please stop and learn how buddhist sinhala brain works.

"I have, for more than twenty (20) years been posing the question what is the right to which I a Sinhalese am entitled to which a Tamil similarly circumstanced is not. That question remains unanswered."

It is too obvious to anyone but the racists among the Sinhalese that Tamils are subjected to discrimination, violence, intimidation, torture, abduction, rape, colonization, disenfranchisement, all pre-LTTE and aerial bombardment, maiming and displacement, to list just a few things, post-LTTE. So the question "remains unanswered" only in the minds of vile racists who willfully close their eyes to the sufferings of human beings who happen to belong to another ethnic community.

It is sad that a senior government official in Sri Lanka still feels that the Tamil National question is an illusion and that there is no Sinhala/Buddhist chauvanism that has brought this country to this tragedy. It is such people who are responsible for this sad state of affairs we are facing.
There has been a scholarly consensus on the reasons for the ethnic conflict now for more than 3 decades and still our friend is not awake.
I would urge transcurrents to post this article below by a balanced non-nationalist academic from Sri Lanka.
One cannot even begin a dialogue with such people.

http://radicalnotes.com/content/view/90/39/

"What delays the end of the conflict is the care being taken by the Government to avoid civilian casualties, save the civilians and care for them in the several dedicated IDP camps in Vavuniya, Mannar etc"

He is kindly requested to visit these "dedicated IDP camps" and give a frank report to all concerned for the benefit of everyone.

This writer says:
Given these undeniable facts, and the fact that the LTTE walked out of every set of `Peace Talks held between 1985 and 2006 and used the respite occasioned by those talks and the attendant ceasefires to strengthen themselves and cause more carnage, can there be any doubt that the LTTE will use the ceasefire for which it is now clamouring, if declared, for the same purpose ???

Now the fundamental questions are, How were all the peace talks planned? Was Colombo ready, or was there any form of consensus within the Colombo establishment about the 'political settlement' they were going to offer the LTTE?

I'm sure all readers can easily figure out the obvious answers. The Government of Sri Lanka was not sincere and firm in its peace efforts in the first place. Secondly, a large number of senior government officials, high profile civil servants and diplomats who hold power at the top-level (including the Presidential Secretariat and the Republic Building) and of course political leaders, cannot help viewing the LTTE as this writer does...i.e. as a 'terrorist group'.

As a government, what they forget is that the LTTE, its leadership and its cadres are also Sri Lankans, who took up arms after having had enough...you discriminate a community on grounds of ethnicity and language, and enact legislation reducing opportunities for university entrance, and ignore constructive socio-economic development strategies in predominantly Tamil regions, and what do you expect in return? Colombo's rash policies created the LTTE, and since 1983, Colombo's top brass keeps on describing the LTTE as some form of invading terrorist group.

As this writer rightly notes, the LTTE has been ruthless in its lack of tolerance for dissent within the Tamil polity and community. But sure is the present Sri Lankan government not like that? Were the Jayawardene and Premadasa administrations not like that? Needless to even talk about the Kumaratunga government, as it was one of the most defunct administrations independent Sri Lanka had ever known (a female commander in chief was completely unable to deal effectively with major cases of rape by the Sri Lankan military, notably the Krishanti Kumaraswamy case).

The point I'm trying to make is, if you really want peace in Sri Lanka, stop viewing the LTTE the way this writer does. This is not a 'black and white' issue. Ultimately, the strategies of the LTTE are not so different from those of the government of Sri Lanka. We must understand that unless there is a political movement and leadership with an extensively all-inclusive appeal, who recognizes all Tamils, including those who took up arms against the state, as citizens of Sri Lanka, and acknowledges that Tamils (and Mulsims and Burghers) have suffered discrimination and irreparable damage due to Colombo's bad policies, there will be no hope of lasting peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Such a leadership needs the strong support of a people and polity which embraces a process of extensive (quasi federal) devolution project, and such a project needs to be implemented efficiently.

In the present context, this may sound wishful thinking, especially in a situation where not only this writer, but many high profile officials share views identical to his, and a large number of junior officers in the SLFS for eg. firmly endorsing such views.

Some fools or "modayas" can't understand even if you explain million times,with billion examples and experience,that is their calibre!
Further,"Can an ethyopian change his skin"? A racist never change his attitude and never understand others feelings or sufferings like an bad wild elephant or a "valalliya"in singhala. Moerover, a person who was chased from his party for just mere reson as he belongs to non Bhuddist community ,can't understand even if he earned so many qualifications.
It is pity to know that this so called Attorney-at-Law,having experience more than fourty years services in his country should not have gone for talks with terrorists if he not belong to that category. Shoud be a "nut"!!!!!?

martin Thamboe

"I have, for more than twenty (20) years been posing the question what is the right to which I a Sinhalese am entitled to which a Tamil similarly circumstanced is not. That question remains unanswered."

