posted March 21, 2001 02:02 PM            

What can Tamil people and Tamil Political Parties, do to resolve Tamil question?

Jaffna town
By E. A. V. Naganathan

I refer to a Tamil question, firstly, because it is a question that concerns the Tamil people primarily, and, secondly, because it arises from a self-image projected by them. It is the Tamil majority areas in the North and East that have been the scene of military conflict between the state and the guerilla forces of the LTTE. Again, it is the claim of the Tamils of the North and the East, where they are a majority, to recognition of their separate nationality, with its corollary of the right to statehood in their areas of traditional historical inhabitation and its denial by the Sinhalese, who are a majority in the rest of the country and an overall majority countrywide, that is the cause and origin of the Tamil question.

It is, also, a Tamil question because the burden of substantiating it has been borne by them by a rare demographic displacement. An estimated population of 2.6 million are split today into 0.8 million refugees living abroad, 0.8 m internally displaced and living in other parts of the country, or in refugee camps in the "cleared" parts of the Tamil majority areas, controlled by Government, with the remaining 1.0m distributed in the ratio of 0.7 million residing in the cleared, and 0.3 m residing in the "uncleared" parts of the Tamil majority areas, controlled by the LTTE. All figures are estimates. They do not include the estimated 61,000 Tamil civilians and estimated 15,000 belligerents who have died in the twenty-six year conflict, dating from the incident of 10th January 1974 with the meeting of the International Association of Tamil Research at the Weerasingham Hall and the deaths of 9 Tamil youth by electrocution. It is, finally, a Tamil question because to the average Tamil the bottom line, politically speaking, is sufficiently expressed by the Thimpu Principles of 8th July 1985, which in summary form state that the Tamil people are a nation, entitled to self-determination and to recognition of the North and East as an undivided homeland of the Tamil people, and to citizenship rights in Sri Lanka, unexceptionally.

It is within the framework of the above positions that the Tamil people and political parties, and the LTTE, would be expected to resolve the Tamil question. Let us begin with the Tamil people. No one can deny that the experience of the Tamil people with the Sri Lankan state since Independence (1948) has been a disappointment. Let me explain. How different would the country, let alone the Tamil, situation be today if there had been no exclusionary Citizenship Act, no disputable flag or anthem, no mono-lingual Official Language Act, the delimitation as provided in the 1948 Constitution had been left alone, there had been no ‘schools take-over’ no ‘standardization’ no state colonization in the North and the East, no "nationalization", no discrimination in the matter of public spending, resource allocation and development, public service and employment and security had not become, selectively, a form of state violence?

This provides the general background. Then there is, also, the passage of the two Constitutional Reform Acts of 1972 and 1978, unilaterally, by the two major Sinhala parties, respectively, without any reference to the Tamil minority. The net result of these constitutional revisions were that the reasonably effective system of checks and balance provided by the 1948 Constitution, including the supremacy of the Constitution, judicial review of legislation, access to the Privy Council, Section 22B, and the Second Chamber, which protected and enhanced minority participation in the law-making process and acted as a buffer against majority power, were struck down. I should not fail to refer at this juncture to the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of November 1987, which was the result of the Indo-Lanka Accord of July 1987. Ironically, the Provincial Councils set up under its aegis, with three sets of powers i.e., those devolved List No. 1, those reserved - List No. 2 and those concurrent - List No. 3 - have thrived in the other seven provinces located in the Sinhalese majority areas of the country. The North-East P.C., however, has had only a brief respite from November 1988 - March 1990 under the EPRLF led by Varatharaja Perumal with IPKF backing, before it collapsed, with the IPKF withdrawal under attack from the LTTE, with the logistical support and military expertise provided by the Government under President R. Premadasa, who took office in December 1988. Since then it has been under direct Presidential rule, with the administration run by Secretaries and a Governor, presently an army Brigadier. It is in this scenario that the Tamil people have today to decide on what course of action to take as to the Tamil question.

The Tamil people are at present divided into two broad categories. This bifurcation is reflected in the line-up of Tamil parties as well. The first category place their trust in one or the other of the two major Sinhala political parties represented in Parliament - the Government constituted by the PA under President Kumaratunga and the Opposition led by the UNP under Opposition leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe. Among the Tamil parties, the EPDP has thrown in its lot with the Government and taken up a Ministry under its leader, Devananda. The others i.e., PLOTE, TELO, ACTC, TULF and EPRLF sit in opposition, keeping their options open as to which side to back on a case-by-case basis. All the Tamil parties subscribe, however, in principle, to the 4 Thimpu Principles. The second category of Tamils will have no luck with either of the major Sinhala political parties and place no trust in the parliamentary process. They favour the militancy espoused by the LTTE. The first category expect from the two major Sinhala political parties, further devolution of power in terms of the 13th Amendment. This, in effect, would do away with the Concurrent list No. 3 and considerably dilute the reserved list No. 2, as were, indeed, embodied in the Constitutional Reform Bill, tabled by President Kumaratunga in Parliament on 3rd September. They are prepared to accept a N-E P.C., equipped with the powers provided under the above constitutional reform proposals, as a first step towards attainment of the final goal of the Thimpu Principles. A preliminary Interim Council has been suggested. The second category place their hopes on the armed struggle launched by the LTTE and will not consider any political goal other than self-determination. The majority among the latter category belong to the Tamil diaspora, settled abroad, where they are comfortable and well off. Broadly speaking these are the two alternatives under consideration by the Tamil people, with the political parties falling into position on either side.

My observations on the first alternative are based on the opposition to the Constitutional Reform Bill, when it was presented on 3rd September, both on the part of the Opposition, without whose support the 2/3rd majority needed for its passage in Parliament cannot be mustered as well as sections of the influential Buddhist clergy and Sinhala intelligentsia, plus the new factor in Sri Lankan politics, the JVP who made their debut in Parliament at the General Elections of 10th October, with 10 seats. As a result the LTTE to be put on hold, where it remains to date. This occurrence is linked to the Government’s previous, abortive attempt to enact the Equal Opportunities Bill of October 1999. The opposition to that Bill, by both the Opposition in parliament, as well as the Ultras led by the present Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, within the SLFP, was a pointer to the unacceptability to Sinhala opinion-makers, by and large, of the premise that in Sri Lanka all people are equal.

The withdrawal of the Equal Opportunities Bill on 20th October, 1999 and the placing on hold of the Constitutional Reform Bill on 3rd September, are a symptom of the majoritarianism which has been the operative instrument by which the Tamil position within the united Sri Lankan state structure has been progressively eroded. In Sri Lanka, majoritarianism has expressed itself by the Sinhala representatives in parliament, who constitute a permanent demographic majority dividing irrespective of party affiliations on ethnic lines on any issue that is seen by them to concern the hegemony of the Sinhalese people, which they believe is their right and proper due. Its exhibition in the case of the Equal Opportunities Bill in October 1999, and its demonstration on the occasion of President Kumaratunga’s tabling of the Constitutional Reform Bill on 3rd September are, I am afraid, very unfavourable to the expectations of a settlement of the Tamil question, even in part or stages, through the constitutional process by a consensus of the Government and the Opposition. The President’s political instincts served her rightly, when, as I read it, she went in for the Presidential Elections on 21st December 1999, and for the General Elections on 10th October. She went back, in each case, to the people for a fresh mandate hoping to strengthen her hand. However, she has had to compromise. The appointment, hot on the heels of the incidents of 3rd September, of Mr. Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, Leader of the SLFP Ultras as Prime Minister is to my mind, symbolic of a shift in the SLFP towards a hard line on the Tamil Question.

Where does this conclusion leave the Tamil people in the matter of resolving the Tamil question? Is the path of armed resistance adopted by the LTTE the only course open to them? No. There are in my view two insuperable and inevitable objections to the militarism advocated by the LTTE. Firstly, it is out of date. The world unfortunately for Mr. Prabhakaran and Mr. Balasingham, does not look favourable on totalitarianism, especially where it is in tandem with terrorism. The trend increasingly is towards democracy. Maybe, because of a growing conviction that even the worst-run democracy is usually more just, more peaceful, and even more prosperous than the best-run dictatorship. So there can be no quarrel between Tamil rights of nationality and democracy, because, as a part of the great whole of humanity, the Tamils have a claim on democracy, and the LTTE and all its works, just does not fit into this wider and futuristic framework. Secondly, the LTTE methodology of militancy is proving far too expensive in terms of Tamil lives and resources. The question has been asked whether any other strategy could have coped with the violence of the Sri Lankan state practiced on the Tamils since 1956. The answer is that violent militancy, too, has failed to deliver, instead devastating the North and East and stalking the Tamils with displacement and death.

There is an alternative that I support and that is Non-Violent Direct Action, exemplified several decades ago by the Civil Rights Movement under Martin Luther King in the USA, and in our own times by the Falun Gong Movement in China, which are very practical alternative techniques to militancy-cum-terrorism. I see several features in this strategy which are positive and relevant to the Tamil people everywhere.

Firstly, it will involve large masses, if not all, of the Tamil people. No longer will the lucky ones, who managed to get or stay away and are currently marketing their brains or brawn aboard or in the non-combatant zone in the country, be able to get the vicarious satisfaction of participating in the "struggle" by simply opening their purses from time to time, leaving it to the rustic inhabitants of the "uncleared" area of the North and East to face the reality in all its nastiness. Secondly, it will preclude the enormous waste of resources in the purchase of arms, presently finding its way into the pockets of the global merchants of death, which could be far better spent in rehabilitating the N. and E., presently lying in ruins. Personally, I find the spectacle of 3rd party Tamils gloating over the conflict on their TV screens or in the headlines of newspapers, deplorable. The alternative I support provides a less unethical, less immoral and certainly less mortal route to the same experience of involvement - and it is open to every Tamil.

