Sri Lanka – indomitable life sprouts in the North
By: Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
It was indeed heartening to see life in all its facets asserting itself along the A9 road in the Vanni and in the Jaffna peninsula, during my very recent visit. The tragedy, utter misery, gloom, hopelessness and signs of devastation along the A9 in the Vanni, I saw in December,2009, has begun to give way to recovery, rebuilding, smiles and hope. The Vanni , I saw during my present visit was a hive of activity and was proof that life is indomitable and will assert itself, given even the most rudimentary chance.
The shacks along A9 made of twelve galvanized roof sheets and a blue plastic sheet, were giving way to foundations for proper houses. Walls of stick reinforced clay or concrete blocks were appearing everywhere. Children were attending school and the smaller ones were at play. Home gardens were planted and had become productive. The military presence was less pervasive and less intrusive. Aimless, listless and expressionless people were not to be seen. Rudimentary shops that had initially been set up in front of shacks had been enlarged and were beginning to take permanent shapes. These shops were stocked better. Shrines and temples had been re-built and were functioning. It was heartening to note that the war-affected Tamils had given priority to this aspect of their lives.
Puliyankulam and Mankulam towns are being rapidly re-built and were once again bustling with people and vehicles. Army run cafeterias, at regular intervals along the A9 were providing a valuable service to travelers in terms of food, beverages and toilet facilities. The armed forces, police and the civilians were apparently co-existing without any visible tensions. The Murihandy temple area has become a militarized zone, with the headquarters of a military brigade under construction in its immediate vicinity. This is an unnecessary and unwelcome development. The brigade headquarters could have easily been construction away from the temple area. This ancient temple seems to be losing its importance as a stopping point for the Hindu travelers on A9. The road that skirts the temple, constructed earlier on the directions of the LTTE, had also contributed to this tragedy.
The change was most dramatic in Kilinochchi. The town had come back to life, in a miraculous way. The ominous silence of a cemetery and the utter devastation that I saw in December' 2009, was being reversed at a rapid pace. The army presence was very visible and the military police were everywhere . Prefabricated material for the construction of an army camp was lined up on either side of the A9 on the approach to Kilinochchi. Construction work had already begun on one side of the road in this area. Other than the Buddhist temple at Kilinochchi and at Chavakachcheri, no new Buddhist temples had been constructed along the A9. Some roads in Kilinotchchi have been named in only Sinhala and this does not seem to be deliberate act. Some brigade headquarters along the A9, have also been sign posted only in Sinhala. The defense ministry and the government should ensure that all sign postings are in Tamil, Sinhala and English and new names for places and streets/roads that are alien to the local people in the north and east are not coined.
I had the opportunity to visit the 'Kurukulam' orphanages in Kilinotchchi run by the disciples of 'Yoga Swamy' . There were one each for boys and girls of school going age. The orphanage structures were damaged severely during the war and the management was struggling to find the resources to rebuild and provide the necessary facilities for the approximately 400 children in their care. 'Kurukulam' is a registered charity and has the potential to develop into an organization providing rehabilitation, reconstruction and development-related services in the Vanni at low administrative cost, compared to most NGOs. The Tamil community at large should rally to support this organization. Children are admitted to these orphanages, on the orders of the courts, in accordance with regulations currently in force.
While at the girl's orphanage at Kilinochchi, I was witness to how alert the armed forces were in the area. Within minutes of our arriving at the site, two military policemen appeared at the gates inquiring as to whom we were and the purpose of our visit. They were courteous and did not attempt to talk to us. They left once reassured of our identity and objectives.
The Jaffna peninsula was developing by leaps and bounds. Shops and houses were being rebuilt everywhere. Temples were being given priority in the recovery process, with many newly painted and others in the process of rebuilding or expansion. Road construction and repair work was going on everywhere. Jaffna town had regained its former spirit. The vendors and shopkeepers I spoke to were happy that business was good. I did not see any shops with name boards in Sinhala, in the vicinity of the Nallur temple or elsewhere. Considering the large number of Sinhalese who throng Jaffna town, it would be nothing but common sense to include Sinhala in the name boards and employ Sinhala-speakers to serve them. There were many Sinhalese working in Jaffna, for the NGOs and upscale restaurants. There were also Sinhalese and Muslims peddling cheap furniture items on a house- to- house visit basis, all over the peninsula. They had no complaints about their life in Jaffna and were enjoying and profiting from their stay. The concern the Sinhalese working for the NGOs in Jaffna had for the war-affected was sincere, heartfelt and hence touching.
