Amidst the criticism of not informing the public about the Jaffna University clash, the Government has today lied about the nature of the brawl, saying it was not racially or ethnically motivated.
Gayantha Karunatilake – Minister Media
On Saturday the clash erupted at the University of Jaffna’s Science Faculty between groups of Tamil-Sinhalese students, with the university’s Vice Chancellor Professor Vasanthi Arasaratnam ordering the Sinhalese students to leave for Vavuniya, after the Faculty was closed indefinitely. Four buses were brought in to transport the students back to their hometowns in the South.
The background to this skirmish is a freshers’ welcome at the Science Faculty which took place last Saturday. The organizing student committee of the Science Students Union (SSU) had planned a march with traditional Tamil welcome drums and music, garlanding and escorting the Dean and Academic Staff from the Science Faculty gates for the event in the mathematics department hall.
On Friday evening however, the Sinhalese students put in a request for Kandyan dancers too to join the procession. The committee-meeting considering the request went on for long, refusing to accept a suggestion at the last minute. The matter then was passed on to the University Students’ Union dominated by the arts/management students who insisted it should be only the Tamil welcome form.
Some senior science academics intervened and urged that the march from the gate be scrapped and that the music should be only inside the hall where both groups could offer their form of welcome at 1:00 p.m. when the staff would also be there.
On Saturday however, as the event began, musicians playing Tamil drums and music were seen at the gate. Seeing this, the Sinhalese students joined in with their Kandyan music escort. First the arts/commerce students started pelting the Sinhalese students with stones. The Sinhalese students took shelter in the science building by the Physics Department signboard. The building had glass windows. As the panes broke and fell, some Sinhalese students sustained minor cuts, said a Senior Lecturer who was watching.
Issuing a statement today the government information department says “although some people tried to stress that it was a racially motivated conflict, this was a clash between two groups of students and the government condemns the violent behavior of some students. During the last six years students numbering about 7000 and belonging to several ethnic and religious backgrounds peacefully co-existed and studied.”
Contrary to the information department’s stance that this is not a racially motivated clash, Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Champika Ranawaka said “Are they trying to say that the Jaffna University is only for Tamil students, does this mean that Sinhala and Muslim students can’t go and study there? There is a deeper meaning to this incident, this is not just an assault on students, this is outright racism,” he said.
Northern based political party the Tamil National Alliance also expressed their deep shock saying “We regret that several students have sustained injuries and that the Sinhala students had to be evacuated from the University and Jaffna as a precautionary measure”.
The Government Information Department continues to stay mum regarding this evacuation. They have not yet explained or mentioned the reasons for this evacuation or why only the Sinhalese students were evacuated, if this was not a racially motivated clash.
The former President of the FUTA Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri after obtaining information from the Jaffna University lecturers said on his Facebook page that this is a racially motivated attack against Sinhala students.
However, the Government Information Department also said in the statement that the situation at the university has returned to normalcy and steps are being taken to reopen the Science Faculty. The Government condemns the incident and every effort will be taken to ensure that the safety of the children and the University authorities will be protected at all times.
The statement also said that action will be taken against the students who were involved in the incident. (Janaka Ranawera @ Colombo Telegraph) 
kp / July 18, 2016
They say it IS a racist attack- they need to face down possible riots/protests against the Tamils. They say it isn’t- they need to face down possible riots/protests against themselves (the government). Lose-lose situation.
As an aside, it’s interesting all this came up over a cultural ceremony. There’s plenty of nations and societies far more developed than ours that did away with this nonsense- one doesn’t need dancers and drum beaters (of either ethnic group) to welcome new students- in my opinion, formal cultural ceremonies are the most mind-numbingly boring thing I can think of as an undergrad coming into a university- pick a neutral type of entertainment that appeals to everyone and move on. Or are we goldfish that we would forget our cultural roots if we don’t have a dance or a drum beater at every occasion? A common Lankan identity can’t be forged as long as each ethnic group clings on to “our culture” and insists each is given pride of place. Anyone who advocates for anything else is called a bigot or a traitor, or possibly even a kalu suddha. Meanwhile, the politicos score political points, continue their Game of Thrones-style power plays, and the masses kill each other. Country stays in the same place, forever deluded into believing that more skyscrapers, more highways or more money in their pockets (the latter of which isn’t even happening to begin with) equates to development.
This country is beyond the level of a joke now. What an absolutely miserable place to be born into.
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Amarasiri / July 19, 2016
RE:It’s Official: Govt. Lies Over Jaffna Campus Racial Rumpus
“Amidst the criticism of not informing the public about the Jaffna University clash, the Government has today lied about the nature of the brawl, saying it was not racially or ethnically motivated.”
It is actually, culturally motivated.
