{"id":205345,"date":"2019-10-08T13:19:27","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T07:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=205345"},"modified":"2019-10-12T14:32:33","modified_gmt":"2019-10-12T09:02:33","slug":"presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/","title":{"rendered":"Presidential Elections: Tamils\u2019 Choice – A Deadly Dilemma!"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0<\/span>Karikalan\u00a0<\/span>S. Navaratnam<\/a> \u2013<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Karikalan S. Navaratnam<\/p><\/div>\n

There is no need to labour the point why Tamil people reject Gotabaya Rajapaksa<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>outright as\u00a0<\/span>persona non grata<\/i>. That does not imply that the other contenders\u00a0<\/span>vying for the Presidency are happily acceptable to the Tamils. On the UNP front,\u00a0they have decided on Sajith Premadasa<\/span><\/strong><\/a> as the candidate. Sajith has been out of\u00a0<\/span>the blocks even without waiting for the whistle. An Indian daily had even\u00a0<\/span>earmarked him as the next President: “The minister-in-attendance who will\u00a0<\/span><\/i>accompany PM Modi throughout the visit will be none other than 52-year-old Sri\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Lankan Housing minister, Sajith Premadasa, a man who may well be the President\u00a0<\/span><\/i>of Sri Lanka by the end of the year<\/i>.\u201d (Hindustan Times, 08 June 2019<\/b> \u2013 “PM Modi,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>first foreign visit to Lanka after attacks\u2026..\u201d)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Ranil or Sajith \u2013 immaterial<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

From our perspective, it does not make a difference whether it is Sajith or Ranil.\u00a0Largely due to Tamil National Alliance<\/i> (TNA) leaders\u2019 cohabitation with the\u00a0<\/span>incumbent government and their camaraderie with Ranil, there is a perception\u00a0<\/span>among the Sinhala voters that the Tamils have a weakness for UNP and, in\u00a0<\/span>particular,\u00a0<\/span>an intimacy with Ranil. In this context, TNA leaders\u2019 frailties and\u00a0<\/span>foibles need not be mixed up with the character of the Tamil polity.TNA propped\u00a0<\/span>up UNP in the legislature and had rushed to Ranil\u2019s rescue every time he was in\u00a0<\/span>dire straits.<\/p>\n

TNA\u00a0M<\/span>Ps\u00a0<\/span>successively voted\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>every annual budget including Defence\u00a0<\/span>allocations. TNA did not move, at least by way of protest,\u00a0<\/span>even a motion\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>Token Cut<\/i> on budget allocations for different Ministries including the Defence\u00a0<\/span>Ministry. It is preposterous that the TNA leaders later shout in holy horror about\u00a0<\/span>militarization of Tamil habitats and mushrooming\u00a0 <\/span>Buddhist\u00a0 <\/span>temples and statues\u00a0<\/span>in Tamil areas. By implication, TNA has been privy to this proliferation and the\u00a0<\/span>structural destruction of our heritage in the Tamil habitats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

TNA – An appendage of UNP?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Is TNA\u2019s capitulation to the UNP is so complete that the media and Southern\u00a0<\/span>politicians treat TNA as an appendage of the UNP? It is an affront to the pride and\u00a0<\/span>dignity of the Tamils that TNA support for UNP nominee has been taken for\u00a0<\/span>granted. The Island<\/i> reported:\u201cSources said <\/i>with the UNP reaching a consensus on\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>its candidate, Premadasa would receive the backing of the Tamil National\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>Alliance<\/i><\/b>.<\/i>\u201d (Island, 26 Sept.2019<\/b>– \u201cSajith Prez candidate, Ranil retains leadership<\/i><\/b>)<\/p>\n

Ranil is no Prince Charming<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Ranil is too cocky to believe that the Tamils are fascinated by his puerile and\u00a0<\/span>jejune politics. Reportedly, he has undertaken to get the support of the Tamils for\u00a0<\/span>Sajith: \u201c\u2026.Ranil Wickremesinghe had undertaken the task of wooing the Tamil and\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Muslim votes for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Sajith\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Premadasa at the presidential elections<\/i>\u2026.\u201d ( Daily Mirror, 27 Sept. 2019-<\/b>\u201cRanil to\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>woo Tamil Muslim votes for Sajith<\/i><\/b>\u201d). Mr. Prime Minister ought to know that he is\u00a0<\/span>neither the Prince Charming<\/i> nor a Patron Saint of the Tamils. Also, Tamil\u00a0<\/span>constituency is not a \u201crotten borough<\/i>\u201d or a \u201cpocket borough<\/i>\u201d controlled by\u00a0<\/span>patrons as some British constituencies were known before the Reform Act -1832.\u00a0<\/span>Ranil\u2019s barefaced betrayals of the Tamils\u2019 trust and breach of pledges are too\u00a0<\/span>many to recount. Let me cite some of the issues :-<\/p>\n

