Sri Lankan Solidarity Movement, London, United Kingdom

Hon. Maithripala Sirisena,

President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,

Presidential Secretariat,

Galle Face,

Colombo 1,

Sri Lanka

Dear Sir,

Concerns Regarding the Proposed Changes to the Constitution i.e. No to Any More Powers to Provincial Councils, No to Any War Crimes Tribunals, No to Reduction of HSZs and the Army from the North, the Signing of a CEPA Agreement with India, Patrolling of the IMBL and the Proposed Bridge and Tunnel Project between India and Sri Lanka

We hold grave concerns regarding the proposed changes to the constitution i.e. proposals to grant further powers to the provincial councils than at present. We are also extremely alarmed by statements made by the government regarding the proposing of the abolition of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, bringing in amendments to the Mahajana Aarakshaka Panatha, bringing in new Acts to approve new Yudha Aparaadha Neethi, bringing in a new Act to allow evidence of anonymous witnesses in court and extremely alarmed by government statements indicating that possible war crimes tribunals may take place which should not happen under any circumstances.

There is also concern over reduction of the Army, Navy and the Air Force from the North and the East and handing over of HSZs lands when instead, alternative lands can be provided to those affected. A great concern is the plan to convert the extremely important Palali Air Force Base into a civilian airport.

We are also extremely concerned and alarmed by the proposed building of a bridge and tunnel between India and Sri Lanka which should be stopped immediately. We hold the view that there is a need to reinstate the naval cordon around the Northern Seas. We are of the very firm view that the proposed CEPA Agreement (or a similar agreement known by any other name such as ETCA) between India and Sri Lanka should not be signed under any circumstances.

Our concerns in details are provided below:

1.0 Concerns Regarding Changes to the Constitution

1.1 A Unitary State should be Guaranteed

The state should be a unitary state since Sri Lanka is a small country (smaller than the Republic of Ireland for example). Almost all small countries of the world are unitary for good reason. When considering the history of Sri Lanka, it has always been a unitary state. Rajarata (600BC – 1400AD) which encompassed the North Central, North Western, Northern and Eastern provinces was situated in the dry zone of the country (please refer to The National Atlas of Sri Lanka, 2007 printed by The Survey Department for a map of the thousands of irrigation tanks located in the dry zone of Sri Lanka encompassing the North Central, North Western, Northern and Eastern provinces which would give anyone an idea of Rajarata) The Kandyan Kingdom (1400AD – 1815AD) encompassed most of the island inclusive of the Eastern and 90% of the Northern province. So it is very clear that this island always was a unitary state. The present provincial boundaries were drawn by British colonialists for their own nefarious purposes of suppressing especially the rebellious Sinhala people who they did not like at all (1815-1818 and the 1848 rebellions made the British very vary of the Sinahalese). It is only reasonable and fair that the unitary nature of Sri Lanka from even over 30,000 years ago (since the earliest human remains of our own tribal ancestors, Vaddho, have been found which are around 30,000 years old) until even after the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom be preserved. A constitution should reflect the history of a country too and considering the above evidence of the unitary nature, the independence and freedom of the country for over 30,000 years, it is only right, just and fair that Sri Lanka remains a unitary state.

Only a unitary state will create an impression amongst all the ethnic, religious and linguistic groups living in this country that we are indeed living together in one country. If the country is in pieces (very powerful provincial councils for example will only break this small country apart considering the separatist nature of the Tamil National Alliance, for example) and will not do justice to the fact that as shown above that during the very long history of this island, it has always been unitary, independent and free. Therefore if provincial councils are provided further powers than at present, the unitary nature of Sri Lanka will collapse and Sri Lanka will fall apart especially since the separatist TNA and the like are likely to hold power in the North, for example.

1.2 No to Land, Police, Fiscal or any other Additional Powers to Provincial Councils

Land powers should not be handed over to the provincial councils under any circumstances. A small country has only a small amount of resources i.e. in Sri Lanka’s case land area, coastline or the exclusive economic zone or EEZ (the ocean around Sri Lanka which belongs to Sri Lanka) are all a small amount. If every citizen does not have a right to fully utilize these limited resources (for example, if the present provincial councils are given powers than they have at present, for example land powers, political parties such as the Tamil National Alliance who are clearly separatist in nature will deny all other ethnic, religious and linguistic groups in the country (apart from Tamils) from living in the North or even in the East (if they can)). This would then constitute a grave violation of a vast majority of citizens of this country to fully enjoy the right to live in or utilize effectively 28% land area of the country, over 66% of the coastline and almost 66% of the EEZ (since the North and the East constitute 28% land area of the country, over 66% of the coastline and almost 66% of the EEZ). Since over 87% of the citizens of the country live outside the North and the East, this will effectively deny over 87% of the population of the country the right to live in the North and the East and most especially this will affect the Sinhala people, who are over 74% of the population, the most. This is not acceptable under any circumstances. Therefore the fundamental right of all citizens right to live in any part of the island and the right to utilize the resources of the entire island should be guaranteed by the constitution without favouritism towards any particular ethnic, religious or linguistic group.

In a small country such as Sri Lanka, all citizens should have the right to utilize land in any part of the country and such decisions should be decided by the central government only. There could otherwise be scenarios where for example the North and the East comprising 28% land area of the country, over 66% of the coastline and almost 66% of the EEZ (since the North and the East constitute 28% land area of the country, over 66% of the coastline and almost 66% of the EEZ) being utilized by any citizen living outside the North or the East being denied by provincial councils since the Northern provincial council is very likely to be governed by the TNA which is separatist in nature. The same goes for decisions regarding who can in the future be relocated to the North and the East. Surely the TNA will deny the above rights mentioned to the Sinhala people or to those of the Buddhist faith especially or anyone else who is not Tamil. This is a violation of the fundamental rights of citizens of this small island to live anywhere in the island which should be guaranteed by the constitution by ensuring that land powers remain with the central government.

Police powers should also only be with the central government and not with provincial councils. This is due to the fact that we cannot have nine different police forces in the country answerable to nine different provincial councils. In a small country such as Sri Lanka there should only be one police force, modernized and the police administrative system should be computerised and connected electronically too. The police force should be answerable to the entire public of the entire country via the system that is there at present. Since there is an independent police commission as well, as a counterbalance, there is no need to change the system that is there at present whatsoever. Considering the fact that for example the Northern provincial council which is very likely to be governed by the TNA which is separatist in nature, what would happen if a separate police force in the North answerable only to the chief minister of the North commence harassing for example Sinhala people or those of the Buddhist faith in the North?

All financial matters of the country should be decided and handled by the central government only. Under no circumstance should any aspects of finance be delegated to the provincial councils. Fiscal powers should not be handed over to the provincial councils. In a small country like Sri Lanka, fiscal matters should be centrally planned and executed by the central government which would be the only efficient thing to do and makes a lot of common sense. For example, what development loans the country should obtain for what and from where should be decided by the central government only.

1.3 No to Non-Existent (According to History) and Illegal ‘Homelands’

The clause which states in the 13^th amendment that the Northern and Eastern provinces are the homelands of the Tamil speaking people is totally incorrect as attested by the history of the island as written above. For example Sinhala Prakrit writing written using the Brahmi script has been found all over the island inclusive of the North and the East, earliest being 600BC. Buddhist statues, relics, remains have been found all over the island, inclusive of the North and the East, dating back to earlier than 300BC. Other remains have been found all over the island dating back to earlier than 900BC. Even in 900BC Anuradhapura was a large village and expanded into a city by 600BC. Actually our tribal ancestors, Vaddho, have been living in the island since 30,000 years ago as earliest human remains found on the island date back 30,000 years. So it is very clear that all parts of the island is the homeland of all its citizens. This includes the North and the East. Therefore the clause which states that the Northern and Eastern provinces are the homelands of the Tamil speaking people is totally incorrect.

This should be replaced with a clause which states that the entire island is the homeland of all its citizens in total. This not only historically accurate but is only just and fair towards all the citizens of the country.

1.4 No to Merger between any Two Provinces

The 13^th amendment allows for the merger of two provinces. Is this not a cynical ploy by the Indians to somehow merge the North and the East, two disparate and unrelated provinces, just to ensure that a large separate state is created? Therefore, for the sake of justice and fairplay by all citizens, the clause in the 13^th amendment which states that two provinces can be merged should be deleted.

1.5 Sharing Power at the Centre

The provincial councils should only be bestowed with the powers they have been bestowed at present. In the present 13^th amendment to the constitution, those subjects in the concurrent list which should not be there, should be taken back and placed in the national list. This is due to the fact that if provincial councils are provided further powers than at present, the unitary nature of Sri Lanka will collapse and Sri Lanka will fall apart especially since the separatist TNA and the like are likely to hold power in the North, for example.

As stated above, provincial councils should only be granted the powers they have at present only, in order to preserve the unitary nature of the country. The aim should be for the central government to be strong since in a small country such as Sri Lanka if provinces have too much powers, and with separatist tendencies being the dominant nature of political parties such as the TNA, the country will surely fall apart if any more powers are provided to the provincial councils. Almost all countries in this world which are small have strong central governments. This is since it allows for the planning of fiscal, development and all other matters in a panned and cohesive manner at the centre.

It is best as at present that power is shared at the centre i.e. successive governments of Sri Lanka have had ministers and cabinets which comprise people of all ethnic groups, religions and cultures. Therefore, this is the way forward rather than provincial councils being given more powers since this is only likely to pull the country apart rather than bring it together. Minorities should be encouraged to join major national parties and enter politics rather than take up membership of narrow ethnic or religiously oriented political parties which only sow seeds of separatism for their own selfish purposes.

1.6 The State Religion should be Buddhism

As stated in the present constitution, Buddhism should be safeguarded as the state religion. This is reconfirming the historic reality that since 300BC, Buddhism has indeed been the state religion whether it was during the Rajarata period (600BC – 1400AD) or during the Kandyan Kingdom period (1400AD – 1815AD). A constitution should reflect the history of a country too and give due respect to that history. Therefore it is only right and proper that Buddhism is provided a foremost place in the constitution and be safeguarded as the state religion.

Since Buddhism is the state religion, promoting, fostering and safeguarding of Buddhism will be a duty of the state. As such, Buddhism must be taught at school as a subject (those of other faiths should be taught their own religions) as at present. If this is not done, knowledge about Buddhism will disappear from the island altogether which cannot be accepted. It will also lead to deterioration of morals, values and ethics in society.

2.0 The National Anthem

There should only be one national anthem since only this will develop a feeling in every citizen that Sri Lanka is one country. A country should have one national anthem around which all citizens can gather around as one country so that every citizen develops an admiration for one’s country.

3.0 No to the Abolition of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, No to Amendment of the Mahajana Aarakshaka Panatha, No to New Acts to Approve any New Yudha Aparaadha Neethi or Allowing of Evidence of Anonymous Witnesses and No to War Crimes Tribunals

3.1 No to the Abolition of the Prevention of Terrorism Act

The Prevention of Terrorism Act should not be abolished under any circumstances to fulfill the nefarious aspirations of the Tamil National Alliance or the US, UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden or India. If there are shortcomings to this Act, why not amend the Act?

Those who are jailed due to committing the gravest acts of terrorism against the Sri Lankan people in prison (or cases pending), and only around two hundred are left, should not be freed by abolishing this Act.

However this does not mean that compassion should not be shown towards even these individuals in the pursuit of peace. However their cases should go through a proper judicial procedure. Once convicted, they should follow whatever sentence is given to them. However, the government can place them on a special rehabilitation programme and if those running such a programme are satisfied at a future date with their rehabilitation, then they may be able to be released at a future date for the sake of peace.

However, under no circumstances should the Prevention of Terrorism Act be abolished but only amended, if that is necessary.

The government should realize that the LTTE committed grave acts of terrorism. Also those clamouring for abolition of the Prevention of Terrorism Act in Sri Lanka i.e. the US, UK, EU, India for example, have very strict Prevention of Terrorism Acts themselves in their own countries which they will never abolish and so there is no need to talk about how extremely hypocritical these countries are. They are only trying to fulfill their nefarious and selfish goals here in Sri Lanka and nothing else. They do not want real peace in Sri Lanka under any circumstances. They have shown by their many, many, many acts of war around the world what their agenda in the world is so there is no need to elaborate on that.

3.2 No to Amendment of the Mahajana Aarakshaka Panatha

Under no circumstances should the Mahajana Aarakshaka Panatha be amended. For example, if a provincial council acts out of line and acts over and above the political powers that they have as in the case of Varatharaja Perumal who as chief minister of the North East declared a Tamil Eelam in the eighties, the president has the right to dissolve the said provincial council and govern that province from the centre using the relevant clauses of the Mahajana Aarakshaka Panatha. Therefore the Mahajana Aarakshaka Panatha should not be amended under any circumstances. If these relevant clauses are abolished from this Act, then in the future if a provincial council acts out of line, the president will not be able to dissolve that provincial council and govern that province from the centre.

Those clamouring for the amendment of the Mahajana Aarakshaka Panatha in Sri Lanka i.e. the US, UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden, India, for example, have very strict Mahajana Aarakshaka Panath themselves in their own countries which they will never amend and so there is no need to talk about how extremely hypocritical these countries are. They are only trying to fulfill their nefarious and selfish goals here in Sri Lanka and nothing else. They do not want real peace in Sri Lanka under any circumstances. They have shown by their many, many, many acts of war around the world what their agenda around the world is so there is no need to elaborate on that.

Additionally, the Mahajana Aarakshaka Panatha was introduced during British rule and has served this country extremely well. So why amend it unless it is for nefarious reasons mentioned above?

3.3 No to Any New Acts to Approve any New Yudha Aparaadha Neethi or Allowing of Evidence of Anonymous Witnesses

The constitution should not allow any new Acts apart from those Acts that are already there to investigate so called ‘war crimes’ (as accused only by the separatist TNA and the likes of the US, UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden who have always been adversarial towards Sri Lanka for over three decades). The Sri Lankan forces, the police, the civil defense forces were acting under the laws which were prevalent at the time. So it is incredible that new laws called Yudha Aparaada Neethi and new laws which allow anonymous witnesses evidence to be allowed in court are to be brought in which were not around when the war was fought. If the Sri Lankan forces, the police and the civil defense forces committed any crimes (which they did not) it is only just and fair that any such crimes should be tried under the laws prevailing at the time of the war, not under these new Yudha Aparaadha Neethi which were not around at the time. It is a grave injustice to allow evidence of anonymous witnesses in court since this is a great injustice if a witness cannot be cross questioned by the defendant’s lawyer. This is not justice but a grave injustice. Sri Lankan law should not allow such grave injustices to take place.

3.4 No to Any War Crimes Tribunals

It is very clear that our Sri Lankan forces, the police, the civil defense forces did not commit any ‘war crimes’. However it is amply clear that the LTTE terrorists committed many war crimes by massacring over 68,000 persons (mainly Sri Lankan forces members) in 26 years of war (out of a total of around 115,000 in total who perished on both sides of the war) and permanently maiming at least 6,000 Sri Lankan Forces members alone. Who committed ethnic cleansing of the North of over 50,000 Sinhala and over 50,000 Muslim people? It is the LTTE. What about the Sinhala and Muslim people of the East, the North Central and a part of the North Western province and the capital Colombo living in fear of LTTE attacks during 26 years of war?

Besides two reports, one by Sir Desmond De Silva and the other headed by Justice Udalagama, both looked at this issue of the last phases of the war and both reports are of the firm view that the Sri Lankan Forces did not commit any war crimes. It is gravely clear that this ‘war crimes’ ploy is nothing but a tool of the US, UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden, India to control Sri Lanka or any government of Sri Lanka in order to fulfill their nefarious and selfish goals here in Sri Lanka. From their many, many, many wars waged across the world these countries have shown that they care not one little bit about war crimes. So let us not talk about these countries hypocrisy but safeguard our Sri Lankan forces, the police, the civil defense forces and do justice by the over 68,000 people massacred by the LTTE in 26 years of war (out of a total of around 115,000 in total who perished on both sides of the war) and permanently maiming at least 6,000 Sri Lankan forces members, by neither bringing in these new Acts to change our laws and by informing the UNHRC that we will not abide by their unjust resolutions which seem to endorse all the war crimes committed by the LTTE who massacred over 68,000 people (mainly Sri Lankan forces members) in over 26 years of war and permanently maiming at least 6,000 Sri Lankan forces members alone. Who committed ethnic cleansing of the North of over 50,000 Sinhala and over 50,000 Muslim people? It is the LTTE. What about the Sinhala and Muslim people of the East, the North Central and a part of the North Western province and the capital Colombo living in fear of LTTE attacks during 26 years of war?

A truth and reconciliation commission is a good idea just as the earlier LLRC was. This and this alone should be established here in Sri Lanka so that anyone can talk about their individual experiences. Since all sides suffered from this war unleashed by the LTTE terrorists, (as the figures show more people, over 68,000, died on the Sri Lankan government’s side, all massacred by the LTTE and over 6,000 members of the Sri Lanka forces alone were permanently maimed), then only a truth and reconciliation commission can bring a closure of a war of this nature. If we commence investigating all the war crimes committed by the LTTE terrorists and then investigate any omissions that were committed by individual members of the security forces, these investigations will go on forever and nothing good will happen except create huge rifts amongst the Sri Lankan people reliving all the painful experiences of the war again and again creating more rifts and hatred. What is needed is closure of this painful experience and to move forward as quickly as possible towards a brighter future. For this, only a truth and reconciliation commission should be established and even that is not needed in my opinion. What is really needed is for people to forget about this war and to move forward. However certain countries US, UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden, India cannot leave Sri Lanka alone and want hatred to continue in Sri Lanka in order to harass this country’s people. The constitution should not allow this to happen.

4.0 No to Reducing the HSZs the Army, Navy and the Air Force from the North and No to Converting the Palali Air Force Base into a Civilian Airport

There is extreme concern over reduction of the Army, Navy and the Air Force from the North and the East. In the other seven provinces, no one has demanded the reduction of the Army, Navy or Air Force. So why should then there be a reduction of the Army, Navy or Air Force from the North and the East only? It is unacceptable. It is up to the Army, Navy or Air Force to decide whether there should be a reduction of the Army, Navy or Air Force from the North and the East or anywhere else and not the separatist TNA, the US, UK, EU, Norway, Canada, Sweden or India.

The handing over of HSZs to their original owners need not happen since alternative lands can be provided to them. This is because according to Sri Lankan law, the government can acquire land for national purposes provided due compensation or alternative lands are provided to the affected persons. This is what should happen not handing over of HSZs as the separatist TNA, the US, UK, EU, Norway, Canada, Norway, Sweden or India wants.

There is also extreme concern over plans to convert the Palali Air Force Base into a civilian airport. Why is this necessary? Considering the vast size of the Northern Province, there should be an Air Force Base at this location. It is up to the Air Force to decide whether there should be an Air Force Base at Palali. The status of this Air Force Base must not change according to what the separatist TNA, the US, UK, EU, Norway, Canada, Sweden or India wants.

5.0 No to the Proposed Bridge and Tunnel between India and Sri Lanka, Need to Reinstate the Naval Cordon around the Northern Seas and No to Signing of the CEPA Agreement

5.1 No to the Bridge and Tunnel between India and Sri Lanka

A security matter of great concern for the vast majority of Sri Lankan people is the building of a bridge and tunnel between India and Sri Lanka. If India and Sri Lanka had similar socio economic circumstances, this would not be an issue. However as we know there is a huge disparity between the socio economic condition of the Sri Lankan people which is vastly better than the socio economic situation of the Indian people. So when this bridge and tunnel are built, would Sri Lanka not get flooded by all those who are desperate to improve their socio economic situation, from India? This is a totally unacceptable situation. Therefore the building of this bridge and tunnel by India should be stopped immediately if Sri Lanka wants to exist even. If this bridge is built drastic demographic changes will for sure happen which means Sri Lanka will end up becoming the thirty first state of India in the future. This project must be stopped for the sake of sanity, unless we here in Sri Lanka are totally insane, since it is insane to commence such a project which will jeopardise the existence of Sri Lanka even, in the future. India must be told that they should spend the US dollars 5.2 billion meant to be spent on this project to improve the socio economic conditions of its people not nefariously try to make Sri Lanka their thirty first state. Since this is a security issue, this issue should be discussed with India and this project cancelled immediately. Sri Lanka should discuss this issue with India immediately and stop this project as I am sure this is unconstitutional and affects the public security of this country.

5.2 Reinstate the Naval Cordon around the Northern Seas

A security matter of great concern is that the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) between India and Sri Lanka is not patrolled by the Sri Lankan Navy. There is smuggling of all kinds between the maritime borders inclusive of illegal fishing affecting our marine life very adversely inclusive of use of illegal fishing methods. Sri Lanka should discuss this issue with India immediately and stop these illegal activities as I am sure this is unconstitutional and affects the public security of this country.

5.3 The CEPA Agreement should not be Signed with India

Another matter which will affect public security in a drastic way is the proposed signing of the CEPA agreement (or a similar agreement known by any other name such as ETCA) with India. This again will create a situation where Sri Lanka will be flooded with labourers and professionals from India which has a huge unemployment problem and their families too seeking a better life here in Sri Lanka since they work for smaller salaries than labourers and professionals in Sri Lanka. This will surely change the demographics of this country drastically, effectively making Sri Lanka the thirty first state of India. Therefore, this CEPA agreement (or a similar agreement known by any other name such as ETCA) should not be signed under any circumstances for the sake of sanity unless we here in Sri Lanka are totally insane. The agreements signed so far with India are surely sufficient for commercial purposes. What need is there for further agreements with this adversarial country India which had always tried to harass Sri Lanka.

We hope that your good office will take our above concerns outlined into account and ensure that Sri Lanka’s unitary status, integrity, sovereignty, independence and freedom are not compromised in anyway under any circumstances.

Yours faithfully,

Chairman,

Sri Lankan Solidarity Movement

Sri Lanka Freedom Party – UK Branch

Jathika Nidahas Peramuna -UK Branch

Sinhala Welfare Association, UK

Ipswich Sri Lankika Ekamuthuwa

Videshagatha Sri Lankikayo Mawbima Wenuwen

cc:       Hon. Ranil Wickramasinghe, Prime Minister

Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksha, MP

Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, MP

Hon. Wimal Weerawansa, MP

Hon. Udaya Gammanpila, MP

Hon. Vasudewa Nanayakkara MP

Civil Society Organisations and the Media

ධර්මසිරි සෙනෙවිරත්න

…..අනාථයන්ට පිහිටවීමට  අව්ශ්යවුයේ නම් එදා එදා පාලකයන් විසින් කලයුතුවුයේ පිහිට පතා ආවත් සතුරා සතුරා බව දන  උන් මරාදැමීමෙන් පමණක් වැලකී  රටින්  පිටවීමට රැකවරණ සලසා උපකාරවීම හෝ  උන්ගේ මංකොල්ලකාරී දුරාචාර පිළිවෙත අතහැර අපගේ දැ යට හා සමයට අවශෝෂණය වන්නට කැමති අ යට පමණක්  මෙහි පදිංචි වීමට අවසර දීමය් .ඉන්දියාවේදී මෙන්ම බොහෝ බෞද්ධ රටවල් වලට කඩාවැදුන  ඉස්ලාමිකයන් විසින්  කල විනාශයන් ගැන අපේඅ  ය හාන්කවිසියක්වත් නොදැන සිටියායය්  විශ්වාසකළ නොහැක  දේශ පාලනයේදී  බෞද්ධ දර්ශනය වැරදි කොනින් අල්ලා  ගැනීම නිසාදෝ අපේ පාලකයෝ තුරන් ලවා අපටම  පහරදෙවා ගත් හ. 1916 දී ගම්පොල මුස්ලිම්  වරු ඉංග්‍රීසින් සමග එකතුවී  බෞද්ධයන්ට පහරදුන්නේ එනිසාය .
                                                           ඔවුන් මෙසේ පදිංචි කිරීමේ තීරණ සමස්ත  බෞද්ධ ජනතාව විසින්ම  අනුමත කලායය් සිතිය නොහැක . අදත් ත්‍රස්ත බෙදුම්වාදීන් සමග සටන් කිරීම  බෞද්ධයන්ට තරම් නොවෙයය්  පවසන්නේ ” සිංහල බුද්ධාගමේ ”සාමාන්‍ය ජනයා නොව  ඉහල තලවල සිටින  පොතේගුරු බෞධ්ධයින්ය .   සෙනරත් හා දෙවන රාජසිංහ වැනි රජවරු  අහකයන නය්  ලන්කරගත්තත්  , වත්හිමි නම් මරක්කල ලේ ඇති මිනිසාට  රජකම ලබා ගැනීමට ඉඩ නොතැබීම සඳහා  ඔහු ඇතුගල මුදුනෙන් පහලට  පෙරලා මරා දැමීමට  සාමාන්‍ය ගිහි පැවිදි දෙපක්ෂයම  එකතුවුයේ  අනාගත ව්‍යසනයක් වලක් වා ලීමටය එදා ඒ මරක්කල බිසවගේ පුතා රජවුයේ නම් අද මෙරට ඇෆ්ගනිස්තානයකි
                                                 මෙහිදී සිදුවී ඇත්තේ කුමක්ද . බෞහ්ධ දර්ශනයේ ගිහිවත හා පැවිදි වත යනුවෙන් දෙකක් ඇත . ගිහියාට පන්සිල් හා අටසිල්ය . පැවිද්දාට කෝටියක් සංවර සීලයය්  ගිහියාට   ලින්ගිකසේවනය  කැපය  පැවිද්දාට අකැපය    දෙ  වත ටම පොදුදේ මෙන්ම බොහෝ වෙනස් දේද ඇත . විශේෂයෙන් ගිහි දේශ පාලනයේදී බෞද්ධ දර්ශනය  යොදා ගත යුතු නියම මාත්‍රාවක් ඇත . . සිරිසගබෝ වත රාජ්‍ය පාල නයට නුසුදුසුය එතුමාට ඉන් එහා උතුම් මාර්ගයක් ඇත . තමන්ගේ බෙල්ල කපා සතුරා අතට දීම  දේශ පාලනයේදී රට දය සමයේ  බෙල්ල කපා සතුරා ට පුජා කිරීමකි  . මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ   චන්දෙන් පැරදුන වහාම  තම පක්ෂයේ සභාපති කමද  සතුරාට පුජා  කර ඉවත්ව යාම අද  මහා විපතක් වී ඇත . පාරමී දම් පුරමින් අප්‍රමාදව  නිවන් අවබෝධ කර ගැනීමට  කටයුතුකරන සිරි සග බෝ  වැනි  අය  ඇති උතුම් පුද්ගලයෝ වෙති ඒ පුද්ගලයන් අතර     තවමත් පාරමී නැති එහෙත්  දර්ශනයේ උතුම්   බව තේරුම් ගෙන , අනාගතයේදී ඒ සඳහා  පුර්ණ වශයෙන්  යොමුවෙන තුරු , ගිහිගෙය් කම්කටොලු  විසඳා ගනිමින් දැහැමි ජීවිතයක්  ගෙනයාමට උත්සාහ කරන පිරිසක්ද ඇත . ඔවුහු පාරමී ඇති උතුමන් සඳහා මෙන්ම  තමන් සඳහාද  අවශ්‍ය පතිරුප දේශය  රැකගන්නෝ වෙති .” සිංහල බුද්ධාගම ” යන වචනය  භාවිතා වන්නේ ඔවුන්ගේ දර්ශනය ටය . ”එක දවසක් රජකම් කලත් අපායට යන්නට  එයද ප්‍රමාණවත් බව  ”” දන සිටියත්  සිංහල බෞධ්ධරජවරු  රට රක ගැනීම  සඳහා මේ තනතුර භාර ගත්හ  එය ගිහියාට අවශ්ශ්‍යය . දුටුගමුනුරජු මෙවැනි  සිංහල බෞධ්ධයෙකි . විජයබා ,පැරකුම් මෙන්ම වත් හිමි මැ රු අ යද මේ පරපුරේඅ  ය
වෙති  ඔවුහු ජාතිය අවදිකිරීමට අවශ්‍ය වුවිට  රළු පරළු වචනද භාවිතා කරති  ධර්ම පාල තුමා ”ගොන්තඩියා ” වැනි වචන පාවිච්චිකළේය . නලින්ද සිල්වා ජාතිද්රෝහීන්ට සැරෙන් කතා කරන විට හා තමන් සිංහල බෞද්ධයෙක් ලෙස  කතා කරන බව කියන විට  සම හරඅයට   තරහ යන්නේ මේ වෙනස ගැන නොදන්නා නිසාය .  නලින් පෙන්වා දෙන්නේ  සිංහල රට රක ගැනීම සඳහා   ” බෞද්ධ ගිහිවත ඇසුරෙන්  සකස් කර ගත දර්ශනයක් ගැනය . එය සිරිසගබෝ  වැනි උතුමන්ටද  අප්‍රමාදව  තම ගමන යාමට   අවශ්‍ය පරිසරය සකසා දෙන්නකි .
 මතු සබැදේ

Courtesy RT

 නලින් ද සිල්වා

අපි ඒ මහතාගේ ලිපියෙහි පළමු ඡෙදය මෙසේ උපුටා දක්වමු. එහෙත් අප එහි වෙනසක් කර ඇත. ඒ ඡෙදය අපි ඡෙද දෙකක් ලෙස ඉදිරිපත් කරමු. එසේ කරන්නේ අප කියන කාරණය පාඨකයාට හොඳින් ඒත්තු යෑම සඳහා ය. අප සාකච්ජා කරමින් සිටින්නේ ජීවිතයේ අරුත පිළිබඳව විද්යාටවෙන් සහ දර්ශනයෙන් ගත හැකි කරුණු ය. අප ගේ මතවාදය වන්නේ ජීවිතයේ අරුත අප සඳහා සැකසුණු එකක්‌ නො ව විශ්වයේ ක්රිඡයාදාමය සඳහා සැකසුණු එකක්‌ විය හැකි බව ය. මා එසේ පවසන්නේ අප ගේ ව්ය්හය, ඤාණය, හැඟීම්, හැකියාව යන සියල්ල නිර්මාණය වී තිබෙන්නේ DNA, RNA ප්රොේටීන දියුණු කරමින් නිෂ්පාදනය කිරීම පණිස වන නිසා ය. මෙහි වෙන අරුතක්‌ තිබිය නොහැකි ය. මක්‌ නිසා ද ඒවා නිෂ්පාදනය කොට ඒවා ඉතිරි කොට අප මරණයට පත් වන හෙයිනි. මේ මතවාදය බටහිර මතවාදවලට කිසිසේත් ම සමාන නො වන්නේ ය.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa slammed the decision to sing the National anthem in Tamil.

