The expression on the guy on the right is apt
I was reading SiberNews and I saw this odd photo of Prabhakaran hugging two now-dead pilots. There’s a lot of noise from the Tamil diaspora in Geneva and testimony from a fair amount of testimony from white people I’ve never heard of in the US. But I find it a bit divorced from reality. The protesters in Norway and Geneva saying ‘Pirapaharan is our national leader’ just repulse me. Well, OK. Come and live in the nation he has built. You can actually get on a flight and go east and perhaps North to help people. It’s not easy, but exaggerating your words won’t actually make up for the poverty of your action. What’s a rallying cry for diaspora Tamils is a dire reality for people of all races who are actually on this island. And I do think the diaspora needs to be involved in Sri Lanka, but for fuck’s sake. Sending money to the LTTE to turn the Tamil youth here into suicide bombers is just sick.
I’ve always thought the photos of Prabhakaran with about-to-be dead people were deeply morbid and disturbed. I mean, I’ve never understood what organization trains people for sometimes years and then kills them. What kind of HR policy involves finding talented people and then killing them? There was a post-colonial population boom at the time of the first JVP and LTTE insurrections. There were a lot of ‘boys’ hanging around with revolution on their minds. But there isn’t now. Many Tamils have migrated and the ones left are generally trying to get by. But so many people with skills and leadership potential have been turned into futile missiles by the LTTE. While the ones that got out cheer them on. I mean, WTF.
I understand that there are real Tamil issues and a need for leadership. But this isn’t leadership. It’s just suicide. Suicide and self-immolation might make for nice news items or memorials, but they don’t help anyone here. And neither does the genocide rhetoric or the support for the LTTE. The LTTE puts on a good media show, but that’s it. If your contact with Sri Lanka is through the media that might make sense, but if fucking sucks to live here with them doing random terrorist stuff all the time. They have made everyone’s lives tangibly worse, and now they’re saying the struggle will go on. Well, the LTTE itself said the political process failed after 26 years (from 1956 to 1982, say). And now it’s been 26 years of this bullshit. I think their time is up.
If you’re in the diaspora and you think you’re so smart then come home. We need smart people, honestly. Tamils need real human leadership and civic participation more than money. But put that terrorist shit on the shelf. It’s been tried, failed, and we need to start actually improving people’s lives.
Here here!
And that is one weirdass picture. o_O
hear!hear!
indi… there’s a reason we’re not there anymore… can you guess why that is… i’m sure you’re smart enough… think hard now… let’s see, maybe because we’d be disappeared, killed, tortured, raped etc… or just arrested for no reason like the Tissanayagam & the Suder Oil editor…
when you can guarantee our safety we’ll come back… but you never will be able to in your sinhala buddhist Sri Lanka… and so we’ll only come back to Tamil Eelam…
dude, I can’t guarantee my safety. Sometimes you have to take risks if you believe in something. If the plight of the Tamil people is important enough that people can light themselves on fire, why not come here and carry firewood.
But I’ve always wondered, how the fuck do you even get to Eelam? You’d have to use Sri Lankan airports, roads, just as hospitals and educations even in LTTE areas were run by the state. Eelam is a bit of a hole and investors can’t even legally deal with the LTTE, being a terrorist organization. So I’m not sure how that would work.
Eelam is not a realistic goal along the lines of what Chelva et al proposed. It might have been, but the LTTE messed it all up and, hey, guess what, a lot of people who could advocate it left. It is possible to make legitimate separate state arguments. However, I think it is absurd to sit in Toronto or London and call for a separate state here. Generally, you can’t secede from a country you don’t live in.
Eelam, now, is just some random pie in the sky shit to raise funds. It’s easy to be Eelam or nothing when you’re sitting abroad. But for the people forced to eat that nothing, here? Not so much. When you have to live here and deal with the shit you might think about compromise.
This is not about creating a proud vacation home for the diaspora. People actually live here. Right now they need slippers, paduras, women’s underwear and sanitary napkins. Then they need peace and stability, and investment and livelihood. Then they need to send their kids to school and move on up. This can happen under Sri Lanka, but it will never happen under the LTTE. Why do they have to suffer for the diaspora’s pride?
well said, Indi.
