Asoka Weerasinghe.Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 . Canada

May 20, 2009

Hon. David Miliband,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ MP
ForeignƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Secretary
British Parliament
London, UK

Dear David Miliband:

Do you know what, David?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I can wage you a dollar that although your ancestry is Polish and Belgian but somewhere in the cockles of your heart you wish your ancestry had a bowler-hatted pukka sahib who came to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) by boat to manage a tea plantation in the hills of Ceylon, and thought that he was so much superior than the local natives.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And now you want to follow that ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ British pukka sahib family mentalityƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and thrust yourself on Sri Lankans as a periya dorai (Tamil for ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”big princeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢) living in a fancy bungalow in the misty hills of Nuwara Eliya, and at 3 oƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢clock in the afternoon ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ordering the natives with a snap of your fingers to bring you a bowl of strawberries and rhubarb topped with a dollop of a British brand Vanilla ice-cream ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ from Cargills, and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a silver ornate pot of tea to swill it down with a damn good cuppa of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ CeylonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s best Broken Orange Pekoe, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ then ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ lazing yourself on a teak and rattan arm chair dreaming of your Haverstock Comprehensive ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ days sweetheart Linda, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ humming, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”When I go to sleep/I never count sheep/I count all the charms about Linda/ And lately it seems/In all of my dreams/I walk with my arms about LindaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

When I read in The Ottawa Citizen that, David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary has been critical of the Sri Lanka government and saying that there is a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-crying need for an inclusive political settlementƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, in Sri Lanka, I knew thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  you were an arrogant Englishman and a nasty ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ little bugger at that. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ArenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you, David?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Now you talk of a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-crying need for an inclusive political settlementƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ after you British had a divided and rule policy when you colonized Ceylon for 131-years creating a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”wronged majorityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (Sinhalese) and a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”privileged minorityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (Tamils).ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  When you all created a disparity in the quality of life between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils providing the best education for the minority Tamils and thus injecting into their minds that they are superior to the rest of the ethnic communities and thus have a right to all the quality stuff that makes oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s life rich and complete, thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s when all Sri Lankan woes started.

With that stupid whitemanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s divide and rule inculcations into the Sri Lankan society, now the Tamils have difficulty to break away from that roguish mindset planted by you British.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And any time there was an adjustment to bring about equality among all ethnic communities, the Tamils cried foul and bloody murder. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-we are being discriminated by the SinhaleseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ they would say to the world. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And now the bright, and pompous young David Miliband comes along and calls for anƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚inclusive political settlement.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You must be out of your mind, David. Who the hell do you think you are, to tell the Sri Lankan government how to run their country?

Your colonial history lessons at Haverstock Comprehensive may have taught you that when 1815 came along how you British started to bring in Christian Missionaries and housed them in places like Jaffna in the North of Ceylon where there were large concentrations of the minority Tamils.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  These Missionaries created schools in a very short time, and the Baptists had 16 schools, Wesleyans 81, the Church Mission 36, The American Mission 96, and the Roman Catholic had 61 throughout Ceylon.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The majority of the schools opened in Jaffna of which 41 percent of them had government approved ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ science laboratories compared to the all-island schools which only had 19 percent approved science labs.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And so the urban Jaffna Tamils who received this rich schooling saw it as their birthright to out do the majority Sinhalese in every walk of life, employment and all. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And now comes alongƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  David Miliband to preach to the Sri Lankan Government that they ought to have an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-inclusive political settlement.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

David, then came the post-independence visionary changes.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The government responded to the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 77 percent of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  rural communities, Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims who too wanted a piece of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  money–spinning- pie to become public servants, Government Agents, doctors, lawyers, accountants and brain surgeons with a University education. ThatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s when the Tamils started to belly ache.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They just couldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t take it.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  DidnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ mental capacity to accept challenges of competition for employment, et cetera, as it was taken for granted that a Tamil in a senior job was automatically passed on to the next Tamil in line.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So came the out cry by the Tamils that they have been discriminated.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That is when Prabhakaran supported by the senior Tamil politicians of the day ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ decided to have their own mono-ethnic, separate state , Eelam. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ So the young David Miliband comes along thinking that he has answers to the ills that has plagued Sri Lanka since his Englishmen left the shores of Sri Lanka in 1948, and wants an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-inclusive political settlementƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in Sri Lanka.

As of May 18, 2009 that mythical Eelam is dead.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I know you had hoped that the war would have gone on until the Tamils got that patch of real estate to call it their Eelam.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And you are now trying to preach to the Sri Lankan government that they should have an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-inclusive political settlementƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Your persistence tells me that you did not decipher clearly what President Mahinda Rajapaksa told you, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Miliband, just bug-off.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ What he really meant was, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-just mind your business and just take off.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

David, I read that a thousand Sri Lankans protested outside the British Embassy in Colombo on 18^th May, accusing you for supporting the Tamil Tiger terrorists pushing for a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ceasefireƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and ganging against Sri Lanka with your French palƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  KoucherƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and the American Clinton. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ No wonder they are mad with you and want to sizzle you. I donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t blame them.

HereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s my humble advice to you David.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Since you are getting nowhere in Sri Lanka, put on your safari bush shirt, zip-off safari pants and the Voyager straw-mesh pith helmet and take off to the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan, to help the thousands if Afghans who are now made refugees because you guys together with Hillary Clinton insisted that Pakistan try and defeat the Taliban, and they are going after them hammer and tongs dropping bombs and shooting at them . ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Indeed, Hillary Clinton admitted that US helicopter gunships had targeted innocent civilians.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That certainly doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t bother you, does it now, David?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Ha! WhitemanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s hypocrisy!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Perhaps, you might want to apply your thesis of your failed diplomacy in Sri Lanka in Pakistan by calling for a ceasefire and negotiations with the Taliban terrorists.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Try it David because you really need a success story to tell your peers that you are good at war-diplomacy, and that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I am the manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

As for Sri Lanka, David back off as it is time that you get it into you, that it is really the Sri Lankans who are architects of their destiny now that they finished off the Tamil Tigers, with no help from you ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Western lot.

I know that you are disappointed, so would be your French pal Koucher who thought that he could repeat a Kosovo in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I heard that you two got a mouth full from President Mahinda Rajapaksa when you two met him.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I would have told the President, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Good for you Sir, put these international busy body smart Alecs in their place.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Now on a lighter note, I hope you have time to reminisce of your Haverstock Comprehensive days and keep humming,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”But what good does it do me/For Linda doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t know I exist/CanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t help feeling gloomy/Think of all the lovin I missed/We pass on the street/My heart skips a beat/I say to myself, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Hello LindaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢

Sincerely,

Asoka Weerasinghe.