It is actually, culturally motivated, each Para Group wanted to expose their Para Culture, and one Para-Group did not want it.
A bunch of Para idiots showing their colors.
No wonder, the Average IQ of the Paras is 79!
Deja vu– Seen before.
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James / July 19, 2016
If you look at the tape the Tamil kids were moving peacefully in the procession until that procession was attacked. It is very clear that the military backed Sinhala students instigated it and finally ended up in hospital. Things went wrong when the Kandyan dance which was not in the program agenda was imposed in an arrogant manner by the Sinhala students to show their highhandedness and the power they possess due to the occupied Sinhala military.
There are certainly some vested interests by some Southern political groups in exaggerating the clash in order to benefit from the troubles thus created. However, this time the statements from the government and its ministers aim to appease the situation (unlike JR who was arrogant when he said “If you want war, you’ll have it”).
A Jaffna-based senior journalist said that because of the language barrier, the Sinhalese students either stick to their own ethnic group or mingle with the predominantly Sinhalese army and police. And the Security Forces, who have traditionally been at odds with the Tamil students of Jaffna, could have instigated the Sinhalese students to make an issue of the inclusion of Kandyan dancing at the welcoming function. There are also rumours that this can be a conspiracy by the Rajapakshe loyalists within the Army to create another island wide Anti-Tamil pogrom.
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Hamlet / July 19, 2016
“It’s Official: Govt. Lies Over Jaffna Campus Racial Rumpus”
Sometimes Lies are the best reaction to Incidents such as this. Interested Parties could take the Opportunity to create unrest among the Gullible sections of the Population, leading to a greater Hindrance to Reconciliation!
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muaz / July 20, 2016
i’m a science faculty undergrad, UoJ. the military never backed the sinhalese. no military is there in the tape. are you blind or seeing extra things?? the above story is 100% true. this is exactly what happened. sinhalese requested the day before the function only. but why not allow them?? what’s there to discuss so much? is jaffna uni only for tamil students? i myself have witnessed there are still some tamil students with the mentality one should not have as a sri lankan. as well as there are some great students who are very matured enough to tolerate multi culturalism. this attack was done clearly on a racist motive, i assure you that.
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Ben Hurling / July 19, 2016
Dear stupid Tamils & stupid Sinhalese,
Please for once use your God given brain, if you have one.
Identify the enemy correctly.
It is either horrific Tamil tribalism or bloody awful Sinhalese racism.
Those are worst two enemies we are faced with. These are the enemies threatening to rip this beautiful country apart.
Fight those despicable beasts together or perish. Choice is yours.
Cheers!
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Gunaratnam / July 18, 2016
As a Tamil from Jaffna I am deeply sadened by this incident. It is quite evident this was racially motivated. The Tamil students responsible for this should be severely punished for their shameful behavior. For years we Tamils and now the Muslims have complained of racial discriminations against minorities in this country. This is a fact. But this incident proves that as community we are no better on our home turf.
How many Tamils have been looked after and protected by decent peace loving Sinhalese families from the south during many ethnic conflicts. The least the chancellor, deans and teaching staff should have offered, is the highest level of protection and comfort to our Sinhalese brothers and sisters and not despatch them in a bus back to the south. We may come from different communities but we all belong to humanity. So let’s behave decently.
Think about it- how beautiful it would have been to play Tamil and Sinhalese music as a welcome gesture at this event. Only people with insecurity complexes hide behind their community. This I say to both these communities. A bitter and painful lesson which lasted 30 years and affected both communities doesn’t seem good enough to realize that conflict is NOT the answer to secure peace. You are students , the future of our country. Take that responsibility seriously and charter new course for this land.
I am extremely happy that the TNA has condemned this. Mr Cheif Minister you are too slow to respond. We would like to know what your stance is? To my Sinhalese brothers and sisters we are truly sorry about this incident. We Tamils should have been better at handling this simply because it is us who have been at the receiving end for years. Let’s keep Sri
Lanka as one.
/
Alahakoon / July 19, 2016
Gunaratnam, Thank you for sharing your wise and humane thoughts with us.
However, I can’t completely agree with your opinion of punishing those 20 year old Tamil kids. If you think about this specific age of 20 and history of SL civil war, don’t you agree that some of these young adults may have gone through very unhealthy life in their first 10 or 12 years of child life. Perhaps, in camps, or as refugees in Indian camps or even in their own homes but very frequently seeing fear, uncertainties, hopelessness expressions in their parents faces. Even a 2 or 3 year old kid could understand these fears of their mothers due to their knowledge inherited through human genes.
So can you guess how negatively strong could be some of these 20 year old kids perceptions, egos built with fear in their childhood? And these egos/perceptions are cemented well below their conscious mind, but how could those interfere with their day to day life as young adults.
