Families who fled Velikamam North area 20 years ago return to find that they are in the middle of a jungle with no access and irregular water supply, says the Tamil National Alliance.
M.A. Sumanthiran MP
After the TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran‘s visit to the families in the recently cleared areas in Velikamam North which is in the periphery of the high security zone, the TNA says; “Families are seen returning to places which were their homes to find roofs gone and walls unstable. As living is not a possibility in the present situation they are seen returning to their homes and cooking just to take procession of what is their own.
“Although local government officials are striving to do everything within their means their efforts are like a drop in the ocean due to the lack of funds. In addition to the same villages in the areas which have been released areas have houses occupied by the military”
Sumanthiran appeals to the government to urgently release funds so that families could return to their homes and live normal lives.
He further went on to reiterate the need for the government to expedite the release of a large area of land which is still awaiting release.
Dr.Rajasngham Narendran / May 2, 2015
These unfortunate people were forcibly dispossessed and displaced to create the high security zones. It was the duty of the government to have taken care of these properties, some of which were used by the security forces. Unfortunately this was not done and in fact several building were deliberately destroyed even after the war ended. The armed forces should also vacate buildings they continue to occupy in the recently released lands and police stations should be activated instead.
The government and the armed forces are liable to rebuild or replace the damaged houses, places of worship, commercial buildings, wells,roads, etc. It is also a moral and ethical responsibility towards citizens who have paid a very heavy price and continue to do so even six years after the war.
There is an immediate need for restorative justice.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
/
Ben Hurling / May 2, 2015
6 years after the end of the war. This problem is still dragging on. This is intolerable.
Sumanthiran should not relax until the new GOSL solves this issue for good as promised.
Cheers!
PS: Rather than expediting these problems, our legislators are busy feasting, boozing and brawling at Water’s Edge. Every single night.
/
Off the Cuff / May 4, 2015
Dear Dr Rajasingham Narendran,
There is always two sides to a story. Why does Heretic say what he says? (May 2, 2015 at 8:02 am, May 2, 2015 at 8:11 am)
Heretic is a Vellala Jaffna Tamil who is a Christian and a Landowner. He lives in Jaffna (He disclosed his personal details during a previous discussion).
Anyone unfamiliar with Jaffna Tamil society reading all these stories of homelessness will come to conclusions based on their normal experiences. This is the intent of these stories. Let alone the foreigners, even Sri Lankans would not see the actual picture.
The Propaganda is so effective and cunning.
How many have realised what Heretic tries to say? Judging by the attacks on him by fellow Tamils who tries to prevent Heretic’s disclosures, almost none.
Jaffna society is anything but normal. For centuries at least 80% of the population did not own a house to begin with. That had nothing to do with the govt but had everything to do with Tamil Rule of the North by the Rich and Powerful.
Sixty percent of the population had no right to own land. They were under a PROHIBITION enforced by the Tamil Rich and Powerful. More than half of those who could, were too poor to own it.
The majority lived in Ghettos as slaves of the Land owners who controlled ALL means of production and hence controlled the livelihoods of the populace.
Why then is this focus on land that over 80% of the population did not own? The entire coastline, 300 meters from the high tide mark and 2 km inland from the mouth of any lagoon is State land anyway.
This is the tragedy of the North, the focus has always been on the rich and the powerful while the needs of the overwhelming majority population is relegated to the dustbin. It is only used as propaganda to achieve the needs of the Rich and Powerful. It has been so for Centuries and sadly it is still the same today.
Take for instance the scarcity of fresh water in the Peninsular which Heretic has pointed to. The ONLY source of Fresh Water is rain. The annual rainfall is 50 inches and the majority of it falls from Oct-Dec during the NE monsoon. Nothing is stored and excess water drains to the sea.
Agriculture is rain dependent and mechanised lift irrigation has turned a third of the wells in Jaffna salty and unfit for irrigation and drinking.
What has been done about it by the TNA led NPC and before that by the ALL Tamil political leadership since Independence?
Nothing?
While the war was raging the Govt repaired and completed the Thondamanaru Barrage in 2008 at a cost of 100 million on the orders of MR (give the man his due). This was originally completed in 1953 but fell into disrepair due to the efficiency of the ALL TAMIL Political and Administrative leadership (all 11 MPs and 14 DRO’s. The GA was some times non Tamil).
It is situated 925 meters from the lagoon’s sea opening (575 meters from Thondamanaru bridge) and is on State Land. This once again converted the Vadamarachchi Lagoon into a Fresh Water Lake of 80 sq km surface area. It has a 300 sq km catchment and converted a large extent of previously uncultivatable Brackish Land into cultivable land.
A barrage was built in Arialai in 1955 to prevent Sea water from getting into the Upparu lagoon (at the entrance to Jaffna). This converted Upparu to a fresh water Lake. Again it fell into disrepair due to the efficiency of the ALL TAMIL Political leadership. This barrage is also built on State Land.
Currently land under Paddy is about 20,000 acres.
The conversion of Vadamarachchi and Upparu lagoons to fresh water lakes opened up a further 11,000 acres of previously Saline uncultivable land for cultivation. This was lost when sea water was allowed to re enter these two lakes. Does the TNA’s Wigneswaran, Sumanthiran, Sampanthan and the others talk about it? Does ANY TAMIL politician talk about it?
Water, the Vital commodity for life is neglected, while a Land Owning 20% who mostly live OUTSIDE the North in Colombo and elsewhere keep Shouting about Land which the overwhelming Tamil majority NEVER OWNED.
What has the govt done post war?
Up to March 2013 the amounts spent by govt on Welfare of IDP, De-mining, Resettlement, Roads, Transport, Electricity, Water Supply, Irrigation, Health, Education, Housing, Courts, Agriculture, Fisheries, Livelihood, Telecoms etc is a Whooping Rs202,000,000,000.
Total cost of mine clearance alone up to March 2013 was Rs19,502,000,000. Lankan Govt contribution was Rs 11,374,000,000. The foreign contribution was Rs 8,128,000,000.
The people of the North can even walk without getting blown to bits because of this massive and unprecedented spending.
By now the money spent would have exceeded 250 billion.
————
Satellite views for those who are skeptical
Arialai Barrage
https://www.google.com/maps/@9.6646222,80.0692823,395m/data=!3m1!1e3
Thondamanar Barrage
https://www.google.com/maps/@9.812446,80.130509,395m/data=!3m1!1e3
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 4, 2015
Dear OTC.
There is an element of truth in what Heretic says. I have made some comments on the land issue below.
What is of concern is the vast areas of land in the peninsula and the Vanni occupied by the armed forces, far in excess of their needs. Some of these lands are being also cultivated by the armed forces in direct , but unfair competition with farmers of the areas concerned.The armed forces can cultivate at lower cost (salary costs are not included) and with improved technology than the local farmers. The case of the high security lands in Valikammam north is a case for despair. Valuable and fertile cultivable land has become jungle and shrub, and will take decades and much investment to restore to their former state.
The other factor is that large areas of the State land around the coast are longer accessible to the local folk for fishing and recreational activities, as was the case before. Many army and Navy camps abut the sea.
These are genuine grievances.
The percentages being thrown around may be for effect than fact. Of course there is an element of political rhetoric, as in all such discourses.
Dr.RN
/
Off the Cuff / May 5, 2015
Dear Dr RN,
Re “What is of concern is the vast areas of land in the peninsula and the Vanni occupied by the armed forces,”
.
Yes I understand that but my point is why was this concern not seen when 11,000 acres were becoming uncultivable due to progressive salinity over several decades? Why was 11,000 acres of fertile land negligible then? Is it because the military was not present at that time?
Did they suddenly realize the loss of cultivable land ONLY after the military came to Jaffna, decades later, due to a terrorist problem? Is this really about the agricultural land or about the presence of the military? It sure as hell looks like the later under the circumstances.
I am not making excuses about the military’s use of land but I cannot see any genuine concern for the Tamil peasantry by the Tamil politicians. They are using the Tamil polity in their dirty game of power politics. This is what they did since Independence and they are still at it. The TNA was Prabahkaran’s mouthpiece.
Re “Some of these lands are being also cultivated by the armed forces in direct , but unfair competition with farmers of the areas concerned”
.
The Army on hostile land has to have it’s own food lest they expose themselves to poisoning. Even in the South they grow their own food and any excess is available for sale at their outlets. Many in the South frequent those outlets because you get wholesome food at the correct weight and competitive prices. The available quantities and outlets are limited and local farmers have not protested.
If the army is trying to compete with your local farmers by making available to the Northern public unlimited quantities of produce undercutting the farmers then that is a reason for concern. This could easily be solved by discussion and asking the army not to sell it to the Local population.
Alternatively, in order to protect the local consumer, you can use the Army’s produce to act as a deterrent against price escalation by unscrupulous traders by asking them to offer for sale only a limited quantity (which you decide) for the people in Jaffna.
Do you really believe that the Army top brass in the North will not listen to such a reasonable request? If they don’t (which I doubt) MS will surely do. I think that problem can be solved overnight without the hue and cry.
Why is the TNA not doing so instead of chest thumping?
Isn’t this dirty politics?
.
Re “The other factor is that large areas of the State land around the coast are longer accessible to the local folk for fishing and recreational activities, as was the case before. Many army and Navy camps abut the sea”
.
The alternative to occupying State Land is to acquire and occupy private land. That will only allow the TNA more opportunity to inflame feelings.
As I pointed out before, 300 meters landward from the high tide mark all along the coast and 2km landward from the outlet to the sea of an inland water body is State land. This applies to the whole island not just the North (2 km to the sea from the low tide mark is also under the jurisdiction of the coast conservation dept).
I agree with you that normalcy requires easy access to the seashore and the sea for recreation. When you say fishing I believe you mean traditional fishing with nets and fishing poles and I agree that this should be allowed too. Was negotiation with military authorities unsuccessful? If so was it brought to the govt’s notice? This should not be a big issue to solve.
As I said in my earlier comment 80% of the Northern population did not own a House or Land for centuries. The majority of them lived in Ghettos at the pleasure of Rich Land owners. Hence Land is not the real issue that effects the majority of Northern Tamils, fresh water is.
