By Rajeewa Jayaweera –
Rajeewa Jayaweera
Seven years ago to this day, guns in the north fell silent. LTTE terrorists who had ravaged the country for 26 years were defeated by members of this country’s armed forces and police. Over 25,000 members of Sri Lanka’s armed forces and police made the supreme sacrifice during this period, besides the many thousands who suffered serious injuries impacting the rest of their lives.
Commencing 2010, 18 May was designated Victory Day by the government of the day and was celebrated with an impressive military parade by members of the armed forces and police, speeches and a one minute of silence. The exercise may have been used by the former Head of State for self-glorification. Nevertheless, that in no way alters the significance of the victory achieved after 26 long years against a separatist group.
In 2015, ‘Victory Day’ was to be replaced with ‘Day of Remembrance’ in the name of national reconciliation by the new unity government, but finally changed to ‘War Heroes Day’ due to the intervention by President Sirisena. A military parade was part of the event.
The Minister of State for Defence in a recent media briefing has announced “National War Heroes Commemoration Ceremony 2016 will be held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena at the War Memorial in Battaramulla on 18th May. The event is to be followed by a cultural show at the Independent Square in Colombo”. Funds spent in arranging a military parade is to be utilized on welfare initiatives for War Heroes and their families.
The Defence Secretary is on record stating such celebrations were a barrier to reconciliation the country was achieving as it would hurt the feelings of one ethnic group. Such a theory comes into play only if it is considered a conflict between Sinhalese and Tamil communities. One would imagine a greater barrier to reconciliation is the inordinate delay on the part of the government in returning land in the Northern Province, not essential for national security, to their legitimate owners.
Military parades are part and parcel of armed forces the world over and are held during all important events involving armed forces. Since 2015, two schools of thought have prevailed in relation to Victory Day and a military parade.
One school of thought refers to the conflict as a civil war fought between citizens of Sri Lanka belonging to two communities and not against a foreign enemy. As such, it is inappropriate to celebrate Victory Day with a military parade as it would be hurtful to the community to which LTTE terrorists belonged.
The other school of thought to which I contribute is, the conflict was not between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities in the country but between a group of terrorists fighting for a separate state and members of Sri Lanka’s armed forces sworn to defend the territorial integrity of the country. Victory Day was held to celebrate the military defeat of the LTTE, an internal terrorist group considered as one of the most ruthless in the world.
To even think that Victory Day is limited to the Sinhalese community is a travesty. It need be understood as a victory for the Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher and other communities in the country. I have no doubt these sentiments will be endorsed by kith and kin of the likes of Alfred Duraiappah, Lakshman Kadirgamar, Appapillai Amirthalingam, Neelan Thiruchelvam and Jeyaraj Fernandopulle to name a few, not forgetting over 250,000 civilians held hostage as human shields by LTTE till rescued by SLA forces. Also not to be forgotten are the many parents in the Northern Province who no longer have to fear for their children including those under age, being forcibly conscripted by the LTTE. It also gave an opportunity for foreign leaders and officials who, prior to 18 May 2009 did not dare set foot in the North and East to travel to Jaffna and give their two cents worth.
It is an undeniable and inalienable fact that it was the Sri Lankan armed forces and police who paved the way for the defeat of the LTTE. The beneficiaries of this peace dividend and thus by extension the victors, are the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burgers and all others in this country. Victory Day need be understood, appreciated and celebrated in such a context and not in one of a victory for the Sinhalese community over the Tamil community.
Some argue of the need to treat the JVP and LTTE, both guilty of terrorism, in a similar manner. That is to oversimplify the issue. Whereas the JVP fought their battles on an ideological platform to change a political system, the LTTE was a separatist organization demanding a separate state, thus challenging the sovereignty of the nation. JVP cadre convicted of terrorism were tried, convicted, jailed and released after a while to enable them to enter the political mainstream as done the world over in similar instances. Many LTTE cadre either captured or who surrendered have been rehabilitated and released without the benefit of jail terms as meted out to convicted JVP cadre, for the sake of reconciliation. The issue of a Victory Day parade as a result of crushing a separatist movement has no precedent in modern times for comparison. Sri Lanka was the first nation to defeat a separatist terrorist organization.
It is but also correct that Sri Lankans of all communities regardless of race, religion or political affiliations honor those who ‘gave their tomorrow’ and those who were ‘willing to sacrifice their tomorrow’ to enable all others ‘to have a tomorrow’.
Priya / May 18, 2016
Where are we taking our country during the next 25 years.Three ethnic groups trumpeting their own rhetorics and living polarised and teaching their offsprings to do the same .Is that the way forward , or can we take our country towards more united democratic pathway where all of us can live and contribute for the development ensuring equal rights to every citizen.Sinhalese were massacred and so as Tamils.To a lesser extent Muslims also .We all had our bitter share.We need to find the right formula to coexist rather than glorifying each ones greatness.Common folks we have suffered enough.Let us learn lessons from past mistakes and move on.