1. Right to own land (colonization of Tamil lands... refer to Census data for Trincomalee)

2. Power-sharing (majority of Sinhalese are opposed to federalism)

3. Presidency (all Presidents thus have far have been Govigama Sinhala-Buddhists from the South)

4. Standardisation (effectively discriminated against Jaffna Tamils)

Mr S L Gunasekera introduces himself as follows
First, let me introduce myself. I am a 65 year old Sinhalese `Agnostic’ born to a Christian family and hence a baptized Methodist, who has spent all his life in Sri Lanka, an Attorney-at-Law with over 40 years continuous practice, a former Crown Counsel in the Attorney General’s Department [a State Prosecutor], a former external examiner in Industrial Law for the Master of Laws Degree of the University of Colombo, an Arbitrator at several Commercial Arbitrations, a Government delegate to the first set of `Peace Talks’ with the terrorists at Thimphu, Bhutan in 1985, a former Member of Parliament and the author of seven (7) books on Sri Lanka’s separatist problem which is wrongly referred to as an ethnic problem.

He seems to be suffering from amnesia when it commes to one more important qualication or is it disqualification?

Founder Member and former President of the Jathika Hela Urumaya

Please open your eyes and see what is going on in Vanni.

Mr Gunasekara is another of those who keeps repeating the same lies and then starts to believe it. Mr Gunasekara, If you go to the website of the British Tamil Forum there is a link to a e book called the unspeakable truth. If you read this book all will be revealed. Your three questions are answered in colour and in great detail.
Finally since you claim your government is democratic why dont you give the people of the north east the right to vote in a referendum on what type of government they want. Not one of your phony rigged elections, but a free and fair one. You dont have the guts for that.

I will not comment on the pressure for a cease-fire because there is some rationality in the Govt insisting the call for a cease-fire is an attempt by the LTTE from being eventually wiped out.

But one must make a clear distinction between the LTTE cadres and ordinary civilians in the Wanni tragedy. It will be hypocritical to deny LTTE is not holding thousands of civilians against their (civilians) wishes there. Equally, there are hundreds of thousands of Tamils in the North East who simply want to live in peace and care tuppence for the LTTE's politics anymore, whom they partially blame for their sufferings.

However, SLG asking for proof of where Sinhalese enjoy advantages denied to the Tamils is old hat - calculated to mislead his targeted audience - the US readership and polity. He has been asking for this for decades and has got convincing responses from initiated Tamils. From the time of the Kodeeswaran Case in the early 1960s - where initial judgement was in his favour acknowledging clear discrimination to Kodeeswaran and Tamil-speaking Govt servants. Even the Privy Council (UK) clearly held with the learned DJ Mr. O.L. de Kretser, a man of unquestionable legal/judicial integrity. The Privy Council thought it fit to refer it back to the then Ceylon Supreme Court here for review since there was some political sensitivity in the case.

That a matter of such national importance, that should have been taken up within a matter of days, was put into cold storage by Mrs B’ Govt speaks volumes in the matter of discrimination against the Tamils by the Pan-Sinhala govt headed by SWRD's widow then.

The Govt of the day controlled by hardline Sinhala extremists deliberately failed to act and allowed father time to settle the issue. And that is exactly what happened with the abolition of the Privy Council in Colvin's
Constitution of 1972. Several Tamil academics and lawyers have given many instances of discrimination, widely reported in the Press, affecting Tamils despite Constitutional guarantess.

SLG cannot deny although Tamils were constituitionally entitled to the State's protection of their assets, lives and limb, their places of worship etc these were grossly denied and brutally desecrated in July 1983 (and dozens of times since) inspite of many initiated Lankans calling upon the State (the Police, the armed forces and the judiciary) that dark week to intervene. Though the Constitution lays down no citizen can be arbitrarily arrested, detained, tortured etc hundreds of thousands of Lankan Tamils will swear this is not the real case. SLG may remind himself of what JRJ, leader of the Party he then/once belonged to, told the country and the world in July 1983 "Now the Tamils will have to take care of themselves.

The Sinhala people have acted" That was a call to riff-raff in the streets and criminal elements to attack Tamils, their properties, their girls/women. The scum did not disappoint either JRJ or a vast number of bigoted Sinhalese. In several instances the attackers were lead by Buddhist priests in yellow garb.

