28 March, 2024

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Honourable Prime Minister Of Bharath, We Seek Justice & Fair Play

By C.V. Wigneswaran

C.V Wigneswaran

C.V Wigneswaran

Gurur Brahma …

Honourable Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, Honourable Pallihakara, Governor of the Northern Province , Your Excellency Mr.Y.K.Singha, the High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka, Honourable Minister Mr.Karu Jayasuriya, Honourable Minister Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, Honourable Minister Mr.Laxman Kiriella, Shri Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser, Dr.S.Jai Shanker, Foreign Secretary of India, distinguished high officials from India and Sri Lanka, my dear brothers and sisters!

I am no doubt flattered that I have been blessed with the task of welcoming you Sir, the Prime Minister of Bharath, whom I had wanted to meet several years ago even while your Honour was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. You were known then to have been an excellent administrator. You transformed Gujarat into a successful State. You had brought international recognition to Gujarat and conceived the Gujarat model for development, which I referred to in my congratulatory message to you Sir in May 2014. Your excellent leadership and people centered approach was possible due to the nature of center-periphery framework and content and quantum of devolution that is prevalent under the Indian constitution, which is a Union, secular by design.

Your achievements in Gujarat in building a highly responsive public administration system to ensure women empowerment, infra-structure development, economic and industry development initiatives have given us great inspiration. You have shown us a model for us to draw lessons from.

You are empowering each state in India to craft their own success stories by untangling the burdening bureaucracy, fighting corruption and embarking on national scale programs. You are in effect on a mission to unease the potential of every Indian regardless of their class, creed or gender. No wonder you referred to your firm belief in co-operative federalism yesterday in Parliament.

Wigneswarn ModiNeedless to say the relationship between our two Countries is quite long and ancient. The Bridge of Rama connects our two Countries close to where you Sir, had unveiled a Plaque today inaugurating the Talaimannar Pier Railway Station. It is the desire of our citizens that close collaboration continue between our peoples in the field of trade, commerce, business, Information Technology and other Technologies, education, sport, culture and many other fields.

Your nation has for long welcomed the persecuted, the dispossessed, the war affected and the stateless. From the Jews escaping the Romans 2000 years ago, to Syrian Christians escaping religious persecution in 4 century AD to the modern day Tibetans and nearly 100 thousand of our own have sought and found sanctuary in your nation. I take this opportunity to offer our profound thanks to your people for your long and continuous humanitarian gestures.

You have Sir, risen from humble beginnings with sheer commitment and determination to the highest office in India despite determined and formidable opposition against you over decades. We are aware that it was your yearning to serve the people of India and to create an India to be taken note of in the 21 century that has ensured your ascendency to power. We have no doubt Sir, that you will usher in political, economic, social and cultural renaissance in your Country. Your forthrightness in wanting the full implementation of the 13th Amendment when Mr.Rajapaksa met you on your ascension to power was a step in the right direction though the path to ultimate resolution and settlement is going to be long and arduous. Thirteenth Amendment can never be the final solution.

You have Sir, after assuming office as Prime Minister dismantled centralized planning process to facilitate greater performance and productivity among the States in the Indian Union. We are no doubt happy you are yourself a proponent and an advocate of devolution. That exactly is what we are agitating for in Sri Lanka.

The current 13th Amendment Framework and the existing Sri Lankan constitutional architecture that had evolved since the first Republican Constitution of 1972 without the consent and participation of Tamils of North and East of our Country, poses formidable challenges and hindrances in realizing the quantum of devolution required to fulfill the needs and aspirations of the Tamil Speaking People of North and East of Sri Lanka. Indian Constitution provides for the facilitation of sustainable development, internal security, law and order, policing and protection pertaining to lands and so on within the State. Our inability to function in our Province to the extent you were able to help Gujarat under the Indian Constitution needs to be understood.

Especially the inadequacies of the Thirteenth Amendment. Even when the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 was signed there was a historic communication by our leaders to the then Indian Prime Minister, late Shri Rajiv Gandhi on 28 October 1987, pointing out   hollow and inadequate the 13th Amendment had been. They sought the then Indian Government’s intervention on behalf of the Tamils of North East Province of Sri Lanka. When Indo Lanka Accord was negotiated ostensibly as a solution to the Tamil Question, India whilst addressing Indian Security and Strategic concerns, stood as a guarantor on behalf of the Tamils of North-East. That situation prevails in North-East Provinces in Sri Lanka even today. We need the services of a guarantor and it is our considered view that the Government of India under your stewardship is best suited for this role!.

The emaciated Thirteenth Amendment has not brought the required and expected devolution to the North and East. Even today parallel administrative structures exist one directed by the Centre and the other by the Province despite the appointment of an amiable Governor!

Our former President in May 2009 released a joint statement with the UN Secretary General during latter’s visit to Sri Lanka relating to the core issues and post war context and the causes of the conflict. Later in January 2010 he promised Mr. Manmohan Singh, your predecessor, that he will go beyond the Thirteenth Amendment. Hence, it is time that we take note of the commitment expressed by the then Sri Lankan Head of State, consider our post war context, needs, priorities and concerns and move forward with the active support of your friendly Country under your leadership.

We seek positive action to be taken to resolve our problems. May I suggest Sir, that there be talks among the Indian Government, Sri Lankan Government and the NPC and the EPC without taking refuge under the current constitutional provisions and protocols to find ways of resolving the central problem of the Tamil speaking people in an innovative and creative manner bearing in mind the root causes of our ethnic conflict and post war needs and priorities of the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces? We seek justice and fair play to be established in the political arena and the constitutional framework in Sri Lanka to live with equity, equality and dignity.

We have many requests to make. But it is not appropriate for me to present our want list when we are happily welcoming you into our midst. Suffice to say a concerted effort on the part of the Central and Provincial Administrations of our Country with yours would no doubt bring alleviation to the vast numbers of War affected families and individuals in our part of this Country. Even though security concerns should be left to the Central Administration in any Country it should not transgress the limits of protection of the Country to a protracted pursuit of purposeful military occupation with political undertones in place. I could give statistics of such purposeful occupations. But we are here to welcome you Sir, not to burden you with a testament of our trials and tribulations. Let us hand over to you today separately our humble requests to rebuild our post war Province.

I fervently believe that it is during your time in office with your leadership that we will finally be able to resolve longstanding political conflict, restore peace, security and stability in the lives of our people. I thank all of you for your patient hearing.

Loga samastha sugino bhavanthu!

*Welcome speech delivered byChief Minister -NP on the occasion of the visit of Indian Prime Minister Shri N Modi to Jaffna, Saturday,14 March 2015

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Latest comments

  • 15
    73

    Dear CM Wigneswaran,

    Re “Thirteenth Amendment can never be the final solution.”

    Then why construct a road to nowhere?

    Tamils have aspirations, Sinhalese have aspirations, Moors have aspirations, Malays have aspirations and many more of us have aspirations.

    Thus aspirations will be conflicting. What needs to be done is Justice to all.

    The East and North is 40% (approx) of Lanka. The Tamils living in that area is less than 8% of the population. ALL other Tamils consisting of 7.37% of the population lives outside it.

    ROBBING the rest of the population of their Land rights will obviously be resisted and is a prescription for strife.

    Can you justify the Land claim?

    Kind Regards,
    OTC

    • 23
      36

      Why do not you look at the 60%, only looking at the 40%?. Maybe this habit caught up with you from your school days, looking at the work out of the student sits next to you. I have noted you are always going on about it. Yes, justice to all, that was what indo-lanka accord provided for, a way to achieve it. It was accepted by SL government, when the Great JRJ in power. Although VP was whining when he was alive, you guys started whining when he dead. Neither VP nor you are going to take this land all the way to heaven or hell. Just don’t fight, enough is enough, let the 13th to take hold of provinces. If you think, the airspace is still yours, if the terrorists trying to be smart again, you can have cluster, humanitarian charter, etc. all in place?. So why do you kept on propagate this killer instinct?. There is no VP, but 13th is still in the constitution, even MR couldn’t repeal it, so will try to implement what our constitution provide. Is it illegal implementing what is in our constitution?.

      If you kept going on like this, the 8% wont be even 8% in next 30 odd years, only ghosts of Tamils who sweat their bloods to make these lands to be habitable would supplement the % deficit. As population grows, the migration will progress in the right direction, no one can stop it, what upset and create a fear in the minds of Tamils is the force colonization and distribution of land free of charge.

      • 8
        49

        Dear Aia,

        Re “Why do not you look at the 60%, only looking at the 40%?”

        You are stumped when asked to justify the 40% Land claim made by the Tamil Leadership for a population of 7.9% while expecting 87.15% of others (of whom 7.37% are Tamils) to be satisfied with the remaining 60% of Land.

        Are you afraid to discuss the 40% Land claim?

        Re “let the 13th to take hold of provinces”

        It is because of the 13th that the Provincial Councils exist.

        The 13A was born with a Gun held at SL.
        Tamil Politicians have rejected it.
        If the will of the SL Citizens is tested about the FULL implementation of 13A, they too will reject it.

        Your CM wigs says it is NEVER going to be a final solution. We Sri Lankans need to know what that FINAL solution is before we start traveling on the road. A road to nowhere will not get us anywhere.

        Hence let us know where we are going and justify it. If your claims are Fair and Just we will agree. But as it is, it is a Land Grab by a greedy lot who know nothing of being fair.

        The ball is in your court.

        Kind Regards,
        OTC

        • 6
          38

          WEll said. It is a the “We want to have the cake and it too” mentality of Tamil chauvinists. They want Tamil only zone but rest of the nation for all including Tamils. That is illogical and hysterical. So if Tamil State means only for tamils what happens to the Sinhalese and Moslems? Ih that case, charge out of state tuition on Tamil state residents if they want to study in hated terrible Singala area Universities.

          • 22
            5

            “So if Tamil State means only for tamils what happens to the Sinhalese and Moslems? I”

            Study tamil like the french belgians do for over 200 years then there is no conflict.
            Look at madras the billboards are written in English_tamil.
            Kurrimatta jucie from south coconut head with muslim in ambude bringing you pookke so you don’t even know your own buddha.

        • 3
          22

          OTC
          We can go on, on this but I don’t think it will take us both to a common ground. You say about Justice to all, but then trying to talk about comparing % of land area to rest of the SL. Why do you trying to see this separately. Provincial Council is a an administrative set up, not separation to divide this country, in fact all Councils should fight for their rights, ironically NE doing the heavy lifting for all provinces. You guys don’t want to give even a chance to function its full potential and do any correction if necessary in future. The provision are existing in the constitution, even to dissolve the Council, so why do you want to give it a chance to run with its jurisdictional power and see.

          If you start see every things through population %, don’t you think every PC should be realign to have a uniform person per sqkm, that is within SL. Why do you make a big fuss about only NE, it is because you have a them and us issue. If you are going test the will of SL people it will be obvious and in the same token if you test the will of NE people, you will be upset saying it will lead to division of the country. It is the majority that needs to be disciplined, not even them, the leaders who play different music into the ears of them time to time to win the elections. The racist card is the easiest and simple way of winning more hearts and minds of voters, applicable to both side. Caught out in the middle are the poor innocent ones.

        • 14
          1

          “The ball is in your court.”