In line with this thinking I suggest that all Tamil parties should establish their permanent headquarters in the North and the East. So, also, the Tamil social service organizations or humanitarian agencies. All the foreign NGOs have already done so. The Hindu cultural and religious organizations should follow suit. The Tamil people everywhere else should consider it their bounden duty to look after their less-fortunate brethren in the N. and E. as a priority, live soberly, and demonstrate to the rest of the world that they take their responsibilities as a people, seriously and ethically Non-violence with Direct Action is not naive, but a rough factor for ‘real politic’ based on careful study of human psychology. There is the Tamils evolution in the revolutionary tactics of non-violence to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Mr. Thondaman’s prayer campaigns were a case in point. It will enable the Tamils and the parties to appeal with confidence to the conscience of the international community, as expressed in international law, world opinion and international institutions. It will realistically facilitate an UN-sponsored armistice and UN-supervised referendum that will hand back the Tamil land to the Tamil people.

I believe that it is for the Tamil people in the North and East to decide how they wish to settle the Tamil question - to plagiarize Al Gore, "Let the people have their say". There has been no properly elected civilian representation in the N. and E. since 1977 - a period of 23 years in which a whole generation has grown to maturity without experiencing democracy in action. The Tamil peoples’ will can only be vindicated after this lapse of 23 years, if they have an opportunity of expressing that will at free and fair elections. This is not possible, regrettably, under the present dispensation, whether it be the present Government or the Opposition that is in power. It can only be feasible under the auspices of an UN-sponsored Election Monitoring Team.

The peace groups, which include the Norwegians and now the British, seem to have no role in their act for the Tamil people. All current peace initiatives seem directed towards one end - talks with LTTE. I am sorry, but I do not see that as an equation that is ipse facto, true. Does the LTTE, or for that matter any of the Tamil parties, have a mandate from the Tamil people? The peace groups, the Government, the Opposition, the Norwegians, the British seem to accept this as an axiom. No one has, however, cared to test it with the Tamil people. That is why I say that it is time that Tamil people everywhere, whether in the "cleared", or "uncleared" areas, or in the rest of the country, or abroad, demand their right to an open forum in which to have their say. How create the conditions for the Tamil people to exercise their right to enter the debate and negotiate the final answer to the Tamil question that concerns them most? My suggestion is, in the context of the inability or unwillingness of all these parties concerned to keep the peace in the North and East, that a UN Elections Monitoring Team be called in to install a properly elected, civilian government, freely chosen and clothed with power and responsibility. This is the rationale for UN intervention. For one thing, it will yoke all the Tamil parties, including the LTTE, into agreements and arrangements that explicitly provide for democracy and human rights safeguards. In addition, life in the N. and E. will return to normal. What that means can, perhaps, best be expressed in terms of the reverse of all the abnormal, aberrant behaviourism that have been observed in that land in recent times.

posted March 30, 2001 10:41 PM         

You don't seem to understand my point which is that the government has put forward a set of proposals which will most likely be a solution to the problem in Sri Lanka. America has supported it, Norway supports it, India supports it, practically every other country supports the devolution proposals, at least as a step in the right direction. But the LTTE has rejected it in toto. Not only Thirucehlvam, but Ketesh Loganathan of the NPC was also involved in drawing up the devolution proposals. Mr. Choksy, a sindhi/borah politician was responsible for most of the new constitution along with Mr. Peiris. You may believe that the peace talks were a farce, but the LTTE broke it off and started yet another war which has cost even more lives and limbs. I do not know what your definition of a total economic blockade is, but if the government refuses to send material to LTTE areas which could be used in making bombs and various other instruments of terror, that's a good thing. The LTTE demanded the removal of army camps, and to be allowed to walk around with arms in non-LTTE controlled areas. Do you think these are fair demands? The LTTE fooled the people twice, and now it was their third time when they attacked the navy ship and started a new era of bloodshed. Can you blame the government and the people for not trusting the LTTE this time around? The last three times all the LTTE did was to use the time to consolidate their positions and prepare for another high intensity war. I really do not think the LTTE is concerned with the Tamil people.

Here is something D.B.S Jeyaraj wrote in his article “the Death of a Newspaper”:

The advent of Chandrika Kumaratunga on the Sri Lankan political horizon brought about a positive change. Many Tamils including myself felt that a negotiated settlement to the ethnic question was on the cards. Earlier we felt that war had been thrust upon the Tamils. The Muncharie welcomed Chandrika's victory. Also in my weekly political column I urged that the LTTE should grasp the hand of friendship extended by her firmly and resolve the problem through dialogue and discussion. These sentiments were endorsed by a vast majority of our readers. Pro-Tiger elements however did not like these views. This in turn made me realize belatedly perhaps that one had to distinguish the existence of a distinct difference between Tiger and Tamil interests.

In April 1995 Mr. Mariathasan, the LTTE representative in Montreal, turned up at my home unexpectedly with a mutual friend. He said he had returned from Sri Lanka after a prolonged stay. He claimed that he had met with the LTTE leader Prabhakaran and had a lengthy discussion about the Canadian situation. Mr. Mariathasan said that Mr. Prabhakaran had told him that he (Prabhakaran) had great regard for me as a journalist but unhappy about some of my writings. "Don't lose the regard the leader has for you," said Mr. Mariathasan.

Shortly after this meeting the LTTE broke the cease fire and began fighting. The manner in which the ceasefire was broken and the reasons given for it left much to be desired, while admonishing Chandrika for her inefficient handling of matters, I also criticized the LTTE leadership for its hasty decision. I said that Prabhakaran will have to act with greater responsibility if he wanted to live up to the title "National Leader" foisted upon him by LTTE supporters.

What I tried to drive home was that Mr. Prabhakaran should have resorted to war only after exhausting all avenues of a peaceful settlement. Notwithstanding her inadequacies I genuinely felt that Chandrika Kumaratunga offered a way out from the military quagmire for Sri Lanka in general and the Tamils in particular. Although events have taken a sad turn for the worse I firmly believe that Chandrika still remains the best bet for the Tamils among the present crop of Sinhala political leaders.

It’s indeed sad that the LTTE has totally rejected the devolution proposals. It is indeed a totally ethnocentric organisation stuck in an outmoded process of thinking. All it wants is an independent, mono-ethnic Tamil Homeland separate from all other races…how much more racist can it get? While the rest of Sri Lanka is emerging with the realisation that the Tamils have to be brought into the heart of national life, of Sri Lankan life, the LTTE continues to prattle on about a ‘Tamil Homeland’ and the “Tamil and Sinhala Nations”.

The US Ambassador E. Ashley Wills, speaking in Jaffna:

What does our moral reasoning tell us about Sri Lanka, and how does this translate into policy? Our approach to Sri Lanka proceeds from the following official US opinions:

This war must end, the sooner the better; we reject the idea that there is a military solution to this conflict and favor a negotiated outcome (all that is needed is the political will to negotiate; we are also convinced that in these negotiations neither side need be the loser, both can win); the opportunity cost of the war in economic terms, and the human cost in deaths, injuries, displaced persons and dysfunctional families, are staggering and no longer tolerable; that is why we, India, the EU, Japan and many other nations support the noble effort of the Norwegians to facilitate direct talks between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE; we reject the idea of an independent Tamil state carved out of Sri Lankan territory; we regard the LTTE as a terrorist organization and do not believe it is the sole representative of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka; we also are for Tamil rights; the Tamil people must be treated equally, respectfully and with dignity within a democratic Sri Lankan state whose exact political form should be determined by the people of this country; we do not believe Sri Lanka, or any part of it, is the special preserve of any one ethnic group; indeed, we regard Sri Lanka as a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-lingual, multi-cultural state; and although we are convinced that the solution to this conflict can and must be negotiated by Sri Lankans , we stand ready to assist in ways the principal parties find appropriate.

This is the exact position taken by the Sri Lankan government with regards to the conflict. Is it that difficult to realise that the LTTE’s views on the conflict are primitive, racist and rather childish? “It’s a victory for Buddhist chauvinism”, “The Tamil Nation”, “Tamil Eelam”, “Agressors”, LTTE press releases sound like the ramblings of a bitter old man out of touch with reality.

Speedy, I am not being naďve when I say that In all its press releases and in its approach to the conflict, the government does not mention Sinhala and Tamil nations and Sinhala and Tamil homelands, and does not portray the conflict as Sinhala vs Tamil. If it were otherwise, how come the government seems to command respect among other nations, how did it manage to get the LTTE banned in the bastion of democracy – the USA? And now Britain? There are foreign diplomats in Colombo, and I am sure these guys are more in touch with what’s happening in Sri Lanka than you give them credit.

I don’t think the government is waging a war against the Tamil people, but against the LTTE. When the LTTE was on the verge of recapturing Jaffna, the civilian population did not provide the support the LTTE expected. They actually moved away from the LTTE. Tamil politicians who hang out in Colombo left abruptly and UN personnel and other NGOs pulled out of the area. I’ve read that today, there are more Tamils living outside the North and the East of the country with the rest of the Lankan population. You say the government is ‘unofficially and unashamedly waging war on a whole section of its electorate based on its ethnicity’. I would disagree. On the other hand, the government has to be commended for sending food and medicine into areas it doesn’t even control, fully aware that they are helping the LTTE. It has to be commended for rebuilding Jaffna, restarting civilian life and providing an atmosphere where Tamil children can go to school and study instead of donning a striped uniform and wearing a suicide capsule. This is not to say everything is A-ok, but I don’t think that the government is waging a war against the Tamil community.

You are not in a position to tell anything to the LTTE, but in a position to tell anything to Sinhalese and the government? Whatever.

I do not agree with the Thimpu proposals because they are merely stepping stones towards an independent state carved out of Sri Lanka. And many other Lankans didn’t agree with them either for the same reason. During 1990, while the LTTE was supposedly engaged in ‘peace talks; with the government, they attacked all police stations in the Batticaloa and Ampara districts. Kalmunai was one of them. Ivan Boteju, superintendent of the Police refused to give into the demands of the Tigers. The government, believing the LTTE’s commitment to the peace talks ordered all the policemen to surrender. The Tigers who had before the surrender, promised to give these police officers safe conduct to and release at Ampara, took them together with the other Sinhalese and Muslim police officers from other police stations in the Ampara District to the jungles of Thirukkovil, blind folded and with their hands tied behind their backs. There, they were made to lie down, and murdered in captivity with spray upon spray of automatic fire. The total number of Sinhalese and Muslim police officers so murdered in captivity on that occasion was over 600. They all paid with their lives for the trust reposed by the government in the LTTE.