The TOTAL neglect of that issue by the Tamil politicians exposes their real aims.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 5, 2015
Dear OTC,
Politics and politicians are the curse on this country. I hope the 19th and 20th amendments will help correct the situation under a newly elected government, with Sirisena as president and Wickremasinghe as PM. We definitely to elect persons of intelligence, contemplation and wisdom to parliament.
The need to improve the quality of water and reclaim land that adjoin the lagoons for agriculture were recognised from Dutch colonial times. The Jaffna River project was proposed by a Engineer Arumugam as a result. Unfortunately, the political will was absent to complete it at both the national and local level. Now district level politics has intervened to further thwart this project. To the credit of the MR government the Ariyalai-Navatkuli and the Thandaimannar barrages were repaired soon after the war. A bund was also built to stop the inflow of sea water at elephant pass by the army, during the last war. Only a three kilometre long canal remains to be built to connect the elephant pass lagoon water to the peninsular lagoon system, to complete the structural work on the river project. Of course, the overflow from the Itrranaimadu tank has to be permitted to flow into the elephant pass lagoon, provided the new issues raised with regard to this are resolved . If the river project becomes operational an additional 11
The poisoning possibility with relation to army camps in non-existent. Wickremaratne & co has established a network of cold stores and vehicles, to collect vegetables & fruits from Jaffna farmers and supply army camps. Further, soldiers can be seen shopping for food items in northern towns.
I welcome your open mindedness in accepting the true nature of some issues.
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 5, 2015
Dear OTC,
Politics and politicians are the curse on this country. I hope the 19th and 20th amendments will help correct the situation under a newly elected government, with Sirisena as president and Wickremasinghe as PM. We definitely to elect persons of intelligence, contemplation and wisdom to parliament.
The need to improve the quality of water and reclaim land that adjoin the lagoons for agriculture were recognised from Dutch colonial times. The Jaffna River project was proposed by a Engineer Arumugam as a result. Unfortunately, the political will was absent to complete it at both the national and local level. Now district level politics has intervened to further thwart this project. To the credit of the MR government the Ariyalai-Navatkuli and the Thandaimannar barrages were repaired soon after the war. A bund was also built to stop the inflow of sea water at elephant pass by the army, during the last war. Only a three kilometre long canal remains to be built to connect the elephant pass lagoon water to the peninsular lagoon system, to complete the structural work on the river project. Of course, the overflow from the Itrranaimadu tank has to be permitted to flow into the elephant pass lagoon, provided the new issues raised with regard to this are resolved . If the river project becomes operational an additional 11,000 acres of land can be opened up for cultivation and the water quality in the entire peninsular will improve.
If this happens, the major problem would be to find the human resources and skills to make these lands productive.
The poisoning possibility with relation to army camps in non-existent. Wickremaratne & co has established a network of cold stores and vehicles, to collect vegetables & fruits from Jaffna farmers and supply army camps. Further, soldiers can be seen shopping for food items in northern towns.
I welcome your open mindedness in accepting the true nature of some issues.
Dr.RN
/
Heretic / May 5, 2015
DR RN and OTC,
“Politics and politicians are the curse on this country.”
Almost always only short term thinking to get votes and power.
“Unfortunately, the political will was absent to complete it at both the national and local level.”
Even when there is political will in Colombo and funds available Jaffna goverment servants don’t implement decisions. Almost all of them are Tamils. I suspect that the Tamil politicians still control the government servants here and because of this even good decisions won’t be implemented. It was the same when the LTTE was here. I think that TNA got 80% of the votes here and thus we can maybe assume that about 80% of the government servants support TNA.
Just look at the recent water crises in Chunnakam. It has taken a lot of time to study it and we still don’t have any results or real corrective action despite many studies. Nobody seems to be in charge. The PM, President and a Muslim minister whose name I forgot have decided to send a large R/O system to Jaffna. Will this decision be implemented and if so how many years will it take?
“Further, soldiers can be seen shopping for food items in northern towns.”
I also have seen them in markets and shops. The order to cultivate vegetables has been canceled or “forgotten” by the members of the security forces. I used to see them cultivating vegetables on the sides of major roads. Now this doesn’t happen and even most of the check points are gone.
I believe that fishing also is not very much controlled today like it was before. Actually the Navy and Coast Guard are protecting Jaffna fishermen from the Indians.
I welcome your open mindedness in accepting the true nature of some issues. Dr.RN
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 5, 2015
Dear OTC,
Politics and politicians are the curse on this country. I hope the 19th and 20th amendments will help correct the situation under a newly elected government, with Sirisena as president and Wickremasinghe as PM. We definitely to elect persons of intelligence, contemplation and wisdom to parliament.
The need to improve the quality of water and reclaim land that adjoin the lagoons for agriculture were recognised from Dutch colonial times. The Jaffna River project was proposed by a Engineer Arumugam as a result. Unfortunately, the political will was absent to complete it at both the national and local level. Now district level politics has intervened to further thwart this project. To the credit of the MR government the Ariyalai-Navatkuli and the Thandaimannar barrages were repaired soon after the war. A bund was also built to stop the inflow of sea water at elephant pass by the army, during the last war. Only a three kilometre long canal remains to be built to connect the elephant pass lagoon water to the peninsular lagoon system, to complete the structural work on the river project. Of course, the overflow from the Itrranaimadu tank has to be permitted to flow into the elephant pass lagoon, provided the new issues raised with regard to this are resolved . If the river project becomes operational an additional 11,po
The poisoning possibility with relation to army camps in non-existent. Wickremaratne & co has established a network of cold stores and vehicles, to collect vegetables & fruits from Jaffna farmers and supply army camps. Further, soldiers can be seen shopping for food items in northern towns.
I welcome your open mindedness in accepting the true nature of some issues.
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 5, 2015
My apologies for the triple entry. I am having some problems with mu iPad.
Dr.RN
/
Vibhushana / May 2, 2015
Hello Dr. RN,
Restorative justice? Thats a bit rich isn’t it? Tamil indentured labor shipped to Jaffna run amok trying to create a separate state damaging the country.
Restorative justice in any moral and ethical standpoint should be for Tamils to head back to Tamil Nadu. Not just return there but pay for the damages before getting on that ship isn’t it?
/
Ben Hurling / May 2, 2015
Vibhushana,
What’s with all the repulsive venom against people of our own country?
If Sri Lankan Tamils are to be shipped anywhere, it will back to Sri Lanka. Their home. Forever. Whether you like it or not.
Cheers!
PS: I have nothing against shipping Sri Lankan racists though. Be they Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims to Andaman Islands or Diego Garcia.
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 2, 2015
Vibhushana,
They are citizens of Sri Lanka, as much as you are!
Mitochondrial studies confirm that they are more unique to this island than you probably are!
Dr.RN
/
Off the Cuff / May 3, 2015
Dear Dr RN,
Today even the former “Stateless” Indian Tamils are Lankan Citizens.
Re “Mitochondrial studies confirm that they are more unique to this island than you probably are!”
That statement is incorrect.
It is the INDIAN Tamils who are genetically Unique in Lanka. This is not surprising as we know for a fact that they were South Indian Aliens in Lanka when they arrived here in the 19th century.
They do not have a genetic connection either with the Lanka Tamils or Sinhalese (except those Sinhalese from Bambarabedda and Bandaraduwa with whom they have intermarried).
What is strange is that though the Tamils in the Plantations are from South India (which is a known fact), the Lanka Tamils are not genetically connected to them but are genetically connected to the Sinhalese. This raises doubts about the origins of the Lanka Tamils.
quote
“However, Indian Tamils were separated from the rest of the Sri Lankan subgroups, except SU-Bam and SL-Ban, on the first PC axis. This is further strengthening of the hypothesis that Indian Tamils are genetically distinct from the rest of the Sri Lankan ethnic groups”.
unquote
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Dr.Rajasngham Narendran / May 3, 2015
Dear OTC.
I am right in my assertion on the basis of the latest scientific study using mitochondrial DNA markers by Ranawana et.al (2014). The following was my response to you in another thread in Colombo Telegraph some time back:
” While asserting that I have little interest in our past as a country, beyond an academic inquisitiveness and am more interested in what we make of the here and now realities, to take a more sensible road towards the future.
I am aware of the genetic study you have highlighted, but will however interpret the results differently. Since the indegenous Tamils of Sri Lanka have no Veddha gene markers, they have no Veddha ancestry or connections. Since the Tamils have a large percentage of Sinhala gene markers and the Sinhalese have a large percentage of Tamil (India) gene markers, the question arises how the Tamil (Indian) gene markers in the Sinhalese were not transmitted to the indigenous Tamils. How did the Sinhalese end up with a largest percentage of Tamil (India)gene markers?
This data should make those who want the Tamils to go back to India shut up. What are the gene markers that are uniquely Sinhalese that were transmitted to the Tamils, leaving behind part that was Tamil (Indian)? How are the Indian Tamil genemarkers different from the indegenous Lankan Tamils? If the Lankan Tamil gene markers are largely Sinhalese, could it be that the Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese share the same gene markers, which could point to an evolution of the Sinhalese from a Lankan Tamil base or a common indigenous origin in part? The larger percentage of Bengali gene markers in Lankan Tamils, compared to the Sinhalese mean to me that the Bengali gene marker mingling was in an original Tamil or Tamil-like population, which was diluted to a greater extent in the Sinhalese by the mingling with Tamil(Indians), Veddahs and others.
The Yarlpana Vaipava Maalai, refers also to the Vijaya legend. In simplified terms the Lankan Tamils are more Sinhalese than the Sinhalese and the Sinhalese are more Indian than the Lankan Tamils. Since there are no Veddha genes in the Lankan Tamils, it appears that the latter have not intermingled with the Veddahs. The question thus arises whether the Lankan Tamils and the Veddhas co-existed in ancient Lanka, without intermingling to any meaningful degree. The performance of poojas by descendants of the Veddhas in the Katirkamam Murugan (Skanda) shrine to this day, points to mutual respect and co-existence. Further, in Hindu mythology, one of Lord Murugan’s consorts is a Veddah maiden from Lanka. Murugan is a God worshipped largely by the Tamils. This confirms that Veddhas were known to the Tamils from ancient times.The Veddhas are not mentioned in the Mahavamsa. These deductions point to the possibility that the Tamils or their progenitors qualify to be the second nation, if not the first nation in Sri Lanka.
