honestly, this map is ridiculous. At least they left Unawatuna for the other races. Via peeveeads
I try to read stuff from the Tamil diaspora and local Tamils about how they feel. Many of the concerns I share, but some I think are actually a bit racist and undemocratic. Sri Lanka is still a multi-ethnic society, but a lot of what I read lately is about Tamil nationalism and Tamil self-determination along racial lines. As in, there’s nothing there to speak to people who may not be Tamil, or are perhaps only Tamil speaking, or who are just human. I guess where I differ is that I want reconciliation and harmony within Sri Lanka.
Whatever is wrong with Sri Lanka, no one is calling for a Sinhala state. This may be the appearance or effect of some misguided policies, and I don’t deny that minorities get shafted in many ways. However, no one is calling for a Sinhala state. This is rightly called Sinhala chauvinism. In fact, the constitution and all major policy speeches are pretty clear about inclusion of all races. In practice, however, it is more difficult to get proper service in Tamil at a copshed or whatever and Tamils are disproportionately checked. However, the thing is not rotten at its core.
However, many Tamil voices are still calling for a separate along racial lines. To quote Mr. R. Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group (in TamilNet).
“Tamil militancy was a part of the political struggle of the Tamil people to achieve the right to self-determination in the traditional homeland of the Tamil people in the northeast. The Sri Lanka government says that the armed struggle has been completely defeated. But the political struggle of Tamil people would go on till the legitimate political aspirations of the Tamil people are achieved,”
Furthermore, to quote Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian.
“The real intention of Mr Rajapakse is to crush the Tamil struggle, Tamil Nationalism and leave the Tamils with nothing. The government tries to present a picture of Tamils wishing to live along with the Sinhalese, and the UPFA uses this now as a deplorable election gimmick, he further said.
Well, what? Tamil people don’t want to live with the Sinhalese? Why not? Tamil people I meet don’t seem exactly averse to, like, talking to me. Isn’t the northeast of Sri Lanka my home too? Can’t I visit there or even settle down if I want to? Should my race keep me out of any part of this island? Should the Tamil race keep anyone out of the south?
I honestly don’t get it. I think all races on this island can work together towards common, human, Sri Lankan goals. Better governance, less corruption, better education, healthcare, etc. I think we’d all benefit from full implementation of our constitution and language policies. I think regional autonomy for any region under the 13th amendment is good. I mean, it’s cool for any province to be able to control its own police force and have some local power, but it’s not necessarily a racial issue.
I can’t get away with calling for Sinhala Nationalism or Sinhala-only issues, I would be considered racist and quite rude by my multi-ethnic family and friends. Why is it OK for Tamils? Or, to put it simply, can’t we all get along? Does it really have to be about race? Can’t it be about the more important issues we have in common as Sri Lankans and human beings?
what Sri Lanka needs is multi ethnic marriages. No Sinhala youth should ever be able to marry another and same for Muslims , Tamils and Burgers.
The people who call for this are probably the remnants of the Tiger supporters and therefore extreme. However, as long as they advocate their cause through the democratic process they should be allowed to do so.
The post conflict situation is a mess. If you read the Daily News you may notice the Government has a Truth and Reconciliation Process that, on a daily basis for the past two months, has been cataloguing the crimes of the LTTE.
I blogged on how polarised the communities have become, it is now a lot worse.
http://jestforkicks.blogspot.com/2008/07/polarisation.html
What ur talking about is the Migrant/Colonial mindset of the Tamils.. They have being trying to colonize SL for 2000+ years.. To put it in simple terms they want the whole island for themselves.. The best scenario for a multi ethnic SL (Sinhala + Muslim ) is to get rid of these Jaffna Tamils and relocate them to where they came from
Tamil Eelam is racist to begin with. A mono-ethnic state for Tamils, created to segregate Tamils from other ethnic groups, as a solution to discriminatory laws that existed 60 years ago. Does it make any sense to you?
Every argument for a Tamil state is backed by extremist agendas.
I see you are blithely ignoring comrade Mahinda’s bold vision of a future absent miring in long-ago racial politics. Forget the past, move on!
Tamils I have come crossed have deferent views about Tamil-Problems. Some do like above map and some don’t and others in-between. Whatever their approach to “Tamil Problem” is, as they rightfully talk about Tamil-Problems, I feel they always brush aside all other common issues we have in this country, which are real nasty issues everyone have to face including Tamils, as those problems belong to “Sinhalese Government” (or any other similar term) and refuse to take any part of it like somehow they do not belong in this society. The maximum sacrifice they are willing to make to be with rest of the Sri Lankans so far, is a federal solution, which again base on the basic principle of separation. I don’t know the reason for this. It may be a vicious circle, or maybe they are shamed to be with us. Whatever the reason it may be breaking this cycle is always in the advantage of Tamils in Sri Lanka first, may be by producing a Tamil leader who others can feel that they can depend on also, such as Kadirgamar.
