37 Responses to “It’s now or never for the Sinhala Buddhists to unite to protect their nation”

1. mario_perera Says:
   January 20th, 2016 at 3:41 am

   “It is highly likely that the revival and grassroot unity much sought after for the Sinhala Buddhists will once again come via the Sangha as had always happened in the past.”

   It has to be so and must be so.

   Just look at the political scene. The majority community is a fragmented lot. the minorities present a united front. The minorities have o scruples in clamouring for more and more. The majority community is bending backwards and literally dong a ‘U’ turn in the face of the minorities onslaught. The minorities are dauntless and daring. The majority community suffers from an inherent fear psychosis. the northern Tamils are the tip of the iceberg. the body of the iceberg is Tamil Nadu. The divided majority parties are comparable to the Titanic replete with ‘Ban Choons’

   So do not expect political parties or political leaders to guarantee the Unitary status of the country, or the enthronement of Buddhism.

   Salvation always came from the ranks of the Sangha. That is why attempts are afoot to throttle the Sanga by legal enactments curtaining their freedom.

   Indeed the disparate nature of the Sangha is a blessing in disguise. If it was structured like the Catholic Church the country would be in peril. As it is the Mahanayakes help the political leaders to continue their lives of hypocrites: to keep on the farce. It is this divisive nature of the Sangha that engenders the eventual saviours. These saviours are ‘singers outside the choir’. At give moments some monk emerges. He begins to command a following which snowballs into a movement. What is at the beginning only a voice crying out in the wilderness, gradually assumes the center stage and shakes the country’s conscience and consciousness.

   It is such a saviour that the country urgently awaits.

   In the meantime the body of the Sangha is in travail to give birth to such a saviour. Let us continue to believe in the slogan “cometh the hour, cometh the monk”.

   There is no salvation for this country through politicians.

   The Sangha is the salvation of this Sinhala-Buddhist nation. There is no other.

   Mario Perera
   Kadawata

2. Nalliah Thayabharan Says:
   January 20th, 2016 at 5:59 am

   Even though Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike became a Buddhist to please the masses, Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike was a christian till the day died. Dr. P.R. Anthonis testified that Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike was wearing a cross when he died.

   According to the Tamil Dictionary published by University of Madras, Elam is a Pali word – not a Dravidian word. Elam has the same meaning as Hela and Sinhala

   Pali is at once flowing and sonorous: it is a characteristic of Pali that nearly every word ends in a vowel, and that all harsh conjunctions are softened down by assimilation, elision, or crasis, while on the other hand Pali lend itself easily to the expression of sublime and vigorous thought.

   Hindi is the official language of the Indian Union (although it also recognises 15 or 16 other regional languages as official). Still, it is the native language of only about a third of all Indians. Those who don’t grow up speaking Hindi must learn it at school. Very little Hindi is spoken in the south of India, where the dominant languages are completely unrelated to those of the north.

   Urdu is the official language of Pakistan. It is also the official language of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and one of the two official languages of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

   Like Hindi, Urdu is not the native language of most Pakistanis. For only about 10% of Pakistanis, primarily those living in Karachi and other cities of the Sindh province, speak it as their mother tongue. The remaining Pakistanis grow up speaking Punjabi, Sindhi, Baluchi, Pashtu, Kashmiri or other languages and must learn Urdu at school. In fact, India has about ten times the number of native speakers of Urdu as Pakistan.

   But this situation is changing because the Pakistani state has so thoroughly suffused the country with Urdu. Many of today’s young Pakistanis for whose parents Urdu is not the mother tongue, have grown up speaking Urdu as though it was.

   Similarly a majority of Sri Lankan kids with Tamil speaking parents are now living in traditionally Sinhala speaking areas and growing up speaking Sinhala as well. Language will not become a subject of racist division in few years if all the Sri Lankan children learn Sinhala.

3. Nalliah Thayabharan Says:
   January 20th, 2016 at 6:04 am

   Maldives had been settled by people from the nearest coasts, like the group today known as the Giravaaru. It is unlikely that the Giraavaru islanders were the only early settlers in the Maldives. The Giraavaru people were just one of the island communities predating Buddhism and the arrival of a Northern Kingly dynasty and the establishment of centralized political and administrative institutions. Prince Koimala entered the Maldives and became the first king from the House of Theemuge. Maldives was settled by successive waves of migration from India and more importantly Sri Lanka, had a vibrant Buddhist culture.

   The ancient Maldivian Kings promoted Buddhism and the first Maldive writings and artistic achievements in the form of highly developed sculpture and architecture are from that period. The conversion to Islam is mentioned in the ancient edicts written in copper plates from the end of the 12th century AD. Over the centuries, the islands have been visited and their development influenced by sailors and traders from countries on the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Until relatively recent times, Mappila pirates from the Malabar Coast harassed the islands.