/
Paul / May 18, 2016
Sri Lankan Muslims are not an ethnic group but a religious group. They are Tamil by ethnicity and Muslim by religion.
A little bit of Arab amongst a small minority amongst them thus not make them Arab or Moorish( anyway Moors are from North Africa and not from the Arabian Gulf).
Do not confuse ethnicity with religion. There is no such thing called a Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or Muslim ethnicity anywhere else in the world. If they want to separate themselves from the rest of the Tamils on the basis of religion, that is their right, however they should be correctly classified as Tamil Muslims and not Moors. They are conveniently and deliberately using the incorrect classification that the Portuguese used to describe all South Asian Muslims. Moors. As this suits their agenda.
Moors are from North Africa. basically from Morocco. The ancestors of the Sri Lankan Muslims never arrived from Morocco or from any part of North Africa or even the Arabian Gulf but from Tamil Nadu/Kerala.
They are Dravidian Tamil Hindus who converted to Islam and should be correctly classified accordingly. The Portuguese incorrectly called the Sinhalese Siamese and the Sri Lankan Tamils Malabar. They discarded this incorrect classification so did the rest of the South Asian Muslims. Only these Indian origin Sri Lankan Tamil Muslims, still insist on being called Moors and go around bragging about an Arab origin that only a small microscopic minority partially have, to conveniently hide their actual Dravidian Hindu Tamil origin
/
Paul / May 18, 2016
Thank you for this explanation. There are no traces of Arab origins in our Muslim’s language, food, music or anything else (the burqa is a very recent phenomenon). Your post explains clearly why every Muslim speaks Tamil.
In fact, the same thing applies to India. The Mughal invaders were few in number but today India has more Muslims than Pakistan. Most are descended from Hindu converts who were trying to escape the caste system.
/
The Messenger / May 18, 2016
Rajeewa Jayaweera,
“JVP fought their battles on an ideological platform to change a political system, the LTTE was a separatist organization demanding a separate state, thus challenging the sovereignty of the nation.”
You have oversimplified everything. Were you in a deep slumber during the past (before the LTTE and the civil war) or are you suffering from the same selective amnesia that many of your ilk pretend to have?
The LTTE did not suddenly come from outer space. The Sri Lankan Tamil politicians fought a non-violent/peaceful battle for over 30 years on an ideological platform to change the political system from unitary to federal. The Sinhala leaders came up with several pacts and promises but finally gave nothing to the Tamils other than cheating them and unleashing violence on their non-violent/peaceful campaigns. This forced the Tamils to seek for separation to form a separate country for Tamils which ended up in a 30 years’ war.
You (Sinhalese) oppressed/suppressed the Tamil community by attacking the unarmed non-violent Tamil protesters from the days of independence, you Sinhalese looted them, broke their limbs, raped their women, killed their people, and burnt their houses and properties to the ground, overnight they were reduced to the state of beggars. You drove them from their homeland and they became refugees begging for alms, they lived on the handouts given by foreign governments. You made them beggars and refugees but due to their indomitable spirits and hard work it only took them a very short time to bounce back in their host countries.
Every community on this planet has the rights to commemorate its dead, whether it is the war heroes who liberated the country from the ‘Terrorists’ or it is the ‘freedom fighters’ who wanted to liberate a community from many years of oppression/suppression. It is being said that more than 40,000 Tamil civilians got killed during the final stages of the war. Commemorating the dead war heroes is the right of all Sri Lankans but you (Sinhalese) are openly celebrating the victory (by hurting the community that has lost its people) and at the same time you are suppressing the Tamils from commemorating their dead. You (Sinhalese) are still denying their rights by trying to control the Sri Lankan Tamils. The ideology may differ but when the JVP violence (terrorism) was completely eradicated in 1971 and 1989, nobody celebrated it as a civil war victory with military parades.
It is not the matter of winning a domestic civil war and celebrating it, the real issue is what created the war and why, how much destruction it caused in terms of men (human lives), material (property), and money (country’s wealth) and how to avoid it from happening again in the future. At independence in 1948 Sri Lanka was the second best economy in Asia, today we are one of the worst. The biggest challenge for Sri Lanka is how to make the Sinhalese to think and analyse our past effectively in order to build a brighter future. However, Sri Lanka is still going on the reverse gear, sinking into untold misery, innocently immersed in perverted and foolish beliefs and actions that is preventing the Sinhalese in not only giving the Tamils their rights but also hindering the reconciliation process.
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS THE CURSE THAT POOR SRI LANKA IS PAYING FOR THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES….
/
Celeo / May 19, 2016
The entire world is aware of the Tamil genocide, war crimes, human rights abuse and crimes against humanity that took place in Sri Lanka during the final stage of the internal war between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils.
Only an Anti-Tamil dumb racist masquerading as ultra-nationalist/Sinhala patriot among the majority Sinhala-Buddhists will call it a Victory Day after killing tens of thousands of its own citizen. By calling it a Victory Day and celebrating the war victory is nothing but hurting the feelings of the innocent Tamils of North who have already lost their loved ones and undergone immense trauma due to the genocidal war and harassment by the Sinhalese is not only against national unity but also humanitarianism.