Let me conclude by affirmimg that whatever we were genetically or are now, have little relevance to the Sri Lanka of the 21st century. Let us make this a nation of equal citizens and respected communities. This will be democracy in its real meaning, provided that citizens are governed by a visionary constitution, the rule of law and unimpeachable institutional arrangements.
April 17, 2014 at 10:00 am”
I think the Sirisena- Wickremasinghe government has set its sights right to organise a State that is citizen rather than community oriented. while respecting and accomadating communal identities in the mosaic that is Sri Lanka.
Dr.RN
/
Off the Cuff / May 3, 2015
Dear Dr RN,
Re yours “I am right in my assertion on the basis of the latest scientific study using mitochondrial DNA markers by Ranawana et.al (2014)”
.
The passage that I quoted was from the Ranawana study.
.
quote
“However, Indian Tamils were separated from the rest of the Sri Lankan subgroups, except SU-Bam and SL-Ban, on the first PC axis. This is further strengthening of the hypothesis that Indian Tamils are genetically distinct from the rest of the Sri Lankan ethnic groups”.
unquote
Please note The Indian Tamils referred to above are the Plantation Tamils.
We “KNOW” the Plantation Tamils are from South India.
The Lanka Tamils “SAY” they are also from South India.
If the Lanka Tamil assertion is true, they should have a genetic connection with the Plantation Tamils. But they do not have such a connection (according to Ranawana).
The Plantation Tamils are UNIQUE within the Sri Lankan Population. They have no genetic connection to Lanka Tamils, no genetic connection to Sinhalese, no genetic connection to the Vedda.
Thus the Hypothesis put forward by the Lanka Tamils claiming that they originated from South India is not supported by the LATEST available Scientific data.
Hence your assertion is incorrect if you are basing it on the Ranawana study.
Reading the second paragraph of your earlier reply I observe that you are confusing the 1995 Dr Kshatriya report with the latest one. Dr Kshatriaya based his report on Genetic Distance (that’s how he chooses the Parental populations). The Latest Ranawana report deals with Mitochondrial DNA.
Mitochondrial DNA is considered to provide more reliable results than those studies based on Genetic Distance.
The answer to the question you raise in that second para of yours will be apparent when you consider the relationship with three successive generations.
Grand Father, Father and son
The son will have the least amount of DNA contribution from the Grand father who is more distant to him than his own father. I will not elaborate more on this in order to prevent confusion as we are discussing Mitochondrial Genetics. But you as a medical man will understand the significance.
BTW I don’t believe Tamils, whether plantation or indigenous are not Sri Lankan. They most certainly are Sri Lankan and are entitled to equal rights as Sri Lankans with other Sri Lankans.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 4, 2015
Dear OTC,
Please read the Ranawana et. al (2014) paper in full. I am sure you will then understand the facts I have summarised, the questions I have raised and the inferences I have drawn. The single paragraph you have quoted does not do justice to what could be an epochal piece of research on what fundamentally blights Lankan politics.
Regards,
Dr.RN
/
Off the Cuff / May 4, 2015
Dear Dr RN,
I presented my argument after studying the report. The quotations I used are verbatim and unmodified.
I would like to read your arguments supported by relevant quotes and any counter argument you have, to what I have presented. My conclusions are always subject to correction by rational arguments.
My current understanding is that Sinhalese and Tamils (except those who migrated later) have the same Indian subcontinental parentage though they speak different languages due to geographical reasons. Thus they share the same history.
The progeny of the ORIGINAL migrants, have over time, drifted apart, one branch is Sinhala speaking the other is Tamil speaking. According to Ranawana, BOTH these branches do not have Genetic links to South Indian Tamils. Thus they are not Dravidian.
We also have Dravidians. They have comparatively shorter history on the island as they were artisans, mercenaries etc who were brought down later to provide services to the inhabitants or were Invaders who wanted to colonise Lanka (I believe the 4 century Jaffna Tamil Kingdom is one such colony) just like the later western colonisers (which were colonial business enterprises).
I do hope you (or anyone else) can add further light on the subject.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 4, 2015
Dear OTC,
I have based my arguments on the data presented by Ranawana et.al(2014) and not the entirety of his conclusions. However, we both agree that the original Sinhalese and Tamils have shared/ common origins.
I do not think Ranawana and his co-researchers sampled the Lankan Tamils on any specific basis, other than their present identity. Further studies based on within community sampling based on other criteria, may reveal a within diversity, inclusive of the genetic significance of those whom you call mercenaries. The same is true for the Sinhala population as it stands today.
The Dravidian and Aryan classification is no longer considered valid. The Tamils in South India are now considered migrants from the Mediterranean region. Time will tell more.
The only fact that is yet valid is that we as Homo sapiens who originated in East Africa and migrated outwards to be where we are now. We changed, adapted, bred and crossbred along the way and where we are now. We have unfortunately chosen to forget our common roots and shared heritage, out of political expediency and imperatives.
Dr.RN
/
Dr.Rajasngham Narendran / May 4, 2015
Dear OTC.
Further, the Indian/Plantation Tamils in Sri Lanka have definite and verifiable origins in South India. They thus are a valid sample of the Indian Tamil gene pool. Some of them of course were from the Andhra area.
Many were also from the poorest segments of the Tamil and Telugu-speaking areas.
Dr.RN
/
Off the Cuff / May 8, 2015
Dear Dr RN,
Re “the Indian/Plantation Tamils in Sri Lanka have definite and verifiable origins in South India. They thus are a valid sample of the Indian Tamil gene pool”
Yes, I agree and that is why I say it is strange to find NO Genetic connection between the Lanka Tamils and the Indian/Plantation Tamils.
If that cannot be countered by scientific data then the Hypothesis that the Lanka Tamils have come from South India becomes false and untenable.
Then how can Lanka Tamils be Dravidian?
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 8, 2015
Dear OTC,
Anthropological evidence also suggest Lankan Tamils are not he same as Indian Tamils. Ranawana et. al (2014) study also confirms that they have no Vedda gene markers but have Sinhala and Bengali gene markers. I have pointed this out in an earlier comment. W- both Sinhalese and Tamils- have of course been influenced by influences from South India in many ways.
The Aryan, Dravidian classification is also not accepted anymore. It is an old fashioned classification based on skin colour and language roots. It is now believed that the Indian Tamils originally migrated from the Mediterranean region.
I believe the Tamils in Lanka are largely of Naga origin and Sri Lanka was part of a much bigger land mass that went under the sea. This may be also true of the Sinhalese. We have diverged with time in language and religion, but yet share much in common. The Naga emblem is used extensively by the Sinhalese and Tamils and is ubiquitous near ancient tanks and places of worship.
I have always believed we are like Abel and Cain,the feuding sons of Adam and Eve! It is time we reconcile on the basis of our shared origins ,culture and values.
Dr.RN
/
Ajith / May 2, 2015
“Tamil indentured labor shipped to Jaffna run amok trying to create a separate state damaging the country.”
What made Tamils to fight to create a separate state? If you answer this question genuinely and rationally as a human being then you don’t play games with the livelihood of people. If you say the Sinhala has the right to kill Tamils who lived peacefully in Colombo and the law should only protect those murderers and not the victims, every human will justify creation of a separate state is the right of Tamils. If you don’t agree with this you are not a human.
/
cholan / May 2, 2015
JoKER VIBUSHANA …..[Edited out] if you don’t know the history…
We are not going to believe the arrival of a criminal Vijaya ..or his grandfather was fathered by lion ..only you jokers believe this
Tamils are the right owners of tho ISLAND …
your fabricated..con book Mahavamsa hid the information of the people lived earlier and their language and religion…
Even many Buddhist Viharas were built by then Tamil Buddhists in this country…
Buddhism is not a religion it is a Philosophy all countries follow this religion is bathing in blood ..today…
What you Sinhalaese have in your own ???? Language ???Food? Clothing ? Religious practice? festivals all copied from Tamils
Sri Lanka is today talking about TEA because of Tamils …your [Edited out] Sinhalase were unable to do hardwork this is why British brought Tamils for plantations ..
Now you send your sister..mother..wife all to Arabs for coolie jobs without any shame ..
/
Heretic / May 2, 2015
Sumanthiran,
You are the sharpest in the ITAK but based in Colombo. May I suggest that you visit rural areas of the North and East. Best would be to stay with normal people and not to allow your local party mates show you places during a short visit in a Pajero jeep. Why don’t you being a Christian go and see how rural protestant Christians especially recent converts live? I am pretty sure your Jaffna town based Hindu party mates have no idea of this nor do they want to know due to their own background.
Please take a “bath”, use the “toilet” and drink the “water” during some days.
“roofs gone and walls unstable”
They have had houses. Many people live in huts without electricity. Who chose to visit this place and why? How many hours did you stay? I will now see if this “news” appears in the Uthayan.
“irregular water supply”
Most people in rural Jaffna fetch water from far away. This water is less salty than in their home wells but would not be accepted as drinking water in, for instance, Colombo let alone USA etc. As you have seen and we can see in the picture people are using old plastic bottles despite the well known health risks. Some even reuse motor oil containers. Especially popular are the yellow old vegetable oil containers.
Yes, funds should be used for helping the poor. Why aren’t they? Most of the poor are NOT former IDPs.
“Although local government officials are striving to do everything within their means their efforts”
Not so sure about this. Do the middle class government officials really care about the poorest of the poor?
How do the numerous households headed by a single woman (widows, husband left) survive on the maximum daily salary of rs 250 if there is work?
/
ARTHUR / May 2, 2015
‘Most people in rural Jaffna fetch water from far away’.- Heretic
You are mistaken.People in the penisular with the exception of the those living in the islands do have access to ground water in their own compounds. Each house has a well and they were self sufficient.Each household had a large compound with trees and utility plants such as coconut,palmyrah,neem,jack etc.In the Vanni which had a more fertile terrain,inhabited by prosperous agricutural community,each house had a tractor or a land master in addition to other valuables and were living in comfortable houses.In the last phase of the war Srilankan forces not only killed more than 100,000 people but also razed to the ground thousands of dwelling houses as part of their grand design of structural genocide to deprive the land to the Tamils and to colonize the entire area with Sinhalese.Not a single structure was left intact.