   The Maldives were not always Islamic. Maldives was converted to Islam in the year 1153 AD by Abul Barakat Yoosuf Al Barbary – a Muslim from Maghreb (North Africa) . When Abul Barakat Yoosuf Al Barbary visited the Maldives the reigning king was Sri Tribuvana Aditiya. The first King of the Theemuge dynasty King Sri Mahabarana was his maternal uncle. Sri Tribuvana Aditiya ascended the throne around 1138 AD. After conversion to Islam he adopted the name Muhammed Ibn Abdulla. He sent missionaries to various parts of the Maldives to spread Islam. The first Friday Mosque to be built in Malé and the Dharumavantha Rasgefaanu Miskiy at Malé were commissioned by Sultan Muhammed Ibn Abdulla.
   After arrival at Malé Abul Barakat Yoosuf Al Barbary stayed in Maldives for several days. He was a Hafiz, a person who could recite the entire Holy Quran from memory. According to Thangeehu Kurevunu Dhivehi Raajjeyge Thaareekhuge Thanthankolhu (Researched excerpts from the History of the Maldives) the Hafiz succeeded in converting Maldivians to Islam after much effort and endeavour. His first efforts to proselytise did not meet with success. However his relentless perseverance turned out to be a tremendous service to the nation as Maldivians finally embraced Islam. The first convert was the king himself, who was followed by his wives and children and members of the court. After the people embraced the Islamic faith the Buddhist temples and idols were destroyed. Archaeological excavations carried out in Maldives at various times this century confirm the fact that there had been Buddhist temples in Maldives during the 12th century AD..
   Even after Maldivians adopted Islam Abul Barakat Yoosuf Al Barbary stayed in the Maldives to teach Islam to the people. He died during the reign of Dharumavantha Rasgefaanu (Muhammed Ibn Abdulla). According to historian Hassan Thaajuddheen, he was laid to rest at the shrine at Medhuziyaaraiy in Malé.
   The popular title attributed to Sultan Muhammed Ibn Abdulla, which is Dharumavantha Rasgefaanu implies that the Sultan was a pious and kind-hearted person who was generous, especially to the weak and poor. During his reign he strengthened adherence to the rules and principles of Islam, established laws of governance and destroyed the symbols of Buddhism. It is said that a long time after Abul Barakat Yoosuf Al Barbary’s death, the Sultan left on pilgrimage to Mecca and did not return.
   The 16th century saw the colonization of the islands by the Portuguese and the 17 years of Portuguese rule is referred to in Maldive history as “the dark night of Portuguese Christian rule.” It is claimed that the “seas ran red with blood” as the Portuguese attempted to convert the citizens to Christianity. The return to power of native rulers saw an Islamic revival, the adoption of the Arabic-style script, Thaana, and the visit to the islands of religious scholars who became the chief advisers to the sultans. Under their influence, the Kingship came to be seen as an institution created by Allah and held according to His wishes. Thus, correct religious practice on the part of the king (sultan) was seen as an essential justification of his right to rule and religious scholars were an essential part of the court. The Maldives was fairly unaffected by the British rule (the Raj) in the rest of South Asia and it wasn’t until 1887 that the country became a “protectorate” of the British; however, the British did not significantly interfere with the running of the state. Full independence was gained in July 26, 1965.
   Until recently, the people of the Maldives practiced a type of folk Islam which was influenced by Buddhism. They recited the Qur’an in the style of Buddhist chanting, the earlier mosques resembled Buddhist temples and the architectural designs of the mosques had a mix of Buddhist and Islamic influences, many Maldivian had had Hindu or Buddhist type names alongside Muslim ones and Dhivehi was written in a Brahmi based scrip[t. Now, the Maldives has been destroyed by these fundamentalist elements and now Maldives is so far gone that it look as it will never return back to its former glory. Had Hinduism and Buddhism still continued to exist in Maldives even after the arrival of Islam and Hindus and Buddhists had been able to coexist peacefully alongside Muslims, then the Maldives would have been a very different place now.
   Similar to the Afghan Islamic Taliban’s destruction of the priceless Buddhist and other historic artifacts in 2001, in February 2012, a group of Islamic extremists forced their way into the National Museum in Maldives and attacked the museum’s collection of Pre-Islamic sculptures, destroying or severely damaging nearly the entire collection about thirty Hindu and Buddhist sculptures dating from the 6th to 12th centuries.
   The scene took place at the Maldives’ National Museum where the destruction occurred. A group of five men who were a part of an Islamic Extremist group targeted artifacts dating from the Pre-Islamic era in Maldives. Of those destroyed, many Buddhist and Hindu relics were smashed and broken to pieces making them merely unrecognizable. Pieces destroyed, specifically included the “Bohomala sculptures, Hanuman statues, and the a sculpture of the Hindu water god, Makara. The two five faced statues from Male were also brutally damaged. This five-faced male was the only remaining archaeological evidence of a Buddhist era in Maldives and it too was destroyed, completely destroying any true history of the country. In addition an 11th century coral stone of the Lord Buddha was also wiped out. The museum staff were emotionally distraught and upset that any evidence of a Buddhist existence in Maldives was completely destroyed and torn down heartlessly. They stated that all their 12th century statues were lost which were made of coral and limestone. There is no way to restore them because they were very brittle and this makes it very difficult to remake, one of the staff members said. The Adhaalath Party, a Maldives Islamic group, who supports the newly elected President Mohamed Waheed, stated that the constitution does not allow idols anywhere in Maldives.
   Anyone with such ridiculous levels of intolerance, lack of respect or sensitivity for others are pure scumbags. Such acts are crimes against humanity, in that they should not be considered isolated incidents. They should be considered in conjunction with what happened at Bamiyan, the destruction of medical texts (considered anatomically correct pictures blasphemous) and the fact that humanity itself suffers grave losses due to such acts. This is not the mindset of the humane, these people will not only continue to destroy human cultural heritage, they will attempt to irradicate all aspects of human culture, art, science, religion, past, present and future that doesn’t fit into to their disgraceful, shallow, backward, medieval world view. Worse still, these goals are intended due only through the subjugation of the rest of humanity. The whole of the world should unite against such barbarism, including ESPECIALLY, the moderate muslims of the world in total unison.

   Wahhabism has been taking roots in Maldives from the days of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Abandoning its tolerant, syncretic brand of Islam, Maldives now moves towards an intolerant Wahhabi society. Recently two Maldives MPs – Dr Afrasheem Ali & Aishath Velezinee – were killed by Wahhabi Jihadists.

4. Nalliah Thayabharan Says:
   January 20th, 2016 at 6:05 am

   “Wahhabi” essentially identifies a rather narrow and bigoted interpretation of Islam.