Unfortunately in Sri Lanka, we see many such people, the so called ‘Educated’ but with low mentality and narrow mindedness who think only about their own race. It is very strange that even the world famous universities could not mold the mind and thinking of these racists.
/
eusense / May 19, 2016
Celeo
How did you escape that ethnic cleancing and genocide of tamils?
/
Celeo / May 19, 2016
eusense
I got caught to the ethnic cleancing of Tamils by the Sinhalese in 1983 and became a refugee in the west (got cleanced out from my homeland). That is how I escaped the 2009 genocide.
/
eusense / May 20, 2016
Celeo
That means you were not ethnically cleansed.
So living in the west for 33 years you are talking about SL tamil’s problem?? You guys are the reason why tamils of SL can’t live in peace.
/
Anpu / May 20, 2016
Eusence
Read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide
It took 7 years to write this.
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/my-dear-mahinda-i-dont-want-to-see-you-going-towards-further-doom/
“…You got your ‘diplomatic henchmen’ to insult visiting heads of Government, like British Prime Minister David Cameron, during the CHOGM meeting and hired mobs who tried to stop Channel 4 journalists from travelling.
In fact, the Channel 4 allegations are a good example of your government’s total mismanagement. In fact, when the footage was first shown I remember asking your government to hand over the video footage to any world-renowned forensics expert to establish your argument that they were tampered and distorted with. Having secured such evidence you could have sued Channel 4 in the UK courts to prove your innocence. Instead, laughably, you gave it to forensic experts hired by the Defence Ministry in order to disprove the footage’s authenticity. In fact, according to the information we have the video footage is not only authentic but was given to Channel 4 by members of the armed forces who themselves were deeply shocked at some of the acts carried out as a result of orders from above…”
/
eusense / May 20, 2016
Anpu
SL gov. Wanted a copy not to send it to anybody. Until today Ch 4 has not given a copy to the gov.
/
Anpu / May 20, 2016
Eusense,
You are senseless person.
“Wanted a copy not to send it to anybody” WHY?
“Until today Ch 4 has not given a copy to the gov. “
Search the net for “President Sirisena officially given a copy of No Fire Zone”
/
Anpu / May 20, 2016
Perhaps Colombo Telegraph should make both English and Sinhalese versions available
Eusense
Responding to Sri Lanka’s foreign minister acknowledging the authenticity of Channel 4 footage used in the No Fire Zone documentaries, the documentary director Callum Macrae, suggested that Sri Lanka state televisions to “broadcast the documentary as soon as possible” to aid the reconciliation process.
Callum Macrae announced the re-release of the Sinhalese version of the No Fire Zone documentary stating,
“I very much welcome Mangala Samaraweera’s acknowledgement of the authenticity of the Channel 4 footage – and I hope that it will encourage people to watch the Sinhalese version of No Fire Zone, which once again we are making available free on our website, NoFireZone.org. But more than that I hope it will now be shown on Sri Lankan television and I call on Sri Lankan TV stations to broadcast it as soon as possible. The fact is that the truth can only help reconciliation. Only the guilty fear it.”
Adding that it was in the interests of all communities in Sri Lanka for state impunity to be addressed, Mr Macrae, said,
“It should also not be forgotten that the first footage – the chilling mobile phone footage of the execution of naked bound prisoners – originally came from Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, an organisation consisting of mostly exiled journalists, both Sinhala and Tamil. Since then the evidence has grown – and every denial by the government (sadly including some members of the current government) has subsequently been exposed by yet further evidence. But many are increasingly accepting that the truth must now be confronted if peace, justice and political solutions are to be found. The fact is that all communities in Sri Lanka have experienced the terrible consequences of state impunity – and it is in the interests of all the communities of Sri Lanka that state impunity is now confronted. I hope that our film, No Fire Zone, can play a part in that process”
Mangala Samaraweera acknowledged the authenticity of the No Fire Zone documentary evidence, in a recent open letter to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Mangala Samaraweera accepts legitimacy of No Fire Zone documentary evidence (18 May 2016)
/
Prasad / May 21, 2016
Mate you are crying about crimes committed against Tamils only.You have every right to do so.As a person who witnessed 83 July riots as a little school boy I can very well understand your pain.Your community has gone through hell and no doubt the painful memories are haunting you forever.My sincere empathy to you and whoever affected by this brutal war.
However every time when you guys comment it is only about the unjust faced by Tamils.Never a word about the brutality faced by Sinhalese or Muslims.Dont you think you are equally racist if not more in that sense.Prabha was racist and the numbers he killed along racist lines are so many and we both know that.Shall we acknowledge as a matter of principle that the whole country was affected and the people had suffered irrespective of race religion for a long period of time due to this brutal war .Tsmils do take a huge percentage of that toll and no one disputes that .However don’t we have to move from the past and looking for a better future.The guys like you are not bothered about country anymore as you have found your safe havens.However, more constructive thinking will help to rebuild the fractioned nation in that Island rather than continuing the blame game.