Lands presently occupied by the Army have to be returned and the owners who lost their houses have to be adequately compensated.The Indian housing is a poor concession to these people who were living a better life.What took place in the name of resettlement was relocation and not resettlement in their own villages.Even what little the victims were to recieve were deviously diverted by minister Rishad Bathiudeen to his own people.Those in the south should realize that the vitim Tamil people have been reduced to paupers by wanton destruction engineered by the Srilankan state.
/
Heretic / May 2, 2015
Arthur,
“You are mistaken.People in the penisular with the exception of the those living in the islands do have access to ground water in their own compounds. Each house has a well and they were self sufficient.”
I was referring to drinking water. Sorry for confusing you and others. There is ground water in the wells but it is too salty. People have to fetch DRINKING WATER not water.
“Each household had a large compound with trees and utility plants such as coconut,palmyrah,neem,jack etc.”
Not the poor people who still live in huts without electricity. There are many of them and they are not IDPs like the people in the “news”. This kind of “news” is something new for outsiders who don’t know about the reality in rural Jaffna.
/
Off the Cuff / May 3, 2015
Dear Heretic and Arthur,
Arthur says “Each house has a well and they were self sufficient.Each household had a large compound with trees and utility plants such as coconut,palmyrah,neem,jack etc”
How many families had a house with Land in a society where Land Owning was PROHIBITED to 60% of the population? Even within that 40% who were allowed to OWN land how many OWNED land?
Why are you writing falsehoods?
You seem to be a Rabid Propagandist.
You further say “prosperous agricutural community,each house had a tractor or a land master in addition to other valuables and were living in comfortable houses”
What a load of Hogwash!
60% of the population were SLAVES who were segregated to Ghettos by the Tamil Land Owning Slave Drivers.
Heretic says “I was referring to drinking water. Sorry for confusing you and others”
You did not confuse anybody who read what you wrote with care. You need not apologise for what you did not do. The following sentence of yours made your meaning CRYSTAL clear to anyone other than an IDIOT.
quote “This water is less salty than in their home wells but would not be accepted as drinking water in, for instance, Colombo let alone USA etc” unquote
Heretic your are ABSOLUTELY right. Scarcity of fresh water is a problem that has been in existence since drawing of well water became mechanised in the peninsular. The problem has remained in the Peninsular for at least 60 years.
But people who have First Use of wells would not know about it. They had their reserved fresh water wells from which the populace was prohibited from drawing water.
The problem is due to the Geography. Jaffna is mostly flat land and has no rivers. The limestone aquifer from which fresh water is drawn gets replenished only by the NE monsoon from October to December and the annual rainfall is about 50 inches. The sea is less than 20km from anywhere in the Peninsular and excess pumping of ground water causes the sea water to get into the limestone aquifer. At least one third of the wells in the Jaffna Peninsular is Brackish and is not suitable as a source of drinking water.
Read about the Arumugam Plan (River for Jaffna project) for more information.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Heretic / May 3, 2015
OTC,
“Read about the Arumugam Plan (River for Jaffna project) for more information.”
I know about this plan and all the other plans, calls for action etc. Unfortunately very little has been done. Some villages have local “tank, pipe and tap on the road” systems that provide “more acceptable” drinking water daily during some hours. This water is not good but there is nothing better available. If you take a look at these local water system you will see that foreign NGOs or the UN agencies have financed them. They have identified the best water in a village and are distributing it.
We already discussed caste system so that I will not do it again. You are mostly correct about it.
/
Off the Cuff / May 6, 2015
Dear Heretic,
Re “We already discussed caste system so that I will not do it again. You are mostly correct about it”
.
Yes we have and I am aware of your sentiments.
That part of my comment was a challenge to ARTHUR’s rabid propaganda. I can see that he has backed off without a SINGLE reply.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 4, 2015
Heretic,
I welcome your concern for the poor, other than those displaced and dispossessed by the war. in Jaffna.
However, there are many facets to this ‘Poverty’. This poverty too is largely the result of the prolonged conflict and the wars, which has resulted in the gradual emergence of a ‘Poverty’ of values, ethics and sturdy self-reliance/self-dependence. Jaffna lost its essential characteristics in human terms as a result.This statement however does not negate there are poor, who form the norm in every human society for various reasons, in even normal circumstances.
There is a culture of dependence on welfare from the State, NGOs and individuals. and absolute unwillingness to wean themselves off this dependence. It is becoming pathological, when associated with unwillingness to work, eveen when it is available. Expectations are very high and the economy in Jaffna does not permit such expectation. Lack of skills, work ethics and honesty, compound the problem. Alcoholism, drug addiction and laziness are endemic. Those segments of society dependent on remittances from relatives abroad,are setting trends and defining perverted values that are appealing to the so-called poor. who seek the same lifestyles, by resorting to unacceptable short cuts, bordering on criminality and perversion of civilized societal values.
The State sponsored welfare system is riddled with nepotism, favoritism and corruption.and is designed to perpetuate dependence. The Grama Sevakas are at center of what should be rightly called a societal scandal. NGOs have become the do-gooders, who do not understand the ground situation and do not seek lasting solutions to the problem. Instead of giving a fishing rod and being taught to fish, the dependent people are offered sprats instead. I know of several instances where those seeking and are dependent on charity, refuse to take on well paid, long term employment ( Rs 25,000/month + free housing and utilities), because they do not want to forego the dry rations and other payments they receive as charity! Those who accept the terms, do not want to work as required but resort to various ‘Other’ means to get income surpassing their monthly salary.
The public servants act like ‘Lords of the manor’ and take perverse pleasure in lording it over the recipients, while also engaging in nepotism, favoutism and corruption. Check to find out the land purchased dirt cheap by senior government officials in the northern districts.
A meaningful leadership has not emerged in the conflict and war- ravaged areas
to recognize, discuss, suggest and find solutions to these problems. It is politics as usual for politicians at various levels of the apparatus. The politicians will resort to any means using their resources to thwart a civic leadership emerging to do the needful. The politicians are part of the mafia that destroys our society from within. We are indeed caught in a vicious trap.
I told a group of people at a function relating to education, that there is an urgent need in Jaffna to mould an emerging generation of children, who can teach their parents how to live. I expected anger and disgust from the small audience. However, I was surprised that this comment was well received by loud applause and a barrage of positive comments. What this incident told me is that the people at large recognize THE problem, but are frustrated that there is no movement towards solutions.
Further, there are the so-called poor and the real poor among all castes that exist in Jaffna. It is not a caste related problem as inferred by some commentators.
I must pay tribute however to the mothers and grandmothers of the north who are yet ensuring that their children are fed and sent to school against tremendous odds, they main among which are their drunken, drug addicted, lazy, unskilled and violent husbands, when they have one.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
/
Heretic / May 4, 2015
DR RN,
Thanks for your support. I agree with you. There is almost total dependency on outsiders since there is very little employment here. Almost all the people with some money and stability here work for the government. Unfortunately both the common people and politicians have an expectation of ever increasing hand outs from relatives, NGOs, central government, UN etc. There has been almost no private investment in Jaffna during the last years except branches built by banks, Cargills, Singer, Abans and a new private hospital. Their customers have remittances. These new outlets don’t actually produce anything and the money mostly flows out.
I am a part time farmer offering better than average salaries. It is difficult to find workers despite the fact that most of the village is underemployed or unemployed. They prefer to hang around, don’t study and dream about leaving.
Emigrating was relatively easy for Tamils during the war but not anymore. The very well educated few manage to emigrate, some leave thru marriage but for the rest the only option is hard work in the Middle East, Colombo etc. Many don’t like hard work and stay here hanging around. According to Jaffna media there are increasing problems caused by violence, ganja and alcohol. This is partly because the social order collapsed during the war.
One day the remittances will come to an end when the first generation dies and the second and third doesn’t want to support unknown relatives in a far away country.
I believe that land prices are lower than some years ago. I know of many houses that nobody is willing to buy despite having been on the market for years.
In my area there are still some enclaves of poverty where so called outcastes live. At the same time many of the non Vellalah now own land and houses and many areas have a mix of different castes.
If caste is of no importance why do we know the caste of others in the village?
/
Heretic / May 7, 2015
DR R N
“Check to find out the land purchased dirt cheap by senior government officials in the northern districts.”
Any names you can give? I can understand if you don’t want to give details here. Often these things are done with middle men whose names are used.
Have you noticed that not a single Tamil politician or government servant in the North has been accused of corruption, abuse of power etc since MS took over? Accusing them, of course, would cause a lot of “noise” claiming that the cases are based on ethnic discrimination of a minority.
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 8, 2015
Heretic,
I will not name them. although it is widely known. I am sure a proper investigation will bring out the names.
Many Tamil politicians are not lily white. They are also involved in land scams and other criminal activities. The TNA is not an exception.
Dr.RN
/
Heretic / May 2, 2015
“The armed forces should also vacate buildings they continue to occupy”
Yes.
The armed forces have during the last 1-2 years vacated several houses on the main roads of the area where I live and pass on my way to work. In most cases these buildings remain empty despite obviously having a proper roof and walls. My guess is that the owners have left a long time ago and have no need for a house in rural Jaffna. They might be very happy to sell their property to the security forces if the price is right.
BTW the security forces also fetch water from far away and they face the same problems as the local population with the water quality.
I assume that Tamil politicians drink bottled water coming from the South or have R/O.
/
TA / May 3, 2015
Heretic,
These people were chased out of their home and farm lands for the last 25 years.
How do you know that they don’t need the land any more?
It was rude to say that they would sell their lands in “rural Jaffna” to the army if the price is right. Who do you think you are?
How do you feel if you were chased out from the house currently you are living and all other people in your town for the next 25 years?
/
Heretic / May 4, 2015
TA,
“These people were chased out of their home and farm lands for the last 25 years.”
Yes. No doubt about it. I am not commenting on them but on a general level. In my area nobody usually has occupied the houses and buildings that have been vacated by the forces. These all have walls and a roof because of the forces needed a place to stay.
How do you know that they don’t need the land any more?
When and where have I made such a claim?
“It was rude to say that they would sell their lands in “rural Jaffna” to the army if the price is right.”
General level again. Many have migrated and don’t need their land anymore. I have land also that I don’t need. Can I sell it to the forces if I want to or would I be a traitor?
“Who do you think you are?”
What do you mean? Who are you?
“How do you feel if you were chased out from the house currently you are living and all other people in your town for the next 25 years?”
