Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah
Rajapaksas on Edge as UNHRC Votes to “Unmask” War Criminals Through International Probe
Sri Lanka War Crimes Investigation part 3
“Let the UN Unmask the Criminals of Sri Lanka’s War” was a plea made by Louise Arbour, the former UN Human Rights High Commissioner and the President of International Crisis Group. Her concern and rightly so was the lack of accountability, an omission that needed to be rectified she said:
True to form the UNHRC has voted for an international probe that could lead to suspects being named and prosecuted, a prospect that has put the Rajapaksas on edge.
On edge they’re and the signs of desperation are all there to see as the Rajapaksa government moves to proscribe as foreign terrorist organisations all Diaspora groups involved in campaigning for an international war crimes probe.
The word “Terrorism” for the Rajapaksas has lost its meaning, which is by one definition, “the unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.”
It is plain to any fool that none of the organisations listed are involved in violence or have used the threat of violence, period. The Rajapaksas’ move blends well with what Bruce Hoffman noted:
“terrorism is a pejorative term. It is a word with intrinsically negative connotations that is generally applied to one’s enemies and opponents, or to those with whom one disagrees …Hence the decision to call someone or label some organization ‘terrorist’ becomes almost unavoidably subjective, depending largely on whether one …opposes the person/group/cause concerned.”
In other words it is a vindictive exercise directed at the Tamil Diaspora for winning the hard fight for an international investigation and still holding on to achieving a just political solution in the NorthEast.
Wikipedia discusses the problem in finding a universally acceptable definition for “terrorism”. The author quotes Angus Martyn who recalls the UN’s attempt to define terrorism, “foundered due to differences of opinion about the use of violence in the context of conflicts over national liberation and self determination.”:
“Angus Martyn in a briefing paper for the Australian Parliament has stated that “The international community has never succeeded in developing an accepted comprehensive definition of terrorism. During the 1970s and 1980s, United Nation’s attempts to define the term foundered mainly due to differences of opinion between various members about the use of violence in the context of conflicts over national liberation and self determination.”
Much of what human rights groups have said about the ban reveals the Rajapaksa government’s sinister move.
In sharply criticising the ban, human rights groups have said the ban was based on no verifiable evidence, effectively criminalizing Tamil groups, with Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Center for Policy Alternatives making the important point that, “the government’s objective was to prevent the flow of information” and to “de-legitimise the involvement of the groups with the investigation.”
However on another point, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu was wrong to differentiate those with a “secessionist agenda”, implying that the so called “moderates’ should not have been lumped together with those with, “secessionist agenda” as though that was in itself enough to justify a ban:
Some of the groups have “sympathies and links to the LTTE and [are] openly secessionist in their goals,” he said. “There are others who are moderates and by no means supportive of a secessionist agenda…To lump them all together suggests either an ignorance of diaspora politics or a deliberate attempt to brand them all as LTTE and extremists. In any event, this is contrary to reconciliation and sends a message that the LTTE is actually alive and constitutes some sort of threat,” he said.
Alan Keenan, ICG’s Sri Lanka Project Director seemed to believe the ban, “was designed to punish Tamils who organised in support of the UNHRC resolution” and wanted to know why the government if it had any “credible evidence” that any of the banned groups were “financing or encouraging “terrorism” did not make it public or share that with law enforcement authorities in the countries where the groups operate.”
“The ban is a very serious and negative development, effectively criminalizing legitimate democratic dissent within Sri Lanka and making it harder to challenge government policies from outside the island…It appears designed in part to punish those Tamils inside and outside Sri Lanka who organized in support of the UNHRC resolution…Since the end of the war a number of the banned groups have “made clear their commitment to non-violence….If the government has specific and credible evidence that any of the groups or their leaders were in any way involved in financing or encouraging political violence or terrorism, they should make that evidence public and share it with law enforcement authorities in those countries where the groups operate…The fact the Sri Lankan government hasn’t done this lends weight to the widespread belief that the ban is a political attack on the government’s Tamil critics, rather than a legitimate response to a genuine threat.. and simply meeting with these banned groups would be enough for Sri Lankan citizens to be arrested under PTA,” he said.
Fred Carver of the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, thinks, “the LTTE no longer existed” and the ban was an attempt to stifle and isolate activist: “The LTTE no longer exists, the Government of Sri Lanka’s attempts to pretend otherwise are part of their attempts to stifle domestic dissent and isolate activists.”
In my three part series centering round the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council and the resolution against Sri Lanka calling for an international war crimes investigation, I was right in my predictions and gut feelings in parts 1 and 2.
And as I write part 3, I find myself deemed a foreign “terrorist” by the Rajapaksa government? To tell you frankly and you would have by now realized the stupidity of the Rajapaksas who are now jittery as hell, I haven’t lost one bit of sleep over it.
Although I have been called that before and a website even demoted me to “wanna be terrorist” I am now officially labelled a “terrorist” along with so many others, by virtue of the fact that I am a member of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), now proscribed as a foreign terrorist organisation by the Sri Lankan government of Rajapaksa.
For those who may not know, “the TGTE which held internationally supervised elections among Tamils around the world to elect over 120 Members of Parliament, is leading a campaign for a non-violent and democratic approach to solve Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict, including an internationally supervised Referendum. The Constitution of the TGTE mandates that it should realize its political objective only through peaceful means.”
I did say this before in my article the “Dream of Tamil Eelam” and I say it once again,” We can’t have the Sri Lankan government of Rajapaksa calling all those who ask for a “credible” international independent investigation into war crimes and all who hold the dream of Tamil Eelam, “terrorists”. In that article I reminded folks why insurgencies are born as if no one knew:
“Once when the Harvard Kennedy School was discussing “The Way Forward” after the war ended, I shared my comment that “insurgencies are born out of grievances not being addressed for decades: it stems from persecution and discrimination, marginalization and violence perpetrated against a community (changed to nation of people) that produces a need to fight back when all peaceful means are exhausted. The seeds are planted when ‘military might’ is used to quell freedom of expression and assembly; it grows when one community imposes its will over the other, where one community has a stranglehold on power and dominance over the other; where inequality prevails, where one community enjoys self-determination and the other doesn’t; where the need for self preservation of a nation’s identity and the defense of its homeland becomes the overwhelming priority of a nation of people and survival becomes its foremost pre-occupation.”
And
“For permanent peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka there has to be a realization and an appreciation of the truths stated here. Sinhala politicians must come forward with courage, transcend the Sinhala Buddhist Supremacist ideology to address the issues head on with genuine interest and be magnanimous enough to accommodate the aspirations of the Tamil people for self-determination,” I wrote.
In part 1 of the series of articles: “Sri Lanka War Crimes Investigation”, titled: No Chance of Escape: Rajapaksa Surely Missed the Final Call, I did say I would be back with another part whatever the outcome but predicted in my first paragraph that we may indeed have “turned the corner in our quest for an international inquiry.”
“As we wait with bated breath as to the outcome of this very crucial UNHRC session, I can’t but help think that we may have finally turned the corner in our quest for an international inquiry. Rajapaksa has surely missed the final call for the establishment of any domestic inquiry mechanism, through lost opportunities and the culture of impunity. On this the 25th Session of the UN Human Rights Council one thing is obvious; the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has done nothing; naught; zero; practically zilch to fulfill the expectations arising from the UNHRC resolution at the 22nd session, the most important of which was “to conduct an independent and credible investigation into allegations of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law,” I wrote.
And lo and behold, the resolution did pass giving the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights the mandate to conduct an international investigation.
In part 2, I wrote about Rajapaksa’s new game plan, as momentum towards an international investigation intensified and I was spot on there too: Gobi Reviving LTTE And The Rajapaksa Game Plan:
“As UNHRC Warms to International Investigation the Spurious Case of Gobi Appears and Rajapaksa’s ‘Game Plan’ is Revealed: The mysterious appearance of Gobi and Jeyakumari‘s incarceration in Boossa under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (and the fact her daughter Vibushika has been placed in the custody of Probation and Child Care Services ) is part of the Rajapaksa government’s game plan to once again use the “terrorism” ploy, an escape mechanism, by which it thinks it could continue to enjoy impunity for Genocide…With UK’s position clear as crystal and the revised 2nd draft now for discussion warming to an international investigation (HRC25 draft op8), the Sri Lankan government is playing out a drama that is typical of its deceitful behavior, introducing a red-herring with the appearance of the spurious case of Gobi to divert attention and even wriggle out, so it thinks, from international scrutiny that may lead to serious charges of mass atrocity crimes allegedly perpetrated by Sri Lanka’s political and military leaders and most surely the high-flying members of the ruling Rajapaksa clan including its President,” I wrote.
The Rajapaksas didn’t stop at that, they even made it more dramatic to add an element of threat to their lives, to justify impunity, alarm some gullible Sri Lankans and possibly gain some sympathy in the rush. And so in a dubious development supported no less by a dubious authority, the Sri Lanka Ministry of Defense, a story began to emerge that the “LTTE was regrouping” and their first mission, alleged by D B S Jeyaraj was the assassination of President Rajapaksa and his brother, the Secretary of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
DBS had three different headlines for the same story, and he was publishing it everywhere, like he was the “Town Crier’ for the Rajapaksa government.
I thought this story was made up, and called it BS and tweeted Alan Keenan so, in response to his question to DBS, a very pertinent tweet that read like this: “Interesting report”, said Keenen, “were you able to find anyone independent of Sri Lanka defence establishment to confirm this version of events?”
For calling him and the story “dubious” and “BS”, I got some angry tweets from his ardent fan that read like this: How can anyone take the TGTE seriously when its “Senator” mocks the parent given initial of another person.. Clearly there are the Mervyn Silva type “activists” using words such as “dubious””BS” to mock initials etc… Pseudo activists mocking a writer with 3 decades track record in public cannot be taken seriously….”
Previously I wrote an article, entitled, A Response to D B S Jeyaraj: “Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Past, Present and Future”, rebutting his flawed position on “Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism” and exposing him for his bluff on the so called “federal idea” :
“Jeyaraj’s article which has a cursory look at Tamil Nationalism is unashamedly biased in my view. When reading the article one has a sense that Jeyaraj’s recollection of the past, shows he suffers from selective amnesia; his evaluation of the present is a mixture of cynicism, criticism, pessimism, rancor and acrimony bundled in one, not to mention hopelessly misplaced in the apportion of blame; his prognosis for the future, ah! Is yet to come, suffice to say I will be curious to know if he has a solution to the vexed Tamil national question other than recommending a pragmatic approach. His sadness for the plight of the people after the war is real and is what we all share. But what I see as most unjust is that his criticism – all that he can muster – is heaped on the defenders and not the aggressors. Jeyaraj must himself know the contradictions of his own theories and approach so far. Although I do not wish to pre-empt Jeyaraj’s prognosis for the future, from what I know Jeyaraj has in his writings in the past, been experimenting with the “federal idea” and the most obvious question is how successful has Jeyaraj been in convincing the Sinhala nationalists or even the moderate Sinhala politicians or for that matter a fraction of the Sinhala polity on the virtues of federalism? Not so I believe, Jeyaraj’s “federal idea” I see is now confined to the section called ‘Archive by D B S Jeyaraj’. Does that mean his “federal idea” has been consigned to the dust-bin of history or is there a hope he would resurrect and promote it as his magic formula for peace and reconciliation; could that be the prognosis for ‘Jeyaraj’s Future Sri Lanka’?” I wrote.
Enough of DBS.
As to the threat on the lives of the Rajapaksas, I am wondering who is the idiot or idiots, I ask, unless they need their heads examined would, “revive the LTTE” when there is an international inquiry pending and Sri Lanka’s political and military leaders including its president will be closely scrutinised for war crimes and possibly be prosecuted and convicted and there is a better chance of remedial justice for the Tamil Nation?
The resolution itself passed without a hitch except for the abstention of India, the Congress led India more like it. Though it raised some eyebrows, it was nothing new, India has a lot of Mullivaikkal skeletons to hide along with Sri Lanka and was against an international investigation, there’s no surprise there. Furthermore analysts say by abstaining Congress had nothing to lose in the Lok Sabha elections as it had no contenders in Tamil Nadu. Whilst Chidambaram thought India should have voted for the resolution, another Minister remarked India abstained to keep China away from Sri Lanka. How clever is Rajapaksa I thought. “Congress led India needs it brain checked or Rajapaksa is clever hiding his illicit love affair with China,” I tweeted!
What next then, while we wait for the appointment of a commission of inquiry.
The Rajapaksas are losing popularity amongst the masses, as the PC elections show: They won 53% of the popular vote in the Western Provincial Council and 58% in the Southern, “in 2009 these numbers were 65% and 68%,” says Kumar David who asks, “has Rajapaksa taken a tumble?”
The president of the Sri Lanka Bar Association Upul Jayasuriya’s words, the person who may be well placed to comment on the breakdown of the rule of law, ring true of the situation in Sri Lanka, “the ruin of the nation are on the cards” he says when he spoke at the funeral of Justice Sri-Skanda-Rajah: “When we recount the circumstances, time, and personages of this tragic background and the guiltless life of Justice Sri Skandarajah, we find that the wrongs of headless anarchic attitudes and the ruin of a nation are on the cards and on the heads of the people of this country.”
The Rajapaksa government has said it would not permit investigators to enter Sri Lanka even as the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked for Sri Lanka’s cooperation. Will Rajapaksa start an investigation of his own as provided in the resolution.
