Rajapakse Regime Reinforces Concept of Tamil Homeland
By D.B.S.JEYARAJ
Is there a Tamil Homeland in the Island now known as Sri Lanka?
The Sri Lankan Tamils have been saying “YES ” since the times of SJV Chelvanayagam. The Northern and eastern provinces are the traditional Tamil homeland emphasised Chelvanayagam. This concept was faithfully endorsed by his deputies like Vanniyasingham, Naganathan, Amirthalingam and Navaratnam. In recent times the homeland concept has been one issue on which there is general agreement among Tamils.
The notion of a Tamil Homeland was not accepted by most Sinhala, politicians , acdemics, lawyers and opinion makers. Sri Lanka belongs to all her citizens regardless of race or ethnicity they would say. No part of the Country can be the exclusive preserve of any community was the rejoinder. Historical, geographical and demographic arguments would also be adduced to dispute the homeland claim.
One reason for hostility towards the Tamil homeland theory is the fear that the concept could be used to justify secession. While exercising the right of external self – determination could lead to secession it is also possible to accommodate the homeland concept within the limits of internal self – determination. This is not contrary to the federal idea and if applied judiciously can act as an effective deterrrent against divisive tendencies.
Another reason for hostility towards the Tamil homeland theory is Sinhala supremacism itself. These proponents state that the Island belongs to Sinhala Buddhists alone and that others are interlopers. Tamils are depicted as aliens who have no claim on the Island. So arguing for a homeland is anathema to these elements.
Ironically when Tamils are attacked in the Southern provinces the state is unable to protect them and helps transport the threatened victims to the traditional Tamil homelands of North and East. Also the mobs also justify their violence by taunting their Tamil victims to “go home where you belong”. In effect the North – East is where the Tamils belong and not Colombo or elsewhere in the Island.
But implicit recognition of this homeland concept also leads to another problem. The Tamil homeland may be the North – East but they have no rights there too. So the armed forces are sent to the North – East where they act often like armies of occupation. The North – East is laid waste by state sponsored violence. So Tamils are denied rights inside and outside the North – East. Still Tamils cling on to the North – East where they have lived for generations and in a reactive response call it their traditional homeland or area of historic habitation.
This too is depicted as something wrong.Given the asymmetrical power and influence enjoyed by the numerically largest ethnicity in Sri Lanka it has been easy to overwhelm the Tamil demand for a homeland as being a racist, exclusivist concept bordering on the discredited “apartheid” system. Sinhala supremacists on the other hand are portrayed as enlightened citizens of the world who have risen above race and religion.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organization’s fascist act of expelling Muslims from the north has added credence to the charge that Tamils want an exclusive homeland where others will not be tolerated. The despicable conduct of the LTTE in this instance and many other instances, have undermined the justice of the Tamil cause in more ways than one.
Many people fail to realise that the homeland theory has its roots in Tamil insecurity and vulnerability and not in ethnic superiority or exclusivity.
Some years ago then US ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ashley Wills, delivered a controversial speech in Jaffna that hurt Tamil sentiments considerably. One aspect in particular was the US envoy’s mis- perception of the Tamil homeland theory. I wrote then an article in “The Sunday Leader” in response to Ambassador Wills. Some paragraphs from that article are re-produced here:
“It is also possible for the outside observer to be misled by the present expression of Tamil nationalism, the homeland theory being an example. The American ambassador in Sri Lanka for instance observed recently that “those in Sri Lanka who advocate separation of the state long for ethnic purity, a genetic and geographical impossibility. Worse than that it is an atavism, a denial of the harmonising, connecting forces at work in the modern world”.
This may be applicable to those Sinhala Buddhist hegemonist forces who seek to convert this multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-lingual, country to a mono-ethnic, mono-religious and mono-lingual state, and hark back to a past and not the future. But in the case of the Tamils the homeland theory is not a throwback to the past but one that was necessitated by the exigencies of sheer survival.
Former Opposition Leader Appapillai Amirthalingam said in the aftermath of the 1983 pogrom that the twin concerns of his party were the security of our people and the integrity of our homeland. Both concepts were interlinked. When Tamils were attacked by Sinhala mobs in 1956, 1958, 1977, 1981 and 1983 they were sent for safety to the northern and eastern provinces.
The limited political representation that the Sri Lankan Tamils have is also from these provinces. These provinces comprise the Tamil linguistic region as articulated by the Ceylon Workers Congress in the 1984 All Party Congress. This is the only regionwhere the Tamils can live in security and nourish their culture if and when war ceases.
The Tamil homeland concept was nurtured in Tamil political consciousness as a citadel of safety and not as a preserve of exclusivity. Even pacts between Sinhala leaders like SWRD Bandaranaike and Dudley Senanayake with SJV Chelvanayagam have recognised this concept tacitly.
The Indo-Lanka accord concretised this concept in 1987 by linking up both provinces into a single administrative unit and describing them as ‘areas of historic habitation by the Tamils.’.Furthermore, the existence of a Tamil homeland concept is interwoven with the Tamil demand for self-determination.
The Tamil cry for a country of their own is based on two factors. One is the historical premise where it is argued ‘Tamil sovereignty’ ceded to the Portuguese in the battle of Nallur in 1617 should have been handed back to the Tamils at the time of Independence or the advent of the republic in 1972. The Portuguese handed it to the Dutch, and the Dutch, to the British who in turn gave it over ‘illegally’ to the Sinhalese the argument goes.The Tamils seek therefore to restore lost sovereignty.
The second factor is on the basis of universally recognised canons of a self-determination that includes among other things a common territory. Sinhala hegemonism has been consistently attempting to dilute the Tamil homeland and deprive the Tamils of their last resort of safety and security. State aided colonisation schemes were executed to change the demographic pattern of the Tamil areas. The East in particular was highly vulnerable.
