The Mandate Given To The Tamil National Alliance
The Tamil People overwhelmingly gave the TNA a mandate at the General Election held in April 2010. The TNA has continued to act in accordance with that political mandate and is now facing the Northern Provincial Council Election as a necessary step in the fulfilment of that objective. It is pertinent to recall the salient features of that mandate:
Wigneswaran-with-Sambanthan
At the time of independence from colonial rule in 1948, Ceylon was foisted with a unitary type constitution with simple majoritarian rule. In 1949 a sizeable number of Tamils of Recent Indian Origin were disenfranchised. State aided colonization of the preponderantly Tamil Speaking territory, particularly the Eastern Province, with the majority community intensified. The Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) was formed as a consequence in December 1949. In this background in April 1951 the ITAK articulated its claim that the Tamil People in Ceylon were a Nation distinct from that of the Sinhalese by every test of nationhood and were therefore entitled to the right to self-determination. As a necessary corollary to the exercise of this right, we demanded a federal arrangement in the North and the East, where the Tamil Speaking Peoples are a predominant majority. In 1956 Sinhala was made the only official language of the country, again by the use of the parliamentary majority that was available to the majority community. Various peaceful agitations were organized between this time and the late 1970s to win back the right to self-determination that was lost first through foreign conquests and later due to a system of government not accepted by the Tamil People that reinforced majoritarian hegemony. Agreements were also entered into between two Prime Ministers, S W R D Bandaranaike and Dudley Senanayake, and S J V Chelvanayakam, the leader of the Tamil People in 1957 and 1965 respectively, relating primarily to the alienation of state land in the North-East. Both were unilaterally abrogated by the governments of the day.
In 1970 a Constituent Assembly was formed to enact an autochthonous constitution. ITAK also participated in this exercise and urged the inclusion of provisions to share powers of governance with the Tamil Speaking Peoples on the basis of shared sovereignty within a united country in keeping with their democratic verdicts. Those proposals were defeated by majority votes and the members of the ITAK left the Constituent Assembly. Similarly the Tamil People did not grant their consent to the enactment of the 1978 Constitution. Thus the first and second Republican constitutions entrenched a Unitary State, continued with Sinhala as the only official language, gave to Buddhism the foremost place and were enacted without the consent of the Tamil People.
Systematic State-sponsored colonization was carried out since independence in 1948 in order to change the demographic pattern of the North-East, which are the areas of historic habitation of the Tamil Speaking Peoples. This continues with full vigour in the North after the end of the war in 2009. The government retains an oppressive army presence in the Northern Province and is engaged in acquiring large tracts of land for ‘military purposes’.
In addition to the acts of discrimination, including standardization which affected the tertiary education of the Tamil youth and discrimination in employment in the state sector, organized violence was periodically unleashed against the Tamil People in the country in 1956, 1958, 1961, 1977, 1981 and 1983. No protection was provided by the State to the Tamil victims. On these occasions, affected Tamil People from other parts of the country were transported by the State to the North and East thereby recognizing these two provinces to be their homeland.
POWER SHARING ARRANGEMENTS
Soon after the anti-Tamil pogram in 1983, attempts were made to solve the Tamil national question by means of an alternate political arrangement in which greater autonomy would be granted to the Tamil Speaking Peoples. An arrangement was introduced in 1987 consequent to the Indo-Lanka Accord. These changes paved the way for the setting up of Provincial Councils with minimal powers, and promises were made at the highest levels that it will be improved upon. Several such attempts resulted in the 1993 Mangala Munasinghe Select Committee Proposals, the Government’s proposals for constitutional reform of 1995, 1997 and 2000 under President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and the APRC multi-ethnic expert committee majority report in December 2006 under President Mahinda Rajapakshe.
While no progress was being made on the political front to solve the burning national issue, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) continued its armed struggle. Though initially there were several military outfits, since 1987 the LTTE emerged as the sole military force in pursuing the struggle. Successive governments entered into negotiations with the LTTE and in February 2002 the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka signed a Ceasefire Agreement and later agreed on a set of principles called the Oslo Communiqué, which is as follows:
“[T]o explore a solution founded on the principle of internal self determination in areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking Peoples, based on a federal structure within a united Sri Lanka.”
MILITARY ONSLAUGHT AND ITS AFTERMATH
However, the ceasefire did not last and hostilities broke out between the government forces and the LTTE with the military confrontation coming to an end on 19th May 2009. The 30 year old hostilities and war has ravaged the Tamil speaking North-East and left the Tamil People destitute. Over One Million Tamils have fled to other countries for safety and another half a million Tamils have been displaced within the country. Over One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Tamils have been killed over the years of the conflict and it is estimated that well over seventy thousand civilians have been killed in the last stages of the military onslaught. Many more have been maimed and grievously injured and suffer from traumatic disorders. In addition over 500,000 Tamil people were rendered homeless and most were interned in detention camps against all civilized and international norms. The resettlement of these people in their original places, though promised to the international community and to the United Nations, is still to be completed.
OUR STAND ON A POLITICAL SOLUTION
The principles and specific constitutional provisions that the TNA considers to be paramount to the resolution of the national question relates mainly to the sharing of the powers of governance through a shared sovereignty amongst the Peoples who inhabit this island. The following salient features of power sharing are fundamental to achieving genuine reconciliation, lasting peace and development for all the Peoples of Sri Lanka:
• The Tamils are a distinct People and from time immemorial have inhabited this island together with the Sinhalese People and others
• The contiguous preponderantly Tamil Speaking Northern and Eastern provinces is the historical habitation of the Tamil Speaking Peoples
• The Tamil People are entitled to the right to self-determination
• Power sharing arrangements must be established in a unit of a merged Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a Federal structure, in a manner also acceptable to the Tamil Speaking Muslim people
• Devolution of power on the basis of shared sovereignty shall necessarily be over land, law and order, socio-economic development including health and education, resources and fiscal powers.
MATTERS OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN FOR THE TAMIL PEOPLE
In addition to continuing to pursue a just and lasting solution, we will actively engage in addressing the immediate and current concerns of our People. We will seek to enforce the recommendations made by the Panel of Experts appointed by the UN Secretary General and the Resolutions adopted at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2012 and March 2013. The specific matters are as follows:
• There must be meaningful de-militarization resulting in the return to the pre-war situation as it existed in 1983 before the commencement of hostilities by the removal of armed forces, military apparatuses and High Security/Restricted Zones from the Northern and Eastern Provinces
• Tamil People who have been displaced in the North and the East due to the conflict must be speedily resettled in their original places; housing provided, their livelihoods restored and their dignity respected
• An Independant International Investigation must be conducted into the allegations of violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws made against both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE during the last stages of the war, the truth ascertained and justice to victims and reparation including compensation must be ensured
• Persons who are detained without charges must be released promptly and a general amnesty should be granted to all other political prisoners
• There must be finality reached with regard to thousands of missing persons and compensation must be paid to the next of kin
- Tamils who fled the country must be permitted to return to their homes and a conducive atmosphere created for their return
• A comprehensive programme for the development of the North and East including the creation of employment opportunities for the youth will be undertaken with the active support of the Sri Lankan State, the Tamil Diaspora and the International Community
We, the Tamil People of Sri Lanka are a distinct People in terms of the interpretations maintained in relation to International Conventions and Covenants. We as a People want to continue to live in our country in peaceful co-existence with others, with dignity and self respect, with freedom and liberty and without fear, as equal citizens not subject to majoritarian hegemony.
We as a People would thus be concerned about our historic habitats, our Collective Rights that accrue to us as a Nation and our right to exercise our option to determine what is best for us to ensure self government in the Tamil Speaking North-East of the country within a united Sri Lanka.
The present constitutional arrangements in this regard have proved to be unsatisfactory. A constitutional framework which favours the majority and a majoritarian hegemony is what is in place. Democracy in a plural society cannot function without a constitutional framework that provides for equity, equality, peace and security. It is in this context that we view the forthcoming Northern Provincial Council Election.
The TNA firmly believes that sovereignty lies with the People and not with the State. It is not the government in Colombo that holds the right to govern the Tamil People, but the People themselves. In this regard the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka is flawed in that power is concentrated at the Centre and its Agent, the Governor. Our political philosophy is rooted in a fundamental democratic challenge to the authoritarian state. Our political programme is therefore rooted in the needs and aspirations of the Tamil Speaking People for justice and equality.
To achieve the above and self-reliance it is imperative that we need self-government. We have set out a two stage constitutional process to secure this. Whilst we do our utmost to play a positive role in promoting self-government for the Tamil Speaking Peoples in the North-East, we will carry on with our political negotiations for meaningful sharing of powers of governance. We cannot emphasise more the immediate necessity for a democratically elected body with legislative, executive and fiscal powers – to take over those functions of government rightly belonging to us.
The North-East of the Island has been traumatized by three decades of armed conflict. The human costs are not only the result of direct violence – casualties among combatants, undisciplined behavior of troops, deliberate targeting of civilians and the sowing of landmines – but also arise from hunger, forced migration and the collapse of public services due to the breaking down of the economic and administrative structure of the North-East.
INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS
The internally displaced persons (IDPs) have a right to a durable solution and often need assistance in their efforts. The Provincial Council will pay immediate attention to the rights of IDPs and formulate durable solutions, articulate the responsibilities of authorities, and facilitate the assistance of humanitarian and development actors in achieving these.
The TNA recognizes that the primary duty and responsibility to establish conditions, as well as provide the means, which allow IDPs to return voluntarily in safety and with dignity, to their homes or places of habitual residence, should be left in the hands of the Provincial administration to ensure credibility and accountability.
MUSLIMS
The Muslims who were resident in the Northern Province prior to their displacement in 1990 had been the traditional residents of the areas which they occupied. It is regrettable that they were compelled to abandon their properties and move to other parts of the country and undergo untold hardships.