If my thinking has any truth, then who should be punished? These unfortunate young kids with ugly childhood or the adults (you and me) who are responsible for creating those ugly and cruel environment for our kids?
I think, as adults, we should force to make meaningful reconciliation process among us adults. Have you seen widely publicized face to face self confessions of black South African mother whose son was brutally killed AND that particular white policemen who was directly responsible of that killing. In the end, both cried and embrace each other for a long time.. Nelson Mandela believed that widely publicizing these events could help to cure inner conciseness of all.
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jim softy / July 19, 2016
Gunarathnam, good man.
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Amarasiri / July 19, 2016
Gunaratnam
“As a Tamil from Jaffna I am deeply sadened by this incident. It is quite evident this was racially motivated. The Tamil students responsible for this should be severely punished for their shameful behavior.”
https://www.facebook.com/AnverManatunga/videos/1072001316213375/
This is what a Muslim guy is saying about the incident on Facebook.. Everybody is saddened, except the racists.
This shows how racist the Tamils have been. Is this Tamil Vellahalism that was directed against the low-caste Tamils, nor being directed against the Sinhala students. This is quite pathetic. The ethnic clensing of the Muslims from the Northern Province can be better understood, The racism of the Tamils.
This is a very sad event, and those responsible should be punished.
Racism of the Para-Tamils against the Para-Sinhala!
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Shrikharan / July 19, 2016
Dear Guneratnam
In the South ceremonial functions are only represented by Sinhala Buddhist culture and Tamil culture is not represented. Suppose Tamils start a fight here in the South to demand Tamil culture in all functions and a fight erupts whom will you blame?
I am sure you will blame the Tamils. So it is always Tamils are to be blamed. If they do not allow Sinhala traditions to be represented in Jaffna and that is denied and a fight starts then it is Tamils fault, and if the similar thing in the South when the Tamils demand Tamil culture to be represented and that request is denied and a brawl starts then again it is Tamils fault. So it is always Tamils fault, and always Tamils are in the wrong. Heads I win and tails you lose.
I can understand the disgust if the Sinhala students request being denied in Jaffna when it is the usual practice in the South to have Tamil culture in all functions. But this is not so, and I am aware many Tamils silently have commented on this practice but had fear to express this discrimination against their culture. Actually I can understand why Sinhala request was turned down in Jaffna University and it was this frustration that Tamils in south had experienced for so long but had to stomach it to maintain peace because in the end Tamils are the losers.
Guneratnam, I quote you said:
“Think about it- how beautiful it would have been to play Tamil and Sinhalese music as a welcome gesture at this event. Only people with insecurity complexes hide behind their community.”
Exactly why don’t you say that to equally apply to the South as well. It appears you are Tamil. Were you sleeping all these days or were you living totally out of Sri Lanka. Or are you trying to hold pantham to the Sinhalese? Don’t get me wrong, in fact I have nothing against Sinhala representation but have you ever attended any function in the South and have you ever seen Tamil culture represented? When foreign dignitaries come on invitation to Sri Lanka is Tamil culture also represented parallel with that of the Sinhala? No NEVER may be one exceptionally.
By this incident in Jaffna being politicized, it will open a big can of worms when Tamils also will politely bring this up requesting functions in the South for Tamil culture to be represented in parallel and will see what reply from those who criticized the Tamils for the Jaffna event will give (including you). The Racist Minister Chamapaka Ranawaka had made nasty comments against the Tamil students and will see what he will have to say when Tamils equally demand the same in the South.
Yes All citizens are equal, but not equal. Bloody hypocrites.
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muaz / July 20, 2016
who said tamil culture is not represened in the south??
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Oma Yang / July 19, 2016
Personally, ashamed at how these students have acted. What they don’t realise is that once they leave Uni or college or whatever institution and walk into the corporate world they will have to work in teams and with individuals from many walks of life, ethnicities and backgrounds. Unfortunately our education system is only about books and not soft skills. I always say most university graduates are unemployable because they lack social integration skills. Even in schools this is common. Only way to resolve this is to make English the medium of education. Scrap subjects like Religion, Social Studies after grade 5. Even in countries like India the most schools the language of learning is English.Hindi and other state languages are subjects, whilst Science Maths Arts, and Commerce are all taught in English. How many industry experts or soft skills experts are part of the curriculum. Are students even put in for a term of internship? in the corporate world. No use working for Gvt institutions, cos its the private sector that drives the engine of growth.
Even better, SCRAP this so called Free Education, cos its costing us tax payers hard earned money and not taking the country forward.
Further student involved in this incident should be barred from continuing university education. this will serve as a reminder, to those who instigate such strikes and demonstrations and riots that its not a free ride.
