A clash erupted at the University of Jaffna’s Science Faculty between a group of Tamil-Sinhalese students, with the university’s Vice Chancellor Professor Vasanthi Arasaratnam ordering the Sinhalese students to leave Vavuniya, after the Faculty was closed indefinitely. Four buses were brought in to transport the students back to their hometowns in the South.
After the war, several Sinhalese students have been admitted to the university, especially the Faculty of Science where they number about a half of the student population. “This has given students a multiethnic, cosmopolitan experience which is now threatened,” said a Senior Lecturer alluding in part to the more extensive use of the English language now.
The background to this skirmish is a freshers’ welcome at the Science Faculty today (16 July). 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.
Last 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.
Today, 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. Primarily the arts/commerce students started pelting the Sinhalese students with stones. The Sinhalese students sheltered 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.
Matters got out of hand as the injured students posted close-ups of their cuts on their Face book pages. Worried parents urged their children to come home and called university authorities to check on their children’s safety.
The VC in a panic ordered the evacuation. At the time of writing, Saturday night, some senior staff are trying to stop the evacuation, saying “I fear a replay of 1977 when students exaggerated what happened to them and contributed to the events of that time. All our efforts at building up the university as a multiethnic community would be set back. The government and the VC should sort it out without effecting a virtual divorce between two university communities that have been good friends so far.”
Unfortunately, because the Jaffna University Science Teachers’ Union (JUSTA) has issued stringent strictures against the Vice Chancellor over what they see as her brazen violation of recruitment procedures, the senior staff who decided that it is important to do peace building after recalling the buses, are unable to communicate with the VC. “We do not even have her hand-phone number,” said a staff member during a weekend when they are seeing a change of science deans which adds to the problems.
In the meantime, JUSTA has issued the following statement on the matter: “Some unwanted incidents related to the freshers’ welcome party led to violent clashes among the Students today. Some students were injured and are being treated in the hospital. As a result, the Science Faculty is closed to the students and all the students are returning to their homes.
“We strongly condemn the violent actions of some of the students. We urge all citizens of this country to do all they could to defuse the situation and help all students to resume their studies in the University at the earliest.”
Pensive knight's Quill / July 17, 2016
Vice Chancellor Professor Vasanthi Arasaratnam and the staff must take responsibility, There is a necessity to include the Sinhala Cultural dance, cultural activities are the best way to bring communities together .
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AVB / July 17, 2016
We have head modern SL Uni boys having worse fights within themselves or with surrounding villagers over an issues like girls or small personal clash widen to mini wars (used to be common in Kelniya, Nugegoda, sometimes in Colombo campus)
But this incident in North was based on inferiority/superiority complexes of each others cultural values… doesn’t it sound familiar????
[Edited out] No point of blaming young Uni students or staff..
Am I too pessimistic ????
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Parker / July 17, 2016
This is comment of a guy who studied in colombo uni… /// Well. I was in colombo uni. And we were never allowed to have tamil cultural practices either at freshers welcome or at convocation. We just accepted their cultural practises. Just an example…we used to have tutorial classes in sinhala. When we requested to have the tutorial classes in English science faculty dean wanted us to go to jaffna university and said this is a sinhalese university. That’s how the UOC management was… and I believe it still the same. They should respect that, the same way we respected UOC held all functions in their own way. Not only at UOC at all other universities in south it’s same. ///
My point is also same. You can celebrate your poya or whatever. you can even bring kandiyan dance in your event. But when there is a major events attended by everyone, you can not change the tradition it has been conducted through out the years. Same applies to south or west. Tamil can have their union, their cultural programs but we can not ask for our cultural things at major events. Hope all the people commented here understand why this clash started.
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Parker / July 17, 2016
@Pensive Knight’s Quill
Please say it again loudly !!!
This is comment of a guy who studied in colombo uni… /// Well. I was in colombo uni. And we were never allowed to have tamil cultural practices either at freshers welcome or at convocation. We just accepted their cultural practises. Just an example…we used to have tutorial classes in sinhala. When we requested to have the tutorial classes in English science faculty dean wanted us to go to jaffna university and said this is a sinhalese university. That’s how the UOC management was… and I believe it still the same. They should respect that, the same way we respected UOC held all functions in their own way. Not only at UOC at all other universities in south it’s same. ///
My point is also same. You can celebrate your poya or whatever. you can even bring kandiyan dance in your event. But when there is a major events attended by everyone, you can not change the tradition it has been conducted through out the years. Same applies to south or west. Tamil can have their union, their cultural programs but we can not ask for our cultural things at major events. Hope all the people commented here understand why this clash started.
Even for **** tutorial classess**** in *** english **** ( not in tamil, or cultural dances they asked for), Tamil students were given that kind of answer by dean, But you guys ask for cultural dances in uni located in tamil area and follow tamil tradition for a long time….
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sach / July 17, 2016
dont lie and spread utter falsehood like that
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Tamil from the north / July 18, 2016
Sach the dirty coon is asking others not to spread lies. How the world evolves is an interesting event. Sach you lie and spread racial hatred every day. Today you are telling people not to lie. Go and jump in the lake.
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Sineth Madusanka Priyasiri / July 18, 2016
Actually all the universities conduct the degree programmes in English medium and even at the war period the tamil students studied safely in southern universities in sri lanka where no sinhala students studied in jaffna. Even considering the university staff tamils got 1st class degrees under sinhala lecturers,so please do not mislead the people let the others to study free.
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Rohan / July 18, 2016
Do you know anything about the Campus Riots in 1983? Pl go read up….