Yes. I think it is better to forget the past and move on.
@acromantula oh my god no, that misrepresents the great majority of reasonable Tamils, including my friends.
I think all Sri Lankan people have their own biases, but overall we have more in common
It’s strange. The short history of Sri Lanka is littered, from very early on, with anti-Tamil violence and discrimination. And now people are wondering why some Tamils have gone to the extreme of not wanting anything to do with the rest of Sri Lanka? Isn’t that a natural reaction to feeling persecuted?
A good portion of the people of Quebec have wanted to separate since Canadian confederation, and they are granted extensive powers under a federal system and all sorts of other preferential treatment that would be unthinkable in Sri Lanka. You think a group that has faced and continues to face outright and sustained discrimination is going to demand something different?
Look at what acromantula said in this very thread – send a group of tamils ‘back to where they came from’. Does that sound familiar to you?
Separation isn’t practicable, but to impugn the very thought of it is a bit mindless. There’s a reason that people advocate for this, there’s a reason that people went to war for it, and it’s rooted in real discrimination. 60 years of strife – Sri Lanka might not be rotten to the core, but you will forgive some Tamils for thinking that most of the fruit they’ve been given is spoiled and ought to be thrown away.
And this: “Whatever is wrong with Sri Lanka, no one is calling for a Sinhala state.”
Maybe they don’t have to anymore.
You’ve raised a very good point in this post, indica.
Myself being a Tamil, I’m finding that I’m being treated much better than before…there is less hassle at checkpoints and I don’t feel insecure anymore when going to areas which have a fairly bigger proportion of sinhala people. My dad, while coming by train from Trinco to Colombo said that nearly all of the train stations on the way had the name of the train station in Tamil as well, which is a welcome development.
However, like someone has said in the Sunday Times yesterday, for Tamil people to truly feel comfortable with the government administration services, it will take at least another 20 or 30 years as it will be by then that more Sinhala people will be able to learn Tamil…so it’s all a gradual process…
However, like you say, there are a fair number of people who are still thinking about a mono-ethnic state…
This is from a Tamil to all Tamils….This guy, Mahinda, seems to have some serious balls and does really seem to want to give equal status for Tamils…I can clearly see the reason for him wanting to get a second term b4 implementing anything as, like my Dad said, he would want to have some continuation rather than seeing his hard work disrupted in the even that he gets defeated in 2012, when his first term ends…so let’s give him a chance…
Peace 4 all!
// It’s strange. The short history of Sri Lanka is littered, from very early on, with anti-Tamil violence and discrimination. And now people are wondering why some Tamils have gone to the extreme of not wanting anything to do with the rest of Sri Lanka? Isn’t that a natural reaction to feeling persecuted?//
The same argument can be made otherwise too. (But won’t be productive) It very well may be a vicious circle. The (harsh?) relativity is not been wanted to do anything with rest of the country, may be for the benefit of Tamils if LTTE succeeded, but since it is not the case, this is not in benefit anymore to everyone. (When Tamils lose, others loose too.) By the way I don’t think Tamil need forgiveness nor should they ask such. (It is not productive either.)
// ‘back to where they came from’// This attitude is exactly in line with above too. Root principle is the same. isn’t it?
I’ve never been a fan of nationalism (in general) or separatism in Sri Lanka, especially one based on an idea of mono-ethnicity. However, I feel that you are falling into a rationale trap that many people have as well: that Tamil aspirations = Tamil nationalism = Tamil separatism
Thereby, by addressing Tamil aspirations, you’re giving Tamils a stepping stone to Eelam.
Firstly, nation and state are not the same thing. To quote wiki,
Nation: refers to a group of people who feel bound into a single body by shared culture, values, folkways, religion and/or language.
Sate: refers to a patch of land with a sovereign government.
The essence of multiculturalism is that diversity and cultural divisions are accepted into the demographic composition within a state… I personally think that within the concept of Sri Lanka being a multicultural society, it can accept more than one nation of people into the state. The other option would be for minorities to assimilate into the majority. & the more a group of people feel that their way of life is threatened, the more they will cling onto their sense of identity (thereby increasing nationalism). I think, as Tamils feel more secure in Sri Lanka, more of their “aspirations” will be met, and nationalist sentiment will decline.
Also, you stated:
“I can’t get away with calling for Sinhala Nationalism or Sinhala-only issues… Why is it OK for Tamils?”
Racial minorities can make issues about race that majorities can’t with the same impunity… that’s just the way that hegemony/counter-hegemony works.
but you have to ask yourself, who has the power in this situation? Kanna and Ponna or MPs who are not tamil nationalists. How many non-tamil nation MPs exist v. pro tamil nationa MPs? How will you become the George Will of SL if you don’t have at least a few complaints about acceptable rhetoric coming from non-strawman sources? (I’m entirely sympathetic to the gripe itself but not to characterizing it’s import as any more than nothing–after all, my neighbors can fly a confederate flag and claim ‘heritage” while I can’t even get a little swastika tattoo! The injustice!)
yes, yes, the balls hang low but how bout a ball-park estimate of some results?
