Question to Tamils & UN/IC: Give examples of discrimination to only Tamils. Tell us what Sinhalese & Muslims enjoy which is not legally given to Tamils in Sri Lanka?
Posted on September 6th, 2016
Shenali D Waduge
Question to Tamils & UN/IC: Give examples of discrimination to only Tamils. Tell us what Sinhalese & Muslims enjoy which is not legally given to Tamils in Sri Lanka?
Discrimination is the basis on which the Tamil politicians are arguing he need for a separate state and to rule their own. The discrimination card is being quoted by UN, foreign envoys and aid ctivists and promoted by profit seeking media to promote a separation of Sri Lanka without asking the fundamental uestion – where is the discrimination taking place and is discrimination exclusive to Tamils? This question is posed to the inhalese politicians of all political parties to answer as well. We cannot simply accept political claims to divide the nation without being told what these discriminations are. Moreover, a handful of examples cannot warrant a country to be divided ethnically. Blacks in America and in other parts of the world have been historically discriminated, currently the Black Americans are facing tremendous discrimination issues. Are they seeking a separate state in the US? Hindu Dalits are similarly discriminated against, are they seeking a separate state to rule themselves too?
This is a comment by one Sellathurai Narenthiran
Sinhalese never going to learn from the past. History is repeating here again as it happened many times since independence. I didn’t hear a single Sinhalese journalist or a single Sinhalese citizen said anything about the discrimination suffered by Tamils since independence. This is the curse for Ceylon.”
We all would seriously like to pin down what these discriminations we are being accused of committing are. So my response to Narenthiran was
can you please name these discriminations – discriminations that legally and constitutionally apply to only Tamils and which is not suffered by fellow Sinhalese and Muslims.. name discriminations suffered by ONLY TAMILS which are legally and constitutionally denied them”.
A very polite question desiring to know what the discriminations are.
The response I received from Sellathurai Narenthiran was
I don’t reply to idiots 😎”
Ok so I am an idiot asking a simple question that is on the minds of over 18million people wanting to know what Tamils were suffering from that the rest of the Sri Lankan citizenry were not.
My immediate response to Sellathurai Narenthiran was
This is what happens when cornered to give examples… the best route taken is replies like yours…”
This is the same case when the question is posed to Tamil political leaders. They will not answer the question and will rebuke the person asking the question by namecalling. No one will give direct answers with valid examples.
The few who do are quick to cite lack of development need to be reminded that LTTE was ruling a de facto state in the North. According to Janes Intelligence LTTE was making $300m profits annually but LTTE did not make a single road in the areas they ruled but they had enough money to make plush bunkers and air conditioned homes for themselves, LTTE did not spend on building a single school, LTTE did not allow children to study at least not low caste children – they were kidnapped and sent to LTTE orphanages where they were trained in armed combat. Areas in the deep Vanni did not have electricity because LTTE blew up the transformers. LTTE denied the people much but why is no one highlighting these?
If you asked Black Americans in the US how they were discriminated they would immediately give these as examples.
- We were denied the right to sit with a White American on buses
- We were not allowed to attend the same schools or go to the same churches as whites
- We were segregated – whites separate from blacks
- We were denied owning property,
- We were not allowed to vote
- We had separate film halls only for blacks
- We had separate water fountains to drink water
- We had to use separate public toilets/washrooms.. the list is long
The first Black judge to serve with the Supreme Court of US was in 1967 – Sri Lanka has lists of Tamils in prominent roles. The 70 years plus Chief Minister of the North ranting racism now was living all his life in Colombo amongst the Sinhalese and even became a Supreme Court judge. He has been living in the North of Sri Lanka only for the past 4 years while both his sons are married to Sinhalese.
Has things changed since and inspite of discrimination continuing all that the black Americans continue to say is ‘black lives matter’!
- Fair Employment Practices Commission has found that blacks face discrimination in one out of every five job interviews.