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roger / July 17, 2016
This is a bad trend. Why can’t we allow Kandyan dancing also in the procession. What ever is happening in UOC or elsewhere is not the issue. Why cannot the Tamils set an example. It is time that we have ethnic harmony atleast at uni level.
It is absurd not to allow Kandyan dancing in the procession.
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dais / July 17, 2016
Kandyan is not the only Sinhala form
Need to include the low country (and other) traditions officially and equally
Veddha customs must also be introduced in national events
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Stairway to heaven / July 17, 2016
Absolutely nothing happened at the jaffna university. It was a teledrama rehearsal.
Await the arrest of another rajapaksha. That’s the second part of the jaffna university tele drama
Nisha bishwal is checking flight schedule for her 12th visit to SL.
And it makes me wonder.
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Shrikharan / July 17, 2016
The lesson is to give respect and get respect, if not keep your mouth shut. Tamil is also an indigenous and official language of Sri Lanka, but when in the South the welcome pageant is almost always totally ‘Sinhala’ even though there are many Tamils. Tamils have made clear note of this and even spoken in private criticizing this attitude in the same manner the Sinhala students expressed in this incident. Tamils did not want to make a public issue out of it naturally fearing repercussions and had reluctantly accepted it suffering in silence from time of the so called ‘independence’.
So let this incident be an eye opener and feel that Tamils also felt like the Sinhala students for a long… long time when this was the first bad experience for Sinhalese. So Please have a heart to feel Tamils suffered silently for a long time similar fate being humiliated when their culture and tradition was denied acknowledgment without being also included in welcome procession or in the function.
Let this open the eyes of the Sinhalese and hereafter at least ensure Tamil culture is also represented in any official function. If not am afraid we have to expect similar tit for tats and there will never be a true reconciliation.
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Gune / July 17, 2016
Shrikharan,
Never thought of it like this. You are spot- on mate.
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Shrikharan / July 17, 2016
Nish
“So, are you saying that the way to send the message is to hammer the day lights of them?”
Nope, All I say is simply, give due respect and get respect. You still have the mentality you can do anything and that is ok but others cannot do the same to you. That is all your comment means.
If it is ok for the Sinhalese too in the South to have an unrepresented Tamil culture in their events then there nothing wrong Tamils also doing the same in the North with the culture of their area and ignoring Sinhala culture.
If the Sinhala students had felt badly that single day in Jaffna, remember Tamils felt so badly for the last 68 years and did you ever think so?
Again I tell, so best change your attitude in the South and then you will get your share of respect in the North. That is all to it. If you still refuse to see, then am sorry for you.
If you want a proper answer just ask any independent person on this incident without omitting to tell the Tamil side also, what I have mentioned. If you hide the fact, this is what you also did in the South, then certainly you will get the good response you want to hear, and you will get the satisfaction but you are in a foolish paradise.
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Nish / July 17, 2016
So, are you saying that the way to send the message is to hammer the day lights of them?
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woW / July 17, 2016
What the hell are you talking about? If the tamils in any university wanted to make a contribution for the “welcome” they most certainly welcome to do so. Do you have any idea what the organizers of such events go through to find items to put into the agenda of such a function? If anybody wanted to insert any item, even a magic trick, the the organizers would gladly accept. You have never been part of a university i’m guessing or else, you have been a social recluse blaming everyone else for your own inadequacy.
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sach / July 19, 2016
Sri Lanka is the sinhala homeland and hence the main cultural identity. That must be respected.
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Tamil from the north / July 22, 2016
Sach wrote: Sri Lanka is the sinhala homeland and hence the main cultural identity. That must be respected.
TFN wrote: hahahahahahaha……………hahahahaha………what a hoot. Keep dreaming.
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M.Yoga / July 17, 2016
Greetings my friend
University is a place to learn higher education for students. On the first day students are new to the place where the students are going to study and need to settle down so the students feel comfortable and free in the mind to focus in studies.
All universities globaly have their traditions, procedures and methods how they act and do thing in a day to day based on national standards.
Universities main task is to make students welcome and the students free mind Can develop to interlectual capacity to the excelence.
All the students are firstly in the University to study, interact, learn and widen their horizont.
Students being welcome with Kandian dance or not is a symbolic event of the University to mark the start of a new calender Year of a Semester. This is part of universities event I think here we are mixing racial angle in to it.
All students and student unions should focus on knowlidge, connecting together as one community and make the institution a best place to learn and live together.
I beleave some students have not been adjusted to University environment, and these students needs to adjust to this environment or find some thing else to do. Injuring fellow students, breaking University property are not the best way to act when the interest and student Voices are not heard.
We are in the University to learn, think and act in a way that knowlidge can be developed, not learning to become a violent trouble maker to the socity and civilisation.
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rahul / July 17, 2016
It is WRONG if the Sinhalese students were not allowed to display their cultural activities in that function.
How ever, it is a knee jerk reaction of the Tamils who have for decades been oppressed, losing land and feel pushed to a corner. may be they want to save whatever is left and see these activities as disguised dominance. a wounded man is always a bit apprehensive.
the national anthem issue where they were suddenly not allowed to sing in their language and the huge Buddha statues and Viharas built with government money where there are no Sinhalese are just a couple of examples from among a lot which shows the immense desire to dominate and keep in check the Tamil people.
there are also instances in the past as in the Eastern University where some Sinhalese students have acted in a high handed manner and with a majoritarian mentality.
so we have to also see if the proposal of the Sinhalese students was made in a high handed and provocative manner. I hope not.
Sad to see how these racial hatred is passed down to these younger generations of both races from their older gen. but that is how it always work.
if both races walk half way toward each other and everyone’s rights are protected regardless of race and the minorities feel secure these kinds of incidences will tapper off.
but the perception of dominance will kill the friendship, especially between races
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sekara / July 17, 2016
The reality in nearly all universities is that academics avoid intervention in student clashes.