As of now many unanswered questions remain as the UNHRC itself cannot enforce compliance. In the event of a face-off it would be up to Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council to resolve the problem I would think. Going by the previous two Panels’ impeccable credentials, a lot would be expected of the commission to be appointed by the Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay who is to retire in August 2014; who will she appoint and what will be its findings, the Tamil Nation in Sri Lanka and the Tamil Diaspora await, they’re equal stakeholders in the search for justice and in the determination of the destiny of Eelam.
Reference:
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka/op-eds/arbour-let-the-un-unmask-the-criminals-of-sri-lankas-war.aspx
http://www.ucanews.com/news/critics-question-sri-lankas-ban-on-tamil-exile-groups/70629
http://world.einnews.com/pr_news/198021042/sri-lanka-retaliates-against-un-call-for-war-crimes-investigation-list-tamil-groups-as-terrorists
dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/28949 …
http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/29091
http://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/dbsjeyaraj-column/45138-a-bigger-plan-by-the-ltte-nipped-in-the-bud.html
on http://www.tamilwritersguild.com/DBS-Jeyaraj-A-Response.pdf
universe / April 4, 2014
According to the write of this article The word “Terrorism” “which is By one definition, “the unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.”
So who are the terrorist? A man with a little bit of brain would know this applies so well with current Sri Lankan government.
This is exactly what,this government does… right now in Sri Lanka.So LTTE and SL government in the same boat.Don’t you think.?
The pot calling the kettle black
/
Shiva / April 4, 2014
There is a difference between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government as the LTTE was a product of the Sinhala State terrorism, oppression, denial of rule of law, Justice, democracy, human rights and freedom. The Tamil youth would not have taken up arms if the country, Law enforcement authorities and the Courts was democratic, independent and no political interference.
I doubt that the Tamils can now live with the Sinhalese after decades of denial of human values and Eelam is the ONLY solution.
/
Eusense / April 4, 2014
shiva,
You say “LTTE was a product of the Sinhala State terrorism, oppression, denial of rule of law, Justice, democracy, human rights and freedom.”
Can you list incidences of this before Tamils got into terrorism?
Similarly, can the current state of affairs be a product of Tamil resorting to terrorism and violence?
/
Shiva / April 4, 2014
@Eusense – Your hardcore Sinhala chauvinist will never accept your guilt or crimes and thus the Tamils are demanding for an international independent investigation and also for Eelam like prior to colonialism as the Tamils are sick of Sinhala state oppression, crimes, human rights abuses and Sinhala hooliganism.
Tamils are sick of living with the Sinhalese due to their chauvinism, racism, human rights abuses and state terrorism.
Thanks to high tech, it is not too far before they achieve it with the help of the Tamil Diaspora and Tamil Nadu Tamils.
/
Eusense / April 5, 2014
Shiva,
You have two options. Either live in Sri Lanka as Sri Lankans or leave SL to any other country where Tamils are a majority so you can feel good. Tamil Nadu would be a good place in that case. Tamils need to learn to live as a minority, like other minorities in every country. In Sri Lanka Tamils have every right what the Sinhalese have. If you disagree list what rights Sinhalese have but not the Tamils. The way Tamils are asking for separate nation if minorities in the US ask for separate nations, the US will consist of over 50 countries. If your ultimate goal is separation, sorry, that wouldn’t happen.
/
Siri / April 5, 2014
who dou you think you are to ask anyone to leave the country ?
Best would be to forgive and forget the mistakes that we the majority folks have caused them minority folks during the decades belong to the past.
Siva, Eunese, none of you would help anyone of us (peace seeking folks) if you both would go on doing the very same mistake repeatedly made by our seniors then. If you and I everyone want permanent peace in this country – violent rhetorics only misguide not allowing us getting closer.
Peace and only be achieved thorugh discussions, but you guys (both types) seem to standing on its way.
I hardly believe we could achieve peace if we attack each other parties back and forth. We must learn from our past. Those who defend saying that they did not nothign against Minority folks are equally wrong as ones only hang on being victimised by them. Reconciliation can only be restrict to words, if you go forward in this manner. Sad, society is not yet improved ot that levels, even if they follow western agendas .. intentionally or unintentionally.
/
eusense / April 5, 2014
Siri,
I hate to ask some one to leave the country. Read what Siva writes ‘Tamils are sick of living with Sinhalese…….’ he seems to have so much hatred of the Sinhalese and I feel he might resort to violance again. So, my advice was based for his best interest and also for Sri lanka’s interests.
What, you are a great prophet to bring peace? What reconciliation are you talking about and with whom? Tamil terrorists suicide murdered over 75000 innocent civilians all over Sri Lanka, and the DFSL wiped them out. Innocent Tamil civilians had nothing to do with terrorism or the DFSL. So, with whom you want to reconcile with? The diaspora who funded the terror war for 30 yeas and still trying to destabilize Sri Lanka???
Siri, I have read your posts in CT. You are beating a different drum now!
/
Siri / April 5, 2014
I have never been talking any thing against minorities.
I am just angry at the Raja clans in power not knowing how to settle the ethnic problem that the nation has been suffering from for that long.
Even in this post, you have not forgotten to add what tamil terrorists have perpetrated. What I meant is if peace to be achieved, we both parties shold be able to get closer to discuss them with. But so long ours and theirs are filled with hatreds and expressing them with violent rhetorics nothing like even near to peace can be achieved.
Today, peace talks can easily be held if both parties had agreeed upon than in times the country faces with the brutal war, it was a hell out of situation just to arrange it.. but what have they done since last september 2013, even if the NPC election is brought behind ? NOthing… nothing nothing
/
eusense / April 5, 2014
Siri,
You need to get real. What peace are you expecting and with whom? Tamils who live in Sri lanka has no problem living in peace with the Sinhalese. Do you think if there was no diaspora there would have been even a terror war? The problem lies with the diaspora who funded the terror war and now trying to destabilize Sri Lanka. Do you honestly think the Tamil diaspora will accept peace and let Tamils in SL live in peace with the Sinhalese? What is the purpose of all this Tamil Organizations in the west? to negotiate peace and live in harmony or for separation? Don’t be fooled!
/
Siri / April 5, 2014
This proves that you agree with the way govt has been ? Right ? While telling us the CT readership on other threads that you would not agree with Rajas ?This kind of inconsistencies will bring us nowhere.
Man, you cant ask me to be real while you have all along been out of touch.
——————————————————————
quote
“Do you honestly think the Tamil diaspora will accept peace and let Tamils in SL live in peace with the Sinhalese?” unquote
——————————————————————
Here it too early, we cant say anything, because SLGO has not come that far to exchange it with them. Just paranoid fears putting all the blame on tamil diasphora, you will not even get close to discussion tables.
/
eusense / April 6, 2014
Siri,
You are wrong to assume that I am a supporter or back corruption of MR gov. I resent three things; Terrorism, corruption and separation of Sri Lanka for a population of less than 15%. I don’t care what the MR government is for, or against. What I write here is my own thinking. Don’t ever compare my thinking to what MR is doing! Why don’t you answer each of my questions I posed in the earlier post so that I can know who you support.
What do you mean by “This proves that you agree with the way govt has been? “What has the gov. been? I don’t know and I don’t care. Why don’t you say what you want the gov. to do?
To be specific I admire MR for wiping out terrorism and not pandering to foreign pressure. Only thing I don’t agree with him is the current corruption in the country and letting the BBS run amok. This has nothing to do with the end of war or the Tamils the Sinhalese have to cure this at the polls.
/
Ravi / April 5, 2014
Let me repeat this for the benefit of ignorant Sinhalese who advice the SL Tamils to go to TN.
The Tamils lived as a MAJORITY within a separate land area (North & East) with a separate religion, culture and language and with their own independent Kingdom (Jaffna Kingdom) within their separate land until the Europeans arrived. The Sri Lankan Tamils had and still have a clearly defined (Tamil speaking) territory, their historic habitat in the North & East of Sri Lanka as their traditional homeland (Tamil Eelam) where they lived and defended for several centuries. During the last several centuries, the Sinhala Language was never spoken in the NE region. It is only after 1948, the Sinhalese are trying to grab the Tamil lands by colonizing their people.
Tamil nation existed and still exists in South India (Tamil Nadu) and North-East Sri Lanka (Tamil Eelam). Right from ancient history, Tamils are from both India and Sri Lanka. There was nothing called Tamil Nadu until the British created it. What existed as the Tamil countries in South India and Sri Lanka were known as Chola/Sola Nadu, Pandya/Pandu Nadu, Chera/Sera Nadu and Eela Nadu/Eelam Mandalam. Just like the Arab nation has several countries in the Middle-East and North Africa, the Tamil Nation had several countries (Chola Nadu, Pandya Nadu, Chera Nadu and Eela Nadu) in India and Sri Lanka and still has two regions/states in South Asia (Tamil Eelam and Tamil Nadu). Tamil Nadu belongs (Homeland) to the Tamils of India and Tamil Eelam belongs (Homeland) to the Tamils of Sri Lanka. There was a natural bridge known as Rama Setu that existed during the ancient period from Tamil Nadu to Tamil Eelam (now submerged by the rising sea but still visible in the satellite pictures taken by NASA).
In the 9th century AD, under Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, Sri Lanka became one of the nine provinces of the Chola Empire and was called Eelam Mandalam. This Chola rule was the longest and the most far-reaching in terms of surface area by the Tamil power. Sri Lanka remained a South Indian (Chola) colony under the rule of Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola. After the Chola rule of Anuradhapura and then Polonawara (kingdom created by Rajendra Chola) kingdoms ended, the people who spoke Sinhala and practiced Buddhism moved to the South and created their Kingdoms in Kandy, Kotte, and many other places. On the other hand, the people who spoke Tamil and practiced Hinduism moved to the North & East and created their Kingdom in Jaffna. A separate Jaffna kingdom (1215-1624 CE) was established for the Tamils. Unfortunately, the Jaffna kingdom came under Portuguese domination in 1624 after the last Tamil king of Jaffna Cankli Kumaran was defeated in the battle. This was how the Tamils lost their sovereignty, independence and their traditional homeland. The Tamils were the sole occupants (natives) of both N&E Sri Lanka (Tamil Eelam) and South India (Tamil Nadu) when the colonials left. The Buddhist remains in the North and East are the remnants left by the Tamil Buddhists and not anybody else. You cannot find a single Sinhala person or family claiming North&East province as habitancy or origin? Only after independence (1948) the Sinhalese governments settled the Sinhalese in the Tamil homeland under the colonization scheme.
The invasion theory that was mentioned in the Mahavamsa was wrongly interpreted by the European (colonial) Orientalist scholars. Even today the majority including some historians wrongly believe that the NE Tamils are invaders from Tamil Nadu. The so called invasion was only the replacement of the king at the Anuradapura kingdom by either a Chola or a Pandya king. In the recorded history of Sri Lanka, it is NOT known or mentioned anywhere that there was a mass influx/settlement of Tamils from South India to Sri Lanka during the Chola/Pandya rule. At the same time, in the recorded history of Sri Lanka, it is NOT known or mentioned anywhere that there was a mass exodus of Sinhalese from the North to the South. (Do you think the Sinhalese in the North simply packed their bags and went to the South leaving all their lands to the newly arrived Tamils without any protest/rebellion?). If Tamils like Elara are called invaders, then the Sinhalas like Vijay and his 700 men were also invaders. Whether you call them invaders or invitees or whatever, Sinhala came from India and Buddhism also came from India. Both Tamil and Sinhala kings ruled the Island alternatively right from the beginning of history and the civilization was created by both. It is not mentioned anywhere that the Sri Lankan civilization is a Sinhala civilization or Tamil civilization. They both contributed, the Tamils starting from the kings Sena and Guttika (as per the Mahavamsa). The Sri Lankan constitution does not say Sri Lanka is a Sinhala country, the so called SL ‘history’ book Mahavamsa does not say SL is a Sinhala country and the Sri Lankan people (except Sinhala racists) do not say so either. Just because the Sinhala Buddhists are more in number/majority (how they became a majority is not a secret) that does not mean that the whole country is exclusively for Sinhalese. A part of the country belonged to the Tamils before the British united the Tamil North (formerly Jaffna Kingdom) and the Sinhala South (formally Kotte & Kandy kingdoms) into one unitary state and gave it to the Sinhalese in 1948 by creating a single majority. The Sinhalese is the ONLY race in this entire world that foolishly believes that the majority race in a country is the sole owner of that country and all others (minorities) are aliens who should go back.
/
Off the Cuff / April 6, 2014
Dear Ravi,
You say “The Tamils lived as a MAJORITY within a separate land area (North & East) with a separate religion, culture and language and with their own independent Kingdom (Jaffna Kingdom) within their separate land until the Europeans arrived”
Cankili II was the last king of the Jaffna kingdom. He came to throne in 1617. He was defeated by the Portuguese in 1619 and was taken to Goa and hung.
The Dutch took control of Jaffna from the Portuguese and the contiguity of the boundary of the Jaffna Kingdom (when it was ruled by Sankili 11) remained unaltered in to the Dutch rule.
The Dutch National Archive gives the following description of a Fort built by them at Elephant Pass and the reason for building it. (http://www.atlasofmutualheritage.nl/en/location/?id=813)
Elephant Pass
De compagnie stond in de 17de eeuw dikwijls op vijandelijke voet met de koning van Kandy, die sterk verbonden was met het boeddhistische deel van de Ceylonese bevolking. Bij Elephant Pass was een smalle landengte waar een fort gebouwd werd om de grens met het gebied van de koning te bewaken. Olifanten die op Ceylon waren gevangen, werden langs dit punt naar Jaffna gebracht om verkocht te worden in India, vandaar de naam Elephant Pass.
