India playing double games with Tamils while turning Sri Lanka into an Indian colony
Posted on May 4th, 2017
Shenali D Waduge
Sri Lanka’s citizens must first realize that Sri Lanka is an independent and sovereign country in particular the Tamils, the Sri Lankan Government & especially the Foreign Minister & Ministry. If Tamils believe they are not Sri Lankan citizens, they are welcome to live in India where they originated from. However, let them remember that India does not even categorize Sri Lankan Tamils as Persons of Indian Origin (PIO). If so why should Indian PM fool the GOSL to attend the most revered Buddhist celebration of Vesak but make a detour to address Tamils whom India does not give legal place to in India? Are Tamils and Tamil leaders so foolish to fall for Indian stunts that are using the Tamil card as an excuse to turn Sri Lankan into an Indian colony?
India has the largest diaspora population in the world since colonial rulers transported them to all corners of the world as slave labor. That was how Tamils landed up in Sri Lanka too mainly to work on Colonial plantations. It was to these British transported Indians that as ‘Stateless Persons’ citizenship was granted by Sri Lanka.
Known as Indian Tamils (referred to as Malabars) during colonial rule it was only in 1911 that the name Ceylon Tamils was coined. Therefore, the history of Ceylon Tamils as per usage of term is only 106years old.
A Non-Resident Indian (NRI) are citizens of India, holding an Indian passport who have emigrated temporarily to another country.
A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) are persons of Indian origin who are not citizens of India but citizens of another country. Government of India considers anyone of Indian origin up to four generations removed to be a PIO. The Indian Government even gives an identity card. However, GOI does not give PIO status to Indians origins from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Nepal, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka.
REPEAT SRI LANKAN TAMILS are not given status as Persons of Indian Origin inspite of them being of Indian origin. Then why is PM Modi going all the way to the central plains to address them?
Why is the GOSL giving lands to them claiming they are of Indian origin? We demand answers. http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Modi-to-address-Tamils-of-Indian-Origin-128156.html Daily Mirror hints that India helped yahapalana government win by asking the central plain Indian Tamil vote base to vote for Sirisena & Ranil in 2015. Does that mean every election any aspiring political party has to woo the Indians and make promises for the Tamil bloc vote base?
I did not like to go to India. India is not ours. We belong to Sri Lanka” But India orders them to vote for whom India selects to be the next leader of Sri Lanka. http://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2004/10/416564cd4/feature-sri-lanka-makes-citizens-stateless-tea-pickers.html
And if Hill Country Tamils do not want to be called Indian Tamils – why is the Indian Prime Minister going to speak to them?
As per Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada & US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
There are approximately 100,000 Sri Lankan Tamils refugees living in India (as of July 2009) living in over 100 camps in Tamil Nadu, while close to 30,000 live outside of the camps but registered with the police.
These Sri Lankan Tamils are granted asylum under ‘strategic, political & humanitarian grounds’ not because they originated from India.
Sri Lankan Tamils are issued a family card which includes their contact details in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Tamils are NOT entitled to residence permits. Sri Lankan Tamil refugees CANNOT own land, houses or vehicles in India but can own cattle. The Tamil Nadu Government went to the extent of even ordering its revenue department to record all property owned by Sri Lankan Tamil refugees believing that the law was not being applied properly.
So what is all this big talk by the Indian Government of their concern for Tamils and shedding crocodile tears for them?
Sri Lankan Tamil refugees are required to produce ration cards to receive rice, sugar, kerosene & other entitlements. The US report claims the health conditions in the camps are of poor quality with scarcity of water and no privacy. Sri Lankan Refugees in Tamil Nadu are placed under police surveillance and have to report to the police every 3 days.
In November 2009 the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu requested the Indian Central Government to give Sri Lankan refugees Indian citizenship (The Hindu 3 Nov 2009) but the request was denounced because India did not want to create a precedence that would make Indians from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Tibet demand citizenship of India as well. So India did not want to make any special concessions to the Sri Lankan Tamils.
Those who originate from India are many. In fact at the time of independence, there were more Indian Tamils than those that were defined as Ceylon Tamils which was one of the reasons why the Sri Lankan politicians at independence including the Ceylon Tamil leaders wanted them to return to India. The Sirima-Shastri Pact of 1964 and Indira-Sirimavo supplementary agreement of 1974 paved the way for the repatriation.
India uses all the following groups to exert political pressure on Sri Lankan Governments. To understand the commercial power they yield, one has to only take stock of the businesses and the entities they own in Sri Lanka.