ජාතික ගීය දෙමළෙන් ගායනා කළයුතු බව ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ නැති බවත්, ඉන්දියාව වැනි රටකත් ඔවුන්ගේ ජාතික ගීය දෙමළෙන් ගායනා නොකරන බවත් අප රට දැන් ක්‍රියාත්මක වන්නේ ඉන්දියාවේ අවශ්‍යතාවය අනුව බවත් හිටපු ජනාධිපති මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා පවසයි.

ආචාර්ය ගොඩගම මංගල ස්ථවිර,  අස්ගිරි මහා විහාරය, මහනුවර  උපුටා ගැන්ම රිවිර

මෙම ලිපිය ලියන මම යෝජිත විහාර දේවාලගම් පනත් කෙටුම්පත හා යෝජිත භික්ෂු කතිකාවත් පනත් කෙටුම්පත යෝග්‍ය ආකාරයට සකස් කිරීම පිළිබඳව වූ රැස්වීම්වලට සහභාගි වූයෙමි. ඒ එකදු අවස්ථාවක හෝ විවාදාපන්නව ඇති භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේට දණ්ඩනය පැනවීම සඳහා වූ කතිකාවත සාකච්ඡාවට බඳුන් නොකළ අතර අප දැඩි සේ කියා සිටියේ භික්ෂූත්වය අවභාවිත කරන්නන් ශාසනයෙන් බැහැර කිරීමේ නියමයන් බුදුන් අනුදැන වදාළ භික්ෂු විනය තුළ ඇති බවත්, එයට අනුගතව ධර්මයට හා විනයට පටහැණි නොවෙමින් කටයුතු කිරීමට හැකිවන අයුරින් විහාර හා දේවාලගම් පනත සකස් කර ගත යුතු බවත් මේ නියමයන්ට අනුව කටයුතු කරන සංඝ සභාවලින් ගන්නා තීරණ බලාත්මක කිරීම සඳහා අධිකරණයක් අවශ්‍ය බවය.

ඒ අනුව ෙතේ‍රනිකායික වූ භික්ෂු සමූහයාටම අදාළ වන ආකාරයෙන් සකස් වූ මෙය අවසාන මොහොතේ පාර්ශ්ව තුළ හා ‍පොදුවේ භික්ෂූන් තුළ ඇති විය යුතු ඒකීයත්වය බිඳෙන හා ප්‍රාදේශීය සංඝයා අමනාපයට පත් කරවන ආකාරයෙන් ‘සංඝ සභාවන්ගෙන් ගන්නා තීරණවලට අභියෝග කළ නොහැකිය.’ යන්නත් ශ්‍රී දළදා මාලිගාවේ දියවඩන නිලමේ තෝරා පත් කර ගැනීමේ ක්‍රමවේදය ‘මහා විහාර දෙකේ සංඝ සභාවලට පමණක්’ හිමිකර දෙමින් සංශෝධනය කර ඇත. එය අවසන් මොහොතේ සිදුකර ඇත්තේ මහා විහාර දෙක හිතාමතාම දෝෂාරෝපණයකට ලක් කිරීමට යැයි සිතේ.
ලංකාව සර්වාගමික රටක්ය යන මතය දරන පාර්ශ්වයක මහා යතිවරුන්ගේ ඉල්ලීම අනුව දෝ විහාර දේවාලගම් පනත පසෙක තබා භික්ෂූන් හට යම් ගැටලුවක් ඇති වූ අවස්ථාවක එය විසඳා ගැනීමට බුදුරජාණන් වහන්සේ විසින් අනුදැන වදාළ ධර්මයට හා විනයට අනුගතව ගැටලු විසඳා ගැනීමේ උත්තරීතර ක්‍රමවේදය වෙනුවට බෞද්ධ අබෞද්ධ ගිහි පිරිසකගෙන් සැදුම්ලත් උත්තරීතර යැයි සම්මත පාර්ලිමේන්තුවෙන් සම්මත කර ගත් නීති මාලාවකින් තමන් පාලනයවීමට යම් භික්ෂුවක් උත්සාහ දරන්නේ නම් පසුගිය රජයේ එක් අමාත්‍යවරයකු විසින් ගස් බැඳි සමෘද්ධි නිලධාරියා තමන්ගේ ආරක්ෂාවට එය තමන් විසින්ම කර ගත්තා යැයි ප්‍රකාශ කළාක් මෙන් භික්ෂූන් විසින්ද ඒ හා සමාන ප්‍රකාශයක් තමන්ටම කරගත යුතු වේ.

භික්ෂූන්ගේ විෂමාචාරී හැසිරීම් රටාව පාලනය කිරීමට යම් ක්‍රමවේදයක් අවශ්‍යව ඇත. එය ශාසන භාරධාරී මහා යතිවරයින්ගේ ‍පොදු එකඟතාවකින් සිදුවිය යුත්තකි. මේ අදහස වරෙක යටපත් වෙමින්ද තව වරක ඉස්මතු වෙමින්ද පැවතුණි. මෙහි ප්‍රථම ඉස්මතු වීම ඇතිවූයේ හක්ගෙඩිය කරපින්නාගෙන නිර්මල ශාසනයේ ආරක්ෂාව පතා යැයි කියමින් ද වාරිය‍පොළ භික්ෂු පරපුරේ උරුමය රැකීමට යැයි කියමින්ද පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට පාවඩ නොමැතිව වැඩම කළ භික්ෂු පිරිස් නිසාය. එසේ වුවත් නව කතිකාවත් පනතේ භික්ෂුව මහජන නියෝජිතයකු වශයෙන් පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට යාම දණ්ඩනයට යටත් වන්නක් බව සනිටුහන් කර ඇත. ඉන්පසු මේ පිළිබඳ කතා වූයේ බොදුබල වැනි සේනාවන්ගේ සහ රාවණාබලය වැනි සේනාවන්ගේ ආගමනයත් සමගය. දණ්ඩනීති සංග්‍රහය සංශෝධනය කරමින් හෝ මේ බලයන්හි අදහස් ප්‍රකාශ කිරීමේ අයිතිය මර්දනය කිරීමට නොහැකි වූ තැන මේ භික්ෂු පනත සම්මත කිරීමෙන් හෝ ජාතිකත්වය හා ආගමිකත්වය ප්‍රකට කරන තරුණ යතිවරුන් වහන්සේලා නිහඬ කිරීමට හෝ යම් දණ්ඩනයට ලක් කිරීමට අදාළ නිකායේ හෝ පාර්ශ්වයේ මහා නාහිමි ‍පොලඹවා ගැනීමට කරනු ලබන යම් උත්සාහයක් යැයි සිතේ. සංඝ සභාවෙන් විමසා හෝ නොවිමසා යම් යම් තීරණ බෞද්ධ කටයුතු කොමසාරිස් ජනරාල්ට දැනුම් දීමේ හැකියාවක් මහා නාහිමිට ඇත. මේ ජනරාල්වරයා එය ෙනෙතිකව තමන්ට ලබාදී ඇති බලය අනුව ක්‍රියා කරනු ඇත. මේ ක්‍රියාවන්හි විනිවිද භාවය පිළිබඳව ඇති අවිනිශ්චිතතාව නිසා භික්ෂූන්ට යම් අසාධාරණයක් සිදුවනු ඇත.

සංඝ සංස්ථාවේ උන්නතිය හා අවනතිය රඳා පවතින්නේ ශාසන භාරධාරි මහානායක මාහිමිවරුන්ගේ විශිෂ්ට වූ පෞරුෂය මත පදනම් වූ දුරදර්ශී ක්‍රියා කලාපය තුළය. මේ රටේ එවැනි උදාරවූ නායකත්වයක් ඇතිව තිබූ කාල වකවානුව වූයේ 80 හා 90 දශකයේ යැයි මට සිතේ. ඒ කාල වකවානුවේ මහා යතිවරයාණන් වහන්සේලා වූයේ සිරිමල්වත්තේ ආනන්ද නාහිමි, පළිපාන ශ්‍රී චන්ද්‍රානන්ද නාහිමි, මඩිහේ පඤ්ඤාසීහ නාහිමි, වේවැල්දෙණියේ මේධාලංකර නාහිමි සහ ලබුගම ලංකානන්ද නාහිමි වැනි නාහිමිවරුන්ය. මේ නාහිමිවරු මසකට වරක් දෙකක් හමුවී උද්ගත ජාතික හා ආගමික ප්‍රශ්න හා ඊට අදාළ විසඳුම් සාකච්ඡා කළහ. සංඝ සභාවලද සහයෝගය ඇතිව ඒවා විසඳීමට ක්‍රියා කළහ. උන්වහන්සේලාට නොමඳ සහායක් මහාචාර්ය බෙල්ලන්විල විමලරතන, මාදුළුවාවේ සෝභිත, නියංගොඩ විජිතසිරි පළිපාන සිරිනිවාස වැනි හිමිවරුන්ගෙන් ලැබුණි.

අද ශාසන භාරධාරීත්වය උසුලන හිමිවරුන්ගේ කාර්යභාරය යාවත්කාලීන කරගත යුතුව ඇත. දේශපාලනමය කෝණයකින් ජාතික හා ආගමික ප්‍රශ්න කෙරේ නොබැලිය යුතුය. ඇතැම් මහා යතිවරයන් වහන්සේලා තම ගන්ධ කුටියෙන් එළියට වඩින බවක්ද නොපෙනේ. ඒ නිසා රට තුළ පැන නැගී ඇති ජාතික හා ආගමික වූ විවිධ ප්‍රශ්නයන්ට අවධානය යොමු කිරීමට හෝ අවබෝධයෙන් යුතුව ඒවාට විසඳුම් ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමට හෝ උන්වහන්සේලාට ශක්තියක් නැතැයිදෝ සිතා ජාතික බෞද්ධ බුද්ධි මණ්ඩලයක් තෝරාගෙන ශාසනික ප්‍රශ්න සාකච්ඡා කිරීමට ජනාධිපති මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන මැතිතුමා කටයුතු කර ඇති බව පුවත්පත් හා රූපවාහිනී යන ජනමාධ්‍ය මගින් දුටුවෙමි.

අද තත්ත්වය වී ඇත්තේ ජාතිකත්වයෙන් හා ආගමිකත්වයෙන් ඇති වන හැඟීම් පාලනය කරගත නොහැකි ජවයෙන් හෙබි තරුණ භික්ෂු පිරිස් මේ වන විට උද්ගතව ඇති ප්‍රශ්න තම දැනුමට අනුව තක්සේරු කරගෙන ඒවා විෂයෙහි ජව සම්පන්නව ක්‍රියාකාරී වීමය. ඔවුන්ගේ ජවයන් බලගැන්වීමට මහානාහිමිවරු ආරම්භයේදී විවිධ ආධාර උපකාර ද සැපයුවත් අද වචනයෙන්වත් ඔවුන් දිරිමත් නොකරති. ඔවුන් ඉදිරියේ ඔවුන්ට දෙන අනුශාසනය රටට හෙළි නොවන තත්ත්වයක් ඇති නිසාත් ඔවුන් ජනමාධ්‍යයට කරන සුබවාදී ප්‍රකාශ නිසාත් මහා යතිවරයන් වහන්සේලාගේ නිහඬත්වය නිසාත් ජනතාව තුළ උන්වහන්සේලා කෙරේ ඇති ප්‍රසාදය ක්‍රමයෙන් තුනීවන බවක් පෙනේ. ඒ ඒ සංඝ සභාවන්වත් මේ බව තේරුම් ගෙන ක්‍රියා කළ යුතු කාලයක් එළැඹ ඇත. මහානායක හිමිවරුන්ගේ සහ සංඝ සභාවල අරමුණ විය යුත්තේ බුද්ධ ශාසනයේ චිරස්ථිතියට අවශ්‍ය කටයුතු යෙදීමත් භික්ෂු පාරිශුද්ධියත් විහාරගත සම්ප්‍රදායයන් ඉදිරියට ගෙන යාමත්ය. මේ අරමුණ මත කටයුතු කරන විට තමන්ටම යැයි කිව යුතු දේශපාලන අරමුණක් නැත. දේශපාලකයින් කරන යහපත් කාර්යයන් අගය කිරීමත්, රට ජාතියට අහිතකර ක්‍රියාවන් හෙළා දැකීමත් කළ යුතු වේ. මේ තත්ත්වය මැනවින් කළ මහා යතිවරයෙකි යක්කඩුවේ නාහිමි. උන්වහන්සේ එවක ලංකාව පාලනය කළ නිදහසේ පියා වශයෙන් විරුදාවලි ලත් මහාමාන්‍ය ඩී,ඇස්. සේනානායක මැතිඳුන්ගේ පාලනයේ අයහපත් ක්‍රියාවන් විවේචනය කළ විට මේ නාහිමියන් හමුවට පැමිණි සේනානායක මැතිඳුන් ඔබ වහන්සේලා අපේ වරිගේ නහන්නට කුමන්ත්‍රණය කළත් ඒක කරන්න බැහැ. හැබැයි මට තියෙන දුක ඔය වැඩවලින් බුද්ධ ශාසනය විනාශ වීම ගැනයි.” මෙයට නාහිමියන් පිළිතුරු දෙන්නේ උන්නැහේ උන්නැහේගේ වරිගේ බලාගන්න. මහානායක හාමුදුරුවොයි අපියි බුද්ධ ශාසනය බලා ගන්නම්.” කියාය. අදත් අපට අවශ්‍යව ඇත්තේ දේශපාලනීකරණය නොවූ මනා පෞරුෂමත් මහා යතිවරයන් වහන්සේලාය.

පසුගිය දිනක මුස්ලිම් ජාතික පිරිසක් මහ යතිවරුන්ට කුරාණය නම් වූ ඉස්ලාම් ශුද්ධ වූ ලියවිල්ල පිළිගන්වන විට අනවසරයෙන් රක්ෂිත ප්‍රදේශවල ඉඩම් අක්කර දහස් ගණනින් වංචාකර තම වර්ගයා පදිංචි කිරීම වරදක් නොවන බව මේ ‍පොතේ සඳහන්ව තියෙනවා දැයි අසා දැන ගැනීමටවත් උන්වහන්සේලාට කල්පනාවක් නොවුණත් එක්තරා තරුණ යතිවරයාණන් කෙනෙකුට ආත්ම ශක්තියක් තිබුණා ජනමාධ්‍ය ඉදිරියේ තමන් සත්‍යයක් මිස අසත්‍යයක් නොකියන බවට දිවුරන ලෙස අදාළ අමාත්‍යවරයාට අභියෝග කරන්නට.

මෙවන් තත්ත්වයක් යටතේ සර්වාගමික මතවාදයෙන් පෙළෙන පාර්ශ්වයන් තමන්ට නැති ශාසන භාරධාරීත්වයක් ලබාගැනීමේ අරමුණින් කඩිමුඩියේ භික්ෂු කතිකාවක් ගෙන ඒමට රජයට බලකරන බවක් පෙනේ. මේ බල කිරීම් මත කතිකාවත් පනත් සම්මත වුවහොත් සංඝ සභාවන්ට නාමිකව හිමිවන බලයේ අධිකාරිමය බලය මහ නාහිමිට පමණක් හිමි වන අතර උන්වහන්සේගේ නියමයන් ක්‍රියාවේ යෙදීමේ කටයුත්ත බෞද්ධ කටයුතු කොමසාරිස් ජනරාල්වරයාට හිමි වේ. මේ ජනරාල්වරයාගේ පත්වීම දේශපාලන අධිකාරියේ පත්වීමක් වන අතර ඔහු රජයේ නියමයන්ට අනුව ක්‍රියා කිරීමට වැඩි ඉඩකඩක් ඇත. ඒ නිසා මහානායක පදවියේ ශාසනික හා ජාතික ප්‍රශ්න විෂයෙහි ක්‍රියා කිරීමට ආත්ම ශක්තියක් නැති හෝ තම නිකාය හෝ පාර්ශ්වය ශක්තිමත් කර ගැනීමට අවශ්‍යම නම් හෝ මේ නීති කෙටුම්පත ගෙන ආ යුත්තේ පහත කොන්දේසි කීපයට හෝ යටත් කිරීමෙන් පසුව බව අවධාරණය කරමි.

1. අනාදිමත් කාලයක සිටි ලංකාවේ ස්ථාපිත සම්ප්‍රදාය තම ව්‍යවස්ථාව කරගත් මහාවිහාර සංඝ සභාවලට අභියෝගයක් නොවිය යුතුය.

2. තම සංඝ සභාවේ මත නොවිමසා අත්තනෝමතිකව තම නිකායේ හෝ පාර්ශ්වයේ මහානාහිමි කටයුතු කරන්නේ නම් ඒ පිළිබඳව තීරණයක් ගැනීමට එම බලයක් සංඝ සභාවලට හිමිවිය යුතුය.

3. සංඝ සභා සම්මතයෙන් බෞද්ධ කටයුතු ජනරාල්වරයා ඔහු වෙත එවන නිර්දේශයන් ඔහු හිතාමතාම ක්‍රියාත්මක නොකරන්නේ යැයි සංඝ සභාවලට ඒත්තු යන්නේ නම් ඒවා ක්‍රියාත්මක කර ගැනීමට ෙනෙතික බලයක් සංඝ සභාවලට තිබිය යුතුය.
4. අන්‍යාගමික මැති ඇමැතිවරුන්ගේ ඡන්දය මේ පනත් සම්මත කිරීමට අදාළ නොකර ගත යුතුය.

5. එයට යම් දිනක සංශෝධන ගෙන එන්නේ නම් සංඝ සභා සාමාජිකයන්ගේ පූර්ව අනුමැතිය ලබාගැනීමට පාර්ලිමේන්තුව බැඳිය යුතුය.

ALI SUKHANVER

According to a recent report, an estimated 68,000 people have died in the fighting and ensuing crackdown by Indian forces till now. Resentment over Indian rule in the disputed region is now mostly expressed through street protests. The people of Kashmir have to face a new kind of atrocity at the hands of the Indian security forces every day but the cruelest one is the disgrace of Kashmiri women. Dr Anjana Chatterjee is a Kolkata based activist and anthropologist. While speaking at a seminar ‘Experience of Detainees’ in Srinagar, Chatterjee referred to a Human Rights Watch report, ‘Disgracing of women is being used as a war weapon by the Indian Army to punish Kashmiris for their demand of right to self-determination, 7000 Kashmiri women have yet been gang raped in homes, streets and army camps by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir.’ This situation calls for sincere attention and efforts of the international forces who claim to be the care-takers of the suffering humanity throughout the world.

After Modi’s coming into power, things have worsened a lot in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.  With the help of RSS and the Hindu extremists belonging to BJP, Mr. Modi is trying his best to change the face and fate of the Indian Occupied Kashmir. The main target of Mr. Modi, the BJP and the RSS is to win the expected elections of 2020 but everyone knows that they could never succeed in their efforts because the Muslims are in majority there in the Indian Occupied Kashmir and they also know that the Muslims could never vote for a Hindu extremist or anyone supported by them. To tackle with this situation the BJP thinkers are planning to bring demographic changes in the valley. BJP and RSS are busy in changing religious identity of the State.  Special concessions are given to expand the horizon of Amarnath Yatra to project that Hindus have greater stakes in IOK than Muslims. According to an authentic report, in the 1901 Census of the British Indian Empire, Muslims constituted 74.16% of the total population of the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu where Gujjar Muslims constituted 20% population, Hindus, 23.72%, and Buddhists, 1.21%. The Hindus were found mainly in Jammu, where they constituted a little less than 70% of the population. In the Kashmir Valley, Muslims constituted 95.6% of the population and Hindus 3.24%. These percentages have remained fairly stable for the last 100 years. According to that report, in the 1941 Census of British India, Muslims accounted for 93.6% of the population of the Kashmir Valley and the Hindus for 4%. In 2003, the percentage of Muslims in the Kashmir Valley was 95% and those of Hindus 4%; the same year, in Jammu, the percentage of Hindus was 66% and those of Muslims 30%. In the 1901 Census of the British Indian Empire, the population of the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu was 2,905,578. Of these 2,154,695 were Muslims 74.16%, 689,073 Hindus 23.72%, 25,828 Sikhs, and 35,047 Buddhists.

On 5th January 1949, United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan UNCIP passed a resolution which stated that the question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan would be decided through a free and impartial plebiscite. Unfortunately this resolution could never be materialized because of the continuous stubbornness shown by India. The Indian authorities are misguided by their misconception that they could crush the people of Kashmir with force of arms and weapons. Things are getting worse and worse in the beautiful valley of Jammu and Kashmir. The people of the Indian Occupied Kashmir are looking forward to someone who could save them from the cruelty and brutality of the Indian government and the Indian Armed Forces because life has become a blazing hell to them. They have no freedom no liberty. Their lives, their businesses, their honour and their women, in short their each and every thing is at risk; the Indian troops deployed there do not give them more importance than voiceless animals.

UPALI COORAY

The  Sri Lankan President in his recent interview with the BBC emphatically stated that any type of foreign participation in respect of the oncoming human rights violations inquiry is not permissible by way of external judges. investigators or in any other form.He elaborated his statement by saying Sri Lanka has enough qualified and internationally renowned human resources in the relevant fields and he sees no role for foreign personnel. This statement. as many would know, is quite contrary to the  resolution passed at the UNHCR at the behest of US, co-sponsored by Sri Lanka. Those who listened to this interview which went viral in the social media would have noted that the president was very emphatic in his statement.

The media  subsequently reported an interview given by the Prime minister to channel 4,  probably in a damage control effort, stating that the President has not ruled out foreign participation.

The President  appearing again in an interview with Al Jazeera on the 30th of Jan. reiterates that there is no necessity to have foreign participation in the inquiries or as Judges except for technical assistance. He went on to say that allegations are for violation of human rights and not for committing war crimes. He emphasized that Sri Lankan forces did neither commit  war crimes nor human rights violations. However he qualified this statement by saying that if such offences by the forces or individuals are to be proved , such offenders have to be dealt with. When questioned why the Paranagama commission’s report was  not  given any consideration by the new government, the answer was that it was only a fact finding report.

Article 6 of the UNHRC resolution among other things reads as follows…….”That a credible justice process should include independent judicial and prosecutorial institutions led by individuals known for their integrity and impartiality; and also affirms in this regard the importance of participation in a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism,including the special counsel’s office of Commonwealth and other foreign judges,defence lawyers and authorised prosecutors and investigators……”

The President cannot now take a contrastive stand about the UNHRC resolution because he is expected to know beforehand such vital decisions being taken by his government.  One has to conclude that the President was either not aware of the contents of the resolution or he is playing a   dual role just like his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa. One would recollect MR vowed to the Indians that 13 plus amendment would be implemented but did nothing about it  in order to avoid a backlash from the local majority Sinhalese. President Sirisena too is facing the same dilemma.

In the meantime UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon has reiterated the need for international participation in accountability probes into alleged human rights abuses and war crimes during Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war.Ban’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric has said that the Secretary General had reaffirmed the importance of a credible justice process and international participation in the judicial mechanism. President Sirisena is now being accused of backtracking the commitment given by Sri Lanka as a co-sponsor of the resolution.

The Prime minister and the foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera were the co- architects behind the resolution which locked and sealed Sri Lanka as a co-sponsor of 2015 UNHRC resolution. They were willing partners with the west to ensure Sri Lanka’s geopolitical balance tilt heavily towards the west. They have put Sri lanka on a catch twenty two situation. The strategy behind is to ensure war winning forces and the key figures in conducting the war to be tried for war crimes. Why didn’t they produce the two commission reports by eminent local judges Udalagama and Paranagama before the Human rights council ? It amounts to a betrayal of the majority community and giving a chance to pro-LTTE diaspora and their NGO partners to further their cessation ambitions

Ranil Wickramasinghe is not new to taking vital decisions affecting the nation in an adverse manner such as the infamous Ceasefire agreement he signed with the LTTE in 2002 facilitated by the Norwegians even without cabinet approval. What he and his foreign minister has done now is also not with the best interest of the country but appeasement of the west. Why was there a necessity to co-sponsor a resolution which has left Sri lanka subjugated. This was totally against the people’s mandate given at the Presidential election and the subsequent general election.

Dr.Mahathir Mohamad, former P.M of Malaysia who was responsible for the vast development it has achieved today through his”Look East Policy”, had this to say  before the ASEAN meeting in 1997 about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  ‘It is an oppressive instrument by which the United States and other countries try to impose their values on Asians. Asians need stability and economic growth more than civil liberties”. These remarks did not endear him to US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who was a guest at the meeting. This type of statement can be made only by a statesman like Mahathir Mohamed and not by the likes of local footmen of the US . Mahathir’s vision was to make his country a prosperous nation. He did not consider west as suitable for guidence. He did not hesitate to limit civil liberties of the people and victmise opponents such as Anwar Ibrahim by imprisoning him  and bringing an Internal security act to detain opponents. As an advocate of third world development his relations with US.UK and Australia were difficult but he ensured that his country develops to a modern prosperous nation that is on the threshold of becoming a developed nation,.Such a leader with the commitment to guide the country to prosperity without making the country a satellite of the west or any other power is the requirement of the hour..

President Sirisena’s yielding trait was quite evident from many events that occurred subsequent to his becoming the head of state. One glaring example is when he went public by claiming that he suggested to the Prime minister Wickramasinghe to remove the controversial Central Bank Governor Arjun Mahendran.  The removal never happened.

Maithripala Sirisena is still the President of Sri Lanka with executive powers. Therefore there cannot be any ambiguity in what his government has committed to the UNHRC. The global Tamil forum has already given a warning about the issue. There is no going back on the resolution co-sponsored by the SL government.

