By Malinda Seneviratne –
Malinda Seneviratne
On Monday, a group of pilgrims from Chilaw numbering 154 visiting the Poornimatha Church in Thanjavur were mobbed by an organized gang chanting anti-Sri Lanka slogan. They were forced to take refuge in the church. The incident prompted the Ministry of External Affairs to issue a Travel Advisory warning Sri Lankans not to visit Tamil Nadu until further notice.
It was not the first time and sadly it might not be the last that Sri Lankans have been harassed in that state. Tamil Nadu is THE anti-Sri Lankan Indian state, that much is established; ‘Anti-Sri Lankan’ in the sense that Sri Lankans from all communities have been treated shabbily at one time or another in that part of India. For example, for all the tears shed on behalf of ‘Sri Lankan Tamil brethren’, the Tamils (from leaders down to citizens) have treated Tamil fishermen as arch enemies. Tamil refugees have been good for anti-Sri Lankan rhetoricians, but have been treated with suspicion and derision the moment they’ve landed on Indian soil. The general public sentiment can be easily obtained if one watched how Immigration officers at the Chennai Airport deal with Sri Lankan Tamils seeking entry.
Prominent Tamil Nadu politicians have at one time or another supported the terrorists and/or the cause of Tamil Eelam. In the very least, they have been silent on LTTE atrocities, given legitimacy to outrageous claims by pro-LTTE about ‘atrocities’ committed by Sri Lankan security forces or been blind to the many positives that have accrued to Tamils in the North and East thanks to the defeat of terrorism. If this kind of thuggery is ‘Ok’ for the likes of Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi, then they cannot express umbrage over any kind of thuggery anywhere and must especially keep mum over tall stories manufactured by the Mothers of all Thuggery, the LTTE.
Tamil Nadu is not India, of course, but Delhi’s policy on Sri Lanka has always been influenced by the arithmetic of regional politics. Those in power and those seeking power have had to factor in the Tamil Nadu vote and the relevant numbers when issuing statements about Sri Lanka. Tamil Nadu was used by Indira Gandhi and later Rajiv Gandhi to train terrorists seeking to carve a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka. So, although Tamil Nadu is not India, India has been pussy-footing the issue for so long that it is prudent to err on the side of caution and presume that Tamil Nadu is indeed Delhi.
Delhi, moreover, for all the friendship proclamations has been too unfriendly over the years and especially at the UN Human Rights Commission sessions in March for Colombo to treat India with anything but utmost caution. For this reason, all agreements with Delhi as well as with Indian companies and others taking batting for India have to be meticulously reviewed. For example, the so-called ‘Mixed-development’ project associated with the ‘Transworks Tower’, where the land encompassing the Transworks House, a colonial building of high historical value that once housed the Public Works Department, is to be given to the Indian company, ‘Krrish Group’.
The Board of Investment (BOI) is reported to have signed an agreement for a $ 450 million (nearly Rs. 60 billion) project for a sprawling complex that will consist of four 80-storey towers at Transworks Square under a 99-year lease. One should not indulge in conspiracy theories, but again, given that Delhi has been patently unfriendly, it is (again) better to err on the side of caution. This has to be treated as a potential threat to national security, no less. Tamil Nadu and Delhi demand that we do.
kamal / September 5, 2012
Lunatic Jayalalitha and all LTTE supporters should take the responsibility if the bilateral tie between Sri Lanka and India gets damaged due to this type of activities.
If this type of harassments prevails Sri lanka should get-together and stop all visit to Tamilnadu
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Native Vedda / September 5, 2012
kamal suggests:
“If this type of harassments prevails Sri lanka should get-together and stop all visit to Tamilnadu”
Actually I want both Sinhalese and Tamils to go back to their mother country which of course is India and not to return to my ancestral island.
Please do continue your war elsewhere in your motherland (Tamilnadu)and leave us alone to pursue a peaceful life in our island.
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Raja / September 7, 2012
Motherland of the sinhalese is SriLanka and not India. Prince Vijaya arrived from India with large numbers accompanying him but they were all assimilated into the Sinhalese society, over time. So were the other migrants from South India, North India, Europe, Middle East, Far East etc. This type of assimilation into the main community is similar to that in England, Germany, France, Russia etc which too have assimilated migrants from neighbouring nations. The distinction of all these societies as identifiable nations is the language and dominant customes or culture, just like in SriLanka where sinhalese is spoken and have age old customs peculiar to the nation. So the conclusion is, there is absolutely no reason for the sinhalese to leave their motherland and go to India.