I saw it first hand 12 or 13 years ago when the Science students clashed with Arts & Commerce students. There was no intervention over an incident that spanned three days starting with attacks in hostels and culminated in a clashes in the campus. The campus was declared out of bounds, as there was no option.
It is easy for persons who sit idly by and watch events as they develop to then blame easy targets.
The freshers’ welcome is only a civilized prelude to criminal harassment by seniors that follows. The fact that the Seniors could not plan an inclusive agenda reflects badly on the attitude of the organizers of the event.
There is much need for self-criticism on the part of those actively pinning the blames of others.
What is sad is that there is no positive comment on how to go forward.
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ranjith / July 17, 2016
there are greater indian celebrating their own own cultures without students involved in this western christian `freshers’ welcome` No one bothers who freshers are they manage and all manage- 50% from local state and the rest quotas from all other states.
Tamasha for politics and terror should be discouraged. The students go to study and be responsible citizens so how do you expect the school drop out police to behave??
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kosgoda appuhammy / July 17, 2016
sach Aka balla , suffering from psychoneurosis
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sach / July 19, 2016
That is a common disease among tamils especially politicians
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / July 17, 2016
Nothing to see here, We Thamizh will be We Thamizh, move along :D
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Asoka / July 17, 2016
WE ALL KNOW INDIAN PROVERB ‘ IF YOU SEE TAMIL AND COBRA KILL TAMIL FIRST”
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Robin / July 17, 2016
Asoka, you got it wrong it is not Indian proverb but Thai and it goes as saying “If you see an Indian and a cobra, kill the Indian first”
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Celeo / July 17, 2016
Asoka and Robin,
Both of you got it wrong, it is not Indian or Thai but Tamil poem which says “If you see a Sinhalaya from down south and a cobra,kill the Sinhalaya first”
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Meera / July 17, 2016
Tamil students, Singalese students and University authorities all are innocents here.
There is nothing wrong to have Kandy dance in Jaffna.
But.. as UN already said Tamils’ political solutions & war crime issues are to solved before start any cultural mix or developments.
So… Srilankan Government should take total responsibility for this clash, no one else.
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Antany Peter / July 17, 2016
Tamils have done it again. Tamil welcomed their students according to their culture first. What’s wrong Sinhalese have their welcome according to their culture after Tamils have welcomed their students?
The Jaffna University is the darkest place in the North, especially the Arts faculty. No wonder why it is ranked 7225th in the world. Last August I had a meeting with the Dean of Arts faculty. He is extremely pro LTTE, he said that he is alive, because of the LTTE. He firmly believes that the LTTE members who have died is protecting him and Tamils in spirit. In fact, he feeds himself and his family through Sinhalese people’s tax, but he doesn’t say anything good about Sinhalese people. Tamil students get free education, but they don’t say anything good about Sinhalese either. How can younger generation learn to appreciate others when their faculty Dean and lecturers are crazy about the LTTE and have little or no respect for Sinhalese?
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j.mokkan / July 17, 2016
Anthony nutter get u r medication updated…
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Rohan / July 17, 2016
Darkness only arrived in the Jaffna campus with the arrival of Sinhalese students who have not come there to study or respect the local Tamil people and their customs but to create trouble and impose their Sinhalese culture down the throats of the local Tamils.
The same thing happened in Batticaloa and in Trincomalee and now it is Jaffna’s turn. Every time this occurs they are protected by a racist Sinhalese government armed forces and Police, so become more daring each time as they know that they can get away with this and the authorities that are supposed to be impartial support them, as they too are largely Sinhalese and racist.
Tamil people are not allowed to use their language in the Sinhalese south and in many southern universities Tamil students were assaulted and chased away for daring to use their culture and the police and armed forces never protected them but condoned with the racist Sinhalese student.
There are hardly any Tamil students now in any southern universities but all the universities in the north and east a full of Sinhalese student who now make up around 50% of the student population there and with the encouragement of the authorities and armed forces are constantly creating all sorts of trouble for the local Tamil students and population. As soon as they arrive there they want Sinhalese dances and culture to be imposed on the local areas with no respect to the local Tamil culture of the region.
Lastly Tamils also pay taxes and far more than the Sinhalese proportionally and are entitled to free education and other services just like the Sinhalese most of whom do not pay any taxes at all. This is their right and not a privilege or favour as many Sinhalese racists like you may thing. Everything is only for the Sinhalese and the Tamils and other minorities deserve nothing. Just pay taxes to support the life style of the Sinhalese majority and Buddhism.
In the name of a Sinhalese Buddhist majority, Our Taxes and money is being used to hire a racist Sinhalese armed forces police and government to discriminate kill murder rape ethnically cleanse and commit war crimes on us.
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Rohan / July 18, 2016
Just too say politely that this was by another ‘Rohan’.
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jansee / July 17, 2016
Antany, Antany: Why are you so worked up. Sometimes you own eyes play tricks on you. What you think you saw may not be what you actually saw. The Tamil students were only following the holy trite of the LTTE: they were carrying the human charter in one hand and the Bhagavadgita in the other. These “throwing stones” story is all a hoax. Even the video shown has been doctored. Send the video to Tamilnadu (after all movies are still being sent there for processing) and it will be proven to be a hoax. Forget about the incident, just simply go and reconcile with the students there and everything will be ok. Remember, there were zero casualties, and the Tamils were preaching with the Bhagavadgita in one hand. It is a clear case of your own mind playing tricks on you.
