19 March, 2024

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Eluha Tamil – 3000 Turnout To Save Tamil Honour

By N. Lohathayalan

Today’s (16 September) Eluha Thamil demonstrations were called by The Tamil People’s Council  where former Northern Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran is Co-Chairman and the power behind it all. The parades and demonstrations were to make certain points:

Against Sinhalese colonization of Tamil homelands

For the prosecution of war criminals

For the release of Tamil political prisoners, 

For an international inquiry into the disappeared

Against the militarization of Tamil areas

For the resettlement of those who were displaced during the war.

Wigneswaran badly needed a political blood transfusion – an infusion of new life. There were few takers for his party. It was just a week ago that his contempt of court case for defying the court order to reappoint NPC ministers whom he had discontinued unlawfully was to be taken up. Lady Luck smiled on him as the case was put off. If he had been convicted, he would have lost his political rights and that would have put to rest his plans for his political party. He has been given time before the final reckoning – 18, 20 and 21 November when the matter would be heard and finished; that is all.

C.V. Wigneswaran Leading the Eluha Thamil Demo

Jaffna University academic Mahendran Thiruvarangan was harshly critical of the slogan “This land is our land” by Eluha Thamil demonstrators. He said it sounded horrifically like the Sinhalese nationalists who shout “Sri Lanka is ours.” It is a pity said another academic “that a once-fine jurist is leading this communal fanaticism and misdirecting our youth; and our priests of all religions come forth to give respectability to all this nonsense.”

To the TNA too Eluha Tamil presented tough choices. All the demands being made under Eluha Tamil were the aspirations of nearly all Tamils. But Wigneswaran had called for it first and it was his show. He had hijacked a project common to most Tamils. A large crowd would show support for him. If the TNA refused to participate and a good crowd showed up, it would be interpreted as the TNA being against the aspirations of the Tamil people and signify its failure to lead.

R. Sampanthan, TNA leader, told his followers not to participate because they were not invited, but not to disrupt either. “That is how a leader must lead,” said an admirer who had for long been put off and annoyed by Sampanthan for saying “I have left Jaffna matters to my Jaffna MPs.” Said the admirer with renewed hope in Sampanthan as elections near, “He has become his old self. We now have a leader.”

Clerics at Eluha Thamil

In the event, Sampanthan’s instincts proved right. The most notable presence among the demonstrators was that of TNA Kilinochchi District MP Shreetharan. The others, were Aunthavapalan (former TNA stalwart from Chavakacheri and now a regular speaker at Wigneswaran’s events), Iyngaranesan (an NPC Minster dismissed by Wigneswaran but still friends with him) and former EPRLF MP Suresh Premachandran and his brother Dr. Kandiah Sarveswaran (NPC’s former Minister for Education). 

The crowds were bused in. Judging from the buses, the main participation was from the Vanni. The demonstrators gathered at the Nallur Temple and Jaffna University. Marching from these two starting points, they joined at Kantharmadam, took the route along Navalar Road and Kasthuriar Road, and ended up at the Open-air Field (Muththaveli) where a stage was erected for the speakers. It was about noon when the speeches began. Some religious leaders were present – about 10 priests in cassock whom I did not recognize, the Chinmayananda Mission Head and the Nallai Adheenam Priest.

In Mannar it was practically a no-show with all shops open. Forthetones of money from the Tamil Diaspora spent, theevent was a failure. That failure has to be hidden from the bankrollers to keep the cash coming.

The crowd that turned up in Jaffna, I would estimate as 1500 although a French reporter asked me for verification of the10,000 number that had been fed to her. She seemed not to believe me when I told her. I found her later at the field and she expressed shock at the discrepancy.  Another reporter commented, “May be to save Tamil honour we can exaggerate a little and say 3000, but not more.”

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Latest comments

  • 5
    7

    Many Tamil media has reported massive crowd. Vavuniya like area Hartal failed. It was expected. Diaspora gathering only coming now.
    Lohathayalan is ITAK, probably.

    • 5
      4

      Are we going back to square one (the 1956 – 1972 era) to restart the non-violent struggle again? We should not forget the fact that the former Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran is Vasudeva Nanayakara’s in-law and I am sure he is playing his communal/fanatic cards according to his in-law’s agenda. This looks like a big drama played by SLPP using Vasudeva’s in-law Wigneswaran to unite all the Sinhala-Buddhists and vote for Gota saying that only Gota can save the country from these people. These people are playing a Joint game with a hidden agenda by using Vasudeva Nanayakara’s in-law Wigneswaran and only fooling the Sinhalese and Tamils. The Sinhala and Tamil people should be cautious not to get carried away by this Wigneswaran’s stupid show.

