by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The term “Intermestic” was first used by Henry Kissinger to explain international issues having domestic economic implications like for instance the middle-eastern situation abroad impacting on the price of gas in the US. The term coined by Kissinger took the “inter” from International and “mestic” from Domestic.
It was however veteran Journalist Mervyn de Silva who popularised the term in Sri Lanka.Mervyn who was then editing the “Lanka Guardian” fortnightly and writing a weekly column for “Sunday Island”. Mervyn applied the term to all issues crossing the boundaries between the International and the domestic and belonged to both spheres thereby necessitating this sub-category.
According to Mervyn, Sri Lanka’s Tamil issue was for Sri Lanka a domestic issue with an international spillover and for India it was an international issue with a domestic spillover. Hence for both Colombo and New Delhi it should be regarded as INTERMESTIC, i.e. “at the interface of the international and the domestic”.
President Mahinda Rajapakse and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-in 2009
The term intermestic comes to mind against the backdrop of President Mahinda Rajapakse’s forthcoming visit to New Delhi on June 8th to meet Indian Prime minister Manmohan Singh. High on the Manmohan-Mahinda agenda would be the intermestic Tamil issue.
While Indo-Lanka relations will continue to remain cordial, observers of South Asian regional politics are able to detect some contradictions emerging between New Delhi and Colombo on certain matters. Chief among them is the prickly Sri Lankan Tamil issue.
Convergence
One year ago there was a convergence of interests between India and Sri Lanka about the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).Both sides were aligned in forcefully and successfully combating and destroying the tigers or LTTE.
Sarath Fonseka, Gotabhaya Rajapakse & Mahinda Rajajapakse
It was the Sri Lankan armed forces under the military leadership of Sarath Fonseka, administrative leadership of Gotabhaya Rajapakse and political leadership of Mahinda Rajajapakse who fought the war and achieved victory.
However it is widely known that the covert input and overt support extended by India was largely responsible for the fruits of success. Colombo was in constant communication with New Delhi as the war progressed and there was collaboration between both countries on some aspects of the conflict.
The intermestic issue had a domestic spillover in India particularly the state of Tamil Nadu home to 60 million Tamils. Colombo and New Delhi co-operated in quelling and containing the resentment and hostility in Tamil Nadu towards the war in Sri Lanka where a large number of civilians were reportedly killed,injured and displaced.
Revealed
In a recent interview Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse revealed how the Indian and Sri Lankan governments had “acted” in more ways than one to “manage” the potential political fall-out of Tamil Nadu chief minister Muttuvel Karunanidhi’s sudden decision to fast unto death at Marina beach in Chennai demanding an immediate end to the war.
As a result of this Indo-Lanka “co-operation” an announcement was made about ending offensive operations by Colombo. This in turn was utilised by New Delhi to persuade Karunanidhi to call off the fast in five hours. Thus Karunanidhi now holds the record for the world’s shortest “fast unto death”.
The conduct of the war against the LTTE and its result was a golden phase in New Delhi-Colombo relations. After the war ended , an international outcry arose about war crimes and crimes against humanity against Sri Lanka. India provided immense assistance to Sri Lanka in countering these demands.
India played a pivotal role in helping to blunt the “attack” on Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council in Geneva last year. Though Cuba got much of the credit India was of immense help in mobilising support against the original resolution and enlisting support for the counter-resolution.
Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka
Perhaps the full extent of India’s role in Geneva would be known if and when our former ambassador to the UN in Geneva-Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka-writes his memoirs candidly.
Eliminated
A very important reason for India’s support to Sri Lanka was because the Indian establishment had concluded that the LTTE had to be eliminated at any cost. India itself was constrained from playing an open role in physically demolishing the LTTE because of the possible risk of revolt in Tamil Nadu ranks. (Intermestic impact again).
Thus India remained in the background and encouraged Sri Lanka to do the “dirty work of fighting” just as Junius Richard Jayewardena tried to get India to do the same dirty work of fighting the LTTE decades ago. In a remarkable reversal of roles the Sri Lankan forces became the cutting edge of India’s regional policy.
In that context there was and is a responsibility on the part of India to protect the Sri Lankan government from the slings and arrows “international opinion” seemingly outraged by the mass –scale human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the Sri Lankan armed forces during the war.
IDPs in Chettikulam camp – painting by Shan Sundaram
This is why India has been quietly engaged in helping Sri Lanka withstand and possibly ward off the international clamour demanding “justice” for the victims of the war.
Protective
Human rights activists lobbying against Sri Lanka in Western capitals have been ruefully told that nothing “drastic” could be done against Colombo as long as India was protective of Sri Lanka.There is a Western consensus of sorts in abiding by Delhi’s concerns as far as the Sri Lankan Tamil issue is concerned.
Apart from being a “speed checker” on possible courses of action by individual western nations, the restraining hand of India can be felt strongly in the collective international sphere too.
A major reason for the perceived impotence of the UN in taking meaningful action against Sri Lanka is attributed to India, Pakistan, China and Russia. Here again the knitty-gritty stuff is handled by India.
While Russia and China could and would veto any adverse action contemplated by the UN security council, it is India that helps pre-empt such action evolving.
Flags of US and India in the vicinity of White House in Washington, DC to mark visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the White House-Nov 2009
The powerful western nations do not want to irk India unnecessarily over the Sri Lankan issue. As such the human rights activists find themselves unable to breach the protective invisible glass barrier set around Sri Lanka at the UN by India.
Moreover despite frequent statements and trips to Sri Lanka by high-ranking UN officials the glass house too has been largely ineffective in getting results.. UN secretary-general Ban Ki Moon proposes several initiatives with gusto towards Sri Lanka. The latest being a UN panel of advisers.
Ban Ki Moon
Placard held at rally near UN on Sep 22, 2009, organized by US based US-TPAC
Ban ki moon also sends his officials and special emissaries at regular intervals. But nothing tangible is yet to be achieved. Furthermore his chief of staff Vijay Nambiar’s name has been compromised in the alleged incident where tiger leaders surrendering with white flags were shot dead in cold blood.
While Ban ki Moon puts up a brave face and maintains the facade that he is acting without constraints,any seasoned analyst of UN affairs is able to discern that a hidden hand is constricting the UN secretary-general in this regard.
Ms. Navanetham Pillay-AP pic
After helping Sri Lanka to meet the challenge posed at Geneva last year India was at the forefront in preventing further movement on that count. When UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Navanetham Pillay tried to initiate moves against Sri Lanka despite the Human rights council vote, she was vehemently criticised by India in Geneva . Pillay was reprimanded for trying to engage in further action despite what happened in the Human rights council.
Interestingly both the past and present Indian representatives to the UN at New York are old Sri Lanka hands with intricate knowledge of the Island’s politics.
Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri
The ebullient Hardeep Singh Puri who was political secretary in Colombo when the Indo-lanka accord was signed on July 29th 1987 is currently in New York. His predecessor was Nirupam Sen who had been both Deputy-high commissioner and High Commissioner in Colombo.
In addition to the specific reason for India extending its protective umbrella to Sri Lanka amidst the torrential rains of international pressure, there is also another compelling reason. India considers the South Asian region to be its exclusive backyard and does not welcome unnecessary international intrusion.
Let us also not forget that India’s hands are not very clean in the sphere of human rights be it in Kashmir, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland or even against guerrilla groups in several states in Northern and Central India. If it allows a greater international role in probing alleged human rights violations and war crimes in Sri Lanka, the floodgates may be opened for similar probes against India too.
Congruence
Under these circumstances there prevails a congruence of interests between India and Sri Lanka on this matter. Besides an extensive international probe into Sri Lanka’s alleged infringements and conduct of war could also throw open a can of worms resulting in greater exposure of India’s role in Sri Lanka’s war against the LTTE.
The Indo-Lankan joint venture of defeating and destroying the LTTE was a success. But in the aftermath of victory some cracks and fissures are emerging.
Campaign posters for Gen Sarath Fonseka in Jaffna-Jan 2010-pic: www.indi.ca
At a local level the war victory euphoria brought about a cleavage in sharing the spoils of victory. The Army commander fought his erstwhile commander in chief at the presidential hustings. Today the General who claims that he alone deserves full credit for the war victory languishes in custody arraigned on three counts of courts martial against him.
In the case of India and Sri Lanka there is no question of quibbling about who gets the credit for victory over the tigers. India for reasons of its own is more than happy to let Sri Lanka hog all the limelight.
Actually New Delhi may even be grateful that Colombo is monopolising the fame and glory of victory. This helps New Delhi to withstand Tamil Nadu charges of culpability on the one hand and on the other absolves India of blame in the war against LTTE.
Contradictions
There are however other emerging contradictions amounting to irritants. One such irritant is the seeming reluctance on the part of President Rajapakse to sign the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India. The decision to do so was revoked at the last minute in 2008.
It was expected that the CEPA would be signed in New Delhi during the President’s scheduled visit. But again there were protest demonstrations and the President met with representatives of those protesting. The whole exercise seemed to be orchestrated.
Now Media minister Keheliya Rambukwella says that the CEPA would very likely be signed only by the end of this year. Apparently the President is concerned about certain proposed clauses and would seek further clarification and amendment.
Another “unspoken” irritant is the growing power and expanding influence of China in Sri Lanka.China is going ahead at full speed with the full co-operation of the Colombo government in implementing several projects while some in the South block in India suspect there are subtle moves to stymie Indian efforts to implement plans and projects entrusted to it.
Irritants
While these and some other minor issues are proving to be irritants the evolving major contradiction relates to the intermestic Tamil issue. This intermestic issue would be the primary focus of this column.
The convergence of interests between New Delhi and Colombo in defeating and destroying the LTTE is now giving way to a divergence of interests in resolving the larger issue that is the Tamil national question.
There does not seem to be an identity of interests between Colombo and New Delhi in formulating a common approach towards the Tamil issue as was done in the case of the LTTE.
The problem is further compounded by the fact that certain assurances were given by the Rajapakse regime at various levels that a mutually satisfactory settlement would be on the cards after the war against the LTTE was concluded.
The hitch now is the hiatus in perspective between Colombo and New Delhi in bringing about a political solution. There is dissatisfaction in New Delhi that Colombo is procrastinating to subvert and resentment in Colombo that New Delhi is trying to impose its diktat.
Indian involvement in the affairs of its neighbours is described as benign intervention by Indian academics and analysts.
Intervention
The undermining of the Rana family and empowerment of the Shah dynasty in Nepal,the dismemberment of Pakistan and creation of Bangla Desh, the Indo-Lanka accord and induction of the Indian Army as a peace-keeping force in Sri Lanka and the quick action in Maldives to crush a coup d’etat aided by Sri Lankan Tamil militants of the PLOTE (Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam ) are some instances of Indian benign intervention.
Needless to say all these cases of benign intervention also served India’s interests in the region. But such is the nature of international relations. All countries have their own interests at heart and smaller entities identifying common interests with larger interests and harmonising accordingly have greater chances of bettering the prospects for themselves.
In the case of Sri Lanka the twin tenets of basic Indian policy was preserving the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka on the one hand and ensuring the rights of the minorities particularly the Sri Lankan Tamils on the other. This framework in essence was conditioned by the intermestic factor.
The 1983 July anti-Tamil pogrom saw more than 100,000 Tamils fleeing to Tamil Nadu as refugees. The presence of Tamil refugees on Indian soil was the “locus standi” for India to seek a greater role in Sri Lanka.
Instead of reaching out to the affected victims of the July 1983 pogrom and alleviating their hardship the JR Jayewardena regime was hell bent on appeasing the majority. Blaming the victim syndrome was at its best.
Amirthalingam
The Govt introduced the sixth amendment to the Constitution disavowing separatism. All MP’s were required to take an oath to that effect to retain Parliamentary membership. The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) with sixteen MP’s in Parliament refused to take the oath on a matter of principle. As a result they forfeited their seats. The Sri Lankan Tamil voice was effectively driven away from Parliament.
Several ex-TULF MP’s including Opposition leader Appapillai Amirthalingam took up residence in Tamil Nadu. With more than a hundred thousand refugees on its soil providing a locus standi , New Delhi offered its good offices to mediate and bring about a negotiated political settlement.
There was an imperative need for India to intervene at that stage. The Sri Lankan Tamil issue was a crucial emotional issue for Tamil Nadu at that time. There was a fear that the mood may turn volatile and result in a law and order crisis.
Also there had been a flourishing secessionist movement in Tamil Nadu at one time. It had been checked and transformed democratically. The former Tamil separatists were well integrated into the Indian fabric.Now there was apprehension that the fabric may be torn and separatist tendencies revived because of the Sri Lankan Tamil crisis impacting on Tamil Nadu.
If secession was encouraged in Sri Lanka that could have a demonstration effect on other states including Tamil Nadu in India. If the Tamils were allowed to be continuously victimised in Sri Lanka that too could radicalise Tamil Nadu in the long term These parameters necessitated in India fashioning policy ensuring both the unity of Sri Lanka and Tamil rights.
Interests
The fundamental difference in New Delhi policy towards Pakistan in 1971 and Sri Lanka in 1987 was that in the case of the former it suited Indian interests to create Bangla Desh while in the case of the latter, Indian interests were better served by preventing dismemberment of Sri Lanka.
The intermestic nature of the issue had two additional aspects too. One was that New Delhi at that time feared an arc of encirclement by “hostile” forces. India feared a Washington-Tel Aviv-Islamabad axis. The Jayewardena govt was seen as a Western puppet and lackey.
It was necessary therefore to win over Colombo and bring Sri Lanka within Indian orbit. The Tamil issue provided an opportunity to de-stabilise Sri Lanka and pressure Jayawardena into submitting to Delhi diktat.
The other was the personality factor. It is a fact that basic policy is formulated by the bureaucracy in India and that the political executive is guided by it. Individual leaders by force of their personalty may effect a change in the style of implementation but cannot effectively change the substance of policy.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, A. Amirthalingam
What happened here was that Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was not very fond of President Jayewardena or Prime Minister Premadasa. She enjoyed close rapport with TULF leaders particularly Amirthalingam. This personality factor also played a small part in the politics of that time.
Compelled
In such a situation the Indian state trained and armed Tamil militants into guerrilla organizations. The idea was to fight and de-stabilise the North-Eastern provinces to a great extent. Thereafter the Colombo govt would be compelled to turn to Delhi for assistance.That moment would be seized. Tamil Eelam was never on the cards.
Meanwhile Indira Gandhi was assassinated and her son Rajiv Gandhi succeeded her. Rajiv’s ascendancy saw the veteran Gopalaswamy Parthasarathy being ousted as India’s special envoy to Sri Lanka on the Tamil issue. Foreign secretary Romesh Bhandari functioned as emissary. Despite these changes the basic continuity in policy remained.
There were many twists and turns but India’s strategy worked to a great extent. But after the military operation in Vadamaratchy in May 1987 it appeared that Colombo was on the verge of wiping out the LTTE. At that point India demonstrated very clearly to Colombo that it would not be allowed to crush Tamil militancy . India violated Sri Lankan air space and dropped food parcels over the Jaffna peninsula on June 4th 1987.
To his credit Jayawardena saw the writing on the wall. He caved into Indian pressure and the Indo-lanka accord was signed on July 29th 1987. That treaty gave India a right to be involved in the affairs of Sri Lanka.
More importantly it bestowed India with the responsibility of ensuring and protecting Tamil interests in Sri Lanka. The Indo-Lanka treaty may be “forgotten” now but it remains valid still and can be resurrected if and when necessary.
Accord
The Accord provides India with a permanent “say” in the affairs of Sri Lanka. Until and unless both countries jointly repudiate it the Indo – Lanka agreement will be there. It cannot be unilaterally abrogated by one country.
The Indo-Lanka accord recognized Sri Lanka as a multi-ethnic,multi – religious nation. Thus both the mono-ethnic claims of Sinhala supremacists and the two nation theory of Tamil separatists were negated.
It recognized the Northern and Eastern provinces as historic areas of habitation of the Tamil and Muslim people where they lived with other ethnicities. Thus the Tamils and Muslim right of historic habitation was recognized but there was no exclusive rights. The North-Eastern region belonged to all ethnicities.
Moreover the opportunity to create a single Tamil linguistic province was available. Both provinces were temporarily merged with the proviso that a referendum should be held in the Eastern province to either approve or reject the merger.
A scheme providing devolution of powers on a provincial basis was brought in. Provincial councils with powers allocated on provincial, concurrent and reserved basis were set up. Tamil was elevated to Official language status.
All those convicted of “terrorist” offences were given official pardon. All militants who took to arms were given a general amnesty.
It appeared that the basic grievances and legitimate aspirations of the Sri Lankan Tamils could be redressed and accommodated if and when the Indo-Lanka accord was gradually implemented. Besides India was there to underwrite the accord and guarantee its implementation.
Reservations
The TULF, PLOTE, TELO, EPRLF and EROS accepted the accord with reservations. There were certain shortcomings requiring attention. These were categorised as residual matters needing to be resolved in due course.
All five Tamil organizations drafted together a document outlining their reservations and submitted it to New Delhi before endorsing the accord. India promised to rectify those issues.
Later on October 28th 1987 the TULF sent a letter to Rajiv Gandhi pinpointing several problems in the implementation of the accord. By this time the war between the Indian army and the LTTE had commenced.
The Indian officials discussed the issue with Jayewardena and obtained from him a written assurance on November 7th 1987 that he would rectify all shortcomings in the implementation of the accord.
But the war with the tigers was now on. The LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had been taken to New Delhi and placed under virtual house arrest at Hotel Ashok.
Despite the pressure Prabhakaran refused to accept the accord but agreed to co-operate and not oppose it. In return the LTTE was promised pride of place on the proposed Interim administrative council. The LTTE was also promised 50 million Indian rupees per month.
Indian intentions at that time were to adopt the methodology applied to Mizoram rebels led by Lal Denga. The Mizoram rebels were given power first without having to face an election and were required to face polls after a period of time.
This was applied to the LTTE too.The LTTE was given power through control of the North – Eastern interim administration. Initially the LTTE seemed to be complying and Tamil eyes started smiling again.
Prabhakaran
Suthumalai meeting
LTTE leader Prabhakaran announced a farewell to arms at a public meeting in Suthumalai.The LTTE made an exhibition of surrendering arms. When I interviewed t Jyotindra Nath Dixit for the Indian magazine “Frontline” the Indian envoy said 65% of light weapons and 85% of heavy weapons had been surrendered by the LTTE.
But a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.
Prabhakaran had “agreed” due to compulsion in Delhi. But it was only a matter of time for him to resume fighting again. The arrest of senior LTTE leaders including Kumarappa and Pulendiran at mid –sea by the Navy and their subsequent suicide by consuming cyanide gave Prabhakaran the pretext to start fighting again.
The war between the LTTE and India began on October 10th 1987. I was in Jaffna when it commenced. From that day onwards the “chasm” between India and the LTTE continued to widen and deepen. The Indian army left Sri Lankan shores in 1990 but the Indo-tiger estrangement grew.
The assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi by the LTTE in Sriperumpudhoor on May 21st 1991 altered the situation dramatically. There was a crackdown on LTTE elements in India. The LTTE was formally proscribed in India as a terrorist organization.
26 persons of Indian and Sri Lankan origin were tried in the Indian courts for the Rajiv Gandhi assassination and condemned to death. These sentences were reduced after appeal. The LTTE leader Prabhakaran, Intelligence chief Pottu Amman and then womens brigade commander Akila were proclaimed as wanted offenders by India.
Problematic
As the years progressed the situation in Sri Lanka underwent slow but steady change. The gulf between India and the LTTE increased. India however did not take the lead openly in taking action against the LTTE.
After burning its fingers once India was wary of sending troops to Sri Lanka again. At the same time New Delhi was unable to provide full military support to Colombo openly and back the Sri Lankan armed forces against the LTTE because it feared a major backlash in Tamil Nadu.
After nearly thirty years of strife and turmoil Indian policy makers reached a difficult decision that the LTTE must be wiped out lock,stock and barrel. The manner in which the LTTE messed up the Oslo facilitated peace process proved that there was no hope whatsoever of the tiger changing its stripes or the leopard its spots. The LTTE was becoming an “inspiration” for anti-State militant groups in India.The ill-advised move to form the “Tamil Eelam Air Force” was perhaps the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
Once again the Intermestic nature of the issue was problematic.That problem however was tackled successfully by co-opting the DMK government and AIADMK chief opposition in Tamil Nadu.
The LTTE had by now become an International “pariah”. The tigers failed to realise that the world had changed after September 11th 2001. As a result the global climate was conducive for delivering the coup de grace to the tigers. Thus the conditions were created for the LTTE to be defeated and destroyed.
The convergence of interests between New Delhi and Colombo that led to the decimation of the LTTE is now undergoing strains. Contradictions are emerging in the Indo-lanka relationship.
With the LTTE gone and a wave of triumphalism engulfing substantial sections of the Sinhala polity the Rajapakse regime has little incentive in resolving the problem politically. Rajapakse himself is no ardent advocate of devolution. There is an absence of meaningful action to recognize Tamil rights.
India on the other hand wants a quantum of devolution granted to the Provincial councils. New Delhi is committed to the Provincial councils set up under the 13th amendment to the Constitution. It must be remembered that the 13th amendment is India’s child.
By enhancing China’s role in Sri Lanka, Rajapakse is adroitly counter -balancing India. With the war being over , India finds itself lacking the necessary leverage in Sri Lanka to pressure Mahinda. The 1987 scenario is not applicable in 2010.
India’s attempts to build up a strong Tamil political formation to fill the vacuum caused by the LTTE’s eclipse is also not having the desired results. On the one hand there is no overall Tamil unity in the Island. The Tamil National Alliance that is the most credible Tamil voice in Sri Lanka is not ready to be an Indian puppet. At least not yet.
Despite these strains and contradictions the Rajapakse regime is careful in not rocking the boat with India . Despite their dissastisfaction and resentment with India no Sinhala ruler is prepared to adopt a confrontational approach with India. This is the crucial difference between Sinhala sagacity and Tamil (LTTE and pro –LTTE) stupidity.
So Mahinda Rajapakse drags his feet with regard to Indian requests but does not show defiance openly. All the motions of close friendship with India are dutifully adhered to. Mahinda makes it a point of emphasising tat India is a relative of Sri Lanka and both countries belong to one family.
The reality is that there is a family squabble in the making and tensions are prevailing between the relatives. The plus point of Mahinda Rajapakse is the clever way in which he defies Delhi without creating a crisis.
It is against this backdrop that the President will embark on his passage to India.
Former Indian Prime Minister VP Singh was famous for saying that the art of political governance is skill in managing contradictions. When Mahinda meets Manmohan next week both leaders would seek to manage the emerging contradictions in Colombo-New Delhi relations.
How did the major contradiction relating to the intermestic Tamil issue arise? What are the underlying reasons for this contradiction becoming acute? How will India handle this situation? These are questions worthy of detailed analysis in a future article after Mahinda’s meeting with Manmohan.
D.B.S .Jeyaraj can be reached at djeyaraj2005@yahoo.com
Very illuminating article by DBS. Quite appropriate on the eve of President trip to New Delhi.I am eagerly awaiting the sequel
With all analyse… a well written, well balanced .
With all analyse… a well written, well balanced analytical article. Only DBS can write this.
Thank you DBSJ, for an analytical article. We will wait and see how the situation develops!
May God continue to grant you with all you need to keep writing wisely and courageously and a happy life.
Blessings!
Nice one jeyarajah
India helped Lanka destroy LTTE. Now Colombo is defying New Delhi. But Big brother has no leverage to pressure Mahinda
As the saint Patinathar said in Tamil
“Than vinai thannai sudum. Otappam veetai chudum”
Good article DBS
India will pay for its sins. They armed the LTTE .They failed to disarm them
Now we the Sri Lankan army destroyed them
No need to listen to India here after
China is emerging power. India can go fly a kite
Indira Gandhi made the biggest blunder in Indian foreign policy when she sent her Jet Fighters screeching over a poor,helpless,but a sovereign nation which is one of the few countries that has been democratic since independence.
The three decades of untold misery and suffering inflicted on the citizens of Srilanka are a direct result of this dirty politics of the then Indian government.
India under the current leader, quite rightly has rectified the injustice inflicted on Srilankans by helping Rajapaksa to eliminate the Tiger and his cups.
Srilanka today is totally different to what it was in the 80′s in both local and international field s of influence are concerned.
China which is the only reliable powerful nation in the world when it comes to helping her friends at the hour of need has strong relations with Srilanka .
Srilanka is engaging China in the biggest infrastructure and commercial projects which will make Srilanka a recognizable commercial hub in Asia in the near future.
India may have helped destroy the Tigers but they can not dictate terms to Srilanka that are detrimental to the progress and independence of the nation.
I am sure Dr Manmohan Singh who is the best leader ever in India knows it.I don’t think Dr Singh or the future leadership will embark on dirty politics that the Gandhi administration embarked on against Srilanka.
Rajapaks ,I am sure would not put all the eggs in one basket ,specially after all the hard yards done over the last 5 years to bring SL to what it is today.
Also having good,solid freinds like China onside is good insurance to keep anti Srilankan countries at bay.
DBSJ RESPONDS:
I just want to set the record straight about the Indian air drop over Jaffna. Rajiv Gandhi and not Indira Gandhi was the Indian prime minister then
Indira Gandhi was killed on October 31st 1984. The Air drop was on June 4th 1987
Yes, India played big role to destroy LTTE. Now srilanka will show their two fingers…
Do you all know how much money srilanka spend on indian policy makers,,,
The full details of Indian complicity in the war crimes committed by the current Sri Lankan regime will slowly come out; and the Indian politicians and bureaucrats who were complicit in the crimes, will pay a price for it, regardless of how long it takes.
Welll educating article for youth like me…. Thank you very much sir…. I born in 87….Dont know any thing about those days……. These type of well balanced articles educating us a lot……
DBS
Since Rajiv Gandhi was assasinated in 1991, for nearly two decades India permitted the LTTE to prevail. India did not take any tough action against this outfit. On the contrary, New Delhi urged both the GOGL & LTTE to continue/resume the peace talks until ~2007.
What made the diffrence after 2007. Why did New Delhi decide that the LTTE must go? Could you please elaborate on this?
From the time of Sir John’s “tiff” with Nehru at Bandung in the mid-50s Indian policy-wallahs at South Bloc and thereafter at PMO had reason to believe unless the smaller neighbor Sri Lanka is carefully watched events small and great issues “inimical to India’s wider security interests” – K.M. Panikkar was to warn – may take shape.
In stating “carefully watched” I do not suggest India had plans to undermine the island’s territorial integrity or take steps to overthrow regimes here. Right along India knew how to play her cards and remind the smaller neighbor she is out of step. It is believed Delhi formally celebrated the defeat of Sir John’s UNP regime and the installation of SWRD to power – a subtle message. When Yankee Dicky was out to teach a lesson to India with the help of the USA, whom he mistook will stay loyal to him in fair or foul weather, all of us knew what happened then. JRJ also wanted to please his friend Morarji Desai and his Syndicate pals by instigating his own rabble-rousers to raise “the cow and calf” mockery. We paid a price for the aberration. Prior to that
quiet diplomacy to impress Mrs B to settle within themselves the Tamil issue failed. JRJ had the option devolution and internal rule in the NEP by the Tamils (the Muslim factor was totally unknown then)
Indira, possibly also to get even with JRJ and bring some pressure on GoSL with the message “unless you settle your matter of the Tamils soon. we will have to do it for you” attitude armed the militant youths. The latter have by then – disappointed with the failure of their leaders to get it settled with the Sinhala side via the Parliamentary path – taken to arms. With the death of India and Rajiv later the Tigers lost their mental equilibrium with dreams of the 1st Emperor of a Tamil State in modern times. As this article states India then made the painful decision to wipe out the LTTE in cohort with MR’s army and regime. And now we have the Rajapakse regime, wittingly or unwittingly, bringing China and to a lesser extent Pakistan, to play visible roles here.
This cannot endear the regime to India and let us not be simplisctic by invoking the sanctity of sovereignty. What we must remember is while Indira, Rajiv, VP Singh, Karunanidhi are birds of passage the mandarins of the South Bloc follow a fairly consistent policy in delicate issues crucial to India’s well-being. Change of political parties or individuals at the top in New Delhi rarely affects this position substantially – although on and off a strong individual as PM can make a few cosmetic changes here and there.
And so the counsel here “smaller entities identify common interest with larger interests have greater chances for better prospects for themselves” is sound and valid today as it would have been earlier. The analogy of Finland – in the land mass of the former Soviet Union co-existing with her giant neighbor despite doctranaire differences, Stalin/Beria, Krushchev, Brezhnev-Kosygin – comes to mind. Finland never acted unwisely in action that that then super-power considered “inimical to her security interests”
As to the CEPA, Sri Lanka had time to study this carefully by the time President Rajapakse arrives in Delhi June 08. Certainly, all’s not well with the old FTA – although the polity in India was sincere and serious this helps both sides. The problem is India’s corrupt Customs and equally truent industrialists. While that inspired demonstration at Lipton Circus is no place for the normally tie-attired business high wigs moving in limousines, such fine men like industrialist Mickey Wickremasinghe (Munchee Biscuits) and others being there is a message to GoI to see our investors there do not suffer. I know of instances where Container loads of high-value ceramicware – now in demand with the sophisticated Indian house wife in her increasing entertainment at home – were left lying in the ports of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta despite the Lankan exporters concerned scrupulously following all laid down rules. In one instance what shoud have been 0-10% Duty for a consignment was imposed a 200% Duty.
The reason was the ceramicware had an artificial-gold lining and therefore the wise Customs guy insisted Duty subject to gold applies. Frantic messages were sent to our HC/Delhi and Colombo. Officials in the GoI really did their best to help but the Customs stood firm and were playing procrastinating tactics. Eventually, the influential importer at the Indian side , which neither the exporter or importer could afford as Warehouses-Port charges were rising. Somehow the smart Indian resorted to the ground reality. Some form of the palm-oil treatment settled the issue. This did not, in any way, encourage the Lankan exporter although the GoI was keen to help increase our exports there.
Mr Wickremasinghe’s brand of Biscuits are becoming popular in India whose middle class is growing wealthier by the day. He bought out a factory that turned out Confectionary (somewhere in the Punjab?) He duly tendered for this and should have, by normal standards, received all necessary cooperation to set up his venture. But this was not to be. Various officials placed blocks obviouslywith corrupt intentions. To make matters worse, Indian industrialists and businessmen who were in the same lines were losing out to the Lankans. They were behind all the mischief. So it is where Taxes are concerned. Whereas goods to Delhi and other in the Hindu belt – where there are no sea-ports – have to move their goods from Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai State officials in their own borders demand local taxes right along the land route – although the bilateral agreements provide only for Customs Duty at the port of landing.
These are only two issues that I know of. There can be many that must be addressed. It is upto GoI to ensure their writ is honoured by officialdom – Central, State or otherwise and the essence and spirit of the Trade Agreements are not denied to Lankan businessmen.
Although the FTA signed during CBKs time came under attack in Sri Lanka it proved, as I illustrated in a feature article then, trade increased at both ends with both sides gaining. Naurally, it is inevitable with many instances of success there will be a few of failures as well. Besides, the agreement provides for the removal of features not favourable to either side on due notice.
There is much to gain – politically, economically and in many ways – keeping India as our friend rather than the other way about This is where wise and proper political management comes in. There is no reason at all to believe, in spite of the many declines in our standards overall, we lack sufficient Intellectual capacity and know-how to secure for Sri Lanka what is best for her in our bilateral dealings with India.
ISS
I do not think we can ever solve this intermistic Tamil problem. Even if we give federal state or eelam, tensions will continue since Tamil politics in TN or SL are based on Tamil nationalism. New Delhi & Colombo will have to walk on the rope carefully. 13A+ will only be a face saver for all sides.
Protests against IIAF has given a clear picture. Tamils are eternal enemies of ‘Sri Lanka’ and North Indians our closest and most understanding allies. So if we want to live in peace we will have to please Delhi. That is the reality and that is more sustainable & practical than pleasing TN or Tamil diaspora.
Indian approach towards Sri Lanka to both majority and minority is very amoral. The land of Mahatma will pay for abandoning morality in politics
India destroyed the LTTE for her own future security rather than helping SL.