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Shrikharan / July 17, 2016
Antany Peter
“Tamils have done it again”
No you have done it again talking racism. I shall ask you whether in the South Tamil culture is also represented in the welcome of dignitaries? There is only Kandyan dancing and no Tamil culture ever represented.
The lesson is to give respect and get respect, if not keep your mouth shut. Tamil is also an indigenous and official language of Sri Lanka, but when in the South the welcome pageant is almost always totally ‘Sinhala’ even though there are many Tamils. Tamils have made clear note of this and even spoken in private criticizing this attitude in the same manner the Sinhala students expressed in this incident. Tamils did not want to make a public issue out of it naturally fearing repercussions and had reluctantly accepted it suffering in silence from time of the so called ‘independence’.
I like to ask you the same you had asked: What’s wrong Tamils have their welcome according to their culture after Sinhalese have welcomed their students? That was never in the agenda in the South. So can you also understand now at least how Tamils would have felt so badly for so long in silence.
So let this incident be an eye opener and feel that Tamils also felt like the Sinhala students for a long… long time when this was the first bad experience for Sinhalese. So Please have a heart to feel Tamils suffered silently for a long time similar fate being humiliated when their culture and tradition was denied acknowledgment without being also included in welcome procession or in the function.
Let this open the eyes of the Sinhalese and hereafter at least ensure Tamil culture is also represented in any official function. If not am afraid we have to expect similar tit for tats and there will never be a true reconciliation.
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rahul / July 18, 2016
I know in the US and Canada ,and may be in some other countries as well, Native Indians are exempted from the taxes reason being they are the original people of the continent before any others got there. I can post a copy of that law.
can you post a similar Sri lankan legal clause exempting Tamils from taxation?
if they do not pay taxes, is that in recognition by the Sri lankan government that they are the original people of the Island who has not given up their sovereignty?
North and East are the least developed areas of the country. is it not obvious how much tax money is spent on them?
can you post the data of how much tax money goes to each province for development?
Thank you.
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Micheal Arnold / July 17, 2016
Barbarians dance can be dance freely at their own jungle not in Jaffna university. jaffna university has tradition and culture as other university in south. no more tamil traditional never been followed at any celebration in southern university in srilanka.
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Stairway to heaven / July 17, 2016
If jaffna was a separate state, sinhalese students would have been deported back to their own country try. Sinhalese students would have claimed damages from the government of jaffna in international court of justice in the Hague. Nisha bishwal would hold peace talks in medawachiya with Sri Lanka and jaffna governments.
And it makes me wonder.
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sr / July 17, 2016
It’s clearly not an ethnic issue.
Simply a disagreement, failure of Sinhala students to enjoy warm welcome given to them was a great mistake.
Subject knowledge isn’t enough to live peacefully, learn to respect other’s culture and in return they’ll respect yours.
Sinhala students should apologize and make a fresh start to coexist.
Highlighting it as ethnic issue can give bad effect for the country.
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Sunil Dahanayake / July 17, 2016
Dear Readers,
Some of the tamil gentlemen and ladies have mentioned that tamil student are not allowed to have their cultural shows in other universities in Sri Lanka. This is a way that they are trying to justify their tamil racism.
Most of the tamils (including their political master) in Sri Lanka think that north and east should be completely devoid of sinhalese. Simultaneously, they want to live and carry out their businesses and jobs all the over Sri Lanka from Anuradhapura to Dondra Head.
We as Sinhalese, never attack one of their sacred cultural pagents, Veil Perehara. Not only these, most of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, every year, travels to Kathragama through the Yala Jungales and sinhelese villages. But we sinhelese never attack them. Tanils in Sri Lanka are free to conduct any cultural or relegious activties any where in the Island.
Therefore, it is high time that the Tamils in Jaffna need to understand and realise that all Sri Lankans should have every right to carryout their cultural and relegious activties in Jaffna without any obstructions.
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Shrikharan / July 17, 2016
Sunil Dahanayake
All I ask let in the South too recognize to have Tamil culture also be represented in welcoming the dignitaries. If not what is good for the goose should be also good for the Gander.
I hope you understand this simple request which Tamils have felt bitterly bad but feared to voice. I am able to complain here thanks to the internet and we are relatively virtual and unidentified!
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sekara / July 18, 2016
There are a temple, a mosque and two churches in Peradeniya.
The Temple is most prominently located, far more prominently than the Chaithya.
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Paul _real Siva Sankran Sarma / July 17, 2016
Tamils have been living in the south for centuries and in fact most of the western coast including Colombo was Tamil until recently and the population here only took on a Sinhalese identity quite recently. in fact Negombo North wards after independence and south of Negombo to North of Colombo in the 19th century and south of Colombo and the southern littorals in the 18Th century onwards. Just look at the place names it is all of Tamil origin. The so called Sinhalese communities that predominated and are native to the western and southern littorals are of Karawa, Salagama Durawa ,Hunu ETC all of recent South Indian origin.
Tamils come to the south and legally purchase lands set up businesses ETC. They do not attempt to change the original Sinhalese character of these regions or the names. They have enhanced the economy of the Sinhalese south and live there peacefully.
On the contrary hundreds of thousands of illegal Sinhalese settlers have been forcibly settled in the Tamil north and east where they had never existed prior to independence. Other than a few border villages there were hardly any Sinhalese existing in the north or east prior to independence.
Go and look at a map of Sri Lankan prior to independence. Every place, village town river hill was named only in Tamil. Now look at a current map more than 1/3 of the place names, especially in the east is Sinhalese. What happened to all this original Tamil places and the people who lived there? All chased away and ethnically cleansed by all Sinhalese Sri Lankan governments using all the government resources and force by using the Sinhalese only armed forces and police that are racist to the core.