          Paranji scabies genes has never had balls – just your self proclaimed glory as a scrounge keyboard warrior- troll from Canada ex_spurt shameless offshoot [Edited out]

    • 23
      29

      Off the Cuff:

      Your have a twisted logic. It is thieves who look to burgle others land and properties have this kind of logic. The Tamils are only asking back lands what traditionally belonged to them. It is the sinhalese who have robbed the Tamils of their lands.Well, thieves and robbers will never admit their wayward practice. What more to justify then?

      • 6
        29

        jansee,

        Bizarrely OTC is kind to the Tamils because unlike the likes of such and Vibhushana he does not dispute the Tamil legacy in Sri lanka somewhat! He deems that Ceylon tamils could have been Sinhala. This is disputable but plausible. His contention is that the Tamils claim too much land contrary to the population radio!

        • 4
          42

          BI,

          It is not just a claim. It is a Fact. The Land claimed is GROSSLY disproportionate to the Tamil population. Keep in mind that HALF the Tamil population lives OUTSIDE the Land claimed.

          Within N and E 7.9%
          Outside N and E 7.37%

          • 4
            20

            What OTC is suggesting is that the Tamil province should not be restricted to the NE but also inclure area out side the NE where the rest of the 7.37% are living.

            • 1
              26

              Rajash,

              That would be a wise interpretation ..ha ha

              • 5
                12

                My pleasure

      • 8
        43

        Dear Jansee,

        Land has been the CORE issue of the ethnic problem. Everything else is camouflage. It surfaced when the lands opened up by the development of the Gal Oya basin was allocated among Sri Lankans. The Tamil politicians claimed it was their Land of Historic Habitation and thus wanted Non Tamils kept out.

        This could not have happened if the Tamil Politico’s respected the principle of the National Ethnic Ratio which is embedded in the 13A

        The claim of Historic Habitation in the East is false.

        Here is the proof

        The Dutch National Archive gives the following description of a Fort built by them at Elephant Pass and the reason for building it. (http://www.atlasofmutualheritage.nl/en/location/?id=813)

        Elephant Pass

        During the 17th century the Company was engaged in a war of attrition with the king of Kandy, who had close ties with Ceylon’s Buddhist population. There was a narrow tongue of land at Elephant Pass a fort was built to guard the border with the king’s territory. Elephants captured on Ceylon were herded past here to Jaffna to be sold in India, hence the name Elephant Pass.

        (I would suggest the reader to examine the area of Elephant Pass on Google Earth to obtain a clear idea of the geography)

        The Dutch record dates back to the 17th Century and hence shows the border BEFORE the British arrived here and hence BEFORE the Northern and Eastern Provinces were BORN.

        Elephant Pass is an isthmus that joins Peninsular Jaffna with the SL Mainland. Thus when the Kandian Kingdom of the Sinhalese extends to Elephant Pass the WHOLE of the Eastern Seaboard becomes EXCLUDED from the Historic Jaffna Kingdom.

        Since the borders of the Jaffna Kingdom did not change during Portuguese and Dutch rule, there is continuity of the border to the original Tamil kingdom, ruled by it’s last king, Cankili II.

        Hence the Dutch record about the Border, reaches back to the point of time when Cankili II reigned over the Tamil Kingdom and was defeated by the Portuguese.

        Thus Cankili II’s Tamil Kingdom also met the Territory of the Kandyan Kingdom at Elephant Pass. It remained TOTALLY to the NORTH of Elephant Pass on the Eastern Seaboard. To the South of Elephant Pass along the Eastern Seaboard, was the Sinhala Kingdom of Kandy.

        Note: Cankili II was at peace with the Kandyan King is seen from the fact that the Kandyan King’s Elephants had unhindered passage through Jaffna on their way for sale in India.

        Here is a quote from Dr Pradeep Jeganathan, a Tamil intellectual of repute.

        “Not every legitimate ruler of southern Lanka was a Buddhist in early modern times. Yet also it is not historically accurate to say that the Kings of Jaffna ruled the east, certainly even a cursory glance at Dutch records and the doings of Rajasinha the 2nd will tell you, that the Kings of the Kanda Uda Pas Rate, (the five countries on top of the mountains) were also the overlords of Batticoloa and Trincomalee”.

        Re “The Tamils are only asking back lands what traditionally belonged to them. It is the sinhalese who have robbed the Tamils of their lands.Well, thieves and robbers will never admit their wayward practice. What more to justify then?”

        I agree that thieves and robbers will never admit their wayward practice. I hope you do not belong to the Gang of Thieves, but if you are, you have a lot to justify.

        Kind Regards,
        OTC

        • 12
          26

          The land became an issue because the Sinhala obstinately asserted themselves at the expense of the minorities far beyond quantum necessity. The start of the issue is the language. If, as CM Wigneswaren stated, the trilingual policy is promoted objectively and vigorously the land will become a secondary issue. This is where the mainstream party politics inimically affected the race relations. This is why I think that many sinhala leaders weren’t racists bar MR and JRJ; they simply greedy for power. Contrast now is the quest to form a national government. Hopefully this time there is a will to resolve the Tamil question once in for all.

          • 2
            41

            Dear Burning Issue,

            Gal Oya scheme came in 1949.
            Language Act in 1956
            The Prevention of Social Disabilities Act (PSDA) in 1957
            Protest on Language started in 1957.
            Reasonable Use of Tamil Act was implemented in the North in 1962

            Please don’t try to juggle with modern recorded History.
            It is not the same as the Vamsa texts and cannot be countered by making spurious allegations.

            The Gal Oya scheme opened up Forrest Land and 40 million acres of land became available for settlement of the Landless. The Landless included the Sinhala people who were made destitute when the British STOLE their Lands and installed ALIEN INDIAN TAMILS in those Lands. The number of ALIEN INDIANS installed in the Sinhala Hinterland was MORE than the entire indigenous Lanka Tamil Population living at that time.

            “According to the 1946 census on population in the agricultural sector of the island, 40% of the agricultural peasant families found in the former Kandyan Kingdom were landless while there were 26% landless agricultural families recorded in the wet zone” (Herath 1995: 79).

            You can get more details from my comment here
            https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/dayans-speculations-about-tna-future-sri-lankan-state/comment-page-1/#comment-1779174
            .

            It was a DEMOGRAPHIC change that is UNPARALLELED in the History of Lanka. It was EQUIVALENT to settling the ENTIRE INDIGENOUS LANKA TAMIL POPULATION on STOLEN land on the Front Yard of the Sinhalese.

            The settlements also included the Veddhas, Moors and Tamils in addition to the Sinhalese.

            If the 13A was operational then ALL these Lands have to be settled according to the National Ethnic Ratio (NER) and the Gal Oya valley would have had MORE Sinhalese than that were actually settled there.

            This is equitable and Just because the Govt Revenue from Tax reflects the NER. The public debt burden is also distributed as per the NER. Thus funding for ANY GOVT PROJECT is Financed by the public as per the NER. Thus the rewards of a project should also reflect the NER though it has not been so.

            The current ratio is approx
            Sinhala:Lanka Tamil:Moor:Indian Tamil:others
            75:11:9:4:1

            The cause has always been Land and all the other real or imagined grievances are used as a cover by power hungry and greedy Tamil politicians.

            Kind Regards,
            OTC

        • 15
          27

          OTC,

          Stop talking about Elephant Pass and Dutch document. The northern Kingdom was helping the Kandiyan king so he can get supplies from South India; Jaffna port was the best option they had. There was a collaboration between the northern Kingdom and Kandy during the Portuguese era. So stop cherry picking for goodness sake.

          • 3
            42

            BI,

            Looks like you have a problem with facing up to FACTS.

            The Dutch were PROTECTING the BORDER by constructing a FORT at Elephant Pass. That BORDER was the BORDER between the Jaffna Kingdom of the Tamils and the Kandian Kingdom of the Sinhalese.

            Read the WHOLE reference before you contest it please.

            • 6
              25

              There is no fort in Elephant Pass!!
              Jaffna Kingdom ,The Kingdom of Bandaranaike Vanniyan extending South of Vavuniya are historical Facts.
              Let us dwell on the present.
              All Sri Lankans must accept that Sinhalese are not majority and Tamils are a minority
              All are Sri Lankans with equal claim on the Country and rights ,same as each other.
              Land is traditional.Firced circulation is nit civilised,movement if people as needed by them is the Nirmala
              Scotts ,Welsh and Irush are not a minority in the UK.No Englishman now gives to Wales or Scotland to occupy the land under a state controlled migration.They move freely if they wish to live in a part if the country they wish to live .
              Sri Lanka has to evolve beyond the old history which is mostly fabricated to support one’s personal view point.
              We all have been given a chance to do it by non either than the People Of Our Country

              • 1
                35

                There had been one in the 17th century.
                Those who built it say so.

                Obviously you are shaken up with the info

              • 5
                19

                One needs to take with a pinch of salt about what OTC says! Even one were to accept that Dutch built a fort at elephant pass, one cannot deem that was the border of the Kandiyan kingdom. Such ilicitation is such a fantasy because the Dutch built forts in many places within the North!

                • 1
                  29

                  Dear Burning Issue,

                  To remove the bitter taste salt would be insufficient. A sour lime should do the trick! ha ha.

                  Re “Even one were to accept that Dutch built a fort at elephant pass, one cannot deem that was the border of the Kandiyan kingdom. Such ilicitation is such a fantasy because the Dutch built forts in many places within the North”

                  Of course the Dutch built Forts in many places but they did not write about a border in the description in everyone of them.

                  I pity your predicament.

                  The description was authored by the Dutch.
                  The document is in the Dutch National Archive.

                  They say the fort was built to protect the BORDER between the Dutch held Jaffna Kingdom and the Kandyan Kingdom of the Sinhalese.

                  Visit the link and have a good look and keep a sour lime handy!
                  http://www.atlasofmutualheritage.nl/en/location/?id=813

                  Elephant Pass

                  During the 17th century the Company was engaged in a war of attrition with the king of Kandy, who had close ties with Ceylon’s Buddhist population. There was a narrow tongue of land at Elephant Pass a fort was built to guard the border with the king’s territory. Elephants captured on Ceylon were herded past here to Jaffna to be sold in India, hence the name Elephant Pass.

                  Your acceptance or rejection has no bearing on the TRUTH. The TRUTH unfortunately has trashed the Historical Tamil Homeland claim to the Eastern Seaboard of Lanka.

                  If you want to see the original Dutch writing it is also available at the same link

                  De compagnie stond in de 17de eeuw dikwijls op vijandelijke voet met de koning van Kandy, die sterk verbonden was met het boeddhistische deel van de Ceylonese bevolking. Bij Elephant Pass was een smalle landengte waar een fort gebouwd werd om de grens met het gebied van de koning te bewaken. Olifanten die op Ceylon waren gevangen, werden langs dit punt naar Jaffna gebracht om verkocht te worden in India, vandaar de naam Elephant Pass.

                  Have a nice day.

                  Kind Regards,
                  OTC

        • 8
          24

          Off the Cuuf:

          Frankly, I have no problem with the historical jargon that you have elucidated, including its truth or otherwise. The Red Indians in the USA will have to chase the “whites” away from the country. Perhaps, you may need thousands of corpses to be dug out to get their testimonies to determine who really are the “historical” owners.