TN is a volcano awaiting to erupt.Had VP succeeded in SL it would have been catalyst.
Tamils worldwide totaling over 100 Million surely can not fit in to 25,000 Sq Miles.
Srilanka immensely benefitted from the future security concerns of the current Indian regime.
India has no option but to accomodate SL as a friendly neighbor.
India has more benefits from commerce and trade and Srilanka is very attractive tourist destination for the ever growing Indian middle class.
India will never allow independent racial homelands in SL.for obvious reasons.
With two generations of Rakapakas in control Srilanka is in a pretty good position to get into the A league in Asia.
China ,Russia and the wealthy Middle Eastern countries onside SL’s security is assured.
Very informative article Mr.Jeyaraj.
Explains a lot of things
Looking forward to the second one
Harshe #13
Please dont hastily generalise and give up on Tamils
As DBS often emphasises the destiny of Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils is inextricably inter-twined
Most of us Tamils havent given up on our Sinhalese brothers and sisters even after 1956, 58, 77, 81 83 and the long long war in which we Tamils were treated badly
So please dont give up on unity with Tamils because of stupid diaspora and Tamilnadu jokers
Good article. Very informative.
One thing that you failed to mentioned that really made India decide the LTTE needs to be eliminated is the Tiger Airforce. when the tigers started using these planes India could not have a terrorist group flying unauthorized planes few miles away from India. I believe this was the point that the decision was made that the LTTE needs to go.
# 13 Harshe
As they say in real estate – its all about location. location, location, location. location, location, location. location, location !
A well thought out analysis.
As a wise man said, “There are no friends in politics – only interests”. In the late 70s, it was deemed by the Indians that it was in their interest to destabilize Sri Lanka which was tilting towards the West under JRJ’s leadership. Now in the past decade, India seems to have decided that it is in their interest to keep Sri Lanka as one country and destroy the LTTE. Who knows what the future might bring. That is why it is in Sri Lanka’s interest to make sure that connections with India are maintained friendly at all times. That is why Sri Lanka should welcome Indian investments in the country as that creates a situation that it is in the Indian interest to keep Sri Lanka safe.
As for people who are suddenly noticing the strong SL-China connections, one should not forget that SL has had very strong relationships with China since 50s. During that time SL was one of the very few non-communist countries that traded directly with then struggling communist country. Anyone remember the rubber-rice pact? SL was also one of the few countries that consistently supported China at the UN and in other world forums. To their credit, the Chinese have never forgotten that past.
India’s Young and Poor Rally to Another Gandhi:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/05/world/asia/05gandhi.html
“Sonia Gandhi — might install him as prime minister before the current government expires in 2014. The job’s current occupant, Manmohan Singh, recently had to bat away retirement questions.”
#11 kc
It was because the LTTE flew its flights and India became alarmed and it was able to convinced equally concerned post 9/11 west that LTTE must go.
Just imagine that if LTTE can acquire plans and handle them successfully then that will be a motivation of those elements who are enemies of the west to do the same.
It was a 100% stupidity of the guy who lived all along in the bunger with out any idea of the sensitivity of the world outside for his airforce.
So it seems the simple most reason for the elimination of LTTE is it’s AIRWING.
Dear DBSJ
Brilliantly articulated! But should one really see Tamil Militancy and the concerns of civiian Tamils of SL as two sides of the same coin? This is a serious flaw and leaves much to debtae; this is where Indian Diplomats who Script the solution to intermestic issue should rue themselves. Also the current methods adopted by the SL Tamils contributes to the skewness of Indian Diplomacy towards the Sinhalese regime.
The Indian Diplomats should understand that the nature & thoughts of youngsters in Tamilnadu during 70s & 80s are vastly different from today. The Tamils here are very patriotic and Proud of India. They will never be happy to side with Eelam even if Eelam is formed which at best be a country with 3-5 million people(I doubt if it swells to this number). The extent and vastness of India and its diversity is mammoth and youth are in general attracted to this diverse, budding Superpower. So the Indian Diplomats should drop the baggage (idea) of Tamils in Tamil Nadu clamouring for an independent nation.
#12 ISS comments are valid and this corruption issue needs to be handled differently for the progress in trade and economic affairs. Also pleaese note this economic cooperation should not be mingled with political issues.
Also please publish my comments in # 224 to your previous article “Transnational Govt” which should rightfully be here:
……………………………………………..
There are two types of Tamils in Tamil Nadu(India). The first one is India loving Tamils and the second one is Dravida Nadu loving Tamils. In both the groups, there are people who are reconciled that Dravida Nadu is unattainable in current circumstances. The Most vociferous and Vocal support for the SL Tamil movements comes from second group. This is natural and spontaneous; but actually SL Tamil movement will get strengthened only if the 1st group endorses the SL Tamil struggle as genuine.
I know genuine is big word. I correctly use this word because of local knowledge. So one may ask, do few Tamils of Tamil Nadu belonging to the 1st group don’t think that SL Tamil Struggle is genuine? The answer is yes because what they see is, “Armed Tamil groups fight with the State called Srilanka for separation”. These people refuse to accept that because SL Tamils were politically marginalized they were compelled to take up armed struggled route. Still, few of them think that SL Tamils should have avoided armed struggle route at any cost. None can change such views; because, they accept British designed nations as something defined by almighty and should never be disturbed. Also such views are possible from people who live in a far more transparent country like India than all of its neighbors.
I meant Transparency in some particular sense; for example, SL can sentence Tissa for 20years to jail due to silly reasons; whereas in India such things cannot happen in wildest dreams. I remember when S.Balasubramanian of “Ananda Vikatan” was sentenced to few months for jail for publishing a caricature(in 1987), there was big public outrage nationwide and the TN Govt had to withdraw such jail sentence. That is the difference of Institutions in India and in SL. So such views from a section of people in India can be set aside.
So what is the thinking of rest of 1st group of Tamils in Tamil Nadu who form the vast majority? They understand the grievance & agony and also pity for SL Tamil brothers. They know the SL Tamil struggle is genuine and feel apologetic. But presently they are not willing to move ahead and support, because to some extent they are not OK with armed struggle. Additionally they also think that SL Tamils have a reference and love ONLY for Tamil People (or to south Indians only) and not for whole of India – that is strange indeed!. To win the hearts of the 1st group of Tamils in TN, SL Tamils should refer themselves as PIO (People of Indian Origin) and give a new name like SL Indians struggle (rather SL Tamils Struggle) and completely side with India – vocally and vociferously. Even if SL Tamils movement, move towards this direction there will be initially suspicion and hesitation. Sooner or later, they can count on India as a source of their Strength forever, which is true. But, there will be lot of banana skins in this relationships and I expect the SL Tamils have to be extremely vigilant of this exercise and practice fine diplomacy.
Let us also learn how the switch will be viewed in 2nd group. They will gladly and whole-heartedly accept these political maneuvers. Because, in their hearts, their intent is only the welfare of all the Tamils though there may be initial worried reactions. Many of the current leaders who support SL Tamil movement belong to the 2nd group – Nedumaran, Vaiko, Seeman, etc. But these people are not in power and don’t know how to capture power, to do something good for SL Tamils because they don’t practice Politics. One may be surprised that MK who actually belong to the 2nd group is not concerned about the SL Tamil plight. That is probably because of his children, who should have been frustrated that the DMK and MK earned bad reputation for supporting too much Tamil militancy during 1989-91 and lost POWER. Also the SL Tamil militancy did not restrict itself with their illegal activities within the confines of SL Territory, etc. So MK and his children will prioritize POWER over the lives of SL Tamils because they see plight of SL Tamils civilians and the SL Tamil militancy as two sides of the same coin. I am pained to write these words….
So one still may be left with questions like why Dravidian movement party like DMK allows MK only show within the DMK. The answer is very simple; because most of the veterans have passed away. The last one I can remember was Aladi Aruna. Not many among SL Tamils would know/remember him as he did not possess the public charisma as Vaiko. Then during 80s, Vaiko who was in DMK would thunder in the parliament for SL Tamils but none from AIADMK would talk in parliament in support of SL Tamils; because that is the Whip (announced or unannounced) by MGR as he sided with the then ruling party Congress and instructed AIADMK folks not to raise their voice against congress on any issues including SL Tamils Issue. One man from AIADMK thundered on behalf of SL Tamils. He was Aladi Aruna. Frustrated MGR then gave a press notice that the views expressed by Aladi Aruna were his own and not his party’s (This does not mean MGR was not supporting SL Tamils. It simply means that he keeps such issues away from the relationship he had with ruling party in the National govt of India).
Few months later, after the death of MGR, Aladi Aruna rued his political alignment with MGR and said he belongs to DMK and MK. Indian history cannot forget this man Aladi Aruna; he wrote the dissenting note on Bofors kickback probe by the Joint Parliamentary Council and pulled the trigger for the fall of the Rajiv Gandhi Govt. In the subsequent elections due to dastardly assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, circumstances favored PV Narasimha coming to Power as the PM of India who transformed India as a modern, vibrant nation, in many ways(set aside the ills that vastly affect today momentarily). PVNR should be rightly called as Father of Modern India and had visions for our country. I wish a person with PVNR’s caliber take over the leadership of SL Tamil movement and transform the society.
Re; Kalu albert’s comment
“Indira Gandhi ………….. which is one of the few countries that has been democratic since independence”
Sri lanka was not a DEMOCRACY then, or even now!!!! How can a democracy silently watch a section of its UN-ARMED population being killed by another section? eg. 1958, 1977, 1983!!! not only that the pogroms were organized by the government itself!!! There are many more examples which vividly proof that Sri Lanka was never a democracy. eg. Burning of the Jaffna library, Killing innocent bystanders at the 4th Intarnation Tamil conference in Jaffna, both incidents definitely have the Governments hand in it!!! Up to now, no inquiry was held!!! no one was found guilty!!!!
All these above incidents happened well before the “air drop” by the Indian Govt. during Rajiv’s time and before LTTE’s birth!!!!
It will depend on how long Rajapakse can forestall Indian pressure or come to a compromise. India will not be prepared to do the balancing act betwen TN and the Rajapkse regime indefinitely. The people in New Delhi may be patient but not fools.
India has to deal with the Tamils in TN as well as abroad in many countries. The interests of India would be best served by realiseing this fact. No one can fool about with India and escape as learnt by the LTTE. Similiarly it may be a short or medium fuse before Indo-SriLankan relationship comes to a head. If no concessions are given to the Tamils in Sri Lanka, probably India will increase its involvement officially and unofficially to address the Tamil issues. CEPA and the widening of consular offices is the first step.
So Rajapakse has a choice. Either deal with the Sri Lankan Tamil issues locally or risk greater Indian involvement in our internal affairs.
Dear Neutron #15
“TN is a volcano awaiting to erupt”
Would you mind elaborating on that? I haven’t seen any sign of this.
Harshe #13,
“Tamils are eternal enemies of ‘Sri Lanka’ and North Indians our closest and most understanding allies.”
If we (Sinhalese) did not have this sort of half-witted thinking, Sri Lanka would never have gotten into this 30-year mess. Would you label Lakshman Kadirgamar as an “enemy?” Or Kethesh Loganathan?
North Indians do not know anything about Sri Lanka. They could not even locate it on a map. Why should we reach out to them but not the very people who live alongside us??
Mahinda Deiyo will defy India and get away with it. Stupid India blundred by destroying LTTE. Now they have no stick to beat Lanka. But we have China stick to beat India if it gets too funny
I fully agree with Sinhalaya comment
Mighty India bested by tiny Lanka
Apith eka baha baha
Well done DBS,Mr.MR is clever politician, he will handle Indians,If Mr.MR settle the Tamil issue reasonably,Sihalalese and Tamil can live side by side and build the Sri lanka better than Singapore.Sri lanka belongs to both of us.If we are clever enough why should we listen to India.Even we both can resist Indian interference.TNA must adopt quite diplomacy with Sinhalese side and win their heart and mind.Lets not talk about the past both sides have committed mistakes.Lets build a better future for everybody
fine article DBS
your description family squabble is apt. We will disagree and bicker but we wont split and fight. Both of us cant afford it and if outsiders interfere family will stand together
Harshe @comment no 13
I think it is wrong for you to brush all Tamils as enemies for actions of some
When I read the racist statements of people like Gota,Nalin de silva, champika ranawaka, udaya gamanpila, gunadasa amarasekra, gomin dayasiri, sl gunasekara etc I too feel angry and hurt
But I dont think all Singalese are enemies because of these racists
We are brothers and we have to live in Lanka together in friendship and peace
“Arasiyal Pilaitharku Aram Kootruvan”
India exploited Tamils cynically to make Sinhalas give in
Now Sinhalas exploit India cynically to destroy LTTE
Poetic justice indeed
DBS .wonderful article. Cant wait for second one
Excellent analysis.Brilliantly written
Sundaram #17
I am truly angry with the protest in TN against holding IIFA in Colombo. This is quite an emotional issue. Most of Sinhalese love Bollywood and it’s a passion just like cricket. Holding IIFA is a great achievement for all Sri Lankans. I agree that there is a lot to be done for IDPs in north. But it needs time and money. GOSL deserve more time to handle it. As a person with personal experience of some of the power projects in North I know how difficult it is. People do not understand how much effort these Sinhalese people are taking to improve infrastructure in north under extremely difficult circumstances.
Loans for these are taken with difficulty and all Sri Lankans have to pay for them. So what Tamils shouting for is unjust. They want everything to be given to IDPs while boycotting Sri Lankan products, preventing loans for SL and discouraging tourists. To me what they want is clear. More suffering for poor Tamil youth so they can be dragged back to militancy! We the ordinary people are deeply sorrowed by the stories of innocent people who were injured or killed in crossfire. We sincerely believe that SL Army had no intention of harming them. We applaud them for annihilating LTTE since we suffered from immense brutality of them. (Bombs at trains, busses, markets, massacres at border villages and places of worship like Sacred Bo Tree, Temple of the tooth, mosque attacks etc.)
No war is good. There is no use in bringing soldiers to the court. Their actions have stopped any more bloodshed. VP was a maniac like Hitler. Annihilating Nazis is not a crime. Today’s Germany does not consider Hitler as their sun god nor have poojas to honour him! But we must identify all civilians died and injured and give compensation to those families. (This will set the score straight about how many non LTTEers were killed).
True that I should n’t have used the general word Tamil.
But then why don’t I hear any Tamil in SL telling Bollywood to come to SL and visit north to help war victims as well! I see no Tamil who support IIFA in Colombo. (Though majority of the city are Tamils and will directly benefit from it) There is no LTTE to kill them for saying that!
May be we still do not have a good/brave/honest Tamil leader in SL, who can serve true SL Tamils without dancing to the tune of TN/diaspora.As #23. Gbsganesan says I wish SL Tamils will find a person like Narasimha Rao to lead them. A person who do not live in hypothetical world but in reality and getting best for his people with whats available without crying for something unattainable while doing nothing!
I believe it’s time we Sri Lankans realize that we are an integral part of the Indian family. Though we Sinhalese are physically Dravidian we speak an Aryan language and much closer to North India in culture, language and lifestyle. Buddha was a patriot and loved India. As Buddhists we can never distance our selves from Bharath. As Buddhists we are proud to see Asoka chakra in Indian flag. Tamils are Tamils whether they live in TN, Jaffna, Batticaloa or Hatton. Though they should preserve their unique subcultures they cannot fight with other cultures eternally. They should acknowledge the present day realities and learn to respect other cultures.
Though MR government is not perfect peace loving Tamils can certainly get more from MR than they got from anyone in the past. But they will only lose if they continue to be disloyal to the land of their birth & towards a govt. which provided health & education for free and even food for many people for a long time under very difficult circumstances.
I wished that Sri lanka can build closer ties with South Indians after LTTE. But IIFA fiasco made it hopeless! We will never forget the good will shown by Bollywood stars like Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Saif Ali khan, Vivek Oberoi, Boman Irani, Lara Dutta, Ritesh Deshmukh etc. by coming to Colombo. We are also indebted to Amitabh Bachchan for what he did in earlier stage though he may skip the final event due to Tamil protests. We miss SRK and Eish! But know that they have a lot of goodwill towards us. (Eish came to SL just after winning the crown and SRK when that dirty bomb attack happened, but SRK met MR few years ago in Delhi and requested MR to support local cinema) Unfortunately Mani Ratnam missed the best place and time to launch Raavan. Can there be a better place than the Land of the Raavan for that! IIFA has cemented our love for Bollywood forever. But for Collywood opposite. I simply hate them! I will never ever watch Tamil movies made there. Will not let my friends and relatives to do so.
(Though I wish we should ban South Indian films it may only hurt our own Tamils than the wretched Collywood, But we must ban them from visiting the island even on transit) Hope there would be a Jollywood (Jaffna) someday which produce films with more cinematic value than commercial value.
Bollywood charity cricket match will help IDP’s and child soldiers. But what has Collywood done to help their kith & kin in SL? They did not have time to take the 50 minute journey to Colombo from Chennai and help SL Tamils to rebuild. Gov’t is showing Tamil films for the entertainment of IDPs at camps. How wonderful it would be if atleast one of those big Tamil stars comedown and spend some time with IDPs entertaining them! But the truth is that these people are having a tribal mindset and they do not value the lives of poor people unless it suits them. They never talked for the innocent people killed by LTTE.
If they really wanted, Collywood could have influenced LTTE to be more realistic. Instead they themselves were influenced by LTTE/Diaspora racism. They gleefully catered for Tamil diaspora wealth without spreading goodwill & peace for all humanity including innocent Sinhalese killed in bomb blasts.
I know that many Tamils in TN and SL do not support these extremists. I had a chat with a Tamil Engineer in Salem (TN) and he did not even know what IIFA is! He said these TN politicians will find some problem in SL when they have no slogans in TN. Some other TN colleague who worked with him in SL last year, told me that he like the friendliness of Sinhalese people and wish he can marry and settle here. So the people to people friendship is excellent and growing more and more with increased contact with each other. But unfortunately evil voices are louder and stronger hurting the beauty of coexistence!
As for Indo SL relations, things can only improve with the help of past experiences. I am sure that modern progressive India will not repeat their past mistakes of destabilizing SL. MR also knows how crucial India is. So India & Sri lanka will grow from strength to strength and get more & more closer. SL Tamils have little or no choice except negotiating with Colombo. (which they will start doing on next Monday) Meanwhile Diaspora can play with TNGTE etc like naughty kids.
Sri lanka should not look at India as its big brother as those days were over, at least after May 2008. Sri lanka got all the strategies with the able forces( and also with an able Defence Ministry headed by an Ex- soldier of superb tallent to overcome any resistance ) compared to the forces of any other country. Sri lanka can withstand any international pressure or intervention into domestic affairs in the future as it showed its bold stand during the fight with LTTE last year and won. What Human rights and UN standards for us? We have home grown solution for every thing. Srilanka can teach lessions to India or even to US how to fight an enemy. So, Sri lanka need not have any relation with India if it is detrimental to Sri Lanka even through India helped us to finish the war aginst LTTE morally and militarily. China, Pakistan, Iran, Cuba, Mianmar and almost all the SAARC and ASEAN countries are on our side. We are not worried about the western countries. India should not dictate terms to us. The president should stop all dealing with India and say ‘go to hell’ Sri lanka should also abrogate unilaterally the infamous Indo- Lanka accord(1987) on the same line it abrogated the Norway brokered CFA and defeated the Tigers. Sri lanka can handle the Tamil issues as it wish treating them as “our own people’ and colonise their areas with sinhalese population to devolope frindship with the Tamils and ‘protect’ them so that the Tamil will not ask any more for a homeland.
During the next visit to India the president should tell Dr. Manmohan singh that his diplomacy or Tamil Nadu pressure cannot and will not work in the case of Sri Lanka any more.
Harshe | June 5th, 2010 at 1:55 am
Harshe,
Every word is true. Wish to see everyone read that.
Excellent piece. The ITAK/TNA has to understand that (i) only Delhi can help achieve a just political settlement and that (ii) Delhi cannot and will not push beyond the effective implementation of its own achievement the 13th amendment — if it pushes at all, that is. Therefore, the ITAK/TNA simply has to dump the line that the 13th amendment is not an acceptable start line. There is no other. Its Delhi and 13A, or bust.
Hi DBS
Really good artical. Follow it up with another equally good one please
Dear DBSJ, I am tired of congratulating you again and again. So I am not going to congratulate this time for this beautiful article.
I don’t have any words to add to yours now on this topic.
But I do believe that the SL govt will not implement the Indo-Sri Lanka accord in full faith.
I also believed that the 1987, accord will be a victory of sorts and it will enable the sri lankan tamils to live peacefully thereafter.
Unfortunately some of my Sri Lankan friends living in Chennai at that time were not in favour of it.
More than that when the LTTE opposed it and took to arms against the IPKF they supported the decision of the LTTE.
Their is a deep rooted sense of alienation in the minds of sri lankan tamils.
They do not trust the sinhala budhist sri lankan govt.
For that section of the sri lankan tamils whatever the LTTE had done is correct.
They accepted everything said and done by the LTTE as correct.
Mind you they were not living in Jaffna at that time. They were living at Chennai at that time.
We were not able to understand them at that point of time. Had we understood them then the things would have been different.
Now seeing the course of events now I am able to understand their fear that you cannot trust the sinhala govt.
They will not let you live in peace. they will not treat you as equals. they will only try to impose their culture upon you etc etc.
Had not the LTTE killed the Rajiv Gandhi the things would have been different.
Then India would not have sided against the LTTE the way it had done now.
Now with Tigers gone the sri lankan govt is no more interested in solving the Tamil question.
I feel sorry for the plight of the sri lankan tamils.
Rosy has a point. The Bollywood 1st family Bachchans boycotted the show plus the All the Time Great Sharukh Khan. So though Sri Lanka spent $400 million on the show we got a negative feedback all over the world. Rajapakse if clever should have brought back the Buchchans and Sharkh Khan but he again succumed to the Tamilnadu gimmicks.Rosy is wrong to say that Sri Lanka has done nothing for the Tamils
Mervyn De Silva was a well respected journalist. credit must go to him for founding Lanka Guardian which was a No 1 news/current affairs journal
#36 Harshe
Individuals human tendency can be moderate or extreme. This is natural and would vary from one person to another. I would not mind even if some Sinhala practice extremism against Tamils. If I were living in your country I would move away from such extreme elements and go to a place where moderates live.
But the Problem with the SL is the Insitution called SL State which
is brutal and extremely biased. Unless Srilankans change the way their Institution functions, there can be no solution to any of your problems,
let alone Tamils problems.
I was and am big fan of SL cricket and I like your Mahanama the most. It was during 1996 world cup in India, I sided with SL and took a bet. Not many were happy with my behaviour, but I liked the way SL plays the game and so I supported it. I dont regret; probably I may do that in future also. But these feelings are very different and spontaneous and natural to individuals. So let the humans feelings be as natural as they are and not to be confused with other problems. Moreover, MR’s has relatives among Tamisl and the slain Political head of LTTE, Nadesan, married a sinhalese girl. So let us ignore the extremist tendencies of individuals and focus only about the institutions.
SL should focus on its institutions, else in the long run SL will move into a disaster zone.
Well done. A timely dissective analysis. It has exposed the Tamil disunity and their inability to get the full backing of the UN and the IC , and the Sinhalese triumphalism not only over the Tamils but also how it was achieved at the expense of India’s ambition of becoming sold leader of South Asia and a co Asian Leader partnering China.
1. with his comment DJ (Dayan Jayatilleka | June 5th, 2010 at 4:01 am) seem to have started writing the draft of his memoirs. His comments again a show of triumphalism , how he and MR regime had made use of India very well in their firewall against UN Terrorists and Tamils have only one choice now , “Its Delhi and 13A, or bust.
if India pushes hard the hidden message from DJ is do not worry we will ask China to play the Godfather role and put India also at her place.
This shows why DJ is silent with no specific comment on the validity of Rajiv-JR pact which rightly has been highlighted by the author.
2. Leading News from Sri Lanka::
* Vice Premier of the State Council of China to visit Sri Lanka
Fri, Jun 4, 2010, 09:19 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jun 04, Colombo: A current Vice Premier and a prominent leader of government of China, Zhang Dejiang is scheduled to visit to Sri Lanka from the 10th to 12th June 2010.
Issuing a statement yesterday Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry said Vice Premier Dejiang, during his visit will call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister D.M Jayaratne, and Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa.
The prominent leader of the Communist Party of China and a member of its Politburo will lead a delegation of 30 members to Sri Lanka.
That was a master piece as usual DBJ.
However, how long India can protect Sri Lanka is going to be a million dollar question. In the absence of any evidences, Sri Lanka can play innocence safely and India can do what it does.
However the Delhiwalas are going to feel it very uncomfortable soon. The recent NDTV program ‘Blood on Water’ and the huge publicity created by the boycott of ‘Bollywood’ function in Colombo made the whole India’s attention to the Sri Lanka’s atrocities against its Tamil population.
Now I guess all the media will start writing about this and as a democratic country India can’t continue the same. A classic example is the banning of the movies in South India played by artists who been to Colombo. Because the organisers are taking the ‘morally high ground’, no one will find it easy to oppose it and the success of it will be repeated and spread further. The last one I read was about the idea of the boycotting of Indian companies’ product in South India which sponsored the Colombo event. We will soon see that this small fire will spread uncontrollably.
On the other hand Human Right Agencies have collected enough evidences and releasing one after the other. How long the Sri Lankan state can say all are fake?
So in the long run it will be NOT easy for India to do this while doing the business with West. A political writer once said correctly that ‘the solution to Sri Lankan Tamils can only be ensured by India but the key is in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu’.
Thanks DBSJ. for your exposition.
I wish to ask a simple Question from the Rajapakses,Harshas and the Sinhala correspondents,etc.
If the IDP’s happened to be Sinhalese and not Tamils,
will the rehabilitation process take so much time? Will the
Sinhalese public including your correspondents tolerate
such a situation?
Please give a considered, conscientious reply to my question. Thanks.
Subra
Harshe #13
I do respect Harshe for being open and honest in expressing his views and understanding about Tamil: “Tamils are eternal enemies of ‘Sri Lanka’”.
He is a typical Sinhala Buddhist (and patriotic, of course!) indoctrinated by ‘Mahavamsa’ and represents a very large majority of the Sinhala population. But we Tamils know that there is a minority of Sinhalese (like Wijayapala ) who are real Buddhist and peace loving. But they have no say in Sinhala politic. With support from people like Harshe, MR dynasty going to rule Sri Lanka at least 30 years and in this Tamils will be annihilated from Sri Lanka…
i don’t think india was actively interested in destroying the tigers. it was mahinda rajapakse who was determined to destroy them – he got gotabhaya and sarath to do it for him. the indians naturally thought it through and realised that given china’s open support for sri lanka, it was logical to support the government tacitly. here india made a smart decision, one the west should have, but didn’t do. i don’t think india could have stopped the destruction of the ltte. jayewardene had no backbone – mahinda wouldn’t back down at any cost.
India & international countries should send the forces to replace Sri Lankan forces from Tamil Elam. Provide all damages to the Tamil Elamese.
When Sri Lanka respect human rights and provide acceptable solution for Tamil Elam, like Quebeck in Canada, then the International community can leave the country.
From Harshe’s ranting it is obvious, he must be one of Mahinda’s stooges, or one of his extended family
First of all give back the life which was stolen from the innocent Tamil civilians. Government should try to unite the families torn apart. Try to help them find their sons and daughters, husbands and parents, instead of keeping them in secret places and torturing and as skeleton remains. Why spend time and money and demoslish the memorial for the dead? After all it is the final resting place for their loved ones!! Restore their livelihood.
For you guys, living in luxury , seeing Ishvarya Rai or Sharuk Khan may be a big thing!!! But for these unfortunate people one square meal a day or schooling for their children, or just to know whether their loved ones are dead or alive is all they want!!!
Will your government allow the South Indian film stars to go and see the IDPs without any hindrance. Will they allow a benefit show in aid of them and spend the money on the IDPs and not on Settling sinhalese families in the Tamil homes and villages and building Budha staues in every nook and corner?
Will your government give back the houses which was forcefully taken from them to house the “DREADED SOLDIERS” ?
Do you know how many temples and schools and hospitals were bombed by the Government ever since the war started? Why only talk about Dalada Maligawa!!
Will the government release all the “suspected” youths who are in prison for years and years without any charges?
There is a lot more to proof that this Government committed GENOCIDE!! Why is the government not allowing international scrutiny? Everyone knows the answer, but people like you are defending the government at the expense ot Tamil lives!!!
You are lamenting about the governments effort in providing food for the Tamils. Don’t you think it is the duty of the Government!! If you think it is a “big favour” then your govrenment should have allowed the Tamils to go their “own way”, instead of killing thousands and thousands of them!!!! They would have looked after themselves much better than the Rajapakse brothers!!!
Will your government dismatle the paramilitaries under Douglas, Karuna and Pillaiyan? It is a shame to call them ministers!!! What they are doing is forcing young Tamils who have no future, under armed threat to do their dirty work like killing for ransom, robbing, murder etc!! Will your government give job opportunities for the Tamil youths in Jaffna, instead of “importing” sinhalese for this opportunities? It is a shame the IDPs are not even allowed the opportunity to run small eateries or small time fishing just to make ends meet!! Why should the army run the eateris along the A9! Why should the government “import” sinhalese fishermen to fish in the Vanni? If they are genuinely interested in helping the IDPs they should have been given preference!!!
If you want loyalty from the Tamils and for them to forget and forgive, your government should treat them as EQUAL to the Sinhalese!!! MR cannot do this just by talking in Tamil!!! His talking in Tamil will not give them a square meal, or schooling for their children or bring back their children whom they do not even know whether they are dead or alive!!! Where is the transparency?
It makes me laugh when you say that ” As Buddhists we are proud to see Asoka chakra in Indian flag” Sri Lanka has the most violent flag and behaves like one, a lion with a sword” A Budhist country, which is arrogant, cruel and unjust!!! Budha must have forsaken the country for a long time!!! Both coutries got together and killed thousands and thousands and celeberating the killings!!! That is the a reality
I think Mahinda will run rings around Manmohan Sing in direct talks.The Indian PM is no match for Lankan President in shrewd political diplomacy
I wish Dayan will write his memoirs soon as DBS hopes. It will be a best seller
Well we lions will teach Indian’s a lessons on how to do diplomacy. These Indian invaded our air space 25 years ago. China never did. We are better off trusting China.
Hi Harshe #36,
According to your view to be good Tamil one has to be subservient and accept second class citizenship. I do agree that the Tamil Tigers were brutal due to their blind nationalistic policies. However, the Tigers were created by the ethno nationalistic Sinhalese politicians and their goons who passed laws and used state sponsored violence against the Tamil minority. The Tamils did use civil disobedience to protest but were met with violence and uncompromising attitude by the Sinhalese political class. However, I do not hold this against Sinhalese people. I do understand the social circumstances that lead most of them to support the blind nationalist. There is no difference between the Tamils and the Sinhalese when it comes to blind nationalism. They both need to get over it. Also note that elements of the Sri Lankan armed forces committed violent acts such as murder, torture, rape and disappearance of Tamil youth. This is well documented.
There are going to me some Tamils who will still carry memories of anger against both the government and the Tamil Tigers. They live both in Sri Lanka and abroad (Diaspora). There are going to be some Tamils like Sundaram #17 who believe being subservient is the answer. However, most of the Tamils (the silent majority) both in Sri Lanka and the Diaspora want legitimate political and economic solution that allows Tamils to be equal citizens without losing their dignity.
36 Harshe
Great writing my friend. When I read your first blog on this (ie No.13) I thought here we go again another Sinhala extremist with the tail really high up in the air trying to rub it in. Then you come out with a real Gem and changed my opinion on you. Actually I am wondering where have you been all this time. It is nice of you too for explaining your unintentional generalising of all Tamils. As Soma said, everything what you have written is true.
Kalu Albert, can you match that ?.
kc: “What made the diffrence after 2007. Why did New Delhi decide that the LTTE must go?”