In fact the reference to the north and east as the ‘traditional Tamil homelands’ was first made by Chelvanayagam in response to this ‘Sinhalaisation’ of Tamil speaking areas that he described as ‘colonisation’. The Sinhala component of the north-east population has progressively increased to the point where several Sinhala representatives have been returned to parliament.When independence dawned there were none.
The war has seen the cleansing of many areas. Tamils were driven out of the strategic northeastern, Manal Aaru or Weli-Oya region and Sinhala colonists settled in a bid to destroy the territorial contiguity of the north and east. Failure to appreciate this savage bit of history could lead to misunderstandings about the genesis of the Tamil homeland theory.
Among the advantages afforded by numerical superiority to the Sinhala majority is the opportunity to camouflage discriminatory measures in the veneer of acceptable democratic norms. Reducing the Tamils to a minority within their own areas by altering the demographic balance can be explained away as an exercise of the right of every citizen to move and reside in any part of the country.
The ulterior motives of the Sinhala state and the insecurity felt by the minorities is glossed over. Even the Sinhala only bill that reduced Tamil to inferior status was passed democratically by Parliament.Most anti-Tamil measures are democratic. The emergency for example is extended every month democratically by parliament. Democracy in Sri Lanka is not that of the ‘greatest good of the greatest number’ in a non-ethnic sense but only in the context of the Sinhala Buddhist majority.
All these serve to demonstrate that Tamil nationalism was initially of a reactive nature and that it assumed a separatist hue only because of the impact of Sinhala chauvinism. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that Tamil nationalism too has acquired in recent times a ruthless virulence that does no good to the cause or the image of the Tamil people.
Also, the dormant nationalist consciousness of the Tamil people may have been awakened to such an extent that it could now be resolved only through very genuine power-sharing that goes far and beyond most concepts of devolution being bandied about nowadays.Tamils perceive themselves as a nation and not a minority now. The Sri Lankan state has to be re-invented to that of an associative structure if Tamil aspirations and grievances are to be accommodated and redressed within a united Sri Lanka whose territorial boundaries are intact.”
The viewpoints expressed in these excerpted paragraphs remain valid even now. But the advent of the Rajapakse regime has unleashed an unparalleled assault on the Tamil homeland and Tamils under the pretext of combatting the tigers. Even as these military activities go on the Rajapakse regime has also been launching a political offensive. Figuratively, this offensive is not aimed at the hearts and minds of the Tamil people but at some other part of their anatomy.
Mahinda chinthana for the Tamils envisasages a unitary state, de- merged Northern and Eastern provinces and units of devolution based on the district and village. Underlying in this approach is the assumption that all parts of the Country are common to all and that each citizen has the right to live in any place of choice.In theory this applies to Tamils too.
[Tamil youths carry their belongings as they walk to a temporary transit site in Vavuniya June 7, 2007 - Photo Yahoo! News]
But then came June 7th. In one decisive move the Rajapakse regime demonstrated that Tamils do not have the right to live even as temporary lodgers in Colombo. The capital city of a Country is where everyone should have access to and right of residence. But children of a lesser god like Tamils are not to be given that right. Moreover these Tamils were taken to the North and East. It was implicitly recognized that the Tamils have an unfettered right of residence only in those provinces.
In one stroke the Rajapakse regime re-inforced the Tamil homeland concept. This was no instance of Tamils seeking safety due to violence. This was a flagrant executive action where the state apparatus used its resources (however haphazard the implementation) to declare 376 Tamils “persona non grata” and move them forcibly to the North – Eastern provinces.The symbolism of the act amounts to much more than the actual harm or damage done. Usage of words like “extradition” “deportation” “transfer of population” etc by the media helps illustrate this fact.
It is a fact of life that hundreds of thousands of Tamils live in Colombo and the Sinhala majority areas. This is pointed out as indication of Tamils preferring to live amidst Sinhala people rather than in the North – East. If correctly handled this phenomenon could be the best proof that the separatist project has failed. But what is happening is that these Tamils are constantly subject to harassment and discrimination and viewed suspiciously as enemies of the state.This process has reached immense proportions under the Rajapakse regime
What happened on June 7th was miniscule when compared to the problems faced by Tamils elsewhere.In Sampoor for instance people from eleven villages have been driven out and their lands seized for a high security zone. It is a blatant example of ethnic cleansing. Yet it is the Colombo expulsions that have made the headlines as ethnic cleansing. Whatever the causes for this focus towards the June 7th incident there is no denying that this attention has embarassed the Rajapakse regime greatly.
More importantly it has shown that even a hawkish regime like the present one perceives the North – East as the rightful residence of Tamils. The Government may dismantle the North – East merger and try to disprove the homeland theory but in practice acknowledges that such a homeland does exist. The Tamil homeland is a state of mind. It is not necessarily confined to Tamil imagination alone.
So what of the original question about the existence of a Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka?
Yes there is!
It’s official now!!
if you have any doubts just ask the traditional homelanders from Medamulana.
shazni said,
June 12, 2007 @ 8:00 am
I agree 100% with this articel. The Tamil homeland is a state of mind. Not just this government, but every government since independence have made this a fact. What a shame!!!! We, as Sri Lankans, cannot enjoy one of the most basic constitituinal right, Freedom of Movement!
raj said,
June 12, 2007 @ 8:01 am
Sri Lanka is too small to divide. we must forget the past and the history. IIt is a fact that the history has been manuplated over the years to claim the rights. The Majority Sinhalese have a genuine fear of tamils because the Tamil Nadu which has 50 millions Tamils living with just 15 miles ofPalk straight dividing them. At the same time the Tamils need to live without fear of been attacked(1957,1958.1973 and1983).There is a fear and mistrust between these two communities resulted in what is going on in Srilanka at the moment. Continuation of fighting will make matters worse and more complicated and will lead to a point of no return.