You fail to understand that I comment on the general level not on the families that MAS visited.
/
Off the Cuff / May 4, 2015
Dear Heretic
Re “I have land also that I don’t need. Can I sell it to the forces if I want to or would I be a traitor?”
Ha ha haa.
Thesawalami won’t allow it if you have family.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Heretic / May 4, 2015
OTC,
“Thesawalami won’t allow it if you have family.”
Why not? I believe that neigbours have the right to buy any land before outsiders if they want to. Women in some cases need husbands permission but otherwise I don’t know of any legal problems caused by family.
/
Off the Cuff / May 5, 2015
Dear Heretic,
Please correct me if I am wrong, Thesawalami requires one to offer it to the Family first (family has first option of purchase) before its offered for sale to others.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Heretic / May 5, 2015
OTC,
Hope this helps. I can sell for the neigbours or my relatives also.
“One widespread wrong belief is that Sinhalese cannot buy land in the Northern Province consequent to the law of pre-emption contained in the Thesawalamai. Pre-emption under Thesawalamai, may be explained as a right recognised over immovable property situated in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka by which a co-owner, co-sharer or adjacent landowner who has a mortgage of the land in question, has the right to demand the seller to sell it to him at a price which may bona fide purchaser is prepared to pay for the same when the owner wishes to sell the same.
The correct situation thus is that any person otherwise eligible to buy land elsewhere in Sri Lanka, could buy land in the Northern Province if he or she is prepared to pay a higher price than the persons who are entitled to pre-empt. Pre-emption, would also benefit Non-Tamils because of the territorial character of Thesawalamai. Any person, irrespective of race, owning land in the Northern Province has to comply with the postulates of pre-emption as they are presently applied.”
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2002/08/11/fea04.html
/
Off the Cuff / May 5, 2015
Dear Heretic,
A Clarification
My comment May 4, 2015 at 2:57 pm addressed to you was intended to support you. The ha ha haa was intended as an appreciation of the sarcasm in your response to TA, which was appropriate. My mistake in not making that clear to you. Sorry about it.
About the Thesawalami
I know that all land in the North is subject to it irrespective of the ethnicity of the owner. I also know that all immovables of a Tamil of Jaffna domicile wherever in Lanka is subject to the Thesawalami. I am also aware that Theaswalami does not apply to the East.
I am aware that a married woman is irrevocably subject to the guardianship of her husband and before marriage, that guardianship is held by her father and that without the guardian’s written consent a woman cannot do anything with her property. Since at least 50% of the population is women and assuming a Tamil parent deals equally with both sexes in bequeathing their properties to children it is reasonable to assume that 50% of all land in the North is subject to the whim and fancy of the male guardian. I am not aware of anything in the Thesawalami that requires the Guardian to justify the reasonableness of his decisions.
I am also aware that there is no legal bar for a non Tamil to own property in the North.
I believe that very few Tamils will challenge peer pressure of Jaffna society if they plan on continuing living within that society.
I would appreciate any Tamil views on the subject in order to widen my knowledge of the Thesawalami. I am sure many of the Non Tamil readers of CT will also appreciate it.
Kind regards,
OTC
/
Heretic / May 5, 2015
OTC,
I am not a Jaffna lawyer but know (or think that I know) something.
“I am aware that a married woman is irrevocably subject to the guardianship of her husband and before marriage, that guardianship is held by her father and that without the guardian’s written consent a woman cannot do anything with her property.”
Consent from husband is needed if the wife wants to sell but the husband cannot sell property that belongs to the wife. Because of our tradition of dowry many (most?) houses and lots of land belong to women in Jaffna. The husband thus often lives in a house that belongs to the wife. The sons in Jaffna often inherit nothing if there are sisters.
There are different kinds of property classes that are treated differently. The treatment depends on how the woman received the property: dowry, inheritance, acquired during marriage etc.
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 5, 2015
Dear OTC,
I provide here the link to an article I wrote on the Thesawalamai Laws sometime back. The comments and discussions there-in also clarify matters further. My conclusion is that these laws do not prohibit anyone from buying land in Jaffna, provided the seller has the right to sell, accrued from the manner in which the land came into his possession-patrimonial inheritance, ancestral inheritance, dowry or purchase with his income.
http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/11/post_597.html
Dr.RN
/
TA / May 6, 2015
Heretic,
I’m from that “rural Jaffna” and still waiting for these people to go back to their home.
I have relatives from that area who are still living somewhere else in Jaffna and paying rent for the last 25 years.
We would like to see our area to come back to live as other towns and villages in Jaffna. Is that too much to ask for?
In this article MAS was only discussing about the resettlement issue. It seems you have political issues with MAS & Co. You also have some social justice issues. Let’s separate politics and other social issues in our community away from helping these people to resettle in their home.
By the way, what you do with your land is none of my business.
/
Heretic / May 6, 2015
TA,
“I’m from that “rural Jaffna” and still waiting for these people to go back to their home.”
Nothing wrong with that. I live in rural Jaffna. Owning land and being a farmer is part of our identity since generations.
“I have relatives from that area who are still living somewhere else in Jaffna and paying rent for the last 25 years.”
I also have displaced relatives. Some were told they can return to their homes, given a really small compensation and decided not to return to their village. They are elderly and don’t want to start life again from nothing. Their houses have been destroyed.
“We would like to see our area to come back to live as other towns and villages in Jaffna. Is that too much to ask for?”
Of course not. Have I made such a claim?
“In this article MAS was only discussing about the resettlement issue.”
I don’t believe that MAS wrote the article himself. ITAK is using his name to get attention outside of Jaffna. When I see MAS and other TNA leaders visiting the poor who never were displaced and whose misery cannot be blamed on the “Sinhala Buddist conspiracy” I will be happy. That day maybe pigs will fly!
“It seems you have political issues with MAS & Co.”
Absolutely correct. More with the “CO” who is from Jaffna. MAS is an outsider who doesn’t have to know our reality. Our local politicians cannot say the same.
“You also have some social justice issues.”
Finally you understood!
“Let’s separate politics and other social issues in our community away from helping these people to resettle in their home.”
It is the politicians who are calling for more funds to solve the problems of these IDPs! They are using these IDPs to get attention.
“By the way, what you do with your land is none of my business.”
Good to hear it. Maybe you have heard of the old widow who wanted to sell land for the security forces and suddenly faced problems with local thugs belonging to a certain political party? It was in the media last year. Somewhere in Vadamarachi unless memory fails me.
/
Off the Cuff / May 6, 2015
Dear TA,
Re “I have relatives from that area who are still living somewhere else in Jaffna and paying rent for the last 25 years”
My impressions of Heretic is that he is unafraid to tell the TRUTH without adulterating it with racist propaganda. One of the few Tamils with integrity that I have seen, who do that on the Internet (Dr RN is another amongst the few).
I hope you are telling the TRUTH and is not indulging in cheap propaganda.
Why did your relatives move out into rented accommodation in the first place? Who chased them out of their original homes?
Re “MAS was only discussing about the resettlement issue”
But is it not true that not even 20% of the Northern population had a Land of their own let alone a house to call their own. Wasn’t the majority of the Tamil population relegated to Ghettos by the Land Owners?
Why is MAS ignoring the problems of the 80% and campaigning on behalf of the Rich and Powerful 20%?
Heretic has rightfully called MAS’s attention to the problems of the 80%, should you also not support him instead of attacking him?
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
TA / May 7, 2015
OTC,
We just want our towns to come back to live. That is nothing to do with other issues you are referring to. The issues you are referring are related to the local government to deal with it.
Why we left our town? Because we were in the middle of the fight and we left our place. Then army moved to our towns. We didn’t bother to go back to the place where army was in control because of the fear. It was 25 years ago.
/
Off the Cuff / May 8, 2015
Dear TA,
You said “I have relatives from that area who are still living somewhere else in Jaffna and paying rent for the last 25 years”
Your relatives have abandoned Jaffna in 1990.
In 1990 Jaffna was under the LTTE.
Why are you LYING and blaming the ARMY when your people have gone into hiding from your savior, the Sun God Prabahkaran?
I don’t blame your Cowardice in abandoning Prabhakaran and the fight for Eelam but your two face LYING is inexcusable.
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
TA / May 8, 2015
OCT,
I guess you missed some facts here.
My town is from that HSZ. We left our towns in 1990 after we were trapped in the middle of the fight. Then army moved to our towns. May be we made a mistake for moving out of our towns. May be not.
Check that out for yourself. You don’t have to take my words. And I also don’t expect you to believe me.
In this article, the author was talking about the people who wants to go back to their home. Some people may need help specially locals to rebuild their home. Some people don’t need any help. I have relatives from both end of the spectrum.
Check with the local people who want to go back to their home. Check where they have been living in the last 25 years. Check how many are paying the rent. Even if that amount is small, they still pay it from their small income. Some of them are widows. I’m speaking for them because I know them.
In another comment, I guess, you missed to understand what I was referring to. I wrote to Dr RN that people like him are renovating their properties. Those are the people who have money, time and good heart (specially in retiring age). Eventually more of those people from outside would come back and invest. First they would invest on their own properties. You like it or not those people from outside would speed up the local economy to recover. So basically I was referring to 2 different group of people.
/
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 4, 2015
TA,
It is a fact that there is more land, some with houses, available for sale in Jaffna than there are buyers. There are also many such lands and houses that remain unoccupied and neglected, opening the way land grabbers to have an easy ride. Many in the Diaspora have no intent to return and are all out to sell the property they own. Even those who have shifted to the South and are living there, in many instance have no intention to live in Jaffna and are trying to sell the labds and houses they own.This is a very sad and worrying situation.
There should be a program to purchase these lands and sell them to the landless at reasonable prices.
Dr.RN
/
TA / May 7, 2015
Dr RN,
Some people are renovating their homes. I know some of them. They have local contacts and have resources and time to manage it. Normally they would hire a known local contractor then do their renovations. Then they would rent their house to government employees or people from out of town. These early adapters are taking their chances and believing the current situation in Jaffna.
But many others are still skeptical and taking their time to invest on their houses in Jaffna. Eventually more people would invest on their properties in Jaffna.
/
Off the Cuff / May 7, 2015
Dear TA,
You earlier claimed that “I have relatives from that area who are still living somewhere else in Jaffna and paying rent for the last 25 years”
Yet when asked when and why they left you have no reply.