As to the absence of Tamils in the armed forces - particularly of the officer ranks, SLG may recall the notorious NQ Dias - father of his legal twin Gomin Dayasiri - who ran the Govt with the assured backing of the Sinhala supremacists during the tenure of the novice PM Sirimavo B. Dias point-blank told Tamil candidates "you are Tamil/you are Tamil Christian." And that was the end of the interview. There are many Tamils among us today to testify to this personally. Mr. SLG so much for the quality of Sinhalese justice you have been defending "in your long legal-political career"

As to "the care our armed forces take in avoiding (Tamil) civilian casualties" in the Wanni, this claim is as true of as many you have been putting forth in your chequered political career. Many in the ground, the North East, the country and the world familiar with recent Lankan history have a different and more accurate appreciation than that which you attempt to "throw red herrings on the path" with. I am, of course, not suggesting every soldier and officer is so racially prejudiced to kill/harm all Tamils coming their way in the conflict areas. Admittedly, there are the more humane among them influenced, no doubt, by their pure Buddhistic domestic environment.

But wanton civilian killings, maiming and rape is as real as day and night there. The only way out is – as our friends out in the world have been counselling us for so long – is internal self-determination and suitable amendments to the Constitution. Not uncharacteristically, you are one of those in the vanguard to deny these to the Tamil people. You have made it your personal crusade and only God knows why - with your liberal background.
But, do be assured, Sir, not for long.

ISS

A lot of persons have written a lot but none have answered Mr. Gunasekera's questions. Why dont you guys just answer the question without beating the bush? I myself like to know. Otherwise sadly we need to agree with Mr. Gunesekera....

The only way to bring about just peace to our nation Sri Lanka is to address the Tamil rights question. If the ethnic problem is solved politically then the war will end.

S.L. Gunasekara,

It is not discrimination that Tamils state as the reason for wanting a seperate state. It is the apparent immunity with which any Sinhala person can injure or kill a Tamil person or damage their property.

The 1958, 1972 and the 1983 "riots" were sponsored by Sri Lankan government ministers. Even Buddhist monks were observed exhorting the mobs to violence.

In your role as a State Prosecutor did you ever bring anyone to justice for these crimes?

I can see now that if justice in Sri Lanka depends on people such as you, it is ill served.

Segaran

Mr Gunasekara's article clearly illustrate that education and emotional intelligence doesn't always go together. It doesn't serve him any useful purpose to boast about his academic qualifications. The two Sinhala ministers who supervised the burning of Jaffna Public Library were Oxford graduates. But Oxford education obviously did not make them decent human beings.

I can understand if a young Sinhala person write this sort of article. Bur somebody who was born before the country got independence and who was part of the government that removed the basic rights of Tamils through the so called parliamentary Acts and who lived through numerous ethnic riots and pogroms should know better. Mr Gunasekara, LTTE was not around when you and your government enacted obnoxious laws to sideline and humiliate Tamils and instigated riots with voters list in your hands and directed the mobs to Tamil homes and businesses. LTTE was created by Sinhala chauvinists like you. They were not the product of the collective will of Tamil people.

"I have, for more than twenty (20) years been posing the question what is the right to which I a Sinhalese am entitled to which a Tamil similarly circumstanced is not. That question remains unanswered."

Oh yeah Mr Smarty Pants ! For starters I had to score more marks to enter college than my beloved Sinhalese friends ! That too from the elite schools in Colombo !! How about that ?

"First, they say the Tamils are discriminated against and not treated equally with the Sinhalese. I have, for more than twenty (20) years been posing the question what is the right to which I a Sinhalese am entitled to which a Tamil similarly circumstanced is not. That question remains unanswered."

Many of the comments have given the answers generally, I would give a specific instance to add to the others.
In 1957, there was a chief-clerk in the Education Department by the name Nagalingam. The post of OA fell vacant. He considered himself duly eligible to fill the vacancy. Surprisingly, his junior was promoted to the post. He made a personal appeal to the Director of Education. The Director acknowledged all his qualifications including his proficiency in the Sinhalese language which was better than that of his junior who was promoted but that he did not have the most important qualification in that he is NOT a Sinhalese-Buddhist by birth.

The above is NOT a stray incidence BUT one of the very large number of cases.

Take the number or the percentage of Tamils who were given lands in colonizations schemes inaugurated throughout the country and in particular in their areas of residence like Kantali Scheme, Gal Oya Development Scheme or the Mahaweli Development Scheme just to mention a few.

In the Anuradhapura New Town Scheme the Tamils were not accommodated or alternative lands were given, though their lands in the Old Town were taken over by the Government.

The BMC came-up just to oust the Tamils and Muslims who were in the trade

The Overseer system in the then PWD was abolished to get rid of the large number of Tamil Overseers and was replaced by the RMC system to accommodate a large number Sinhalese. Incidentally we experience the difference in the condition of the roads and the cost of maintenance - the tax-payers money.