There will be no Millitary solution and the whole world know this. Stop fighting now and start talking.
velu said,
June 12, 2007 @ 8:25 am
If the Portugese were foreign so is Ellalas and Raja rajas. There was no handing over, even among Europeans it was won by waging war and so was indipendence, it was no hand out.
ziyanka said,
June 12, 2007 @ 9:34 am
Oh yeah! Never heard of a bunch of idiots to be this patriotic, rob the country in day light, Beliatte is one of the worst areas surronding the Matara district, murders in the dark by way of cigarette lights have taken place, what more can you talk about and accept from a bunch of radicals????? 83 million from tsunami, son joining the force – who robs anothers place from Sandhurst, a dual citizen holding high position by supporting both side of the coin, it will always be a win-win situation for him. It is a huge joke – a laughing matter to the entire world… to say that the ‘President’ was not aware that who ordered the lodges to be dismantled and placed in tamil areas…., does he rule the country or has he given the dogs to do it??????
varakuna-switzerland said,
June 12, 2007 @ 10:24 am
Yes my dear you are correct that tamil homeland decleard
on 7th of june 2007 by Srilakann state officialy and that tamils all over the world gatherd and enjoyed the freedom in the name of VELKA THAMIL on 11.6.07 in Geneva and Toronto
Nimi said,
June 12, 2007 @ 11:16 am
The so-called Sri Lankan nationalism in Sri Lankan politics is a revival of two-nation theory. Here ‘Sri Lankan’ means the Sinhala Buddhist citizens of the land, others like Tamil, Moslem, Christians and Indian origins are aligning citizens, they would be absorbed in the majority community by conversion or make them compelled to leave Sri Lanka.
This has created a great divide in the society of Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, being a Tamil means being a victim of oppression, torture and discrimination. The educated Tamils, who could play a leadership role in the community, left the country. The poor, who lacked leadership qualities, stayed back.
What happened in the fifties happened again and again in Sri Lanka. As a result the silent migration of Tamils from this country could not be stopped. The state failed to provide security to the Tamils despite equal rights guaranteed to them in the constitution.
shehara said,
June 12, 2007 @ 12:15 pm
This article should be made mandatory reading for every Sri Lankan
I think the only way forward is for the Sinhalese to take moral responsibility for the blood on their hands and understand that generations of systematic marginalization of the rights of the Tamil in Sri Lank a to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness means that we are morally responsible collectively as a ethnic group and not merely by proxy of our marauding leaders and their actions and policies.
We must moot a safe haven where our fellow citizens of Sri Lanka of any minority stripe may wish to live in groups or clusters whereby they feel more safe and secure.
Homeland is no longer the issue .The right to life is what hangs on a thread.
Can we have a vote on that? Do we agree that the Tamils have a right to live and love and be? If yes, we need to find them land, space or an area where we can damn well ensure they can. Even if each of us sensible, morally capable, individuals of the majority can stand and guard it with our lives against their demonisation by the absolute moral bankruptcy
Suresh M said,
June 12, 2007 @ 12:43 pm
Tamil Homeland is a Reality
Tamil Homeland is real, no one should doubt it. I had experienced it many times. When feared for my life, as a last resort, like many Tamils did, I had found refuge in North –Jaffna, where I was a stranger.
In 1958, my Parents had lost all their belongings to Sinhala mobs, and carried me as a few months old baby to Jaffna (KKS) in a French passenger ship from Colombo.
!977, after the parliamentary election in with J.R swept to power. TULF which had won almost all the seats, on a mandate to have a separate state for Tamil speaking people. Following the election, once again we had lost all our belongings, including our house that was burnt down by Sinhala mobs. Fearing for our lives, we headed to Jaffna (KKS) in a cargo ship named ‘Lanka Ranee’ from Colombo. As a teenager, I was terribly upset even with my Sinhala friends whom I grew up. Later, I was told, many of the Tamil youngsters who had travelled in that ship had joined various militant groups. One of them was PLOTE-Umamageswaran? My family stayed back in Jaffna with my grandparents, but I had return to complete my schooling in Colombo, and then continued to live in a rented room, as I have found a job there.
1983, hell broke loose again. This time, I didn’t have any things to lose, but feared for my life. This was a well planned event that carried out by the JR.Jeyawardene’s government. Industry minister, a senior cabinet member of JR’s government, Cyril Mathew was one of the main architect of the events. I had witnessed many atrocities on my way to the near by refugee camp. As in 1977, I correctly guessed Colombo Hindu College to be a prominent place for Tamils take refuge. This time boarded an Indian passenger ship called ‘Chidamparam’ to Jaffna (KKS).
My Mother, who was superstitious, had feared that I may not survive the fourth time, and begged me to find refuge abroad. Since beginning of 1984, I have been living out side of Sri Lanka, or Tamil Homeland to be exact. See you soon in Tamil Homeland – Tamil Elam ( If not for a federal state with North-East together, then a separate Tamil Nation, but no for Unitary system).
INDRAN said,
June 12, 2007 @ 1:19 pm
The LTTE can go on a holiday, until the Rajapakse brothers are in power. The Rajapakses are doing a great service to the Tamils by showing to the world that tamils and sinhalese cannot live together.
Thamby took the right decision when he let the Sinhala people alone to elect the leader, the sinhalese also didnot fail him, by electing medamulana the sinhalese put the Tamil Eellam on an super accelerated path.
Bala said,
June 12, 2007 @ 1:48 pm
Until today the Singhalese governments have not published an alternative tproposal as to how they intend safe guarding the rights of the Tamils..So the only option the Tamils have is to fight for a homeland.