Translation
During the 17th century the Company was engaged in a war of attrition with the king of Kandy, who had close ties with Ceylon’s Buddhist population. There was a narrow tongue of land at Elephant Pass a fort was built to guard the border with the king’s territory. Elephants captured on Ceylon were herded past here to Jaffna to be sold in India, hence the name Elephant Pass.
Hence the Boundary between the Jaffna Kingdom and the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy had a common meeting point at Elephant Pass. Which means that South of Elephant Pass the Jaffna Kingdom Ceased to Exist because it was the Territory of the Kandyan Kingdom of the Sinhalese.
Your claim is fraudulent and is designed to DENY a Vast Land Area to ALL but the Northern Tamils. Over half the Lanka Tamil population lives in the South as well as a near 100% of the Indian origin Tamil population.
This fraud is a ROBBERY. It denies a near 40% of Lanka’s Land Mass to over 90% of her population.
The patently obvious Greed and the inability of Separatist Tamils such as yourself to share Lanka’s resources on equal terms, is the prime reason for disharmony.
Sri Lanka belongs to all her citizens. No single ethnicity owns it.
Kind Regards
OTC
/
James / April 6, 2014
Off the Cuff aka eusense
If you read the Mahavamsa carefully, even Dutugemunu’s father King Kavantissa the king of Rohana (Kingdom in Southern Sri Lanka) had told Dutugemunu not to invade (Rajarata) the land of the Damilas. He had said, Rohana the region on this side of the river (Southern territory) has enough land. There is evidence in the Mahavamsa that the Northern territory (Rajarata) was occupied by the Tamils. It says, Dutugemunu had to conquer not just one Tamil king (Elara) but 32 Tamil Chieftains around the Anuradhapura principality alone. He also killed around sixty thousand Tamils in the war. How could there be 32 Tamil chieftains in the area of Anuradhapura alone and sixty thousand Tamils any Tamil settlements (Demel-gam-bim) in Anuradapura?
In the 17th centuries, when Robert Knox, the English prisoner in the Kingdom of Kandy made his escape through Anuradhapura into the Dutch occupied Northwest, he found that, fluent though he was in Sinhala, he could not converse with the inhabitants of the Anuradhapura region as the people there spoke the Malabar language (Tamil).
When he managed to communicate to them through sign language about his plight, they exclaimed, ‘Tombrane'(Tamil, tampirane, meaning ‘Oh,God’), with amazement. Even the rendering of the name Anuradhapura by Knox as Anarodgburro is obviously from the colloquial Tamil form Anra’japuram/Anracapuram, still used among SL Tamils.
Knox, in fact, clearly states that the territory of Anarodgburro is inhabited by Tamils;
It is a vast great plain, the like I never saw in all that Island….This plain is encompassed round with woods, and small towns among them on every side, inhabited by Malabars, a distinct people from the Chingulayes.(pg.276,KI’s book).
Also, PANDARA VANNIYAN was a Tamil chief from the Vanni region who was known as ONE OF LAST NATIVE CHIEF TO CHALLENGE THE BRITISH RULE in the Island nation of Sri Lanka. His grandson is Pannirukaran Mylvaganam. Kulasegaram Vairamuthu Pandaravanniyan was the last king of Vanni.
Here is what Hugh Cleghorn said: ‘Two different nations, from very ancient times have divided between them the possession of the island.. First the Cingalese inhabiting the interior of the country, in its southern and western parts, from the river Wallouve to that of Chilow, and secondly the Malabars who possess the northern and eastern districts. These two nations differ entirely in their religion, language and manners.
Not only HUGH CLEGHORN but many colonial officers and historians have said the same.
Jacob Burnand, a Swiss soldier in the service of the Dutch and later the English, was the governor of Batticaloa between 1784 and 1794. In 1798 he composes a ‘memoir’ on the North and Northeast, in which he locates the origins of the Sinhalese in Siam and mentions that from time immemorial Sinhalese and Tamils had divided the rule of the island between the two of them.
Commenting on the provenance of the Tamil and Sinhalese languages the Dutch Predikant, Philippus Baldaeus who was in the Island during the mid17th century asserts,
‘It is to be observed that in Ceylon they not only speak the Cinghalesche but also the Malabaarsche languages, the former from Negombo to Colombo, Caleture, Berbering, Alican, Gale, Belligamme, Matura, Donders etc., But in all other parts of the Island which are contiguous to the coromandel coast Malabaarsche is the prevailing language.
he above view is also corroborated by the Governor Rjklof Van Goens account dated 1675. Referring to Batticaloa he made the following comment:
‘And since all the inhabitants of Batticalo (both in customs, religion, origin and other characteristics) together with those of Jaffnapatnam, Cotjaar and on Westward right over to Calpentyn and the Northern portion of the Mangul Corle inclusive, have been from the remotest times and are still now Malabaars, divided into their tribes, and very unwillingly mix with the Cingalese, Weddas or others outside their tribes, as also the others are not willing to do with these, they are up till now to be considered no otherwise than that they form with those of Jaffnapatnam, Cotjaar, & a people separate from the Cingalese, and have up till now remained pretty well in their freedom; having accepted of their free will the company’s protection only in order to protect themselves against the cruelty of the King of Candi, wherefore it behoves us not to leave them in need or to delay if we do not wish to see them presently stand exposed to the same cruelty; since otherwise we have to expect from this rich, populous and fertile territory yet many fruits both temporal and spiritual.’
The limits of these Sinhalese and Tamil settlements have even been documented in 19th century maps prepared by British map makers. In particular, Arrowsmith’s 1857 map of Ceylon, indicate that Sinhalese area can be distinguished from Tamil areas by the language used for place-names, including those designated for natural and human-made features (Emerson, 1859).
The boundaries between the two peoples coincide with areas where Sinhalese names, such as oya, wewa, gama, gamwa, wia, etc. switch to Tamil names, such as colom, aar, oor, madoo, tivoo, etc. . .It also appears that the areas occupied by the two peoples were distinct enough to persuade the British colonial government to designate the territory inhabited almost exclusive by Tamils as the Northern and Eastern provinces in 1873.
A Chief Justice in the British Government, Sir Alexander Johnston wrote on 01.07.1827 to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland as follows:
‘I think it may safely be concluded both from them and all the different histories which I have in my possession, that the race of people who inhabited the whole of the Northern and Eastern Provinces of the Island of Ceylon, at the period of their greatest agricultural prosperity spoke the same language, used the same written character, and had the same origin, religion, castes, laws and manners, as the race of people who at the same period inhabited the southern peninsula of India.’
The census of Ceylon conducted in 1881 also indicate that the two Tamil provinces (North & East) were inhabited almost exclusively by Tamils in the late nineteenth century (Census of Ceylon, 1881). The Sinhalese population constituted only 1.8% of the total population of the two Tamil provinces in 1881; Sinhalese accounted for only 0.51% of the total population of the Northern Province, and 4.2% of the Eastern Province. This administrative attitude of the British make it clearly evident that to them although the whole of Sri Lanka was under their complete control, the people of the Sinhalese areas and the people of the Sri Lankan Tamil areas were two distinct elements of the same island’s population. The recognition of the Tamil identity of these North Eastern provinces by the British is also confirmed by the successive census taken in these regions starting from 1827, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1921, to 1946. The recognition of such a distinction by the British authorities grew even clearer when they began to introduce gradually political or constitutional innovations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and even later.
‘The fact is that in the census of 1920 only 4 percent of the population of the Eastern Province was Sinhalese. The Sinhalese settlements in the east were small and scattered, even though there is historical evidence that most of the east came under the umbrella of the Kandyan Kingdom. But while the ultimate rulers were in the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy, the people of the east were mostly Tamils and Muslims. It is only in the past fifty years that there has been a substantial influx of Sinhalese settlements through state intervention.’
In 1939, one of the governors of the country, Sir Andrew Caldicott reflected the views of many of his predecessors when he said that all ‘fissures radiate from the vexed question of minority representation.’ When the question of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) was before the British House of Commons, the Conservative M P for Hornsey referring to the Tamils made the following observation:
‘Ceylon . . . . is not a single unit. There are two races, Sinhalese and Tamils. The Tamils differ from the Sinhalese in race, religion and to a large extent in background. Where there is a racial minority in a country the danger is, it may become a permanent political minority’ (Hansard November 22, 1947).
The above statements reveal two important facts, Firstly, what these gentlemen saw physically and what they experienced personally, and secondly, what they heard from others and what they believed.
Also, from the above statements it is very clear that during the colonial period, the colonial rulers were calling the south Indian land which is closest to Sri Lanka (Jaffna) as Coromandel and NOT as Tamil Nadu or Chola/Pandya Nadu. They are also calling the people/language of Coromandel as Malabar/Malabaarsche and NOT Tamil.
Anyhow, what all of them clearly saw and experienced during their period was that, there were two different Nations having two different languages, religions, cultures, and living in two well defined and clearly and naturally demarcated land areas.
/
eusense / April 6, 2014
James,
Stop dwelling in the past, think about the future. You can’t change the past but you may be able to change the future. Nobody cares about your historical analysis.
/
Off the Cuff / April 6, 2014
Dear James,
You have been going around the Mulberry Bush instead of countering what I have written.
The Last Tamil king was deposed from the Jaffna Kingdom in 1619.
The Portuguese ruled the Jaffna Kingdom since then. The Dutch took control of that same Kingdom from the Portuguese.
The CONTIGUITY of the borders of the Tamil Kingdom that existed in 1619 remained UNALTERED.
1. It is the Dutch who built the Fort at Elephant Pass.
2. It is the DUTCH who says the purpose of that Fort was to protect the Jaffna Kingdom from the Sinhala Kandyan Kingdom’s Armies that were carrying out a War of attrition against them.
3. It is the DUTCH who says that The King of the Sinhala Kingdom of Kandy Sold His Elephants to India through Jaffna.
The EVIDENCE comes from the DUTCH themselves and is today safe in the Dutch National Archives.
Hence I see the problem that you have. You cannot make use of your usual Separatist Tamil argument that because the Mahavamsa is written by a Sinhala Buddhist Monk it is unreliable. But very strangely you quote from the Mahavamsa when it suits you!
I Quoted the Dutch not the Mahavamsa.
The Dutch are neither Sinhalese nor Tamil.
The BOUNDARY of the Sinhala Kandyan Kingdom and that of the LAST Tamil Kingdom of Jaffna Ran through Elephant Pass. South of Elephant Pass was the Sinhala Kingdom. North of Elephant Pass was the Tamil Kingdom.
That is the ACTUAL HISTORY as attested to by the Dutch Government.
I can write more to establish the antiquity of the Sinhalese but the above is a COMPREHENSIVE response to the MANY RED HERRINGS that you tried to draw in attempting to counter what I wrote.
Please note that the evidence I presented was to counter the fraudulent claim by Separatist Tamils to the East (not to be confused with the later administrative construct of the British, the current Eastern Province).
I recognize the EQUAL OWNERSHIP of Sri Lanka and her resources by ALL her citizens. No SINGLE ETHNICITY has any right to ownership of any part of Sri Lanka.
Kind Regards
OTC
BTW – You can keep speculating about who I am. But it would be more productive if you concentrate on countering what I write. They are not speculative but backed by authoritative references.
OTC
/
James / April 6, 2014
Off the Cuff
Your COMPREHENSIVE response is nothing but a JOKE!
“You have been going around the Mulberry Bush instead of countering what I have written.”
That is your hallmark man, not mine.
“The CONTIGUITY of the borders of the Tamil Kingdom that existed in 1619 remained UNALTERED.”
Who told you that, did you dream about it? The CONTIGUITY of the borders never remains the same, it changes from time to time, from ruler to ruler, etc.
“It is the DUTCH who says the purpose of that Fort was to protect the Jaffna Kingdom from the Sinhala Kandyan Kingdom’s Armies that were carrying out a War of attrition against them.”
The Jaffna Kingdom fell in 1619 when the last Tamil king of Jaffna was defeated by the Portuguese, almost a 100 years before the Dutch arrived. It was not in existence during the Dutch period. Dutch building a Fort to protect a non- existing kingdom seems very strange. Also, there is no record of any hostile or military action (or war) by the Kandyan Kingdom’s Armies against the Jaffna Kingdom throughout the period of the Kandyan Kingdom. May be after the fall of the Jaffna kingdom, the kandyan kingdom would have occupied some areas to protect the Tamil people.
“It is the DUTCH who says that the King of the Kingdom of Kandy Sold His Elephants to India through Jaffna”.
What is wrong in that? Since Jaffna was the closest to India, the King of the Kingdom of Kandy would have seek help from the Tamil people of that area. After the fall of Jaffna Kingdom (after a bitter battle), many Tamils in the North sought protection from the Kandyan kings who were from Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
“The BOUNDARY of the Sinhala Kandyan Kingdom and that of the LAST Tamil Kingdom of Jaffna Ran through Elephant Pass. South of Elephant Pass was the Sinhala Kingdom. North of Elephant Pass was the Tamil Kingdom.”
Ha,ha,ha,…………LOL
You are making me laugh. Have you heard of Pandara Vanniyan (Kulasegaram Vairamuthu Pandaravanniyan) who was known as one of the last native Tamil chiefs from Vanni who challenged the British rule? The boundaries of kingdoms never remained the same and even if the boundaries change the demographies do not change easily. I am not sure what you are saying as Dutch history as attested to by the Dutch Government is true or false. Even if we assume it to be true, it does not make any difference to the Tamils. The Tamil areas remained Tamil even under the Kandyan kingdom.