- The Colombo Chettys (Casie-chetty name, Fernandopulles, Ondaatje, Candappa, Chittys)
- The Malayalees
- The Sri Lankan Tamils (previously Indian Tamils/Malabar Tamils, Ceylon Tamils/Jaffna Tamils)
- Hill Country Tamils/Estate Tamils/Plantation Tamils/Up Country Tamils (Thondamon, Mano Ganeshan)
- Telugu community in Sri Lanka (snake charmers)
- Borahs, (originally from Gujarat- Adamalee and Adamjee Lukmanjee Akbarally, Davoodbhoy, FazalAbbas, Fazleali, Hebtulabhoy, Jafferjee, Jeevunjee, Miajee, Moosajee, Nathani, Rehmanjee and Shethwala)
- Khojas,
- Memons (came as traders)
- Parsees, (Pestonjee, Choksy, Captain, Jilla, Billimoria, Rustomjee, Jevunjee, Dadabhoy, Barucha)
- Indian Moor
The other important factors that completely demolishes the quest for self-determination or homelands are
- You cannot have the same ethnic group born in two separate countries and both claiming self-determination and homelands using the same arguments.
- If Tamils in Sri Lanka are distinct from Tamils in Tamil Nadu, they should then claim homeland status by another ethnic name and not use ‘Tamil’ which originated in Tamil Nadu.
- There was no independent or separate Tamil Kingdom reigned by Tamils who claim to have originated in Sri Lanka. With Sri Lanka invaded on numerous occasions by South Indian kings, these kings ruled for some years before they were defeated by the Sinhale kings. Tamils cannot use these invasions and rule to claim that there was a separate Tamil rule and use that argument to claim homelands and self-determination.
- The architecture, archaeological and historical evidence available clearly points to Sinhala Buddhists and the prevalence of Buddhist temples, stupas and Buddhist monasteries living in the North. To undermine these facts Tamils now have come up with another imaginary fictional story that they were Buddhists! There is no end to the fairy tales they come up with.
What is obvious is that India is using emotional ties to politically exert pressure against the Sri Lankan Government using the Tamil voter numbers which suddenly keeps inflating inspite of supposed genocide of Tamils. Have you ever heard of Tamil population statistically increasing when Sinhalese are being accused of committing genocide of Tamils?
What Tamils should also ask themselves is
- If India could separate East Pakistan and create Bangladesh why has India not done the same to create Eelam for Tamils? The ‘rebels’ fighting for independence were created by India & illegal refugees have played a key role in both scenarios. Bangladesh like Sri Lanka is important for India because it is a strategic corridor & India uses its media to invent notions that India has to interfere to protect India’s interests. India’s interests are not the interests of Tamils, hope Tamils realize this.
- Sikhs demanded a separate Khalistan state in 1946 by Resolution as Tamils have done in Tamil Nadu and thereafter in Sri Lanka through the Vaddukoddai Resolution. The Sikhs & Tamils both have their international head quarters in London. Diasporas of both have invested heavily in this ‘sovereign state’. Storing the Golden Temple in 1984 resulted in the assassination of Indira Gandhi while Rajiv Gandhi was killed by LTTE in 1991. India created Akali Dal & armed & trained Bhindranwale & killed him in 1984. India armed & trained LTTE and Prabakaran was killed in 2009. Both diasporas have similar methods in collecting monies. Indian Government have manipulated Sikhs and Tamils both in Tamil Nadu & Sri Lanka. Rajiv Gandhi signed the ‘Punjab Accord’ & ‘Indo-Lanka Accord’ in 1987. In both cases Indian military took over. Akali Dal state government was dismissed in 1987 as ‘secessionist’ while Sri Lankan President Premadasa annulled the merged NE provincial council following the unilateral declaration of independence by Varatharaja Perumal (Indian stooge).
What needs to be understood is that India will never give Khalistan to the Sikhs nor Eelam to the Tamils especially in Tamil Nadu, but India will use the Eelam card and side with Tamils to turn the areas being demanded as Eelam towards an Indian enclave that would meet India’s historical goal and geopolitical strategy.
Is it that Tamils and Tamil politicians are aware of India’s real motives but are happy to play ignorant because it advances their own agendas (Tamil politicians can make demands, Tamils can claim discrimination and win for themselves asylum and other benefits etc)?
Tamils in Sri Lanka know that Eelam is an elusive deal, they also know that India is playing the eelam card and concern for Tamil card for its own advantage, but why would Tamils wish to compromise an entire country and be party to India gobbling up Sri Lanka to make Sri Lanka its next state? Tamil Nadu Tamils themselves have lists of grievances against the Indian Government.
Do Sri Lankan Tamils seriously think that once India ‘acquires’ Sri Lanka, India will even bother to entertain a single Tamil demand?