India did not have the widow of Gandhi in power all those years. The BJP and other leaders did not have the visceral hatred of the LTTE that Sonia ( and some of her partymen and advisers e.g., M.K. Narayanan, Shiva Shankar Menon vying to show their loyalty to the Rajiv Gandhi clan) had. During the BJP government, there was George Fernandez, who was even thought to be sympathetic to the Tamil struggle, though he,too, was constrained by the Indian establishment, which had always been against the LTTE.
Some people here suggest that the ‘Air wing’ of the LTTE was the reason, but that was just an excuse.
41. Mahesh
You need a does of reality. You said:
“Now seeing the course of events now I am able to understand their fear that you cannot trust the sinhala govt.
They will not let you live in peace. they will not treat you as equals. they will only try to impose their culture upon you etc etc.”
Consider the facts.
Majority of Tamils in Sri Lanka live in so called “non-traditional” Tamil areas. That is not in the North and the East. They live, among Singhalese. They work among Singhalese. Majority of the Colombo population is non-Singhalese. They occupy prominent positions in the business. The leading media organization in the country, Maharajas is Tamil owned. Sirasa TV, which is the most popular TV channel in the country, is owned by them.
There is absolutely no restriction on the Tamil culture in SL. There are Tamil newspapers, Tamil TV and other Tamil cultural activities. Most Buddhist temples have kovils that are devoted to Hindu gods. A large number of Singhalese girls are trained on Baratha Natyam. If the Singhalese wanted to impose our culture on the Tamils, first of all we would ban teaching of Tamil in schools. Then we would shut down all Tamil media sources and made sure that the media organizations are not Tamil owned. Then we would start teaching Tamil children in Singhalese. That is forcing our culture on them.
You sound like an Indian. What I say to you is, don’t be fooled by the propaganda of pro-LTTE types and politicians in India. If you get the chance, go visit Colombo and stay in one of our breathtaking beach hotels. What you will see and experience will open your mind.
All what the Tamils need is an equalizer, until then let us say yes sir, yes sir. How will India pay for it? How about 30 new countries out of India.
Excellent piece DBS.
But tell me something about India’s stubborn stance in allowing SL to host IIFA despite offers from richer nations such as Canada and Japan.
Is India colaborating with SL to avert international war crimes inquiry or is it slowly but surely spreading its tentacles into Sri Lanka’s economy.
Much as I dislike the President for his role in the massacre of Tamil civilians and his obvious nepotism in electing his cabinet and parliament I do not think he would barter Sri Lanka’s assets for narrow personal gain.
Sri Lanka can play ping pong with China and India but is the country in danger of being engulfed by these emerging powers and in the process destroy Sri Lanka economically?
13. Harshe
It is difficult for you to play North Indians against the South Indians in India.
I am living in Chennai and I have travelled a lot all over India. The people anywhere in India are good and they genuinely love you.
There is a sense of oneness in india. The North Indians come to Rameswaram and the South Indians go to Benaras on pilgrimage for the past many millinia.
There is cultural integration in India.
You cannot pitch the North Indian against the South Indian.
The only sensible option before you is to live in peace with the Tamil brethren and treat him as a human being.
You can treat him as an equal later. First treat him as a human being.
If you fail to do this then their will be consequences, from which you cannot escape as Newton said in his famous third law of motion ‘for every action there will be equal and opposite reaction’.
7. Kalu Albert
Indira Gandhi made the biggest blunder in Indian foreign policy when she sent her Jet Fighters screeching over a poor,helpless,but a sovereign nation which is one of the few countries that has been democratic since independence.
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The same poor and helpless soverign nation used the fighter planes to kill the poor and innocent tamil civilians. The same poor and helpless soverign nation used phosporus powder to kill the innocent tamil civilians.
You people will not feel sorry about it, because it didn’t happen to you. It happened to your Mahawamsa enemy Tamils. If it had happened to you how would you have reacted.
I some times wonder whether you people have a conscience or not.
36. Harshe
People do not understand how much effort these Sinhalese people are taking to improve infrastructure in north under extremely difficult circumstances.
Loans for these are taken with difficulty and all Sri Lankans have to pay for them.
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You are lamenting about the financial cost imposed on you because of the war.
The tamils have paid with their life, limb and liberty. You are paying only money.
Tamils have been killed, maimed, raped etc etc by your army and govt.
You feel no remorse for that but you are lamenting about the financial cost imposed on you.
# 36 Hi Harshe,
I read your comments and from those sepaking to you via this forum.
Harshe, you have said very valid points. I’ would say 99.99 % right in what your saying and clarifying etc. Thank you.
Only the following is very illuminating as to what goes in any Tamil’s mind thse days.
“True that I should n’t have used the general word Tamil.
But then why don’t I hear any Tamil in SL telling Bollywood to come to SL and visit north to help war victims as well! I see no Tamil who support IIFA in Colombo. (Though majority of the city are Tamils and will directly benefit from it) There is no LTTE to kill them for saying that!”
But dissapointing is wanting the Tamils in Colombo etc. to have a say on IIFA and the boycott. I dont live in SL but I am sure they, the everday Tamils in Colombo have nothing to do with stars staying away from IIFA.
Furthermore GoSL provides no democratic space for them to say or act on any other aspects of the situation, without fear.
So why only this.
I always found it interesting that there is hardly ever any strong arguments posted against what david has written.
The comments that are posted (and not removed) are either congratulatory, weak critique, or derogatory and insulting of the author.
Recently, I had a chance to interact with a few Intellectuals who were attending Tamil studies conference at University of Toronto. They are close to TNA leadership. In their opinion, current TNA leadership does not want to be seen as Indian puppet. This stand didn’t go well with Delhi. I think it is important that TNA should stay clear of any labels to avoid alienation Tamil population, and for certain extent majority Sinhala moderates suspicion.
After 1983, TULF leadership stayed in India too long, and lost touch with the ordinary SL Tamils. In my opinion, this is how Amirthalingham / Sivasithamparam lost Tamil leadership to militant youth in late 80’s.
To have a long lasting solution, we need India’s blessing, but more importantly, majority Sinhalese’s consent. I am convinced that TNA under Sampanthan understands the geopolitics of South Asia, and act accordingly to get a final settlement to SL Tamil speaking people.
I remember with horror, India’s “hands off” policy towards Sri Lanka, prior to the defeat of the Tamil terrorists… when the Tamil terrorists had a field day butchering the Sri Lankans.
India refused to arm the democratic, sovereign Sri Lankan state to fight the Tamil terrorists but instead parroted that Sri Lanka should go for a ‘political solution’ with the Tamil terrorists who were, ironically a tool the Indian government, to put brakes on Sri Lanka’s march to the prosperity 30 years ago.
If the goddamned Indians did not mastermind to plant the Tamil terrorists in Sri Lanka in the early 1980s, Sri Lanka today would have been in par with Singapore, and the IT sector would have flourished better in SL, than in India.
Sri Lankans are hardly likely to forget or forgive India for that below-the-belt kick… and must always remember the critical need to counter India’s crooked designs through pacts with other powers like China and Russia.
It was not a good idea to use arms to fight the injustice on tamils, specially when tamils are a small minority , with a majority which sees tamils as an enemy race: (1956, 58, 77, 81 83). Thus use of Wrold war militery forces to fight a civil war without regards to its own citizens lives and properties…
Total end of milliraty aspect of the eelam struggle,rather than “unfinished” job, is a good oportunity for tamils to start a new fight, a polical and diplomatic one , which will surely arract more supporters around the world. and India , Chinese, Russian bombs can no more be used to fight this political and diplomatic struggle. India nervosity diplayed at UNHRC and with IIFA awards is a good indication.
Nice union of Two war criminals.
Thank you for the good article. I appreciate more if you could have highlighted the amount of hardships the Sri Lankan Tamils went through when the war between the India and LTTE was on. There were hue destruction was carried out, numerous human right violations were staged and many more. If you could include those records then, at this juncture, it would be more helpful to understand the India’s motive.
DBSJ RESPONDS:
I have written all about those and as a result was fired by “The Hindu” as their Colombo Correspondent. I was also arrested and detained at the 4th floor and interrogated for days. I was produced in courts and experienced legal proceedings .I was forbidden to travel outside Sri Lanka for some time
All these happened because I was writing about what was actually happening in the North during the Fighting between the IPKF and LTTE
Only one comment………. Good or bad time and history will reiterate and remember who was hero who was traitor………… it is almost a year after LTTE lost the war but Tamils peopel’s prospective about LTTE, TNA and other groups does not change and will not change…….that was election results!!
I know you will label me LTTE sympathizer or terrorism supporter. But I like to tell you one thing that I am against LTTE as same as GOSL and media person like you.
Hello DBSJ,
Superb !!
“Despite their dissastisfaction and resentment with India no Sinhala ruler is prepared to adopt a confrontational approach with India. This is the crucial difference between Sinhala sagacity and Tamil (LTTE and pro –LTTE) stupidity.” – This is 100% true. Tamils lost everything because of this stupidity. By supporting VP and his regime we tamils made huge mistakes. When Indian army came Tamils were so happy. Why the cannot resist LTTE at that time? Without tamils support LTTE cannot withstand. Why this was happend. You are absolutely right we were STUPIDS.
I don’t understand why TNA is defying india now. We shouldn’t make the same mistake again.
Bala
Dear DBSJ,
I am impressed. Wonderful analytical work. Please keep going. Wish you best of luch. Thank you.
reg, Shanker.
63 Mahesh
Get real Mahesh. Are you suggesting that Sinhala and other communities in SL didn’t suffer because of the murderous LTTE ?. The whole country paid very dearly because of the war, and who started it and what did they achieve a the end.?. As Harshe mentioned, we are bending over backwards in Sri Lanka to please the IDPs
Remeber there are people living in worst conditions in other parts of Sri Lanka regardless of their ethnicity.
In Colombo people living in shanties are kicked out on to the street with no where to go. So don’t try to take us on the guilt trip Mahesh. Just imagine if the LTTE won the war, they would have gone on a massacre spree
Have you forgotten that the LTTE used these hapless people as human shields to achiev their aims.?.
I can go on and on, but people like you who look at this from a twisted angle will always blame the Sinhala people for evrything.
Give something back to the community you live in, don’t try to always take take. The Tamils going to Australia by boat as asylum seekers are fighting for rights even before they land in Australia. Even over there they are trying to take the Australians on a guilt trip. How come they don’t go to India or any other country, but want to go to a rich western country ?.
Dear Marusira,
Your namesake sacrificed his life for the ideals of the downtrodden Sinhala masses in the hands of the SLFP govt. during the JVP insurrection of 1971.
I do empathise with you that not just the IDPs but the larger SL populace are in dire economic poverty.
I do not for one moment believe that Sinhalese are the cause of everything that went wrong with the Tamils.
But self-serving Tamil politicians pawned our legacy to parity throug their own selfish agenda starting from Ponnambalam brothers.
However, i do not agree with you that Tamils are demanding rights in Western countries for their economic advancement.
We lived with relative dignity until racist politics whippede up Sinhala Buddhist nationalism and caused untold misery to the innocent civilians since 1958.
Unless we want western powers and closer to home India and China dictate to us we should begin the ending of the bloody war to self-examine and begin reconciliation and granting of minority rights within our country which includes another minority Muslims.
Otherwise we will be mired in the same mess and be relegated to the dustbins of history as a failed nation and a fractured isle decending into the worst South Asian economy.
DBS well balanced in this article. However, the reality is India and LTTE lost the war, at least now!. Srilanka always use India in critical points. Srilanka never change his friends as India does . Srilankan government true friends are China and Parkistan. I’m not telling this, the history does. Indian’s corrupt politicians are weak points for India but for Srilanka, they are the plus points. India always used innocent Tamils for his own Geo-political reason. Srilanka has enough experience with India, they knew how to get away with Indian made solution for Tamisl in Srilanka. India will not let the Tamil to establish their dream Eelam either.Totally, India is curse for Srilanka. At leas at this point, all Srilankan, I mean Shinhalease and Tamils should show the Indian’s real face to international community and punish them in the international court for commiting crime aganst the humanity and playing game with Srilankan people for Geo-political intrest.
Khannan Reddy
47. subra
There were many non-Tamil IDPs long before there were Tamil IDPs in Sri Lanka. In 1994 all non-Tamils were given 24 hours to get out from Jaffna. You think that they were not IDPs? There were Singhalese and Muslims chased away from Mannar. They were IDPs for 25 years and could go back to their villages only after the war ended.
So your question is valid, but you should ask similar questions from the Tamils too. At the same time, also ask the question, how long did it take USA to settle all the people that got displaced by Hurricane Katrina, how long did it take the EU to settle the displaced people from the break up of Yugoslavia in the mid 90s and how long the Palestinian IDPs have been waiting to go back since they were chased away from their lands.
It is of no comfort to the current IDPs who are currently waiting in the camps in Sri Lanka to know that under similar circumstances people have been waiting in camps for longer, but it will give context to the question that you are asking.
[...] Despite these strains and contradictions the Rajapakse regime is careful in not rocking the boat with India . Despite their dissastisfaction and resentment with India no Sinhala ruler is prepared to adopt a confrontational approach with India. This is the crucial difference between Sinhala sagacity and Tamil (LTTE and pro –LTTE) stupidity……………. READ MORE [...]
# 58. Ranjan from Toronto
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Thanks for explaining the rosy picture in Srilanka.
Now one can easily understand Srilankan Tamils fight in vain
Mr Nandasena despite his name obviously is a Tamil gentleman.His comments about the hardships of the displaced Tamil people in The NE are of great concern to many of us.
But the simple fact is that these hardships are the cumulative effects of three decades of terrorism which was imposed on the Srilankan citizenry by
Gandhi Administration
The Rich Diaspora Tamils and their Western allies
The Well Off Colombo Tamils in that order.
There is no point in mentioning VP because there is no way to make him pay anymore..Srilanka government ultimately is left to carry the can.
The luxury life Nadasena attributes to Harsha pales in to insignificance when compared to the luxury lives of the Diaspora Tamil brethren.
As for the boycott of the Bollywood show by the Hindi A list is purely a commercial decision as the 2 Million Tamil customers are nothing in comparison to 80 Mil in TN.
# 74. marusira
Remeber there are people living in worst conditions in other parts of Sri Lanka regardless of their ethnicity
- —–
Thanks for clarifying why IDPs shall live in harsh conditions.
Now every one can understand why Srilankan Tamils fight
74. marusira
The whole country paid very dearly because of the war, and who started it and what did they achieve a the end.?.
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i do strongly believe that the war was started by the sinhalese, when they indulged in anti tamil pogroms aided and abetted by the sinhalese govt.
Mind you there were anti tamil pogroms almost every other year starting from 1948.
You don’t want to treat your tamil brethren as equals. No wonder you are called a failed democracy by LKY.
Don’t put all the blame on tamils only. Your complicity is well recorded.
” It was the Sri Lankan armed forces under the military leadership of Sarath Fonseka, administrative leadership of Gotabhaya Rajapakse and political leadership of Mahinda Rajajapakse who fought the war and achieved victory”
Hey, DBSJ, i did not know that you had become a diplomat now.
I think that this is a long overdue article. The india srilanka relationship is the vital factor that will define the outcome in all this. Now that China has poked its nose in a big way the tamils can have a well deserved rest and just watch the fun.
# 74 Marusira
As Harshe mentioned, we are bending over backwards in Sri Lanka to please the IDPs
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Marusira, you are not bending enough. You have to bend more until your back breaks.
And who the hell are you to question where the asylum seekers go ? I just want to know, how much percentage of Sinhalese are silly, mean and stupid like you.
#65 Observer
Very rarely does DBS express his personal views through his articles related to events and developments. His writings are based on facts and are (IMHO) generally descriptive. The unprejudiced and informed reader would therefore have very little to argue with. About the rest, oh well…they get rattled when facts confront their deep rooted bigotry. Hence the reaction.
As always, very informative article DBS. Enjoyed your use of the English language. In particular the line.
“Individual leaders by force of their personalty may effect a change in the style of implementation but cannot effectively change the substance of policy.” is classic. It very neatly and aptly sums up the working of the Indian polity.
Eagerly looking forward to the next part.
58. Ranjan from Toronto
Ranjan first talk how you would have felt if you were in the receiving end. Your town or village is bombed by the sri lankan airforce.
Indian air chief has said that air force is not the right force to fight insurgency.
You can only do carpet bombing and kill and maim civilians. Is that not an act of state terrorism.
Since you are not in the receiving end you people are not talking about it or even if you talk you people are supporting it. Because only the para damela’s are killed.
What about the complicity of the sinhalese govt in various anti tamil pogroms right from the 1948.
Is this the way you treat your own people.
What about the Jaffna library burning. Is that not an act of cultural genocide.
Now one year after war still baby steps are not being to taken to solve the tamil problem. This i am not telling but Chandrika kumaratunga tells.
You are claiming that tamils are living in large numbers in colombo.
Many of them have resettled from the north and east due to the war and settled in the relative safety.
If no violence happens today it is because you are watched by the world. Only that is the reason and not your benevolent heart.
“However it is widely known that the covert input and overt support extended by India was largely responsible for the fruits of success”
I beg to differ. China funded the entire war and gave all the military hardware. VP was caught with his pants down because he was only thinking of india as the major threat. He would have thought that if China came into the scene India will put pressure on Srilanka to keep China out of its backyard. The Sonia, manmohan duo are a patient couple. They decided one thing at a time, first we will take care of this guys who killed rajiv, then we will take care of the China threat.
So India said everybody can join in please if you want to finish the tigers, and finally VP had to take on China, Srilanka, pakistan, Iran and India in that order. in other words it was like a gang rape with india cheering on and keeping the western cops at bay until it was over.
So i agree with you that India was largely responsible in an indirect manner for the demise of the tigers, but china was largely responsible directly. Next comes the Srilankan armed forces who fought surprisingly tenaciously, unlike earlier where they used to stop and start , stop and start. China provided the firepower and funds and Srilanka went on recruiting the manpower.
The tide completely changed for the tigers with Bush seeing a terrorist behind every bush, and china suddenly spotting Srilanka’s vital strategic location, which would have been also due to the invasion of Iraq, to secure its energy supplies.
DBSJ RESPONDS:
You are most welcome to disagree but do you really know what the “covert input” by India was?
54. LionLad
Well we lions will teach Indian’s a lessons on how to do diplomacy. These Indian invaded our air space 25 years ago. China never did. We are better off trusting China.
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Lad of a lion. I am amused by your words that you are better off trusting China and you will teach India a lesson or two in diplomacy.
Child let me tell you some history.
Pakistan always counted China as a strong ally and in 1971 it expected the active intervention of the China in the war.
The Prime Minister of India at that time Mrs. Indira Gandhi, said that we will see to it that China will not come into the conflict and indeed China could not intervene militarily in the conflict.
Pakistan still trusts China.
Child I would say one thing for you.
Trust in yourself. Don’t trust in any outside help.
We will eagerly await you to learn a lesson or two in diplomacy.
DBSJ, thank for the analysis, yes; whether we like or not, India is there and future of “Sri Lanka Tamil Issue” will rotate around COL-ND axis .
As DBSJ too has admitted that , Sri Lanka’s Tamil issue was- ( is )- for Sri Lanka a domestic issue with an international spillover , so, if we could just forget ,for a moment, the International part of INTERMESTIC Tamil issue, and take it’s Domestic Part, I really appreciates if DBSJ or DJ or any intellects could elaborate scientifically the so called ‘ genuine Tamil grievances’ of Tamils in Vanni or Trinco and how these grievances differ from the grievances of Sinhalese or Muslims in Monaragala or Puttalam?
when it comes to political, economic or Admin issues. Are there vast differences on the root causes of JVP uprising (Sinhala grievances: 1971 & 1987/8) and LTTE (Tamil grievances- again forget about the ‘International ‘ part -) ? For the emergence of Lasting solutions, these aspects too need to be considered, I wish!.
#18-Ambalangoda man
when the tigers started using these planes India could not have a terrorist group flying unauthorized planes few miles away from India.
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You are dead right about that. Another big mistake by VP. India was clearly rattled by the number of nuclear reactors in tamilnadu and other south indian states.. It knew it was dealing with a madman who could ram his planes into them. Just imagine the radiation fallout.
Talking of nuclear power i think the future nuclear bombs going off will be suitcase size. Cities that have contended with conventional bombs will in future have to contend with nuclear as the conventional variety becomes obsolete just like everything else due to changing technology.
Probably the best thing would be to live on a farm. Here we go , fashions change and back to the rural countryside. Ahhhh what clean air, no pollution. no radiation………
Comment 75 Pearl Thevanayagam,
An excellent and honest piece of expression from the minority ethnic group.
You are absolutely correct to say that who suffer most in Srilanka are the poor on both sides of the Ethnic divide.
In the new post terror era,this has been exacerbated by the addition of the IDPs to the equation.
Avrage poor Sinhalese have no problem with Tamil people and these are the absolute majority who are backing the Rajapaksa regime.
I am sure poor Tamil people would have no problem either with the Sinhalese, except the ones who have been indoctrinated.
The comments in these columns do not reflect the thinking of these majorities on both sides.The majority of the columnists themselves are engaged in either anti government and anti Buddhist propaganda which leads to bitter irrelevant and racist comments.
The need of the hour in Srilanka is to provide better living standards for the displaced people.The government is doing as much as it can with the help of the impartial donor agencies.
People who can help in a big way like the rich Diaspora is acting as a spolt sport and poisoning the Western countries and prevent any aid.
Who are they hurting by this selfish attitude.? It is definitely not the Rajapksas.
This is the time the Tamil community needs good honest politicians who have the welfare of their people at heart, not whether they can squeeze an enclave for themselves.
If the rich Diaspora takes the lead and use their good puling powerin the h West and organise a mini Marshall Plan to develop the North and the East there would not be any poor people in these regions.
Then again if there are no poor, how can this current crop of politicians survive?
DBSJ
How would i know what the covert input of india is?We are ordinary members of the public, and the only information we get is what we read and our perception is based on these. So we could easily go wrong because we don’t go around ferreting out covert stuff. Can you tell what these covert inputs are, maybe i am wrong about india’s role being less important to China’s.
Not tonight Josephine………DBSJ
84 Nostradamuus
So you are one of those who is having a good life in a Western country thanks to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka.
Of course you ought to be grateful to VP for facilitating you to get there, nevermind the thousands of people got killed and injured in the process. Isn’t it a blessing in disguise.
Are you helping your kith and kin remaining in SL, or are you saying “No no it is the SL Govt’s job to look after them”.
I am allright Jack, f……….. the rest.
18. Ambalangoda man | June 4th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Good article. Very informative.
One thing that you failed to mentioned that really made India decide the LTTE needs to be eliminated is the Tiger Airfo
————————————————————-
Here is a excerpt from DBSJ’s article
“The ill-advised move to form the “Tamil Eelam Air Force” was perhaps the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.”
86 Mahesh:
You said:
Ranjan first talk how you would have felt if you were in the receiving end. Your town or village is bombed by the sri lankan airforce.
Most of the people in Sri Lanka (both Tamil and Singhalese) have been at the receiving end for the last 30 years. I knew couples in Colombo that would not travel in a single vehicle at the same time because they did not know when a car bomb or a suicide bomber would take their lives and they did not want their children to be parentless. I also know how LTTE attacked small defenseless villages and hacked and killed everyone in site. Some of the little kids were killed by bashing them against trees. So your sanctimonious arguments that I was not at the receiving end does not hold water.
Let me ask you something. How do you feel when your police forces are ambushed by Maoist rebels in the Tribal areas? How do you feel when they attack police posts and take away the arms and ammunition? Do you support your armed forces to go in to these areas and hunt them down or you want your government to sit down with them and talk about their grievances and come to a settlement? They are doing exactly the same thing that LTTE did at the start of their campaign 30 years ago. So it may not be that long before that we will see Indian Air force bombing tribal positions. Is it an act of terrorism when the Indian government supports big mining companies that go into the Tribal areas and uproot villages so that they can get at the natural resources?
You said:
“What about the complicity of the sinhalese govt in various anti tamil pogroms right from the 1948.
Is this the way you treat your own people.”
Our government’s complicity is no different to your government’s complicity in various anti-Muslim pogroms. Neither has a good record. Can you tell me how and why a person who is complicit in 1984 riots against Sikhs is a cabinet minister in the present Indian government?
You said:
“Now one year after war still baby steps are not being to taken to solve the tamil problem. This i am not telling but Chandrika kumaratunga tells.”
True, the process to solve the problem could be faster but that is how it is. As for CBK’s utterances, even a 10 year old kid in Sri Lanka knows how much credibility she has in solving the Tamil issues.
You said:
“You are claiming that tamils are living in large numbers in colombo.
Many of them have resettled from the north and east due to the war and settled in the relative safety.”
That shows how ignorant you are about Sri Lanka. Most of the Colombo Tamils did not move from north and east due to war but they have been settled there for generations. In fact, Wellewatte, which is a small area in Colombo has been know as little Jaffna since 50s. It is also interesting to note that you yourself wrote that the Tamils are in “relative safety” in Colombo. If there is a ongoing genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka as you and the other LTTE supporters have alleged, how can that be? One would have thought that it would be the Tamils living in the Singhalese areas that would be the first victims of such a genocide.
You said:
“If no violence happens today it is because you are watched by the world. Only that is the reason and not your benevolent heart.”
Again, that is pure BS Tiger propaganda. The Singhales did not react or get provoked by acts of extreme brutality by the LTTE during the war. They did not react when the holist Buddhist places of worship were bombed. Nor when hundreds of devotees were gunned down at Sri Maha Bodhi at Anuradhapura. If the Singhalese wanted revenge, the most opportune time was last year after May 18 when LTTE was finally no more. People danced and lighted fireworks on the streets, but was a single Tamil property damaged in the country? Instead, what happened was that there were many campaigns to collect supplies and relief items for the IDPs. By comparison, Hindu-Muslim riots start in India just on a flimsy rumors.
#92
Not tonight Josephine………DBSJ
———————————————————–
What kind of eggs would you like for breakfast Napole.
I can make for you scrambled, omlette but not fertilised ones please.
Sunny side up please……….DBSJ
Dear DBSJ
I observe your article is highly informative but you missed some draw data. According to Indo-Lanka act NEPC was formed by a democratically elected body. At one historic event NEPC declared Independent Eelam.
It is miracle Mr Vratharajapperumal who declared independent Eelam is still breathing. This is actually god’s message for Eelam citizens. Indian independence itself was a necessary devil for Mahatma Ghandi.
Independence of Eelam also a necessary devil.
Parathy
DBSJ RESPONDS:
The North – Eastern Provincial Council with Annamalai Varatharajapperumal as chief minister was not a “democrtically” elected entity as you say
Also Varathan never declared Tamil Eelam. He only declared an intention of proclaiming Tamil Eelam
#47
there are sinhala IDPs (from Tsunami) still lamenting in tents 6 years after the incident – eg – go on Ambalanagoda- Elpitiya road, you will see a mass of tents where people still live in tents
#61. Mahesh
To treat Tamils as human beings they must behave as human beings first, not wild beasts
This a good article.
I like to read the comments as many are able to express themselves.
I do not agree that Harshe’s expressions are the majority sinhala mindset. Its obvious he’s part of the govntmnet and support Rajapaksa views.
IIFA is the most important issue for him which is not for majority fo SL citizens. How can the tamils be enthusuastic about an IIFA?
The politicalising all events is stupid….and these euphoria will die very soon. JUst as SRK episode in SL didn’t go far politically.
Yes about IDPs …. result of tamil militancy … these are inevitable consequences of effects of war.
I feel lots of effort is put in resettlement.. Clearing the mines and unexploded devices ispainfully difficult. If any of these resettled IDPs die of a land mine who will be responsible? the voices shouting for resettlement and pressurinsing will then point fingers at GOSL.
Its happening the resettlement…but its slow and painful nomagic wands to provide milk & honey in a second.
What I’m sad is the tamils never appriciate the good that is done to themby sinhalese … it is being racist? As they hang on to bitter memories and copmlain. No progressive effort to buils bridges and mend the fences.
When only the black spots are highlighted and no due appriciation given to the good efforts taken by part ofthe GOSL & society at large is depressing.
I am thouroghly enjoying the melodrama between Josephine and Napolean. Gee you guys are great fun
Re: point 70
Thank you Mr.D.B.S. Jeyaraj for your response. I am sorry for what happened to you when you were doing your duty. And I am appreciating your great work you had done and the courage you had to expose the public suffering.
I guess, you must be in better position now, to reproduce that article with comments of your difficult and outrage experience you had gone through those days.
May god bless you!
95. Ranjan, Toronto
LKY said that you are a failed state. Your mentality proves that you people are irredeemable.
VP understood you people better.
Don’t talk trash about India.
In india we don’t bomb with air planes be it maoists or anyboody else. Our court tells the state that the maoists are also our own people.
Our govt doesn’t have complicit in any riots.
One of our chief ministers had appeared before a panel of investigators.
It had not happened in your country.
No tissanayakam will be jailed in india. Our institutions are strong.
You people are occupying a small area. That is not the problem.
Many small countries are having large hearts.
I wish that your politicians also talk like you and mess up the things then you will know its repurcussions.
Mr. Jeyarajah,
Thank you for depicting the chain of events that the younger generation would benefit. It would also help in the somber reflection of events past by my generation.
Your discussion on the role of India and Sri Lanka on the war reminded me of a cartoon I saw just before (or was it just after) WWII in “Ananthavikadan” when I was 10 yrs old. It depicted a railway track, with two steam engines approaching each other at full speed. One was named USA and the other USSR. On the track, inches from the two trains, was Hitler. (I hope with your excellent ability to track down sources, you could access that cartoon and republish it.)
All I could think of was the train crashing into each other as they crushed Hitler. There were no title or explanation. Aa a 10 yr old I was only thinking of the damage to the train engines and the engine drivers. At that time I was impressed that the cartoonist was predicting the sequence of two events and warning both countries. We saw USA survived the crash but Soviet Union broke up into pieces 40 years later.
It looks like the same fate would happen to India, Sri Lanka or for both depending on their “strength and wisdom”. Both are milli-seconds away from the crash that is imminent. The thought does occur whether the China train is coming at full speed pushing the Sri Lanka train that would make the Sri Lanka train’s brakes useless even if it consciously applied them, while USA, Pakistan and others are non-innocent bystanders waiting to pick up the surviving pieces.
Another cartoon comes to my mind when I read your article. It was by Collette in the Daily News or may be the Evening or Sunday Observer. I am not sure. It was published just before or just after the 1961 attempted Coup. The cartoon depicts the landing of the old Jetty where a European couple in the row boat ready to go to the steamer in the middle of the harbour. Their tourist guide, in checkered sarong and white coat, umbrella on hand and a comb in his hair, was waving goodbye to them. He says, “Come back next year I will show you more ruins.”
It is a masterpiece and timeless. The cartoon would have been appropriate (with a motor launch) for any of the last 30 years. Will it continue to be valid for more years to come is what those who want peace should contemplate.
99. Mangalaya
Please enlighten me human behaviour Sri Lankan style..
May be in sri lanka, it is human to burn a library, to kill the prison inmates in the death row.
There was the complicity of the police in that act.
The perpetrators are let off by the courts after a few years of internment.
Probably you let off them early on for the act of killing the prison inmates.
May be your authorities said to get remission in sentence kill as many tamil prisoners as possible.
Also it is human behaviour to kill thousands of people to avenge the killing of a few soldiers.
It is human behaviour for sinhalese politicians to tell in the parliament that we can protect you (Tamils) and also we can kill you in no time.
If these are human behaviour now I understand the meaning of the human behaviour as per the sri lankan dictionary.
96 Shanker,
We can’t be picky at our age dear.Any eggs would do.
Why are we Tamils cursed so much?
#105 Mahesh what we meant by saying Tamils are like wild beasts means Tamils are so uncivilized as opposed to the Sinhalese.Sinhalese are not like this. Basically Tamils live like pigs.Sinhalese eat good clean food, we even eat rats and cockroaches. Go to a Sinhale Buddhist Temple and Tamil Kovil you will see the different.