Sri Lanka has now passed the point of no return.The western superpowers and India have ensured that we are  locked and sealed.  The total failure of Sri Lankan governments past and present  in countering the relentless campaign of pro LTTE cessation propaganda has put us in this inescapable muddle.We have won the war locally but it goes on internationally where Sri Lanka has been cornered without escape. Those who point out this possibility are branded as nationalist against reconciliation.

The previous government had a totally lopsided foreign policy that jeopardised whatever the chances of keeping a neutral and balanced foreign relations with the west. The foreign service was filled with cronies who were totally incompetent in putting across the government’s  side of the account. Then foreign minister though an intellect was a good example of lack of ability, succumbing to the whims and fancies of the former President who did not show that he had  much  knowledge in diplomacy.Sajin Vas Gunawardana the monitoring foreign minister was was the trouble shooter in the ministry of external affairs.   Billions  of dollars were paid to US public relations companies to lobby and win over the the Obama administration with no avail. No tangible result was  seen.Mahinda Rajapaksa after winning the war had a golden chance of taking this country on the path of rapid development but he did not show any qualities of  statesman with a vision.. Mahinda the politician  overshadowed his charismatic ability to become a statesman with a vision for his country.

While Sri Lankan government was muddling up the national question, the pro – cessation Tamil Diaspora lobby gained grounds with the governments of the west and ensured that a regime change occurred in Sri Lanka. There is undoubtedly a Geopolitical requirement for the west and India to keep Sri Lanka tilted towards them. The view that there is no threat of cessation in Sri lanka because the war has been won does not hold ground at all because there is no one to guarantee it would not happen. Geo-political reasons can at any time see that it happens..South Sudan, Kosovo,East timor comes to one’s mind

The January 8th 2015 could be considered the culmination of a process subtly worked out by the local and international perpetrators of the regime change course for Sri Lanka. Having  achieved the objective, it is now necessary to stabilize what has been achieved. The hybrid war crimes investigations  proposed by the UNHRC resolution is compelling.. The outcome of this kind of inquiry is a foregone conclusion.

President Sirisena’s sudden backtracking is due to the realisation that majority of this country, specially the rural population does not want to see those who contributed to winning the war penalised in any manner. The repercussions could be devastating to the president himself and the government he heads.

The west  lead by the U.S and ably supported by the UK and EU practiced their new found theory of regime change in west Asia with disastrous results and they needed to show at least one country in which the theory has been successful. Sri Lanka is the ideal candidate for this.With Ranil wickramasinghe, Mangala Samaraweera, Chandrika Kumaratunga trio hell bent on appeasing the west, President Sirisena now has no alternative to resort to than towing their line though he is showing a brave face.. Else the claimed goodwill  the government is supposed to have received from the west will eventually wither away.

The government has now realised that pre-election rhetoric against China  and keeping that country at arm’s length after coming to power is costing the country dearly. It is now attempting to mend the fence realizing that neither the IMF nor the world Bank can rescue the country from the economic downturn and it is China which can mostly assist us in economic development.

The secretary General of the UNHRC Prince Said Ra’ad Al Hussein is expected to visit Sri Lanka this week. He is sure stress Sri lanka adhere to the resolution it co-sponsored.

Sri Lanka has been checkmated..

UPALI COORAY

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ධර්මසිරි සෙනෙවිරත්න

   ශ්‍රී මහා බෝධිය යනු  සිදුහත් තවුසා  පරම සත්‍යය අවබෝධ කරගන්නාවිට  වැඩ උන් ස්තානයය් . එම ගස බුධ්ධියේ සංකේතයක්  ලෙස බෞද්ධයන් විසින් සැලකුහ . මේ බුද්ධි වෘක්ෂයේ  මුදුන් මුල  සිංහල පොලවේ ”පිහිටි පස ” දක්වා සිරස් අතටත්  ලොකු කුඩා පරිවාර මුල්  හතර පැත්තට  තිරස් අතටත්  පස යටින් මෙන්ම  උඩි න්ද විහිදී ගියේය  බෝපත්‍රය කර පලන්දනාවෙත්  හිස පලදනාවෙත්  කුන්ඩ  ලාභාරනයේත් සටහන් විය වෙස්තට්ටුවෙත් දාගැබ් මුදුනේත්  බෝපත් හැඩය ගැන්විණි .. මෑත යුගයේ ”මහබෝ වන්නම ලියැවිණි .   ගැයිනි . හින්දු මුර්ති හා කැටයම් වල ඇති .කටෝර  බවත් ඉතාලි රෝම මුර්තිවල ඇති  හැ න්ගීම් කුප්පන යන ලක්ෂණ දෙකෙන්ම තොර වූ චාම් මෙන්ම පහන් හැගීම්  දනවන් මුර්ති  සිංහලේ බිහිවුයේ  සිංහල බෞද්ධයාගේ ජීවන දර්ශනය මුළුම නින්ම  බෞද්ධ දර්ශනය මත පදනම්වූ හෙයිනි . නිරන්තර තප්පු හඩත්   සීනු හඩත් සමග සාම්බ්‍රානි  කට්ටකුමන්ජල් දුමාරයත් මැදින්  බැතිමතුන්ගේ හරෝහරා  නාදය  කෝවිල් දෙවනත් කලද  පන්සලේ ඇත්තේ දැඩි නිහඩ බවකි . ශක්තිය හා බලය දක්වන හරෝහරා  නාදය වෙනුවට පන්සලේ  පන්සලේ සාදුකාරය   දක්වන්නේ  ආදරය ගවුරවය මුසු  නිවුන පහන් හැගීමකි .                         මෙය පැහැදිලි සියුම් වෙනසකි .

                                                   දේවානම් පියතිස්ස  රජු විසින්  මිහිදු මාහිමියන්  ප්‍රමුඛ සංඝයා වෙත  පූජා කරන ලද  මහා මෙඝවනය පසුකලෙක  මහාවිහාරය බවට පත්විණි . ඒ මහා විහාරය සිංහල රටේ  ප්‍රධාන අධ්‍යාපන  මද්යස්තානයවී  මේකේ දේශපාලන  ආර්ථික හා  සංස්කෘතික චින්තනය  වර්ධනය කරමින් පවත්වාගන ගියේය . බුදුහිමි සමයේ සිටම මෙරට වැසියාගේ   ‘ගිහිවත  සැකසී මේ අයුරින්  බොදු පැවිදි ගුරුවරුන්ගේ පරිපාලනය අධීක්ෂණය  යටතේ  පැවතුනේය . කවදත් බුදු දහමට විරුද්ධ ඉන්දීය හින්දු  හා ශිව භක්තිකයෝ  ත් බ්රාහ්මනයොත්  විටින්විට සිංහලේ ආක්‍රමණය  කර මේ බොදු ලකුණ සිංහල සමාජයෙන්   ඉවත් කිරීමටුත්සාහකළහ .  ඔවුහු අපේ බෞද්ධ සිද්දස්ඨාන විනාශ කර  ඒමත  උන්ගේ කෝවිල්  ඉදි කිරීමට තරම් සාහසික වුහ . මේ රකුසන් එළවා දැමීමෙන් පමණක් සෑහීමට පත් වීම නිසා  උන්ගේ ”සලකුණ ”’ සිංහල ලකුණ  කිලිටිකරමින් මෙහි ඉතිරිවිය ..  මෙසේ  මේවා ඉතිරිව තියෙන්නට හැරීම අනාගත ව්‍යසන කැඳවා ගැනීමක් බව එදා සිංහලයෝ කල්පනා නොකළ .හ.  සතුරන්ගේ ලකුණක් හෝ ඉතිරි කර ගැනීම මහා ව්‍යසනයක් කන්ද්වා ගැනීමකි . ම නිසාම ”ඇසට අස ”  ”ලෙයට ලෙය ” දුරාන්ත චින්තනයේ  සර්පයන්ට  පැටවූ ගසමින් ලගින්නට  හුඹස්  ඉතිරිවිය ””
” අහස සුරන ”’ ලිංග සිංහල පොලවේ කෙලින් සිටවන ලදී . අද අනවශ්‍ය කරදර  රාශියකි .
සතුරා පමණක් එළවීම  ප්‍රමාණවත් නැත . ඔවුන්ගේ චින්තනයද අතුගා දැමිය යුතුය  බ්‍රතාන්යයා ගියත් උන්ගේ චින්තනය   මෙහි රජ කරය් . ප්‍රභා මියගියත් උගේ චින්තනය හොල්මන් කරය්  පෘතුගීසින්ට බයේ පැනගිය  මුස්ලිම් වරු  නැගෙනහිර පදිංචි කිරීම හා  අකුරණ ගම්පොල වැනි ප්‍රදේශ වල  ස්ථාන ගත කිරීමද  ලන්දේසීන්ට බියෙන් පැනගිය  අපගේ පරම හතුරන්වූ  පෘතුගීසි පවුල් 700 ක්  පමණ රුවන් වැල්ලේ  ද  තවත් සමුහයක්  වහකොට්ටේද  කතෝලිකයන් සමුහයක්  ගල්ගමුවේද  පදිංචි කළා මදිවාට  දළදා මාලි ගාව අසල ම පල්ලි තනා ගැනීමට ද බෞද්ධ රජවරුන් විසින් අවසර දී ඇත . ‘ සිංහල බුධ්ධා ගම ”’ හදුනා නොගත් අයගේ මේ ක්‍රියා නිසා  ඉංග්‍රීසින් විසින් වතු කම්කරුවන් ලෙසින්  උඩරටට ගෙනා  ඉන්දීයයන් ට  දැන් උඩරටම අයිතිවී ඇත . ඉංග්‍රීසින් විසින්ගෙනආ  උන්  , උන් සමගම ආපසු නොයවූ අපේ දර්ශනය නොදත් 1948 රට බාරගත්අ  ය  මෙන්ම ජේ ආර් ඩ ඩ්ලි   ප්‍රේමදාස  මේ පාප කර්මය කල ප්‍රධානයෝය . මේවන විට රට බේරා ගත රණවිරුවෝ හිරේ දමා   ත්‍රස්ත බෙදුම් වාදීන්   ”මහවිරුවන් ”ලෙස නිදහස් කරමින් සිටිති .
මතු සබැඳේ 

Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM Spokesperson, United Sri Lanka Association, Wellington , NZ

I was quite moved when I  listened and watched   the Sri Lanka national anthem being sung in Tamil during the 68th independence day celebrations in Colombo, earlier today. I have heard recordings of this earlier and of another version of the national anthem where Tamil was incorporated into the mainly Sinhalese anthem. In all of these versions , the music remained the same as in the traditional Namo Namo Matha . Both of these renderings  were really endearing like the Sinhala national anthem.

Since I first heard these several years ago, and being told that ex minister Douglas Devanayagam , often used these versions for functions in the north during the previous regime, I felt strongly that one of these versions should be included as a  part of official Sri Lankan functions as way of demonstrating to the Tamil community and the world that our strong stand against Tamil Tiger Terrorism did not make us anti Tamil and  was not detracting us from our resolve to achieve racial harmony. I also believe that Tamil speakers forming a significant minority have a right to have the national anthem in their language, that they can understand and so be inspired by . In addition, if they sing a song that they understand , it would help to create a sense of love & loyalty to the country as the song inspires one to do.

Besides , in New Zealand where I now live , it’s national anthem is sung in Maori & English  every time and I believe achieves just that. In fact, I have asked at least the past two Sri Lankan High Commissioners to NZ whether we could not use it at our functions here and the response was that the national anthem is a part of the constitution and no changes could be made without changing the constitution. Now we see that , this is not the case.Perhaps, with the Tamil High Commissioner we have now, things may change.

I do hope that the practice ,now started of having the national anthem sung in both languages becomes common place from now on including at the daily close of the radio and TV broadcasts ,where the anthem is sung in Sinhalese only now. I believe this would win  Sri Lanka a lot of good will nationally and internationally and help to detract from the unfair & ill founded brickbats Sri Lanka has had to face in past few years. More importantly it would help to foster national unity and a love and loyalty to  Sri Lankan, in every one who understands it.

Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM

Spokesperson,

United Sri Lanka Association,

Wellington , NZ

By NJ Thakuria

Guwahati: As northeast India is preparing for the 12th South Asian Games 2016, to be held in Guwahati and Shillong on 5-16 February 2016, both the capital cities have turned into fortress under security nets.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the spectacular sporting event on Friday in presence of nearly 4500 athletes, officials and sport lovers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan with the host country India.

The mascot of the event is designed with the campaign for conservation of world’s precious one-horned rhinoceros, which has sizable population in various forest reserves of the region and the theme song ‘Ai Prithibi Ek Kringagon….’ has been picked up from the immortal creations of legendary Assamese music maestro Dr Bhupen Hazarika.

Meanwhile, the security agencies have already expanded its nets to all sensitive locations to make the first biggest ever international multi-sporting event held in the region hassle free. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has ensured a ‘fool-proof security system’ for the mega event ensuring smooth conduct of the Games.

The government has arranged fool-proof security for sportspersons as well as spectators for the smooth conduct of the games,” said Gogoi after attending a review meeting with the representatives from the army, para-military forces, police, intelligence agencies and sports administrators to discuss the last minute preparations of the event.

The Congress veteran as well as Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma have appealed to the people of the alienated region to welcome and co-operate with the sportspersons and officials who are coming from eight south Asian countries for the event spreading camaraderie & good will.

Guwahati city police commissioner Mukesh Agarwala, while talking to the media persons, elaborated that over 90 hotels, guest houses and resorts would be used for the Games, where the security personnel would be deployed for 24 hours a day during the occasion. He also added that additional 500 officials would be deployed in the city to control the traffics.

Meanwhile, the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent), which is waging a war against Indian Union government for a sovereign Assam, has also come out with a statement welcoming the event saying that the participants from the south Asian nations would ‘find our region have similarities with their own lands’ that should make them feel at home.

The sporting spirit quality in human interactions is recognized as an extremely valuable asset which can evaporate petty differences, break barriers, remove misunderstanding, strengthens bonding of old friendship and create new ones,” said the statement issued by Ulfa (I) chairman Abhijit Asom.

ධර්මසිරි සෙනෙවිරත්න

ලෝකයට ”’රජකරගෙන ” සිටි  පාලකයෝ වෙනත් රටවලදී  එම්ප්‍රදෝරු , ඒකාධිපති  ආදී වශයෙන් හැඳින්විණි . එහෙත් සිංහල පාලකයෝ  ”’දැ හැ මෙන් සෙමෙන් රාජ්ජය විචාල” හෝ ”’ රාජ්ජය කරවූ ”’ අ ය මිස  ”රජකළ ”අ ‘ ය නොවුහ . බුදුදහම අනුසාරයෙන් මිහිඳු හිමියන් විසින් දේවානම් පියතිස්ස රජතුමාට ඉගැන්වූ  මුල්ම පාඩම      වුයේ  රටේ පාලකයෙකුගේ  ”තරාතිරම ” කුමක්දය් මෙසේ  පහදා දීමය් ”” මහරජ  සතුන් නොමරව  සියලුම දෙපා  සිවුපා බහුපා සතුන්ටද  ජීවත්වීමේ  අයිතියක් ඇත . ඔබ භුමියේ භාරකාරයා පමණි ” . මාඝාත ” නම් වූ  සියලු සතුන් මැරීම තහනම් කල   රාජාඥාවක්  පැනවූ එකම රට  මේ සිංහලේ විය . සියලු රට වැසියාත්  ඒ වැසියන්ගේ පාලකයාත්  කරන කියන කටයුතු  හැසිරවූ මේ බෞද්ධ දර්ශනය  එදා සිටම  මේ රටේ  රාජ්‍ය දර්ශනය  හෙවත් රාජ්‍ය ආගම විය .  . තමන් ජීවත් විය යුත්තේ කෙසේදය්  ජනතාව විසින් තීරණය කරන ලද්දේ  බෞද්ධ දර්ශනයේ නිර් නායකයන්ට අනුවය . එහෙයින්  සිංහල ජාතියත් රටත් පවතින  තු රු  මේ රට තුල බුදු දහමට විශේෂත්වයක්  තිබිය යුතුමය . එය වෙනස් කිරීමට  කැසකවන දේවදත්තයින්  හා චිංචි මානවිකාවන් ට ඉඩ නොදිය යුතුය .
                                                   බෞද්ධ දර්ශනයට  අනුව  නිර්වාණය  ජීවිත අරමුණ කරගත්  සිංහල බෞද්ධයෝ  ඒ සඳහා  පාරමී පු රා අවසන් වන තුරු කිසියම් ශීලයකට අනුව  තමන් ජීවත්විය යුතු බව දන සිටියහ  . මහා මංගල සුත්‍රය අනුව  හොඳ උතුම් දේත්  පරාභව සුත්‍ර  යට අ නුව  ජීවිත පරිහානිටට  හේතුවනදෙත්  ඔවුහු තේරුම් ගෙන  තම ජීවිත සකසා ගත් හ, ස්වභාවයෙන්ම කාමයට ලැ දී මිනිසාට  ඉන් විනාශ නොවී සංයමයෙන්  ලෞකික  ජීවිත ගෙනයාහැකි  ක්‍රම වේදයක්  බෞද්ධ දර්ශනයේ ගැබ්විය .. එනිසාම ගිහිගෙය් වසන තුරු අවශ්‍ය වූ  සාහිත්‍ය කළා ශිල්ප  වාස්තුවිද්‍යා නැටුම් ගැයුම්  ආදී සකල විධ  ලෞකික  විනෝදාංශ  පවා ”’බෞද්ධාගමික ”’ විය . ඒ සියල්ල බෞද්ධ දර්ශනයෙන්  හික්මීමක් සංයමයක් ලබා ආධ්‍යාත්මික පදනමක පිහිටියේය . සාමාන්‍ය බෞද්ධ ජනතාවට  මේ සඳහා  පිහිටවුයේ  ජාතක කතා පොත  ලෝකෝපකාරය ලෝවැඩ සඟරාව හා සුභාෂිතය වැනි පොත පත ය . වඩා නුවණැත්තෝ  බෞද්ධ දර්ශනයේ ගැඹුරු කරුණු හදා රා . ජීවිත අරමුණ කරා  අප්‍රමාදව ලගාවුහ.

Shenali D Waduge

There is no better time than now to look back and recall the traitors of Lanka. Just as a terrorist is a freedom fighter to some, even traitors are somebody’s hero. It was always a case of falling prey to foreigners or seeking the assistance of foreigners to remain in power. Kuveni fell for Indian Vijaya, Moggalana brought an alien army to defeat his brother Kasyapa, the reigning King. King Buvanakabahu sought support from the Portuguese to defeat brother Mayadunne, King Rajasinghe II sought Dutch support to drive away the Portuguese, that became an inguru deela Miris gaththa vagey” story.  Then came the two biggest traitors Don Juan Dharmapala who bequeathed his kingdom, his subjects, his country to a foreign foe while the Kandyan chieftans handed over the entire Sinhale nation to the British in 1815 just to spite the King.

It is only those who are ignorant about Sri Lanka’s history who fail to realize why we need to preserve a very rich civilization and why we should be cautious about the ‘friends’ at our door. It has always been ignorance, misguided trust and lack of leadership that has helped the enemy walk off with national interests. The sceptre of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty has been the Sacred Tooth Relic which denotes the reason why any constitution cannot omit to give State patronage and official status to Buddhism. The first and foremost qualification for kingship in Sri Lanka was the possession of the Sacred Tooth relic.

The black princes that betrayed our motherland are many.

Don Juan Dharmapala

It took just one man to shake a proud historical past and he had to be the son of a Sinhalese hero (Widiya Bandara) and Princess Samudradevi, daughter of King Buwanakabah VII of Kotte. He was none other than Don Juan Dharmapala, the eldest grandson of the King of Kotte.

Dharmapala was baptized as Dom Joao in 1557. His gifting mortis causa the Kingdom to the Portuguese was tantamount to the betrayal of his kingship and agreeing to become a willing puppet a trait that can be compared to present day scenario as well.

Just as a band of ‘yes men’ advisors surround present leaders, the same coterie did not object to Dharmapala forfeiting his religion to become a Catholic. It is a reminder of how the former President chose to ignore advice by patriots not to invite the Pope to canonize a person who was a virtual murderer sent to convert natives or kill those that refused!

Dharmapala’s enthusiasm to please his new masters was no different to the red carpets present day leaders are throwing. Sri Lanka’s ancient temples were all transferred to Franciscan Friars (Kelaniy Raja Maha Vihara, the Kithsiri Mewan Viharaya at Kelaniya and the Dalada Maligawa) Dharmapala did nothing to preserve their ancient value but to watch them be destroyed. 12 churches were built on top of them.

They can commit the crime but when the crime is pointed the persons pointing are at fault. Dharmapala’s actions are no different to the manner present day leaders are doling out all state assets as if it were their own property to foreign powers. Just as Dharmapala watched churches springing up in Panadura, Maggona, Beruwela, Galle and Weligama, present leaders are prostrating before nations out to subjugate our nation and turn our people into virtual slaves. The Portuguese satisfied their lust with women reminding us of the 3000 Tamil women raped by the IPKF in the 1980s.

The lesson for present leaders in Dharmapala forfeiting his powers to the Portuguese is that once given it is not easy to take back. If Dharmapala became a virtual slave and puppet of the Portuguese even to be poisoned after being invited to dinner by Diogo de Melo, it is another reminder of the fates that befell CIA assets like Osama, Saddam and Gaddafi all of them having served their purpose were done away with. Dharmapala did not die but remained toothless and a stammerer for the rest of his life.

Though Konappu Bandara’s name is mentioned for betraying Buddhism by converting to Catholicism and changing his name to Don John of Austria, he will be also remembered for turning against the Portuguese and winning the famous battle of Gannoruwa. The Portuguese called Konappu Bandara a traitor ‘Apostate of Candea’ – traitor of Kandy. Konappu Bandara became King Wimala Dharmasuriya of Kandy and married Kusumasena Devi (Dona Catarina). He will be remembered for safeguarding Buddhism and Sinhalese culture before the Portuguese destroyed it completely.

Dona Catarina

 Kusumasana Devi, daughter of King Karaliyadda Bandara was also baptized as Dona Catarina and was brought up by Portuguese missionaries in Mannar. She was proud of her foreign education and upbringing. The Portuguese plan was to marry Catarina to a Portuguese prince. Had that happened Sri Lanka would have become a fully Catholic country under cujus regio, ejus religio (princle that the established religion should be that of the sovereign). What prevents this principle being applied to Buddhism in Sri Lanka?

The division of the Sinhalese is accountable for the fall of the country was aptly shown in the example how the selfishness of King Mayadunne made him join hands with the Portuguese to defeat his son-in-law Vidiya Bandara.

Vidiya Bandara, father of Dharmapala stood up to the Portuguese, was imprisoned but escaped to join King Mayadunne who gave his daughter in marriage. Vidiya Bandara was a very charismatic leader and was able to lay siege on the city of Kotte confining the Portuguese. The Portuguese sought help from King Mayadunne who because of his jealousy over Vidiya Bandara’s popularity took the side of the enemy Portuguese and sent reinforcements to help the Portuguese and Vidiya Bandara was defeated.

Prince Vijayapala 

Was one of the 2 sons of King Wimala Dharmasuriya. After the King’s death, King Senarath took over legitimizing his throne by marrying Dona Catarina and thereafter dividing the Kandyan Kingdom into three between his son (Prince Rajasinghe) and his own 2 sons (Prince Vijayapala and Prince Kumarasinha). Prince Vijayapala was given the Matale province.

He was educated by Franciscan Friars resulting in his conversion. The strategy was simple. Convert members of the royal families a strategy that continues to be adopted by somehow marrying a member of the Church to political leadership in Sri Lanka.

He was sent to Goa educated by Franciscan Friars and baptised on 8 Dec 1646 and given the name Dom Theodoscio, his entourage of army generals, members of the royal family were also converted. The Viceroy of Goa declared him the Emperor of Candea” though he was in Goa.

A letter to the Viceroy of Goa by Vijayapala confirms his true allegiance

” I was born with a strong predilection for the Portuguese nation. In my earliest days greatly to the satisfaction of the Queen my mother, there was assigned to me as Mestre the Padre Frey Francisco Negrao, who taught me to read and write. Under his instructions I learnt very good customs and etiquette and some special habits which Royal persons employ. Though I am a Chingala by blood I am a Portuguese in my ways and affections” questioning the on paper Buddhist leaders in Sri Lanka.

Another letter of Vijayapala states I have no confidence in my own people” (how many of our leaders today think like him) reminding us of the present leadership whose opinion is that solutions to any problems must come from foreign minds only. Nursing such sentiments questions with what integrity leaders can profess to lead a nation when their allegiance is elsewhere.

Vijayapala’s treachery came in crossing over to the Portuguese side to seek assistance to defeat his brother and gain the Kandy Kingdom. He becomes a traitor for forsaking his country, crossing over to the enemy, denouncing his race, betraying his religion and giving up his Sinhala name to embrace an alien Portuguese name. Not stopping there he went on to marry a South Indian opening the doors for the Nayakkar dynasty from Malabar and the influx of Dravidians into the country.

Kandyan Chieftans who signed the 1815 Kandyan Convention

The 1815 betrayal by the foolish and selfish Kandyan Chieftans falling prey to the scheming British goes down as the greatest betrayal in modern history. To spite the King the Chieftans chose to go after the British and the nation ended up saddled with foreigners who refused to leave. The Kandyan Chieftans are responsible for Sri Lanka losing its treasured independence and sovereignty which had been protected and preserved for over 2300 years. It is the principle Cujus est solum, ejus est usque ad coelam; et ad inferos – He who owns the soil owns it up to the sky; and to its depth that fights in the Sinhalese still.

Self interest of various actors that have included, Kings, chieftans, priests, monks joining hands with the enemy are endless.

Never before had the Kandyan Kingdom been conquered. The Chieftans handed the nation on a platter to the foreigners. It was due to misinformation that eventually lost Ehelepola his family, misinformation and lies have been hallmarks of the pitiful situation Sri Lanka now lies in. Do these events not strike resemblances of late?

Have we not learnt from the past? If the Chieftans conspired against the ruling King so that they may remain in power enjoying continued favors while sacrificing the nation and its people, is there really any difference in the manner politicians today behave? The Chieftans handed the nation on a platter to the British, what are the present politicians now doing?

In flow of conversions which started out with Don Juan Dharmapala and included King Karalliyadde Bandara’s nephew Yamasinghe who was christened Don Philip, while Konappu Bandara became Dom John of Austria (he poisoned Yamasinghe), Dom Joao, King Yamasinghe’s son eventually became a Catholic priest.

Incidentally, JRJ, SWRD Bandaranaike, DS Senanayake were not Buddhists and came from Christian backgrounds. It has become fashionable to project oneself as a Buddhist to woe the majority masses.

These examples of traitors of Sri Lanka are shown to depict the principle debile fundamentum fallit opus – where there is a weak foundation, the work fails. Where our leaders lack leadership the foundations of the nation have shaken. It was to them the nation was handed to be looked after. They cannot re-delegate what has been given to them – Delegata potestas non potest delegari. Presently we see various parties holding secret discussions and coming to private agreements these private contracts cannot derogate from public law.

Through history we have had lascorins, sepoys, brown sahibs, kalu suddas betraying our own. The Catholic Church has been an accomplice in continuing to occupy Buddhist temple lands that were confiscated, temples destroyed and on top of which Churches now stand. The very culprits of these atrocities point fingers and demand Sri Lanka to reconcile when none of their crimes since 1505 have been acknowledged, apologized or even compensated. The wrongs done to the Sinhalese taking their lands, destroying their crops, livelihoods, murdering their families, converting or killing them have never taken any podium for discussion. This is a miscarriage of justice. Within 2 years the Kandyan Chieftans realized their mistake. Now in 2016, we are seeing the present British envoy saying there is no need to take the President’s statements seriously and there is no reaction from the Government.

There are still traitors amongst us because we have not learnt from history and our past mistakes that we continue to repeat. With each mistake we have conceded what is ours. We are now confined to a very limited space and even that is being siphoned off deceptively to our enemies.

For the people it will always be a case of ‘kabalen lipata’ (jumping from the pan into the fire)

Shenali D Waduge

By Charles.S.Perera

The Yahapalanaya is a Nadagama- Mahadenamutta and his pupils.  Mahadenamutta had five pupils . He himself had given names to them according to their appearance. One was Indikatu Pencha – a thin tall man, Kotu Kithaiya the one who looked like a stick, his favourite was Polbe Muna who had a round face like   half a coconut, Rabboda Aiya  had a big toddy belly, Puvak Badilla looked like an areccanut tree.  Some of these characters could be distinguished amoung the Yahapalana Nadagama crowd. Readers may name their characters in the Yahapalana Nadagama as it pleases them.

