19 March, 2024

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Some Reflections On Rajiva Wijesinha’s Revelations On “How Negotiations With The TNA Failed”

By Laksiri Fernando

Dr. Laksiri Fernando

Dr. Laksiri Fernando

Those who are concerned with political reconciliation and long term peace in the country must thank Prof Rajiva Wijesinha MP (UPFA) for his recent revelations, although those might be construed by the government circles as back stabbing and/or betrayal. Although the revealed documentation, limited to a five point discussion note and three sketchy communications between Wijesinha and Sajin Vas Gunawardane, again a UPFA MP but a monitoring one, does not expose any sensitive information, the narrative as well as the contents amply demonstrate the scant and lackadaisical manner that the most important negotiations with the TNA were conducted after the conclusion of the war in May 2009.

It is not clear or revealed that how many rounds of negotiations or discussions were held altogether between the government delegation and the TNA, but by the time Wijesinha had joined the process in April 2011, those can be counted as four since 10 January 2011. Then by the end of the year the negotiations completely came to a halt or failed. It is fairly documented that the TNA had submitted proposals for negotiations by the second meeting in early February and the first complain Wijesinha has made is that “I found that no response had been made to suggestions they [TNA] had made a couple of months previously,” adding that he found that “this was absurd, and urged a response.”

mahinda_sampanthan1 colombotelegraphWijesinha was in fact a latecomer to the process, replacing the position left by the former Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, who apparently found the negotiations were going nowhere by the end of March 2011. I recollect meeting Minister Wickremanayake with three other academic colleagues in mid-February on a (World Bank) study that we were completing on ‘Devolution and the Finance Commission’ and he was very candid to say that it was a difficult task with the TNA ‘as they have not changed their mindset.’ It was well known, however, that Wickremanayake was a hardliner even within the SLFP circles on the Tamil question and placing him there to negotiate also amounted to putting him into an embarrassing position in the first place. When I had a personal moment after the formal discussions, he was also expressing his dissatisfaction on the lack of clear guidelines as what to negotiate with the TNA. President Chandrika Kumaratunga, for example would not have put him into such an akward position. This is not something he said, but my frank reading of the situation.

It was not clear from the outset who was leading the government delegation, while R. Sampanthan was clearly holding that position from the TNA side. Of course Wickremanayake was the most senior and as some newspapers reported, he was leading, and in that case, who was leading or in charge after his resignation? Wjesinha does not give any indication to that effect either.

Most importantly, what was Vas Gunawardane’s position? The three email communications quoted reveal that Vas Gunawardane was calling the shots which should not have been the case when Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva and Prof G. L. Peiris were there with much experience and seniority. On the other hand, there was nothing wrong a person like Vas Gunawardane being the coordinator or the Secretary, but that should have been formally approved or known at least within the negotiating team.

Therefore, it is entirely correct for Wijesinha to place the onus for the failure of the negotiations, on the part of the government, largely on Vas Gunawardane.

Two of the procedural matters that Wijesinha has highlighted are (1) the absence of proper internal meetings to deal with the proposals or views emerging from the TNA delegation and (2) lack of minutes taking on the part of the government delegation or the absence of procedure to do so, in view of the TNA taking their own minutes. In respect of the internal meetings of the government delegation, the following is what Wijesinha has said:

“Unfortunately there were no meetings of our delegation to review such matters. We could not take things further, even though I did manage, by insisting by dates for the next meeting being fixed whenever we met, to have regular meetings, whereas previously these were few and far between, and there was no continuity.”

It is also in that respect that Wijesinha has very clearly accused Vas Gunawardane, rather sarcastically, that “It was perhaps because there was some progress that Sajin Vas Gunawardena stopped telling me about meetings.”               

Having known Prof Wijesinha in several University Grants Commission (UGC) sub-committees, before 2005, I have no hesitation to believe him and also to appreciate him in his methodical manner of dealing with meetings and minutes. However, it is apparent that he was also caught up in the mid-stream where things were going haywire without any direction from the beginning.

I believe it was up to the President, in consultation with Mr. Sampanthan as the TNA leader, to put up or agree upon an Agenda and a Procedure for the negotiations for the respective delegations to follow up. If that was done, prior to the commencement of the negotiations in January 2011, then the much complained TNA proposals should not have merged at least in that manner. What Wijesinha apparently had been doing was firefighting.

I am not here commenting on the merits or demerits of Wijesinha’s (overlapping) five points that he has apparently put forward for a discussion within the government delegation on the TNA proposals. But it is apparent that those are not pointed or cohesive enough to make any sense for any practical consideration within the context of devolution or political solution/s to the main disagreements.

It is surprising why the government and the TNA didn’t anchor their immediate political negotiations on the implementation of the 13th Amendment and this means particularly (1) the holding of the NPC elections and (2) sorting out of the two main contentious issues of land and police powers. The other contentious issue of ‘concurrent list’ could have been postponed through an agreement. If there had been an agreement on the first matter to hold the elections, for example by mid-2011, then there could have been an interim agreement on how to handle the land issues and the police matters particularly in the Northern and the Eastern provinces with immediate effect. There were of course some ‘extra-political matters’ that impinged on politics such as the presence of the military, their administrative role and the places that they were occupying, that should have been sorted out during the negotiations, the failure of which has now enlarged into a rather permanent political problem. What was pathetically absent was an agenda with a priority list that needed to be addressed in the short and the medium term agreed by both delegations.

What the communications reveal is not only the chaotic nature of the government negotiations but also the bad blood between the government negotiators. In terms of proposals, the government delegation has not always put forward a joint view it seems. By early May, first the proposal for a Senate had taken prominence, but then Wijesinha complains that “instead of taking that discussion further, “G L Pieris, at the next meeting, produced suggestions about Local Government.” This is also after informing Wijesinha that he should not suggest anything new! It must have been the case that Wijesinha was bit of chaotic or individualistic in his dealings. However, what was good for the goose should have been good for the gander.

Most revealing is the dealings with the TNA delegation. It appears that the idea of a Senate was placed for discussion by Wijesinha first (29 April), although it was originally an idea of the President himself. Wijesinha was told however, obviously by others, ‘it should not figure too large.’ Then he jumped the gun, by sending a draft to Sumanthiran, mandated by the others as he claims. Then came the other proposal sent to the TNA and the ‘Leak’ to the press, this time apparently by Vas Gunawardane himself, giving three options for a Senate’s composition on which the Daily Mirror obviously had a field day on the issue. It was apparently a different version to Wijesinha’s even without his knowledge as a member of the delegation.

It is most important for public discussion if Prof Wijesinha also could reveal his proposal and the entire communication to Mr. Sumanthiran. I am publicly requesting this revelation or ‘leak’ not because I consider a Senate is such an important element in a political solution, but to understand what was in fact going on between the two delegations during (another) failed negotiations in 2011. To make a preliminary conclusion from the information that we have so far on the government-TNA negotiations, primarily revealed by Wijesinha, it appears that it is another classic case of how not to negotiate, at least on the part of the government.

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Latest comments

  • 13
    6

    How many negotiations have Tamils gone through with the Sinhalese to secure their political rights without any progress?

    The Sinhala ruling elite, whether they be UNP, SLFP, JVP or any other will not yield any real power or rights to Tamils because their common goal is to annihilate the Tamil nation in the Northeast which is accelerating at break neck speed.

    Tamils should have demanded the British like Jinnah at the time of independence to let them revert to the Status Quo before the British annexation of the Tamil nation to the Sinhala nation.

    • 11
      5

      .
      Even after seeing so many talks fail, still many questions why TNA runs to India instead of talking to SLG directly!!!!

      :-)

      • 4
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        aratai

        “Even after seeing so many talks fail, still many questions why TNA runs to India instead of talking to SLG directly!!!!”

        Don’t forget Basil, Gota, MR, ….. GLP also run to their mother country when they get into trouble.

        It is only natural that both Tamils and Sinhalese run to their mother country when they need something.

        Poor kids.

    • 2
      9

      Are the Wellawatte, Kotahena, Wattala, negombo, dehiwela Tamils
      KALLATHONIS ????????????????????????

      hOW COULD tAMILS DEMAND FROM THE BRITISH AS THEY WERE BEING USED BY THEM LIKE COOLIES. TO SAY THE LEAST, THE BRITISH NEVER EVEN OFFERED TO THEM A BRITISH NATIONALS OVERSEAS PASSPORT…………..

    • 0
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      Thiru

      “Tamils should have demanded the British like Jinnah at the time of independence to let them revert to the Status Quo before the British annexation of the Tamil nation to the Sinhala nation. ”

      That is where the Para-Tamil Leaders failed. Trusting the Para-Sinhala.

      Ali Jinnah had the foresight. He wanted a secular Muslim India, Pakistan.

      Now there is Secular India, Secular East Pakistan, aka Bangladesh and non-secular Pakistan, controlled by the devil following Wahhabi, Salafis, Deobandis, Taliban, Ulema and all the other deviants whom Prophet Mohamed warned against.

      Sri Lanka is no longer Secular. They have a special place for Monk Mahanama “Buddhism”, which Buddha warned against, called Mataism and other religions, are the gutter.

      Thiru, if you want action. post posters, start a newspaper and distribute among the people.

      Ask JVP. They know how.

  • 2
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    Kali Mann, you Sinkalam !

    (Just throwing a ball, I am bored)

    • 4
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      Afzal you Sinkalam:

      Well done Muslim Honest admission that Boredom has set in because there is nothing else to look forward to after the drubbing given to your Boss the Thug MR.
      He went to Delhi hoping to have an Audience with King Modi for two hours to tell him how he has managed to defeat the so called 30 year War and replaced it with STATE TERRORISM.
      But Modi would have none of that gave him 20 mins ( the shortest meeting by any Politician ) to read out the Charge Sheet ( hot Madras Chicken Vindaloo) and cancelled his lunch. Poor MR no Kashmir Bryani came back and lamented to the press that he was humiliated by Modi and hasn’t recovered from the shock.

  • 7
    6

    How many negotiations have Tamils gone through negotiations with the Sinhalese to secure their political rights without any progress? Every time the Sinhalese find a way to wriggle out as it is now.

    The Sinhala ruling elite, whether they be UNP, SLFP, JVP or any other will not yield any real power or rights to Tamils because their common goal is to annihilate the Tamil nation in the Northeast which is accelerating at break neck speed.