DBS
you know very well we Sinhalese will never give in to Indian dictates
India is a liability for Tamils in Sri Lanka.if India was not there the Sinhalese wont be viewing Tamils with suspicion and mistrust
Mahesh Sinhalese wear white for religious observances and behave decently Tamils do not even have a colour to wear! Sorry Mahesh Tamils are wild beasts
Congratz on a superb article Mr.Jeyaraj.Looking forward to another
91. Anonymous | June 5th, 2010 at 9:37 pm,
Don’t tell the Tamil diaspora are not helping and rebuilding their Kith and kins lives. We had been and are helping with enourmasly and with so much of hinderance from Silnaha racist officials,Government bureocracy,Sla etc These were and are my and few of my friend’.s experience.I still have few Medical equipements, bookes,locked up in my garage.awaiting to be collected by a Zimbabayan charity.I have also donated books and medical equipements to charities in afarican countries the experience their was much different and easy.
The money we send to our Kith and kins were hard earned and already taxed money When we sent this money We should be guranteed it should reach our intended target.
When we send our money to our kith and kins and we should be assured it should not end up in Mahinda Rajapaksa’s pocket /bank account. Can you assure it to us knowing what has happened to our money during the tsunamy.
If North and east administration have been devolved to Tamils and the Mahinda’s armed Goons (Douglas,Karuna,Pillians) are removed at least we know our hard earned money will reach to the intended target. To devolve power Mahinda’s government does not need to spend any money. But why is he wasting millions in IIFA etc. You Sinhala have no money to spend on Tamil IDPs, but wastes millions on some stupid programs. Stop begging.
# 100. TRN
What I’m sad is the tamils never appriciate the good that is done to themby sinhalese
——————-
You must be kidding
see the state of Tamils at the time of independance fom British rule and 50 years later under sinhales rule.
one million Tamils are refugees in foreign countries. 300,000 people IDPs with no homes of their own.
50,000 people have lost their lives in violent war.
Be happy, Tamils are such a tolerant group in Srilanka.
105. Mahesh,
Thank you ,you are spot on. I was going to reply but you have spoken exactly what I would have been. You know The mahavamsa was indoctrinated in all the primary schools in the sinhala south and told Tamils were not as equal as Buddhistes. As buddhist Sinhala race were decendances of childern borne between Queen Quvani who married a lion(animal) and had a son who in turn killed his father and married his mother and had children who became the Buddhist race .(I am not saying it is Mahavamsa has told us)What else you can expect from this race this is normal for them and their culture. The evidence we have seen and seeing and will be seeing in time to come.
DBSJ,
Brillianrt, just simply brilliant!
A brilliant analysys and a brilliant way of presenting it.
My Kudos to you.
Bandara Atapattu
# 95. Ranjan, Toronto
Ranjan,
Could you answer my question?
- You and your friends were at the receiving end from LTTE . Hence you hate VP and LTTE- and wanted they are eliminated.
- In the same vein, Why not Srilankan Tamils at receiving end from SLA hate MR and GOSL?
99. Mangalaya,
THIS IS AN ENLIGHTENED EXAMPLE OF HUMANLY BEHAVIOR OF BUDDHIST SINHALA SRILANKANS.
Sri Lanka massacred up to 40,000 Tamil civilians – former UN official
[Fri, 12 Feb 2010, 00:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s military massacred as many as 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final onslaught against the Liberation Tigers in 2009, according to a former United Nations official with detailed knowledge of events, press reports said. The former United Nations’ spokesperson in Sri Lanka, Gordon Weiss, has resigned from the UN after 14 years and returned home to Australia, where he was interviewed by ABC News. “He’s now free to speak openly about the situation in Sri Lanka, for the first time and does so candidly and unflinchingly,” the media agency said. Buddhist monks in Srilanka did not utter any word. But blessed Srilankan President and the army General.
Now Srilankan President & bros and Ex army General partners in crime fighting each other . See what Mahanayake are doing.
Hypocrisy of Srilankan Buddhism
Theological premises of Maha Sangha raise questions
The Sri Lankan government should overlook the alleged crimes committed by General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, as the government has taken in its fold ‘criminals’ such as Karuna and Pillayan, who ‘massacred’ Bhikus at Aranthalawa, launched a bomb attack on Dalada Maligawa and killed Sinhalese civilians and military personnel. Hence the government should overlook the alleged offences committed by the Sri Lankan Genreal (retd) Sarath Fonseka, who almost lost his life to ‘safeguard the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka’ and supported the Srilankan government to kill 40000 Tamil civilians in 2009. So it surely can overlook the alleged offences committed by him, said a statement signed by the chief prelates of the four chapters of the Buddhist Maha Sangha. Tamil circles question whether the statment outlines the principles of ‘practical theology’ of the Maha Sangha in the island.
# 97
Dear DBSJ
NEPC election was conducted by natured election commission of Srilanka. Particularly NEPC Election was observed by historically democratic India. Hence NEPC election has been more democratic than any other election conducted lonely by the election commission of Srilanka.
Independent sovereign Eelam democratic Republic was declared on 1 st March 1990 By the NEPC.
Next one year period was announced for the possible appeal from the government of Srilanka. As GOSL failed to appeal within that period the declaration of Independent sovereign Eelam democratic Republic is active
Parathy
To each one his or her own fantasy or myth………….DBSJ
Desiree,
Pls permit me to add to your post (#101) and share with you I was told by a friend who did literature in a reknowned UK
Univesity, one of the projects they were asked to do by an exceptionally popular Professor to stimulate the creative talents of his students was to ask them to do a paper on what Bonaparte had in mind (including what could have influenced that day’s melancholic mood of the Emperor) when he stopped that luscious lump of loveliness in her tracks with the somewhat un-enthusiastic declaration “Not tonight, my dear, Josephine”
ISS
dear dbs ,
yet again another well researched article.unfortunately tamils in tamilnadu are united their numbers may be huge if you put together tamils living in kerala,karnataka and andhra pradesh.if tamils had been united and had good leadership srilankan tamils would have definitely benefited from the tamils of tamilnadu.unfortunately this is not the case imagine a state in india which has got nearly 70m tamils and they being silent spectators to the happenings in srilanka.if any other community had been there definitely a separate state would have been possible.coming to indias role in the aftermath of massacre of innocent tamil civilians numbering 20000 by SLA it is shameful that india supported srilanka in human rights council so much for india being birthplace of gautham buddha and mahathma gandhi.india has erred in supporting sinhalese leadership they will never devolve power to tamils or any other community sinhalese will always keep the pot boiling so that minorities are not given their basic rights.already government supported ltte faction led by col.ram is functioning so that rajapakshe can cite their existence for all the draconian laws that are in place in srilanka .india logically should have supported tamil eelam that is what chinese are doing they are supporting all anti indian forces let it be pakistan,maoist in nepal,ulfa in assam with a sole intention of destabilising india or atleast to see that india does not have enough time to play a larger role in the asian continent .if indian policy makers realise this they will support srilankan tamils though eelam is not possible atleast sinhalese will be kept in check lest they gang up with chinese or pakistanis to irritate india.
74. marusira | June 5th, 2010 .
It appears you have suddently woken up in the eightees and has complete/partial amnesia prior to this. Have you had any brain transplant or head injury in the 80′s.
I wish to help you as a neighbor to cure your amnesia and enlighten you please keep reading .
Also It may enlighten Ranjan from Toranto and the elk.
- for every outside there is an inside,
and for every inside there is an outside,
and though they are different, they go together.-
Sri Lanka is the name of the island earlier known as Ceylon and situated at the Southern extremity of the Indian Subcontinent, separated from it at its narrowest point by 22 miles of sea called the Palk Strait.
It covers an area of 25,322 square miles almost the size of Ireland or Tasmania and has a population of 18 million. Both the Sinhala and the Tamil nations co-existed in the island for over 2,500 years, and shared the rule of the island separately. Population ratio is approximately 74% Sinhala speaking and 26% Tamil speaking: Of the Sinhalese 93 % are Buddhists and 7% Christians. Of the Tamil speakers, 60 % are Hindus, 28 % Muslims and 12 % Christians.
The sources of the national conflict in Sri Lanka are historical, economic, cultural & religious. In the words of David Selbourne of Ruskin College, Oxford, it is “a true national question, if ever there was one”.
Both the Tamil People & Sinhalese people are indigenous people of Sri Lanka. Early history records that they had their own monarchs and kingdoms.
They were conquered by the colonial powers separately and in different periods in history. They existed as separate communities until the British brought them together in 1883 under a single administration (for the very first time in their long history).
The European Colonial Era
1505 – Arrival of Portuguese – They first occupied the low country Sinhalese areas in the south west of the Island.
1621 – Jaffna Tamil Kingdom fell to the Portuguese (more than a century later).
1656 – Dutch occupied areas which were under Portuguese control.
1802 – Treaty of Amiens – Dutch possessions ceded to the British.
1815 – The Sinhalese Kandyan Kingdom in the central parts conquered by the British, having annexed the Tamil Vanni Kingdom in the north.
1833 -The British unified the island based on the recommendations of Cole Brook – Cameron Commission (purely for administrative convenience).
1931 – Donoughmore constitution – State Council elected by Universal suffrage (the first people to exercise universal suffrage in Asia).
1947 – Soulbury constitution adopted & general elections held for the parliament of Ceylon.
The Sinhala-Colonial Era
1948 – British grant independence under the Soulbury constitution.
The parliament, with its entrenched Sinhalese majority, legislates to disenfranchise Tamils of [recent] Indian origin who have lived there for generations and have always exercised their franchise. The Tamil people lost almost half of their representation in the parliament.
The state aided colonisation of Sinhalese people in Tamil areas promoted to annex Tamil homelands and further reduce Tamil representation in the parliament.
1956 – The Sinhalese Language was made the only official language by legislation, disadvantaging Tamil people in dealing with the state administration and denying them equal access to education and employment.
1957 – Bandaranaike – Chelvanayakam Pact between the Sinhalese Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike and Tamil leader SJV Chelvanayakam QC to meet some of the demands of the Tamil people.
1958 – The Pact was unilaterally abrogated by the Sinhalese Prime Minister to pacify the extreme elements among the Sinhalese Buddhists. (He is the father of the President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Kumaratunga (1995 – ) He was assassinated by a Buddhist monk for his pact with the Tamils in 1959.
1965 – Senanayake – Chelvanayakam Pact – entered into, with another Sinhalese Prime minister Dudley Senanayake, and was never implemented by the Sinhalese government.
1969 – The Privy Council in London directs the Supreme Court in Sri Lanka to review the constitutionality of the Official Language Act, since it violated s.29(2) the constitution.
1971 – The government responds by abolishing appeals to Privy Council. The Tamil people’s only avenue to seek justice through independent judiciary came to an end.
1972- The new Republican Constitution was adopted and imposed on the Tamil people without their consent.
The only legal safeguard provided by the entrenched section 29(2) of the Soulbury constitution, described by the Privy Council in London that they “represent the solemn balance of rights between the citizens of Ceylon, the fundamental condition on which inter se they accepted the constitution; and these are therefore unalterable under the constitution”, was scrapped.
Tamil parties walked out of the constituent assembly. With this Tamil participation of the democratic process in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) came to an end.
1973 – Through a process of standardization the government restricts entry of Tamil students to universities and institutions of higher education.
1974 – The 4th International Tamil literary conference in Jaffna was broken up by the police, where many died and several were injured.
1976 – All the main Tamil political parties unite under the leadership of SJV Chelvanayakam QC and at their First National Convention declare:
“The Convention resolves that the restoration and reconstitution of the Free, Sovereign, Secular, Socialist state of Tamil Eelam based on the right of self-determination inherent to every nation has become inevitable in order to safeguard the very existence of the Tamil nation in this country.”
1977 – Historical mandate of the Tamil people – The Tamil people gave a clear mandate at the general elections to establish their sovereignty. The manifesto called for:
“… in the general Election the mandate of the Tamil Nation to establish an independent, sovereign, secular, socialist State of Tamil Eelam that includes all the geographically contiguous areas that have been the traditional homeland of the Tamil-speaking people in the country.
“The Tamil nation must take the decision to establish its sovereignty in its homeland on the basis of its right to self-determination. The only way to announce this decision to the Sinhalese Government and to the world is to vote for TULF. The Tamil-speaking representatives who get elected through these votes while being members of the National State Assembly of Tamil Eelam which will draft a constitution for the state of Tamil Eelam and establish the independence of Tamil Eelam by bringing that constitution into operation either by peaceful means or by direct action or struggle”.
The Tamil resolution also called on
“The Tamil youth in particular to come forward to throw themselves fully in the sacred fight for freedom and flinch not till the goal of a sovereign socialist state of Tamil Eelam is reached”.
(The Sinhalese Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1970 to 1977 was Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranalke the present Prime Minister and the mother of the President Chandrika Kumaratunge [1995 – ).
The Anti-Tamil Violence – The Tamil people have been subjected periodically to communal violence. There have been anti-Tamil riots and pogroms in 1956,1958,1977 and culminating in the 1983 massacres and holocaust.
Military occupation & Police brutality – First in 1961 and then in 1974, 1979, 1981 and from 1983. Many historical monuments including temples and churches were destroyed. (Attested in two reports by the International Commission of Jurists, and in several other reports of independent international human rights organisations).
The armed struggle by the LTTE on behalf of the Tamil people arose as a rebellion against the tyranny of the Sinhalese state and its brutal repression of Tamil people. It is a just cause in pursuance of their democratic aspirations, and the historic mandate, and therefore is lawful.
1983 – Sri Lanka commenced arbitrary arrests and detention without trial, torture and rape, violence against women, summary executions of the Tamil people. The era of mass exodus of Tamil refugees internally and internationally begins.
# 93 Marusira
Haven’t yet seen the percentage I was looking for. Most probably you missed it !
If you don’t have the accurate figure, approximation is okay. Facts with figures are always better.
103 Mahesh,
Many people over the last 30 years have said that Sri Lanka is a failed state and written us off. LKY is not the first or the last. But we are still here and we will be here many more years to come.
If VP understood our people better, he would have had his Ellam by now. It was handed to him on a platter at least on two occasions and because he is a psychopath and not a statesman he did not have the ability to see beyond the barrel of a gun. He is a hero only to the Tamil Diaspora who are willing to fight for the Ellam to the last drop of somebody else’s blood while being in the safety of the West and to the idiot politicians of Tamil Nadu.
You say your government is not complicit in anti-minority riots in India. Can you tell me why Kamal Nath, who is the present Highway’s Minister, in the current government? He was directly involved in the anti-Sikh riots in 1984. Can you also tell me how many people have been prosecuted and jailed for those riots when thousands of Sikhs were killed and how many have gone to jail for the 2002 Gujarat riots?
Finally, we very well know how our politicians (both Singhalese and Tamil) messed this up badly. That is why we will make sure that last 30 years will not be repeated. My question to you is, do you understand what your politicians are doing? One only has to listen to the Hindu supremacy talk to BJP and Shiv Sena to realize that your guys are no better than anyone else.
36. Harshe ,
If I ask you a simple question will you go and spend millions on your neighbours house in renovating on the expectation (not even promised by him) he may allowe to your children to use one room at his discretion on a later date ?
If your President legaly divide the house and request even us to help him to renovate his portion in addition to ours we will be more than happy to pay the cost of renovation of your portion.and we both can live amicably in as a twin house. First legalise our portion it won’t caust any thing to you, before begging.
Comment #13 Harshe said it all. Harshe simply represents the Sinhala extemists clan who are truly the power behind any SL Govt (elected and controlled by Sinhala majority).
Trying to convince one single Harshe to think and treat Tamils differently that waht he and his extemeists friends are planning to do will not avail because there are millions of others who think like Harshe in SL, or at laeast NOT willing to fight that way of thinking.
It simply proves that hoping that a reasonable solution will be offered to SL Tamils by any SL govt without external intervention is a joke. In my humple opinion, I even doubt whether it is possible witihn a united SL unless there is a threat that the Tamils might be allowed to go separate, Kosovo style.
We must understsnd that there must be a compelling reason why majority of Tamils voted for separate state in 1977.
SL will continue to fool SL and India will pretend to be folled until the TN Tamils rise up again for SL Tamils. For that to happen the current political landscape in TN must change and cycle of DMK/ADMK coming to power must be brought to an end. – Here is where the Tamil diaspora should be getting active to identify and put the right people in power in TN.
The LTTE was running a de facto state when the war started while continuing to carry out suicide bombings on Civilians and attempting political assasinations. The tamil diaspora on one hand deifies Prabhakaran while ignoring the LTTE’s pathetic human rights(did they value human life including that if their own people?) record and cries foul about war crimes commited by the Sri Lankan government. This is sheer hypocrisy. People who support LTTE and violence should can send their children and grandsons,who are leading lives of luxury in western Europe and Australia, to volunteer as suicide bombers.
Another major issue is the lack of a nuetral media. The tamil media ( the ones in tamil nadu) lack credibility and act as propaganda organs for ultra tamil nationalists.
The support for LTTE and tamil secessionism in Tamil Nadu is often overstated, if Eaalam war was such a major issue, Vaiko and Ramdas would not have drawn a blank in the elections. Things are not the same after the LTTE betrayal of Rajiv Gandhi.
Lastly, why did the LTTE not utilize goldrn opportunity afforded by Ranil ? it was as good as Eaalam?
#99 Mangalaya.
Thanks for your insight. Now I understand why LTTE bombed you guys. Since Singalas are adept at throwing burning tyres on live people, Raping, Killing, burning down houses, sending white vans, 4th floor tortures, etc etc etc the LTTE did the RIGHT THING. Singalas didn’t behave as human beings, but like wild beasts.
Anyway Mr. DBS we were reading you column in Hindu ……………
Even DBS use magic words and charming writings peoples will not forget his writings in hindu
92. shankar
Not tonight Josephine………DBSJ
————————————————
Nice and choice words. If anybody could throw more light on the context of these words I will be happy. May be Shankar could do that.
DBSJ I believe you know the meaning and the context of the words ‘yaar koll ich chollin selvan’.
It applies to you. Keep it up.
Many a times I have difference of opinion with you. But I love you and your sincerity. May the Almighty bless you and your clan.
#98
You should ask the “King” about what happened to the Tsunami fund!!!
People who voted him the second time have the right to question him.
Dear DBS,
You started a dialogue as any true journalist would do and the comments keep pouring in.There must be soemthing you do right.
I applaud your impartial outlook on the whole ethinc issue devoid of personal and prejudicial thinking.
Perhaps journalists should come forward to play a pivotal role in bringing academics, politicians and the masses together.
Then one day we will find a way forward and not let extremists and selfish politicians dictate to us.
107 Lingam,
Dear friend, You are not cursed.
What happened to Tamil people over the last thirty years is an unfortunate man made disaster.
Large majority of innocent Tamil people did not have a say in this unmitigated disaster but the same large majority is the ones who are left to suffer the consequences.
Some people who are directly responsible for this “curse” are not showing the slightest remorse and still trying to prevent these people getting their lives back while enjoying high life in foreign lands.
It is not too late for this “group” to come clean and admit their part in the “curse”.and take meaningful action to rectify the situation.
1 Build the Infrastructure, Hospital , Schools, Rehab Centers. and Aged Care facilities.
2 Help start Businesses .
3 Provide loans or grants to buy Tractors,Boats. ect.
4 Build low cost housing.
Then sit down with the Government and talk about the “other grievances” .
FERN,
SL tamils do well abroad,make money and develop your north…Don’t ever think of patronising someone here in TN…Imagining of changing regime in TN shows your arrogance.
Rt.Hon.Mr.DBS Sir,
I can see you have so many sinhala and great tamil admires…please tell me LTTE gone and buried. what next? as you know thease sinhala veerayas or modayas conquered our beloved land with the help of cheenease and indies( muthuvelu karunanithi, velu piraba help them a lot) we tamils in deep s… now. Do we have a future…as you know Mahinda veeraya not doing anything constructivly..except building sinhala modaya vilages for future trouble.
I challenge you to put forward a solution for srilanka and see your self for sinhala reaction….
What is your solution?……….DBSJ
OK…for those who want to raport with North Indians and not South…and for those who want to look further East to the dragons….’elop with king abandaoning the husband’, here it is in IIFA too, a ‘lesson’:
Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan film personalities stay away from IIFA fete
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/article448276.ece
# 109. Sahabandu
if India was not there the Sinhalese wont be viewing Tamils with suspicion and mistrust
——————–
Thanks for acknowleding sinhalese treatment to Tamils.
Srilankan Tamils are aware that Sinhales cannot eliminate India from the map. Hence the obvious choice for them is Eelam.
Comment 112 Dear Mr Ellalan.
I appreciate your concern about the plight of African people and you and your friends efforts to help them
If anything you should be more concerned about the plight of your own people and go full bore to help them.
But to give silly excuses like the Rajapaksa putting your hard earned Dollars in his account is rubbish
Besides to call Sinhalese, racists is contemptible because majority of Sinhalese are not.
During the Tsunami the LTTE had total control.So how come your money went missing? Surely you did not send any money to the Tsunami victims in the South?
I can assure you that what ever my friends and I contributed went direct to the victims.We helped build a house in a Tsunami Village at a cost of $9000..
Even as late as last month we completed building a small house for a poor family costing $ 2500.
We are helping poor secondary students with monthly financial assistance in different parts of the country.
And I am not even one of those Mercedez driving Srilankans.
I have seen many requests here to help Tamil people in the NE specially the IDPs. This is the first time I have seen a response and I thank you for that. I also gather from your postings that you are a well informed person in the Diaspora who may have some clout.
This your chance to do something mate.As the old saying grab the Bull by the Horns and do something now.
Self governing regions can be discussed when the affected people can provide there families at least one square meal a day, have a,proper place to live and educate their children in a peaceful safe and friendly environment.
104. Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam
The thought does occur whether the China train is coming at full speed pushing the Sri Lanka train
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I think it is the China train coming towards the India train, with the rajapakshes standing near the rail track.
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107. lingam | June 6th, 2010 at 3:47 am
Why are we Tamils cursed so much?
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Because they worship the lingam
The bollyood ceremony also was a damp squib like the victory parade ceremony.
India, please note that south indian stars did not attend. India’s well founded fears that the tamil problem in srilanka could result in tamilnadu seperating one day is just the tip of the iceberg. The whole of South India will seperate as one block and the north will be left with only the mumbai and calcutta coastlines and the muslim problem and al queda will be not the problem of the dravidians anymore.
123. Ranjan, Toronto
Do you say that there is nothing in you the sinhalese to be blamed. you are without blemishes. Talk about the various anti tamil pogroms from 1948.
It seems that you people think that you got independence only to kill and subjugate tamils.
Answer this question.
123. Ranjan, Toronto
My question to you is, do you understand what your politicians are doing? One only has to listen to the Hindu supremacy talk to BJP and Shiv Sena to realize that your guys are no better than anyone else
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Recently after the police filed terrorism charges on hindu groups RSS has distanced itself from them. It has said nobody should defend these kind of people.
You call this Hindu supremacy talk?
108. Mangalaya
#105 Mahesh what we meant by saying Tamils are like wild beasts means Tamils are so uncivilized as opposed to the Sinhalese.Sinhalese are not like this. Basically Tamils live like pigs.Sinhalese eat good clean food, we even eat rats and cockroaches. Go to a Sinhale Buddhist Temple and Tamil Kovil you will see the different.
————————————————–
So you eat good food. Is it so?
I now understand and believe in your words. you always eat good food.
It is evident when shops came up in the sinhala areas that tamil meat is available in the wake of the 1983 riots.
An exceptionally good article that is informative and educative spanning the past decades of the active conflict with a definitive current status report.
Fair and balanced. Thank you.
Congratulations are due to Mr D.B.S. Jeyaraj for his painstaking effort in encapsulating the recent history of SL.
There are many aspects of Indian foreign policy and diplomacy that are not brought to the forefront for public consumption.Take the case of late Indira Gandhi’s strict adherence of respecting the rights of soveriegn neighbouring nations even if it as tiny as Sri Lanka . During the 1971 war Indo-Pakistan which ended in the liberation of Bangla Desh ,Pakistani airforce planes carrying soldiers and weapons of mass destruction were landing in Colombo airport for refuelling on its way to erstwhile East Pakistan to crush its own people .It was SL’s right to offer landing rights in her airports to another another neighbouring country-Pakistan.But for India, any other country would have strongly objected nay even threatened or used force on tiny SL from providing refuelling rights to Pakistan .If India wished she could have destroyed all the SL airports and runways to dust and rubble.This the legacy of Indian diplomacy and international fair play.There is no parallel of such outstanding international behaviour and good neighbourly relations.
As regards India’s human rights violations in her northeast areas as alleged by by Mr D.B.S. J, perhaps he is not aware of the ground realities . The entire northeast area originally known as Assam was a conglomeration of several tribal systems with diverse languages and customs.To meet the aspirations of these tribals the Govt of India in the 60s bifurcated the whole of Assam into six smaller states of Assam,Meghalaya,Nagaland,Mizoram,Tripura and Manipur in the fond hope that it will give better representation for all concerned.
Notwithstanding the bifurcation, the new states were at loggerheads with each other especially regards the redrawn territories and borders .Adding to the prevailing mess was the continuous influx of Muslim refugees from the then East Pakistan which changed the demographic representation also.
These are some of the major factors that are bursting at the seams causing unrest and in trying to maintain law and order the Govt of India is forced to take drastic action in the interest of all.The present economic blockade against the state of Manipur is on its 54th day.One hopes that Mr D.B.S. J to be more updated on such vital issues.
In Kashmir its a different ball game.The Muslims who are in majority there are demanding independence from the Indian union.No Indian Govt worth its salt will ever agree to the demands of the Kashmiri Muslims for a separate nation when there are millions of Muslims living in every nook and corner of India .The accession of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 to the Indian union is full and final and the Govt of India cannot remain a silent spectator when Kashmiri terrorists aided and abetted by Pakistan murder and maim and destroy property.Naturally while enforcing law and order there are bound be accesses and violations.
In the central parts of India there is genuine problem for the tribals who are at the receiving end.There are daily occurences of human rights violations and and if the Indian Govt does not rectify the situation the problem will get out of hand in no time.
Now coming to Sri Lanka, is all lost for the Tamils ? Have they lost their rights as equal citizens ? Are the Tamils but subjects of the majority Sinhalese ?.I use the term “subjects” in the same manner the English who ruled the Indian subcontinent for nearly 200 years used it while referring the Indians. “Subjects” in this context are inferior peoples who have no rights and their welfare and fortunes would dictated and decided by the rulers(Sinhalese).Have the SL Tamils been forcefully relegated to this pitiable situation ?
Or will a miracle occur with a change in the hearts of the Sinhalese ? Will they embrace the Tamils in the same manner in which” Biblical prodigal son” was ” and return to the Tamils the dignity and self respect they have lost ?
Narayanswamy sankaran
Chennai
DBSJ RESPONDS:
“East or West,India is Best”
“Paarukkulle Nalla Naadu
Engal Bharatha Naadu”
#108
I mean it is the Tamils who eat rats and cockroaches, especially in Tamilnadu. Sinhalayas eat good food with coconut milk. It is sinhalayas that eat kiribath,kevum kokis.
Demalas smoke beedi civilized Sinhalayas smoke Bristol or Four Aces
Sinhalayas came from Northern India and are Aryans, Demalas are Dravidiyans – a totally different kettle of fish. Demalas are black, short people whereas Sinhalayas are light in complexion and tall – just like the North Indians. That’s why I say Demalas are nothing else but wild beasts
Deamalas do recycling business – sell old newspaper, old bottles and live. This is how St Anthonys Hardware Store was built. Sinhalayas are traditional rice farmers. Good hearted kind people are the Sinhalayas
Sorry above 148 was from me.
#107 – Tamils are a cursed race becuase inside themselves they are evil. Purify yourselves and have kindness to Sinhalayas you will become good
144. Narayanswamy Sankaran
No Indian Govt worth its salt will ever agree to the demands of the Kashmiri Muslims for a separate nation when there are millions of Muslims living in every nook and corner of India
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er,rings a bell. Where did i hear this before.
#147- Mangalam
[Demalas are black-]eg: mahinda, gota
[Sinhalayas are light in complexion] -eg: ranil, rosy
Harshe,
i dont agree for many of your comments
Many Tamil Nadu people will have attachment to the SL tamil. you cant change it
Why the Tamils didn’t support the Bollywood because most of the Tamil will not watch Hindi like u do (they watch Tamil movies from India)
Will create Jollywood (Jaffna) later first we will fix the IDP issues
I think the Indian Tamil nadu actors helped financially to the SL Tamils (i don’t know how much came home and how it is used in SL)
Harshe, Number matters
remember Number
SL tamils Singhalese 1:4 (i dont know exactly)
Tamils to Sinhalees 5:1
See what Tamil Nadu jokers did to IIFA at last
#148-Mangalamodaya
[Deamalas do recycling business ]- eg: kotalawela-fixed deposit recycling business
#153 I was just making fun. Don’t take things I stated too seriously. Want to stir you guys up that’s all
comment 144
“No Indian Govt worth its salt will ever agree to the demands of the Kashmiri Muslims for a separate nation when there are millions of Muslims living in every nook and corner of India”
If only you had mentioned this or words to this effect to the Super Supreme Sun God when he lounging around tamizh nadu back in 1985….
138 Shanker
You got stuck into our mate DBJ and now you are having a go at poor Lingam.
By the way Sinhalese worship the opposite!!
No wonder we can’t find a common ground.
Shanker you are trying to break the shackles and move on. I hope a lot more will follow you.
After all we are here for a good time not a long time.
.
It has been voted illegal by the UN, which demanded the withdrawal of troops on both sides and a referendum.
Also Then Indian PM Jawarhalal Nehru agreed to a plebiscite on Kashmir…….DBSJ
99,108,145,146,147,154 Mangalaya
What sort of an idiot are you to write so sensitive things on this blog ?. No matter whose fault it is, our brethren Tamil people had their fair share of suffering because of this war, and you to sit behind a computer in your nice little cosy room anonymously and write rubbish like this you are an insensitive low class idiot. I wonder whether you are truly a Sinhalese, because you should be ashamed of yorself and don’t bring that shame to our Sinhala people.
You had the audacity to write all that rubbish and then come and say that it was only a joke. You shouldn’t say things like that even as a joke.
DBSJ is smart, and he is publishing your stupid statements to show the world what stupid people are Sinhaese. Not that he admire what you say. Do yourself and the Sinhala people a favour, and please do not write this type of extreme racist matter in the future.
With people like you, no wonder we had an ethnic war in Sri Lanka.
I hope you are intelligent enough not to write this rubbish again.
God bless you.
150. shankar
I have expressed similar sentiments here and as well as everywhere.I never will doing so.
Narayanswamy Sankaran
155. citizensl
Notwithstanding any Sun God this sentiment will be felt much more vociferously in the North of India. Try calling up Narendra Modi the Chief Minister of Gujarat for his views.
Narayanswamy Sankaran
150. shankar
Typing error.
Should read ‘I never will stop doing so.”
Narayanswamy Sankaran
157. Stephen Jones
Mr DBSJ
It was Pakistan that got cold feet in the end and did not opt for the referendum.Since then two wars were fought and on each ocassion India returned back Pakistani terrotories captured and the 90,000 POWS in 1971.
And yes indeed-.
“Paarukkulle Nalla Naadu
Engal Bharatha Naadu”
and should we not add-”thani oru manidanakku unavuillaianil intha jagathgai allithuviduvom naagal ”
Many thanks for your kind sentiments
Narayanswamy sankaran
141 Mahesh
“Recently after the police filed terrorism charges on hindu groups RSS has distanced itself from them. It has said nobody should defend these kind of people.”
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So your are saying that BJP and RSS have given up on their Hindu supremacy stances?
You must be seeing pigs and cows flying too these days in India.
comment 144
“No Indian Govt worth its salt will ever agree to the demands of the Kashmiri Muslims for a separate nation when there are millions of Muslims living in every nook and corner of India”
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Now substitute Sri Lankan Govt instead of the Indian Govt and substitue Tamils instead of Muslims, you will appreciate the situation in Sri Lanka.
India is not in a position to screw MR & India is careful how they handle MR because Pakistan and China surround India. If China gets at SL, it is curtains for India in the event of a future conflict. Only Bangladesh seem to be with India. Further Indian PM is a intellectual not a war monger like Indira or Rajiv. MR being a nationalist will not give up much whilst trying to butter India. I believe Tamils stand a good chance of getting relief under MR if they don’t rock the boat on him but if they do, they will get nothing. Confrontational politics should be out but it seems that many Tamil’s wont give that up. I believe at the end it would be the Tamil attitude that will make or break their future.