No wonder the government is cautious about the alleged ‘ceasefire’ the LTTE is calling for this time.

I wouldn’t call any of the riots ‘genocides’ against the Tamil people, because they were performed by thugs and hooligans who still haven’t yet been brought to justice. It’s easy to forget those Sinhalese who helped the Tamils and to forget that the Muslims never got any support from the ordinary population when they were expelled from Jaffna. This is not to whitewash the horribly racist and disgusting violence many Tamils were subjected to during the riots.

If there really were genocidal attacks taking place today against the Tamils, do you honestly believe that the Tamils would be coming and living with the Sinhalese in areas outside the north and the east? Yet the LTTE continues to portray itself as a saviour that is trying to save the Tamils who are being subjected to genocide.

Let’s see what the US ambassador thinks of the LTTE or any “Tamil’s’ rhetoric, from his speech in Jaffna:

If anyone in this audience has contact with the LTTE leadership, please convey two messages from the U.S. Government:

A.If the LTTE is still fighting for Tamil Eelam, please accept that that goal cannot be achieved; and,

B.If the LTTE really cares about the Tamil people and about assuring their rights, giving up violence and negotiating are the way to go.

…The heroes of the coming months will be those who advocate tolerance, not violence, those who see the need for compromise and moderation rather than those who wish to push ahead toward unattainable visions of separation and exclusivity.

Those in Sri Lanka who advocate separation of the state long for ethnic purity, a genetic and geographical impossibility. [/i]

The superpower USA does not seem to believe the LTTE’s rhetoric Speedy.

You say the LTTE is not against the Sinhalese “in general” (whatever!). In general, the Nazi’s weren’t against Jews either – they just wanted to ‘improve’ Germany and make it ethnically pure and into a world power. You obviously can’t see that the LTTE has killed and maimed many innocent Sinhalese, and it can never ever claim that it wasn’t/isn’t against the Sinhalese. The LTTE has a notorious record of bringing terrorism and violence into the south, of including ball bearings in its bombings in public places so that the maximum number of civilians would die. Hacking to death entire villagers of Sinhalese and Muslims, referring to the Sinhalese as ‘foreigners’ and so forth, really does give the impression that the LTTE is against the Sinhalese. I don’t think the LTTE can ever bring the war to the south, it simply lacks the firepower and the manpower. It can only increase its frequency of terrorist bombings and attacks, but thanks to steps taken by Britain and the international community these should be less frequent since the LTTE knows that the world is watching.

Since when did colonisation come into this? The movement of Tamils and Muslims into the south has made the south MORE multicultural and hence a MORE interesting place to live. Simple isn’t it.

"Are you speaking in ignorance, or spewing forth what the LTTE minions over there are telling you, or have you garned these interesting ideas from cavorting around the internet?"

So do these human rights organisations, journalists say about Tamils in the south, in Colombo, Ratmalana, Kandy, Ratnapura “…They are harrased day and night and danger to life is a harsh reality"? Ok, I believe you. That comment applies perfectly to Sinhalese civilians who live in ‘border villages’ near LTTE-held territory.

If there indeed are “thousands and thousands of innocent Tamil youth languishing in prisons who left the North and East”, the Tamil parties seem to be doing jack-all about it, content instead to sit around, drive pajeros and cry about how the LTTE is the saviour of the Tamils. Yes that’s right, don’t bring the EPDP up, because after all Douglas Devananda was attacked and nearly killed by these “innocent Tamil youth” when he went to look after their interests.

See the difference in army deserters and the LTTE, is that army deserters don’t go around blowing themselves up, putting bombs on trains, attacking vital economic sites, and causing the deaths of hundreds of people. Sure, robberies and armed hold-ups, but nothing close to the chaos the LTTE’s terror machine inflicts on innocents.

These ‘innocent’ prisoners should be well checked to ensure that no terrorist walks free.

Speedy, a person does not have to be violent or take part in bloodshed in order to be ethnocentric…i.e. Chelvanyakam. But his comment before independence is ethnocentric and reveals that he had no faith in a united Sri Lanka where everyone was to be equal. His Tamil-centric mindset was borne out of the fact that he did not want the Tamils to lose their privileged position in society. A position that was seeing a 12.6% minority get more than 50% of the seats in university and almost an equally high percentage in the civil service. A movement to provide the Sinhalese with an equal footing marked the post independent period. No doubt some things were done way too hastily (The languages act being one of them) but they were intended to bring up the Sinhalese who had been trampled by the colonials.

Are you sure the Nayakkars were Tamils and not Malabars? I’m pretty sure that the Nayakkars were Malayalees, not Tamil. The Nayakkars arrived at around the late 1600s and early 1700s – at a time when the identity of the Keralites was well established, and Malabar was a Malayalee area, not Tamil. But it really does not matter, because they became Sinhalese and changed their religion to Buddhism over time.

From Kandy: The Roots of the Rebellion

What paved the way for the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom which appeared indestructible to the forces outside, was the death of King Rajadhi Raja Sinha in 1798 leaving no children.

It is this first Adigar Pilima Talawe who promoted a Malabar Prince named Kannasami who was a nephew of one of the King's wives. He had no right to the throne as other close relatives were alive. Kannasami had no proper education and was considered young and immature. But these disadvantages were overlooked by Pilima Talawe who intended the king to be a mere puppet in his hands. Certain historians have been kinder to Pilima Talawe- attributing his zeal to the noble cause of restoring the Sinhala Dynasty, for he himself was a descendant from the royal family of Ceylon. The Adigar's efforts paid off when Kannasami ascended the throne as Sri Wickrama Rajasighe. As Rajadhi Rajasinghe's relatives were imprisoned and his second Adigar was killed by Pilima Talawe, the former king's brother in law Muttusamy who was the rightful heir, sought protection from the British.

Speedy, what I’ve read about the Muslims and the Sinhalese fighting the colonials together has come from a variety of books, including one called “The Revolt in the Temple”. I’m not going to go around every book and extract stuff for you to read, so if you are that interested, hop on over to http://www.geocities.com/mforumsl and ask around.

Check out: www.geocities.com/mforumsl/mts.htm

The Muslims were settled in South East Sri Lanka by the Kandyan king, or so I’ve read.

Mr Peiris never mentions that these were Tamil temples. It’s only you who thinks they are explicit proof of a definitive Tamil civilization, as well as all the websites that have this *one * quote displayed prominently.

Have a look at www.spur.asn.au/drav.htm

"Gee, you really proved the existence of a Tamil homeland/kingdom in Sri Lanka covering the north and the east with that brilliant piece of evidence didn't you?"

Hindu temples are not proof of Tamil civilization because the Sinhalese were once Hindus too, and so were the many other groups of Hindu people who immigrated to Sri Lanka over time…Gujaratis, Marathis, Telugus, Malayalees. There are no substantial remains of a Tamil civilization in Sri Lanka, while there are substantial remains of Buddhist viharas and monasteries which are typically Sinhala, replete with moonstones which are a Sinhalese invention, inscriptions, palaces and tanks which are all corroborated by the Mahavamsa and other lesser known historical chronicles.

Hurrah for the British ban!

TRO is an organisation that is ethnocentric because it recognises “Tamil Eelam” which is a racist ideal. And no doubt it has some LTTE connections – isn’t it being investigated in Britain for fraud? Sarvodaya is a really great organisation based on Buddhist ideals that knows no ethnic boundaries. It has sponsored Hindu temples, and has been involved in providing water and self-help schemes to refugees.

www.sarvodaya.org/

www.foundation.novartis.com/sarvodaya_movement.htm

Could you tell me a Sinhala king who destroyed and pillaged Hindu Temples? I would like to know which Sinhalese kings went around destroying Hindu Temples akin to Tamil kings destroying and pillaging Buddhist monasteries. Buddhism is not merely an offshoot of Hinduism, please!

1 800 Hindu temples destroyed? Where did you get these facts? Straight from the mouth of the LTTE no doubt. And have you not heard of Elara who was a Tamil king who was righteous and praised for his conduct in the Mahavamsa?

Yes, federalism will *indeed* send the government into a frenzy – after all it did come out with the proposals that would make Sri Lanka into a federal country….good one there Speedy. And as I said before, the devolution proposals will most likely be a solution to the current problem – do you see my crying about federalism? Federalism will give more power to the people, but the executive presidency must be abolished to ensure the president does not run riot.

The process that facilitated Sinhala being commonly used is the simple fact that is spoken by around 70% of the population, who form the majority in Colombo. I don’t know how ‘Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalism’ comes into this.

"It is the Tamils, not the LTTE who are suffering the most."

Uh-Oh - Here we go again….”Tamil civilians are hounded day and night”. Yeah, OK….how did the thousands of Tamils manage to watch the Hariharan show in Colombo at Sugathadasa last week? Obviously you haven’t been to Sri Lanka in a while.

Of course, if the government attacks the LTTE, they are attacking ‘innocent Tamils’. Sorry, but the government has a duty to safeguard the country.

My views on Buddhism are shared by many others, I’m pretty sure.

Buddhism is not the official religion of Sri Lanka, it is simply given the ‘foremost’ place. If I’m an ethnoreligious chauvinist, many others must be so too.

You claim no democratic state will ever agree with my justifications for enshrining ‘favouritism’ in a democratic consitution, so why is Christianity the official religion of the United Kingdom (The Churches of England and Scotland)? Why is the Evangelical Lutheran Church the official religion of Norway? Aren’t these democratic states? Buddhism is not accorded official status in Sri Lanka as Chrisitianity is in these countries. So I guess Britain and Norway are run by really *rabid* “ethonreligious chauvinists” huh? …whatever. Buddhism in the Sri Lankan constitution is here to stay. Deal with it.