/
Off the Cuff / April 6, 2014
Dear James,
I reiterate that I recognize the EQUAL OWNERSHIP of Sri Lanka and her resources by ALL her citizens. No SINGLE ETHNICITY has any right to ownership of any part of Sri Lanka.
You say “The Jaffna Kingdom fell in 1619 when the last Tamil king of Jaffna was defeated by the Portuguese,..”
Thanks for agreeing with what I wrote.
You further say “… almost a 100 years before the Dutch arrived. It was not in existence during the Dutch period.”
Of course it did not exist as a Tamil Kingdom but the Land existed with unchanged borders.
If the Portuguese lost ground they should have been defeated at war and if they gained ground they should have been victorious in war. There is no record of that happening after the conquest of the Jaffna Kingdom. The borders of the Jaffna Kingdom did not either expand or shrink under the Portuguese.
Hence when the Dutch overcame the Portuguese and became the new ruler of that land area, they essentially took control of the boundaries that existed during the Last Jaffna King’s rule.
The Jaffna Kingdom existed North of Elephant Pass and not to the South of it, as evidenced by the Dutch National Archive here.
http://www.atlasofmutualheritage.nl/en/location/?id=813
You may try but you will never erase or counter that evidence held by the Dutch Govt.
I am not trying to convince you but I am placing Facts on the Table to inform the CT Readership of the actual position.
They can see who is trying to use the Mahavamsa that the separatist Tamils despise, to try and counter what I have written.
The claim that the Jaffna Tamil Kingdom existed to the South of Elephant Pass is FALSE.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
James / April 6, 2014
Off the Cuff
You are not only ignorant of the basic colonial history but also a big joker.
The link you have given, the so called “Dutch record” says:
During the 17th century the Company was engaged in a war of attrition with the king of Kandy, who had close ties with Ceylon’s Buddhist population. There was a narrow tongue of land at Elephant Pass a fort was built to guard the border with the king’s territory. Elephants captured on Ceylon were herded past here to Jaffna to be sold in India, hence the name Elephant Pass.
Again you said (another big joke):
“If the Portuguese lost ground they should have been defeated at war and if they gained ground they should have been victorious in war. There is no record of that happening after the conquest of the Jaffna Kingdom.”
In the early 17th century, Sri Lanka was partly ruled by the Portuguese and the Kandyan Kingdom, who were constantly battling each other. Although the Portuguese were not winning the war, their rule was rather burdensome to the people of those areas controlled by them. The king of Kandy invited the Dutch to help defeat the Portuguese. The Dutch began negotiations with King Rajasinha II of Kandy in 1638. A treaty assured the king assistance in his war against the Portuguese in exchange for a monopoly of the island’s major trade, particularly cinnamon and Elephants. Rajasinha also promised to pay the Dutch’s war-related expenses. The Portuguese fiercely resisted the Dutch and the Kandyans and were expelled only gradually from their strongholds. The Dutch captured the forts built by the Portuguese including the Elephant Pass Fort and garrisoned it further. King Rajasinghe wanted to demolish all of them but the Dutch were not paid off their dues against the war against Portuguese and as a result the Dutch did not want to demolish them.
The king of Kandy soon realized that he had replaced one foe with another and proceeded to incite rebellion where the Dutch held sway. Having aided the Dutch to dislodge the Portuguese he complained that he had “given pepper and got ginger.”
According to folklore, seven Vanni chieftains who fought unsuccessfully against the Dutch committed suicide to avoid capture. They are still revered as heroic devas at Natchimar temples in the Vanni and Jaffna where lamps are lit and drums beaten in their names every Tuesday and Friday. The most famous of the Vanni chieftains was Pandara Vanniyan, the last king of the Vanni who fought against the Dutch and British colonial powers. In alliance with the Kandy kingdom he drove Lt. von Drieberg and his garrison from the Mullaithivu fort capturing their canons and ‘overran the whole of the northern districts (Vanni) and the boldness to penetrate as far as Elephant pass into the Jaffna Peninsula’.
Please do not expect others to educate you, please do your homework before engaging in such exchanges.
/
James / April 7, 2014
Off the Cuff
Let me educate you a little more.
After the fall of the Jaffna kingdom, coming under the Portuguese domination after the last Tamil king of Jaffna Cankli Kumaran was defeated in the battle the chieftains/people of the principalities of North and East were seeking help and protection from the King of Kandy due to Portuguese atrocities including religious conversions, demolition of temples, etc. Destruction and vandalism by the Portuguese gathered momentum after the capture of the Tamil kingdom. Filipe de Oliveriya, the Portuguese governor, was acclaimed for destroying more than 500 Hindu temples, which were also the cultural treasures of the Tamils.
The Portuguese also went about converting the remaining members of the royal family and the Tamil aristocrats of the Kingdom of Jaffna (after its fall) into Catholicism. They made them the headmen of Jaffna and gave them the Portuguese title Don. These titles continued into the Dutch period as seen in the names of signatories of the Thesavalami laws and customs of Jaffna which was codified under the Dutch. For example:
The signatories of the Thesavalami laws and customs of Jaffna were, Don Philip Villaivarasa Mutaliyar, Don Anthony Narayanan, Don Frnscisco Arulampalam Mutaliyar, Don Juan Chantirasekara Mana Muthaliyar, Don Martino Manappuli Mutaliyar, Don Franscisco Vanniyarasa Mutaliyar, Don Juan Chayampunata Mutaliyar, Don Juan Chutukavala Chenathirayan Mutaliyar, Don Louwys Putar, and Don Francisco Rasarathina Mutaliyar.
The Dutch was brought by the King of Kandy to chase away the Portuguese. The Dutch carried on their war and utterly destroyed the power of Portuguese. Accordingly, for the purpose of administration, the Dutch divided the maritime regions into three “commanderies” – Colombo, Jaffna and Galle. However the Dutch were no better than the Portuguese.
It was the Portuguese who built a fort at Elephant Pass as a strategic military base. It was later rebuilt and garrisoned by the Dutch. The Dutch captured Elephants and exported them from Karativu island in Jaffna. The elephants were driven into the Jaffna peninsula by a shallow ford that separated it from the mainland. This ford was bridged and given the name Elephant Pass. The Dutch held an annual sale of elephants in Jaffna. Elephants caught were sold to India. Buyers from the Coramandel and the Bengal coasts continued to attend these sales regularly.
Kulasegaram Vairamuthu Pandara Vanniyan the last Tamil king/chieftain of Vanni collaborated with the King of Kandy to fight against the Dutch. He overran the whole of the northern districts (Vanni) and the even penetrated the Jaffna Peninsula via Elephant pass narrowing the boundaries of the Dutch controlled territory bringing them under the Kandyan rule.
/
Prasad / April 7, 2014
Oh dear, I missed this interesting session.
Well done James, you are really a genius!
Off – the – cuff ran away leaving his sarong and underwear (amude), poor chap.
/
Off the Cuff / April 9, 2014
Dear Prasad,
I never run away from a debate. You learned that some time back when I exposed you for the FRAUD that you are. That’s the time you were unmasked.
Here is the exchange
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/mahavamsa-an-insult-to-the-buddha/#comment-838571
I wrote,
Dear CT Readers, Apparently we have a dishonest person assembling bits and pieces copied from other peoples essays, doctoring and prostituting the Original Author’s work. This patch work quilt is presented without any indication that it is a quote. I am referring to a comment made by Mr. Prasad posted on January 6, 2014 at 2:38 pm. on this thread. His post is in fact a dishonestly re-assembled bits and pieces of an essay written by Mr. JL Devanada in the Sri Lanka Guardian at the following URL http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/01/response-part-1-mahavamsa-mentality-can.html
I expected you to be honest and be humble enough to accept your mistake and apologize to the CT Readership. But that was not to be. Your Foolishness, arrogance and ingrained dishonesty was too deeply embedded within you.
This was your reply
“Off the cuff, I know nothing of Mr. Devanada or any other …….” (blah blah blah)
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/mahavamsa-an-insult-to-the-buddha/#comment-839621
I wrote back as follows,
Dear Prasad and CT Readers, Prasad, you have copied word for word from different places in the article. You do not have the integrity to admit it and is now attempting to mount a challenge. That is downright Foolish as the EVIDENCE against you is formidable.
Then I went on to detail how and from where you copied, in assembling the patch work quilt that you posed off as your intellectual work. Your comment, time stamped January 6, 2014 at 2:38 pm had 357 words and 339 was a Word for Word copy from Mr JL Devanada’s work. The JL Devananda that you said you did not even know!!!
Your contribution was just 18 words!
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/mahavamsa-an-insult-to-the-buddha/#comment-840452
95% of your post was a word for word copy from Mr JL Devananda’s article, a man that you emphatically stated that you did not know.
You see Prasad even a Suit, complete with Tail Coat, Tie and Top hat with or without the amude, will never cover your Nudity.
This discussion with Ravi and James is not over. Stay and be entertained!
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Off the Cuff / April 10, 2014
Dear James,
You say “Let me educate you a little more”
I am always open to be educated.
Thank you for your kind offer.
Both Ravi and you are contesting History.
Hence my replies would be common replies to both.
The first such reply addressed to both of you can be found here
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/on-sri-lankas-war-criminals-by-an-officially-labelled-terrorist/comment-page-1/#comment-943453
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
James / April 6, 2014
Off the Cuff
If you read the Mahavamsa carefully, even Dutugemunu’s father King Kavantissa the king of Rohana (Kingdom in Southern Sri Lanka) had told Dutugemunu not to invade (Rajarata) the land of the Damilas. He had said, Rohana the region on this side of the river (Southern territory) has enough land. There is evidence in the Mahavamsa that the Northern territory (Rajarata) was occupied by the Tamils. It says, Dutugemunu had to conquer not just one Tamil king (Elara) but 32 Tamil Chieftains around the Anuradhapura principality alone. He also killed around sixty thousand Tamils in the war. How could there be 32 Tamil chieftains in the area of Anuradhapura alone and sixty thousand Tamils any Tamil settlements (Demel-gam-bim) in Anuradapura?
In the 17th centuries, when Robert Knox, the English prisoner in the Kingdom of Kandy made his escape through Anuradhapura into the Dutch occupied Northwest, he found that, fluent though he was in Sinhala, he could not converse with the inhabitants of the Anuradhapura region as the people there spoke the Malabar language (Tamil).
When he managed to communicate to them through sign language about his plight, they exclaimed, ‘Tombrane'(Tamil, tampirane, meaning ‘Oh,God’), with amazement. Even the rendering of the name Anuradhapura by Knox as Anarodgburro is obviously from the colloquial Tamil form Anra’japuram/Anracapuram, still used among SL Tamils.
Knox, in fact, clearly states that the territory of Anarodgburro is inhabited by Tamils;
It is a vast great plain, the like I never saw in all that Island….This plain is encompassed round with woods, and small towns among them on every side, inhabited by Malabars, a distinct people from the Chingulayes.(pg.276,KI’s book).
Also, PANDARA VANNIYAN was a Tamil chief from the Vanni region who was known as ONE OF LAST NATIVE CHIEF TO CHALLENGE THE BRITISH RULE in the Island nation of Sri Lanka. His grandson is Pannirukaran Mylvaganam. Kulasegaram Vairamuthu Pandaravanniyan was the last king of Vanni.
Here is what Hugh Cleghorn said: ‘Two different nations, from very ancient times have divided between them the possession of the island.. First the Cingalese inhabiting the interior of the country, in its southern and western parts, from the river Wallouve to that of Chilow, and secondly the Malabars who possess the northern and eastern districts. These two nations differ entirely in their religion, language and manners.
Not only HUGH CLEGHORN but many colonial officers and historians have said the same.
Jacob Burnand, a Swiss soldier in the service of the Dutch and later the English, was the governor of Batticaloa between 1784 and 1794. In 1798 he composes a ‘memoir’ on the North and Northeast, in which he locates the origins of the Sinhalese in Siam and mentions that from time immemorial Sinhalese and Tamils had divided the rule of the island between the two of them.
Commenting on the provenance of the Tamil and Sinhalese languages the Dutch Predikant, Philippus Baldaeus who was in the Island during the mid17th century asserts,
‘It is to be observed that in Ceylon they not only speak the Cinghalesche but also the Malabaarsche languages, the former from Negombo to Colombo, Caleture, Berbering, Alican, Gale, Belligamme, Matura, Donders etc., But in all other parts of the Island which are contiguous to the coromandel coast Malabaarsche is the prevailing language.
he above view is also corroborated by the Governor Rjklof Van Goens account dated 1675. Referring to Batticaloa he made the following comment:
‘And since all the inhabitants of Batticalo (both in customs, religion, origin and other characteristics) together with those of Jaffnapatnam, Cotjaar and on Westward right over to Calpentyn and the Northern portion of the Mangul Corle inclusive, have been from the remotest times and are still now Malabaars, divided into their tribes, and very unwillingly mix with the Cingalese, Weddas or others outside their tribes, as also the others are not willing to do with these, they are up till now to be considered no otherwise than that they form with those of Jaffnapatnam, Cotjaar, & a people separate from the Cingalese, and have up till now remained pretty well in their freedom; having accepted of their free will the company’s protection only in order to protect themselves against the cruelty of the King of Candi, wherefore it behoves us not to leave them in need or to delay if we do not wish to see them presently stand exposed to the same cruelty; since otherwise we have to expect from this rich, populous and fertile territory yet many fruits both temporal and spiritual.’