We are committed to ensuring that all the Muslims who left the Northern Province return to their respective areas and resume their livelihood activities as soon as possible. They would be encouraged to return and the Northern Provincial Council would provide all the help needed to enable them to re-start their lives.
Any issues concerning the welfare of the Muslims will receive the same treatment as those of the other communities living in the Northern Province. The Provincial administration will ensure that all communities living in the Province will receive just and equal treatment.
WAR WIDOWS
The war has left behind over 50,000 widows in the Northern Province alone. There is a need for a clear policy to build their capacity and uplift the lives of the war widows. These widows have become economically and socially vulnerable. In the circumstances the Provincial Council will take the responsibility to swiftly and effectively create livelihood programmes and other necessary measures to alleviate their present condition.
Other segments that need to be simultaneously attended to and uplifted include war affected children, elders, disabled and also refugees who have fled the country to escape from violence, in particular, the refugees in Tamil Nadu in India.
POST WAR LAND ISSUES
Even four years after the end of the war the government still designates areas as High Security or Restricted Zones and prevents the inhabitants from re-settling in those areas. Large amounts of lands have been seized by the government from the owners without due process. No democratic government has the right to seize land without due process. The government will have to respect the rights of private property owners and restore such lands to the rightful owners. A significant proportion of those evicted from these lands are living in very harsh conditions. The government’s draconian regulations on land acquisition and re-occupation has deprived thousands of Tamils of rich agricultural lands and restrictions imposed on fishing has denied thousands of Tamil fishermen their livelihood.
There is an urgent need to address issues relating to the forcible acquisition of land and use by the State in the North-East. TNA is committed to the Provincial Administration retaining control over land in the North-East. TNA believes that there can be no reconciliation without the reform of the existing policies over land ownership, control and use that target the linguistic and cultural identity of the North-East.
LAW AND ORDER
The Northern Province is facing a law and order crisis and its people are overpowered by fear and insecurity. The perpetrators of crime have managed to get away in most instances. There is neither justice nor accountability for people who have suffered serious violations of their human rights. Perpetrators are not brought to justice and the victims and survivors do not receive redress. This situation constitutes a serious breach of Sri Lanka’s international obligations to protect and promote human rights. Impunity for violations of human rights and humanitarian law has been the rule rather than the exception in Sri Lanka in the North-East and elsewhere.
The TNA believes that the most effective police force for the North-East would be those directed by the Provincial Council. Currently there is no trust between the people and Police service in the Northern Province. The People have no confidence in their police officers and are often afraid to approach the police with concerns about crime and conflict in their communities.
JOB CREATION
Any Provincial Council would want to tackle unemployment and should have the tools to do so. Indeed, an attack on the root causes of unemployment in the Northern Province will be one of TNA’s priorities.
TNA favours supporting the enterprise and business sector of the economy to maximise employment opportunities. This is particularly true when it is remembered that there is work to be done in our communities: safeguarding and improving the environment; improving public transport; better community care; combating crime and vandalism; investment in new infrastructure. These are all crying needs for which the present Government offers no solution. Its attitude has signally failed the Tamil people. In comparison, TNA advocates reintegrating the industrially and socially disenfranchised people and promoting sustainable growth.
DEVELOPMENT WITH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
Post war reconstruction requires an integrated pro-poor approach which addresses the legacy of war, support market institutions, and hence creates the capacity for long term growth in private sector output. TNA would engage with the Sri Lankan State, international community and the Tamil diaspora to address the issue of long term investment and aid in the province.
The Tamil diaspora is an important segment in the securing of regeneration and well being for the affected people and we would obtain their invaluable aid and expertise, not only in the area of development but also in our quest to find a just, workable and durable political solution.
Community participation plays an important role in community development. However, with the escalation of the conflict the activities of, for example, the co-operative societies in the Northern Province faced a setback. Now that the war is over, the Provincial administration will take necessary steps to revive the community development activities such as development of palmyrah based products, agriculture and fishing.
THE ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
The Tamil People have always worked with commitment towards a reasonable and acceptable resolution of the national question through domestic processes. It is the Sri Lankan state which has spurned these opportunities and sought to suppress the Tamil People through repeated anti-Tamil pograms. It was such conduct on the part of the Sri Lankan state that internationalized the national question and compelled the Sri Lankan state to accept an international role. Tamil militancy, which also was an inevitable consequence, has now ended.
The Sri Lankan state is now endeavouring to undo even the minimum progress achieved through international involvement. This can only result in the Tamils ceasing to exist as a People in Sri Lanka. The TNA is firmly of the view that justice to all Peoples who inhabit Sri Lanka and genuine reconciliation through permanent peace is only achievable under international auspices.
The TNA wishes to point out that it was the inability of the Sri Lankan state to re-structure itself to meet the aspirations of the Tamil People and thereby resolve the national question, and the unleashing of violence against the Tamil civilian population that resulted in the role of the international community increasingly becoming inevitable. In such situations, the international community has rightfully played a vital role in several instances around the world.
CONCLUSION
The lives of our People must be rebuilt while maintaining our distinct identity as a People. We must also regain our political rights as a People. We therefore appeal to the Tamil Speaking Peoples to courageously stand up and demonstrate their resolve at this Election by voting for the Tamil National Alliance contesting under the name of Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi and its ‘House’ symbol.
selvam kumar / September 3, 2013
ALL TAMILS PLS VOTE ONLY TNA CANDIDATES ONLY FOR YOUR FUTURE. PLS DONT VOTE ANY SINGALESE ALIGN POLITICAL PARTIES. VALGA TNA AND VALGA TAMILINAM, VALGA PRABAKARAN
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Kalaweddage Malli / September 4, 2013
[Edited out]
We are sorry, the comment language is English – CT
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selvam kumar / September 3, 2013
ALL TAMILS MUST REJECT ALL SINGALESE BASED POLITICAL PARTIES. THE SINGALESE AND THE SINGALESE GOVT ARE THE ENEMIES OF THE WORLD TAMILS. RAJAPAKSE MUST BE CHARGED FOR WAR CRIMES. RAJAPAKSE IS A WAR CRIMINAL. HE MUST BE BROUGHT TO THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE AND BE HANGED. UN MUST BRING A REFERENDUN TO THE TAMIL PEOPLE OF EELAM. THE TAMIL PEOPLE OF EELAM MUST DECIDE THEIR FUTURE WITHOUT ANY OUTSIDE COUNTRIES INVOLVING INCLUDING INDIA. THE TAMILS CANNOT LIVE WITH THE SINGALESE ANYMORE.
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Patriot / September 3, 2013
You say ‘THE TAMILS CANNOT LIVE WITH THE SINGALESE ANYMORE.’ But latest statistics show most Tamils live among Sinhalas in the south. For more than two decades my next door neighbor in Nugegoda is a Tamil. Tell us, are people like them ‘PEOPLE OF EELAM’? What about the Tamils like the ones in my estate. Are they not Tamils? Are they ‘PEOPLE OF EELAM’?
There are certain realities you have to learn to live with. Rajapakse being the President for at least another term or two is one of them.
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Suresh / September 3, 2013
This comment shows that this person has no idea what so ever (totally ignorant) about the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
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Walagemba / September 8, 2013
Suresh Punde
So do you.
You and your idiot TNA should know very well by now, how strong SL forces are.
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Percy Jilmart / September 3, 2013
In every country and every community there are people who can be bought or those who will do anything if the price is right…and then there are the people who will rather die on their feet than live on their knees.
At the forthcoming elections in the north, if there isnt massive vote rigging and voter intimidation, we will be able to see if a majority of the Tamils will prefer the Rajapaksa stooges or the TNA…the world is watching and waiting. Best of luck to the northern Tamils and the TNA.
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Ajith / September 3, 2013
It is time for progressive movements from the South and North to give their full support to the TNA and urge people of North and South to stand together with TNA. I also wish to make a humble request to Tamil political parties and politicians associated with the Government of Sri Lanka to withdrew from the NPC election at this juncture in order to get the necessary majority to negotiate with the Government to get all the necessary land and police powers for a true power sharing administration. You all have started your political journey for achieving self determination of Tamil speaking Nation and it is time to give your solidarity with the people. It is not a competition between you and TNA it is between power sharing and power reduction.
We Tamils should show the world and the Sinhala people that Tamils can run a better administration than the race based Sinhala politics and there will be true democracy and rule of law.
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I am no muslim / September 3, 2013
‘land and police powers’, you must be dreaming.
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Suresh / September 3, 2013
Somebody give this guy a copy of the Sri Lankan constitution.
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I am no muslim / September 4, 2013
The part of the Sri Lankan constitution you’re talking was rammed rammed by Indians by gun boat diplomacy. The majority in this country are not prepared to accept such inclusions for one chief minister to issue arrest orders to detain another and develop ‘bantu lands’ like in India and South Africa is not acceptable to majority Sri Lankans any longer.
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Suresh / September 4, 2013
It is already there in the constitution and the Northern provincial council under former chief justice Vigneswaren, it will get implemented (of course with blessings from India, US and UN).
If it is not acceptable to majority Sri Lankans then why are they still keeping it? The government is having a two third majority and they can very easily get rid of it. Why is it still there in the constitution?
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I am no muslim / September 4, 2013
Wait and see everything will come in good-time old boy.
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Ajith / September 4, 2013
Read Banda-Chelva, Dudley-Chelva pacts before LTTE and Oslo agreement between LTTE and SriLanka to see what Tamils and Sinhalese agreed upon plus 13Plus by MR
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Vibhushana / September 3, 2013
/*
State aided colonization of the preponderantly Tamil Speaking territory, particularly the Eastern Province, with the majority community intensified. The Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) was formed as a consequence in December 1949.
*/
State aided colonisation in 1949 in the Eastern province? By whom? That’s just the beginning hoax. The entire manifesto is replete with other unbelievable hoaxes.
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Native Vedda / September 3, 2013
Vibhushana
Can we now start the discussion on the process of drafting 1972 constitution?