*<\/b> Return of army-occupied lands in the North-East to civilian owners<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Responding to a question during his address at the Oxford Union in England, in Oct. 2018, Ranil said: \u201cAs far as the lands of the Tamils are concerned, bulk of\u00a0<\/span><\/i>the lands have been returned. There are some areas in which there are some\u00a0<\/span><\/i>issues, mainly about 600 acres in and around the major cantonments of Palaly\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and Kankasanturai. But within it development is taking place. Now, the Indian\u00a0<\/span><\/i>government is developing the KKS port. We are opening up many of the areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Actually lands have been given out<\/i>\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the contrary, what is the ground reality<\/b>? According to Verit\u00e9 Research,<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cContinued military control over land has prevented IDPs returning to\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Mullikulam in the North, despite pledges to release the land in 2018. Verit\u00e9\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Research also said military-occupied land is often used for agricultural and\u00a0<\/span><\/i>commercial ventures. Over 1,000 acres of state land in the Northern Province have\u00a0<\/i>been used as farms run by the Army and were identified for release on 30\u00a0<\/span><\/i>December 2018.\u201d<\/i> \u201c <\/b>The military continues to be engaged in commercial tourism\u00a0<\/span><\/i>ventures. <\/i>Meanwhile, the military has reportedly engaged in harassment and\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>intimidation of civilians and civil society actors (including IDPs demanding land\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>return and families of the disappeared<\/i><\/b>) in areas in the North and East<\/i>.\u201d (EconomyNext, 15 March 2019-<\/b> \u201cSri Lanka only partly met UN promise to release\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>military-held land, study finds<\/i>\u201d<\/b>)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNorthern Province Governor Dr. Suren Raghavan has decided to appoint a\u00a0<\/span><\/i>committee to identify alternative lands for the army and the police in Jaffna in\u00a0<\/span><\/i>place of the private lands used by them\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/i>\u201d (Daily Mirror, 22 Sept.2019<\/b> \u2013\u201cSteps taken to release private lands in Jaffna<\/i><\/b>\u201d)<\/p>\n

*<\/b> Reneging on commitments made to UNHRC to set up hybrid Court<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In reply to a question on the Geneva Resolution at the said Oxford Union\u00a0<\/span>gathering , Ranil began to prattle on: \u201cWe feel the present system is functioning\u00a0<\/span><\/i>well. ..\u2026..So the work is going ahead and we feel in such circumstances it is better\u00a0<\/span><\/i>for us to do the investigations and anyone is welcome as observers. Sometimes it\u00a0<\/span><\/i>is slow\u2026. Slow in any country. But the process is working\u2026.And, at the moment we\u00a0<\/span><\/i>do not feel there is a need for foreign intervention in the investigations<\/i>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

*<\/b> Demilitarization of Tamil habitats in the North-East<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c(T<\/i>)he army has also reduced its presence in Jaffna. No one has asked the army to\u00a0<\/span><\/i>move out fully from Jaffna\u2026.Army has not been a major issue as far as the Tamil\u00a0<\/span><\/i>people are concerned there and the relations are good with the army.<\/i>\u201d (Ranil at\u00a0<\/span>the Oxford Union meeting \u2013 supra<\/i> )<\/p>\n

*<\/b> \u2018Sinhala-Buddhistization\u2019 \u2013 Structural Genocide of the Tamils<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Under UNP regime,\u00a0<\/span>senior officials of the Departments of Archaeology, Forest\u00a0<\/span>Conservation, Wildlife Conservation and Mahaweli\u00a0 <\/span>Development Authority have\u00a0<\/span>been doing their bit to accelerate the structural genocide of Tamils in their\u00a0<\/span>traditional habitats. Destruction of a Hindu temple in Kanniya, Trincomalee to\u00a0<\/span>erect a Buddhist Vihara and the desecration of a Hindu temple in Neeraviyadi,\u00a0<\/span>Mullaitivu by Buddhist monks, defying Court Order, are the latest trendy tales !<\/p>\n

*<\/b> Repeal and replacement of the Prevention of Terrorism Act<\/i> (PTA)<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sri Lankan government has been all talk and no action on repealing the\u00a0<\/span><\/i>reviled PTA<\/i>. \u2026.\u201d- Brad Adams, Asia director, Human Rights Watch.<\/b><\/p>\n

