By Malinda Seneviratne –
Malinda Seneviratne
Eelamist sections of the Tamil Diaspora, including of course its Sri Lankan component, naturally subscribe to the unsubstantiated claims of the North and East being the exclusive traditional homelands of Tamil people. Land-grabbing, resource-base-enhancing politics often plays with myths and legends, turning the imagined into fact and spreading the bad news around. This is par for the course of communal politics. To date, not a single Eelamist would dare put on the table anything of substance to buttress land-claim and indeed their anti-Sinhala, anti-Buddhist cheering squad, overt and covert, are given to deleting the history factor from the political equation for reasons that do not require elaboration.
It will take time for those who purchased the traditional homeland myth to acknowledge that they were taken for suckers because of the emotional investment involved, the bucks that were sent with little to show by way of investment-return, the debts owed to the notion on account of finding real estate in greener pastures and the flowering of career paths. There will be a natural period of transition from fantasy to reality. This is why the end of the LTTE sparked so much of protest in Western capitals. It had the dressing of outrage but the body that self-righteous anger covered was made up of disappointment, denial and the nagging suspicion of being gullible.
Sooner or later, Eelamists, i.e. those who actually believed the myths tossed around as fact and those who regardless of claim-legitimacy aspired to an ethnic enclave that could be transformed into a nation state, will have to come to terms with certain realities: a) history does not support the claim, b) the archaeological evidence rebels against exclusivity, c) demographic patterns including communal-composition, pull and push of economic and social realities render untenable the vision of a ‘gated’ Tamil community, and d) it is simply not feasible politically and Prabhakaran’s failure even under conditions most favourable for secession should be sobering.
Quo Vadis ‘traditional homeland’ then? I can think of three places where the ‘traditional homeland’ thesis did have substance and tangibility. The first was the relevant Diaspora. In that rarified and un-moored place, the notion had natural currency on account of the natural angst for lost familiarity and abandoned home. ‘Diaspora’ was common ground and one that was fertile for myth-planting. Magnificent edifices of ‘past’ and ‘future’ were duly constructed and happily and hopefully inhabited and indulged. Hence the horror and disbelief at the nothingness that the deflated LTTE balloon yielded on terra firma. In Sri Lanka, this particular traditional homeland is looked at with increasing suspicion by the principal recipients of tragedy, the Tamil civilians in the North and East as well as those who gullibly believed Prabhakaran was invincible and would deliver a nation, by hook or by crook. In time, Diasporic Disbeblief will give way to acknowledgment of reality and the retirement of fantasy.
The there is Cyber Space. This is so seamless and without forbidding that fantasy had a free reign. Networks were established. They grew. The growers and the growing did not realize that cyber-networks don’t necessarily transform or nurture on-the-ground communities. It confers a sense of participation and community, allows for dreaming but, like cybersex, is not the same thing as the real article. The truth is that Eelam had a better footing in virtual reality than on reality. The end of the war pulled the rug on the virtual and the ‘traditional homeland’ in cyberspace fell hard on its real behind. The dreamers and fanatics will continue to play. The realists and intelligent will move on to other games or to real life or both.
The third ‘traditional homeland’ is of course Tamil Nadu. India deftly resolved the problem of possible irritants flowing from incipient nationalism from the South by fostering secessionist moves in Sri Lanka, happily arming, training and funding terrorists. It gave the nation-wanting Tamil Nationalist in Tamil Nadu something to dream about, without being taxed for fantasy. Sooner or later, Tamil Nationalism will revert to its true and logical traditional homeland, Tamil Nadu, i.e. in terms of solid claim, favourable demographic pattern and greater political feasibility.
Where does all this leave the Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalist and Tamil Nationalism vis-à-vis the idea of ‘traditional homeland’? I believe that the three ‘traditional homelands’ can be considered spaces and that their intersection, metaphorically and pragmatically makes for a fourth ‘traditional homeland’ for the Tamil community and one which has logical residence right here in Sri Lanka.
Tamil Nationalism could see the territoriality of ‘homeland’ as a metaphor and not land-fact. There are histories that play into ‘other’ homelands and these include spin-offs from pandering to the homeland idea that proved and will prove to be untenable. The divide-and-rule policy of the British which saw accessibility to education extremely skewed in favour of the Tamil community (in terms of percentages, not absolute numbers, the latter fact being the source of the 50-50 claim) helped produce large numbers of educated and professional persons. Resource-lack fed the communal need to seek betterment through education. Conflict, regardless of ontology, saw people to relocating overseas and this, even if spurred by not-so-genuine claims of political harassment, and the thus relocated once again saw education as the pathway to better futures, especially in technical fields.
Eelamism and reasonable hope of actually turning fiction into something tangible spurred, as mentioned above, the proliferation of cyber-Eelamists. The propaganda machine of the LTTE was comprehensive and effective. What they lacked on the ground by way of collective, community and faith, they compensated for in cyber-networks.
Tamils in Tamil Nadu haven’t shown the same enthusiasm for secession that their counterparts in Sri Lanka did. That shows how successful the Indian Central Government has been in dealing with a potentially explosive problem. Instead, Tamil Nadu decided to up their collective regional competencies.
The intersection of these ‘homelands’ points to a peculiar and fortuitous coming together of interests that can create the 4th ‘traditional homeland’ alluded to above. It is non-territorial but could have a land-base somewhere in the so-called traditional homelands, if preferred. The Tamil Community is ideally placed, given resources, communal solidarities, anxieties regarding security and future legitimate or otherwise, and acquired competencies, to create a ‘traditional homeland’ in the form of an IT hub of immense potential. That would be employing ‘comparative advantage’ in meaningful, life-affirming, community-developing ways that are also politically feasible and moreover capable of stamping communal presence in the larger polity of Sri Lanka.
It is time to give fantasy a rest and to employ the acquisitions that fantasizing demanded to better and more fruitful use. There’s a traditional homeland waiting to be created. It won’t have a flag or an anthem. It won’t need either. It will, however, give far more self-determination to Tamils, as individuals and as a collective, than anything that Prabhakaran promised.
*Malinda Seneviratne is the Chief Editor of ‘The Nation’ and his articles can be found at www.malindawords.blogspot.com
Rajash / February 11, 2014
Here we go again Linda
You had your say with “Raja Raja Chola 1 And The Quicksand Of Tamil Chauvinism
On the same subject Tamil Homeland
Then Darshanie Ratnawalli –followed her Episode 1 and 2 with Episode 3 of
“A Language Called Sinhala Through R.A.L.H Gunawardana: A Very Dark Glass Darkly”
Now you are pumping again on same theme of Tamil Homeland
Is this new Reconciliation & Rebuild stuff running up to March
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Thiru / February 11, 2014
Malinda SeneviratneL:
He is the Joseph Goebbels of the MaRa junta: A sinking ship; these rats may abandon ship at the right moment.
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Spn / February 13, 2014
If MS is a goebbels of MR, you Thiru is a blind follower of convicted terrorist Prabha the dead! Your anti SL state of mind would not bring you anything but more destruction!