/
Native Vedda / May 18, 2016
Rajeewa Jayaweera
“Seven years ago to this day, guns in the north fell silent. LTTE terrorists who had ravaged the country for 26 years were defeated by members of this country’s armed forces and police.”
Be serious, most of the sane and informed people already knew VP defeated the LTTE with huge help primarily from Hindia and 30 odd other countries including the USA.
Poor village boys died for the stupid mistakes of the politicians.
“It is but also correct that Sri Lankans of all communities regardless of race, religion or political affiliations honor those who ‘gave their tomorrow’ and those who were ‘willing to sacrifice their tomorrow’ to enable all others ‘to have a tomorrow’.”
It is not right for the hypocrites who were sitting in their air-conditioned rooms while the poor boys from villages fighting and dying in the name of the country praising them for ‘willing to sacrifice their tomorrow’.
The question arises why those praise the ‘willing to sacrifice their tomorrow’ chose not to sacrifice theirs tomorrow?
Could you tell me if you remember praising those who were ‘willing to sacrifice their tomorrow’ in 1971 and between 1987 and 1990.
What do you do with those who committed war crimes and crime against humanity during the past 45 years, they too were willing to sacrifice their tomorrow?
Does this include the 2000 poor Hindians who were not only ‘willing to sacrifice their tomorrow’ but did die for the stupidity of this island’s leaders,between 1987 and 1990 while some of you were still sitting in posh clubs discussing the strategic importance of supporting the LTTE boys (mostly from poor families) who too were ‘willing to sacrifice their tomorrow’ and did die while fighting to preserve the sovereignty (whatever that maybe) of this island?
/
Eusense / May 18, 2016
vedda,
Stupid and childish rebuttal. Instead write how you escaped “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” by the Sinhalese. That might be useful to some.
/
Celeo / May 19, 2016
Only a pariah state like SL and some imbecilic morons will want to celebrate a civil war victory, otherwise who in his/her right mind wants to celebrate war victory after a civil war?
/
justice / May 18, 2016
Every army has exact records of casualties – No. of dead, wounded but restored to normality, & wounded but recovered with mental/physical disabilities.
Number who deserted – with/without weapons too, applies to Sri Lanka.
Same statistics apply to Navy, Air Force and Police.
These should be made known to the nation.
Many people made money on account of the war.
But, that is another story.
/
Eusense / May 18, 2016
justice,
You are wrong. The US did not keep any records of casualties in their war against terror in any country they went in!
/
Rajash / May 18, 2016
“It is but also correct that Sri Lankans of all communities regardless of race, religion or political affiliations honor those who ‘gave their tomorrow’ and those who were ‘willing to sacrifice their tomorrow’ to enable all others ‘to have a tomorrow’.”
A very good inclusive statement.
Tamil Tigers gave their tomorrow and sacrificed their tomorrow fighting for the liberation of the Tamils
JVP Sinhala youths gave their tomorrow and sacrificed their tomorrow fighting for the youths of Sri Lanka
The Sinhala army gave their tomorrow and sacrificed their tomorrow fighting unnecessary wars
Sinhala politicians of all colours robbed the tomorrow of Sri Lanka from the future generation
Unfortunately it’s not a victory day,yet, for Sri Lanka.
/
Native Vedda / May 18, 2016
Rajash
Are you attending the Diapora organised Mullivaaikkal remembrance day in London?
If you are, which of the two are you planning to attend, one without the LTTE flag and the other with hosting of the ugly beast flag?
According to my sources some believe it is the national flag of Eelamites. Could you tell me about the background to the flag being recognised as the National Flag of the Tamils.
/
Rajash / May 18, 2016
I have better things to do than attending Mullivaaikkal remembrance day in London?
when is the remembrance day in London?
I am not aware of the two flags and two factions.
Perhaps Rajasingham Jeyadevan can shed some light
/
Candidly / May 19, 2016
“Tamil Tigers gave their tomorrow and sacrificed their tomorrow fighting for the liberation of the Tamils. JVP Sinhala youths gave their tomorrow and sacrificed their tomorrow fighting for the youths of Sri Lanka.”
Ironically, both failed abysmally. Yet sometimes what we learn from an experience is that certain methods of struggle are doomed to failure. The youth from both communities have learned that the terrorist methods they chose earlier were utterly futile.
/
Amarasiri / May 18, 2016
Rajeewa Jayaweera
RE:Lest We Forget: Today Is Victory Day
“Seven years ago to this day, guns in the north fell silent. LTTE terrorists who had ravaged the country for 26 years were defeated by members of this country’s armed forces and police.”
By the way, how did all happen?
Yes. Today is “Victory” Day, AFTER the Para-Sinhala and Para-Tamils, and other Paras, and their leaders all messed up, f****** up the country to maintain their Family Dynasty or Caste Dynasty.
The next question is when will the Para-Sinhala and Para-Tamils, and other Paras, will messe up, f*** up again?
“It is but also correct that Sri Lankans of all communities regardless of race, religion or political affiliations honor those who ‘gave their tomorrow’ and those who were ‘willing to sacrifice their tomorrow’ to enable all others ‘to have a tomorrow’.’