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Ajith / July 19, 2016
Dear Gunaratnam,
As a human being I am very sad that there was violence in this event in our soil. We should be very careful before making conclusions without knowing the fact or proper investigation. According to you, it is Tamil students are responsible for the violence against Sinhalese and you say they should be punished. You may be right that some Tamil students may be fully or partly responsible for the violence happened but making outright conclusion to convince one side of the conflict. Further, I don’t know what made you to bring TNA and Chief minister into this matter which should be purely a matter for University.
Can you please explain what you meant by “Lets keep Srilanka as one”?
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Shrikharan / July 19, 2016
Ajith
I doubt Guneratnam being a Tamil. Totally one sided argument and blaming Tamils for everything. He conveniently forgot Tamils underwent such humiliation all these years since 1948 when none of the functions in the South Tamil culture is ever presented. Did the Colombo University ever organized a Tamil cultural welcome along with the traditional Sinhala Kandyan dancing? No.
Now all want to jump to condemn the Jaffna University and Tamil students in not having a Sinhala traditional welcome along with the Tamil. The theme is to give respect and get respect. The respect should be mutual. Not to humiliate and ignore one group and then demand it for them. That is what decency expects. Lacking these we cannot call these people demanding something they are not prepared to give, civilized.
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Burt / July 18, 2016
There is no denial from any one that the Sinhala kids were denied using Kandian dancers. According to the edited clips that was broadcast it looked like the Sinhala kids attacked the procession that was coming with Tamil music or drums, what ever you want to call it.
Now you don’t expect young men and women to be pushed around in their own area without defending.
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Silva / July 18, 2016
Whoever [Edited out] in the government who are concealing the real facts, situations and motivations of this incident are creating a simmering and chronic racial hate between Sinhalese and Tamils. They are also feeding fodder to Tamil racism. On the video this is clearly racial high-handedness on the part of bloody Tamil [Edited out]. This has been the story throughout the history-Tamil [Edited out] keep nagging the Sinhalese and suddenly Sinhalese break loose. This time Sinhalese must take on the Tamil [Edited out] head on and if the university management does not conduct a proper inquiry and severely punish the culprits, these Tamil [Edited out] must be crushed so that next time when they think of doing it again they will have to think twice. One Tamil [Edited out] was seen shouting at the cameraman claiming he did not have a right to video the fucker.[Edited out]
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Burt / July 18, 2016
Cut the crap and look at the tape. I don’t think the Tamil kids were at fault for defending. But that’s immaterial, just don’t turn this into a racial issue. Kids will always be kids let saner minds prevail. This is not the first uni where kids fought.
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Kettikaran / July 18, 2016
To believe July 1983 was the last of our communal attacks is to
deceive ourselves. There are sufficient monsters on both of the
divide to keep the embers continuously burning – occasionally to
flare into towering infernos.
Two Nations within an undivided country may well be the only answer –
whether one likes it or not.
Kettikaran
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R K / July 18, 2016
Its very sad that this sort of things has happened. Everone has the right to perform their cultural activities what ever race religion or langage they belong to. Strict action should be taken against the wrongdoers whoever they are. Lets think as SRILANKANS.
No one should be allowed to derail the reconciliation process.
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Antany Peter / July 18, 2016
The government must down play the racial hatred to calm down the situation, but it must go after the trouble makers, including the educated fools inside the university and uneducated fools(politicians) outside of the university who are behind the students to create a disaster.
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Silva / July 18, 2016
Gunaratnam,
“As a Tamil from Jaffna I am deeply sadened by this incident.”
Your sadness or happiness is irrelevant.
“Only People existing in Sri lanka Jaffna Tamils.
They want Reconciliation.
they want Federal Solution.
they want eelam. they want Economic revival.
They want sinhala army prosecuted for killing their heroes.
they want Tamils only province and the sea.
They want democracy to live anywhere in the as they prefer.”
-gim softy
Now it is your turn Mr. Gunaratnam, Mr. Vigneshwaran, the diaspora et al. This is how you created 30 year war and then put the blame on Sinhalese and Sinhala government. You never say 30 year war was started and 50% patronized by you. This campus incident carries the seeds of another war! If you do not punish the Tamil students who inflamed this racial attack then you too are responsible for another war. The Sinhalese will remember this attack and assimilate and integrate it into their collective mentality. Even I personally held that Tamils are our equals and must be welcome. But you are testing us, our ideologies and sympathy. This is how Tamils expect reconciliation from Sinhalese!
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Gunaratnam / July 18, 2016
Sorry Mr. Silva, I have no cure for you. I also know a Tamil with your mentality. His name was Prabakaran.
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Silva / July 19, 2016
Gunaratnam,
“Sorry Mr. Silva, I have no cure for you. I also know a Tamil with your mentality. His name was Prabakaran.”
