Oh, c’mon Athos, you know well that it was Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalism that was the cause for the emergence of the LTTE – and the subsequent unleashing of terror. As for the language issue, like Sinhalese often overlook and never plan (”plan” is a 4-ltr word in our Sinhala vocabulary), it was not so much the unfairness of the cocept of a national language the one spoken by the large majority 75% – but the demeaning manner in which it was implemented – with the brash announcement of “Sinhalese in 24 hours” by SWRD to the total insensitivity and insult of the minorities. How do you expect the minorities to feel? Are they not human? Do they not have feelings? Should they not have self-respect and dignity?

Why is it that we Sinhalese are unable to acknowledge our past errors (irrespective whether they were intentional / or not) and simply apologize? Why is it that we always try to cover these up with one excuse after another? Is it that despite our Buddhist upbringing we are spiritually bankrupt and unable to bring ourselves to apologize – a seeming quality of most Sinhalese leaders.

As for your assertion of giving the benefit of the doubt to Tamil extremists – this is decidedly not what is suggested. But neither, as you suggest, giving the benefit of the doubt to Sinhalese nationalist extremists. Your assertion that ‘innocent’ minorities will roughly have their rights if we bet on the Sinhalese extremists is clear indication that the Sinhalas are dead scared of their survival unless they feel ultimate political control is in their Sinhalese hands. Read the Minority Experts Report – probably all 4 experts were overdosed on phobia pills.

No – the answer is not with the extremist fascist LTTE nor with the equally brown-necked Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalists. The answer lies in the center among the moderate Sri Lankans – the common sensed good folks among Muslims, Tamils, and Sinhalese – an answer that no Sri Lankan leader (irrespective of ethnicity or religion) has been able to harness to date. Tamils intellectuals must share in this national failure.

My friend, we Sinhalese don’t have to be so phobic about our minority brothers. A disparity in education – that had existed during our parents generation has now been corrected, we no longer have to feel that we Sinhalese are any less to anyone else in the world. It would be to all our advantage to get over the phobia over our Tamil friends, create an inclusive national identity, join hands to create a strong Sri Lanka team, compete and win in international markets. Our nation could never achieve prosperity – unless we create an even dance floor for everyone to dance, the dance of freedom. Nationalists such as your self seems to think you can shove it down Tamil throats a Sinhalese solution – no majority community of any nation has been able to do so – not even the mighty powerful White establishment of America. The Whites tried for nearly 180 years (1776 to 1965) to shove down Black throats White solutions of various blends – it never worked. After much blood and much grief the Whites finally came to their senses. Today we have a Black presidential candidate. Though terribly slow, America has learned and changed.

So must Sri Lanka. If any help – think ‘team’, think ‘cricket’, think Murali, and think Sanath!

Oh, c’mon Dias, why do you think Sinhalese always ‘overlook’ things? It looks as if typical underestimation is at play here. The Sinhala nationalism was never responsible for unleashing of organised terror for decades, ethnic cleansing or land hogging. The language issue was probably the most extreme it has reached. But then again, this is a country with a population of 75% Sinhala speakers. Many will not see it as unreasonable to make majority language the common means of communication with a clause for reasonable use of Tamil considering this fact. After all, if 75% were English speakers, Tamils would not have opposed majority language – isn’t that so? Preferring a language for reasons other than administrative convenience is not a grievance.

Anyway back to your original point. Say we gave the benefit of the doubt to Tamil extremists. What is the worse case scenario from our (Sinhalese) perspective? The death and suffering will continue and large parts of land resource that we have a right to live and benefit from will remain inaccessible. On the other hand, what if we bet on our own extremists to give a fair go for the minorities? No one will die as a direct consequence. The power devolution on the other hand will be weakened if not totally rejected. How is power devolution for NE going to solve the problems for majority of Muslims, Tamils of Indian origin as well as local Tamils who have established themselves many areas in the south anyway? The minorities will have rights on par with the majority with few exceptions where common sense must prevail just as in other countries such as UK and US. As you can see betting on the Sinhalese extremists give better outcomes for everyone including the innocent Tamils and Muslims.

Few seem to comprehend the inextricable link between a political solution and progress in the military front. Most Sinhalese seem to view the LTTE as the core problem and thus the 84% support for the linear process, first, destroy the LTTE and only thereafter, once this task is complete, formulate a solution. Though well intentional, what they appear to overlook is, when one of the extremes (the LTTE) to the conflict is weakened, the other extreme, Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalism is bound to re-emerge and strengthen thereby making it politically impossible for the Rajapaksa government to table a fair political solution. As has been the case throughout the last 60 years, a newly empowered extremist Sinhalese-Buddhist segment will only fuel the fires of chauvinism once again strengthening their extremist causes thereby disabling the government to formulate a fair proposition to the great dismay of our Tamil and Muslim brethren. This would set the stage for another 60 years of expanded misery and another breed of cats in the future.