          What should be of practical interest should be the “established” stakeholders who have been proven to have inalienable rights as proved by documents that they are the legal owners. The “forced” forestation with people of sinhala origin into areas that have been the lands of the Tamils was in actuality a cynical attempt to commit acts of displacement. As what the CW had explained, it has the hallmark of the pages of gradual genocide. What more could explain the burning of the Jaffna Library?

          Truth be told, the animosity between the two races warrants some sensibility, particularly that it had stretched even before independence. MR now grumbles that he lost because of the minority votes, claiming himself to be the known “devil”. There was good sense and trust among the Tamils that the Sinhalese can be trusted in their promises. Using the majority numbers, they uprooted the constitution in the 1970s, brazenly introduced the Sinhala Act in 1956 and all the agreements entered into by their leaders were unilaterally abrogated. How on earth you expect the Tamils to trust the sinhalese? To the Tamils, the sinhalese are nothing more than cheats and liars. Worse, they are rapists and sadists. What more should I add?

          This country has suffered enough. Politicians have uprooted peoples’ lives and while the new regime wants to be seen as a fresh face, the past history and promises only o be reneged for the want of sinhala votes are deeply edged in the minds of Tamils. Both are going to be on each other throats forever. Even today, it is by force and not by democracy that the sinhalese are walking on the Tamils’ lands. If there is a referendum in the North, as the 13A had envisaged and the promise never kept by JJ, you don’t need a crystal ball on what will be the result. Unless there is a sort of a federal set-up with the Tamils allowed to “mind their own business” force alone, as it is now, will not ensure one SL. Following the “doctrines” of Champika and MR will eventually pave the way for a divided country, may be not in their lifetime but eventually that is what will undoubtedly happen.

          • 1
            28

            Dear Jansee,

            Re “What should be of practical interest should be the “established” stakeholders who have been proven to have inalienable rights as proved by documents that they are the legal owners”

            You have not produced ANY documents to prove ownership or otherwise to the Northern or Eastern Provinces. Blah blah blah is no proof.

            If you are writing about Deeds of ownership then you are writing about Private Land. No one disputes the Private Land. What is disputed is your claim, on historical grounds, to PUBLIC land, which is 80% of Lanka.

            Your alleged Historic claims to the East has already been found fraudulent. Hence if you want to go on those lines you should concentrate on the North and the North west as the Eastern seaboard South of Elephant Pass has become excluded. The Provincial boundaries of the British gets obliterated as they did not exist during Cankili II’s reign. The continuity of the boundary of the Tamil Kingdom through Cankili II, Portuguese and then Dutch rule is established by the Dutch themselves.

            What should be done is to excise unpopulated areas from the NP, EP and NCP to create a Territory governed by the Central Govt. There are such territories in India and the USA.

            This central govt territory can then can be used for development and if that development involves a scheme like Gal Oya then the irrigated Land so opened up should be used to settle people as envisaged in the 13A.

            This will leave a NP with a Tamil majority and an EP with a Muslim Majority who will be in control of their own destinies. And the Rest of Lanka will not feel Cheated as is the case now.

            Kind Regards,
            OTC

            • 3
              4

              OTC:

              Well thieves will always be thieves. In short that is what you people are. The regime and the army has appropriated lands belonging to the people under the false pretext of security but instead colonising with sinhalese. They are using this pretext to do their own businesses.

              You jokers come up with your version of “history” and expect us to believe that. Dump that into your well holes. Just because you bleat doesn’t mean it is the gospel truth. It is a world acknowledged fact that the sinhalese are liars to the core and do not have any credibility in them and that is precisely why the international effort began on the investigation into atrocities.

              In a world where from a president downwards all are liars and cheats, and with a false rewritten history it will be too much to expect you to be otherwise. The unpopulated areas have been grabbed by Basil and his gang who had become the master 10%. Any development for the people may have been appreciated but that is not what actually is happening. Every word that comes out is a lie, just like the zero civilian casualties.

              • 0
                3

                Dear Jansee,

                I don’t expect you to believe anything I say. I expected you to logically argue your point of view, with facts.

                Unfortunately Logic and Facts have deserted you and you have been reduced to taking refuge in Rhetoric.

                What you don’t realise is that you have no control on the CT readership. Hence what I write is being read by people other than the rabid separatists.

                My target audience is the Foreigner who has very little knowledge of Sinhala and Tamil society other than what they hear from the Separatist Diaspora.

                I also target the “thinking Tamil” who is not a hard core separatist and has little knowledge of what I write.

                I also target the Sinhalese, who like myself in the past, have no knowledge of Tamil society.

                All that I write is backed by references and I give them in the hope that they will read them and arrive at their own conclusions. Any balanced person will see through the subterfuge that people of your ilk employ.

                Just look at the debate here, no one has justified the Historical Tamil Land claim. You have been reduced to rhetoric. Burning Issue has resorted to rhetoric, Puvana Chandra is silent, Waran is silent, Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam has gone silent, Theva is silent. Many more have read them but has not ventured to challenge them.

                Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah of the TGTE has nothing to say and she went silent here https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/tamils-should-keep-silent-to-reconcile/#comment-1793561

                Donald Gnanakone Founder, Tamils For Justice has nothing to say and he went silent here https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-13th-amendment-is-it-the-best-model-to-share-power/comment-page-1/#comment-1795333

                A Law lecturer from the Jaffna University, a prominent member of Fr Rayappu Joseph’s “Tamil Civil Society” who writes under the three pseudonyms, Aachariya, Tamil Chanakyan, Manimaaran went silent when asked to justify the Land Claim here https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/problems-of-eelam-tamils/comment-page-1/#comment-1763190

                As you have found out, TRUTH is not easy to counter.

                Kind Regards,
                OTC

        • 5
          25

          OTC:

          Who is holding the lands by force? At least you admit that you “hope” but in your case it is a certainty that the sinhalese robbed the Tamils of their lands by forceful means. Shameless thieves and robbers.

          • 1
            28

            Jansee,

            Re “At least you admit that you “hope” but in your case it is a certainty that the sinhalese robbed the Tamils of their lands by forceful means”

            Unless you have a problem with English comprehension you could not have arrived at the above after reading what I wrote, reproduced below

            I hope you do not belong to the Gang of Thieves, but if you are, you have a lot to justify.

            Though I hoped you did not belong to the Gang of Thieves, my hope has been in vain. Thus you have a lot to justify.

    • 14
      29

      Hi Off the Cuff ,Is this comment is also off your cuff? Fools who have no knowledge of History have to mutter this statistics. They are of no use unless you know the grievances. The grievances created by British to implement their mother parliament model on all its colonial lands -Empire. When they left us independence they saw to the infighting and destruction, look all around the former empire countries. Singapore won its independence from Malayan federation, and prospered because they did not have silly politicians The four official languages and respect with equality and dignity for all citizens made the country to prosper. CM vigneswaran spoke his heart out when he delivered this speech. 67 years of cheating by Sinhala politicians, brained washed with Mahavamsa mind set. Has ruined this land You still kindle the fire of hatred. There was no Buddhist before it was spread by King Asoka two hundred years after the demise of Buddha. Who were the people living in the Island then?

      • 1
        33

        Oh Hi Waren,

        Re “Is this comment is also off your cuff?”

        Why do you ask me, don’t you have the INTELLIGENCE to argue your point of view?

        The moment I saw you focusing on my pseudonym (which is of my own choosing) instead of what I have written, I knew you were just a lot of noise like an empty vessel.

        I have written two comments here that you should refer to as I don’t want to repeat the same here.
        March 15, 2015 at 12:43 am to Jansee
        March 15, 2015 at 3:20 am to Burning Issue.

        Re “Singapore won its independence from Malayan federation, and prospered because they did not have silly politicians The four official languages and respect with equality and dignity for all citizens made the country to prosper”

        What makes Singapore prosper is the Ethnic Integration Policy which does not allow ethnic enclaves and ensures that EVERY BUILDING CONSTRUCTED for HOUSING has the NATIONAL ETHNIC RATIO represented within. If you own a flat in Singapore you cannot sell it to anyone outside your own Ethnicity.

        This means that if you are a Tamil you cannot sell it to a Chinese who has offered you a HIGHER price, unless there is a shortage in the quota allocated to the Chinese WITHIN that building itself. Otherwise you are FORCED to sell to another Tamil even at a lower price than what the Chinese have offered you.

        Would you like to EMULATE Singapore?
        I doubt it.

        The other reason is the Police State.
        It has banned certain religious sects.
        The media is controlled.
        When Lee Kuan Yew was running the state anyone who crossed him had court case after court case slapped on that person until the person either gives in or is driven to penury.

        Re “67 years of cheating by Sinhala politicians, brained washed with Mahavamsa mind set. Has ruined this land You still kindle the fire of hatred”

        Part of my answer is already in my comments that I have referred above. Please read it.

        Talking of being brainwashed I suppose you have forgotten about the Hindu Religion that you used to subject to SLAVERY more than 60% of the Tamil population in the North. If you take SL as a whole you were dominating over 70% of the Total Tamil population!

        Your political leaders including Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan wanted the Vellala domination of the Panchamar (Low Cast Tamils) to be written into the Constitution and wanted to stop the ENFRANCHISEMENT of over 85% of the Tamil population (all women and all of the Panchamar). It is the same Vellala, who are today, BEGGING for the vote of the Panchamar and the Tamil women.

        Donoughmore Commission
        “The Commissioners came with certain specific axioms in mind as to what constituted “established” democratic institutions;’ the principle of equality of opportunity, the right of every man to the vote, and the regressive nature of communal representation. They noted the “great gulf between the rural worker and the Westernized classes of Colombo” and considered that universal suffrage would be the only way to prevent “placing an oligarchy in power without any guarantee that the interests of the remainder of the people would be consulted by those in authority”. They especially remarked upon “the 80,000 persons of low caste among the Tamil community” which had caused them the “most anxiety”.” (from the writings of Dr Jane Russel)

        Dr Russel says that excluding Selvadurai, Sri Pathmanathan, and E. R. Thambimuttu, all the other Tamil Political leaders were against enfranchising the Low Cast Panchamars. Those who were against included Mr Ponnambalam Arunachelem, S Natesan etc.

        The Forum for Depressed Class Tamil Labourers was formed in Jaffna in 1927. It was the first organized effort to defy the
        prohibitions imposed against the Panchamars by the Vellala.

        In 1928 this forum launched a campaign for ‘equality in seating and equality in eating’ among school children, in protest against caste discrimination in enforcing different seating and dining arrangements for Panchamar and higher caste children in schools.

        It took TWO years of agitation to get the Colonial Govt to listen. They then issued and administrative order to allow low cast children to sit on benches along with the high cast children instead of the floor, in all government aided schools.

        The Vellala reacted by Burning Down FIFTEEN (15) schools that complied with the govt order and other acts of violence and kept their children from attending school.

        Recently “Native ….” made it known that the Jaffna Students Congress was formed in 1924. Thus if the Student Congress fought for the rights of Tamil students there was no need for a separate organisation to come up in 1927 to fight for the rights of the students of the Panchamar. This indicates that the Jaffna Student Congress was a High Cast movement!

        In 1930 the political elite of high castes Vellala petitioned the school authorities to withdraw the order for equal seating but failed (Vegujanan & Ravana 2007).