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Krishna / September 5, 2012
Your economy is dependent on India, have you forgot you are a third world country that 99% of the people on the globe have never heard of? You act as if it’s dooms day for India if they dont do business with you, actually it will your downfall!
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nimanta / September 5, 2012
Tamil nadu is thousand times worser than Sri Lanka. V never depend on foolish, lunatic tamils. Ur better check whether u have at least a skin of brain. Keep all indian thnings still we are luckier than bad-smelling, water-rice eating, noseless, black, fat, senseless Tamilnadu murgayos!
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Native Vedda / September 7, 2012
nimanta says:
“Tamil nadu is thousand times worser than Sri Lanka. V never depend on foolish, lunatic tamils.”
It is true you don’t depend on foolish, lunatic tamils. You don’t need foolish, lunatic tamils, however you do have your own foolish, lunatic Sinhala/Buddhist. They are plenty, in fact you have a large surplus and have export potential.
When Tamilnadu runs out of their own foolish, lunatic tamils, you can export yours.
You have former killers from LTTE too in the service Sinhala/Buddhist state.
As far as I know they are all Tamils.
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Hanuma / September 7, 2012
Krishna, you moron, do you think India is a 1st world country????? Leave alone being a devaloped country you morons have not even devaloped proper ‘toilet habits’. Shitting, spitting and urinating by the way side for the public to see had become a dailly routine for you dirty, uncultured scumbags. If you come to Sri Lankan you would see what a clean and a beautiful country it is. It our bad luck to be located near a shit hole of a country like India.
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Native Vedda / September 7, 2012
Hanuma
“you dirty, uncultured scumbags”
As far as I know Buddha his deciples, Asoka, Vijaya ….. all came from India.
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Raja / September 7, 2012
They say the proof of the pudding is in eating it. Similarly the proof that the Sinhaladweepa, now named SriLanka, progressed and survived as an independent nation for thousands of years as recorded in history across the world and the still remaining hard evidence like the ruins of ancient cities built with brick and motar and irrigation schemes unique to the nation to support agriculture, steel industry that prevailed in and around seegiriya etc. Only assuarance SriLanka needs from India is for India to stop destroying SriLanka’s independent progress as India had done in recent times, with the training of terrorists or meddling with the SriLankan constitution, as well as threats of possible future invasion of the country.
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Native Vedda / September 7, 2012
Raja
Are you sure you know what you are talking about?
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Senguttuvan / September 5, 2012
The isolated incident involving a bus-load of Lankan pilgrims to Velankanai Church is barbaric and taints the religion-tolerant secular State of Tamilnadu. Some of the Lankan visitors could well be Tamil.
Sending a plane or two to fetch them under the glare of media publicity appearws more to be aimed at publicity advantages by a regime notoriously lacking in diplomatic finesse. The Indian Govt has already assured they will take care of matters to see them safely
home is an assurance that appears to have been ignored.
The heat has been generated for some months now. I am not for tit-for-tat but there were several incidents when Indian cricket fans visiting here were subject to harrassment recently. Only a few weeks ago many members of the Indian diplomatic community had to be rescued from an unrly mob at a cricket match (Dambulla?) only after the Indian High Commission intervened. Still, the STF arrived 3 hours later – a point IHC officials would certainly have noted. The Police and the Army who were present ignored the plea of the officials to act in keeping within their presumed responsibility. These incidents would have been noted at the Indian side.
I was amused to see Malinda S as one of those whose views were sought by the NDTV in its live show last night – hosted by Nidhi Radhan – on the same incident. Nidhi, Hindu’s Praveen Swami and CPIs D. Raja
condemned the organisers of this incident in strong terms. Praveen Swami went as far as saying India should apologise to the Lankans concerned and to the Govt of Sri Lanka. That is decency. Malinda S is hardly a neutral source to be invited for his views in the show. As it is clear in the sentiments expressed in this article, he is an established anti-Tamnil anti-Indian, widely believed to be a willing cog in the wheels of the Buddhist Sinhala cabal. A reading of his writings make it clear he has been drumming up Zenophobia probably to gain attention for his own career upward mobility. His moving from this incident to the Kriss TransWorks House Project abundantly betrays his anti-Indian prejudice. In matters of this nature, NDTV should rather seek the views of people like Jayantha Dhanapala, Packiasothy Saravanamuttu, Jayadeva Uyangoda, Jehan Perera and the like, known to be more neutral. Frederica Jansz or Gamini Weerakoon from the media would have fitted in more appropriately.