The only area that was yet to see the return of those had left during the war was that between elephant pass and Kodikamam. The military presence and camps in this area were yet extensive. However, it is unfortunate that the opportunity to re-plan Jaffna town and guide reconstruction accordingly has been missed.
Sinhala travelers from the south are yet visiting the peninsula in large numbers, principally bound for the Nagadeepa temple. They are also curious to see the Northern Province after several decades. They visit the Hindu temples, including the Nallur temple in large numbers. At the Nallur temple, crowd control barriers have been erected and several kiosks have appeared to cater to the needs of these visitors.
In Jaffna town there is brisk trade in dry fish, fruits and 'Poor Quality' Palmyra products, involving the visiting Sinhalese. The Jaffna fort, Casuarina beach and the remnants of LTTE war cemeteries are the places of interest o these visitors. On the A9, all visitors to stop to view the war memorials in Kilinochchi and Elephant pass. The bulldozer turned battle tank of the LTTE, is also attracting many visitors at elephant pass.
The much publicized boat service to the peninsula, inaugurated by Namal Rajapakse, I was told is yet not running. Apparently, the inauguration was a publicity stunt. The people, aware of the goings on in the peninsula were also very unhappy at the role the EPDP and some individuals from the TNA were playing. There is a massive scandal to steal abandoned and unclaimed land in the peninsula involving a leading Tamil political personality in the TNA. Everyone knows his identity and is convinced of his misdeeds. False documents (deeds) are prepared with the connivance of individuals in the Katchcheri (Secretariat) and the land is either sold or given to favoured individuals. If not curbed, this problem is bound to be a disaster for the government, in terms of winning the confidence of the Tamils. It appears these politicians have learnt the wrong lessons from the LTTE and consider the Tamils incorrigible idiots.
There were also serious concerns expressed about the corruption- ridden system involving sand removal and transport. The EPDP was specifically accused of making money off the sand business in Jaffna, to the detriment of the rebuilding and development activities. The public services, manned mainly by Tamils, also stand accused of corruption, insensitivity, lethargy and high handedness. Many individuals have singled out the former GA for serious criticism. He has been specifically accused of turning a blind eye to the corruption and inefficiency in the public services functioning under his direction, in order to pander to the whims of local politicians, who had the power to favour him. The bureaucracy in Jaffna, is not geared to spearhead the recovery, rebuilding and development process in the peninsula, despite the intentions of the government to invest heavily in the north. The government should take action to remedy this serious flaw. The appointment of the new GA, with a proven track record, may be a step in the right direction.
Thieves and crooks-Tamils- have found the Vanni and the peninsula happy hunting grounds. They have developed links to existing political formations, some politicians and some low ranking individuals in the police and armed forces, to carry out their anti-social activities. Political, bureaucratic and criminal vultures have descended to feed on the circumstances prevailing after the war ended. The government should without delay set-up mechanisms to curb the activities of these social parasites.
The army and police on the whole, are playing their role honestly, responsibly and in a sensitive manner. I was particularly impressed with the honest and professional manner in which two traffic Policemen in Mankulam dealt with us, when our vehicle was stopped for speeding. There were no complaints at all about the armed forces and police from individuals I spoke to or dealt with, while in Jaffna. Isolated incidents of an unacceptable nature involving the armed forces and police may be taking place. These however are an exception than the rule.
The religious, cultural and development related organizations that had a track record in the pre-insurgency years in Jaffna, yet exist, although debilitated to a great extent.
These institutions have to be supported and developed to serve the community, the way they should. These are also legally registered entities, operating with low overhead expenses. Dedicated men with high ideals have kept these institutions alive during the years of unprecedented adversity. By visiting these institutions and talking to the individuals concerned, I am reassured that the spirit of Jaffna that in the colonial era seeded a religious revival and created a successful co-operative movement and a vibrant education system is yet alive, though considerably weakened.
The emergence of Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) as a possible political personality to be contended with in post- war Tamil politics has been viewed with apprehension by the existing Tamil political establishment. These elements are scurrying like scared rats to form new political alliances to contend with this possibility on the horizon. The government has done a service to the Tamils by permitting KP to participate in political activities involving the war-affected and thus creating the possibility for a political alternative.
The curse of the Tamils seems to be the existing political leadership and bureaucracy in the north and possibly in the east. The government unfortunately is turning a blind eye to not only the misdemeanors of both these vital elements, but also appears to be encouraging these elements to continue on the path they are treading. This is rather disconcerting in the face of the good intentions the government had projected in discussions with the author and those associated with him.