However as Pearl T. has said, those who suffer in all this is poor Tamil’s and Sinhalese who live with harmony in SL while a minority politicians and war mongers spew seeds of racial hatred.
# 158. marusira DBSJ is smart, and he is publishing your stupid statements to show the world what stupid people are Sinhaese
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DBSJ’s reference need not come in this message. Iam amused to read your message.
Even while rebuking the content, you are assuming DBSJ (a Tamil) is exposing a Sinhalese. I am sure it is not DBSJ’s intention to expose anyone.
# 157. Stephen Jones
The accession of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 to the Indian union is full and final
It has been voted illegal by the UN, which demanded the withdrawal of troops on both sides and a referendum.
Also Then Indian PM Jawarhalal Nehru agreed to a plebiscite on Kashmir…….DBSJ
——————
Both of you are right.
However subsequently India convinced Kashmiri leaders by offering special status & previleges and conducted free & fair elections there. There were many free elections and chiefministers ruled the state peacefully.
Due to Pakistan’s greed to occupy Kashmir, subsequent wars & trouble started. India does not want to leave the state alone to be occupied by Pakistan or China. The Terrorism in Kashmir is due to the open support by pakistan. Now Pakistan is facing the trouble themselves
However, if all Kashmiris wish to leave India and Pakistan/china disclaims Kashmir, I think, India would liberate Kashmir.
#125. M FERN
“Harshe simply represents the Sinhala extemists clan …..
Trying to convince one single Harshe to think and treat Tamils differently that waht he and his extemeists friends are planning to do will not avail ”
So who are you? You represent Tamil extremists.
Trying to convince you that Ealam is not feasible in this island is useless.
#63. Mahesh
“The tamils have paid with their life, limb and liberty. You are paying only money.”
So you are saying Sinhalese & Muslims haven’t paid with life, limb and liberty for LTTE which bought lethal weapons from money paid by you.
#348. Thiru
“With support from people like Harshe, MR dynasty going to rule Sri Lanka at least 30 years and in this Tamils will be annihilated from Sri Lanka…”
Well. Lets see. If they do well why not? (I will not vote MR again if he change the constitution just to extend his term in office) How can MR annihilate Tamils when there is no violence? Only Tamils themselves can get annihilated by continuing suicidal policies of VP. [For example Muslims do not have special rights than others but they are thriving day by day in all aspects. Why not Tamils?]
#55. Kannan
“Hi Harshe #36,
According to your view to be good Tamil one has to be subservient and accept second class citizenship.”
Dear Kannan, Please enlighten me what needs to be done to make Tamils first class citizens. ( Creating Ealam may be one way to make Tamils in North make first class, but what about the Upcountry Tamils and Muslims? How can we make them feel first class?
(Maybe Malayanadu and Kilakkustan, still some will be leftout) Do you think all Sinhalese feel as first class citizens?
#154. Mangalaya
You must be a Tamil. Or having some genetic complication.
#152. Kandasamy
I know the Numbers. So why on earth Tamils(5:1) ask for a separate state in Sri Lanka. They should stop being worrying and start working towards a prosperous and peaceful future for all Tamils, Muslims, Sinhalese in Sri Lanka.
Without winning the confidence of the majority Sinhalese no ‘Solution’ is possible. Provincial Councils are already there in the constitution. Why not use what you have first to come out of the current misery and then expand it with required powers after convincing South that you will not be a rebellious province, you will not side with our enemies, you will not mistreat minority Sinhalese and Muslims, you will not destroy places of historical and religious significance to Buddhists, you will not inculcate racial hatred in your children.
Unfortunately we still can not trust TNA (who will surely form the govt. in Northern PC). So we are not in a position to provide federal solution yet.
Maybe the ‘Numbers’ could be the problem?
As you said Nothern PC will be more loyal to Chennai than to Colombo. ( Relatives vs. perceived enemy)
For Colombo it is quite comfortable to have a hostile Tamilnadu/Diaspora than having a hostile state within the island.
Whatever you say there will be Tamil political groups who use extremism to gain power than solving problem of Tamils in the north. They will be amply supported by TN + Diaspora. So the best MR can do is to give Tamils what Dr.Singh want (13A) them to be given and take an assurance that Delhi will not use/let others use north as a tool to intimidate south.
At the end what ever happens or not ordinary Sinhalese and Tamils will continue to live together as very good friends.
#124. senth
There is no guarantee that we will have an amicable neighbor if we create ealam. We will inherit a ‘Pakistan’ and a ‘Kashmir’ (East/puttalam & may be Central hills) to our younger generations.
Having said that we are ashamed of all anti Tamil progroms, burning of Jaffna library and Sinhala only act. You and I cannot be proud of our politicians. What we can only do is to learn from our past and take steps to prevent such recurrences. i.e. build institutions which safeguard the rights of all(poor & wealthy), develop economy so there will be more opportunities for our youth, improve communication like making it compulsory for Sinhalese children to learn Tamil & vice versa (which is already implemented) while providing adequate support for provincial councils to implement programs to address whatever unique grievances with mutual respect.
Race based parties should be banned.
You should acknowledge that 30 years of war has transformed our society. We will have to address what ever issues to suit the society of 21st century not the 70s or 80s.
Only way that our future generations will achieve self actualization is by building bridges between communities in SL not by building walls.
#157-Stephen Jones
Also Then Indian PM Jawarhalal Nehru agreed to a plebiscite on Kashmir…….DBSJ
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DBSJ don’t you think that India’s hindu’s are not morally bound by that word given by nehru because pakistan tried to take that by force twice and lost. If we go back to Nehru’s pledge then what about all the Indian soldiers who died. What did they die for. As far as i’am concerned nehru’s agreement is now null and void and pakistan can piss off. There is no doupht kashmir was always hindu country and always will be so.
DBSJ RESPONDS;
I am not trying to prove any point here except to point out some aspects of “Kashmiri” history
Another point is that when the Muslim ruler Nizam of Hydrebad wanted his Hindu majority kingdom to join Pakistan or remai “independent” he was not allowed to do so
But the Hindu maharaja of Muslim majority Kashmir was allowed to join India,
Of course Hydrebad was land locked in South India whereas Kashmir was adjacent to evolving Pakistan in North India
Politics is a dirty game. Global politics is very cynical game. Everybody think about their own benefits not others. In order to do that they can play all sort of sinister roll. In this regard, not only India, but all the super powers have dirt on their hands and pretending as “Mr.Clean”. Unfortunately poor- innocent and power-less people caught up and end–up as victim of their dirty work. There is no moral perfect this world any more. If there is no benefit even the Global “Civilisation” will close it eyes and our cry won’t be heard. This what happened in Sri Lanka and happening everywhere.
In-terms of “Intermestic” point of view, I personally believe that Indian policy makers frequently make ‘hasty’ decisions and ‘ underestimate’ approaches towards Sri Lanka that they would re-great in future. I may be wrong but I think India always fuelled-up SL ethnic problem but never genuinely attempt to resolve it. As neighbour, India has moral duty to establish ‘Peace’ in Sri Lanka. India helped to create Tamil Armed Groups including LTTE with the motive of use them as mercenaries in the future. When they realised that their intention won’t work with LTTE they decided to wipe out the LTTE with cost of thousands of innocent lives. India had the power and recourses which they could have used to bring the LTTE down without human disaster. But they directly and indirectly helped the SL Government to the full scale of war against Tamils. Nothing is permanent in politics. Sooner or later India will realise their fault. Even now India can find the way of political solution to the SL ethnic problem and make SL as a peaceful country where all society can live with harmony. This is way they can get remorse to their sins.
168. Harshe
#63. Mahesh
“The tamils have paid with their life, limb and liberty. You are paying only money.”
So you are saying Sinhalese & Muslims haven’t paid with life, limb and liberty for LTTE which bought lethal weapons from money paid by you.
———————————————————
You killed Tamils and how long they will suffer in silence. They retaliated.
Who suffered the most.
Talk about the riots inflicted on the Tamils right from 1948.
As soon as we talk like this then the people like navin go away from the blog or they post their comments hiding in some other name, who knows?
Tamils have suffered from the sinhalese is a truth.
Nobody can deny this.
Oi
answer my ???
Oi???????????……………….DBSJ
#171. Mahesh
[Tamils have suffered from the sinhalese is a truth.]
Huh! Our Motherlanka has suffered untold miseries since independence, due to criminal actions of Tamil politicians who always instigated violence and defiance , exploiting poor Tamil voters… and teaming up with TN jokers.
That is the cause for the riots. Even that late fat pig Velu always made sure that hundreds of sleeping Singhalese villagers were killed cold-blooded… hoping and praying that the Singhalese would retaliate by killing Tamils… That is how the ‘Tamil cause’ can be pushed forward, in the books of Tamil terrorists!
Don’t talk BS.
If you don’t like to be a Sri Lankan or don’t like Sri Lanka, GET OUT… preferably today, hurry up and be a stateless Tamil!
In the meantime… always remember that… There are no Tamils in Sri Lanka… only Sri Lankans.
DBS,
Keep on batting. The ants scurried along and they etched a path. Our voices are but a squeak in the wilderness.
However, we need to drum up on the issues we hold dear to our heart. When our generation is gone it would be our voices which would pave for the way to Tamils seeking self determination the Sinhala govt. chose to pilfer for nigh on 62 years.
The ethnic Tamils the majority of who are in the West as refugees are going nowhere and the party of Rajapakse clan, a narrow and nepootist clan would go down like a bang once their war crimes are out in the open.
The mass graves would come to haunt the rulers llike the Scrooges’s misdemeanours in Christmas Carol.
#164. Ranjan, Toronto
Now substitute Sri Lankan Govt instead of the Indian Govt and substitue Tamils instead of Muslims, you will appreciate the situation in Sri Lanka.
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you are Right.
Then you would realise What special status and previleges Kashmir has got and what rights Srilankan tamils are denied.
Further India never had a aerial attack on Kashmir civilians till date, to eliminate terrorists.
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#158 Marusira
I am NOT a Tamil
is it true that Mahinda Raja first asked that IIFA be held in Hambantota and Mr Joseph of IIEA declined. Mahinda Raja invited the film stars to come to bruch at Temple Trees, very few turned up. Mahinda Raja had waited from 10 am to 3 pm thinking stars will come but they did not. Hnece Mahinda Raja boycotted the ceremony. This is like a slap on Mahinda Raja´s face. $600 million of Taxpayers money went in the drain. How many houses for poor people could have been built. Aiyo Mahinda Raja.
Senani Duminda
As a Sri Lankan I am ashamed of what Mangalaya has said here.
#169
DBSJ RESPONDS
I am not trying to prove any point here except to point out some aspects of “Kashmiri” history
Another point is that when the Muslim ruler Nizam of Hydrebad wanted his Hindu majority kingdom to join Pakistan or remai “independent” he was not allowed to do so
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Damn good for the bugger. The bloody bastard and his ancestors came all the way from Central asia, present day Uzbekistan with afghan armies and now he wants a central part of hindu country to be given to pakistan.
See how peaceful the chinese were for 5000 years not attacking india, while these agressive bastards kept on attacking and attacking peaceful people who were minding their own business and they did get part of the hindu country which is pakistan and part of kashmir. Not satisfied with that they want the whole of kashmir the birthplace of nehru and attack mumbai and other cities. Now they are getting a bellyful from the US for the september 11 attacks and they got it in style when they tried it with the russians. What did manmohan and his senile bunch of cronies and women do about the mumbai attacks other than probably run to the bathroom every 10 minutes.
Shanthi! Shanthi! Shanthi!…..DBSJ
#173-bunker rat
If you don’t like to be a Sri Lankan or don’t like Sri Lanka, GET OUT
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Why is sarath fonseka not allowed to go. he wants to get out.
trench bandicoot where are youuuuuuuuu…………………
bunker rat is nibbling at our asses.
bunker rat, i forgot to tell you even patriotic gota has not got rid of his US citizenship. Must be thinking of also going back one day when the “kussiya” gets too hot.
Love can change to hate surely as night changes to day. Look at the increasing divorce rate all over the world.
The million dollar question for the sinhalese is do you want to divorce the tamils or do you want to patch up?
171 Mahesh:
“You killed Tamils and how long they will suffer in silence. They retaliated. Who suffered the most.”
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Based on that argument you have no problem when Muslims in India set of bombs in Indian cities? After all they have been the victims of Hindu violence repeatedly.
i aplogise for the following statement
“What did manmohan and his senile bunch of cronies and women ”
What i meant was saree clad western women. Sorry gals of India.
#170 Mavady
I fully agree with you. The suffering of the innocent Sri Lankan Tamil people because of the political machinations and manipulations ( double cross ) of both India and Colombo pains me a lot.
As you correctly pointed out, India can try to atone for its past sins by securing a fair and honorable deal for the Sri Lankan Tamils instead of treating them as sacrificial lamb on the altar of regional ambition.
Your honest opinion is appreciated.
# 169. shankar
There is no doupht kashmir was always hindu country and always will be so.
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Your comment is a typical Srilanka rhetoric.
Whether Kashmir or other states, India never claimed it is a Hindu country, though it is a Hindu majority country. However, Pakistan and even malaysia are muslim states.
India is a secular country all the way. Even the religious based BJP party, never showed its itention to declare India’s status as a Hindu state.
In fact India is one of the most secular country in the world, even when comparing western countries.
“Paarukkulle Nalla Naadu
Engal Bharatha Naadu”
If GOSL and India claims, they encourage political settlement, they should offer more previleges to Srilankan Tamils than what was offered earlier (under IPKF agreement) to LTTE who took up arms.
If the proposed solution to srilankan Tamils has less previleges, it would surely highlight the fact that both governments respect violent armed movements more than peaceful political movements.
#164. Ranjan, Toronto
Now substitute Sri Lankan Govt instead of the Indian Govt and substitue Tamils instead of Muslims, you will appreciate the situation in Sri Lanka.
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Does Sinhalese have the genorosity of Indians ?
Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India which enjoys special autonomy under Article 370 of the Constitution of India. No law enacted by the Parliament of India, (except for those in the field of defence, communication and foreign policy) will be applied in Jammu and Kashmir unless it is ratified by the state legislature of Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir is also the only Indian state that has its own flag and constitution, and Indians from other states cannot purchase land or property in the state
Tamil terrorism, Tamil self-determination, Tamil aspirations must be looked upon by the Sri Lankans as money-making opportunities, and therefore must meticulously plan to bilk the Tamil Terrorist Diaspora to the maximum.
(Oh KP…. you remind me of that hen who lays golden eggs on a daily basis. Keep singing while laying the eggs!)
Resounding victory by the Sri Lankans over the most extreme terrorists ever to roam this earth must not only be celebrated, but also needs to be REFINED & ENHANCED in order to invent more and more ways and means to divide the EVER-WILLING Tamil Terrorist Diaspora into small manageable lots just like we do with worms, guinea pigs, bugs, mice etc… and instigate killings within those lots… and then loot their wealth left and right. Any leftover TTD parasites who continue to demean MotherLanka must be hunted down, Israeli style, quickening their arrival at the gates of the Tamil Elaam.
That will GUARANTEE that the peace and prosperity we enjoy today will continue for generations to come.
# 165 Don
I do agree with you that for the Tamils confrontational politics is not a viable option or the right of approach.
At the same time, expecting subservience from the Tamils is not the right approach on the part of the majority.
” Winner takes it all ” mentality is not be the right way to find an amicable settlement to the ethnic discord.
It takes two hands to clap, my dear Don.
As for your expression ” curtains ” for India , I think you should better choose your words carefully. Is the summer hot out there !
The tiny Island of Sri Lanka(or whatever its name then) had remained independent for over 5000 years notwithstanding its great neighbour (in size and population) , India or Bharath. . There were invasions but not for long.
The Island’s inhabitants, whether Yakhas or Nagas, whether Sinhaless or Tamils, always demonstrated certain degree of diplomacy and always maintained their sovereigninity. This is something Praphaharan and his LTTE forgot to realize. They thought by hiring some noisy jokers in TN they can outsmart the quiet diplomacy played by Colombo on New Delhi. This is also something the South Block people with superiority complex, failed to realize. Otherwise they wouldn’t have given away Katchativu and now cry about their fishermen’s death, would they?
Though unfortunate for the Sri Lankan Tamils, it is certain that Mahinda and his advisors had planned well for the forthcoming meeting and ways to neutralize India. One of the card in itheir hand is the disunity among the Tamil parties and the short sighted and selfish people in the TNA. The Presiden had met with them shortly before leaving to India and gave them no assuarances and it is reported that they also did not demand the ‘impossibles” but only discussed resettlement and rehabilitation. Of course the Mahinda camp helped them to win many seats than they deserved, by talking about banning the TNA shortly before the parliamentary elections, didn;t they?
There were no strong leaders like Indira or Rajiv since 1989 to make a drastic foreign policy shift and that too helped Sri Lanka for the past few decades.
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi
Oh Mumbai, Mumbai, Mumbai
Going to Bathroom, Bathroom, Bathroom
# 179. shankar
India’s tolerance policy is better than US’s aggression policy. Violence begets violence.
Another reason is india does not have the money power, strength & energy to fight fire with fire.
Even Chinese tolerance of Taiwan is for the same reason.
# 182. Ranjan, Toronto |
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Based on that argument you have no problem when Muslims in India set of bombs in Indian cities? After all they have been the victims of Hindu violence repeatedly.
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Indians have a problem of mob violence by religious fanatics (its true with all religions).
However India does not attempt to resolve the problem by killing its own people en masse.
#55 Kanan
//Dear Kannan, Please enlighten me what needs to be done to make Tamils first class citizens. ( Creating Ealam may be one way to make Tamils in North make first class, but what about the Upcountry Tamils and Muslims? How can we make them feel first class?//
More to add…
Creating Tamil Eelam is not going to make even all the tamils in north first class may be very few upper class.
Do you know how many singhalese live like second class citizen in SL?
Not to mention up country tamils and others.
This second class & first class business is a social issue .
My expirence we Jaffna tamils are the worst discriminating society among other race in SL. We do discriminate the food we eat to the God we worship.
Not to mention political differences…LTTE supporters always treat the supporters of other movements as second class citizen any way.
Seperate state is not going to solve these problems.
Bangaladesh seperated from Pakistan for same reason still people leaving from Bagaladesh because of discrimination and you can add more examples.
It is not who is ruling?…How it is being ruled ? which determine people to live comfortably in a country.
We need to develop the country from north to south and east to west. Whoever live there should live comfortably and safely.
We as Sri Lankans must elect the right people to this job(s). This is our current struggle or duty.
my dear sjoseph
What i meant by India was a hindu country, was based on a historical perspective in the context of describing muslim invasions prior to which it was including pakistan and kashmir wholly hindu country. same way when i said it will always be hindu country, the context in which i said it was that not an inch more should be given to pakistan.
Present day reality is it is about 80 per cent hindu. So as you correctly point out if we call it a hindu country the other 20 per cent will feel alienated. So i believe the path india took to be secular is the correct one, and i fully support that. Everyone in the country should be treated the same regardless of their religion.
As for india not having firepower to counter these islamic terrorists, i can tell you if they win the war against the west they will turn their fulltime attention on India. Are you going to wait for that to happen or are you going to help the west in Afghanistan now. Which is better? The struggling west will be grateful for even 5000 troops and iam sure will pay the cost.
# 195. shankar
Thanks for the clarification.
My opinion is India should not get involved directly (sending troops) in afghanistan/ iraq/pakistan to support western forces, even though the cause may appear noble. US troops got in to the mess and unable to come out.
We can support those countries affected by terrorism, indirectly, like what is done in Srilanka.
Every country (inncluding India) has the responsibilty to eliminate terrorism with in their country, using their own resources.
194. Thanesh :- You are 100% correct in what you have said. But many will not see the wisdom of your writings
Indians speak about cross border terrorism and accuse Pakistan promoting terrorism in Indian twerritory.Then what about Indian role in promoting terrorism in Sri Lanka.Do you honestly believe that the Tamil youths in 70s and 80s would have survived for just two weeks without Indian support.Sri Lanka becoming a breeding ground for countries like China and other countries and that is why India is concerned is a baseless argument.China from the period of Rice-Rubber pact in 1952 has been a true friend of Sri Lanka.Chinsa gifted huge BMICH during a UNP government in Sri Lanka.
Mr.Sankaran is not happy about the remarks made by DBS when he mentioned about India’s human rights records,I would like to remind the readers that the IPKF period in Jaffna was not a good one as far as HR violations are concerned.IPKF soldiers involved in many vioations.But the LTTE accusations of rape by Indian forces was not true.There could be some isolated cases.
India has to follow a realistic foreign policy particularly its realations with smaller neighours in the context of armed conflict including naxalites(maoists) in many states.Maoists have become very formidable.Social injustice in India is the root cause for this.Fortunately in Sri Lanka, though we are speaking about ethnic problem
Tamils are well off.
189. Nostradamus | I do not know how you came to the conclusion that I expect subservience from the Tamil’s because I did not say that. However in my experience, many Tamil’s have a better life than many poor Singhalese. Mind you all my life I have lived and worked with all the races (except the Kaffirs) and my best friends are not Singhalese. The conflict in SL is due to both the races and as you have said one cannot clap with one hand. Some Tamils think there can be no reconciliation until the Singhalese make amends to the barbaric acts they have committed. Now these people are not living in this world because no one will do that whether Singhalese or even the remnants of the LTTE and I don’t expect that either. The problem is there are very many Singhalese who are severely discriminated because they are poor, do not have connections, they are honest and they don’t bum lick politicians and are not in the correct political party. Who speaks for them? There is no Diaspora or international press. They live and die in their poor way.
Tamils say GOSL supports Singhalese. Not always true. It supports any race that
Supports them. The fight is between the rich and the poor. Rich Tamils and rich Singhalese and rich Muslims are always friends. Example look at those who do money laundering in SL. To what races do they belong? The fighting is between the poor idiots who cannot think and those who are gullible to the politician’s race card.
Singhalese are supposed to discriminate against the Tamils but Tamils themselves discriminate against other Tamils. Because I have lived with them I know this is really true. So the bloody Singhalese are not the only offenders!!
Again I say, the solution to SL ethnic issue depends on the cards Tamils play. When North east was handed over on a platter to VP he did not grab it. When VP killed his own, other Tamils opted to remain silent & continue to contribute funds. Even in recent times, TNA went against MR and contested elections supporting SF. Now how did the uneducated Thondman handle GOSL? Very admiringly. That is what I am trying to tell the Tamils. Of course I got Tamil friends who strongly believe LTTE or similar outfit will come back. OK good luck to them and we are still friends but these friends are so rich & so prosperous they will never ever go to SL for the fight! So they sow seeds of hatred because they don’t care. Their children are educated in the west and very well off. I a Singhalese wanted to go to Jaffna with them to see our old haunts, visit some IDP’s and everyone refused because that is now out of their comfort zone. So unless Tamils are willing to change, I cannot see any hope.
65% of Tamils live in area’s out side their traditional homelands. How do they live peacefully? In Colombo, Sinhalese are only 25% and are in a minority and why are there no troubles? Because Tamils in these area’s have decided to change course & live with the others and the others have certainly accepted them.
I also cannot see India screwing MR because currently MR holds the aces. But I have great faith in their PM and at the end the goodwill he spreads will prevail against the war mongers. Today in my opinion, India has one of the most balanced leaders.
“While these and some other minor issues are proving to be irritants the evolving major contradiction relates to the intermestic Tamil issue. ”
“Besides an extensive international probe into Sri Lanka’s alleged infringements and conduct of war could also throw open a can of worms resulting in greater exposure of India’s role in Sri Lanka’s war against the LTTE.”
War crimes committed has the long-term implications and far fetching consequences in the intermestic Tamil issue. There are enough and more documentation to inculcate indelible mark in the minds of global Tamil Diaspora, which has potential be a burning ember to flare up any time in Tamil Nadu to cause contradictions between Sri Lanka and India to be more acute and strenuous. This is the sole factor that has wider appeal and consideration, surpassing the ethnic divide of India for a cry against genocide, to have greater momentum augmented by the Chinese factor with unexpected twists and turns in the diplomatic circles and the history of India and Sri Lanka in the near future. More to add, India has no true friends amongst Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka to welcome Indian role in Sri Lanka. That puts heavy strain in Indian Diplomatic circles to accomplish Indian agenda in Sri Lanka and push India to use force or perhaps covert methods rather than smooth and cohesive effort, which again complicates intermestic issues. For Wheel of Dhama there is no exception.
Nostradamus # 184
Thanks for your comment!
I’m not clever enough to write the comments here, but if you see the past, right from the beginning, India is playing dirty game in SL. Even under the Sirima-Sasthiri pact they took some up-country Tamils back but they did not worry about the rest of the Tamils remain in upcountry. Those hard working communities still being treated as second class citizens. India did nothing much for their well being and win back their fundamental rights. After 1983 riots large number of Tamils fled to India and many Tamil Politicians seek asylum in South India. Using this situation India step in to the SL problem. But what I think is they did not use their good office diplomatically to bring the permanent peace in SL. They pretend them self as a peace mediators to the world and arranged useless negations with Tamils and Sinhalese but in reality they decided to keep SL as a problematic country and fuelled up the situation by arming the Tamil militants. By doing so they try to keep some control over SL. That is why they encourage civil war in SL indirectly. If we look back when Army advancing to Jaffna through “Vadamarachi Operation”; India put the pressure on GOSL and stop the operation. Otherwise may be SL armed forces could crashed LTTE that time (as LTTE was not powerful as conventional army that time). Even IPKF had an opportunity to arrest or kill VP many times but they were told by their masters not do so. Because they want to keep war going on in SL. Even they were blind eye on LTTE shipment and other activities and the same time supply arms to GOSL. Because of their hypocrisy cynical diplomacy many more young youths from Tamil and Singhalese got killed in the battle field. Many people affected in several ways. Gradually thinks have changed and Rajiv got killed by the bullet given by his mum. After this incident and the rapid growth of LTTE ,they changed their track and decided to wipe out LTTE at any cost but not damaging Tamil Nadu sentiment so badly. They took the mask of SL Armed forces and fought with LTTE and destroy them almost completely. In order to achieve their goal, again thousand of Sinhala and Tamil youths along with thousands of innocent people got killed. Cleverly they took the mask and gave back to MR who is holding without knowing the danger.
SL is an Independent country but Sinhalese and Tamils having ethnic problem since independent. Unfortunately this problem can-not be resolved in amicable way through dialogs unless both communities have real desire on peace. There is(was) a need for third party judgment (not the mediator or facilitator). India is(was) the most suitable country and can play pivotal roll here.. Even though that problem is(was) internal matter of SL, it had an impact on India and could affect India’s internal politics and security as well as India’s position in the region as well. Considering these facts India has(had) every right to get involved in SL affairs and do whatever they can build constructive and long lasting peace in the country without damaging their bilateral relationship with SL. India should have approached SL problem this way. Even now is not too late. Leave it too late going to be “TOO LATE”
187. sjoseph
If all what you say is true about Kashmir, what is the reason for the insurgency/rebellion there? People have their autonomy, all the laws are ratified by the local assembly and etc. So one would think that they would be very happy under mother India, which is suppose to be secular with a capital S. So why all the bloodshed, bombings and killings?
As you guys always like to point out, LTTE did not appear in a vacuum, but was natured by the general Tamil population because of the genuine grievances that they had with the GOSL.
Would you also say that similarly, Kashmiri libreration or independance is not active in a vacuum but thrives on the grievances of the general population of Kashmir.
182. Ranjan, Toronto
You are trying to divert the issue. The muslims issue is being taken care within the democratic limits of the state. if any tresspass happens then there is always an active fourth estate.
here no journolist is put behind the bars.
The situation in sl is vastly different.
You talk about that.
Muslims are living as equal citizens in India.
They are being given reservations in the govt educational and job oppurtunities treating them as backward castes.
In some states they are being given benefits under the separate head of mulsims.
you talk about your countries record.
We had even given them a separate country and we had also said we don’t believe in two nation theory and we have urged the muslims to stay back in india.
The muslims who stayed back in india are very loyal to the country. they are second to none in their patriotism.
the muslims who opted pakistan are also good at the people level. it is the politics which plays havoc with the relations.
they do come to india for treatment and they enjoy the hospitality of india. they come to india even during war like kargil.
That community is educationally and socially backward. it is of late making giant strides in the path of progress.
i love them.
You also give eelam and then talk about the muslims in india.
there are muslim civil servants, muslim presidents and muslim generals.
muslim prime minister has not come that also will come at an oppurtune time.
many of them have conducted themselves exemplarily in the wars and won medals.
One muslim had won even paramvir chakra the highest gallantary award of the state.
how many tamils are in your armed forces and police forces.
your army is the sinhala army with very little sprinkle of tamils and other ethnic groups.
your sinhalese army committed genocide against the tamils under the active support of you sinhala citizens.
202. Ranjan from Toronto
you may say many things but the terrorism in kashmir is due to the active support of LeT and mujahideen by the pakistan’s isi.
This even cia accepts.
the terrorism in sri lanka was an indigeneous one. even when the india stopped supporting ltte the vp continued the struggle staying well within the sl territory for nearly two decades.
You cannot compare kashmir with eelam.
What happened to them all? Got washed down the drains in the latest flood? Sinhalese are around 50% of the population of Colombo Municipality, and that is because Tamil areas such as Welawatte are in the Municipality, whilst Sinhala areas such as Mt. Lavinia aren’t. If you’re talking greater Colombo, then the number of Sinhalese starts getting closer to 75%
The only problem with that is that Jammu and Kashmir are still not legally part of India.
I start from where I left in the comments # 23. Most of us are seeing and analyzing this problem from a victim’s mindset. If we continue to do this way, we would be dead wrong. Actually we should give way to younger members from both the communities to sit and sort it out.
From the Tamils’s perspective they should state what should be the ideal solution and the second best option and the third option if any. Similarly Sinhalese also will need to state these things upfront.
Peace, liberty and freedom to pursue happiness are more important than the boundaries. Perhaps, the elusive peace may return even after the separation; there is no need to think that British defined national boundaries is sacrosanct
I talked about victim’s mindset. Now who is victim?
1. Tamils of SL, without any doubt.
2. Sinhalese of SL, in spite of wiping out LTTE they think their country suffered a lot because VP
3. Tamil civilians in India, for doing not enough to stop the War.(Not this Indian Govt adorned by first rate rascals whose callous and insensitive handling led to this crisis)
If Tamils demand eelam, then Sinhalase should state why they should opt for a small country which would be only around 3million population; whereas relatively a bigger SL can achieve a lot more. If Tamils can demonstrate it is not possible to co-exist, SL can have a referendum and close this issue.
From the Sinhalese perspective they should clean up their institutions before promising anything. Many of you have argued about India’s track record in HR. You are right and the Editorial of Indian Express 7th or 8th of June, 2010 writes a damning one about the track record. But let me remind you one thing; if our Institutions fail we punish the ruling party severely and restore the balance. The latest one is for communist in West Bengal. Earlier TN punished Jaya in 1996, and MK in 1991. Also India punished Indira Gandhi immediately after emergency, punished BJP Govt in 2004 for Godhra incidents, Rajiv Gandhi in 1989, etc. So the balancing mechanism is in tact. Whereas Srilanka is a doomed state and if some of you claim there is fairness to Tamils, it is a slap-stick comedy.
Also that India would weak compared to china. Though in terms arms it is true. But in case of esclations both can cause very severe damage on both sides and so the war may never be won any part in right sense. So India will play the trick; that is, open her markets to china to compete. Then if India wishes SL is doomed. So please dont day dream
So I reiterate; please think without being trapped in Victim’s mindset.
For SL Tamils to befriend India, they should forget the IPKF episode. Army excesses are around as long as man started to fight.
I have a few close Indian freinds from Mimbai
.Nice people but the impression I get from their attitude is that they think Tamil Nadu and Srilankans are 2nd class citizens.
Even in world Cricket these Mumbai dudes barrack for the whites when ever they play any team other than their Indians.