You seem to lecture us as the greatest humanist existing on this earth but in fact playing the role of Anton Balasingham to Prabakaran in that savage era. Prove me if I am wrong and I will accept it: on the video and the reported facts on this incident it appears that Sinhala students have wanted to introduce Kandyan dancers into this event. (Personally I don’t care whether it should be Tamil’s bera and all that or Sinhala Kandy and bla bla because both versions are each nationality’s cultural luggage and baggage that burden them ideologically) The Uni management barred Sinhala version and ended the conflict of ideas in suspension. Tamils secretively injected their cultural baggage at not-preplanned occasion and this aroused the Sinhala students to react by picking up a Kandyan dancer from somewhere and pushed him too to the cultural brawl. This angered the Tamils, their area hegemonic and majority mentality and all the generational war instincts with Sinhalese and began pelting the Sinhala students. And now you the incarnation of Anton Balasingham comes and preach us on some utopian peach building whereas ground reality is you are fueling Tamil racism by not advocating about punishing the wrong doers. Do you think the Sinhala South will digest your peace building nonsense while you harbour your Tamil terrorists under the cloak of intra-ethnic harmony? I demand a proper and correct timeline investigation and facts revealed apportioning blame on those responsible which will give a chance to both nationalities to understand whether the perceptions each one of us including me personally held on this incident is correct or not, correct our own attitudes and learn to respect each other. The silly typed fools of your type will only make the matter worse by sweeping the johnny battos under the carpet and bursting the whole thing one day or other.
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Kumar / July 19, 2016
This is the actual fact:
The Sinhala military-backed Sinhala students numbering more than Tamils at the Science Faculty of the University of Jaffna attacked the Tamil students after violently staging Kandyan dance opposing the usual traditional Tamil cultural program at the welcoming ceremony to new students in the faculty.
The episode quickly escalated into a clash between Tamil and Sinhala students for more than one hour. Tamil students from other faculties mobilised to defend their fellow students at the Science Faculty and Sinhala military intelligence personnel in civil clothes entered the premises brutally attacking Tamil students. More than 10 students were rushed to hospital with injuries since the clash started.
The real culprits behind the Jaffna University clash is the Sinhala Army. It is they who urged the Sinhala students to create trouble. There is talk in the town that the SL military personal loyal to Gotabaya Rajapakshe were involved in instigating the Sinhala students to go ahead with the Kandyan dance and attack the Tamil students if they protest. This is an attempt by the joint opposition to create an island wide ethnic violence or rather another black July to destabilize the present government.
The government should be commended for controlling the situation without giving it unnecessary publicity which would have only benefited the Rajapakshes and their cohorts.
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Silva / July 19, 2016
kumar,
Your narration seems plausible becuase Rajapakshas have now been rounded up for murders and swindling, their future is bleak and uncertain and they are looking at death and life sentences to be meted out. So are their accomplices in murder and corruption. But to clear the doubts an investigation is needed so that the concerned Sinhala Sough unmount their fears and war-readiness and accept the Tamils as their brothers and sisters which is the feeling our innermost souls demand. If the Sinhala students have done wrong they must be punished too because in future too these infiltrators of Rajapakshas will use them to create more ethnic disharmony.
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Gunaratnam / July 19, 2016
Mr. Silva
Your comments reflect a warped upbringing. As I have said previously, there is no solution to your hate and there is no future in your garbled opinion and useless to society and the world. As I see you are completely dysfunctional. So let’s keep it that way without any further comment from me on your comments only.
I suspect you are a MR/ Wimal’s sidekick to stir communal disharmony.
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Silva / July 19, 2016
Mr. Gunaratnam,
Sorry Mr. Gunaratnam, I have commented without reading your whole comment. I apologize to you. Let us look at it this way: the children of two good neighbours have quarrelled over a shoddy affair and we the adults are not going to quarrel the same way as kids but we will discipline our own children making them apologize to each other and make them friendly again so that we will hand down to them a great culture of harmony and friendship. Sorry again that I offended you earlier.
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Gunaratnam / July 19, 2016
Mr Silva,
We all make mistakes in life and greater is the man who apologizes than the man for whom the apology is intended for.
Apology accepted. Let’s all work towards one happy and peaceful Sri Lanka. We are a country of immense potential and together we can make this country strong and competitive.
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / July 19, 2016
This talk of equal rights to Tamils to display their culture in public events is a total lie. Whenever Tourist Board organises welcome to tourists, only Sinhala dance is performed. Similarly in other events for foreign dignitaries, Tamil culture is blacked out. There is no state function in Srilakna or abroad where the national anthem is sung in Tamil also despite this being a firm government policy.