So, let us All honor all those, both the innocents and the culprits, who died. They all were victims.
/
punitham / May 18, 2016
Our Minister for Foreign Affairs has been telling international audiences in several countries in the last ten months that what successive goverments did created the armed rebels.
/
PROUDMAN / May 18, 2016
May I remind the author
Conquest begets enmity; the conquered live in misery; the peaceful live happily having renounced conquest and defeat.
( Dhammapada, Sukhaa vagga verse 5)
/
jim softy / May 18, 2016
Conquering and saving ourselves from extermination are two different things.
/
Native Vedda / May 18, 2016
jim softy dimwit
“Conquering and saving ourselves from extermination are two different things.”
When will you concur yourself before you exterminate the poor and the innocents?
/
Hamlet / May 18, 2016
What happened on 18 May 2009, is best kept ‘Low Key’.
Uprisings by Sections of the Citizens of a Country, are the result of the Neglect by Governments, of the valid Concerns of those Sections.
Unemployed or Underemployed Youth, with Education and Qualifications, become dissatisfied by the seeming Unconcern of relatively Uneducated Members of Parliament, who seem to be living off the ‘Fat of the Land’
/
BBS Rep / May 18, 2016
Rajeeva,
I expected better from you.
“The other school of thought to which I contribute is,” etc….
There is very little about the root cause of the debacle, that of Sinhala Buddhist hegemony, raw racism, marginalisation, degradation of a minority group to the status of pariahs, harassment, physical abuse, killing, raping, plunder and mayhem. This was the cause that created LTTE.
Unfortunately in the blindness of all that is victorious to which you also contribute, you forget that the root cause of the debacle is kindled and kept alive.
Basically it is stupid to celebrate victory over a debacle that is of your own creation.
/
Sengodan. M / May 18, 2016
You are reminded of Verse 201 of the Dhammapada quoted by Ven. Galkande Dhammanananda elsewhere!
It is not only the LTTE but over 40,000 innocent civilians who got wiped out in the last stages of the war! Is that something to be celebrated?
Sengodan. M
/
Hamlet / May 18, 2016
Thank You Sengodan; here is the translation in English:-
“Conquest breeds Hatred, for the Conquered Live in Sorrow.
Let us be neither Conqueror nor Conquered, and so Live in Peace and Joy”
Verse 201 of the Dhammapada of the Buddha
/
Eusense / May 18, 2016
sengo
Here are the stats of Tamils killed according to Most Tamils. Please correct me if numbers are off
Ethnic cleansing – 125,000
Genocide – 150,000
LTTE combatants killed – 0
Missing/asylum seekers – 150,000
/
aav / May 18, 2016
Are u pulling numbers out of your cornhole? LTTE were terrorists. SLA destroyed them. Now there isn’t anyone training suicide bombers or kidnapping Tamil children from families and making them kill themselves or fight a war with guns. Instead they are going to school where they belong to get an education. If you want your own state, get on a boat and paddle it to Tamil Nadu. The Tamils in Sri Lanka who want peace are happy with the situation thus far. There is more to do, but it is a much better situation than when the LTTE were terrorizing everyone around there. All you idiots support that Prabhakaran c*nt but don’t realize he was having massive amounts of wealth that he stole from the Tamil people itself and did nothing to improve the situation of the North. Instead he just bought more weapons and sent more innocent Tamils to fight for a cause they did not believe in or were brainwashed to think that the Sinhalese were out to kill them. Because if they didn’t them or their families would be killed. You call this a genocide, yet you find plenty of Tamils living in peace among the Sri Lankan Sinhalese and Muslim in the rest of the country, the rich, the middle class and the poor. If it was genocide, they would be killed first. Even if 40000 civilians, which is being regarded as a MYTH by most now, were killed (May they Rest in Peace), it was the LTTE’s fault because they held them hostage as human shields which is an utterly disgusting war crime. They did not care for the Tamil people, all they cared about was making money off the war, POWER and terrorizing the people who wanted to live in peace. People will make you believe all sorts of things, but in the end it is about MONEY and POWER. Also most of the Asylum seekers are regarded as missing because they have changed their names to hide from the war crimes they committed during the war. You can find all these people in the western countries under different names.
/
Eusense / May 18, 2016
aav,
My assistants Vedda, Sengo, paul, burning issue, ravi-thelagu, justice and others will give you an appropriate rebuttal. They are the experts and published those stats from time to time. Pardon me if they write nonsense as they mostly do so. They all escaped genocide and ethnic cleansing by the GOSL to live happily in peace time. But they haven’t told whether this genocide and ethnic cleansing is continuing to happen or not. If it continues I guess I will sadly lose my assistants.
/
Native Vedda / May 19, 2016
Nuisance the stupid I
“My assistants”
My foot.
I don’t believe Sengo, paul, burning issue, ravi-thelagu, justice and others are under no circumstances sufficiently dumber than you are to be your assistants.