The harsh facts that Tamil extremists/nationalists can’t seem to admit to is that Tamils form about 12% of the entire country’s population – and that is mostly where the issues stem from.
A minority is a minority, by definition. People complain about the language issues (and mind you, there was never a policy called ‘Sinhala Only’). In 1956 it was called the National Language policy or some such that gave prominence to Sinhalese, and that is what everyone talks about. Less than five years later in 1959, Tamil was made the OFFICIAL administrative language of the North & East provinces. How come the Tamil nationalists never remember that?
Most Sinhalese can’t understand why a 12% minority had such an issue learning the language the rest of the country spoke.
And even present day issues about public admin officers – like the guys at the cop shed who don’t speak Tamil – if more Tamils joined the civil service, we wouldn’t have this issue. There was a time when Tamil doctors protested at them being posted to Jaffna – though it was done precisely to accommodate the language barriers that a Sinhalese serving there would have created. How do you explain to the average Sunil that he needs to learn the language of 12% of the people to serve them better, while they do not wish to learn the language of the rest of the country, or even join the civil service to serve his own people better?
Further, it is this nonsense of ‘traditional homelands’ that gets a Sinhalese on the defensive, speaking of shipping people back to Tamil Nadu. After all, Tamil Nadu would be the traditional homeland concept, taken a few more hundred years into the past, right?
Yes, the Sinhalese are no angels themselves, but the starting point would be for everyone to realize the facts: a minority cannot be a majority, or demand majority treatment. Likewise the majority (Acromantula?) need to realise that no minority, will be ‘shipped back to where they came from’.
But the above map, and those who advocate ‘traditional homelands’ are just full of crap. Anyone who wants to be relocated to their traditional homelands, or wanting a federal state based on ‘traditional’ ethnic balances should be shipped all the way back to Africa, because that being where Lucy’s bones were found, would be the ultimate traditional homeland.
“The short history of Sri Lanka is littered from very early on with anti- Tamil violence and discrimination. There is a valid reason why people advocate for separatism, why people went to war for it. It is rooted in real discrimination. Has faced and continues to face outright and sustained discrimination. It is mindless to impugn the very thought of it. Because it is the natural reaction to being and feeling persecuted. How can a group who has faced this type of organised, sustained, outright discrimination demand something different? ”
You have won me over to the cause of separatism. This is the power of impassioned writing. Please clarify, elaborate on and describe the out right and sustained discrimination and persecution taking place over 60 years so that I can pour even more of my soul into the cause.
In an earlier Indi post I made the same request; describe the historical persecution/discrimination of Tamils. The answers I got were 1) Quota system for Universities 2) Colonisation 3) Language Which don’t stand up to even superficial scrutiny as discrimination/persecution.
Please answer me. I am dying to know. And don’t try to muddy the waters by citing LTTE generated side effects. I am talking about the discrimination/persecution that drove them to arms.
Ratnmawalli
In a word : 1983
Before that the militant movement was miniscule, with little wide support.
after 1983, the anger generated turned into support for the miltancy and it grew to become a self-feeding proposition.
The militancy is now over, for the moment, but the momentum of the movement still echos. If this momentum finds nothing to crystallise against, it will eventually die out. Poor treatment of the displaced, colonisation and garrisoning of the land, land grabs, these are powerful sources of anger around which the forces can cluster and grow again. Remove the sources of irritation, fear or anger and things will subside.
Of course you may also subscribe to the other theory that the Tamils are a war-like predatory people who have throughout history attacked the Sinhala nation quite unprovoked and will do so at moment now if given half a chance.
’56 riots, ’58 riots, ’77 riots, ’83 riots – those are just the most overt, violent examples. Between and underlying those incidents is a history of simmering racial unrest.
I’m not advocating separation or violence, I don’t think either are practical or advantageous. I’m saying it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that some Tamil people want to separate.
Anon I am not trying to make light of 1983. But is 1983 the the out right and sustained discrimination/persecution that Tamils have faced and continue to face that Pants was talking about? How does the word ‘sustained’ fit 1983? JR Jayawardena fancied himself a strategist. I mean everyone called the 80 year old darling a Machiavellian strategist. That was like his USP. Very natural. I suppose when one is an 80 year old president there’s not many positioning statements to choose from and ‘Machiavellian Strategist’ must have seemed very fitting. But sadly he believed in his own hype. When the Tamil militants killed those 13 soldiers, unleashing terror on the Tamil people living here must have seemed a very Mac thing to do. A reminder, a warning to militants ; don’t dance too much we have hostages. A very sherif of nottingham thing to do. A method tried and tested by many medieval European Governments to keep jews from pestering the said governments too much about the loans they owed.