And the Mumbaians are the power base in India,
We must give credit to our President for hedging our future with the Chinese rather than the Indians.
There is so many truth hidden in regards to Rajive Gandhi s assignation, in regards to who paid LTTE
And got it done. And who were the people knew well before it was done. many information has gone under the carpets
“One of the allegations is that Chandraswami had financed the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi,”
And there were many who knew
# 199 Don
The cards MR is holding is not aces. The card he is holding can be appropriately called as ” confidence trickery “. For him promises are made to be broken, not to be kept.
The mutually acceptable solution for the Tamils he assured to India when the war was in progress is conveniently ignored by him now because he is a confidence trickster.
India can become ” approver ” with regard to the war crime allegations and pay MR in kind. Though India has its own baggage of violations the one which is in the dock now is Sri Lanka, not India. All India has to do is one more somersault in return for MR’s treachery.
Will India do it ! Indians have not learnt when and how to go for the jugular.
#202. Ranjan from Toronto
The terrorism ( or fighters) in Kashmir is mainly due to insurgents from Afhganistan and pakistan.
in J&K , people are not rebelling, though there is support to rebels on religious sentiments.
It is different from LTTE, where the terrorists (fighters) are from srilanka and mainly supported by Diaspora (Srilankans) financially..
Glad to note, you ask questions. Have you answered any of the questions posted to you with truth?
Please note here, we are not posting here for mere argument.
Please think and reflect.
133. Indian Tamil | June 6th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Dear Indian Tamil,
I was referring to changing regime in TN in a democratic way, through elections.
I hope breaking the DMK/ADMK cycle is not considered arrogance.
I am utterly ashamed that such a low level Minister as Minister of State for External Affairs Praneet Kaur went to greet Mahinda Raja wearing a punjabi costume (not a saree). Why can’t they send the Prime Minister of India or the President of India to the Airport. During Sirima, JR,times the Prime Minister of India went to the Airport. During DS, Sir John times the Head of India and the most of the powerful ministers of the cabinet went to the airport to greet them. Mahinda Raja has become such a useless creature internationally
#206-Stephen jones
The only problem with that is that Jammu and Kashmir are still not legally part of India.
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I may be wrong but I thought the UN recognised it as part of India, and the other part of kashmir as part of Pakistan in order to broker the ceasefire agreement between India and pakistan war.. If it does not it does not matter anyway just as Tibet is a part of China and always will be. Possesion is nine tenths of ownership anyway. Unlike national courts there is no international legal courts to decide otherwise. If the major economies of the world recognise it and do the normal bilateral relations and trading that goes with it, that is all that is needed.
This is another reason for India to help the west with troops in Afghanistan.
Mahesh,
I feel that you are out of touch with your country – if you are srilankan. You have a biased view of Tamils being successful in Sri Lanka. You forget that every single muslim was chased out of Jaffna. they now live in other parts of Sri Lanka.
There has been many Tamil legislators. Kadirgarmer the foreign Minister who was killed by the LTTE. Amirthalingam and the Entire TULF killed by the LTTE, Professors and Mayors in Jaffna Killed by the LTTE. so who are you blaming?
At present there are no bombs going off killing innocent civilians either in Jaffna or the south. BY the LTTE or SLA by accident or otherwise.
The LTTE was funded by the diaspora. towards the latter part of the war there was no money to extract from the civilians in Jaffna. so the children were taken. How much did you give Mahesh? To the ‘Cause’? to kill in the name of the cause?
I am hoping that the Tamil people in the north will enjoy real freedom, without having the security forces around as we too have them in Colombo. But for that to happen the Diaspora must act responsibly.
The diaspora is scared of the brutality of the LTTE and thats why they still support. Most Tamil people I know are very gentle people. But they can be bullied, specially in a foreign country.
Amithab Bachchan, why did you do this to us? You single handedly destroyed us – Sri Lanka, for your own petty self gain
My Dear Subjects in the TNGTE in Canada, UK , US and Europe,
You lead my God Son up the garden path for thirty years with the help of my departed subject who loved his expensive Malt Whisky and the white flesh.
I knew that my God Son had the muscle thanks to Karuna,The Black Tigers and the Suicide Cadres.But I always had suspicions about his brain power.
When my god son had good mates like Ranil in power,he turned a blind eye.He did not accept a mini Eelam when Ranil was kind enough to offer one.
I think Mr Bala and his coterie of Merc driving lawyers and ex Civil servants kept leading him more and more up the garden path.
When Karuna left I knew that he lost the muscle.I also knew that the Black Tigers and the Suicide cadres are a dwindling supply but my god son was oblivious to it.
His intelligent chief mislead him too by picking and bumping iff soft targets ,mainly the intelligent and moderate Tamils who could have lead our people.
The intelligent chief was not intelligent enough to pick the real potential threats like our current enemy number one.
When our number one enemy came to power I knew that my god son had a fight in his hands. I knew from the outset that this enemy is in the same league as my old enemy Duta and not a push over.
I still remember how I poured boiling oil on Duta and his troops from the top of my fortress in Yalpanam to keep them away.
When the tables turned I was smart enough to make a deal and let my people survive for 2500 years as equals or even better.
Now my only concern is my subjects who are left in my old homeland to carry the can.
Our number one enemy seems to be doing a bloody good job looking after his subjects the same way my old enemy did
What I notice is my overseas subjects are now oblivious to this as my god son when the writing was on the wall.
All I wast my overseas subjects are to revisit the old adage,” if you can’t beat them join them” as I did and paved the way for my people to surview 2500 years.
# 205.Stephen Jones,
very true. many other geographical, national and territorial boundaries in South Asia too were just marked on the sand on one early morning by the colonial powers without knowing the consequences.
203. Mahesh
I am not diverting from the issue. I started to talk about India because you appear totally ignorant about the situation in Sri Lanka except for some well worn standard catch phrases. Not only that you seems to be totally blind to what is happening in your country too.
You say Muslims are equal in India. For all appearances that seems to be so, but that is until the next riot. You jump up and down about the GOSL complicity in Tamil riots in Sri Lanka. One of your current cabinet ministers is accused of direct involvement in killing Sikhs in 1984. Can you tell me how many have been prosecuted in India for 2002 riots in Gujarat and how much compensation has been handed out to the victims of the riots? Your Bollywood hero SRK could not screen his latest movie “My name is Kahn” in some Indian cities because he said something supporting Pakistani cricketers.
Talking about Muslims, you say “we even gave them a separate country”. Get real mate. You did not give them anything. Jinna forced the Brits to gave them Pakistan and that was over Mahatma Gandhi’s vehement protests. Neru and the congress went along with the partition because that also gave them the India they wanted. Then you say that you invited the Muslims to stay in India. What you really did was to kill millions of them and take over their property. I know that same fate happened to millions of Hindus also but don’t talk nonsense about everything and everyone being one big happy family. You say the Muslim issue is being taken care within the democratic limits of the state. I don’t think what your Army doing in Kashmir can be termed “within democratic limits of state”. When your government suppressed the Sikh separatism in Punjab in the mid 80’s that was not also “within democratic limits of state”. And I am pretty sure that when your government crushes the Maoist rebellion in the Tribal areas, it will not be done “within democratic limits”.
You talk about muslim civil servants, muslim presidents and muslim generals in India. By the same token, there are were and are Tamil civil servants, engineers doctors and business people in Sri Lanka. You may not know this, but even in 60’s and 70s, the majority of the doctors, engineers and accountants entering in to their respective professions were Tamil. That is from 12% of the total population of the country. And you claim that there has been a genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka since 1948.
Lastly, you accuse the SL army of performing genocide. I agree that a lot of pretty brutal actions took place in the 30 year war but those were not limited to one side. Let me remind you that the activities of your Indian Army in Jaffna in early 90s were not also very clean as you would like to think. You don’t have to believe what I say, just talk to the Jaffna Tamils who lived through the IPKF times and listen to what they have to say about you Army’s conduct. Better still ask DBSJ. He can tell you enough. After all he was fired from the Hindu Newspaper for exposing those. When I see endless campaigns by various people and various countries about SL Army’s actions and the need to bring the culprits to justice I wonder why is that nobody seems be interested in talking about Indian Army’s actions in Sri Lanka in the early 90s.
You know, Sri Lanka is not perfect and it will never be perfect. But given time and no interference from the big brother India, I am sure that we will muddle through our problems and eventually sort them out. I don’t think we will ever be one big happy family that you naively seem to think that India is. But I am certain that we Singhalese and our Tamil brothers will learn to live beside each other and respect and enjoy our differences. We have done it in the past and you may not believe this, on a personal level a lot of us do it even today.
# 206. Stephen Jones
In fact india, kashmir, Bangladesh and Pakistan are originally part of India. I would even say Srilanka is part of India, since they are migraants from India
Historically , culturally & Ethically they are all part of India, though there were Mogul & Western influences in middle ages.
Pakistan is partioned from India at the wishes of people. Kashmir is attached to India at the request of the king.
Having said all that, if kashmir’s legality is not approved by US & co, india need not be concerned very much.
FYI, China has occupied 10% of Kashmir & Pakistan 30% of Kashmir illegally due to the delayed decision of the king of Kashmir to attach with India.
# 220. Ranjan, Toronto
You say Muslims are equal in India. For all appearances that seems to be so, but that is until the next riot
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Equal rights and mob riots are two different things.
In fact the grievance amaong Hindus in India are Muslims/Christians are given more than equal rights, because they are covered under minority previleges.
Please get educated first.
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You talk about muslim civil servants, muslim presidents and muslim generals in India. By the same token, there are were and are Tamil civil servants, engineers doctors and business people in Sri Lanka.
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i agree Srilankan Tamils are talented & literate.
Can you quote a tamil president or prime minister or a Army general ???
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You may not know this, but even in 60’s and 70s, the majority of the doctors, engineers and accountants entering in to their respective professions were Tamil. That is from 12% of the total population of the country
——–
We very well know this figures of 60s and 70s. But what is the % of Tamil doctors / civil servants/ Engineers now in 2010 after 60 years of Sinhales rule?
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Mahinda Raja’s brunch for the Indian film start 12 cattle had been slaughtered for the beef curry, but only 8 stars had come out of nearly 100 invited. One star had said Mahinda Raja was not fair as he had sent the invitation only on Friday evening requesting them to come to Temple Trees at 10 am. They said they wanted to sleep and relax. Mahinda Raja had waited til 3 pm then closed the word after uttering a ‘kunuharupa’. He had said he will boycott the function and had told Malini, Sanathm Jackson, Somarathne and Ravindra (his 5 duo) not to go. Then at 8 pm Mahinda Raja had rung Shiranthi and asked her leave the hall with Namal, so they returned before the midway. Poor Mahinda Raja, he spent 850 million rupees for the tamasha but ultimately got the dissapointment. But he had said while in India he will go and see Amithab Bachchan.
# 220. Ranjan
I wonder why is that nobody seems be interested in talking about Indian Army’s actions in Sri Lanka in the early 90s.
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I condemn the excesses of Indian Army in Srilanka. One of the counter effect of the excesses by Indian army is our Indian leader Rajiv Gandhi lost his precious life.
Do you condemn the excesses of Srilankan forces? Who is going to take the responsibilty for the loss of civilian and innocent lives?
To be honest.. the excesses of Indian Army (Army of foreign country) in 1990s are nothing comparable to the excesses of SLA forces in 2009 .:-)
211. Nostradamus:- I don’t agree with you that MR is holding hollow cards when dealing with India. Never underestimate the man who beat the tigers and got the financial and moral support from many influential countries. Recently a millionaire in the west who met MR because he wants to start an multi million enterprise in SL told me that the most thrilling experience of his life was to meet MR the uncrowned king of SL!! I was shocked as to how MR has charmed this man who is one of the shrewdest operators of business I have ever met. Now that is MR’s PR whether we like the con man or not!
I also do not think India can impose any conditions on MR because he is cunningly juggling the international players in SL’s favor. China, Russia and Arab countries support SL while USA is on India’s side. Both China and Russia are not 100% comfortable with India and USA. The latter is currently having billions of $ of deficit in favor of China. Therefore China is the foremost player & the health of the US economy rests fairly and squarely with China. In 5 yrs time China will be a military super power as equal or better to Russia and USA. Therefore as long as China and Russia are firmly behind SL, India cannot screw MR too much.
Further, even in India, there are many influential people in their establishment who support GOSL and that include some elements of the RAW. It was the latter’s involvement that helped SL to get at KP & also provided intelligence which lead to Thamilchelvams death.
220. Ranjan, Toronto
You are always talking about the past 30 years. Why not talk about the time since 1948. How many riots were there.
in India hindu muslim riots don’t happen that frequently as you want the world to believe.
riots happen everywhere in the world, even in usa. But the sri lanka situation is different. there one cabinet minister had said we can finish off you (Tamils) in 15 minutes of let you live.
Also Sri lanka is a failed state because you don’t honour your commitments. Take the instance of bc dc pact etc.
india has always honourd its commitments it had given to its citizens or to the world.
In that way you govt is morally bankrupt.
You may talk so many things but the world knows india, world knows sri lanka and it will also sympathetically consider the plight of the tamils at your hands.
214. Senani Duminda
I am utterly ashamed that such a low level Minister as Minister of State for External Affairs Praneet Kaur went to greet Mahinda Raja wearing a punjabi costume (not a saree). Why can’t they send the Prime Minister of India or the President of India to the Airport
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I am happy only a junior level minister had gone to welcome MR.
Let us wait and see the events as they unfold.
It is those like Senani Duminda (#214) and the like in the country who find fault with India for all their faults and have built up such a prejudice within them they cannot be rid of it, even if they wish to. The country’s growing number of Universities have turned up “graduates” like this who join the JVP, the JHU and other extreme Sinhala parties and create hatred against Tamils and India.
All that is required for this blogger is to go to someone who is a little more educated and learn about the basics of diplomatic Protocol governing the visits of
foreign dignitaries. He will have much to learn and to apologise to India for talking through his bizarre rectum in a subject he has unwisely chosen to pontificate.
ISS
222. sjoseph
Sri Lanka probably would have had Tamil Prime Minister if not for LTTE. Think of Kadiragamar or Fernandopulle. Singhalese would have accepted either of them with out any problem. I am sure that if one come through one of the main parties, a Tamil could be the PM or the President one day. As you pretty well know, there have been many Tamil cabinet ministers in various Sri Lankan governments.
Do you think that Obama would have been the president of USA if there was a black separatist movement acitive in one corner of the country? Heck, he even had to answer for what his pastor had said years ago.
Do you think Manmohan Singh would be the PM of India if he had contested from an exclusively Sikh party?
Indians for all their talk of secularity, did not want Sonia as their PM even after she lead the congress to a victory.
As for the current percentage of Tamil doctors/engineers/accountants, I don’t have the number. It is defintly not 50-60 percent which was the number in the 60s. But I am sure that the number is representative of the Tamil percentage of the total population. Even during the height of the war, I know for fact that University of Moratuwa had a many Tamil students.
DBS I always find the reader comments on your articles are more thought provocating than the article itself.
So please carry on providing the platform
Yeah! I am thinking of dispensing with the articles. Seem redundant………DBSJ
——”Having said all that, if kashmir’s legality is not approved by US & co, india need not be concerned very much.”——-
The ‘US & co’ is every other country in the world.
You are also correct about the Pakistani and Chinese occupation, though the latter is more thorny a matter, the Chinese disputing the territory ever belonged to Jammu and Kashmir in the first place.
Not a single country in the world does.
Given the current stature of India and her Prime Minister in particular,among the Big League, Dr Manmohan Sing to sign seven separate agreements across a whole range of issues is an indication that both these leaders have the long term security and sovereignty as the top priority under their administrations.
Both countries are at risk of insurrections and separatist agitations as the immediate threat to them.
The recently defeated Terror out fit posed the biggest threat to India. besides Srilanka.
Now the the active Military wing of the movement is eliminated , both countries have space and a window of opportunity to organize a proper defense strategy to prevent the remnants creeping in and rejuvenating their activities.
The newly created organizations with the Western backing such as the TNGTE gives these governments more reason to think about the security of their countries,
Western countries that harboured dissidents and their supporters in the past are now paying a heavy price for their selfish and short sighted politics.
Some of these countries still seem not to have learned from their past mistakes.
The reason India and Srilanka is working so close together is an indication that these countries at least have learned from the past mistakes.
DBSJ,
Sometimes I think that you are seated very comfortably in a chair somewhere in front of a fire place with a mud of coffee in your hand, reading the comments to your articles.
Smiling on them and replying with your acid comments sometimes. Thank God for Mahesh’s, Steven Jones’s, Ranjan of Toronto and Nastradameus the blog is alive and healthy until you throw another article. Maybe one day you should publish a book on the replies!!
Dilshan
#225-Don
Never underestimate the man who beat the tigers
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I agree with you. Sarath Fonseka should not be underestimated. That is why gota wants to hang him. One thing about gota is he believes that attack is the best form of defence and in this case he may be right.
226. Mahesh
You said:
“India has always honourd its commitments it had given to its citizens or to the world.”
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One word : Kashmir.
Would you say that India has honoured its commitments to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir?
So by your own standards India should be a failed state and should be considered morally bankrupt.
Then you asked about the frequency of civil riots in Sri Lanka. The last one happened in 1983. After that even under extreme provocation by the LTTE, no rioting happened. On the other hand, the rioting in Gujarat happened in 2002. How is that for comparison?
I agree with you on one point. The world will consider the plight of Tamils. But the world will not fall for false propaganda of LTTE and its supporters. That was amply demonstrated when the war in Sri Lanka came to a climax last May.
Yeah! I am thinking of dispensing with the articles. Seem redundant………DBSJ
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Don’t do that. This particular one is i think one of your best, maybe next to the one about prabhaharan.I was reading about the kumarrapah saga. I think that was the turning point for the tamils. I don’t know what was that whole bunch doing in the sea and getting caught. Though you say it was a pretext by prabha too attack Indian troops, i wonder whether he had no choice really. Even mahattaya who got along well with the indians had muttered that they are going to pay for this 100 fold. these were LTTE leaders and the families were clamoring for revenge. How come so many leaders were in the same ship, same way when Theepan got cornered? in my opinion it was their own fault for getting captured and Athulathmudali set the trap and finally the idiotic LTTE and Indians bashed each other and JR and Lalith would have been laughing till they nearly died.
DBSJ RESPONDS:
16 LTTE guys including the then Jaffna commander Kumarappa & Trinco commander Pulendhi Amman were returning to Jaffna in a boat when Navy caught them. The SL govt alleged they were carrying arms which the tigers dumped in the sea
The LTTE said they were transporting material from their offices in Tamil Nadu which they were systematically shutting down after Indo -Lanka accord.
Navy said no such material was found.Likewise no arms were also found
They were brought to Palaly. Unfortunately Dixit was not in Lanka at that time but came hurrying to Colombo after incident to negotiate release of the 16 ltte guys
Pulendhiran was responsible for Aranthalawa massacre of civilians including young Buddhist Samanera monks. He is alleged to have displayed sadistic tendencies by saying do you know disco dancing in Sinhala to the victims. Survivors said Pulendhi had been dancing and laughing while firing at victims
Lalith found a loophole. The Aranthalawa incident happened two miles away from Eastern province border inside North central province. The Indo Lanka accord amnesty referred to offences committed in North and east only asserted Lalith. So Lalith said Pulendhi was to be brought to Colombo for interrogation into that offence and that Amnesty was not applicable
The LTTE complained to IPKF in Jaffna that if any LTTE guy was to be taken to Colombo they would regard the ceasefire as off.
Even as Dixit returned and was talking to JR the LTTE smuggled cynaide to the 16 LTTE detenues and asked them to consume it. Mahathaya and Balasingham personally smuggled cynaide in
When the 16 took cynaide the Army guys tried to save them and 5 or 6 escaped death. 11 or 12 died.
The bodies were handed over to LTTE who claimed that they had taken cynaide only because they were about to be forcibly taken to Colombo.
The tigers displayed the bodies and whipped up emotion. Later the bodies were cremated in a grand ceremony at Theeruvil cemetery in VVT
Prabhakaran indicated war was about to begin by strapping on his gun belt in a symbolic gesture after paying his respects to the dead comrades
Later Praba himself fired the first shot by using an RPG against a Lankan army vehicle.
Indian defence minister Pant came to Colombo & LTTE was proscribed again on Oct 9th. On october 10th Indian army trying to march out of camps were fired upon. Early that morning Indian officers “de-activated” two pro-tiger newspapers & a TV station by exploding machinery. Thus began the IPKF -LTTE war
Months later in an off the record chat with Lalith I told Lalith that knowing the LTTE’s characteristics he had deliberately provoked Praba into war by the Pulendhi incident. He grinned but did not say anything
But I think the LTTE too was waiting for a chance to fight again. So they jumped the gun instead of waiting for Dixit to negotiate. JR & Lalith also exploited it
This was a time when relations between the SL army & IPKF had reached zero level. Things may have worked differently but………….
232. Stephen Jones | June 9th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
If the major economies of the world recognise it and do the normal bilateral relations and trading that goes with it, that is all that is needed.
Not a single country in the world does.
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They do through India. After all kashmir is not a seperate country. When countries have bilateral relations and trade with india it is as good as having with jammu and kashmir. No country states that we are doing this with india on the condition the goods are not for kasmir.
I think India – Sri Lanka relations hit rock bottom
Even when the Bhutan King, Maldivian PM or Burmese Junta, Iran buddy come to sri lanka mahinda raja runs to the airport with Shiranthi but no head of state goes to the airport to welcome him. Poor Mahinda Raja. Our country has gone to dogs. I believe Namal is in the entourage?
240 Senani
…and the lady who went to recieve MR & entourage didnt even wear the traditional saree …a mark of respect in India … instead she was dressed in the casual kurtha!!!!!! as though she was rushing from her kitchen…
At least the India’s foreign Minister who is a Tamil should hvve been at the airport plus the Madam President of India. This is like we sending Piyasena Gamage or Gunarathne Weerakoon to our Airport to welcome Manmohan Singh
176 Mangalaya
I am NOT a Tamil.
So what ?. Does it matter whether you are Tamil, Muslim, Sinhalese, Malay or Burgher ?>
What matters is human qualities in a person.
Live and let live policy
From the details of the final communique it is abundantly clear that Dr Manmohan Sigh is determined to look after Srilanka as his baby brother.
No wonder Sampathan ditched the God son’s ideology and went to see the President before he caught the flight to Delhi.
A free hand to the President to solve the Tamil issue as he find appropriate,Iron clad guarantees for the security and territorial integrity, unprecedented assistance with infrastructure improvements among many other myriad of programs to turbo charge the development of Srilanka under the current leadership is a clear indications of the good intentions of Dr Singh.
Dr Singh is a 21st century leader who does not play dirty politics.This is the reason for his wide acceptance among the major players.
Now it is up to the Srilankan politicians ,specially the junior partners of the ruling party to harness the benefits of this generous gestures of Dr Singh.
I am sure the opposition will try to drum up anti Indian sentiment among the Sinhalese by misrepresenting India’s assistance.
The protests that were initiated by the Colombo Business against the trade pact is a good indication of what is in the pipeline from the opposition, aided by the anti government groups in Colombo as well as overseas.
comment 194
“My expirence we Jaffna tamils are the worst discriminating society among other race in SL. We do discriminate the food we eat to the God we worship.
Not to mention political differences…LTTE supporters always treat the supporters of other movements as second class citizen any way.”
Bravo for stating the obvious, some of the ex We Jaffna Tamizhs -now current refugees in other countries-need to take a look in the mirror before shouting Racism….
was it the inherent racism or was it greed that caused some of the We Jaffna Tamizhs to ask for 50-50 representation. How come the We Colombo Tamizhs don’t shout Racism?
there’s lot of corruption allegations coming up against Ranil Wickramesinghe
#236 Ranjan, Toronto
Do you don’t know what is happening here ?
one can count more than 4 well planed periodic mini ethnic violance after 1983 in Tricomalee district alone.
Then and there I heard about this type of mini(- but causing more damage) ethnic violences in some other parts of the Island also. I thing you can get all details from
respective Srilanka police stations.
an eelam citizen
what this ‘senani’ is talking is rediculous rubbish. MR received the highest welcome possible at Rashtrapathi bavan. Joint statement is a strong message to the world that no more sticks allowed with SL. Rest of the world will follow India. Bad luck for anti SL diaspora
236. Ranjan, Toronto
One word : Kashmir.
Would you say that India has honoured its commitments to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir?
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India has said it will hold plebiscite. But for that the armies of both the countries have to go back from Kashmir and also the original inhabitants have to be there.
Both these things are not satisfied.
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Then you asked about the frequency of civil riots in Sri Lanka. The last one happened in 1983. After that even under extreme provocation by the LTTE, no rioting happened.
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Before 1983 the riots were happening every second year. After 1983 you didn’t dare to do that because as I said earlier the world was watching you.
236. Ranjan, Toronto
I agree with you on one point. The world will consider the plight of Tamils. But the world will not fall for false propaganda of LTTE and its supporters. That was amply demonstrated when the war in Sri Lanka came to a climax last May.
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In a story there is always a climax and also there is an anti-climax. Let us wait and see.
244. Kalu Albert:– Dr Singh is a 21st century leader who does not play dirty politics.This is the reason for his wide acceptance among the major players.
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You are perfectly correct. Comparatively both the people from the so called elite ruling class of India , Indira and Rajiv played dirty politics while the simple Mr.Singh is a very honorable man. I am sure at the end, God will look after him as well as India.
245. citizens:–Unfortunately I got to agree with you about the Jaffna Tamils. Even in the west I was amazed to find them maintaining their cast, status and racist traditions. Again you are right, Colombo Tamils don’t have this but I know Jaffna Tamils don’t like you fellows because you are not real Tamil’s in their eyes!! According to my Jaffa friends, the CT don’t even talk Tamil properly!! You guys are classified as mongrel tamils!!
Senani Duminda, my man:
Now that you are agitated, let me assure you the Indian Govt did not deny President Rajapakse his protocol due. Even to the late President Premadasa – who thought India was like the Pettah his hordes destroyed in Julyh 83 and benefited – and eventually learnt his lesson, Rajiv Gandhi,I am told, ensured he was taken up and down Bodh Gaya on a helicopter provided by Goi – although Premadasa took pleasure in insulting the Gandhi family. They, on their part, simply ignored this dreg as they knew he could do no better coming from the slums of Kehelwatta. Indian Govt has never been found wanting in matters of courtesy to visitors – which is a natural thing in all Indians. Parsis escapting from Persian persecution found peace in Gujarat Jews and Syrian escapting same found safety and solace in Kerala; Tamils from the NEP in the 1980s found safety in Tamilnadu. All of these communities were to enrifch the beautiful Indian tapestry later – that included the Tatas, Godrejas. As to your non-stop postings (#223, 239, 240, 242 and 246) my friend, India has no Foreign Minister. SM Krishna is not a Tamil. I shall not proceed further because I don’t think you can differentiate between a Karnatak and a Ghurkha. What on tarnation has Ranil (your blog #246) got to do with this discussion – unless you are high on Dudlige Sudhiya.
My advise to you is, for God’s sake, learn from this eclectic blog. You can take to teaching and pontification later – by that time all of us will be gone.
Jaya Wewa.
ISS
244. Kalu Albert | June 10th, 2010 at 5:57 am
From the details of the final communique it is abundantly clear that Dr Manmohan Sigh is determined to look after Srilanka as his baby brother.
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I don’t think you should resd into this communique too much. These are written by public servants and are absolute tosh. When israel and the US were having a flaming row the communique said they had the best relations in the world. What you have to remember is there are no permanent friends among nations, only permanent interests.
It would be better to look at what kind of actions are taking place than words. The fact that 7 agreements were signed as you mentioned is a good sign and shows the relationship is on an even keel, but the fact that the CEPA that India was keen to sign was silent in the communique is dark clouds on the horizon. Mahinda the adroit diplomat will probably manage to modify it and sign it.
I don’t agree with some that India has lost all its clout with Srilanka now that the LTTE has been militarily defeated. The reason i say this is nostradamus had a good point that the war crimes investigation is being blocked by india. It has to only move aside or threaten to move aside for Gota to start sweating. He has only himself to blame for the way he conducted the war especially in the last few days. It was highly unnecessary as the LTTE leaders were cornered. If he had allowed transparency and conducted the war in a honourable fashion, today instead of pariah status, we would have been the toast of the rest of the world, and mahinda would have been akin to a Nelson mandela. We really screwed up there allowing baser instincts to take over and unneceesarily giving India leverage against us. I have always been quite nervous with this huge country being right next to us.
#250 Mahesh writes:
“In a story there is always a climax and also there is an anti-climax. Let us wait and see.”
Current realities and perceptions not withstanding, I believe the final chapter vis-a-vis the Lankan ethnic conflict is yet to be written. We are at a stage that could be described as, depending on one’s view point, either the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning.
As much as I appreciate the goodness inherent in the average Sinhala brethren, tinged by the classic victim mentality, my outlook for the future of Tamils in the island is rather pessimistic. VP’s tryst with destiny left our people defenseless, helpless and hopeless. Ground realities indicate that the end of the armed conflict, especially given the manner it was executed, and related developments thereafter have only aggravated their plight.
With Tamil interests and aspirations not in sync with current geopolitics and realpolitiks an equitable solution -a just outcome-is about as real as a mirage. Extrapolating from present facts one may infer that their future is rather bleak…if not dark.
It was a conflict created, fueled and finally ended by vested interests to further their (**surprise**) interests. The average man, woman and child are the victims. My only hope, however faint, lies with the average Muslim, Tamil and Sinhalese. Left to their own devises they could certainly reconcile and rebuild. Of course if they were left to their own devises this conflict would not have happened at all.
May peace prevail…someday…hopefully soon.
A composition by A.R. Rehman can be found is the following link. He is a Muslim Tamil or a Tamil Muslim, depending on one’s view.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oenXuRVOR28
249. Mahesh
“Before 1983 the riots were happening every second year. After 1983 you didn’t dare to do that because as I said earlier the world was watching you.”
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Again you display your ignorance of contemporary Sri Lankan history.
The riots in Sri Lanka were in 1956, 58, 77 and in 83. Although even one is too many, that is hardly “every second year”
Now would you care to list the years that India had Hindu-Muslim riots?
As for your excuse on Kashmir, since it is now more than 60 years since independence, how convenient for you to say that the plebiscite can not be held since you can never get the original inhabitants back in the state. Most of the original inhabitants must be dead and gone, so according to your reasoning the plebiscite will never happen. How convenient!
So much for keeping promises.
Lastly, I don’t know what in the world you are writing about in comment #250. Who says that every story has to have a climax and an anit-climax?
from your writing INDIA is the one of main reason for the sufferings of srilankan tamils today, i read one person commenting that the first enemy of EELAM is not SINHALESE but the people in DELHI? is it so?
# 256. pasumpon
India is one of the reason for Srilankan tamil suffering..
However the main reason for Tamils suffering is equally shared by Srilankan Tamils and Sinhalese.
255. Ranjan, Toronto
As for your excuse on Kashmir, since it is now more than 60 years since independence, how convenient for you to say that the plebiscite can not be held since you can never get the original inhabitants back in the state. Most of the original inhabitants must be dead and gone, so according to your reasoning the plebiscite will never happen. How convenient!
So much for keeping promises.
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Need not be the original citizens their heirs will also do.
Also consider the facts that many kashmiris were driven out of kashmir by the militants.
This only makes it much more difficult.
# 237 – DBSJ’s response….
Dear DBSJ – You are saying that JN Dixit tried to intervene and release Pulenthiran. whereas as per Harkirat Singh’s(then IPKF’s Chief) version – that JN Dixit wanted Pulenthiran to be handed over to SLA. It is there in rediff.com.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2000/mar/31lanka.htm
Could you please elaborate little more and fix the one important piece in the history that turned the relationship sour between the Tamils here in India and the Tamils in Srilanka?
#208
discrimination, 2nd class citizens, etc…
Let me tell you couple of incidents.
I was waiting to see my friend in the reception area of one of the Govt offices in Delhi/UP (the year was 1993). One gentleman came and sat next to me and spoke to me in Hindi. I could not understand that. I asked him if he preferable say that in English. His face went pale and got up and wnet and sat in another corner of the room saying something not nice about me for not knowing his Hindi.