- The American Sociological Association notes tweak the hiring process to offer higher status jobs and pay to white employees.
- According to Huffington Post 123 blacks had been shot at by police in 2016 alone and there is still 4 months to go to complete the year! In 2015 the number of unarmed black Americans killed was 105 http://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed/ and black Americans constitute 13% of the US population (The Tamils constitute 12% of the Sri Lankan population)
Can Tamils produce examples such as that which the black Americans suffered? Inspite of their sufferings the blacks did not demand a separate state within a united America. All that the blacks asked for was equality and end to racism.
Let us take the next example from India.
Dalits form around 16.6% of India’s population. Half of India’s Dalits live in 4 states (UP, West Bengal, Bihar & Tamil Nadu).
The state of Tamil Nadu literally means state for Tamils. 99% of the populace in Tamil Nadu are Tamils. Is life honky dory in Tamil Nadu?
- 250 Tamil dalits turn to Islam for being kept out of kovils http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/tamil-nadu-dalit-discrimination-conversion-islam-prohibited-enter-temple-2939695/
- Dalits vs Non-Dalits in Tamil Nadu – http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/its-now-dalits-vs-nondalits/article7386959.ece
- There are over 200million Dalits in India – http://idsn.org/india-official-dalit-population-exceeds-200-million/
This is crucial to negating the demand that TNA and Wigneswaran are making seeking a separate state with devolved powers within a united Sri Lanka to rule their own. A state with 99% Tamils, where rulers are Tamils, where Tamil language and Tamil culture is given prominence suffers vices of caste discrimination, corruptions, inequality all that which every country in the world experiences. This state with 99% Tamils is having the same or more problems as other nations. How can creating separate mono-ethnic states be a solution to problems when problems can never be solved by compartmentalizing people.
We should also like to question why Tamils living in areas outside of the North have no problems living with Sinhalese but Tamils living among their own in the North (which is 99% occupied by Tamils) claim to want to separate from Sinhalese. We cannot understand this logic!
Similarly if there are issues, these can be solved administratively. You cannot take the extreme step of dividing the nation. It is wrong of the UN and western foreign interest groups to promote mono-ethnic new states as has been done in Kosovo and South Sudan where years after the division we see that the blueprint is a total failure. We do not wish to have Sri Lanka enter this failed list too.
At the same time we are also trying to understand which is a bigger problem – the pretense or hype about discrimination by the Sinhalese (which is yet to be proved) or the caste problem that exists among Tamils which will never cease and will become worse under their own rule.
We can give ample examples for this.
- During the 1983 UNP-led/RAW instigated attacks on Tamils the refugee camps were facing bigger issues. High caste Tamils refused to share toilet facilities with low caste Tamils and the security forces had to put up separate toilets as a result. The same scenario arose after May 2009 too.
- In Colombo where Tamils live in majorities in areas like Wellawatte, Dehiwela, Kotahena etc… high caste Tamils will not even entertain low caste Tamils – some even have separate cups to serve them. There are families who have not spoken to their children or even looked at their grandchildren because they have married out of caste.
We can give another example.
- In 1957 the Social Disabilities Prevention Act 21 was introduced to end caste/class dynamics. Guess who wrote to the British rulers to stop the Act! The Tamil elite objected to this Bill because it enabled low caste Tamil children to gain education and even though the Bill was passed the Tamil elites forced these low caste Tamil children to sit on the floor and study.
- The other example was the standardization. The elite among Tamils and Sinhalese objected because the Act paved the way for children of less privileged districts/provinces to enter university. High caste Tamils were enjoying a disproportionate number of university seats. Standardization enabled rural Tamils to benefit which the high caste/class Tamils did not like. In 1982, 35% of doctors, 35% of engineers, 33% of accountants, 39% veterinary surgeons, 30% of surveyors were Sri Lankan Tamils!
To be qualified to accuse others of discrimination shouldn’t Tamils not discriminate against their own? When Tamil elites do not allow lowcaste Tamils to enter a kovil to pray where is the human rights and how farcical are these claims of discrimination?