The manner, in which Jaffna University functions, is of serious concern to those in Jaffna, who understand what a university should be. The faculty is mediocre, self-perpetuating, self-aggrandizing and self-seeking. The university is not playing a meaningful role in society and providing the required leadership in a time of need. While political activism of the LTTE-kind is unfortunately prevalent and probably dominant, social and development activism is non-existent. The faculty, by-and- large, is definitely incapable of making the University a temple of learning and an ornament on the northern landscape. Quality faculty, both from local and expatriate sources, should be immediately recruited and provided the facilities and environment to begin the changes required. Expatriate Tamil academics should be encouraged to visit for periods of at least six months, to 'Water' the 'Arid desert of dead habit' this university has become. The Jaffna University should not continue to be a mediocre degree factory. The north requires a better university to cater to its needs.
To conclude, it is gratifying that the spirit of the Tamils in the north has not been extinguished by the long years of war and its brutal end. All indications point that the Tamils will rise again to play a meaningful role in Sri Lanka and prosper. The spirit that is manifesting itself in numerous ways all over the north, despite the all too obvious adversities and disadvantages, is definitely a harbinger of a bright future for the Tamils and Sri Lanka. If they are helped and guided, they will advance faster. If not, they will yet become a great people, though at a slower pace. The Tamils will emerge from their prolonged tragedy and the associated misery, despite their politicians, bureaucrats and malcontents- both within and the Diaspora, to become what they deserve to be in the land of their birth and life. I may not live to see this happen, but will die convinced, it will happen. Tamils are not a species, destined for extinction in Sri Lanka, as many, including me had feared six months back. They are proving that they have what it takes to rebound from adversity and hurdles, to survive and prosper. May 'God' help them, even if their fellow men fail! They deserve this divine help, because they have not given up. I salute these ordinary and simple folk, who have withstood the worst of war and are proving to the world that they are second to none in their resilience, hard work, patience and faith.
32 Comments
Narendran gives a clean certificate of approval to the militarised regime which rules the north and east now.
He should read for the truth of what is actually happening.
My congratulations to the un-biased writer! We should not allow to be separated from each other! This article will equally be an eye-opener to the govt and the respective authorities! Pardon and Compassion only will be able to save Tamils and Sinhales! We should teach every responsible person that "QUI SEME LE VENT, RECOLTE LA TEMPETE!" (HE WHO SOWS WIND, REAPS SYCLONE AS HARVEST!) We have shed enough blood and tears! "PEACE IS THE WAY TO PEACE!" DIASPORA should help the innocent victims of the war! LET US WAGE PEACE!
This article gives a realistic picture of the North where the military presence dominates and locals are being pushed into the background. Hope this will gradually change and those people can return to their lands and live with dignity and self respect. Man does not survive on bread alone.
An excellent article, but the corruption and thuggism of the white van brigade will continue. If an honest Tamil politician joins up with the government he is ignored, as happened to Anandasangaree. So the only people joined up with the government are in general opportunistic thugs, like Devanada, Karuna or Pillayan.
Dear Das -
Dr Narendran is writing from his impressions in-situ. Why should he read stuff written by people who are not even there, when he can see for himself what is going on ?
Now I agree that him mentioning dishonest Tamils is a complete no-no. We all know there is no such thing and it must be Sinhalas disguised as Tamils who do these things in the North - after all, Sinhalas are a very sneaky bunch, no ?
nice to read an politically unbiased article.
I respect your boldness to expose the political corrupt tamils.
i truely hope there will be normalcy verysoon and continue in prayer for devine intervention.
I'm sure there are many moderates willing to uplift the northern society.
thank you once more for pioneering positivity.
it is very difficult to see lasting peace and stability without justice" - Samantha Power
we know Dr.Rajasingham Narendran is srong supporter of Rajapaksa.
what you expect from cronies.
you must be kidding sir
Corruption is the cancer that hinders the progress of developing countries, specially the democratic ones in our part of the World.
Coming from total devastation and in the total control of the Armed Forces ,one would expect corrupt practices from security force personnel.
Guess what the most corrupt are the TNA MP and his cohorts in the Kachcheri.
The other sad negative development is the pro LTTE conduct of the Academia in the Jaffna University.
If anything, both these malpractices are going to affect not only the present struggle of the victims of Terror who are trying to get back their lives, but also the future of them as well as their children.
TNA and the Academia in the Jaffna University have been the biggest backers of the LTTE and still are.
These are the people the pro Tiger Diaspora and their Western buddies are hell bent on propping up.