        That’s why a Prevention of Social Disabilities Act was passed in Parliament in 1957. When that proved ineffectual the PSDA was amended to give enough teeth to bite the oppressors 14 years later in 1971.

        If you want more details of the OPPRESSION carried out by the Vellala please read my comment here as I don’t want to repeat it. After reading it come and contest what I have written.

        https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/tamils-should-keep-silent-to-reconcile/comment-page-1/#comment-1794135

        If that is not enough I can give you more detail, please ask.

        It is Mr Wigneswaran who is kindling hatred that we managed to overcome by voting Maithree just a couple of months ago.

        What do you think the GENOCIDE resolution of the NPC will do at the next election? Increase the numbers who voted for the Separatist platform of MR or those who voted against it?

        ITAK and TNA was the mouthpiece of the LTTE. We thought that the SC judge in Wigs will be a moderating influence. Unfortunately we are being proven wrong. First he played to the gallery by claiming that the Terrorist Mass murderer Prabahkaran is a hero, then he comes out with a Genocide resolution when half the Tamils are living amongst the Sinhalese in the South.

        I hope you find the comment is Off the Cuff and easily refuted.

        Hope to hear from you soon, with a factual rebuttal.

        Kind Regards,
        OTC

    • 13
      36

      There is enough land for Sinhala need, but there will never be enough land for Sinhala greed. Be satisfied with what you have and make the best use of it, rather than come out with racist bluff and deny Tamils their rightful land.

      • 0
        0

        [Edited out]

      • 2
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        Gnana,

        “There is enough land for Sinhala need, but there will never be enough land for Sinhala greed.”

        I think this applies more to you Tamils than the Sinhalese, with your mythical Tamil homeland theory

        • 10
          3

          “”I think this applies more to you Tamils than the Sinhalese, with your mythical Tamil homeland theory “

          You still wash your back side with bare hands – 2500 yeasrs still the salt fish pedigree Phew!!!

          Turtle’s Head and In The Box- Intubated malu karaya, [Edited out]

      • 2
        34

        Dear Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam,

        I do not know what type of intellectual you are but I have shown with documentary evidence that it was the Tamil greed for land that caused ethnic problems. Can you show with documentary evidence where the Sinhala greed is?

        I am fighting for the BIRTHRIGHT of ALL Sri Lankan’s. Whether we are Tamil, Sinhalese, Moors, Indian Tamils, Malays or whatever, IF you are a citizen of SL you have an unalienable birthright to benefit EQUALLY from ALL her resources.

        If you have the INTELLECT to contest what I have written please do so without writing trashy comments that any fool can do.

        It is apparent that the TRUTH has shaken you.

        Kind Regards,
        OTC

    • 0
      5

      C.V. Wigneswaran –

      Yes, Prime Minister, Modi. We seek justice and fair play , despite the hordes of Tamil Mootals and Sinhala Modayas in the country, the Land of Native Veddah Aethho.

      Can you intervene. Right now the Mootals and Modayas are on hibernation. They have an average IQ of 79.

      http://www.photius.com/rankings/national_iq_scores_country_ranks.html

      After all, all the Paras, Para-dishis came from India.

    • 1
      0

      Off the cuff – Some of the Indians and Chinese, living overseas are
      returning to their respective countries for permanent stay due to
      developments in those countries and Tamils overseas and those scattered
      around the Island, will be also be returning to the land of birth in N/E when a permanent peace is established in the country. There will be exodus of people from Canada, Europe and the refugees, settled down in India to their land of birth as they were forced to flee against their wishes and lands have to be found for them. Do not forget the fact that all these confiscated lands by the previous regime, have owners and hold the deeds, some dead and some have no means to regain their lost lands. You want CM. NPC to justify the land claim but you should also realise that Tamils were uprooted from their ancestral, lands due various pogroms, arbitrary arrests and harassment by the forces on routine basis. This is the answer for your question why percentage of land mass,demarcated as North and east provinces, inhabited by Tamil speaking people is currently not comparable to the percentage of people living there.Sure you are aware that Palestinians also demand from Israelis that their land should be preserved for their
      people who wants to return to their land of birth from other countries
      where they are established years ago and the argument is that they too adore their country of birth.

      • 0
        1

        Dear Lanka Watch,

        You have joined the debate very late. We have gone far beyond my opening comment. Study what I have written as I cannot be repeating them every time a newcomer joins.

        Your argument is puerile and does not hold water.

        Kind Regards,
        OTC

  • 29
    41

    Thank you Chief Minister Justice Wigneswaran. You have eloquently articulated the majority of the wishes of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka and overseas.
    We hope Prime Minister Modi and President Srisena will consider your requests positively and pave the way for a political solution.

    • 5
      22

      I watched the video of PM Modi’s speech , contextually a good speech bue he is not Obama. Ranil”s reply was very poor and the leader of the opposition was reading from a paper perhaps someone else wrote his speech.

  • 15
    33

    Good to see an Indian PM in Jaffna, not sure when was a Indian PM had visited to the north last.

    Hope India will play a positive role in resolving the prolonged ethnic problem in SL, which saw unnecessary deaths in thousands. Nothing to be invented, just get on with 13th as per 1987 Indo-Lanka accord with full implementation seems the best way going forward. Provincial Councils without devolution of powers are just a waste. Time to resolve it is no better than the time we have now; no VP; the mixture of parties in the current government opens up an ideal opportunity to put an end to this issue, hope it will happen soon.

  • 21
    29

    Modi is an extremely progressive PM for India. It is wonderful as India and its neighbours will prosper in the coming years.

  • 16
    35

    Mahinda Rajapakse, perfidious by nature, not only promised former Indian PM Dr. Man Mohan Singh but also told millions watching NDTV, when he was interviewed by Shekar Gupta he is agreeable to working
    under the provisions of the 13th Amendment. To Gupta/NDTV he promised
    “13th Amendment and more” But once the Sinhala supremacists rapped him on his knuckles he quickly went back on his promises. After all, real political power in the country is not in Parliament but in the hands of these men of intrigue, cunning and mischief. That has been clearly demonstrated from 1956 till now. It is unlikely to be any different in the immediate future. Therein lies the crux and core of our continuing political dilemma.

    Peace, Unity and Reconciliation, if at all, will come to Sri Lanka in bits and pieces over a period of time. And that too upon pressure from the outside world. But I fear, it will take much blood and thunder even to get this – unless something akin to divine intervention is to show up.

    Kettikaran

  • 19
    29

    As Ranil Wickramasinghe said, Wigneswaran us a liar.

    At one time, he says, that 13th amendment will not solve their problems.

    Then the next time he compares small Yapapatuna to humongous states of Hindia and he seeks similar political set up for NPC.

    Only thibng they want is tribalism and rights to exploit and manipulate.

    Why he does not compare Yapapatuna with a municipality in Hindia.

    • 3
      25

      Ranil W is a gentleman. He will not and did not call Justice Wigneswaren a liar – a clear figment of your warped imagination.
      Please be responsible and decent in your comments – whether right,
      wrong, absurd or mischievous being another matter. These are, after all, attributes in ones own personality make-up.

      Backlash

  • 3
    38

    “Thirteenth Amendment can never be the final solution.”

    1. Then why bother implement the 13th Amendment in full?

    2. Please do tell what the final solution is instead of playing opportunistic politics by periodically ‘shifting the goal posts’ and demanding the govt. of the day to come forward with a solution. The TNA should clearly inform the country what they expect as a final solution.

    3. If TNA is rejecting the 13th Amendment, then they better first come to an agreement with India before dealing with the Sri Lanka govt. India has a vested interest in ensuring that the 13th Amendment stays because this amendment addresses certain geo-strategic concerns of India. It also provides India with a cetain degree of legitimacy to interfere in our affairs. India will not want to forfeit that opportunity easily.

    • 14
      23

      Jazz,

      Sumanthiran in an interview recently articulated exactly what is required beyond the 13th A; it is not as if the Sinhala leaders do not know what is needed to resolve the ethnic issue once in for all! It is a question of accepting that the Tamil people are a nation just like the Scottish and Walsh people and devolve power. At the same time promote the trilingual policy vigorously so the economy and free movements will bring the peoples together as a stae of subjects. There is no quick fix but planning a long term vision with objectivity.

      • 2
        28

        Burning Issue,
        This is precisely my point. If the TNA is serious about finding an acceptable solution, then they should put it on paper and let the whole country know what their expectations are. Giving periodic interviews with hints of what a final solution maybe is absolute opportunism. Ranil W. in a recent interview stated that Indian fishermen can be shot at if they cross into Sri Lankan waters. Do you honestly expect people to take such interviews seriously? Also, remember that it’s the Sri Lankan people who will decide what the final solution is. Not politicians.

        So, if the TNA is serious about a solution, then they need to begin an honest dialogue with the Sri Lankan people. I will guarantee that there will never be a solution if it does not have the blessings of the people.

        • 8
          13

          Jazz,

          I truly believe that GOSL knows as to exactly what will TNA settle for. We all know that MR took both TNA and india down the garden path many a time. There has been absolutely no willingness to accept on the part of the Sinhala leaders that the Tamils constitute a nation and requiring autonomy. It has been thus far a political nemesis in terms of party politics. However, current dynamics is to form a unity national government thus theris a e real possibility of forming consensus as to a viable solution for the national question. There is still danger in the form of Nugagoda Dayan lead chauvinism.

        • 1
          25

          Well said Jazz

      • 1
        24

        Tamil people are a nation like Scotts in Tamil Nadu, the place that gave birth to the Tamil culture. Tamils living in Sri Lanka for centuries is no different to a particular European race living in an adjoining country.

        • 0
          0

          “Tamil people are a nation like Scotts in Tamil Nadu,”
          [Edited out]

        • 0
          0

          [Edited out]

        • 6
          18

          Ravi Perera,

          Your first name is indian and the second name is Portuguese then what the hell are you talking about? You are another candidate for flying kites! Sinhala language, faith, and culture are all indian but your second name. Get real mister.

          • 0
            2

            Burning,

            I think you Tamils should get real with your demands

        • 2
          0

          Ravi Perera the Sinhala speaking Demela

          “Tamil people are a nation like Scotts in Tamil Nadu, the place that gave birth to the Tamil culture.”

          What is your advice to the Arabs who are spread over several countries? Would you tell them the Arab nation must confine to Arabian Peninsula where it originated?

          You should be looking to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Palistan, Sinhgapura, Prakritstan, ………… Nepal, …. for your nation. This island does not belong to you.

          You should be living in a globalised world than in the Sinhala/Buddhists ghetto whence people are dying to leave the country in draws.

          • 0
            1

            Re “You should be looking to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Palistan, Sinhgapura, Prakritstan, ………… Nepal, …. for your nation. This island does not belong to you.”

            What is your claim to the Island?

    • 9
      26

      ‘I am a firm believer in co-operative federalism’ Indian prime minister tells Sri Lanka http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=14078

      Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Sri Lanka to go beyond the 13th Amendment and reiterated his belief in “co-operative federalism”, as he began his visit to the island with speeches in Colombo.

      Speaking to the media on Friday morning, Mr Modi said,

      “We stand with [Sri Lanka] in your efforts to build a future that accommodates the aspirations of all sections of society, including the Sri Lankan Tamil community, for a life of equality, justice, peace and dignity in a united Sri Lanka.”