   The Wahhabis are
   (1) Extremely intolerant of “others” who do not share their specific religious beliefs;
   (2) Opposed to difference and pluralism;
   (3) Against civil rights;
   (4) Extremely anti-secular.

   To them the sole purpose of the state/politics is to serve their exclusive and bigoted interests.

   With the aid of oil revenues and the socialization of returning foreign workers, the Wahhabi distortion of Islam has spread widely in the last thirty years. In the Arab world, in South Asia, and in East Asia, Islamic workers and Islamic institutions have received aid from Saudi Arabian sources (usually private individuals and foundations) that have slowly embedded Wahhabism in many Muslim societies.

   The objective of Wahhabism is to revive the ritual and conceptual purity of Islam by seeking to eliminate the inclusion of culturally inspired practices under the rubric of religion. Yet its obsession with what is permissible and what is not has made it and its practitioners extremely intolerant of difference and otherness. This growing intolerance of the other has moved the practitioners of Wahhabism so far from the central peaceful and pluralistic principles of Islam that Wahhabism has become an ugly and ruthless caricature of a faith that, according to its foundational text (The Holy Qur’an), was sent as a mercy to humanity.

   When Prophet Muhammad established the first Islamic state in Medina, people of other faiths were free to practice their religions and had the same rights as Muslims in religious as well as political matters. But today in Saudi Arabia, the only Wahhabi state in the world, Christians and Hindus have very few rights and are prohibited from religious practice. They are not even allowed to celebrate their festivals openly. While Wahhabis today continue to fund the construction of mosques in India and in the West, they remain staunchly opposed to the construction of any temple or any church in Saudi Arabia. This is not only intolerant but also hypocritical.

   But we must pause before we judge Wahhabism as an Islamic byproduct. Wahhabism is a global condition and not some Islamic initiative unleashed upon the rest of the world. From the world’s oldest democracy to the world’s largest democracy one can see the festering of Wahhabi movements, sowing seeds of hatred, bigotry, and intolerance against “others” and seeking to capture the state to make it an instrument of hate.

5. Nalliah Thayabharan Says:
   January 20th, 2016 at 6:11 am

   All life ultimately must obey the laws of nature. In nature, life is not “fair.” The laws of natural selection and survival of the fittest make it so. Each kind competes with other kinds to perpetuate its own. Nature is neatly constructed with niches for each member of the plant and animal kingdoms. A niche equates to the manner by which an individual plant or animal earns its survival. For example, a rabbit’s niche is being a rabbit; an elephant’s niche is being an elephant. Both rabbits and elephants survive by being rabbits and elephants, respectively. Neither can consciously change its niche. If another animal enters the realm of either and begins to compete for the niches already filled by the rabbits or elephants, there is an imbalance. In nature, the imbalance invariably resolves in favor of the competitor that has the most effective breeding strategy.

   Humans, however, have the purely human capability to consciously change niches. We can create new niches and, if a new niche proves not to be viable, we can select or create another. We appear to be unique in having that ability. The ability to modify niches does not mean that there is no conflict between humans that choose to occupy the same niches. It merely means that there is a relief valve available that other animals do not have. In fact, one of the main causes of conflict between humans of various races, religions, or other characteristics that can be viewed as setting one group of humans apart from another, is the competition for niches. When one “kind” of humans feels that a competing kind is threatening its niches, the result is often violent conflict. The conflict is violent because we among all animals can recognize the end result of other kinds taking over our niches. We have the ability to resist rather than submit to the eventuality of the results of superior breeding habits. In history, such violence normally has not manifested itself until the stress on the kind being threatened becomes intolerable.

   Another characteristic that sets humans apart from the remainder of the animal kingdom is the ability to change our social institutions by conscious choice. As we become more affluent, we recognize “inequities” among various member groups of our societies and invariably feel an urge to correct the inequities. Affluence gives us the luxury of being able to “feel” how things should be and many people have created niches from which they make a living by trading on such feelings. We tend to want to make life fair for everyone and define fair as equal. We strive to eliminate inequities among all members of our societies. If we are successful as a society, we believe we have found the way, whether religious, economic, or governmental, that must be adopted by all others. In the interest of improving the lots of other less enlightened societies, we attempt to export our way to others, without considering that the others may feel the same about their “way.” The compelling desire for fairness ultimately becomes a major element in the destruction of the society because it attempts to countermand natural law. It eventually causes an increase in the pressure on the niches of one kind or another until the pressure becomes intolerable and rebellion occurs. Throughout human history that rebellion has always been violent and there is no reason to expect that the future will be different.

   Why is this inevitably so? It is because the concept of fair as equal goes against natural law. No matter how much we will it to be so, strong conscious desire and superior intellect cannot modify the laws of nature. As we realize that our conscious desire to modify natural law and to implement voluntary behavioral changes is not working, we refuse to recognize that we are facing an immutable law and turn to legislation in the mistaken belief that we can modify natural law by enacting man’s law. This is patently absurd, but our egos (another unique human characteristic) trick us into believing that it can be so. Ultimately, however, the instinct to obey natural law will win over conscious desire to change it. When that instinct surfaces, we define it as a manifestation of hate. The focus of the hate is generally on those less privileged groups that we have consciously identified and chosen to make equal, but which would not naturally be considered so. The hate arises because of the pressure, real or imagined, the chosen group creates for the other.