There was another incident, may be late eighties. One guy in our neighborhood had gone to Gujrat/Madhya Pradesh to play in a chess tournament. My neighbor did not know Hindi then. One of a youngster who had come to the tournament was shocked and asked my neighbor, how can you not know your mother tongue and living in India?!!!!…
…
I feel discrimination happens because of unwillingness to look beyond one’s own circle or because of hatred due to educationally/economically advanced state of the target community.
I have lived in Mumbai/Bombay twice for few months – a bachelor middle class life – and never felt loud discrimination.
#About riots in India by Ranjan and Mahesh
Mates – in 1991 there was a serious problem when Rajiv was assassinated and there was an attempt to hit back at Tamils across India, especially New Delhi. But the Sikhs, stepped out en masse and volunteered to protect the Tamils in all the places wherever possible. An incident I know is that – a cousin of mine was in New Delhi at that time in one of our friend’s house. Knowing about Rajiv’s death early morning, the house owner of that house came and told my cousin and his friend not to venture out in streets and he takes responsibility of their lives.
I also that in many places backlash on Tamils in North India did not happen because the Indian Tamils communicated that barbaric killing of Rajiv Gandhi was done by SL Tamils and not the Tamils of India. But the major reason for No backlash at Tamils is Sikhs.
Circa 2009 – under the able leadershipof a Sikh – Dr.Singh on the pretext of killing VP, in Vanni, SLA walked over thousands of dead bodies of Tamils – innocent children, women and weak. Well done Dr. Singh!! Ask the entire Sikh community if they are proud of you!
259. Gbsganesan
Dear Sir,
I live in Chennai and I don’t know hindi. I have travelled to many places in North India.
I have never found the North Indians behaving like that. All over the country our people are good.
In many instances they have gone out of the way to help me.
Once in Delhi, I had to catch a bus to go to the Qutd Minar. I didn;t know the bus stand nor did I know the hindi.
Mind you the name boards of the buses are in hindi.
One gentleman may be rickshaw wallah or a labourer, I don’t know his profession showed me the way to go to the bus stand and also helped me to get into the right bus.
And again once I had gone to the Gurudwara Rakabganj Saheb in Delhi.
There some Sikh found out that I was from tamil Nadu and he was courteous to me and even introduced me to his family.
East of West, India is the best.
There are many incidents which I could go on narrating to you but I could tell you in no instance I was looked down by the North Indians for not knowing or speaking in hindi.
Truly, Mera Bharat Mahan.
#260
I agree. I also said that in my comments. Those couple of instances are rare and my point is to say discrimination should not quoted by one or two instances.
But those instances are true and happened.
Also in another incident during train travel (from Delhi to Kashi) one of our army officers – a fellow passenger – had complained that chennai was bad; he used to live in chennai during water scarce period and whenever his family members went to get some water near a tap that was open for public, his family members get pushed around by the localites(Tamils). He was quite angry about Tamils behaviour; i explained him that – pushing around happens irrespective of background of the people when the city was water stressed. He understood that and also helped me during the travel knowing that I am Tamil living in chennai!!
So complains of discrimination can be from anywhere. But thats fine and we can still live peacefully and happily.
My point is one should understand what constitutes “Discrimination”. These silly incidents can happen everywhere across the world.
Dear DBSJ –
I hope you will reply for my query about Pulenthiran incident, at least a while from now. Thanks in advance
I have already said what I have to say………..DBSJ
As always, we can go on and on, but we would never know what actually goes behind… These talks always been confidential (including Indo-Lanka accord), never been black and white. I always wonder why it has to be this hard.. .Yes, it is good to keep things secret so it works out for both parties. But the sad part is, this is our (Tamil) issue, Indian (Punjabi) PM and Sri Lankan (Singalam) President talks but the people actually affected will never know and will not be allowed to know….. I don’t even think they both had any meaningful discussion about the political solution. Mr. Sing may have talked bit to cool down TN. I am happy what happened to IIFA, it sure would have put some pressure on Mr. Sing. Anyways, we hope for the best. We will wait and see what folds ahead.
Just seen this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFhNucoWUgw) Part I & II Douglas talking to an Indian TV. It is hilarious! This guy could not even defend himself properly to a TV channel, how he is going to defend for Tamil rights… If language is the problem, he should have asked for interpreter before starting to vomit, or he could have simply said, it is too long ago, I will need to go through the charges with my lawyer and I will get back to you, instead of making himself a fool… He even says in the interview, he obtained the highest preferential vote in the election… It is something for us to think when electing a leader. Well, most of the times, we don’t get chance to elect a leader, they elect themselves… But whenever we get to chose, we need to elect leaders with right calibers to represent us not fools (this also applies to TGTE and others)
#DBSJ’s response
Well, well. You many times hit the nail on its head but at times cryptic. This time you are cryptic.
My intent is, the history should not be written, but recorded. The history should explicitly state that JN Dixit did not negotiate to release Pulendhiran instead played SL side and should expose the culpability of Indians in the game.
But my reference of Indians should be read as Indian Govt, the civil services structure, etc and the not the common folk. There are not enough people in our civil structure who are emphathetic to Tamils. The world knows the rascal – M.K. Narayanan… who celebrated Fonseka as world’s best army commander. Are there anyone around who can make this Indian Govt., amend its sins towards Tamils? Definitely, this tendency is not good in the very long run for the unity of India. My generation will not think of India baiting(we still love) … but the distant future generation of Tamils, I swear, will be ruthless for this cannibalistic attitude of MK Narayanans, Dr. Singhs and the ilk.
Time to amend the mistakes of New Delhi is not immediately running out but for sure it will run out. 30years of Tamil struggle – may be too long for individuals but not long enough for history.
253 Shanker,
Did you expect Gotabaya to transport the Flood Lights from the Sugathadasa Stadium to Nanthikadal before the Army moved on VP.
Gert real Shanker, The soldiers were wearing night vision goggles not Polycarbonate safety glasses.
India can move away which I doubt whether it will.t.But there won’t be any war crime tribunals because there weren’t any such crimes.
What happened to the The US Commanders who carpet bombed the Iraqis forces and the civilians while withdrawing from Kuwait?
India’s stability in the South is inter wined with the stability in Srilanka. Full stop.
India has a lot to gain from Srilanka as a friend than a foe..Besides China is not going to move away from Srilanka in a hurry.
Both will curry favor with Srilanka despite what the doom sayers predict.
To say that the 7 agreements singed by a world renowned and respected leader like Dr Sing is just another “public service exercise” is an insult to the intelligence.
262 Surya
I watched the interview. The guy came up with some RAW facts as to some agencies who said he has been pardoned together with others including even Prabakaran etc, under the Indo Sri Lanka agreement, Then he started to twist and turn in the interview and trying to digress, but hats off the interviewer who stuck to his guns.
Apparently under the new CEPA agreement, that he is party to,there is a claues for free exchange of prisoners/suspects/convicts bewtween the two countries. So he may have dug his own grave, or it may be a brilliant set up by some one in his own government and not by LTTE sympathisers as he proclaims. It is interesting that he calls the entire Tamil Diaspora as LTTE supporters and the Tamils inJaffana as his people, boasting he has won the highest preferential vote among the Tamils. .
Good article DBSJ, I like the following very much, “This is the crucial difference between Sinhala sagacity and Tamil (LTTE and pro –LTTE) stupidity”.
It is the stupidity of LTTE and the Diaspora, majority of them anyway, who supported not to be on the wrong side of LTTE for reasons of their own, we the poor innocents pushed to live on others mercy. In Vanni, it was the so called boys who evicted the families from their home against their wish. Now just see what sort of hardships they endure in resettling back at homes. Do Diaspora Tamils care about these people at home although they were largely responsible for their plight?. They to me seem to lost the plot and engaging themselves in some weir things even the so called intellectuals. What they do now, this Vadukottai and TGTE stuff, is what GoSL wanted them to do in aiding them with one more reason to deny any proposal puts forward by GoI.
As one of the comments puts above, India should be naive to restrain itself from acting against LTTE, once they had been acquired the air capability. So much were at stake for them not to act, particularly having seen the 9/11. Can a PM of India take a chance knowing this group had already murdered one their beloved sons. It is not at all surprising to me to see the way it acted supporting GoSL in its fight against LTTE. To leave LTTE with air capability in a striking distance under Praba’s command, a leader who boasted he fathom the world 4th largest army out is a nightmare for India and it should have taken some form of actions to neutralise this threat even if the peace accord between GoSL and LTTE was holding well. It is happens to be Mahinda who reaped the benefit and came out as hero in all of these, but he derserve a fair share of credit too having played the game so far to perfection, particularly in mobilising all regional supports to its advantage from China, Parkistan, Malaysia, Thailand, etc. Delhi highlighting the real threat to India from LTTE might be the fact that would have pacified the TN state government from its actions including Karunanithy’s nidhi, demanding to stop the war. With the hind sight I would rather like to think that this total loss of war could have inflicted upon LTTE by IPKF. Two reasons for it: one is the loss of lives would have been much lesser and the second being India should have in a better position to force GoSL into a better solution than what it holds now in its pursuit convincing GoSL for a solution. Observing all what had happened so far, in my mind, India is a clear winner in all this, and it will not take the pedal off until it sees the end for its intermestic issue than SL’s- This is what I hold an optimism that a solution acceptable for India is on the card this time around, it may not be pleasing the warmongers who claimed to be the patriotic Tamils who is wanting their children to be educated and do well in all aspects of live whereas the children of others must support their idiotic maniac leader who does not have any feeling for those crying parents whose children were conscripted forcefully at the age of twelve, for most of them, taking the first child was not an issue. What a hypocrites lots people we have, and still putting a brave face and trying to justify their stand.
It is a curse that befell at LTTE, the moment people, whom it claimed fighting for, becomes fear of them rather than fear for them, it should end. I think that is what happened, it is great it is all over now than later despite lot of losses our people had suffered. It is collective stupidity of the LTTE and the Diaspora led this thirty odd years of struggle in which, there were sincere fighters who either misguided or convinced in their own due to GoSL’s racist approach to issues that faced by them sacrificed their lives, for them we shall salute, to this end. Now will wait and see how the Sinhala sagacity plays out in the face of mounting pressure from GoI and other.
# 264. Kalu Albert
China is not going to move away from Srilanka in a hurry.
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it is true. Once step in Chinese do not move away from Srilanka.
Chinese will use srilanka as a pawn to negotiate border issues with India.
Chinese will negotiate North east of India to exchange with north east of Srilanka.
# 244 Kalu Albert
No wonder Sampathan ditched the God son’s ideology and went to see the President before he caught the flight to Delhi.
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Sampathan did the right thing. Ditching God son’s ideology and seeing the Satan’s son before the departure of the latter to the Fatherland ought to be given the credit the gesture deserves.
If making peace with the devil is what it takes to make peace in the blessed land of the resplendent isle, Sampathan on his part for peace sake made the right choice.
Now it is MR’s turn to reciprocate. It takes two to tango.
Failing to do so, Peiris will have a hard time when he comes to the see the God mother in the Land of the Great White Father. Land of the brave and home of the free. Peiris was literally pleading with her for lenience in his maiden visit.
The toss of his head and animated gesticulation witnessed during his State Department Press appearance notwithstanding, never know if he genuflected in private ! I strongly suspect some sort of stooping happened away from the public eye.
Arm twisting is not done in public in consonance with diplomatic decorum.
What say you, Gentleman..
Here are some excerpts from an article by Tisaranee Gunasekera in Tamilweek. They say the proof is in the pudding, and looks like the pudding is mostly military pudding. A militay with nobody to fight with or maybe they are getting ready to take on the NATO or even like Gajabahu invade Tamilnadu. Here are the excerpts
“It defies reason. The year the war was at its most intense and critical, Sri Lanka’s defence allocation was Rs. 177 billion; but in the first year of peace Sri Lanka’s defence allocation increased by a massive Rs.24 billion to Rs. 201 billion
This policy of pacification requires the accordance of primacy to the military over civilian and to defence over resettlement. This prioritisation is symbolised in the relative allocations in the 2010 budget – a whopping Rs.201 billion for defence and a paltry Rs. 2 billion for resettlement; the sum allocated for resettlement less than 1% of the sum allocated for defence
The Sinhalese masses will not fare well either, economically or politically. This is evident in the low financial importance accorded to such key areas as education and health. Education (including higher education) is allocated a mere Rs.46 billion – i.e. around 18% of defence expenditure. Health at an allocation of Rs.52 billion fares only a fraction better – i.e. about 25% of defence expenditure. Thus the living conditions of a majority of Sinhalese are unlikely to improve, despite the ending of the war and the dawning of peace. How can there be a peace dividend in a country which spends more on defence in peacetime than it did during the war.”
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I think the last para is crucial. The Tamils have to just take a well earned rest and just watch the Sinhalese economically strangle themselves. I thought Prabhaharan was the madaya but the game of chess goes on with unlimited supply of modayas trying to play the game even though they don’t have the minimum level of IQ to qualify for entry. You can be sure that there will be some more tamil madayas too panting away to join without taking the well earned rest.
While the modayas and madayas are playing chess the others better exit the country if they can.
#264 kalu albert alias sudu wilbert
(Gert real Shanker, The soldiers were wearing night vision goggles not Polycarbonate safety glasses.)
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really? I did not know that. That is why this blog is so valuable, we are able to share information and revise our opnions accordingly. That must be why when they shelled 40000 civilians and killed them they could not identify them from the LTTE. I first thought they could not care a fig but now i can see it was mistaken identity. Thanks for setting the record straight.
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(Besides China is not going to move away from Srilanka in a hurry.)
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yep. Quite right. Being mistress to two men who don’t quite like each other is quite novel. Hope when they start bashing each other up it is not in her room.
Or if they start trying to mount her at the same time hope she is used to the sandwich shot.
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(To say that the 7 agreements singed by a world renowned and respected leader like Dr Sing is just another “public service exercise” is an insult to the intelligence)
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As i mentioned the seven virgins mentioned in the communique is action, and therefore proves the relationship is on an even keel. The rest is just words and a load of crap drafted by some civil servant. Probably he has for every country the standard thing on the computer that can be copied in minutes. If you are going to be reading into each word there and go to sleep with a happy smile on your face with the beaming mahinda appearing once in a way with hand in the air, good luck to you.
In this short life it is better to be happy than unhappy.
*** 264 *** Kalu Albert
” To say that the 7 agreements singed by a world renowned and respected leader like Dr Sing is just another “public service exercise” is an insult to the intelligence ”
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It is not my intention to insult the ” intelligence ” you believe is an integral part of you.
From your comment, part of which is cited above, I understand you acknowledge the importance and the validity of agreements signed between India and Sri Lanka. Therefore, you expect the signatories to respect and follow the agreements in letter and in spirit. Nothing wrong. No harm, no foul.
So far !
Gentleman, I read about the Indo-Lanka accord signed on July 29, 1987 in the article. Hope you did too.
How about the full and immediate implementation of the Indo-Lanka Accord ? To the letter and in spirit.
Are you still a believer of agreements !
I am sure you have a litany of excuses as is the case with almost all Sinhala folks that I encounter. You cannot be an exception. If you are, the sky will fall down.
#271-Nostradamus
How about the full and immediate implementation of the Indo-Lanka Accord ? To the letter and in spirit.
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In law i believe there is something called duress. An agreement that is signed under duress is not legally valid. The perception i got was that the indo lanka accord was forced on JR. The difficulty that Srilanka faces is to prove that to the international community. If it does not prove it and does not honour it it runs the risk of being labelled a country with sovereign risk with which you can’t do business. In the petroleum corporation hedging deal with banks also it reneged on the contracts citing corruption, and probably right but a numbskull should not have signed it in the first place.
I side with srilanka on these issues but it is a risky path to follow because you lose your reputation, and once lost it is difficult to regain it.
Putin had a novel idea. When he found that russian resources have been practically given away by that drunkard yeltsin, he did not abrogate the agreements, but instructed the environmental authorities to give a hard time to Shell and co till they agreed to a fairer share for the russian people. Even that is not a very good thing because the repercussions are there is hardly any direct foreign investment in russia now, because foreign investors got skittled.
Srilankans must be careful that they are not labelled as people who cannot be trusted to honour agreements. In my opinion Rajiv behaved like a bull in a china shop and should have stuck to flying planes. However the accord itself regardless of how it was done is a good thing for Srilanka if the amalgamation of the north and east clause is taken out.
Comment 264 SJ
Have seen or heard of China Towns in major countries where Millions of Chinese people live and work?
Do they agitate for separatism or is China using them for “border” deals?
268 Nostra
Agree Sampathan did the right thing because there is no alternative. “Can’t beat, then join ”
Rajapaksa will look after the poor local Tamil people who have been through a lot, regardless. with genuine leaders like Deva and Murali.
271 Nostra
Dr Manmohan is a real leader as same as Mr Rajapaksa. That is why their agreements are real.
Oh Shanker I nearly forgot.
I like your comment about the Bed Room Romps of Threesomes.
May be an exciting topic for DBJ to think about . I am sure it will attract more bloggers than ever.,
#271-Nostradamus
How about the full and immediate implementation of the Indo-Lanka Accord ? To the letter and in spirit
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Any accord which is not acceptable to both sinhalese and Srilankan Tamils is in force only in letter , not in Spirit.
It is better for both srilankan parties to start fresh on your own terms and mutual acceptance.
India should have no roles in this matter.
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272. shankar
In law i believe there is something called duress.
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VP also signed it in duress. If not he his lieutinent Mahathaya signed it.
This agreement was signed in duress by both the parties. It is evident from the way the LTTE went about reneging it and also the way the sinhalese rejected it, as evidenced by the attack by the naval rating on the Rajiv Gandhi.
If you enter into an agreement then it means you give some thing and take some thing. You cannot have cake and eat it too.
Now, if you want to review this agreement then the Tamils also will have the right to review the agreement.
If the Tamils want to separate from sl, will the govt agree to it.
Therefore it is better if the agreement is enforced in letter and spirit.
269. shankar | Here are some excerpts from an article by Tisaranee Gunasekera in Tamilweek. They say ……………………
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Tisaranee has to be taken with a pinch of salt. But defense spending can go up due to payment of commitments made in the past years, paying compensation to Army Top brass to send them on retirement, launching many legal cases involving SF or even the initial budget spending of 177billion may have been incorrect etc. As you know in SL or even in the west, numbers alone don’t tell the story. So coming to conclusions on them can be quite misleading
*** 273 *** Kalu Albert
Agree Sampathan did the right thing because there is no alternative. “Can’t beat, then join ”
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Are you fond of quotes !
” I like pigs. Dogs look up at us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals ”
Winston Churchill ( 1874 – 1965 ) British politician.
I am ashamed US, UK, Germany, France, Swis, Norway – our traditional donors are giving us $0 to us thanks to the diplomatic skills of Mahinda Raja. I can remeber it was the Canadians who build Katunayake airport, Where are they now?
Why did India send a 2nd rate junior minister woman in punjabi costume not saree to meet our Mhainda Raja at the airport. At least the Foreign Minister should have gone, Mhainda Raja went there with his wife – where’s the courtesy
Devananda’s interview with Indian journalist showed me how much of an educated thug is he
#271-Nostradamus
How about the full and immediate implementation of the Indo-Lanka Accord ? To the letter and in spirit
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Others have already commented on how it was forced on Sri Lanka by the GOI. In addition the agreement called for complete disarming of the Tamil militant groups by India. That did not happen. So why should one hold GOSL govt. now responsible for implementing the agreement when non of its other participants did not upheld the agreement either?
As for SL China relations, they are nothing new, they have been strong since the rubber-rice pact of 1952/53. They survived the India-China war of 1962, many years of Western powers trying to force SL not to deal with China. So to think that SL-China relations as something new is to completely ignore the history.
One shudders to think what would have happened if not for then SL govt’s foresight to deal with China in the early 50s and offer complete diplomatic support for Japan, who was emerging from the World War II in early 50s. Those two actions 30years later paid so much dividend in terms of support when the West abandoned SL and gave shelter to LTTE terrorism.
# 272 Shankar
I agree. Erosion of credibility deters foreign investment.
Rajiv should have remained in the cockpit and avoided the cesspit of politics. Besides, dynastic succession goes against the grain of inner party democratic values.
Dynastic succession in a democracy is nothing but Monarchy in disguise.
I believe duress clause applicable in criminal cases is not applicable in the case of international treaties. Renegotiation is possible.
#277 Mr Nostrdamus
Here are two more to your collection
“Pig’s Ass” . “Dumb as Dog Shit” – K Alberty
As the Sri Lankan government was rearming the LTTE faster than the Indians could disarm it, that doesn’t seem a very fair point.
284. Stephen Jones
I may be wrong here, but if I recall correctly, rearming of LTTE was done under Premadasa much later.
As per the agreement, SL forces vacated the NE and were restricted to the bases. Indian forces occupied the areas vacated by SL forces. The next step was for LTTE to give up their arms. That did not happen.
We should all remember that Indian army stepped in to save the LTTE when they were cornered by SLA in Vadamaracchi in 1987. If that operation was allowed to go into conclusion, may be the next 20 years of bloodshead could have been avoided and may be Rajiv Gandhi would still be living. It was classic case of India trying to be a regional superpower without a clue as how to be one.
# 281 Ranjan, Toronto
In March 1923, in an interview with The New York Times, the British mountaineer George Leigh Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, and the answer was, ” Because it’s there “.
So is my answer to your query. Why am I asking for the implementation of Indo-Lanka Accord ? Because it is there.
Why is it there ? Because it is valid.
How do I know it is valid. The article says so. So do I.
Mate, I have not said anything about China so far on this thread. I look forward to doing that if and when the occasion warrants.
I would like to conclude with a quote:
” All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. ” Winston Churchill.
#284-Stephen Jones
As the Sri Lankan government was rearming the LTTE faster than the Indians could disarm it, that doesn’t seem a very fair point.
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Srilanka has always been a madhouse. That must be the reason now that the war is over military expenditure is going up. Any way there is never a dull moment in Srilanka. If you open the Singapore newspapers you will fall asleep, but the Srilankan ones will keep you awake in the night too.It is action jackson all the way to the last page.Now that the war is over the people must be going crazy twiddling their thumbs and wondering what to do. The things that you looked forward to wake up the next day to read and gossip are less though their are still the juicy tidbits of incest and coppers viewing blue films and wives reporting it to some other coppers who are viewing the same and maids jumping out of windows in the gulf and the usual killings and women getting raped in their own houses in broad daylight etc etc.
Since life is short anyway you might as well not have a boring one no. When you are one day bedridden most of the time like me your reminisences of the past will be mostly of eating , working , eating and sleeping, but if you have done some exciting things in the past then you will be bedridden but with a happy smile on your face.
281. Ranjan, Toronto
Please read my post number 275.
#282-nostradamus
Besides, dynastic succession goes against the grain of inner party democratic values
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Even in the US we had a retard like George W Bush who would not have stood a chance at all if not for his father.
If a person is suitable then the fact that his father is so and so should not be a barrier. For example Sajith premadasa might become a very good leader of the UNP regardles of the fact that he had a former president as a father because he has proved his worth. Of course if there is someone better than him then he should be given the job but i can’t see anyone else having good leadership qualities in the UNP.
#281-ranjan, toronto
So to think that SL-China relations as something new is to completely ignore the history
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I agree with you. Even the BMICH was built by the chinese labour and was i believe a gift to Sirima. During that time Sirima had an excellent relationship with both mao and indira. Traditionally i think the SLFP has been close to India and China while the UNP has been close to the west.
Presently China has become much more agressive with its sring of pearls policy in the Indian ocean. It has decided that the indian ocean should be called the indochina ocean.
This is a major policy shift by China unlike in the past. It remains to be seen whether this is acceptable to india or whether it is not. The oceans do not belong to anybody and China is only wanting refuelling facilities in the countries in the indian ocean.
India’s worry will be whether this will go a further step one day with the Indian Ocean full of military ships docking and refuelling at these ports. Even commercial ships can be used to bring in troops quickly to encircle india.
There could be even chinese troops permanently stationed one day in pakistan, Srilanka, bangladesh and Burma and India could be encircled. Of course those countries will have to agree to this, but as sovereign nations they have the right to do so.
Out of these 4 the the one that is most dangerous for india is Srilanka because it is at its rear while the others are at its flanks.
So i don’t think the historical aspects can be looked at now to forecast the future, because it has become an entirely different and serious ball game now, precipitated by China which in turn was precipitated by that retard geoge w. bush’s war on Iraq. Previously nations thought that the UN was a barrier to countries taking unilateral decisions for war, but now China is worried about its security of energy supplies. Though that is its primary concern it is a natural step to go to the next objective to encircle India with ships and troops, but no hurry for that because India is not an immediate threat, unless it joins an axis of nations to contain china.
I think India is quite stupid in having a good sleep now that the gloves are off. It should have had talks with Taiwan, Japan and South korea, vietnam and phillipines to have a string of pearls in the Pacific Ocean to secure its, let us say raw material supplies one day from Vladivostok in russia. China would get the message loud and clear and rethink its policy, but the thought of going on this path will send the shivers through the spinal cords of the senile leaders India and saree clad western women running to the loo every 10 minutes while even discussing it.
India should also double its expenditure on the navy like China. History has shown whoever controls the Oceans controls the world as the oceans are two thirds of the world.
If india tries the other approach of competing with china for the goodwill of the the indian ocean countries, doling out money and licking their backsides it will get onto a sucker ride that the former soviet union had with countries setting it off one against the other and laughing all the way to the bank. The first to give up will be india, and china just like the west after the cold war was over will get stronger and consolidate itself.
I Know that given the quality of the Indian leadership who are good at running the economy, but not agressive types, the latter path only will be adopted. India will suffer after 10 or 20 years but by that time all the senile leaders and civil servents would have been born again somewhere else.
285. Ranjan, Toronto
As per the 1987 agreement the LTTE must lay down arms and the Sri Lankan govt must implement the agreement. India must oversee that these things are done.
That is the precise reason that the LTTE had been defeated for.
Now is the time for the Sri Lankan govt to honour its part of the agreement.
# 285. Ranjan, Toronto
It was classic case of India trying to be a regional superpower without a clue as how to be one
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I agree.
Though India is a big country, it is not a regional superpower.
Even today, the way Indians mishandle the Srilankan issues reflect the reality.
#291-sjoseph
Though India is a big country, it is not a regional superpower
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Depends on what region you are referring to. India is a regional power in south asia and central asia because it can influence the events that take place there . It falls short of being a regional power in southeast asia. There are no regional superpowers only regional powers. A superpower is one that can influence the whole world.
Maybe what you were referring to was that it is not an effective regional power, because though it has the potential to influence events in regions such as south and central asia it is not doing so. I think that is because its regional policies are very weak and it does not know how to project its power.
It is only Premadasa who said let’s not go around the world with a begging bowl. Let’s develop the country with our own resources. Mahinda Raja has become the biggest Sri Lankan Beggar
# 292. shankar
Though India is a big country, it is not a regional superpower
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India is neither a superpower nor a regional power to influence any country in the region e.g countries like Srilanka, malaysia, singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and pakistan to name a few.
Chinese, Korean and Japanese respect India sheerly for its potential market value and talented manpower for commercial benefits. However India does not command any influence on these countries.
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DBS, How about the Seemann Phenomenon? How about China having economic trouble (Labour Strike) and not being able to sustain its growth? How about Diaspora influence to Western Countries and TGTE , NCCT influence on western countries or” Headache” to western countries and India’s softening approach? Please analyze these factors in your Part 2.
#294 sjoseph
India is neither a superpower nor a regional power to influence any country in the region e.g countries like Srilanka, malaysia, singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and pakistan to name a few
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It is ridiclous for you to have such a negative approach. You typify the passive and meek indians who are large in number thanks to nehru, but do not know there own power or don’t want to know it, i don’t know which because i’am not indian.
The answer is right before you when you mentioned market power, but either you can’t see it or you are so modest you don’t want to see it.
India can influence all the countries in south asia such as Pakistan, bangladesh, srilanka, nepal, bhutan, maldives and all the countries in central asia that ends with ‘tan’ such as afghanistan,turkmenistan, uzbekistan, krigystan and kazakhstan
(the country that the comedian Borat claims to be from, though he is actually from UK)
India can also influence Iran in the middle east.
It can also influence all the countries in south- east asia except indonesia and the phillipines which have large populations themselves and are a bit further in distance. That is why i said it falls short of being a regional power in South-east asia.
It can influence these countries, but whether it wants to is the question. When there are a billion indians like you who downplay its power while other countries like srilanka who are sprats but will take on the world if necessary, then it is a damp squib all right, unlike china which is very proactive and agressive and has now encroached into india’s sphere of influence because it senses that this is a giant that is fast asleep and will always like to sleep until someone sets its tail on fire.
s.joseph
The countries in south east asia that India can influence are Burma, Thailand, malaysia, singapore, brunei, cambodia, laos. vietnam.
Every country that i have mentioned needs India more than India needs them. Therein lies the secret of power. Will India unlock the pandora’s box, or will it just be looking at the mirror and saying mirror, mirror on the wall………………
# 296. shankar
Thanks for your passionate comments for India.
I do not deny India has the potential to influence others.. BUT India at present does not have the power to influence.
Its not negative approach. its a matter of fact. I neither overplay or underplay.
India’s influence on the World, for the past 3000 years is more on philosophical nature..
Indians know their strength and weaknesses.
Corruption & politicking are hurdles India need to cross over to influence other country. Defence, police sports and Judiciary may not be devoid of corruption.
Any Tom, Dick and Harry ( Chen, wong & Mohamed) can buy Politicial leaders and influence India(n).
#298 sjoseph writes
“Any Tom, Dick and Harry ( Chen, wong & Mohamed) can buy Politicial leaders and influence India(n).”
Add Ramasamy, Kuppusamy and Monusamy to that list too
Corruption in India is not exclusive to the political or leadership domain. It has permeated, and entrenched in, every level of government starting from the peon level. Corruption is not just a problem, it is a way of life in India. I lived in India for nearly 10 years between 1986 and 1994. I saw corruption at work first hand. For example, if you didn’t “take care” of the postman on festive occasions like deevali, christmas AND Ramadan (it doesn’t matter which religion you or the postman belong to) he would not deliver the mail to you. I don’t think the situation is any better now.
Shankar 289:-I cannot see Chinese troops being stationed in Pakistan, SL, Bangladesh etc in the next 10yrs. Today, one need not have to have ground troops or armor close to a country to over come it because it is the era of the ICBM’s. India has USA as it’s allies & have a very close corporation with CIA which has listening post in India. Point taken that India can be surrounded by hostile forces from surrounding countries but this position can change over night. Turkey who was Israel’s friend yesterday is now at logger heads with it. Libya who was the enemy of the west is now its friend. Therefore no country looks at the current situation and builds it’s forces. India’s leaders may be senile but did energetic leaders like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi do better? I think they did much worse than Mr. Singh. Did energetic leaders like the two Bush’s in USA did better than Bill Clinton who was more of moderate easy going man? George Bush junior was an idiot and I was thinking he may start a WW3 anytime! But in my view mild Bill Clinton was a very successful President
But somewhere you said I think that those who control the Indian Ocean will win WW3. If you said that, that is fairly correct. And that is where SL is strategically placed!
Hi David,
I was looking for this article from for long time.
I was in Jaffna during Indo Lanka accord was signed and I read the accord.The accord basically for the Indian interest rather than any SL interest. one think we have forgotten now is the western power. My view is, once the war is over in Afganistan, the western power will take over the UN again. The china and India will go back to their original state. Now the US is using china’s money for their economic recession.Sri Lanka can rely neither on China nor India. if people of sri lanka want to live in peace and prosperus in future, they must solve the tamil’s problem. if GOSL does not co operate with India, then India will create an other arm oganisation like LTTE and create problem in SL. China can provide arms and money but It won’t protect the arms human trafficking from tamilnadu. one person mentioned that GOSL can show their finger to India now. It is a shame that we have to live in this country with this kind of Idiots.They simply don’t get it. God only will help SL.
sjoseph,
“India is neither a superpower nor a regional power to influence any country in the region e.g countries like Srilanka, malaysia, singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and pakistan to name a few”
India don’t influence any country if it don’t feel the need to influence it. In Srilanka’s case, India felt the need to influence. But then again, India already influencing most of the countries you mentioned. Start with Afghan, Bangladesh, Srilanka and to some extent even Pakistan. It is because South Asia is ours.
sjoseph,
“Corruption & politicking are hurdles India need to cross over to influence other country. Defence, police sports and Judiciary may not be devoid of corruption.”