Nadagama begins with Pothe Gura announcing what is to follow- JVP fits into this role.

 On the 8^th January,2015, Ravi Karunanayake  had a case for money laundering.  The money is said to have come from none other than  Raja Rajaratnam  the fund provider for the terrorists.

The Colombo Telegraph reported The Attorney General indicted Nexia Corporation, Linton Sirisoma and Karunanayake for allegedly facilitating money laundering in violation of Central bank regulations and the Exchange Control Act by depositing Rs. 390 million in a Standard Chartered bank account, which had been later used to purchase shares of the Union Bank. The transfer had been made by Sri Lankan American billionaire and hedge fund dealer Raj Rajarathnam.

During the hearings it was alleged that Karunanayake was directly involved in the fraud and that he intervened to collect the funds once the money was deposited in Sri Lanka.

In the meantime there was a change of Government and as by magic  Ravi Karunanayake  the man who was under a Court order to present himself at the Court in Colombo on the 29 January,2015  to face the money laundering charges against him,   was named by  the unconstitutionally appointed UNP Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasing  as the Finance Minister.

Colombo Telegraph adds, that the Exchange Control is the function of the Central Bank. The Central Bank is governed by the Monetary Board. The Secretary/Finance (Treasury) is a member of the Monetary Board. The Minister of Finance is the Boss of the Secretary/Finance. How nice to have a person charged with Exchange Control crimes as Finance Minister”

However, the very day that Ravi Karunanayake had been ordered to attend court to face money laundering charges, he had arranged to present the interim budget to the Parliament.  As he could not be present  both in the Court to face charges of fraud  and present the Budget in Parliament at the same time the Justice had to adjust itself to accede to the  request of the money launderer and postpones the hearing for the 4^th March,2015.  What a windfall to a money launderer.

This is Yahapalana Nadagama.  They swear to honour democracy, fair-play and Justice , but from the Yahapalanaya President  to the Police constable of the Yahapalanaya Government police  force  on the road,  they  constantly break all democratic norms, moral codes, Constitutional provisions and above all twist justice to suit the political hierarchy  in a syndrome of fear  amoung the Judges for political punishment  by Ranil Wickramasinghe of Batalanda fame.

But yet we hear them yelling  that since they have  come to power there is democracy, press freedom,  justice, and no white vans.

They of the Yahapalanaya Nadagama have changed the white van to the Black Maria

 Immedately after the Presidential elections of the 8^th January, 2015,  it was the beginning of the Nadagama. First  the Marxist JVP-the pothe guras, who joined hands with the Capitalist UNP to change Rajapakse Regime, with files accusing the Previous President , members of his family, his government and all his contacts , under their arms on their way to the Office of the Commissioner of   Bribery and Corruption. Then  these pothe guras” make the announcement to the press giving details of their accusations presented to the Bribery Commission.

Whether the accused is proved guilty or not is immaterial the notice of guilt is announced to the press.

One year after,  the Yahapalana Nadagama is still at its opening  scene of  carrying files containing accusations against the latest members who have connection to Rajapakse family. To facilitate matters they have gone a step further in their progressive development.  First Ranil –Polbe Muna, created  a FCID a secret police within the secret police specially for the Rajapakse family, their friends and all and sundry  to be arrested taken in the Black Maria and remanded.  Judicial procedures have been cut short.  The arrested remain in the remand jail until a judge is available to decide on their bailing out.

There have been so many cases filed, but no action has been taken on any one of them.  The Yahapalana Nadagama creates new courts and commissions,  all to accuse Rajapakse family and all connected to that family and the members of the  previous Government of Mahinda Rajapakse.

President Maithripala Sirisena – Mahadenamutta, not to be outdone by  Ranil  the Polbe Muna with his FCID wanted a Commission of his own to investigate the Rajapakses. The Special Presidential Commission on Large scale corruption to which  the Previous President Mahinda Rajapakse and his wife – the former First Lady are regularly called to take down statements.  Latest we hear is that the former first Lady may also be arrested and taken the Black Maria to the Welikada Prison.

Hiran Fernando UNP Minister was shouting at the top of his voice at Derana Wadapitiya today trying to justify  action taken by Yahapalana Nadagama by describing how Sarath Fonseka was dragged from his legs from Hilton Hotel to Prison by the previous government.

Besides these Yahapalana Nadagama has an Anti Corruption Front, and a Committee against Corruption headed by Ranil Wickramasinghe –Polbe Muna himself.  JVP  too has set up its own three man Committee of Investigation.  These are all there to investigate the previous government,  leaving  unchecked the corruption of the actors of the Yahapalanaya Nadagama.

This is the progress and development of Sri Lanka in terms of  -the Yahapalana Nadagama

Raj Gonsalkorale in an article in Asian Tribune justly says , …..In this instance, the politics pertaining to allegations of large scale corruption against the previous regime has some ironies that need to be addressed. This is in regard to the inclusion of politicians belonging to the regime being investigated, in the regime that is doing the investigating…..

….Beginning with President Sirisena himself who was a senior cabinet member for ten years in the previous regime, there are several others. Ministers Rajitha Senaratne, Rauf Hakeem, Champika Ranawake, Navin Dissanayake, Duminda Dissanayake, Abdul Rishad Bathiudeen and Udelappan Palani Digambaram were all part of the previous regime. Besides them, there are several State and Deputy Ministers as well. They were all part of the previous regime.”

How much do all these investigation Commissions, Committees, Fronts and  the Criminal Investigation Divisions, and the Police  cost to the Yahapalana Nadagama with a dwindling economy ?

At least the roads that the previous government built bring in a substantial income while Yahapalanaya Nadagama has done nothing to develop the economy, health or wellbeing of the people, ever since it  took office on the 9^th January,2015..

Yahapalana Nadagama –They have failed even to build a decent Public Toilet any where in Sri Lanka.

 The period of time , since 8^th January, 2015, is being used for investigations into the previous government of Mahinda Rajapakse searching for the bounties of his corruption which has eluded them,  but provided the Yahapalana Nadagama a stage to  carry on with its boring Nadagama.

In the meantime, National Freedom Front has lodged a complaint at the Bribery Commission that the Minister Rajitha Senaratne- the Puwak Badilla,  had acquired a fleet of 8 crafts at a cost of 400 million rupees and the fleet had caught  an estimated haul of fish worth Rs. 2 billion, which had not been accounted for.  But the investigations are slow or  forgotten if they concern the comedians of the Yahapala Nadagama.

The biggest Bank fraud of Sri Lanka took place immediately after the Yahapalanaya Nadagma started its theatrical performance .

The Sri Lanka BRIEF reported,

The entire business community was shocked with the blatant abuse of power of the Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendren to help his infamous son in law Arjun Aloysius, known for his infamous EPF deals with the previous government, resulting in the fund losing over 2 billion Rupees. To date the government has not investigated a single transaction and it will never happen under the current regime. …………………..CB governor’s son in law were involved in the previous regime’s EPF dealings amounting to Billions as well, no action has been taken so far against his company Perpetual ltd. Now he has taken it to another level because he has the support of his Governor Father in law and the Prime Minister whom he refers to Uncle Ranil in conversations.” 

No body neither Arjun Mahendran nor his son-in-law Arjun Aloysius has been taken for questioning by the FCID on the Central Bank Bond Scam issue.

But in the case of Yoshitha Rajapakse it was different, FCID was very prompt in taking Yoshitha into custody without any  valid reason; only a story of  money laundering. The importance of taking Yoshitha into custody  is because the Independence day is  3 days away and Yoshitha Rajapakse is a price catch, before  President Sirisena –Mahadenamutta takes the salute of the march past on the Independence Day. And Prince Zeid Ra’ad AL-Hussein  of hybrid Court fame will be in town on the 5^th February, and  Ranil- Polbe Muna  can tell the Prince, that Rajapakse Family has been brought to books.   But when it comes to actors of the Yahapalanaya Nadagama  their cases can wait. 

In an interview to Ceylon Today,  Rajitha Senaratne –Puwak Badilla answering a question by Anura Bandara Rajaguru:   A complaint has been filed against you in the Bribery and Corruption Commission. What is your response to the demand for your resignation? Rajitha Senaratne – the Puwak Badilla says:
In that case, the best way to get somebody to resign is to complain to a Commission somewhere. Complaining is not sufficient. The case must be proved. I have no reasons to resign. We are leading a massive struggle against bribery and corruption.”

When it concerns the actors of the Yahapalana Nadagama , the FCID looks at the offence differently.  And the Yahapalana Nadagama actors have no fear. FCID is like a trained dog.  It does not bite the handlers.

The Governor of the Central Bank and his Son in Law are drinking  and dining with the Yahapalanay Nadagama crowd.

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.(St.Mathew)

Mum is the word on the Central Bank Bond Scam amoung  the Yahapalana Nadagama Circle, while they are all out to catch wives of the ministers of former government for having a passport with  a wrong date of birth, or taking the former first lady to record statements, or arrest an  MP because he had two passports.

Ranil –the Polbe Muna,  made a fiery speech in Parliament –which was unparliamentary bashing the Journalists.  He spoke of his being a Buddhist when every one knows that he is a born Christian with an uncle a Bishop- the  Late Bishop Lakshman Wickramasinghe of the  Kurunegala Diocese.  Polbe Muna  demonstrated how he prays  Buddha clapping his hands and said he does not say Rajapaksa saranang gachchami.

That was Yahapalana Nadagama at its best for his UNP cohorts. Ranil-the Polbe Muna was turning round laughing at his own jokes  pulling up his trousers, not allowing it to fall down , the UNP Ministers around him Kiriella- Kotu Kithaiya-, Ravi Karunanayaka-Rabboda Aiya and  the rest of the lot were  thumping on the tables and clapping hands. Polbe Muna  was acting his part well.

Champika Ranawake –the Indikatu Pencha was in Hiru TV Salakuna .  He says that it was he who did every thing that was beneficial to the country in the previous government.  President Rajapakse had achieved nothing.  It was he who went to Mavil Aru  and asked Mahinda Rajapakse to wage a war against the terrorists. Mahinda Rajapakse wanted to merely give millions of Rupees to Prbhakaran to protect himself and his family.  He was arranging with a LTTE agent to arrange a meeting with Prabhakaran for him to talk peace.  When the Hiru TV  Moderatoer asked him whether  it was really he who did every thing.?  He said,   that is why I used the  We”.”

Champika Ranawaka-Indikatu Pencha spoke with so much hatred when he referred to Mahinda Rajapakse one really wondered what Mahinda Rajapakse had done to him.  Champika-the  Indikatu Pencha of the Yahapalana Nadagama says he represent JHU a  party of the followers of Buddhism , if so how can he have so much of hatred in him. About Ekneligoda he said that people responsible for his disappearance should be arrested.  When the Moderator said that there were reports that  Champika Ranawaka also had a grudge against Ekneligoda for a letter he had published in Sinhala News Paper, Champika was really angry and said how people were trying to destroy him and his children.

Champika Ranawaka awakened to love of his own children and spoke hatefully of the people who  scandalised him publishing a letter to the press, but with regard to arrest of Yoshitha he said that it was Mahinda Rajapakse who had asked for it,  therefore it is normal  that Yoshitha had been arrested.  He- the Indikatu Pencha is really playing the part of a villain in the Yahapalana Nadagama.

Yahapalan Nadagama speaks of maintaining a Unitary Country and vows not to entertain Federalism, but in the same breath allows the National Anthem to be sung in Tamil. A Nation has one National Anthem and that is  in all countries sung in the language of the Majority.

Yahapalana Nadagama  ruins all aspect of Sri Lanka, economic, social, geographic, political and also religious aspect of Sri Lanka.  Sri Lanka’s uniqueness is in its  Sinhala Theravada Buddhist culture.  Tamil Culture is amply represented in Tamil Nadu, Muslim culture in all Arab countries, Pakistan, Indonesia etc.

Therefore it is the duty of every Sri Lankan to protect the Theravada Buddhist Culture of Sri Lanka.  The Yahaplanaya Nadagama is now taking on itself the control of the Buddhist monks.  If a Buddhist Kathikawatha has to be legalised, it is normal that it should be done, but what is wrong is the way it has been  proposed.   The three Nikayas of Sri Lanka should have been asked to prepare a Kathikawatha and presented it to the Parliament to put it into a legal format.

The Theravada Buddhist Kathikawatha should have come from the Buddhist monks to the Parliament and not from Parliament to the Buddhist  monks.

By A.A.M.Nizam – MATARA.

Is there a question called the Ethnic Question” in Sri Lanka? What is the difference between the people living in Sri Lanka other than people belonging to various religions, speaking different languages and belonging to different communities?

The Tamil community in Sri Lanka was a community very much complacent with their status, privileges and wealth during the time of British Imperialist rule due to the patronage provided by the British Imperialist rulers over the majority Sinhalese community despite they being little over 12 percent (including the Indian Origin Tamils in the Hill Country and the Western Province) against the 76 percent of the Sinhalese community.

During the pre-independence period under the British Imperialist rule the Tamil community was the de facto rulers of this country and they occupied almost all the sectors of public life in Sri Lanka and were majority in certain sectors. There were even Inspectors General of Police and commanders of armed forces.  They were majority employees in many public Departments such as Railways, Ports, PWD, Health, Postal, Communication, to name a few.  They were also a majority of lecturers in the Peradeniya University (the only University existed at that time) and majority of teachers in Government schools teaching almost all the subjects except Sinhala Language, Sinhala Literature and Buddhism.  They were able to achieve all these privileges because the British Imperialist rulers desisted other communities having any form of participation in their administrative activities and denied as much as possible opportunities to other communities, especially for the majority Sinhalese community.

In addition to this, they also owned various boutiques such as grocery stores, cigar stores, hotels and restaurants in almost all parts of Southern areas including the remote villages such as Embilipitiya, Tissamaharama and Moneragala. The main economy of the Tamil population in the Northern and Eastern provinces at that time was depending on the money orders being sent monthly by the public servants and the shop owners.  The import export trade was also a monopoly of the Tamil community at that time.

However, with British Imperialist rulers ceasing their hold on colonies in the African and Asian continents, the leading and erudite members of the Tamil community who were resident in Colombo at that time rightly realized that their people will not be able to enjoy this special status forever and when the subject of granting independence to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) was taken up for discussion at the Legislative Council the father of separatism the late S.J.V.Chelvanayagam emphasized that if independence is to be granted to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Tamils living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces should be granted self rule with autonomous status to the Northern and Eastern Provinces since what he called the uneducated Sinhala people are unfit to rule the superior Tamil community.  This view was endorsed and upheld by the cousins and brothers of separatists such as Arunachalasms, Ramanathans, Naganathans, Thiruchelvams and Amirthalingams.

When the people’s government came into power in 1956 under the late Prime Minister Mr. S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike the separatist clan headed by the father of separatism Chelvanayagam started various forms of agitations demanding for autonomous status and self rule for them and they were totally aloof about development of Sri Lanka and helping in building the country.  These agitations gradually aggravated despite attempts to pacify them and get them inducted to nation building efforts made by the late Mr. Bandaranaike and all other leaders of government after him by offering decentralization and devolution models in the form of regional councils, development councils, district development councils etc.  Despite these genuine efforts the arrogant separatist clan aggravated their agitations which culminated in the despicable 1976 Vaddukkodai Resolutiom which paved the way for the ruthless tiger terrorism and destruction of this country for over three decades.

It can be said that the only mistake done by the post independence governments in Sri Lanka is encouragement given to the 1983 progrom which enabled a large number of Tamil community members to flee this country and settle down in western nations as members of the Tamil diaspora.  It is these people who are economic refugees in the western nations and who have no intention of ever returning to this country are now making every effort to destroy this country.

With the vanquishing of terrorism from the soil of this country on 18^th May, 2009 under the gallant commandership of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa this country became a free sovereign nation and as it was declared then by Mr. Rajapaksa from that day onward there is no majority/minority communities in Sri Lanka and all Sri Lankans are equal in status and there is no restriction for anyone to reside or travel to any parts of this country and there is no area called homelands” or original habitats” in Sri Lanka.

In this context it is pertinent to ask what it is being meant by the ethnic question”.  Certain politicians including the President and the Prime Minister state at various occasions that a permanent solution will be provided to the ethnic question” being faced by the Tamil community or the people of the Northern and Eastern provinces, and it is amazing to find what this illusory ethnic question” is.  What is that a Sinhala person in the South is getting additionally than a Tamil person in the North or East or anywhere else on an ethnic basis? What right has been denied to a Tamil person since because he was born a Tamil?  It is better the people who talk about a non-existing illusory ethnic question” focus their attention to something else that could benefit the country and the people.

ධර්මසිරි සෙනෙවිරත්න

මේ ලිපිය දිගය් එනිසා කොටස් වශයෙන් ලියා එවමි .ජාතික පුවත්පතක් ලෙස තිබු ඉරිදා දිවයිනට යවා එහෙත් වර්තමාන තත්වය යටතේ පල නොකළ ලිපියකි
මේ සියලුම කොටස් කියවන ලෙස වත්මන් තරන පරපුරෙන් ඉතා බැගෑපත්ව ඉල්ලමි

ල්ප්කයේ පවතී හා  පවතින්නාවූ  එකම සිංහල රාජ්‍යය ඇත්තේ වර්තමාන    ශ්‍රී  ලංකාවේය. වර්තමාන ශ්‍රීලංකාව  නම් රට වසර ලක්ෂ ගණනක සිට  මිනිස්වාසයක්ව  පැ වතී රටකි. ආයු කාලයෙන් හා අසිරියෙන්  එය දෙවැනි වෙතොත් වන්නේ  චීන ශිෂ්ටාචාරයට පමණි . ක්‍රි..පුර්ව  සවන සියවසේ  පමණ ගෞතම බුදුන්වහන්සේ  ගේ ආගමනයෙන් පසු  එදා  හෙළදිව නමින් හැඳින්වුන මෙරටේ හෙළයන්ගේ සිතුම් පැතුම්  හා ජීවන දර්ශනය  කිසියම් එක දිශානතියක් කරා  එක එල්ලේ යොමුවිය . බුදු හිමියන්ගේ දර්ශනය  ගතත් සිතත්  නිවන දර්ශනයක් බව  වටහාගත් බොහෝ හෙළයෝ තම තමන් රුචි පරිදි හා  ගෝචරවන පරිදි  බුදු දහම එක එක අනුපාතයෙන් ගෙන  සිය ජීවන ක්‍රමය  ඒ අනුව සකසා ගත්හ . සටන් කාමී සමහරු  සිය දරදඬු බව   ලිහිල් කරගත්හ . .තැ න්පත්වුහ  . ශීලයක පිහිටියහ . තවත් සමහරු ධර්මය ගැඹුරින් හදාරා  මාර්ගඵල පවා ලබාගත්හ  ලොව වෙනත් සමාජ ක්‍රමවල ගැහැණියට  මුලික මානුෂික අයිතිවාසිකම් පවා නොතිබුණද  බුදු දහම නිසා එදා හෙළදිව කාන්තාවට  අද්යාත්මික දියුණුවේ මුදුන් පෙත්තටම  ළඟාවීමට  අවශ්‍ය නිදහස ලැබුනේය .. මෙය     සමාජ     ක්‍රමයක      විශේෂ    හැරවුම්   ලක්ෂයකි
මෑතදී සොයාගත්                       ”’  වරිග පුරනිකා”’වට අනුව . ”කවිලාෂ පාලී හෙවත් රත්නාවලී  ප්‍රථම මෙහෙනියය් .ඇ  ය රහත් භාවයද ලැබුවාය . ය විසින් පිහිටුවූ  මෙහෙණි සස්න ”රාහුල මාතා යශෝධරා ”’ නම්විය . රි ටිගලදී බුදුහිමියන්ගෙන්  බන අසා     ”’දමනයවී ””” පැවිදිවූ ”’විභීෂ භද්‍ර ” සෙන්පති සහ අනෙක් භික්ෂු පිරිස  ”’විෂ කුම්භානානු සෝරත ””නමින් හැඳින්විණි . මිහිඳු හිමියන්ගෙන් පසුවත් පැවතුන  මේ පරපුර  ධර්මය සාහිත්‍යය . හා වයිද්යවිද්යා  ආදිය ගැන හසල දැනුමක්  ඇති පොත පත ලියුඅ  යවුහ. බු..ව 2329 දී රාජාධි රාජසිංහ  කාලයේ  මානාපව් පිරිවෙනේ වැඩසිටි ”ස්රිභෝධි ” හිමි  ”’පංච රක්ඛාවලිය ”’ ලියන විට  කවිලාශ පාලිගේ පොත් ඇසුරු කල බව  දක්වා ඇත .
”’දමනයවී ””” මහනවූ හෙළයන් යනුකාලාම සුත්‍රයේ පරිදි   තර්ක විතර්ක වලින් පසුව
දහම් කරුණු තේරුම් ගෙන ”’දැමුණු , නිවුණු ”” හෙළයන්ය .මොවුහු මිනී කන යකුන් නොවේ . මේ දමනය වීම නිසා  හෙළදිව හෙලයන්ගී  ජීවන කෘත්‍යයන් බුදුදහම අනුව සංස්කරණය වෙමින් පවතින විට  මහින්දා ගමනයද සිදුවිය . .මෙසේ සැකසෙමින් තිබු  ජීවන දැක්මට   මහින්දාගමනයෙන් පසු ” ධර්මාශෝක  දැක්මද ”’ මුසුවිය..මිහිඳු හිමි ප්‍රමුඛ පිරිස විසින්  මේ දැක්ම  දේවානම් පියතිස්ස රජ තුමාගේ”’රාජ්‍ය ලේඛනාගාරයේ  ලියා පදිංචිකර”’  රාජකී ය නිල මුද්‍රාව තබන ලදී
අනුලා බිසව ඇතුළු  කාන්තාවෝ පන්සියයක් පමණ  පැවිදිවීමෙන් පසුව  භික්ෂුනී සාෂණය  රාජ්‍ය අනුග්‍රහ ලබන  රජය පිළිගත් සංස්ථාවක්  බවට පත්වුයේ  මීට වසර  2600 කටත් පෙරය . පිරිමින්ට පවා  හොඳ නරක බණදහම්  උගන්වන  කාන්තාවන් බිහිවුනේ  මේ අස්රිමත්  බුදු දහම නිසාය .  බ්‍රාහ්මණ හා කිතුනු ආගම් යටතේ මෙවන් නිදහසක්   නොවීය . ඉස්ලාමය යටතේ අදත් නැත . සිංහලයන්ගේ රටේ බුදුදහමට අද්විතීය තැනක් හිමිවීමට  මේ කාන්තා නිදහද  බොහෝසෙයින්  බල පෑවේය . මේ ජීවන දැක්මට අනුව ”දැ හමෙන් සෙමෙන් ”රටකරවීමෙන් ” ජනතා අභිලාෂයන් ඉටුකිරීම  රටේ පාලකයන්ගේ යුතුකමවිය  බුද්ධත්වයට පෙර භාවයන්වල  බුදුහිමියන්ගේ  බෝසත් චරිතය  ජාතියීම පරමාදර්ශී  චරිතය බවටත්  රටේ පාලකයන් විසින් අනුගමනය  කලයුතු පරමාදර්ශී  චරිතය  බවටත් ජනතාව විසින්ම  තෝරා ගන්නා ලදී  …….
තව කොටසක් පසුවට

ධර්මසිරි සෙනෙවිරත්න

   කණ්ඩායම් තුනක් මහින්ද නැවත බලයට ගෙන ඒමට උත්සාහ දරති .මින්  දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන  සරත්වීරසේකර වැනි කීපදෙනෙකුත් නලින්ද සිල්වා බෙන්ගමුවේ නාලක හිමි වසන්ත බණ්ඩාර හා අමරසේකර ආදී න්  ඇතුළු කණ්ඩායමට අවශ්‍ය  වන්නේ ඉන්දියාවෙන් හා බටහිරින් රට නිදහස් කරගෙන  සිංහල බෞද්ධ සන්  ස්කෘතිය  ප්‍රධාන සංරචකය වූ ද පළාත් සභා 13අ වැනි සුදු අලි යන්ගෙන් රටවිනාෂවීම වලකා මේ රට ඒකීය රටක් වශයෙන් පවත්වා ගෙනයමින් අවශ්ශ්‍යම නම්  විධායක බලය පමණක් බෙදන  ගම්සභා ක්‍රමය වැනි  ක්‍රමයක් ඇතිකිරීම  සඳහා මහින්ද බලයට ගෙන එමටය .
                                                     වාසුදේව  ඇතුළු වාමාන්ශිකයන්ට මහින්ද නැතුව දිනන්නට බැරි නිසා ත් එජාපය වැනි අන්ත ධනවාදී පක්ෂයකට හෙත්තුවීමට බැරි නිසාත් ඔවුහු මහින්ද වටේ කරකෙති . සිංහල ජාතියේ විශේෂත්වය පිළිනොගන්නා මොවුහු ෆෙඩරල් ක්‍රමයක් දෙමළුන්ට දීමටද කැමැත්තෙන් සිටින ය වෙති .ව්‍යවස්ථා දායක බලය බෙදීමටද ඔවුහු කැමතිය  ජී එල් පීරිස්  දයාන්ජයතිලක ආදීන්ද මේ ගොඩේ ය .මහින්ද බලයට ගෙනවිත් තමන්ද තනතුරු ගෙන මහින්ද ලවා අඩුම වශයෙන් 13අ ආරක්ශාකරවාගෙන තවත් යම් යම් බලතල හෙමින් සීරුවේ දෙමල බෙදුම්වාදීන්ට අරගෙන දීම මොවුන්ගේ උත්සාහයය් ජාතික ගීය දෙමලෙන් ගැයීමට වාසුදේව උල් පන්ද න් දීම එක මෙවැනි අවස්ථාවකි . මහින්දගේ  අඟේ  ඉදන් කන කෑමට මොවුහු බලා පොරෝත්තුවෙති
                                                                 තවත් කොටසක් ඇත . ඔවුහු ජතිඅටද ආගමටද ආදරෙය . එහෙත් මොන තරම් සුදු අලියෙක් වුනත් ජාතික ධනය විනාශ වුනත් පළාත් සභා නම් විසුරුවනවාට ඔවුහු විරුද්ධය .””’ අපිත්හැ දී  රටත් හදමු””” යනු ඔවුන්ගේ තේමා ගීතයය්  මහින්ද පළාත්සභා  අහෝසි කරන  .බව කිව්වොත් මොවුන් කවුරුවත් මහින්දට කමතිනත ඔවුන්ට අවශ්ෂ්‍ය තමන්ගේ තනතුරුය පළාත්සභා මන්ත්‍රීවරු  මහින්දවටා දැන් එක රස්වුනත්  එවැනි අවස්තාවක වාසි පත්ත

ට හොය්යා කියනු ඇත .  මොවුන්ටත්  යම් අයුරකින් බලතල ලැබෙන මගක් හදන්නට මහින්දට සිදුවනු ඇත ..
                                                                මේ නිසා මුලින් කී සැබෑ ජාතිකබලවේගය  සීරුවෙන් සිටිය යුතුය  ජයග්‍රහණයෙන් පසුව  අනිත් බලවේග දෙක  මහින්ද ග්‍රහණයට ගැනීමෙන් වැලක් වන්නට හොඳ සැලැස්මක් හදිය යුතුය  නලී දිනේෂ් සරත් අමරසේකර වසන්ත  ඔබහමට ඒ සඳහා   දහිරිය   ලැබේවා .