If you are really looking for assistants, please contact sach the stupid II, Jim softy the dimwit, HLM D, IH, sarojini, Chandra, Samosass, ballah, Dayan, Gamanpilla, Mervyn Silva PhD, his son Malaka, Rajeewa Jayaweera, …. Namal, …. Wimal, Dinesh, Vasu, GL P, Cane Toads, Turkeys, Kakapo,….
/
eusense / May 19, 2016
Celeo
How did you escape that ethnic cleancing and genocide of tamils?
/
Native Vedda / May 18, 2016
Nuisance the Stupid I
“Here are the stats of Tamils killed according to Most Tamils. Please correct me if numbers are off Ethnic cleansing – 125,000 Genocide – 150,000 LTTE combatants killed – 0 Missing/asylum seekers – 150,000”
Learning maths from Champika’s ancestors are you?
And somass typed “It is 400,000. A zero doesn’t make a difference”.
Do you agree with him?
/
Eusense / May 18, 2016
vedda,
Yes, I agree with him.
Why don’t you say how you escaped ethnic cleansing and genocide? Should be a thrilling story!
You are the best to answer aav above.
/
soma / May 18, 2016
Mr Sendagon
It is 400,000. A zero doesn’t make a difference
Soma
/
Native Vedda / May 18, 2016
somaass
“A zero doesn’t make a difference”
Doesn’t it?
Perhaps it doesn’t in the books of Chamika’s ancestors who discovered ZERO.
/
Paul- Real Siva Sankaran Sarma / May 18, 2016
I hope you and the rest of the country also no not forget the basic reason why this war was fought. The marginalisation of the island’s Tamils at the hands of the Sinhalese, that was overtly and covertly supported by the island’s Muslims, as other than the 60000 northern Muslims, who only made up a very small percentage of their population, like the Sinhalese they immensely benefitted from this, especially in the south and in the east. This is the reason the Muslims still do not want any form of Tamil self rule to be given.
The community which suffered immensely were the Tamils more than 300000 killed and around 1.2 million indigenous Tamils displaced and now largely living in the west. Their lands homes and farms still in the hands of a ruthless racist occupying Sinhalese army, that insted of rehabilitating the displaced Tamils, is in cohorts with Sinhalese Buddhist hardliners within the present government and outside and is busy building Buddhist places of worship and illegally settling Sinhalese in these ethically cleansed Tamil lands.
Unless the reasons for why this war occurred is recognised and rectified and the ancient Eelam Tamil nation is granted its just right and self rule in their ancient lands in the north and east, with the occupying racist Sinhalese armed forces removed from these areas. Noting has been learned or remembered and most probably another war may happen.
No point stating we should not forget and then having a Sinhalese victory celebration and still carrying on with your majoritarian Sinhalese Buddhist racist ways towards the island’s Eelam Tamil nation. Remember from ancient times the island had two nations. An Eelam Tamil nation from the north east and a Sinhalese nation in the rest of the island. Not just a Sinhalese Buddhist nation. That is just a fable
/
Siva Sankaran Sarma / May 18, 2016
Cool story, bro :D
/
Ravi-Telugu / May 18, 2016
[Sri Lanka was the first nation to defeat a separatist terrorist organization.]
Sri Lanka is the first nation to continue a state organized terrorism in the name of protection of violence based Buddhism, Sinhala only policy and ruled by hybridized modayas.
/
Native Vedda / May 18, 2016
Ravi-Telugu
Rajeewa Jayaweera types:
“Sri Lanka was the first nation to defeat a separatist terrorist organization.”
This is another Sinhala/Buddhist myth.
Driven by his own myth making he forgot the Biafran War, (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970) which was defeated by Nigeria with a lot of support from Britain.
Then the war to establish Kalistan which ended with Operation Blue Star in 1984.
There are few other, let him find out.
He would do well if he strives to avoid uncharted territories of world history on separatism.
Owning a computer and an internet connection do not mean one has to type whatever comes into one’s head.
/
eusense / May 18, 2016
Pro-terror vadda
what an irrelevant and nonsensical post!
Who cares whether a myth or anything else. What is important is Tamil terrorism was eradicated and the country is at peace
/
Ravi-Telugu / May 18, 2016
you are right sir.
/
Ravi-Telugu / May 18, 2016
[Nevertheless, that in no way alters the significance of the victory achieved after 26 long years against a separatist group.]
great part of the tiny island was controlled by LTTE for 26 years with Specialized army, navy and Air-force.
There is utter shame for Sri Lankan Army to claim victory over Tamils done with the help of China, Pakistan etc.
True Buddhists should feel sorry for state and politically organized racism, violence and hatred condemned by Lord Buddha.
/
Richard Kaz / May 18, 2016
This article only gives more evidence that Sri Lanka still remains bitterly along ethnic lines, that perceptions of the causes of the war, the war itself and the last months of the war are so different. This author claims, the ‘victory’ is for Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and others alike but yet as always, we have Sinhalese speaking for Tamils. There are very few Tamils who share the view that the last months of the war that led to the deaths of thousands of innocent Tamils is something to be celebrated. For Tamils, the issue is not about what happened on May 18th, but the loss of life leading up to that date. What is ‘Victory Day’? what is there to celebrate?