The limits of these Sinhalese and Tamil settlements have even been documented in 19th century maps prepared by British map makers. In particular, Arrowsmith’s 1857 map of Ceylon, indicate that Sinhalese area can be distinguished from Tamil areas by the language used for place-names, including those designated for natural and human-made features (Emerson, 1859).
The boundaries between the two peoples coincide with areas where Sinhalese names, such as oya, wewa, gama, gamwa, wia, etc. switch to Tamil names, such as colom, aar, oor, madoo, tivoo, etc. . .It also appears that the areas occupied by the two peoples were distinct enough to persuade the British colonial government to designate the territory inhabited almost exclusive by Tamils as the Northern and Eastern provinces in 1873.
A Chief Justice in the British Government, Sir Alexander Johnston wrote on 01.07.1827 to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland as follows:
‘I think it may safely be concluded both from them and all the different histories which I have in my possession, that the race of people who inhabited the whole of the Northern and Eastern Provinces of the Island of Ceylon, at the period of their greatest agricultural prosperity spoke the same language, used the same written character, and had the same origin, religion, castes, laws and manners, as the race of people who at the same period inhabited the southern peninsula of India.’
The census of Ceylon conducted in 1881 also indicate that the two Tamil provinces (North & East) were inhabited almost exclusively by Tamils in the late nineteenth century (Census of Ceylon, 1881). The Sinhalese population constituted only 1.8% of the total population of the two Tamil provinces in 1881; Sinhalese accounted for only 0.51% of the total population of the Northern Province, and 4.2% of the Eastern Province. This administrative attitude of the British make it clearly evident that to them although the whole of Sri Lanka was under their complete control, the people of the Sinhalese areas and the people of the Sri Lankan Tamil areas were two distinct elements of the same island’s population. The recognition of the Tamil identity of these North Eastern provinces by the British is also confirmed by the successive census taken in these regions starting from 1827, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1921, to 1946. The recognition of such a distinction by the British authorities grew even clearer when they began to introduce gradually political or constitutional innovations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and even later.
‘The fact is that in the census of 1920 only 4 percent of the population of the Eastern Province was Sinhalese. The Sinhalese settlements in the east were small and scattered, even though there is historical evidence that most of the east came under the umbrella of the Kandyan Kingdom. But while the ultimate rulers were in the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy, the people of the east were mostly Tamils and Muslims. It is only in the past fifty years that there has been a substantial influx of Sinhalese settlements through state intervention.’
In 1939, one of the governors of the country, Sir Andrew Caldicott reflected the views of many of his predecessors when he said that all ‘fissures radiate from the vexed question of minority representation.’ When the question of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) was before the British House of Commons, the Conservative M P for Hornsey referring to the Tamils made the following observation:
‘Ceylon . . . . is not a single unit. There are two races, Sinhalese and Tamils. The Tamils differ from the Sinhalese in race, religion and to a large extent in background. Where there is a racial minority in a country the danger is, it may become a permanent political minority’ (Hansard November 22, 1947).
The above statements reveal two important facts, Firstly, what these gentlemen saw physically and what they experienced personally, and secondly, what they heard from others and what they believed.
Also, from the above statements it is very clear that during the colonial period, the colonial rulers were calling the south Indian land which is closest to Sri Lanka (Jaffna) as Coromandel and NOT as Tamil Nadu or Chola/Pandya Nadu. They are also calling the people/language of Coromandel as Malabar/Malabaarsche and NOT Tamil.
Anyhow, what all of them clearly saw and experienced during their period was that, there were two different Nations having two different languages, religions, cultures, and living in two well defined and clearly and naturally demarcated land areas.
/
Off the Cuff / April 6, 2014
Dear James,
You seem to have repeated yourself.
My reply was posted under your previous comment.
Please refer to it at this link
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/on-sri-lankas-war-criminals-by-an-officially-labelled-terrorist/comment-page-1/#comment-939899
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Siva Sankaran Sarma / April 9, 2014
It’s interesting that “James”, “Ravi” and “Prasad” all seem to be following the pattern pointed out by Off the Cuff, that of copying and pasting a mishmash of garbage from other sites :D
Could it be another case of multiple personality disorder among LTTE diaspora Tamils traumatised by images of Thalaivar in his amudey :D
/
James / April 6, 2014
Sorry for the duplicate post (please ignore the second one).
/
Javi / April 6, 2014
¡Hola O.T.C.- (Oligoneuronal Terminal Cockroach)-
”Invertebrate”
The Dutch were never a nation of its own but split by Spanish Netherlands and the Roman Emperor. This was a time of intense `Hora Oru` to Ceylon.
They all had to report to the Roman Emperor and all that is European history is in Latin and later English after Elizebth 1 only world power
The portugese, dutch or english were not allowed to marry outside for fear of losing the business- just one night stands in a fit of drunkenness.Goa was ruled till 1975 and the clear history lies there.
The VOC (dutch east india company owned by businessmen) like the Pottinger company employed by Passa.
(^O^)
/
Shudra Hype / April 6, 2014
KALLATHHONI (THIEF VESSEL) AND THE ISLAND’S PRIDE MAHA ORU IS NOT THE SAME.
WHILST THESE TAMILS WERE FLOATING ABOUT IN TIED UP LOGS (CATAMARANS), WE ISLANDERS HAD THE ANCIENT OUTRIGGER SHIPS.
THE OLDEST ORU OUTRIGGER CONOE IN THE WORLD IS THE KALANI RIVER ORUWA IN COLIOMBO, DATED FROM THE 3RD CENTURY BC.
Boats of the World: From the Stone Age to Medieval Times, By Sean McGrail (266, 390).
THIS IS CLEARLY A CASE OF HORA NAGUL’S BORU MAGUL.
KILL THE VADHA, MUD THE BUDDHA, BLAME THE SUDDHA.
DUNG FELLOWS LIKE THIS KNOW NO LOCAL OR GLOBAL HISTORY. HYPING THE DEFORESTATION & ENCROACHING EVIL, PROMOTING PLAINS-ONLY THEORY IN THE ISLAND COUNTRY.
(Buddhism Betrayed?: Religion, Politics, and Violence in Sri Lanka
By Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, p 152-3)
When our sacred mother Kuveni was weaving, we do not have to listen to a bunch of deforesters.
/
Off the Cuff / April 6, 2014
Ha ha haa, a PRAWN Cracker!
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Ravi / April 6, 2014
Off the Cuff
It is true that some parts of the Eastern and Northern Province came under the Kandyan Kingdom from time to time but it makes no difference to the Tamil position in regard to the inhabitancy. The Tamils would have had and yet have no objection what so ever to the benevolent and accommodating rule of the kandyan kings whether they were from the Kalinga or Nayakkar dynasty, and see no inconsistency in the Tamil claim to those areas even under the Kandyan rule. There is no record of any hostile or military action by the Kandyan kings throughout the 222 years tenure of the independent Kandyan Kingdom in the Tamil areas of the North and East.
On the other hand, the Kandyan kingdom itself was multi ethnic and bi-lingual (Sinhala & Tamil). The last four kings of Kandy were Tamil speaking and from Madurai in Tamil Nadu! One Kandyan king built the Siva temple in Thampalakamam in the early 1700s. Even if we consider the Kandyan Kingdom as a Sinhala Kingdom that does not mean that the communities/people who lived in the Kandyan kingdom were only Sinhalese.
I have never heard or come across a Sinhala person or family that claimed a Northern or Eastern Province habitancy or origin. If you speak to the Sinhalese living in those areas today, each one of them will say that their father, grandfather or great grandfather is from the South where as there are any number of Tamils who hail from North and East and proudly proclaim their habitancy.
The arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century and the fall of Jaffna Kingdom led to turbulence in the Northern and Eastern districts of Ceylon. Many of the old Tamil principalities sought protection from the Kandyan kings. But this does not deny the Tamil presence in those areas. The Tamils were a clear cut majority in that region until post-independent governments resettled Sinhalese in the region. Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism endeavors to suppress the historical evidence, but facts are stubborn. The Tamil Hindu historical claims to the East will not be forfeited regardless of the attempts by the Sinhala governments to transform the ethnic character of that land.
/
Off the Cuff / April 9, 2014
Dear Ravi and James,
Ravi say’s “It is true that some parts of the Eastern and Northern Province came under the Kandyan Kingdom from time to time”
That qualifier while grudgingly admitting the truth was cunning. It was not time to time.
Here is a quote from Dr Pradeep Jeganathan who himself is a Tamil.
“Not every legitimate ruler of southern Lanka was a Buddhist in early modern times. Yet also it is not historically accurate to say that the Kings of Jaffna ruled the east, certainly even a cursory glance at Dutch records and the doings of Rajasinha the 2nd will tell you, that the Kings of the Kanda Uda Pas Rate, (the five countries on top of the mountains) were also the overlords of Batticoloa and Trincomalee”.
You say it makes no difference to the Tamil position in regard to the inhabitancy”
And what is that habitation?
In 1911 there were 2,715,500 Sinhalese and 528,000 Lanka Tamils. A ratio of 5.14 Sinhalese to each Tamil. 300 years earlier if the Sinhala population was a 100,000 the Tamil population would be about 20,000.
It was the defense strategy of the Kandyan King to maintain a dense Jungle within his Kingdom. No one could cut down a tree. Even during British times, Lanka had 85% forest cover.
What expanse of land can 20,000 people inhabit and defend from a combined non Tamil population of six times their size?
As Dr Pradeep Jeganathan states there is no historical accuracy to the separatist’s claim to the East. AS the Dutch have stated, during their rule of the Jaffna Peninsular the Sinhala Kandyan kingdom’s border ran through Elephant Pass.
You say “On the other hand, the Kandyan kingdom itself was multi ethnic and bi-lingual (Sinhala & Tamil)”
Are you claiming that Tamil Kingdom when it existed was MONO ETHNIC and RACIST?
You say “The last four kings of Kandy were Tamil speaking and from Madurai in Tamil Nadu! One Kandyan king built the Siva temple in Thampalakamam in the early 1700s”
Tamil speaking Kings have ruled Lanka by invitation.
None of them did so by being victorious in battle.
It proves that the Sinhalese are not the Racists
You say “Even if we consider the Kandyan Kingdom as a Sinhala Kingdom that does not mean that the communities/people who lived in the Kandyan kingdom were only Sinhalese”
The Exclusive Homeland Theory is an invention of the Separatist Tamils, not of the Sinhalese. I have never argued for an exclusive homeland for the Sinhalese. My contention has always been that Lanka is owned by all her citizens and that ownership is on equal terms.
You say “I have never heard or come across a Sinhala person or family that claimed a Northern or Eastern Province habitancy or origin”
Even as late as 1980s there was a Sinhala population in the North before the North became Mono Ethnic! There is nothing to talk about the East.
You say “The arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century and the fall of Jaffna Kingdom led to turbulence in the Northern and Eastern districts of Ceylon”
You are attempting to rewrite History. Read Dr Jeganathan.
Writing about the East you say “Tamil presence in those areas. The Tamils were a clear cut majority in that region”
Authoritative Proof?
Remember that there were only about 20,000 (thousand) or less Tamils in Lanka 300 years ago. Over 90% of Lanka was Jungle. Your claims are a physical impossibility.
You say “….until post-independent governments resettled Sinhalese in the region”
In 1911 there were 531,000 ALIEN INDIAN TAMILS in the Kandyan Kingdom. In that year there were ONLY 528,000 Lanka Tamils. The Indian Tamil population who were compete Aliens Exceeded the Lanka Tamil population! These Alien Tamils were settled in Sinhala Lands illegally robed by the then govt using Draconian Laws.
1. The British enacted the Crown Land Enforcement Ordinance in 1840 to claim the unoccupied and uncultivated land in the Kandyan kingdom (Farmer 1957:90- 91). As a result of this ordinance, 90% of the land in the Kandyan highlands was designated as land belonging to the British Crown (Herath et al, 1995:77).
2. The Waste Land Ordinance Act of 1897 (and the Crown Land Encroachment Ordinance in 1840), annexed more lands as crown lands where villagers could no longer claim them according to the new British imposed rules (Roberts 1979:233, Obeysekara 1967: 98-100).
The majority of the Sinhalese villages effectively lost the structural prerequisite of land tenure systems (Obeysekara 1967:101).
3. The ‘Land Settlement Ordinance of 1889’ allowed the colonial authorities to sell these STOLEN lands at will. “Many villagers in the Kandyan area were deprived of their high lands formally used for chena cultivation or grazing the cattle” (Mendis 1951:85).
The Sinhalese hence lost their lands, livelihood and means of farming.
Today there is a landless Sinhala Peasantry of over a million while Alien Indian Tamils colonized the Sinhala Lands with State Sponsorship.
Today those Aliens are Lankan citizens. What should a govt do? Restore the stolen lands to the rightful owners by evicting the former Aliens and resettling them in the North?
The only way of providing Land and a means of livelihood to those who are Landless is to provide arable land to them. The only place such arable land is available is within river basin developments. Gal Oya and Mahavelli are two such developments. You cannot have Gal Oya in Matara or the Mahaveli localised to the Hill Country. The development happens were the river basin is.