   What we define as hate is merely the natural urge of members of one “kind” to perpetuate their kind, be it race, religion, language or some other group identity factor. Humans tend to group by kinds and within a kind there will be many common characteristics. Perpetuation of a kind must necessarily create a state of unfairness between kinds competing for the same niches. One kind tends to tolerate another as long as members of the other kind do not seriously threaten the niches that the majority of the kind views as belonging to it. The natural preference of a kind for its own is the root of what may be called “differentism.” Differentism is the overarching “ism” to which belong racism, sexism, etc. These “isms” are natural and cannot long be suppressed. Suppression of reaction to natural law creates a tension that increases in proportion to the length and force of the suppression. We witness this every day in the conflicts among the peoples of the world.

   Attempts to artificially contain natural law meddle with the course of evolution and must be avoided. We would not even consider legislating against foxes preying on rabbits or against animals employing their territorial prerogatives. However, we believe that as humans we are above nature and can use our intellect to countermand natural law. We cannot. History has proved it so. History will continue to prove it so. We tend to confound our intellect with learned concepts that we want to believe are valid because we are taught that they are. However, if the concepts countermand natural law, they are doomed to fail.

   As we are enticed to make laws of man to countermand laws of nature, there may be a period of almost universal acceptance of the need for such laws. That is because, when initially enacted, the laws are invariably used to protect minority factions and have very little effect on the majority population. In addition, the laws are invariably tailored to make the majority “feel good.” The net effect, however, is to artificially increase the relative power of minority factions and thus the faction’s influence. In the beginning, we tend to feel good that we have taken steps to improve the degree of fairness afforded the less fortunate. That feeling will prevail until minority factions and their artificially high levels of relative power begin to impact on the real or perceived power of other factions. At some point, there will be increasing resistance to the imbalance and an increasingly adverse reaction. Ultimately it will be the majority middle class, which is invariably ignored in the meting out of special favors that will feel discriminated against.

   When the pressure on those factions that are not profiting from the awarding of special consideration, or which may even be suffering from such consideration, becomes sufficient, there will be rebellion against the artificial measures. Depending on the nature and extent of the artificial force applied, return to the rule of natural law will be more or less violent. That is the root cause of the strife we see in the Balkans, in Africa, and elsewhere in the world. Societies and governments have meddled with natural law and suppressed the natural desire of factions to perpetuate their kind. The rebellions that are being suppressed cannot long be held back for the people will eventually return to the rule of nature. Suppression, once active rebellion has commenced, can only be restored by force and can only be effective as long as sufficient force is maintained. Once the force is removed or relaxed, conflict will return. We continue to witness that time after time in our suppression efforts and marvel at the fact that some people just can’t seem to live together peacefully. We fail to realize that no kind can be expected to willingly give up what it believes to be its rightful niches and doom its kind to extinction. The embrace and active furtherance of multiculturalism is creating a situation that is no different than has been created by countermanding natural law.

   Have you ever lost something that was really, really important to you? When something of great value is lost we don’t mind spending time and energy to find it. The question is when do we give up hope for that which is lost to be found. Like a lost marriage, a lost job, a child leaves home and wants nothing to do with you or even when a close friend moves away. It’s in moments like these that we can easily depress ourselves as we consider what we lost rather than encourage our self with what we have left. It’s in the battlefield of our mind that we find reasons to be sad and mad at the same time. We feel that life is unfair, why me, and we would be absolutely correct in our feelings. If fairness was the way things should be, then world problems would end today. War is not fair, world hunger is not fair, disease and destruction is not fair. This world is not based on fair or unfair, we can have total joy one minute and then face deep sorrow the next. The height of our love for someone can become the depth of our sorrow when that person we love is no longer in our life.

   You may have lost some things in 2015 and now here you are into 2016. Where is your focus going to be? Will it be on what you have lost which will give you another year like last year or are you going to focus on what you have left and be thankful? You can’t change your past but your past has the power to destroy your future. Your mind has the power to magnify a negative event and turn you into a negative person.

   Life can be divided up into two main domains: the natural world and the artificial world. The natural world consists of all the natural thinks, such as streams, rocks, planets, animals, humans and so on. The artificial world is the domain of what we humans create and includes our social and political structures, including the economy.

   The natural world is clearly not fair in the sense that natural processes do not consistently bring about what people (and animals) actually deserve. The just and unjust are killed in earthquakes, the wise and the fools perish of cancer, the good drown as readily as the bad, the kind are consumed in fire as swiftly as the cruel. As far as the evidence indicates, justice and fairness are lacking in the purely natural world. We are not merely creatures of the natural world who must live in a world not of our making. We are also the creators of the artificial world-that of society, politics, economics and so on. While this domain is obviously shaped by the natural world, it is a human construct and it is within our collective power. As such, whether our institutions are fair or not seems to be a matter of choice. Since we create and sustain them, it would seem to follow that we can change unfair aspects to be more fair.

6. Jag Says:
   January 20th, 2016 at 8:23 am

   Naturally, some are alarmed when then truth is exposed. Anyone is free to write volumes trying to justify their own cause, but the ”truth” and the ”reality” remains unchanged !

   Those untold crimes that were committed against Sinhala Buddhists during and after the european invaders arrived in our country, CANNOT BE AND SHOULD NOT BE forgotten.

   It was our ”SINHALA BUDDHIST” ancestors in millions, who gave their lives fighting the invaders to free the country. It wasn’t the northerners in Jaffna who did that.

   So the right to protect our people and our country is our ultimate right that NO ONE can take away from us.

   It is time like no other, that Sinhala Buddhists get together and FIGHT FOR THEIR PLACE, IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY !

7. Fran Diaz Says:
   January 20th, 2016 at 12:54 pm

   Nalliah,

   Thank you for an extensive analysis.

   —————–

   The points that stand out to me are :

   *. Eelam means Hela or Sinhala. A friend of ours had told us so many years ago, but you have made it clearer.

   *. The Nature works, and Survival of the Fittest, and how in the Human world, groups of people try to rectify imbalances through the use of intellect, rational thinking, and laws (economy, religion, etc.) – man made law.