What is the discrimination that ONLY Tamils suffer has to be answered by all parties telling the world there is a problem and presenting solutions. The UN, NGOs and foreign envoys cannot present their notion of solutions without presenting the problem first.
We will not accept tweakings to the constitution paving way for a separate Tamil only state while giving rights for Tamils to live in all parts of the island but barring Sinhalse from living and owning property in the North and East. With time with India making inroads in Central Province through the Estate Tamils, the calls will come to separate that area as well. Sri Lanka is not a piece of cake for people to cut out as they please.
People of all communities are living and working harmoniously. We are all friends and we have fond memories of good times spent together. We laugh together, we share food with each other, we celebrate festivities together, we have our bad times and good times but bad times can’t be solved by carving out an area and declaring it a separate state. This is why we are asking Tamils, the TNA, the UN, paid activists & NGOs and even Sinhala politicians the simple question tell us what the Tamils suffer that Sinhalese & Muslims do not suffer from, tell us what rights are legally denied to Tamils only.
It is totally unacceptable that the UN and vested foreign groups are mixing up the terrorist issue to divide the nation drowning down our throats all sorts of hyped up notions that do not make sense.
Ours is an island nation. We have a long and proud history because ours is not a created country like America, Canada, Australia or even India. We have heroes who have fought enemies to defend the nation and throughout history we have lost our independence only because of local traitors who have handed over our country to the enemy and have been proud of being servants of the enemy. There are enough of ඉඟුරු දී මිරිස් ගත්තාවාගේ stories we can recount.
We are against changing the new constitution to pave the way for a separate Tamil Only administration in the North or a similar such in the East using bogus claims of discrimination unless we are told what it is the discrimination that is taking place. It is appalling that the UN, the so-called international community and even the Sinhala politicians are allowing a terrorist problem to be mixed up with other political gameplans to allow our island nation to be divided and separated which will create more chaos than solve problems.
Shenali D Waduge
September 4th, 2016 at 5:19 pm
I am of the opinion that the Tamil leaders were/are encouraging their Caste Wars in Sri Lanka, not in Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, Caste is stated on the birth certificates. INDIA does the Census on a Caste base. Low Caste Dalits have been discriminated against for some 3,000 yrs. Till this issue is resolved, Lanka must have strict laws re illegal migrants, especially from Tamil Nadu. Prabhakaran stated that about a third of the LTTE army was from Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu was the earlier breakaway sub-state of INDIA, and the secessionist movement there was stopped by PM Nehru’s Anti-Secessionist Law of 1963. Since then Tamil leaders of Sri Lanka appear to have intensified the Separatist idea even more.
The Vadukoddai Resolution of 1976 (Eelam through Violence) has been created to mess up Lanka through violence.
Strangely, the 6-A has never been activated, and therefore separatist Tamil leaders have never been taken to Courts.
Reasons for this could be that INDIA constantly interferes on the so called Tamil issue, going to the extent of training the LTTE in Tamil Nadu, and imposing the illegal 13-A on the JRJ govt. in 1987.
As well, Cold War politics have played its part, with past trouble from the JVP since their requests (unemployment & removal of the illegal 13-A), were not properly addressed and the JVP reacted with insurrections.
There are constant beggars wounds being created by Tamil leaders to justify creating Eelam. For example, the NPC used less than a quarter of the Funds provided by the MR govt for the development of the North. When visiting dignitaries came to the North, not much development was visible or jobs created there.
All these games must stop and the country kept Unitary & United.
September 4th, 2016 at 7:02 pm
African Americans are 13% of the US population and Tamils are 15% of the Sri Lankan population. No difference in their percentages. So why different right to different people? African Americans don’t get exclusive political solutions, homelands, devolution units, official and national languages. Then why should Tamils get? It makes no sense.
Obviously Tamils cannot spell out what those specific grievances are because there is none. Sinhala politicians that promise political solutions and LLRC implantation are the fools to believe Tamil nonsensical claims.