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Prasad / February 13, 2014
The so called “divide-and-rule policy of the British” did not favor any Tamils. It only favored the Sinhalese who were collaborating with the British (known as Kalu Suddo). You do not need any education and research capability to understand the behaviors and cultural differences of two different races in a country. Just by living with both of them for a certain amount of period (few years) and some intelligence/common sense is more than enough. For example, it did not take mush time for the Portuguese to identify the Sinhalese as foolish and lazy people only good at eating Kavum. They did not say the same to Tamils or Muslims because the Tamils were clever, educated, industrious, honest and hardworking (the Tamil work ethics – work is worship). The Muslims were also honest and very good at business. On the other hand, the Sinhala race was very lazy, violent, racist, hateful, jealous and mean spirited. This is the reason why, when it came to white color jobs in the Ceylon Civil Service the colonials gave preference to Ceylon Tamils of North and East. The Tamils were holding top positions in the government service where as the Sinhalese were working as peons and drivers. Like what Soulbury says, the English were jealous of the Scots, the lazy Sinhalese were jealous of the hardworking Tamils. In 1948, the British handed over the country to the Sinhalese with the second highest GNP per capita in Asia and where are we today?
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OpenEye / February 13, 2014
This foolish comment shows how poor your knowledge when it comes to general knowledge. Every invader to this country was against mainly Sinhalas because they were the only warriors who fought against them. The uprisings at 1818 n 1848 were simple examples. There were few no. of Muslims, Tamils, Burgers etc., in the freedom struggle, but they comprised a very low number. Tamils are very courageous and Muslims are good at doing businesses. No argument on that. But Sinhalas are not a bunch of modayas as you would like to believe but a nation who built a country, a nation that never surrender to invaders by force.
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Prasad / February 14, 2014
OpenEye
Your eyes does not seem to be open. Who told you that the Sinhalese fought for freedom against the invaders?
When the European colonial invaders (Portuguese) first arrived in 1505, the Sinhala king of Kotte welcomed them and did not fight back where as it was the last Tamil king of Jaffna Cankli Kumaran who confronted them and fought a war against them. The Tamils fought decisively against the invading Portuguese forces when they came to Jaffna whereas what did the Sinhalese do?
Neither D. S. Senanayaka and the Congress nor Keppitipola, Puran Appu, Gongalegoda Banda, Anagarika Dharmapala and numerous Bhikkus and lay people fought for the independence? The Sri Lankans did not fight with British as a nation would fight against a colonial power for independence. Puran Appu and/or Gongalegoda Banda did not fight a national struggle (a brief uprising limited for few days, as a direct response to the introduction of new tax by the then Governor Torrington), Keppetipola fought for personal reasons and so were the others.
Unlike the Indians (Mahatma Gandhi, Jawalhal Nehru, Mohd Ali Ginna, Subash Chandra Bose, and others) who suffered for their Independence, the Sinhalese whom Anagarika Dhammapala termed as ‘Kalu Suddho’ collaborated with the British, who gave us Independence on a platter (without shedding a single drop of tears, sweat or blood) and made them leaders to rule the entire country.
The Indian leaders Mohandas Gandhi along with Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohamad Ali Jinna fought for it peacefully, Subash Chandra Bose fought for it violently, and Sri Lanka got it free along with the Indians without spilling any blood, sweat or tears.
Monarawila Keppetipola in 1818, Puran Appu in 1848, Mayadunne, Gongalegoda Banda, Kudapola Rahula thero, Wariyapola Sumangala and a few others were rebels who fought at different periods (long before independence) for different issues/reasons, it had nothing to do with the Independence. They were easily crushed and were executed very long before Sri Lanka obtained independence.
Did anybody fight and succeed in sending the Brits out of the country?
None of their struggle contributed to the Independence of Sri Lanka, it was granted in 1948, only after the British were forced to leave the region due to Gandhi’s struggle in India. When the British gave independence to India, they found that it is time to leave this region and it is pointless keeping a tiny country like Sri Lanka. In 1948, we got it free on a platter, thanks to Gandhi and the Indians. Go and listen to Nanda Malini’s song ‘Nidahas baila’, it is very well composed with the facts.
Very similar to some of the Sinhala rebellion against the British rule even the Tamils have rebelled. Pandara Vanniyan (Kulasegaram Vairamuthu Pandaravanniyan) was known as one of last native Tamil chiefs to challenge British rule.
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JULAMPITIYE AMARAYA / February 13, 2014
This Malinda guy is looking for another Shot to Genève in coming march like Jarapal Abenayaeke and Oz Bandula.
he is trying fully to Please his masters the Jarapassa looting Clan
So he is singing his usual themes and words like LTTE, Eelamists, Kotiya supporters , homeland, Patriots,anti-Sinhala, anti-Buddhist.
they, Jarapal Abenayaeke and Oz Bandula may have told him,
“try your luck at a Genève Brothel like us and there will be no any chances”, ” and be careful not to loose your purse”.
So, Guys, let him have his PIE.
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Vibhushana / February 11, 2014
From a practical point of view there will be no “good governance and rule of law” until all embers of Tamil nationalism are completely distinguished. Some have said it should be the other way around, although this not so.
Those who benefit from corruption and lawlessness will ensure Tamil nationalism is kept burning.
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Gambler / February 11, 2014
Yes, autonomy is a fantasy concept
The good Sinhalayas must deny the bad Tamils
This fellow ownes a newspaper
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Sulaiman / February 11, 2014
O Insidious, Thou art indeed at your best:
1. “Exclusive” Tamil Homelands – How did the word “exclusive” surreptitiously slip in? The Thimpu principle states thus: “recognition of the existence of an identified homeland for the Tamils of Ceylon”. The Indo Lanka Accord which is still in force states this:
“also recognising that the Northern and the Eastern provinces have been areas of historical habitation of Sri Lankan Tamil speaking peoples, who have at all times hitherto lived together in this territory with other ethnic groups”
Sri Lanka has accepted that the Northern and Easter provinces are places of “historical habitation” of the Tamil Speaking Peoples. The Thimpu talks used the word “identified homeland”. Neither uses the word “exclusively”. The entire premise of Malinda’s article is flawed and intentionally misleading.
2. A person who seeks evidence from others should be ready to submit evidence in support of his claims. Please substantiate “the divide-and-rule policy of the British which saw accessibility to education extremely skewed in favour of the Tamil community (in terms of percentages, not absolute numbers, the latter fact being the source of the 50-50 claim) helped produce large numbers of educated and professional persons.”
I find this statement to be insidious as it cleverly seeks to provide a reason for the better educational achievements of the Tamils. The problems I have with this assertion are:
(a) There is no official record of the setting up of schools being part of the divide and rule policy. Provide a single document where this has been expressed as part of the plan.
(b) Almost all schools were started by Christian missionaries and even though the British Government encouraged missionary movements, it is more than a stretch to call that as being part of the “divide and rule” policy.