Bala
Middlesex/UK
state terrorism in SriLanka said,
June 12, 2007 @ 3:32 pm
mahinda rajapakse says one thing, and his brother gothabaya rajapakse says another, and his other brothers basil rajapakse, chamal rajapakse, upali rajapakse, say so many things and do so many underhand manipulations and manuvers; again prime minister apologizes.
Finally all come down to covert schemes and secret operations. You cannot believe or trust any of them, in short rajapakse clans, cronies and gangs ruin the country.
Jeronimo Azavedo said,
June 12, 2007 @ 4:36 pm
all races on earth have only one homeland. The English homeland is England, not South Africa, Australia or Canada. Similarly the Tamil homeland is Tamil Nadu.
Tamils cannot have homelands in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, malaysia, canada, Germany and UK.
The concept of a Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka is only a dream, an unachievable dream which is resulting in the decimation of Tamil culture and life in Sri Lanka.
Alex said,
June 12, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
A good question by the writer DBS, ?Is there a Tamil Homeland in the Island now known as Sri Lanka?
This is a systematic; organized wiping out Tamils in Mahinda Sinthana, a government should represent all the sections of people. Sinhala regime (GOSL) should not claim they represent all. Mahinda brothers & co behaves like yet another gang opposite to LTTE. Rather doing all these things, GOSL should declare Srilanka is for majority Sinhalese. GOSL is doing mistakes after mistakes and never learnt any lessons from the past. GOSL will feel for this for sure in future. Only these actions further strengthens the hands of the ruthless mafia style regime LTTE & it will make it further strong like to organize ?Vellka Tamil? rally & all.
But the sad thing when an Eelam Tamil Minister in the GOSL all this happens to the people who send him to the parliament to voice for them. But he decorate the seat & working for the President?s propaganda.
As Mr.Arvinth made a good comment in this writer written article ?Impact of the Federal Idea on a World Changing Fast?.
All these happening while there are other Tamil leaders like PLOTE Siddharthan, Statement/ fax leader TULF Anadasangaree, EPRLF leader Sridharan in Colombo living with all Govt. sponsored facilities & while the ?Kerosene? Maheswaran doing business with Rajapakshe brothers.
And where is this Karuna Amman who is helping to the GOSL to wipe out the Tamil Business people from Colombo & from the Eastern homeland helping them to wipe out the Tamils from their homeland, to colonize the Sinhalese in the future.
Anyhow EPRLF Suresh Premachandran safely sends his family to Canada another EPRLF leader Varatharajaperumal with his family lives peacefully & in a luxury life in India.
Most TNA (Tamil Naughty Alliance) leaders send their families to TamilNadu & they are living peacefully there.
This is only helping the ruthless LTTE regime to recruit more innocent Tamils as Black Tigers.
- Alex
Concerned Canadian said,
June 12, 2007 @ 5:40 pm
I suppose all the Tamils in Colombo and Kandy will move to this illusionary ‘Homeland’! if so is formed.
Lucky said,
June 12, 2007 @ 5:44 pm
There is no homeland for tamils. They came from India. Some times they forcefully came to the nothern parts of Sri Lanka and spread from there. Sinhala people had to move south little by little due to this attacks. Sinhalese are a native people is evident by having a unique language for them. They have lived in Sri Lanka for such a long time as to develop a unique language. Tamils have lived in Sri Lanka but not such a long time to develop their own language. Take the central hill area of Sri Lanka. They have been brought here by British but now it looks like their home land. They should be given all the necessary humanitarian needs but not a separate homeland. Consider other countries where ethnic people have become minorities. In those countries the controlling majority has the language of another country meaning they have concured that country. If sinhala people have come and concured Sri Lanka, then sinhala people should speak another language like English, Hindi or Tamil…etc.
Rasika said,
June 12, 2007 @ 9:16 pm
Federal state system seem the right answer to the probelm. Like U.S saparate state goverments for all provinces not just N & E, because this problem is every where, south= JVP. Besides we need to develop other provinces as well not just Colombo and Kandy(western and Central province). That should satisfy all parts of the country and develop[ all areas. at the same time country is united and will become a big economic house if done properly. police powers to state, military to federal state. and separate and independent judisury and relegion no place in the state, .
Nadesan said,
June 12, 2007 @ 10:00 pm
Rajapaksha regime made a blunder by sending Tamil people North and East.. That’s accepted by every body. Many Sinhalese politicians including UNP and JVP regretted.
This act of Rajapaksa regime can not prove the home land concept is right
What did happen to any one from up country? or long term Colombo resident?
If this two kind people were also sent to North and east, then I agree it is ethnic cleansing and Tamil Home land concept. One wrong thing can make others wrong is right.
Tamil home land concept proved with disastrous s consequence not for Sinhalese but North and East Tamil and creating National socialist minded LTTE.
U can bring pressure toward the SL govt but how many (Except DBS , Pro Sivasekaram ,Jeyapalan and Murugapoopathy) Tamil many people even talk about Muslims expulsion from Jafna and mannar. Any regret? It is very much creditable DBS mentioning Muslim expulsion to understand the pain cause to these people and not to able to go back to their own Land .I also want to mention stealing their Jewellery and money.40 Muslim business People abducted to extract their money.
Sinhalese are doing harm to us because we asked Separation. Why did we harm the Muslim?
Tee Wee said,
June 12, 2007 @ 10:37 pm
Lay down your arms completely and join the real talks. It is the duty of the Armed forces of GOSL to ptotect and hunt down every armed terrorist no matter Singhalese ,Tamil or Muslim because the GOSL is legel entity of SL.
It is a plus for terrorist that GOSL is ready to talk to armed terrorist, however President Bush of USA don’t consider even talking with terror groups instead ready to distroy them in thousands.