      “We believe that early and full implementation of the 13th Amendment and going beyond it would contribute to this process,” added the prime minister.

      He later addressed the Sri Lankan parliament where he said he was “a firm believer in cooperative federalism.”

      • 3
        20

        Anpu

        Listen to Modi’s address to Parliament and other events:

        http://www.lankasri.com/ta/index.html

        Modi worships the Sri Maha Bodhi tree. Saffron clad thug Gnanasara was missing

        His address to parliament is very interesting.

        • 1
          17

          Thank you Native for the link.

    • 16
      24

      Jazz

      “The TNA should clearly inform the country what they expect as a final solution.”

      What would be the final solution do you think that would satisfy Sinhala/Buddhists, forget the TNA for the moment?

      A large Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp perhaps. The energy minister would be happy to supply free gas or a nuclear bomb supplied by Hindia/Pakistan/China.

      • 2
        31

        Native Vedda,
        ‘What would be the final solution do you think that would satisfy Sinhala/Buddhists, forget the TNA for the moment?’

        As a Sinhala Catholic, I would be satisfied with a solution that respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one Sri Lankan nation.

        A solution that does not recognise ethnic based regions. To be specific, mono-ethnic regions.

        A solution that does not devolve power along ethnic lines, but may devolve certain administrative and political powers to regions. Those devolved powers should not threaten the national security,unity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka.

        A solution which recognises and guarantees that Sri lanka is multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-lingual. This diversity should be apparent and visible in all parts of the island.

        A solution which provides equal rights and opportunity to all citizens. Those rights should not be restricted to paper, but should be visible and practised on the ground.

        A solution that creates a Sri Lankan identity instead of ethnic identities. At present, when people are asked what their nationality is, they state either Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim…. When they are asked what their ethnicity is, they state the same. This mindset has to change and I think a great place to start is in schools.

        A solution that integrates and unites our society. Here again I think we should start with childrens schooling. I’m not a huge fan of ethno-religious schooling systems. Mental barriers are already being built in those young minds.

        I can go on and on, but the fundamental point is about finding solutions which respect the legitimate concerns of all communities without compromising sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. And to be absolutely honest, it has to be a solution that does not threaten the existence of the Sinhalese ethnic community in the context of tamil nadu and the greater Tamil diaspora.

        • 1
          28

          Well said Jazz.

        • 14
          1

          “As a Sinhala Catholic,”

          You are mulla islamist Lucifer with Punjabi nomenclature- both crusaders in Asia.
          living in your Pigsty with off thew cu*T.
          get out of Asia sucide bomber – parasites who buy and sell others mothers to the medieval as sex slaves. wife must be bored like the pig.

          • 1
            29

            Javi,
            Please stop whatever you are smoking. It’s not helping you my friend. It seems to be destroying the little grey matter you possess.

        • 8
          1

          Jazz

          Please review your comment and come back. I have all the time in this world and can wait until you type your honest comment.

          • 0
            3

            Native vedda,
            What’s the comment you are waiting for? I thought I have responded to your question.

            • 4
              0

              Jazz

              I asked to review your comment.

              • 0
                1

                Native Vedda,
                I still stand by my comment. My position will never shift. Why don’t you be productive and come up with a solution of your own rather than spending your day singing hossanas to Maidy India…

  • 10
    33

    An excellent speech reflecting the aspirations of the people of the North. People everywhere, especially those in the South should view this speech in that spirit and extend their hand of friendship to build a strong, united Sri Lanka where all the communities can live in confidence of preserving their respective identities and prosper together for the benefit of all.

    Sengodan. M

  • 6
    33

    The first priority is the security of the Tamils. All Tamil people should feel secure all the Time, during the time of peace and trouble. That feeling is not there among Tamils in Sri Lanka. Impartial , unbiased justice system including rules and laws are necessary. Tamils do their day today living with fear and lots of restraints. Their Traditional and hereditary land and sea is vital for their existence. The geographically strategic and crucial location of the Tamils was robbed from them since the 17 th centuary and passed to the dutch, English and now with Singhalese. now USA , UK, and china are competing for it. Now It looks India looks awakened of this fact. and beginning their control the north east and to control Colombo. What ever happens for the Tamils welfare It is important have their historic sea and land survival. Who ever it is they should promise and safeguard the sea and land resources of the Tamils. Tamils should be allowed to restore their pearl fishing, sea faring and commerce in which they have been experts and vital for the survival of the people living there. They should not be deprived of their basic rights of the land and sea which they can preserve for their livelihood.
    The present roads and transport system is inadequate . they are not constructed with the future in mind. wide two separate lanes with by pass bays for all the roads are important and managed along with the people say. All the major towns should be linked with local air transport and costal towns and villages should have have mooring jetty or platforms to facilitate boat and ship transport.safe moorings for boats and ships needed. safe water and drainage system should be established through out northeast, All sri lankans can be good friends and mutually helpful. alcohol and narcotic use should be eradicated.

  • 18
    1

    *Chief Minister -NP to
    Indian Prime Minister Shri N Modi at Jaffna village,

    (((Loga samastha sugino bhavanthu!)))

    Om Om Om mani peme hung.

    “”May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.

    Let’s look more closely at the meaning of each word of this invocational mantra:

    lokah: location, realm, all universes existing now
    samastah: all beings sharing that same location
    sukhino: centered in happiness and joy, free from suffering
    bhav: the divine mood or state of unified existence
    antu: may it be so, it must be so (antu used as an ending here transforms this mantra into a powerful pledge)

    This is a prayer each one of us can practice every day. It reminds us that our relationships with all beings and things should be mutually beneficial if we ourselves desire happiness and liberation from suffering. No true or lasting happiness can come from causing unhappiness to others. No true or lasting freedom can come from depriving others of their freedom. If we say we want every being to be happy and free, then we have to question everything that we do-how we live, how we eat, what we buy, how we speak, and even how we think.

    Santhi Sahnthi Shanthi….

    Jai iHind.

  • 1
    28

    Chief Minister Wigneswaran seems to be asking for some leadership and help from the government of India. But isn’t it his job to provide sensible and practical leadership for the Tamils of the north rather than ask a foreigner to do it?

  • 2
    27

    Justice from Indian PM ?Then you must become an Indian citizen.

  • 3
    33

    [It is the desire of our citizens that close collaboration continue between our peoples in the field of trade, commerce, business, Information Technology and other Technologies, education, sport, culture and many other fields.]

    There they go again! There they go again desiring solidarity with fellow South Indians. How they tried to make Sri Lanka one glorious solidified Tamilan dominion!!! Having failed this, this bunch of discarded Dravidians now are yearning for the Dravidian-Motherland.

    [Jews escaping the Romans 2000 years ago, to Syrian Christians escaping religious persecution in 4 century AD to the modern day Tibetans and nearly 100 thousand of our own have sought and found sanctuary in your nation]

    Modi, commence the immigration policy for Tamils to assimilate with fellow Tamils on India Mother-Soil ASAP!

    Otherwise, giving lands back, freeing prisoners and things are ok.

    Chandrika-Ranil-Sirisena_Champika-Sobhitha-Rathana- now what are you going to do!? See what you have done!

    Tamils, no more of the Tamil-Chauvinism!!! Obsolete! Iniquitous! Immoral! Undemocratic! Antiquated! Repugnant! Arise and work harmoniously with the Sinhala Brethren!

  • 11
    17

    A fair speech from the CM. The questions are, will geo-politics allow justice and fair to be delivered for Tamils, will Indian national interests which Modi will obviously put first, deliver justice and fair play for Tamils? Judge Modi by his actions not his words.

  • 3
    29

    Tamils and “peaceful” do not go together. You only need to look at Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and India to see how violent and intolerant Tamils are to towards each other, so just imagine the fate befalling non-Tamils? What kind of “peaceful” people create something as vile and digusting as the Vaddokaki resolution -a declaration of war on Sinhalese, a declaration of war against another race/people?

    From the 1970s Tamils (ordinary Tamils, not LTTE this or that) listenting to their racist leaders (who they always vote for as they love racism and the concept of Tamil superiority) went on a killing frenzy brutally killing all the Sinhalese who lived in the North (almost 100,000), ethnically cleansing the area to make way for their Tamil only seperate state. which is how the North become a so called “Tamil majority” area. Best of all the Tamils took all the land and properties that were “left over” and claimed it as their own. Compare this 83 where Tamils first sold their properities in Colombo (get money) then burnt them down to claim insurance (get more money), showed pictures of their arson work on their own homes as “evidence” of “persecution” to justify asylum claims in the West then return in the 1990s and have the audacity to claimed compensation (even MORE money) from the CBK government. Best of all their “abandoned” properties were left untouched and unclaimed by Sinhalese whereas in the North when the Tamils butchered Sinhalese out of existence they took all their properties and valuables for themselves (like how ISIS claims homes of Christians they killed/cleasned).

    The most interesting aspect of the post Vaddokaki resolution killing spree unleashed by Tamils on Sinhalese living in the North was the fact that Tamils living in places outside the North and East would be boasting about their killings and how weak Sinhalese were compared to “Tamil power” and how it won’t be long till Sinhalese are subjected to Tamil domination. Considering the arrogance and barbarity of Tamils its amazing Sinhalese show such tolerance and compassion to them even to this day. Anywhere else in the world such a people would be wiped out of existence already. What Sri Lanka should have done was implement bumiputhra laws as down in Malaysia and crushed any Tamil attempts at race politics projecting Tamil supremacy, as the Malays did when Tamils started making such noises there. The Malays kept a firm boot on the necks of Tamils as soon as Malaysia got independence and the moment Tamils started causing problems. Tamils found there way to Malaysia courtesy of the British who imported them there in the millions to to pluck rubber and act as a population diluter- as done to Sri Lanka. The Malays only make up 51% of the population yet they dominate everything by 90% (culture, law, military, business, economics, education, proffessions, civil service) and not a sound is made about this by the minorities (Tamils and Chinese) living there as they have firmly been castrated into their correct place as aliens living in someone else’s home. It is ironic to note that when Malaysia got Independence in 1957 the racist Tamil SJV Chelvankayam (father of Tamil racism in Sri Lanka -who was born in Malaysia but he and his family were kicked out by the Malays for engaging in race politics against the Malays) also declared Malaysia a Tamil homeland. This set the stage for another brutal Tamil insurgency but the Malays (unlike Sinhalese) did not play democracy with Tamils and were quick to (rightfully) put them in their place reminding them they are guests in someone else’s home and should BEHAVE or be beaten. To this day Tamils in Malaysia “know their place” and tremble in fear of the Malays. Tamils only understand threats and violence (not tolerance and compassion because they see that as weakness to be exploited), it is the only thing that works with Tamils.

    • 8
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      You are a pathological liar full stop!

      • 2
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        TRUTH HURTS. You Tamils are brutally racist killers who thought you could conquer the Sinhalese. You started a war, spat on every peace process in the foolish belief you could militarilty defeat the Sinhalese and then go onto completely subjugate the Sinhalese and return SL to the British run aparthied system of Governance of Tamil domination thus fulfilling your superiority complex.

        You started a war out of your racist arrogance and intolerance towards others, you then LOST. Now you’re complaining about defeat. Well tough luck.