These developments are funded by the citizens of Lanka by direct and Indirect taxes. Even a begger pays indirect tax! The per capita debt burden is the same irrespective of Ethnicity or Religion etc. Hence the Sinhalese pay about 75%, Lanka Tamils about 11%, Moors about 9%, Indian Tamils about 4% and others about 0.5%
You cannot ask the Non Tamil 85% to pay for development that will exclusively benefit the Tamil 15%.
This Greed most stop for there to be peace.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
eusense / April 6, 2014
Ravi,
Stop living in the past! Who cares who lived where and when. What really matter is what is happening today. Stop dwelling in the past, that will never come back. Think of tomorrow and move forward.
That is the only useful advice I can give you.
/
Javi / April 6, 2014
Nonsense,
The pseudo nymph itself is a fraud on your part.
No ones father owns the spice colony for you to pull any string.
Just keep your head between your legs till the UN finally gives a verdict and let the IAF take care of the rest like Bangala.
/
Kutti Machan / April 5, 2014
USHA and her TGTE are the lunatic fringe of the Diaspora Rump. They are living in a cloud-cuckoo-land. They must thank MR. Because they were only bottom-dwellers when their psycho-king Prabakaran was alive. They couldn’t open their mouths let alone pose as saviours of Tamils. They were terrified of his penchant for turning people into martyrs on the slightest suspicion. MR has let them loose and they are now running around telling fairy tales, playing pretend as ministers & senators. Unfortunately they are making the Tamil people the laughing stock of the world. Because Tamils are the only people who are not aware they have a government that is ruling them!
/
Shiva / April 4, 2014
@Eusense – No no chance for the Tamils to live with the Sinhalese and also friendly even in the Western world. Here in North America, the Sinhalese are isolated by the Tamils and I am confident that the same is taking place in Australia, UK and in EU.
I am shocked and surprised that you did not know the gross violation of human rights abuses, denial of Justice and Rule of Law, several Pogroms against the Tamils including in 1956, 1977, 1983. Do you think we want to waste our time in dealing with hardcore criminals who pretend that they know nothing?
/
Dawn Dale / April 5, 2014
more than 30yrs have passed since last so called Sinhala uprising- since then how many sinhalese tamils and muslims were killed by tigers indiscriminately ? they were not hot headed looting and burning incidents they were pre-planned murders of innocents – so don’t talk of tamil grievances you are not the only one who suffered or is suffering.
/
Eusense / April 5, 2014
Shiva,
You seem to be hateful of Sinhalese. That is OK, if you feel being in the offensive is the right way to solve problems I wish you luck!
Be specific and list me “the gross violation of human rights abuses, denial of Justice and Rule of Law, several Progroms against the Tamils including in 1956, 1977, 1983.”
/
manisekaran / April 5, 2014
Can you answer us without blabbering or pussyfotting how many were arrested and punished in 1983 black july. Give us the report of culprits and those were punished. I am willing to learn how much your state cared for the lives of Tamils.
/
Dawn Dale / April 8, 2014
don’t u know- jvp was banned for 83 riots
/
Vikarna / April 5, 2014
The Tamil BBS woman is back with her self-promotion and hate propaganda.
(BBS – Biatch Bull Shit)
/
Javi / April 6, 2014
Vedgy the Bullshitotis,
and the Sihala Buddhist Slaves– BBS
= “Banana Brothel Sprouts” of `Goo`ta’ passa’s paedophiles.
/
Anpu / April 5, 2014
Eusense,
Successive Sinhalese governments embarked on serious discrimination and violence against the Tamils.
The first act of an independent Parliament was to disenfranchise the Tamils in the hill country of Sri Lanka in 1948.
In 1956, they made Sinhala the only official language of Sri Lanka, thereby denying jobs to Tamils in the public service – the major source of employment for Tamils.
On education, Tamil students were required to get 20% higher grads (marks) than their Sinhalese counterparts to get admitted to Universities (reverse form of affirmative action).
When Tamils peacefully protested, they were violently repressed. Major anti-Tamil pogroms took place in 1958, 1977 and 1983.
Peaceful methods of pursuing their rights having failed and mainly after 1983 pogrom, Tamil youth took to arms.
The struggle through arms for realizing the rights of the Tamils was ended in a battle in Mullivaikal in 2009. The Sinhalese army waged a war with scant regard to the norms of international humanitarian law, and according to UN’s internal review report on Sri Lanka killed around 70,000 Tamils in six months in 2009. In addition, it is also alleged that the army used weapons prohibited by international law.
/
Anpu / April 5, 2014
“The LTTE did not come into being or grow into a world-class terror outfit in a vacuum. Without the Sinhala Only, the Tiger may have remained unborn. Without the Black July, the Tiger may not have grown exponentially. If the B-C Pact and the D-C Pact did not miscarry (thanks to the midwifery of Sinhala extremism), the LTTE, even if it was born, would have remained a fringe group.” – http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/11/oppressed-north-lawless-south.html
/
James / April 5, 2014
Anpu,
This Eusense is not only ignorant (little educated) but also lacks common sense. For everything he is asking us to list which means he has never read anything (lacks general knowledge as well)for the last several decades. He does not even know the basics of the SL conflict that had been in the country for the last 60 odd years. Why should we waste our time in teaching him, let him go and learn if he wants to come out from his ignorance. Do not waste time with such modayas, just throw a bucket full of kavum at him to gobble and go to bed.
/
eusense / April 5, 2014
James,
Apparently, you are another one who has no clue to answer my questions. Without quoting each other and speculations, give real numbers, names and addresses of innocent Tamil civilians killed at the end of the war. While at it, also list what rights the Tamils does not have but the Sinhalese have in Sri lanka. If you have no answer stop posting.
/
Off the Cuff / April 6, 2014
Dear Eusence,
When their bluff is called people like James have no answer.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Javi / April 6, 2014
Nonsense is a product of night school and a school teacher who thinks he can rub that cane of his.
Just stupid army stubbornness.
Most of these sihala buddhist trolls dont have any substance nor have they read authentic documentation.
After all they live with the myth of bestiality breed/incest but dont have the north Indian DNA.
In short no culture but are vultures.
/
eusense / April 5, 2014
Anpu,
Disenfranchise of the Tamils in hill country? The hill country Tamils knew what it was, you are saying Ltte originated in the hill country? This has nothing to do with Sri lankan Tamils!
What is wrong with sinhala being the official language? That time 90% of the population was Sinhalese. What is the official language of the US and UK? 25% of the population in the US is spanish! Why is Spanish not the official language?
You seem to have limited knowledge of the world and Sri Lanka. Sinhalese and tamil students from Colombo, kandy and galle also had to score 20% higher than others not only jaffna!
Whether Tamil or sinhalese, whether peaceful or violent no body is above the law. In 1983 the terrorists instigated the violence.
Do you think taking arms against a legitimate government is a wise thing? You think that will allow Tamils to conquer and sustain a separate nation in the north? If you say 70000 Tamils were killed because of their raising arms, who is responsible? The offensives or the defenders?
Internationals say 70000 killed? Where is the evidence? Dosn’t these killed have a name and address? Why no names? 5 years have gone not a single name out of 70000 is out why is that? No Tamil has come forward claiming their relative was a Tamil tiger. Have these tigers suddenly become innocent civilians? How long you expect people to believe this BS?
/
Javi / April 7, 2014
“25% of the population in the US is spanish! Why is Spanish not the official language?”
Buruva, you never listen when you are told once because you are a meeharaka army leela, may be goota pisky beela-
Texas, Los Angeles are still Spanish names and you are low down the order so you are not aware how many Americans working in the Hispanic region and Canada converse in fluent Spanish. – and 11 million illicit’s awaiting grace period.
Spanish is the worlds 2nd most spoken language having beaten French so does it matter asking pirates to accept something that would happen in the near future like Asians Americans learning Putonghua.
Spanish is closer to Latin than English or French and is a prerequisite still to many a research oriented doctor, lawyer etc.
Finally Americans are gangsters,murders and land grabbers like you from the hora oru buruva!
/
Off the Cuff / April 6, 2014
Dear Anpu,
You wrote “Successive Sinhalese governments embarked on serious discrimination and violence against the Tamils.”
That is a tongue in cheek comment.
Serious discrimination of the Tamils were done by the Tamils themselves. Can you explain why there were Riots in Jaffna in 1871, 1923, 1929 and 1931 when Tamil/Sinhala Ethnic strife did not exist ANYWHERE in Lanka.
Can you explain why the Lanka Parliament enacted the Prevention of Social Disabilities Act in 1957?
You say “The first act of an independent Parliament was to disenfranchise the Tamils in the hill country of Sri Lanka in 1948”
That is again a Lie.
The Citizenship Act was passed in Parliament with LANKA TAMILS voting for it. The Act was contested in courts and was finally ruled on by the Privy Council in the UK, which then was the APEX COURT for Lanka. The Privy Council RULING upheld the decision of the Supreme Court of Ceylon as Sri Lanka was then named.
Are you suggesting that the APEX BRITISH COURT connived with the Lankan Politicians to disenfranchise the Indian Tamils?
The rest that you write about Language and Education is not the whole Truth but slanted propaganda. Today the Tamil Students of the North score less marks than Sinhala students from Colombo and other districts listed as educationally advantaged and still enter University. What do you have to say about that?
Please read the extract below from the University Grant’s Commission web site which details policy on University Admissions.
Even the Jaffna District is listed as a disadvantaged district!
What is important is not to keep feeding your Beggars Wound but to come to terms with the fact that no part of Sri Lanka is an exclusive domain of a SINGLE ethnicity.
What is important is the ability to share Sri Lanka’s resources on EQUAL terms and not pander to the Greed that caused the current state of affairs.
References
Policy on University Admission UNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION http://www.ugc.ac.lk/downloads/admissions/local_students/Admission%20to%20Undergraduate%20Courses%20of%20the%20Universities%20in%20Sri%20Lanka%202012_2013.pdf
3.2.3.2 Admission to all courses other than the courses stated in 3.2.3.1 above will be made on a dual criteria, namely:
All Island Merit
Merit on District basis
Under All Island Merit criteria:
(i) Up to 40% of the available places will be filled in order of Z – Scores ranked on an all island basis, as per Section 3.2.1 of the above.
Under District Merit Criteria:
(i) Up to 55% of the available places in each course of study will be allocated to the 25 administrative districts in proportion to the total population, that is, on the ratio of the population of the district concerned to the total population of the country.
(ii) A special allocation up to 5% of the available places in each course of study will be allocated to the under-mentioned 16 educationally disadvantaged districts in proportion to the population, that is, on the ratio of the population of each such district to the total population of the 16 districts;
1. Nuwara Eliya
2. Hambantota
3. Jaffna
4. Kilinochchi
5. Mannar
6. Mullaitivu
7. Vavuniya
8. Trincomalee
9. Batticaloa
10. Ampara
11. Puttalam
12. Anuradhapura
13. Polonnaruwa
14. Badulla
15. Monaragala
16. Ratnapura
The number of places allocated on the district merit quota given in (i) and (ii) above will be filled in order of Z – Scores ranked on the district basis, as per Section 3.2.1 of the above
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Dawn Dale / April 6, 2014
brilliant – thanks ‘off the cuff’ – when will these racist tamil lies ever end ?
/
Native Vedda / April 6, 2014
Dawn Dale
“brilliant – thanks ‘off the cuff’ – when will these racist tamil lies ever end ? “
What is brilliant about off the cuff’s comment?
/
Off the Cuff / April 7, 2014
Dear Native Veddah,
My comment that Dawn has referred to may be called by any adjective that anyone wishes to. But it is Factual. Hence unless one is stupid, some adjectives will not apply.
You may call it stupid if you wish but you cannot say they are lies.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Ben Hurling / April 4, 2014
Would be kind of nice to put those who committed crimes in Sri Lanka in the name of state as well as those who backed or are still backing terrorism in Sri Lanka in the dock.
Here in Sri Lanka. Tax payers here are more than willing to foot the bill for such a judicial circus?
Usha is inivited to give herself up and cofess.
Cheers!
/
Disgusted / April 4, 2014
If this applies to Governments fighting terrorists, then you are telling, it applies to USA, China, India, Russia etc
Though this is a stupid argument, I am not surprised, having heard all the stupid arguments and fabrications of supporters of a mythical Elam. However, defending terrorists could put you in trouble waters with all countries, including the USA, battling so hard to get rid of terrorism.
/
Javi / April 6, 2014
The question in the western world is who is the terrorist after WMD??
Rouge governments of still a spice colony with no resources may not fool the west for always. But never Femme Fatale.
/
Amarasiri / April 5, 2014
universe,
Terrorism goes universal. State actors join in.
http://terrorism.about.com/od/whatisterroris1/p/Terrorism.htm
The History of Terrorism
By Amy Zalman, Ph.D
1st Century BCE-13th Century: Terrorism in the Pre-Modern World:
The history of terrorism is as old as humans’ willingness to use violence to affect politics. The Sicarii were a first century Jewish group who murdered enemies and collaborators in their campaign to oust their Roman rulers from Judea.
The Hashhashin, whose name gave us the English word “assassins,” were a secretive Islamic sect active in Iran and Syria from the 11th to the 13th century.
1950s: The Rise of Non-State Terrorism:
The rise of guerrilla tactics by non-state actors in the last half of the twentieth century was due to several factors.These included the flowering of ethnic nationalism (e.g. Irish, Basque, Zionist), anti-colonial sentiments in the vast British, French and other empires, and new ideologies such as communism.
Terrorist groups with a nationalist agenda have formed in every part of the world. For example, the Irish Republican Army grew from the quest by Irish Catholics to form an independent republic, rather than being part of Great Britain.