(c) Many of the schools in the North were started by American Missionaries because the Britain was suspicious of them and didn’t want them in Colombo. Hardly the work of a divide and rule policy.
(d) If you look at the oldest schools in Sri Lanka you will find that missionaries have gone all around the country. The concentration in the North appears to be the thirst for knowledge in that region – not some “divide and rule” policy.
If you really want to explore Myths why don’t you examine the history of Sri Lanka’s newest “oldest” school – Richmond College Galle. It celebrated its centenary year in 1976 and is remarkably celebrating its 200th year in 2014!!! You can read the arguments about how it became the oldest school in the country on its webpage http://www.richmondcollege.org/talk.html.
There is no doubt that Richmond is an old and fantastic school. There is also no doubt that its alumnus is the current President. But the rest, ah, it smacks of a young Malinda at work.
S
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Palayang yako! / February 12, 2014
Sulaiman:
You are in need of a dose of mental health if you think this creature can deal with honesty and logic. He is a bottom-feeder of the Rajapassas, little else and to dignify him with debate is nonsense!
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kabaragoya / February 12, 2014
There is too much of reasoning in this post. It will not penetrate the minds of people like Malinda. Bucks must have been given to the man to use his little mind to contort facts and create new fiction on his now famous laptop.
The diaspora does not think differently from the Tamils in the NorthEast. The election to the Provincial Council was a clear indication of this.
Let us hope that the Tamils do not actively begin thinking of a fifth Tamil homeland of joining the traditional homelands of the Tamils in Eelam with Tamilnadu. They could well be driven to this by the moda gonas like Malinda.
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Lynx / February 11, 2014
This article will generate more vituperative responses than usual. Those who cannot argue the logic cogently will resort to discrediting the author or simply pour abuse.
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Javi / February 11, 2014
Bestiality Breed Slave- BBS
Sihala Linda the Dalit Slave bleating as usual with his call girl from his harem.
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Safa / February 11, 2014
“To date, not a single Eelamist would dare put on the table anything of substance to buttress land-claim and indeed their anti-Sinhala, anti-Buddhist cheering squad, overt and covert, are given to deleting the history factor from the political equation for reasons that do not require elaboration.” – fact or fiction?
Most of the lands in Palali and Kankesanthurai areas in the Jaffna High Security Zone that will be legally acquired in the near future, for the expansion of the Palali Airport and the Kankesanthurai Harbour, according to the Security Forces Commander (Jaffna) Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe.
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2013/07/28/new40.asp
Around 1474 persons owning land in Jaffna filed a writ application today in the Court of Appeal challenging the attempts to illegally and unlawfully acquire their private land, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) media office said. A further 2000 petitioners are to file on the same issue in the near future.
The petition challenges the Section 2 notices issued under the Land Acquisition Act which specifies that 6381 acres and 38.97 perches are to be acquired for the ‘Defence Battalion Headquarters [Jaffna]- Regularising handover of area on which High Security Zone [Palaly and Kankesanthurai] is established.’
http://colombogazette.com/2013/05/15/cases-filed-against-land-acquisition/
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
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Javi / February 11, 2014
Linda and Valli,
Sihala are Kalu Dalit Slaves from South India and worse than kallathoni.
Similarly, the first Portuguese/Spanish encounter with India was on 20 May 1498 when Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on Malabar Coast in search of Pepper from Kerala.
Vasco da Gama sailed to India for a second time with 15 ships and 800 men, arriving at Calicut on 30 October 1502, where the ruler was willing to sign a treaty.
The Portuguese built the Pulicat fort in 1502, with the help of the Vijayanagar ruler.
In 1505 Vasco da Gama bought many slaves to work as cinnamon peelers in Spice colony Ceylon. VOC continued the same trend for its nutmeg. The British learnt trade from Dutch VOC and did the same too.
Sihala are dalit kalu folk from south india because all the Europeans were worried about their security and were well aware what inter nation marriages meant so for Security reasons the Portuguese strictly followed a system of sending orphan girls to marry the Portuguese men running the colony.
The Dutch VOC preferred sending married couples and the bachelors were given a maximum of 10 years away in 4 or more places for security reasons.
The British also followed the above process.
Linda you kalu boy of bestiality breed your genes are the same of pepper slaves of kerala but not the native veddha of Ceylon(sanskrit Ravana) or the Great Andamanese of Andaman (sanskrit hanuman) (UN scientific study at A & N- go and see for self)
Linda and Valli are fraudsters and criminals against humanity.
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Javi / February 11, 2014
Spanish/Portugese coloniser Christopher Columbus found it was not possible to work the indigenous Arawak of the Caribbean Islands to run spice plantations so he transported the hardy low class Africans who call themselves West Indians.
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Fathima Fukushima / February 13, 2014
Tamils are [Edited out]
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Javi / February 11, 2014
The Sihala of Spice Colony Ceylon and their buddies Africans of Spice Colony (nutmeg and mace)West Indies are hiding the fact that they were slaves and not the indegenious people by talking about other peoples assets as if it belonged to them- Hitler concept
Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.—Adolf Hitler
__________________________
FIRST EUROPEAN ENCOUNTER
Scholars believe that the first tribe encountered by Christopher Columbus were Lucayan-Arawak Indians, who lived on the island he called Santa María de la Concepción (known as Mamana by the Lucayan and now called Rum Cay, in the Bahamas). Columbus noted in his log:
Saturday, 13 October 1492: … They brought us sticks of the cotton thread and parrots and other little things which it would be tedious to list, and exchanged everything for whatever we offered them. I kept my eyes open and tried to find out if there was any gold, and I saw that some of them had a little piece hanging from a hole in their nose. I gathered from their signs that if one goes south, or around the south side of the island, there is a king with great jars full of it, enormous amounts. I tried to persuade them to go there, But I saw that the idea was not to their liking…
Sunday, 14 October 1492: … These people have little knowledge of fighting, as Your Majesties will see from the seven I have had captured to take away with us so as to teach them our language and return them, unless Your Majesties’ orders are that they all be taken to Spain or held captive on the island itself, for with fifty men one could keep the whole population in subjection and make them do whatever one wanted.[3]
The island became abandoned as the Spanish took the Lucayan as laborers; most died from infectious diseases. The islands passed back and forth between Spanish and English control.
On 17 February 1627, Captain Henry Powell, ship Olive Blossom, landed to settle the island. Sometime afterward, he brought about thirty Arawak from Guiana as laborers. He later was appointed as the first English Governor of the Isle of Barbados.[4]
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Dev / February 12, 2014
Still carrying that chip on your shoulder because your recent ancestors were slavish coolies herded over to Sri Lanka to pluck leaves huh Javi LOL
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Native Vedda / February 12, 2014
Derv
“because your recent ancestors were slavish coolies herded over to Sri Lanka to pluck leaves”
Yes they may be coolies however unlike your lot they are hard working people who are the backbone of the economy.