Everything Tamils demand are already found in Tamil Nadu and the practical solution is to move to Tamil Nadu.
September 4th, 2016 at 7:31 pm
Long ago, when I asked what the Tamil groevances are , they did not have a proper response to that.
Even todate, South vote to politicians who are mostly uneducated children of existing or retired politicians or they came to power because of money. Some how they ride the wave and they talk about a national question and Tamil problemes. They don’t have any knowledge or experience about how the world is working or they don’t care about Sinhala buddhist civilization. Just listen to the SLBC program of Subharathi to understand how idiots and hyenas are talking.
Tamils are there to duplicate anti-Hindu, anti-Hindi, anti-Brahmin – Tamilnadu here. It is our politicians who are scared to the west, scarted to the india and who don’t have any vision are making Tamils happy. If they get it, they go all the way as Sri lanka is a weakers state.
Otherwise, providing every thing to tamils little by little will never work.
September 5th, 2016 at 2:56 am
Re African Americans and Tamils of Sri Lanka :
African Americans were (unfortunately) brought to America as Slaves by the British Colonial powers.
Tamil Low caste Indentured Labor was brought to Sri Lanka mostly by the then British Colonial powers. Illegal migration into Lanka from Tamil Nadu followed.
Isn’t it high time that the Sirima/Shasthri Pact is fully honored ?
Isn’t it high time that the Tamil folk in the Tamil Nadu Camps are given INDIAN citizenship, as requested by Jayalalitha, the CM of Tamil Nadu ? INDIA has dragged on this issue without resolution for too long, to the detriment of Lanka Tamils Peace & Reconciliation process with the rest of Lanka.
Question: Why do Tamils flee Tamil Nadu, Homeland of Tamil folk ?
September 5th, 2016 at 3:37 am
In the Missing Persons Act, a relative or a friend can make an official inquiry (but a totally bogus inquiry) from the Office of the Missing Persons (OMP) by email inquiring as to the whereabouts of their relative or friend.
There are over 8 lakhs to 10 lakhs Tamil diaspora asylum seekers (actually economic migrants), a vast majority of who support the separatist terrorist LTTE and its aim of a separate state. If even 40,000 of these Tamil diaspora who support the separatist terrorist LTTE write bogus emails to the OMP inquiring the whereabouts of their friend or relative (but this friend or relative is actually living alongside them in these countries i.e. the US, UK, EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, India etc.) these inquiries will officially be accepted by the OMP as 40,000 missing persons.
According to the provisions of the OMP Act, even if the OMP inquires after these let us say 40,000 and finds out that these are all bogus inquiries and that all these 40,000 persons are actually living alongside the inquirer i.e. their relative or friend and these complaints about these persons being missing are all bogus, the missing persons, now found by the OMP, can request that their whereabouts not be revealed to their relative or friend or be made public. So officially these 40,000 persons will still be missing!!!
Then the OMP will use these bogus 40,000 missing persons (who are actually living comfortably in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, India etc.) as manufactured ‘evidence’ that war crimes happened in Sri Lanka (and all these bogus inquirers will state that these persons went missing during the 2006-2009 period) and our Sri Lankan Armed Forces will be persecuted for committing war crimes that they never, ever committed by a judicial process using these bogus email inquiries.
The Missing Persons Act states specifically that if the missing person who is now found requests that the fact that they are now found not be revealed to the public that person will remain as missing as far as the OMP is concerned. That is how the OMP will manufacture bogus ‘evidence’ of 40,000 missing persons so that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces can be persecuted for committing bogus war crimes.
The OMP emails cannot be checked by any outside body as stated in the Act since all evidence (almost all bogus) gathered by the OMP remains confidential. The OMP cannot be taken to the Supreme Court on this issue. However the OMP should absolutely and immediately be taken to the Supreme Court regarding what has been written above which is what would happen when this OMP is set up.