Similarly, the Kurds, a distinct ethnic and linguistic group in Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq, have sought national autonomy since the beginning of the 20th Century. The Kurdistan Worker’s Party(PKK), formed in the 1970s, uses terrorist tactics to announce its goal of a Kurdish state. The Sri Lankan Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are members of the ethnic Tamil minority. They use suicide bombing and other lethal tactics to wage a battle for independence against the Sinhalese majority government.
/
James / April 5, 2014
If the Sri Lanka government refuses to allow UNHRC panel appointed by the Navaneetham Pillay to visit Sri Lanka to hold war crime investigations it will be very interesting. The Rajapakshes may ban the UN and Navi Pillay as “International Terrorists”.
The way things are going Tamils don’t have to do the lobbying the rest of the world because now the UN and other bodies will do that on behalf of the Tamils!
/
Thiru / April 4, 2014
CT readers please view the video below to decide who the terrorists are: Sri Lankan armed forces or the Sri Lankan rulers.
Is it the civilized way to treat surrendered/captured people?
Callum Macrae @Callum_Macrae 10h
More disturbing (but as yet unverified) video has emerged https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2vAER7kcxs …
View media
/
WhyLie / April 4, 2014
This has nothing to do with surrendered/captured people. Before you promote this crap learn about what you are watching.
You must be familiar with these scenes for sure,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaMqKJIl6VE
Aren’t they, except speaking in Tamil?
This is how LTTE treated surrendered/captured people!
/
Sama / April 4, 2014
Where did you get this from ? How come the heavily beaten soldiers stand up and leave the place without any signs of being powerless ?
/
Disgusted / April 4, 2014
Sri Lankan armed forces rescued over 300,000 Tamil civilian hostages herded around like cattle for months by the LTTE terrorists, as a human shield. Who will defend such a criminal bunch of human rights violaters? LTTE were experts at transplanting their crimes on others. LTTE always considered the Westerners, as well as the like of Louise Arbour, Navi Pillai, Callum Macrae as stupid, shallow and naïve. They are so bankrupt for evidence against the Army, Crimes the LTTE committed against the Sinhalese have been filmed and shown to unsuspecting foreign leaders and the public, as crimes committed by the Sri Lankan forces against Tamils. The latest has been at the UN during the recent hearing at the UNHRC meeting in Geneva. This has been exposed by the Sri Lankan officials, but how many other fabrications, the LTTE must be spreading just like the CH4 movie, which had been continually edited, whenever obvious blunders in the movie were exposed, such as men in rubber slippers wearing soldiers uniform, now deleted, men speaking in Tamil language now dubbed in Sinhalese, in the new version etc.
Those who worship Callum Macrae can’t be any better than him. His credibility is such, he was not even allowed to enter India, with his CH4 fiction. However, when at home he must be laughing at his masters.
/
sama / April 5, 2014
Very same armed forces reacted brutally and fired the innocent protesting parades in Rathupaswala not MONTHS ago, killing 3 youth and hurting over 50 or more. Not shooting the messengers, if govt did the job well, nothing like the current crisis with UN would have reached. The job could have done giving the priority to fair investigations. Have they convicted any soldiers that harmed the innocient. Not a single one. That is where they went fully wrong sending the messege to entire world that we the SRILANKENs are barbarians. Actually, we the srilankens (majority sinhalse) would not react the way the Rajapaskeh stupid men have painted it. Their stupid strategies have apart everyone, even will cause all divisions among the folks in the future.
The eleciton results have made this very clear though their interpretations are the opposite. Those pundits to interpret Geneva defeat as the GOSL to have won, in the same time, considerable abstentions to be misinterpreted for the sake of elections are just displaying the stupidity.
/
Ram / April 5, 2014
Macrae’s Channel 4 in further trouble with fakery
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2596704/Hit-Gogglebox-faces-fakery-claims.html
/
APDS / April 4, 2014
Moron unable to see the difference between an elected government (like the US/Sri Lanka) destroying a group of terrorists (like Al Qaeda/LTTE).
If the US had all of Al Qaeda trapped in a small area what would they do, negotiate?
/
Burning_Issue / April 4, 2014
“If the US had all of Al Qaeda trapped in a small area what would they do, negotiate?”
Of course the US would have negotiated the surrender! Even when they went to take out Bin Laden covertly, they did not wipe out his family members! Whereas the MR regime cold-bloodedly killed even those who surrendered including Balachandren who was a 10 year old! It is conspicuous that the regime did not care about killing vast amount civilians at will and recklessly disposed off any trace of evidence; so they thought!
/
APDS / April 4, 2014
You ever heard of Vietnam or Laos or Cambodia? It was a Burning Issue for the USA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_war_crimes
/
Burning_Issue / April 5, 2014
APDS,
Read again your own question that I quote below:
“If the US had all of Al Qaeda trapped in a small area what would they do, negotiate?”
I answered to your exact question and I stand by it. Can you show this forum that Laos and Cambodia were comparable to the situation that you referred to? Did the us ever confine their enemies in a small area where there was no escape? Think before you talk. Assault on Bin Laden is a good example that they did not kill unnecessarily and it is a fact.
/
Off the Cuff / April 6, 2014
Dear BI,
You ask “Did the us ever confine their enemies in a small area where there was no escape?”
The Forgotten Mai Lai perhaps.
mass murder of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968. It was committed by the U.S. Army soldiers from the Company C of the 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the 23rd (Americal) Infantry Division. Victims included women, men, children, and infants. Some of the women were gang-raped and their bodies mutilated. Twenty six soldiers were charged with criminal offenses, but only Second Lieutenant William Calley Jr., a platoon leader in C Company, was convicted. Found guilty of killing 22 villagers, he was originally given a life sentence, but served only three and a half years under house arrest. Wiki.
Two atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki when ONE would have been enough for Japan to capitulate.
Did the US negotiate a surrender after the FIRST A Bomb was dropped, to prevent the second and Hundreds of Thousands of more deaths (some VAPORIZED and many more Incinerated)?
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Burning_Issue / April 6, 2014
According to this bankrupt individual the US cornered their enemies into a tight place where there was no escape and still disgraced themselves. The US withdrew from Vietnam war with their tail between their legs. Please if you cannot answer the question in the subject matter in this discussion, you say nothing; you do not need to meddle in to rescue one of the chauvinist brigade!
I do mind the hard core Sinhala Buddhist chauvinists because I know where I stand with them. You on the other hand, are a dangerous individual who is intellectually dishonest and insidiously attempting to distort truth promoting Sinhala Buddhist supremacy with reckless disregard to righteousness.
/
Off the Cuff / April 7, 2014
Dear Burning Issue,
I answered your tongue in cheek question that implied that the US was honourable.
Your exact question is repeated below to remind you of it.
“Did the us ever confine their enemies in a small area where there was no escape?” My answer gave you an example of what the US did and how they punish their criminals when that criminality is directed at foreigners.
Up to 543 Civilians (infants, children, women and men) were SLAUGHTERED in the confined space of Mai Lai. Women were GANG RAPED. 26 soldiers were involved. What was the Punishment? Not even ONE of the Murderers and Rapists were Executed or Jailed. The Leader of that massacre and gang rape spent 3 years 6 months of HOUSE ARREST and was set Free
This is an exchange between you and APDS
APDS’s – If the US had all of Al Qaeda trapped in a small area what would they do, negotiate?
Burning Issue – Of course the US would have negotiated the surrender!
That was VERY EMPHATIC!
What proof did you have to be that Emphatic?
The colour of their skin?
Your intent was to draw parallels with Sri Lanka and the USA. You wanted to denigrate Sri Lanka while holding up the USA as paragons of virtue, without even an iota of evidence.
Who is intellectually dishonest?
I also showed you that the Americans did not negotiate surrender with the Japanese BEFORE they dropped the SECOND A Bomb on Japan vapourising an incinerating a further 100,000+ people. The first would have been enough or do you think Japan deserved the SECOND Atomic Bomb?
You have a tough time debating with me because I have sufficient facts to counter your insidious propaganda. When you get cornered, you always run away.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Eusense / April 4, 2014
Burn,
You are clueless! US will never negotiate or even let him live to talk. Why do you think the body was disposed without any photographs of him? Parayabakaran had his family involved in terror activities unlike Bin Laden. Who brings a 10 year old to a battle field other than a murderer? So where is the evidence of “killing vast amount civilians at will and recklessly disposed off”??
Do you even have a list of names of these “civilians” who were killed? None had names?? If people like you are concerned of vast killings of Tamils first thing you should do is document names of all victims to show legitimacy. 5 years have gone by, not a single civilian name is known, except a bunch of foreigners saying 40,000 to 100,00 killed!
/
Burning_Issue / April 5, 2014
Euse,
Yeah you are so clued on that your head is full of glue! You are so clued up that you do not even know as to why the Tamils cannot openly moan! What were all those women doing swamping Jon Snow of Channel 4 when he went to Jaffna with David Cameron? Why don’t you ask your master MR to free the press then you can tell me how many names of the people who perished in the last stages of the war?
/
Siri / April 5, 2014
His (Eusense the biggest nuisance) genome consists of donkey genes. We need to check his before wasting times to exchange with the man /ilk. If he opens his mouth, all about the race (we the sinhalese) whether I am proud.. .. we sinhalese bla bla.. These men should have born 2 centuries past. Then one would have thought – people ´s minds are not well improved, and so, that kind of race bound people should also be available.
/
Eusense / April 5, 2014
Burn,
So, what you are saying is all these vast amounts of victim’s information can’t be found because of the gov.’s press restrictions. But all other gov. killings, massacres, human right violations etc. etc. are found by various Tamil groups, NGOs, Channel 4, watch dogs, Navi Pillay, Tutu etc. etc. even without a free press?
What do you think? I was born yesterday??
/
Burning_Issue / April 5, 2014
Euse,
“What do you think? I was born yesterday??”
Yeah it looks like you were born a few hours ago! You cannot even spot your own contradiction; all evidences with photos and videos leaked out for various reasons. Could be Fonserka supporters; could be people making money out of selling them. Some good Sinhala collected and collated them and making them available to outside organisations. The Tamils could not have done this alone specially those in Sri Lanka. No matter how draconian the MR regime is it could not silence the people in this digital world.
Can you tell me as to why the MR regime has been fighting vigorously against UN investigations if they have nothing to hide?
/
James / April 5, 2014
Burning_Issue,
This Eusense is a Nusense with Nosense!
He does not seem to have even a little bit of common sense. He is asking for names of victims. Let him go and ask the people of the North, ask those women and they will give him in thousands. The people of Jaffna will also help him to find where the bodies were hidden by the army. If they allow an open/transparent independent investigation, not only the names but also the skeletons will be revealed to the world. Why do you think the govt. is so scared to allow an investigation, why do you think they are hiding the truth, if you think there was no such genocide then let them prove it by allowing an open investigation, they cannot because the truth will come out. The govt. is fighting tooth and nail with everybody who ask for an open investigation because they do not want the truth to come out.
Since this Eusense has a limited brain/thinking capacity, he may not understand these simple/obvious things.
/
eusense / April 5, 2014
Burn,
Answer my questions first. Why are the names of over 40000 civilians massacred by the DFSL missing? I can start hope you can continue to list the rest:
1. Parayabakaran
2. Balasingham Nadesan
3.Seevaratnam Puleedevan
4.Ramesh
5.____
6. _______
40000. ________
Now for your question, why SL is against an UN investigations. Sri lanka is not against. By principle every country that has committed or allegedly committed war crimes should be investigated by the UNHRC. That include the US, UK, Canada and countries of the EU who invaded Iraq and Afghanistan and committed war crimes. You being a reasonable guy I am sure you will agree with me on this. Once these investigations are completed SL should be subjected to an investigation.
/
James / April 5, 2014
Eusense
Wait a little more, the war criminal list is on the way.
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) today announced that they are going to release a list of Sri Lanka war criminals and perpetrators of Genocide for committing mass killing of Tamils and raping Tamil women.
The list of Sri Lankan war criminals and perpetrators of Genocide will likely to include the President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa, President`s brother and Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, senior security force officers and others who were responsible for the mass killing of Tamils and raping Tamil women says the TGTE.
I am interested in the list that’s coming out. I think this will be more popular that the 424 govt. put out.
/
eusense / April 5, 2014
James that reminds me where are the names of raped women? How many were raped? did they give birth to off-spring? Why are you or the pro terrorist Tamils not making a data base of all these? What do you think? the numbers don’t tally with what the pro-terrorists initially gave?
By the way, you said “ask women for the names and they will give him in thousands.” It won’t be that easy for those women. Not only names they need to give their birth certificates, school leaving certificates, employer certification, blood samples from the next in kin and a signed affidavit of authenticity of the claim.
By the way who cares about transnational Tamils or what they release.
/
Javi / April 6, 2014
“”Answer my questions first.””
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄(^O^)▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
No Sense the bumbling, fumbling, rambling,idiota wife beeter`|
`Goo`ta Goo bayaeee of Femme Fatale`|
No Sense, YOYO – You’re on your own; Zebra
/
Patriot / April 4, 2014
We have to keep in mind the genocidal aspects of the word “terrorism”. A pre cursor to all genocides is the de-humanizing of the target population. In the case of the Tamils, the method used to dehumanize them is to brand as “Terrorists” anyone who does not assimilate or embrace an imposed “minority” status. Once you are branded as such, you no longer have “human rights” because you are no longer considered “human” in the eyes of the state. In the perverted eyes of the state, it is legitimate to strip you naked and shoot you in the back of the head because you are a “terrorist”; you are not a full human being.