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Vibhushana / September 4, 2013
Hey Native,
Sure, what do you want to know? I will clarify it for you. I think the TULF walked out disagreeing over the draft of the 1972 constitution. The the SLFP and its coalition carried on regardless.
It’s a shame really isn’t it? The people of the north lost out having a say in the first republican constitution. On one hand one could argue the coalition should have made a better draft. On the other, why so much emphasis on a draft when the substance lies elsewhere?
There is no right or wrong answer is there really? I guess hindsight could be a better judge. Was it wise for TULF to walk out even before the talks began? Given the subsequent events and considering predicament befell on northern population I have no problem in saying their intransigence was unwise. What are your thoughts?
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Native Vedda / September 4, 2013
Vibhushana
Please revisit the history of drafting constitution and how the 1972 May constitution was imposed on all people.
The draft constitution should have been put a referendum, it was not.
“Was it wise for TULF to walk out even before the talks began?”
TULF didn’t exist then.
Again the Tamils MPs didn’t walk out but refused to participate for the manner in which the parliament was turned into a constitutional assembly was undemocratic hence unacceptable.
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Vibhushana / September 4, 2013
Native,
Did Lord Soulbury put forward his constituion for referendum? Tamil MPs did not walk out then did they?
I know. And the rest is history, isn’t it really? Does it look like they’ve learnt a lesson?
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / September 5, 2013
If I remember right the FP walked out because the Sirimavo government was not ready accept any alternative suggestions/ recommendations. They were hell bent on making ‘ their’ constitution and not a ‘ National’ constitution.
Colvin R.De Silva who led this constitution rampage will go down in history as one among the greatest political hypocrites in the world.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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Native Vedda / September 6, 2013
Vibhushana
“Did Lord Soulbury put forward his constituion for referendum? Tamil MPs did not walk out then did they?”
What has it got to do with 1972 constitution?
The urgent issue at that moment was to get rid of the white Kallathonies, your former masters.
The sooner descendants of Kallthonies leave the island the better for the people. Last in first out, (LIFO) so they left.The day will come when you and your brethren will have to leave my ancestral island. You can chose between LIFO and FIFO.
“I know. And the rest is history, isn’t it really? Does it look like they’ve learnt a lesson?”
Please go read up on History of Constitution which I believe would only help those really want to learn.
You want to remain a smart ar.., so ignore learning.
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Vibhushana / September 5, 2013
Hello there Dr Narendran,
He was a Sinhala chavnoust was he? What exaclty was his fault? Did any Moslems or Burgers walk out?
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Suresh / September 3, 2013
Colonized by the so called ‘father of the nation’ DS Senanayake. Even today you go to the Eastern province and speak to any Sinhalese family. They will say that their parents or grandparents came from down south. There is not a single Sinhalese person in the Eastern or Northern province who could claim habitancy or origin.
Is there any Sinhalese person from any part of Sri Lanka who can come out and say that his Vasagama is a name from any part of North or East of Sri Lanka?
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Vibhushana / September 4, 2013
Hello there Suresh,
I stand corrected. You made me blush. If you don’t mind I wish to engage you further so I can be enlightened. It seems colonies were indeed set up in the dry zone. Your opinion seems to reflect the Tamil nationalist standpoint.
Others say the purpose was to give land to up country landless peasants. It seems rather ironic these up country peasants themselves would have been de-colonised earlier. They would have lost land in order to establish tea palntations and make room for millions of Indian labor. Unless you can pin land distribution to a policy the motive will remain speculative isn’t it? Singapore has a policy known as EIP (Ethnic Integration Policy) There is no ambiguity there really. Over there its state sponsored colonies and that is the law.
Given its all anecdotal all that remains is to compare the detractors motivations isn’t it really? I think no one will contest the fact DS Senanayake wanted one country when SJV Chelvnayagam wanted two. No one will deny seperatist overtures by Tamil nationlists were present even before 1948. You’d be bold to say it had anything to with colonisation. If anything colonisation would have and will pre-empt seperatism .
/*
Is there any Sinhalese person from any part of Sri Lanka who can come out and say that his Vasagama is a name from any part of North or East of Sri Lanka?
*/
How did “Madda Kalapuwa” and “Valigama” (Valikanam) get its name? How did family names such as “Balasinngham” and “Wijayasingham” come into existance? There are no such names in Tamil Nadu. Sinhala Vasagama is still there although now they are Tamilised.
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Suresh / September 4, 2013
Vibhushana
“Your opinion seems to reflect the Tamil nationalist standpoint.”
And your opinion seems to reflect the Sinhala nationalist standpoint.
You cannot compare Singapore with Sri Lanka where one third of the country (North and East) was purely Tamil speaking in 1948 (before DSS started the colonization).
“I think no one will contest the fact DS Senanayake wanted one country when SJV Chelvnayagam wanted two”.
You are right, DS Senanayake wanted to make Sri Lanka a Sinhala country (followed by SWRD with Sinhala only) where as SJV Chelvnayagam wanted one for Sinhalese and another for Tamils.
“No one will deny seperatist overtures by Tamil nationlists were present even before 1948”.
Before the colonial rulers arrived, the Tamils had a separate kingdom in Sri Lanka. Even today, in spite of all these state sponsored colonization, NE is separate in language, culture, religion, etc, etc. Obviously, separatist overtures among Tamil nationalists is natural and why should the Tamils deny?
“How did “Madda Kalapuwa” and “Valigama” (Valikanam) get its name?”
There is NO such thing called Madda Kalapuwa” and “Valigama”. It is ‘Mattai Kilapu’ and ‘Valikamam’ and etymological studies have already been done on all these place names with Tamil meanings.
“How did family names such as “Balasinngham” and “Wijayasingham” come into existance?”
These are PURE old Tamil names (Sinhalese may have copied them later). The old Tamil names also include Sena, Guttika, Elara, Pulahatha, Bahiya, Panayamara, Parinda, Dathiya, and so on (read the mahavamsa). The South Indian names of the ancient Tamil kings were Kulathunga Chola, Vikrma Chola, Aditya Chola, Kulasekara Pandya, Vira Wickrama Pandya, Parakrama Pandya, Sundara Pandya, Rajashekhara Varma, Goda Ravi Varma and so on. (See history of Tamil Nadu).
You may say these are also Sinhala names Tamilised. They are all old Tamil names.
“Sinhala Vasagama is still there although now they are Tamilised.”
Can you prove it.
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Vibhushana / September 4, 2013
Hello Suresh,
I don’t think so. As you read along you will gather its only the logical stand point.
Well, again you are wrong. D. S. Senanayake supported by Ponnambalam
did attempt to construct a Ceylonese nation. It was the introduction of “Thamil Arasu” in 1949 that took the country in a different direction. Please challenge me to provide you with the sources if you wish.
You are not doing very well are you here? I think you mean the Jaffna region. The area up to EP was Rajarata. Jaffna has never been “independent” because its too small to sustain itself. The regional leaders had to cling to either a South Indian or a Kingdom to the south for its sustenance. The reason there was never a Tamil kingdom is not in logical realm really is it? The only reason Tamils flooded NE was after the arrival of the Dutch. They colonised NE and labour brought in from Malabar coast to maintain their cash crops. Before 10th CE there is absolutely no trace of any Tamil habitation in the island.
Its not “natural” because there is neither historical nor other grounds to support secession.
“Mattai Kilapu” ? What are you inventing a new branch of etymology here? Its Matta – kalappu. Tamil switched “da” to “ta” and dropped “wa” altogether because these phonemes do not exist in Tamil language isn’t it? Why are you making so complicated? Again “gama” in Valikanam becomes “kanam” because Tamil language lacks the “ga” phoneme isn’t it?
You will find “Sinha”, “Nayagam”, “Prabha” are all Sanskrit names. How can these names be “Old Tamil” when it involves phonemes such as “Sa” and “Ha” ? They can only be Sinhala names that have been Tamilised later. Not the other way around. Sena and Guttika are also Sanskit based names that South Indians gave themselves.
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Suresh / September 5, 2013
Vibhushana
******“I don’t think so. As you read along you will gather its only the logical stand point.”******
What is logical to you does not seem logical to others. Your opinion is nothing but the Sinhala nationalist standpoint.
******“Well, again you are wrong. D. S. Senanayake supported by Ponnambalam did attempt to construct a Ceylonese nation. It was the introduction of “Thamil Arasu” in 1949 that took the country in a different direction. Please challenge me to provide you with the sources if you wish.”******
Right from the day the British gave Sri Lanka independence and handed over the entire country including the historical Tamil homeland to the Sinhala leaders, the Sinhala leadership had a hidden agenda. They wanted to transform the multi-ethnic Sri Lanka into a mono-ethnic (Sinhala) country. The first Sinhala leader, DS Senanayake started the Sinhalization process by colonizing the Sinhalese in Tamil areas, changing the Tamil area names into Sinhala names and then he wanted to systematically convert the Tamils or (in their words) naturalize/nationalize them by diluting their strength and by promoting inter-marriages with Sinhalese and so on until finally they all become Sinhalese.
The All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) leader G.G.Ponnambalam supporting D. S. Senanayake was a different issue. The power hungry Ponnambalam was believed to have been secretly negotiating with D.S. Senanayake to join the Cabinet and he supported the D.S. Senanayake government by voting against Citizenship Act No.18 of 1948 (deprived Citizenship for Indian Tamils). S J V Chelvanayakam who was the deputy leader of the Tamil Congress, broke away in protest and formed the Federal Party. The burning battle that took place between the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) lead by S. J. V. Chelvanayakam and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) lead by G.G.Ponnambalam in 1952 was over the Indian citizenship act. The ITAK declared Ponnambalam a traitor. Even today you find such traitors in the Tamil community.