    Tamils should have demanded the British like Jinnah at the time of independence to let them revert to the Status Quo before the British annexation of the Tamil nation to the Sinhala nation.

    • 6
      5

      1928 Donoughmore Commission proposal for Provincial Councils…
      1957 Bandaranaike- Chelvanayakam Pact for direct election to Regional Councils…
      1965 Dudley Senanayake-Chelvanayakam Agreement for District Councils…
      1970 Proposals by the Tamil Federal Party rejected by Sri Lanka…
      1979 Presidential Commission to report on creation of District Development Councils…
      1983 Annexure C Proposals & All party Conference..
      1985 Thimpu Talks…
      1986 “19 December” Proposals…
      1987 Indo Sri Lanka Peace Agreement..
      1989/90 Premadasa Talks…
      1992/93 Parliamentary Select Committee Reports…
      1994 Peace Trap by Chandrika Government…
      1995 Devolution Package…

      A Record of Broken Pacts & Evasive Proposals http://tamilnation.co/conflictresolution/tamileelam/index.htm

      • 4
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        So many failed negotiations.. You guys blame Sinhalese majority leadership for all these failures ?? But none as Tamil leadership failures?? Or was it because you haven’t got Thiru (commentator in this forum) like super intelligent Tamils on those days? Or was it because you guys also have lot of Karuna Amman, DouglasD and KP type type Tamil leaders?
        Why Tamils failed to negotiate with British like Jinnah did for Muslim Indians at that time? How can that be a failure of Sinhalese leadership?

        • 3
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          AVB

          “Why Tamils failed to negotiate with British like Jinnah did for Muslim Indians at that time? How can that be a failure of Sinhalese leadership?”

          It is a good question to ask. Unfortunately, two Tamil independent MPs (one from my village I am ashamed to admit) joined the UNP government being headed by DS. Moreover, The Tamil Congress joined in after DS making unequivocal promises that no minorities would be harmed by the majority. After forming the first independent government, first thing he did to disenfranchise thousands of Indian Tamils. GGP still remained in government when SJVC broke-away and formed the Federal Party. It was too late by then. I agree that the Tamils should have done a Jinnah then!

          The Sinhala Buddhists are not capable of building a diverse country on equal footing; evidences so far do not stack up in favour of them.

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            Dear Burning Issue,

            Re “The Tamil Congress joined in after DS making unequivocal promises that no minorities would be harmed by the majority. After forming the first independent government, first thing he did to disenfranchise thousands of Indian Tamils”

            The Indian Tamils were British subjects and were not Citizens of Sri Lanka. The majority had no roots in Lanka but they had roots in India. For that reason they were a transient population.

            Those who qualified for Citizenship became Sri Lankans.

            The Citizenship Act was passed under the Soulbury Constitution which had section 29 to protect minority rights. The Act was passed with 9 out of 12 Tamil MP’s of G. G. Ponnambalam’s Tamil Congress voting in favour of the Citizenship Act.

            The Citizenship Act was held to be non discriminatory by the Privy Council, UK (the highest court in the British Empire)

            Here is a short excerpt. The full and lengthy decision of the Privy Council is available on the internet at http://www.lawnet.lk/docs/case_law/nlr/common/html/NLR54V433.htm

            Extract
            [IN THE PRIVY COUNCIL]

            1953 Present : Lord Normand, Lord Oaksey, Lord Tucker, Lord Asquith of Bishopstone and Lord Cohen

            G. S. N. KODAKAN PILLAI, Appellant, and P. B. MUDANAYAKE et al., Respondents

            PRIVY COUNCIL APPEAL NO. 7 OF 1952

            S. C. 368-Application for Writ of Certiorari
            …………..
            …………..
            It was suggested on behalf of the appellant that this Act might itself be ultra vires as conferring a privilege upon Indian Tamils within section 29 (2) (c) of the Constitution Order-in-Council and that therefore it was inadmissible to rebut the inference that the legislature had intended by the Citizenship and Franchise Acts to make Indian Tamils liable to disabilities within the meaning of section 29 (2) (6) but their Lordships cannot accept this argument. If there was a legislative plan the plan must be looked at as a whole and when so looked at it is evident in their Lordships’ opinion that the legislature did not intend to prevent Indian Tamils from attaining citizenship provided that they were sufficiently connected with the island.

            For all these reasons their Lordships have come to the conclusion that the Citizenship and Franchise Acts are intra vires of the Ceylon legislature and they therefore humbly advise Her Majesty that this appeal ought to be dismissed. The appellant must pay the costs of the appeal.

            Appeal dismissed

            End Extract

            What you have written is Bullshit.

            Kind Regards,
            OTC

            • 3
              1

              Get lost you cheap bigot. Your insidious attempts to poison many debates are well noted here. If India had refused to take the refugees, it would have been interesting!

              • 1
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                Dear Burning Issue,

                You seem to have a Massive High Cast Ego. But unlike in the past you are not that big to order anyone around anymore. So try to rein in your wild ego.

                It is a Bigot who sheds crocodile tears for Indian Origin Tamils that were treated as Chattel by your ilk. And not only did you treat them as chattel you even treated all non Vellala and non Brahmin Lanka Tamils as chattel. If you want me to remind you of how you treated the Low casts, who were 80% of the Tamil population of Lanka, I can do so with proof.

                If the plantations were at your doorstep, instead of in the Sinhala Hinterland, either in the North or the East, you would be singing a different tune because the Indian Origin Tamils outnumbered you and you would have been a minority amongst Tamils. Politically you would have been playing second fiddle to the Indian Origin Tamils who were all low casts of India.

                You had control of the Lanka Tamil Low casts as Land was owned by your ilk and the Low Casts had no land and were destitute depending on your largesse. That would not have been the case with Indian origin Tamils because they would be working for the British.

                You want to blame everything on the Sinhalese/Buddhist even when the TRUTH staring in your face tells otherwise.

                If you have the GUTS, contest what I have written and prove me wrong else have the grace of a gentleman to accept you were wrong. But you are not that kind of gentleman are you? I would be pleasantly surprised if you prove me wrong.

                I know you will not DARE even to try contesting what I have written because you are the LYING BIGOT and I have proved it in my first reply to you.

                Beware when you Lie, for there are people who know the truth.

                Good Luck with your Rebuttal

                Kind Regards,
                OTC

            • 3
              0

              You need to understand the case verdict. It says a country has ability to decide its composition. So the Section 29 is not limiting the parliament on deciding the composition of it. that is a technical ground.
              It did not deny that the Citizenship and Franchise Acts are indirectly causing disability.

              Their position was even if the disability was there, they went with the guidance of a case it was not similar to this case. The problem they faced was if the verdict was Ceylon van not take away their citizenship, The Commonwealth use Privy Council will face the similar fate. They did not like the England, Australia Canada, SA being stopped from deporting the people they do not like.

              The problem with the verdict is they were citizen of country, Ceylon, that was formed in 1948, Feb, 4th. February 3rd it was only a colony. The date fixed was apparently arbitration. Sri Lanka played a similar trick that, i.e. arbitrarily fixing a date for LLRC inquiry. It was fixed to exonerate King using the LLRC. But is has back fired on the OHCHR inquiry. This game work only when there is opportunity. The Indian Tamil society with limited resources could not pursue different options of filing cases. But with the Tamil diaspora’s and INGOs’ case, they kept funding until they were able to find a way beyond LLRC and turned that date against the King.

              The law was passed retrospectively. It went back many years and disenfranchised the Indian Tamils. Constitutional existence of Ceylon came into existence only on 4/2/1948. (You do know the Madras, Bombay, Bengal presidencies were not a country and India was formed by annexing these administrative area. Ceylon the administrative area existed before 1948, Feb,4th was not a country. It was being experimented to make country. Ceylon is still not available in Sinhalese, though in Tamil it is Illankai.)

              In case if they were decided they were not citizen, their purpose in Lanka was employment.

              If they had been stranded in England, it was the companies(In Lanka it was the plantation companies) who brought them would have taken care of their expenses to their return home. If it was a different case Judges(Lords) themselves would suggested the remedy for the plaintiff.

              • 0
                4

                Dear Mallaiyuran,

                The problem with Tamils like you is your inability to accept even a Privy Council judgement which you cannot degrade by claiming that it was a decision of a Sinhala Supreme Court under a Sinhala government.

                The Indian origin Tamils were British subjects not Ceylon citizens. They came here to work. That is what most of them did. They were migratory workers earning from Ceylon and maintaining their interests in India. Just like any other migratory worker today.

                This is what the Privy Council said.

                If there was a legislative plan the plan must be looked at as a whole and when so looked at it is evident in their Lordships’ opinion that the legislature did not intend to prevent Indian Tamils from attaining citizenship provided that they were sufficiently connected with the island.

                Those who were sufficiently connected became Ceylon Citizens, the others like Kodikkan Pillai had to go back.

                Still ALL of them live amongst the Sinhalese on Sinhala Land not on Tamil Land.

                Please feel free to discuss the Privy Council Judgement by quoting from the judgement itself to explain your view point. I have provided the link to the judgement in my first post.

                Kind Regards,
                OTC

                • 1
                  0

                  Dear OTC,

                  It appears you are Lawyer, but because you are a novice or your limited intelligence force you to keep misinterpret the legal side of the matters. I am sorry about that.

                  I did not accept UK government (East Indian Company, Dutch and Portugal Gov.) taking Jaffna Kingdom, and Kandy Kingdom from Tamils. I did not accept the UK government handing over the Kingdoms they took from Tamils that are Kandy and Jaffna to Sinhalese. I did not accept Soulbury Commission decides the fate of Tamils. They had all eminent constitutional lawyers to have a constitution written for them. So the Soulbury’s favor was overtly rejected by all Tamils. This just only one case arose from Soulbury commission- so I do not give a damn to that verdict either. I will never accept the Privy Council’s behavior, used a technical point to avoid the main subject.

                  There is always an appeal process available to lower court verdict, if one of the parties in the lawsuit is unable to accept the verdict. It is only on the administrative perspectives that a client is stopped from proceeding further from a country’s highest court’s verdict. It does not mean the verdict is correct and it should be accepted. Many murder cases accepted in the American Supreme Court are keeping get dismissed after DNA evident is invented. I have heard even those who were 40 years behind the bar has got out within last three, four, five years or so. Even yesterday one man, for murder he did not commit, was in prison for 17 years has been released. One day, the upcountry Tamils(here after I will call them as Indian Tamils in this comment, to get along with the wording used in this case- but that is not my accepted position) will find their way to get justice for the pain caused to them by the two countries( Ceylon and Britain). One day Seeman, Vaiko, Nedumaran like peoples have to put together the deported people and file a class action on the Ceylon Tea Companies.

