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But little Sri Lanka was too small to be seen, and bombings in SOUTH
ASIA were not loud enough to wake up the western world for 23 long
years. They were just ripples in a tiny third world island, of no importance
to rich countries like US, UK, Canada, Australia, which happily allowed Sri
Lankan Terrorists to raise funds “to destroy” this little Sri Lanka!
7% 1%
5%
Sinhalese
Sri Lankan Tamils
12%
South Indian Tamils
In a tiny island smaller than Tasmania, there are about 20 million Sri Lankans, of which
75% are Sinhalese (mainly Buddhists); 12% Sri Lankan Tamils (mainly Hindus), and 5%
South Indian Tamils, (brought by British after 1815 to work in the Tea Plantations in
Central Sri Lanka); 7% are Malays and Moors, descendants of Malays and Arabs who came
to trade, plus Burghers, who are descendants of the Portuguese and Dutch who took
over parts of the south of the island before the British came.
This 12% Tamils want one third of the land and two thirds of coast line for
“HALF OF THIS 12 % Tamils.” i.e. For 6% Tamils. The other half of the 12%
Tamils have lived in the south among the Sinhalese in harmony, for
generations and may never go back to live in the north.
In the South, Hindu Temples, Muslim Mosques, Christian Churches and Buddhist Temples
stand side by side and celebrate their own festivals and they have no problems! Sinhala,
Tamil, Muslim and Burgher children attend the same schools in the south.
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In 1976 some Tamil leaders in Jaffna, passed the “Vaddukodai Resolution”, to form an
independent state of Tamil Eelam. Mr Tiruchelvam, a Tamil ex-Minister who was in
Colombo at the time, was surprised and asked, “What is the meaning of this?”
He was told it was done under pressure from the youth!!!
1) Tamils say they had a Homeland in Sri Lanka! TAMIL NADU is Tamil
HOMELAND! Nowhere in the world has ONE NATION got TWO
HOMELANDS. The British, Spanish, French etc had many overseas
colonies which they occupied, but had one homeland.
Next, Tamils will DEMAND “Homelands” in England, Canada, US,
Australia etc. Can the large numbers of Greeks in Australia demand
a separate homeland? No! So Tamils must go back to Tamil Nadu if
they want their “TAMIL HOMELAND”.
3) They say they are “Freedom Fighters.” You can fight for
freedom in your country, from foreign rule like what Nelson
Mandela did! Otherwise Tamils will start fighting for freedom in
Canada, US, Australia and even in NORWAY etc.
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4) Is it fair by any standards for “a half of 2.8 million Tamils” to demand two- thirds of the
coastline and nearly one third of the land in a tiny island, to continue an “imaginary”
Ancient Tamil Homeland/ Kingdom” which they say they had!!
5) If they had an ancient Tamil kingdom before the Sinhalese kingdom began, how it is Tamils
are still 2.8 million, while Sinhalese became 15 million! Were Tamils less fertile??
6) If they came first why did they stay in the arid north and not more to more salubrious
areas further south.
8) If there was a Tamil Homeland in the North, why didn’t TAMIL KINGS LIKE ELARA (BC
150) WHO CAME from SOUTH INDIA and RULED LANKA, (sitting on the SINHALA
THRONE in Anuradhapura), not run away to this northern “so called” Tamil Homeland to
escape death, or even ask for soldiers from the Tamil Kingdom, when they were
challenged by Sinhala Princes from the south.
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the South). When the adopted son Sapumal Kumara heard of the death, he went to Kotte
in 1469, leaving Jaffna vacant, and killed the King’s grandson, and became King of Lanka.
This enabled one Pararajasekeran to become the first King of Jaffna in 1478 (only
about 530 years ago).
13). The Sinhalese who came from North India 2500 years ago, were Hindus. It is an accepted
historical fact that around 300 BC, Emperor Asoka sent Buddhist missionaries from India,
to eastern countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Laos. Today these countries
are Buddhist, like Sri Lanka. So why did Asoka
not send any missionaries to this TAMIL KINGDOM?
Asoka favoured Sri Lanka by sending his own son (a
monk) and daughter (a nun) to Sri Lanka. This son and
daughter of Asoka who came all the way from North India,
and whose only mission was to preach Buddhism, and
spent over 40 years of their lives in Sri Lanka, (till they
died) preaching to the Sinhalese, did not even think of
preaching to this “(imaginary) ancient Tamil Kingdom,”
which was only walking distance away, from the Sinhala
capital Anuradhapura where they lived ? Why? Was it
discrimination against Tamils by Asoka and his pious
children?
*IS this not proof, that there was no Tamil
kingdom nor even a fair population of Tamils, to
encourage these devout, dedicated religious teachers
to want to go and preach to this “imaginary northern
kingdom,” as was done in Burma, Thailand etc?