   *. How tolerant Buddhist countries ‘fall’. But “intolerant” countries are hated & feared ! So what works here for mankind ?

   Suggestions for Sane Solutions :

   – We suggest doing Meditation together, or doing so even singly. Inner Peace brings good results, sane thinking, sane action, sane results, pluses of all kinds for all in any country. That all of us have finite lives on Earth and that Peace is by far wonderful compared with War & Pestilence. Infinitely better than M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction) !
   Recognise the Reptilian Brain (Fight or Flight) and subdue that part through Meditation.

   – Also : One Law, One Country, One People : Have slogans, stickers everywhere.

   – Also, emphasis on PATRIOTISM, from school days upwards, starting at a young age. Kids from all groups be taught to work for the common good of the entire country.

   – All leaders work for the common good of the People of the Country first, next for outside country without any damage to the country.

   Will small suggestions that make a lot of difference work ? It is up to us to make it so ! Yes, we can !

8. Lorenzo Says:
   January 20th, 2016 at 1:00 pm

   The military must play a bigger role.

   Every ANTI-SL force is held together by Maru Sira. IF he can be removed I’m sure all this will collapse.

9. Fran Diaz Says:
   January 20th, 2016 at 6:52 pm

   Dear Shenali,

   Thank you very much for your tireless and fine efforts to keep Lanka whole and wholesome.

   We agree with all you say here.

   ———

   Sri Lankans must be made aware of what is going on in India & Tamil Nadu, their Dalit and Scheduled Caste politics in particular.

   Why are the so called ‘Refugee Camp’ Tamil people leaving TN and coming to Lanka ? They are in their own Tamil Homeland and ought to stay there. Are they true ‘Refugees’ from Lanka ? What is Yahap govt doing ?
   Lanka does not need any more of Tamil Nadu’s troubled Tamil Dalits here.

   Tamil Leaders of Lanka have not yet withdrawn the Vadukoddai Resolution of 1976. What a shame ! 30 plus years of ghastly terrorism and no apology to the People of Lanka either !

   Wither PATRIOTISM from Tamil Leaders ?
   Why was the 6-A never activated ?

   Perhaps the world has never witnessed such openly shameful politics from any other group of people in SE Asia such as displayed by the Tamil leaders of Lanka.

10. Nalliah Thayabharan Says:
    January 20th, 2016 at 9:17 pm

    Though LTTE used Tamil speaking Sri Lankans as human shields, killed them, denied them food and medicines watched without a hum by the Tamil Diaspora and Tamil politicians, it was the Sri Lankan Army that braved LTTE attacks and mines to save 294,000 Tamil speaking Sri Lankans. These brave soldiers are the rightful owners of our motherland including Jaffna peninsula.

11. Lorenzo Says:
    January 20th, 2016 at 10:15 pm

    NT,

    But those brave soldiers handed over their WINS to POLITICIANS. Within a few years ALMOST ALL land in the north have been handed over to TNA voters.

    I was in Jaffna a few months ago. Talked to a few people. They said since about 2013 it was like LTTE WON the war. Very difficult to LOCATE an army soldier. Police take instructions from the NORTHERN PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

    “Mahinda or Maru Sira, Vigneswaran is the CHIEF MINISTER! He sacked the army govenor. Ananthi Sasitharan has more powers than the army govenor.”

    This is what MOST Jaffna people say. For them it is already a different country. Now they want it LEGALLY.

12. Lorenzo Says:
    January 20th, 2016 at 10:15 pm

    Thaya,

    When you copy paste please give the source.

13. Dham Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 12:09 am

    Shocking truth revealed by Lorenzo. But who wants to believe ?

    At least now we can blame it on Maru Sira now.
    But the real culprit is British Raj , the head of Commonwealth , because Vigneshwaran was created to get the big seat in CHOGM and win the WORLD LEADER post.
    Yes. Blame it on Birtish and bring back the Raj. Everything will be solved and Tamils will be saying “oh now it is like 2009 ” and the readers will be cheering.

14. nilwala Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 1:24 am

    Thank you Shenali for a timely and courageous post.
    Many Sinhala Buddhist Lankans see the economic advantages of being educated in English and the strong link between English and Christianity lures them away into being apathetic about what is going politically and culturally through the globalization process, and with it the downside, i.e., the gradual infringement and weakening of unique Buddhist traditions and culture in the island.
    This has happened very slowly at first during and after the colonial era. Today, however, with increasing economic competitiveness in the large Sinhala population, competency in English is viewed as the key to success, especially through recognizing the economic advantages enjoyed by the Minority communities, especially the Muslims, on account of the English advantage.. So it is primarily Economics that is driving this trend.

    Economics, language and religion have intertwined to make the Sinhala Buddhist people feel left behind and unable to even express their aspirations, due to being shouted down as chauvinistic. They are a neglected people, charged with sole responsibility to deal with post-war challenges. Even in the aftermath of victory in a war against terrorism, continued harassment by the International Community has left them confused in finding solutions, ingrained into tolerance and moderation that have been inculcated via Buddhism. The Sinhala Buddhists tolerate minority aggressiveness until in frustration it bursts out violently through some provocative incident as in ’83.

    We need good leaders who can reignite a sense of confidence and respect in the Sinhala Buddhist identity that has been derided and ridiculed by the Diaspora’s vengeance project. Sinhala youth have the energy and the commitment but are left orphaned and without exemplary leaders who practice the principles that they preach. President Sirisena has been preaching empty words both before and after the Aug.2015 Pres. election, but he does not practise what he preaches. He has demonstrated a certain cunning and political savvy, and is clear in his delivery in the Sinhala language…..but there is a “trust deficiency” where Sirisena is concerned, both in the way he took power and the way he exercises it. At least MR did not preach …he went ahead with his team and got the jobs done..some of which was unpalatable. Many of the good projects have not received the attention they deserve. Mistakes made, however, have been cleverly used as propaganda by the other side in order to oust him, and are still used to sideline him.