/
Paul- Real Siva Sankaran Sarma / May 18, 2016
What victory for the Tamils? After the LTTE defeat their position has become worse.
They largely remain marginalised with hardly any rights. Even the rights enshrined on paper about the use of Tamil language is not worth the ink written. All these are just to hood wink the world just like this author’s condescending article. Can you go to any court police station or government department even in the Tamil areas and conduct your business in Tamil the answer is no.
A racist Sinhalese armed force that is intent in further marginalising the island’s Tamils is still occupying the Tamil areas and stealing their lands in order to illegally settle Sinhalese. In the East the Tamils not only have to deal with a racist Sinhalese army and settlers but a nasty selfish opportunistic Muslim population that is in cohorts with these Sinhalese racists and intent on Stealing their land.
Unless meaningful self rule in given to the Tamil areas with land and police powers, with this occupying racist Sinhalese army removed , we Tamils will only see it as a victory for Sinhalese racism and for backstabbing Tamil Muslim ( or Sri Lankan Muslim) opportunism.
Victory for the Tamils! This man must be thinking just because the Sinhalese army deliberately killed over 40000 Tamils in May 2009 the rest of the Tamils have now become brain dead.
/
Vanguard / May 18, 2016
“This author claims, the ‘victory’ is for Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and others alike”
OK so you say it is not a victory for anyone but the Sinhalese.
What would a victory for the Tamils have looked like?
/
Paul / May 18, 2016
Victory for the Tamils is to live in peace and dignity and decide their own fate destiny and rule themselves in their own lands.
Their lands occupied and their rights trampled upon by a racist Sinhalese army and armed forces, their home lands and farms forcibly stolen and distributed to illegal Sinhalese settlers from the south, their places of worship destroyed desecrated and then to add insult to injury changed to places of Buddhist worship, Tamil place names in the north and east deliberately changed to Sinhalese place names and any traces of their ancient presence deliberately erased with a concocted false Sinhalese history is not Victory and this man and Sinhalese racist like you calling this victory of the Tamils is extremely insulting.
Raping killing ethnically cleansing us stealing our lands and then calling it a Victory for Tamils only shows the height of Sinhalese racist triumphalism and insensitivity
Understood Sinhalese racist
/
Ravi-Telugu / May 18, 2016
[Lest We Forget: Today Is Victory Day]
it should be Lest We Forget: Today Is Victory Day for Racists.
/
choan / May 18, 2016
An Artificial..Fake..Borrowed Victory ….
Let us dance for free liquor
Jayawewa
Cheers
/
Rajash / May 18, 2016
Reading this article one gets the impression that Sri Lanka fought a war with another country an invader.
Rajeeva can you please enlighten the readers which country did Sri Lankan armed forces fought ?
/
Vanguard / May 18, 2016
The Sri Lanka armed forces fought a war against terrorists? What country? The terrorists never had a country to begin and none in the end.
/
Paul / May 18, 2016
The Sinhalese Sri Lankan armed forces and all the Sinhalese led Sri Lankan governments have been the biggest terrorists since independence. Deliberately commuting genocide and ethnic cleansing on the island’s Tamils and to justify this quote some gothic fairy tale or racist nightmare called the Mahavamsa
At the time of independence the percentage of Tamils in the island was around 28%, Within 60 years they have reduced it to 16% by deliberately making more than a million Indian origin Tamils who had lived in the island for 150 years or more stateless and forcibly deporting them to India to a land they have never seen, when ironically when around the ancestors of around 50% of the present day Sinhalese came from the very same Tamil Nadu just a few centuries ago, thanks to the Portuguese and Dutch, to where these so called Indian origin Tamils were deported.
They then turned their sight to the Indigenous Eelam Tamils and over the last 60 years committed many state sponsored pogroms on them denied them education employment language rights, Stole their lands and settled Sinhalese on them and finally killed around 300000 of them and ethnically cleansed and chased off around 1.2 million of them largely to the west.
If this is not genocide ethnic cleansing terrorism and war crime then what is it?
The lives of the remaining 2.3 million indigenous Tamils and the 1.5 million Indian origin Tamils is now very marginal, relegated to third rate status and then to add insult to injury these racist wankers, largely descended from immigrant Indian Tamils want call this a victory for the Tamils
Terrorist do not have a country! State sponsored Sinhalese terrorists and the army are stealing our country and stating we do not have a country
/
eusense / May 18, 2016
mr. paul
How did you escape this “Genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” you talk about?
I guess the Sri Lankan “ethnic cleansing” team and the “genocide” team did not do the job right!
/
Siva Sankaran Sarma / May 18, 2016
“Paul” was cowering in the back room of a Kwik E Mart in some ethnic ghetto in the West and writing/copying & pasting cool stories while all this was going on :D
/
cholan / May 18, 2016
WAR what war ????
