Raman Kulasingham Valaichenai, Batticaloa

The Tamil CanadianƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ website isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ not accessible in Sri Lanka due to internet censorship.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Government of Sri Lanka has done no disservice in blocking this website.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ TheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ political leadership of the Sri Lankan Tamils has made numerous blunders inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the last 60 years. WeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ need to nowƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  strategize afresh. WhereasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the Rajapakse administration may not beƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ helpful in my view, thisƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ does not mean thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamils should persistƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ with the failed politics of the past. We need to forge a strategic partnership with the progressive elements in the Sinhalese and Muslim communities.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
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Internet websitesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ such as Tamil Canadian need to be situated in a broader political context. Tamil Canadian is intended toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ selectively spotlight unresolved Tamil issues in Sri Lanka, radicalizeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ TamilsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ domiciled in Canada and use Tamil secessionism to undermine Tamil Hinduism.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ While part of the blame in my view is Mahinda Rajapakse himself, elements of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora are not clean.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
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The Sri Lankan Tamil diasporaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ consists ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a spectrum of political views, not all destructive. D.B.S. Jeyaraj’s TransCurrents is a liberal website based in Toronto although itƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ once featured an anti-Hindu article by Ratnajeevan Hoole. My criticism is directed atƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ internet journals such as Tamil Canadian and Tamil Net. Let me take Tamil Canadian for purposes of this article.
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If one were to surfƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ their website using a proxy server, one would discoverƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ anti-Hindu articles by Barnabas Alexander and Kristoffen Somanader datedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 31 October, 2004, an anti-Sinhalese Easter Message by the Reverend S.J. Emmanuel dated 11 April, 2004 andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a news item dated 15 September, 2004 onƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ AmericanƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ criticism ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka on religious freedom despite America’s own poorƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ record vis-a-visƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Islam. OneƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ readsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ crude anti-Hindu articles by Velupillai Thangavelu in the Tamil Canadian website dated 17 April, 2008, 24 December, 2010 and 6 January, 2011.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ItƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ published an undatedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ anti-IndianƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ article by Professor P. Ramasamy.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It regularly featured, until recently, articles by overseas churchƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ websites on Tamil grievancesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in Sri Lanka. ItƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ reproduced an undated article by the Late Father Xavier Thaninayakam. In short, this is a Tamil ChristianƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ project under the garb of Tamil secessionism. ItsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ objective is toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ roll back Tamil Hinduism, vivisect Sri Lanka and destabilize India.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
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Let me recount the highlights of December 2010. Mootharigner Kanthamurukesanar, a Point Pedro native domiciled in Toronto,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ called for a discussionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ jettison the celebration of the Hindu new year in April in favor of the Hindu harvest festival ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Pongal.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Velupillai Thangavelu, who uses the pen name Nakeeran and isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on the Board of the Tamil Canadian website, wroteƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on December 24 calling for theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ dismissal of the traditional Hindu new year in April.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He urged thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Pongal, another Hindu holiday,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ be declared the Tamil new yearƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to accommodate Tamil Christians!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Pongal is as Hindu as it gets! A Murugan Temple in Toronto then offered one hundred Canadian dollars to those Tamil families whose children had been born between 2005 and 2010 to legally erase their Sanskrit Hindu names and substitute that forƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ non-religious Tamil language names. Interestingsly, no such money was offered to Tamil Christian children to replace their Biblical and Latin-derivedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ names.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