Every myth usually has a historical core, we might even argue on whether there is a living being called Murugan or Skanda. Are people worshipping an imaginary god? If Kataragama continues to be ‘sinhalised’, I have no problems with it – you obviously do – but I’m not a psychologist to provide you with counselling. Obviously there are more Sinhala patrons, so why the big deal if the Basnayake Nilame is Sinhala? Here we go again, if it’s Hindu, it HAS to be Tamil…..and guess what? Leonard Woolf wrote that story on Kataragama and published it in 1913.....long long before this conflict. So even back then, the kapuralas were Buddhist Sinhalese it seems.

The existence of a few Hindu temples means nothing about a definitve Tamil civilization in Sri Lanka. Elara, Guttika and Sena never ruled over the entire country unlike Duthugemmunu and the rest of the Sinhala kings. They were invaders who came from South India and who failed to incorporate Lanka into any Tamil kingdom. The above mentioned kings only ruled for very brief periods of time, while for more than 2000 years the Sinhalese had ruled and Buddhism had been the state religion. Anuradhapura, Polonnaruva, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Thiriyaya, Gokanna, Seruwawiila, tanks, ruins of vast monasteries, huge dagobas, palaces, iron pits, libraries, the development of Sinhala writing, literature and art – the Mahavamsa, Gurulogomi’s poetry, Sigiriya Graffiti, and frescoes all developed in Sri Lanka. There is no evidence of a Tamil civilization in Sri Lanka comparable to this. Even someone who knows nothing about history can plainly see this. That’s because the homeland of the Tamils is Tamil Nadu -- that’s where their definitive civilisations arose and developed. The Tamils in Sri Lanka are merely remnants of the various Tamil invasions into the Sinhala kingdom.

"Do you believe Tamils were the original inhabitants of South India? Ever heard of tribal people who predate the Tamils?"
So these tribal people were Veddhas from Sri Lanka then? Anything you say Website.

These people may not be veddhas but they share the same ethnicity – for example there are believed to be of Mongoloid stock. Further the religion of the tribals of South India and the veddah show similarities – a cult of the dead, ancestral spirits are believed to enter the bodies of shamans and so forth. It is notable that in these ‘elder trays’ of Sri Lanka, the bones of several generations of a family are found.

Of course, if there is a Sinhalese who doesn’t agree with your viewpoint, he or she immediately becomes a Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinist. I sometimes ask myself whether the struggle to express my views is worth all of the nitpicking that those drenched in propaganda reply with. If my memory serves me correctly, you claim that a totalitarian dictatorship of Prabhakaran is the best form of government the Tamils could possibly have. That claim illustrates a serious reasoning fallacy, one that is pandemic in yours and in those of every ethnocentric ‘Tamils are perpetual victims of injustice’ editorials. The other claim is that the Tamils had a definitive civilisation in Sri Lanka and that Sri Lanka is NOT the homeland of the Sinhalese. Your ‘historical facts’ like Hindu Temples = proof of definitive Tamil civilization is funny to say the least. And your labouring to try and disprove the fact that Sri Lanka is the homeland of the Sinhalese is worse than the cries of a woman giving birth (with all due respect to preganant ladies). You do have a finely honed ability to scorn and abjure reason.

And all you have to do to contribute to peace in the island is to stop sending that cheque to the LTTE, and if you really want to help Lanka out – why not crunch on that capsule around your neck?

posted March 31, 2001 11:20 PM            

This is the typical Sri Lankan Politics. Whenever something going towards Tamils benifits, and if they cannot confront them in legal mean, they do this illegal approaches like this. The Sinhala Only law and Standadizaton policy are some of the examples. When the Tamil TULF got the most second number of seats in the SL parliament and became the official opposition, the Sinhala just couldn't take it, therefore, in the middle of their mandate, they changes the electroral system from the number of seats won to number of popular votes won party to form the official opposition. Thereby, they throw out the TULF from the official opposition and put the SLFB instead. Do you see this pattern? They somehow figure it out that, tamil hold 1/3 of the land but populationwise they are less than the Sinhala. This is the same reason for the Racist standadization.

MODERATORS AT THE INFOLAKA.COM HAVE THE HIGHEST OF ALL BUDDHIST RACISTS AGENDA AMOUNG ALL THE SINHALA. THEY ARE THE MOTHER OF ALL RACISTS. THEY BANNED MY ID'S ONE SO MANY TIMES, JUST LIKE THEIR LEADER SHUTS PEOPLE'S VOICES IN THEIR MOTHER LANKA DAY AND DAY AFTER. BUT, THEY COULDN'T SILENT ME COMPLETELY.

EVENTHOUGH THESE INFOLANKA.COM PEOPLE[ECONIMIC/POLITICO REFUGEES] LIVE IN USA, THEY ARE STILL VERY MUCH INTACT WITH THEIR RACIST SINHALA POLICIES.

I CHALLENGE THE INFO LANKA MODERATORS TO COME OUT AND EXLAIN THE ABOVE COWARDY SINHALA ACT NOW

DEREK,

COME OUT YOUR CULT-COMPOUND IN USA AND EXPLAIN TO US YOUR COWARDY ACT, WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU DEREK??

posted April 02, 2001 09:54 PM            

You banned my ID on too many times in the PAST. Just like the LTTE, I am still standing here as a FORMIDABLE force. You can BAN us from this RACIST FORUM, BUT YOU CANNOT SILENT OUR TAMIL VOICE. IT IS LIKE A FULL BLOWN CANCER NOW, IT WILL KILL YOU IF YOU OPPRESS US MORE.

Casper, name an EELAM forum which BAN someone COWARDLY if they cannot argue the FACTS?

EELAM FORUMS WHER FREEDOM FLOW...JUST LIKE THE FUTURE STATE OF TAMIL EELAM!!

posted May 01, 2001 04:38 PM            

=============================================

When I saw that the moderators of this forum had erased my previous postings, I was a bit disheartened by it since I always thought that one, somewhat, likeable aspect about this forum is that there is no censorship of any kind. I even asked myself why bother responding to Website's more inaccurate ideas and that coupled with the fact that I had my final examinations, made me stay away from this forum. But once again after reading the comments posted in this thread, I think it would be a great disservice to others readers of this forum if Website's ideas, which he tries to pass off as kernels of divine truth, are not critically treated.

"You don't seem to understand my point which is that the government has put forward a set of proposals which will most likely be a solution to the problem in Sri Lanka."
The reasons for the LTTE rejecting the proposals are self-evident if one examines the actions of the Sinhala political and religious establishment during the initial stages of the talks. Once again, let me reiterate the fact that the PA government had a responsbility towards its voters by showing some sort of a gesture to bring about peace because of the political platform from which it campaigned to garner the votes in the first place. What I'm questioning is, is the sincerity of the gesture and if one can interpret the actions of the PA government, then its obvious that it was not genuine, not by a long shot. I'm sure you know that the PA failed to secure an overall majority in Parliament and so was influenced by the military and religious circles within and without the government. It is a fact that the opposition party, the UNP along with the SLMC, did not accept the devolution package and were vehemently opposed to it. The Buddhist Mahanayaka Theras, who weild a disgusting amount of influence in Sri Lankan politics, also opposed the package. Therefore in the end, like every other time, the devolution package became another issue that could be kicked around by any one group to consolidate its own power.

One of the very first mistakes the PA government did was to try and separate the LTTE from the Tamil people, which by all accounts was a bad mistake. The LTTE were representating the Tamil community, even the Colombo-based Tamil parties accepted it. Moreover, the package was merely made up of ideas and not definite actions and if the UNP did not support it, there was no way in which the PA government would have carried out the ideas contained in the package and we have already seen that the UNP was very much against it. Secondly, the package was to make sure that there would be some sort of a federal setup, or atleast that was the popular Tamil assumption. But Kumaratunge, while defending the package against Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalists and their cries about selling out to the Tamils, said that as far as power sharing was concerned, the Centre would remain in power which ultimately defeats the whole purpose of the exercise and revealed the true nature of the package - another well constructed facade to fool the Tamil people and the international community. So, knowing the true intentions of the PA government, the harsh realities of the political atmosphere thoroughly imbued with ethnoreligious chauvinism, there is no doubt that the package would be abboragated once again like the Dudley-Chelvanayakam, Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam, etc., pacts of yesteryear.

"I do not know what your definition of a total economic blockade is, but if the government refuses to send material to LTTE areas which could be used in making bombs and various other instruments of terror, that's a good thing."
Since we're talking about the fundamental definition of what an economic blockade by the PA government means and not necessarily which economic blockade, I suggest you take a look at a recent report published by TamilNet which shows the arbitary manner in which the government imposes economic embargos on the Tamil people and then justifies this crime against humanity as an excercise in terrorism-control. I apologise but I just cannot imagine the LTTE using fertilisers, fibre mats, instant noodles and biscuits, etc., to make "instruments of terror". Can you?

"The LTTE demanded the removal of army camps, and to be allowed to walk around with arms in non-LTTE controlled areas. Do you think these are fair demands?"
The LTTE demanded the removal of camps that severely restricted the movement of Tamil civilians and the camps had notorious reputations for their treatment of Tamil civilians. Furthermore, while the army and other government security forces were allowed to carry weapons and use them as they please, why should the LTTE not be allowed to carry weapons? I'm sure the LTTE was extremely tentative of giving up its arms following its experiences with the IPKF. It wasn't so far-fetched to think that government would not suddenly shift to drastic military option once the LTTE was de-armed and the fierceness with which the government launched its military assault on the LTTE and the Tamil civilians, after the breakdown of the peace talks, shows how it utilized the time spent on the talks to rearm and regroup itself. So, yes, the demands were acceptable.

"Can you blame the government and the people for not trusting the LTTE this time around?"
If we're judging the opposing sides based on their history, then its truly remarkable that the LTTE extended the unilateral ceasefire for four months and were forced to end it due to the wooden attitude of the government. The government thought that it could defeat the LTTE militarily when the side was observing a ceasefire but as the diastrous Operation "Agni Kheela" has shown, the government has lost to the LTTE on both the military and political fronts during these last few months. The intransigence of the Sinhala government is a well known one as proved by its inability to genuinely provide address the grievances of the Tamil people. Indian High Commissioner J.N. Dixit's book on the ill-fated Thimpu talks is truly enlightening of the modus operandi of Sri Lankan governments with regards to the LTTE and the peace talks.