They work hard toil and die in the land for you to have a easy life. The haven’t sent their women folks to medieval middle east kingdoms to be abused and returned in a coffins.
By the way those who were brought to my ancestral few years earlier than the “slavish coolies” didn’t expect their descendants converting to Sinhala/Buddhism. Pathetic.
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Prasad / February 13, 2014
The Sinhalese became a majority only after the European Colonials came to Sri Lanka. In the 16th century, the Portuguese and in the 18th century, the Dutch who occupied the island brought in tens of thousands of people from South India (mainly from Cochin in the Malabar coast/presently Kerala and from Tutucorin in the Coromandel Coast/presently Tamil Nadu) and settled them in the Southern parts of the island from Puttalama up to Matara as menial laborers (for growing/peeling cinnamon – today known as Salagama caste, for fishing/pearl diving – today known as Karawa caste, coconut planting/plucking and toddy tapping – today known as Durawa caste, and for many other jobs). Within a few centuries, the Sinhala population in the South (low country) increased exponentially when these people assimilated with the local Sinhala population by adopting the Sinhala language/culture and the Buddhist/Christian religion and getting converted to Sinhala Buddhists and Sinhala Catholics. Today their descendents such as Malinda Seneviratne (their 6th generation from the South) are not only claiming the ancient Sri Lankan civilization as their own ‘Sinhala’ heritage but have also become the patriots and champions of Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism. They have become distinct, ‘North Indian Vijaya’s Lion-blooded Sinhala Aryans’, the Nationalist Patriots and guardians of the country (Sri Lanka) and its Religion (Buddhism), the job that Lord Buddha assigned to the Hindu God Vishnu as per the Mahavamsa. If these so called “Sinhaputhra/Boomiputhra of Heladiva” had remained as Tamils, (without assimilating with the Sinhalese) today the Tamils would have been the majority in Sri Lanka or if they had assimilated with the Veddas instead of Sinhalese, today the Veddas would have been considerably a large population in Sri Lanka.
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Babel dayan / February 11, 2014
Baboon! You are yet to develop the grey stripes of the realy baboon, Dayan! Working on it though! congrats! you will soon get the grey stripes from the Pakses!
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Anpu / February 11, 2014
Malinda,
This is not true
“The divide-and-rule policy of the British which saw accessibility to education extremely skewed in favour of the Tamil community”
Learn the truth
“Though Jaffna was not the first place where Christian Missionaries landed, English education was not much resorted to in Batticaloa, Chilaw, Galle and Matara where the first contacts were made, because the soil was fertile with regular rains (except Batticaloa) and people preferred to continue with their agricultural pursuits in main.
Because the Jaffna soil was barren, mainly rocky or stone laden, people had to toil and sweat very hard to eke out a living (In Chilaw until His Lordship Marcus Fernando became the Bishop in the seventies, the Church also did not encourage education).
They did not want their children to toil like them. They mortgaged their farmlands or even sold them to give their children English education. Even Ivor Jennings the first Vie Chancellor also has commented on this. The most successful of those who came up in the different competitive Examinations were selected according to requirements.”
There was no economic development in the North and East during the entire British period – not even infrastructures like Link-Roads and easing of travel and transport because the North and East did not come within the purview of the colonial economy of the British.
It is noted that D S Senanayake advised the British to grant independence to Ceylon early, as the Tamils will be problematic as they were followers of Gandhian principles led by the Jaffna Youth League which agitated for full independence – the sign of unadulterated faithfulness of the coastal Sinhalese to the British Masters.” http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=36262
“Current unrest in Sri Lanka can be traced back to the middle of the last century when Tamils were comparatively doing well in education and business. Sinhala extremists in Sri Lanka couldn’t digest the fact that Tamils still being a minority, dominating education and business. Since 1950, almost every ten years, Tamils were killed in thousands and their properties were burned to ashes. These attacks were always masterminded by the Sinhala rulers who were in power.” http://my.telegraph.co.uk/richarddixons/
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Gambler / February 12, 2014
WHAT GANDHIAN PRINCIPLES FOR THESE SWOLLEN HEADED BARREN SOIL TOILERS.
LSSP CAMPAIGN WAS A MAJOR FACTOR FOR DS
BRITISH RADALA, MAHA MUDALIAR & the ENGLISH EDUCATED TAMILS, SINHALESE, MUSLIMS & BURGERS WERE LOYAL BRITISH SUBJECTS, the poor and the rural folk were the loyal subjects of these local elites.
Gandhian principles are criticised today by Indians for giving in too much to the British and Muslims.
Subarshankar Bose had the best allround plan, but Ghandhi was not comfortable with him.
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Native Vedda / February 13, 2014
Gambler
“Subarshankar Bose had the best allround plan, but Ghandhi was not comfortable with him.”
Educated Subhash Chandra Bose was another Prabaharan who buried tens of thousands of South Asians in his stupid Burma campaign. All his military strategies failed and failed miserably.
He fought the racist colonial British with the support of other racists including Japanese and Germans.
This shows the quality and foresight of him and his followers, including Tamils and Sinhalese who supported Bose. In hindsight one can understand the nationalism that motivated Tamils and Sinhalese to join Bose.
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Thiru / February 11, 2014
This fellow has become an idiotic clown,
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Patriot / February 11, 2014
During his Independence Day address to the nation, MR used the term “northern people” several times. I would ask the author to be honest and tell us who his president is talking about when he says “northern people”. The easiest way to distinguish a Sinhalese from a Tamil is by asking a simple question: “Are you a northerner?” Every single Ceylonese Tamil will answer yes, and every single Sinhalese will answer no.
The LTTE were not the “Creation Tigers of Tamil Eelam” they were the Liberation Tigers. They were not trying to create a homeland. They were trying to liberate a homeland that already exists. If you approach any attorney about a land dispute, the first two questions he is going to ask is “who has possession, and how long have they had possession?” In the case of the NE, the Tamils have possession, and they have enjoyed possession for hundreds of years. This is a fact – it is the status quo. If you want to alter the status quo, it is your burden to do so. You have to establish legitimacy over the NE and convince the people of that region and the world at large of your legitimacy. My question to you is: How are you going to alter the status quo, how long will it take, and who is going to pay for that project?
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Fathima Fukushima / February 13, 2014
Northern people are [Edited out]
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The Last Dinosaur / February 11, 2014
Linda…
It seems you have reached the writers block and running out of themes to write on. All your articles are an attempt to create mass scale “Eelam phobia”.
Dude… Your political fantasy is not worth reading… Please write some erotic fantasy… I think that will get some more readership…
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Ajith / February 11, 2014
Malinda,
Don’t overjoy of the temporary shift of power to Sinhala in this island. Remember you Sinhalese did not have any say in any part of this island for nearly 400 years until 1972. Even after 1972 you lost control over North East for nearly 30 years between 1972 to 2009. Even before the European rule, the island was not fully ruled by Sinhala rulers. Sinhalese never lived in the North East as a majority. The current Sinhala authoritarian rule cannot last for long. The Tamils all around the world are now united and the call for the right for self determination is now accepted by international community. If you continue to deny this reality, the Tamils will get it very soon with the support and recognition of United Nations. Don’t think that you can stop this move by another wholesale massacre of Tamils. Whole world understands your real face, no one in the civilized world tolerate this brutality.