Do Sri Lankan politicians who are signing carte blanche deals with India think that once India has enough leverage over Sri Lanka (economically & politically) Sri Lankan politicians will have any role to play in Sri Lankan politics?
These are serious points that Tamils and Sri Lankan politicians need to consider in allowing India and Indian Prime Minister to interfere in Sri Lanka’s domestic affairs. The latest is the Indian focus on Central Province. Was there an Indian hand in the floating of Samooha Needhikkaana Makkal Amaippu (Peoples Organization for Social Justice) launched on Gandhi Jayanthi Day?
You can bet that trouble will commence immediately after his departure with Indian intelligence operatives already busy on the ground to further destabilize Sri Lanka. Once the dog ticks set it, it is difficult for them to be removed.
There is no reason for any Indian PM to visit a sovereign country and only address one community, when that very community have no acceptance in India legally & constitutionally. Such interferences should not be diplomatically permitted and it speaks volumes of the pettiness of a 1.2billion country aspiring to be a superpower!
Shenali D Waduge
- http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2016/oct/04/organization-floated-to-highlight-and-redress-issues-of-social-injustice-among-tamils-of-sri-lanka-1525017.html
- Lankan Malayalees invite investments from Keralites in India http://www.island.lk/2008/07/07/news14.html
- http://www.asianimage.co.uk/columnists/11466800.The__Borahs____An_Indian_minority_residing_in_Sri_Lanka/
- Memons of Sri Lanka http://www.sundaytimes.lk/101212/Plus/plus_01.html
- Parsi – http://www.sundaytimes.lk/000910/plus5.html
May 4th, 2017 at 7:40 pm
We read your articles with great interest and we appreciate what you are doing by writing and giving so much important information to the public to know facts about what’s going on in this country with this Yamapalanaya rulers.
Learned people knows what’s going on because they get info through various sauces but the majority of the public who hasn’t got any way of knowing anything does not know the gravity and danger we are about to face because of scheming and unscrupulous politicians who are ruling the country today. These snakes do not care about the people or the country except money and power. These bastards even sell garbage and get money in to their bank accounts. They never do any public service without a commission. These dirty scoundrels selling our country without any fear or shame.
We should show opposition to Modi’s visit by displaying black flags all over the country. When there are so many buddhist leaders in the world why this Modi? It means there’s a sinister motives behind his arrival in this land of ours. Sinhalese must get united at this hour of need to save Motherland without any party politics. Tamils and Muslims invading our country and they are spreading their religions and cultures around the country in ease because our evil rulers has given the green light to do so to stay in power. Wake up Sinhalese without being lazy and stupid. Unite to defeat the enemies and save our beloved Motherland. Don’t be afraid to die be strong and show the enemy or enemies how strong the Sinhalese are. Long live Sinhalaya and long live Sinhala land.
May 4th, 2017 at 8:07 pm
Thank you Shenali for another eye opener!!
May 4th, 2017 at 8:15 pm
දෙයියනේ හින්දුත්වා අදිරදයා නරෙන්ද්ර මෝඩි සින්හල යටත් විජිතයට එන්නේ යටත් වැසියන්ගේ යහපතටද? මෝඩි බලයට ආවට පසුව ඉන්දියාවේ බොදුවන් ආපසු හින්දු කිරීම වේගවත්ව කරගෙනයයි. මෝඩි සින්හලයාගේ අවසානය සහතික කරයි. 2017 නරෙන්ද්රන් මෝඩි එන්නෙ මලේ නාඩුවල ඉන්දියානු පරපෝසිතයන්ට මේ බව කියන්න. 1927 දී මොහන්දාස් කරම්චාන්ඩ් ගාන්දි යාල්පානම් වලට ඇවිල්ල සින්හලයාගේ වලකැපීම පටන්ගත්ත ඉන්දියානු පරපෝසිතයන් එක්ක. සින්හලයනි වටහා ගන්න, එක්වන්න ඉන්දියානු අදිරදයට එරෙහිව නැගී සිටින්න.
Modi the Emperor is visiting the Indian Colony. He is going to celebrate the end of Sinhalese with Indian Colonists, Mohnadas Karamchand Gandhi visited Jaffna in 1927 and started wiping out of the Sinhalese with Indian colonists.
May 4th, 2017 at 8:29 pm
Shenali, how can you expect the Tamils to believe Sri Lanka is a sovereign country when those traitorous Yapalanaya crooks have accepted Sri Lanka is an Indian state and are scared of them? Tamils will never go back to that “SHIT HOLE” called India and want to gradually take over Sri Lanka.