      • 18
        2

        As I see it, the fate of the people in the North is turning into a tragicomedy. They were mercilessly liberated from their real monster at Mullivaikkal, and now they are being tortured by a cartoon-monster called Wiggy. … … Enna Karaichal Idhu… … Kadavuley !!

  • 16
    10

    Eluha Thamil

    Is this another attempt to elect Gota to the throne just like the one in 2005 which crowned his brother as the undisputed leader of the Sinhala/Buddhist fascists world with the help of Thiruvengadam Velupillai Prabaharan?

    soma where are you?
    Were you being put in charge of Gota’s agents provocateur?
    I want to see some of your actions.
    Are you going to burn the Library and blame the Tamils?

  • 25
    2

    The Tamil politicians and priests are as corrupt and rotten as the Sinhala and Muslim ones. That’s Sri Lanka for you.

  • 18
    4

    THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TNA OR FEDERAL PARTY.VICKEY AND SURESH testing the ground to feel about their changes during next election.THE DIASPORA OLD HANDS WHO IS STILL ENJOYING THE money collected in the name OF LTTE wants THIS ELAVU TAMIL ACTIVE FOR THEM TO GO AROUND AND COLLECT MORE MONEY FOR THEM TO RUN AROUND IN VOLVO-AUDI-AND BENZ.I DO NOT SAY TNA IS 100% CORRECT IN THIS CONNECTION.BUT MR.VICKEDNESWARAN SHOULD NOT SLAP IN THE FACE OF SAMPANTHAN.IF HE DID NOT endorse what TNA was doing he should have resigned from his CM POST THEN AND THERE WITH OUT CRYING FOUL.

    • 10
      15

      Sinhala colonization ? Huh ? Enough of this crap now. All the Tamils here were imported from India at different times of history. The Dutch colonized the north with Tamil agricultural workers they brought from India. Later on England imported another batch of Tamils and drop them in Eastern province and hill country. Now those are the real illegal settlements. Why don’t these people talk about that ? There was a history before the Independence. If they want to talk about colonization then let’s go back in history and and talk. It is actually Sinhalas who should be protesting against Tamil colonization and the south indianization not the other way around.

      • 11
        8

        First the Portugese imported thousands of low caste Tamils from South India , for various serivce/menial work . They settled them in the south and west of the island. Then the Dutch, also imported hundreds of thousands of low caste Tamils from, what is the Coramandel coast in South India, to work as slaves in the southern spice estates . Over the centuries all these low castes ,as well as many so called high caste immigrants from South India , like the Bandaranaike , Jayewardene, Wickremesinhe, all converted to Sinhalese racist craps like you and now posting fibs, lies and myths regarding the indigenous Tamils from the north and east. More than half of the present day so called Sinhalese Aryans are all descended from these low caste and some high caste South Indian imports .Now spitting out anti Tamil venom , to hide their recent immigrant origin from South India. With a name Andare you must be one of these crap. Not even 1% of the low caste , Indian Tamil imports by the Dutch or even the Portuguese, were ever settled in the north or east.. The British never settled any Tamil immigrant from South India in the north or east , Just like the Portuguese , the Dutch before them , they were all settled in the Sinhalese south. Only the South Indian immigrants imported by the British retained their Tamil identity , as they were largely isolated and relatively recent. All other invaders and immigrants from South India from ancient , medieval to fairly recent all assimilated into the Sinhalese identity and very rarely into the native Tamil identity. This is why the present day Sinhalese share a very high percentage of their DNA with Indian Tamils and not the native Sri Lankan Tamils. No wonder with racist Sinhalese craps, like you , that these movements are being formed by the native Tamils to safeguard their rights and lands.

      • 6
        6

        Andare 2.0

        “Sinhala colonization ? Huh ? Enough of this crap now.”

        What is the problem with that?
        Aren’t you a descendant of Kallathonie occupying my ancestral land?

        “All the Tamils here were imported from India at different times of history.”

        You are right, most of them have been converted into Sinhala/Buddhism over many hundred of years. In fact some of them have become the guardians of Sinhala/Buddhism, zealously guarding their own privileges by expressing most extreme form of racism and bigotry.

        Where did your ancestors come from? Perhaps Erivira Pattinam or Coromandel coast?

        Don’t you think it’s high time you left this island?
        Perhaps you like us to deport you back to South India.

      • 5
        3

        Jews are behind all these Tamil local and international threat. They operating in Sri Lanka 24 hours . They are behind Rajapaksa familly
        Tamil family. And every other crook and criminal who are talented Tamilnadu. Jews main bases are in Europe and North America..
        Jews are bent on conspiring against Sri Lanka until they create next Hitler in Europe against themselves

  • 12
    11

    There’s still a lot of fear of reprisal by the security forces. It’s a heavily militarised area. Most Tamils would not dare go out and flaunt their true feelings. They are acclimated to the decades of oppression.