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Ravi Perera / February 12, 2014
Ajith,
“Sinhalese never lived in the North East as a majority”
Take the word East out man
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Native Vedda / February 12, 2014
Ravi Perera
“Take the word East out man”
Take the word Sri Lanka and the lion flag out of this island.
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Ajith / February 12, 2014
Ravi Perera,
Can you give reliable evidence?
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Prasad / February 13, 2014
The Sri Lankan Tamils have a clearly defined (Tamil speaking) territory, their historic habitat in the North & East of Sri Lanka as their traditional homeland where they lived and defended for several centuries.
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Prasad / February 13, 2014
The Jaffna kingdom may have been smaller and places such as Trincomalee, Mannar, Batticaloa and Ampara in the East would have come under the Kandyan kingdom but that does not mean that Trincomalee, Mannar, Batticaloa and Ampara were Sinhala areas occupied by the Sinhalese. These are all Tamil areas occupied by Tamils from ancient time. Irrespective of what kingdom they came under they are all part of Tamil homeland.
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Fathima Fukushima / February 13, 2014
Tamils NEVER lived in Colombo!
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Banda / February 12, 2014
This is none other than same sihala Urumaya garbage. people who try to saw hatred will be sorry for their own mistakes in some day.
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BBS Rep / February 12, 2014
Oh Malinda, how unconvincing you are.
Tamil nationalism is a by-product of the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism.
A gated homeland for Tamils is needed to keep the barbarian hordes of the south out.
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Park / February 12, 2014
Malinda, by calling SRi Lanka a land of Sinhalese are you in fact making Sri Lanka Traditional Home Land of the Sinhalese! Have you forgotten that Vijaya and his friends the ancestors of the Sinhala also came from India. If the Sinhalese can have a home land why cannot the Muslims and the Tamils also call for homeland in Sri Lanka?
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Prasad / February 13, 2014
There is no evidence what so ever to prove that the Sinhalese lived in the North and East until independence. Only once in the entire history, a Sinhala prince from the South (half Tamil) Sapumal Kumaraya aka Sembaga Perumal ruled the Northern Kingdom. The Buddhist remains in the North and East are the remnants left by the Tamil Buddhists and not anybody else. You cannot find a single Sinhala person or family claiming North & East province as habitancy or origin? All those Sinhalese who live in the NE province today are those settled by the government after the independence (1948) under the colonization scheme. If you ask them, each one of them will say that their grandfather or great grandfather is from down south, where as the Sri Lankan Tamils hail from the NE province and proudly proclaim the fact. The Sinhalese are the majority only in their land SouthWest. The Tamils are also a majority in their region (NorthEast) which nobody can deny. Some early historians assumed that Sinhalese would have lived in the North but today it is very clear that their assumptions were wrong. The Sinhalese are trying to twist, turn and manipulate the place names (Etymology) of NE to say they are Sinhala names. They are even trying to prove that the Buddhist remains in the NE, the remnants left by the ancient Tamil Buddhists belonged to the Sinhalese. Unfortunately today there is no Tamil Buddhists/Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is monopolized by the Sinhalese and they call it Sinhala-Buddhism, a violent barbaric form of Buddhism where killing Tamils is a part of the Sinhala (Mahavamsa) Buddhist doctrine created by its author.
During the last 1000 years, the Sinhala Language is never spoken in the NE region. It is only after 1948, the Sinhalese are trying to grab the Tamil lands by colonizing their people.
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Steve Grafton / February 13, 2014
There’s plenty of evidence despite your attempts at rewriting history – – check the maps in the Dutch national archives and count up the number of villages with Sinhala names in the so called “Tamil” homelands, and how many of these were left by the time the colonials were finished (or even today). All of these have now been Tamilized. If there ever was a genocide it was done by colonials and their Tamil coolie collaborators against the Sinhalese.
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Ravi Perera / February 13, 2014
Ajith,
“
Ravi Perera, Can you give reliable evidence? “
I have on many occasions written to you previously about facts and figures. I can reproduce such articles if you wish.
Any wat it is not up to us to give evidence it is up to you guys to do so and convince the world. Can you pls produce an argument with facts and figures to claim the eastern province is yours. This is something you or every Tamil loves to avoid
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Ravi Perera / February 13, 2014
Prasad,
You are just barking for the sake of barking. Your comments that Sinhalese are colonizing Tamil homeland is like the whites accusing the blacks in South Africa for the changes that are happening there.
Tamil guys like you can accuse the Sri Lankan state of colonisation,but in the eyes of the international community it carries no weight.
international opinion is valuable. See the whole world is now asking for a proper investigation for a war crimes. The fact is War crimes did happen, the Tamils know it and that is why you are ferociously pursuing the matter. Sri Lankan government also knows it and that is why the government is trying to cover up.
If the Eastern Province was historically Tamil why do you think THE INTERNATIONAL community is not putting pressure on the Sri Lankan government to merge it with North and declare a seperate state or a federal state.
Accept the reality my friend. Your exclusive homeland is Tamil Nadu. Yes, you have lived in this country for a long time and now the North Sri Lanka (With help of Indian Tamils )has become part of the Tamil territory.
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Prasad / February 14, 2014
Right from ancient history, Tamils are from both India and Sri Lanka. Tamil nation existed and still exists in South India (now known as Tamil Nadu after the British) and North-East Sri Lanka (Tamil Eelam). The Tamils are the sole owners of both N&E Sri Lanka (Tamil Eelam) and South India (Tamil Nadu). Just like the Arab nation has several countries in the middle-east and North Africa, the Tamils Nation has two countries in South Asia (Tamil Eelam and Tamil Nadu). Tamil Nadu belongs (Homeland) to the Tamils of India and Tamil Eelam belongs (Homeland) to the Tamils of Sri Lanka. There was a natural bridge known as Rama Setu that existed during the ancient period from Tamil Nadu to Tamil Eelam.
If Tamils like Elara are called invaders, then the Singalas like Vijay and his 700 men were also invaders. Whether you call them invaders or invitees or tourists or whatever, both Tamils and Singalas ruled the Island alternatively right from the beginning of history and the civilization was created by both. It is not mentioned anywhere that the Sri Lankan civilization is a Singala civilization or Tamil civilization. They both contributed and both Tamil and Sinhala kings ruled the island. The Tamil kings Sena and Guttika were never known as invaders. The invader story was a creation of the Mahavamsa author. The Cholas and Pandyans did not invade Sri Lanka from time to time, as falsely mentioned in the Mahavamsa. During the ancient period, they considered both Sri Lanka and South India as one country, as one region, as their native land and they moved freely and sometimes conquered the kingdoms within this region irrespective of Chola, Pandya, Chera, or Sinhala.