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane

 HISTORY OF THE TAMIL COMMUNITY OF SRI LANKA   

The small communities of Tamils and Muslims living in Sri Lanka, amount to about 24% of the total population of Sri Lanka at present (Tamils including Estate Tamils – 15%; Muslims (09%). These communities are descendants of groups of individuals, exclusively males, who arrived in this island at different times in the past for various purposes,  and later settled down among the Sinhala people. The Tamils came from southern India and observe the cultural traditions of Tamilnadu which is the homeland of the Tamils where the Tamil culture including the Tamil language originated.  Initially the Tamils came to the island as invaders and mercenaries. In more recent times, especially in the 19th century and thereafter, South Indian Tamils were brought to Sri Lanka to work as labourers in British-owned commercial plantations. This was the time when our country was under the British invaders.  Most of these Tamil labour community in the highlands of the island, stayed behind and most were accorded citizenship in later years after the country attained political independence. Tamils in general, therefore are settler communities in the island with the rights and privileges enjoyed by the indigenous Sinhala people.  It is important to note that Tamils are indigenous to the Tamilnadu which is the birth-place of the Tamil culture and language. For all purposes, the national and cultural homeland of the Tamils is Tamilnadu.

Since the 3^rd century BCE, there were seventeen Tamil-speaking Dravidian invasions of the Sinhala kingdom when Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa were the Sinhala royal capitals. These invasions were associated with extreme forms of violence and destruction, and on several occasions, the ousting of the Sinhala royalty and ruling parts of the country for limited periods of time. Terror in its worst forms never known in our land was experienced during the invasion and rule of the Dravidian Kalinga Magha (and in more n recent years under the Tamil terrorist Prabakaran). The crime-prone rule of Kalinga Magha prevailed for 21 years. The Tamil Pandyan and Tamil Nayakka intrusion into Sinhala royal families led to the Sinhala royalty going into disarray after the 13^th century, and the eventual decline of the stability and magnanimity of the Sinhala Buddhist nation.

TAMIL TERRORIST VIOLENCE AND ITS SUBJUGATION 

During a good part of the past four decades, Tamil terrorists of the LTTE, took away from the indigenous Sinhala majority, what they valued and cherished most as a nation – their freedom and peaceful life.  During this time, the large majority of Tamils living within and outside Sri Lanka were openly or discreetly supportive of terrorism and separatism propagated by the racist LTTE terrorists under Prabakaran, their ruthless leader. The overwhelming majority of Sri Lankan Tamils living overseas, were providing  assistance, both directly and indirectly, often using deceitful means to the Tamil terror movement in Sri Lanka thereby promoting gruesome, hideous and horrifying  terrorist activities against the nation, its Sinhala leaders, Bhikkhus, military and police personnel.. They provided assistance to bomb and destroy reputed historically significant Buddhist monuments and sites in our country, and other public property of value and took action to disrepute and undermine the legitimately elected government of our country.

The Sinhala nation is eternally grateful to the Ranaviru Sinhala sons and daughters for eliminating from our nation, this treacherous racist terrorist menace in the year 2009. Sinhala leaders at the time understood that for the emancipation of our nation, there can be no compromise with terrorists and their cohorts both local and foreign. The territorial integrity and sovereignty of our motherland is of fundamental importance to us, and the nation is ever grateful to those who led our military forces to eradicate Tamil terrorism and for restoring our nation for the present and future generations. Thousands of true sons of the soil sacrificed their precious lives while serving in the military forces. The nation will is grateful forever for the sacrifices they made to bring peace to our people

Our heroic military personnel who were making untold sacrifices to protect our people and the territorial integrity of our country were subject to extreme forms of indignity, insult and disgrace by these Tamils, especially during the period of conflict, using most deceitful and dishonest accusations. Our illustrious national culture and our Buddhist Sangha community  responsible for nurturing, promoting and uplifting our outstanding national culture for some two thousand three hundred years, were subject to debase and disrespect by these treacherous Tamil racists and extremists. Buying over and using the international media and other means, these overseas Tamil extremists were involved openly in a widespread campaign, using the basest forms of falsehoods and blatant lies of unimaginable proportions, to demean, discredit and destroy the good image of our country

Many remnants of these ruthless LTTE terrorists, especially those living overseas, still continue to subscribe to the vicious extremist attitudes of the defunct Tamil LTTE. They continue to propagate extreme forms of deceitful and divisive propaganda against Sri Lanka. They resort to dishonesty, deliberate misinterpretation and distortion of historic facts pertaining to our country. These are people who were, at one stage, actively involved in criminal activities and atrocities of the murderous LTTE. By such actions they display their treachery, deceit, and gruesome anti-national attitudes towards a nation that did much for their benefit.

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS   

It is noteworthy, that throughout the period of conflict and thereafter, more than half the Tamil population of Sri Lanka were living in predominantly Sinhala areas, among the Sinhala people without any harassment.  Since the end of the conflict in 2009, the number living in Sinhala areas of the south have shown a striking increase. Most of them are either businessmen or professionals, some working for the government and others lucratively self employed. The Sinhala people of the south have been their growing clientele and patrons. Most Tamil businesses are primarily dependent on the Sinhala market for their survival. In other words, they earn their living using Sinhala hospitality and Sinhala clients. However, in spite of this accommodative spirit of the Sinhala people, what is clearly evident is the fact that the Tamil employers rarely employ Sinhala employees in their establishments.

Some of the largest wholesale and retail businesses in Colombo are owned and operated by Tamils. Most jewelry establishments, travel agencies, telecommunications outlets are owned and operated by them. The rich Tamils in Colombo and other urban areas in Sinhala areas are owners of high-valued property including land, houses, vehicles and other luxuries. They are constantly involved international travel.  They have their religious and cultural organizations, their ‘kovils’  and related activities with no restrictions placed on them by the Sinhala community. The  ‘thoosa kade’ and other the Tamil food outlets are patronized heavily by the Sinhala community.  In addition, they have their Tamil newspapers, magazines, videos, music audios, films and are free to intermingle with others in Sinhala neighborhoods without being harassed.

The average Sinhala person has nothing against anyone who wishes to shed extremist feelings and joining them to build a nation that is peaceful and prosperous, a nation which shuns extremism and terrorism. The Sinhala people want all other communities to join them, just the way how minority communities are expected to do in other countries of the world, especially Canada, Australia, USA, and UK.  The Sinhala people want others who live among them to help build the country as one nation, a nation founded on the noble principles of non-violence, tolerance, compassion, where peaceful co-habitation has been the cornerstone from historic times.

HISTORY OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF SRI LANKA  

The Muslim community in Sri Lanka is a small non-indigenous minority settler community amounting at present, to about 9% of the total population of the country. They are the descendants of small groups of individuals, exclusively males, who came to the island at different times in the past, basically as traders.

Trade relations with the Indian region was started by the newly Islamised Arabs in the early 7^th century CE. (According to Elliot and Dowson book , The History of India as told by its own Historians”, the first ship bearing Muslim travellers was seen on the Indian coast as early as 630 AD.  According to H.G. Rawlinson, in his book: Ancient and Medieval History of India, the first Arab Muslims settled on the Indian coast in the last part of the 7th century AD.  However, it was much later, in the 9^th and 10^th centuries that the Arabs expanded eastwards towards India and China in search of trade and dominated  overseas trade. They initially established trading posts which eventually became permanent settlements. By the late 13^th century, such settlements were common along the southern coast of India and later on the western coast of Sri Lanka. In the 15^th century, increasing numbers of Muslims from the Muslims settlement on the coastal region of South India, came and settled in coastal regions of Sri Lanka. They were the descendants of earlier Arab traders who had settled in South Indian ports and married local women who spoke Tamil. By the early 16^th  when Portuguese vessels first arrived in Sri Lanka, Muslims were well settled in the coastal regions. They represented  a mixture of Sinhala, Arab and Tamil blood, and speaking Tamil with Arabic overtones.

In Sri Lanka, as everywhere they went, the Portuguese made a special point of ruthlessly persecuting Muslims, their business rivals. As a consequence, many Muslims fled the western littoral which had passed under Portuguese control, and settled in the north and east of the island.  The Dutch were no different during their period of occupation of the coastal areas. During the Portuguese period, Muslims had to seek refuge in interior areas among the Sinhala people. Sinhala kings such as Senerath and Rajasinghe-II, provided safety and shelter to Muslims in the Sinhala kingdom among the Sinhala people. Large numbers of Muslims were settled in the hill country and in Eastern Sri Lanka, saving them from harassment by the Europeans and providing opportunities for them to improve their livelihoods and practice their religion.

SPECIAL PRIVILEDGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 

The Muslim community continued to benefit from various forms of special opportunities privileges made available to them by the Sinhala-led governments, after the country gained political independence. Not only were they given opportunities to improve their commercial activities, but were accorded important Ministerial and professional positions in the government. Also, although forming a small segment of the nation’s  population (09% in 2013), Muslims have been accorded special privileges, some examples being   Muslim religious holidays being declared as public holidays in our country, and the representation of Muslims in the national flag of the country.

Muslims are well known to be running successful businesses in predominantly Sinhala majority areas with the Sinhala people as their customers. They are involved in wealth generating employment connected with tourism and travel. The per capita income of the Muslim community is far higher than that of the Sinhala majority community. A good part of buildings and land in most urban areas in the country, especially in predominantly Sinhala areas are owned today by Muslims. Most importantly, there are no restrictions in Sri Lanka for the construction of mosques in predominantly Sinhala areas, in spite of the fact that no Muslim country permits even the display of a Buddha image, let alone building Vihares. In Mosque activities such as prayers using load speakers in predominantly non-Muslim neighborhoods, the Muslims are causing a great amount of discomfort and irritation to non-Muslims. The Sinhala people have been overly tolerant about this unhealthy situation.

No comparable minority in any major country in the world have been given such preposterous benefits, which are not rights but ridiculously high privileges enjoyed by the Muslims and Tamil settler minorities. Since the privileges of one person can only be had at the expense of the rights of another, this shows that, in fact, it is the indigenous Sinhala  who account for more than 75 of the population, who are discriminated against in Sri Lanka. Whenever Muslims held ministerial positions, they made sure that members of their  community were accorded preferential treatment in employment. That accounts for the large number of Muslim employees in Ministries and related public agencies such as Education, the Ports Authority,  Justice, and  Foreign Affairs which had prominent Muslim Ministers.  The important Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka was held by Muslims Ministers for many years under different governments. During this time, the Muslim children and youth were given preferential treatment in the area of education and admission to universities.  Also, it was during this time that several well- equipped exclusively Muslim schools were established in predominantly Muslim areas. After securing so much from the country, and from the majority Sinhala community who had all along provided them with hospitality and generosity, it is disappointing to see many Muslim leaders and Muslim people of today, especially those living in the Eastern province having the audacity and ingratitude to claim autonomy for the lands that they are occupying in predominantly Muslim areas. Do they realize that some of these lands were given to them by Sinhala kings and governments led by Sinhala leaders.

FURTHERING  COMMUNITY  SELF INTERESTS                                                   

There was much media attention in recent months, to undue exploitation and destruction of the country’s natural resources by Muslims under the direct initiative of a Muslim minister. This involves the illegal clearance of a part of the Wilpattu National Wildlife Sanctuary for a housing scheme exclusively for Muslims. Similar illegal and anti-national actions on the part of Muslims have been reported most recently in the Yan Oya valley, Thiriyaya and Pulmuddai national forest conservation and in Kalpitiya. These are instances of encroachment and illegal development of exclusively Muslim housing schemes, with funds from Muslim countries and Muslim INGO’s operating in this country. Muslim leaders and community leaders in general, appear to show a greater interest in furthering the interests of the Muslim community rather than the welfare of the public in general. It is a well known fact that Muslim establishments refrain from hiring non-Muslims for responsible positions in their establishments where the main clients are Sinhala people.  Also, the media has highlighted several allegations of various covert practices by Muslims to increase their population at the expense of the Sinhala population. The direct involvement of Muslims in the illicit drug trade has often been reported in the media.

ENCROACHMENT OF  HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT BUDDHIST SITES                            

There is clear evidence of disregard and disrespect for the Buddhist cultural heritage of the country. During the past two decades in particular, Muslims have illegally and forcibly encroached upon land that rightfully belongs to Buddhist temples on the eastern and southeast coast, THE Pottuvil region in particular. It was not long ago that Islamic fundamentalists and armed Muslim extremists were inciting violence against legitimate Buddhist activities in the East – Pottuvil region.  Muslims were forcibly encroaching upon land that rightfully belongs to Buddhist temples on the southeast coast. In addition Muslim encroachment of Kuragala archeological site near Balangoda  which is one of the oldest Buddhist historic sites of Sri Lanka has led to serious confrontations in recent years. Also in more recent years sites in the Northwest have been deceitfully encroached upon by the Muslim community, and archeological remains and ancient Buddhist monuments in these areas have been destroyed. It was not long ago that the exclusively Muslim, racist political party – the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and several Muslim civil society groups opposed the construction of Buddha’s statues on the southeast coastal areas which have long been places inhabited predominantly by Buddhists.

THREAT TO THE NATIONAL UNITY AND CULTURE                                                     

From their attitude and actions, it is noticeable in recent years, that the Muslim         community in the country has posed a threat to national unity and territorial integrity of the country. They have resorted to actions that undermine the national cultural heritage and to the way of life of other communities, and in a covert manner to democratic principles and rule of law of the country, especially with the adoption by them of the Sharia law. These Sharia rules of Islam appear to govern politics, marriage and the day-to-day lives of its followers. Islam is associated with a political ideology where the church and state are not separate. Under the circumstances, one cannot expect Muslims to develop a sense of patriotism and national pride in a predominantly non-Muslim country such as Sri Lanka. In recent years, it is well evident that most Muslims do not appear to be interested in integrating with other communities, perhaps because assimilation is not permitted under the Islamic Shariah law. They rarely if at all participate in national events. They do not participate in the singing of the National Anthem in public events. They do not observe the traditional way of greeting by placing both hands together in the form of worship. Muslim children are taught not to worship their teachers which is a common practice among other non Muslim school children.

There are schools that operate with government assistance, where not only the Principal and academic staff, but all students are Muslim. Some of these schools have been elevated as National Schools enjoying special privileges. Muslims have established many private International schools in several towns, where the student population and majority of staff are almost entirely Muslim. The most threatening of all is the recent establishment of the so-called Madrasas or Islamic schools, similar to those found in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where the curriculum is focused on the teaching of the Koran and Shariah law. Saudi Arabian sources have funded the establishment of most of these Madrasas. Here, the younger generation of Muslims are being strongly exposed to the Saudi Arabian fundamentalist Wahhabi form of Islam imported from Saudi Arabia. Scholarships are awarded to Muslim youth of these schools to continue their Wahhabi Islamic studies in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries such as Pakistan, where Wahhabism predominates. This type of exclusive Islamic education and indoctrination is having a well-evident divisive effect in our nation and is beginning to disrupt national efforts to bring about overall unity and togetherness among communities that have made Sri Lanka their home. Their new male and female attire displays the desire of Muslims to look different and to be exclusive and separate from the nation’s mainstream. This polarization tendency and divisive spirit of the Islamic community is self-imposed. It is definitely not because they feel marginalized. The Koran forbids Muslims to closely associate non-Muslims.

The long term implications of these extremist trends are highly undesirable for the maintenance of peace and stability in the country. What is well evident from the several Muslim instigated, disruptive, illegal and often violent incidents that occurred in some places in the country in recent times, is how these extremist trends are impinging upon the traditional cultural base and integrity of this country, in particular on the wholesome Sinhala norms and principles upon which this nation is built, and also on the rule of law of this country. One should not overlook the fact and take for granted the long-standing opportunity for peaceful cohabitation of different communities, provided by the traditional cultural foundation established by the Sinhala people of this nation.

HALAL” PRACTICE AND ANIMAL WELFARE                                                           

There has been much discussion in recent times about the deceitful and exploitative nature of the halal’ business venture of Muslims. Halal is a most repulsive and horrendous practice that involves extreme form of abuse and cruelty towards animals?  It is a gruesome method where animals are tied down and their throats slashed, letting their blood ooze out slowly from the animal’s body and making animals die on their blood, a slow, lingering and agonizing death.  What is most horrendous is that this torturous practice takes place while the animals are desperately struggling for their lives. It is a well evident fact that these animals are conscious of what is happening to them. This is a most sickening and inhuman way of killing animals. It is a practice that should not be tolerated in any civilized society.

In a society such as ours where Buddhists predominate, and where non-violence       towards all living beings is a fundamental tenet, criminal practices of this nature cannot and should not be tolerated under any circumstances.  Animal welfare has been a tenet of the rulers of our nation from very early times, from the 3^rd century BCE.  It was at this time that the world’s first bird and animal sanctuary was established in Sri Lanka. From ancient times, the principle of animal welfare prevailed in our country until the arrival of European colonial powers, starting with the ruthless Portuguese invaders, at the beginning of the 16trh century. Besides hunting animals as a sport, the slaughtering of animals as a vocation started with the entry of Christianity and Islam to Sri Lanka.

CONFORMING TO NATIONAL CULTURAL NORMS AND VALUES

The non indigenous settler communities such as the Tamils and Muslims are expected to conform to the norms and values of the Hela Nation to which they belong today. They may have brought various ethnic, cultural and religious customs, traditions, traits and values from their original nation and homelands where their cultures evolved and consolidated. They are free to maintain these cultural norms as long as they do not conflict with the norms and practices of the Sinhala Nation of which they are now a part. Once the non-indigenous persons become a part of the Sinhala Nation it not only becomes their national obligation, but more importantly, it is to their advantage to become a part of the nation by learning and understanding the norms of the Sinhala nation where they now belong, and where they have been accepted as non-indigenous nationals by the indigenous Sinhala people. When a foreigner or a person not indigenous to a particular country migrates into the country, and decides to make it his home, it is incumbent on that person to learn about the history, norms and traits of the new country and its people. The new immigrant is expected to acknowledge, subscribe to and integrate into the new nation of which he now is a part. The same applies to all descendents of non indigenous immigrants, who may have been born and raised in the new nation

 NATIONAL RIGHTS AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

Indigenous Sinhala nationals or the Sinhala people are the founders of the Sinhala or Hela Nation, and are entitled to special national rights. Important in this regard is the promotion, protection and preservation of their culture, language, social system and values that characterize their Sinhala Nation.  Sinhala should be restored as the sole national and official language of the country.  Promotion and preservation of the Sinhala Buddhist culture as the national culture, should receive priority attention. It should be made a mandatory subject in the school curriculum.  The national anthem of the country is sung in the Sinhala language. The minority communities are not entitled to such special privileges, because the Sinhala nation was founded by the Sinhala people and is the legitimate home of the Sinhala people. Sinhale is not the home of other cultures and languages. These cultures and languages did not originate or evolve in this land  unlike the case with the Sinhala culture and Sinhala language. Therefore, the cultures and languages of minority communities cannot and are not entitled legitimately to be accorded national or official recognition at par with the Sinhala culture and language. However, these communities are free to observe and preserve their cultural activities and their languages within their communities. As far as ordinary human rights are concerned, members of minority settler communities are entitled to the same human rights as those enjoyed by members of the mainstream Sinhala community.

As a nation with a historic cultural tradition that extends to over 2200 years, where the founding principles have been freedom, compassion, tolerance and accommodation of people of all faiths and ethnicities, it is necessary that the true patriots of Sinhale, the Sinhala nation, get to the forefront, mobilize themselves and  take legitimate actions to protect and uphold these wholesome cultural traditions, and thereby reinforce the Sinhala nation  – Sinhale.  All citizens of the country who subscribe to the Sinhale Nation and respect the cultural norms and values that characterize this nation, will find acceptance as members of the Sinhale nation, irrespective of their ethnic and religious affiliations and differences. The Sinhale Nation incorporates the tremendous cultural wealth of the Sinhala people recognized the world over for its richness and uniqueness. This should be preserved and promoted for posterity. Those who undermine the nation’s cultural heritage, sovereignty and territorial integrity are enemies of the nation and should be confronted and subdued forthwith, for the welfare of the nation. 

STRENGTHEN AND REVITALIZE THE SINHALA NATION

For the patriotic and caring nationals of this island, especially those of the Sinhala community, irrespective of their religious affiliations, there is one moral law that stands above everything else, and that is to do everything possible to strengthen their Sinhala Nation and to curb the efforts of anti-national elements both local and foreign, apparently engaged today in violating and undermining Sinhala Buddhist national interests. It was with such an attitude and approach that enabled our valiant Sinhala soldiers to wipe out anti-national, separatist Tamil terrorists who were hell-bent on destroying the integrity of this nation.

The present generation of Sinhala nationals has a moral obligation to protect, preserve and promote the greatest of their inheritance, their unique nation, for the survival of their Buddhist cultural heritage and for the benefit of future generations. Concerned Sinhala nationals will under no circumstances allow the sovereignty, the distinct territorial integrity and the all-pervasive Sinhala Buddhist cultural character of the island be subject to any form of disarray or disintegration. They will not permit any force, internal or external, ethnic or religious, to subjugate or undermine the integrity of the Sinhala Buddhist culture of this island nation. .

Sinhala history is replete with valor and courage in battles against overly superior forces. The struggle against extremism and the looming division of this island nation of ours demands our full national strength. Let all Sinhala nationalists rise to the occasion, forgetting for a moment their ‘other’ differences, and swear allegiance to the unity of this country by giving unswerving support to those commendable organizations that have emerged in recent times to save the nation from these undesirable elements. The renewed loyalty that is fast emerging among the Sinhala nationals, particularly among the contemporary youth, is most encouraging.

VIOLATION OF SOVEREIGNTY AND NATIONAL INTEGRITY 

Sinhala nationals should not tolerate any individual or community who, whilst living in the Sinhala Nation and considering it their home, deliberately misusing such a privilege by scheming and adopting extreme means or contributing to such actions, in violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this only nation of ours. This includes both direct and indirect efforts on the part of these extremist elements living among us, with ridiculously unfounded claims to carve out ethnic and religious enclaves within our country, merely because some of them had lived in specific places for extended periods of time. These individuals and communities with self-serving attitudes and objectives should be considered as traitors or enemies of our nation and should be dealt with accordingly. There  is no place in our nation for such traitors, double crossers, renegades, turncoats, collaborators of enemies, criminals and terrorists, conspirators, connivers, schemers and emissaries, spies, secret agents, undercover agents and double agents of the enemies of this Sinhala Buddhist Nation.

BUDDHIST MONKS, SINHALA SCHOLORS AND PATRIOTS

The majority of present day monks are better educated and possess a broader outlook. Our monks are fully capable of providing the necessary leadership, patronage and helping in the organization of Buddhist cultural pursuits. Our Buddhist scholars have stayed too long in the background. It is time that they came forward and jointly with our monks took the initiative to counter the negative forces harming Buddhism and Sinhala culture. They owe it to their children and youth. Buddhist cultural pursuits should be encouraged and receive increased patronage. The mass media should be used to the utmost in the accomplishment of these pursuits.  In spite of all the challenges of recent decades, our monks continued to be accorded attention and respect by our people. On their part our monks have continued to be close to people and participate at all notable events in people’s lives. This should continue with more vigour.

In recent times, movements and organizations have sprung up under the initiative of some concerned Bhikkhus and members of the Sinhala community across the country, with an increasingly large following of the nation’s youth, to highlight and draw attention to the vital and pressing need for necessary action to restore, protect and uphold the legitimate national rights and privileges of the Sinhala people and the traditionally and constitutionally accorded foremost place to Buddhism, which in recent times appear to be subject to threats and challenges from both local and foreign sources. There is evidence of attempts both direct and indirect, overt and covert, to undermine these legitimate rights and privileges by extremist elements, especially of the minority Muslim and Tamil communities evidently with the involvement of extremist, racist, uncaring and unpatriotic politicians with their own vested interests and ulterior motives.

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane

daya.hewapathirane@gmail.com

February 04, 2016

Shenali D Waduge

The British ruled parts of Sri Lanka from 1796 and the whole of Sri Lanka from 1815 to 1948. Sri Lanka marks 4 February 1948 as its day of Independence. When our history is related by the very nations that occupied us or by twisted versions from their local clones the true history is often wiped under the carpet for the embarrassing nature of crimes and the dirty tactics adopted. A 1904 British newspaper pokes fun at the Sinhala elite Ceylon is Our Happy Possession, while other colony’s make noise for more reforms, Ceylon makes Money”. Old practices die hard and the very nations that colonized nations and destroyed ancient cultures and native governance systems are on course to continuing their destructive nature. We look at some of these crimes that attempted to divide the people and continue to destable the nation inspite of being independent.

British colonial murders – killing of unarmed civilians

• 1803  – Raid and Destroy Policy. Kandy invaded in 2 batches from Colombo & Trincomalee. They were virtually destroyed and their reaction was to take out their frustration on the innocent civilians by indiscriminate killing.
• 1817 – Lt. Maclaine given authority to kill anyone without trial. Assist Commissioner of Badulla (Braybrooke) notes reveal the manner natives were killed. Lt. Maclaine is infamously known for having breakfast while watching Sinhalese men being hung!
• British sadism further illustrated in Col. Hook ordering Sinhalese to be hung without trial. Mawatagama Nilama a close relation of the Mahanayake of Asgiriya was also hung.
• Davey British Army surgeon They had the paths we walked lined with snares, spring-guns, string bows, deep pits lightly covered and armed with thorns and spikes. When they attacked they were ferocious and showed no fear or mercy. They were totally dedicated fighters. Over 20% of our troops died in sickness in these jungles. Over 1000 British troops died in this war. We didn’t manage to kill the enemy. But we killed a lot of villagers. We must have killed at least 10,000 men in the villagers.”
• MacDonald destroys village of Wilbawe killing cattle and every man over 14 years and raped Sinhalese women, scorched houses and destroyed food crops.
• Campbells’ memo Soldiers wonder about the value of what they destroyed……..! We were under orders to destroy all coconut trees, all fruit trees and paddy fields. We were also ordered to destroy the bunds of the water reservoirs. This water was essential to them for cultivation. We wondered how long it must have taken for them to build these giant reservoirs and how long it would take them now, without having any engineers or the equipment, to rebuild or repair them.”
• 1818 Major Forbes memo We met so many military patrols who had been dispatched for burning the villages and their property. They were not looking for the enemy. The natives who survived our fire would definitely get perished in sickness and in famine as we had destroyed all their cultivation, lakes and villages.”
• 1818 diary of Sergeant Calladine Not a single day passed without burning a village and killing the Chingalese men. We didn’t take prisoners.”
• British captured wives and children of patriots and held them as ransom until patriots surrendered. These same dirty tactics continue to be repeated.
• Children of patriots were killed – Dr. John Davey of British Army declares that by 1821 there were no children of patriotic families in the hill country/Uva-Wellassa.
• John Davey estimated at least 7% of the population in the entire Central province was killed by the British

British effort to break Buddhist hold on Sri Lanka and convert to Christianity

• Realized Buddhism was the key and singular obstacle to taking complete control of Sri Lanka.
• Christian missionary schools set up with the intent to educate children to respect the history and culture of the invader and to be loyal to the West. Children were taught that Christianity was better than Buddhism or Hinduism and true history of the country was kept from them. Thus the origins of the kalu suddas.
• They studied the Buddhist Temple Education system and then destroyed it.
• 1807 Governor Maitland’s letter to GA Matara use this carefully and secretly, reliance of Buddhism and philosophy of Matara Buddhists must be destroyed. In Matara, Bhikkus are more powerful than village chiefs, make sure all chiefs are Christian”. Now look at the 2015 cabinet of Ministers.
• Locals are sent to UK in 1811 to be trained in Christianity.
• Baptist missionaries introduced in 1812 with the objective of Christianizing the population. Christian missionaries set up in minority dense areas. These schools created a powerful group of Tamil intellectuals who would later take up the eelam struggle.
• British sort to give education and employment to minorities while the Sinhala Buddhists were defending the nation fighting invaders and losing lives.
• Missionaries influence British to cancel Kandy Convention pledge to protect Buddhism and Christian missionary schools set up in 1818.
• 1807 Rev. James Cordiner’s report testifying at the Colebrooke Commission that Buddhist children were not taught to read and write Sinhala in his parish school.
• Employment in British Government service was given to only English educated thus automatically denying Sinhala Buddhists employment. With 1/3 of schools run by Missionaries in Jaffna the Jaffna elite secured all state jobs. Sinhala Buddhists wanting to be employed had to denounce Buddhism and convert to Christianity.
• British conspiracy against Buddhism is proved in a pamphlet distributed by R. Spence Hardy a Wesleyan missionary demanding British action against Buddhism citing that it was against the teaching of God.
• 1913 the Catholic Church and elite oppose the proposal for a Public University. Letter signed by the Archbishop to Governor Chalmers We cannot agree to the compulsory requirement of our Catholic boys and girls to enter this university for their higher studies” and delayed setting up a university for 29years. Lanka’s 1^st university was established on 1st July, 1942
• A Tamil quoted as saying to the Morning Star of 9 Oct 1931. History Should NOT be taught in schools” Sinhala people alone can boast of an uninterrupted sway over the island for some thousands of years. Since the South Indians living in Lanka had no such history, history should not be taught in schools as it could belittle and humiliate the South Indians.” said a Tamil gentleman in the Morning Star of 9th October, 1931.