Why?
Is that also a tale like the one you are spinning in your reply to Dr RN?
Kind Regards,
OTC
/
Heretic / May 7, 2015
TA,
“Some people are renovating their homes. I know some of them. They have local contacts and have resources and time to manage it. Normally they would hire a known local contractor then do their renovations. Then they would rent their house to government employees or people from out of town. These early adapters are taking their chances and believing the current situation in Jaffna. But many others are still skeptical and taking their time to invest on their houses in Jaffna. Eventually more people would invest on their properties in Jaffna.”
You know a lot about Jaffna but maybe not all of the relevant facts. After the war ended there was quite a lot of construction of new houses and repairing existing houses. This was the “peace dividend” when the long war finally was over and people started to invest with some faith in their future.
Unfortunately this boom is mostly over. Some former IDPs who only now can resettle maybe will build new houses or repair old ones provided something is left of the houses.
In case you don’t know the bad water we have often makes even cement weak. Due to this and the climate even relatively new 20-30 year old houses often have problems. You find these abandoned ruins in my area and they were not damaged in the war. Masons have told me that cement should be mixed with lime and other stuff I forgot to make it stronger when mixed with the salty(=hard) water that we have.
In the rural areas a big house in nice condition and big land can be rented for max 2000/month. For the smaller ones and in bad condition the rent is lower often only 500. Nobody makes money building a house worth 4-5 million and renting it for 24000 a year! The only reason to rent is that somebody will stay in the house and take care of it while the owner tries to sell it or retires and moves back. The latter happens very rarely. Some of the very old have managed to come home to spend their last years here but this is difficult because their children don’t want to follow them. Different care homes for the wealthy elderly are a growth business.
I have a feeling that you left Jaffna a long time ago. Correct?
/
TA / May 8, 2015
Heretic,
I know some of them they already renovated their properties in their towns. They annually visit to Jaffna for a month. I get updates from them. I haven’t visited to jaffna for the last 10+ years. I’m hoping to visit when we are allowed to go back to our towns. And hoping to renovate my parent’s home just for our childhood memories. No point for me to come if we can not go to our towns and people are not living there. But you are criticizing SMA for asking the government to do.
/
Uthayan+ / May 8, 2015
TA,
You are repeating one thing while Heretic is repeating something else. Maybe you should both try writing in Tamil to understand each other?
“But you are criticizing SMA for asking the government to do.”
The point is: the poor should be helped before the rich. MAS and co are taking up the situation of the wealthy IDPs instead of the rural poor. Why they do this? For votes and to spread the news of the misery caused by the security forces.
Feel free to repair your house or build a new one. However don’t expect that somebody will pay for it. Expect to have about 4 million for a comfortable house. Better give 400000 for 10 poor families instead of 4000000 for a wealthy family. The poor know how to build houses the rich don’t. The poor don’t use contractors.
I live in Jaffna and Heretic has given the correct facts. You admit not being in Jaffna and follow the disinformation news that is spread among diaspora. Don’t believe everything you read and hear.
All the best!
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Ranil Wijeyesekera / May 2, 2015
The government must release funds. But the diaspora can send funds too. Negotiate with the Government.to seee the free access of funds from the diaspora.Singapoe developed on Chinese expatriate help. This helped Malaysia NGO will want help. Christian evengicals here and abroad will send funds.
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truth / May 2, 2015
Why should the diaspora send funds? Why not recover all the stolen money from the Rajapakse brothers, sons, wives, girl friends, and their extended families etc.
Ranil Wijeyesekera has found and easy way out, from his “easy chair” without a sweat!!!
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Lanka Watch / May 2, 2015
As an eminent lawyer, Mr. Sumanthiran has a way of settling intricate problems with the govt., smoothly and he should undertake the task of settling this problem, until the last refugee settles in, on his or her land. It is not fair on the part of the govt.to handover the lands with dilapidated houses, fenceless, and damaged wells, damaged by the armed forces during the war, to the owners, without any financial and material help and India’s silence on this matter is regrettable.They have no roof over their heads and UN should step in to help. They have other areas too to look into as well and not only middle east.
Mr. Sumanthiran should be given a free hand by TNA to undertake this
task and he should initiate talks with the govt., and India too, if
they are interested to provide shelter to the deserving people.
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Ranil Wijeyesekera / May 2, 2015
The free ownership of land even for foriegn citizens is needed. The mobility o0f the people in the country and abroad will help to develop the skils and technology. communication , technology, the availability of books will help. A network with Government help is vital.
Funds for war widows and orphans and non citizens is a need.
Transfer of Resources to where the new need is to compete to obtain a competitive edge. Japan did iot . You can do it.
May God Bless you to Help the North and our Nation.
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Punitham / May 2, 2015
Police station? Yes. I’vejut heard from one IDP of the area that
i. some valuable trees like Margosa are being stolen in the nights. This is when planting trees is promoted in other parts of the country! Ofcourse the IDPs are trying to remove overgrown undergrowth.
ii.they are even pestered by ”fishing in troubled waters” merchants to sell valuable trees – IDPs short of urgently needed cash must be helped so that what the IDPs do can also be part of Sustainable Development.
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Aia / May 2, 2015
Pictures tell a 1000 words, those two photos tells it all, thanks MAS to bring these folks plight into limelight.
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Senthil / May 2, 2015
Sumanthiran is 100% right. The cruel army who destroyed tamil people and the culture destroyed houses purposely when releasing land. I think Heretic doesn’t know or trying to hide the truth of how those people lived before army destroying those houses. Another fact is the government and many commenters suggesting that the diaspora have to help poor people but when they go to north, either the stupid army arrest people at Katunayaka airport or hares in north. Many people still hesitate to go to Jaffna for this reason. In Singhalese point of view all Tamils are tigers. This is the main reason we Tamils wanted the army to vacate north and make Palali airport an international airport so that we do not have to travel through Singhalese area in fear or stoning the vehicles. We are not against Singhalese or dislike them but all we need is a peaceful fearless life without communal trouble whenever Singhalese governments agitate their thugs, which we can only get in north. We are capable to stop white van or the present thugs in north if army withdraw their support.
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Heretic / May 2, 2015
Senthil,
“I think Heretic doesn’t know or trying to hide the truth of how those people lived before army destroying those houses.”
You have misunderstood me. What I am trying to say is that the people in this “news” were rich because they had houses.
I am trying to make MAS and others understand that there are many others who have never had a house and continue without electricity, suffer from malnutrition etc.
Why was MAS taken to see the misery of these former IDPs and not the other poor?
Because of politics of course. Showing the misery of former IDPs gives a possibility to blame the security forces=outsiders. Showing the misery of the people who have always been poor would lead to questions about why different authorities working here have not helped them. I repeat that government servants here don’t care enough about the poor. Both government servants and the poor are Tamils.
I remember seeing information about lots of funds that the NPC and other authorities in the North haven’t used. Earlier NPC blamed the governor and the chief secretary. What is their excuse now?
I have nothing against helping IDPs but we should not forget the poor.
I hope that MAS who is the most intelligent in ITAK will not allow his name being used for this kind of articles in the future. I repeat that he and other Tamil politicians should spend time with the poor in the North to see how their lives are.
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / May 2, 2015
Cool story bro. We all saw how rosey everything was when We Thamizh were left to our own devices in the north :D The past 30 makes a real good argument for putting We Thamizh in charge, we sure could do with more suicide bombings with a dash of child soldering and village massacres as a matter of policy :D
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Maveeran / May 3, 2015
[Edited out]
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / May 3, 2015
Incisive :D
Mabeeran? I didn’t realise there was WiFi at the bottom of Nandikadal lagoon :D
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Maveeran / May 6, 2015
There’s a wifi [Edited out]
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K.A Sumanasekera / May 2, 2015
Is this real..
I mean these photos of the Northern inhabitants even after 3 months of Yahapalanaya, when the YP Heavy Mr Samaraweera is boasting about how the Tamil Diaspora will replace the funds from Chinese which have been banned by the unelected PM.
Chinese investments totalled a couple of Billion Dollars a year for the last 5 years.
If Mangalann is telling the truth, Diaspora will pump in USD 2 Billion a year to help the Sinhala Buddhhists who have been living on Renminbi.
If that is the case shouldn’t the Diaspora give at least USD 100 , one off to build houses restore farms and buy live stock and farm implements for these poor Dalits.
After all didn’t these Dalits sacrifice so much to make the Diaspora Rich and Sambandan and Abraham so powerful to the extent that they are on the verge of becoming the main Opposition or even partners of the Govt if Ranil scores at the Election.
Perhaps Abraham didn’t get an invite for our lovely FM’s finishing school for the budding Diplomats from the Elite class in Colombo…
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Maveeran / May 2, 2015
Sumanasekara you [Edited out], the people you see on the picture aren’t dalits you [Edited out]. And there is plenty money which was stolen by the great Horupaksha clan, if those were retrieved from those theives, it will more than enough to rebuild the lives of these poor people.
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NAMS / May 2, 2015
This guy has been working For RW and fully committed to implement his agenda in North and East, so I am wondering why can’t he speak to RW sort this out?it looks another gimmick to get money from US for tessurey ratherthan for Tamils,
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Zaneera Farook / May 2, 2015
Mr. Sumanthiran
You know how LTTE chased away the Muslims and still they are struggling to get their lands back. They are the forgotten people. Even in the recent discussion about resettlement, Muslim issue never featured. I would like you to deal with this problem too. After all you are not working for Tamils alone. Thank you in advance for doing justice to Muslims who were chased away within a few hours with nothing.
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Maveeran / May 2, 2015
Muslims were chased because teye were in the middle sucking on both the goverment and the LTTE. Either you are with them or against them. But everybody knows how you Mislims change sides the way you turn your hats over. Why not fly back to the Middle East where your Sharia law is implemented.