*****“I think you mean the Jaffna region. The area up to EP was Rajarata. Jaffna has never been “independent” because its too small to sustain itself. The regional leaders had to cling to either a South Indian or a Kingdom to the south for its sustenance. The reason there was never a Tamil kingdom is not in logical realm really is it?”*****
From 1200 to 1619, the separate Jaffna kingdom existed until the last Tamil king of Jaffna Sankili Kumaran was defeated by the Portuguese. The Tamil kingdom came under Portuguese domination in 1621, and this was how the Tamils lost their sovereignty, independence and their traditional homeland. However, the last Vanni king (Chieftain) – Kulasekaram Vairamuthu Pandaravanniyan who chalanged the British rule was defeated only in 1806.
Only the Kandyan kingdom which remained an independent entity (did not fall to the Portuguese/Dutch). The last four Tamil kings of Kandy begin with SRI VIJAYA RAJA SINGHA (1739-1747) and ends with SRI VIKRAMA RAJA SINGHA (798-1815). During that period, a few Tamil areas such as Trincomalee, Anuradapura, Batticaloa, Ampara and a part of Mannar were under the Kandyan Kingdom and not Jaffna Kingdom but that does not mean that Anuradapura, Trincomalee, Mannar, Batticaloa and Ampara were Sinhala areas occupied by the Sinhalese. These were all Tamil areas occupied by Tamils. Irrespective of what kingdom they came under, they are all part of Tamil homeland.
*****“The only reason Tamils flooded NE was after the arrival of the Dutch. They colonised NE and labour brought in from Malabar coast to maintain their cash crops.”******
From 13 Century AD, the economy of the Jaffna kingdom had been based exclusively on agriculturalists, predominantly of the Vellalar caste. The Vellalars were the land owners and they were dominating the entire peninsula. It is true that the Dutch also settled some labor from Malabar coast in Jaffna in the Tobacco fields to help the Vellalars but it is ridiculous to assume (without any proof) that there are considerable amount of recently migrated Tamils in Jaffna brought by the Dutch for Tobacco plantation or to say Vellalar community of Jaffna was brought from South India during the Colonial period. The Dutch did not bring Vallalar from South India; they brought labourers from South India to help the Vallalar with Tobacco cultivation and those labourers remained as a distinct caste until recently.
For your information, the Portuguese and the Dutch also colonized the South and South West (from Chilaw right up to Matara) with labor brought in from Malabar coast (much much more than what they brought to Jaffna) for Cinnamon and coconut plantation. Today all those people got naturalized/Sinhalized and their present generation are ardent Sinhala-Buddhist nationalists.
If you still insist that the Tamils flooded NE was after the arrival of the Dutch, please give reliable source/evidence to prove it.
******Before 10th CE there is absolutely no trace of any Tamil habitation in the island. “*****
You seem to be totally ignorant about the SL history.
The earliest inscriptions and the early Pali chronicles attest to the presence of the Tamils (Demedas/Damilas) in the EIA. Dameda (Damela) is the most mentioned ethnic group in the epigraphy of Ceylon.
Until the 10th century AD, the people in the island irrespective of their racial background were scattered all over the island with the Tamil settlements (Demel-gam-bim) more towards Rajarata (North of Anuradapura and close to Polonnaruva). According to the historian Dr. M. Gunasingham, from around 10th to 13th century A.D, (Subsequent to the Chola domination of Sri Lanka in the 10th century A.D), people who identified themselves as Buddhists and Sihala shifted their seats of rule from the ancient kingdoms of Anuradapura/ Polonnaruva towards South, West and Central Sri Lanka while the people who identified themselves as Saiva and Demela moved their ruling structures from these same regions to the North and East of the island.
Let me give you one simple example from your own history book Mahavamsa. In the Dutugemunu-Elara episode, the Mahavamsa says, Dutugemunu had to conquer not just one Tamil king (Elara) but 32 Tamil Chieftains around the Anuradhapura principality alone. He also killed around sixty thousand Tamils in the war. How could there be 32 Tamil chieftains in the area of Anuradhapura alone. Even if the Dutugemunu-Elara war is a myth, his writing proves (did not deny) the Tamil settlements (Demel-gam-bim) in Anuradapura? Similarly, King Valgambha had to fight seven Pandian chieftains to reassume sovereignty at Anuradhapura.
Even during the recent past, in 17th century AD (colonial period), Rajarata (Anuradapura) was inhabited by Tamils as per the book written by Robert Knox who was the prisoner in Kandy. When he escaped from prison, he had to go through several places and when he came to Anuradapura, he says it was fully occupied by Tamils (NOT Sinhalese).
“*****Its not “natural” because there is neither historical nor other grounds to support secession.”*****
The independent Jaffna kingdom from 1200 to 1619 itself is more than enough (historical ground) to support secession. The demography of NE (90% Tamil speaking) at independence (1948) is the other.
******“Mattai Kilapu” ? What are you inventing a new branch of etymology here? Its Matta – kalappu. Tamil switched “da” to “ta” and dropped “wa” altogether because these phonemes do not exist in Tamil language isn’t it? Why are you making so complicated? Again “gama” in Valikanam becomes “kanam” because Tamil language lacks the “ga” phoneme isn’t it?”*****
Well renowned epigraphists have done an extensive study on all these place names and written very clear and precise meaning for every word. If you visit Tamilnet, there is a separate column for etymology of place names in Sri Lanka.
Btw, it is NOT ‘Valikanam’, it is Valikamam and ‘Kamam’ is a pure Tamil word. Please do not write rubbish. To argue about Tamil you should first know the Tamil language very well and how, when and what changes took place in the Tamil language during the last 3000 years. What credibility do you have to comment about the Tamil language?
*****“You will find “Sinha”, “Nayagam”, “Prabha” are all Sanskrit names. How can these names be “Old Tamil” when it involves phonemes such as “Sa” and “Ha” ? They can only be Sinhala names that have been Tamilised later. Not the other way around. Sena and Guttika are also Sanskit based names that South Indians gave themselves.”******
Sanskrit is the sacred language of the Hindus. It is not just Sinhalese but even Tamils have Sanskrit names. As I mentioned earlier, the ancient Tamil Chola, Pandya and Chera kings of Tamil Nadu had names such as Kulathunga, Vikrma, Aditya, Kulasekara, Vira Wickrama, Parakrama, Sundara, Rajashekhara, and so on. (See history of Tamil Nadu). Nayaka was a dynasty in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Sanskrit name does not mean it is only Sinhala, it can also be Tamil.
/
Native Vedda / September 6, 2013
Vibhushana
“Well, again you are wrong. D. S. Senanayake supported by Ponnambalam did attempt to construct a Ceylonese nation.”
Yes at last this time you are right, both got together and got rid of the most hard working people out of the country, first ethnic cleansing in this island. Ponna and DS will be remembered for their achievement and their class/caste interest.
Island minus hard working people = Sinhala/Buddhist nation.
/
Vibhushana / September 5, 2013
Hey there Suresh,
This is the basis for “Thamil Arasu” – was it? To think numerous riots and 1,000,000 Tamil IDPs became homeless over this did they?
“He had to submit to the Viceroy of Goa in 1560, and agreed to become a vassal of the King of Portugal. He also undertook to send to the Portuguese the annual tribute of 10 tuskers, which were earlier paid as tribute to the King of Kotte. He also surrendered most of the treasure that he seized after killing Vidiye Bandara and (that replica of) the Tooth Relic. “These terms written in the Portuguese and Chingala languages were signed and authenticated….
The Portuguese warns all their fellowman, to be aware of Sinhala people. As it makes NO difference if they are in Jaffna or Kandy, that the Sinhala considers it all their territory!!
(The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon’ by Rev Fernao De Queyroz p.371)”
These details are from the eye witness accounts written down by the Portuguese Friar De Queyroz, also the english translation is confirmed as been accurate by the British governor Codrington.
Sankilli, son of a concubine to a Mudliyar of the Pandyan, appointed by King of Kotte signed the treaty with Portugese in Sinhala. Rev Queyroz mentions his Royal standard was a lion, his queen advisors was Sinhala. He goes on to say when Portugese entered Jaffna how relived the Sinhalese were to have finally relieved from being under bondage of Sankilli.
How do you think Navaneetham Pillai ended up in South Africa? Vellalar were the agricultural caste. Who else than agriculturalists would they take to work on cotton and tobbaco plantations?
Sure, as terrorist nuisance. Not as civilians belonging to a “Tamil homeland”.
Ask the guy to open it up for “right of reply” all can all be rubbished with a bat of an eye lid.
Open link below “Valligamme” marked on Dutch map before it was Tamilised. Hopefully the link is not censored.
http://www.jaffnahistory.com/Northern_Province/Images/yapanaya.jpg
cheers
/
Suresh / September 5, 2013
Vibhushana
*******“This is the basis for “Thamil Arasu” – was it?”******
NO, it is the truth and nothing but the truth.
*******“To think numerous riots and 1,000,000 Tamil IDPs became homeless over this did they?”******
This was due to Sinhala-Buddhist Racism, Extremism/Ultra-Nationalism, Hegemonism, and Violence (against the minorities) started from the time of Anagarika Dharmapala and continue till today. The rise of Tamil Terrorism is the direct consequence of Sinhala-Buddhist Racism, Extremism/Ultra-Nationalism, Hegemonism, and Violence. The Tamils were forced to take up arms and engage in terrorism due to the acts of the Sinhala-Buddhists. Now, the same thing is happening to the Muslims. If the Muslim Terrorism raise its head in Sri Lanka, Only and Only the Sinhala-Buddhists are to be blamed.
********“He had to submit to the Viceroy of Goa in 1560, and agreed to become a vassal of the King of Portugal. He also undertook to send to the Portuguese the annual tribute of 10 tuskers, which were earlier paid as tribute to the King of Kotte. He also surrendered most of the treasure that he seized after killing Vidiye Bandara and (that replica of) the Tooth Relic. “These terms written in the Portuguese and Chingala languages were signed and authenticated….The Portuguese warns all their fellowman, to be aware of Sinhala people. As it makes NO difference if they are in Jaffna or Kandy, that the Sinhala considers it all their territory!! (The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon’ by Rev Fernao De Queyroz p.371)”*******
All the above was written in just one book by just one and ONLY one Portuguese man known as Rev Fernao De Queyroz. How much knowledge did this one and ONLY one Portuguese man have about the whole of Sri Lanka and how reliable was his book/writing?