* Abduction and forced disappearance: Sri Lanka’s missing thousands<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For the past 900 + days families of the missing persons have been holding daily\u00a0<\/span>vigils in several towns in the North-East Sri Lanka, crying their heart out for\u00a0<\/span>information on the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones, most of whom were\u00a0<\/span>personally handed over to or abducted by the military ten years ago. \u201cCan the\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Office of Missing Persons provide answers in a country with the world’s second\u00a0<\/span><\/i>highest number of disappearances<\/i>?\u201d(Aljazeera, 14 May 2018). <\/b>Ranil had, with\u00a0<\/span>utter callousness, well in advance, provided the answer: \u201cThose that surrendered\u00a0<\/span>at the end of the war and are still missing in Sri Lanka are \u2018most probably dead\u2019\u00a0<\/span>said Sri Lanka\u2019s prime minister\u2026.in an interview with Channel 4 News.\u201d (Tamil\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Guardian, 24 Jan.2016<\/b>)<\/p>\n

Ruki Fernando, a prominent human rights activist,\u00a0<\/span>said \u201cWickremesinghe\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><\/i>remark about the likely fate of those missing had caused a lot of anguish amongst\u00a0<\/span><\/i>the relatives of the disappeared<\/i>. [It] brings out the question: \u2018what is the purpose\u00a0<\/span><\/i>of the proposed office of missing persons if the prime minister already knows what\u00a0<\/span><\/i>happened to them<\/i>?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span>(The Guardian (UK), 29 Jan.2016<\/b>–\u00a0<\/span><\/b> \u201cSri Lanka’s missing\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>thousands\u2026\u2026\u2026..\u201d<\/i>)<\/b><\/p>\n

*<\/b> Tamil political prisoners languishing in limbo in different jails in Sri Lanka<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Over 20,000 JVP rebels involved in attacks on army camps and police stations,\u00a0<\/span>were granted general amnesty and released from custody by Ranil\u2019s\u00a0 <\/span>uncle J.R.. in\u00a0<\/span>1977. Some of them had later become M.P.s and Cabinet Ministers. The issue of\u00a0<\/span>Tamil political prisoners detained under the PTA has been ongoing since the end\u00a0<\/span>of war. Protests and hunger strikes have followed, promises were made by\u00a0<\/span>government leaders only to be broken later. Nearly 105 Tamil political prisoners\u00a0<\/span>are in custody.\u201c Out of these 37 have been convicted while 17 others are\u00a0<\/span><\/i>appealing their sentences. Many of the prisoners \u2026\u2026 have been subjected to\u00a0<\/span><\/i>prolonged detention often without charge for a significant number of years<\/i>. Some\u00a0<\/span><\/i>detainees have been acquitted in recent times after spending over 10 years behind\u00a0<\/span><\/i>bars<\/i>\u2026.Muthaiya\u00a0 <\/span>Sahathevan died of illness, after 14 years of detention<\/i>.\u201d( Sunday\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Observer, 28 July 2019<\/b>– \u201cPTA Detainees: Tamil politicians must pressurise\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>government for solution\u201d<\/i><\/b> )<\/p>\n

*<\/b> Ranil did not give even a whimper of protest when war criminals were\u00a0<\/span><\/b>promoted or decorated by President Sirisena, in defiance of the UNHRC\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

After flirting with Ranil for almost five years, by courtesy of his chicanery TNA is\u00a0left fully denuded,\u00a0<\/span>bereft of even a fig leaf to cover the nudity of TNA leaders\u2019\u00a0<\/span>sleezy, self-serving politics.\u00a0 <\/span>In the circumstances,\u00a0<\/span>Sajith is setting about to\u00a0<\/span>solicit\u00a0Tamil support using the public persona<\/i> of Ranil and Ranil, in turn, relies on TNA.<\/p>\n

Sajith Premadasa<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

What is the mindset of Sajith Premadasa on the ethnic issue? Recently, The\u00a0Economist Intelligence Unit (UK)<\/i> produced an essay, presenting \u201cThe Case for a\u00a0<\/b>Sajith\u00a0 <\/span>Premadasa\u00a0<\/span>Candidacy<\/b>\u201d. Local media outlets had carried the article. It says,\u00a0<\/span>inter alia<\/i>,: \u201cthe late President<\/i> Premadasa combined a multiethnic, multicultural,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>multireligious, multilingual pluralism with a robust patriotism, and that his son\u00a0<\/span><\/i>would be the closest<\/i> approximation of a non-ethnocratic, pluralist, inclusionary\u00a0<\/span><\/i>nationalism; a nationalism that heals rather than an aggressive one that\u00a0<\/span><\/i>dominates and<\/i> imposes\u2026.<\/i>\u201d (Daily News, 17 Aug. 2019<\/b>).<\/p>\n