                  That is for your lack legal sense. Now let us look at the case.

                  If there was a legislative plan the plan must be looked at as a whole and when so looked at it is evident in their Lordships’ opinion that the legislature did not intend to prevent Indian Tamils from attaining citizenship provided that they were sufficiently connected with the island.”
                  Thanks for pointing out the paragraph that I had already read. The problem is you are not able to get what is written in plain English.

                  First thing here is, judges arbitrarily defining the “sufficient connection to the land” and allowing the illegal indirect element to go as legal element. That is judges’ contribution to the cover up; thanks for the Judges/Lords for that immoral service. In all countries, under normal conditions, if a person is born in one country, that is his birth palace and he/she is due for a citizenship from that country. All these Indian Tamil people were living there. They did not have a second domicile. The Judges did not answer that argument put forward by the applicant’s lawyers on that area.

                  But that is only a side point; instead spending time on that we can come to your point. You are trying to show the verdict was on the main point of the case, not the technicalities. To tell you the truth, the case verdict did not touch any of them at all. It was an open cover up.
                  “If there was a legislative plan the plan must be looked at as a whole”. Meaning of this sentence is ‘Yes the part of the Act discussed in the court directly or/and indirectly violates the Indian Tamils rights under section 29

                  Judges are, in two three places accepting that the Citizenship and Franchise Acts are indirectly causing disability. One of them is the one you are quoting. The Lords could not deny the “Indirect Part”, that is the one here targeted the Indian Tamils. What Judges saying the in quotation that you citing is,” even though the Act is targeting the Indian Tamil, we the Lords, to hide it, had fished somewhere else and providing an evidence of the Act giving a minor relief, to avoid the Act getting knocked out in a court of law. So we are going to take that defense to save the Act”. So, by providing a fake augment against the specific part discussed in the court, which had caused disability to the Indian Tamils, they accepted the cover up provided by the Act that is an effort the legislative body of Ceylon has inserted into the Act to hide the indirect element. The section 29 stayed with first level of indirect sense. Judges used second level, the cover up of the indirect element and allowed the Act pass through. Judges did not deny the basic sentence, “That was an Act that is directly addressed to the Indian community and indirectly violated their civil rights, with a cover up of the “Indirect Motive”.

                  Please note the judges did not say, “Independently it is not ultra-virus of section 29”. They said considering the whole Act (that is when included the attempt of cover up of the indirect element) it is Intra virus. Understand, please, allowing one or two to gain citizenship through a fake system is not Non-discriminatory under section 29. With fake excuses, by having Karuna, Deva, KP et al, the internationally accepted war criminal, in the Royal Government, the King is not proving anybody that he is not a racist. The Citizenship and Franchise Act is an act on the same dimension.

                  Judges did this to save all other countries coming under Privy Council jurisdiction, not being bound by the same verdict. That was a well discussed subject those days in Jaffna. You are misunderstanding the case proceeding by reading twisted summary put on a Sinhala Law website. For your information there many more things behind it than the summary in that web site. Discussing can be unnecessarily lenthy. What is needed is the deported upcountry Tamils have to gain some strength to sue those who caused them the pain, for civil damages.

                  Kandy was a Tamil Kings’ property. There was no error on the Ceylon Tea Companies in habilitating Tamils there. The problem is Upcountry Tamil community is not strong enough to sue the Ceylon Tea Companies who had brought them to settle in the Tea and Rubber plantation area, to pay for the failure of that object. As long as those companies are there, it is still open that those companies can be sued (and must be sued for the damages) for the pain occurred for the deported ones. One day Seeman, Vaiko, Nedumaran Like peoples have to put together the deported peoples and file a class action on the Ceylon’s tea companies.

                  These workers were not indentured workers. They naturally gain all the normal citizenship that becomes available and granted for peoples in a country. In all countries married peoples get it. People born in that country get. In Lanka, the Law was passed in strange way.

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                    Mallaiyuran,

                    Do yourself a big favour and eschew from engaging with this insidious fellow. I have had epic debates with him on Groundviews and they all went around and around in circles but one. I neither have time nor any appetite to debate with such an individual. I call him a bigot because I established that he wants to make Sri Lanka where the Sinhala are the majority in every parts of the country. On this basis he is prepared to grant autonomy ensuring that the power remain with the Sinhala!

                    The point you have made in relation to the disenfranchisement of the Indian Tamils is very valid.

                    • 1
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                      Thanks Burning issue.

                      I think I see a sense in your comment.

                      That Cobra is a Charmers’ cobra. Its dances are only what the back up can provide through the Pungi, snake charmers pipe. Further the Charmer has de-fanged it.

                      OTC say here only what is he authorized say through the pungi of his masters.

                      They the dog can lick for its thirst, can not drink, even in the mid of a water-full ocean. He paste here what he get. OTC does not not enjoy the thrill of writing in a free media.

                    • 4
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                      Burning_Issue

                      His monologue probably he thinks is the best form of defence against the onslaught of voices that demand truth and justice. He is not alone in this despicable act of deception though not effective. You would have read similar comments in varying style but in effect with the same message if you want to call it message by wathie, sach, Dawn Dale, thrishu, srojini, Ram, …… and others thinking that one can fool all the people all the time.

                      These plagiarising stupid liers forget that their attempt to deceive readers never worked and will never work.

                      So stick to truth.

                    • 0
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                      Dear Burning Issue,

                      You are a coward after all

                      Re ” I have had epic debates with him on Groundviews and they all went around and around in circles but one.”

                      What is that “but one”?
                      It was about Thesawalami where my research unearthed a Supreme Court decision on Thesawalami, which made me realize that Thesawalami does not per se prevent outsiders buying property in Jaffna. Since then I refrained from criticising Thesawalami.

                      However now I know that peer pressure together with Thesawalami can prevent outsiders buying property in Jaffna.

                      The point is you did not win the debate by convincing me. I myself found reliable evidence that convinced me. The link to that judgement was given to you by me.

                      In all other debates you tried to subvert the Truth which I did not allow. You were going in circles trying unsuccessfully to counter the factual arguments that I wrote. In fact once you even claimed the CJ Sarath Silva had become a Buddhist Priest!

                      A perfect example is what you wrote about disenfranchisement on this very web page. You even suppressed that 9 Tamil MPs voted for the Citizenship Act!

                      That is an example of your Bigoted one track mind.

                      Re “I call him a bigot because I established that he wants to make Sri Lanka where the Sinhala are the majority in every parts of the country. On this basis he is prepared to grant autonomy ensuring that the power remain with the Sinhala!”

                      Since you are blinded by bigotry you cannot understand what I wrote about devolution.

                      If demographic change and making the Sinhala the political power in ALL provinces is my aim, it is easily achieved, simply by implementing the 13A.

                      You have no idea what the 13A can do to the North and East.

                      The 13A recognises the National Ethnic Ratio. The National Ethnic Ratio is approx Sinhala:Lanka Tamil:Moor:Indian Tamil:others 75:11:9:4:1.

                      That means for every 11 Lanka Tamils settled in irrigation schemes in the North or East, 75 Sinhalese, 9 Muslims, 4 Indian Tamils and 1 from others will have to be given Land. This is the Current SUPREME Law. You can’t do anything about it.

                      1. The North and the East together is about 40% of Lanka.
                      2. Large areas of BOTH these provinces are UNPOPULATED.
                      3. What I suggest is the creation of New provinces or centrally administered areas (as in India and the USA)from UNPOPULATED PUBLICLY OWNED Land.
                      4. This will not alter the existing demography in any way.

                      Hence you have no cause to object.

                      But the Tamil Greed for common resources pays Lip Service to Equality.

                      How can you justify holding on to almost 40% of Lanka’s Land for the exclusive benefit of just 11% of the population, when half that 11% lives outside the North and the East?

                      That Burning Issue is Bigotry compounded by Greed.

                      If the excess Land is not divested and the current provincial boundaries remain unchanged, the implementation of 13A will ensure a Demographic change with a Sinhala majority all over Lanka.

                      Re “The point you have made in relation to the disenfranchisement of the Indian Tamils is very valid”

                      Since you do not have the facts to debate with me, pat and scratch Mallaiyuran.

                      Are you also saying that the Kandyan Kingdom was a Tamil Kingdom?
                      Are you claiming that the Privy Council colluded with the then Ceylon Govt to subvert the Constitution? Are you saying that the judges of the Highest Court in the British Empire were a set of IDIOTS and Mallaiyuran a legal Luminary?

                      You must be a bigger idiot than I thought.

                      Kind Regards,
                      OTC

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                      0

                      The case you unearthed in relation to Thesawalami only goes to prove that, the Jaffna Tamils are subject to Thesawalami law regardless of where they live in the island! I showed you clearly that Thesawalami do not discriminate anyone; it is merely a custom that was codified. It mainly exist to resolve family disputes and nothing more!

                      “However now I know that peer pressure together with Thesawalami can prevent outsiders buying property in Jaffna.”

                      Here he goes again! A baseless statement only good for garbage bin.

                    • 1
                      2

                      Dear “Veddha”,

                      The Sanctimonious Humbug has joined the fray after running from discussions that exposed his nudity.

                      Just because 3 Lying idiots decided to become bed fellows, they will not have a hope in hell of contesting the truth.

                      I have no intention of changing your view points, but I have every intention of undermining your ability to convince fair thinking outsiders, by exposing the trash that you write.

                      What I write is always factual and backed up by authoritative references. So please try and disprove what I have written.

                      I was amused when you wrote “These plagiarising stupid liers forget that their attempt to deceive readers never worked and will never work. So stick to truth

                      Veddha, some Joker has been writing manufactured LIES on CT. Here is the Link have a good read and let us know whether you know the guy. Given that TRUTHFUL nature of yours I am sure it’s not you.