1983 showed once and for all that JR was a doddering old fool entertaining Machiavellian fantasies. But 1983 also showed something else. It showed the natural human bond between the Tamils and the Sinhalese. In the many instances where the Sinhalese general public saved and sheltered the Tamils and also in the many instances where the Sinhalese living and doing business in Jaffna and the North were saved and sheltered from the ‘boys’ and sent to safety by the Tamils it was shown once and for all that whatever the State machinery in the hands of a doddering fool may do, Sri Lanka was one Nation in which Tamils were a National minority.
Have you thought why compared to India Sri Lanka has much less inter-racial tension? Why after repeated questions people like Pants are unable to cite specific, documented cases of sustained, out right discrimination, even though they can make sweeping statements about persecution? Truth is in spite of everything, in spite of a thirty year War the potential for integration was not diminished. During the war how many stories of racial tension between the Tamils and Sinhalese living and working together in the South did you hear? While the war was going on the south that is the GOSL controlled areas were a sanctuary for Tamils. The Sinhalese and the Tamils lived together, worked together, slept with each other married each other. The war did not cast its shadow on any of these activities.
Now the war is over all sorts of characters seem to be coming out of the woodwork to say that integration is not possible, was never possible, has never been possible, will never be possible. People where were you while the war was going on sleeping?
There is little legislated discrimination. On paper all have equal rights. In day to day application these rights may not be the same.
As I said the militancy became a thing of itself and fed on itself. However since the election of 2005, day to day discrimination at the hands of officials have increased or at least been perceived as such.
The war was fought on the basis that all Tamils are terrorists until proven otherwise. Mass scale roundups, detentions etc have bred anger and fear. Where is the documentation ? There is very little because those who try to document find themselves either killed, attacked and intimidated into silence. The press reports nothing so all seems tickety boo, but enough stories travel around to keep the minorities afraid. When there is suspicion and a lack of trust, increased opacity in government actions will only feed this further.
If these things end then things might work out, but so far there are no signs of any easing.
The official policy on minorities has been stated often enough: that they will be tolerated as guests, with no rights as such. many will try to keep quiet and live within these parameters, but the young and the ambitious will leave.
Instances of discrimination that I have come across, off the top of my head.:
One couple who were looking around to rent a house, discussion went quite well in a number of instances but when the surname was mentioned were politely told, we do rent to Tamils.
A small time businessman who sells to state corporations complains that it is more difficult to sell, when a Tamil is involved. he tries to put his partners name in front but that is difficult.
Company’s that refuse to hire Tamils. (In this case it was apparently a US (white) investor, who was terrified of having a terrorist in his midst. It was his Sinhala partner who told us that as policy they don’t recruit Tamils.
To be told, at old boys mettings by former classmates that you are ok, you are from Colombo and not a real Tamil but its the other buggesr that we are worried about (the experience of another friend)
Special Permits needed to enter Western Province, more permits needed to leave the province, the need to be registered by the police. The repeated calls for universal registration at http://www.citizens.lk – people keep worrying about why they need to keep doing it.
Then people getting picked up at random and held in detention and asked to “confess” to being terrorists, repeated raids in the middle of the night to search for terrorists, the routine suspicion at checkpoints, questions on “any Tamils here?”.
Most of this is post 2005, CBK on the whole had some regard for democratic process, but until changes to this are seen on the ground and to be frank there is nothing so far to suggest that anything will change, it will be more difficult for minorities to live. Not impossible, but uneasy.
Separate state? To call for one is a waste of time so no cries for this locally (only the diaspora will call for it) But migration – yes.
sorry “do not rent to Tamils”
There never has been a call for a Sinhalese state. Of course the youth in the south sacrificed their lives in 1000s to fight discrimination against the poor. Plus the majority of the Tamils hate the idea of a separate Tamil state where they have to pay the proper income tax and where their children will be recruited to the military.
“Anyone who wants to be relocated to their traditional homelands, or wanting a federal state based on ‘traditional’ ethnic balances should be shipped all the way back to Africa, because that being where Lucy’s bones were found, would be the ultimate traditional homeland.” – above comment.
Good one Nadia!! Very true, and we need to take this a bit further. Concepts including identity, nation, ethnicity and homeland are painted as gospel but are all false and the causes of all violence in the world. Anyone who speaks for these concepts needs to bear in mind that they are spreading violence. I am Sri Lankan Sinhalese … hang on, I am not, I am just Sri Lankan …. hang on, I am not, I am just Asian …. hang on, I am not, I am just … Human, like everyone else.
It takes a generation to adjust to a change in language. It is also a little pointless, English has never really left most businesses, but the standard has deteriorated due to the lack of teaching.
The language change also changes the balance of economic and political power. As Machiavelli pointed out, changing the status quo is hazardous.
Once upon a time indi wrote a post ‘Six Questions for Tamils’ . Replying to a comment made by me questioning discrimination of Tamils he wrote
“Now unfortunately constitutional rights fall under the umbrella of undue things. This includes freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom from torture, the right to equality and freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention and punishment. My friend walking the street in Colombo does not have the later right (under our infinite Emergency Law) and he knows he does not have the others. Emergency applies to us all but it falls disproportionately on Tamils.”