The Estates were nationalized to oust the Tamils and Europeans and to replace them with Sinhalese.

The list goes and goes. Those personally affected and now living will provide a very long list.

Are you satisfied Mr.Ishan

The lawful Government of Sri Lanka is doing the samething tthe LTTE is doing.Then where is the Law? Or then is the LTTE is also Law Full?
"That attendant ceasefires to strengthen themselves"
I do see that.At the same time the Govt.also did same.
Even the President have stated the minorities have problems.How come you could not realise it for 20 years?
Or is it you did not want to accept it.

Will Mr. Gunasekara or his party allow a minoroty to become a cricket captain or a president in Srilanka. He has been talking through the cheek, he wants a MP post,we still remember what he did when his party asked him to quit the MP post. A person however he is educated is not eduacted unless and until he relises the right of others rights, every one of has to have equal rights.
What is he talking, let him keep silent at this age offering poojas.

Imagine what happened in 1983! How well the state terrorism was organised and the Preident then kept on encouraging it. The writer is forgetfull of all these.

What hapened to the Tamils when peaceful political activities were performed by the Tamil political parties in the fifties and sixties?

The state trerrorism on any one incident was worse than all the actions of LTTE put together.

The LTTE was the result of all these atrocities and state terrorism - do not pretend to forget these attrocities PLEASE.

The families are separated and put in fenced camps, by the SL army. The government is now trying to treat the tamils to the same fate as what happened to the Jews by the Nazis in Germany.

S.L Gunasekara again proved. During 90’s when I was in SL I watched so many TV interviews some time some sort of debate with Hon Kumar Ponnampalam.But still he is not changed. Still talking same language.

I think we can not change him at all.

He says I am a 65 year old Sinhalese `Agnostic’ born to a Christian family and hence a baptized Methodist. He should know what happen to our former foreign Minister Luxman Kathirgamer.Singalese praised him that he was the best foreign minister SL ever had. When he tired to become a Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.They said you are Tamil Christian you are not the “Bumi Puthira”.

S.L.Gunasegara can please Singhalese nation but he can’t be part of Singhalese ruling elite. For them he always part of Moratuwa, Jaela or Ragama. There is always a limit for them to rise. You all know what happen to Nirmal Sripala de Silva. He was much senior to Mahindra Rajapaksha.He never ever considered for top post because of his background.

Dear Mr. S.L Gunasekera,

I'm pretty impressed with your credentials.

"An Arbitrator at several Commercial Arbitrations, a Government delegate to the first set of `Peace Talks’ with the "Terrorists" at Thimphu, Bhutan in 1985, a former Member of Parliament(Which constitute?) and the author of seven (7) books (You needed that many books to convince your readers) on Sri Lanka’s "separatist problem which is wrongly referred to as an ethnic problem".

Have you done any medical test on yourself lately to find out whether you suffer from any serious ailments?

Dear Mr. S.L. Gunasekera;

I thought our government was only using "Doctors" to counter the LTTE and this is the first time I came across an attorney at law.

I regret, but I have no choice, but to rate you a "F" for your counter-point.

You're an old man, therefore I do not want to dis-respect you Sir. I'm a Tamil but brought up in a mostly Sinhalese neighbourhood with "Noble" Sinhalese people.

I'm much younger than you, so far lived my entire life in Colombo but, haven't come across such
"Chauvnistic Sinhalese" that represent in this present government, during all my life time in Sri-Lanka!

Wouldn't it be nicer for you to stand up for the right thing rather than pleasing your masters at this old age? it's for you to decide!

It is sad to note that Sri Lankan Tamils still do not understand that when a community which consists of less than 15% of the population asks for 1/3rd of a country their is bound to be repercussions.Rest of the 85% of the population have to be satisfied with the leftover.Just who do this people think they are? To make such demands. Only people who can claim of a traditional homeland of Sri Lanka are the Veddhas.The rest are all migrants from India,Arabia or Colonial West.The concept of Ealam is a dead, get over it.

To all those people who are arguing with those who are still asking "what discrimination" you are wasting your time.
The fact is that we Tamils should be united in winning back our lost sovereignty doesn't matter however long it takes. Remember that the British gave us best administrartive systems and built the entire state infrastructure. But we still fought to expel them from our land because we refused to be ruled by aliens. The same goes for Sri Lanka. We refuse to be ruled by anybody else but ourselves. We do not have to explain to anybody why we want to be ruled by ourselves. That is our right and we will fight until we win that right.

It took us 133 years to see the back of the Brits. We have only just started. So my fellow citizens of Tamil eelam focus your energies on winning back our lost sovereignty.