Photo by DC Metro Blogger
TamilNet is calling for for a virtual reality Eelam, independent of any land. They are actually suggesting a democratic government spanning multiple countries, excluding Sri Lanka and India. Pradeep Jeganathan has written about Eelam, being virtual reality, but this is another level. I don’t get it. I think all politics is essentially local and I think the hope for all races is within Sri Lanka. Not that this is easy, Facebook/Diaspora organizing is certainly easier, but I don’t see another realistic option. This Eelam 2.0 is an interesting concept from a science fiction angle, but politically nonsense.
TamilNet posts have gotten increasingly discombobulated as late, alternately shrill and incomprehensible. I had to read their latest editorial twice to even begin to understand it. Note that TamilNet itself is blocked in Sri Lanka, you’ll have to use VTunnel or something. Here are what I consider the money quotes:
The Eezham Tamils and their political representatives have no obligation to anyone now, to engage in the deliberations of fruitless alternatives. But the world has an obligation now to tell the Tamils whether its opposition is to what it has perceived as ‘terrorism’ or to Tamil nationalism.
So, basically ‘we don’t owe the world anything, the world owes us everything’.
Eezham Tamils have to respond by forming a trans-national government fully responsible to them based on democracy, to negotiate with the world and to look after their own affairs.
This is literally calling for a secessionist republic of none, I suppose cobbled together from other citizenry from US, Canada, Australia, France, etc. I do find this interesting from a SciFi angle, but I don’t see how this constitutes a nation any more than a Facebook Group. I mean, I think you still need land and borders and stuff.
The sentiments expressed by the Eezham Tamils in the last few days show that they have not conceded ‘victory’ to Colombo.
The general thinking among them, is that the agenda for the catastrophe was set by the Indian Establishment with the connivance of M. Karunanidhi, and the coup de grace was served by the White House administration by its failure to act at the right time in doing what it was telling.
Tamils have still not seriously started thinking about the gravity of the treacherous roles played by China, Japan, Pakistan and some others.
The sentiments of the Eezham Tamils also show that Pirapaharan is not a mortal or physical entity, but a symbol for them. The symbol will be there and the ‘file’ cannot be closed as long as the issues are alive.
So, basically everyone else is to blame and, by the way, we are completely disconnected from reality. I mean, I think at some point you have to acknowledge that the LTTE failed by A) adopting terrorism in the first place B) killing Rajiv Gandhi C) basically voting for Mahinda (via enforced boycott) D) Not sincerely negotiating when the good or E) all of the above.
Regardless, there seems to be this sentiment on TamilNet and elements of the diaspora that this is an international question rather than a national one. Generally, however, this mistakes the voices they hear for the ones that matter, here. The local politics here is very, very different and it honestly has very little to do with international players, at least the ones they blame. This apportioning of blame honestly sounds schizophrenic in the phase of actual local and geopolitical reality. If there’s any blame it’s honestly on the LTTE for A) being psychos and B) not negotiating when they could.
Prabhakaran is not much of a symbol. He’s a failure and he’s dead.
The reality faced by Tamils today is multifaceted genocide by Colombo.
This is an aside, but Colombo is actually majority minority. That is, Tamils and Muslims outnumber Sinhalese. It is a strange seat for genocide.
Everybody knows that without the de-construction of the Sri Lankan state and its concept of ‘Sinhala Only’ sovereignty, no viable alternative can emerge.
Therefore, the Tamils are not at all impressed by any of the empty statements and diplomatic deliberations of the IC pleading Sri Lanka drunk with ‘victory’ to come out with ‘political solutions’, unless the IC directly takes over the Tamil provinces without caring for Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, in order to bring in a political solution satisfying the national aspirations of Tamils.
This bit is what I find objectionable about much of the British press coverage. Many of their proposals are actually ‘fuck-off’ solutions. They presume that the Sri Lankan state is inherently evil, its leaders should be jailed in the Hague and some sort of international solution imposed. This is simply not going to happen, nor should it. The west isn’t going to recolonize Sri Lanka and divide the place for a new independence. Aside from being wrong on multiple legal and moral levels, this simply isn’t realistic. The west has neither the power nor the inclination, and Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation.