And I replied
” I agree with Indi that in the sense he means tamil people do not have equal rights. When it comes to freedom of movement, freedom from harrassment and freedom from undue arrest, freedom from being unjustly detained there are grave violations. These are symptoms and complications of that malignant tumour terrorism. Now that has been miraculously cured these symptoms should gradually dissappear. If they don’t that means there’s a tumour growing somewhere else. If there is let us hope it can be destroyed before it grows malignant.”
Please don’t think this comment quoting shows I think that I am an oracle but just to show what I feel about what you are talking about.
Of course to the individual Tamil who is suffering these it’s no comfort to be told that it’s nothing personal these are just side effects and symptoms of terrorism/war/war against terrorism. This needs to change.
As you say if these things end things might work out. I can’t quite agree with “But so far there are no signs of any easing up..” It is my general and intuitive understanding that things are easing up and that things want to ease up. But of course an impartial activist/monitor would know better. The key word here is impartial. Because the Sri Lankan scene has been turned into such a hall of mirrors by vested interests. There is mileage to be had in trying to show that things are not working out ” Gee fellows we tried living with them for 60 years. It is not working. So why don’t you step in… ”
But I know that you are not a vested interest but a seeker of truth just like me. But sometimes you make me wonder such as when you say,
“The official policy on minorities has been stated often enough: that they will be tolerated as guests, with no rights as such. Many will try to keep quiet and live within these parameters, but the young and the ambitious will leave.”
Who the hell stated this? “Show me him and I will have his head” But seriously there has not been such a statement. If you meet any of the Many who will try to keep quite and live within these parameters, tell them not to be such ninnies. Life was not meant to be lived that way. Any way no such guest parameters have been laid officially or unofficially. And if you come across any of the young and ambitious who will leave tell them that we are sad but.. but.. they could stay. There are many young and ambitious who are staying and who have been away but are coming back.
The couple who decided not to rent to Tamils?. They have probably been scared by those many instances when people rented to someone and he or she blew themselves up or shot someone leading to endless interrogation and aggravation by the authorities. People who rent houses are usually a timid lot. But now the possibility of blowing up has hopefully gone, give these landlord couples a chance,what’d’ya say? I personally knew many Sinhalese who continued to rent to Tamils throughout the war.
“A small time businessman who sells to state corporations complains that it is more difficult to sell, when a Tamil is involved. He tries to put his partners name in front but that is difficult” This is serious. Despite the significant presence of Tamils in key government positions, big business, trade industry and multi national corporations this happens? I can only say that this must be a freak pocket that your small time businessman has run into and not the general trend. Same with your US investor. I hope.
Of course in old boys meetings people will say anything including so and so’s wife/girlfriend is a whore. But how can you base anything on what people say? While the war was going on almost everybody I met used to say the boys were fighting for a cause. The army was fighting for pay. But now rooting for the boys has become unfashionable.
“Poor treatment of the displaced, colonization and garrisoning of the land, land grabs, these are powerful sources of anger around which the forces can cluster and grow again”
That word again. That word which keeps popping up almost stealthily. Colonization. Poor treatment of the displaced, land grabs. Evil, nasty things yes. Things a government shouldn’t indulge in unless it was self destructive. Garrisoning too hardly contributes to the residential character of a neighborhood and can be a powerful source of anger. Though I fear it may be a necessary evil at least in the immediate future.
But colonization? How can you colonize a part of your own country? What you mean by colonization is the following right? In the north and the east like in other remote provinces there are bare unused acres of government land. In order to this land will be utilized in irrigation projects like the Mahaweli. In this process this land will be distributed among the people of this country so that they can live in and cultivate the land and become the wheels of economic development. This involves granting of land to and the settling of people from away. This is bad? The demographic sanctity of the homelands will be violated? Will be an invasion of Sinhalese into Tamil territory? Changing the status quo is hazardous?
In that Six question for Tamils post I wrote a long comment about colonisation which nobody replied to. Once again not because I am some sort of authority or oracle but someone looking for answers I will quote that comment hoping someone will correct me if I am wrong
“Colonization it is a strong word but its used everywhere to describe the way in which successive governments have moved Sinhala people away and out of the south and into areas that previously had a high concentration of Tamils”
Azrael you are obviously referring to irrigation schemes like the Mahaweli, Galoya and etc implemented by successive governments to drive economic development. Under these, new settlements were indeed established in the Eastern province. These settlements were established on unpeopled land. Nor were any Tamil people displaced and chased away in the establishment of these settlements. Indeed as far as I know race was not a factor in granting land in these settlements.
What exactly is the right violated here? The right of the Tamil people to live in demographically homogenous areas segregated from the Sinhalese people? You don’t mean this do you? Do you? ‘Course not. Had me worried there for a second.