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Tamil from the north / May 2, 2015
@Zaneera Farook, as my screen name states I am a Tamil from Jaffna. Stop talking about the bloody LTTE, they are gone………gone forever, thank God for that. Now I think there is a sincere leader in the country………not Sinhalese, Tamil or something else. But he is sincere and wants to change 65 years of unrest. If you are one of the Muslims who were chased out of Jaffna, go back and take your land back. That land belongs to you. No Tamil or Sinhalese can tell you where you can live. The bloody LTTE, other militants and the racist governments of SL have taken the country back 60 years. Go back to Jaffna and live. I as a Tamil was ashamed at what LTTE did to our Muslim brothers and sisters. This goes out to Tamils who say Muslims were two faced and all. Give me an examples of 10 Muslims who betrayed the people and I will give you names of Tamils who betrayed the people ten fold. We can always find excuses to blame others. Muslims take your homes back, the dirty LTTE is not there anymore. Every person who lives in the country should have the right to live wherever they choose to do so.
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salmajunaideen / May 3, 2015
Thank you Tamil from the North. When the LTTE chased away the Muslims, I know my Tamil friends cried for them and the Muslims who were displaced never blamed the Tamils. They only the LTTE and the Eastern LTTE leaders.
There are lots of Tamils who think that justice must be done for the Muslims and from what I have heard Mr. Sumanthiran is one. It is not easy as some of the lands and houses were given to Maweeran’s family and for Tamil politicians this is a problem, to do justice for the Muslims.
Our hopes are that LTTE is no more and you and persons like Sumanthiran will speak for justice to all.
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Tamil from the north / May 3, 2015
@salmajunaideen, my heart went out to all the Muslims who were chased out. What happened to the Tamils in 57/58 & 77/83 was done to the Muslims. We had shirts on our backs because of Muslim traders in Jaffna. I have had many meals at friend’s homes who happened to be Muslims and they were fantastic. Then after I left the country I hear our Muslim friends were chased out. My heart cried out to everyone who lost all. Please go back, I hope you all have your titles to your properties. Get the law courts to issue an order to take your homes back legally, so no one can dispute that. You have the right to live wherever you choose to do so. Good luck friend!!!!
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justice / May 2, 2015
Meanwhile, unauthorised construction of a whole village is going on in the Wilpattu Sanctuary.
https://www.facebook.com/438356542898780/videos/636685536399212/?fref=nf
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cholan / May 2, 2015
he he he Diaspore money is a big issue here …..
You also make this..
How ???
increase the supply of Sinhala chicks to Middle East…..
Better send them the day after their coming of age….
Mathala airport can be used to fly Sinhala house maids only in 1000 s per day..
Even Muslim Bangladesh has banned their girls to to ME as housemaids ..and Indonesia is seriously thinking to ban their women to go to ME..
So there is a big opportunity…..you can make big money from their services to Arabs
Chhers
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n.ethirveerasingam / May 2, 2015
Sumanthiran,
Keep up the advocacy in behalf of the voiceless displaced. The lands should be returned to the rightful owners and funds provided to rebuild their houses by Sirisena while he is still president. The alternative is perpetual chaos.
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Sellam / May 2, 2015
Mr.Sumanthiran
I wish to know as to what you have achieved for the Tamils in the North so far by using your soft power with the present government. Practically nothing. Just visiting those small areas released by the army and making statements is of no use. Vast areas of properties have not been released and the Army is putting up buildings permanently for their use in those private lands. Just releasing statements is Probably a propaganda tactics for the coming elections where you are seeking votes from the Tamils. Could you and other Tamil politicians jointly lead a protest march against the government to release the private lands and continue to do so until all lands are released. There are 10 villages which are being occupied by the Armed forces. If the government wants to release those lands, they could be released within a short period but they are not going to do it. Seven years have passed since the war ended, the government doesn’t want to know the situation of those people whose lands are being occupied by the Sri Lankan Army. The people want their lands, schools and temples.
I do not feel that the People of North should be represented in Parliament and there is no purpose in it. The forthcoming elections should be boycotted by the Tamil people and the Tamil politicians as well.
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Heretic / May 3, 2015
Sellam,
“Mr.Sumanthiran I wish to know as to what you have achieved for the Tamils in the North so far by using your soft power with the present government. Practically nothing.”
Is it his fault or the fault of the government servants who don’t do their work? Earlier I wrote about the poor and the NPC but actually I believe that most of the work to help the poor comes under the Government Agent and not the NPC. All the villages have a GS, Samurdhi officer and economic development officer but they don’t implement projects properly. There are governments servants and even money but the not much happens. I know one case of a sewing machine provided for a widow in an self employment project. The woman has no electricity but received a sewing machine. Fishing nets and boats have been provided for people who don’t fish and live far away from the sea.
“Just visiting those small areas released by the army and making statements is of no use.”
Elections are coming. Many readers apparently liked the pictures.
“Vast areas of properties have not been released and the Army is putting up buildings permanently for their use in those private lands. Just releasing statements is Probably a propaganda tactics for the coming elections where you are seeking votes from the Tamils.”
Yes. Who took MAS to that place?
“Could you and other Tamil politicians jointly lead a protest march against the government to release the private lands and continue to do so until all lands are released. There are 10 villages which are being occupied by the Armed forces. If the government wants to release those lands, they could be released within a short period but they are not going to do it. Seven years have passed since the war ended, the government doesn’t want to know the situation of those people whose lands are being occupied by the Sri Lankan Army. The people want their lands, schools and temples.”
Once again: there is much more misery here than the misery of the IDPs and former IDPs. Some years ago 40% of children were malnourished. I don’t think it is any better today. Our politicians and government servants don’t want to see the poor. The ones who know about the poverty don’t care. For the poor it is nothing new unless they are IDPs who had it good before. Unfortunately many here still believe in karma and the caste system exists. The poorest of the poor usually live in the enclaves of the 20% outcastes. I repeat that MAS and others should spend time with the generational poor outcastes.
“I do not feel that the People of North should be represented in Parliament and there is no purpose in it. The forthcoming elections should be boycotted by the Tamil people and the Tamil politicians as well.”
If there are Tamil MPs at least they can try to talk.
After reading the comments it is obvious that many have no idea of the reality in rural Jaffna. I am not saying that the reality is any better in rural Hambantota or the estates.
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Senthil / May 3, 2015
I remember one story. A catholic fisherman went to sea for fishing and he could not catch any fish for a long time. He prayed to God Anthony and said he will give half of the catch to God if he help him. Suddenly he caught a huge fish and he decided not to give any share to Anthony. Suddenly the fish jumped into the sea and vanished. So that poor fisherman told, Anthony did not understand his joke. Like wise MR and resist Singhalese told to US and West during LTTE was very strong, that they will settle Tamil issue if they help to win LTTE. US, uk and others helped to wipe-out LTTE. After that MR and the resist Singhalese told that their army won the war and no political solution to Tamils and asked Anthony to keep out. If Singhalese are very adamant for very long Anthony will show his power and we all know what will happen to the political solution. Do not repeat again and again that Tamil natives came in vijeyans boat. The boat people are not Tamils it is Singhalese.
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / May 3, 2015
Most of the so called ‘native’ ‘high caste’ We Thamizh today are the progeny of VOC plantation slave shipments. Then we have the waves of illegals from Tamil Nadu floating over on banana boats until Sri Lanka secured her coast and clamped down on these. They’ve also been discovering that they’re actually natives. So if you think about it, apart from the We Thamizhised Sinhalese, nearly all the other native We Thamizh could indeed be described as ‘boat people’ :D
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Crazyoldmansl / May 3, 2015
Forget the “people”. Just hand back the Kent and Dollar Farms and the problem will DISAPPEAR in a JIFFY.
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RAJA / May 3, 2015
Kent farm belonged to Neethiraja and dollar farm belonged to Dollar Sambanthan.
These lands have to be handed over to their families.
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Billa / May 3, 2015
Hi folks: MA Sumanthiran is a good person, CM Wiggie is a wonderful gentle man, but remember, we are living in the ‘triple’ blessed land of Buddha. (so they call it). But it’s a land of death and destruction. Never mind about it.
MAS or CM Wiggie cannot do much or even anything…still.
We are all surrounded by the forces of evil and still by a racist government.
Do not expect miracles, even from My3 or RW.
RW is a decent western dressed racist.
My3 is equally a racist in a national dress and sporting a fake smile.
His smile is not genuine and we should know his difficulties. Yes, he has to play his game safe. But he’s a better person than RW for sure.
RW is a structured rascal politician. He doesn’t like Tamils or even Muslims.
He always talks about “his people” and your people.
He never consider himself as being the PM of all Lankans, but only Sinhalese.
No doubt, he’s the relative of the chauvinistic President JR Jayawardana, the
wolf or the foxy politician who contributed mostly for the destruction of lives, Tamil’s lives,even though his origins are Tamil/or Malayalee.
Just like Cyril Mathew and Boorowansa, the venomous snakes who destroyed Lankan unity.
It’s okay.
This lovely land will get divided ultimately by outside forces.
Sinhala racist politicians have to take the entire blame or who cares.
Outside forces will share the pieces, forces like India, USA etc.,for their own purpose.OR India will annex NE and rule over in a confederation like manner or system. That’s going to happen whether we all like it or not.
Sinhalese idiots will never learn anything, they are in a Mahawamsa hell well. Tamils have to suffer more and more because of the Sinhala idiocy.
Sinhalese are smart now but Tamils are not stupid.
Tamils will rise again just like what Jewish are accomplishing…
The path is rough and tough, but do Tamils have any other choice ?
No one can destroy other races, Hitler or Sinhala Buddhist racists.
You Muslims, bee careful. You had enough experience supporting the Sinhala rowdies..after the Alutgama Beruwela incidents…”
Go on support these racist rascals…….we don’t care…
You paid for it. Yeah. Your sitting on the fence method won’t work any more .
Join the Tamil brothers and work together to stop these racist’s chaos..
or support racist people and destroy your and our community, country and all…
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Senthil / May 3, 2015
Heretic,
I am from a very poor family in a very remote village in North. Because I was poor, I never eat free food because people will tell that I am eating because of poor and I do not wanted people’s sympathy. Many Tamils lived like me with dignity. In North you cann’t see any people begging, they starve other than begging. We systematically made poor by resist jealous Singhalese through Singhalese governments. Under the name of war and communal trouble we were looted by Singhalese. When ever we see any Singhalese poor women with big gold jewellery we think into our mind that the gold was stolen from a Tamil woman and our bold boil. Now mighty GOD helped me and people like me to live in a rich country with all comforts. Now Gotha with all the stolen money, he can’t sleep peacefully. Bad people including Thuddagamunu never slept straight. I wonder when Singhalese are going to learn to live happily with what is given by God. There is a saying , people try to catch flying object and loose what they have already in their hand. Many Singhalese wanted to grab dry land in North without enjoying the beautiful upcountry land and facility.