For Rev Fernao De Queyroz, each and every person in Sri Lanka was a chingalaz (Sinhalese). However, he was the same person who took the Brahmi script of the Sinhalese inscriptions to be Greek (Temporal and Spiritual conquest of Ceylon, book 1, page60).
The Kandyan Convention written in English and few Dissawes signed in Tamil during the British period is available for us to see but until now NO body has ever seen the JAFFNA convention signed between Portuguese and Jaffna ruler in ‘Sinhala’ which is supposed to be kept in Lisbon.
Prof. Tikiri Abeyasinghe, Professor of Modern history in the University of Colombo (1974-1985), in his publication ‘Jaffna under the Portuguese’ says, he visited Goa Historical Archives in 1967 & 1982 and also stayed in Portugal during 1978-79 for nine months and visited Arquivo da Torre do Tombo & Arquivo Històrico Ultramarino, the two leading archives in Lisbon, and has not seen the so called pact drafted in ‘Sinhala’ & Portuguese language anywhere.
Interestingly, Prof. Tikiri Abeyasinghe did explain the misconception of Portuguese and their failure to distinguish between Tamil & Sinhala in pages 26-57.
Let me quote one paragraph,
‘The decision of the Lisbon authorities is embodied in a letter dated 15th March 1634. The views of the two old Asia hands seemed to have influenced the authorities in Lisbon, particularly on the need for caution and for not rocking the boat. Lisbon also seemed to have disliked blanket solutions-such as the removal of the entire group of mudaliyars-a solution founded on the a priori reasoning that the group could be potentially dangerous. ..
The deceision of the Lisbon authorities was founded on natural justice. It was also founded on misintelligence. A principal factor they took into consideration in arriving at their decision was the possibility that the implementation of the two proposals would lead to rebellion. This is clear from a statement in their latter of 15 March 1634, “…se nåo deve fazer novidade…porque de outro modo escanalizar junta tanta gente e de animos tåo inquietos e pouco fieis….” (no innovation ought to be tried …because otherwise people of such restless spirit and little faith will be acandalized….) But in fererring to people of restless spirit and little faith, the Lisbon authorities were thinking of the Sinhalese of the Kotte and not of the Tamils of Jaffna, as the phrase “como såo os chingalas”(as are the Sinhalese) which followed the extract quoted above makes clear.[taken from Goa archives] Three decades of rebellion in the Kotte lands had implanted among the Lisbon authorities a wholesome fear of attempting anything likely to cause unrest among the Sinhalese. To that fear and to the misintelligence among the Lisbon authorities that Jaffna was inhabited by the Sinhalese [such misintelligence was not confined to Lisbon. The count of Vidigueira, after serving as vicery at Goa for 7 years (in two term) after a term as President of the India Council in Lisbon, still believed in 1626 that the inhabitants of Jaffna were Sinhalese. ANTT Doc. Rem.Livro 24 doc 18 (no folio numbers) Even Fernåo de Queiros’ work was not free from this error. See pp, 357,361.366,371 etc.], the Jaffna mudaliyars owed their survival.”-courtesy Dr.Abeyasinghe
If you need more evidence to prove what you have said is all incorrect, I can give you enough from other sources.
******“How do you think Navaneetham Pillai ended up in South Africa? Vellalar were the agricultural caste. Who else than agriculturalists would they take to work on cotton and tobbaco plantations?”****
Navaneetham Pillai is not a Vellalar. Her forefathers went to South Africa as coolies/labor just like they came to Jaffna as coolies/labor to work for the Vellalar in the tobacco fields and in the south (from Colombo to Galle) for cinnamon plantation (today they are Sinhala-Buddhists).
******“Who else than agriculturalists would they take to work on cotton and tobbaco plantations?”******
You seem to be so ignorant even in basic general knowledge. The land owners/agriculturalists such as the Vellalar do not work in the fields, they employ coolies/labor and the Dutch supplied them coolies/labor from the Malabar Coast, it was a business deal.
******“Sure, as terrorist nuisance. Not as civilians belonging to a “Tamil homeland”.******
That is what a handful of Sinhala Nationalists believe but to know the truth you should come out from your tunnel vision.
******“Open link below “Valligamme” marked on Dutch map before it was Tamilised. Hopefully the link is not censored.”*****
Do not confuse Sanskrit with Sinhala. The ancient people in Jaffna were Hindus, Jains and Mahayana Buddhists. Sanskrit was the sacred language of all the three. There are many Sanskrit names in Jaffna, NOT Sinhala.
/
Vibhushana / September 6, 2013
Hey there Suresh,
I am learning so much from you. I just want to show my appreciation first.
So Tamils spoke in Tamil but wrote in Sanskrit did they? I thought you said Valigama was a pure Tamil word earlier. How did they pronounce Valigama without a “ga” in Tamil?
Anagarika Dharmapala was a Buddhist revivalist in the same sense Periyar was a “Dravidian” revivalist in Tamil Nadu. Periyar Tamil nationalist legacy continues to this day in AIDMK and DMK. Whereas Dharmapala activism did not cross over into political space nor did it have any bearing on minorities other than Christian missionary activism under British rule. isn’t it? Didn’t you know?
The Pillay in her name is that of her husband Paranjothy Anthony Pillay who was known generally as Gaby Pillay.The name Pillai is actually a caste suffix applicable to the traditionally agrarian land owning upper caste Vellala community in Tamil Nadu and to some sections of the Nair community in Kerala.In South Africa the term Pillai is spelled as Pillay. Gaby Pillay whom Navi married in 1965 was also a lawyer like his spouse.He is no more. – DBS Jeyraj.
How did you learn about Jaffna? Was it from a chronicle of the Sinhalese? Its either Rev Fernao De Queyroz or Sinhala chronicle isn’t it? Does this mean you prefer Mahavamsa more?
Cheers
/
Suresh / September 7, 2013
Vibhushana
*****“I am learning so much from you. I just want to show my appreciation first.”*****
Thanks!
******“So Tamils spoke in Tamil but wrote in Sanskrit did they? I thought you said Valigama was a pure Tamil word earlier. How did they pronounce Valigama without a “ga” in Tamil?”******
During the ancient period, ordinary people only spoke, they did not write and there were several ethnic groups living in the island (Yakkas, Nagas, Demadas, Kalingas, Kabojas/kambojas, Milekas, Muridis, Merayas, Jhavakas and so on). They must have spoken many languages.
Only some learned people like the members of the clergy (Hindus, Jains, Buddhists) and those close to the kings are able to write and Sanskrit could have been the language used only for writing.
No, the present day Tamils cannot pronounce Valigama without a “ga” but however Tamils call it Valikamam.
Do you know that the Malabar people (Kerela) were known as the mountain Tamils and Malayalam is believed to be the ancient Tamil? Not only the consonant “ga” but all others what you mentioned above are very loudly and clearly pronounced in Malabar language exactly as it is pronounced in Sinhala.
Do you know that the carnatic music “Sa”, “Re”, “Ga”, “Ma”, “Pa”, “Da”, “Ni” is Dravidian and originated from South India?
On the other hand, the old Tamil names found in South India – Sri Lanka region are very similar to those Sanskrit names (do not end with an ‘N’ or an ‘M’). For example, some of the names of ancient Sri Lankan Tamil kings (mentioned in Mahavamsa) were Sena, Guttika, Elara, Pulahatha, Bahiya, Panayamara, Parinda, Dathiya, and so on. Similarly in South India, the names of the ancient Tamil kings were Kulathunga Chola, Vikrma Chola, Aditya Chola, Kulasekara Pandya, Vira Wickrama Pandya, Parakrama Pandya, Sundara Pandya, and so on.
In today’s context, they do not sound Tamil at all (sounds more Sinhala). If not for the Mahavamsa, we would have never come to know that these kings (such as Sena, Guttika, Elara) were Tamils.
*****“Anagarika Dharmapala was a Buddhist revivalist in the same sense Periyar was a “Dravidian” revivalist in Tamil Nadu. Periyar Tamil nationalist legacy continues to this day in AIDMK and DMK. Whereas Dharmapala activism did not cross over into political space nor did it have any bearing on minorities other than Christian missionary activism under British rule. isn’t it? Didn’t you know?”*****
Today, the Maha Sangha and the Sinhala-Buddhist monks are NOT the disciples of Buddha; they are the disciples of Anagarika Dharmapala who believed in the Mahavamsa as an Orthodox Theravada Buddhist doctrine of the Sinhala Buddhists. He called the Sinhala Buddhists as the only unique race (Arya-Sinhala) with a pure Aryan blood. In 1908, Dharmapala declared that Buddhism was “completely identified with the racial individuality of the people.” As Peter Schalk states: “This is probably one of the most conflict creating public statements made in the 20th century. It is also a statement that is detrimental nationally and internationally to the reputation of Buddhism. He stated explicitly that Lanka belongs to the Buddhist Sinhalese and for the Tamils there is South India.”
With that started the Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalism spanning from Anagarika Dharampala’s revivalist movement through 1956 “silent revolution to Jathika Chinthanaya and Sinhala Urumaya in the 1990s is interpreted as a teleological linear history, at the end, intending the ethnic crisis at present.
******“The Pillay in her name is that of her husband Paranjothy Anthony Pillay who was known generally as Gaby Pillay.The name Pillai is actually a caste suffix applicable to the traditionally agrarian land owning upper caste Vellala community in Tamil Nadu and to some sections of the Nair community in Kerala.In South Africa the term Pillai is spelled as Pillay. Gaby Pillay whom Navi married in 1965 was also a lawyer like his spouse.He is no more. – DBS Jeyraj.”******
Do you believe everything what DBSJ says as gospel truth? I did not read his article but however, I think you are quoting DBSJ out of context.