Thanks Dr Narendran for giving us a real time insight into the North.
"The manner, in which Jaffna University functions, is of serious concern to those in Jaffna, who understand what a university should be. The faculty is mediocre, self-perpetuating, self-aggrandizing and self-seeking." - I endorse these lines.
Thank you for the forward looking article. What you wrote is what you saw on the surface. Underneath most of our land has been colonized and taken over by the Army and south as we speak. The war was imposed to grab land from Tamils and they succeeded. Most of the skilled Tamils have left the country due to the war. India and Sri Lanka wants to see that Tamils reduced to nothing.
It was the tamils who created their own self destruction in supporting Prabakaran & LTTE. They themselves killed their own kind.
Now the war is over. Yet the Forces undertake the dirty work for the future happiness of the Tamils by getting involved in clearing mines, rebuilding process.
Yet, greedy tamils seek more and more over even more ungrateful.
They are opportunists.
This is what antagoinise the other communities.
Tamils do not know how much is enough & want to stuff themselves untill they get choked.
There is no place for a decent Tamil or an un-biased tamil as such is branded as a traitor of Tamil Community.
What peace do we give or leave??????????????
"Some roads in Kilinotchchi have been named in only Sinhala and this does not seem to be deliberate act"
The above sentence sums up!!! How can he say that "this does not seem to be deliberate act"
The way he condems the Jaffna University speaks what he is eying for!!!
Tamil Victim,
I whole heartedly agree with you. Until root cause of the problem solved, tamils have political guarantee to determine their own destiny, every good thing appeared to be happening to tamils are nonsense.
To the Ven. Mandawala Hamuduruwo
Revered Sir,
The vast majority of Tamils both within and in the diaspora abhor separation, conflict and bitterness as any other community. Our history shows they have been a peaceful, law-abiding and productive section of the community whose contribution to the making of the Lankan nation was remarkable, to say the least.
What they have been asking for a longtime is the constitutional right to run their affairs, the release of their farming lands upon which depended their very livelihood, freeing of their residential properties, schools, places of worship held under the illegal HSZ. The legitimacy of the latter is no longer valid. What did Minister Rambukwella mean when he said last week the HSZ properties will not be released for a long time to come?
Access and allocation of State resources to develop their necessary infrastructure, educational, health, economic development, employment-generation opportunities for their areas are the other some of them waged war to secure in an utter sense of alienation. The basic Language rights upon which the conflict started was eventually conceded after 31 years. The fallacy of this was well described by an elder statesman, one of the oldest Parliamentarians - whom we lost a decade ago “It must shame all of us it required the intervention of a foreign army to secure the basic language rights of the Lankan Tamils.” The disunity, bloodshed, confusion that resulted was quite unnecessary as we were to learn. Please, therefore, do not blame the Tamils for all the country’s ills.
Good Sir, please use your influences, the support and understanding of your ecclesiastical colleagues, the bargaining influence of the Buddhist clergy to hasten the regime of the need to bring back Lankan Tamils back to the fold. May 19 is no way the end of the problem, as many analysts write, but could well be the beginning of a more devastating one unless handled with political sagacity. Above all, the false and mischievous propaganda the poison of 1956 calculated to poison the minds of the unsuspecting Sinhala mass that Tamils are out to divide and destroy the country continues now under the current bogey “all Tigers were Tamils and therefore all Tamils are tigers” This grand mischief is really at the bottom of most of the prejudices that, momentarily and emotionally, keeps the emergence of a sustainable solution that delays our joint march to peace, unity and prosperity.
ISS
Nandasena,
A few unpaved roads leading to mini-camps of the army have name boards scrawled in Sinhala. This is definitely the handiwork of soldiers trying to get their bearings and not a sinister plot to introduce Sinhala name boards into Kilinochchi. Further, I am not 'Eying' for anything at Jaffna University, although I know very well what needs to be done and how it should be done. I am only looking forward to a retirement in a peaceful Jaffna! Why do you insist on seeing a devil behind every bush?
From the current and your previous postings, it appears that you are one of the 'Muttayila Mayir Pidunguhindra' types (one who tries to pluck hairs from the surface of an egg), who are found in plenty among particularly Jaffna Tamils. Please contribute something positive at least in words, to make life better for the Tamils in Sri Lanka, instead of making a mockery of the facility provided by trascurrents.com.
Dr. Naren always believes what the government says but never hesitates to take free swings on soft targets.
Not long time ago when 350 000 IDP were illegally hold in camps he praised the governments’ action and took a free swing on NGO’s for not providing good enough shelters and toilets to IDPs.