/
Burning_Issue / April 4, 2014
Patriot,
I completely agree. It is this dehumanisation that is still at play; one only has to read some of the comments on these forums! Once all the Tamils have been categorised into an evil category, it will be easy to perpetrate cruelty and justify. It is exactly what has been happening Sri Lanka. When outsiders see and cringe at the graphic evidences, the Sinhala are by and large mute!
/
Thiru / April 4, 2014
Devilish Rajapakses, Sri Lanka state, its armed forces, and Sinhala Buddhist supremacy of Maha-nama (great name?) and his philosophy of Maha-vamsa (Great race?) has come to the end of the road in my opinion.
Let’s await how the future unfolds.
/
lal / April 4, 2014
The whole world acknowledges the LTTE were thugs, drug peddlars, murderers, human traffickers, thieves and R rated scum. The new laws enacted are in recognition of the fact there are supporters of the LTTE terrorists who need be monitored and if possible to extradite and bring to task (as with KP). UNHRC will not be allowed to set foot on Sri Lanka, but if they conduct an inquiry outside of Sri Lanka then LTTE supporters in the diaspora who sponsored murder and carnage in Sri Lanka will be prosecuted and may make their way into Welikada and other centres of ‘hospitality’. A ‘welcome’ awaits the criminals of the diaspora. You could be a ‘guest’ too since it appears you have the necessary qualifications.
Ushah S, you have waged war and suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Sinhala forces. Get used to it! Or, do you find writing garbage a consoling past-time.
/
Native Vedda / April 4, 2014
lallu
“The whole world acknowledges the LTTE were thugs, drug peddlars, murderers, human traffickers, thieves and R rated scum.”
You are dead right.
However here is an amendment to your comment:
The whole world acknowledges the LTTE were and the state, clan, and cronies are thugs, drug paddlers, murderers, human traffickers, thieves and R rated scum.
Hope we can now agree on a common statement.
/
kali / April 4, 2014
Lol:
If you want to meet a Thug, Criminal and a Terrorist go to Temple Trees.
If you want to lorry load of Drugs go to the Prime Minister but if you want a few days fix go to the Police. The above have a monopoly over everything you have listed.
By the way if you want to buy a Gun go to Dhuminda
/
siri / April 4, 2014
Alleged war criminals dont care about the future of the country. Today, he appointed drug dealing criminals AGAIN as provincial council ministers. No any kind of proper investigations were held with that “Lanza”… This is the country we call ” today´s SRILANKA”. Once upon a time, we had leaders that respected dignity of life.
/
Siri / April 4, 2014
These are not signs the bugger has ever paid any attention even after UN passed an UN resolution with the approval of 23 countries. If entire world would ask him to work on human rights violations, crimes and abuses, nothing he would listen. Sometimes back now, this particular “Lanza” was visited by president himself at the time his drug dealings were caught by the police. That looked as if drug smuggling related business are being carried out with the full support of the incumbent president of this nation. However, those cases related to drug dealings were burried under the carpet, as was the case with Duminda´s Baratha murder, telling something palatable to the parliament. No opposition had the power or their voices were not respected either. Rajapakshes today talk about election victories in a place anything and everything is done according to authoritarian schedules.
/
Lasantha / April 5, 2014
You don’t need to sell drugs or ethenol now to make money.
If you have a laser jet printer, you could print your own money at home.
It is that simple to print Cheap looking currency notes in your home at your convenience.
Balu Mara ruined and killed Sri Lanka’s money.
/
Shiva / April 4, 2014
The world has failed to understand the terrorism and genocide committed against the innocent Tamils by the Sinhala Buddhist Apartheid chauvinistic forces and leaders.
As well known Indian Journalists wrote that Italian Sonia Gandhi is accountable for the genocide of the Eelam Tamils and Malayalee mafias including MK Narayanan who has been promoted as a Governor despite he failed in the Bombay attacks. It is not a surprise that India has joined their arc enemy Pakistan and China to derail the UNHRC resolution. Foolish Indian public are mostly illiterate and made as slaves by corruption, continue to elect alleged criminals to parliament. Sri Lankan and the Indian Criminal leaders have something in common and they are licenced terrorists as they are in power.
/
Moda Putha / April 4, 2014
Usha, your observations on DBS is sad but true, he was a man I admired for his knowledge of local politics and his ability to scoop info literally as it happens – “on line real time” !! But sadly the man has mounting financial pressure in Canada and more disappointingly heavily dependent on liquids. He returned to SL a few months ago to make peace with the govt and has therefore had to change his stance to ensure he is allowed to return and live in SL. So he has sold his soul to the devils. It is obvious from his views that he is no longer the neutral, objective journalist we once respected him for.
/
punchinilame / April 4, 2014
DBSJ story of “assassination” is release of hidden feelings. Deshapriya
Sunananda will not write on behalf of MRs governance, being a Sinhala
as he had to seek foreign protection. So too DBS, being Tamil will not
write in favor of the LTTE, as he had to hide Overseas following being
assaulted by LTTE Intelligence in the presence of his wife? DBSJ might be a Top journalist, yet he is human. He better slow down now
that a diaspora-driven Genocidal Investigation is forthcoming?
/
kali / April 4, 2014
Usha:
You have touched the Untouchable and may have earned the wrath of Dayan who is the mouthpiece of the King and his subjects. In his words if you are outside the Country you are now a persona non grata and a Fatwa has been declared on you.
In the Sinhalese Vocabulary any Tamil who dreams of Freedom is a Terrorist.
/
Crazyoldmansl / April 4, 2014
“the unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.”
I think that the LTTE practiced this and that it was one of its main strategies. I think that the government also practices the same thing.
/
fernando / April 5, 2014
I wish Oll the INGO go hell.
/
Native Vedda / April 5, 2014
fernando
“I wish Oll the INGO go hell.”
Hence INGOs are coming to Sri Lanka.
Your wish has been granted.
Am surprised, how did you manage that?
/
Amarasiri / April 5, 2014
Native Vedda,
“” fernando “I wish Oll the INGO go hell.” Hence INGOs are coming to Sri Lanka. “
What a pity.
The Para-Sinhala and Para-Tamil have turned the Garden of Eden of Native Veddaa to a hell.
Now I NGO are coming to clean it up.
What a pity.
The best the I NGO can do is to help send back the Paras back to their Native India.
/
Fathima Fukushima / April 5, 2014
Terrorist!
/
Fathima Fukushima / April 5, 2014
Tamils are still without a nation of their own! :(
What a bunch of losers.
/
Fathima Fukushima / April 5, 2014
If I catch a terrorist can I LEGALLY do whatever I please to the terrorist?
Will that law change if the terrorist is a woman?
/
Ram / April 5, 2014
Channel 4, the most popular ‘news’ channel is in trouble yet again.
Channel 4 in fakery storm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2596704/Hit-Gogglebox-faces-fakery-claims.html
/
Off the Cuff / April 5, 2014
Dear Ms Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah,
You wrote “In the event of a face-off it would be up to Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council to resolve the problem I would think. Going by the previous two Panels’ impeccable credentials,…..”
Of course, here is an example of those IMPECCABLE CREDENTIALS!
The ICRC defines the war crime of using a Human Shield in Chapter 39 Rule 97 as follows (http://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_cha_chapter32_rule97).
1. the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia qualified physically securing or otherwise holding peacekeeping forces against their will at potential NATO air targets, including ammunition bunkers, a radar site and a communications center, as using “human shields”
2. It can be concluded that use of human shields requires an intentional co-location of military objectives and civilians or persons hors de combat with the specific intent of trying to prevent the targeting of those military objectives.
There is indisputable evidence that the LTTE intentionally collocated military objectives and civilians to prevent the targeting of military objectives.
Here is an extract from the report that Mr. Marzuki Darusman, Ms Yasmin Sooka and Steven R. Ratner wrote.
1. Using civilians as a human buffer
237. Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions: Credible allegations point to a violation of Common Article 3’s ban on the taking of hostages insofar as they forced thousands of civilians, often under threat of death, to remain in areas under their control during the last stages of the war and enforced this control by killing persons who attempted to leave that area. (With respect to the credible allegations of the LTTE’s refusal to allow civilians to leave the combat zone, the Panel believes that these actions did not, in law, amount to the use of human shields insofar as it did not find credible evidence of the LTTE deliberately moving civilians towards military targets to protect the latter from attacks as is required by the customary definition of that war crime (Rule 97, ICRC Study)
End Extract
1. Kindly explain how the conflicting interpretation of the International Human Rights Law came about? Due to Impeccable Credentials?
2. Why did the Panel rename Human Shield as a Human buffer?
Have the members of the UN Panel of Ban Ki Moon been BRIBED by the world’s 2nd richest Terrorist Organization with an estimated US$ 300 million annual income?
Is that character certificate that you gave the Darusman panel a Goebbelsian one?
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Shiva / April 6, 2014
@Off the Cuff – You are right that the Sinhalese leaders and the public will never understand what is democracy, freedom, human rights, rule of law, justice, accountability and they continue to question even if it is laid out by International experts as the Sinhalese only understand violence and crimes.
Unless the international community deliver a blunt response just it did in Serbia and Libya and bring the perpetrators to the ICC, there is unlikely a accountability process completed.
This is clearly exposing that there is no reconciliation possible and only solution is to have Eelam for the Tamils, similar to the pre colonial period. Over 120 million Tamils all over the world is united and continue to demand for accountability, justice and Eelam for the Tamils. Tamils are determined than ever before and put an end to the Sinhala Buddhist Apartheid barbarianism, chauvinism and racism.
/
Off the Cuff / April 6, 2014
Dear Shiva,
What in the world are you writing about?
My post is about the UN’s Human Rights Law and how the Darusman Panel’s Interpretation goes counter to the ICRC Interpretation.
Please read and understand before attempting to respond. I have referenced documents that are available on the Internet.
The ICRC reference is the AUTHORITATIVE Interpretation of the Law.
The Darusman report is already in the Public Domain and cannot be altered. It is a corruption of that Law.
How did that come about?
The BIG GUNS of the TGTE, including it’s Prolific Goebbelsian propagandist, Ms Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah and her separatist Hurrah boys and Girls are SILENT because they understand the implications.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Ram / April 6, 2014
” In sharply criticising the ban, human rights groups have said the ban was based on no verifiable evidence “
Why do we suddenly need verifiable evidence ?
Gordon Weiss did not need any.
Rayappu Joseph did not need any.
Darusman and Navi Pillay did not need any.
The LTTE worshipping entities abroad, now banned, did not need any.
/
Javi / April 7, 2014
“|”Why do we suddenly need verifiable evidence ? “|”
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▌
░░░░░卐░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░▌
Ram, Talks All The Time`|
Throckmorton’s Sign = To Pass The Time
[in the unconscious male, the penis points to the injury]
/
Thanga / April 8, 2014
It is a brazen lie to claim that “Sri Lankan armed forces rescued over 300,000 Tamil civilian hostages herded around like cattle for months by the LTTE terrorists, as a human shield.” If this is true why did the Thamil people voted against Mahinda Rajapaksa and his UPFA in every election held in the North and East since 2009?” Those who make such claim are deluding themselves. The government is deployeing 16 divisions of the army in the North (14) and East (2) to subjugate and lord over them. The fact is the LTTE still remains popular among the people as before. This is because they defended the Thamils against Sinhala STATE TERRORISM.” If you are still in doubt, let us hold a referendum among the Thamils. Like the one in Kosovo, South Sudan and recently Crimia. The referendum held under the principle of right of self-determination of the Crimian people was endorsed by Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L.Peiris. The EAM statement said: “In keeping with Sri Lanka’s consistent policy of recognising democratically elected Heads of State, the unconstitutional removal of President Viktor Yanukovych from office is regretted, and has aggravated the present political uncertainty in Ukraine. While acknowledging the justifiable concerns of the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka also welcomes attempts at de-escalating the tension……”
/
Anpu / April 8, 2014
“The government is deployeing 16 divisions of the army in the North (14) and East (2) to subjugate and lord over them.”
On google map http://ustpac.org/reports/sinhalization/
/
Off the Cuff / April 8, 2014
Dear Thanga,
You wrote “It is a brazen lie to claim that “Sri Lankan armed forces rescued over 300,000 Tamil civilian hostages herded around like cattle for months by the LTTE terrorists, as a human shield”
That is not a claim. Its a statement of Fact.
UNSG’s Darusman Panel states “Credible allegations point to a violation of Common Article 3’s ban on the taking of hostages insofar as they forced thousands of civilians, often under threat of death, to remain in areas under their control during the last stages of the war and enforced this control by killing persons who attempted to leave that area”
You are looking up and spitting without realizing that it falls on your face!
You ask “If this is true why did the Thamil people voted against Mahinda Rajapaksa and his UPFA in every election held in the North and East since 2009?”
When was the last time the North voted for a multi ethnic, multi cultural party instead of a Mono Ethnic racist party?
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Dawn Dale / April 8, 2014
why do tamils go-on repeating these false propaganda ? is it that they do not want to face they were betrayed by Praba who was actually responsible for death of innocent tamils by forcibly keeping them to protect the LTTE and him. is it too bitter a pill to swallow ? so they have to project the guilt to somewhere else, hence the Gov. ? India too betrayed them showing only reason they supported Geneva was because of tamil nadu vote. West will also do the same.
/