Russia is one of the most corrupted countries in the world, it is still a dominating Super Power. Domestic corruption of a country has nothing to do with its Foreign Policy. All a country needs to become a super power or to influence others is a massive military with a constantly growing economy backing it and big allies. India have them all. Adios! Meet you at 2020. Imagine where your country will be in 2020.
Mahinda Raja – because India isgiving him money – insults the country saying it is India’s little sister. Shows the submissive mentality of the man. Sarath Fonseka will be the best suitable person to lead Shri Lanka
#303-Ben
Russia is one of the most corrupted countries in the world, it is still a dominating Super Power
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Russia is not a superpower. A superpower has to be able to have global influence.Russia is not able to do that anymore. After the soviet union lost the cold war russia lost its superpower status.
Russia’s influence only extends upto the former soviet states, namely the east european countries of ukraine,belarus, lithuania , latvia, estonia, moldova, romania, bulgaria, hungary,czech republic, slovakia and central asian countries of kazakstan, uzbekistan,turkmenistan, krygiztan and southwestern asian countries of georgia and Azerbaijan. It hasn’t much influence over poland, but has a certain amount of control over finland, mongolia and northkorea.
What the russians have done is secure their borders with their influence over their neighbours. They have even managed to secure their extended borders which are the next layer of countries that are the neighbours to their immediate neighbours. Unlike the indians they are not sleepy heads, though at one time they were asleep and had bitter experiences.
I don’t agree with you that just having military might is now enough. The battlefield has now shifted to the economy and boardrooms, though military is necessary as a deterrent.
I agree with you on the corruption issue. I don’t think it can shape foreign policy to significant levels though it is a internal cancer that can ruin the economy.
# 289 Shankar
Dynastic succession should be the exception, not the rule. On that note, Sajith should not be disqualified, if there is no one else competent enough to match his potential to lead the UNP out of the doldrums.
Dynasty woes in the political landscape of South East Asia is troubling. For instance, take the 100 years of the last century and you will find in India Nehru dynasty ruled for 37 years.
Reports indicate the great grandson Rahul Gandhi is just a whisker away from the throne heralding the beginning of the 21st century innings !
Sri Lanka had its own share of dynasties. Between the Senanayakas and Bandaranayakas the score is around 26 years, if my math is not wrong.
Good news is you have fared better, compared to India’s 37. There was more sharing too because the 26 had been split between two bloodlines. Congratulations.
In US the number for the corresponding period is Bush Sr’s 4.
#303-ben
sorry. You had mentioned big economy coupled with big military. I missed the economy part of it. Agree with you on that. However quality of military is more important than quantity. From what i saw of the IPKF, the quality was awful. They were more interested in raping women than fighting with LTTE. An indiciplined armed forces is of no use. The diciplined chinese army will smash India in next to no time.
#306-Nostradamus
In US the number for the corresponding period is Bush Sr’s 4.
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You missed the halfwit son. What about his 8 years.
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#304-Senani Duminda
Mahinda Raja – because India isgiving him money – insults the country saying it is India’s little sister. Shows the submissive mentality of the man
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How do you know what he is talking to his wife in sinhala.”ara nakiyata honda butter thamma. Ooh than mage athey indala kanawa”. .
Those who underestimated mahinda like you have all paid the penalty.
How do you think our ancient kings survived walking the tightrope
# 305. shankar
I don’t think it can shape foreign policy to significant levels though it is a internal cancer that can ruin the economy.
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Its a matter of opinion.
There is every possibilty, corrupt leader’s foreign policies are corrupt too.
Any foreign agent would be able to buy top government officials and influence its foreign policy.
#306 it’s maths not math.
Nostradamus, you are getting some of your own medicine from Senani duminda. Don’t you two start having giving english classes here. Remember english is the language of the englishman. We srilankan will just stick to our mother tongue. Ape anduwa. Jayevewa.
dbsj
please write about the most famous jeganathan brothers – hariharan and sridharan
If Duminda is going to start giving English classes, he’d better learn the language first.
‘Math’ is the AmE form; ‘Maths’ is BrE. Both are correct — particularly on a Canadian blog
shankar,
“However quality of military is more important than quantity. ”
Without Quality India would not have been able to cut pakistan into two or to win all the three consequent wars it fought with pakistan. If you’ve been watching the way Indian army is arming itself in the recent years you’ll not be saying this. Indian Navy is already a blue water navy, china is lacking behind. Same with the Airforce. The only thing India may think twice is about the armed forces, which is also fastly developing into an efficient force. It’s not the case today how it was in the 80′s. The growing Indian economy has done a lot of changes to it’s Army.
shankar,
“However quality of military is more important than quantity. ”
Without Quality India would not have been able to cut pakistan into two or to win all the three consequent wars it fought with pakistan. If you’ve been watching the way Indian army is arming itself in the recent years you’ll not be saying this. Indian Navy is already a blue water navy, china is lacking behind. Same with the Airforce. The only thing India may think twice is about the infantry, which is also fastly developing into an efficient force. It’s not the case today how it was in the 80’s. The growing Indian economy has done a lot of changes to it’s Army.
# 307 Shankar
You missed the halfwit son. What about his 8 years
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The 8 of the ” disabled ” would be counted at the end of the 21st century. We can exchange notes then, most probably in hell, if you happen to be in the vicinity.
You are right, Duminda is treating the doctor. What goes around comes around !
# 307 Shankar
You missed the halfwit son. What about his 8 years
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The 8 of the ” disabled ” would be counted at the end of the 21st century. We can exchange notes then, most probably in hell, if you happen to be in the vicinity.
You are right, Duminda is treating the doctor. What goes around comes around !
Mr DJ,
The main issue is how to resettle the displaced, after the brutal war and find ways and means to allow the Srilanans of Tamil origin living in Srilanka to catch up with the rest including Colombo Tamils and live comfortable and peaceful lives with their families.
The drivel here from some of the persistent bloggers are nothing but try hard stuff to out smart each other and clogging up valuable space in your server.
Mahinda wants India to treat Srilanka as its little sister. Can mahinda also tell us how the sinhalese would like to treat the tamils. As their little brother, big brother, liitle thumb, creeper around the tree,pain in the ass, child, cousin, long lost lover guests, arch enemies,dogs,kari themalas,vesikaputhas etc.
317. DJ Fan | June 16th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Mr DJ,
The main issue is how to resettle the displaced
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That is the main short term issue and don’t forget the muslims who were chased out by the LTTE. As for the tamils of Indian origin, their leaders have always followed the correct path of integration and partnership with the sinhalese politicians, so their lot will improve, albeit slowly because they started too much down at the bottom.
The main medium term issue is lasting peace with a united population with one goal, which is to make Srilanka a peaceful and prosperous country.
The long term goal should be to make Srilanka a part of the developed world with an happiness index like in Bhutan. The developed world is not exactly a happy place.
In planning short, medium and long term goals and plans to achieve them are done concurrently because they are not mutually exclusive. You might achieve your short term goals, but then what. Start on the next short term one and keep on like that. Then it is a snails pace improvement while others in this competitive world will be going faster.You can see what happens to businesses in the commercial world that do not have medium and long term plans. Gota and fonseka are also in the VP boat rowing away, but mahinda i think is different with something formulating in his mind for the future but how far his vision goes i don’t know or whether the goals itself are flawed. As he keeps his cards close to his chest, it is difficult to know.
For shortsighted people, discussions on the medium and long term aspects might be like greek because like server capacity their capacity is also limited.
Ape aanduwa. Jayawewa.
and DJ fan
Do you believe in the queue system. That is waiting patiently in the queue for your turn. if a queue was there it will be like this
1. Muslims chased out of jaffna
2. Refugees in tamilnadu
3. refugees in eastern province.
4. refugees in the wanni
Why are the tamils not clamouring for the muslims to be settled. Isn’t this the tamils and GOSL first responsibility?
Time for change is indeed now for SL and India.
India should appoint D.R. Karthikeyan as the Moderator from India to watch the progress of the Tamils resettlement in India. Also he may be the best bet who could be in a position bring about changes in the lives of Tamils and Muslims; and also best bet to draw solution to ethnic crisis that is haunting for more than half a century.
Dear DBSJ – perhaps you may know that this Gentleman was once asked by Dr. Neelan Thiruchelvam to engage himself in bringing about justice to Tamils and peace in SL. Please throw some light.
Also TNA should talk to him and engage him in bringing a solution to the ethnic crisis. He could be the most trusted person for both the parties – SL and India. For the Tamils in SL he may be known as investigation officer in Rajiv’s murder. But the little known fact is he had sent a note to Govt in 1989 during Rajiv’s final year about the problems of the Tamils in SL and duplicity of the SL Govt in not adhering to the accord it signed in 1987.
TNA, instead of trying to reach to MK or PC should reach out to DRK. Or perhaps TNA may request MK or PC to bring in DRK in the picture.
321. Gbsganesan
India or an Indian should not directly involve or lead the SL Tamil settlements and to resolve SL Tamils issue.
India is not trustworthy in the eyes of both the conflicting paries to handle this internal issue of Srilanka.
Perhaps China is a better option to act as a mediator.
319 & 320 Shanker,
Good that Shanker at least is back on the main gain trying to aim the ball at the gaol,still with a few sprays.
If not for Mr Gotabaya there wouldn’t have been any need for queues dear.It would have been totally out of bounds.
Messers VP $ PA had the intelligence to launch a pre emptive strike .. It is a miracle that he escaped.
The followers of them and their hired guns are still “gunning” for him because he is the main stay of the government.
Thank heavens that the majority of the Srilankans are backing him.
#322-sjoseph
Perhaps China is a better option to act as a mediator
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2 predators for a small meal.
#323-DJ fan
If not for Mr Gotabaya there wouldn’t have been any need for queues dear
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yes, Gota does not believe in queues. He believes in imprisonment.
In addition to the war crimes there is the aftermath of the warwhich is imprisoning 270000 people which comes under the category of crimes against humanity. There is also the 17000 or so missing from the camps and sexual abuse etc which is even now taking place among those who are resettled. These won’t go away my dear though he may have fits of temper. Since he has worked in the west he should know that the whites do not care a fart for temper tantrums and hotair that cowers the srilankans. They have their procedures of dealing with issues and slowly but surely they jog on until the job is done even if it takes 20 years. That is the dicipline that took them ahead of others.
As for people supporting gota, vanni tamils too must have supported VP and germans also used to come out in droves waving flags and cheering when hitler drove by. Oh when the sunshines who cares about right or wrong. When it rains of course like on victory day parade they will want to know why the umbrella is taken back..Cheer away buddy or gal, whoever you are.
The most important thing to remember everytime you do something, is it right or wrong, not whether you can do it or not.
and sjoseph, also we don’t know which caste these chinese belong to, or whether they even have a caste. How to entrust our future to people like that. IF you can find some govigama, karawe, durawa vellala and karayar among them then we can consider their mediation as fair and genuine.
They all look the same too, at least to us. Srilankans have never seen them and they would be, let say talking to chung chong and might mistake him for kang kung. It will be a nightmare not knowing with whom you have been negotiating with and resulting in utter confusion. for example sampanthan might sign something thinking kang kung gave this assurance, but find out later kang kung knew nothing about it and it was really chung chong whom he had spoken to.
comment 320
“Why are the tamils not clamouring for the muslims to be settled. Isn’t this the tamils and GOSL first responsibility?”
Isn’t it because of the elephant in the room? Isn’t it because certain Jaffna tamizhs are closet racists who think they are superior to other races? Isn’t this why certain Jaffna tamizhs asked for 50-50 representation well before 56 and 83?
Isn’t it time these superior we Jaffna tamizhs learn to live as Sri-Lankans?
#322 Sjoseph
There is a bitter truth in your words and everyone of us will have to swallow. Please do not think about china – Tiannamen Square still haunts. Remember those were peaceful protestors. Worse, their track record is pathetic as mediators.
If you get a chance to read or perhaps if you have read the Novel “Gomorra” by Roberto Saviona -… read/recall those description about the chinese in the initial pages…
In my view both the parties in SL never had anyone seriously solution minded. It was always the one upmanship game. Idiots in the Govt of India had always thought that a regional player like India should be capable of bullying the neighbours and behave so. Still some of them in Govt of India think they should do that.
I am not suggesting any of those rascals to be the moderator. Rather I would pray such people stay away. In my opinion D.R.Karthikeyan stands out as a Professional and human being. Also Dr. Neelan Thiruchelvam, I learnt had prefered his counsel. I am sure DRK will act in the interest lives and happiness of the conflicting parties.
325 Shanker,
Gota will be knocking on the Pearly Gates in twenty years and may be the LTTE heavies could be manning the security.
It is ludicrous to compare Srilankanan insurgent and humanitarian operations with Hitler’s Whermacht which declared war on other nations.
By the way why do you always bow down to the “Suddas”? Do you know what Suddas call you and me when they are enraged?
Reading the President’s memorial day speech soon after his visit to India indicates to me that the great majority of the Srilankans who voted for a peaceful, terror free and a prosperous society will not be disappointed.
Norwagian Tamils are also now apper to be turning the tables on their white knight Mr Solheim according to a report in the Taminet yersterday.
#327. “Why are the tamils not clamouring for the muslims to be settled. Isn’t this the tamils and GOSL first responsibility?”
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Well said..:)
Shanketr cleverlyputs the responsibility on GOSL .
It is superior Tamil’s responsibity.
# 323 DJ Fan & 329 D J Fan
Say ” ludicrous, ridiculous ” ten times without break and return to the blog. Return of the dragon is eagerly awaited.
330. sjoseph | June 18th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
#327. “Why are the tamils not clamouring for the muslims to be settled. Isn’t this the tamils and GOSL first responsibility?”
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Well said..:)
Shanketr cleverlyputs the responsibility on GOSL .
It is superior Tamil’s responsibity.
…
The fact of the matter is most of the wealthy Muslims from Jaffna had disposed of their properties during the ceasefire periods and ventured into new businesses in Colombo and suburbs. Some who had franchises like soda and cooking gas had sublet them or sold them for big profits. Apart from a few in Puttalam District ,most of them had bought properties in the South and settled down comfortably. Few years ago I went to Jaffna and saw this reality firsthand.
The Governor of Western Provice had helped them a lot than any other Muslim or Tamil leaders. I think Sangaree, Douglas, Varathar, Sitharthan all had asked them to return. Even Anton Balasingam had admitted this episode to be a mistake(but stopped short of mentioning it as another of their ‘thunpial(regrettable) incident. My Muslim friends used to say ‘ulukira maadu enkeyendaalum ulum(an efficient bull would plough anywhere)The cry for the Jaffna Muslim seems to be mostly political.
#332-Puma
“The fact of the matter is most of the wealthy Muslims from Jaffna had disposed of their properties”
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They would have had to leave all their wealth, because they were told to clear out in 24 hours. So they should be compensated ,and what about the nonwealthy ones. As for disposing their properties during the ceasefire, that was with the Tiger that chased them still prowling around and being in control. So you can just imagine the song they would have disposed it for, probably to tiger cronies. The properties must be confiscated and given back to them, because the sale is not valid under duress. Their current market value should be assessed first and compared to what the muslims got from the buyer. Very interestng information will come out, iam sure. When you talk of profits regarding property it is marrket value less cost, not manipulated prices by the buyer less cost. Also inflation should be taken into account from the inception to now because of the erosion in value of the currency. I have heard that people had purchased in the 1950′s and60′s blocks of land in bambalapitiya for 2000 rupees and built their houses. If the land now fetched 50 million they would be getting big profits indeed , but remember what 2000 rupees could have purchased in the 50′s and 60′s and a few kothurottis now maybe. If they were forced to sell for let us say 10 million, just imagine the 40 million profits the buyer will be making against the 10 million they will be getting. Who makes the big profits eh?
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(Apart from a few in Puttalam District ,)
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Shall we start with those few please, to check the bonafides of those who are hollering bring back, oh bring back ,bring back my bonnie to me. It might be like the piercing call for Allah from the roof of the mosque, knowing fully well Allah is not coming(at least visibly)
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(settled down comfortably)
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This has been the trademark in srilanka. Kick the people out and say they are very comfortable, somewhere else. It is unbelievable that Srilanka is not playing in the soccer world cup finals.
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(Even Anton Balasingam had admitted this episode to be a mistake(but stopped short of mentioning it as another of their ‘thunpial(regrettable) incident)
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He could not classify chasing 80000 innocent people with 24 hours notice as a regrettable incident. No wonder he had a comfortable death.
332. puma
“The cry for the Jaffna Muslim seems to be mostly political.”
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You are giving pathetic excuses for abominable behavior by the LTTE on the question of the expulsion of all non-Tamils from Jaffna and for the complete silence of the general Tamil community about it. Out of all that were chased out in 1994 on 24 hour notice, only a few were wealthy individuals, the rest were mostly common people who practically lost everything.
Apply the same argument to the Diaspora Tamils, one could say that given that most of them are doing really well in Canada, UK and Australia, there is absolutely no need to feel any sympathy for them and that any concerns expressed is mostly political.
dear jey,
since i was quite busy i could not read all the comments but i did it today.i read comments made by our usual suspects shankar ,iss,kalu,mahesh and ranjan.i think shankar is one of the hilariuos guys who can enrich a discussion by being hilarious at the same time being very argumentative and informative.hats off to mahesh he has defended tamils and as for as ranajan is concerned i guess he has swerved right after starting as a moderate though i dont accept his views he has got the freedom to express which he would not have got in srilanka but he would have got it in india that is the difference betweeen india and srilanka.jey i remember you once asked one commentator if i am right ajith rathnaraj to write an article like wise you can ask iss to write an article i have read most of his comments in your blog as well as in transcurrents he seems to be very erudite and wish he writes in your blog.continue the good work jey
95. Ranjan, Toronto
I knew couples in Colombo that would not travel in a single vehicle at the same time because they did not know when a car bomb or a suicide bomber would take their lives and they did not want their children to be parentless.
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Your people in colombo had the luxury to travel in different buses so that at least one will survive in the event of a suicide bomb attack.
But the Tamils in the North and East had nowhere to go when your air force bombed the villages and the towns en masse.
They didn’t know whether they will survive or any body in their family will survive.
When you attacked the people with the artillery guns again the same fate. Nobody was sure that he will survive or his family will survive.
Considering these things your people in colombo had the luxury of going in separate buses so that at least one will survive in the event of a suicide bomb attact.
I am not supporting the LTTE. I am telling the plight of the tamils.
Where did the ‘Genocide of Tamils’ go?
Where are the protesters against ‘genocide of Tamils’?
Why don’t Tamil (Terrorist) Diaspora chickens don’t cross the road… er.. I mean Gardiner Highway….?
Where did the discrimination of Tamils go in Sri Lanka?
Where is ‘Our Leader…Prabhakaran’?
Where did the poo mountains of Tamil protesters in Toronto go?
Where did the ‘Tamil Think Tanks’ go?
Where did the ‘Tamil national question’ go?
Where did the ‘political solution’ go?
Why doesn’t Eric Solheim stop in New Delhi en route to Colombo to update
Indian ‘leaders’?
Bruce Fein, Where are you?
Where did the ‘world class’ Tamil terrorists go?
Where did the Eskimo Tamils go? And the German Tamils, Somalian Tamils and Philippine Tamils? And the Kuwaiti Tamils and Moroccan Tamils? Where are they?
What happened to Swiss bank deposits belonging to Tamil cause?
Who ran away with the money and the ‘cause’?
Finally… who is having the LAST LAUGH?
I had a chance to see the BBC HARDtalk video interview with Gota Rajapakse. First of all, hats off to his courage. Even though it is widely known/speculated that he was the main man behind the war crime scenes, he is very clear & strong on defending all the questions. Weather his defending statements make sense or not, but he is very strong on it (Unlike Douglas on recent Indian TV channel interview). We have no choice as they have the power, he can say anything he wants… We can only wait and see…
Gota said, his brothers and Namal all elected representative… They are elected democratic government… Democracy only works if the elected people respect human rights and equality. Otherwise, it works against minorities as a biggest mass destructive weapon (as it works in Sri Lanka since 1948 on the successful Tamil genocide.)
Since LTTE and other militant organizations were not elected representative so it was easy for the whole world to label them as terrorist and support Sri Lanka (democratically elected government) to do what ever they want (including Tamil genocide). There is a lot of controversy and doubts on the intention of TGTE and NTCC at this moment. Not clearly sure what they are going to do in the future. But at least they are democratically elected organization. I hope they do work together (since your last article clearly outlined the differences between them) to do something good for the community. After seeing Gota’s interview, his strong clear messages, no federalism, Tamils have to follow the instructions… I strongly feel the need for a Tamil elected unit… but we the unit need to be democratic and transparent. We have learned a big lesson in the past, that our biggest and only weak point was difference within ourselves and internal fighting for leadership/control.. These need to be fixed first before we go any further by electing and appointing the right people to right post. I hope TGTE and NTCC come together and also invite all (including those oppose to LTTE) to democratically work… Will that happen, it is only a dream now.. hope Dream comes true…
DBSJ, I have request for you. I am very sure, you would have long list of topics for your future articles… I would like to know why India created the militants in Sri Lanka. What exactly was behind Indra Ghandi’s minds on Tamil struggles.. Why Tamil Nadu leaders especially MGR and MK supported the militants… Why “so called” Tamils leader Karunanithy did not take any meaningful action during the last phase to stop the war (even though he got the power to do so). It is obvious that India (Manmohan and Sonia) knew every step of Sri Lanka plans. They exactly know what will be the results (including the mass Tamil deaths)… Karunanithy may not know all the details, but I think he knews India is with Sri Lanka and going to do something big. But why he didn’t do anything (I don’t think he did anything)… Is it for his personal reasons? Or do they have any good intentions? If he thought LTTE was the obstacle, but how come he still not doing anything meaningful now…. I am not sure if I asked the question properly, but I wish to see an article on Karunanithy and Final Eelam War and Karunanity’s current stand on Eelam Tamils. Thanks DBSJ.
# 334. Ranjan, Toronto
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GOSL and Sinhalese sheds Crocodile tears for the plight of displaced Diaspoara, Muslims, IDPs and refugees…
They seems to be glad that displaced minority community are stateless or homeless.
The argument put by majority community are, If poor Sinhalese can live a pathetic life in Slums & rural villages, why not the Foreigners (by religion/ culture/ language) live a pathetic life?
339 sjoseph
I will go a bit further to 334 Ranjan from Toronto and say that diaspora Tamil are glad that there was a war in Sri Lanka, because that helped them to migrate to a Western country. Now they are unhappy because the war is over and that SL is developing and the Tamils living in Sri Lanka are happy and so are the rest of Sri Lankans.
There is no reason for the Tamils to leave SL on a boat to Australia, unless they are looking for greener pastures (jumping the queue) or want to get away from SL because they belonged to the LTTE.
Diaspora Tamils can do whatever they want, but SL is developing and this is great for all the Sri Lankans.
Jaffna is going to be a great tourist attraction, and already local tourists are flooding the place and spending money over there making the locals happy.
They library is rebuilt and there are more books than they originally had.The railway line is going to be extended to KKS soon, and the list goes on. So diaspora Tamils, if you don’t want to send money and help your own kith and kin, you can shove your money wherever you want.
336. Mahesh
I am not supporting the LTTE. I am telling the plight of the tamils.
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Your idea of supporting Tamils seems to be one of parroting some stock phrases like ‘Singhalese buddhist terror”, ‘geoncide of Tamils”. The gound reality is somewhat different.
If one has a genuine interest in resolving the issues in Sri Lanka, one has to understand and admit that both sides, that is Singhalese and Tamils are responsible for what went on for the last 62 years of Sri Lankan history.
It was not just Singhalese politicians that used racial card to win votes. Tamil politicians were equally happy to do so also.
If the Indian Tamils who live and work in the hill country of Sri Lanka could, through their political leaders, could cooporate and work with the politicians of of successive governments in Colombo, one wonder is the inability of the Jaffna Tamil leadership to cooperate with Colombo was partly due to a racial superiority attitude that they held when dealing with Colombo on various issues. I am not for once claiming that Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka have sorted out all of their problems, but working with the governments of the day somehow, the Indian Tamil leaders like Thondaman ensured that they were safe from the catastrophe that the Jaffna politicians dragged their population into.
339 Joseph
It is not that because a section of the Singhalese society lives in poverty, all communities should also do so, but that the problems and issues of Sri Lanka are mainly of between haves and have-nots and access to resources and should be resolved in that context.
When societies have to compete for same limited resources, it is very easy to say, that we don’t have it, because those other people (Tamils, Singhalese, Muslims, Burgers…take your pick) are taking it. Solution, make sure there ample to go around so that we don’t have to compete for it. Sure, easier said than done.
In other places, it may have been about culture and religion, but in Sri Lanka it was never about culture or the religion. It was always about access to resources and services and political power.
If there were enough places in universities for all, language based standardization for university entry would not have come.
If there were enough opportunities for anyone who wanted to be a doctor or an engineer, had the chance to do so, the issue of 50-60 percent of the professional services being filled by Tamils would not have come up.
If there were enough places for both Singhalese and Tamil farmers in the new irrigation schemes, the claims of forced colonization of Tamil areas would probably not have come up.
If the 70s government of the day had not in a fit of socialist frenzy decided that they can run everything from plantations to fishing, and left creating and running businesses to the private sector, some of these issues also may not have come up as a private business in order to survive has to hire the best people and not from a preferred community.
So as one famous US politician once said, ‘It is the economy stupid”
335. jaggan sriram
“as for as ranajan is concerned i guess he has swerved right after starting as a moderate though i dont accept his views”
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I strongly believe that Sri Lanka to progress has to be a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society where every one should have equal chances to everything. Nothing more, nothing less. Is that being “Right” as you have put?
I also believe that anyone who is born in Sri Lanka is a Sri Lankan, and should have full and equal rights regardless of whether his ancestors came to the country 100 years ago or 2500 years ago, or were brought into the country to work in plantations by a colonial power. Is that being “right”?
334. Ranjan, Toronto
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I am only giving the main reason why the Jaffna Muslims have not gone back even after a year of normalcy.
The key persons who commited the attrocity and carried out the orders from Wanni in a venomous way have surrendered and/or in the custody of the Army/Government.
Why not bring them to justice soon and charge them under criminal, civil, international and humanitarian laws, so that the affected parties and the innocent Tamils can live with peace of mind.
334. Ranjan, Toronto
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I am only giving the main reason why the Jaffna Muslims have not gone back even after a year of normalcy.
The key persons who commited the attrocity and carried out the orders from Wanni in a venomous way have surrendered and/or in the custody of the Army/Government.
Why not bring them to justice soon and charge them under criminal, civil, international and humanitarian laws, so that the affected parties and the innocent Tamils can live with peace of mind.
And who profited apart from the Hill Tamil political leaders?
344. puma
The reason why most of the Jaffna Muslims did not go back was they were not allowed by the LTTE who chased the away in the first place. If LTTE wanted to act humanly as some people appears to suggest, then they could have let the people who were chased away back to Jaffna during the cease fire years.
In an ideal world those who committed crimes would be brought to justice regardless of if they were victors or the loosers. Personally that is what I would like to see happen, but that is not the reality.
Your side and the West talk about crimes by MR and GR because of the high civilian casualties. Apply the same standards, Bush, Blair and even Obama should be charged. Apply the same standards, the leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt , who ordered carpet bombing of German and Japanese cities in WWII knowing very well that there were hundreds of thousands of women and children in these places, should be charged against crimes against humanity. Let alone being charged, does anyone even talk about those actions?
I agree with you totally about the need for the affected Tamil people to live with peace of mind. In my opinion, the urgent need is to provide them with the life hood that was completely destroyed. Give them proper houses, jobs, schools for their kids and a future that they can look forward to. That is not going to happen with international trials, UN commissions and transitional governments in exile.
The rumors in Toronto say that the LTTE/TGTE or its affiliates are sitting on cash of nearly 100 million dollars that has been collected in Canada alone. If these people are genuinely serious about helping Tamils in Sri Lanka why not use that money to help the IDPs get their lives back? They don’t have to go through GOSL or Singhalese people, there are enough NGOs and INGOs around who will be very happy to do it.
345. Stephen Jones
And who profited apart from the Hill Tamil political leaders?
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True, it is mostly the political leaders who has benefited, but at least their communities are intact, they are alive, they have a political voice that can be used by them. Imagine for once, what would have happened if the Hill Tamil leadership had joined the Jaffna leadership.
Compare that to the Jaffna leadership, those educated, high cast, and cultured, whose actions are partly responsible for the complete destruction of once vibrant society.
If someone wanted take up arms, these Indian Tamils had most justifiable reasons. At the bottom of the pecking order, oppressed by everyone, including the Jaffna elites, wretchedly poor, may be through a miracle in history, decided to not support or join the separatists. On the other hand, may be really not a miracle given how Jaffna has treated these Hill Tamils over the years.
347. Ranjan, Toronto
Up Hill country Tamils would have decided it is better to be a pig’s Tail rather being a Rat’s head..
341. Ranjan,Toronto
In democracy one could cooperate and also agitate for his rights in peaceful manner.. Both are permitted in the democracy.Chelva did that and you beat him.
Then VP took to arms.
Your Gota is telling that he will hang SF if he gives witness in any international court. That is democracy sri lankan style.
Why do you expect a minority to come to you begging for his rights.
He should be treated as an equal citizen first as a human being.
The problem is more with the sinhalese than the tamils.
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346. Ranjan, Toronto
the leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt , who ordered carpet bombing of German and Japanese cities in WWII knowing very well that there were hundreds of thousands of women and children in these places, should be charged against crimes against humanity.
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In a war they bombed against the enemy country. There is Irish republic army in uk. they don’t go and bomb the ireland using fighter jets. You are bombing your own people and you are preventing them mourn their dead on your victory day (may 19th).
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They don’t have to go through GOSL or Singhalese people, there are enough NGOs and INGOs around who will be very happy to do it.
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The Tamils living in Canada will be helping their own people without even ngo’s by sending them money directly to them.
#349-mahesh
(Your Gota is telling that he will hang SF if he gives witness in any international court. )
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What gota is telling is he will hang Fonseka now. After he goes to international court the bird has flown no. Probably he will assist fonseka to hang himself in his cell.
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(In a war they bombed against the enemy country)
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That was definitely a war crime. Hitler started it by bombing London. Finally when he was losing the war orders were given by churchill to bomb german cities mercilessly the theory being that it will make the germans surrender quickly.
What does it matter whether you are bombing your own country or another one. The result is the same with so many innocent civilians suffering and dying. The Bhuddha said life is suffering. Should we create some more unnecessary sufferering too for others.
Good artical. waiting eagerly for sequel
Comment 350 was mine.
350. Anonymous
What does it matter whether you are bombing your own country or another one. The result is the same with so many innocent civilians suffering and dying. The Bhuddha said life is suffering. Should we create some more unnecessary sufferering too for others.
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The Americans, the French the English retaliated the Germans who were having airforce. In this civil war the Tamils were not having air force when you cowardly used your air power.
In effect you were using air power against your own citizens whom you want to rule.
The Americans or the English didn’t want to rule the Germans.
It was a war between countries.
You condemn the LTTE for bombing the civilian targets.
Yes. That is terrorism.
Then why don’t you people condemn when your govt kills the innocent civilians using air power or the artillery power.
You people, after all this have the audacity to quote Budha. Jayawewa.
Hmm… today is another great day to celebrate the comprehensive decimation of the dreaded Tamil terrorists who once dictated terms to the Sri Lankans by TERRORIZING them.
OMG…
Can anybody even guess how many lives have been saved in the past 13 months… due to the absence of Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka?
Thousands, my dear Watson, thousands!
At a time that we commemorate the 11th death aniversary of the late Mervin Silva, I want to express my d