No what you mean I think is the changing the demography. You see the changing of demography in the East as diluting a powerbase of the Tamil people in the democratic process. And territory and traditional homelands come into it somewhere too don’t they? An invasion by the Sinhala State into Tamil territory?
Demography is a very sensitive issue? Especially if you are a minority? More especially if you are a demographically doomed minority? Colonization is yet another nail in the coffin of their demographic doom? Am I right here or am I raving?
Can I take it that you consider changing the demography of the Eastern province by settling Sinhala people there constitutes a Tamil rights violation? That the demographic sanctity of the North and the East should be preserved at all costs.
Could I make a suggestion here? You should form a club. All you people who believe in demographic sanctity. You could have headquarters right next door to the ‘lets keep our pedigrees pure without contamination by common stock’ club. The purpose of this club would be to bemoan the loss of demographic sanctity. Membership would include but not be restricted to
1. Those who moan about the loss of demographic sanctity of the central province with the settlement of migrant Tamil labour in the heart of the ancient Kandyan kingdom. A state sponsored colonization
2. Those who moan about how the demography of the East changed to the detriment of the Sinhala interest when the Dutch brought over and settled in the eastern province Tamil labour from India for tobacco cultivation. Yet another state sponsored colonization
3. Those who moan about how the demography of the north was changed drastically by successive south Indian invasions and occupations
4. All those who moan about the demographic upheavals that have taken place in the western province since Independence that have for example almost made the Sinhalese into a minority in Colombo
5. Those who moan about the demographic changes that happened in the Eastern province due to land grant/settlement schemes under the above irrigational projects.
The entire membership is accursed. What does it matter if the demography changes? There is no demographic sanctity worth preserving. There never has been and never will be. Demography changes. It is natural, desirable and wonderful. In dealing with it, it helps to take the cosmic perspective. One people occupy a pocket of land on the planet Earth, leave their imprint on it and move away. Another people take their place. Then another. They all enrich the land, the memory and create the rich epic that we call history.
In the last analysis race is nothing but an accident of birth. Once you decide that this country should remain as one and it is not a decision that should be taken because the LTTE has been defeated and there’s no choice but on the basis that even if there were currently in existence ten LTTEs it would have been morally and historically right that it should remain one country, then you should accept that every Sri Lankan has equal territorial rights to all parts of Sri Lanka.
The right to maintain an inviolate, sacred demography within any area of the country is not a right any race should have. If you believe that you will believe anything. Including in Sri Lanka there are Tamil areas and all the rest are multicultural areas.
On the position of the minorities it was SF who said it most famously but there were others who said much the same.
http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2008/9/32834_space.html
Depends on how the colonisation is done.
Develop land and allow anyone to settle – that is ok and quite harmless. As long as it is people responding to incentives open to all no problem, provided it is done on state land.
Taking Sinhalese only, and doing so purely with intention of alerting the demographic balance – that will be resented and and I think it is wrong.
I agree.
I wrote a comment on groundviews about this, which I will repeat here for your benefit.
I think the issues with “colonization” in the north or east goes beyond demographic changes or land allocation; other resources are also disproportionately distributed, and this could be construed as being based on ethnicity.
One example is when the government promoted the farming of sugar cane in the east, the opportunities and benefits largely went to Sinhalese farmers. As a cash crop, this was not only more profitable but also used more water than paddy cultivation. As Sinhalese farmers also given lands closer to the water source, their presence directly effected the agricultural output and profits of Tamil and Muslim farmers. (Source: http://tinyurl.com/kpyb4g)
A recent UTHR report states that the navy are helping ‘Sinhalese’ fishermen fish in the Mannar seas, with direct detrimental consequences to local Tamil and Muslim fishermen and their property. whilst local fisherman have to work under many restrictions, these restrictions allegedly do not apply to ‘Sinhalese’ fishermen. (Source: http://tinyurl.com/nxshre)
These ethnic divisions appear to be supported by state institutions, so it little wonder the communities that are negatively effected are unable to move beyond ethnic divisions, and choose to complain about their grievances through ethnic constructs as well.
Thanks for the links ayshya. The International Crisis Group Report spotlights a large, rotten can of worms. But they themselves don’t seem able to rise above the worms as evidenced by the some of the recommendations made by them.
Ensure economic development in the East is equitable and inclusive and perceived as such by all communities by
Making a public commitment not to allow development to alter significantly the existing ethnic balance of the province
NGOs like the Crisis Group will impress more if they show themselves to be more worm-proof. How much better if they had said the following instead of the above
Ensure economic development in the East is equitable and inclusive and perceived as such by all communities by
Making a public commitment to de-ethnicise the selection process for the settlements and to ensure that the settlers are ‘people responding to incentives open to all’.