    • 3
      6

      I have seen some downright crazy stuff in these pages. But the dog-dirt
      White Flahs comes out with takes the cake. I don’t think you have any idea of the Vaddukottai Resolution, why it came about and what it eventually achieved and so forth. The whole thing in your piece is so puerile it does not deserve the courtesy of a response.

      Kettikaran

      • 0
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        Re “I have seen some downright crazy stuff in these pages”

        Wow! That’s an original way to beat a retreat

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    Land argument: How 8% people can ask for 30% land? According to this argument, Australia should allow Indonesians and Indians to occupy Australia because Australia’s land area is bigger than India and Indonesia together but its population is same as Srilanka

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      Dear Theva,

      It is not 30% it approaches 40%.

      Your argument is Puerile.

      The Tamil claim is based on historic habitation. That has been proven to be false by historic data held by the Dutch in their National Archives.

      Furthermore, it can be shown that keeping that vast stretch of Land under Tamil control was a PHYSICAL IMPOSSIBILITY, given the size and characteristics of the Land and the small size of the Tamil population.

      Sri Lanka has a land area of 65,000 km2 and a coastline of 1,562 km (probably more than 2,000 km if the coastlines of lagoons, bays, and inlets are added). The coast-line itself consists of a wide range of geomorphological features such as head-lands, bays, lagoons, peninsulas, spits, bars, and islets. It encompasses a variety of tropical habitats including wetlands (about 120,000 ha); lagoons and estuaries (45 estuaries and 40 lagoons totaling about 42,000 ha); mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass beds (the total extent of mangrove coverage is between 6,000 and 10,000 ha); coral reefs (about 50 linear km of major reefs); and coastal sand dunes, barrier beaches, and spits (sand dunes occur along about 312 km of the coastline).

      When the British came here Lanka had 85% forest cover. Hence it was uninhabited except by the Aborigines the Veddha.

      Using census data the population growth can be estimated. Hence working backwards from known data we can arrive at a plausible estimate of the Tamil population before the arrival of the British.
      Thus in 1792 the Tamil population would be about 75,000 – 80,000.

      How this small population populated, 26,000 sq km and defended a POROUS boundary of nearly 2000 km, against a population more than 5 times their size, defies all reason.

      Obviously that claim to land is fraudulent.

      Kind Regards,
      OTC

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      15

      That is exactly why Australians are struggling today to keep away the boats you oaf!

      Prior to introduction of VISAs and other immigration restrictions people were free to move about and establish themselves where ever they found resources. Isn’t that how much of North America and Australia was first colonized? Then the first migrants realized that unless they cap the flow of migrants their new found wealth will be distributed further and further and they will not be able to support their rich/comfortable lifestyles. Hence the introduction of “controlled” migration with numerous immigration schemes based on employment, age, education, what have you.

      So you want the Sinhalese to commit suicide and allow 35-40% of land to be reserved for the exclusive use of 8% of the population? As if it was not enough getting down the South Indian Tamils and giving up much of the hill country to them, now we are expected to the same all over?

      This man Wigneshwaran keeps saying “our” land. One of these days, some one should ask him what is “our” (Sinhala) land in his opinion.

      • 6
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        Navin

        Its you again,

        “This man Wigneshwaran keeps saying “our” land. One of these days, some one should ask him what is “our” (Sinhala) land in his opinion.”

        Your land is in Thamil Nadu, and/or Bihar.

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      Theva

      “According to this argument, Australia should allow Indonesians and Indians to occupy Australia”

      My distant cousins the Aborigine should ask the Kallathonies including, Europeans, Malays, Indonesians, Chinese, Sinhalese, Tamils, Indians, …. to leave their ancestral land.

      They should deport Kallathonie Tamils and Sinhalese back to their ancestral homeland Tamil Nadu and /or Bihar.

  • 8
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    OTC,

    “Talking of being brainwashed I suppose you have forgotten about the Hindu Religion that you used to subject to SLAVERY more than 60% of the Tamil population in the North. If you take SL as a whole you were dominating over 70% of the Total Tamil population! Your political leaders including Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan wanted the Vellala domination of the Panchamar (Low Cast Tamils) to be written into the Constitution and wanted to stop the ENFRANCHISEMENT of over 85% of the Tamil population (all women and all of the Panchamar). It is the same Vellala, who are today, BEGGING for the vote of the Panchamar and the Tamil women.”

    First I must confess that I am Vellalah and Hindu.

    There are many Vellalah (still maybe 40% despite migration) in Jaffna and obviously we cannot all be big land owners and politicians. Some of us do manual labor, drive autos etc. It is true that the caste system had a “place” for all including slaves (however never 60%!) but this is partly history.

    My estimate is that maybe 80% of the NPC members are Vellalah. I have never understood why the “others” still vote for us now that many of them are educated and wealthy.

    • 5
      5

      Today’s NY Times has an article about the frustrations of the internally displaced people in Jaffna.

      As the article says, the Army has become comfortable and some officers have become rich by stealing the people’s lands and doing business there.

      Unlike many armchair commentators, Justice CVW meets the affected people in person, understands their daily struggles and shares their emotions, which will explain why he has become very outspoken.

      • 1
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        Dear Agnos,

        Unfortunately the NYT story does not allow comments.

        Extract
        “You visited my land? How did it look?” asked Arunachalam Gunabalasingam, 69, president of a committee of families from the area, none of whom have seen, or been paid, for their property since fleeing for their lives on June 15, 1990
        End extract

        In 1987 the LTTE was in control of Jaffna. The IPKF started operations on 9 October 1987 to take Jaffna. Jaffna Fort fell to the IPKF on 28 November 1987. The IPKF fought for three more years. Jaffna was under IPKF control all that time. The SL forces were confined to barracks under the terms of the Peace Accord.

        The article that you have highlighted has hidden all that detail. Why?

        Gunabalasingam has run away in 1990.
        If so he has run away from the IPKF.

        The story also hides the fact that those who are in IDP camps today were LANDLESS to begin with. They are the Panchamars, the Low Cast Landless of Tamil Society from time immemorial. But Foreigners will not know it because it has been very cunningly buried deep, out of sight.

        Your story teller GARDINER HARRIS is either ignorant or purposely hides the fact that the Coast all around Sri Lanka is Public Property since 1981.

        It is the same in his own country the USA where in most states it is Public Property. In Australia the COMPLETE coast and beach is Public property. The coast in Canada and India is also Public property.

        The Law in Sri Lanka is as follows

        Coast Conservation Act No. 57 of 1981

        2.The administration, control, custody and management of the Coastal Zone are hereby vested in the Republic

        “Coastal Zone” means that area lying within a limit of three hundred metres landwards of the Mean High Water line and a limit of two kilometres seawards of the Mean Low Water line and in the case of rivers, streams, lagoons, or any other body of water connected to the sea either permanently or periodically, the landward boundary shall extend to a limit of two kilometres measured perpendicular to the straight base line drawn between the natural entrance points thereof and shall include the waters of such rivers, streams and lagoons or any other body of water so connected to the sea;

        When the Vellalas abandoned their houses and lands in the peninsula, the non-Vellalas simply walked in and took them over, carrying out thereby a thoroughly radical programme of land expropriation, that had not been attempted anywhere else in Sri Lanka, and comparable to the eviction of Kulaks from their holdings in the early years of the Russian Revolution. It was not merely that the rebels moved in and took over Vellala lands but they obliterated all old boundaries, fences, and surveyors’ bench marks, so that any attempt hereafter by the original owners to reclaim their properties on the basis of their title deeds is a near impossibility.

        You know it, Wigneswaran knows it, the TNA knows it but they act Dumb.

        The Propaganda machine is extensive and is not limited to Tamil separatists. There are many who twists the Truth on their behalf either for pay or for misplaced sympathy.

        Kind Regards,
        OTC

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          Nonsense. The IPKF started leaving in 1989 and was completely out of the country by early 1990. I was still in Sri Lanka. As long as Sinhalese are in denial of the plight of the Tamil people, the country will suffer.

          • 1
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            Dear Agnos,

            Things are getting interesting!

            Exposing LTTE propagandist, Agnos’s Lies

            Agnos proudly pointed to an article in the New York Times, written by GARDINER HARRIS, dated MARCH 15, 2015 here on CT (please see his post March 16, 2015 at 9:07 am)

            Agnos forgot that the Readership of NYT and CT are different. While the chance of a NYT reader spotting the lies in the article is dim, it is not so when dealing with Sri Lankans on CT.

            As you will see below Gardiner Harris has lied through his teeth and is most probably a paid agent of Terrorist Financiers in the West.

            Please read the FULL NYT article here before you read the expose.

            http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/16/world/asia/sri-lankas-tamil-minority-grows-impatient-with-just-promises.html?_r=0
            .

            From NYT article

            “You visited my land? How did it look?” asked Arunachalam Gunabalasingam, 69, president of a committee of families from the area, none of whom have seen, or been paid, for their property since fleeing for their lives on June 15, 1990”

            Please note the dates.

            The IPKF started operations on 9 October 1987 to take Jaffna. Jaffna Fort fell to the IPKF on 28 November 1987.
            IPKF left Lanka on 24 March 1990.
            Before leaving, the Indian Army armed the EPRLF.
            The LTTE defeated the EPRLF and took control of Jaffna again.
            The SL Army defeated the LTTE in Jaffna on 5th December 1995.

            Arunachalam Gunabalasingam, Committee President has fled from the EPRLF / LTTE in 1990 who were in control of Jaffna till December 1995.

            The writer of that third rate propaganda is being hailed by the support network of Separatist Tamils like Agnos.

            This is part of the FRENZY of International build up that they have been engaging of late.

            General Harkirat Singh of the IPKF says,

            “The IPKF should have never withdrawn. Why should they be withdrawn? Why they got withdrawn? Because [then Sri Lankan prime minister] Premadasa wanted them to withdraw. At what cost have we come back? We lost 1,500 to 2,000 people. All the weapons we imported, we handed them over to the EPRLF.

            He had no business to do that, [Lieutenant General] Kalkat. The IPKF boarded the ships, the EPRLF was annihilated by the LTTE, and all the weapons were taken away. EPRLF was put into a ship and rehabilitated in some island off Orissa. They deserted Jaffna. And Jaffna is back with the LTTE”

            Who is Agnos trying to fool?

            According to Sri Lankan Law the Coast is Public property.
            It is the same in Australia, parts of USA, Canada and India.

            In Sri Lanka 300 meters from the high tide mark and 2km landward from any waterway opening to the sea (include the waters of such rivers, streams and lagoons or any other body of water so connected to the sea) is Public property. There is no PRIVATE ownership within this area, right round the Island.
            (Coast Conservation Act No. 57 of 1981)

            I would also like to refer the reader to the comment of a Jaffna Tamil, “Heretic ” who lives in Jaffna and has posted here on March 17, 2015 at 11:19 am that exposes more lies.

            Mr. Agnos what do you have to say?

            Kind Regards,
            OTC

            • 2
              1

              CT Editor,
              I won’t engage with deranged racists with so much hatred for Tamils
              that they accuse a NYT reporter as being a paid agent of terrorists
              The NYT is the paper of record in the US. For some lumpen thugs from Sri Lanka to dismiss the paper’s reporting and to accuse me of being an LTTE propagandist, without any basis, is hardly surprising.