In the case of the Sinhalese, their family name/surname is constantly carried forward from generation to generation (Eg, Ratwatte, Don Hewavitharana, De Silva, etc), whereas the Tamils do not carry forward a constant family name/surname and their ancestors are not known beyond three generations. Pillay is just another Tamil name. Gaby and Navi Pillay’s children may not be having the name Pillay and their great grandparents also may not have had the name Pillay. Tamil caste cannot be identified from the present day Tamil names.
For example,
The Portuguese went about converting the remaining members of the royal family and the Vellalar Tamil aristocrats of the Kingdom of Jaffna (after its fall) into Catholicism. They made them the headmen of Jaffna and give them the Portuguese title Don. These titles continued into the Dutch period as seen in the names of signatories of the Thesavalami laws and customs of Jaffna which was codified under the Dutch.
The signatories of the Thesavalami laws and customs of Jaffna were, Don Philip Villaivarasa Mutaliyar, Don Anthony Narayanan, Don Frnscisco Arulampalam Mutaliyar, Don Juan Chantirasekara Mana Muthaliyar, Don Martino Manappuli Mutaliyar, Don Franscisco Vanniyarasa Mutaliyar, Don Juan Chayampunata Mutaliyar, Don Juan Chutukavala Chenathirayan Mutaliyar, Don Louwys Putar, and Don Francisco Rasarathina Mutaliyar.
Today, from the names we do not know who the decedents of these people are. You will not find the name Don in Jaffna anymore.
******“How did you learn about Jaffna? Was it from a chronicle of the Sinhalese? Its either Rev Fernao De Queyroz or Sinhala chronicle isn’t it?”*******
To learn about Jaffna, we neither need the Mahavamsa nor Rev Fernao De Queyroz. We have “para-rasa-sekaran-ula”, the chronicle “Rasa-murai”, Vai-iai Padal, Vaipava-Malai, Kailaya Malai, etc.
******“Does this mean you prefer Mahavamsa more?”*****
The beginning chapters of the Mahavamsa is full of Myth (eg: Buddha’s 3 magical visits, Vijay’s connection with a Lion, etc) and it is biased towards Theravada Buddhists. However, we must acknowledge the fact that the Mahavamsa is the greatest Epic Poem written in Pali during the ancient period.
/
Suresh / September 7, 2013
Vibhushana
*****“I am learning so much from you. I just want to show my appreciation first.”*****
Thanks!
******“So Tamils spoke in Tamil but wrote in Sanskrit did they? I thought you said Valigama was a pure Tamil word earlier. How did they pronounce Valigama without a “ga” in Tamil?”******
During the ancient period, ordinary people only spoke, they did not write and there were several ethnic groups living in the island (Yakkas, Nagas, Demadas, Kalingas, Kabojas/kambojas, Milekas, Muridis, Merayas, Jhavakas and so on). They must have spoken many languages.
Only some learned people like the members of the clergy (Hindus, Jains, Buddhists) and those close to the kings are able to write and Sanskrit could have been the language used only for writing.
No, the present day Tamils cannot pronounce Valigama without a “ga” but however Tamils call it Valikamam.
Do you know that the Malabar people (Kerela) were known as the mountain Tamils and Malayalam is believed to be the ancient Tamil? Not only the consonant “ga” but all others what you mentioned above are very loudly and clearly pronounced in Malabar language exactly as it is pronounced in Sinhala.
Do you know that the carnatic music “Sa”, “Re”, “Ga”, “Ma”, “Pa”, “Da”, “Ni” is Dravidian and originated from South India?
On the other hand, the old Tamil names found in South India – Sri Lanka region are very similar to those Sanskrit names (do not end with an ‘N’ or an ‘M’). For example, some of the names of ancient Sri Lankan Tamil kings (mentioned in Mahavamsa) were Sena, Guttika, Elara, Pulahatha, Bahiya, Panayamara, Parinda, Dathiya, and so on. Similarly in South India, the names of the ancient Tamil kings were Kulathunga Chola, Vikrma Chola, Aditya Chola, Kulasekara Pandya, Vira Wickrama Pandya, Parakrama Pandya, Sundara Pandya, and so on.
In today’s context, they do not sound Tamil at all (sounds more Sinhala). If not for the Mahavamsa, we would have never come to know that these kings (such as Sena, Guttika, Elara) were Tamils.
*****“Anagarika Dharmapala was a Buddhist revivalist in the same sense Periyar was a “Dravidian” revivalist in Tamil Nadu. Periyar Tamil nationalist legacy continues to this day in AIDMK and DMK. Whereas Dharmapala activism did not cross over into political space nor did it have any bearing on minorities other than Christian missionary activism under British rule. isn’t it? Didn’t you know?”*****
Today, the Maha Sangha and the Sinhala-Buddhist monks are NOT the disciples of Buddha; they are the disciples of Anagarika Dharmapala who believed in the Mahavamsa as an Orthodox Theravada Buddhist doctrine of the Sinhala Buddhists. He called the Sinhala Buddhists as the only unique race (Arya-Sinhala) with a pure Aryan blood. In 1908, Dharmapala declared that Buddhism was “completely identified with the racial individuality of the people.” As Peter Schalk states: “This is probably one of the most conflict creating public statements made in the 20th century. It is also a statement that is detrimental nationally and internationally to the reputation of Buddhism. He stated explicitly that Lanka belongs to the Buddhist Sinhalese and for the Tamils there is South India.”
With that started the Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalism spanning from Anagarika Dharampala’s revivalist movement through 1956 “silent revolution to Jathika Chinthanaya and Sinhala Urumaya in the 1990s is interpreted as a teleological linear history, at the end, intending the ethnic crisis at present.
******“The Pillay in her name is that of her husband Paranjothy Anthony Pillay who was known generally as Gaby Pillay.The name Pillai is actually a caste suffix applicable to the traditionally agrarian land owning upper caste Vellala community in Tamil Nadu and to some sections of the Nair community in Kerala.In South Africa the term Pillai is spelled as Pillay. Gaby Pillay whom Navi married in 1965 was also a lawyer like his spouse.He is no more. – DBS Jeyraj.”******
Do you believe everything what DBSJ says as gospel truth? I did not read his article but however, I think you are quoting DBSJ out of context.
In the case of the Sinhalese, their family name/surname is constantly carried forward from generation to generation (Eg, Ratwatte, Don Hewavitharana, De Silva, etc), whereas the Tamils do not carry forward a constant family name/surname and their ancestors are not known beyond three generations. Pillay is just another Tamil name. Gaby and Navi Pillay’s children may not be having the name Pillay and their great grandparents also may not have had the name Pillay. Tamil caste cannot be identified from the present day Tamil names.
For example,
The Portuguese went about converting the remaining members of the royal family and the Vellalar Tamil aristocrats of the Kingdom of Jaffna (after its fall) into Catholicism. They made them the headmen of Jaffna and give them the Portuguese title Don. These titles continued into the Dutch period as seen in the names of signatories of the Thesavalami laws and customs of Jaffna which was codified under the Dutch.
The signatories of the Thesavalami laws and customs of Jaffna were, Don Philip Villaivarasa Mutaliyar, Don Anthony Narayanan, Don Frnscisco Arulampalam Mutaliyar, Don Juan Chantirasekara Mana Muthaliyar, Don Martino Manappuli Mutaliyar, Don Franscisco Vanniyarasa Mutaliyar, Don Juan Chayampunata Mutaliyar, Don Juan Chutukavala Chenathirayan Mutaliyar, Don Louwys Putar, and Don Francisco Rasarathina Mutaliyar.
Today, from the names we do not know who the decedents of these people are. You will not find the name Don in Jaffna anymore.
******“How did you learn about Jaffna? Was it from a chronicle of the Sinhalese? Its either Rev Fernao De Queyroz or Sinhala chronicle isn’t it?”*******
To learn about Jaffna, we neither need the Mahavamsa nor Rev Fernao De Queyroz. We have “para-rasa-sekaran-ula”, the chronicle “Rasa-murai”, Vai-iai Padal, Vaipava-Malai, Kailaya Malai, etc.
******“Does this mean you prefer Mahavamsa more?”*****
The beginning chapters of the Mahavamsa is full of Myth (eg: Buddha’s 3 magical visits, Vijay’s connection with a Lion, etc) and it is biased towards Theravada Buddhists. However, we must acknowledge the fact that the Mahavamsa is the greatest Epic Poem written in Pali during the ancient period.
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Vibhushana / September 8, 2013
Hello there Suresh,
Sorry I thought the article disapleared on me.
What does this mean? When the Dutch were there people could read and write Sanskrit. The Tamil who live there now cannot. What is your take on it please?
Periyar said the same thing about Brahmins, christians and Moslems living in Tamil nadu. Brahmins were chased away becuase of him?
Where does it say Chelvanayagam’s was influenced by Anagaraka? In wasn’t ‘colonisation’ or ‘descrimination’. Didn’t the guy declare his intention to secede north, east and even the central provinces on the basis of “Tamil Kingdom” in Jaffna? If any time Tamils were kicked out from Ceylon was it was becase of Chevlanayagam wasn’t it? Why bring nonsensical arguments?
DBSJ is not the truth, Rev Fernao De Queyroz is not telling the truth, Ven Mahanama is lying, except you isnt it?
Who wrote this Vaipava-Malai and where is it?
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Suresh / September 8, 2013
Vibhushana
*****“What does this mean? When the Dutch were there people could read and write Sanskrit. The Tamil who live there now cannot. What is your take on it please?”*****
Do you have difficulty in understanding the English language? Please re-read all what I have written. Who told you that the people could read and write Sanskrit and that also during the Dutch period? The Sanskrit names did not come during the Dutch period; it was there from early historic period. The inscriptions, cave writings, place names, etc were done by learned people (not ordinary people) like the clergy and those close to the kings who were able to read and write Sanskrit. Like Pali was the language for writing (Deepavamsa, Mahavamsa, Tripitaka, etc), Sanskrit could have been the language used only for writing during the early historic period.