Nice article and great discussions that follow. I have one point to add to this discussion and it addresses the root cause of extremist ideas nurtured by the Tamil Tigers. The point being that ‘Tamil nationalism’ is what most supporters of the Tigers (including Bruce Fein) are trying to achieve and the issue that remains ‘the white elephant in the room’ that no one wants to talk about. This ultimate objective is hidden behind allegations of prosecution (historic and present day) directed towards Sri Lanka (and all Sri Lankans) where a delicate balance between multiple ethnic groups keeps a thriving democracy with many faults granted yet functioning under the unified flag of a sovereign nation. ‘The end justifies the means’ has been the modus operandi for these LTTE supporters where violence and terrorism was used to partition out a nation for Tamils in Sri Lanka. This objective was nearly achieved up until recently and as in the recent case of ‘The republic of Kosovo’ would only have needed a televised declaration of independence and the support from a few UN member states (the Scandanavians have their hands up already) for ‘Elam’ to come into existence and for Sri Lanka to have become ‘two states for two peoples’.
This issue of ‘Tamil Nationalism’ must be addressed as it is not simply going to go away. The way to achieve this can occur in one of two ways; one is to oppose it and to try to integrate every aspect of Tamil culture, language and identity into Sri Lanka. To most degrees many aspects of this already exists in Sri Lanka today but can be ‘overextended’ as in the way of positive affirmative action policies in many western countries that deal with sex and race balancing issues in their societies. This might result in a somewhat different Sri Lanka as we know it today but also result in peace by convincing Tamils that its better to be unified Sri Lankans rather than destroying each other in the pursuit of ‘Elam’.
The second way is to support the idea. To most Tamils in the world ‘Elam’ already exists and is located in the south of India in Tamil Nadu, which even by terminology is defined as ‘Country of the Tamils’. 66million Tamils live self governed in one of the most urbanised, fastest developing and highest literate states in India. If there is ever going to be a sovereign nation for Tamils with strong historic, cultural and economic ties it is going to be here. Sowing the seeds of nationalism and promoting the partitioning off Tamil Nadu from India makes for a compelling case and could potentially solve the problem. Many Indian politicians who promote Tamil Nationalism (and partition of Sri Lanka) and who also lobby the Indian governments involvement in Sri Lanka fail to see the opportunity that lies at their own door step. For Tamil nationalists including the new head of the LTTE KP Tamil Nadu is fertile ground for their ideas to flourish and full of resources to pursue their ultimate objective.
As Sri Lanka moves towards a more promising future this issue is important to keep in mind and worth entertaining as discussion.
I forgot to say why colonisation is a bit more sensitive now- there are no people left in the Wanni.
The areas East of Mannar and West of Trinco and South of Kilinochchi/Elephant Pass is now empty- the only people there are the soldiers. everybody else is either dead or in the camps.
This is a fairly large area of land and only 280,000 people (and that would be still less once the injured/diseased in the camps die) so it is a reasonable proposition to settle people there, provided it is done properly.
AT the moment the military is building a large number of camps in the area and there is talk of the Mahaweli scheme area being extended. I just hope they are not taking over private land.
Those familiar with recent the saga of the Sea Anglers Club will understand full well the Government’s cavalier attitude towards property rights.
As I also mentioned migration is the answer and I think most Tamils do have this in mind. You will notice that the call for nationalism comes from abroad those here are keeping their heads down and mouths shut. Its better not to draw unnecessary attention and keep an eye on the path out.
Hey Indi I really enjoy reading your blog, but I was taken aback and saddened by this one. Mainly I feel that in this blog you fall back into the very lines you have drawn for Tamils; i.e. racial lines. True some Tamils want a separate state, but that could be more easily and generically termed ‘Tamil Separatist Chauvinism.” I think it is rather apparent that the ‘Tamil diaspora’ is not of this sentiment since I am a member of that set and do not call for a seperatist state.
I know I know, it seems this boils down to semantics, but honestly if we are looking for a ‘One Sri Lanka’ which is inclusive, though out all its borders, of any and every person it is important to remember not to create the ‘Other’ by mislabeled stereotypes. It has been clear the Gov has a “pro-Buddhist” (and whether that indirectly refers to an ethnic group or not I care not to speculate at this instance) stance on country politics. Obvious examples being: the heavy handed roles of monks in policy, the Gov casually referring to Sri Lanka as the (not to mention having a president crowned as the Emperor of the) Glorious Land of Buddhism, and the most cumbersome lack of Unitarian gestures by our Gov (Key Point being that this is a Gov that allows its members, without deeply concerning itself, to spend millions on birthdays and travel while Tamils [i.e. ‘Tamils of ethnic origin’ not necessarily ‘Tamils of a Tamil political affiliation’]are living in truly horrific conditions.)
Given the circumstances, I can understand the displeasure of the diaspora. Yes, I still would want a unitary country (though I dont think everyone intermarrying is the only solution) but I see more than enough reasons for the Tamil diaspora to voice its concerns and distrust.