These illegal Sinhalese settlers were settled on stolen Tamil lands have come here illegally with the support of a racist Sinhalese establishment armed forced and police. They have not purchased anything legally but have occupied stolen ethnically cleansed Tamil lands. most of them were dirt poor and were criminals and thugs deliberately settled here to create trouble and to change the demography of the Tamil north and east and make the Tamils a minority in their own land. They have succeeded in the east.
From the time they have arrived they has been trouble for the local Tamils. They kill rape loot and ethnically cleanse the neighbouring Tamil areas and the government and the authorities turn a blind eye to this and encourage this so that more Sinhalese can be settled when Tamils start to flee, as they receive no support. The recent incident in a strategic coastal village where an extremist Sinhalese Buddhist monk and goons appeared from nowhere and with the support of the Sinhalese armed forces and police have destroyed the local Hindu shrine and the statue of Lord Ganesha and have now installed a huge Buddha Statue and now clamouring loudly that the area now belongs to Sinhalese Buddhists. Nothing has been done to bring this and other extremists Sinhalese Buddhists who are going around doing the same thing in other towns and villages in the north and east. They are all been given 24 hour protection by the Sinhalese armed forces and police. These armed forces and Police should be kicked out. Nowadays we see huge Buddha statues and Buddhist temples being installed by the Sinhalese armed forces everywhere in the north and east, in most places not a single Buddhist person lives whilst Hindu temples and Churches are in ruins. They then clamour loudly Sinhalese Buddhists should now be settled in these Tamil Hindu or Christian areas to maintain the newly installed Buddhist temple or statue.
Nowadays you see so many special Sinhalese only Ga AGA divisions that have sprouted out in the north and east that deals only in Sinhalese, to the detriment of the remaining Tamil population for these illegal Sinhalese settlers. who were forcibly settled by the Sinhalese state and armed forces on ethnically cleansed Tamil lands. They had only arrived here in the past 40-50 years but already they have special Sinhalese only DRO AGA divisions and electorates to represent them. Deliberately done to cement their hold on their newly settled lands. All the original Tamil names of the places they had settled have been changed or given a Sinhalese twist. Kantalai to Kantale. Amaparai to Ampara. Pattipalai Aru to Gal Oya. Manal Aru to WeliOya. The list goes on.
Tamils have been living in the south for almost two centuries and they have been there from medieval times ( like the Colombo Chetty or Paravan( Baratha) or arrived in the 19th century during British times. They make up around 50% of the population in the greater Colombo area in the Central province and a substantial minority in the rest of the western Uva and Sabragamuwa provinces speak Tamil as their mother tongue. Native Indian origin and Tamil Muslims, however in contrast to what has been done to the recent illegal Sinhalese settlers in the north and east not a single Tamil AGA division has been created for the Tamils and other Tamil speakers to deal only in Tamil. Other than one seat in Nuwara eliya district there are no special electorates for the almost 3 million native Tamil speakers down south. Despite Tamil being declared an official language in par with Sinhalese. Tamils are denied the use of their language not only in the Sinhalese south but also in police stations and all these newly created Sinhalese AGA divisions in the north and east. However Sinhalese can deal in Sinhalese everywhere. In many southern universities and other institutions Tamil are denied any form of cultural expression but these Sinhalese student demand not request it in the north and east.
This is the huge difference between the Tamils legally living down south and the illegal Sinhalese settler in the north and east. Sinhalese are pretending or do not want to understand the real situation for the island’s Tamils. As this suits their racist agenda. Tamil people have not taken or stolen any land from the Sinhalese, however since independence the Sinhalese have stolen more than 1/3 of the historic ancient Tamil lands in the north and east using their brute majority power the armed forces and government resources and then complain they are discriminated. When they thought the Kandyan Sinhalese in the estate areas will be threatened by the huge Indian origin estate Tamil population they made them stateless after living in the island for more than eight generation and forcibly deported most of them to India. They had killed more than 300000 innocent Tamil civilians since the time of independence . Around 70000-147000 in May 2209, that even the UN now reluctantly has to admit and chased away around 1 million indigenous Tamils largely to the west and reduced the island’s Tamils population from around 26-28% at the time of independence to 15.2% within 60 years. The Sinhalese population was only around 66% at the time of independence now 74%l. If this is not genocide and ethnic cleansing of Tamils then what is . Deny them education employment language rights, steal our lands use our own taxes to employ a racist army and police to kill rape loot and ethnically cleanse and them claim discrimination at the hands of the Tamils. Is this a joke?
When the British demarcated the provinces to create the modern nine provinces as they are now. They were very generous to the Sinhalese. Any Sinhalese claim was met with sympathetically and historical Tamil lands like Puttalam Chjlaw that was part of the Jaffna kingdom and other ancient historical Tamil areas like Padavi Kulam now called Padaviya and Thamban Kadavai now called Tamankaduwa were given to the Sinhalese. What was demarcated as the present North and East was pure Tamil land where the Sinhalese have no historical or any other claim whatsoever. Now they have stolen more than 1/3 of this using brute majority government force and fake history to support this
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / July 17, 2016
Cool story, bro :D
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Sineth Madusanka Priyasiri / July 18, 2016
Go and learn history first have u ever seen 1500 years old kandarodei stupas in jaffna which were built by sinhala kings and they are archeological evidences.
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Celeo / July 18, 2016
Which Sinhala King???
Kandarodei stupas in Jaffna were built by Tamil Buddhists.
Go to google and read about Tamil Buddhism and educate yourself with some basic general knowledge.