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Prasad / February 14, 2014
During the ancient past, South India and Sri Lanka were one region separated by a narrow and shallow sea but linked by a bridge called Rama Setu. Even though we are still not sure from where these people came, the ancient people (tribes such as Nagas) who occupied South India also occupied Sri Lanka. These people were also freely moving to and fro in the common South India – Sri Lanka region (says historian Prof. Indrapala). At a later stage, the people of South India were known as Cholas, Pandyans and Cheras whereas the people in Sri Lanka were known as Hela and Demada. Today the Tamils in South India (Tamil Nadu is a recent name adopted after the British) are the decedents of Cholas, Pandyans and Cheras. Similarly, today the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils are the decedents of both Hela and Demada (with mix from North Indians and many others).
Prof. Senerath Paranavithana (Archeologist and historian) wrote ‘The vast majority of the people who today speak SINHALESE or TAMIL must have ultimately been descended from those autochthonous people of whom we know next to nothing.’
Even otherwise, if any person thinks that the seafaring Tamils of South India who sailed across Indian ocean and beyond for more than 3,000 years could not discover and populate the Island called Sri Lanka just 22 miles across the Sethu Samudram (in their backyard) but invaded and settled only after the arrival of the so called North Indian Aryans (after 1000 years) he/she must be absolutely insane.
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thivya / February 14, 2014
The Albanian Muslims started to settle in the Serbian province of Kosovo in the latter part of the Ottoman Empire. Less than 300 years after the world accepted their claim of homeland in Kosovo and recognized the independence of Kosovo. If after 300 years, the Albanian Muslims can have a homeland, only a retarded Sinhala monkey will say after more than 2000 years the Tamils can’t have a homeland in Sri Lanka.
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lal / February 14, 2014
thivya,
There is a homeland for Tamils in Tamil Nadu. Any Tamil now living in Sri Lanka can go to their homeland in Tamil Nadu. As for retarted Tamil monkeys in Sri Lanka, they’ll find that homeland most welcoming among other Tamil monkeys,upto 70 million of them, who live in squalid conditions, like in other Tamil ghettos of Singapore and Penang (called Little India/s).There are decent Tamils who are law abiding and honest and loyal to Sri lanka who are happy to live amongst the Sinhalese. But, there won’t be a Tamil homeland on this island; not now, not ever! I hope you got the message;you Tamil monkey with pea brain.
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Ravi Perera / February 14, 2014
Thiviya,
There is a good chance that North would be accepted as your homeland(Unless India object to it. which too is likely)
The Tamil Precensce in the East is along the coast of about 10 miles. Large majority of Eastern Province is sparsely populated Sinhala villages (I have writeen this million times). The creation of provincil boundaries (by annexing large tracks of Sparsely populated sinhala villages to relatively populated Tamil areas created this illusion. So my friend the historical facts nor the numbers justify the East being placed under a Tamil homeland. In the case of Kosova the muslims had the numbers. It is only a Hadi Tamil who can not understand this. You buggers are full of cock talk.
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Ravi Perera / February 14, 2014
Thiviya,
By the way your 2000 yrs is wild imagination.
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Ravi Perera / February 14, 2014
Prasad,
1) According to you “Right from ancient history, Tamils are from both India and Sri Lanka.”
But this is what Professor Karthigesu Indrapala of Jaffna University had to say
” To sum ofThis is what Professor Karthigesu Indrapala of Jaffna University had to say
” To sum of the evidence so far discussed, we have in the first place references in Pali chronicles to the presence of Tamil traders,invaders and mercenaries from about the second century B.C. There is no reliable evidence in the chronicles to say that there were Tamil settlements either in the pre christian period or the early centuries of the christian era. Om the contrary the general impression given by the chronicles is that the Tamils were foreign to Ceylon.
Their usurpation’s and unpleasant intrusions are dealt with unfavourably. It is only the archaelogical evidence that points to the existence of a tamil settlement probably at Pomparippu and possibly at Katriveli, between about the second century B.C and the second century A.D After this there is a long gap till we reached the seventh century, we get some flimsy evidence that points to possible Tamil settlements in this century. It is only in the 10th century that we get definite in the Sinhalese and Tamil inscriptions, in the archeological sources and to a small extent in the Pali chronicles.That by the 10th century permanent Tamil settlments had begun in the Island is clearly borne out by these sources. Looking back at the whole body of evidence that is available to us, we have to conclude that there were no wide spread Tamil settlements in the island until the 10th century.
The settlement of Pomparippu and Katriveli have to be regarded as isolated settlements.On the basis of the present evidence we could say that the Tamil settlements started only in the 10th century. These settlements were by no means extensive but their importance lies in the fact that they formed the nucleus of the later settlements that covered the greater part of the Northern Ceylon”
2) ” Just like the Arab nation has several countries in the middle-east and North Africa, the Tamils Nation has two countries in South Asia (Tamil Eelam and Tamil Nadu)”
The more appropriate comparison would be Kosova and Cyprus(Part where Turks Live) where the presence of the foreign elements are only a few centuries.
3) I personally accept that part of the country has become Tamil. That would be North. As far as East is concerned neither historical facts nor the numbers justify this. Pls provide facts to dispute my argument.
4)”If Tamils like Elara are called invaders, then the Singalas like Vijay and his 700 men were also invaders.”
Vijaya was not a sinhala he was Bengali. The Evolution of the Hela race into Sinhala started with the advent of Vijaya. We sinhalas are more Dravidian than Aryan. Most of the sinhalas do not want to accept this due to the stigma associated with the word Tamil.
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Prasad / February 14, 2014
What you are talking about is all what the PhD student Mr. Karthigesu Indrapala wrote for his PhD Thesis in 1965. After 40 years of research as a Senior Archeologist/Historian/epigraphist and a University Don, the retired History professor of the Jaffna University, the same Prof. Karthigesu Indrapala (now settled down in Australia) published a book in 2005, 40 years after his 1965 PhD thesis where he says his PhD dissertation is completely out of date that even he does not have a copy of his 1965 PhD thesis what he wrote 40 years ago as a PhD student.
In any historical research, it is natural to change the views and assumptions, because up to now, we have no definite answers to so many unanswered questions in the fields of Archeology, history, anthropology, epigraphy and etymology in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, daily we stumble across several new findings and they contribute to new historical vistas. Therefore, based on new facts, one’s earlier conclusion has to be compromised to adopt changes. History is a continuous process of investigation without any end in sight. Therefore, it is absolutely natural that people change their opinions upon new findings.
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Prasad / February 14, 2014
For your 2nd point, please refer my comment above (During the ancient past).
Most of the Sinhalese have their ancestral native place name also as a part of their name, known as Vasagama. Is there any Sinhalese person from any part of Sri Lanka who can come out and say that his Vasagama is a name from any part of NorthEast?