"...The fifth conclusion has to do with Sri Lanka's desire to neutralise international criticism about it delaying a solution to the Tamil ethnic issue. There was a diplomatic pressure on the Sri Lankan Government at the UN and at the UN Human Rights Commission to be responsive to the legitimate aspirations of Sri Lankan Tamil citizens. The Sri Lankan Government had calculated that by undertaking a dialogue with the Tamil militant groups directly, they could tell the international community that Colombo made a sincere political effort to come to a compromise with the Tamils. The assessment was that even if the talks failed, Sri Lanka can blame it on Tamil intransigence. This indeed was the line taken by the Sri Lankan publicity campaign after the discussions at Thimpu."
- J.N. Dixit in "Assignment Colombo"

While you may blame the LTTE for the actual violation of the 1995 peace talks, it was evident that the government, from the inital stages, itself was not prepared to grant any real concessions as I've illustrated already. Furthermore, the government is only hampering its own image in the international arena by not showing the slightest interest in reciprocating the LTTE's offer. As actions by Tamil civilians in the North and East and Tamil parties in the South and around the world have shown, the PA government won't be able to drive a wedge between the LTTE and the Tamil populace as it tried to do in earlier peace talks. So, perhaps that is why its allowing itself to be swayed by temporary battlefield victories and refuses to cooperate much to the consternation of the world.

I have tremendous respect for Jeyaraj and his journalistic abilities from the very first article of his article that I read - yes, it was the very same article you posted. I'm sure that you can notice that the Jeyaraj of mid and late 1990s is a very different from the Jeyaraj of present. There has been a marked change in his articles and he has been vociferously criticising the government for the past two years or so which is probably evidence of his own (and many others) disillusionment with the present government. It is interesting to see what he thinks of the Kumaratunga government and its actions in the past and present.

"Under these circumstances, it is obvious that the Government would not be able to offer any genuine power sharing scheme acceptable to the LTTE. As stated in these columns two weeks ago the important question is what can this government offer even if the LTTE comes to the negotiating table after renouncing the Tamil Eelam demand, accepting permanent Army presence in the North - East and agreeing to a united Sri Lanka? Will it make any tangible difference even if Prabakharan saluted the sword bearing lion flag and sang in Sinhala 'Namo, Namo, Matha'? It would not and the chances are that the Government would stand exposed. The way out then for Kumaratunga is to refrain from talking to the tigers and instead continue the war in the fond hope that the LTTE can be destroyed. Then anything could be thrust down Tamil throats under the guise of a political settlement. Perhaps even that 'illusion' may not be necessary. The flaw in all these calculations is whether the LTTE can be destroyed militarily as envisaged. But then war itself is due to miscalculations. In the meantime the Kumaratunga Government is being perceived as a pro - war and not pro - peace government. J R Jayewardene taunted Tamils in 1977 by saying 'If you are for peace we are for peace. If you are for war we are for war. This is not what I say but what the people say'. In the case of Kumaratunga her response to the LTTE may very well be 'If you are for war then we are for war, If you are for peace then also we are for war, This is not what the people say but what we say'. The on going war then is not a 'war for peace' but a 'war for war'." (D.B.S. Jeyaraj, "Confederational Setup for Peace", Sunday Leader).

"While the rest of Sri Lanka is emerging with the realisation that the Tamils have to be brought into the heart of national life, of Sri Lankan life...."
Oh is that right? After more than 50 years, now only the rest of Sri Lanka is emerging with the realisation that Tamils have to be treated equally? Well the rest of Sri Lanka did take its sweet time. But once again, I question the validity of the statement. If, by the rest of Sri Lanka, you mean the common Sinhalese people, I have no doubt that they're tired of the war and wouldn't mind a federal setup even but what we're discussing is the religious and political establishments that influence the Sinhala community - I'm not so sure whether they're emerging with any realizations about the Tamil community. PA and UNP are still having a good game of soccer with the Tamil issue while Sihala Urumaya and other "sons of the soil" parties seem to be mushrooming all over the place and the powerful monks continue to churn out their regular spiel on the whole of Sri Lanka as the homeland of the Sinhalese. So the Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalism that the political and religious establishments are thoroughly drenched in continues unabated.

"The US Ambassador E. Ashley Wills, speaking in Jaffna."
Yes, the good Ambassador has been quoted many times especially in Sinhala nationalist circles. Let me not elaborate on the instant furore he caused and the scalding articles that was written by Tamils, Sinhalese and other observers. You might be aware of the fact that Sivanayagam published an open letter criticising Wills for his comments which prompted a quick reply. This reply by Wills was even published in the Tamil Guardian paper and in his reply, Wills makes it more than clear that he has a good grasp of the political history of Sri Lanka and the grievances faced by the Tamil people. Even in the quote you reproduced, notice that he said, "we also are for Tamil rights; the Tamil people must be treated equally, respectfully and with dignity within a democratic Sri Lankan state whose exact political form should be determined by the people of this country; we do not believe Sri Lanka, or any part of it, is the special preserve of any one ethnic group". This is why I say that even if they have banned the LTTE, they confess the need for a genuine address of Tamil grievances. So, in that regard, neither the American nor any other ban is a "slap in the face of Tamil racism". This is what I have been stressing so far!

Another interesting thing to notice is that, Wills makes sure that he's going to stick with "official US opinions". Does that mean that these "official US opinions" are set in stone and will stand the test of time? Knowing how the US deals with its foreign affairs, it would be very naiive indeed to think that the US will maintain its current policy in face of new political or military changes in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, it is a well known fact that several high-level US politicians think that the ban was a mistake in the first place and I assume you know that a former US Attorney General is heading the legal team that is fighting the removal of the LTTE ban.

"This is the exact position taken by the Sri Lankan government with regards to the conflict."
I beg to differ. Any common characteristics shared by the government and "official US opinions" are that the LTTE is a terrorist organisation and the rejection of a separate Tamil state. Unfortunately, this is where the commonality ends and the differences arise both in speech and practice. The Sri Lankan government is not for Tamil rights and it does not believe in the equal treatment of all its different ethnic groups and it believes that Sri Lanka is the homeland of the Sinhalese and the abode of Buddhism and any other group are just guests on the island. This is why I say that while the government may launch any sort of offensive, either media or military, to quell the fighting spirit of the LTTE, it cannot do the same for the Tamils. The LTTE is one of the manifestations of Tamil grievances and even if the government is able to get rid off the LTTE (if that can ever happen), the discriminatory issues facing the Tamils will remain and will give birth to different manifestations.

"....LTTE press releases sound like the ramblings of a bitter old man out of touch with reality."
Despite my repeated requests for you to reproduce official press releases, where the LTTE potrays the conflict as a Sinhala vs. Tamil, you have not bothered to present them here. Hence, I'm forced to conclude that without providing any sort of evidence, you're merely lying.

"Speedy, I am not being naďve when I say that In all its press releases and in its approach to the conflict, the government does not mention Sinhala and Tamil nations and Sinhala and Tamil homelands, and does not portray the conflict as Sinhala vs Tamil."
I think you act the part of a naiive political novice well Website. Good work. I still can't understand why you fail to see that if the Sri Lankan government comes out openly and states that this is a Sinhala vs. Tamil community and therefore make this an official ethnic conflict, then the international powers that be would descend on Sri Lanka - an event that I'm sure the government is not too keen upon. Therefore, it has to continue chanting the old mantra, "we're fighting terrorists" over and over again. While its official stance is the above mentioned mantra, its practices tell a different story which proves once and for all that the government is considering this as a Sinhala vs. Tamil ethnic conflict.

"If it were otherwise, how come the government seems to command respect among other nations, how did it manage to get the LTTE banned in the bastion of democracy - the USA?"
I'm not too sure whether the government commands any real respect. I mean, yeah, the diplomatic jargon and what not might be very pleasant towards the Sri Lankan government, but if you dig deeper, I'm sure you might find a different story. Several US Congressmen, British, Canadian and Australian MPs, etc., have condemned the government for its attack on Tamil civilians and especially its human rights record. I think it was Amnesty International that published a report saying that Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of disappearances under the present government. So, I don't think all of this translates into any real respect or confidence in the Kumaratunage regime. Well, about the banning of the LTTE in the US and other countries, you seem to be under the impression that it was brought about because of the respect these governments have for the Kumaratunge regime and your hero, Kadirgamar. Jeyaraj thinks otherwise.

"If the antics of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar is any indicator the chances are ‘yes’. Kadirgamar has a knack to sense which way the wind blows and sets his sails accordingly. After knowing in advance that the US state department was going to designate the LTTE as a terrorist organisation, Kadirgamar conducted his propaganda drive arguing publicly that the LTTE must be banned by the Americans. Lo and behold, when the Yankees actually did so, Kadirgamar had no qualms about reaping all the kudos for that act. He is after all a foreign minister who handles external affairs with an eye always on the domestic Sinhala constituency. In recent times Kadirgamar has been waxing eloquent in the Colombo press that Britain should proscribe the Tigers. If not, the minister has thundered, Anglo-Sri Lankan bilateral relations would never be the same again. The foreign minister’s paroxysms seem to indicate that once again he has prior knowledge of British intentions and intends exploiting it for political gains in Sri Lanka. Like the carrion bird that sights a rotting carcass from a distance, Kadirgamar seems to have sensed his opportunity." (D.B.S. Jeyaraj, "Will Britain Ban the LTTE", The Sunday Leader)

"There are foreign diplomats in Colombo, and I am sure these guys are more in touch with what’s happening in Sri Lanka than you give them credit."
Oh I give them more than enough credit because I know that despite their defiant stance towards the LTTE, they realize the injustices done to the Tamil people.

"They actually moved away from the LTTE."
Did you expect them to stay back and be used as a shield by the Army? If the civilians want to save their lives by moving to safer locations until the fighting finishes, it is their right to do so. This to be intepreted as conclusive proof of anti-LTTE sentiments are only dismisable products of your overworked imagination.