BTW, why does the Sinhalayas either keep Tamil Gods in their Buddhist temples or go to Tamil Temples to worship Tamil Gods, and the rich Sinhalaya families like RajaPakshe AND FAMILY go to Tamil Nadu to worship Tamil Gods!
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Raj / July 18, 2016
I am totally against attacking Sinhalese students and I believe it is Tamil’s (student of Jaffa university) utmost responsibility to look after them and assure their security because they are our guests.
Dear Mr Sunil,
I was attacked by mob during Vel festival in 1983 however I don’t believe any Sinhalese who value equity ever approves that attack.
Tamils must owe and unconditional apology from those effected students and Tamils never repeat this grave mistake…
An eye for an eye makes this world blind
— WE ARE REALLY SORRY —-
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justice / July 17, 2016
The overwhelming presence of the army – 99% Sinhala – in the north (& the east), casts an unwelcome shadow on all socio-cultural, religious and even family events/activities in both provinces.
Military intelligence operatives are an unwelcome & intimidating presence in all such events/activities
Sometime ago, the army dressed in white dress complete with Kavadi dancers, marched in procession to the Nalloor Temple during the Annual Festival time and occupied the premises, excluding by force, the real devotees.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=37358
This type of activities by the army, has emboldened the few among the Sinhalese students to make this Welcome to Freshers into a communal event.
As long the Occupying Army remains, the Tamils of north and east too are forced to exist on the tolerance of the state which gives ‘foremost’ place to the Sinhala Language and Buddhism.
The president is unable to order the armed forces to treat all citizens as equals.
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Ajith / July 17, 2016
Most of us thing that the war is over so everything is over. My memories goes back to 1977 when Sinhalese students attacked us during a “Agro night” party. There was no reason other than we are Tamil students. It is thesame year Tamil passangers were butchered in Anuradhapura. Fundamentally both Tamils and Sinhalese cannot live together and trust between these two communities have widen further with time.
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shankar / July 17, 2016
“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.”
that was a sound proposal and should have been implemented.Those who vetoed it and went ahead with their agenda are the culprits behind all this trouble.
If university senior science academics are just brushed aside by the students union,then you might as well hand over the universities to the students.
” Primarily the arts/commerce students started pelting the Sinhalese students with stones. “
the ring leaders should be arrested.In any situations like this there are only one or two culprits who dominate the others who just follow them like lemurs.
“The VC in a panic ordered the evacuation.”
if this woman panics like this she is not fit to be the head.She might as well permanently put her desk and chair in the bathroom.
” are unable to communicate with the VC. “We do not even have her hand-phone number,” said a staff member”
absolutely disgraceful.If she has blocked the lines of communication,she has to take the full responsibility for this incident and resign.
“University of Jaffna’s Science Faculty between a group of Tamil-Sinhalese students, with the university’s Vice Chancellor Professor Vasanthi Arasaratnam ordering the Sinhalese students to leave Vavuniya, after the Faculty was closed indefinitely.”
why is she punishing the sinhalese students when it is the tamil students in the arts faculty who started the violence,She should close the arts faculty.
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sekara / July 17, 2016
“University of Jaffna’s Science Faculty between a group of Tamil-Sinhalese students, with the university’s Vice Chancellor Professor Vasanthi Arasaratnam ordering the Sinhalese students to leave Vavuniya, after the Faculty was closed indefinitely.”
“The VC in a panic ordered the evacuation.”
Speculation and malicious rumor mongering is dangerous.
Several of the stories like the above are not factual.
There was no ordering out of anyone. Sinhalese students of the Science Faculty moved out because of a tense situation created by mischief makers.
The University decision has been to suspend academic activities in other faculties rather than close the university, despite pressure from above to close, until return of normalcy.
”[Academics] are unable to communicate with the VC. “We do not even have her hand-phone number,” said a staff member”Any academic who wants to help has plenty of other telephone numbers besides the VC’s to use.
This is lame excuse. Several academics just stood and watched because they know nothing better.
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stairway to heaven / July 17, 2016
4TH LEAD (Update, adds photos, videos, voice)
SL military-backed Sinhala students clash with Tamil students in Jaffna University
[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 July 2016, 13:37 GMT]
Washington and New Delhi imposing genocidal ‘Sri Lanka’ on the nation of Eezham Tamils now manifests into military-backed Sinhala students clashing with Tamil students even in the University of Jaffna. Sinhala students numbering more than Tamils at the Science Faculty of the university attacked Tamil students after violently staging Kandyan dance opposing traditional Thavil and Nathasvaram at the welcoming ceremony to new students in the faculty on Saturday. 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 at 2:00 p.m.
Tension prevails in the area surrounding the University of Jaffna and the university administration has asked all students to move out of the premises and hostels. However, unlike the unprotected Tamil students in the military occupied Jaffna, the Sinhala students were provided with ‘police escort’ up to Vavuniyaa to reach their homes in the South.
Tamilnet
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dayal / July 17, 2016
considering what happened to the tamils in the south since independece-1956, 1977, 1981, 1983, mullivaikal and infinite number of atrocities- what happened in jaffna is peanuts. ugc should be careful when assigning students to various universities. sinhala students- not all- go with a superior mentality to jaffna and they think anything is possible, try to do things unilaterally. after allowing them it is unreasonable to deny their cultural rights. but it is not an isolated incident. we have to look at the totality of the situation. i think still the reconciliation process has not reached substantial section of the SL society. the student groups in question are still not matured enough to understand the complexities of the principles of living together and social cohesion.
senior academics both sinhala and tamil are duty bound to educate these groups.