Can you find even one Sinhala person or family that claimed NorthEast province habitancy or origin? All those Sinhalese who live in the NE province today are those settled by the DS Senanayake government after the independence (1948) under the colonization scheme. If you ask them, each one of them will say that their grandfather or great grandfather is from down south, where as the Sri Lankan Tamils hail from the NE province and proudly proclaim the fact.
In the recorded history of Sri Lanka, where is it mentioned that there was a mass exodus of Sinhalese from the NorthEast to the South? Did all the Sinhalese simply pack their bags and go to the South leaving all their lands to the newly arrived Tamils without any protest? (Please do not come up with stupid answers like malaria).
We Sri Lankan Tamils of NorthEast are a unique race and a majority within our native land and as one of the two nations within the country, we cannot continue to let the other majority to decide our fate forever just because the British made the two regions (Sinhala & Tamil) into one unitary state (instead of two federal states) and handed over the entire country to one majority within the unitary state (Sinhalese).
For your 4th point, Vijaya according to Mahavamsa is the grandson of Sihabahu from Sihapura in North India. It also says in CHAPTER VII THE CONSECRATING OF VIJAYA,
“But the king Sihabahu, since he had slain the lion (was called) Sihala and, by reason of the ties between him and them, all those (followers of VIJAYA) were also (called) Sihala.”
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thivya / February 14, 2014
In that case, your Mahavamsa is just the fantasy of Monk Mahanama. He was smoking some serious stuff when he wrote the Mahavamsa. :)
The Mahavamsa says there were Tamils in Anuradhapura not as just citizens but also as RULERS even in the 1st century A.D. The Naga prince Duttu Gemun’s campaign against the Tamils who had occupied the North including Anuradhapura had to conquer not one Tamil king but 32 Tamil Chieftains around the Anuradhapura principality alone. How could there be 32 Tamil chiefdoms in the area of Anuradhapura alone, if there were no Tamils?
On the other hand, there was nothing called Sinhalese in Lanka during that period. The Naga Prince Duttu Gemunu was not a Sinhalese and he never identified him as a Sinhala. Even the Sinhala language in Lanka appeared only after the 8th Century A.D. There were no Sinhalese people, kings, kingdom, culture, language, or anything Sinhala before that. Do not confuse Buddhism with Sinhala. The Tamils were also Buddhists at that time in their history.
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Ravi Perera / February 15, 2014
Hello Thiviya,
“The Naga Prince Duttu Gemunu was not a Sinhalese and he never identified him as a Sinhala. Even the Sinhala language in Lanka appeared only after the 8th Century A.D. There were no Sinhalese people, kings, kingdom, culture, language, or anything Sinhala before tha”
King Duttugemunu was closer to Hela more than Sinhala. It is the hela tribes which evolved into Sinhala with time with contribution from Indian migrants. As you know mot cultures evolve with time. The Hindi language we refer to was known as the Pali 2500 yrs ago. Wether you call it Hela or sinhala it is the same people at a different stage of the evolution process
“The Mahavamsa says there were Tamils in Anuradhapura not as just citizens but also as RULERS even in the 1st century A.D. The Naga prince Duttu Gemun’s campaign against the Tamils who had occupied the North including Anuradhapura had to conquer not one Tamil king but 32 Tamil Chieftains around the Anuradhapura principality alone. How could there be 32 Tamil chiefdoms in the area of Anuradhapura alone, if there were no Tamils? “
British ruled the whole island not by right but using might. Can’t it be a similar scenario with you guys.
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Prasad / February 15, 2014
King Duttugemunu was closer to Hela more than Sinhala. It is the hela tribes which evolved into Sinhala with time with contribution from Indian migrants. As you know mot cultures evolve with time. The Hindi language we refer to was known as the Pali 2500 yrs ago. Wether you call it Hela or sinhala it is the same people at a different stage of the evolution process
There was NO ‘Hela’ tribes during Duttugemunu’s period. There were only Yakkas and Nagas. Yakkas and Nagas were never known as Hela tribes. There is no evidence what so ever to prove that the Yakkas and Nagas mixed with the Indian migrants to form the Hela race that later evolved into Sinhala. According to the Mahavamsa, the Indian migrants (Vijay and his men) were known as Sinhala. Eventually, the Yakkas and Nagas may have mixed with the Sinhalese and Tamils even though it is not mentioned anywhere. Prof. Senerath Paranavithana (Archeologist and historian) wrote ‘The vast majority of the people who today speak SINHALESE or TAMIL must have ultimately been descended from those autochthonous people of whom we know next to nothing.’
FYI, the Hindi language evolved from the ancient Indian language called Sanskrit and NOT Pali. Also, the British ruling with might and Tamils ruling are two different things (do not assume things). Please refer my comment above that begins with “During the ancient past”.
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thivya / February 15, 2014
If there is no archaeological or historical evidence to indicate Dutu Gemunu identify him as a Sinhala, what makes you think the ancient Hela people were Sinhalese? The Sinhala identity evolved in much later period. The Hela people might be the ancestors of present day Sinhalese and Tamils.
‘Thus the vast majority of the people who today speak Sinhalese or Tamil must ultimately be descended from those autochthonous people of whom we know next to nothing.’
Dr S. Paranavitana, the former Archaeological Commissioner
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thivya / February 15, 2014
Pay attention please, Mahavamsa did not say the Tamils were just the rulers of the North, but Maha vamsa clearly says the Tamils were living in the North and the North was the land of Tamils even in the first century AD.
‘Over there beyond the Ganga are the DAMILAS, here on this side is the Gotha-ocean, how can I lie with outstretched limbs?’ he answered. When the king heard his thoughts he remained silent.
I think you should read the Mahavamsa first before blabbering here. Perhaps, you Pereras, the remnant of Portuguese’s hanky panky in Sri Lanka, are not so familiar with the Mahavamsa. :)
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Prasad / February 15, 2014
Ravi Perera
Also note that the so called invaders were not the Tamil masses but the Chola/Pandyan kings. The Tamil people were already settled in those areas (read the Mahavamsa carefully). Duttugemunu only replaced Elara (only the kingdom), he did not replace the Tamil people with the Sinhalese. Tamil settlements existed then as it exists now.
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Ravi Perera / February 15, 2014
Prasad Thambi,
“For your 2nd point, please refer my comment above (During the ancient past).”
I have refered to it and answered. You are avoiding here
“Can you find even one Sinhala person or family that claimed NorthEast province habitancy or origin? All those Sinhalese who live in the NE province today are those settled by the DS Senanayake government after the independence (1948) under the colonization scheme.”
Your accusation of colonization is like the whites in south africa (who unjustly occupy 40% of South Africa) accusing the blacks of colonization if they try to move into the so called white areas.
Eastern Province was part of the Ruhunu kingdom during the period where we had Ruhunu, Maya and Pihiti and later on it was part of the Kandyan Kingdom when we had Jaffna , Kotte and Kandyan Kingdom.
For many centuries Sinhala people had to abandon Eastern Province and part of Todays North Central due to destruction to the ancient water taks , fields etc due to foreign invasions. This is how Eastern Province in particular became less populated with the sinhala people.