                      On May 25, 2014 at 2:16 pm, some guy addressing a comment to Manoharan, wrote “You have great sense of History. I envy you…..The stupid Tamils suffered last time when IPKF arrived because the Sri Lankan armed forces who were supposed to defend this island were found hiding behind their women folks and VP’s fat bottom”

                      https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/dear-modi-sri-lankas-aggressive-agenda-to-your-notice/comment-page-1/

                      Veddha as you, I and informed readers of CT know, the IPKF came to SL because of the Indo Lanka Peace Accord. Under the terms of that Accord, the SL forces were confined to Barracks from May 1987.

                      Thus, as all of us can see, this guy is a dirty liar who is SHAMELESSLY manufacturing complete Lies about Our Country.

                      I agree with the forthright stand you have taken regarding “STICKING TO THE TRUTH”.

                      I am sure you will agree that Commentators like this two faced Liar should be banished from CT.

                      Surprise surprise, that Sanctimonious Stupid Liar is using “Native Veddha” as his calling card!!!

                      Kind Regards,
                      OTC

                    • 2
                      2

                      Dear Burning Issue,

                      Re your claim “I showed you clearly that Thesawalami do not discriminate anyone;”

                      No you did not. It was the SC judgment which I found, that made it clear.

                      Since I was ONLY interested in the Truth and not winning debates, I gave that SC judgment to you to be used as a defense in any future challenge to the Thesawalami.

                      I will explain why I have doubts again.

                      Thesawalami mandates that BEFORE selling property outside the Family, it MUST be offered to the Family first. Hence there is no possibility for a land owner to do any property transaction in secrecy.

                      This together with PEER pressure prevents Land in Jaffna being sold to people from OUTSIDE the Vellala Cast.

                      To understand the power of that Peer Pressure an understanding of Jaffna society is essential.

                      In the 20th century Jaffna all private Land was held by High Cast Tamils. The Cast structure was so strong that when the Colonial govt commenced a policy of equality in education in the 1920s, hostility that erupted from the Vellalas persisted throughout the 20th Century. (Communal Politics by Dr. Jane Russel)

                      Describing the Pallas and Parayas in the mid 20th century Dr JR says

                      Quote
                      They are a numerous but abject and despised race. Their principal occupation is ploughing the land of the more fortunate Tamils, and though normally free, they are usually slaves in almost every sense of the word.

                      The outcastes or parayas had a deplorable social status. Among this group, there was a caste unique to Jaffna, the turumbas or washermen to the parayas. They were not allowed to be seen in the daylight and could only travel by night.
                      Unquote
                      (Communal Politics 1931 – 47 Dr Jane Russell)

                      Quote
                      In Jaffna schools and colleges, differential treatment of castes manifested itself in three ways.

                      First certain castes, the parayas, for example, were forbidden entry into a number of schools.

                      Secondly, the non-vellala castes who were permitted to enter schools either sat on chairs a few inches lower than the vellala children or sat on the floor.

                      Thirdly, commensality or inter-dining between the vellala and the non-vellala castes was considered taboo by vellala Hindus.

                      In 1930, three leading politicians approached the Governor to disregard the enforcement of the rule of inter-dining between vellala and non-vellala students at Kopay Training College. A few weeks later, several schools which had tried to enforce the equal seating rule were burnt down by infuriated vellala parents, and there were some outbreaks of violence between castes over this. In other rural mission schools, the missionaries reported that the vellala children had stopped attending schools which had equal seating, and several schools had to close for want of pupils! A resolution presented to the Government Agent by the Managers of all schools in Jaffna town pleaded that the equal seating rule be not enforced in the villages in the peninsula as 75% of the peasant population were against it. There were a few enlightened vellala Hindus of whom S. Rajaratnam, the Chairman of the Hindu Board of Education, was a shining example, who tried to cooperate with the government over this matter but otherwise all vellala Hindu opinion, from the most cultured and Westernized man to the illiterate peasant, was opposed to the policy.

                      After the ill-feeling caused by the equal-seating rule had evaporated, caste friction transferred itself to other spheres. In 1933, the vellala bus drivers went on strike in protest against attempts by the depressed classes to emancipate themselves to the extent of exercising a prerogative of sitting on the seats in the buses, as opposed to the A floor which had previously been their preserve. A few months later in a caste feud between vellala and non-vellala Catholics, a vellala was killed, and the houses of several parayas burnt down, over the issue of a paraya man wearing shoes in church. The next day, another feud developed in another village between vellalas and nalavas over the rights of the nalavas to cremate their dead in a vellala cremation place, and a man was shot.
                      The judge in this case, C. Coomaraswamy, reprimanded the vellala.

                      It should be brought home to the vellala that the world is changing fast; that it is no longer possible for one class of people to dominate over another, and that every individual, however humble, is entitled to the unrestricted exercise of his bare elementary rights.“

                      It was a vain reproof for the vellala simply could not accustom themselves to notions at variance with those propounded by their ancestors. “Caste,” as Yalman notes, “is based on the belief that certain groups of people are inherently different from one another in biological as well as moral terms!“ In Jaffna, this belief had prevailed for centuries, at least in the villages. In fact Banks attributes “the ultra-conservatism of Jaffna” to the fact that, Despite the high level of education and the fact that many thousands of Jaffna people have lived most of their adult lives abroad, when they return, they quickly fall back into the local social system for at the village level, the Jafiha social system has persisted for several centuries.
                      Unquote
                      (Communal Politics 1931 – 47 Dr Jane Russell)

                      Because Thesawalami prohibits a property transaction in secrecy and because of Peer Pressure caused by the ingrained very strong social fractionation. A property transaction OUTSIDE the Vellala cast is prevented.

                      I note that you criticised me in very strong terms about my stand on Devolution and Land you have gone silent on the issue after my clarification.

                      Did my explanation “Pull the Rug from under you”?

                      Kind Regards,
                      OTC

                    • 4
                      1

                      Off You Go

                      INDIAN AIR FORCE IN SRI LANKA

                      Operation Poomalai – The Jaffna Food drop

                      The day was June 3rd, 1987, and the place was the Maharajpur Air Force Station near Gwalior. Home to the two elite Mirage 2000 Squadrons of the Indian Air Force, Maharajpur was one of the key airbases of Central Air Command. The time was 0530 hours. Daylight has not yet broken out, when Wg Cdr Ajit Bhavnani received received an important message. Bhavnani was the Commanding officer of the No.7 Squadron ‘The Battle Axes’. He was the first CO of the Squadron after it had inducted the state of the art Mirage 2000H fly by wire fighters and was himself trained in France before the induction. He had commanded the Squadron for over three years and was preparing for his move to Air HQ after his tenure was to end on June 22nd. However fate seemed to have destined that he would fly just one more important mission for the country. The message he received was a directive to immediately move some of his aircraft to the south of the country. The destination was the HAL Airport in Bangalore. A giant Illyushin 76 was allocated to him to move supporting personnel and equipment to Bangalore airport.

                      At 1130 Hrs, Bhavnani took off in his Mirage 2000, followed by five of his most experienced pilots which included S/L ‘Joe’ Bakshi, S/L NA ‘Pots’ Moitra , JS ‘Panne’ Panesar and Keshav Sidhu. After the one and a half hour flight, the Mirages approached Bangalore airport but were directed to land at Yelahanka airfield to the north of Bangalore. The Pilots had no idea as to what their mission was. Only towards the night at around 2100 hours did the pilots get their briefing. They were to fly as escorts to a group of An-32 Transport aircraft that would be dropping relief supplies over Northern Sri Lanka.

                      Far away in the north of the country was the Paratroopers Training School (PTS) at Agra. Normally the PTS main task was to provide Parachute training to Indian Army soldiers of the Para regiment. Their task was to help out in daily paradrops as well as train Para Jump masters and Skydivers. Just as the Battle Axes received the surprise orders to fly south, the PTS got the surprise orders to prepare for the task of dropping supplies over Jaffna. The ground crew were working hard in loading five An-32 aircraft with ‘relief’ supplies, Dried rations and vegetables packed in cartons and canvas bags rigged with Parachutes. Overseeing the loading operation was none other than the Vice Chief of Air Staff , Air Marshal S Raghavendran himself. The An-32s would be the first Indian aircraft that would be transgressing the airspace of another nation for the first time since the 1971 War. The mission to drop supplies over Northern Sri Lanka in the Jaffna Peninsula was named ‘Operation Poomalai’ (Garland).

                      The genesis of the story had started several years earlier in Sri Lanka, when the Sinhalese government put restrictive measures on the political freedom and rights of the Indian Tamil minorities. Opposition to the official repressive measures took a violent turn with the rise of tamil militancy and soon a number of militant groups like the LTTE , PLOT, EPRLF, TELO etc were operating in the Jaffna Peninsula against the Sri Lankan armed forces. Years of insurgency and fighting between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the Militant groups were interspersed with infighting among the Tamil groups themselves. This was followed by an allout offensive by the Sri Lankan Army in the summer of 1987. The offensive was moderately successful. The SL Army enforced a blockade of Jaffna that not only cut off the basic supplies to the entire civilian population, but also had put the major tamil militant group, the LTTE on the back foot. As the Sri Lankan Army started making gains in the Jaffna peninsula, concerns were raised in India on the future of the Tamil minorities in Sri Lanka. Even though it was the internal affair of Sri Lanka, the events in Jaffna raised considerable emotions and tensions in the neighboring Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where the tamils were seen as brothers suffering under the Sri Lankan govt policies. Whatever may be the legalities of the issue, the Indian Government of that time felt that it could not stand by while the Tamil minority representative groups were locked in what seemed as their last battle for survival.

                      In late May, the Indian government informed Sri Lanka that it was sending a convoy of relief supplies to the Jaffna peninsula by a ship convoy for ‘humanitarian reasons’. A flotilla of Indian boats carrying more than 1000 tonnes of supplies were turned back by the Sri Lankan Navy as they approached the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. The sending back of the Flotilla was seen as a great victory by the general populace of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, and it was greeted with Jubilation and ‘Victory’ celebrations. It was quite clear that the Indian government was not going to take this living down. Plans were afoot for another drastic measure. It called for an aerial supply drop.

                      Back at Agra, the ground crew were helped by army personnel in loading the supplies onto the aircraft. The Aircraft were to fly to Bangalore after daylight and carry out the supply drop under the escort of Mirage 2000s. Around 0800 hours, the An-32s of the PTS took off for Bangalore flown by supporting aircrew. The actual aircrews who would be participating in the airdrop were already flown to Bangalore the previous night so that they could catch up with some rest. Gp Capt BK Sunder, the CO of PTS was to lead the An-32s over Sri Lanka. The final briefing was conducted by Air Vice Marshal Denzil Keelor, the ACAS (Ops) who had come down from Air HQ to Bangalore.