Sengutuvan
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rohan j / September 5, 2012
Some of the sinhalese thinks that they are gods gift to mankind in the so-called miracle of Asia in the bog.
They are justified in everything they do but when somebody else reciprocates they just cannot handle these acts. They cry and moan foul.
As kamal rightfully states If the Sri lankans boycott India this nation will fall apart at the seams [ the joke of the century ].
Grow up,you racist klu Klux clan, now it is your turn to gyrate to the baila music which had been a long time coming. R j.
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nimanta / September 5, 2012
we never cry. If we will we can kick back of foolish tamils live here and chase away. But we do not feel to do so since Budha said us not to attach innocents!
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Native Vedda / September 7, 2012
nimanta says:
“If we will we can kick back of foolish tamils live here and chase away.”
Please do that as I have been demanding the Tamils to go back to their mother country for many years.
Once you have sent them please prepare for your own repatriation from my ancestral land.
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rohan j / September 5, 2012
I have made a mistake it should be Ku Klux Klan and not what I had typed in. R j
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Native Vedda / September 5, 2012
Krishna says:
“Your economy is dependent on India, have you forgot you are a third world country that 99% of the people on the globe have never heard of?”
Can I take it that India is a first world country?
Why should the 99% of the people on the globe hear about this third world country? The 99% of the people are trying to eke out a living with minimal resources and income.
You say:
” You act as if it’s dooms day for India if they dont do business with you, actually it will your downfall!”
Indians are capable of creating their own dooms day and I am confident they need no help from stupid Sri Lanka. Every day is dooms day for 1 billion or so Indians who are living under poverty line.
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Lord Ravana / September 5, 2012
Why can’t India declare Toilet Nadu as an independent nation? Then Sri Lanka will generously finish off these jokers and clowns like they did in 2009..
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Punchinilame / September 5, 2012
It is this kind of response that could come from Hon. Weerasena at the
instructions of His Master. Should every Indian just spit once, will
SL be drowned? !!!!
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Lord Ravana / September 5, 2012
Not sure about spitting but I hear that there’s a massive shortage of toilets…
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Native Vedda / September 5, 2012
Lord Ravana:
“Why can’t India declare Toilet Nadu as an independent nation?”
In order to prevent Cholas and Pandya’s kicking the Sinhala/Buddhist and plundering island in their periodic visits.
You should thank the Hindians for their first line of defend against emergence of Cholas and Pandyas.
Stupid man,
the Hindians killed Ravana according to Ramayana. Now you want the Cholas and Pandyas finish off rest of us.
If you have dead wish please kidnap Karunaniti’s daughter or his several wives as did Ravana.
Later it will become another Ramayana trail which is good for tourism.
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Lord Ravana / September 5, 2012
Well, obviously the Hindustanis didn’t do a great job….the Lion race has evolved and uses India to dance to its tune..better luck next time…oh wise one
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Native Vedda / September 6, 2012
Lord Ravana:
“.the Lion race has evolved and uses India to dance to its tune..better luck next time…oh wise one”
You are right, the race born out of bestiality has evolved, alright, evolved into marine sponges.
You say:
“India to dance to its tune”
Of course Indra Gandhi’s dance (Ruthra Dhandava) reverberated for over 30 years wreaked havoc and killed many……..
Good luck next time.
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rohan j / September 5, 2012
How. R j.