This is happening in UK also. In festival of cricket only Kandyan dancers and Sinhala music is performed in welcome procession of the dignitaries to the podium. In 2013 when I was the Pesident of this organisation, my request to include Tamil Nathaswaram & Thavil in the procession was turned down by Sinhala extremists. I did not protest or go on rampage assaulting Sinhalese for refusing to accede.
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DEMART / July 18, 2016
Gunaratnam, Thank you very much for your objective analysis of the situation.
During ’83 riots i kept a tamil family in my home.Pl. do not encourage racists
attempts to destabilize our motherland.
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Sunil / July 19, 2016
without taking sides, step back and look at this incident without any biases.
You don’t see Tamil welcome dancers/drums and music used at ceremonies along with Kandyan dancers/Drums in other parts of Sri Lanka!
Make it so that both are included islandwide at ceremonies or have nothing at all, that will be better.
When you try to throw in Kandyan dancers/Drums in the North without simultaneously doing the same by including Tamil welcome dancers/drums Islandwide you give room for such problems.
investigate this carefully, looks like someone might have been trying to provoke an incident!
shameful ,Don’t let Racially motivated people manipulate you like this!
Remember the world today is not blind!
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Shrikharan / July 19, 2016
Thanks Sunil
This is what exactly I have been saying through my comments, if you have bothered to notice!
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Richard / July 19, 2016
I see here again some politicians and some participants of this forum making use of another incident to ignite communal violence. Why is this kind of mentality take precedence again to kill or downgrade the Country? Why is it there is not a proper authority neutrally placed to inquire incidents among students and take suitable action and decide on a degree of punishment to the participants involved? Looks like the politicians are free to use this incidence again for a big communal violence. It shows all the weakness in the Authorities again. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN INTERNAL NON INTRUSIVE NEUTRAL INQUIRY CAPABLE OF GETTING ALL PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED TO APPOLOGIZE EACH OTHER AND GET BACK THE FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE FOR LEARNING. The action taken ethically and friendly is the most suitable for students to make them forget ill feelings and go forward. If there is such an organization in place no politician will ever think of making another blunder.
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KA Sumanasekera / July 19, 2016
Did the ex JHU boss and current UNP lackey Chamapaka say that?..
I might send him a Double Black through Kapruka with a box of Chocoladas for the missus.
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Getafix / July 19, 2016
We can see reference to a manufactured video that is being used – like channel4’s manufactured evidence – to now make the stoning of the Sinhalese students by the Tamil students to be a ‘defensive’ action.
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Sisira Weragoda / July 19, 2016
A Stateman’s approch
http://www.pmdnews.lk/
All educational institutions, including universities & vocational training centers should act as reconciliation centers – President
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jim softy / July 19, 2016
Was some one trying to start 1983 b y harming Sinhala University Students ?
Look like it was free planned.
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SLCitizen / July 19, 2016
Is reconciliation a one way process. Sinhalese are asked to make sacrifices to please the minorities in the name of reconciliation while minorities can play hell and at the end put the blame on Sinhalese. About this event also the Tamil propaganda machine is operation in full force to put the blame on Sinhala students.
If one look at the history of Sri Lanka, it is marred with wars between Tamil aggressors from South India and Sinhalese. What is happening now is a continuation of that history. The latest Tamil aggressor was Prabhakaran. But he will not be the last. Sinhalese have to remember that.’Chowra Regina’ who is always after money, wants to erase these things from our history books in the name of reconciliation.
As long as Wellala elites dominate Tamil politics, it will be difficult to have reconciliation. If they can be eliminated from the equation, then Sinhalese will be able to live in harmony with large majority of Tamils in Jaffna who are considered by Wellala Tamils as outcasts. Wellala politicians keep on brainwashing these low cast people saying Sinhales are their enemy. Wellala politicians are very good in taking fire under the water. So be careful!!!
In 1958, when Tamils started attacking Sinhalese, the Sinhalese were evacuated from Jaffna. When they reached Anuradhapura, Mr.Bandaranayake was there to meet them. There, he requested the Sinhalese not to tell what happened in Jaffna. Always, there are attempts to coverup these events.
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Burt / July 19, 2016
What sacrifices have the Sinhalese made?
I can see a lot of sacrifices Tamils have made and others shafted through their throat like having an occupying army and Buddhist temples where there are no Buddhists or a governor like in the British times.
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Rohan / July 19, 2016
They think discriminating stealing looting raping ethnically cleansing and committing genocide on the island’s Tamils and reducing their population from 26% at the time of independence to the current 15-16% is a great sacrifice that the Sinhalese have made and the Tamil should be very grateful for all this, especially the large scale building of Budda statues and Buddhist temples in the north and east,the denial of the culture language and settling thousands of out of area Sinhalese and Muslims in the north and east.