// Right now they need slippers, paduras, women’s underwear and sanitary napkins. This can happen under Sri Lanka, but it will never happen under the LTTE. //
tru tru
its paduru tho
have you seen this http://blip.tv/file/1145537/
Indi: “But for the people forced to eat that nothing, here? Not so much. When you have to live here and deal with the shit you might think about compromise.”
Naz: “well said indi”
you colombo “english speaking elite” are a treat… (but then naz isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed):
indi, should the “tamil position” on ANYTHING be dictated by the starvation, restrictions, embargos on humanitarian assistance?
are you going to try and BEAT us into accepting something…
in oslo the LTTE moved as far as Federalism away from Eelam… but what was the GOSL’s response… nothing… your god Ranil couldn’t and didn’t do anything… and then chandrika called elections WHICH the LTTE & TNA won handily…
so, the tamil people THERE want what the LTTE & the diaspora want… even some people who work with and for you all… trust me i know them… and they’d never tell you but they have the heart of a Tiger…
more like jaffna english speaking elite, disappeared.
People who have Foreign citizenship, shouldn’t poke their noses in Sri Lanka, for the simple reason, that’s it’s not their country anymore. Will you, Disappeared, if Eelam is achieved, relinquish your foreign citizenship and move back to Sri Lanka?
I lived in Toronto for many years, and have many friends/associates in the Tamil community in Canada. Their plan, for the most part, was to move to Colombo after they retire. And this was the plan of the older Tamils , who were born in Sri Lanka. The Canadian born Tamils, wouldn’t move to Sri Lanka for all the gold in the world.
There’s been a lot of these comments lately on blogs all across with the tamil diaspora taking the genocide and Nazi stand.
What really surprises me is that the comments are consistent and seem to be based on a core belief that there is an actual genocide going on and LTTE is the best thing ever.
The LTTE propoganda has to be really awesome to convince such a large community of some star class bullshit. For someone who’s living in the ‘land’ it sounds like all these people leaving comments are propaganda activists.
but it’s not. thats the scary part.
So when this ends and the LTTE is done with (yes, that will happen) there’s a whole bunch of Tamil diaspora thinking an entire community got wiped out by the state and no one knew about it. how fucked up is that?
Naz, i’m not from jaffna & my family were toddy tappers…
but i have learned english ;0
Astonishing….I know plenty of Tamil people who don’t have the ‘heart of a Tiger.’ I’ve known some of these people my whole life. You presume to know them better than me and speak for them just because of some shared racial characteristic. What an astonishing display of arrogance and exactly the kind of arrogance displayed by Prabhakaran and the boot licking Diaspora.
That is exactly why after 26 years of so called struggle all the LTTE and Tamil nationalists have managed to do is pervert a fight against discrimination and disempowerment into the single minded hunt for a private monoethnic country with VP as its ‘God’ and a non-resident population of enthusiastic Diaspora cheering from their comfortable homes in the West.
but i am, originally.
@disappeared
I’m familiar with the ‘Colombo speaking elite’ canard, but it’s a bit rich coming from abroad. I’m all for the diaspora being involved, but I think you have to rely more on reason than anti-elitism. I mean, I have less money, comfort and freedom than you – so calling me elite just looks stupid. Naz also lives here and she has more information and record of intelligence than you, so you just look dumb there as well. You have to accept that we live here and this is not some academic argument. The diaspora has to have some humility in that aspect.
As a human living on this island, I feel completely justified saying the Tamils can’t choose the LTTE as leadership. I’m sorry, but assassinating the Foreign Minister, exploding car bombs, hacking villagers and dispatching suicide bombers and kamikaze planes simply isn’t in the realm of acceptable political discourse. These actions are just criminal. Under local, international and humanitarian law.