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / May 3, 2015
Oh you’re one of those, boo hoo I’m poor and it’s everyone else’s fault, woe is me! Maybe if you tried doing an honest day’s work instead of sitting on your burlap sack and expecting things to be handed to you just for being a We Thamizh – you can check with someone like Ken Balendra if you need any tips on how to do that :D But I guess you’re content being a refugee suckling on the teat of some welfare state now :D
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Heretic / May 5, 2015
Senthil,
“In North you cann’t see any people begging, they starve other than begging.”
Try to see, for instance, the beggars in front of Malayan Cafe in central Jaffna.
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Rodd / May 3, 2015
Ask the funds from the Tamil diaspora who funded the destruction
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Rodd / May 3, 2015
Ask the funds from the Tamil diaspora, who funded the war and the destruction.
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Senthil / May 3, 2015
Sorry, what language this siva snakaran sarma is writing. Is it any alien language. Please write in your own language and others find some one to translate.
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / May 4, 2015
Come back and read everything again after you finish your ESL course, then you’ll see the light :D
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Heretic / May 4, 2015
MAS,
Instead of insisting and refusing to cooperate you and your colleagues should work harder to provide water, employment etc for the population in the North and East. In case you don’t know most youngsters are desperate to leave due to lack of any future here. I already lost the hope I had on the NPC chief minister. Are you going to be the next?
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=124092
The four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on Saturday insisted that it wouldn’t cooperate under any circumstance with the electoral reforms meant to reduce the number of elected representatives from the Northern and Eastern electoral districts.
Nine members are elected from the Jaffna electoral district, whereas six enter parliament from the Vanni electoral district comprising Mannar, Vavuniya and Kilinochchi districts. Sixteen are elected from the Eastern Province comprising the electoral districts of Trincomalee (4), Digamadulla (7) and Batticaloa (5).
The TNA comprised the Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), TELO, PLOTE and EPRLF.
TNA heavyweight and National List Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran said that their support for the proposed 20 Amendment to the Constitution would entirely depend on guarantee that the existing 160 electorates would remain intact.
The top lawyer was responding to a query at a live Sirasa political programme Satana also involving North Western Province Chief Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera, Deputy Justice Minister Sujeweewa Senasinghe and JVP MP Vijitha Herath.
Sumanthiran called for a special arrangement to ensure that Tamil speaking people would retain the same number of seats regardless of drastic drop in the number of electors over the years due to them fleeing the country or moving to districts outside the Northern Province. The TNA MP also referred to well over 100,000 Sri Lankans still remaining in Tamil Nadu.
The MP insisted that the electoral reforms couldn’t be finalized at the expense of Tamil speaking people. The MP insisted that the SLFP’s push for an agreement on electoral reforms wasn’t realistic therefore those spearheading talks on the 20 Amendment should be mindful of their concerns.
Responding to another query, Sumanthiran emphasized that post-war solution to the national issue should be discussed leaving out the 13 Amendment to the Constitution. The MP asserted that branding the proposed solution as a federal set-up would be inimical to on-going efforts, adding that the country should examine the ground realities.
The TNA MP said that some time back the Indian Supreme Court thwarted a move to reduce the number of elected members from Tamil Nadu on the basis of drop in population due to a successful birth control project carried out in the Southern Indian State. Sumanthiran said that the Supreme Court held that Tamil Nadu would continue to elect 40 members as the success of the birth control project shouldn’t affect the state’s representation in parliament.
While asserting that the current parliament wouldn’t be able to tackle the national issue and expressing confidence that the next parliament would be able to resolve the national question, the MP said that the TNA was ready to work with President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Wayamba CM Jayasekera said that political parties couldn’t ignore the urgent need to decide on the number of elected representatives on the basis of the strength of each electoral district. Former MP Jayasekera strongly pushed for an agreement on electoral reforms leading to the finalization of the 20 Amendment to the Constitution.
In the run-up to the passage of the 19 Amendment to the Constitution, the SLFP insisted that the 20 Amendment should be approved before the next parliamentary election.
JVP MP Vijitha Herath quoted Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya as having said that at least one year was required to educate the electorate of the change of electoral reforms. MP Herath said that electoral reforms couldn’t be brought in accordance with the SLFP’s agenda.
During the programme, the TNA MP also asserted that the Chief Minister of the Northern Province could exercise the powers of the Governor in accordance with provision in the 19 Amendment as regards the status between the President and Prime Minister. In line with the 19 Amendment, the members of the cabinet could be appointed only on the advice of the Prime Minister.
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Off the Cuff / May 5, 2015
Dear Heretic,
I watched this program on TV.
Re “The TNA MP said that some time back the Indian Supreme Court thwarted a move to reduce the number of elected members from Tamil Nadu on the basis of drop in population due to a successful birth control project carried out in the Southern Indian State. Sumanthiran said that the Supreme Court held that Tamil Nadu would continue to elect 40 members as the success of the birth control project shouldn’t affect the state’s representation in parliament”
MP Sumanthiran said the above when it was pointed out that Kaytes had only 23,000 electors but had one MP and that no electorate in the North had more than 80,000 electors. While in the South, electorates with 160,000 electors also had only one MP (Unnamed electorates in the central province with 300,000 electors were also mentioned but I think those are multi MP electorates).
How that position can be justified with nearly 1 million (who no longer hold SL citizenship) living overseas as citizens of other countries (with their own elected representatives in some of those countries) by citing an Indian Supreme court ruling on a birth control program beats logic. I did not expect that from lawyer MP Mr Sumanthiran.
This can lead to the rest of the country asking for one MP for every 80,000 electors (if we ignore the ludicrous situation of Kaytes). There is no way Sumanthiran can prevent that. The final outcome would flood the Parliament and would be far worse than a negotiated democratic adjustment.
I hope sense will prevail.
Kind Regards,
OTC
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Heretic / May 5, 2015
OTC,
Electoral noises have started.
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Senthil / May 5, 2015
The best option for Tamils is to reject “Thamilarasu kadsi” together Sambanthan, Maavai and form a new party including Vignesvaran, suresh , sivagilingham, Aaannthi, Gajendran etc. for the next election and people should not vote to any party without a solid manifesto. Last time voted to Mithiri is to remove MR – acceptable as a special circumstance. If we vote for Sambanthan and Maavi, Tamils and Tamil culture will die slowly.
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Heretic / May 5, 2015
Senthil,
“Vignesvaran, suresh , sivagilingham, Aaannthi, Gajendran etc.”
I hope that Vignesvaran and even Suresh would refuse to join the others you name.
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Pastor / May 6, 2015
Honorable MP Sumanthiran,
Please visit rural congregations of our church in Jaffna.
Pastor M
Assembly of God
Jaffna
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Uthayan+ / May 15, 2015
Why does Palihakkara have to intervene when it should be clear that all returning IDPs are welcome? According to Tamil media the returning IDPs had not properly registered themselves as living in Navatkuli and officially still lived somewhere else.
Did anybody tell them what to do before Palihakkara helped them? How have the returning Muslims been treated in the Northern Province? For some reason Tamil politicians maybe forget to ask for funds and deeds for these two groups.
http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/41343
“Northern Governor Palihakkara Ensures Jaffna Divisional Secretariat Provides State Assistance to Displaced Sinhalese Returning to North.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Northern Province Governor H.M.G.S. Palihakkara has told Jaffna Divisional Secretariat that required state assistance should be provided to all those who had returned to the Jaffna peninsula seeking resettlement regardless of their ethnicity.
One-time foreign secretary, Palihakkara has emphasized that those wanting to re-build their lives shouldn’t be deprived of the support; they were entitled to it in accordance with instructions issued by the government.
The Northern Governor has intervened subsequent to a group of Sinhala families living in state land situated close to Navatkuli railway station making representations recently.
Chief incumbent of Sinhalarama Sammidhisumana Viharaya, Navatkuli, Ven. Hanwelle Ratnasiri yesterday told The Island that the previous government had failed to provide title deeds for land allocated to Sinhala war displaced in Jaffna. Ven. Ratnasiri said that 58 families had been allocated 15 perch blocks each in addition to land released for the temple.
Appreciating the Governor’s swift response, Ven. Ratnasiri said the rights of the Sinhalese driven out of the Jaffna peninsula should be guaranteed.
Jaffna based Uthayan in its May 9 edition said that consequent to the Governor’s advice, the Jaffna District Secretary had sought an explanation from Divisional Secretary of Thennamarachchi with regard to their failure to provide required assistance.
Ms Sakunthala Wickremasinghe, who had accompanied Ven. Ratnasiri to the recent meeting with the Northern Governor, told The Island that they had fled Jaffna peninsula at the onset of hostilities in the early 80s. According to her, the Sinhala community had then been largely settled at Maniyamthottam in the outskirts of Jaffna town. Asked whether they were seeking government intervention to regain their property, Ms Wickremesinghe stressed that they had willingly given up their right to that property, the day they received state land at Navatkuli. “Any attempt to regain Maniyamthottam land can cause tensions between the communities. Therefore, our requirement is valid deeds for Navatkuli land. Let those who had suffered much more than we live in our land.”
Ven. Ratnasiri and Ms Wickremasinghe said that some of those who had returned to Jaffna in late 2010 again left for want of state assistance. Ms. Wickremasinghe said that Anuradhapira District UNP MP Chandrani Bandara had helped to secure state assistance. Unfortunately, some of those who could have helped us, ignored our plea, she said, adding that the government couldn’t turn a blind eye to what was happening.
Responding to a query, Ms Wickremesinghe said that there had been approximately 180 families when they arrived in Jaffna several years ago, to claim their land. However the majority left Jaffna for want of state assistance, she said while appreciating the support extended by nationalists’ organizations over the years.
The Governor’s Office confirmed the meeting, though it declined to furnish details.
Ms. Wickremasinghe said that a section of the media had been hostile to them. “I was among those 180 families who returned to Jaffna in late 2010. We reached Sinhala Maha Vidyalaya in three buses and several other vehicles and stayed at dilapidated Navatkuli railway station before the then government stepped in.”
Courtesy:The Island
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