Yes the Sinhalese have really sacrificed a lot and the Tamils nothing. My heart goes out to these poor Sinhalese sacrificial lambs. Especially o the Sinhalese armed forces in the north and east. Poor things what lot of effort and sacrifice they make to eat nice food live the good life there. To spy, steal items and lands from the Tamils build Budda statues/temples and instigate and ferment trouble at the universities and other places.
Oh! Oh! The evil Tamils, how dare they do all this to poor Sinhalese and cause distress to them and bring out their base instincts. I an in deep distress and have to stop now as I cannot go and need my handkerchief. Sniff I cannot go on.
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Paul= Real Siva Sankaran Sarma / July 19, 2016
Burt are you aware the President Siresena who goes around mothing about reconciliation has authorised the occupying racist Sinhalese armed forces to built a huge Budda statue 67 feet in height the highest in the world to be built a Nainatheevu there where is already a Buddhist temple and Budda statue.
This has been deliberately done to twist the history of Nainatheevu and give it a Sinhalese Buddhist flavour in an island that has always been Tamil.
The Tamils of Nainatheevu are the direct descendants of the ancient snake worshipping Naga whose culture has contributed a lot to modern Hinduism. The ancient Naga in the island were Dravidians who were assimilated fully into the Tamil language and culture 2300-2500 years ago and all this ancient Buddhist temples and lore of these Naga in the north and east belongs to the island’s Tamils and the Sinhalese are now trying to twist and rewrite history and make it theirs.
Nainaththevu has many ancient and historic Hindu and Islamic shrines that belong to local Tamils. The prehistoric Nagapoosani Amman Temple of Nainatheevu where ancient Snake worshipping took place by the ancient Tamil Naga Hindus is the oldest, even now Hindu pilgrims from South India Kerala and Tamil Nadu come to worship at this ancient important Hindu temple. However this temple has been relegated to the background.
It is not Tamils are against Buddhism as many Tamils were Buddhist both locally and in India and patronised Buddhism as well as Hinduism like most Hindus do. Even now the local Tamils patronise the Buddhist temple at Nainatheevu. However they see this building of the world’s highest Budda statue in an ancient historical Tamil Hindu area that also has a very important Hindu temple that predates this Buddhist vihara, smacks of Sinhalese racism and triumphalism to show the local Tamils who are the rulers are and also to twist and give prominence to Nainatheevu’s Buddhist history, whilst giving total disregard to its far ancient Hindu history that still prevails there and is still practiced by the local Tamils and claim this Buddhist history as Sinhala in order to justiy the Sinhalistion of this Tamil island, when in reality it was also Tami/Naga.
This is just like what these Sinhalese students in the Jaffna campus were trying to do with army encouraging them. The did not want to respect the local Tamil culture or appreciate but wanted forcibly incorporate their culture and dances to show who the boss is. Even in your area our culture is more important. Just like what the white European colonials did during the last century. Total disregard to the local culture but only the Christian western culture was given prominence at all ceremonies.
Thanks to the British the , have now exchanged one colonial master for another the only thing is the European colonials only exploited and used the Tamils but were not interested in destroying them their language stealing their land or culture. However the new colonials master’s of the Eelam Tamils want to do this. When the British handed over the island to them in 1948 on a platter, they realised that their ancient dream and the Mahavamsa promise of making the island Sinhalese and Buddhist only can now be realised, as for all this time they could not and did not have a peep in the ancient Tamils lands in the north and east of the island.
If the Tamil language culture and the expressing of it is denied in the south at the universities government functions local and overseas then the Sinhalese have no wright to forcibly demand this from the Tamils in their areas. They think they can do it forcibly using the occupying Sinhalese armed forces, that is there in reality not to keep law and order or peace but to be used for the forced Sinhalisation of the north and east. This is why they are busy stealing lands in the north and east, private and public, settling out of area Sinhalese in them. Building Budda statues and Buddhist temples everywhere, as symbol Sinhalese triumphalism over the local Hindu Tamils and also to be used for future Sinhalisation.
Why cant the build this huge 67 feet high Budda statue in the Buddhist Sinhalese south instead of building it in a Tamil Hindu island in the North, that has one ancient Buddhist temple and many prehistoric and ancient Hindu and Islamic shrines? This is to humiliate the local Hindu Tamils and to twist history and claim the island for the Sinhalese and call is by its Sinhalese name Naga Deepa which means the island of Naga. What a joke the Naga were a Dravidian Tamil people who were snake worshipping originally Hindu and later many Buddhist and the Tamils of Nainatheevu are the direct lineal descendants of these ancient Hindu and Buddhist Naga who also worshipped the CObra as a sacred symbol and this prehistoric cobra worshipping practice is still found in the ancient Nagapoosani Amman temple in nainathhevu and in many Hindu temples in Jaffna, where the cobras are allowed to live and during the huge temple festivals devotees get into a trance and start dancing like a snake.