So yeah, I’m quite comfortable as a human being telling you that the LTTE is not acceptable leadership. Not because the real Tamil issues are unacceptable, but simply because terrorism isn’t a right, even if you have supporters. It’s just illegal. If you think you can be violent enough to take power that way then I guess give it a shot, but don’t expect it to be handed to you. The LTTE almost terrorized their way into power, but they didn’t take a deal while it was there. Don’t come back the other way and ask why nobody likes you.
You know what the difference is between a terrorist and a freedom fighter? Terrorists fail. The LTTE has failed and they have arrest warrants out in almost every relevant country.
I understand that things are not fair and working with the South is intractable and humiliating. It is for me to, but I don’t take a gun and start shooting people in the streets. I understand that the space for legitimate democratic action is very small and difficult here but, honestly, fucking deal with it. Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t easy at all, sometimes it looks impossible. That’s what real leadership is. What the LTTE is doing isn’t leadership, it’s just criminal.
I live here and I don’t have to live with buses and cars exploding around me. I feel fully within my rights telling ‘Tamil people’ and anyone to accept that. You do have rights, but killing me in the streets simply isn’t one of them. I don’t care if you vote for those people (even tho you don’t vote), they’re still criminals and they should be put in jail, not in power. Sorry. If you feel different about issues, come back, educate, organize and vote. But please don’t send money back for C4. Seriously, I live here and that’s not cool.
Disappeared
I’m from Jaffna and I’ve lived in Colombo for 20 years. I understand why you said what you said because these are the very things that my family living overseas believe too. With the exception of major news networks most Tamil language TV stations, news programmes etc are owned directly or indirectly by the LTTE and this is the nonsense they spout. I was visiting a friend in Nice a few weeks back and all they had on the Tamil news was that India was sending 3000 troops to SL to help the SLA! This is the absurd sort of news that you guys hear and you believe it for the absence of alternatives.
It’s true that the current govt has a dubious HR record but I doubt this is because they’re inherently racist. MR is just an power hungry autocrat with a facist(ic) brother as Defence Secretary. You only hear the kidnappings etc concerning Tamils but you don’t hear of the same happening to Sinhalese. Basically anyone who doesn’t toe their line is under threat regardless of ethnicity. Plus the white vans…true there was obviously some collusion by the security forces (otherwise it would have been impossible) but among the Tamils living in SL, we all knew it was the TMVP that did it. Do you know why the British High Commission moved their processing operations to Chennai? Because they found out that some Tamil employees were passing on bank details of Tamil applicants to ‘certain parties’…connect the dots. We are ourselves to blame for what’s happening to our community.
Your attitude towards SL and your opinions are pretty much standard amongst the Tamil diaspora to varying degrees. Like I said…half my family lives abroad so I know! It’s unfortunate that you feel that way because the ground realities are very different, regardless of recent pronouncements by Sarath Fonseka and the Defence Secretary.
Ps, not to mention the best Toddy in the world. Lurve the stuff!!!
Had a another post before which somehow didn’t get posted.
Indi has more in common with Mahinda. Look at him telling people to deal with their lack of freedom, lack of ability to speak out, dealing with the state of the roads, anyone oppposing MR and his goons getting killed. The pathetic standards of living for practically most of the 20 million Sinhalese. Unless you’re in with the arseholes all you get is shit. Great life you have and what you want people to come back and do what?
You do it. It’s your country. Those Tamils are Sri Lankans. Get up there and save them. We want a separate state. We don’t want to live with you and your polite racial bullshit.
Why don’t you explore all the crimes Karuna has committed not to mention murdering my mothers uncle on his foot-steps when he was 76 years old. I want him tried and prosecuted for that. I don’t want him running the North-East! Or being given a Sinhalese identity and diplomatic passport? When the fuck are you going to talk about him. So VP can be tried, Karuna can be tried and so can all the Sinhalese politicians that have instigated murder and violated human rights.
I’ve never dontaed to the LTTE, nor will I and nor will anyone ever ask me to. You’ve done your bit of Diasporing haven’t you with your fake Canadian accent. Why do you want to deny other Sri Lankans the opportunity to live and work in peace overseas? The Tamils have left because we had absolutely no chance and what you want us to come back and give you money to screw the Tamils all over again?