Now government is gradually militarizing N&E and as usual he is silent on the governments’ actions but takes free swing again on soft targets such as University of Jaffna.
University of Jaffna might not be functioning as efficient as any other world class University but is that our first priority right now?
I'm glad that you had a great vaccation Jaffna.
I appreciate the fact you publish articles with many points of view.
There is always two sides to every story. The Tamils take once side and harp on all the injustices done to them. The Sinhalese take the other side and see only one side. Both sides need to try and empathize with each other.
Also, we should not be scared of the truth (as Buddha himself taught). This is why we should allow the UN to investigate the war crimes allegations. If the truth comes out it can only help Sri Lanka on the long run.
It might not help some individuals. But then Sri Lanks is more important than individuals. The damage that all the lies that are being spread by vested interest can do a lot of harm to the long term interest of Sri Lanka.
It will be much appreciated if Mr Sengutuvan, who seems to be a well informed, well connected and a prolific writer explain in detail what he means by,
" What the Tamils are asking is the Constitutional Rights to run their own affairs"?
As far as I understand Srilanka is a democratic country. It has nearly 70 % Sinhalese , 10 % Tamils 10 % Muslims and 5 % others nationalities.
It has an Exec President. It has a Central Government, Provincial governments and the Municipalities.
These are all run by people elected by universal franchise
Out of the Tamil and Muslim populations nearly 50 % are interspersed among the whole Nation and 50 % live in the North and the East of the Island.
People like me,who have been away from the country for a very long time can not understand how "Constitutional rights for one particular Ethnic group to run their own affairs" fit in to the aone scenario.
Responding to “Aussie Lankan” it is clear he/she has suffered a disconnect from the country. Our issues in the past few decades have been so complex they even befuddle many experts. Taking 20 million as the country’s population today indigenous Tamils are about 10-12% and those of recent Indian-origin and Tamil-speaking Muslims around 6-7% each. Muslims may be a little more now. Many of the estimated million Tamils in the diaspora pushed out of the country cannot be ignored as they wish to return. Neither the sudden change of demography in the EP – already under forced colonization from 1948 - and other features calculated at denying Tamils in the their area their land and their right to live there. Tamils fear soon they will be forcibly outnumbered in the North by the looks of what is happening their under the hands of the SLA. Doubtless the Govt also saved the Tamils of the NEP from fascism but since then they have done little to regain the people into the mainstream.
The Provincial Government instrument – that came in as a device to integrate the Tamils of the North-East Province and usher in national unity and reconciliatin – remains denied to them today. The long call for the Tamils in their areas to run their affairs – as enjoyed by the rest of the country – remains ignored. Reasons and arguments being many. If that sensational change in the military did not take place in the post-2009 period by now Tamils will be in the minority there. But fate seems to have decreed otherwise.
As to your innocent expression “Govt run all by people elected by universal franchise” you know what happened in the last General Elections (2010) and the Presidential Elections. General Fonseka’s petition to Court places matters in perspective about “the integrity of the Elections” Were you here when the Election Commissioner who rejected the validity of the elections on polling day then suddenly had a transmogrification of his persona? How did an established drug-trafficker who could not poll more than 2,500 votes (2001) in Colombo despite the tactics of his goons and muscle suddenly end up with 100,000 may answer your mistaken notion of free universal franchise that was hail and hearty when you left our shores.
A couple from Sydney, dear friend of ours. returned to the Island about 5 years ago and invested all their savings into a beautiful modern house in the Pannipitiya area. They got another 6 couples to join them. They loved the country like all of us and wanted to retire here. But political events here
have since made them emotionally insecure. I am neither pro or anti this government or the other though I did serve many administrations earlier in key positions. But I shed more than a tear for what has happened to our beloved land which recently became the laughing stock of the world.
ISS
# Tamil Victim | July 16, 2010 09:00 PM
// Underneath most of our land has been colonized and taken over by the Army and south as we speak. The war was imposed to grab land from Tamils and they succeeded. Most of the skilled Tamils have left the country due to the war. India and Sri Lanka wants to see that Tamils reduced to nothing.//
LTTE AND DIASPORA IDIOTS HELPED A LOT FOR THIS.
"Dr.Naren believes what the government says". There have been several comments on a similar vein. The truth is that I believe more in what I see and what I myself find out through interactions with people on ground zero. This truth may differ from what others who have not been in Sri Lanka for decades and believe what they are preconditioned to believe. Now that the restrictions on movement to the north and east have been substantially relaxed the 'Doubting Thomases' should take the opportunity to visit Sri Lanka to see, hear and feel, ground realities.