                      At 1500 Hours, the Sri Lankan Ambassador in New Delhi was called to the Ministry of External Affairs office. There he was conveyed the message by Mr. Natwar Singh that Indian Air Force An-32s would be taking off at 1600 Hours from somewhere in India and would be dropping supplies over Jaffna. The ambassador was told that the aircraft were expected to complete their mission unhindered and any opposition by the Sri Lankan Air Force ‘would be met by force’ by the escorting Mirage 2000s. The warning was unnecessary – The Sri Lankan Air Force hardly constituted a ‘threat’ to the IAF. It had a handful of Turbo prop Siai-Marchetti SF260 and Argentinean FMA Pucara Twin Turboprop counter insurgency aircraft. They would be no match for the digital deltas in a fight. The only opposition if any, would be that of ground fire from the Sri Lankan troops.

                      About the same time, the aircrew at Bangalore were making their final checks on the An-32s. There were a large number of domestic and International journalists who were at the airport covering the mission. It was decided let them fly in the An-32s to cover the flight. A group of 35 were finally chosen and all of them embarked the powered up An-32s in teams of seven each. At 15.55 hours, the first An-32 took to the air piloted by Gp Capt Sunder and Flt Lt SR Swarup as the co-pilot. It would be a round trip of 900 km awaited them to Jaffna and back.

                      Designated as ‘Eagle-Mission-4’, the An-32s formated and climbed upto 12000 feet altitude. As they crossed the Coramandal coast at around 1645, they were met by four Mirage 2000s led by Bhavnani who had taken off about the same time as the An-32s. The Mirages were carrying three drop tanks and two Matra Magic II Air to Air Missiles, just in case the Sri Lankan Air Force made an appearance. As it turned out later, they were not needed.

                      Click to Enlarge Painting depicts Wg Cdr Ajit Bhavnani flying Mirage 2000H KF-123 on the escort mission during Operation Poomalai.
                      Picture Courtesy: Polly Singh
                      As the transport aircraft were crossing the Palk straits — the stretch of water separating the Sri Lankan coast from the Indian coast, the Mirages maintained station about a 1000 feet higher than the An-32s. They were constantly making inward turns keeping the An-32s in sight all the time. A fifth Mirage was flying around the Indian coast acting as the radio relay. Two An-32s were also flying standby and acting as relay over Tamil Nadu – keeping the main supply dropping force in radio contact with the brass sitting in Bangalore.

                      The mission leader Gp Capt Sunder attempted radio contact with Colombo ATC at 1647. Inspite of repeated calls, nothing apart from static was heard. Sunder repeated the call over the Civilian air traffic radio channel and still no response was heard. It was clear that the Colombo ATC were listening in but were not responding, for Madras ATC was able to clearly pick out the radio calls over the civil channel. Sunder then continued calling on the channel, finally mentioning that Eagle Mission 4 was headed towards Jaffna on a mercy mission.

                      001-An32s-Takingoff.jpg (45642 bytes) 002-An32s-Supply-Drop.jpg (41842 bytes)
                      EAGLE MISSION-4 : Antonov-32 transports of PTS taxiing for take off from Bangalore for the supply drop (Left) and the parachutes drifting down onto the Jaffna Peninsula (Right). Pictures Courtesy: INDIA TODAY
                      By 1650 hours, the aircraft have approached the Jaffna peninsula. The An-32s slowed down and descended to just 1500 feet AGL. Jaffna town was in sight around 1700 hours. The rear Cargo doors were slid open and with the command given, the supplies slid down the cargo hold out of the aircraft. The White Parachutes ballooning as soon as the boxes left the aircraft. The supplies drifted down to the drop zone approx. 7km from Jaffna. Their mission completed the transport aircraft regained altitude and made a 180 degree turn. Perhaps in an unintended slight to the Sri Lankan Air Force, the formation overflew Palaly airbase in the north of Jaffna Peninsula, in full sight of those on the ground. There was no opposition to the aircraft at all. Nor did the aircrew observe any aircraft on the ground either. The aircraft continued in westerly direction for sometime before turning North.

                      001-Hindu-Paper.jpg (97327 bytes)
                      IAF aircrew being congratulated by the ground crew on successful completion of the supply drop after landing back at Bangalore Airport on the evening of June 4th, 1987. The next day’s newspapers carried the supply drop as Headlines as this picture of THE HINDU, a newspaper published from Madras shows.
                      It was 1813 hours by the time the lead aircraft touched down in Bangalore . Once on the ground, there was much cheering and celebration for both the transport and fighter pilots. It was a job well done . AVM Keelor took the Battle Axes pilots for dinner. The Prime Ministers Office sent its congratulations to the Aircrew and units involved in the whole operation.

                      The aftermath of the supply drop bought forth heavy recrimination and diplomatic flurry of allegations and counter-allegations. Sri Lanka accused India of “blatant violation of sovereignty”. India insisted that it was acting only on humanitarian grounds. The United States expressed ‘regret’ but refused to further comment on the incident.

                      The supplies dropped amounted to not more than 23 tonnes and was not substantial at all. But it sent a message to the Sri Lankans that India would not be a bystander to the ongoing civil war. If it was against the interests of the ethnic Tamil minorities, then it would be against Indian interests as well as there would be corresponding repercussions in its own indigenous tamil population. The supply drop was intended to be a message – and it succeeded in driving home that point to the Sri Lankan government. The siege of Jaffna was lifted – and cease-fire declared.

                      http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1987IPKF/Chapter1.html

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                      Dear “Native Veddha”
                      (a Tamil separatist masquerading as a Veddha),

                      I see that you are frantically scouring the Internet to
                      look for a Fig Leaf to cover your NUDITY. You won’t find it
                      anywhere because you Lied and manufactured that Lie from
                      thin air.

                      You stepped into a Cesspool when you wrote on May 25, 2014
                      at 2:16 pm, to Manoharan the following

                      “You have great sense of History. I envy you…..The
                      stupid Tamils suffered last time when IPKF arrived because
                      the Sri Lankan armed forces who were supposed to defend
                      this island were found hiding behind their women folks and
                      VP’s fat bottom”

                      https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/dear-modi-sri-
                      lankas-aggressive-agenda-to-your-notice/comment-page-1/

                      Operation Poomalai or Eagle Mission 4 was the codename assigned to a mission undertaken by the Indian Air Force to air-drop supplies over the besieged town of Jaffna on 4 June 1987 in support of Tamil Tigers during the Sri Lankan Civil War. (wiki)

                      1. The Indo Lanka Peace Accord was signed on 29th of July 1987. nearly two months later.

                      2. The IPKF Landed in Lanka on 30 July 1987.

                      3. The SL forces were confined to barracks under the terms of the peace accord within 72 hours of cessation of hostilities.

                      That time line has stripped the Fig Leaf you tried to use to cover your nudity.

                      You concocted the Lie around the IPKF.
                      Hence heed your own advice and Stick with the Truth.

                      What a Sanctimonious Liar running a Lie factory you have
                      turned out to be.

                      Kind Regards
                      OTC

                  • 2
                    3

                    Dear Mallaiyuran,

                    Re “I did not accept the UK government handing over the Kingdoms they took from Tamils that are Kandy and Jaffna to Sinhalese” …………. “Kandy was a Tamil Kings’ property”

                    Nobody cares about what you accept. Prabahkaran did not accept many things either. He met an ignominious death at Nadikadal because of that.

                    But the prize for idiocy is that claim about the Kandyan Kingdom being a Tamil one.

                    When did any Tamil subjugate the Sinhala hinterland of the Kandyan Kingdom?

                    Here is a quote from Dr Pradeep Jeganathan who is a Tamil intellectual.

                    “Not every legitimate ruler of southern Lanka was a Buddhist in early modern times. Yet also it is not historically accurate to say that the Kings of Jaffna ruled the east, certainly even a cursory glance at Dutch records and the doings of Rajasinha the 2nd will tell you, that the Kings of the Kanda Uda Pas Rate, (the five countries on top of the mountains) were also the overlords of Batticoloa and Trincomalee”.

                    Re “Please note the judges did not say, “Independently it is not ultra-virus of section 29”.”

                    A Law is judged as a whole, not out of context piece meal.

                    Re “under normal conditions, if a person is born in one country, that is his birth palace and he/she is due for a citizenship from that country.”

                    This was not “normal conditions”. It was about Indian Tamils, settled in Lanka in very large numbers, exceeding even the indigenous Tamil population, on Land robbed from the Sinhalese by enacting special draconian Laws such as the Waste Lands Act and related Laws without any reference to the indigenous population. They were brought here and foisted on the up country Sinhalese at gun point.

                    The extent of the alteration of Demography made the Sinhalese a minority in their own home. Such large scale demography change is unparalleled anywhere in Lanka.

                    How many of the 194 countries recognise that unconditionally?
                    Just 16%

                    The Gist of what you say is that The Privy Council of the UK conspired with the Govt of Sri Lanka to disenfranchise the Indian Origin Tamils by subverting the Constitution promulgated by the King of England

                    Confirms what I said in my previous comment that people like you think that you are right not withstanding what any independent body says.

                    Re “The problem is Upcountry Tamil community is not strong enough to sue the Ceylon Tea Companies”

                    What were the hundreds of highly qualified Lanka Tamil Lawyers doing? Shedding Crocodile tears Mallaiyuran?

                    why did they not appear free on behalf of the 100% low cast Indian Tamils? Was it because the 100% high cast Tamil lawyers of the day did not want to mix with untouchables?

                    Re “You are misunderstanding the case proceeding by reading twisted summary put on a Sinhala Law website”

                    A typical Tamil separatist argument.
                    Why don’t you challenge the alleged faulty case record by producing an “Untwisted” copy from Privy Council Law archives?

                    Lawnet is the resource used by lawyers irrespective of ethnicity. It is not the same as Tamilnet.

                    Kind Regards,
                    OTC

                    • 2
                      1

                      Off the Cuff, Thank you for your point of view, which is lucid and informative. The Indian Tamils were truly Indian citizens and regularly travelled to India on travel passes. The disenfranchisement, a political decision at the time, did cause a disability in legal terms though for all practical purposes they did not experience much difference. Many bought land, and some even bought estates. In human terms it was unfair since they were more or less stateless and India was reluctant to take them back as well. They are now citizens and there in now no issue.