              • 4
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                Agnos

                “I won’t engage with deranged racists with so much hatred for Tamils that they accuse a NYT reporter as being a paid agent of terrorists”

                Don’t be childish.

                OTC plays his/her very old broken record which is of course pirated/lifted from articles written by like minded fellow bigots.

                You must stop taking him so seriously.

                Have fun.

                • 1
                  1

                  Dear Unmasked Tamil,

                  Re “OTC plays his/her very old broken record which is of course pirated/lifted from articles written by like minded fellow bigots”

                  Your helplessness in the face of a Factual comment and the undercurrent of anger that has crept in to your banal comment has stripped you of any semblance integrity in the minds of any impartial and rational reader.

                  Of course you will win the plaudits from people like you but the fact remains that you could not challenge a SINGLE statement I have made in this exchange with Agnos.

                  I doubt you will even try to make a factual challenge.

                  Speaks a lot about your “intellectual” abilities.

                  Kind Regards,
                  OTC

                  • 1
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                    Off the Cuff

                    “Your helplessness in the face of a Factual comment “

                    Comment is free, but facts are sacred.

                    -C P Scott

                    • 0
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                      Dear Unmasked Tamil,

                      Yes facts are sacred that’s why you are helpless!

                      Kind Regards,
                      OTC

                    • 0
                      1

                      Tamil Pretender in a Veddha mask,

                      It is exactly because facts are sacred that you find yourself Helpless.

              • 1
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                Dear Agnos,

                Re “I won’t engage with deranged racists with so much hatred for Tamils that they accuse a NYT reporter as being a paid agent of terrorists”

                You have been caught with your pants down.
                Now you are trying to take cover by acting righteous!!!
                Proves that you have no logical explanation to offer and is indeed a Separatist Propagandist.

                I have proven with documentary evidence that the article written by GARDINER HARRIS is a web of LIES. You have no way of getting around it because what I wrote is the TRUTH.

                I gave you a chance to come clean. But your response was a summary dismissal and a puerile attempt to confirm the story by making a personal statement implying it was the SL forces that were in control and that the story was credible.

                You said,

                “Nonsense. The IPKF started leaving in 1989 and was completely out of the country by early 1990. <b. I was still in Sri Lanka" vide your comment of March 17, 2015 at 4:56 am above.

                When you are confronted by quotes from General Harkirat Singh of the IPKF, the man who was in Lanka conducting IPKF operations, which PROVES BEYOND QUESTION, that it was the EPRLF/LTTE which took control of Jaffna after the IPKF and proof that till December 1995 it was under LTTE, you are SHAMELESSLY trying to extricate yourself from the cesspit you got into, by resorting to third rate “Name Calling” which is the refuge of Imbeciles, caught with the hand in the Cookie jar!!!

                Arunachalam Gunabalasingam, your NYT complainant, was referring to “June 15, 1990”. That was 5 years before the SL Army wrested control of Jaffna from the LTTE.

                Despite you engineering background and being privy to security of your adoptive country (vide your comment “Listen, my professional work in engineering involves the national security of my adopted country. Don’t tell me about the quality of intelligence of the US and its allies” https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-great-neighbour-tilts-lessons-in-geopolitics/comment-page-1/#comment-1797424) Logic deserted you when you forgot that there is many a slip between the cup and the lip.

                I also indicated to you that there is no PRIVATE property on the coast of Lanka 2 km Landward from every opening to the Sea of a river, lagoon or water way, even getting intermittently connected to the sea due to tide or other means, is PUBLIC property. The beach 300 meters landward from the high tide line from any other area is also PUBLIC property. Hence there can be NO PRIVATE land in that area.

                Thalsevana resort is situated on the beach well within the 300 meters and is hence on PUBLIC PROPERTY. It is between Jaffna-Ponnalai-PoinPedro Rd (AB21) and the waterline a distance of LESS THAN 75 Meters (not even considering the high waterline).

                Hence no Tamil Civilian’s Private property is affected.

                The distance between the waterline and the Road is about 60 – 75 meters. I will invite the reader to check Google Earth (both Satellite and Map views) to verify for themselves, as I did.

                (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Thalsevana+Holiday+Resort/@9.8156024,80.0492484,396m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x3affabb3fa065fd7:0x2755577337216705)

                Re “The NYT is the paper of record in the US. For some lumpen thugs from Sri Lanka to dismiss the paper’s reporting and to accuse me of being an LTTE propagandist, without any basis, is hardly surprising”

                Agnos you are more of a fool than I thought. The NYT may be having a reputation that does not mean that everything they PRINT is the Truth. The Editor of NYT won’t check every detail of a story submitted. They would not know that the Coast Conservation Act No. 57 of 1981 precludes PRIVATE ownership of land on the coast. They would not know that the “Thal Sevana” is on PUBLIC land. That responsibility lies with the author of the article.

                You as Tamil who has personal knowledge of Jaffna should have recognised the LIES as I did. You should have taken care not to get involved in propaganda that you knew to be a Web of Lies. That is assuming you had no desire to propagate false propaganda.

                If NYT allowed comments under that article I would have written everything that I have written here on NYT. Fortunately for Gardiner Harris they don’t allow comments on that story.

                Please remember that I exposed the LIES in Gardiner Harris’s article using FACTS, the unvarnished Truth. If you can, refute them and prove that I have lied, without drooling at the mouth.

                I have no hatred for Tamils but I hate Liars.

                Kind Regards,
                OTC

    • 2
      3

      Dear Heretic,

      Your response give me an impression of honesty, a far cry from those of the Rabid Separatists. My sincere thanks to you.

      For a long time I too was taken in by the incessant propaganda about Sinhala Oppression of Tamils, 67 years of oppression they said and I thought the Tamils had indeed received a raw deal.

      Later, I became aware of the mechanisations of the Jaffna Political and Civil administration (11 MPs & 14 DROs) both wholly Vellala who connived to keep the Non Vellala Tamils, 420,000 in the 1960s (the Vellala were 280,000) oppressed and subjected to slavery of the vilest form in the North.

      It was then that I realised that the VOICE that we heard was not of the Tamil Polity but of a ruling class, who while OPPRESSING and DEHUMANISING the majority Tamil population of the North, was blaming the Sinhala to cover their sins.

      What enabled me to look beyond the cacophony of Vellala Tamil and separatist propaganda was the Autobiographical writings of the former GA Jaffna Mr Neville Jayweera. Mr Jayaweera was the General Manager of the Gal Oya Development Board 1960-1963 and was GA Jaffna for three years starting at the later part of 1963. He was handpicked by PM Sirimavo to implement the Language policy in the North and instead implemented the Reasonable use of Tamil Act even before it was gazetted.

      His writings give an in depth perspective of life in Jaffna. His experiences of Jaffna are related in 10 parts. Please read it, here is the link. http://nevillejayaweera.blogspot.com/search/label/Autobiographical%20Writings
      .

      Since then I have read the writings of Ms Perle Thevanayagam, Mr Sebastian Rasalingam, Ms Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam, Mr. Thomas Johnpulle, Mr. Thanges Paramsothy, Dr. Nagalingam Ethirweerasingham the Olympic and Asian Games Medalist and the first president of the Global Tamil Forum. ALL of them relates their first hand life experiences and all of them confirm each other.

      The works of Dr. Michael Roberts provides a wealth of information. Dr. Jane Russell lived in Jaffna while doing her research for her PhD. Her book is authoritative and provides an insight to both Sinhala and Tamil politics and society during the Donoughmore period. I have also read Casteless or Caste-blind? jointly authored by Kalinga Tudor Silva, P.P. Sivapragasam, Paramsothy Thanges and THE RAJAH OF THE NORTH – PERCIVAL ACLAND DYKE by BERTRAM E. S. J. BASTIAMPILLAI and several others and is hence not writing without background knowledge. I try to write truthfully and is always ready to be corrected.

      Let me address your concerns.

      I am a Sinhala and a Buddhist and had schooled with Tamils, Muslims and Burghers who were Buddhists, Christian and Islamic by religion. These divisions did not matter to us and I believe it was a grave mistake to school children separated on ethnic or religious lines. It does not give a chance for the different groups to bond.

      Quote from Ms Pearl Thevanayagam http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/06/pernicious-caste-curse-of-tamils-living.html

      “As a 12 year old I became conscious of how Tamils used the caste system to enslave least 75 percent of the Tamil population by obtaining their services virtually free based on their belonging to the servile class. I wondered about my own family’s hypocrisy when on the one hand they practised Catholicism to the letter treating our servants kindly and generously and on the other never allowing us to mix with those who are perceived to belong to lower castes. They even interrogated my classmates before they could be allowed into the hall”
      End quote

      Note that according to Ms Thevanayagam, the Low casts numbers 75%

      Quote from Mr Neville Jayaweera GA Jaffna

      “The Tamil underclass of Jaffna was referred to variously as the depressed, scheduled or pariah castes. However, throughout the rest of this chapter I shall refer to these unfortunate people simply as non-Vellalas because on principle, I do not refer to people by names that connote inferiority or are pejorative of them. In the 1960s the underclass constituted almost 60% of a population of 700,000 Tamils in the Jaffna District”
      End Quote

      Note, according to the GA the Low cast numbers were 60%

      Instead of using Ms Thevanayagam’s number of 75% I used the more conservative figure of the GA, 60% as he would have been privy to the actual number as the Chief Administrator of the Jaffna District.

      Let me explain how that figure rose to 85%

      All the Indian Origin Tamils are low cast other than a few Kanganis.
      Thus the Underclass Tamil population will rise to 70% and the Vellala comes down to 30% and half of them were women. Ramanathan was against enfranchising women and the Panchamar which consisted 85% of the total Tamil population.

      Re “There are many Vellalah (still maybe 40% despite migration) in Jaffna and obviously we cannot all be big land owners and politicians”

      What I have written is a counter to the false propaganda of Sinhala oppression for 67 years. This charge came from within the Vellala and was not coming from the larger Tamil polity who had no Voice.

      I agree with you, neither did all Vellala own land nor were all of them rich. Some of them had to do manual labour and I didn’t intend to hurt the feelings of the good people. I am sorry if I did hurt you and others like you.

      However ALL Land owners were Vellala. All rich were Vellala. All DRO’s were Vellala, All Members of Parliament were Vellala.

      I was writing about a past, a past that these people were constantly heaping blame on the Sinhala while practicing the vilest form of slavery under cover. Even today they are referring to the past and heaping blame on the Sinhala because the world and most of the Sinhala do not know what went on in the North.

      Since all land was owned by the Vellala it became impossible for the Panchamar (the under class) to buy land. The Thesawalami Law didn’t allow the sale of land outside the family without offering it to the family first. Under that Law the family had the right of first option to purchase. Hence all of family members either had to refuse to buy or agree to sell to an underclass. This was a near impossibility as peer pressure from Vellala society was too much to defy.

      Here is another quote from the GA
      “For over a hundred years, lacking land and access to government service, which were avenues monopolised by the Vellalas, many non-Vellalas took to smuggling as a profession. Valvettiturai, the home of Pirabhikaran, was its hub, and the inhabitants of a considerable stretch of the northern coast depended on smuggling for their livelihood, supplemented of course by the fishing industry.”