    This report poorly written. Very immature and taunting.

  • 10
    8

    Eluha Tamil wants “war criminals” prosecuted. Wigneswaran probably
    should want to prosecute Sampanthan and his ilk as they were the Mouth Piece of the LTTE whose atrocities have not confirmed by the UN, and many countries that classified the LTTE as terrorist. We in SL know that the LTTE and the TBA leadership should be prosecuted for their role in terror, esp against the Muslims.

    • 3
      5

      Bodin

      “……………………….. LTTE whose atrocities have not confirmed by the UN, and many countries that classified the LTTE as terrorist. “

      Where are those LTTE terrorists?
      Could you find out from Dr Gota (DSc) so that the state could prosecute them while it protects the armed forces from any prosecution as Hopper Sirisena decreed.

  • 13
    2

    Fanatics from both sides need to wiped clean. CV Wignewaran, the incompetent imbecile is not a leader and is not representing the Tamil mass.

  • 1
    5

    Actually the reporter is reflecting the reality/underlying sentiment.
    Eluha Tamil 2019 was not a spontaneous uprising but a political event hijacked by certain parties. This was an event sans the core demands of Tamil right to self-determination, recognition of genocide, etc. Looks like Hindia wrote up the core demands of this supposed uprising, erasing Tamil nationhood out of Tamil politics. Perhaps the next round of poodles are ready, given TNA’s losing credibility among the Tamils.

  • 2
    4

    anyway, despite all the politicization of this event and all the electoral politics underneath, one should give utmost respect to those who showed up to voice their agony for the ‘disappeared’, etc. one hopes there is truly a people’s movement in the future.

  • 10
    1

    Eluka Tamil organisers did not consult or inform the big Tamil political Party, TNA. It was claimed that they wanted to unite Tamils by this event. It is understandable why the supporters of TNA boycotted the event.They and the Tamil Civil Council blame extremism of the South while they practise and speak the same language of division.

    Now Mr C V Vigneswaran knows how popular he is among the people of Northern Province.

    • 2
      0

      Agree; in fact CVV should have known much earlier.
      But does the desperate TNA know how well it stands?

  • 7
    3

    Wigneswaran is a TRAITOR. How can he not allow any Sinhalese to live in Jaffna while his children are married to Sinhalese?

    • 7
      6

      Buddhist

      “Wigneswaran is a TRAITOR. “

      Why CV is a TRAITOR?
      Did he betray you by sleeping with your wife/partner?

      “.How can he not allow any Sinhalese to live in Jaffna while his children are married to Sinhalese?”

      Where do you think the members of police, Army, Navy, Airforce, their families …………………………. members of hotel staff, hospital workers, doctors, state functionaries, …………………….. Viharathipathies and their b***s carriers, University Students, ……………. live?

      Pull your head wherever it is now and look around, yo will see all serving state officials and members of private businesses do live in Jaffna.

      Dumass do you consider yourself a smart Buddhist and your typing is too clever?

  • 6
    11

    LTTE was fighting the Sinhalese as well as the high caste Tamils. During the time of the LTTE in control of most of north and almost, all Vellalar caste Tamils left north, particularly Jaffna or were forcibly evicted by the LTTE. due to caste differences, the Tamil community can never be united under a single banner.

    • 6
      5

      They also did a bit of ethnic cleansing, FYI if your name is real.

    • 5
      4

      Seyed Niyaz Abdeen

      “LTTE was fighting the Sinhalese as well as the high caste Tamils.”

      LTTE was in fact fighting the Tamils on behalf of the Sinhala/Buddhists.
      How did LTTE fight the high caste Tamils?

      “During the time of the LTTE in control of most of north and almost, all Vellalar caste Tamils left north, particularly Jaffna or were forcibly evicted by the LTTE.”

      Where did all the Vellala go?
      If what you say is true, if Jaffna is free of Vellala domination, isn’t it good for the rest of the people?

      “due to caste differences, the Tamil community can never be united under a single banner.”

      Do you mean under single leader or single banner?

      • 0
        3

        NV
        “due to caste differences, the Tamil community can never be united under a single banner”.
        That is a false statement which stems from a superficial understanding of historical facts based mainly on prejudice and partly on ignorance.
        When the Tamil United Front (TUF) became Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) the raising sun banner was used to symbolise Tamil unity. But that was only a fiction because if there was true unity there wouldn’t have been different Tamil militant groups each pulling in different directions and accusing each other as traitors and collaborators and killing each other. The main reason for the failure of the Tamil struggle for Self-determination was the failure of the leaders who believed on the rhetoric of their own misplaced Vaddukoddai Proclamation which clashed with their parliamentary aspirations.