-DAYAL
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Tarrin Constantine / July 17, 2016
What a shame.. Nothing has changed over 50 years. What is the problem in performing Kandiyan dance?? Vice Chancellor should have officially incorporated all kind of welcoming performance into the agenda. This incident shows lack of leadership from the administrators .
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / July 18, 2016
I agree with you. Tamil students should have agreed to allow Kandyan dancers in the procession behind the Tamil musicians/dancers and demanded Souhtern universities to reciprocate it in their functions. This would have put Sinhala extremists to shame. Sinhala students also should have acted in restraint not to disrupt, but to negotiate with authorities to have Sinhala dancers at the next year event.
I will refer you to Festival of Cricket in UK. In those days, no Tamil musicians/dancers were in the procession prior to openeing ceremony. We did not create trouble, but continued our agitation and at one stage the organisers relented to have Tamil cultural programs, and now we have both though there are no Tamil musicians during the procession.
My request to sing national anthem in Tamil in this most important Srilankan festival has been turned down. I did not go rioting against Sinhala opponents, but I will continue my effort to get Tamil National anthem sung in FOC in the future. We are trying to get Jaffna schools back into FOC, but are facing tough resistance from Sinhala extremists within FOC who are citing lame excuses for not admitting them.
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Sinhala_Man / July 18, 2016
Excellent steps being contemplated by you, Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam.
Re-acceptance of the National Anthem sung in Tamil should be a priority, not just of the citizenry, but also of the government.
As for this recent so-called “clash”; that was just unfortunate. Accidents do happen, and they are not intentional, whether in traffic or social interaction. When they do happen, the situation needn’t get out of hand, PROVIDED there is a person respected by all, who calls “Halt!”. Unfortunately, it has been stated for more moons than I can remember, that the current Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Vasanthy Somebody doesn’t fit the bill. Douglas Devananda imposed her on the University system in the country.
The Government as a whole, and specifically the UGC is to blame for the present situation. Both are controlled by us, the Sinhalese. Shame on us! Two incidents within the week that show that we really need both International Peacekeepers and Foreign Judges: the other incident is the rape of a 14 year old girl, AND her harassment, thereafter, by some woman police constable, in Thotulagala, Haputale, Uva. HOWEVER, all Tamils would do well NOT to press for foreign intervention; it would be suicidal in view of the current political situation.
We can either focus on scoring brownie points, OR work patently towards resolving problems. However, firmness is required: kick the VC out, and arrest the dozen or so people who traumatised a 14 year old CHILD!
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / July 19, 2016
Dear Sinhala Man AKA Panini Edirisinghe,
Please request your friend Mahesh Nirmalan to get National Anthem sung in Tamil at the Srilankan medical association UK dance. Unfortunately I have left the committee after completing my term as President,and will not be able to make this demand.
For your information at the Royal dance in April this year, some Sinhala members wanted to sing National anthem in Tamil also, but on the request of Tamil members it was put on hold.
We are fortunate in UK as the government treats both Sinhalese and Tamils equally and no one can create trouble without facing the strong arm of the law. In Srilanka the government machinery is institutionally racist and Tamils cannot get justice.
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ranjith / July 18, 2016
Jobless hopeless !
politicize education from free to trade union politics.
demala speaking demals and sinhala speaking demalas living in a well but fed from the moon.
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thondamannay / July 17, 2016
All in all, I see another lost opportunity by the Tamils.
Had they acceeded and conducted things with mutual consent
it would have been a Win-Win situation.
Now, what has happened, the education halted even before it commenced, the damage to property, cooling of the situation for the other students to return, bad memories, suspicion ???
How would these students share knowledge and achieve in future?
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anotherbuddhist / July 18, 2016
All this racist comments back and forth from all directions that was absent until 2015 Yahapalana ‘revolution’ and now back in full force. Reading these comments show that this government’s attempts at reconciliation is an absolute failure. They have blindly given into the separatist and racist Tamil agenda.
Continue with the Pabakaran mantra that North, East and everywhere else is Tamil land to do as they please. No trace of Sinhala or Muslim will be permitted in North and East. But Tamils will do as they please in Colombo and the south. If anyone objects, they will put their NGOs and Western governments forward with manufactured claims of genocide!
Wake up Sri Lanka! You are not on a path of reconciliation. But heading into an orchestrated ‘ethnic conflict’. Perhaps orchestrated from Washington!
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Wendy / July 18, 2016
All this happened dear because of Sinhalese Buddhist racists like you and you racist ideologies and not because of the Tamils. The North and East is Tamil land and not Sinhalese land. Tamils so not do as they please in the Sinhalese south and they are now allowed to. It is Sinhalese who are doing this.
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Mahesasn Niranjan / July 18, 2016
Very sad and angered to see this. Some of these people are thugs who do not deserve a university education; they simply have no capacity to understand what a university is about. There is no other explanation for this disgusting behaviour. We should condemn this outright.
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Sinhala_Man / July 18, 2016
Hi, Niranjan, and where’s Nirmalan?
Keeping for so long this nasty VC woman is ULTIMATELY to blame, although I’m sure that she would not have had anything to do with this.
By the way, I wanted to know from you guys what’s so special about the Casuarina Beach, as a SWIMMING place? I went there about a month ago with a bus-load of retired Sinhalese teachers, but found the water too shallow for snorkelling.
One Maths teacher (brilliant guy who has written two Sinhalese novels which won Presidential Awards in successive years – some decades ago, and who is an enthusiastic member of the Social Equality Party), refused to join either the Association or the trip (although he’d love to visit Jaffna) saying that he wasn’t going anywhere with racists! I was able to report to him that there was no trace of “racism” on our trip, although we did stop at all those places where Sinhalese War Heroes were commemorated. We also visited the re-built Jaffna Public Library, and the Nallur Kovil (bare torsoed and in white sarongs – I had bought mine in Bandarawela after receiving clear instructions on what we had to bring).