Not only were the place names, even the Tamil royal names were Sanskrit. Can you find Sena, Guttika, Elara, Pulahatha, Bahiya, Panayamara, Parinda, Dathiya, Kulathunga, Aditya, Kulasekara, Vira Wickrama, Parakrama and so on among the Tamils who live there today? These were Tamil kings in both Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. Today if I tell a Sinhalese Kulathunga, Kulasekara, Vira Wickrama, and Parakrama were Tamil names (see Tamil Nadu history) will he/she believe? Today they are Sinhala names.
*******“Where does it say Chelvanayagam’s was influenced by Anagaraka?”*****
Sinhala-Buddhist racism and ultra-nationalism was influenced by Anagaraka and its consequence was Tamil Nationalism.
******“In wasn’t ‘colonisation’ or ‘descrimination’. Didn’t the guy declare his intention to secede north, east and even the central provinces on the basis of “Tamil Kingdom” in Jaffna?”*****
NO, Chevlanayagam was totally misunderstood or misquoted by certain section of the Sinhala-Buddhists (racists). In 1949, he was only talking about federalism and NOT separation. Only in 1977 (just before his death) he presided over the meeting on Vaddukotai Resolution that called for separation.
At the inaugural meeting of ITAK on 18th December 1949 at Maradana, as reported on Page 70 of S. J. V. Chelvanayakam and the crisis of Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism,
Chelvanayagam delivered the inaugural address – in which he did not, as some believe, hark back to the Tamil Kingdom of the pre-Portuguese phase, although there was passing references to it. He EMPHASIZED that Tamils and Sinhalese had co-exited PRINCIPALLY in their separate areas.
This is what he said at the First National Convention of ITAK held at Trinco in 1951.
The first resolution claimed for the Tamil-speaking people an ‘unchallengeable title to nationhood’. Nationhood was derived from ‘a separate historical past’ at least as ancient and as glorious as that of the Sinhalese, (ibid, p74).
The resolution cited Canada, India, Switzerland and the Soviet Union, where the problem of multilingualism had been tackled by adopting the federal form of government.
It goes on to add on p30: On 7 March Chelvanayagam reassured the Tamil public that a Tamil linguistic province could support itself as a federal unit.
In every one of these statements, he eventually qualified his stance for Federalism. He was referring to the plight of Tamils again and promoted the concept of federalism. The paragraph goes as follows:
India which he regarded as the spiritual mother of Ceylon and of the Tamils in particular, had ‘attained real independence’ whereas Ceylon has obtained ‘imitation independence’, in which the Tamils had no share.
******“If any time Tamils were kicked out from Ceylon was it was becase of Chevlanayagam wasn’t it? Why bring nonsensical arguments?”*****
You make me laugh. The Tamils were sent out of the country as refugees with a purpose to form a powerful Diaspora in order to internationalize the Tamil issue and to lobby the west. Today, you can see its outcome. If you think that the Tamils were scared, they will not come up with such a strongly worded manifesto even after they were defeated in 2009. Tamils have shared this island along with the Sinhalese from ancient time (equal partners). Nobody can kick them out of the country.
******“DBSJ is not the truth, Rev Fernao De Queyroz is not telling the truth, Ven Mahanama is lying, except you isnt it?”*****
Again you are finding it difficult to understand English (what I have written). I did not read DBSJ, if you had read and understood what I have written above about Tamil names and the caste you would not have said this. Again who told you that Rev Fernao De Queyroz is telling lies? If you understood what Prof. Tikiri Abeyasinghe says (re-read above), Rev Fernao De Queyroz has made a serious error due to lack of knowledge about the island and its people. He could not understand the difference between Tamil and Sinhala. I can show you several errors in his book with the page numbers if you insist. Once again, where did I say Ven. Mahanama is lying? The first few chapters in the Mahavamsa are stories most probably created by him. This kind of mythology is very common not only in Mahavamsa but even in Hinduism (Ramayana, Mahabaratha, etc), Christianity (Old Testament), etc.
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Silva / September 10, 2013
Vibhushana
I was following your exchanges with Suresh. You came and challenged like a Sinhaya with pora talk, I was feeling happy but instead of continuing, you left behind your amude and ran away (escaped). Shame on you man! You let us down very badly.
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / September 3, 2013
A very badly formulated manifesto. It represents the dilemma within the TNA as to its future direction and the need to jettison its past. It mentions Chandrika Kumaratunge’s cinstitutional proposals, but fails to mention it own role in sabotaging them. I am disappointed. The TNA has to decide what it wants to be-fish or owl, once and for all. It cannot be both. It has to acknowledge its own tainted past and relegate it to the furnace. It has to talk about the future in more concrete terms and not in superlatives. What are the institutional arrangements such as think-tanks and projects that the TNA proposes to establish and execute to improve the livelihoods of all the people in the north, especially the vulnerable who are yet carrying the cross of the war aftermath. How does it proposes deal with government at the centre given the problems with the 13th amendment and the attitudes of MR and his government? Is it going to be confrontation or dogged efforts to make the best out of bad, though not totally hopeless situation. How does it propose to include the Tamil Diaspora in development, when both the Diaspora and the MR government are wary of each other. There is no concrete thinking in this manifesto. It is the usual rhetoric, similar to those of the FP and TULF in the past.
However, I will yet urge the people to vote for the TNA because Justice Wigneswaran is its nominee for the Chief Ministership. He represents the change in quality of Tamil political leadership the Tamils need and desire. I hope he does not let down the Tamils and lead them up a flawed path once elected.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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Anpu / September 3, 2013
Dr RN,
Please go to the north and campaign for Justice Wigneswaran.
Thank you
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Walagemba / September 8, 2013
Anpu
For what?
To wipe out another generation of young sons and daughters? Get a life AUPU(KA). YOU IDIOTS NEVER LEARN FROM YOUR OWN MISTAKE.
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Patriot / September 3, 2013
Follow TNA campaign slogans, anyone can see that TNA aims for ISGA of LTTE to start with. But at no time have they regretted for its predecessor, ITAK’s tactics that made many a innocent to lay their lives to achieve its pipe dream – Eelam. Sambandan, Vignashwaran and co may shed crocodile tears for Muslims now; Muslims better remember that Sambandans were absolutely quiet when LTTE chased them out of the ‘historical habitation of the Tamil Speaking Peoples’ with just 24 hour notice.
In addition to claiming ‘Tamils are a distinct People’ and ‘have inhabited Sri Lanka from time of immemorial’ etc and etc, I am surprised these geezers do not ask Sri Lanka government to bear the cost for the return of the rejected economic refuges.
Sambandan, Vignashwaran and co live in their dream world. They should ask Obama to add cheese to his Tomahawk missiles when he fire it at Sri Lanka on behalf of Tamils to enforce UNHRC recommendations implemented.
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Asgar Hussein / September 3, 2013
Stupid Patriot
Not a single Muslim leader talked about the plight of Muslims in parliament or anywhere else. It was only Sambandan and Sumandiran who stood up for the Muslims. You may call it crocodile tears but the Muslims leaders could not shed any tears. You have no moral rights to talk or advise any Muslims, they know the difference between Sambandan and Prabakaran.
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Aela / September 4, 2013
Come on Patriot. What is wrong with the line ‘ Tamils are a distinct people and have inhabited Sri Lanka from time immemorial ‘. Have you studied your history or are you just sprouting words like the BBS?
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Park / September 4, 2013
Every one living in Sri Lanka, including Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims are all distinct people. Its not only the Tamils who are distinct people. Every one including Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims are Sri Lankans. Self rule within a unified state is the answer. No self rule or determination out side a unified state. Yes Tamils and Muslims have issues. Muslims are people who belong to the religion of Islam. They are Tamils. So TNA should change their manifesto to treat Muslims as Tamils and address them accordingly rather than placing them under a separate group. In actual fact what TNA should have said was “Tamils which includes Muslims……..”
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R. Varathan / September 4, 2013
Although Park correctly says Muslims (in S/Lanka) are Tamils their leaders have let them down the path for the advantage of the leaders by identifying with Sinhala sides. Now they are in the “arasanai nambi purushanai vitten. Ippo arusanamum illai purushanum illai” dilemma (left the husband trusting the Prince. Now I have lost both) The undeniable fact is local Muslims overwhelmingly are of recent South Indian origin.
The LTTE is now history. It is in the interest of Northern Muslims to close ranks and vote for the TNA. Vigneswaren and Sampanthan can be expected to restore their homes and lands to them. The large Muslim population in Tamilnadu too is likely to back them and offer them protection as time passes. The Northern Muslims are different and more education and culture-centric, principled and honourable. The Muslim leadership in the rest of the country has established they are far from honest, divided and forget the community once they get into Govt positions.
Varathan
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K.A Sumanasekera / September 4, 2013
Does this manifesto offer solace to the real inhabitants of the North who were under Prabakaran for thirty years?.
Does it offer confidence to the great majority of the rest who are yarning for a peaceful living in the better than expected good Economy after suffering three decades of terrorism?.
Here are some ponits which are relevant ..
* Sambandan wants the Govt to pay compensation to the victims.But the Diaspora must only get free access to TNA run North to claim their Real Eastate and do Business.
* Tamil speaking Muslims who are welcome, but no mention of the 100,000 who were chased by Mr Prabkaran, who hand picked Sambandan as the TNA Leader.
No mention of Muslims who speak Sinhala and live in the South.
* 70,000 dead in Nanthikadal and Sambandan wants to investigate when their Chief Investigator didn’t raise the issue although she was in the island for full seven days and had time to spend time with a Jesuit Priest and his NGO mate
* Mr Sambandan wants to look after the 50,000 war widows when his Vellala CM takes charge.
