Sri Lankans Attacked In Tamil Nadu
Sri Lankan Buddhist Centre in Chennai (stupa in background).
When I travelled in India I always used my Sri Lankan passport. People were nice and quick to mention two famous Sri Lankans: Ravana and Sanath Jayasuriya. The only place I felt unwelcome as a Sri Lankan was in Rameshwaran, the point nearest to SL, which was strange. I’ve since been to Chennai and Pondi in Tamil Nadu without problems. Hence it’s troubling that Sri Lankans in TN and now being attacked and harassed, by mobs and politicians alike.
Recently this:
Buses in Tamil Nadu were attacked this afternoon because they had on board pilgrims from Sri Lanka. The convoy of five buses was headed to the Trichy airport to board a special flight home
Earlier today, the group of nearly 180 Sri Lankans were stopped by protesters after they left the famous Velankanni Christian shrine, 20 kilometres from Trichy.
The Sri Lankans also faced protests yesterday during their visit to another shrine near Thanjavur.
Over the weekend, in a much-criticised move, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa ordered that a football team that was visiting the state in a friendly match should be sent back to Sri Lanka immediately. (Daily Mirror)
And less recently, Karunanidhi and Jayalithaa protested over Sri Lankan military being trained in India. It’s like they still want a war here, it’s kinda sick. Tamil Nadu politicians demagogue around Sri Lankan issues like Arab leaders around Palestine. Neither really does much to help.
Now Sri Lanka’s issued a travel warning against visiting Tamil Nadu. This is a shame, but when TN leaders are doing such inhospitable things as sending football teams away, what can we do. Hospitality is still, I think, an honor and a duty in this part of the world. It’s a shame that a few people in Tamil Nadu are being so inhospitable to their neighbors.
Not to quote Ice Cube, but the Sri Lankan police are hardly beloved. A 
I just gave a talk at the University Of Sri Jayawardenapura along with Reeza Zarook of Anything.lk and Rohan Jayaweera of Google. These are my notes: Devin Jayasundara asked me for a subject for this talk and I told him Internet property. But I talked to my fiancé Shru and she had a better idea. Startups aren’t about creating property at all, not really. They’re about creating territory, about creating land.
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I met an old-timer who said they used to drop acid and sleep atop Sigiriya, but the place has taken on a more commercial and quasi-spiritual role now. It was built by a king as a sort of retreat and used as a monastery. Now it’s a prime tourist and cultural destination. Hence it’s a bit odd to see a Japanese beer commercial shot up there. There’s a bunch of people eating, um, deep fried cream filled coconuts and then drinking some bracing beer. I hear the whole thing cost Rs. 25,000 (I’m presuming they used stock images).
Both the main political parties are playing the nationalist/ethnic card to either get into power or retain power just like how the main parties here play the nationalist/ Sinhala Buddhist card to be populist. It is sad indeed.
Well it is a election trick.
Tamilnadu politicians (like ours) are useless morons who really don’t do much for the people.
So they need points to rally people. Nationalism is always a good point. But you can’t ask for a separate country in India (center want like that). So, instead they ask for a separate country in Sri Lanka.
Each party is trying to show that they are the most nationalistic ones by making outrages demands.
And hoping that people will vote them in the next election.
So that’s
- Attacking Sri Lankan Christian pilgrims
- Attacking Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims and religious centres
- Attacking Sri Lankan Hindu pilgrims praying at a Kovil
- Attacking Sri Lankan film makers
- Attacking minor Sri Lankan politicians
- Burning the Sri Lankan flag
- Burning effigies of Mahinda Rajapakse
- Sending off two school football teams
- Convening conferences supporting separatism in Sri Lanka
- Openly advocating separatism in Sri Lanka, and glorifying the LTTE
- Berating the Indian government for training Sri Lankan defence personnel
- Demanding the right for Tamil Nadu fishermen to poach in Sri Lankan waters
- Outrage when Tamil Nadu fishermen are arrested for poaching
Have I missed anything?
One shudders at the thought of how the SLgov will react to this… Having a lot in common and sharing the similar thought process until common sense takes over, I shudder further.
i saw on tv that one fellow throwed his footwear on srilankan travels.they just came to visit church. they r just ordinary people.they r not terrorist . i feel sheame to be an tamilian and tamilnadu people’s has also be shame.people from TN should remember that this is not the way to treat neibours .
Toilet Nadu has bigger problems than kicking out Sri Lankans. Im surprised as to how Tamil Nadu ppl keep electing these idiots. Tamil Nadu is in a worse state that entire Sri Lanka. Daily power cuts, sanitation backlogs, no jobs. Maybe this is what true eelam looks like.
Over here in Pakistan people think of Sri Lanka as little India! But things are a lot more complicated than that.
Vying for political points, Tamil Nadu parties silent on attacks
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sri-Lankan-Tamil-issue-Vying-for-political-points-Tamil-Nadu-parties-silent-on-attacks/articleshow/16257501.cms
Just like how no one is willing to condemn the acts of the monks when they go on rampage here in SL. All politicians are the same. Anything for power.
shameful and pathetic.
i apologize for my countrymen, though it doesn’t change anything.