"I’ve read that today, there are more Tamils living outside the North and the East of the country with the rest of the Lankan population."
Yes, in refugee camps.

"On the other hand, the government has to be commended for sending food and medicine into areas it doesn’t even control, fully aware that they are helping the LTTE."
Is that right? But Dr. (Mrs.) Kanagaratnam, Director of Jaffna Teaching Hospital says:
"We have repeatedly requested the Ministry of Health in Colombo, through the Government Agent of Jaffna and the EPDP representatives in the peninsula to bring down a technician from the South as we do not have people of expertise here. But so far nothing has happened... She said that thirty four types of drugs are needed at present and that the shortage had been directed to the Director of the Medical Supplied Division in Colombo on April 17 to which there has been no response so far. " (Frances Bulathsinghala, "Wards of the War Torn".)

The most recent witness to the wonderful Sri Lankan government tactics in Tamil areas was the Sunday Times (UK) correspondent, Marie Colvin who wrote:
"The government has alienated Tamil heats and minds. Ministers in Colombo deny that there is an economic embargo on the Vanni, the Tamil area on the mainland, while checkpoints on the internal border enforce a ban on items ranging from fuel, cement, and plastic sheeting to instant noodles and vegetables oil. Even sanitary towels are not allowed; they can presumably be used to dress wounds. The Vanni region, which covers 2,000 square miles, has no mains electricity or telephone service; its roads have deteriorated to potholed dirt tracks. Most people travel by bicycle because of the fuel shortage...The embargo has created a huge but unreported humanitarian disaster for the 500,000 civilians live here, more than half of them internal refugees... Colombo prohibits international aid agencies distributing food. International aid agencies estimate that 40% of the children in the Vanni are undernourished or malnourished ." For her troubles at reporting the true plight of the Tamil people, she was rewarded with artillery fire by trigger-happy Sinhala soldiers.

"...providing an atmosphere where Tamil children can go to school and study..."
Oh, give me a break! It is not because of the Army that the Tamil children can go to school and study but in spite of them! Even with the waylaying of school-going Tamil girls by the SLA (thrust into the world's attention by the Krishanthy gang rape and murder case), several Tamil girls have obtained amazing results. All credit is due to their sheer will and dedication. To say that the government provides an atmosphere that facilitates the education of the Tamil kids is nothing but a devious lie. While Sinhala students can surf on the net, the UNHCR had to send plastic sheets to the North for Tamil students to sit on while they studied under trees since their schools were razed to the ground by the Sri Lankan Airforce that somehow seems to attack everything else except LTTE camps. Furthermore, even school materials such as bristolboards, blackboards, etc..are banned by the government. What an atmosphere indeed!

"You are not in a position to tell anything to the LTTE, but in a position to tell anything to Sinhalese and the government? Whatever."
I have never said I'm in a position to tell the LTTE or the government what to do. As far as I'm concerned this is just a discussion between you, a Sinhalese, and me, a Tamil. Therefore, I'm in a position to tell anything to a Sinhalese (namely you) but not the government unless, of course, you're representing more than just yourself.

"I do not agree with the Thimpu proposals because they are merely stepping stones towards an independent state carved out of Sri Lanka."
Such is the attitude that the Tamils continue to face for over 50 years. Any sort of concession is seen as giving into the "separatist mentality of the Tamils". Perhaps Prabhakaran and LTTE are indeed more intelligent than given credit for. They have realized that no Sinhala government is magnanimous enough to grant any sort of meaningful devolution of powers to the Tamils or agree to a federal/confederal setup. Perhaps, the LTTE has been right along!

"The total number of Sinhalese and Muslim police officers so murdered in captivity on that occasion was over 600. They all paid with their lives for the trust reposed by the government in the LTTE."
Well, the Jayawardene government's sincerity at Thimpu was always shrouded in mystery as seen by the selection of the government negotiators and the manner in which these negotiators handled themselves and handled the Tamil parties involved. About the incident at Amparai, well it was known that Jaywaradene was fighting tooth and nail to show Amparai was not part of the North and East merger that the LTTE was proposing and that Amparai is actually Sinhala land, so just imagine how a massacre at Amparai would be helpful to propel Jayawardene's ideas. And if comments by observers at Thimpu is to be considered, this is what exactly happen.

"Lalith Athulathumudali in the meanwhile had initiated intrigues to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims in Sri Lanka, even though the majority of the latter were Tamil speaking. We had fairly reliable information that Lalith and the intelligence agencies of Sri Lanka engineered attacks on Muslim civilians in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai and then blamed the incidents on the LTTE and other Tamil parties ... The objective of creating a gulf between the Muslims and Hindus succeeded progressively. The aim was two-fold: First, to erode the united stance amongst the Tamil-speaking population of Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka on linking the two Provinces into a Tamil homeland. The second was to exploit the religious divide thus created to argue against devolution of powers... The Jayawardene Government was engineering these disruptive developments in the hope that the continuing confusion and lack of consensus in the negotiating stances of the minorities would enable it to resist the demands of the Tamil minority."
- J.N. Dixit, "Assignment Colombo"

"This is not to whitewash the horribly racist and disgusting violence many Tamils were subjected to during the riots."
Well, like it or not, you are trying to whitewash the violence that the Tamil community has endured at the hands of sections of the Sinhala community for over 35 years or so. The recent Bindunuwewa massacre shows that the "thugs and hooligans" are still very much a reality in Sri Lanka. About the riots, I will readily acknowledge the fact that there were Sinhalese who helped the Tamils during the riots. Although I know that majority of the Sinhalese did not take part in the blood letting all these years and especially in 1983, I find it nearly unbelievable that the Sinhalese didn't somehow think that the Tamils deserved all of it to show them who's the boss. I have always wondered where the silent majority has been all this time? If only thugs and hooligans took part in the mobs, why do we see people who do not look like normal civilians walking away with looted Tamil properties and what not? There were various recorded instances where students from prominent Buddhist colleges took part in the riots. I suppose that makes them thugs and hooligans as well then.

"I met a couple who were living in Borella. On Monday morning hordes of schoolboys in white uniform from Ananda College -a leading Sinhala Buddhist school - had surrounded the Tamil houses in Borella and smashed them with stones and sticks. Then they had pulled all the Tamils out and had assaulted them. Then some Buddhist monks from the temple in Maradana had come carrying firebrands and set fire to all the houses.
- An eyewitness account documented in "Sri Lanka: Island of Terror" by E.M. Thornton and R. Nithyanantham

===============================================================
I thought the below enlightening excerpts from William McGowan's "Only Man is Vile" on the 1983 Tamil genocide would be of interest:

"One Westerner who was driving up the coast road after a long weekend in the south was amazed at the things he saw being taken from Tamil homes to be burned - marriage licenses, family photo albums, deeds - irreplaceable things and objects of sentimental value. What the Westerner found most disturbing, however, was the look of glee on the faces of the mobs, as if in the midst of torching houses and factories, the Sinhalese were realizing their greatest desires."

"Some Sinhalese did in fact hide their Tamil neighbours, but the numbers may well be exaggerated."

"Almost as disturbing as the riots themselves was the Sinhalese reaction to them. During the carnage, the government was silent, and when the President finally did make a statement over the national broadcasting network, it wasn't an appeal for reconciliation or a reassurance to the Tamils cowering in hiding. Instead, President Jaywardene pledged to safeguard the rights of the Buddhist majority...Rather than seeking out the real hidden hand behind the violence, the President sough scapegoats, banning the JVP, then a legal political party, and later proscribing the moderate Tamil United Liberation Front, a party advocating the peaceful division of the country by constitutionalm means."

"Not a single Sinhalese politician visited Tamil refugee camps in Colombo. Instead, one of the cabinet ministers, Lalith Athulathumudali, who was later to become the Minister of National Security, became anguished at the sight of Sinhalese lined up to buy bread in the aftermath of the violence."

"Years later, many Sinhalese in Colombo still talk about the riots as if the perpetrators were an invading force. They blame the violence on slum pathology and the effects of angel dust was fed to the poor by mob manipulators in league with "foreign hands". Meanwhile, many Sinhalese still talk of "killing them all", "making them all pack up and go", and the like. Admissions of collective Sinhalese guilt are frequently viewed as treasonous. As of the one of the more chauvinistic monks told me, "If we were really like that, the Tamils would no longer exist."

"The urban Tamil population was disturbed, meanwhile, to find that many of their educated liberal-minded Sinhala friends refused to condemn the riots. "Except for my most immediate friends, I got the feeling that few of the Sinhalese in my social circle were really and truly outraged," explained a woman I met, a Tamil whose prominent political family formed the very bosom of the establishment. "After that I went through a period of deep emotional alienation from my social set. We were all too oversaturated with what had taken place. There was a certain understanding. I just didn't go when I was invited."
===============================================================

"If there really were genocidal attacks taking place today against the Tamils, do you honestly believe that the Tamils would be coming and living with the Sinhalese in areas outside the north and the east?"
I'm talking about how the government and the portion of people that it influences make genocidal attacks on the Tamil people. I'm not saying that all Sinhalese entertain such thoughts. If given a choice between death and temporary living your life in fear, what would you choose?

"The superpower USA does not seem to believe the LTTE’s rhetoric Speedy."
I think its interesting how Wills says that the heroes will be those who advocate tolerance and not violence. The last time I checked, the LTTE was observing a unilateral ceasefire for three months or so while it is the government which is pursuing violence! And that has been the case with the present regime. It is no secret that the present governmnet has spent the largest amounts of money in Ceylonese history to continue an unjustifiable war against a people! That speaks volumes for how intolerant and violence prone this government is.

"You obviously can’t see that the LTTE has killed and maimed many innocent Sinhalese, and it can never ever claim that it wasn’t/isn’t against the Sinhalese."
What is plainly obvious is that despite my repeated condemnations of the LTTE's actions when innocent civilians, regardless of their ethnicity, are concerned, you continue to ignore these condemnations. If you think the LTTE can't bring the war to the south, you're very much underestimating the LTTE's capabilities as both a guriella and a conventional force.