Pious\u00a0<\/span>platitudes<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Sajith\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>mixed priorities and pious platitudes tend to falsify the positive image\u00a0<\/span>presented by the essayist.<\/i> He appears to be an \u2018evangelist\u2019 anointed as such by\u00a0<\/span>the saffron-robed Ayatollahs. Evidently, he had pledged his primary loyalty to the\u00a0<\/span>prelates and had, therefore, refused a seat on the UNP\u2019s Leadership Council\u00a0<\/span>because the party Working Committee had not adopted proposals mooted by\u00a0<\/span>Buddhist monks:<\/p>\n

\u201cUNP MP Sajith Premadasa who has refused a seat on the newly appointed\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Leadership Council said he was forced to bow out of the nomination he was given\u00a0<\/i>by the Working Committee out of respect for the Buddhist monks\u2026..Premadasa\u00a0<\/i>said the Working Committee had not adopted the three points put forward by\u00a0<\/span><\/i>the monks at the Sunday meeting in Kurunegala and added that he could not\u00a0<\/span><\/i>insult the monks by sitting on the Council<\/i>.\u201d ( Colombo Telegraph, 04 Nov. 2013<\/b>–\u00a0\u201cI Can\u2019t Go Against Buddhist Monks Proposals \u2013 Sajith<\/i><\/b> \u201d)<\/p>\n

Sajith\u2019s\u00a0 <\/span>most urgent priority is to construct 1125 Buddhist temples under the\u00a0<\/span>\u201cSasunata\u00a0 <\/span>Aruna<\/i>\u201d program. Implementation has started and\u00a0 <\/span>the work is in\u00a0<\/span>progress. Under the initial phase, 25 temples are constructed in 25 districts.\u00a0<\/span>North-East districts are not immune to this invasion. Tamils have reason to fear\u00a0<\/span>that the venture is the tip of another iceberg.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKhema\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>boy\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Minister Mangala Samaraweera has been a leading protagonist of Sajith\u2019s\u00a0campaign. Known to his electors as \u201cKhema\u2019s boy<\/i>\u201d. he owes his liberal views\u00a0(\u201cSri Lanka is but a multi-racial, multi-religious country<\/i> <\/i>not a Sinhala-Buddhist\u00a0<\/span><\/i>country<\/i>\u201d) to his mother Mrs. Khema Samaraweera. If I may strike a personal note,\u00a0<\/span>Khema and I were colleagues working together at Lake House and were good\u00a0<\/span>friends. She was a charming lady, free from any prejudice or bigotry. How does\u00a0<\/span>Mangala reconcile his secular views with Sajith\u2019s ?. Would he be able to keep\u00a0<\/span>\u2018President\u2019 Sajith on a short leash? Chandrika could not do so vis-\u00e0-vis Sirisena.<\/p>\n

JVP antecedents<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

What are the credentials of the JVP and the JVP-led\u00a0 <\/span>NPP candidate?.\u00a0 <\/span>Anura\u00a0<\/span>Kumara Dissanayake, in relation to Tamil issues,\u00a0 <\/span>is an unknown quantity.\u00a0<\/span>But\u00a0<\/span>JVP\u2019s antecedents as racially-motivated\u00a0<\/span>revolutionaries are well-known. In\u00a0<\/span>particular, JVP\u2019s 1987-89\u00a0 <\/span>insurgency and terror campaign targeting the Leftists\u00a0<\/span>and liberal-minded intellectuals in the South was triggered by the Indo-Sri Lankan\u00a0<\/b>Accord 1987<\/b>,\u00a0<\/span>which promised a degree of autonomy to the Tamils\u00a0 <\/span>in their\u00a0<\/span>traditional\u00a0<\/span>habitats in North-East provinces, which were merged into one unit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2006, JVP filed petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the merger and the\u00a0<\/span>Court ruled in favour of the Petitioners. The Demerger took effect from January\u00a0<\/span>2007.\u00a0 <\/span>Anura Kumara was a M.P., an ex-Minister\u00a0 <\/span>and a leader of the JVP at that\u00a0<\/span>time. It is not strange that when it comes to defeating\u00a0<\/span>Tamil demands, Sinhala\u00a0<\/span>leaders, cutting across party lines act in solemn solidarity.\u00a0 <\/span>North-East merger is\u00a0<\/span>the core component of our aspirations, which is abhorrent to Sinhala nationalists. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Boycott the elections?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