Further,to the question whether the performance of the Jaffna University is a priority, I have to answer that it should be of the highest priority to evolve a thinking and, action and goal-oriented community leadership. The long years of the so-called 'liberation struggle' have not only stunted learning, but also the ability to think rationally and scientifically. We have to overcome this handicap as fast as possible, if are to not only progress, but also catch-up with lost time.
About the University of Jaffna issues; If I were you, I wouldn’t insult the staffs who have been running the institutions for the last 30 years with limited resources in war time. I also got a mediocre degree from the same school during the war time. I wouldn’t be in the position as I’m now (as a janitor) if the staffs left the country like many of you for personal reasons. What you said might be partially true in some sections but you generalized it and insulted the institution. Now I wonder, is that the way you make conclusions without knowing all the facts?
We wish what you say about the government of Sri Lanka is also true.
Nothing personal Dr. Over the last 30 years when was the last time you contribute anything to the University? Did you visit there before? It is easy to blame others but really hard to work as a team to improve the situation. It’s good to know that you want to contribute to the needed society in your retirement years. But I think the University is not the right retirement home for the returnees.
But, it would be much better if you start your own institution in Jaffna with outside funding and show the mediocre, self-perpetuating, self-aggrandizing and self-seeking staff of Jaffna University, how to run an ideal institution. If you do that then lots of people with your background would come and join you.
//Ganesh | July 20, 2010 08:29 PM //
Ganesh! you said that "Loud and Clear"...I agree with you my friend.
End of the day everything comes to personal/individual survival.
VP conducted the meaningless war for his own survival…
KP likes to join GOSL for his own survival…
Diaspora idiots like Kuppan and Mappan supported/support LTTE for their own survival as well.
When British were ruling our people became Christians...you wait and see in the future lot us become Buddhist in North & East and will have Sinhala middle name (as we are having Christian middle name in Canada).
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for your heartfelt comments. I am quite aware of the fate that befell Jaffna University during the years of civil war. Yes, there were mitigating circumstances. However, as someone who was on the scene at Peradeniya, when the Jaffna University was formed, I could categorically say that the Jaffna University could not live up to its promise from its very inception. I was also involved with the group agitating for the establishment of a University in Jaffna, when the Tamil political forces of the day, were opposed to it. The adjectives I have used were applicable even at the time the university was formed and its supposed 'hey day' when Prof. Kailasapathy was the vice-chancellor. There were exceptions no doubt.
My question is whether, the past is a justification for the continuation of the same tragedy? Should we not be thinking of the future, in terms of our needs as a people?
Unfortunately, my area of expertise did not give me the chance to work at the Jaffna University. Although I left Peradeniya University after the 1977 riots, in which I was a major victim, penny-less, I have visited Sri Lanka several times a year and Jaffna as frequently as circumstances would permit. I am thus no alien to the local scene.
Ilaya Seran Senguttuvan | July 18, 2010 05:37 PM
"Many of the estimated million Tamils in the diaspora pushed out of the country cannot be ignored as they wish to return."
I honestly don't think even 0.001% of Diaspora who are settled in western countries will ever return. (Neither will the Sinhala migrants). They are glad that they were "pushed out" or "evicted" as you prefer to call it for the consumption of foreigners. Lots of Tamil parents, pawned their jewelery and "pushed out" their children to save them from LTTE forcible conscription. A substantial number who could not migrate moved to live among the Sinhalese around Colombo. On the contrary Tamil refugees in Tamilnadu are waiting to return. (This must be on top of the agenda between Indian and Sri Lankan governments and Tamil politicians must take active initiative for resettlement.)
But you can always count on the generous financial contributions from Diaspora for any political movement for "liberation" or any effort by any body to harm the Sri Lankan state. They will do that from their comfortable seats outside.
Soma, my dear (I assume you are of the gentle gender)
I fear your aracmatic (to use it Singlishly) of 0.001% appears to be only second to your misunderstanding of the Tamils for basic justice and their struggle for the return of their "ancient home and lands" in the Island in which even our Supreme Court has chosen to prevaricate. Both the Sinhala and Tamils (your words) in some measure are unlikely to return because of what we have done to their shared homeland. Look at its state today - disease-infested
and the medical service in shambles, basic foods inaccessible even to the middle class, growing loss of jobs, a near-ruined economy, universities have become battle-fields more closed than open, the underworld has taken over politics and the administration, people do not know who is hora and who is policiya - are just a few of the horrors - which is what successive Sinhala Governments (want to deny that?)have achieved. They have all succeede to make living here next to impossible. No wonder all communities are fleeing.