No mention of Who looked after them for the last four years?
Mr Sambandan wants to appoint the Police.Would this Police be impartial when dealing with Devananda supporters?.
* There are one Million Diasporeans according to Sambandan. and half a Mil displaced.
However there is no mention of three quater Mil living in Colombo and outer suburbs.
* Although the Election is only for the Nort, Mr Sambandan already has plans for the East as well.
Do these items indicte a peace friendly and people friendy administration as far as the great majority of the inhabitant population is concerned?.
* No mention of wecoming any Sinhalese although the current Economy in the North d even mention the subject although she was in the
.
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spotlight / September 4, 2013
Not really a comprehensive manifesto. Very little meaningful content to make an assessment of WHAT will be done to improve the lives of those who live in those provinces and HOW it will be achieved.
Lots of promises to Tamils (diaspora?). But it has a dangerous similarity to the TULF manifesto of 1977 and we know what happened to them when the promises were not kept.
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Sooriasegaram / September 4, 2013
Having read TNA’s manifesto, I feel they would have been better off without a manifesto. It appears more like a funeral cry and a sob story. It has taken so long for them to reproduce their 2010 un-achieved General Election mandate as their manifesto for this local elections. TNA’s bankrupsy persists in spite of their international consultations.
Like Dr. Narendran, I also welcome Vigneswaran’s candidature. But the problem now is that when Vigneswaran takes over as Chief Minister he is going to be without an implementable manifesto. TNA has let him down badly. Is this an internal sabotage?
Luckily for Vickneswaran, some of the opposition candidates have put forward reasonably good manifestos and concrete proposals to address the immediate as well as the long term issues of people in this region. If he adopts these manifestos he will become a very successful Chief Minister. In this way he can ensure the support and co-operation of the opposition as well. Implementation can be fast tracked with unanimous support! Who knows TNA’s bad manifesto can turn out to be a blessing in disguise. I wish Mr.Vickneswaran all the successes as the first Chief Minister of Northern Province.
Soori
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Ajith / September 4, 2013
Dear Mr Sooriasegaram,
Justice Vickneswaran is part and partial of TNA and you don’t need to mingle with dirty politics. You keep this dirty politics with Douglas, Ankaiyan and Mahinda. You don’t need to educate Viockneswaran and TNA what are the immediate needs of the people and medium and long-term goals. You people are working with government in many projects including running hotels and brothels, corruption in all sectors and implementing white van technology. Tamils don’t need the support of corrupted regime to run a clean politics. Please advice your master to give up all the criminal activities and allow to TNA run the affairs smoothly.
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Manivannan MP / September 4, 2013
WELDONE TNA THIS MANIFESTO IS THE THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WITHIN THE CURRENT POLITICAL SPACE AND LACK OF ONE.
THE TNA MANIFESTO TELL THE HISTORY AND STRUGGLE FOR INTERNAL SELF DETERMINATION ! IT IS VERY UN LIKELY THE CHAUVINIST WILL NOT AGREE TO ANY OF THIS. WHAT HAPPENED TO TAMILS IS A SYSTEMATIC GENOCIDE. GIVING ANY MEANINGFUL DEVOLUTION OF POWER WILL STOP THE GENOCIDE! LET US ALL ENCOURAGE TAMILS TO VOTE FOR TNA.
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Wickramasiri / September 4, 2013
A shocking document, inward looking and focused on the past. Reminds me of all the old racially slanted manifestos of the past. I cannot see any hope for reconciliation and a bright, happy future in this doleful document. Is this all the bright Tamil leadership can think?
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justice / September 4, 2013
Tamils in the north wish for equal rights with all other citizens of sri lanka,nothing more & nothing less.
They want the same rights enjoyed by citizens in all other provincial councils,without interfearance by their governors.
They want to live without harassment,to pursue their lives and livelihoods without hindrance,like citizens in all other provincial council areas.
These are the basic points of the manifesto.
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spotlight / September 4, 2013
A manifesto should not be a 100% political rhetoric. There must be some economic strategy and financial plan at least. Even something on the lines of ‘bringing rice from the moon to give 2 measures of free rice’ kind of plan is not presented here. There is still time if the TNA wants to come up with a proper ‘proposal’ that can be evaluated.
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Thondamanaru / September 4, 2013
Nothing mor or nothing less – Tamils in the North wish for equal rights says Justice
What rights does the Tamils living in the South decades enjoy?
Sampanthan one foot in the grave have dragged Vickneshwaran too into his political Cess-Pit.
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Dr. N. Satchi / September 4, 2013
Politics is the art of the possible. The international community has always acted in their own self-interest both strategic & geopolitical.
Dr. N. Satchi UK
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Native Vedda / September 5, 2013
Dr. N. Satchi
“The international community has always acted in their own self-interest both strategic & geopolitical.”
IC always made use of unlimited Sinhala/Tamil stupidity.
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Dr. N. Satchi / September 5, 2013
Native Vedda
I agree but Tamil stupidity has been profound. I find it difficult to believe that mature men can take decisions like this.
Dr. N. Satchi UK
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Native Vedda / September 6, 2013
Dr. N. Satchi
“I agree but Tamil stupidity has been profound.”
Both keep up with each other. I can vouch for that.
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I am no muslim / September 5, 2013
What about the stupidity of vedda.
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Native Vedda / September 6, 2013
I am no muslim
“What about the stupidity of vedda.”
What about it?
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Dr. N. Satchi / September 6, 2013
The authors of the TNA manifesto should read the Daily Mirror editorial of 5th September 2013. It is a very thought out editorial that all Tamils should read and reflect.
Dr. N. Satchi UK
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Patriot / September 6, 2013
Ajith above says, “Read Banda-Chelva, Dudley-Chelva pacts before LTTE and Oslo agreement between LTTE and SriLanka to see what Tamils and Sinhalese agreed upon plus 13Plus by MR”
I must say to start with that LTTE had never kept its agreements with any party (government or otherwise). Norwegian brokered LTTE-Ranil ‘peace’ agreement (CFA) in 2002 is the best example. According to peace monitors, SLMM, LTTE ceasefire violations number 5464 from 22 February 2002 to 4 February 2006. And that is before the start of LTTE’s end game.
During the said period, LTTE had killed 174 security forces personnel and 388 civilians, 117 attempted murders, 620 abductions, 46 attempted abductions, 106 cases of extortion, 2199 conscriptions, 875 injury to persons, 22 instances of torture, 128 cases of intimidation. These are the cases reported to SLMM. They also say LTTE had recruited 1200 children between February 2002 to April 2005 obviously to turn them be killers.
Needless to say then, all our efforts and agreements with LTTE should be relegated to the same destiny as that of LTTE. As for Banda-Chelva, Dudley-Chelva and any other past pacts, neither MR nor his government is obliged to honour any of them. Why? On 14th May 1976, Chelva’s party, ITAK had passed a resolution at a mass rally in Waddukkodai that urged ‘Tamil youth to take up arms and never to lay them down until ‘Eelam’ is won. That means, from then on Chelva and his follower had discarded all peaceful protests and negotiations and decided to get what they wanted through war.
Since then, we have endured onslaughts against pilgrims, killings of the young, the sick and the old by pistol gangs, human bombs, clamour bombs, aerial bombings and what not. We were compelled to fight many a battle and wars against the division of our country or the formation of a Tamil Eelam for over 30 years. With MR, we have finally defeated the separatist terrorists in a last battle at Nanthikadal. Mind you, it was no ordinary victory for LTTE terrorists had all kinds of links. They had medusa touch with all the terrorist gangs the world over. Moreover, LTTE had elevated from the Indian armed ragtag terrorist outfit to a sophisticated billion dollar drug running, arms peddling terrorist cum fighting machine sympathized and anchored in the capitals of many a western country.
Since the defeat of LTTE, there arisen a new situation: ‘Human right’ that was not there when LTTE was blasting their human bombs and their pistol gangs were killing their Tamil Leaders like Amirthalingam, has become cat’s paw to manipulate small countries to back the whims and fancies of the ex-colonial countries. Those countries that oppose neo-colonial designs were labelled and targeted worse than the terrorists.
Neo-colonialists pay their agents to form various NGOs to paint a dirty picture of countries and the leaders who disagree with their policies. And UN Security Council is clearly divided. It’s the new game going-on all around us.
So, if Tamils still claim to have their so-called grievances they’ll have to discuss it in this new situation in a new light. The old game of turning grievances in to aspirations with the aid of neo-colonialists won’t do because we the majority in this country oppose it. We know very well that Tamil aspiration is nothing but Eelam. Sambandan, Wigneswaran and co are silly to think Sinhalas will let them have Wadukkodai resolutions we have defeated so hard.
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ilyasfazly / September 9, 2013
Mr. Sambanthan. It looks like you have not learned from the past and and have shown you your true colors and intent on being a scapegoat of the defunct LTTE and now the TGTE of Rudrakumaran et all.
You and your ilk have brought upon untold miseries and problems to the tamils of the north, south, east and west of Srilanka. Yes, that’s where all the tamils in srilanka are centered and spread and living in peace ofcourse with a few short comings.
For thirty years you have hidden behind your Indian, Norwegian and european benefactors whilst the innocent tamil at the receiving end would not be even sure whether tomorrow will dawn.
The 13th amendment,Which came into effect whether by choice or default is your only hope now.Work on it and build a society that will be respected and benefitted by the tamils.. win over the Centre with trust and respect so that the International Community will stand by you should the Centre default.
The tamils can’t be drawn into another 30 years of war and mayhem,and so do the other citizens of the majority and other minorities, thus allowing and playing into the hands of the ruling and pave way for a dictatorship which is the lingering thought.
you and some other of the tamil parties are like recalcitrants, if you do not wish to give a try and effort to work within the 13th amendement and gain results…………please drop dead!
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