“We Sri Lankan Tamils of NorthEast are a unique race and a majority within our native land and as one of the two nations within the country,”
Unforunately I will concede the North ( Most sinhalese won’t). You will be dreaming about East. As I have mentioned before numbers nor the historical facts back your claim.
You will have to get it by force (May be with Karunanidhis help) as International community will be unlikely to back this claim.
I am reproducing another article which I published earlier abour Eastern Province for your reading If you had missed this.
I would like a reply from you with Facts and figures and not just empty rhetoric like North East is Tamil homeland.
There is clearly no justification for once racial group claiming proprietary , exclusive rights over the others within boundaries set artificially by the British merely because there are more members of that group over the others. If there is any validity in such contention it would follow with even greater force from the same principle, since there is and always has been within the natural borders of Sri Lanka, am overwhelming preponderance of Sinhalese, the entirety of Sri Lanka is the homeland of the Sinhalese.
Whilst Tamils are an overwhelming majority in the North the same can not be said about the Eastern Province. Muslims and the Sinhalese together constitute about 64% of the eastern Province.
Although the Sinhalese are about 25 % of Eastern Province, the Tamils and the Muslim settlements are largely confined to the coastal areas (Particulary in Ampara and Trincomalee) which are relatively thickly populated compared to the sparsely populated Sinhalese villages which are spread over a huge area.
Thus of the 22 assistant government agents divisions in the Trinco and Ampara districts the Sinhalese constitute the overwhelming majority in in 10 namely, Padavi Siripura,Gomarankadawela,Kantalai, Moraweva and Seruvila in the Trincomalee district and wevgam pattu ,panama pattu and bintennepattu in Ampara district whilst the Tamils constitute majority only in Trincomalee town and Tirikkovil in Amara .
Thus the Sinhalese constitute the overwhelming majority in about 60% of Trincomalee district and 78% of Ampara district.
Besides you Tamils use the term Tamil speaking to bring the Muslims under you in order to swell your numbers. Muslims have a clear seperate leadership. If and when they have to choose between the Sinhalese and the Tamils , they will clearly pick the Sinhalese.
In Summary
1) Tamil and muslim settlements are on a stretch of 10 miles from the sea in the east
2) Sinhalese villages are spread over a far wider area and are 60% of Trinco and 78% of Ampara districts
3) Muslims can not be brought under the Tamil speaking label to swell your Tamil numbers
Historical facts nor shear numbers justify inclusion of Eastern Province as part of the traditional Tamil homeland
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Prasad / February 15, 2014
Eastern Province was NEVER a part of the Ruhunu kingdom, but of course it was a part of the Kandyan Kingdom. The fact is that in the census of 1920 only 4 percent of the population of the Eastern Province was Sinhalese. The Sinhalese settlements in the East were small and scattered, even though there is historical evidence that most of the East (Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara) came under the umbrella of the Kandyan Kingdom. But while the ultimate rulers were in the Kingdom of Kandy, the people of the East were mostly Tamil speaking (Tamils and Muslims). Irrespective of what kingdom they came under, they are all part of Tamil homeland. It is only in the past sixty years (after independence) that there has been a substantial influx of Sinhalese settlements through state intervention.
Sinhala people had to abandon Eastern Province due to destruction to the ancient water tanks , fields, Malaria, etc are all made up stories (rubbish) without any evidence.
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Ravi Perera / February 15, 2014
Prasad,
“Eastern Province was NEVER a part of the Ruhunu kingdom”
Thanks for the expertise professor.
” The fact is that in the census of 1920 only 4 percent of the population of the Eastern Province was Sinhalese. “
“the people of the East were mostly Tamil speaking (Tamils and Muslims). Irrespective of what kingdom they came under, they are all part of Tamil homeland”
You obviously have not read what I have written earlier. Here is part of it again as my answer to the above
People of East were and are Tamil speaking only in a narrow stretch of about 10 miles in what is today called the Eastern Province.
There is clearly no justification for once racial group claiming proprietary , exclusive rights over the others within boundaries set artificially by the British merely because there are more members of that group over the others. If there is any validity in such contention it would follow with even greater force from the same principle, since there is and always has been within the natural borders of Sri Lanka, am overwhelming preponderance of Sinhalese, the entirety of Sri Lanka is the homeland of the Sinhalese.
Besides in the East along this Coast is a significant Muslim population who clearly do not want to be included in your mythical homeland.
Todate in none of the forums not a single tamil has come up with facts and figures to prove that East is part of the Taml homeland. You all know why it is
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Prasad / February 16, 2014
“People of East were and are Tamil speaking only in a narrow stretch of about 10 miles in what is today called the Eastern Province.”
Who told you all this rubbish??? Did you have a dream???
At independence, both North and East were Tamil speaking areas. The DSS government settled the Sinhalese only after that. Read the parliamentary debates between SJVC and the govt. regarding Sinhala colonization in the East.
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Prasad / February 16, 2014
Ravi Perera
The demography of Eastern province changed due to the State Sponsored Sinhala colonization:
Trincomalee is one of the districts in which the Tamil population have been reduced from a majority of 81.76% in 1827 to just 28.75% in 2007. The district has 10 Assistant Government Agent (AGA) divisions and out of that 5 have a clear Sinhala majority, 3 mixed and one each Tamil and Muslim majority. Please refer:
Please refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trincomalee_District
By 1960 an entirely new electorate called Amparai (now called Digamadulla) was carved out for the Sinhalese (who were colonized by the state) on the recommendation of the De-limitation Commission appointed in 1959. On 10th January 1961 the Batticaloa District was divided into the present Amparai District (1,775 sq. miles) and Batticaloa District (1,048 sq. miles) which sharply escalated the pace of Sinhalese colonization.
According to the 1920 census, the Sinhalese were approximately 4% of the population in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai District. Population of Eastern Province of by ethnic group 1881 to 2007. Please refer:
http://www.fuhz.com/Eastern_Province_(Sri_Lanka)
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Ravi Perera / February 15, 2014
Prasad,
“There was NO ‘Hela’ tribes during Duttugemunu’s period. There were only Yakkas and Nagas. Yakkas and Nagas were never known as Hela tribes. There is no evidence what so ever to prove that the Yakkas and Nagas mixed with the Indian migrants to form the Hela race that later evolved into Sinhala. “
To the world, Sri Lanka was known as ‘Heladiva’ before the arrival of the Aryan prince ‘Vijaya’. ‘Heladiva’ simply translates to ‘the land of the Hela People’, where the Hela people are the collective members of the four known tribes that existed before the invasion of Vijaya. These tribes are Naga (Serpent worshipers), Raaksha (Demon worshipers), Deva (Tribes who worshiped godly deities) and Yaksha (Demon Worshipers). The term Sinhala, which was later applied to the race of people and the language appears to have arisen after Vijaya, referred to in legend as partly descended from a lion, was coined from the joining of the Sanskrit word for Lion (Sinha) and Hela, resulting in Sinhala.
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