Tamils had a very much peaceful place in SL until the LTTE interupt the status for tamils.
Also we have to take consideration that Singhalese people have only one place of origin in the world where as Tamil people are in many countries. Majority singalese population are nurvous about tamil and LTTE activities as we are only 20 miles apart from giant tamil Nadu state of India with the population of 3 to 4 times of SL population.
Lets talk ingood faith without Arms.
Sinhaya said,
June 12, 2007 @ 10:52 pm
Sri-Lanka is for Sinhal and Sinhala Buddhists
Maeka: Ape Rata! Ape Jaathiya!! Ape Aagama!!!
Hiran Kulatilake said,
June 13, 2007 @ 12:10 am
This is a highly absurd statement. The GoSL has not attempted to send all the tamils in the South to the North. What about the Tamils living in Colombo permanently?
You guys try to take advantage of the Government’s security proceedings.
If you think Tamils are not the people who are responsible for attacks in Colombo then who are responsible?
If Tamils live in lodges then they they should have valid reasons for that.
Some have been in Lodges for ages giving a lame excuse that they are waiting for their Passports, Interviews etc.
Can you say that they are genuine?
This is what they are trying to do! To fool the whole world. The European comminity is sleeping for their own gains. They have a good Tamil vote in their countries. They are fishing for that.
Not that they do not understand what the Tamils are doing. They refuse to Understand. The Tail is wagging the Dog!
Good Luck in your quest for a Tamil homeland. Sweet Daydreams.
HIran Kulatilake
Theepan said,
June 13, 2007 @ 12:38 am
This article should be published in all languages and distributed to Tamils and Singalese.
Further more it should be published in Toronto Star as well.
I will forward this article to Toronto Star.
Good work DBS.
Jayakody said,
June 13, 2007 @ 7:32 am
If only LTTE took a path of non-violence (example- Nelson Mandela) years ago, Srilanka today would indeed be a paradise to everybody.
my thoughts are always with innocent people both sinhalese and tamils who get cought between this conflict.
Specially it is sad how tamil civilians (not the terror ones) are going through amidst threats of both LTTE and the Government. It is easy for overseas migrants to comment on the net and blame each other- but the suffering of the innocent continues.
tilak said,
June 13, 2007 @ 9:28 am
all communities should live peacefully ni Sri Lanka and ethnic diversity is so much and division on the basis of ethnicity is impossible. Be wise all Sri Lankans and unite to beat the poverty and try to prosper.please don’t get entangled into exernal traps.
I’m a sinhalese and we protected tamil friends during 1983 riots and fed tamil friends and protected days and nights.You can’t blame all for few radicals agression towards tamils.
Concerned Canadian said,
June 13, 2007 @ 11:41 am
I am amazed with the intolerance of all people commenting.
When we were born we had no choice of religeon, place of birth, nor race, amongst many other factors. However, we claim that as humans we have the power of reason. Like animals we look for ‘greener pastures’, looking for ‘food’. Why don’t we try and co-exist without killing each other like the animals.
We have left SL for financial gain in most cases. Most of us will not return unless the conditions in SL gets better. Partitioning according to race, religeon, cast, ect., will not make it better, but allows mor corrupt politicians.
I am a Sinhalese by birth. I do no believe that SL is only for Sinhalese. It is for all humanity.
tilak said,
June 13, 2007 @ 11:44 am
Only solution for our motherland!!!!!!
Change the name United states of Sri (i)Lanka(i)
Victor, USA said,
June 13, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
1) Homeland is made of Group of people live to gether who posses either same culture, language or relegion. By centuries, Northeast of the Island of Srilanka had been inhabitat by the Tamil speaking people. Over the next few centuries, due the influence of Arabic traders and invading Potugeese, Dutch and English, some of them converted them selves to different relegion. Yet they are all Tamils by their native language but they can be Hindu-Tamil, Christian-Tamil or Islamic-Tamil (now they called themselves Muslims).
2) English rulers did not alter the population distribution in many area except in the hill country where they brought some hard labours from Southern India as Tea-Estate workers. By far this is the only place where British altered the population distribution.
3) Over the next few centuries, as the economic shift from aggricultural to business oriented and to find Jobs, people moved out from there natural habitat and found jobs anywhere they can survive. Tamils moved to south with business, clarical jobs and some professional jobs. The same way Sinhalese also move to north for Fishing, bakery, Teaching and some professional jobs. This move is not considered Un-natural as it happen with the time without any government interference.
4) Colombo is the Capital of the Island and the Government in the Island is very centralized and it is VERY NATURAL for any oe to have interest in staying or working in Colombo.
5) When democratically elected governments (by simple majority it is always a sinhala dominated government) of the Island nation was only interested in safegurading its majority population and ignoring the minority interests, it is obvious that minority will ask for their own place in the island. Hence the NON-VIOLENT PROTESTS by the elected representatives of the minority started since 1948.
6) As Mr.JAYAKODY (who appears clueless to the History) asked if LTTE had choosen the NON-VIOLENT path, the peace would have prevailed by now. My question to the ILL-Informed Mr.Jayakody is What do you call the non-violent aggitation from 1948 to 1976 by democratically elected representatives from Northeast of the Island?
7) Successive Sinhala Governments from 1956 start the foundation for the Homeland for the Transnation of Tamils in the Island. Mahinda with his Idiotic Chindana had REINSTATED this concept with one stroke of action.
9) Now with Uneducated Security Guard in Los-Angeles, CA, USA who turned to be the defence secretory who allegedly pocketed Rs.600 millions from the MIG deal has open his rotton mouth, the whole world is aware who is behind the deportation of Tamils from Sinahala Sriolanka to Tamil Eelam, who is behind the KILLING of AID WORKERS.