If the present world system is working against them in toto and if the world doesn’t have enough appetite to look into their righteous aspirations, then the Tamils matching to their civilisation should come out with introducing something innovative and creative to the world system itself.
If the oppression to their nationalism is trans-national, the Eezham Tamils have to respond by forming a trans-national government fully responsible to them based on democracy, to negotiate with the world and to look after their own affairs.
Needless to say, the appropriate beginning is re-mandating the fundamentals of Vaddukkoaddai Resolution, and based on that democratically endorsed commitment, electing representatives for a trans-national assembly and government.
And this is the thing. Eelam 2.0, a landless state with its own government. Certainly innovative, but also impotent and insane. This entity would do absolutely nothing for Tamils here and, in fact, explicitly excludes everyone actually in Sri Lanka or even nearby. How do you build roads in Virtual Eelam? Does it have hospitals?
It may not be immediately possible to involve people who have no political freedom in the camps and in the open prisons in the island of Sri Lanka and people in the camps for over quarter a century in India.
But, the global Eezham Tamil diaspora is free to demonstrate this noble venture.
So, OK. TamilNet is calling for secession from the world into virtual reality. I presume they’ll keep their passports.
Just thinking of this makes my mind boggle with the possibilities of a TV serial show. “Eezham 2.o – A new nation bravely ventures forth where no nation has ever gone before – These are the adventures of Tamizh in cyberspace!”
yes this sounds way weirder than what i wrote about years back.
if these people are so keen on a country, then they can buy a small island, in the mediterranean — us$ 2-3 mil, i think — and set things up there, no? “IC” will recognize it, and so on. and then we will be leaft us to our own problems, which are bad, of course — with out this additional silliness, and the additional disaster of re-colonization.
If the idea of Eelam will not die, it is the journalists who write about web-based recidivist adherents to that idea and do so obsessively that will allow to to survive.
you’re talking as if there are diaspora families who check up on tamilnet right after breakfast, much as they would watch a Murdoch-owned outlet or CNN. Or that tamil nationalists are entirely credulous (or that there isn’t Eeelam 2.0 already in Second Life) Well, i’d like to claim that blue whales exit Mahinda’s ass every time he expels another platitude sopping for peace and reconciliation.
academics like Pradeep can lend a respectable gloss to what is ultimately a masturbatory line of analysis–much as I would if I called the FBI to complain about my neighbor’s ardent belief that “the south will rise again” and cited the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list of ‘hate’ groups.
If SL can’t accommodate the crazies without stroking the chin and making ‘thoughtful’ remarks on the character and motivation of the insane, how will civil society look? Insanity is, by itself, unremarkable. Parliamentary democracy is quite remarkable. Eventually people will tire of discussing those least important to the smooth running of the latter.
“you’re talking as if there are diaspora families who check up on tamilnet right after breakfast”
Oh, yes they do. Actually they check it before breakfast.
Anything they (diaspora) could do from their relative comfert, they will most probably do. It would be defintily very interesting and productive, if some can change the complete concept of politicis all together in such a way. And Tamils, they have capacity to do that.
And you’re point being?
that was directed towards Nagayan not Ayla.
Can you read?
glad to be representative of a group recently graduated from “most likely to form Eelam in Canada” to “capable of changing” something, though i’m not sure what you’re thinking of.
Yes, reasonably well thank you. It’s just that my ability to translate pseudo-intellectual gibberish isn’t very good. What is your point in the comment, for the benefit of those of us who prefer plain English?
“most likely to form Eelam in Canada” – This is still a possibility Nayagan.