Without the help of 34 countries specially without banned chemical war weapons supplied by poverty India.this cardboard Sri Lankan army will fight for another 50 years minus victory.
Who cares we will dance for free liquor.
Cheers
/
Samanyan777 / May 19, 2016
It is Called Eelam. A While back called Jaffna Kingdom. The urge to feel like celebrating the ‘victory’ is the manifestation of the Sinhalese’s subconscious acknowledgement of the fact that Tamils had their own country not till too long ago. Isn’t it obviously?
/
Vanguard / May 18, 2016
If you don’t understand it don’t celebrate it.
/
andrew / May 18, 2016
You tried hard bandwagon by saying “I have no doubt these sentiments will be endorsed by kith and kin of the likes of Alfred Duraiappah, Lakshman Kadirgamar, Appapillai Amirthalingam, Neelan Thiruchelvam and Jeyaraj Fernandopulle to name a few, not forgetting over 250,000 civilians held hostage as human shields by LTTE till rescued by SLA forces”.
There are 2 million tamils in sl and 77 million tamils world over feels otherwise. (Numbers – Rough approximation)
/
KA Sumanasekera / May 18, 2016
Just imagine if Rajapaksa cowed and let Milliband and Kurchner Airlift Pirahaparan to London.
Mr Pirahapran would have been the third leg of this Yahapalanaya along side Batalanada Ranil and Bodhi Sira, instead of Vellala Sambandan..
And Vellala Wigneswaran wouldn’t have any one to garland tomorrow..
/
Native Vedda / May 18, 2016
KASmaalam KA Sumanasekera
“Just imagine if Rajapaksa cowed and let Milliband and Kurchner Airlift Pirahaparan to London.”
Sure MR didn’t as you know his priority was to bend over backwards to obey/please Hindians. Milliband and rest of the Europeans were just props in the Hindian Drama.
“Mr Pirahapran would have been the third leg of this Yahapalanaya along side Batalanada Ranil and Bodhi Sira, instead of Vellala Sambandan.”
You address the psychopath with unusual respect as “Mr Pirahapran”. I still believe you are a secret admirer of VP.
/
KA Sumanasekera / May 19, 2016
Dear Native,
He is an “Ape Miniha” now, under your beloved Yahapalanaya.
Ask Batalanada’s Defence Sec BB Karune ,if you don’t believe me.
So what is wrong calling him Mister.when you guys used to address Mr Pira’s number one fan, and admirer as “My Lord”, when he was wearing that silly hair piece.
Wonder how you address the CM now?.
/
Native Vedda / May 19, 2016
KASmaalam KA Sumanasekera
“Wonder how you address the CM now?.”
How did you address Pillayan the former Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, who is now in custody for killing TNA parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham and other cases?
/
Ajith / May 18, 2016
Six decades before the Buddhist Fundamentalism ignited the terror in Colombo streets, dragging the people from sleep, women and children brought into the streets, burnt them in the day light with the blessings of the state run by those Buddhist Sinhala Fundamentalists. The fire ignited by the brutality of the Buddhist Fundamentalists Evils continued to dominate throughout the past six decades. The real change happened only in 2015 January when True Buddhist Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslims realised that the real enemy for peace, love and humanity is the Buddhist Fundamentalism, which is the route cause for terrorism, extremism, corruption, and lawlessness. So far people have managed to subside the threat from Fundamentalism but need to do more to eradicate those evils out of this nation. Let us all unite to eradicate those evils from this beautiful land.
/
old codger / May 18, 2016
Rajeeva,
You write:”Whereas the JVP fought their battles on an ideological platform to change a political system, the LTTE was a separatist organization demanding a separate state, thus challenging the sovereignty of the nation.”
I really don’t see much difference. The LTTE wanted part of the country. The JVP wanted all of it.
“The other school of thought to which I contribute is, the conflict was not between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities in the country but between a group of terrorists fighting for a separate state and members of Sri Lanka’s armed forces”
Well, if the armed forces were 99% Sinhala and the LTTE 99% Tamil,
doesn’t it tell us something? Also, isn’t it strange that those 250,000 hostages didn’t vote for their rescuer?
“Sri Lanka was the first nation to defeat a separatist terrorist organization.”
This is a much repeated lie, like crediting the first suicide bombing to the LTTE. There were, in their time, Chechen separatists, Ukrainian separatists,Naga seperatists,Sikh separatists, Biafran separatists, Quebec separatists , all labelled as terrorist and defeated. There were no Victory parades.
/
vishvajith / May 18, 2016
My former co-worker mentions two thoughts, he supports one. I support the other.
Let peace and happiness prevail in my Motherland.
/
Siva Sankaran Sarma / May 18, 2016
Happy blue amudey day to all We Thamizh! :D
/
Native Vedda / May 19, 2016
Wee Thamihz senior journalist Siva Sankaran Sarma Menon
The other day MR complained that he was not provided with sufficient number of army men to carry his clanking b***s.
Why don’t you consider sending your mate Black and Decker to serve his boss?
If he is tied up with something useless, I strongly recommend you and its part of your rajakaria to help MR.
/