"The movement of Tamils and Muslims into the south has made the south MORE multicultural and hence a MORE interesting place to live. Simple isn’t it."
Not so simple. A superificial glance at the population demographics would probably illustrate the "multicultral" aspect of the south but my arguments are not about the statistics but what circumstances and atmosphere brought about these statistics. It is a bit disheartening but the reality in Sri Lanka is that multiculturalism is achieved by forced colonisation and mass refugee exodus from one part of the island to another - events that are not brought about by an individual desire to move but brought about by less than desirable circumstances. How this tragedy is misinterpreted as multiculturalism, in the correct sense of the word, is extraordinarily naiive and/or downright stupid.

"If there indeed are “thousands and thousands of innocent Tamil youth languishing in prisons who left the North and East”, the Tamil parties seem to be doing jack-all about it, content instead to sit around, drive pajeros and cry about how the LTTE is the saviour of the Tamils."
I have already written what actions, limited though, that the Tamil parties do in Colombo. Even when they act on behalf of the Tamil refugees in the South, they have to make sure they don't antagonise the Sri Lankan government in case they go the way of the Dodo or more relevently, Kumar Ponnambalam. I really found it funny how you righteously defend Devananda. Were you always his admirer then? Haha! If you think Tamils in the North and East feel that Devananda is looking "after their interests", you're very much mistaken and it doesn't explain why the EPDP had to resort to violence and rigging (with the help of the government no doubt) to get their seats in Parliament.

"See the difference in army deserters and the LTTE, is that army deserters don’t go around blowing themselves up, putting bombs on trains, attacking vital economic sites, and causing the deaths of hundreds of people."
You mean not yet! All I'm saying is that the fact that there are 30,000 criminals from the Army roaming in the south is not going to contribute to a secure atmosphere. Successive governments have blamed this lack of peace and security in the south on the LTTE but they don't have the luxury to say this now because of the actions of their own army men. So, the next time a bomb goes off somewhere, international powers would take a bit more time analysing the circumstances before they lay the blame on a group. I'm sure you know of the blast in Kurunegala which killed around 10 people and injured more than 200. Well, the police accused local criminal elements for carrying out the attack and what sort of criminal elements have the expertise to make or have bombs? If the answer isn't starring in your face, perhaps the below excerpt from a MSNBC news article might help:
"Police say an increasing number of army deserters with bomb-making skills and weapons are joining the criminal groups."
This is what I have been saying, prophesying if you will, all this time.

"These ‘innocent’ prisoners should be well checked to ensure that no terrorist walks free."
Oh wonderful justifications Website. If your own moral convictions are not perturbed by the sort of things you say to defend the unjustifiable and undeniable actions of the government on innocent civilians, by all means, do prattle on and continue to fool yourself. Since terrorism means the use of violence on an unsuspecting group of innocent people, does that mean there will be thousands of Sinhalese youth rounded up next time a blast goes (like the Kurunegala one) since the terrorist elements of the Sinhalese army and the underworld roam the streets of Colombo these days? And more importantly, would you still justify the imprisonment of thousands of Sinhalese civilians, who are not proven guilty in a court of law, as a necessary security measure?

"But his comment before independence is ethnocentric and reveals that he had no faith in a united Sri Lanka where everyone was to be equal."
How well you twist the history of this conflict. The Tamils, all and any Tamils, have no problem whatsoever with being equals with the Sinhalese - in fact, this is what the very thing thats driving the Tamil political and military fight. To be treated as equals. Your statements regarding that Chelvanayakam or "Eelam Gandhi" as your own chauvnistic Bandaranaike told of him, did not have faith in a united and equal Sri Lanka are just blatant lies and nothing more. In fact, in 1975, he said quite the opposite, " We have for the last 25 years made every effort to secure our political rights on the basis of equality with the Sinhalese in a united Ceylon ... It is a regrettable fact that successive Sinhalese governments have used the power that flows from independence to deny us our fundamental rights and reduce us to the position of a subject people." There is no evidence whatosever to show that the Sinhalese were a minority before and after independence. His "Tamil-centric mindset" was borne out of the actions of the Sinhala members during the various constitutional reforms during and after British times and not anything else. If, in fact, a minority could dominate, have you analyzed why this is so especially in the presence of a colonial power like Britain? Once again, the Sinhalese community (apart from the Christian minority) realized its short-sightedness in its rejection of a science education in English. It is no one's fault but theirs. The manner in which the Sinhala governments went about trying to set things as they should be was more than a bit "hasty" as you would like to believe. In any case, I don't think the post-independant movement carefully designed and catered to the Sinhala community was meant to provide equal footing but to permanently cement already entrenchant ideas and positions.

"Are you sure the Nayakkars were Tamils and not Malabars?"
I'm pretty sure the Nayakkars were Tamils and not really Keralites as we know them today. It is no surprise that from Vijaya's times, there has been a constant immigration of Tamil royalty from Madurai and other places in South India and it is not exactly a recent phenomenon that came about only in the 1600s and what not. Therefore if you trace the genealogy of even Sri Wickerema Rajasinha, you could probably trace it to Tamil Nadu and Tamils rather than Keralites. If the Keralite identity was well established in the 1600s and the kings were Malayalees, there is no reason why they shouldn't have had Malayalee names and the language of the courts could have been Malayalam. But thats now what happened. They all had Tamil names, maintained extensive links with Tamil Nadu and the language of the courts was Tamil. Furthermore, even as late as the early 1800s, why did the British continued to refer to Tamils as Malabars if, as you say, a distinction between Tamils and Keralites had arisen?

"I’m not going to go around every book and extract stuff for you to read, so if you are that interested, hop on over to http://www.geocities.com/mforumsl and ask around."
It goes without saying that if you're not going to provide evidence, neither me nor anyone else is going to believe you. Quoting the same article by this Kamalika Peiris all the time is not going to help either. Even a glance at the articles written by this Kamalika Peiris person will make it extremely obvious where her loyalties lie. And after looking at the forum at the Muslim site, I think no one is posting there any more so point in me posting my questions there.

"Mr. Peiris never mentions that these were Tamil temples. It’s only you who thinks they are explicit proof of a definitive Tamil civilization, as well as all the websites that have this *one * quote displayed prominently."
In the same book, Sir Peiris when discussing the colonisers of the island writes, "It stands to reason that a country which was only thirty miles from India and which could have been occupied as soon as the continent was peopled by men who understood how to sail." Keeping in mind this unmistakable reference to Tamils from South India and the fact that the major temples that Peiris talks about are Sivan temples which follow the agamic worshipping traditions, there is no doubt that these were Hindu temples built by Tamils. Excerpts from Indrapala's thesis seems to be the main staple of many debates by Sinhalese on the antiquity of Tamils on the island. However, I'm sure you read what I posted about the Anaikoddai Seal (whose historical time period preceedes even the Vallipuram Gold Plate) found by the very same Dr. K. Indrapala, which all of these sites (especially SPUR which is a joke among Australian Sinhalese themselves - see FPSL web site for more information)downplay, at best, and ignore at worst.

"Hindu temples are not proof of Tamil civilization because the Sinhalese were once Hindus too, and so were the many other groups of Hindu people who immigrated to Sri Lanka over time…Gujaratis, Marathis, Telugus, Malayalees."
You believe that Gujarathis, Marathis and Telugus managed to come all the way to the island to and build temples, but refuse to believe that Tamils 30 or so miles away even knew that the island existed. This is contradicting your earlier arguments. In any case, temple architecture, type of worship, emphasis on certain Gods of the Hindu patheon share more resemblance to the Tamils of South India rather than Gujarathis, Marathis, etc...so these Hindu temples are more enough proof of Tamil civilization.

"TRO is an organisation that is ethnocentric because it recognises “Tamil Eelam” which is a racist ideal."
It does? Can you provide evidence that the TRO accepts the concept of "Tamil Eelam"? Anyways, if you can believe that Sarvodaya, despite its close connections to the government, is free of ethnic bias, why is it hard for you to accept that TRO is a good and legitimate organisation as well? Why do you maintain these pervasive double standards? This double standard is an endemic problem with people like you....it is such double standards that branded even social workers such as Dr. Rajusundaram or for that matter, any one person or organisation, trying to help the Tamils as terrorists or LTTE sympathizers and hence finding a "plausible" reason to wrongfully convict them and sent them to prisons where they are eventually killed in orchestrated prison riots. I think Prof. Brian Senewiratne's comments about the TRO are most enlightening.

"The TRO was set up by a group of doctors, several of them former students of mine, when I was Professor of Medicine in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This is an organisation set up to look after refugees, the orphan children and others whom no one seems to care about. Whether these unfortunate victims of this senseless war are in the LTTE-controlled areas is not the question. The question is, “who is looking after them?”. I’m glad the TRO is. However, my blood boils at this attempt to denigrate an outstanding body, which is doing a magnificent job in impossible conditions, - something no one else seems to be interested in doing."
- Prof. Brian Senewiratne, "Dateline Program - Behind the Tamil Tigers".

"Buddhism is not merely an offshoot of Hinduism, please!"
Er, then what is it? It is an offshoot of Hinduism! I would think most people would know that by now.

"1,800 Hindu temples destroyed? Where did you get these facts?"
Unfortunate for you, I did not get this from the mouth of the LTTE but from the mouth of Joaquin Mbomia during the UNHCR hearings in Geneva in March of 1998. If you do not believe or wish to disprove me, write to UNHCR and request copies of the relevant documents.

"Federalism will give more power to the people, but the executive presidency must be abolished to ensure the president does not run riot."
The LTTE are not averse to a federal or a confederal setup themselves. But if we go by past peace talks, then its more then clear that Sinhala governments will never agree to a genuine sharing of power with the Tamils and a federal system will just do that. So, now you know the opposition to a federal setup with the Sinhala religious and political players in Sri Lanka. As I've written above, when Kumaratunge says that devolution proposals will not challenge the power of the Centre and so any power wielded by Tamil politicians over the North and East (if one goes by the government's definition of a federalism) would be less than minimal! Anyways, I'm glad that you recognize the disastrous effects of the executive presidency but whether it will be abolished or not is a different matter. I have a feeling Kumaratunge has become much too accustomed to it to give it up without a fight.