As to "emigrants" you refer to, let me share with you what that great East German thinker (favourite of our Sinhala leftist academics) Bertolt Brecht
took exception to this description in a way that relates to the Lankan Tamil situation :-
"I always found the name false which they gave us - emigrants. That means those who leave the country. But we did not leave of our own free will choosing another land. Not did we enter into a land, to stay there, if possible for ever. Merely, we fled. We are driven out, banned. Not a home, but an exile, shall the land be that took us in" (From "Concerning the Label Emigrant") :-
If you care to study recent BoI and Finance Ministry statistics you will be convinced for starters several of the richer Tamils in the diaspora (the mention of the variety no doubt trigger indigestion in some of you) have given fair indication of returning if the Govt here can guarantee normalcy. What more Gothabaya and aiya are offering "ellam" (everything) to those in the diaspora to come back. Not to be confused with the stuff that brings the fear of Moses on to you.
So sleep well, my dear, bifurcation is delayed again and can only happen if the Sinhala leadership is to goof again.
As to "the substantial number of Tamils living happily and safely in the South" (you sound like the
Nalin de S, SL Gunasekera, Gomin Dayasiri variety)the Tamils of Wellawatta in Colombo may not share your views. Their just apprehension is why do the Police single them out for "registration" when in the words of the Govt (President, PM, Keheliya, Champika, the army, the Mahanayakas et al) the LTTE is finished for all time. You surely can't have it both days, Leela.
If you recall it was only recently a Wellawatta Police OIC was caught for demanding a set of expensive furniture suite (Rs.2 lakhs) from a Tamil businessman at Galle Road to ensure his "registration papers" are in order.
ISS
Ilaya Seran Senguttuvan | July 24, 2010 01:19 PM
My dear ISS
Thank you for your detailed response.
It is very difficult to get engaged in a discussion as you are called upon to explain/justify ignoble things your own camp fellows do.
I try to express my opinions issue-by-issue avoiding any fixed state of mind. Also I try (yes try) to look at our ethnic issue from the point of view of a third party. I never say this is how Sinhalese SHOULD behave or react, but how Sinhalese WOULD behave under the circumstances. When I say they are 4/5 in number I am not saying they should get procrastinate to that number, what I say is they will throw their weight in that proportion.
It is the people who call themselves "Tamils" who have categorised me as a "Sinhalese."
To see the suffering of innocent people is emotionally hard for me.
As such the so called "political aspirations" are of secondary importance to me. For I all I have seen in this land is that leads to confrontation and bloodshed.
To me Sri Lanka is an over populated and under resourced, isolated block of land. I try to think like a zoologist.
Tamils are a physically as well as a psychologically wounded lot. Let them heal and recuperate first is my plea - so I join Dr. Narendran quite emotionally. Nothing please me than to hear that people in war affected areas are recovering - at least physically.
Regards
Hallo Soma,
I am with you in this view. “They” do not understand the wisdom behind your writing . One day they will learn from our Muslim/up country brothers... how to survive as a race (we are gradually being replaced by them in Sri Lanka anyway).
We are loosing our future generation in western countries.
Dear Soma:
Since these columns appear to be dedicated to unite the Sinhala and Tamil people to our earlier levels of unity and racial tranquility,I will join you in further search of what I think is a noble goal in which as many as possible must engage in and show the world “Yes! We can”
While ruefully you admit the obvious ‘Tamils are a physically and psychologically wounded people" you go on to cynically (pardon the expression) join many others across the divide and insist “let them heal and recuperate” How can we do that when the purse strings are in Sinhala majority hands in Colombo. Have you forgotten even much of the funds the world gave to rebuild and rehabilitate the Tamil areas of the North-East, more devastated than the rest, much of the money was stolen and suspected to have reached private hands. So if the funds meant for Tamils coming from abroad is robbed so by design and engineering how much faith can Tamils have funds within the country – badly needed in the resource-short Sinhala South as well – for development and rehabilittion will be allocated to the NEP? Have you had occasion to see that high-profile event of "presenting a modern Swimming Pool to the people of Jaffna at Jaffna Central College" now remaining as a gaping, dengue-producing hole with the cement and steel brought for the purpose sold by the Kar-Sevaks who came under blue colour flags? These rotters give even shame a head-ache as Salman Rushdie would say. It should not have taken more than 3 months to build this pool. It is for trickery such as this some of the youth in the NEP took to arms and were brutally obliterated by an army and resources in a ratio of several thoussands to one. Sinhala youth who did the same twice in the South were rehabilitated and placed in positions of high political power. One of the leaders of the JVP is a self-admitted contestant to the office of PM - with more in mind. The fact this able man is unable to protect the people from Yellow Fever is another thing. The callous reason trotted out the Sinhala youth fought not to break the country but the Tamil youth did is good only to convince those marines.