10) Finally, A TAMIL HOMELAND MAY BE A DREAM TODAY OR EVEN TOMORROW, BUT IT IS A REALITY IN COMING YEARS. Yes, Mr.Sinha, The sinhala Srilanka is for Sinhalas and Tamil Eelam is for Tamils (the peole speak Tamil regardless of their religion). Tamils Unlike your Pseudo-Bhuddism, doesn’t burn worship places like you all burn the churches in the south.
anton said,
June 13, 2007 @ 5:43 pm
Well Done. Mahinda has declared the state of Tamil Eelam. Now, its really matter of days or months before we see the new state.
soori said,
June 14, 2007 @ 1:39 am
I cannot deem that there are still lots of people who don’t comprehend the factual dilemma in SL. Everyone is brainwashed by someone in some point. I realize it’s not that easy to induce all these people. But DBSJ is doing a good job by narrating these kinds of articles once in a while. I feel that President MR has some strategies. Otherwise even an illiterate individual wouldn’t do such things like these. MR &Co has plan B or someone is hiding behind them. It is nearly unfeasible for a tiny country like SL to act against the entire world. Sooner or later the truth will unveil.
Arichandran said,
June 14, 2007 @ 7:42 am
A nice article by DBJ. When reading the comments, few incidents came into
remembrance. First of all, people try to compare the act of ethnic wiping of
minority tamils from colombo by the Srilankan Government against ethnic
wiping of Muslims from North of Srilanka by the LTTE. In my opinion, one
cannot campare the act of a state government against any non-state actors.
A government is something which is a legally formed authoritative body. It is
responsible for everything it is doing. Whereas, the LTTE is an independent
fighters. They will not have every organised structure as a government. They
are made of youth volunteers as cadres. Their full concentration is to achieve
their goals. They may make mistakes and they learn from their own mistakes.
Coming to the story, when I was studying in University of Peradeniya, one of
my batch mate Jeyanthan from Batticaloa came to my boarding place to
discuss some academic matters. While talking to him, we went out of the
subject and it went into talking about the country situation. He slowly opened
his heart and started to share his blood freezing remembrance with me.
It was early 1990s and at the beginning of Eelam war 2. Jeyanthan lived in a
village of Batticaloa. It was the time when the government was pouring fuel
to create ethnic fighting between minority tamils and muslims in the east. A
step long planed and executed by the government to reduce the majority
percentage of the tamils in the east. Muslim extremes thugs were well
organised by the government to do this task. Jenyanthan continued….It used
to be the fridays, after the prayers in the Mosque, the loud speaker
announces like this “by the name of Allah we are going to attack the tamils
living in this village so all our muslim friends please come along with us to
do this job”. Every day they select every village after the prayer in the mosque.
Mobs go to the announced village with the military backup and slaughter
the men, women and children, rape the women in front of their husbands and
then kill, tie the men’s hand from back side and torture them until die…….
it goes village by village. Finally all the tamils seeked jungles for their shelter.
Jeyanthan’s family also one of the victim in this drama when his village was
announced as a target for the day. Jeyanthan and few other youths in the
village managed to run away to the jungle but could only see her mother’s
dead body on the following day. -May her soul rest in peace-.
I have seen so many people who seeked shelter in the jungle finally with the
help from the LTTE, managed to come through jungle path through trincomalee
… Manal aru …. and then finally to Jaffna. I have seen so may model villages
made by the LTTE in the unused lands in jaffna for these people. I was also
volunteered with some of my friends during my school days in jaffna to collect
some clothes and other useful things from our undisplaced resident people in
jaffna to augment the needs of these internally displaced people.
At this time, Karuna amman and his fellow members came from batticaloa
to jaffna and saw the muslims living in jaffna peacefully. Karuna amman got
damn angry. He was arguing with the LTTE leadership as to why they
had been keeping these muslims in jaffna while our tamils were attacked by
the muslim mobs in the east. Somehow, karuna amman managed to
persuade the LTTE leadership and led the team to clean the muslims
from jaffna. That was a black day dawned with a loud speaker. My home
is not far away from the muslim village in jaffna. I went to the main road to
see all the muslims were lined up in a queue and all the junctions were
manned by LTTE members and I saw karuna amman was leading the
operation generating commands through his communicator. I saw my
school teacher, my friends all were in the queue. I was trying to give some
water but was hit back by the karuna members. They were so ruthless.
Now Karuna amman is talking like a god sun.
In our “Maha Bharatham” what kannan says to “Paandavar” in ” Geethai
Upathesam” is ” Do your duty and I am responsible for the consequence”
and advocated “pandavar” all the dirty methods to win the war.
“Path can be wrong but the final destination is pure and clear”
that is what “annai” is doing now !
KK Nathan said,
June 14, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
Arichandrans attempt to whitewash LTTE ethnic cleansing of Muslims from North has to be condemned. Arichandran has given explanation from his point of view about what happened. These can help explain what happened but it cannot by any way justify what happened.
What the LTTE did was very bad. It cannot be pardoned. The SL govt took only 376 people away from Colombo and brought them back but LTTE chased whole community away from place where they lived for centuries. The Govt has apologised and brought people back but LTTE is yet to do that. No Arichandran you cant compare both. The LTTE was far worse and terrible
Bala said,
June 14, 2007 @ 7:08 pm
Arichandran telling us now that Karuna Amman responsible for chasing Muslims away from Jaffna. But no one said this then. Now because Karuna amman is against LTTE they are blaming him. LTTE thesiyathalaiver Prabakaran is all powerful. Nothing happen without him. He must take all responsibility
Thillai. T. Thillaiambalam said,
June 14, 2007 @ 8:12 pm
Ethnic cleansing is ethnic cleansing. Arichandran cant give excuses for LTTE. You cant chase Muslims in North for what happened in East. This is like Singalase chasing Tamils in Colombo for what happened in Jaffna in 1983. Singala majority chases Tamil minority. Tamil majority chases Muslim minority. This is Wrong!
dingiri said,
June 15, 2007 @ 5:43 am
I just read Arichandran’s post excusing away LTTE attrocities against the Moslems. Surely everyone must agree that Tamil responses to whatever Moslem provocations have been completely out of proportion. A number of large massacres fo women and children like that of the Palliya Godella village, mass expulsions of all Moslems from Jaffna and Mannar come to mind.