    The Buddhist clergy and lay Sinhala Buddhist leaders must lead by example, while bringing the civilisational threat and the island’s remarkable sociocultural history and achievements to the fore in the minds of the Sinhala people. The Defense Forces won a war that had needed a different set of skills and strategy, but this one is different and much more complex, needing all the Sinhala people to set aside their differences and converge in the country’s defense. Even “trust deficits” may have to be laid aside, Ours is a unique civilisation being brought under threat of extinction and the Sinhala Buddhist people have to be educated into understanding that threat without being diverted by political harangue and the promise of new Constitutions. This may have to be accomplished through the Sangha and the Buddhist organizations converging and acting at the grass roots level, coupled with legal challenge by the voting citizenry who have been cheated through falsehoods and propaganda.

15. Dham Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 1:54 am

    Why can’t Sri Lanka with 70% Buddhists cannot do this ?

    Tajikistan shaves 13,000 men’s beards to end radicalism

    Al Jazeera

    3 hrs ago

    
    Tajikistan shaves 13,000 men’s beards to end radicalism: Police says more than 160 shops selling headscarves are also closed as part of a fight against “foreign” influences.
    Police says more than 160 shops selling headscarves are also closed as part of a fight against “foreign” influences. Police in Tajikistan have shaved nearly 13,000 men’s beards and closed more than 160 shops selling traditional Muslim clothing last year as part of the country’s fight against what it calls “foreign” influences.

    Bahrom Sharifzoda, the head of the south-west Khathlon region’s police, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the law enforcement services convinced more than 1,700 women and girls to stop wearing headscarves in the Muslim-majority Central Asian country.

    The move is seen as an effort to battle radicalism. Tajikistan’s secular leadership has long sought to prevent a spillover of radical traditions from neighbouring Afghanistan.

    According to unofficial estimates, there are more than 2,000 Tajiks fighting in Syria.

    Last week, the country’s parliament voted to ban Arabic-sounding “foreign” names as well as marriages between first cousins.

    The legislation is expected to be approved by President Emomali Rahmon, who has taken steps to promote secularism and discourage beliefs and practices that he sees as foreign or a threat to stability of Tajikistan, Radio Liberty said.

    Tajikistan’s Supreme Court banned the country’s only registered Islamic political party, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, after months of violence that the government blamed on radical Islamism.

    Rahmon has ruled Tajikistan since 1994 and his current presidential term is expected to end in 2020.

    In December, the parliament granted the president and his family life-long immunity from prosecution, giving Rahmon the title “Leader of the nation” and officially designating him “the founder of peace and national unity of Tajikistan”.

    The country of 7.1 million people has struggled with poverty and instability since independence from the Soviet Union more than two decades ago. It remains heavily dependent on Russia where majority of Tajik people go for work.

16. Christie Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 3:04 am

    “It’s now or never for the Sinhala Buddhists to unite to protect their nation””

    Another divisive article with under currents to destroy the Sinhalese of tens of thousands of years of history. The Sinhalese be they Buddhists, Muslims or Christians lived together,

    It is the Indian imperialists and colonial parasites who have managed to divide the Sinhalese along different lines and get them to fight among themselves.

    Please abstain from this type of thinking and divisive actions.

17. Jag Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 7:04 am

    Christie, then tell us who is going to save Singhalese Buddhists..??

18. SA Kumar Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 8:29 am

    Christie, then tell us who is going to save Singhalese Buddhists..?? Who saved last time machang We-Sakkiliya Demila !!!
    Kicked out IPKF even tough offered NEPC in gold plate , who’s land who offer !!!

    Jag, You know what we need from you We will sort out Indian than you know what we will do next to you , We need to sort out our old account Milli Vaikkal.

19. nilwala Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 9:41 am

    Response needed from Christie please…..

    IF NOT THE UNITED ACTION OF THE SINHALA BUDDHISTS THEMSELVES, TOGETHER WITH THE FEW FROM THE MINORITIES WILLING TO JOIN IN, WHO WILL SAVE SRI LANKA’S SINHALA BUDDHIST MAJORITY CURRENTLY DIVIDED AND QUELLED INTO INACTION, & AT CIVILISATIONAL RISK ???

20. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 1:05 pm

    We agree with Nilwala.
    Economic needs now take the forefront with all in Lanka, especially the Sinhala Buddhists, now that the war with the LTTE is finished.

    It is high time English was taught properly in all govt held schools and some courses taught in English as wished by students (per article in the Island).

    There is no need to interfere with the teaching of Lanka’s History or Buddhism in schools.
    We wish that Buddhist Meditation is taught to school children – that would bring true harmony. Remember it is Dhana, Seela & BHAVANA, the stable tripod.

21. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 1:12 pm

    Kumar,

    Re IPKF : the IPKF came into Lanka because of the Tamil leaders Vadukoddai Resolution (1976) and the resultant violent LTTE ! It was correct that the LTTE got rid of the IPKF.

    No need for that, ever again. We together have to see that such things never happen. Senseless waste of life and funds.

22. SA Kumar Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 4:30 pm

    We together have to see that such things never happen.- only can happen with genuine power sharing not false promise 13 plus etc…. hope MS/RW/CBK won’t fools us again .

23. Jag Says:
    January 21st, 2016 at 9:06 pm

    It is quite evident that Tamil extremists have not given up their same old agenda. Well, they can keep on trying but they will never succeed !

24. SA Kumar Says:
    January 22nd, 2016 at 4:25 am

    Tamil extremists have not given up their same old agenda- Since Elra to VP so on…..