This particular guy has a copy of “Kadunu Thal Gaha”, the translation of “The Broken Palmyrah”; a rather less sectarian and more pragmatic, humbler, Maths teacher, did purchase, through me, Rajan Hoole’s “The Palmyrah Fallen” – autographed by Rajan and all that. The two guys are going to exchange books, according to the latter, who told me yesterday, that he will FINALLY gift the book to the Public Library.
Can we possibly expect any behaviour more constructive from guys in the South?
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BBS Rep / July 18, 2016
While the president is leaning more and more towards the saffron robed monks for advice the country is slowly but surely is descending towards another ethnic conflagration. Just below the surface of all is good and normal the old hatred, suspicion and anger are simmering. The smallest of excuses are enough to send this country back to another sectarian war.
What a welcome to the new students. Welcome to ethnic divisions and get ready for battle for your respective communities.
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Kumarathasan Rasingam / July 18, 2016
will the Sinhalese University students allow Tamil Cultural dance in the Universities in the South:????
The Tamil tradition in the University of Jaffna – in the traditional and historical homeland of the Tamils must be respected and given priority.
If the Tamil University students in the south demand Tamil cultural dance what will happen.
These are well planned and executed by the Sinhalese military to create tension in the north so that they can stay in the north and enjoy the wealth of the Tamils lands and establishments.
Sinhala/Tamil problem is now like a broken glass – it is foolish trying to mend it. It is better to part away.
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Sineth Madusanka Priyasiri / July 18, 2016
well after reading this comments it seens most of them are false .actually each and every university in sri lanka exept jaffna are alowwed to have any kind of cultural events in their ceromonies i have seen thousands of potos in face book showing Tamil dances such as Kavadi..in university web pages also any one can have the proof look into university pages.the matter personally in my university I have seen many tamil dances i and i loved them too.I think those people never have gone to down south or just telling lies to defend the incident .most of sinhala people watch tamil films and entertain.Even at schools we had danced tamil traditional dances.sri lankan national anthem is also allowed a tamil version where even in indian it is not allowed /there are millions of tamils in world including india but sinhala people are only few in sri lanka even though there are thousands of kovils in south and hii country but sinhala people worship them too.they worship Nallur kovil too and tamils also had worshipped Nagadeepa .But if tamils belive that jaffna should have tamil culture what will happen all the other Tamils around country should establish in north.Actually LTTE nver needed a separate country they needed a boundry to avoid sinhala and muslim.because lets imagine if they had a separate state they have avoid down south universities, kovils,bussiness,jobs…..and they can not supply those facilities in North.simply Prabakaran never will conduct elections after him his son will be king ,no courts,no Law,no freedom…. I think tamils know about him well than i explained.Of course it is ok to fight against their own culture but there is a way.we know we all had a brutal past both ethnic groups were suffered i think tamils suffered a lot I mean who fighted,because some left the country and had a luxurious life .they dont know how people suffered here .that is why they destroy pace and harmony using websites like tamil net even without seeing the island’s real situation.
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Sinhala_Man / July 18, 2016
You are pretty mixed-up, and you haven’t taken the trouble to think things out, and find out what you don’t know. No real problem with that; none of us was born “knowing everything”, but as we get older we learn a few things.
I can’t really teach you “everything” or even point out all the fallacies you are labouring under. However, THIS can easily be pointed out to you; most of what you cite as instances of Sinhalese inter-acting with Tamils comes under the head of “superstition”. You see, Buddhism doesn’t speak of gods who can help, but Hinduism SEEMS to do so. That is the reason for all these trips to kovils.
You sound like a very nice guy, but I’m afraid that many of your ideas are racist. YOU don’t realise it! A response to this comment of mine would be welcome.
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Dutugamunu / July 19, 2016
1.This is a cultural event.Except Taliban & LTTE terrorist groups not single organisation in the world killed or destroyed religious places in the past.They are fascists.
2 Tamil Net is again publishing malicious false propaganda stating Sinhala Students back by Army attacked the tamils. But their own videos posted shows no presence of Army & the injured students are speaking in Sinhala.
3 If Tamil people are treated in this manner how could one explain that 60% of the Tamil population are still living in areas other than in the Northern Peninsula.
4.If section of the Science faculty wants to have Kandiyan Dancing why it cannot be allowed after all this is dancing.The sinhales have not objected to Tamil Cultural traditions being performed
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sekara / July 19, 2016
A minor correction:
This freshers welcome business has nothing to do with culture. It is a mask to cover what happens from the next day onward.
However, the right of anyone to celebrate his/her culture it is something that should be defended and I fully agree with you.
Moratuwa and Peradeniya Universities have a long tradition of Tamil cultural events as does the Open University.
Other universities in the South too are accommodating towards the customs of minority nationalities. The arrogance of the Tamil student group responsible for the clash should be unconditionally denounced.
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Dr. Parakrama Gurusinghe / July 19, 2016
Hi!
To me if you want to resolve this issue quitably, then use the video tape and arrest all the hooligans. Prosecute them and expell from the University! If you are trying to justify this using the recent past, the you are falling into the trap of war mentality. All those comments related to military there, is the aftermath of a bloody war! It will take a generation to go away! If you act like this will take longer.When I was a high school kid, I went to Jaffna Hartly College to play cricket! Hartly was in our annual schedule. This was 1965, and there was no war. There was smuggling being in Velvitithurei, and army was having outposts every mile on the beach to prevent it. Still they smuggled since most of the population was involved!
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