"Yeah, OK….how did the thousands of Tamils manage to watch the Hariharan show in Colombo at Sugathadasa last week?"
I suppose you went and counted thousands of Tamils at Sugathadasa. Hariharan is primarily a Hindi singer and not a Tamil one and the Hindi film industry is pretty popular in Sri Lanka. I'm not going to say more about this because saying that everything is hunky dory with the Tamil refugees in Colombo based on an events of such nature.

"Sorry, but the government has a duty to safeguard the country."
By attacking Tamils? Whatever you say.

"Buddhism is not the official religion of Sri Lanka, it is simply given the ‘foremost’ place."
What do you mean it's simply given the foremost position? This simple position is a manifestation of a more complex and devilish atmosphere of Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalism. And yes, if you continue to think that, you are indeed an ethnoreligous chauvinist and if you think many Sinhalese think like you too, then you know how deep this religious fanaticism runs. Personally, I was of the opinion that many Sinhalese are not worshippers of such fundamentalist ideas, however what you say of your own community is enlightening. The difference between the Western countries (apart from Britain which has realized the consequences of religion in politics) and Sri Lanka is that minorites are not subject to modern day genocides based upon certain aspects of their culture like their religion. Unless a country has a genuine desire to uphold the principles of democracy with respect to equal treatment of all its citizens, there will only be chaos if prejudice is enshrined in constitutions.

"Obviously there are more Sinhala patrons, so why the big deal if the Basnayake Nilame is Sinhala? Here we go again, if it’s Hindu, it HAS to be Tamil."
Since your efforts at using mythology and unreliable sources to justify a present day political situation has failed, you've gone back to the numbers game. Even if you go by the numbers game, it would indicate that there would have been a Tamil as the Basnayake Nilame by now! In Sri Lanka, if one is Hindu, he/she is a Tamil! I don't think there are many Sinhalese Hindus in Sri Lanka today, do you?

"Elara, Guttika and Sena never ruled over the entire country unlike Duthugemmunu and the rest of the Sinhala kings."
Duttugemunu never ruled the entire country either. First of all please, do not confuse the contexts. Prehistoric Sri Lanka was divided into three kingdoms and the Sinhalese were almost always confined to the South and West. So, when you talk about Duttugemunu and other Sinhala king's ownership of Lanka, they probably ruled over the entire Sinhala regions of Sri Lanka which did not constitute the North or the East. Only one person coming from the South ever ruled the North and that was Sempaha Perumal (or Sapumal Kumaraya according to the Sinhalese), who was by ethnicity, a Tamil. On the propagation of the infamous Duttugemunu-Ellalan fight, Prof. Gananth Obeyesekera, a well known Sinhala anthropologist writes:

"...the mythic significance of Duttugemunu as the saviour of the Sinhalese race and of Buddhism grew through the years and developed into one of the most important myths of the Sinhalese, ready to be used as a poweful instrument of Sinhalese nationalism in modern times. Although the justification of the killing is unusual, the general message that emerges is everywhere the same: the Sinhalese kings are defenders of the secular realm and the sasana (Buddhist religious order); their opponents are the Tamils." (qtd. in Apratim Mukraj's "The War in Sri Lanka: Unending Conflict?")

Mukraj goes on to observe:
As for the extraordinary length to which the Sinhalese have traveled in order to bolster their claim to being an Aryan race, being the first to colonise Sri Lanka and about Lord Buddha's special blessings for the island, a collective feeling of insecurity and an inferiority complex appear to have worked together in producing such intrinsically insignificant milestones in the history of the race and the country .

The majority community, on which the nature and shape of the ultimate conclusion of the civil war will depend, unfortunately continues to be a conscious prisoner of its ludicrously doctored version of history. The burden of history apparently lies heavy on the communal shoulders of the Sinhalese, contributing not inconsiderably to the delaying of the advent of peace in the war-ravaged country." ("The War in Sri Lanka: Unending Conflict?")

"They were invaders who came from South India and who failed to incorporate Lanka into any Tamil kingdom."
Keep in mind we are discussing Sinhala Sri Lanka in a different historical period. In addition to intervals of time in which Tamil kings such as Ellalan, Senan, Guttikan, etc., ruled over Sinhala kingdoms in the south, Raja Raja Cholan brought Polonnaruwa under his rule and built many Hindu temples there. Last but not the least, there was a constant stream of Tamil kings from Madurai who ruled at Kandy but who were benevolent to the Sinhalas and fostered Buddhism and integrated themselves into the Sinhala community...hence they are not fitted into the same category as "invaders".

"The Tamils in Sri Lanka are merely remnants of the various Tamil invasions into the Sinhala kingdom."
I have no problems whatsoever in agreeing that the Sinhala race has a rich tradition. However, trying to deny the South Indian, and especially Tamil, influence on the positive history of the Sinhala community, is a futile attempt that could only be motivated by strange reasons. Sinhala culture did not come into existence in the blink of an eye. It was a very long process of assimilation of languages, histories and peoples of different groups including Tamils! The existence of thousands of Hindu temples (now "a few" thanks to our various colonial and post-colonial masters) following Agamic traditions with an emphasis on gods like Murugan, Sivan,etc., is one of the proofs for a definite Tamil civilization. This is not to say that Tamil civilization arose in the landmass known today as Sri Lanka. The Tamil civilization did arise in South India! But the concept of a "traditional homeland theory" is based on a time when the Tamil kingdoms were ruled by Tamil kings of Sri Lanka and not merely in Sri Lanka! However, as Jeyaraj wrote, it is imperative to remember that "The Tamil homeland concept was nurtured in Tamil political consciousness as a citadel of safety and not a preserve of exclusivity." Citadel of safety from actions brought about by notions that the Tamils are "merely" remnants. If remnancy is to be measured in terms of what circumstances led a group to exist on the island, then perhaps even the Sinhalese are nothing more than merely remnants of the band of banished people who came to the island. That sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Now I'm sure you know your statement sounded ridiculous as well. To continue saying that the Tamils of Sri Lanka in the modern context are still visitors and encroachers are dangerous ideas and one that will fuel the Tamils' thirst for separatism.
"These people may not be veddhas but they share the same ethnicity"
What does this say of the origins of the Veddhas of Sri Lanka then? Perhaps, early travellers from South India? How can you get two groups of people at two different places sharing many such common characteristics without any sort of migration involved?

"Of course, if there is a Sinhalese who doesn’t agree with your viewpoint, he or she immediately becomes a Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinist."
If you believe that the whole of the island in the modern period is the abode of Buddhism and the Sinhalese, and if you use politics to legitimize and concretise these ideas in the psyche of all the people on the island, then yes, you are indeed a Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinist, even to the most moderate person.

"I sometimes ask myself whether the struggle to express my views is worth all of the nitpicking that those drenched in propaganda reply with."
The most terrible of moral deliemmas, I'm sure.

"If my memory serves me correctly, you claim that a totalitarian dictatorship of Prabhakaran is the best form of government the Tamils could possibly have."
First of all, totalitarian dictatorship of Prabhakaran is an image that you and others of your ilk cook up while others think that he's a whole lot more better than successive Sinhala governments. Secondly, most importantly, I never claimed anything of the sort. I, personally, (and many Tamils, I'm sure) will never object to live in a Sri Lanka that is truly free and fair in which I know that a sincere Tamil who works for the welfare of all his/her Sri Lankan people can also one day be elected president. Is that too foolhardy to expect?

"The other claim is that the Tamils had a definitive civilisation in Sri Lanka and that Sri Lanka is NOT the homeland of the Sinhalese."
I must say I'm quite impressed at your ability to twist my words. At no point, did I ever even entertain the idea that the southern parts of Sri Lanka are not homelands of the Sinhalese. Go and ask Prabhakaran and even he will tell you that the South and West are Sinhala homelands. However, Tamils have a problem with believing that the whole of the island is the homeland of the Sinhalas. This is why I continue to urge you to remember the contexts involved. Sinhala dominance in South and West in a different time period is not a legitimate reason for Sinhala hegemony of the whole of the island in the modern context! I hope I'm making myself clear.

"Your ‘historical facts’ like Hindu Temples = proof of definitive Tamil civilization is funny to say the least."
If you wish to deny to yourself, you're more than welcome to.

"why not crunch on that capsule around your neck?"
This discussion has veered off from what is should have been, that of an open minded discussions where members must, if they do not agree, atleast should graciously accept opposing views. By saying that that I "encourage every sort of indiscipline, lies and degeneracy", you're not only unashamedly lying but carrying out a concerted effort to personally attack my moral convictions and paint me in the darkest colors possible, an endeavour that first amused me but is increasingly becoming less humorous and more irritating. While I understand that you hate the LTTE, something to which you're entitled to, I do not understand why this hatred is being directed at me. Are you so blinded by hatred that you're willing to take potshots at any Tamil you come across regardless of their political beliefs and personal history? I do not consider myself a representative of any organisation, let alone the LTTE, because I do not relish at the prospects of restricting my views and ideas to a single school of thought. Therefore, I represent no one but myself. If you lack the intelligence to accept my other arguments, I urge you to have the common sense to atleast recognize this one and stop with this sort of character assassination and focus more on the issues that we're discussing. If you lack the decency to do that, please let me know so that I can put a stop to this discussion and we can part ways. Time is a luxury few can afford.

===============================================================

"Everyone who possesses an elementary sense of justice has no moral choice but to acquaint himself fully with the plight of the Tamil people. It is an international issue of growing importance. Their cause represents the very essence of the cause of human rights and justice; and to deny it, debases and reduces us all."
- Dr. David Selbourne, Oxford, July 1984.

posted May 01, 2001 06:50 PM         

The only liberation that I am aware is
the liberation of Tamils and Sinhalese by
killing.

posted May 02, 2001 03:59 PM         

Thank you for nice comments.
Yes, I am always predictable, truth does come out from my writing often.

When you are an Eelamist (someone support violence to achieve supreme status for their own people), you throw in the same punch over and over again and it is easy to use the same counter punch.