Open Letter to Ms Angela Melo: Ethnic Intolerance of a UNESCO Prize Winner Veerasingham Anandasangaree
Posted on October 13th, 2011
Dilrook Kannangara
13 October 2011
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ms Angela Melo
Secretary of the Prize
Director
Division of Human Rights, Human Security and Philosophy
Sector of Social and Human Sciences
1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris Cedex 15,
France
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Dear Ms Melo,
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This is to bring to your attention the grave injustice of awarding the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence to Mr Veerasingham Anandasangaree of Sri Lanka in 2006. Unfortunately he has made a mockery of this esteemed prize that recognizes tolerance.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ On 10 October, 2011, along with two other politicians, Veerasingham Anandasangaree travelled to India and made a submission to Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai against ethnic Sinhalese people settling in the north of the country. This is a despicable act of extreme racism and ethnic intolerance.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ External link – http://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/sinhalese-moving-into-tamil-areas-india-told_735851.html
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is a basic human right of every citizen of a nation to settle down in any part of the country without being discriminated based on ethnicity. Sri Lankan Constitution also recognizes this fundamental right.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ During the decades long war (1983 – 2009) in Sri Lanka ethnic Sinhalese were entirely wiped out from the north by armed Tamil groups who practiced ethnic cleansing. Today the districts of Jaffna, Mulaitivu and Kilinochchi are without any ethnic Sinhalese people. In 1971 there were 20,402 ethnic Sinhalese in the Jaffna district alone. Today there is hardly any left.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The same fate befell ethnic Muslims (Sri Lankan Moors). Their numbers fell from 13,757 in 1981 to near zero by now owing to ethnic cleansing practices of Tamil Tigers.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ External link – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffna_District
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Meanwhile ethnic Tamils (Veerasingham Anandasangaree is an ethnic Tamil) are living in every district of the country today. There is no reason why ethnic Sinhalese should not settle in the north. Sinhala settlements in the north build peace and harmony.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is now time to resettle people and allow people to freely move throughout the country.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Veerasingham AnandasangareeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s attitude of ethnic intolerance is totally unacceptable and is a hindrance to ethnic harmony, ethnic integration and peace. As an ethnic Sinhalese, IƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢m deeply saddened and perturbed by this racist remark made by a winner of the UNESCO prize for ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-toleranceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. In addition, his shameless admittance of a statement leading to ethnic intolerance in his own webpage adds to the insult.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ External link – http://anandasangary.com/?p=972
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Therefore I request your office to withdraw the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence awarded to Veerasingham Anandasangaree and make a statement distancing from his actions. He should not be allowed to ridicule and abuse the esteemed prize to promote ethnic intolerance, hatred, fear and violence.
Please look into this matter and take appropriate action.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This is an open letter.
Thank you.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sincerely yours,
Dilrook Kannangara
cc: Ms Irina Zoubenko-Laplante
Human Rights, Gender Equality and Elimination of Racial Discrimination Section
Sector of Social and Human Sciences
October 14th, 2011 at 4:26 am
Well done Dilrook. Our government should put tamil politicians like Ananthasangaree, Sampanthan in jail for ever. Our government should not allow Indian politician’s like Mathai to enter this country.
October 14th, 2011 at 7:22 am
At the height of LTTE power, the LTTE did not tolerate anyone denting their self proclaimed title of “sole Representative of Tamils”. Therefore, they killed or attempted to kill all tamil leaders operating outside LTTE influence. It seems both Jayalalitha of Tamil Nadu and Anandasangaree of TULF were two individuals that campaigned against the LTTE, only to protect their own lives and not because they diagreed with LTTE methods to carve out a mono-ethnic state for Tamils. Now that the mass murderers cum terrorists led by Prabakaran are dead, these individuals who pretended to be moderates are now coming out with their true Tamil racist sentiments.
October 14th, 2011 at 9:33 am
Very appropriate complain to the awaders of “UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence” to a highly RACIALLY BIASED SRI LANKAN TAMIL, who advocates now openly against any Sinhalese living in North. As Sooriya says above, this dumb RACIAST was hiding from LTTE fearing his life thanks to the Majority Sinhalese Governments security.But now after the Great Sri Lankan TRI Forces headed by a Hero President and Def Sec., defeating the BRUTAL KILLER LTTE TERRORISTS, DUMB RACIAST has started talking bullshit.
Good eye opener by Dilrook to the EQUALY DEAF,BLIND and DUMB officials of UNESCO for awarding such a Prize to a RACIAST. He should be sent to Tamil Nadu to join & setteledown with the equally racial minded Quees JJ.
October 15th, 2011 at 1:47 am
TNA/LTTE/TULF mouthpiece TamilNet states:
Sinhala Army builds Buddhist temple in front of church in Valveddiththu’rai
[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 October 2011, 05:37 GMT]
The virtually Sinhala Army of Sri Lanka that occupies the country of Eezham Tamils, is building a new Buddhist temple at Valveddiththu’rai Junction, in front of the historic St. Sebastian Church. Valveddiththu’rai, the birthplace of the LTTE leader Pirapaharan, never had any Buddhists, except the occupying Sinhala Army. The act is a naked show of Sri Lanka’s jubilation over the genocide of Eezham Tamils, mocking at those who talk about ‘post-war reconciliation,’ civil activists in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, former TNA parliamentarian MK Sivajilingam on Friday has appealed to the Vatican to take immediate ecclesiastical and diplomatic action to stop the military’s Buddhist construction as it seriously hurts the feelings of the Tamil Catholics of the town.
The Eezham Tamil Catholics have long been asking for their own Archdiocese.
This type of vile racism should be made illegal in the country.
The last sentence confirms what I stated about the Catholic church (I myself am a Catholic). The church of spineless leaders are scared Tamils will have their own Archdiocese and don’t take disciplinary action against wrong doers. Much like the country where certain criminal elements get away!