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Rifkha Roshanaara / September 5, 2012
This is not the first time Sri Lankans have been harassed and attacked by Pro-LTTE Tamil Groups (particularly by the ‘Naam Thamizhar’ hooligans). A couple of months ago I happened to read a Tamil blog post written by a Chennai guy, about an incident that he happened to witness at an Airtel outlet around T. Nagar in Chennai. A ‘Naam Thamizhar’ group member who had come for a reload had attempted to beat up the girl(who is also a local Chennai girl)at the counter, because she declined to accept the debit card for payment, due to a system failure. The Naam Thamizhar thug had got furious and started abusing her by mindlessly accusing her and airtel company of being an agent of ‘Mahinda Rajapakse’. The title of that write up was “Seemaanum Muttaal Seedargalum” (Seeman and his foolish disciples). If this can happen to a totally unrelated party, just imagine the plight of Sri Lankans who get caught to these thugs, who are mostly insane.
All incidents that happen against Sri Lankans in Tamil Nadu need to be highlighted to the maximum possible extent. Seeman and his pro-LTTE thugs must be exposed until Indian Government intervenes and take stern action against these terrorist supporters.
PS: Comparing Seeman Group’s atrocities with some minor harassment made at Dambulla stadium does not make any sense what so ever.
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Senguttuvan / September 5, 2012
Further to my comments above. The “Island” confirms in its issue today, via a report from their Indian Correspondent, most of the Lankan pilgrims to Velankanai Church were Tamils.
Senguttuvan
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Naga / September 5, 2012
Seeman, Vaiko, Thirumavalavan and the likes are in the pay of LTTE front organisations and these attacks on Sri Lankans are pre-planned by what is left of LTTE. Their motive in carrying out these attacks is to create reprisal attacks on Sri Lankan Tamils in South Sri Lanka that could lead to a situatuion like the 1983 riots. That is what they are hoping for so that the international community will cry foul and call for the creation of their Tamil Eelam. Congress Party leaders in Tamil Nadu realize this and they want the Sri Lankan Tamil leaders to condemn these attacks on Sri Lankans in Tamil Nadu. So far only Mano Ganesan had come forward to condemn these attacks. Where is Sampanthan? Why can’t the TNA condemn these attacks? Is the TNA afraid of the pro-LTTE lobby to make such statement?
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Rifkha Roshanaara / September 5, 2012
Naga, How can Sampanthan condemn, when he and his alliance members go seeking advice from the likes of Seemaan, Vaiko, Nedumaaran, Thiruma et al?
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Native Vedda / September 6, 2012
Rifkha Roshanaara:
“How can Sampanthan condemn, when he and his alliance members go seeking advice from the likes of Seemaan, Vaiko, Nedumaaran, Thiruma et al?”
They do not have to travel all the way to Tamilnadu to get the kind of advice they get from Seemaan, Vaiko, Nedumaaran, Thiruma, et al. The same kind of advice is available from Mervyn, Weerawansa, Somawansa, … Pillaiyan, Karuna, ….
Why waste money and time?????
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Senguttuvan / September 6, 2012
Naga – Some tend to believe this bus incident in India helps the regime here to keep the focus away from the more painful worries of the mass of the people – like the Cost of Living, Health, Transport,
Law and Order and other burning issues. Remember, there are 3 elections this week and it helps to keep the LTTE bogey alive. In today’s confused scenario, one sometimes does not know who the friend is and who the enemy is. LTTE sources have, earlier as now, worked with the Rajapakses (Remember good friend KP?) Politics, I need not emphasise, is a strange game where sworn enemies go to bed together to meet their own immediate purposes. The voter, as usual, is the sucker.
Senguttuvan
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Hanuma / September 7, 2012
@ Krishna, you moron, do you think India is a 1st world country????? Leave alone being a devaloped country you morons have not even devaloped proper ‘toilet habits’. Shitting, spitting and urinating by the way side for the public to see had become a dailly routine for you dirty, uncultured scumbags. If you come to Sri Lankan you would see what a clean and a beautiful country it is. It our bad luck to be located near a shit hole of a country like India.
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Lesley (ancient hen) / September 7, 2012
Attempting to become au fait with this technology. Our ignorance here of the situation in your region is abysmal. I had no idea, though should have had, knowing that there has been a quarter of a century of conflict, (not to mention its aftermath), of the seething racial enmities existing – as per all these comments above…
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Lesley (ancient hen) / September 7, 2012
Attempting to become au fait with this technology. Our ignorance here of the situation in your region is abysmal. I had no idea, though should have had, knowing that there has been a quarter of a century of conflict, (not to mention its aftermath), of the seething racial enmities existing – as per all these comments above…(Should have mentioned that this is from Australia.)
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