The OMP will become a bogus ‘evidence’ manufacturing machine which will gather such bogus inquiries via email from those members of the Tamil diaspora who are supportive of the LTTE terrorists and who will send bogus email inquiries by their thousands. All these bogus inquiries (of people who are actually living in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, India etc.) will then be misused as missing person inquiries.
I did not realize that the Sinhalese were this stupid as to allow such a process within the Missing Persons Act which can be blatantly misused in order to manufacture bogus ‘evidence’ like this. The OMP process is not transparent, it will happen in totally secrecy, no one in Sri Lanka will be able to question it, not our police, not our courts, not our Sri Lankan citizens, nobody. All the OMP will do is gather bogus email ‘evidence’ such as described above which will then be misused as missing person inquiries to try the Sri Lankan Armed Forces for bogus war crimes that they never, ever committed.
The OMP process as described above must be stopped immediately. If a relative or a friend really and genuinely wants to find out about their genuinely missing relative or friend (i.e. perished LTTE terrorist), they can make a complaint to the OMP in person in public. This is the only way that Sri Lanka and the world will know that their inquiry is genuine. This was the methodology followed by the earlier Paranagama Commission which then received 23,000 complaints from relatives or friends of the missing person (i.e. perished LTTE terrorist or our perished Sri Lankan Forces soldiers) but they made their complaint in public in person to the commission. This is the only way to ensure authenticity and make the process transparent since this happens in the public arena. However, even with such safeguards, even some of those complaints may have been bogus.
The OMP should be stopped immediately since it is not a transparent process at all as described above but a totally secretive process where no one and nobody can request to be provided an opportunity to even peruse, investigate or look at the email inquiries received by the OMP. If the UNHRC, the US, UK, EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, India, the TNA and the separatist terrorists genuinely want to find out about perished LTTE terrorists, this Yahapalanaya Government could expand and extend the scope of the already set up Paranagama Commission in order to make such inquiries. This process should be totally following Sri Lankan Law, within Sri Lankan jurisdiction, paid for totally by the Sri Lankan Government only and with only Sri Lankan citizens appointed as commission members and investigators. In fact the entire staff should be composed Sri Lankan citizens only. The process should be a totally domestic process with no interference or input whatsoever from foreign countries. Most importantly, all complaints should be made in person by relatives and friends in public if their complaint is genuine.
The Missing Persons Act is totally dangerous as pointed out above and should be dismissed totally as it is highly dangerous and a totally secretive process as described above designed and set up to manufacture bogus ‘evidence’ against the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
September 5th, 2016 at 9:01 pm
Plumblossom is correct. OMP is a Trojan Horse to frame the armed forces and the members of the previous government for war crimes.
I sure hope the big wigs of the Yahapalanaya government will be tried for treason some day(for co sponsoring the UN resolution). This is a perfect example of treason.
September 9th, 2016 at 3:50 am
Tamil Leaders of Lanka CREATE their own ‘discrimination’ !
A few Examples :
* Ever since the vicious killer Vadukoddai Resolution was declared by Tamil leaders in 1976, Tamil people have been misled and encouraged to go on rampage against all others in Lanka.
– The LTTE was formed and trained in Tamil Nadu and let loose in Sri Lanka to go on a killing spree for nearly 30 yrs.
The UN & the west did not help Lanka, or what little was done was inadequate.
When the Lanka armed forces tried to protect Sri Lanka, the term ‘genocide of Tamils’ was invented and touted all over the world.
– More recently, during the MR govt., funds given by the govt. were NOT used by the NPC. Only less than a quarter of the funds were used in the war torn North.
This was obviously to show the VIPs visiting the North that the North was neglected by the MR govt.
* It is therefore high time that the ILLEGAL 13-A imposed by INDIA on the JRJ govt. in 1987, is REMOVED.
* It is therefore very important that the vicious Vadukoddai Resolution of 1976 is OFFICIALLY REVOKED by the Tamil leaders.