25. Cerberus Says:
    January 22nd, 2016 at 8:25 am

    Here are a few comments in response to Nilwala.
    I agree that the Sinhala youth feel neglected. After the war they were doing well under MR. However now My3 has reversed everything. Gota had the right idea when he started giving leadership training to all the University Graduates. All the projects MR was doing such as Divinaguma etc were folded up by the My3 moron. He is trying hard to boost his own ego at the expense of the Sinhalese. We have a major threat facing us. That is India and their Hindu caste bound culture and will bring in neo-Colonisation too.

    It is high time our leaders recognized this threat and started doing what should have been done since 1948. There are some recommendations that had been made in an article which appeared in the Lankaweb some time ago. Here are the recommendations (with some additions) with a link to the full article. Since the time CBK was President she removed teaching of Sri Lanka History in schools. Now she has also removed teaching of Buddhism. These two steps must be reversed. The people of the country must be patriotic to Sri Lanka. Most of our Tamil politicians are Patriotic to Tamil Nadu. Some of our Sinhala politicians who only wear trouser and suit even in the heat are more Patriotic to U.K. We have so many in the country pulling in different directions that it is not possible to progress. People should be taught that is good to be Patriotic to one’s land of birth.

    See the poem by Walter Scott.

    BREATHES there the man with soul so dead,
    Who never to himself hath said,
    ‘This is my own, my native land!’
    Whose heart hath ne’er within him burn’d
    As home his footsteps he hath turn’d
    From wandering on a foreign strand?
    If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
    For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
    High though his titles, proud his name,
    Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
    Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
    The wretch, concentrated all in self,
    Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
    And, doubly dying, shall go down
    To the vile dust from whence he sprung, 5
    Unwept, unhonour’d, and unsung.

    Possible solutions for Sri Lanka: (Extracted from article below)

    Set up an international independent group consisting of people from the Eastern countries as well as the West to look into the so called “grievances” of Tamils to see if they are real, and if their request for a separate state or Federal state is justifiable in a small country like Sri Lanka.
    Set up defense agreements with China and other countries friendly to Sri Lanka to act as a counter against India’s bullying.
    Sign territorial agreements with India and also on repatriation of all the illegal migrants who came in during the last 30 years during LTTE rule of North and East.
    Set up a National Military Service for all men and women between the ages of 18-40 years so that they receive training at least for a year and are then on call in case of need. This is what Switzerland, which is adjacent to Germany, France and Italy, have done to preserve their security. Our security is now very fragile. If India decides to invade as they did with the IPKF army, there is little we can do.
    Strengthen the Navy and patrol the shores to prevent illegal migration from India and other countries.
    Repeal Tamil as a National Language and Official language. It was absurd for SWRD Bandaranaiyake to have given this since Tamils were only about 9% (now 11%). In all countries where there is a minority, they have to adapt to the majority not the other way around.
    Repeal 13A and use the Districts as the administrative unit instead of the Province.
    Request reparations from India for the damage done by them to the country by their actions to date.
    Request reparations from Britain for the damage they did to Sinhalese and the Buddha Sasana during the period they colonized the country and for abrogation of the Treaty they signed with the Sinhala Chieftains.
    Request reparations from Portugal for the damage done to Sri Lanka and the Buddha Sasana and the conversion of so many at the point of the sword. Many thousands died resisting.
    Ban all forced conversions by use of inducements to prevent ‘divide and rule’ happening in Sri Lanka.
    Set minimum standards or education for all those who run for political office in Sri Lanka. Teach English as a subject at all levels of Education with entire courses in English in some case. Emphasis ought to be on Science & Technology more than the Arts subjects.

    http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/08/03/slow-strangulation-of-sri-lanka-and-the-sinhalese/

26. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 22nd, 2016 at 2:06 pm

    Kumar,

    You are making mistake after mistake in what you state !
    *. First, the IPKF : The IPKF came because of the war started by the terrorism of the LTTE. The IPKF did not come because of problems caused by GoSL or the rest of the People of Lanka. They came as a response to terrorism caused by the LTTE and the GoSL response to terrorism of the LTTE.
    *. Promises made by the 13-A ? : The 13-A was imposed under Duress by India ! It was not ‘made in Lanka’ or approved by the People of Lanka. Imposed under Duress means it is an illegal piece of legislation. How can you expect acceptance of some legislation made outside of Lanka to be honored by Lankans ?

    Do please get your facts straight.

27. SA Kumar Says:
    January 22nd, 2016 at 9:20 pm

    The IPKF did not come because of problems caused by GoSL or the rest of the People of Lanka- sorry wrong 1956 to 1983 you & I know what happen in Mother Lanka , VP& CO only started 1976 .

    13-A is compramise for Separation .

    Do please get your facts straight.- fact is United Provincial of Sinhela (Not Sri) Lanka is best solution for all of us !!!

    live & let’s live in United Mother Lanka Please We do not need any more blood our Holy land of Gowdama Bhuddah’s!!!

28. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 23rd, 2016 at 7:40 pm

    Kumar,

    1956 : Sinhala Language Act by SWRD Bandaranaike was not accepted by Tamil leaders. That is how the troubles started. Tamil leaders did not accept the Sinhala Language Act in Sinhala country which was colonised for nearly 500 yrs. Was that fair by Sinhala people ?

    1976 : Vadukoddai Resolution – still there in 2016 !

    1983 : Trumped up Riots which allowed Tamil folk to go abroad west as refugees.

    My question : Why is the Vadukoddai Resolution still not retracted by Tamil leaders ? It is Jan 2016. Does it mean violence can be done in the future too by Tamils ?