• 1878 Report by Director Public Instruction confirms Buddhists were forced to attend Christian classes
• Sir Henry Olcott arrived in 1875 and championed the Buddhist cause. He campaigned for a public holiday on vesak and helped design the Buddhist flag in 1885. He reprimanded the British for their disassociation from Buddhism and established the Buddhist Theosophical society in 1875.
• British dividing the Sinhalese and creating Christians/Catholics led to the 1883 religious riot in Kotahena when Catholics who outnumbered Buddhists rioted against the celebration of vesak despite Buddhists never objecting to ceremonies of the Church – an example of how minorities treat the majority.
• Destruction of Buddhism begins
  • 1898 demolishing of temples in Anuradhapura. Monks buy rubble.
  • 1898 British GA (C S Vaughen) in Anuradhapura demolishes Gonameriyava temple and declares that the Sannasa issued by the last King to the temple for 2000 acres was invalid.
  • 1905 ‘Bo-Maluwa is not a religious area’ –British GA and Police walk inside sacred temple with shoes. 

British stealing of Sri Lanka’s wealth / biased economic policies and attempts to destroy livelihoods

• Britain bled the nation of its wealth covering all state revenues from Sri Lanka itself. Not a penny was invested from Britain.
• Local collaborators were given decreased taxes and taxes were increased for patriots.
• 10% paddy tax on agriculture introduced while districts loyal to British paid only 7%. Families connected to patriots had to pay 20% tax.
• Rajakariya tactic used to build roads – using high caste administrative officials to get low-caste people to work without payment.
• Plantations producing export commodities (coffee, cotton, sugar, silk, opium) were exempted from tax. This jeopardized rice and agriculture produce of natives.
• Europeans given 5 year interest free loan and tax holiday for 10 years.
• Scorched Earth Tactic used in 1817 to destroy Uva irrigation complexes and starve people to death (a Geneva violation)
• By 1830 British made 3200% profits from Lankan products.
• Crown Land Encroachment Ordinance 1840 – 90% land taken by British. By 1920, 2.5million acres of land robbed from Sinhalese farmers and sold to European merchants.
• 1847 – Road Tax every male between the ages 18 and 55 had to do 6 days of labour per year on building roads. The British, local collaborators and Indian plantation workers were exempted.
• 1877 – Grain Tax – British earned 25% from revenues.
• Wasteland Ordinance 1897 more lands confiscated from Sinhalese – deeds written in sannasas by kings to temples were not accepted.
• Sinhala peasantry could not afford surveyors and lawyers and lost their lands. Temples lost over 80,000 acres of land while British took over 250,000 acres of land belonging to Sinhala farmers.
• P D Miller a coffee planter records that the Sinhala farmers had bewailed ‘pass over our dead bodies before you measure and sell our land’.
• The European landowners did not wish to incur expenses to fence their land. When cattle belonging to Sinhala farmers walked into European owned lands they would shoot them dead
• 1907 Sinhalese were pauperized by the British seen by the manner they could not even collect funds to build a pilgrims rest in Anuradhapura when the British asked them to collect money for it

British Divide and Rule policy – Favoring the Minorities over the Majority

• British created agents out of locals and an elite that comprised the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians/Catholics, Hindus, Islam who would at all times ensure their common goal to stay in power would come before the nation or its people. These make up todays political families who are best of friends amongst each other and sworn enemies on political stages only!
• Governor Brownrigg’s memo to London in 1817 They don’t face us in combat. Instead they follow us through the jungle. They wait until bad weather arrives. They wait until we become tired or sick. They wait until we finish our supplies. Any European would not be able to destroy them in this country alone without the help of their own countrymen”. Thus the reason to increase collaborators from the minorities and buying over some from the majority through devious methods.
• Favoring Muslims: Muslims were used as soldiers, traders and officials with intent to create tensions. In turn Muslims asked for Islamic schools/mosques which were all given knowing it would create tensions with time. They were however denied a seat at the Legislative Council. Arrogance of Muslims seen in 1912 to oppose a 800 year annual tradition in Gampola when Muslims prohibit noise within 100 yards of mosque which started the 1^st Sinhala-Muslim riot. 1915 Sinhalese make a human shield around Dalada medura as Muslim extremists attempt to attack it – another example of Muslim provocation ignited by the British. Henry Pedris who refused to shoot Sinhala civilians was arrested, imprisoned and shot dead.
• ‘Buddhist Extremist’ nomenclature as propaganda to denigrate Buddhists started in 1907 when Governor lied about the meat stall near the Sacred Bo Tree. When genuine grievances were raised by Buddhists it became easy to shut them down and transfer attention to ‘Buddhist extremism’ and thus evade acknowledging fault or taking remedial action.
• Favoring Malabars (Tamils) : By 1904 Tamil elite outnumbered the Sinhala elite in Colombo.
• We don’t need British troops in Ceylon as long as Moor soldiers are there”- Major Hardy. British stops recruiting Sinhalese and instead begin recruiting Muslims.
• British create 2 local army regiments – one with Malays the other with Sinhala sepoys.
• 6 January 1818 – Battle of Madulla. Muslim collaborators used to attack Sinhala camp. Brownrigg had to write to the Viceroy in India on 20 April 1818 to seek reinforcements and 7000 were sent from India. Had it not been for these reinforcements Sri Lanka’s patriots would have defeated the British.
• Patriots were punished by confiscating their property. Informants and collaborators were gifted.
• Caste-tactic to divide communities : Firstly to stop liberation struggles. The 2 largest castes were given jobs and made to be dependent and loyal to the British. British made Govigama feels the highest caste and with time they nurtured the Karawe and then pitted them against each other. Buddhist monks too were divided by castes so much so that low caste monks were barred from receiving upasampada.
• Governor Sir George Anderson As long as they were at each other’s throats, they wouldn’t have time to worry about the British rule”. Karawe caste, being predominantly Catholics, were an ideal candidate to clash with the Govigama caste as it would bring the Buddhists into conflict with the Christians.
• The Legislative Council created in 1833 was biased – Sinhalese with 80% of population had 1 seat, Tamils with less than 7% of population had 1 seat and the Burghers had 1 seat. Sinhalese and Tamils were chosen from same families of those faithful to the British. The Sinhalese representative was a Catholic from 1833 to 1889.

British records – break present day myths

• The Kandyan Convention (Udarata Givisum) signed between chiefs representing the Sinhale nation and the British. 6 Kandyan chiefs signed in Sinhala, one signed in Tamil. He was the great grandfather of JRJ. The British promised to look after the interests of the Sinhalese and continue to provide patronage to Buddhism.
• 1805 / Capt. Robert Percival’s book ‘An Account of the island of Ceylon’ mentions Moors (wearing little white round cap on their shaven heads) being the majority in Jaffna peninsula and the 2^nd largest community as Malabars (Tamils) who had migrated to Lanka after the Portuguese period from the Coromandel coast of South India. He says that ‘these foreigners’ (Malabars) came to grow tobacco. Capt. Percival mentions the Sinhalese as the 3^rd largest community in Jaffna (inspite of the Sinhalese being massacred in 1478AD). The other community were the South Indians who arrived as merchants and invaders.
• Davy’s book shows that even in 1805 the British did not mention Tamils by name but referred to them as Malabars from Tamil Nadu coast.
• Davy records the sad plight of the Sinhalese and mentions how they were killed or made to die of sickness and famine. His book notes Sinhalese as proud farmers. He regretted the genocide being done to the Sinhalese We destroyed their cattle, stores of grain, villages, houses, crops, irrigation, cultivations, paddyfields, and fruit trees. When we consider that damage we should regret we ever entered their interior. The evil arising from our entering, exceeded any benefits we conferred on the natives.”
• British Administrative Report of 1878 by 3 British engineers confirms that the Sinhalese were the majority populace in Kantale area in 1833 but by 1855 the ‘Malabars’ had taken over and the Sinhalese had moved elsewhere resulting in Malabars and Muslims taking over Sinhala villages. True to form, the Sinhalese elite did not come to assist the Sinhala villagers preferring to enjoy the good life among the British in Colombo. Not far different from present status quo.

• Official British Census 1921 reports all Tamil settlements in East confined to East Coast and did not spread 10miles interior.
• S G Canagaratnam, Chief Mudiliar of Easter Province wrote in official memo that Batticola belonged to Kandy Kingdom until British grabbed the region. He also noted the diminishing Sinhala population and mentioned many Sinhala ruins in West and South of Batticoloa.
• 1928 Donoughmore Commission exposes difference between Sinhalese majority and minorities. The Report admits the artificial heights the minorities had been afforded at the expense of the Sinhala masses. It highlighted how the Sinhalese wished to share while the minorities wished to divide for themselves only.
• 1943 British report reveals discrimination on Sinhalese workers.

British responsible for gradual and incremental breakdown of Sinhala culture and the Sinhale nation

• Missionary schools achieved their objective – they created a submissive class of natives willing to be ruled by the British and willing to serve them.
• Lawlessness and peace broke down when taverns, foreign cultures conflicted with their simple upbringing.
• Buddhism was ridiculed and denigrated and very few Buddhists rose to object.
• British denied small pox vaccine in 1819 creating an epidemic
• Alcohol was introduced to intoxicate and make addicts out of the Sinhalese thereby weakening their resistence.
• Taverns were set up in all villages, licenses were given to collaborators. Alcohol was initially given free and when addicted sold at a price leaving some selling their lands to pay for liquor and families destroyed in the process.
• In 1872 Governor Gregory admitted before the Legislative Council that the British were responsible for making the Sinhalese into drunkards. Alcohol became a sterling pound 60,000 a year business
• Sinhalese had just 2 choices – to collaborate or resist and face starvation. Alcohol became an outlet for their frustration and landed them into total ruin. The first adigar Molligoda and his son died of alcoholism. It was because of the alcoholic last King that the chieftans thought the British were better and ceded the nation!
• Skinner a rare British who felt sorry for the Sinhalese implored the British to ban alcoholism because it was destroying the unique culture of the Sinhalese The vice of intemperance has become an enormous evil. It is rapidly gaining ground. There is no doubt”.  
• J Forbes, District Judge diary notes speak of 133 taverns in an area covering 200,000 residents I entirely sympathise with the Buddhist monks who resist the establishment of the taverns. They practice a religion that forbid them to drink alcohol, but a Christian government is forcing them to do so. This will not only increase the revenue for the government, but also increase robbery, murder, gambling and drunkenness.”  
• In 1833 the British purposely established an office in Anuradhapura to disrespect the Sinhala Buddhists by putting up taverns, meat stalls, kovils and churches and giving ownership to Muslims who began complaining about the temple drummings and Buddhist pirith chanting leading to British imposing regulations on Buddhists. Buildings were built purposely on top of Buddhist heritage sites.

British responsible for Tamilization of Sinhale

• When Britain took governance of Sinhale the population had hardly 7% ‘Malabars’ – that too established as not indigenous but coming from South India by the British themselves.
• By 1839 British brought Tamil labor from Tamil Nadu to work on plantations.

• British Report on Indian Tamil coolies in 21.4.1877 revealed British wanted to permanently settle Indians in Sri Lanka first around Anuradhapura but settled later to the central province.

British cruelty to animal

The British sadism was such that killing elephants became a sport. In two years ocer 3500 elephants had been shot dead. Major Rogers had killed 1200, Captain Galway had killed 600. Elephants were one time part of the Elephant Brigade of the Kings army. By 2000 there were said to be less than 1500 elephants in Sri Lanka in a country that had over 10,000.

At independence we can but wonder if any of our post-independence leaders can measure upto the bravery of those that fought to defend the nation. The Sinhalese that braved invaders, battled against Muslim, Tamil and even Sinhalese who betrayed their nation and people to rub shoulders with the enemy. We humbly pay gratitude to heroes like Keppetipola, Madugalle, Kobbekaduwa, Kahawatte thero, Kadahapola thero, Puran Appu all captured because British paid local agents Arachchi’s, Vidane and Muhandirams were happy to hand them over for a pat from the whites. Some of these paid agents even gave their wives and children to the British to enjoy! Puran Appu died saying ‘if only I had ten more like me’.

Having studied the natives the British mastered the art of ruling over the natives. The problem then and now continues to be the Buddhist unity factor. The British managed to create a faithful bloc comprising elites from Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, from among Buddhists, Christians/Catholics, Hindus, Islam who were western educated and who would put the sustenance of their power base above national concerns. It was to these that post-independence governance was given. National leaders were neutralized by varying ways including marriage to non-Buddhists who were able to influence nationalist leaders from different quarters.

Sadly we must also take stock of how Sri Lanka’s unity becomes denied because of Sinhalese themselves. In 1885 the only person to object to the vesak poya holiday was H L Alwis a relation of the Bandaranaike’s when the British Governor and Sir Ponnambalam voted in favour. The Temperance Society started by D S Senanayake’s father in 1903 failed because the Sinhala Buddhists did not support it. In 1912 JRJ’s uncle went to India to invite Ponnambalam Ramanthan to contest the educated Ceylonese post to prevent a Sinhalese from winning it which Sir Ponnambalam did win. While in 1912 Christopher Obeysekera grandfather of SWRD remained silent when the Alcohol Act was passed and taverns and meat stalls set up around Buddhist sacred sites.

The British have no moral standing to be preaching. The conflicts the British planted continue to branch out and are a result of calamities that prevail and the British as envoys continue to fan these flames.

Sri Lankans need to realize what is at risk. They need to be aware of their history to be able to appreciate it. Those that pay lipservice to cultures and values do so because they do not have a culture or values to be proud of. These are the proponents of the liberal multicultural slogans. We have a heritage and history to preserve and those that are proud of it will be inspired to defend the nation whatever the odds.

Sri Lanka appears to have once again been cornered. It was in 1899 that Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala said We may not succeed, But we must try, and ten years later we might get what we try to achieve” and this should inspire all those that carry the eternal candle of the ancestors in defending the nation from all enemies.

Srimath Anagarika also wrote from his prison cell Sinhalese will rather die than living without Buddhism, You may kill as many Sinhalese as you can now, but they will never forget this injustice.”   

Shenali D Waduge

by Senaka Weeraratna

Colonialism and foreign occupation constitute crimes against humanity. They represent some of the most serious violations of national sovereignty of states and breach of international law, and in almost all colonial territories in Asia, Africa, North and South America horrendous crimes against humanity have been committed by the occupying colonial powers. The perpetrators have yet to be held accountable and brought to book under international law for these genocidal crimes.

As Sri Lanka celebrates the 68^th anniversary of the grant of independence from British colonial rule on February 4, 2016 it is necessary to recap that during the period of western colonial occupation of Sri Lanka (then known as ‘Sinhale’) by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British (1505 – 1948) our forebears  were exposed to a wide range of systemic and gross violations of human rights and freedoms, including dispossession, displacement and denial of their right to self determination and independence with huge restrictions placed on freedom of religion. Buddhism in particular was singularly targeted for rapid displacement from public life and the belief system of almost the entire citizenry.

George Orwell, the reputed English writer referred to the British Empire as “despotism with theft as its final object”.

Orwell asserted that the imperial relationship was that of “slave and master”. Was the master good or bad? “Let us simply say,” Orwell wrote, “that this control is despotic and, to put it plainly, self-interested.” And “if Burma derives some incidental benefit from the English, she must pay dearly for it.”

Orwell’s penetrative insights were valid truths for millions of Asians and Africans then calling for an end to western control of their lands. But what is surprising and morally repugnant today is the unrepentant nostalgia for western imperialism that has not only gripped many prominent Anglo-American leaders and opinion-makers but also several servile Asian politicians, NGOs and columnists writing as cheer leaders of neo – colonialism, who strive to see Asia through the narrow angle of protecting western colonial interests, leaving unexamined the historical memory and the collective experiences of Asian peoples during the dark period of western colonial rule.

Ceylon gained Independence in February 1948 because India and Pakistan were granted their independence in August 1947 and Burma in January 1948 respectively. It worked cumulatively almost in the form of a package deal.

There was no mass based independence struggle in Ceylon akin to that in India, Burma, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam. In these countries there were mass civil disobedience movements e.g. Satyagraha launched by the Indian National Congress, wars of liberation i.e. Indian Mutiny (1857), Indian National Army under Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose fighting alongside the Japanese to liberate India (1942 -1945), Mau Mau movement led by Jomo Kenyata in Kenya, Mugabe led armed resistance in Rhodesia, and the resistance of Nelson Mandela and African National Congress in South Africa.

Anagarika Dharmapala

Except for Anagarika Dharmapala Sri Lanka never produced a single iconic global figure in the pre- independence period whom the rest of the colonized world could look up to as an inspirational figure for their liberation struggles. Letter writing, essay writing and speech making which was the pre-occupation of our local national leaders never disturbed or effectively weakened the foreign occupier. Armed resistance did. After the last two great Sinhala rebellions in 1818 and 1848 which were brutally crushed the political will for any more such armed uprising in Ceylon waned.

In India the last great armed uprising by Indian soldiers was in 1857. The so – called Indian Mutiny was crushed but the Indian people with leaders like Mohandas Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhai Patel (a Gujerati) never gave up hope of liberation. They organized country wide civil disobedience movements under the banner of ‘Satyagraha ’.  Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose took the radical step of joining hands with the axis powers i.e. Germany and Japan and raising an Indian National Army to liberate his country. Other fellow Asians in Japan, Burma, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Malaya and Singapore fought and shed their blood fighting for Asia’s liberation from the yoke of Western imperialism.

It must be acknowledged that Ceylon benefited massively from the bloody sacrifices of fellow Asians though we have yet to concede this fact in public. The British Empire would have clung to its colonial possessions in Asia for a much longer time, if Japan did not make aggressive war against the West in Asia with the support of the colonized people of Asia, and drive fear into the colonial west of the dangers of continuing with european colonial rule East of the Suez Canal. This was the only language that the imperial west understood and grudgingly respected.

Despite all the rhetoric of fighting for freedom from tyranny under Hitler, equality, fraternity, human rights, and the like two major colonial countries namely France and Netherlands returned to Asia to retake their colonial possessions in Indo – China and Indonesia respectively after the defeat of Japan in the second world war. However the re-possession of their former colonies was only for a short period of time. The Vietminh under Ho Chin Ming and Indonesian liberation forces under Sukarno waged successful wars of resistance such that these colonial powers had no other choice but to surrender and agree to vacate these lands expeditiously under mutually agreed terms.

Asia’s debt to Japan

When we talk of Ceylon gaining independence from Britain, it would be a remiss to ignore Japan’s significant military contribution towards weakening the might and resources of the British Empire during the 2nd World War and the threat of mutiny of the Britain Indian Army in 1946 following an ill-advised decision to put INA (Indian National Army) officers on trial for treason, which convinced the British Raj to quit India without delay.

When the British Prime Minister Clement Atlee on a visit to India was asked a question on the extent to which Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement had on the British Government’s decision to vacate India, Atlee had replied slowly by saying ‘ M-I-N-I-M-A-L’.

Reflecting on the factors that guided the British decision to relinquish the Raj in India, Clement Atlee had cited several reasons, the most important of which were the INA activities of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose which weakened the Indian Army – the foundation of the British Empire in India – and the RIN (Royal Indian Navy) Mutiny that made the British realise that the Indian armed forces could no longer be trusted to prop up the Raj.    The INA and the revolts, mutinies, and the public resentment they germinated were an important factor in the complete withdrawal of the Raj from India.

Therefore it would not be factually incorrect to say that the heroic sacrifices of external actors in Asia mainly Japanese and Indians, and the war waged by the Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) against the western colonial powers during the second world war contributed relatively speaking more to the expeditious grant of independence to Ceylon in 1948 following the end of the war in 1945, than any collective input from local actors.

An additional point being stressed in this piece is that there is another narrative that must be heard regarding the causes that led Japan to enter the war and the resulting outcomes such entry had in the liberation of Asia from Western colonial rule, and the acknowledgement and credit to which Japan is entitled to especially from Asian countries that gained their independence within less than a decade of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on Dec. 7, 1941.

President Roosevelt called the attack on Pearl Harbour as a day of infamy.

For whom, the people of Asia who bore the brunt of colonial rule are entitled to ask?

It was certainly not a day of infamy for millions of people in Asia who were dreaming of freedom from the colonial yoke that USA treated as its allies.

Pankaj Mishra’s book

Japan’s spectacular military victories at the beginning of the 20^th century and their impact on Asian intellectuals are well documented in Pankaj Mishra’s (an Indian author) book called From the Ruins of Empire: The Revolt Against the West and the Remaking of Asia”.

This work is a survey of Asian intellectuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and their role in pan-Asian, pan-Islamic, and anti-colonial movements. The book begins with an electrifying moment in Asia’s struggle for liberation from Western domination: the spectacular Japanese naval victory over Russia at the Battle of Tsushima in May 1905, which stunned Asians and Africans living under the yoke of colonialism.

http://www.amazon.com/From-Ruins-Empire-Against-Remaking/dp/1250037719

This victory of the small but resurgent Japanese navy over the imperial might of what was then accepted as a major European power fired the imagination of an entire generation of Asian leaders. Jawarharlal Nehru, Mohandas Gandhi, Sun Yat-Sen, Mao Zedong, the young Kemal Ataturk and nationalists in Egypt, Vietnam and many other countries welcomed Japan’s decisive triumph in the Russo-Japanese war with euphoric zeal. “And they all drew the same lesson from Japan’s victory”, Pankaj Mishra writes. “White men, conquerors of the world, were no longer invincible.”

Even Lord Curzon, viceroy of India, noted that “the reverberations of that victory have gone like a thunderclap through the whispering galleries of the East”. The world wars that followed further shrunk Europe of much of what remained of its moral and political authority in Asian eyes. “In the long view, however,” Mishra concludes, “it is the battle of Tsushima that seems to have struck the opening chords of the recessional of the West”.

Japan’s defeat of Russia in 1905 was uplifting news for Asians. For the first time since the middle ages, a non-European country had vanquished a European power in a major war. And Japan’s victory gave way to a hundred and one fantasies – of national freedom, racial dignity, or simple vengefulness – in the minds of those who had bitterly endured European occupation of their lands. Mahatma Gandhi then made an astute far reaching forecast. He remarked that “so far and wide have the roots of Japanese victory spread that we cannot now visualise all the fruit it will put forth.”

Japan’s stunning early military victories

Thirty-six years later, Japan struck the greatest decisive blow ever by any non – white country or non – white people to European power in Asia with the attack on Pearl Harbour.  In about 90 days beginning on 8 December 1941, Japan overran the possessions of Britain, the US and the Netherlands in east and south-east Asia, taking the Philippines, Singapore, Malaya, Hong Kong, the Dutch East Indies, much of Siam and French Indochina, and Burma with bewildering swiftness to stand poised at the borders of India by early 1942. All over Asia subject people cheered the Japanese advance into countries forcibly held and occupied by western colonial powers.

Days before Singapore fell to the Japanese in early 1942, the Dutch prime minister-in-exile, Pieter Gerbrandy, had conveyed his fears and anxieties to Churchill and other Allied leaders in the following words “Japanese injuries and insults to the White population … would irreparably damage white prestige unless severely punished within a short time”. After a long, brutal war with no quarter being given to either party the Japanese were finally “punished”, fire- and nuclear-bombed into total submission. Despite this final negative outcome for Japan, in the eyes of millions of Asians, the Japanese had completely destroyed the aura of European power that had kept millions of Asians in a permanent state of bondage, fear, shame and political apathy.

Expressions of praise and gratitude to Japan

The Japanese with their stunning military victories over a common foe had made Asian people proud and stand erect with their heads held high.

” Britain was colonizing, enslaving Asian people before WW2. They ruled the Indian people for 180 years. It was Japan that got rid of the British from most of Asia and later all those countries gained independence”

” Japan lost WW2 but as the consequence of Japan’s entry to war all S E Asian countries and India achieved their long hoped for independence from the Western colonial powers within 15 years after the end of the War. As the famous British historian Arnold Toynbee and Lord Mountbatten, uncle of Queen Elizabeth II, said:

Japan put an end to West’s colonialism in Asia once and for all”

Former Thai Prime Minister Kukrit Pramoj Expressed his Admiration for Japan

The former Prime Minister of Thailand, Kukrit Pramoj, who was Chief Editor of the newspaper ‘Siam Rath’ at the time and who took office as Prime Minister in 1973, stated:

It was thanks to Japan that all nations of Asia gained independence. For Mother Japan, it was a difficult birth which resulted in much suffering, yet her children are growing up quickly to be healthy and strong.

Who was it that enabled the citizens of the nations of Southeast Asia to gain equal status alongside the United States and Britain today? It is because Japan, who acted like a mother to us all, carried out acts of benevolence towards us and performed feats of self-sacrifice. December 8th is the day when Mother Japan – who taught us this important lesson – laid her life on the line for us, after making a momentous decision and risking her own well-being for our sake.

Furthermore, August 15th is the day when our beloved and revered mother was frail and ailing. Neither of these two days should ever be forgotten”.

http://www.japanese-greatest.com/mentality-culture/animation/kukrit-pramoj.html

Long accustomed to servility in colonial countries, western powers grossly underestimated the post-war nationalism that the Japanese had both wittingly and unwittingly unleashed. They had also severely miscalculated their own staying power among foreign subject people innately hostile to them. Despite futile counter-insurgency operations and full-scale wars, especially in Indochina, the spread of decolonisation was swift and extraordinary.

Burma, which hardly had a full blown nationalist movement before 1935, became free in 1948. The Dutch in Indonesia resisted with a rear guard defense and US and British assistance but Indonesian nationalists led by Sukarno finally overpowered them and pushed them out in 1953. Postwar chaos forced Malaya, Singapore and Vietnam into long periods of insurgencies and wars, but an ultimate European retreat was never in doubt. An unwise partition of the Indian subcontinent, which placed two new nation-states in endless conflict, marked Britain’s humiliating departure from India in 1947.

“Europe,” Jean-Paul Sartre claimed in his preface to Franz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth, seemed to be “springing leaks everywhere”. “In the past we made history,” Sartre asserted, “and now it is being made of us.”

The retreat of the West from its colonies in the East may well be said to be the singular most important event of the 20^th century.

There are always two sides to any story and the intention of this writer is to present the Japan’s side of the story to people particularly in South Asia and South East Asia. Japan’s voice must be heard. We must recognize that there is an alternate point of view in respect to the causes of the Japanese entry to the second world war and effects of such entry to the rest of Asia which shortly afterwards became liberated from western colonial rule after centuries of forcible occupation.

The main purpose of this research and writing is to right a great wrong done to Japan. In other words, in getting Asian countries to shun looking at Japan as an aggressor with criminal intent to plunder and loot other Asian countries a line pushed by massive western propaganda but as the spark that ignited the call all over Asia for independence from western domination.

The time has come for fellow Asians who have benefited from Japan’s massive war effort and the blood sacrifices of Japanese soldiers to give due acknowledgement to Japan and accordingly re-write our contemporary Asian history in a balanced way.

To single out Japan for war crimes selectively while avoiding any mention of the crimes committed by western countries in third world countries including calling for reparations which both Germany and Japan have paid, is anything but a travesty of justice.

De-colonise Asian minds

The challenge before fellow Asians is to de-colonise our minds and look at Japan’s conduct before and during the Second World War afresh.

Though Japan eventually lost the war its military effort was not in vain. It substantially weakened and demoralised the western countries then in occupation of large tracts of Asia, such as Britain, France, Netherlands, Portugal and USA that they were forced to quit Asia in next to no time.

It is political correctness and revelations of Japan’s conduct in war related atrocities during the Second World War that prevent Japan from being given due credit for its unique contribution towards hastening the liberation of Asia from western colonial rule.