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14) If Tamils had an “ANCIENT TAMIL Kingdom in the north”, were Sinhalese so foolish,
to go and set up their first kingdom in 394 BC in Anuradhapura, (by King Parakramabahu I)
in North Central Sri Lanka, where it would be enveloped on the west, north and east, by
this “so-called imaginary” ancient Tamil kingdom, when the Sinhalese could have
occupied the whole of the south and had their Capital in the
South instead of going to Anuradhapura?
*And were Sinhalese so stupid to build, (from around 300 BC), *extensive
irrigation systems, *huge religious monuments 140 to 160 feet tall, (still
as strong as the day they were built), and *nine-storeyed monasteries, and
plant their most “SACRED BO TREE” in Anuradhapura, if they knew
their kingdom was enveloped by this “Tamil kingdom” and they could
be attacked, any time, and their buildings destroyed by this
“Imaginery Tamil Kingdom”?
15) When in BC 250 King Devanampiya Tissa went to Nagadipa in the very North to
receive the sacred Bo Tree, he did not get a Visa or permission from any Tamil
Kingdom to go to the North! That was because there was no Tamil or any other
Kingdom in the North!
16) This “so called Tamil kingdom” did nothing, built nothing, left nothing - no irrigation
systems- no religious buildings, no inscriptions, no written history, left behind for
posterity! While in the heart of Jaffna in Kantharodai there are Buddhist temples
built by Sinhala kings. – If they have not been destroyed in the recent past!!- (Tamils or
their “ imaginary” kingdom could not have been Buddhists !)
17) There is only one attack on the Sinhala Kingdom from the North. That was by a Malayan,
Chandrabhanu. He first tried to attack the Sinhala Kingdom, and when he failed he went to
Jaffna and tried to attack Sinhalese people from the North. But he was killed. All attacks on
the Sinhala Kingdom came only from South India. – None from this so called Tamil Kingdom.
18) Around 1505 Portuguese took over the south and harassed Arab traders, who were
running businesses in the south. When Arabs complained to the Sinhala King, the king gave
them land on the East coast, where they are still living. This proves the East, Batticaloa
and Trincomalee were under the Sinhala kings - in 1505 - and not under any Tamil
king!
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19) When Dutch came in 1637 they signed a deal with the Sinhala king to have berthing -
rights for their ships in harbours on the East coast, Trincomalee and Batticaloa during
monsoon rains, proving that the east belonged to Sinhalese in 1637.- and not to any
Tamil Kingdom!
20) When in 1660 Robert Knox’s father’s ship, “Anne” stopped over at
the eastern port, Trincomalee, Sinhala soldiers arrested them and
took them to their Sinhala king, proving that in 1660 the east was
under a Sinhala king. Robert Knox and his friend Stephen Rutland
lived among the Sinhalese for over 17 years. Knox has written a book
about the Sinhalese he met. (Nothing about Tamils or a Tamil
kingdom is mentioned!!!)
21) When King Valabha from India attacked Nagadipa in the north,
King Mahinda 1V (AD 956-972) sent Sinhala troops to fight
the Indians... Why? Because there was no Tamil King in Jaffna.
22) Historian Codrington says, “place names in Jaffna indicate that it was held by
Sinhalese at no very remote date.”
24) In Iriyagolla’s book “Tamil claims to land” he says, Tamil Historian Rasanayagam in his
heavily Tamil -biased book “Ancient Jaffna” admits that , “Jaffna was occupied by the
Sinhalese earlier than by Tamils, is seen, not only from the place names but also in
some of the habits and customs of the people.”
And in the preface to “Ancient Jaffna” Prof. Iyengar says, “Eelam is the ancient version of the
Sinhala term Sihala. Therefore Eelam stands for the entirety of Ceylon.”
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Why did Tamils *not demand to sign it, if they too owned a separate part of Sri
Lanka? And why did they not demand that Hinduism should also being protected!
Obviously Tamil Hindus were a small insignificant minority- not big enough to protest!
There is so much to prove there was NO Ancient Tamil kingdom, and ABSOLUTELY
nothing to prove there WAS ONE. This absurd demand to divide the island has left
this island in this miserable bloody terrorist mess for over 25 years!!
26) In 1970 TAMIL Congress Manifesto stated, “The Tamil Congress is sincerely and
honestly convinced that Federation is bad for Ceylon, it would be worse for the Tamils…...Is it
the objective of Tamils that they live as equals with Sinhalese and enjoy the rights in all
nine provinces of their motherland or that they should contain themselves within the
narrow confines of the North and East? The Congress cannot believe that Tamils will
surrender their rights which they have so far enjoyed in (the other) seven
provinces…..”
Half of the Tamils live in the south. Some have never visited the north.
Sinhala Buddhists foolishly did not allow British, during their occupation after 1815, to
start English (Christian) schools in the South. So the British began English Christian Schools in
the North. As a result government jobs went to the English- educated Tamils. But
Sinhalese never protested. They were satisfied with smaller jobs!
As all Sri Lankans know, the southern postal zone of Colombo, Wellawatte is nearly 90 %
Tamil. They run their own shops and businesses. Sinhalese patronise them.