A vocal minority in the community feels that we should boycott the Presidential Elections.\u00a0<\/span>What for? After silencing the guns, burying the bullets and saying\u00a0<\/span>\u2018adieu\u2019<\/i> to armed struggle,\u00a0<\/span>ballots are the primary weapons the Tamils have to\u00a0<\/span>strategically fight Sinhala-Buddhist fascist forces. Let us not throw them away. \u00a0<\/span>That we have failed in our electoral strategies is no reason to blame the weapon.<\/p>\n

Field a Tamil candidate?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Sections of our people believe in running a common Tamil candidate. It is\u00a0<\/span>an aberration.\u00a0<\/span>We have no stake or claim in conducting the affairs of the\u00a0<\/span>people in the South. Our stakes and strength are in our own regions. Let us not\u00a0<\/span>encroach upon other peoples\u2019 domains and, thereby, legitimize their arbitrary\u00a0<\/span>encroachment upon our domains. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

International actors, especially India and USA, have an inherent interest in the\u00a0outcome of the elections. They are conscious of the critical role the Tamil electors\u00a0<\/span>can play. TNA is susceptible to their pressure. Once the elections are over, these\u00a0<\/span>power brokers would leave us in the lurch and pursue their own interests. Leading\u00a0<\/span>candidates covet Tamil votes and have been talking to TNA. TNA has, quite\u00a0<\/span>rightly,\u00a0<\/span>told the contenders that details of any offer they make touching on\u00a0<\/span>Tamil issues should be included in their Election Manifesto in\u00a0 <\/span>Sinhala\u00a0<\/span>and made\u00a0<\/span>known to\u00a0<\/span>Sinhala electors. Bravo!, TNA. But, will there be any takers?\u00a0Sagacious sections of the Tamils are clueless as to what choice we have. We are\u00a0<\/span>not at the crossroads, but in a deadly dilemma !.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":204316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2186,46,8,2375],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-205345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-featured-news","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nPresidential Elections: Tamils\u2019 Choice - A Deadly Dilemma! - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Presidential Elections: Tamils\u2019 Choice - A Deadly Dilemma! - Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[…]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-08T07:49:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-10-12T09:02:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/People-.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1365\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Karikalan S. Navaratnam\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Karikalan S. Navaratnam\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/\",\"name\":\"Presidential Elections: Tamils\u2019 Choice - A Deadly Dilemma! - Colombo Telegraph\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/People-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-08T07:49:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-12T09:02:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1f7040ea3920b945f4bdcb7fa1864a95\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/People-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/People-.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1365},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Presidential Elections: Tamils\u2019 Choice – A Deadly Dilemma!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\",\"name\":\"Colombo Telegraph\",\"description\":\"In journalism truth is a process\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1f7040ea3920b945f4bdcb7fa1864a95\",\"name\":\"Karikalan S. Navaratnam\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bb8762ed862a09871844cb1c6fa75eaca2cf6e0bdb2a6d53be6551d81fd2f2?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bb8762ed862a09871844cb1c6fa75eaca2cf6e0bdb2a6d53be6551d81fd2f2?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Karikalan S. Navaratnam\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/karikalansnava\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Presidential Elections: Tamils\u2019 Choice - A Deadly Dilemma! - Colombo Telegraph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Presidential Elections: Tamils\u2019 Choice - A Deadly Dilemma! - Colombo Telegraph","og_description":"[…]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/","og_site_name":"Colombo Telegraph","article_published_time":"2019-10-08T07:49:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-10-12T09:02:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1365,"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/People-.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Karikalan S. Navaratnam","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Karikalan S. Navaratnam","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/","name":"Presidential Elections: Tamils\u2019 Choice - A Deadly Dilemma! - Colombo Telegraph","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/People-.jpg","datePublished":"2019-10-08T07:49:27+00:00","dateModified":"2019-10-12T09:02:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1f7040ea3920b945f4bdcb7fa1864a95"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/People-.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/People-.jpg","width":2048,"height":1365},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice-a-deadly-dilemma\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Presidential Elections: Tamils\u2019 Choice – A Deadly Dilemma!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/","name":"Colombo Telegraph","description":"In journalism truth is a process","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1f7040ea3920b945f4bdcb7fa1864a95","name":"Karikalan S. Navaratnam","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bb8762ed862a09871844cb1c6fa75eaca2cf6e0bdb2a6d53be6551d81fd2f2?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bb8762ed862a09871844cb1c6fa75eaca2cf6e0bdb2a6d53be6551d81fd2f2?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Karikalan S. Navaratnam"},"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/karikalansnava\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/People-.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205345"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205346,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205345\/revisions\/205346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}