                      The demographic changes that have occurred as a consequence is now accepted by the Sinhala people even though it was originally their land. This is well and good. Mallaiyuran and others who are critical of the disenfranchizement and are dismissive of the demographic changes that have taken place, I presume, support similar demographic changes in the North. This is well and good for we need to share our resources including land amongst all our citizens regardless of race and other perceived differences.

                    • 1
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                      OTC
                      Other than bluffing a lot, you could not deny one single thing I said in the comment.

                      Nanthikadal is the end of something. Not of everything. Tamils call for freedom is certainly not one of them. But, Nanthikadal is the start of Many things. Thinking Nanthikadal as end of the Tamils history is,again,one of your usual miscalculation. Importantly, Kings family’s troubles started there. So, I know, I can safely select and accept what I like. Further to your decorated words for the King of England, it would have been good for you if you had kept the constitution promulgated by His Excellency, because King of England gave his way to Britain become the best democratic country under Monarch, But when that was changed, the Lankan dictators have changed a republic into an tyranny, anarchy. But for us Tamil, who kept the Lanka to equal with south Korea until 1956, “King and his promulgation” are your silly jokes. We are always full of conscious that who we are. So we know when we are right.

                      The Ceylon Sinhalese politicians noticed that Indian origin Tamil are were living in high numbers in upcountry.((thanks for accepting that; now, it is same story taking place at North) They illegally brought a law against the section 29 and fixed day and time to decide the citizenship of that people and deported them. If somebody buys that, Only Amarasiri can live in here and the cousin of Para Vijeya too must go out.

                      Sri Lanka is carrying a big bag and Baggage as Law Reference. These are the one used to even to dismiss a CJ Shiranee Bandaranayke. Instead of referring the Sinhalese’s Lawnet, if they had referred to TamilNet, this lawless goon-ism would not have taken place in Lanka, the lawless country. (Rule by law is the main action demanded by the UNHRC’s last resolution. The entire world looked and it and wondered as what lawless country to dismiss a CJ without a procedure- unfortunately they did not know, that is how a CJ come to office in Sri Lanka)

                      Sarth N.De Silva openly gave interview that excused the King with false judgments so that he could become the president. You cannot hide those. Again the cousin of the Royal goons’, Sarath N. Silva was a CJ and claiming that he did that illegal thing during his CJ tenancy. Don’t try fool others that there is judgment served in all courts and all the time.

                      You keep your proud Lawnet with you. But the international Inquiry into King’s family conduct may not depend on that. Already many more TamilNets are working on the evidences need to be provided for that. When the verdict of that comes out, you are going to cry more than the Indian Tamils cried for the Privy Council judgment. Drink some extra water if you think you may run out of tears.

                      Canada is still paying to the ill treatment of Japanese during the war. America did it too. It is never late for the Tamils in South India to organize a union to achieve this. TN has recovered from many problems it was facing after the colonial rule. It keeps going forward though some looter-politicians are there too. Now time for them come and pay attention on this issue too. Tamil Nadu assembly should press Jayalalitha to ask Modi to demand compensation from Ceylon’s tea companies. Whether we are crocodiles or not, that is irreverent, Ceylon lived on imported free rice that came from the toil of the Tamils workers on the Rubber and the Tea plantations. After sucking the souls out of those human beings for the free rice, Lanka dumped those wasted bodies in India. It doesn’t matter whether crocodiles are crying or even the Lala’s wild lions are crying, Modi shouldn’t be a damp fool to pay for the medical bills to take care of these wasted bodies. If Lanka is not paying compensation and the cost for the deported Tamils, Modi shouldn’t be dared to invade and take it direct from the central bank of Lanka.

                      About the Kandyan Kingdom; it was and still, under all logic and laws, is a Tamil king’s property. How 2500 years ago Vijeya and the 700 rowdies came can captured the Island and claimed as theirs, it is the same way Rajasinghan’s ancestors brought their troops, captured the Kandy and ruled it over with pride. It was a Tamil King’s property and still is. There is no back on that. Period. One day, a way may open to get some kind of judgement to get a compensation for that too.

                    • 0
                      0

                      Wickramasiri:

                      I presume, support similar demographic changes in the North. This is well and good for we need to share our resources including land among all our citizens regardless of race and other perceived differences.

                      Forget about Mallaiyuran.

                      See how Dr. Rajasigham Narendren trivializes the issue of demographic change that occurred as a consequence of Indian Tamils. These people will not give an inch of this so called “traditional homeland” of Tamils to settle a Sinhalese.

                    • 1
                      1

                      Wickramasiri,

                      What the Brits did we had no control over and this goes for both Sinhala and Tamils. They brought in plantation labours from India and settled them in squalid conditions within the premisses of the plantations. They worked for menial wage toiling their sweat. Their labour not only profited the Tea companies but also the coffers of the Ceylon state. The country was left with a sound infrastructure partly thanks to those toiling tea estate workers. Vast majority of the folks that were disenfranchised were born in Ceylon and they were not given any choice!

                      If you are really interested in changing the demography of the N&E, create conducive economic conditions where people can freely move according to their economic needs. On the other hand, if you want to do what the Brits did by mass migrating the Sinhala with state aided colonisation programme, you will be construed as imperialists trying to wilfully alter the demography in order to expense the Tamils politically. This is in fact immoral and hegemonic. It does not matter how well you embellish it, it will be a blatant aggression of majority who has scant regard of the sentiments of the minority Tamils!

                    • 3
                      2

                      Dear Burning Issue,

                      Re “What the Brits did we had no control over and this goes for both Sinhala and Tamils”

                      I completely agree with you.

                      But we have control over the rectification of that injustice suffered by the Sinhalese in the Hill Country who lost their Lands and Lively hood and still live in penury.

                      When the State addressed that issue in the Gal Oya development project it was the Lanka Tamils who started objecting shouting from the roof tops about a demographic change that did not occur in reality.

                      You forget that ANY development funded by the govt has a per capita burden on each citizen. Since their are 75% Sinhalese, 75% of the monetary burden falls on their Shoulders. Yet when disbursing the benefits you try to grab the major share.

                      This is the crux of the problem.

                      The Sinhalese are being given Short Shrift by the Lanka Tamils.
                      The feeling of being cheated by the Tamils is therefore widespread amongst the Sinhalese.

                      Re “They worked for menial wage toiling their sweat. Their labour not only profited the Tea companies but also the coffers of the Ceylon state”

                      This is the argument that is commonly used but that argument does not factor in the Food Security that we had before it was destroyed.

                      Except Rubber the plantations does not support a industry that can stand up by itself. Even rubber was used only as raw material not to produce finished goods.

                      Tea is not an essential item to life and hence can be dispensed with by the buyer. Thus the income from Tea depends on the retailer. Liptons, Brook Bonds etc does not accentuate their advertising on Ceylon Tea as before.

                      Re “Vast majority of the folks that were disenfranchised were born in Ceylon and they were not given any choice!”

                      What choice do you have in obtaining citizenship in the UK? Birth is not a factor 84% of Countries in the world.

                      The Govt had a difficult choice but it had to look after the interests of the Indigenous people who LOST their Land and Livelihood due to the Indentured Indian Labour that was Dumped in their midst. It was not a small number. It exceeded the TOTAL indigenous Tamil population of Lanka. Your sympathy is misplaced. You object to the Landless indigenous Sinhala people being given land in Govt development projects but you are full of sympathy for the squatters who are occupying the lands of the dispossessed. Apparently your sympathy is conditional to RACE.

                      Re “If you are really interested in changing the demography of the N&E, create conducive economic conditions where people can freely move according to their economic needs”

                      You don’t get it.

                      If the interest is in changing Demography it can be easily achieved by the use of the 13A which mandates distribution of Govt funded Land (such as Gal Oya) in the National Ethnic Ratio. Please read the provisions of the 13A.

                      Re ” On the other hand, if you want to do what the Brits did by mass migrating the Sinhala with state aided colonisation programme, you will be construed as imperialists trying to wilfully alter the demography in order to expense the Tamils politically”

                      This is a Bullshit argument.
                      nearly 40% of Lanka’s Land is in the SPARSELY populated North and East. Please explain how if the unpopulated govt land is used to create another Province or Provinces to be used for resettlement of the destitute (of all ethnicities) How the Tamils will lose their Political power?

                      What you are objecting to is clear.
                      You do not want to divest the unoccupied Lands now within the British Admin boundaries of the Provinces. You want to hold on to 40% of Lanka’s scarce resource of Land for the benefit of around 6% of Lankas population (half the 11% live outside N and E)

                      Re “This is in fact immoral and hegemonic. It does not matter how well you embellish it, it will be a blatant aggression of majority who has scant regard of the sentiments of the minority Tamils!”

                      It is the Blatant GREED of a willy minority that is immoral and hegemonic. The majority has proven it’s Bona Fide by sharing their Land despite the Loss of Livelihood and Political dilution that was caused by the govt of the day. Thus the Sinhalese have proven their ability to share even under trying conditions.

                      It is the Lanka Tamils who by an act of the Brits that has favoured them with Land and resources disproportionate to their population that has to prove their ability to share and share equally the Birthright of Lanka’s Citizens.

                      Kind Regards,
                      OTC

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                      Wickramasiri ,Navin,

                      Anybody can forget about me; that is OK. I am one man. If nobody forgets me, the death of a single man will do that for them. That is not what happens with injustice done to community. Americans and Canadian now apologizing to Japanese. China and Korea still asking for apology from Japanese. Because it was community issues. Upcountry Tamils issue will come back with many folds, if ever the Jaffna -Batticaloa issue is settled. Any international community involving in the Sri Lankan problems, will first look at the most pressing one and they will be keep moving downwards. When that takes palace, Ceylon tea companies will be asked contribute for their solution. Deported ones will be asking pension like payments too.

                      DS started this racism right after freedom. It is like this. If a child lose a leg or hand that is fore its entire life. DS created this disability right at the birth of Ceylon. Ceylon is liming from that day on. These are going to here for ever and haunting all communities for ever.

                      In India, Tamils are ruling their state. There is no occupying Army. State Land is managed by State. Land is given to the other states peoples on proper needs only. There are two words. “occupying” and “colonizing”. Neither of those will be allowed. Eelam Tamils have been moving to Colombo and south, based on need. Army can not occupy Tamils Lands.