Tamil ladies, easily recognised by the coloured dot on their foreheads, walk on the road
without any fear. .. So where then, is this SUPPOSED DISCRIMINATION?
In 1980s when terrorism began. The 12% Tamils accounted for 34.9% Engineers, 35%
doctors, 38.8% Veterinary surgeons, and 33% Accountants, in Public service.
In the early 1900s it was Sir Ponnambalam and Ananda Coomarasamy (both Tamils) who
began the “University movement” in Colombo (not in the north) which led to the
establishment in Colombo, of Sri Lanka’s first University. In the 1940s, A. Mahadevan a
Tamil, (son of Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam) was Minister of Home Affairs. It is
obvious that all these educated Tamils lived in the South.
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If there was discrimination how could nearly half of the 2.8 million Sri Lankan Tamils still
continue to live among the 15 million Sinhalese in the South, where they have lived for
generations. Some of these Tamils have never visited the North.
In 1983 when terrorism began, there were Tamils in the Cabinet and
other top jobs! Mr C. Rajadurai, was Minister of Regional
development, Devanayagam was Minister of Home Affairs,
Thondaman was Minister of Rural Industries; Shervananda was Chief
Justice, Rudra Rajasingham was IGP (and later High Commissioner to
Indonesia) and his father was Senior Surgeon of Colombo General
Hospital, and Mr Pasupati was Attorney General.
In the early 1900s the British allowed one Sri Lankan to be appointed to the State
Council. The Sinhalese and Tamils agreed on a Tamil being appointed, showing that, as
commented in a local journal in 1899, “among the races in Ceylon, the existing relations are
perhaps far more cordial than in any other British dependency in the East.”
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The “dignity and equality” of Tamils or Muslims was never a problem. Jobs went to
those most suitable. Even in the far south, there were Tamils and Muslims living in dignity
conducting their own businesses in which Sinhalese were employed, or Tamils and
Muslims were employed by Sinhalese. Hindu Temples, Muslim Mosques, Buddhist Temples
and Christian Churches stand side by side in Colombo- and
they freely hold their own festivals .
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Members of other Tamil parties who do not support their terrorism are being
targeted.”
Without easily definable natural borders how can this “new Tamil homeland” exist around a
Sinhala “homeland?” Will the Sinhalese have to protect this over 200 mile artificial
border for the rest of the life of this planet?
Or will “Eelam” open wide its doors to Indian Tamils, to cross the 17-mile-long shallow Palk
Strait, so that Tamils will easily outnumber the 15 Million Sinhalese.
Then in another fifty years time, Tamils will say “There are no relics of a Sinhala
Buddhist period. That proves the Tamils owned the North East. …. So how can Sinhalese
say they had owned the whole of Sri Lanka?”.
The EPDP paper submitted at the Oslo conference(2004) says, “LTTE’s yearning to be
recognised as sole representative of Tamils, stems from Prabhakran’s dream to become
authoritarian ruler over an independent state to be carved out of the north and east…...
The systematic killing of or silencing of democratic minded Tamil Political leaders including
second-rung leaders, is one of the means adopted by Prabhakaran to achieve this end“
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Killing of moderate TULF leaders must be viewed in this light. Proctor Nadarajah, Mr A
Amirthalingam, Mr Yogeswaran, Mrs Yogeswaran, Mr Sivapalan, Dr Neelan Tiruchelvam
and a host of other important TULF leaders were killed in cold blood by the
LTTE….
Leader of TELO Mr Sri Sabaratnam was brutally murdered……Those who succeeded
Sabaratnam…….like Adaikalanathan and Srikantha, have now, out of mortal fear, joined the
LTTE’s fold, and are now behaving as loyal torch bearers of Prabhakaran………
The leadership of EPRLF which showed courage to fight LTTE’s fascist tendencies……...was later
decimated….Its leader Padmanabha, and Kirubakaran, Sam Tambimuttu, Kala Tambimutta and
Yogasangaree and several others were mowed down with LTTE guns……..”
Douglas Devananda of EPDP has been attacked several times, and he lost an eye... Now they
are even going for foreigners- like the High Commissioner from Pakistan. A popular Tamil
Politician like Lakshman Kadiragamar was killed at his own house in Colombo.
Even if Prabhakaran gets his separate state, can he come out in the open, and live as
other political leaders do, when the LTTE has killed so many in other TAMIL parties such
as TULF, EPDP, TELO, EROS and EPRLF?
Or will he have to live in hiding, underground, because, before the Sinhalese, or Indians
(who want him for killing Rajiv Gandhi) get him, the Tamils themselves may attack him for
killing so many members in their families. It is not surprising to hear that his body
guards are 33% Indian Tamils! He perhaps cannot trust Sri Lankan Tamils.
Note: Fears to give name as the author presently lives overseas where the pro-LTTE Tamil
Diaspora are very active and engage in harassment and violence.
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