29. SA Kumar Says:
    January 24th, 2016 at 5:50 am

    Mother Lanka is not Sinhala Lanka -1956 we-Ilankai Thamilar did not accepted & still not .
    Vaddukodda resolutiib is solution not vilation for 1956 sinhala only Act.
    JR thought kicked out Tamils from mother is permant solution but We sorry VP used probley to achive our alternative solution .

    Now we got United provincial Council of Sinha Lanka where we all can live happy for ever .

    Hope & pray MR/RW/CBK fulfile their election promise

30. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 24th, 2016 at 4:45 pm

    Kumar,

    Vadukoddai Resolution (1976) WAS the answer to the Sinhala Language Act – SLA (1956). Why did the Tamil riots and protests start AFTER the SLA 1956 ? There was no violence from the Tamil folk till then viz tarring the letter “Sri” on cars, street signs in Sinhala, etc.

    The PCs too are illegal as part of the 13-A and must be removed.

    Yes, we too hope that ALL politicos get together and deliver Peace to Lanka. It has to start with revocation of the Vadukoddai Resolution. That is only fair after all the killing by the LTTE over 30 yrs and the costs in funds and goodwill with other nations ruined. Leaders of Lanka killed, now at present a War Crimes charge over the MR govt & the Armed Forces of Lanka, etc.

    There is no way add these costs – there are too many.

    Do please write in proper English. We know you can.

31. SA Kumar Says:
    January 25th, 2016 at 7:17 am

    It has to start with revocation of the Vadukoddai Resolution.- gone loge long time ago
    Hon Sampanthan is opposition leader in Mother Lankan parliament now.

    Do please write in proper English. We know you can.- sorry I try my best

    Vadukoddai Resolution (1976) WAS alternative the answer to the Sinhala Language Act – SLA (1956) before Chelavanayaham tried B-C pack (with SLFP) , D-C pack(with UNP).

    At last We are United Now in United Provincial Council Of Sinhela (not Sri) Lanka !!!!.

    We both like or not 13A & 6A will be fully implemented in Mother soon or later (5 years time or 50 years time does not matter ).

32. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 25th, 2016 at 6:34 pm

    Kumar,

    *. Vaddukoddai Resolution ‘gone long time ago’. – when and who revoked it, publicly and in writing ? We have to stay with the legal aspects on this, not suppositions.

    *. All the Pacts with Mr Chelvanayagam were not possible as they were overly demanding and of a communal nature, and were rejected by the Sinhala people and even some of the Tamil people. Mr SWRD Bandaranaike was unfortunately assassinated for attempting to bring in reforms viewed as unfair and damaging to the unitary state of Lanka and others in Lanka.

    The Vadukoddai Resolution is also damaging to the rest of the People of Lanka and to the unitary state of Lanka as proven by the 30 yrs of terrorism of the LTTE. It is high time the VR was revoked publicly and in writing by the now Tamil leaders, isn’t it ?

33. Lorenzo Says:
    January 25th, 2016 at 11:06 pm

    Now MR and family have become more Tamilized.

    They have not learned the lesson.

    “https://www.facebook.com/PresidentRajapaksa/”

    On 1 January instead of going to a temple, they have gone to a KOVIL.

    His Pongal message is in Tamil when even Maru Sira and Run-nil made their message in English.

    Sorry MR and NR, you cannot lead SL out of its misery.

34. SA Kumar Says:
    January 26th, 2016 at 3:57 am

    Fran Diaz
    Vaddukoddai Resolution ‘- was or is not legal documents it was simple TULF election 1974 manifest thats all.

    Even our head of states SWRD & Doudles S could not fulfiled their agreement with Chelavanayagam than who else can ???

    Chelvanayagam , GGP , Amirthalingam or Sampanthan all want United Sinhela Lanka not separate TE because they know what is good for all Mother Lankan .

    We All have United Sinhela Lanka Now !!!
    Live &let’s live .

35. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 26th, 2016 at 11:11 am

    Kumar,

    Vadukoddai Resolution was not a legal document, but it is the guiding principle for Tamil Leaders thinking – “Give us this or that, reasonable or unreasonable, or else !”. What a Shame when Lanka has accommodated Tamils so well, Tamil language and whole welcome mat and all.

    *. Why were hard core terrorists released in a hasty fashion without Psychiatrists/Doctor approval ?
    *. Why is the 6-A never used to protect the Nation ?

    We want a UNITARY State of Sri Lanka. Then, United Lanka will follow. We want a PERMANENT PEACE here.

36. SA Kumar Says:
    January 27th, 2016 at 4:43 am

    What a Shame when Lanka has accommodated Tamils- Mother Lanka do not accommodate We-Ilankai Thamilar , We-Ilankai Thamilar accommodate OUR Mother Lanka . like We are from OUR Mother (Amma / Amme) that why Mother accommodate all hers children.

    United Provincial Council of Mother Lanka Then UNITARY of Sinhela Lanka will follow . This is permanent solution here.
    where all Mother Lanka speck Chinhalam (Sinhala) & flow their faith Karma & Dharma We both believe !!!

    I close my case .

37. Fran Diaz Says:
    January 27th, 2016 at 5:39 pm

    Kumar,

    If by your definition, if ‘love’ is what has been happening in the past 30 plus years with the LTTE – devastating, humiliating and crushing Mother Lanka, then Mother Lanka is finished ! If ‘love’ is so murderous, then imagine what ‘hate’ would be ! God help us all from the ‘love’ of confused Tamil folk of Lanka, misled by their Tamil leaders from the 1930s.

    If you are a Tamil/Hindu, please do turn to the Four Yogas, Raj Yoga especially. That is the highest form of Yoga. Please meditate and pray for Mother Lanka, for peace in the world, and happiness for all of mankind. That will feel so good. Then we can live in hope for us all.

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