Anyways, please do keep writing. You often have infinite words of wisdom that would cheer up even the worlds greatest heretic in the diaspora :)
The Tamil diaspora is not all the same, a lot are my friends and most I know are pretty reasonable. There are a few vocal ones who, quite frankly, offend and scare me, but that’s no reason to lumpen the rest.
I understand that the diaspora is displeased and I think they have many valid reasons. However, I think working positively with all races of Sri Lanka is a better way to work them out. But again, I apologize for any offence to Tamil diasporals in general.
Also Tamils are no longer 12% of teh population, my guess is 5-6%, lets wait for the new census, it will surprise a few. Migration, the war and assimilation (people no longer describing themselves as Tamils are probably the cause).
If you think this map is ridiculous, you should have seen the map of Eelam which the EPRLF used to use in the early 1980s. It included the bits of the hill country with a significant Tamil population, and had a rather contrived chicken neck through Badulla to provide territorial continuity. Militant Tamil separatism was never known for its pragmaticism.
Indi trust is something you earn, not something you force upon a people. After the war the government have done Nothing in recent past that would show sign of trust. No matter how much you argue of being Sri Lankan, end of the day its just two different people, culture and there language. May be they should just bring back English so each race can at least have a language to communicates to each other.
– Poobalan
Tamils are an even smaller minority in India – 5-6% of the population at most. If we had been given the sort of linguistic and cultural rights and recognition they have in India, there wouldn’t have been any ethnic conflict at all. So to keep putting the problem at the doorstep of the minority is ridiculous and factually wrong. The majority in Sri Lanka has not shown the willingness to make concessions like the majority in India. If we’re going to talk about the mistakes made in the past, there’s plenty of blame to go around.
Now that the LTTE are no longer an excuse for either side to hold onto hardline positions, I hope that this will change.
” If we had been given the sort of linguistic and cultural rights and recognition they have in India, there wouldn’t have been any ethnic conflict at all.”
Let me know when you see Tamil language signboards in New Delhi, Air India announcements in Tamil, and when Thai Pongal is a national holiday in India.
They don’t. Instead they have the Indian Supreme Court calls federalism, where each stae gets to choose the language it operates in.
So we can have 13+ and then kick the Tamil language out of the south of the country? Cool.
haha…of course not. The answer was in response to your comment that they don’t have Tamil signs in Delhi. Of course, they couldn’t have signs in dozens of languages could they? Instead, they protect linguistic rights using a different model – federalism. There’s no simple clear cut analogy with Sri Lanka silly. You’re talking about a country with thousands of languages and dialects spoken within it.
Sure, they don’t have Tamil signs in Delhi, but equally for the most part they don’t have Hindi signs in Tamil nadu (railway stations used to be the only exception when I lived there as a child, don’t know if things have changed). They don’t have a Tamil news bulletin on the TV in Delhi, fair enough, but they also don’t have a Hindi news bulletin in Tamil nadu. Forget the provincial government, even central government offices in Tamil nadu aren’t bound by the rules on the use of Hindi which apply everywhere else in India. This was all part of the deal India made in the 60’s to end Tamil separatism. So the quid pro quo for kicking Tamil out of the south as you propose would be to kick Sinhala out of the North and East.
Anyway, you’re missing the point of my comparison. Maybe another example will make it clear. The name “Tamil nadu” was the name which the separatists gave the independent country they wanted. India passed the Sixteenth Amendment to its constitution (the counterpart of our very own Sixth Amendment, but a lot less draconian) to put an end to Tamil secessionism, but it then also renamed its Tamil-majority province “Tamil nadu”. Is there any chance that Sri Lanka will re-merge the Northeast and call it Tamil Eelam? The majority in India was prepared to go that far to accomodate Tamil demands.
That was what I meant when I said that there wouldn’t have been an ethnic conflict at all if Sri Lanka had treated us in the way India treated its Tamils, and that the majority haven’t shown anything like the willingness to compromise that the Indians did.
the best argument of all: sovereignty and territorial integrity for ME but not for THEE…you dirty lalus….
What a lot of people don’t seem to understand or accept about our ethnic issue is because they lack proper information
Ever since independence Tamils’ have been pushed to a second class position. The following acts clearly show:
*Obliteration of Tamil name boards
*Sinhala only – made Tamils lose jobs in govt admin,military, etc, etc, etc
*Burning of Jaffna Public Library – cultural genocide
*Arresting Tamil youth who put up black flags
*Using sinhala letter SRI for vehicle number plates
*Destroying Hindu Kovils and building Buddhist Temples instead
Then we have the pogroms/riots that killed thousands of Tamils, which goes beyond pushing them to 2nd class
Hence Tamils have called for a separate state to free ourselves from the above mentioned acts. If none of the above took place Tamils would not be calling for a separate state, simple as that.
Well guess what, Tamils waged a war and got owned by the Sinhalese… time for the Tamils to change tracks or end up as even a smaller minority, destitute and living on the welfare of others.