      “The British gave the initial impetus to the Vellala class in their ascent to power. To gauge the extent of that impetus, one has only to read, as I have done, the daily diaries of Acland Dyke, GA of Jaffna for 38 years and of William Twyneham, GA for 28 years. Their patronage of the Vellalas was fulsome, and it enabled their young men who passed out from mission schools in Jaffna to gain speedy entry into government service. That is not to say that these young men could not have managed on their own, or did not merit their appointments. They were very intelligent, entrepreneurial, hard working, disciplined, loyal, and thrifty, qualities which any ruler would value very highly, and on the strength of which they would have progressed even unaided. They are qualities that economists and historians have identified as the driving motor of capitalism and as the foundation blocks of empire. However when the British relinquished power, the Vellalas lost the umbrella under which they had prospered for over a century, and they had to fend for themselves. Along with the Sinhala leaders of the time, like the Senanayakes, E.W.Perera, et al, Ponnambalam Ramanathan and Ponnambalam Arunachalam positioned themselves in the vanguard of the nationalist struggle but they were from the top drawer of Tamil society, who having already appropriated economic and social power, were now seeking political power to augment their armoury. When the British left, without securing for the Vellala class the political power they craved, the Vellalas had their backs to the wall, but it took them some time to read the writing on it!

      It was only after 1956 that the Vellalas began to read the writing on the wall. As the Sinhala Only policy worked its way through the system, the structure and complexion of the public services changed dramatically. In a field where they once reigned, the Vellala class found themselves progressively marginalised and reduced to a rump, and the second leg of the Vellala power tripod began to crumble.

      The third leg of the tripod began to crumble not under pressure from without, but under assault from within. Post 1983, when the militant groups, principally the LTTE, began to assert power in the peninsula and started demanding monetary contributions from the only people who had money, mostly in cash and jewellery, i.e. from the Vellalas, and also started demanding from their families support for the “cause” in the form of man power, that is, at least one son from each family, the Vellala families cut and fled, either to Colombo, or abroad, leaving their properties to be expropriated by the rebels.

      Let us not forget that the Vellalas are a very bourgeois people. They are unused to living in trenches, to being bitten by fleas and ticks, and to braving the blistering Vanni sun, or of running the risk of violent death, preferring instead to work at desks, or in hospitals or in the law courts and seeking always the comforts of a respectable middle class life.

      When the Vellalas abandoned their houses and lands in the peninsula, the non-Vellalas simply walked in and took them over, carrying out thereby a thoroughly radical programme of land expropriation, that had not been attempted anywhere else in Sri Lanka, and comparable to the eviction of Kulaks from their holdings in the early years of the Russian Revolution. It was not merely that the rebels moved in and took over Vellala lands but they obliterated all old boundaries, fences, and surveyors’ bench marks, so that any attempt hereafter by the original owners to reclaim their properties on the basis of their title deeds is a near impossibility.

      Furthermore, from the early 1980s, as successive armies trudged backwards and forwards over their lands, and as High Security Zones widened their perimeters and as the familiar land marks and boundaries that defined privately owned plots of land were erased, most of Jaffna’s agricultural plots were reduced to a wasteland and the once green fields are now largely abandoned. The small-holding agricultural economy of the Jaffna peninsula has all but collapsed, and with it the last bastion of Vellala power.

      End quote

      All this was due to the greed for land and power and an inability to compromise when compromise was needed.

      Kind Regards,
      OTC

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    Agnos and OTC,

    Confession time again: I am a land owning Vellalah.

    “The story also hides the fact that those who are in IDP camps today were LANDLESS to begin with. They are the Panchamars, the Low Cast Landless of Tamil Society from time immemorial. But Foreigners will not know it because it has been very cunningly buried deep, out of sight.”

    They might have been living in a place (=home) for generations but without having any deed. Many workers used to live on land belonging to the Vellalah or just occupy land that the Vellalahs didn’t want.

    Even during the war it was possible to visit HSZs but without having a deed, knowing how and where to apply and paying for the necessary military escort made it impossible for many.

    “When the Vellalas abandoned their houses and lands in the peninsula, the non-Vellalas simply walked in and took them over, carrying out thereby a thoroughly radical programme of land expropriation, that had not been attempted anywhere else in Sri Lanka, and comparable to the eviction of Kulaks from their holdings in the early years of the Russian Revolution. It was not merely that the rebels moved in and took over Vellala lands but they obliterated all old boundaries, fences, and surveyors’ bench marks, so that any attempt hereafter by the original owners to reclaim their properties on the basis of their title deeds is a near impossibility.”

    Often the Vellalah asked somebody to stay in their houses so that the LTTE, Army or others wouldn’t take over their houses and land. This somebody might in the best case be a poor relative and in the worst case just about anybody who needed a place to stay. In many cases these care takers demand money to leave if the owners return.

    The LTTE ordered homeless families to move into empty houses sometimes as a reward other times just to house people somewhere. I know people who claim that the LTTE wanted to mix different castes to destroy the single caste enclaves of rural Jaffna. They weren’t very successful all though many non-Vellalah care takers remain in traditionally Vellalah areas.

    There are land archives that usually have copies of deeds and plans. At least where I live the fences, boundaries and even bench marks still exist. The neighbors of Vellalah in rural Jaffna are highly likely to be other Vellalah and often even close relatives. The neigbours, mostly Vellalah lawyers and government servants have solved most problems related to land ownership.

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      Dear Heretic,

      Re “They might have been living in a place (=home) for generations but without having any deed. Many workers used to live on land belonging to the Vellalah or just occupy land that the Vellalahs didn’t want”

      You are speculating!
      The Vellalah would not allow a Panchamar into their land let alone allow them to live in them. Their presence was defiling. The Panchamar had designated ghettos to live in, had permitted paths to travel by (see rule 6) and even then had to announce their approach by making noise (dragging a palmyrah frond on the ground).

      That was a fast one, but did not work.

      Ragunathan (2004: 22-23) listed a series of 24 customary prohibitions enforced by the upper caste elite on Panchamars during the 1950s. These prohibitions were as follows:

      1. Males should not wear an upper garment.
      2. ‘Verti’ should be tied in such a way that it does not hang below the ankle level.
      3. Men should not wear “Shalvei” on the shoulder.
      4. Females should not wear an upper garment.
      5. Females should not wear the “thaavani” (sari “potta”).
      6. The Panchamar should not travel unnecessarily on roads and in public places. When proceeding on permitted paths, they must announce their coming by dragging a “kaavolei” (dried Palmyrah leaf) behind them.
      7. Panchamar must not wear any jewellery.
      8. The Panchamar cannot tie the “thali” (wedding necklace) at weddings.
      9. The Panchamar must not wear white for higher rituals.
      10. The Panchamar must not wear white for important/special rituals.
      11. They must bury the dead without cremation.
      12. They should not use any musical instruments to rejoice or mourn.
      13. They should not play music at auspicious or inauspicious functions.
      14. They should not use the ponds of the “high” castes.
      15. They must not use umbrellas.
      16. They must not wear footwear.
      17. They must not study.
      18. They must not keep any gods belonging to the “high” castes in their temples.
      19. They cannot enter the “high” caste temples.
      20. They must not enter tea-shops.
      21. They must not draw water from public wells.
      22. They cannot either drive or travel in cycles and cars.
      23. They cannot sit while traveling in buses.
      24. Even after permission was granted to study in schools, they were not allowed to sit on chairs.

      Brahmans, through temple rituals, invested Vellalars with the right to control agrarian reproduction; by denying Pallars and Pariayars this ritual entitlement, Brahmans condemned the laborers to landlesness, servitude, and low status. So elaborate was this system of ritual entitlement that “every inch of land, every act of public life, and every necessary interaction in economic processes became infused with ritual meanings and moral valuations” (Ludden 1978:6)

      Re “Often the Vellalah asked somebody to stay in their houses so that the LTTE, Army or others wouldn’t take over their houses and land. This somebody might in the best case be a poor relative and in the worst case just about anybody who needed a place to stay. In many cases these care takers demand money to leave if the owners return”

      The Vellalah fled from the LTTE not the Army. It was the LTTE who ordered a male to join them from each family. Who was going to stay and defy the LTTE? They were the Law and they did not respect ownership.

      Re “There are land archives that usually have copies of deeds and plans. At least where I live the fences, boundaries and even bench marks still exist”

      You are a lucky man. The LTTE purposely obliterated boundaries, survey bench marks etc because they were against the Vellalah domination of land. They granted properties for their Mahaveers some of who were illegal Indians. Land archives were the katcheries and they were under LTTE control.

      Kind Regards,
      OTC

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    Dear OTC,

    Thanks for your reply. I can see that you have a lot of information however I wish to clarify and add some facts. BTW have you noticed that none of the other Jaffna Tamils on CT have commented?

    I only read the NYT article today.
    “You are speculating!”

    We are both speculating because the caste of the IDPs mentioned in the article is unknown. If they lived where the Thalsevana Holiday Resort is today they are unlikely to be Vellalah because we rarely choose to live near the sea.

    I don’t understand why the “NYT IDPs” have not visited their former home. There is a resort there where they can stay, arrange a function or just go and eat. Maybe they are really ignorant? Does the person behind the article think that Tamils cannot visit the resort?

    From the article: “Gatherings in the north, even for a child’s birthday party, still require official permission.”

    I have seen this claim before and the source is never provided. This is absolutely NOT true. Foreigners and people outside of Jaffna maybe believe this but not even Uthayan will print this kind of misinformation because we all know in Jaffna that it is not true.

    “A drive around Sri Lanka reveals that most of the military checkpoints that once pockmarked this island nation during its 30-year civil war, waged between rebels of the minority Tamil ethnic group and a Government dominated by ethnic Sinhalese, are gone.”

    True in Jaffna but don’t know about the rest of SL. Most if not all minibases in my area have been closed and the soldiers and sailors are now in some bigger camps. The houses vacated by them remain empty.

    “The Panchamar had designated ghettos to live in”

    They still live in their enclaves. We prefer to use the term “Nalavar” and they are the ones who work for me. I consider Nalavar, Pallars and Pariayars being former slaves but they are maybe 20 % of the population in Jaffna. All three live mostly in their enclaves in my rural area. I don’t think that, for instance, the karaiar,koviar and mukkuvar castes were slaves.

    Some of the discrimination of the 1950 remains. It has to do with Hinduism and will maybe never totally disappear.

    “The Vellalah fled from the LTTE not the Army. It was the LTTE who ordered a male to join them from each family. Who was going to stay and defy the LTTE? They were the Law and they did not respect ownership.”

    The Vellalah and others fled because of the war not only because of the LTTE. The LTTE demanded a child from each family not only males. The LTTE, security forces and others occupied empty houses. Many people stayed in Jaffna. In order to survive we paid “tiger tax”, were quiet and sent the young boys and girls away to avoid LTTE “conscription”.

    “The LTTE purposely obliterated boundaries, survey bench marks etc because they were against the Vellalah domination of land. They granted properties for their Mahaveers some of who were illegal Indians. Land archives were the katcheries and they were under LTTE control.”

    I also wrote that the LTTE gave houses and land as a reward for their supporters. In my area the deeds and plans have mostly survived but in the Vanni the LTTE had power a much longer time and did more damage than here in Jaffna. Maybe the land ownership is unclear there?

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