If we can ask for a separate state in Sri Lanka why not in Canada ? I see no reason why we cannot do it. . After all they have been very sympathetic towards us and have had lots of experince in dealing with situation like that what with the Quebec thing. Besides they are a developed nation. Look we thought India would help but they did not so where is the motivation to still keep asking for rubbish land and mistreatment ? Look at other countries where Tamils are very well established and have no checkpoint issues. As opposed to Eelam in France or Germany or UK, Canada is the best option.
I would very much LOVE to establish Elam in Canada as opposed to those rain deprived desolate lands of Sri Lanka. I have always thought we made a huge mistake by asking for that area in Sri Lanka and not the hill capital[Kandy/ N’Eliya/ Bandarawela] where the best land in Sri Lanka is and most are brethren live and work. Let us not be too stupid again. Let us not make the same mistakes.
If we want a separate state this time it has to be in Canada. Just look at the political power we have there. Do you think we can ever have such in Sri Lanka ? Can we even think of blocking a railway station in Sri Lanka ? Come on, let us learn from the mistakes of the past. At least now let us ask for a proper place in a country that truly appreciates us.
We need not even say Canada here we come cause we are already there and are well established.
@Nayagan
Elam in second life is one of the best ideas that I have heard so far.
After all their currency is just as good as any other and space is not a problem at all.
Why has this not been done yet ?????
it’s simple; if you don’t understand a particular word, get a dictionary or use google’s handy “define: xxx” function
if you’re simply not worldly enough and don’t get the references, that’s your fault for reading a link-less comment and expecting blog post-level due diligence in substantiation.
not sure whether this is in jest or not but if this is a lame attempt to smoke out Tiger lovers, you’ve certainly come to the wrong address. Tamil nationalists are idiots. Eelamists are idiots. If i could throw them into the same basket for analytical purposes, I would do so and with relish. the problem is that it’s not so neat. The nationalists are generally old doddering pacifists with memories of a robust, uber-tamil youth. The Eelamists are their younger drinking buddies at family gatherings, unable to speak up due to familial hierarchies but yearning for a chance to show the insufficient revolutionary cred of their older, effectively Lupron’d relatives.
Quebec couldn’t survive on it’s own and neither could Texas. The benefits we all derive from the global movements of labor and capital cease to exist for pariah nations that are cut off by the IC.
Thank you for the sage advice. I do understand big words (benefit of a university education and all that), well at least most of them. It’s just that when they are strung together nonsensically it becomes a bit tough to comprehend. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that I just haven’t reached the atmospheric levels of intelligence that you have reached, so cannot understand what the point is in your comment. Hope the air is not too thin up in that socioeconomic ivory tower of yours.
N … hehe. Kudos!
Hmm, looks like that “define: xxx” function’s gonna be in heavy use. What did dialogue ever achieve, eh?
i dialog with people who don’t describe my writing as “pseudo intellectual gibberish” as N did above. If you think i’m wrong, say so, but don’t so stupid as to assume that I also think my stuff is sheer gibberish and necessitates further explanation. Either you end up condescending to me or yourself.
Nagayan, Nagayan….
I believe my first question with regard to your comment was what the exact point of it was. Now if you were a proponent of dialog as you claim to be, you would have simply clarified what your comment meant. Instead your response was ‘can you read?’ Now one does not have to be an Ivy League grad to figure out who was condescending in that exchange.
Note I have no personal gripe with you. From reading your blog you do not seem much crazier than the majority of us, if a bit more high-blown than the average blogger (but then every blogger is entitled to their own conceits within their own blogs). Your comments however do mostly smack of a self masturbatory desire to utilize flowery, convoluted arguments with tenuous analogies to get your point across. Cloaking your points in gratuitous prose might be pretty, however it isn’t exactly conducive to dialog. Much less when you assume anyone who requests clarification of you is so simian that they cannot read.
I’m generally not condescending, however being condescended to and dealing with emotional, pedantic, ‘off-the-hip’ comments (and here I do not necessarily mean yours) does tend to bring out the sarcasm in me.
and your point being…?
