhist followers in Sri Lanka.
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sach / May 10, 2016
Buddhist monks never taught upanishads and vedas? where did you pick that garbage? Hindu traditions became a part of sinhala culture in kandyan period
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Native Vedda / May 10, 2016
sachooooooooooooooo the stupid II
“Buddhist monks never taught upanishads and vedas?”
Buddhist monks never taught Buddhism either.
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Suresh / May 10, 2016
Mahanama wrote the Mahavamsa after reading all the Hindu Sanskrit texts. Most of what he has written is copy and paste Indian texts.
Do not continue to live like an ignorant fool, educate yourself.
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ramona therese fernando / May 11, 2016
sach,
I so agree with you. If ever Buddhist priests used Hindu texts, it is because Buddhism emerged from Hinduism. Sinhalese were able to then form and establish Theravada Buddhism after purifying it from the Hinduism, after which they spread the religion far and wide. Hindu texts are still used in the traditional way.
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sach / May 10, 2016
The copy cut paste historian of CT has returned. This fellow doesnt even know to differentiate between Parakramabahu the 1st and Parakramabahu the 6th.
Ancient Lanka did not have Hinduism actually there is no evidence to support it.
1. Hindu shrines began appearing in SL only during Polonnaruwa period thanks to chola invasions in SL and subsequent chola trade settlements in SL. But that did not lead to widespread worship of Hindu gods.
2. Hinduism took roots in Sinhala society during Kandyan period and that is not considered as ancient Lanka.
3. Murugan entered the Katharagama devale in 15th century and not before.
This Suresh just read some Tamil propaganda and repeat it here. I bet he read the Katharagama story when Indianexpress published the story of MR worshipping Katharagama evoking blessings of so called god of war.
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Suresh / May 10, 2016
Sach,
Every time you come like a lion to argue and then run away like a kitten with the tail between the legs, forgetting even to take back your amude.
“Ancient Lanka did not have Hinduism actually there is no evidence to support it.”
Ha, ha, ha…LOL!
Sach, are you still a school child trying to learn about Sri Lanka???
Not only Sinhalese & Tamils but even Veddas visit the ancient Katharagama Hindu temple to worship the Katharagama God Murukan. Murugan is the main deity at Katharagama. If Murugan entered the Katharagama devale in the 15th century then who was there before that when Dutugemunu went to worship the Katharagama God? BUDDHA??? Why did the Sinhala-Buddhists replace Buddha with Murugan?
Go and find out from the archaeologists (who tested using carbon dating), how old is the Hindu Konesweram temple in Trincomalee. Go and find out how old is the Hindu Munnesweram temple in Chilaw. Go and find out how old is the Hindu Nakulesweram temple in Jaffna.
Haven’t you read what Dr. Paul E Peris said about the 5 ancient Esweram temple in Sri Lanka?
I have seen enough of Sinhala-Modayas but you seem to be one of the top Modayas.
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Kumar / May 10, 2016
The start of the historical misrepresentation begins with the arrival of Siamese Buddhist sects that were brought from Siam, present day Thailand, 250 years ago. The need to bring them from there arose, as Buddhism has died out in Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese were Hindus and Catholic converts during this period.
As the Siamese Buddhist sects were limited to the Kandyan Kingdom and the low laying arrears were under the Dutch rule and the higher ordination was limited to high Goigama caste, the Low country notables, in the end of the nineteenth century, went to Burma and brought Burmese monks and established the Burmese Amarapura Sect in the low country which admitted monks from Salagama, Karava and Durva castes to be ordained as monks.
Today, though a fraudulent claim is made that Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country, in reality it is not. The religious fellowship of the Sinhalese people was mainly Hinduism during this period when Buddhism was introduced two hundred and fifty years ago. One way of knowing the religious spread of the Sinhalese is to look into the content of the Sinhalese literature of this period.
Hugh Neville was an English civil servant who worked in Sri Lanka in various capacities between 1869 and 1886. He collected all the manuscripts available among the people of Sri Lanka in Sinhalese and Tamil during his period, a total of 2227 works. Of this, the works that are identified as Sinhala verse (poetical) literature was separated and listed by Hugh Neville. The list and the abstracts and part translations have been listed and printed by P E P Deraniyagala who was the Director of National Museums of Ceylon into three volumes as Sinhala Verse in 1954.
Of the 822 works listed only about 32 could be called Sinhala Buddhist literature. The remaining 790 works belong to what should be categorized as Sinhala Hindu literature. This gives an indication as to what was the religious persuasion of the Sinhala people during this period as late as middle of the 19th century.
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sinhala_voice / May 8, 2016
I guess the ONLY solution is a period of Strict separation.
That is present day Northern Province and Part of Eastern province – Ampara district or areas where Sinhala people live in AGA be attached to the Southern province.
There needs to be access to the Trincomalee Harbour either through negotiaion or by force.
The Tamils in the Uva , Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces will be transfered and registered as residents of Northern province.
Any remaining Sinhala people in the northern province will be repatriated to the Sinhala Area.
The historically injustices done by the invading British in the Central, Uva and Sabaragamuwa in disfranchising the land belonging to the Sinhala-Buddhist peasants need to be looked at …..
And let see how we go from their >>>>>
The Sinhala-Buddhist people have ABSOLUTELY NO interest in running Tamil and/or Muslim lives.
The POLITICANS from ALL communities might have SUCH interests.
LET THE SINHALA-BUDDHIST COMMUNITY DETERMINE THEIR FUTURE…
NOT DEFACTO POLITICIANS……
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Native Vedda / May 10, 2016
sinhala_voice
“LET THE SINHALA-BUDDHIST COMMUNITY DETERMINE THEIR FUTURE”
Good, agreed.
Therefore Sinhala/Buddhist must go back to their ancestral home land in south India. When they go please ask them to take their Tamil brethren with them.
When are you catching your boat back to Erivirra Patnam?
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soma / May 8, 2016
Sinhala voice
“The Tamils in the Uva , Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces will be transfered and registered as residents of Northern province.”
This is what I am promoting too.
Also Islamic Tamils all across the island will be transferred to the Eastern province.
Soma
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jim softy / May 9, 2016
Soma:
Are you nuts.
Tamils are advising sinhala masses saying that Sinhala people are dumb and are promoting Separatism.
My question is whether guy who worked for the Treasury did not involve in any scandles as the present CB governor does. there was another guy who worked for R Pemadasa who did the same thing and bought houses all over the world.
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