An illustration of similar political abandoning is the shunning of federalism by the UNP recently. In the wake of impressive military victories by the Rajapaksa administration, upon realizing that they could no longer politically survive by adhering to a political construct based on federalism, the UNP conveniently abandoned the once much touted notion. [And of course in doing so the UNP has demonstrated to the entire world their duplicity and the total absence of integrity among their leaders - despite the world class credentials of some of them.]

President Rajapaksa must not fall into the same trap – and must recognize that tabling a political solution construct (note: not implementing) is essential prior to any complete annihilation of the LTTE. The President must recognize that the LTTE is an imperative counter to balance the destructive, but powerful effects of extreme Sinhalese-Buddhist forces and accordingly manipulate the LTTE-factor to evolve a political formula while destroying the terror outfit.

Having decided to take-upon the LTTE with all its might, the opportunity is perfect for the Rajapaksa administration to simultaneously embark upon the solution discovery process with equal vigor. May be the results of both campaigns, military and solutions discovery, would converge and the nation finally achieve at peace. To believe that a military victory alone will solve the national challenge, or that a solution would be possible upon taming the Tiger – at best, both these notions are very naïve.

A Sinhalese-Buddhist US expatriate.

What chance does the GoSL foreign ministry have of combatting Clinton and Congressmen Pallone, both of who are already deep in the pockets of the Tigers. GoSL Foreign Ministry seems to have no capacity to do its job of convincing US media (like PBS and NPR which have GoSL bashing interviews with HRWatch and the like, with no opposing view point whatsoever.

The GoSL FM refuses to look at the blindspots it is facing, namely the Clinton-US attorney angle (I am referring to Bruce Fein and the other high powered US lawyers who are preparing lawsuits against GoSL for war crimes). How will GoSL even pay for the legal expenses starting in 2009?

It is foolish to ignore this blindspot. Does GoSL think it can ignore the West at the Security Council? What did Russia and China do for Serbia? And the Russians are related to Serbia and still failed to deliver protection.

Finally, when Clinton removes the ban on the LTTE in 2009, and the LTTE is using advanced U.S. Military equipment and trainers (not Pakistani discards like GoSL), how do you think this will turn out, especially when GoSL has no diplomatic media reach, and no legal preparation for what is coming in the Clinton US.

It’s a catch-22 situation isn’t it Machang? Without LTTE there will be no compulsion to yield major power devolution. On the other hand, no power devolution is possible with LTTE. The approach adopted thus far by Jaffna Tamil “moderates” have been to use international actors to force the govt to devolve power whilst LTTE remain a major force. Hasn’t it proven to be an utter failure due to LTTE intransigence? Have you considered switching force you are exerting on the govt back to LTTE? Isn’t it curious there is no Jaffna Tamils parading in streets of London and Brussels demanding LTTE negotiate to end the problem? Perhaps there is still some niggling hope a separate state is still possible. Protesting against LTTE to negotiate would not help if this were the case. As you can see, the military solution preceding political solutions is unavoidable. The military solution is needed to destroy whatever hope you have Eelam is possible or until LTTE realise it cannot win. The order, which comes first, is not important.

For me being a sinhala buddhist hailing from a down south village had the opportunity to gain higher studies through my native sinhala language. I am being so selfish, unfortunately should admire the language transition from english to sinhala which helped me immensly. On that selfish note i thank who ever paved the way for millions of sinhala buddhists from the villages to gain higher studies and enter “elite” jobs.

Otherwise i would have to convert myself to christianity to learn english and then be eligible for higher studies.

70% sinhala buddhists specially from villages had this genuine threat, during and after british rule.

The very same problem existed among village thamil hindus. Unfortunately because of the majority (70%),sinhala buddhist grievences were fulfilled as a matter of urgency. It would have been too late when thamil hindu grievences were accommodated. May be due to shortedsightedness of sinhala politicians, minority population , geography, fear among sinhalease due to equal share demands by thamils, and many more..

However in the past three decades moderate sinhalease never were a force behind the seperate issue.

We had a cruel sensation, hidden satisfaction when LTTE killed sinhala politicians, specialy if the politicians were unpolular. We were justifying passanger train bombings in the south assuming that army might have killed innocent thamil civilians in the north, or surrendering ourselves for the barberic thuggery on black july carried out by political killers.

However we were awakened by the continued LTTE butchery towards innocenet boarder villages, killings of the elderly at religious places while observing rituals, massacre of a bus load of buddhist monks, bombing the innocent passengers on bus stands, threatening to kill school children, to name a few.

We were awakened when our thamil friends boast about this butchery of their “boys”. When they share and watch videos of the victories of their “boys”. When they hung sun god in their shrine rooms. When they spread false allegations on ethnic cleansing. When they baptise thamil girls to human bombs & Village boys to cannon fod.

We never boast about black July. We never felt happy when innocenet civilians were killed. We never ever endose sri lankan army to kill innocent civilians.

85% is a killer force to win anything. This force would see that LTTE is eliminated. This very same force would see innocent poor village thamils as well as sinhalease & mulims are saved from the politicians who are no longer fit to the 21st century. The very same force will eliminate politicians who are short sighted and ill prepared for the new era.