That your assertion that you ‘dialog’ with people is a falsehood (see now that wasn’t too hard was it).
where did I assert that I was interested in ‘dialog’ with anyone? This is a discourse–something that is composed of many voices speaking simultaneously. I will not lay my coat across a puddle so that your shiny batas of protocol may remain dry and clean.
Thank you again for the tenuous analogy…maybe it’s a metaphor (I’m not even sure what a shiny batas is) but the readers can decide for themselves.
As for where you qualify the conditions where you do not ‘dialog’ with people, your mouse should have a small scroll wheel. Turn it away from you and scroll up the page. You can’t miss it.
Now as fun as it is to bait what appears to be a pre-teen who has read a lot but comprehended little, I must alas get back to something more productive, if less entertaining. Thanks for the amusement. No hard feelings…really:)
yes, David Blacker is me. That’s how I introduced the word ‘dialog’ to the conversation.
i certainly hope SL has sharper minds than yours to draw upon in the coming years. Sarah Palin in a sari can’t save SL.
Sigh…sometimes I can’t help myself. ‘Many voices speaking simultaneously’ is not a discourse…that would be gibberish. Try listening to a crowd sometime. Now take note, a discourse is a verbal interchange of ideas as in a conversation (does everyone else have a mic but me?), a dialog(ue) is a conversation between two or more people (though some definitions limit this to two people) or an exchange of ideas and opinions (see I did finally figure out that “define:xxx” feature).
My original question to you (use that scroll button again) was just between me and you. You decided to not ‘dialog’ before I described your writing as “pseudo intellectual gibberish.” Yet you advised Blacker that you do in fact “dialog” with people as long as they don’t characterize what you write as “pseudo intellectual gibberish.” Yet you got defensive and condescending just on the basis that I requested clarification.
To end this pedantic essay, we return to my salient point:
That your assertion that you ‘dialog’ with people is a falsehood (see above for full explanation).
While you come up with another specious, flowery response to this, I’m going to go dye my hair red, get me some ‘fuck me’ glasses and an appropriately bright sari (thank you for that suggestion, since I don’t even have to shave my legs) in the hopes for running for office in Sri Lanka.
ok, as my feminist friends inform me, i’ve monopolized a space where women can speak freely.
also been somewhat of an ass. my apologies. and my coat is available when needed.
i’d adjust your estimates of my age and comprehension level upwards. you never know, we could bump into each other someday and i’d hate for you feel like a lech or a predator. And no you can’t verify it by running to the last bastion of status-whores, facebook, as I do not have a profile.
one question, do you regard “and you’re point being” as a respectful way to ask for clarification or is it rather a way to avoid posing a direct question, absent complaints about style and tone, that betrays misunderstanding of the ‘confusing’ comment itself?
if you simply said, “do you mean xxxx” it’s far more clear than you’re not being a flippant glibster than saying, “have fun in your windy tower.” if you’re unsure of the author’s intentions, exegesis is not necessary, but a direct question would help immensely.
also, ‘Nagayan’ doesn’t have a meaning in Tamil. “Nayagan,” however, does. Try looking it up sometime.
Not now son, its too early in the day.. When its dark or if you cannot see, skin colour makes no difference- Sinhalese & Tamils look almost the same except for moustaches
Eelam or not we’re all the same to the rest of world if we just let them be
Virtual Tamil Ezzazahm.. (not sure what it is anymore)
Definitions of virtual on the Web: [as per Nayagan’s advice]
virtual(a): being actually such in almost every respect; “a practical failure”; “the once elegant temple lay in virtual ruin”
virtual(a): existing in essence or effect though not in actual fact; “a virtual dependence on charity”; “a virtual revolution”; “virtual reality”
It would have been interesting to see how an independent Tamil Eelam would have fared. Would the world have eventually recognized its legitimacy as a sovereign nation? If yes, how would that have altered the regional geopolitical balance? How would a so-called Tamil Eelam have fared economically? Could it have generated enough investment to put itself above subsistence level? It would have been interesting, purely from an observational point of view, to watch these things unfolding. I suppose that now we shall never know.