Similarly the Sinhala responses to Tamil provocations have also been vastly disprportionate. When the LTTE killed 13 service men in Jaffna the Sinhalese response in the South was to kill hundreds of Tamils in the most abominable pogrom the country has experienced.
My theory is that the human animal is such that in an overcrowded country where resources are scarce such as ours they tend to band together under some affiliation be it religion or language and pick on the weaker group. The Sinhalese have done it to the Tamils and the Tamils do it to the Moslems.
The only solution is to partition the country fairly (by that I mean proportionately) into Sinhala, Tamil and Moslem states and hope this madness will cease. Hopefully the four states will later form a confederation which allowes free movement and trade between each other like in the EU.
I personally cant see what advantage I or my Sinhala countrymen gain from Mahinda Rajapakse being the executive President of the Northen Province. It is now 100% Tamil and if the majority of them feel better off under Prabakaran they should be given the opportunity of secede and no Sinhalese will be done an injustice.
My only disagreement with the Eelamists is on the extent of land claimed by them as the exclusive Tamil homeland. Their claims of unfair treatment at the hands of the majority ring hollow when one considers the fact they they claim 4 times as much land percapita than what they intend to give the Sinhalese.
Kumaran said,
June 15, 2007 @ 7:18 am
Thank you Arichandran. I am agreeing with you.
Yalpanathan said,
June 15, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
My dear friend Dingiri. Many thanks for your broad mindedness. It is high time you had realised this fact.
You will have to take this concept to all the sinhelese speaking people and get it accepted. Defining a border line is not a problem. That is a matter to be negotiated on the table. For simplicity if you want, we can make a single straight line to define the border. I am sure the confederation formed in this concept could be more stronger than EU and it could be a nice exempler to the regional SARCC. All the sinhalese speaking people should start thinking this way.
dingiri said,
June 15, 2007 @ 3:33 pm
My assessment of the Sinhala opinion on the ethnic devide is that it is fluid. They tend to believe whoever is shouting the loudest. About 5 years back it was much more concilliatory towards the Tamils. Then the JVP and the JHU went to work and we have the situation that we have now. I ask them whats the point in a unitary state that is anything but united and get called a traitor and a bleeding heart liberal (if that is an insult).
In a recent argument I had, I claimed that 90% of Tamils would like to secede and at least 70% would want Prabakaran as their leader. I was derided and informed that most Tamils were waiting on the SLG to deliver them from the LTTE.
It would be interesting to have an insider view of the rough proportions of support among Tamils for the two ideas.
kumar said,
June 16, 2007 @ 4:30 am
I think the writer lives in kookoo land,because the arguments he is bringing dose not stand valid when you look at the history of Lanka.
As far as the majority of tamils and sinhala people lives amicably.
Roopa Chetty said,
June 16, 2007 @ 5:07 am
To the concerned Canadian, it is easy to say , but doing is not as proven by our history prior to any Kottiya in the north and east. I practiced unity, by conducting free engineering classes for a group of 30 Sinhalese in a Pirivena, but even I have to run away from that hell. There is no place for good people.. I left long before there was any Tamil Tiger. just imagine being a Tamil in Jaffna or Colombo before the dawn of LTTE. it is easy for you to say ..and I would like to share .. but it has been never like that. We all have lofty ideals .. but we do not get elected as president and prime minister and serve as any other important person like the brother of the president. So, I can like you and love you like my many hundreds of Sinhalese friends, but reality in Sri-Lanka is not the same. Let us hope ..and let us wish .
ponthevarajah said,
June 16, 2007 @ 5:25 am
no country on this earth got independance without arms struggle. please provide if any.
theory of talks is no use because tamils takled too many occasions with u turn of sinhalese politician. i do not understand y we should talk to the people who are occupying our beautiful island
Thamilan said,
June 16, 2007 @ 9:14 am
The Tamil Kingdoms of the mainland already had the Gulf of Mannar as one of thier highly priced terriotory due to the rich Pearl fishery long before Vijaya’s arrival. After Vijaya’s arrival he seeked bride from the Pandya Kingdom who is 15 miles of Lanka. I will remind everyone that Tamils had the first Naval Empire in the Indian Sub-continent and its laughable that Sinhalese (originally from bengal and now mix of Dravida blood) claim to be on the Island before the Tamils. The whole myth about Lanka for the Sinhalese is taken from a book called Mahavamsa which was a fantasy novel (still not known how the Sinhalese adopted it as a historical record). Why haven’t the Mahavamsa not made public? It should be studied by Western and Indian experts to verify the authenticity that the Sinhalese claim
Eswaran said,
June 16, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
Reading DBS J’s article and all the 34 comments, it appears there is a lack of understanding of the underlying problem. one to comprehend the core issues,one has to go back to the early years of the 20th century which caused the mistrust among sinhalese,tamils and muslims. a few miscalulations by then elite ceylonese leaders led to this unwanted conflicts.since independence the sinhala and tamil politicians failed to embark on nation building programmes and paved the way to hatred and series of civil riots and then low intensity war for past fifty years. again the disunity among tamils led to five to six fighting groups only to weaken the tamils aspiration which arose from their grivences after 1977 election. can’t turn the clock let fate of the island look after it.already a bankrupt island by many migrated, economically, doomed by high intensity war, corruptionby ruling elites.no law and order. let the lankans living in the west unite and speak nothing but the truth.stop squabbling about what is right and wrong. if you can help to change the impending fate of the island then do it. otherwise shut up and think straight after knowing the past history not the distorted history by present day historians.