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                      Dear Wickramasiri,

                      Thank you for the sentiments expressed. Sorry for the late response. I had to counter the false propaganda that some Tamils were writing here.

                      Re “The disenfranchisement, a political decision at the time, did cause a disability in legal terms”

                      We have been playing into the hands of Tamil propagandists with their Pseudo bleeding heart for the Indian Origin Tamils who were in fact untouchables at the lowest rung of Tamil Society in Lanka.

                      The middle rung was occupied by non Vellala non Brahmin Lanka Tamils. Even a cursory look at how they treated the middle rung of Tamil society will expose the pseudo sympathy that they express for the Lowest rung.

                      Please read my post of June 7, 2014 at 2:47 am addressed to Burning Issue to understand how Vile the upper crust of Tamil society really was.

                      There were Two human issues that the Citizenship Act wanted to address.

                      1. The loss of Land of the Kandyan peasantry.

                      2. The loss of political power within their own locality of the indigenous Sinhala inhabitants of the Hill Country.

                      Ejecting the Indian Tamils and restoring the Land to their rightful owners was one option. Removing those who could not qualify for citizenship was the other. The first option was too drastic. The second was fair and was used.

                      The propagandists look at the Citizenship act as an opportunity to serve their own objectives and the concern shown is false (given how they treat their own) and opportunistic.

                      The magnitude of the problem can be seen by comparing the numbers of indigenous Tamils to Alien Tamils. Almost the totality of the Aliens were in occupation of Sinhala Land. In 1931 there were 818,500 Indian Tamils in the country when there were only 598,900 Lanka Tamils.The Indian Tamils peaked in 1971 reaching 1.175 million (almost all in the Hill country).

                      The people who have suffered for Centuries and is more deserving of sympathy is totally ignored. Even when the govt addressed the issue of the Landless Kandyan Peasantry by settling them in Gal Oya valley development area it was the same Tamils who were objecting.

                      Sympathy cannot be one sided and should not be conditional on Ethnicity.

                      The Land issue is at the core of the ethnic problem.
                      It is Tamil Greed that is standing in the way of a solution.

                      Kind Regards
                      OTC

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      Thiru,
      You talk about these negotiations to “to secure their political rights”.
      Could you be specific what these “political” rights you are asking are? (A list will be sufficient).

      When you make a blanket statement like “political rights” nobody understand what rights you are talking about. Are you asking for separation, need for having own Tamil Army, Navy, Air force and Police, Setting up own legal system etc. etc. or anything else?

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        Nonsense:

        I will help you with that and the rights we are looking for are in order of priority:

        1) Recognition by you that we have a Language ( far superior to yours) and a Religion and we had our own Kingdom and by that I mean claim to a piece of Land in the North & East with our historical Temples.
        2) Police and Land powers to live in security to avoid the horrors of Krishanthi and Isaipriya and thousands more.
        3) Power to devolop our won economy which has been neglected for the last 64 years.

        Whether we choose to do it within a United Sri Lanka or Seperately as a Nation is your choice.
        I am sure you can see where MR is taking you and that is to the latter.
        He is already on a collision course with Modi and Modi now knows MR is a Liar.
        The choice for Sinhala Lanka and MR is COMPLY or DIE. It is a stark chioce and we are not playing games anymore and this is real politic.

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    TNA’s position is, there is nothing to negotiate in the 13A, which is part of the constitution. Further TNA shouldn’t negotiate with SLFP on the 13A so that Royal government can take more out of it. TNA openly said, minimum start for devolution is 13A. That is where, my assumption, the 13+, upper-house came in. As TNA refused to give in on the 13A, The PSC came in to eliminate 13A completely and teach a lesson to TNA. TNA refused to take part in it. When 13A was about to be abolished by the PSC, Sonia’s representative started to fly back and forth to Delhi and Colombo. The result was India forced NPC election. India forced the election premature, this helped the Royal Government to suppress the NPC’s power with secretaries, Deavanda, and the governor over the elected representative. So the the Indians induced NPC election proved, 13A can be implemented in one way in the south and in another way in Tamils area.

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      Dear Mallaiyuran,

      The 13A recognises the National Ethnic Ratio when settling citizens in Development projects funded by Public money. This means that for every 11 Lanka Tamil settlers 75 Sinhalese, 9 Muslims, 4 Indian Origin Tamils and 1 from other ethnics MUST be settled.

      Thus if Land development is undertaken centered around Iranamadu, the River for Jaffna project and the Mahavelli the majority settlers would be Sinhalese.

      What is your view?

      Kind Regards,
      OTC

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        You have serious limitation of understanding the Languages.

        13A has to be implemented, merging North and East. You setting Crab no where mentioned there. For argument purpose, let me agree with you childish claim that is blindly squaring off for 11:1. Then, will you ask the King, in an open Letter, published in the CT too, that for every 11 Sinhalese Lankan employed in the Royal Government, one Tamil employee should be accommodated, out of the 20,000 waiting for Jobs in Jaffna, with in one year? I will bring the my complete list eventually, once I see your open letter in the CT. Further if you fully agree with your interpretation of the 13A, in addition to all 1983 burned Tamils stores be restored in the south, additionally more should be funded to be opened for Tamils in the south, as now in North, only Royal Government funded, Sinhalese Army can do Trade.

        Further, out of the 50% commission that Kings family getting out Chinese contracts, 5% should be given to me as the King is Sinhalese representative in the 13A and I am the Tamil representative in the 13A. Thanks, but I don’t want anything of 11:1 one in the substances that your Sinhalese prime minister is dealing.

        Whom do you fool by repeatedly proposing Banada-Chelva, Dudley-Chelva, Indo_lanka……and these rubbishes. Don’t try to show that you are too smart in misinterpreting the laws.

        When did I say I want 13A? I can show one of my sentences, from anywhere, that I unconditionally supporting TNA, if your misunderstanding arose from your thinking that I support TNA and TNA ready for 13A, so you guessed I too would be ready for 13A. Even TNA is not asking for 13A. TNA said it will not agree with the PSC formed to abolish the 13A. Their explanation is, rather technical, that is if 13A is gone, bring even that much will be a King-Sam pact. You should improve your reading ability.

        I am not worried about any of those things at this point. My first request is an International Genocide investigation into the Kings family killings. Once that is in place then I came back and tell you what would I need next. Please, until that, don’t run around like a headless chicken and knock down every thing that is in your way. As you do not have head, you can not see anything, please stay put where you are.

        • 1
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          Dear Mallaiyuran,

          You say “You have serious limitation of understanding the Languages”

          Then in the very next paragraph you say

          “You setting Crab no where mentioned there”

          Thank you for your insight.
          You must have been very hungry when you wrote that Ha ha haa!!!

          Now you say “Other than bluffing a lot, you could not deny one single thing I said in the comment”

          My comment would have gone over your head.
          Did you skip over the following passage?

          But the prize for idiocy is that claim about the Kandyan Kingdom being a Tamil one. When did any Tamil subjugate the Sinhala hinterland of the Kandyan Kingdom?

          You see Malayuran, you do not understand the written Language. In fact you can’t even write it properly, to make sense.

          Re “…in an open Letter, published in the CT too, that for every 11 Sinhalese Lankan employed in the Royal Government, one Tamil employee should be accommodated”

          My writing letters is not going to give you anything as I have no standing with the govt. But your suggestion is fair and if that makes you happy then why not?

          Though I don’t think it’s wise, we can solve the Ethnic problem as you suggest. Govt Jobs, Land, University admissions, Welfare spending etc could all be on National ethnic ratio. You will then be going far beyond the 13A to a 13A plus.

          Then the Provinces will get re demarcated to reflect the population living within and instead of the current disproportionate 40% it will come down to an acceptable size of around 15%.

          Brilliant.
          Everybody will be happy.
          You will be happy the most as it’s your proposal.

          If you are serious convince the separatist within and without Lanka. The ethnic issue will be solved overnight.

          Re “Whom do you fool by repeatedly proposing Banada-Chelva, Dudley-Chelva, Indo_lanka……and these rubbishes. Don’t try to show that you are too smart in misinterpreting the laws”

          Looks like you are the fool.

          Re “When did I say I want 13A?”

          That’s the problem with debating with an idiot.

          Read my comment of June 5, 2014 at 8:05 pm again.
          I have only asked for your views on a specific issue and You are going berserk!

          Your command of English is not up to the task of comprehending even that simple sentence.

          Kind Regards,
          OTC

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    Dr Laksiri:

    There are some decent and reasonable conclusions that can be drawn on to what may have transpired. To start with, the regime never had any intention of either adhering to its promises or pronouncements. Those were made to fool everyone, literally speaking. The negotiations were merely an extension of its well known modus operandi, to delay and jump from one corner to another, hoping that everything will be forgotten. That explains for the undue delay in holding the NPC elections which was because of the intense pressure from India and the CHOGM in SL was hanging in the balance.

    The regime had wanted to showcase to the world, and particularly to the UNHRC that it has been negotiating with the TNA with a view to achieving some sort of understanding. Some days before the second UNHRC resolution was to be passed, MR had a quickly arranged meeting with Sampanthan to coerce him on agreeing to the President’s terms which obviously Sampanthan rejected.

    What was never intended to assume a genuine form and was only instituted as a delaying tactic seemed caught off balance. There were two reasons. The regime never expected the TNA to come with their folder of proposals by the second meeting. Also, Rajiva, as you have rightly described, was “moving” perhaps believing that that was the order of the day. When his own team realised that he was “pushing” the meeting forward, which was not supposed to be by the regime, he was gradually kept out of the loop and was told not to suggest anything new. Good old GL Peiris shot off the next meeting from ground zero again. Then all of sudden the govt’s team refused/failed to attend the meetings on the agreed dates and the TNA team was made to wait, wait and wait. By this time the regime had already realised that the TNA was already seeking the regime’s response to its proposals but it did not have one as it never had the intention to genuinely produce one. Sajin was there to purposely see the govt’s objectives are realised.

    Then came the PSC gimmick. MR apparently tried the same trick with Modi during his recent meeting that devolution/reconciliation may take time but Modi had shot back that it has been five years since the end of the war. The sour grapes were spilled by Minister Nimal Siripala.