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Shrikharan / July 19, 2016
I am happy this happened. Now in any official function especially in the South, the Tamils can insist on Tamil culture to be represented and if not and Tamils start a vociferous protest (and they should) then it is Sinhalese’s fault!
Because in the North when the Sinhalese insisted on Sinhala Kandyan dancing to be included but that was not done and for the subsequent undesirable events that followed Tamils were blamed by the Sinhala (racist) politicians like Champika Ranawaka and the likes.
So far none of the Sri Lankan official functions in the South had Tamil culture being represented and it was purely Sinhala. Tamils certainly was not pleased and in order to maintain the uneasy peace kept quiet. So now we have a golden opportunity to express our desires too without any malice to also have Tamil culture in the functions along with the Sinhala cultural event.
This event in Jaffna and the repercussions thereafter will now truly shut the mouths of the Racists Sinhala politicians who rushed to condemn the Tamils for not allowing a simple request for Sinhala culture also to be presented. Now they will have no say to stop Tamil culture also in the official functions of the South, such as welcoming the head of state at the airport.
We know, ALL CITIZENS ARE EQUAL, but they are not equal.
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Pacs / July 19, 2016
Is a person from different faith allowed to pull the Ther. In the army uniform utter violation of religious and cultural system by an arrogant army. do they know any thing about the religious significance and the condition of pulling the Ther . They eat meat and went to the temple . Did they get the permission to that. It is shame for all the deities siting there. that reflect what is happening in the north. Worse than Mullivaaikaal. civillaian replaced by the cruel military.
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anotherbuddhist / July 19, 2016
There should be a proper investigation to find the reason behind this attack. While assault is a serious crime. For reconciliation sake those responsible maybe pardoned. But there is a need to get behind the facts. There appears to be attempts to foster racial tensions with the aim of creating riots. People, especially politicians and other mischief makers forget that July, 1983 was orchestrated and politically motivated by the UNP. Yet they continually attempt to create tensions between communities and religions.
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Sylvia Haik / July 19, 2016
We seem happy to live in a democracy but also want to cherry-pick the rules. Had the university welcoming celebrations gone to a vote, the Tamils version would have prevailed and the rest accepting it. Otherwise, because there were Sinhalese students that had to be a Sinhalese version. What about the Muslim, Christian and Chinese students there. Should there also be an Islamic version, a Christian version and also some Chinese dragons as well. However, assaulting them with stones is a criminal act and should never have happened. There are other peaceful means to resolve these problems.
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wimpy kid / July 19, 2016
JHU has conveniently forgotten they attacked the tsinhala tamil cultural festival in colombo in peace time
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Pacs / July 19, 2016
come the Stones, fail the justice and righteousness and justice and righteousness fails the stones come.
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Shrikharan / July 19, 2016
I really think this Guneratnam is not a Tamil. The style he speaks is not like a Tamil. I posed a question to him and he avoided but answered others question who praised him.
He forgot to see and conveniently ignores such humiliation Tamils have undergone all this time, and this incident is possibly the first time for the Sinhalese. None of the functions in the South Tamil culture is ever represented, and if he was a Tamil he would have realized how hurt Tamils felt but to maintain the delicate peace Tamils kept quiet. Now Tamils are used to it.
I raised this up to him but conveniently ignored my remark to him. My honest feeling is he is a Sinhalese posing off as a Tamil cloaking him with a Tamil name Guneratnam.
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Larry / July 19, 2016
I thought music has universal appeal.. what a narrow minded reaction
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sekara / July 21, 2016
“…the university’s Vice Chancellor Professor Vasanthi Arasaratnam ordering the Sinhalese students to leave for Vavuniya, after the Faculty was closed indefinitely. “
Kindly check your facts.
The VC can only deny access to the university premises to any student. Ordering students to go anywhere is not a matter for a VC and it did not happen.
The decision to move them to Vavuniya could have been that of the Police or the security forces.
The decision to close the faculty concerned was wise and is what Vice Chancellors elsewhere have done in the past under similar conditions. (In 1983 May there was reluctance in some influential quarters to closing the University of Peradeniya campus, but sense prevailed. The Tamil students left, as did the Sinhalese, and none talked about “ordering” anyone to go anywhere.)
I was rather surprised by a statement by the UoJ Students’ Union underplaying the gravity of the incident.
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Siribiris / July 21, 2016
The entire nation is aware of the fact that the current government lies over everything from economy to reconciliation. Look at the CB’s bond fiasco! Interestingly, people gave them power and now ‘enjoy’ the outcome! Can any opinion polling company tell the truth about this government’s ratings?
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