Anand. G. said,
June 24, 2007 @ 10:09 am
The Tamil homeland does exist in Sri Lanka as pointed out in the article. However, it has also been found that those with a high level government job prefer to stay in areas like Colombo than in a ‘Tamil’ area. During one of my visits to Kalmunai. I found the staff of the Base Hospital there is overburdened due to shortage of doctors and nurses. Whether Tamil, Muslim of Sinhala, no one wants to work there unless the person belongs to an area close to it. At the first opportunity they manage to get a posting elsewhere. Worse still, the time to heal old wounds is running out fast. Even ordinary folk living in cosmopolitan Colombo have started viewing one another with suspicion. I had a strange experience of a Colombo Tamil chauffer who is actually an Indian Tamil and not a Sri Lankan Tamil talking to me in Tamil with plenty of sympathy for LTTE (inspite of the fact that I am a native of Kerala and very poor in Tamil) while my collegue in the tour, a Sinhala engineer talking in English with utmost contempt for the Tamils who were being pushed out of Colombo by the police to Vavuniya and Batticaloa. I learnt later that some of the Tamils so sent off were brought back due to a Court order. Evidently the courts are still respected.
I could sense fear almost everywhere. No one really trusts any one. True, this is restricted to a miniscule section of the population. But such feelings can spread fast. Miltary solution hardly works in reality. However, it is clear that neither the Govt nor the Elam groups realise this which is very unfortunate.
There nothing that distinguishes a Sinhala from a Tamil. They all look the same. They might be speaking different languages and practising different religions. Are they really reasons sufficient to fight each other? Many arguments have been put forward by both the groups based on things past. Why dwell on the past. Why not look at the future. Our former Prime Minister, Vajpayye, told once that you can change your friends but can not change your neighbour. Is it not the truth everywhere-Even in personal lives. Does not the same logic apply to the past and future? Many things might have gone wrong in the past. But why not have a nice future for everyone? Why not win together instead of losing together?
Sri Lanka is about four times my state, Kerala, in area, rich in resources and has half the population of Kerala. Elevated central portion and the 100 odd rivers originating from there provides low cost power. It has several high value agricultural products, top class tourist spots, unexplored oil/Titanium and may be Thorium deposits. Is it not a wonderful place to live in? Why fight over artficially created issues? I believe that if the assets of the island nation is divided by the total population (mathematically) each of its citizen should be a millionaire (in SDRs not Sri Lankan Rupees)
Thamilan said,
June 25, 2007 @ 8:33 am
Anand G,
Nice observation. As you noticed the behaviour of the people in Sri Lanka you also know that its too late to discuss an united Sri Lanka. For every inhabitant of that Island to me a millionaire, Tamil Eelam must be seperated from the Sinhalese dominated Sri Lanka. Which will give peace and space for the two nations to develop within the island.
Damitha S said,
June 25, 2007 @ 8:58 am
the action of the government is insane and irresponsible,
about the home land concept what ever people may say ifa person is born and bred in a particular piece of land that has to be his or her homeland in my belief.
trying to interpret “Yalpaanam vaibavam” or “Mahavamsa” and build our country will only lead to further distruction.
Anand. G. said,
June 27, 2007 @ 1:10 am
The comment from Thamilan is noted. You have basically only three options. One is to be like Czechs and Slovaks-separate peacefully and co exist. The secong is like Yugoslavia-Have a blood bathed separation and convert each district in to economically unviable countries. Third is to have a proper federal set up where each citizen can live in honour. Whether Tamil, Sinhala or Muslim, each citizen happens to be a Sri Lankn. Why not try the option-True, everyone has to think from the other party’s shoes to get a reasonable and totally acceptable solution.
One thing is certain. You just cannot have and unending war which really undoes a beautiful coumtry. And you have to remember another thiing too-No war at any point of time in history had winners; only losers.
Thamilan said,
June 29, 2007 @ 8:09 am
Tamils Leaders before the LTTE has asked for proper federal model and then they asked to separate peacefully. Those Tamil leaders ended up wasting thier time, resource, only brought blood bath to the Tamils and did not even make a inch of move with the Sinhalese governments. LTTE has took up arms because all the peacefull method failed to bring a solution to the Tamils, so far the LTTE leaders are the only Tamil leaders who have made progress and brough an unavoidable reality of Tamil Eelam to be heard in the world stage. Not only have they moved the Sinhalese government on the Tamil issue they have penetrated the Sinhalese governments foundation and waiting for the right time to blow it out so that they suffer the same way that Tamils did since the independence. The Sinhalese deserve what they are getting because they took the power given under democratic rule an abused it and made a mockery out of that beautiful Island.
thevarajah said,
March 1, 2008 @ 11:57 am
The world has become a small place now and theory of ownership of land has no meaning. If the ownership of land has not been gorgotten Dravidian should claim their lands which consists of wider dravidian kindom including Indian sub continent *Indian, Pakistan, Karen region in Burma, Bangalesh, part of tibet, afgan, bhutan, nepal and australsia and sinhlaese has noi more land on the earth.
Forget the past history, respect human’s rights and let Tamils live peacefully.
Rajapakse should understand the reality of face the consequence. It is widley believed that he is ready to leave the copuntry with robbed money and his families to USA. He should remember that Karuna can not escape so does he.
Foolish monks can not survive but the monks follow Lord Buddhas principle will survive and they have long life.