        • 1
          0

          U
          The Vaddukoddai declaration was an election gimmick more than the dead duck it was.
          They did not know what self determination meant and confused it with secession. They had no plans either.

    • 11
      3

      You and your so called Sri Lankan Muslim community are a good example of this. In reality Tamil by ethnicity but in the name of Islam and for political and economic benefits , claim a fake Arab identity and origin and join the Sinhalese racists and anyone else to destroy your own Tamil ethnicity , language , heritage and culture in the island. You jokers have now become more Arab in culture, dress and behaviour than even the Arabs. Go get a life . Tamil community cannot be united under one banner, You so called Sri Lankan Muslims or Moors are the best example of this

  • 1
    0

    This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2

  • 2
    1

    This reporter N Logathayalan is a TNA member and paid by Sabra Fraudster E Saravanapavan (owner of Uthayan Newspaper in Jaffna-which is also a mouth piece for TNA). This fellow always write downgrading any party which is against TNA. he has hidden the truth. north was at total shutdown. schools, all businesses and goverment offices were all closed. this was a great success. do not underestimate for TNA’s political advantage.

  • 0
    2

    Andare and Rohan, which pansala did you guys learn about Illankai history. Or is it from Mahanama’s maha Kathawa Maha Vambu written in 600 CE in Pali at A’Pura. Where was Zingala then. Who is Dutte Gamini. Who is Thevanai Nambiya Theesan the first king of A’pura even before Buddha. Why did Gamini prayed to Lord Murugan at Kathirgamam before going to war with Ellalan. Why Zingala is a mix of Dravidian, Pali and Sanskrit languages only and still say bana in Pali. Why your so-called hora leaders always run to Hindu gods. Andare your jokes are good but not true. This history you are talking of is written by Beraya Weeramonkey, Gamon Pulle and Dostharaya Jayasumana.

    • 1
      2

      Excuse me you please read my comment in reply to that Andare silly man and then comment. Do not lump me with that Sinhalese racist

      • 2
        1

        All racists ultimately have the same kind of mindset.

        • 0
          1

          Describing yourself Thullukan

  • 1
    1

    From independence from Britain, Tamils faced severe oppression from the ruling Sinhalese. They were not divided by caste because protecting themselves from the nouveau rulers was a life and death issue for them. Tamil population is nearly half of what it was at the time of independence. The current Elkhart Tamil program is a request to relieve the Tamils from violence, discrimination, land grabs etc. it is a call to the ruling Sinhalese to follow a live and let live policy. Not more than that.
    Another issue raised is that the writer of the article was not genuine. The truth is today you can buy any Tamil media person for a tuppence. TNA didn’t do its job. Therefore in the next parliamentary election many people will vote against TNA. Not for any other reason. Mr vigneshwaran seems to be a popular alternative despite bashing by Tamil and Mainstream media.
    Caste will play a role among Sinhalese and Tamil population in the coming elections. Common logic tells that candidates from numerically superior castes have an advantage. This problem is also rearing it’s head in the presidential election. Recently one well known politician had said that only a Sinhala, Budhist Govigama will have the numerical superiority to win the presidential election.
    There was also a mention of Devanampiya Tisa. His father’s name was Mutasiva suggesting that he was a Saivite. One of the brothers of Devampiya Tissa was Mahasiva who later ruled after Uthiyan.
    Incidentally Indian emperor Ashoka who sent his son Mahinda to Sri Lanka to convert Devampiya Tisa to Buddhism, called himself Devanampiya Piyadasi. Most of his inscriptions were written in Prakrit( one form of it is Pali) using Brahmi script. He also used Karoshti script, Greek and Araimic in his inscriptions in North West India/ Pakistan. It appears that Devampiya Tisa is the name assumed after his conversion to Buddhism. He must have had a Hindu name before that. Does anyone know anything about it.

    • 1
      1

      Your etymology is entertaining.
      How many Tamils at the time had ‘siva’ as part of their name?
      Siva enters Tami literature in late Sangam period (Christian era)

      • 1
        1

        Only thing entertaining is you . Thamizh hating Thullukan.

  • 1
    0

    All this talk of Tamil/Sinhala/Muslim/caste/religion origins and who came first etc is absolute crap. In 5000BC the population of the world was about 5m. Everyone who has died since then and everyone who is alive today, is descended from those 5m people. Were they Sinhala or Tamil or Bengali or English? Brahmin, Muslim or Theravada? What is wrong with you people?

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