Though we in Sri Lanka live under a self – styled grand delusion that independence for Sri Lanka was won from Britain exclusively by the efforts of our own local leaders through exchange of letters over cups of tea, it is factually incorrect and a big lie. We were simply lucky. Our local effort was relatively minimal. Sri Lanka’s history since 1505 shows clearly that it was the intervention of an external power that had always helped us to get rid of a foreign occupier from the soil of Sri Lanka.

Buddhism – an unshakeable bond between Sri Lanka and Japan

The people of Sri Lanka particularly the Sinhalese have always resisted colonial occupation of the country. Furthermore both the Japanese and the Sinhalese have a strong bond by sharing a common faith i.e. Buddhism, and the Japanese have always had a high regard for the Buddha whom they refer to as Shakyamuni.

Our former President Mr. J.R. Jayewardene in his capacity as a delegate to the San Francisco Peace Conference in 1951 adopted the correct line towards Japan which is a great country that Asia must be proud of and not condemned.

J.R. Jayawardene in defense of a free Japan at the San Francisco conference (1951)

The words of Ceylon´s delegate Finance Minister J.R. Jayawardene in defense of  a free Japan at the San Francisco conference on September 06, 1951 are worthy of reproduction here. He said:

We in Ceylon were fortunate that we were not invaded, but the damage caused by air raids, by the stationing of enormous armies under the South-East Asia Command, and by the slaughter-tapping of one of our main commodities, rubber, when we were the only producer of natural rubber for the Allies, entitles us to ask that the damage so caused should be repaired. We do not intend to do so for we believe in the words of the Great Teacher whose message has ennobled the lives of countless millions in Asia, that hatred ceases not by hatred but by love”. It is the message of the Buddha, the Great Teacher, the Founder of Buddhism which spread a wave of humanism through South Asia, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Siam, Indonesia and Ceylon and also northwards through the Himalayas into Tibet, China and finally Japan, which bound us together for hundreds of years with a common culture and heritage. This common culture still exists, as I found on my visit to Japan last week on my way to attend this Conference; and from the leaders of Japan, Ministers of state as well as private citizens and from their priests in the temples, I gathered the impression that the common people of Japan are still influenced by’ the shadow of that Great Teacher of peace, and wish to follow it. We must give them that opportunity.”

Senaka Weeraratna

Dr.  Daya Hewapathirane

  It was in the last quarter of the 20^th century that the name Sri Lanka was inappropriately imposed upon our motherland, known historically for centuries as ‘Sinhale’, ‘Sihala-deepa’,   or ‘Heladiva’, all of which mean the land or island of the Sinhala or  ‘Hela’ people. According to ancient Pali chronicles including the Mahavamsa (The Great Chronicle”) written in the 5th century CE), Vijaya and his followers the first Sihala or  ‘Hela’ (Aryan) settlers of this island were Vijaya and his followers who arrived in the 6^th century BCE or more than 2500 years ago, from northeastern India. They soon became the dominant community of the island with Vijaya as the first king who ruled from 543 to 505 BCE. In the Dharmapradeepikava”, written in the 12^th century, by the renowned ancient scholar Gurulugomi, refers to Vijaya and his men as ‘Sihala’. The Sinhala rulers developed and maintained cordial relations with India which saw a striking improvement with the ascendency of Asoka as the Emperor of the Indian sub continent. He developed a strong relationship with the Sinhala king Devanampiyatissa. It was at this time, in the 3^rd century BCE, that Buddhism was introduced to the isIand on the initiative of Emperor Asoka. With the conversion to Buddhism of the king, royalty and nobility,  there was widespread adoption of Buddhism by the people at large. It soon became the    common religion and way of life of the mass of people, which importantly included the native tribes –    Yaksha, Raksha, Naga and Deva, who were four indigenous tribes  living in the country at the time of arrival of the Sihala people.

Buddhism and the way of life it propagated had a strong influence in bringing people together. Soon the various groups of people began to assimilate and integrate to become a single community. This community came to be known as the Siv-hela”, where siv” means four – implying the four native tribes. This is an instant where Buddhism has had a most remarkable impact in bringing people together, bringing about an incredible societal change with highly positive long term implications for the country. It was the name Sivhela” which later turned out to be called Sinhale”, which prevailed for many centuries as the name of the island although in corrupted forms during the European colonial period.

About 1600 years ago, Fa Hien, the celebrated Chinese Buddhist pilgrim traveler monk who visited the island in the year 413 CE and lived in Abayagiriya Anuradhapura for two years, mentions in his records the name of this island at that time as Sihaladvip” or the island of the Sinhala people (See: Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms, being an account by the Chinese Monk Fa-hien of his travels in India and Ceylon, AD 399-414, in search of the Buddhist Books of discipline – translated and edited by James Legge, Oxford, 1886).

The European colonial powers used their own designations to identify our country, with the Portuguese calling it Ceilan”  and the British calling it Ceylon which are corrupted versions of the authentic name Sinhale”. It is important to note that in the Sinhala version of the Kandyan Convention of 1815, known as the Udarata Givisuma the name of the country is mentioned as Sinhale (See copy of the original document exhibited at the Mahanuwara Sri Dalada Maligava Museum on the upper floor of Maligava Annex) .

It is noteworthy that all names by which the country was known in ancient times were Sinhala names – Sinhale, Thunsinhale, Sihala-dweepaya, Heladiva, Helabima – all names meaning the land of the Sinhala people. The Sinhala people inhabited this island as its leading community for more than 2500 years.

IDENTITY AND CHARACTER OF THE SINHALA NATION

Sinhale derives its distinct identity and unique character as an exclusive nation, owing to the unique combination of Sinhala socio-cultural norms and values that characterize it. They form the cultural foundation of this nation from ancient times. It is noteworthy that these cultural traits – tangible and intangible, evolved within this island. They were enriched and reinforced within the island. Sinhale the Sinhala Nation incorporates the tremendous cultural wealth of the Sinhala people recognized the world over for its richness and uniqueness. The Sinhala language originated and developed within this land.  All place names of the country, urban and rural that developed in the past and are continued until present times, are in Sinhala. All geographical and environmental features of the country – mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water, coastal features, forests, vegetation types are named in Sinhala.  As far as the human or cultural environment of the island is concerned, A most widespread and historically significant landmark of the island’s cultural environment is the Buddhist vihara or shrine and it is noteworthy that all of them bear Sinhala names. The same is true of all other Buddhist establishments – old and new. The Sinha kodiya or the unique national flag and all other traditional national insignia developed within this land bear the image of the lion which is symbolic of Sinhale or the nation of the Sinhala people.

 SINHALA BUDDHIST CULTURE

Buddhism was formally introduced to the country in the 3^rd century BCE or more than 2200 years ago and forms the predominant way of life of the large mass of people. The norms and social values of the Sinhala nation are derived from Buddhist ethics and principles. Non-violence, peaceful coexistence, compassion, tolerance, virtuous and simple lifestyle, spirituality and the development of insight have been the cornerstone. From early times, the inspiration for all aspects of the island’s development- economic, cultural, social and spiritual was drawn from Buddhism. Traditional Buddhist education has been a vital force in the preservation of both Buddhism and the Sinhala culture in the past. Buddhist monks, scholars and the Sinhala royalty were be at the forefront in this venture. Buddhist shrines were the centres of cultural and spiritual life for the Sinhala people. The written history of Sri Lanka and popular Sinhala literature, folklore and rituals, teach children from an early age the uniqueness of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, the long relationship between Buddhism and the culture and politics of the island, and the importance of preserving this fragile cultural inheritance.

The Sinhala are the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka, amounting today to about 75% percent of the island’s 20.3 million population. They are distinguished primarily by their language, Sinhala.  The Sinhala language which evolved within the island, forms the defining element of this ancient culture. The Sinhala language and Buddhist culture are integral and inseparable components of the nation’s cultural heritage. All Buddhists in Sri Lanka speak Sinhala. Until recently, their shared language had a strong unifying effect on the Sinhala community and the Buddhist religion further reinforced the solidarity of the Sinhala as a unique cultural community. From ancient times until today, Buddhist monks or Bhikkhus have been in the forefront as the traditional leaders of the nation and custodians of the Sinhala Buddhist national culture of the country. The names and titles of these bhikkhus have always, been exclusively in Sinhala. All activities, religious and cultural conducted in the nations Buddhist temples are in the Sinhala language. For that matter, all traditional cultural activities, ceremonies and festivals are invariably conducted in the Sinhala language. Sinhala terminology characterizes all tangible items and aspects associated of Sinhala culture.

 THREATS TO THE SINHALA BUDDHIST NATION 

                During its long history, this country of the Sinhala people was subject to several foreign invasions and associated plundering and violence.  Buddhism, the predominant religion of the Sinhala community, their rich culture founded on wholesome Buddhist principles, and their peaceful livelihood were threatened and undermined during the periods of foreign rule. But they survived in spite of these calamities. Recorded history states that, since 230 BCE, Sri Lanka was invaded as much as seventeen times by South Indian Dravidian Tamil speaking invaders.  They ruthlessly wiped out entire Sinhala villages along their way to Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa the royal capitals of the past. These highly prosperous Sinhala Buddhist capitals were ransacked and plundered and the people subject to untold atrocities. This was a part of Tamil invasions and occupation of our land for varying periods of time in the past. They killed Sinhala Kings or forced them to the retreat to the south. These Tamil invaders sat on the Sinhala throne and ruled over the Sinhala people for about 170 years at different times.

The Tamil threat to the Sinhala Buddhist kingdoms had become very real in the fifth and sixth centuries CE. Three Hindu empires in southern India–the Pandya, Pallava, and Chola, were becoming more assertive. Tamil ethnic and religious consciousness matured during this period. In the meantime, in India, Buddhism was becoming vulnerable to pressure and absorption by Hinduism and its influence was receding. It was during this time that Chola, Pallava and Pandya Tamils were instrumental in repeated invasions and threats to our Buddhist Sinhala rulers. During their invasions and rule, they were instrumental in the massive destruction of Buddhist shrines, monasteries and places of learning. Vast libraries were set on fire and destroyed.

 EUROPEANS UNDERMINING THE SINHALA CULTURE                                                                                

Tamil invasions and atrocities were followed in early 16^th century by European invasions. First the Portuguese and later the Dutch invaders, with their gun powder and soldiers, brought in a reign of terror in the country. There was widespread killing and destruction and undermining of Buddhism and Sinhala culture.   All Buddhist shrines and places of learning in the maritime areas under the control of the Portuguese, were demolished. Buddhist monasteries were razed and their priceless treasure looted and libraries were set on fire. The Catholic Portuguese period (1505 – 1658) constitutes a long and poignant chronicle of oppression and injustice meted out to the Sinhala Buddhists. The Catholic Portuguese were the first colonial power to pave in this country the way to almost continuous religious tensions – the repercussions of which is felt to this day in Sri Lanka. The Dutch, who ousted the Portuguese in 1640, occupied the places under Portuguese control. They continued similar trade activities and started converting people to their form of Protestant Christianity. They too were instrumental in destroying Buddhist temples, monasteries and the royal palace.

 SHATTERING DAMAGE BY BRITISH TO SINHALA CULTURE

The British finally in the early 19th century, capturing the entire country, did the most catastrophic and shattering damage to our Sinhala Buddhist cultural heritage and thereby to our language. They not only introduced their language as the medium of communication in all affairs of governance and economic activities, but took direct measures to undermine the Sinhala language and culture. English was forced upon our people as the language of administration, the language in which justice was meted out, the language in which government records were kept. The Sinhala language and ordinary Sinhala people, suffered immensely during the British period of occupation.  During the British colonial era from 1796 to 1948, and a good part of the post-independence period, the promotion of the English language and Western cultural norms was the order of the day as far as the political establishment of the country was concerned. The urban English education system had much to do with this undesirable development. School educational services were basically the monopoly of the Catholic and Christian missions and English was the medium of instruction. European cultural norms were promoted in these schools.

BIFURCATION OF THE SINHALA COMMUNITY

Higher learning at this time was basically bifurcated; the rural masses and bhikkhus studied Sinhala and other oriental languages whereas in the urban areas English was the medium of instruction and communication. Opportunities for advancement were highly limited to the former. They were low-paid and distant from the government whereas the latter were better paid and enjoyed more benefits from government. It is simply a miracle that Sinhala language was able to survive this tragic situation for over four and a half centuries. It was the dedication of the Sinhala scholars, especially our Buddhist scholar Bhikkhus, and the inherent strength of the Sinhala language that may be cited as main reasons.

To serve their self-interests the British practiced the “divide and rule” policy by setting

one community against the other. It is a well known fact that the British gave special privileges to the Tamil minority and those of the Christian faith. They were provided with better opportunities for education, employment and other government services. They soon became privileged communities. Inevitably this policy had a highly divisive effect on the local community. This was the beginning of social disharmony and racial problems in our country and the British should be held responsible for promoting this undesirable and unfortunate state of affairs in our country. Additionally, the blind adoption of foreign elements without understanding the principles behind them, especially the political party system, introduced divisiveness and disharmony in the Sinhala community. This has been clearly manifested particularly during the last two decades.

BRITISH DISRUPTS THE HARMONY AMONG COMMUNITIES  

The well recorded history of immigrant minority communities in our country shows that in early years, especially prior to the arrival of European colonial powers, there was a high degree of harmony and integration among the minority settler communities of the country such as the Tamil, Muslim and Malay, and the existing mainstream Sinhala community.  These communities were respectful of the traditional norms and vales of the country and they became active participants in the affairs of the nation even at its highest levels. Most of them were peaceful and useful citizens of the Sinhala Nation. The Sinhala Nation has always permitted members of minority communities with different cultures, languages and religions to enjoy the same basic human rights and opportunities like the indigenous people. The policy adopted was to live and let live” among others of the Sinhala Nation, as one people, irrespective of apparent cultural differences. The Sinhala Nation in the early period expected all to live as members of One Nation, which is the traditional Sinhala or Hela Nation. Once the settler communities make Sinhale or Heladiva their home, it necessarily became their homeland and also their Nation. One does not have to give up one’s culture in order to be a part of another nation. All what is required is to acknowledge the culture of the place one has made one’s home and try to integrate with the national system. One is free to follow and practice one’s culture and religion as long as it does not violate, counter or undermine the National Culture or the culture of the Nation. In the early years prior to the 16th century, Sinhale was marked by a well-established and all-pervading Sinhala national socio-cultural system. This situation prevailed until about the latter years of the European colonial period, when things began to change.

Colonial domination resulted in untold disruption of the normal affairs of the country. There were significant and far reaching political, economic and socio-cultural changes to which our people were subject. The former political, economic and social order and stability underwent significant changes, impacting on the attitudes and relationships between the Sinhala nationals and other communities. The British Divide and Rule” policy of operation led to serious ethnic divisiveness and conflicts. This resulted in undue privileges for the Tamil minority as opposed to the mainstream Sinhala community. The idea was to bring about increased animosity between the two ethnic groups to make is easy for the cunning British to fish in troubled waters”. The relative geographical isolation of minority communities in some parts of the country further increased the divisive tendencies of the different communities.

WESTERNIZED URBAN SUB CULTURE                                                                    

During the almost 500 years of European colonial rule, there was a gradual deterioration of the once strong Sinhala Buddhist culture in the country as a whole Substantial numbers of people, especially in the coastal areas were converted to Christianity through determined missionary efforts of the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. When the British left Sri Lanka in 1948, they made sure that power remained in the hands of the English educated and English speaking few, who were toeing their line. It was a westernized Colombo based sub-culture dominated by Christians, who inherited power-political, administrative, and economic. Most of the qualified professionals at the decision-making level in the public and private sectors and also in big businesses subscribed to this sub-culture. It was a new elite skilled in the use of the English language and mannerisms. A somewhat mixed, cosmopolitan outlook differentiated this urban elite from the more ‘old fashioned’ predominantly Buddhist, Sinhala speaking rural folk. Their attitudes and actions either directly or indirectly had the effect of denigrating to an inferior state, the Sinhala cultural norms including the Sinhala language and their simple Buddhist way of life. Most of them were products of the Christian Missionary education system. They were not taught and were not conversant with the history and the culture of their country. Among them were those who returned from Britain, with an education influenced by leftist ideals and were known as leftists” or Marxists” of the time. These so-called “intellectuals” were also inheritors of the Colombo urban sub culture. Some were token Buddhists who could not relate to the traditional local culture. What developed here was a form of sub-culture which was referred to by some Sinhala compatriots as  Thuppahi culture” which accorded a highly step-motherly treatment to Sinhala language and culture. This had a strong negative impact of undermining and decimating the commonly spoken traditional language of the nation to an inferior position. The step-motherly treatment of Sinhala culture and language by the  government, the urban elite and the Catholic and Christian missionary education establishment, continued even after the country attained political independence in 1948.

 INTERRUPTIONS TO RESURGENCE OF SINHALA CULTURE                                                                           

A resurgence of Sinhala culture was evident in the 20^th century, with the emergence of several outstanding Sinhala patriots who were bent on reviving Sinhala culture and language. Sinhala was made the official language of the country in 1957, and Sinhala was made the medium of instruction for Sinhala children up to Grade V. The late fifties and sixties saw the emergence of many inspiring cultural pursuits which led to a noticeable revival in many aspects of Sinhala culture. The literary works of these Sinhala patriots, appealed to the hearts of a generation that was just beginning to shed the last vestiges of European socio-cultural domination of their nation. Among them were some outstanding Buddhist bhikkhus whose work on literature and Buddhist spirituality was widely acclaimed.

It was at this time that a Cultural Affairs Ministry was established in the country and two Pirivena’s were elevated to university status. Among other developments at this time which had direct implications for the revival of the traditional culture was the take-over of missionary schools by the government. Sinhala Buddhists including leading Buddhist bhikkhus were in the forefront in the initiative to take-over schools and making higher education accessible to all irrespective of religious affiliations. This enabled the rural Sinhala youth to come to the forefront and many were able to secure university education and excel in various professional fields. However, this period of healthy growth which began in 1956, was short lived. During the last few decades, the Sinhala Buddhist community underwent traumatic experiences owing to the efforts of the local Marxists to counterbalance the imbalance created by the outer-oriented Colombo clan. There were youth uprisings in the south and in the north resulting in widespread violence. Leadership at all levels – political, professional and secular – deteriorated during the past few decades. This was also a time which saw extreme divisiveness, animosity and criminal activity among people supporting opposing political parties.

 WITHHOLDING TEACHING  OF THE NATION’S HISTORY                                                                  

Another negative and harmful development during this time, specifically in 1975, was the withholding of the teaching of the history of Sri Lanka in schools. This was a highly objectionable step taken by the Muslim minister of Education at that time. This explains that fact that most youth of the last two decades were not conversant with the history of their country and their traditional culture. They were unaware that their country is the oldest continually Buddhist country in the world. They were unaware of the fact that the history and culture of their people have been shaped and mounded by Buddhism since its introduction to the island over 2200 years ago. Being unaware of the richness of their cultural heritage, one cannot blame the youth to have become indifferent to their culture and become subject to undue influence of other cultures. Our youth did not have genuine Sinhala role models to follow. This may be considered as the greatest tragedy that befell the Sinhala nation, because youth determine the future of the nation and are The learning of Sinhala literature, Sinhala culture and history by our children is fundamental to bringing about an attitudinal change in our younger generation. This will make them develop a sense of pride in their outstanding cultural heritage. They will begin to be appreciative of the wholesome values of their glorious culture, and this will help them to develop a lifestyle and livelihood that is beneficial to them and the society in general.

ATTITUDINAL PROBLEMS WITH UNDUE EMPHASIS ON ENGLISH

Although the Sinhala language and subsequently both Sinhala and Tamil were made the official languages of the country, for all practices purposes, the language of government continued to be English during the past few decades. Knowledge of English has been a big advantage and sometimes an essential requirement for better employment in both the public and private sectors. It was difficult to get ahead in society without a knowledge of English. The heightened importance accorded to spoken English at the expense of Sinhala was clearly evident during this time, so much so, those who spoke English were considered by many as the more educated ones that should be emulated. There has been a tendency among some of the English educated folk, to observe western mannerisms and attitudes and consider themselves to be more refined, cultured and a step above the others. This unwarranted and ridiculous attitudinal changes that learning English or being able to speak the language has brought about not only tends to alienate this group of individuals but also has led to divisiveness, especially among our youth. This trend has made some of our youth to shy away from their own language and culture. Such disregard and disrespect for the Sinhala language had the tendency to push other aspects of Sinhala culture to the background, often moving people further away from their traditional culture and values. There is no question that there are many positive aspects to the learning of other languages and other cultures. But unfortunately it is the superficial, worthless and undesirable aspects of Western  culture that have been of appeal to most English-speaking urban people

There is no dispute that on many counts, knowing English is highly advantageous, especially for our youth. A working knowledge of English has become a requirement in a number of fields, occupations and professions such as medicine and computing. It is very helpful in learning and improving many useful skills. It is a global language and over a billion people speak English to at least a basic level. Besides, it is one of six official languages of the United Nations.

The youth of the 1980’s and 1990’s grew up at a time when there were extreme forms of political unrest and violence in the south and north. There was polarization of ethnic communities. The economic and social trends and developments at this time such as globalization without a human face, introduction of television characterized by highly commercialized and often crude programs, expansion of tourism industry without restrictions, and increase in overseas employment encouraged outer oriented attitudes and lifestyles of most youth and the disintegration of many families.

An encouraging development in 2005 was the introduction of the teaching of the History of Sri Lanka in schools as a compulsory subject from Grade I to ‘GCE O’ levels.   Also evident during the last decade was an increased interest in the development and promotion of Sinhala performing arts, especially traditional dances. The teaching and study of Sinhala Aesthetic studies have become popular in the school curriculum. Sinhala music and songs have received a boost owing to the influence of the electronic media especially television and radio.

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane 

February 04, 2016

Continued  in Part -2 

To be Published in the Lankaweb under the title:

MINORITY COMMUNITIES – A THREAT TO NATIONAL UNITY

නලින් ද සිල්වා

Shenali D Waduge

First Published on  February 4th, 2015

 The British ruled parts of Sri Lanka from 1796 and the whole of Sri Lanka from 1815 to 1948. Sri Lanka marks 4 February 1948 as its day of Independence. When our history is related by the very nations that occupied us or by twisted versions from their local clones the true history is often wiped under the carpet for the embarrassing nature of crimes and the dirty tactics adopted. A 1904 British newspaper pokes fun at the Sinhala elite Ceylon is Our Happy Possession, while other colony’s make noise for more reforms, Ceylon makes Money”. Old practices die hard and the very nations that colonized nations and destroyed ancient cultures and native governance systems are on course to continuing their destructive nature. We look at some of these crimes that attempted to divide the people and continue to destable the nation inspite of being independent.

British colonial murders – killing of unarmed civilians

• 1803  – Raid and Destroy Policy. Kandy invaded in 2 batches from Colombo & Trincomalee. They were virtually destroyed and their reaction was to take out their frustration on the innocent civilians by indiscriminate killing.
• 1817 – Lt. Maclaine given authority to kill anyone without trial. Assist Commissioner of Badulla (Braybrooke) notes reveal the manner natives were killed. Lt. Maclaine is infamously known for having breakfast while watching Sinhalese men being hung!
• British sadism further illustrated in Col. Hook ordering Sinhalese to be hung without trial. Mawatagama Nilama a close relation of the Mahanayake of Asgiriya was also hung.
• Davey British Army surgeon They had the paths we walked lined with snares, spring-guns, string bows, deep pits lightly covered and armed with thorns and spikes. When they attacked they were ferocious and showed no fear or mercy. They were totally dedicated fighters. Over 20% of our troops died in sickness in these jungles. Over 1000 British troops died in this war. We didn’t manage to kill the enemy. But we killed a lot of villagers. We must have killed at least 10,000 men in the villagers.”
• MacDonald destroys village of Wilbawe killing cattle and every man over 14 years and raped Sinhalese women, scorched houses and destroyed food crops.
• Campbells’ memo Soldiers wonder about the value of what they destroyed……..! “We were under orders to destroy all coconut trees, all fruit trees and paddy fields. We were also ordered to destroy the bunds of the water reservoirs. This water was essential to them for cultivation. We wondered how long it must have taken for them to build these giant reservoirs and how long it would take them now, without having any engineers or the equipment, to rebuild or repair them.”
• 1818 Major Forbes memo “We met so many military patrols who had been dispatched for burning the villages and their property. They were not looking for the enemy. The natives who survived our fire would definitely get perished in sickness and in famine as we had destroyed all their cultivation, lakes and villages.”
• 1818 diary of Sergeant Calladine “Not a single day passed without burning a village and killing the Chingalese men. We didn’t take prisoners.”
• British captured wives and children of patriots and held them as ransom until patriots surrendered. These same dirty tactics continue to be repeated.
• Children of patriots were killed – Dr. John Davey of British Army declares that by 1821 there were no children of patriotic families in the hill country/Uva-Wellassa.
• John Davey estimated at least 7% of the population in the entire Central province was killed by the British

British effort to break Buddhist hold on Sri Lanka and convert to Christianity

• Realizing the Buddhism was the key and singular obstacle to taking complete control of Sri Lanka.
• Christian missionary schools set up with the intent to educate children to respect the history and culture of the invader and to be loyal to the West. Children were taught that Christianity was better than Buddhism or Hinduism and true history of the country was kept from them. Thus the origins of the kalu suddas.
• They studied the Buddhist Temple Education system and then destroyed it.
• 1807 Governor Maitland’s letter to GA Matara use this carefully and secretly, reliance of Buddhism and philosophy of Matara Buddhists must be destroyed. In Matara, Bhikkus are more powerful than village chiefs, make sure all chiefs are Christian”. Now look at the 2015 cabinet of Ministers.
• Locals are sent to UK in 1811 to be trained in Christianity.
• Baptist missionaries introduced in 1812 with the objective of Christianizing the population. Christian missionaries set up in minority dense areas. These schools created a powerful group of Tamil intellectuals who would later take up the eelam struggle.
• British sort to give education and employment to minorities while the Sinhala Buddhists were defending the nation fighting invaders and losing lives.
• Missionaries influence British to cancel Kandy Convention pledge to protect Buddhism and Christian missionary schools set up in 1818.
• 1807 Rev. James Cordiner’s report testifying at the Colebrooke Commission that Buddhist children were not taught to read and write Sinhala in his parish school.
• Employment in British Government service was given to only English educated thus automatically denying Sinhala Buddhists employment. With 1/3 of schools run by Missionaries in Jaffna the Jaffna elite secured all state jobs. Sinhala Buddhists wanting to be employed had to denounce Buddhism and convert to Christianity.
• British conspiracy against Buddhism is proved in a pamphlet distributed by R. Spence Hardy a Wesleyan missionary demanding British action against Buddhism citing that it was against the teaching of God.
• 1913 the Catholic Church and elite oppose the proposal for a Public University. Letter signed by the Archbishop to Governor Chalmers “We cannot agree to the compulsory requirement of our Catholic boys and girls to enter this university for their higher studies” and delayed setting up a university for 29years. Lanka’s 1^st university was established on 1st July, 1942
• A Tamil quoted as saying to the Morning Star of 9 Oct 1931. “History Should NOT be taught in schools” “Sinhala people alone can boast of an uninterrupted sway over the island for some thousands of years. Since the South Indians living in Lanka had no such history, history should not be taught in schools as it could belittle and humiliate the South Indians.” said a Tamil gentleman in the Morning Star of 9th October, 1931.

• 1878 Report by Director Public Instruction confirms Buddhists were forced to attend Christian classes
• Sir Henry Olcott arrived in 1875 and championed the Buddhist cause. He campaigned for a public holiday on vesak and helped design the Buddhist flag in 1885. He reprimanded the British for their disassociation from Buddhism and established the Buddhist Theosophical society in 1875.
• British dividing the Sinhalese and creating Christians/Catholics led to the 1883 religious riot in Kotahena when Catholics who outnumbered Buddhists rioted against the celebration of vesak despite Buddhists never objecting to ceremonies of the Church – an example of how minorities treat the majority.
• Destruction of Buddhism begins
  • 1898 demolishing of temples in Anuradhapura. Monks buy rubble.
  • 1898 British GA (C S Vaughen) in Anuradhapura demolishes Gonameriyava temple and declares that the Sannasa issued by the last King to the temple for 2000 acres was invalid.
  • 1905 ‘Bo-Maluwa is not a religious area’ –British GA and Police walk inside sacred temple with shoes. 