Let me also, with due respect, disagree with you Sri Lanka is over-populated and under-developed. While in a lesser way agreeing with the first claim I must point out Hongkong, Singapore and the Maldives are smaller but have managed to build societies that enjoy a much higher Per Capita for their people. One must be out of his mind to compare us with HK and Singapore. But the Maldives? While our Per Capita is around US$2000 the smaller, ni-resources group of Islands is now over US$3,990. What happened and who is responsible is what the Sinhalese must discuss among themselves and decide what should be done to rid us of the cancer that brought us to this level. Federalism, DC Council, Vaddukottai 1976, Separate State, Tigers, the War and now the Diaspora are all different types of “Guli” presented by the political leaders the Sinhalese gullibly swallow – without question. Remember sinister forces always made sure the Sinhala people had at least one "bogey" under the Tamil shadow to bother them. As it is sometimes said "if there is no problem, we will create one" By jove, they have indeed. When those enlightened, anti-racial Sinhala academics question these they are accused of being in the pay of the Tigers, the NGOs, the Norwegians and so on.
Your best hope was that source that holds most of the political power - the Buddhist religious heirarchy. Realising, for once, the "country is going down the precipice to ruin" decided to call that infamous High Conference of the Sinhala Buddhist Maha Sangha (or some similar thing a few months ago) and 30,000 priests were asked to gather in Kandy. Shockingly, we now learn the Post Office sabotaged the delivery of the letters calling for the meeting - not the first time anyway the Postal Deparment failed us. Anyway, thugs in religious garb lead by notorious political priests warned both the Malwatta and Asgiriya Prelates bombs will be flung, blood will flow and the Buddhist Order itself will split into further divisions. The weak-kneed, self-serving lot decided to abdandon "the good of the people" That appears to be your problem - and not the Tamils, my dear. Think about it. If given half a chance Tamils would rather conduct matters all by themselves while remaining part of the undivided country
as Sambanthan and friends have assured the President and his family.
ISS
Dear Soma:
Since these columns appear to be dedicated to unite the Sinhala and Tamil people to our earlier
Racial tranquility, I will join you in further search of what I think is a noble goal in which as many as possible must engage in and show the world “Yes! We can”
While ruefully you admit the obvious ‘Tamils are a physically and psychologically wounded” you go on to
cynically (pardon the expression) join many others across the divide and insist “let them heal and recuperate” How can we do that when the purse strings are in Sinhala majority hands in Colombo?
Have you forgotten even much of the funds the world gave to rebuild and rehabilitate the Tamil areas of the North-East more devastated than the rest – saw much of it stolen. So if the funds meant for Tamils coming abroad is stolen by design and engineering how much faith can Tamils have funds within the country – badly needed in the Sinhala South as well – will be allocated to the NEP? Is this not why some of the youth in the NEP took to arms and were brutally obliterated whlle Sinhala youth who did the same in the South were rehabilitated and placed in positions of high political power. One of the leaders of the JVP is a self-proclaimed contestant to the office of PM with more in mind.
Let me also, with due respects, disagree with you Sri Lanka is over-populated and under-developed.
Hongkong, Singapore and the Maldives are smaller but have managed to build societies that enjoy a much higher PQL/Per Capita. One must be out of his mind to compare us with HK and Singapore but Maldives?? While our Per Capita is around US$2000 the smaller group of Islands is now nearlu $4,000. What happened and who is responsible is what the Sinhalese must discuss among themselves and decide what should be done to rid us of the cancer that brought us to this level. Federalism, DC Council, Vaddukottai 1976, Separate State and now the Diaspora are all different types of “Guli” the Sinhalese gullibly swallow – without question. When those enlightened, anti-racial Sinhala educated question this they are accused of being in the pay of the Tigers, the NGOs, the Norwegians and so on.
How many realize those who go as the leaders of the majority are nothing but a group with solutions looking for a problem.
It is the President and his government that must take the lead in providing solutions to our problems - the main one being the National Question. It is the Sinhala people who must organise themselves and impress upon the President of the urgency to unite the country and bring the Tamil people back to the fold.
ISS