    The TNA and the Tamils now believe that the regime never had any intention to negotiate in good faith and it will never have it. Neither did it expect to devolve what it had always been promising. It was just to hoodwink the world. Hence, Sampanthan’s latest letters to Modi and Jayalalitha.

  • 5
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    Camelia Nathaniel interview TNA Leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan
    8th Dec 2013

    Q. While the TNA has been constantly pushing for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment, the government is adamant that they are not willing to give land and police powers. In that context how viable is it to push for the full implementation of the 13th amendment?

    A. Our objective with regard to a political solution is to be able to exercise all powers that need to be exercised to make power sharing meaningful, purposeful and successful. So as to remove the fundamental causes of the conflict and to enable the people to live together united. That is a justifiable position and that position will continue. That is not a position that can be compromised on to cater to the whims and fancies of others. That is the fundamental right of our people, and that right will have to be respected. That has been the verdict of the people at all democratic elections over several decades.
    Q. Is the TNA trying to get India to push the Sri Lankan government to implement the 13th amendment?

    A. India has been involved in the Sri Lankan crisis from 1983, and India remains involved, and the Sri Lankan government interacts with India as much as we do, if not more. India knows the true position and there is no need for anyone to push India, and they will do what is right.
    Q. The chief ministers of all the other provinces say that they don’t need land or police powers to conduct their day to day activities. Hence the TNA is isolated in this issue, and without the backing of the other provinces do you think that you could achieve your objectives?
    A. The chief ministers of other provinces don’t need any powers at all, and they never asked for power sharing or devolution of power. That was not a demand made by the people of those areas. The demands of power sharing and devolution were only made by the people of the Northern and Eastern provinces. The demands of the people of the Northern and Eastern provinces cannot be compared with the people of the other provinces, as they never wanted those powers and were not interested in those powers. However we and our people are, and that’s the difference. Our people’s aspirations have to be met, and that is fundamental.
    Q. The government appointed a parliamentary select committee to formulate a solution to this issue, but the TNA does not want to be part of it. Therefore when you distance yourself from the body appointed to find a solution, don’t you think that you are missing out on an important opportunity to be part of the process?

    A. We have no trust in the parliamentary select committee and don’t think that this committee has been appointed to bring about a reasonable political solution. We think that the parliamentary select committee has been appointed to scuttle the prospects of a reasonable political solution. Leading alliance partners of the government, who were made members of the committee, had publicly stated that the objective of the committee is to dilute and if not remove and greatly diminish the 13th Amendment. Therefore, when members of the government in alliance with the government publicly make such statements there is no reason whatsoever for us to have any trust or faith in that parliamentary select committee. Therefore we do not look upon the parliamentary select committee as a credible process to bring about an acceptable political solution.
    Q. The government has a 2/3 majority in parliament and hence have the power to basically take any decision. In that context do you feel that the TNA has any chance of achieving their goals?

    A. Our objectives and our strategies are not based on expediency, but on principles. Based on the achievement of the fundamental rights of our people, to live freely as equal citizens in our country, and these are not matters that can be viewed under mere political expediency. Judgements have got to be based on principles and the fundamental rights of our people.
    Q. The 13th amendment basically came with the Indo Lanka Peace Accord, and according to that India was obligated to disarm the LTTE and resolve the military conflict and the government had to set up the provincial councils. That was the agreement. India however could not stop the war and it is believed that India failed on their part. In that perspective how can they force the SL government to implement the 13th Amendment after not having fulfilled their part?

    A. The 13th amendment was negotiated between the government of Sri Lanka and the TULF long before the Indo Sri Lanka agreement was signed. In fact President J. R. Jayewardene had placed these proposals before parliament even before the Indo Sri Lanka agreement was signed. They were however not completely to our satisfaction. The Indo Sri Lanka agreement referred to the proposals that emerged from the negotiation process. The Indo Sri Lanka agreement is an international treaty and cannot be unilaterally violated or abdicated. Hence the Sri Lankan government is obliged to comply with and implement the Indo Lanka agreement.
    As far as the disarming of the LTTE was concerned, the Indian Peace Keeping Force engaged in the process of disarming the LTTE, and continued with that process, and succeeded to a large extent in implementing that process sacrificing the lives of around 1,000 IPKF personnel. However the then Sri Lankan government supplied vehicles, arms and money to the LTTE to fight the IPKF.
    So whatever obligation India had they took action to fulfil that and succeeded to a large extent, despite the fact that the Sri Lankan government was obstructing the Indian government fulfilling their obligations. Eventually the IPKF left because the Sri Lankan government wanted the IPKF to leave. So no one can say that India defaulted in any obligation. India fulfilled their obligation to their fullest under the circumstances, and it is the Sri Lankan government that is responsible for any lapse.
    Q. TNA has the provincial administration of the North, so can’t the TNA find solutions for the Tamils in the North without the land and police powers?

    A. We have said that these are fundamental rights on which there can be no compromise and holding an election in the Northern province is not the end of the story but just the beginning of the process. The TNA has very comfortably and very definitely won power in the Northern province, but that is not all. There needs to be a constitutional arrangement that will ensure that people are able to exercise the rights they are entitled to in keeping with the patterns of power sharing the world over. As stated by President Rajapaksa in his inaugural speech to the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) and the experts committee appointed.
    Q. There is speculation that the TNA, by seeking the full powers and also seeking the merger of the north and east, is still trying to gain a separate state, this time in an indirect manner. What is your view on this?

    A. We have very clearly stated in our election manifestos and on public platforms both in Sri Lanka and abroad that we are committed to a political solution that is reasonable, workable and durable within the framework of a united undivided Sri Lanka. We cannot satisfy the imaginary apprehensions of people who have unnecessarily and for unjustifiable reasons accused us of such. We are committed to a solution that would bring lasting peace for our people within a united undivided country.

    http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2013/12/08/tamil-aspirations-have-to-be-met-tna-leader-rajavarothiam-sampanthan/

  • 9
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    The main issue here is a “Leadership” issue. The President does not have leadership qualities. He is not a leader but a manipulator. He thinks that every one and every situation can be manipulated. It is sad to say, the same people who are suppose to be voting for him are going to bash him when they write the history of Rajapakse.

    A leader of a country is a person who is able to take bold steps for the benefit of all the people in the country and not for one group of people. Rajapakse today is hiding behind the saree of “Parliamentary Select Committee”. If he had the guts to bring the 18th amendment within a very short time to turn a democratic country into an undemocratic country, he could easily solve the minority issue in Sri Lanka. But he does not.

    Narenda Modi has proved that he is a leader, he did not bite his tongue but openly told Rajapakse to implement the 13th amendment in full and also go beyond it, exactly what Rajapakse promised Sri lankans, Indians and the world.

    It is also sad to note the games being played by Weerawansa (who was not a weeraya to continue his hunger strike) and Champika (who is a white robed racist), Rajiva (whose proposals and ideas are not considered by the President but still clings on to UPFA), Rauff Hakim (does not know where he stands), Thondaman (the biggest crook who steals from the labourers to build palaces in India)etc…who are traitors to their own communities. Rajapakse is using these guys to play games with the minority issues in Sri Lanka.

    The old SLFP parliamentarians are today backbone less and they are hiding behind Rajapakse.

    Where is this going to end!

  • 4
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    Dr.Fernando:

    I can understand you complementing Prof. Wijesinhas contribution but frankly it is too little too late and doesn’t tell the real story.
    The Prof was a defender of MRs views on the Ethnic issue and was a member of his Think Tank until he fell out.

    But for me sadly Mahintha soon after defeating the LTTE was basking in glory and not only was he not prepared to compromise and solve the Tamil issue but he also saw an opportunity to realise the 2000 year old dream to convert Sri Lanka as a Sinhala Lanka. He is a master of deception and he set about achieving his Goal by promising little here little there to buy time.

    I disagree with no (1) but agree with no(2)

    February on a (World Bank) study that we were completing on ‘Devolution and the Finance Commission’ 1)and he was very candid to say that it was a difficult task with the TNA ‘as they have not changed their mindset.’
    2)It was well known, however, that Wickremanayake was a hardliner even within the SLFP circles on the Tamil question and placing him there to negotiate also amounted to putting him into an embarrassing position in the first place.

    It has been five years since the end of the war and we have not seen any attempt by MR to meet the aspirations of the Tamils and the solution is not going to come from within as MR is a prisoner of his own conscience. For us Tamils it has been a slippery slope and it is Now or Never. It was obvious as to why MR was quick off the block to attend the Inauguration of Mr.Modi. He was hoping for a 2 hour meeting with Mr.Modi to show his charm offensive and tell him how he has managed to defeat the scourge of 30 year old terrorism ( with State Terrorism ) and the threat still paused by a resurgent LTTE. But Mr.Modi was briefed by Sushma Swaraj that MR is not to be trusted and Mr.Modi was ready and wasn’t going to take anything from MR and that is why he gave him 20minutes to read out the Charge Sheet.
    MR is now stuck between Modi the Strong Man and his own Prejudice and that of 20 million fellow racists ( you and a few thousands excluded) and it was obvious from his denial that he never discussed anything about 13th Amendment putting Mr.Modi as the Liar which doesn’t augur well for his future dealings. This is why MR was asked by Delhi to publish the full details of what was discussed.
    With Mr.Modi trying to entice Jeyalalitha to join his ranks and with positive vibes from her We are heading in the direction of another CRIMEA.

    • 1
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      Kalistani

      Coundown: 72 more days to go for Amma’s Tamil National Army to invade North and East.

      • 4
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        Foreign:

        While we are on the subject can you identify the areas to which you lay claim and I can get the TNA to liberate them. In the Art of War you never stick to your original plan as we want to keep the enemy guessing ( If in doubt ask Montgomery ) so it might not be exactly 72 days.
        Sorry you cant see the Shock and Awe in 72 days which I know you have been eagerly waiting and for the fireworks. Sorry kid.

    • 2
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      Unfortunately, until very recent, Dr. Fernando also complemented DJ.
      We the anti Raja pakshe adminsitraition, understood the idiosyncratic nature of DJ long ago.
      I personally, believe all these ones those seem to have a head ( so call highly educated) could have advised PRESIDENT the megalomanian pseudo magnanimous head of state at the beginning of post war period, how the govt should goforward. Had they done their duties properly, nothing like today chaos would have been the case.

      All what I could say is ” apita buduma budu sarnai”.. that is it.

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