Your Mahinda will not be getting any aid mate. So you had better get your racist arse up to Vanni etc and start saving those Tamil brothers and sisters of your who you care so much about.
What a hypocritical joke you are.
Sinhalese people are now feeling what it’s like to be judged as a race who is committing genocide. Tamils have carried the stigma of suicide bombing. Let me assure you, it is not nice and not something you ever want.
There is only one way to redeem yourself, stop supporting Mahinda with these pathetic little racial digs and do something for your fellow countrymen. And don’t put your begging bowl out either. What did Mahinda do with all the Tusnami aid. Billions and Billions of rupees? Write a story about that, it’s that money that he’s used to ruin Sri Lanka forever and taint it’s people with Genocide.
And that comment about “white” people. What can’t you talk about an issue without defining it in some base-level racial way. Next you’ll be lining up with the JVP asking all the “whiteys” to go home.
Get a life you loser.
Well said Indi.. but being a Sinhalese born in Australia, I would have liked you to ellaborate into how Tamils AND Sinhalese can WORK TOGETHER to rebuild Sri Lanka. I just walked over to the Spice Shop area around the Homebush area in Sydney and all you can see are propoganda material highlighting the “Genocide” in Nth of SL and “Free Tamil Eelam”.
To sum up, the majority of Sri Lankan-Tamils (whether they are born in Australia or who have come over for whatever reason) still hold grudges against Sinhalese and the SL Govt. I know this from speaking to Tamil youth. They have a hatred towards Sinhalese, as it was instilled from their older generation. We have to change this.
The way in combatting this divide, in my opinion is for Tamils and Sinahalese to work together to rebuild these parts that were orginally run by the LTTE. There are very many smart and talented Tamils and Sinhalese who moved abroad, since many parts of S.L. were ravaged by the war.
I can see your plight to bring back Sri Lankan Tamils to their homeland and I encourage this. Sri Lanka can be a very powerful nation, like Japan India- we just need to bring together our talents and build this nation for our children and provide them with a safety, good food and the facilities for providing self-enpowering education.
I have followed your blog for a few years now, and I commend you.. I would like to see a new blog post with your thoughts on how we can work together to rebuild this wonderful nation…ah it’s such a beautiful island folks—there’s no need to build barriers- let’s share it!!
HOW COULD SUCH A TYRANT CAN BE SO PULSIVE AND BE WAR MONGER AND A LEADER FOR THE TAMIL PEOPLE TO RUN A STATE THAT HAS CAUSED SOMAUCH MASS MURDERS ON THE PRESIDENTS OF THE COUNTRY AND THE PRIMINISTER LATE RAJIVE GANDI. IN ORDER TO TAKE CONTROL WILL THIS TYRANT WANNA GO ON EVRY ONE WHO OPPRESESS ON HIM .THAT HE IS WRONG ON THE SEGMENT FOR A DIFFRENT STATE ON THAT LITTLE ISLAND.
MORE OVER I WOULDNT WANT MY CHILD TO BE TRAIND TO BE A TIGER ..PERHAPS LEADER HIM SELF DIDNT WANTED DO IT , AND HAS HIS SON AND THE DAUGHTER LIVING IN ENGLAND FOR THE SAFTY OF THERE LIFES. THE POINT WHAT EXACTY THIS TYRANT WAR MONGER WANTS ,
DOEZ HE WANTS A STATE OR WANTS TO RUN A REBEL GROUP OR ELSE COLLEECTING ALL THE MONEY THAT COMES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD … AND PUTS HIS NAME ON THE FORE FRONT TO BE THE LEADER …… TO RUN HIS SELFISH’ REGIME ..’……NOMATTER WHAT HE SHOULD BE PUNISHED FOR THE HUMAN CRIMES THAT HE HAS COMMITED AGAINST OUR LEADERS AND OUR PEPOLE ,TERROR SHOULD BE WIPED OUT NOT ONLY FROM SRILANKA… BUT FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
FOR THE WORLD TO REMAIN………. WELL DONE PRESIDENT RAJAPAKSHA
I DON’T KNOW