British stealing of Sri Lanka’s wealth / biased economic policies and attempts to destroy livelihoods

• Britain bled the nation of its wealth covering all state revenues from Sri Lanka itself. Not a penny was invested from Britain.
• Local collaborators were given decreased taxes and taxes were increased for patriots.
• 10% paddy tax on agriculture introduced while districts loyal to British paid only 7%. Families connected to patriots had to pay 20% tax.
• Rajakariya tactic used to build roads – using high caste administrative officials to get low-caste people to work without payment.
• Plantations producing export commodities (coffee, cotton, sugar, silk, opium) were exempted from tax. This jeopardized rice and agriculture produce of natives.
• Europeans given 5 year interest free loan and tax holiday for 10 years.
• Scorched Earth Tactic used in 1817 to destroy Uva irrigation complexes and starve people to death (a Geneva violation)
• By 1830 British made 3200% profits from Lankan products.
• Crown Land Encroachment Ordinance 1840 – 90% land taken by British. By 1920, 2.5million acres of land robbed from Sinhalese farmers and sold to European merchants.
• 1847 – Road Tax every male between the ages 18 and 55 had to do 6 days of labour per year on building roads. The British, local collaborators and Indian plantation workers were exempted.
• 1877 – Grain Tax – British earned 25% from revenues.
• Wasteland Ordinance 1897 more lands confiscated from Sinhalese – deeds written in sannasas by kings to temples were not accepted.
• Sinhala peasantry could not afford surveyors and lawyers and lost their lands. Temples lost over 80,000 acres of land while British took over 250,000 acres of land belonging to Sinhala farmers.
• P D Miller a coffee planter records that the Sinhala farmers had bewailed ‘pass over our dead bodies before you measure and sell our land’.
• The European landowners did not wish to incur expenses to fence their land. When cattle belonging to Sinhala farmers walked into European owned lands they would shoot them dead
• 1907 Sinhalese were pauperized by the British seen by the manner they could not even collect funds to build a pilgrims rest in Anuradhapura when the British asked them to collect money for it

British Divide and Rule policy – Favoring the Minorities over the Majority

• British created agents out of locals and an elite that comprised the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians/Catholics, Hindus, Islam who would at all times ensure their common goal to stay in power would come before the nation or its people. These make up todays political families who are best of friends amongst each other and sworn enemies on political stages only!
• Governor Brownrigg’s memo to London in 1817 “They don’t face us in combat. Instead they follow us through the jungle. They wait until bad weather arrives. They wait until we become tired or sick. They wait until we finish our supplies. Any European would not be able to destroy them in this country alone without the help of their own countrymen”. Thus the reason to increase collaborators from the minorities and buying over some from the majority through devious methods.
• Favoring Muslims: Muslims were used as soldiers, traders and officials with intent to create tensions. In turn Muslims asked for Islamic schools/mosques which were all given knowing it would create tensions with time. They were however denied a seat at the Legislative Council. Arrogance of Muslims seen in 1912 to oppose a 800 year annual tradition in Gampola when Muslims prohibit noise within 100 yards of mosque which started the 1^st Sinhala-Muslim riot. 1915 Sinhalese make a human shield around Dalada medura as Muslim extremists attempt to attack it – another example of Muslim provocation ignited by the British. Henry Pedris who refused to shoot Sinhala civilians was arrested, imprisoned and shot dead.
• ‘Buddhist Extremist’ nomenclature as propaganda to denigrate Buddhists started in 1907 when Governor lied about the meat stall near the Sacred Bo Tree. When genuine grievances were raised by Buddhists it became easy to shut them down and transfer attention to ‘Buddhist extremism’ and thus evade acknowledging fault or taking remedial action.
• Favoring Malabars (Tamils) : By 1904 Tamil elite outnumbered the Sinhala elite in Colombo.
• “We don’t need British troops in Ceylon as long as Moor soldiers are there”- Major Hardy. British stops recruiting Sinhalese and instead begin recruiting Muslims.
• British create 2 local army regiments – one with Malays the other with Sinhala sepoys.
• 6 January 1818 – Battle of Madulla. Muslim collaborators used to attack Sinhala camp. Brownrigg had to write to the Viceroy in India on 20 April 1818 to seek reinforcements and 7000 were sent from India. Had it not been for these reinforcements Sri Lanka’s patriots would have defeated the British.
• Patriots were punished by confiscating their property. Informants and collaborators were gifted.
• Caste-tactic to divide communities : Firstly to stop liberation struggles. The 2 largest castes were given jobs and made to be dependent and loyal to the British. British made Govigama feels the highest caste and with time they nurtured the Karawe and then pitted them against each other. Buddhist monks too were divided by castes so much so that low caste monks were barred from receiving upasampada.
• Governor Sir George Anderson “As long as they were at each other’s throats, they wouldn’t have time to worry about the British rule”. Karawe caste, being predominantly Catholics, were an ideal candidate to clash with the Govigama caste as it would bring the Buddhists into conflict with the Christians.
• The Legislative Council created in 1833 was biased – Sinhalese with 80% of population had 1 seat, Tamils with less than 7% of population had 1 seat and the Burghers had 1 seat. Sinhalese and Tamils were chosen from same families of those faithful to the British. The Sinhalese representative was a Catholic from 1833 to 1889.

British records – break present day myths

• The Kandyan Convention (Udarata Givisum) signed between chiefs representing the Sinhale nation and the British. 6 Kandyan chiefs signed in Sinhala, one signed in Tamil. He was the great grandfather of JRJ. The British promised to look after the interests of the Sinhalese and continue to provide patronage to Buddhism.
• 1805 / Capt. Robert Percival’s book ‘An Account of the island of Ceylon’ mentions Moors (wearing little white round cap on their shaven heads) being the majority in Jaffna peninsula and the 2^nd largest community as Malabars (Tamils) who had migrated to Lanka after the Portuguese period from the Coromandel coast of South India. He says that ‘these foreigners’ (Malabars) came to grow tobacco. Capt. Percival mentions the Sinhalese as the 3^rd largest community in Jaffna (inspite of the Sinhalese being massacred in 1478AD). The other community were the South Indians who arrived as merchants and invaders.
• Davy’s book shows that even in 1805 the British did not mention Tamils by name but referred to them as Malabars from Tamil Nadu coast.
• Davy records the sad plight of the Sinhalese and mentions how they were killed or made to die of sickness and famine. His book notes Sinhalese as proud farmers. He regretted the genocide being done to the Sinhalese “We destroyed their cattle, stores of grain, villages, houses, crops, irrigation, cultivations, paddyfields, and fruit trees. When we consider that damage we should regret we ever entered their interior. The evil arising from our entering, exceeded any benefits we conferred on the natives.”
• British Administrative Report of 1878 by 3 British engineers confirms that the Sinhalese were the majority populace in Kantale area in 1833 but by 1855 the ‘Malabars’ had taken over and the Sinhalese had moved elsewhere resulting in Malabars and Muslims taking over Sinhala villages. True to form, the Sinhalese elite did not come to assist the Sinhala villagers preferring to enjoy the good life among the British in Colombo. Not far different from present status quo.

• Official British Census 1921 reports all Tamil settlements in East confined to East Coast and did not spread 10miles interior.
• S G Canagaratnam, Chief Mudiliar of Easter Province wrote in official memo that Batticola belonged to Kandy Kingdom until British grabbed the region. He also noted the diminishing Sinhala population and mentioned many Sinhala ruins in West and South of Batticoloa.
• 1928 Donoughmore Commission exposes difference between Sinhalese majority and minorities. The Report admits the artificial heights the minorities had been afforded at the expense of the Sinhala masses. It highlighted how the Sinhalese wished to share while the minorities wished to divide for themselves only.
• 1943 British report reveals discrimination on Sinhalese workers.

British responsible for gradual and incremental breakdown of Sinhala culture and the Sinhale nation

• Missionary schools achieved their objective – they created a submissive class of natives willing to be ruled by the British and willing to serve them.
• Lawlessness and peace broke down when taverns, foreign cultures conflicted with their simple upbringing.
• Buddhism was ridiculed and denigrated and very few Buddhists rose to object.
• British denied small pox vaccine in 1819 creating an epidemic
• Alcohol was introduced to intoxicate and make addicts out of the Sinhalese thereby weakening their resistence.
• Taverns were set up in all villages, licenses were given to collaborators. Alcohol was initially given free and when addicted sold at a price leaving some selling their lands to pay for liquor and families destroyed in the process.
• In 1872 Governor Gregory admitted before the Legislative Council that the British were responsible for making the Sinhalese into drunkards. Alcohol became a sterling pound 60,000 a year business
• Sinhalese had just 2 choices – to collaborate or resist and face starvation. Alcohol became an outlet for their frustration and landed them into total ruin. The first adigar Molligoda and his son died of alcoholism. It was because of the alcoholic last King that the chieftans thought the British were better and ceded the nation!
• Skinner a rare British who felt sorry for the Sinhalese implored the British to ban alcoholism because it was destroying the unique culture of the Sinhalese The vice of intemperance has become an enormous evil. It is rapidly gaining ground. There is no doubt”.  
• J Forbes, District Judge diary notes speak of 133 taverns in an area covering 200,000 residents “I entirely sympathise with the Buddhist monks who resist the establishment of the taverns. They practice a religion that forbid them to drink alcohol, but a Christian government is forcing them to do so. This will not only increase the revenue for the government, but also increase robbery, murder, gambling and drunkenness.”  
• In 1833 the British purposely established an office in Anuradhapura to disrespect the Sinhala Buddhists by putting up taverns, meat stalls, kovils and churches and giving ownership to Muslims who began complaining about the temple drummings and Buddhist pirith chanting leading to British imposing regulations on Buddhists. Buildings were built purposely on top of Buddhist heritage sites.

British responsible for Tamilization of Sinhal

• When Britain took governance of Sinhale the population had hardly 7% ‘Malabars’ – that too established as not indigenous but coming from South India by the British themselves.
• By 1839 British brought Tamil labor from Tamil Nadu to work on plantations.

• British Report on Indian Tamil coolies in 21.4.1877 revealed British wanted to permanently settle Indians in Sri Lanka first around Anuradhapura but settled later to the central province.

British cruelty to animal

The British sadism was such that killing elephants became a sport. In two years ocer 3500 elephants had been shot dead. Major Rogers had killed 1200, Captain Galway had killed 600. Elephants were one time part of the Elephant Brigade of the Kings army. By 2000 there were said to be less than 1500 elephants in Sri Lanka in a country that had over 10,000.

At independence we can but wonder if any of our post-independence leaders can measure upto the bravery of those that fought to defend the nation. The Sinhalese that braved invaders, battled against Muslim, Tamil and even Sinhalese who betrayed their nation and people to rub shoulders with the enemy. We humbly pay gratitude to heroes like Keppetipola, Madugalle, Kobbekaduwa, Kahawatte thero, Kadahapola thero, Puran Appu all captured because British paid local agents Arachchi’s, Vidane and Muhandirams were happy to hand them over for a pat from the whites. Some of these paid agents even gave their wives and children to the British to enjoy! Puran Appu died saying ‘if only I had ten more like me’.

Having studied the natives the British mastered the art of ruling over the natives. The problem then and now continues to be the Buddhist unity factor. The British managed to create a faithful bloc comprising elites from Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, from among Buddhists, Christians/Catholics, Hindus, Islam who were western educated and who would put the sustenance of their power base above national concerns. It was to these that post-independence governance was given. National leaders were neutralized by varying ways including marriage to non-Buddhists who were able to influence nationalist leaders from different quarters.

Sadly we must also take stock of how Sri Lanka’s unity becomes denied because of Sinhalese themselves. In 1885 the only person to object to the vesak poya holiday was H L Alwis a relation of the Bandaranaike’s when the British Governor and Sir Ponnambalam voted in favour. The Temperance Society started by D S Senanayake’s father in 1903 failed because the Sinhala Buddhists did not support it. In 1912 JRJ’s uncle went to India to invite Ponnambalam Ramanthan to contest the educated Ceylonese post to prevent a Sinhalese from winning it which Sir Ponnambalam did win. While in 1912 Christopher Obeysekera grandfather of SWRD remained silent when the Alcohol Act was passed and taverns and meat stalls set up around Buddhist sacred sites.

The British have no moral standing to be preaching. The conflicts the British planted continue to branch out and are a result of calamities that prevail and the British as envoys continue to fan these flames.

Sri Lankans need to realize what is at risk. They need to be aware of their history to be able to appreciate it. Those that pay lipservice to cultures and values do so because they do not have a culture or values to be proud of. These are the proponents of the liberal multicultural slogans. We have a heritage and history to preserve and those that are proud of it will be inspired to defend the nation whatever the odds.

Sri Lanka appears to have once again been cornered. It was in 1899 that Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala said “We may not succeed, But we must try, and ten years later we might get what we try to achieve” and this should inspire all those that carry the eternal candle of the ancestors in defending the nation from all enemies.

Srimath Anagarika also wrote from his prison cell “Sinhalese will rather die than living without Buddhism, You may kill as many Sinhalese as you can now, but they will never forget this injustice.”   

By Our Correspondent

Guwahati, 3 February:  The Ajmal Foundation has offered financial supports to five ailing journalists of Assam. Khasrul Islam, manager of Ajmal Foundation  handed over the amount totalling rupees 1,15,000 to the beneficiaries at a brief function held at Guwahati Press Club on Wednesday.

The beneficiaries under the Ajmal Media Welfare Scheme include Pitamber Newar (Dainik Purvoday),  Bitul  Bora (News Live), Arup

Chakrabarty (Nababarta Prasanga),         Pankaj Bora (News 30) and

Basharullah Mujadaddi (Asomiya Pratidin).

Officials of Ajmal Foundation giving away financial aid to ailing journalist during a function held at Guwahati Press Club on Wednesday. Altogether 5 journalist of print and electronic media being distributes cheques.

Dr MRH Azad, deputy manager of Ajmal Foundation with NI Laskar & Haidor Bora and journalist Nava Thakuria were also present on the occasion. Earlier  on 14 January a sum of rupees 50,000/- was handed over to Ismail Ali of Protidin Time at a function held at Hojai.

It may be mentioned that Ajmal Foundation is a premier non-government organisation in northeast India with a very clear cut policy to help artistes and media persons in the time of crisis.  Ajmal Foundation announced the launch of the Ajmal Media Welfare Scheme with a corpus of rupees 25 lakh in February 2009 .

The management of Ajmal Foundation now plans to raise the corpus in future so that more media persons can get the benefit under the scheme. The total amount released under the scheme since its inception (up to December 2015) stands at rupees 1554838, where the number of beneficiaries is 80 scribes belonging to various media outlets.

Upali Jayatilaka

What is RULE OF LAW?

The concept of Rule of Law”, its origin, the present definitions, anomalies in the application of the concept and debates among jurist and Political Scientists as to what factors come within the definition. At present it is perceived to be a Western concept bestowed upon the rest by the civilised world.  It is also promoted as a concept by the West, through the World Bank and or IMF in attempting to instil civilization on underdeveloped and developing countries by the introduction of democracy and accepted norms of the rule of law”.

Dicey’s definition which was used universally.

The theoretical formulation is as follows,

(1) That a citizen’s legal duties and liabilities to punishment should be determined by ‘the regular law’ and not by arbitrary fiat of officials or exercise or wide discretionary power; and

(2) That disputes between a private citizen and the State should be subject to the jurisdiction of the ordinary courts; and

(3)  That the fundamental rights of the citizen should not rest on special constitutional guarantees but should arise from the ordinary law.

In recent years Lord Tom Bingham’s definition has been adopted to negate the deficiencies in Dicey’s definition. ”

Tom Bingham’s Theory on the Rule of Law:

• The Law must be accessible and so far as possible intelligible, clear and predictable.
• The question of legal right and liability should ordinarily be resolved by application of the rule of law and not the exercise of discretion.
• The Laws of the land should apply equally to all save to the extent that objective differences justify differentiation.
• Ministers and public officers at all levels must exercise the power conferred on them in good faith, fairly, for the purpose for which the powers were concurred, without exceeding the limits of such powers and not unreasonably.
• The Law must afford adequate protection of fundamental human rights.
• Means must be provided for resolving without prohibitive cost or inordinate delay bona fide civil disputes which the party’s themselves are unable to resolve.
• Adjudicative procedure provided by the state should be fair.
• The Rule of Law requires compliance by the state with its obligations in international law as in national law.

The World Justice Project, there have been identified 8 key factors against which State performances have been analysed. This is not a definition or theory but eight general concepts to measure maintenance and upholding of the concept of The Rule of Law”.

The factors are

1: Constraints on Government Powers

2: Absence of Corruption

3: Open Government

4: Fundamental Rights

5: Order and Security Factor

6: Regulatory Enforcement

7: Civil Justice

8: Criminal Justice.

H. L. D. Mahindapala

The loud bravado with which Ms. Sharmini Serasinghe challenged the Sinhala Buddhists to give a valid answer” to her question – a question which was aimed deliberately at denigrating  the Sinhala-Buddhists – stands in stark contrast to the silence that prevails after the answer was given. (See Colombo Teleraph….) She asked pompously, assuming that she had delivered the final deadly blow that would nail the Sinhala-Buddhists once and for all : Might I also ask, what in heaven’s name is so supreme” about the Sinhalese people? What have we, the Sinhalese achieved, others have not, to entertain such pride”? I challenge all those out there, who keep chanting, I’m proud to call myself a Sinhala-Buddhist” to give me a valid answer to my questions, as so far, I have not.” She was, of course, hoping to be the heroine with this anti-Sinhala-Buddhist question. Instead she turned into a dumb gemba” (a word picked from Prime Minister’s vocabulary) when the answer revealed that educating Ms. Serasinghe is a prime necessity to prevent her from making an ass of herself by asking stupid questions.

Her operative phrase is : I challenge all those out there,….” The broad sweep of the question accompanied by her gassy bravado (challenge all”! Pah!) exposed the inflated ego of a Mahadana Muththi rather than the informed  insights of an original thinker with a profound knowledge of the subject. By the way, a good question reveals the quantum of knowledge possessed by the questioner. But blinded by her anti-Sinhala-Buddhist mania she has rushed into places where knowledgeable angels fear to tread. A knowledgeable and intelligent questioner will take all precautions not to be trapped by her own questions bouncing back to knock her down.

So when Ms. Serasinghe challenged the entire Sinhala-Buddhist community to provide her with an answer to satisfy her I just couldn’t resist accepting it, purely to educate her. Besides, it was a full toss and it was not difficult to send it over the boundary line. In reply I outlined, interspersed with some barbs,  the monumental achievements of the Sinhalese which the other migrant settlers could not match, making the Sinhalese-Buddhist settlers the unique achievers. I felt that it was necessary to educate Ms. Serasinghe and through that process her anti-Sinhala-Buddhist claque waiting  to clap any hack denigrating the Sinhala-Buddhists and downgrading their unique contributions/achievements that shine in the pages of history. After all, it is also the only known history that is compiled for the serene joy and emotion of the pious”. Herodotus, the father of history, wrote his Histories to preserve the memory of the past by putting on record the astonishing achievements both of our own and of the Asiatic peoples”.

Mahanama, the author of Mahavamsa, also had the same objective but he makes it quite clear that there is a greater purpose in his mission. The recurring message at the end of each chapter ( i.e, compiled for the serene joy and emotion of the pious”) signifies that history has a meaning more than being a record of  past.  The teleological mission of history is defined as ending in 1. serene joy and 2. emotional piety. Both are Buddhistic goals. Just as much as the goal of individual Buddhists is to achieve serene joy and emotional piety – the closest one can get to nirvana — so the collective and teleological purpose of history too is to arrive at the ultimate goal in which the evolved individual is settled in serene joy and emotional piety, without conflicts, blood-letting, tensions etc. In secular terms, it means, that the contradictions that tear the individual and society apart are resolved in finding serene joy and emotional piety – two of the fundamental goals in Buddhism. Isn’t the ultimate aim  of all utopian/idealistic politics to find serene joy, either by changing the environment, or the individual, or both? Isn’t, for instance, the Platonic man a disciplined individual filled with emotional piety, rising to the level of philosopher-kings without dissipating his energies in wild  distractions and illusions like the worldly theatre, poetry etc? Isn’t the Marxist man in his communist utopia one who has found serene joy and emotional piety, though it is in  the material world where his  bourgeois heaven has been brought down to earth for him to go fishing in the evening or  partying in the night etc., a la Engels model?

So history has a well-defined meaning, significance and purpose to the Sinhala-Buddhists. No doubt there is a seedy side to Sri Lankan history like that of any history in any civilisation. It  is easy to pick on sex addicts like Queen Anula or parricides like Kasyapa. But in which history is there a Siri Sangabo who sacrificed his head to a citizen? Michael Roberts argued that the Sinhala rulers attempted to follow the Asokan model. The unique redeeming features outweigh the infirmities common to all societies. In this instance history should be judged with that of the other minorities because the questioner, Ms. Serasinghe, is challenging the Sinhala community prove that they have reason to take pride in their history unlike the others. The  obvious comparison then is evaluate the achievements of the Sinhala-Buddhist  history with that of the Tamils who, incidentally, claim to have arrived before the Sinhalese. Oddly enough, the Tamils who claim chunks of history and territory on their primordial antecedents have not even produced a record of their past to prove that they even had a sense of history. Quite late in the day, somewhere during the Dutch and British periods, the Tamils of the north had to be pushed by the colonial administrators to write accounts of their past and, subsequently, feeble attempts were made to draw dreary sketches of what they thought was their history. But those attempts were to please the Dutch and British governors. For instance, Mayilvakanam, the author of The Yalpana-Vaipava-Malai, admits that it was written at the request of the illustrious Dutch Governor Maccara…” Jan Maccara was the governor of the Dutch possessions in 1736. Tamil histories were written to win the favour of the rulers. The Sinhala-Buddhists wrote their history for serene joy and emotional piety”. They had a natural instinct for history in which their destiny was tied to the land. The pioneering  Buddhist  missionary, Mahinda ,too defined the sacred relationship between the people and the land. Their  role was to be trustees giving  protection and shelter to all those who want to share the land in common with each other to achieve serene joy and emotional piety” – the most desirable goals for individuals as well as communities.

This  fundamental difference in the approaches to their respective histories – one sacred the other mercenary — alone indicates the value each community placed in evaluating  their pasts, their heritage and relationship to the land. The sacred value of history to the Sinhalese is reflected in the Mahavamsa – a unique unbroken record of the past that served as a beacon to scholars of Asia. The Sinhalese were imbued with an innate historical sense that bonded them as makers of a great civilisation. Invariably great writings come out of great movements. The Mahavamsa came spontaneously from the heart and soul of the Sinhala-Buddhists. The Tamils, on the contrary, had to be told by the colonial governors to write their history.

This left a vacuum in the historiography of the Tamils. Scholars have been complaining consistently, moaning about the absence of a comprehensive and authoritative history of  the Tamils. The Tamils themselves felt the need for a reliable Tamil history when history took centre stage when S. J. V. Chelvanayakam launched his separatist movement. The vacuum in Tamil history was filled by fabricated myths to elevate the Tamils as the makers and breakers of Sri Lankan history. Vadukoddai Resolution contains the kind of fictitious history and concocted geography manufactured by the Tamils to justify their claim for a separate state. It is partly the distortion of  history for political  purposes that increased the tensions between the two communities. The demonising of the Sinhala-Buddhists became a political necessity for the Jaffna leadership to survive and thrive in peninsular politics.

History was the first victim of the mono-ethnic extremism of the north. It was launched in the thirties by G. G. Ponnambalam, the Tamil leader who shot into the limelight by whipping up anti-Sinhala-Buddhist hysteria. This was his tactic to displace the traditional Jaffna aristocracy” of the turbanned Mahadevas, Ramanathans and Arunachalams who were the ruling deities of Jaffna politics. Ponnambalam was the new comer in the thirties who rose to prominence by raising  the communal cry of 50 – 50  which later escalated into federalism and finally to separatism. Besides, Jaffna was a closed society that never aligned itself with liberal, socialist or any other broad ideology other than narrow racism and casteism – two deadly combinations which morphed into ruthless fascism in the hands of Velupillai Prabhakaran. Jaffna Tamil politics was based essentially on beating their political rivals with the anti-Sinhala-Buddhist racist card. Ant-Sinhala-Buddhist card was the sure fire path to win elections. Blaming the Sinhala-Buddhists for everything was a winning slogan in any election. Ponnambalam began with it to beat his turbanned rivals and it has never ceased since then. His role will be elaborated in the next article.

The natural tendency of the Sinhala-Buddhists to take pride in their heritage is partly because they are blessed with historic treasures to call their own, partly as the prime trustees of the nation and partly as the inheritors of the greatest tradition in the island. Just as much as the sons and daughters have a duty and the right to take pride and protect the family heirloom handed down from generation to successive generation so has a nation a right / duty to take pride and protect its legacy handed down by their ancestors. This justifiable pride can be felt only by those belong to the glorious tradition and not to those who parade in public fora plastered with plastic cosmetics to give them a look of intelligence which they do not posses.

In my answer I pointed out that the pioneering Sinhalese were intrepid and creative settlers who transformed the pristine wilderness into a sustainable and glorious civilisation by any comparative standards. They contributed to the world heritage with a new language, new culture and a new civilisation which other migrants failed to create. Because the Sinhala-Buddhists were the founding fathers of the new civilisation they developed a binding historical and emotional affinity with the land on which they established their new culture. History and the Sinhala-Buddhists were inextricably intertwined because one does not exist without the other. One of the greatest contributions of the Sinhalese people to the cultural development of South and South East Asia and to the world literature,” wrote Heinz Bechert, Professor of Indian and Buddhist Studies, University  of Gottingen in Germany, is the creation of a historic literature. It is well-known that on the Indian sub-continent before the invasion of the Islamic conquerors virtually no historic literature had developed …..Sri Lanka tells a quite different story. In the Dipavamsa and Mahavansa and in other Sinhalese texts, we are given an account of the political and cultural  history of the island from earliest times until the present time.” – (p.69,  Wilhelm Geiger, His Life and Works, by  Goethe Institute, Colombo, 1995).

Naturally, the culture of the Sinhalese reflected their inalienable bonds with land. Their sense of history, arising from their creation of a new civilisation, inculcated into them a sense of spiritual relationship / ownership. History whether it is that of the English, French or American or any other belongs to those who create it and not to those who had done their worst to destroy it. If anything, Mahavamsa demonstrates amply the intimate relationship between the people and history and how they contributed to the evolution of each other, nurtured by their reinvigorating heritage.. They believed that their history defined their destiny. To them history was something that brought serene joy and emotion of the pious” – a recurring theme summed up precisely in the Mahavamsa.  The Sinhalese alone, or almost alone,” wrote Bishop R. S. Copleston, among the Indian people (including the Tamils) as having had an interest in history. Their Chronicles are the oldest, I believe, and for centuries the only instance of histories in the Indian world….The Sinhalese chronicles are distinctly historical in form, not epical.” (pp.161 –172., Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society XII, No.43, 1892.) That exceptional and abiding interest in history” is what distinguishes the Sinhalese from the rest. Obviously, their interest in history” was in their DNA because they made it. History they made in creating a new culture and new civilisation in their new found land belonged to them and to no one else though others were always welcome to share it. So when the Sinhalese take pride in their history they do so because it was their creation. And like all creations in any civilisation it belongs to the makers.

I am glad I got this opportunity to write this with serene joy for the education of Ms. Serasinghe and her ilk. I hope to write with more emotional piety to enlighten her with the glorious history which she missed by leaving Vishaka Vidyalaya.

In this essay I’ve tried to answer her question more comprehensively. I hope she will  come back at me with renewed vigour to rebut my arguments. Her reply will indicate to the readers her level of intelligence and her capacity to debate in public defending her position.. If she can rebut my argument then I will certainly doff my cap off to her. But does she have the facts, guts, cuts and thrusts  to prove that she is a Satya-wathie and  not a Bunkum-wathie?

I await her reply eagerly.

To be continued.