May 5th, 2017 at 1:17 am
Dear All,
Only solution Island is wide protests during Modi’s visit against Indian over-extension to Sri Lanka – Monkey Bridge, ETCA, Trincomalee and other RAW projects. Protests should not be limited to Colombo or a few other cities. The best protests are those from individual homes raising black flags all over the nation.
Only development Sri Lanka can have is without ‘Indian Assistance’. India has never been a force for good anywhere in South Asia! Reason for the disaster that is called SAARC compared to ASEAN is mainly due to Indian belligerence and complicity in causing dissension, terrorism and havoc in all neighbouring countries.
India is a geo-political construct of the British Empire just as much as Indonesia is a geo-political construct of the Dutch.
India’s inability to solve her internal problems and mainly poverty makes it inherently unstable within its borders. Only things that unites Indians are perceived and imagined threat from her neighbours. The task of RAW is to manufacture such threats and institute projects to destabilise in the hope these measures show India as the hegemon in the region.
South Asian can only develop inspite of India! Individual consciousness of all citizens of Sri Lanka must be raised to understand the ever present Indian Threat!
Sarath Bulathsinghala
May 5th, 2017 at 1:50 am
It has recently been reported that there are 200,000 ILLEGAL FOREIGN WORKERS employed in Sri Lanka by various companies, particularly in the construction industry.
Why is the GOSL turning a BLIND EYE to the presence of these II LEGAL WORKERS?
Clearly, Sri Lankan Companies are working hand-in-glove with these ILLEGAL workers to serve their own money-making interests. Very soon, these NEW KALLATHONIS will start demanding itizenship rights!
These companies are supporting the ETCA agreement with India to bring down still more Indian workers. That will result in a FLOOD of Indian workers, very likely Indian Tamils, to Sri Lanka. They will settle in Sri Lanka and add to the Tamil problem that we already have.
In the meantime, we are EXPORTING relatively UNSKILLED Sri Lankan citizens to the Middle East. They send back about USD 8 billion every year making a large contribution to Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange requirements. As such, there is NO MOTIVATION for the GOSL to stem the loss of its unskilled citizens abroad, even as the GOSL adopts immigration and economic policies to REPLACE our LOST CITIZENS with FOREIGN WORKERS.
Thus, by there is an INEXORABLE PROCESS at work that EXPORTS largely Sinhala Buddhists away from their homeland, and REPLACES them with foreign workers, mostly Indian Tamils, who will in time settle permanently in Sri Lanka and become citizens.
As a result, few decades from now, the MAJORITY COMMUNITY of Sri Lanka will no longer be Sinhala Buddhist, and we can say GOODBYE to our ancestral Motherland for good!
We should IMMEDIATELY adopt policies to TRAIN our currently unskilled people in HIGH VALUE occupations, to give our citizens doing tradesmen’s jobs (electricians, welders, mechanics, machinists, drivers, etc etc) wages comparable to what they can earn in the Middle East, to educate our people in saving and investing to generate income and rate businesses, etc.
IN SHORT, instead of EXPORTING our citizens to develop other countries and REPLACING them permanently with foreign workers, we should enable our people to earn higher wages, to invest in and provide the capital intensive technologies to increase their productivity so they can effectively compete in the global marketplace, so they can engage in satisfying and rewarding work, so they can live happily with their families in perpetuity in their own ancestral land.
It is the DUTY of a government to plan for and secure the long term interests of ALL their people, not just the rich ELITE who care about nothing but enriching themselves!
May 5th, 2017 at 2:57 am
Shenali D Waduge
Big thank you , Your all life time article for your Demila Sakodaraya!
We Both live in Chignkala Theevu last 2,500 years according to Mahavamsam & We both know We both will live in Mother Lanka at least 3,000 years.
Than why this Kolaveri ???
Live & Let’s live in United Mother Lanka at least until Eelam war V !!!!
Velu where are you ????
May 5th, 2017 at 2:58 am
* another 3,000 years or more ..
May 5th, 2017 at 4:21 am
Agree with Ananda that ILLEGAL CHEAP LABOR is going to make us lose Lanka.
The west is now backtracking on Cheap Labor & even REFUGEES entering their countries. The same protections are needed by Lanka.
May 5th, 2017 at 8:14 am
Rathna deepa Amaradeva and Gota.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh7kKj5l1VQ
May 5th, 2017 at 8:14 am
Rathna deepa Amaradeva and Gota.
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh7kKj5l1VQ”
May 6th, 2017 at 2:15 pm
Lorenzo, Thank you for that link above. I enjoyed listening to Gota and Amaradeva singing together.