Sinhalese should follow Canada, in federalism and language policy

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From Asian Tribune (Bangkok)

Date : 2005-10-22
Even if the Tamils want peace they will still have war

Sinhalese say, no federalism, no Tsunami relief, no autonomy, no homeland,
no self-determination, no ISGA, no mediation by Norwegians, and no nothing
for Tamils, writes P.Chandran in response to Asoka Weerasinghes latest
letter to the Editor of "Asian Tribune." Chandran further writes, What the
Sinhalese are now screaming is "if the Tamils want war, they will have
war, if they want peace, they will still have war, but disarm and come for
talks on our terms, we are the masters, you obey us or else.." The full
text of P. Chandrans letter is given below :

Dear Editor, Asian Tribune

A Racist Exposed

Asoka Weerasinghe's false statements are getting exposed in Asian Tribune.
He is not a man of substance as can be seen from the following. He wrote
wrongly that Thesawalamai law does not allow Sinhalese to buy an inch of
land in Jaffna. However, he says in contradiction, that there were 27,000
Sinhalese in Jaffna in 1971. How come. How were so many Sinhalese lived in
Jaffna without an inch of land? Were they all standing on air? The
Sinhalese Home Guards are running riot in the Tamil homeland with the help
of the Sinhalese armed forces . There are so many Sinhalese and Muslim MPs
and JVP thugs in the Tamil homeland. They say you cannot hide a full
pumpkin in a plate of rice.

Asoka, I never said that there are 400,000 Sinhalese armed forces in
Jaffna. What I wrote was that there are 40,000 not 400,000. You have added
360,000 to my figure. Asoka is repeating the lie that Tamils were 10 % of
the population in the 1940s. When Ceylon was given independence in 1948,
the Tamil population was over 2 millions out of a total of 8 millions i.e.
about 26 % (Eelam Tamils 13 % and Upcountry Tamils 13%) and not 10 %. Due
to genocide by the Sinhalese it is now reduced to 18 %.

Sinhalese are also divided into Upcountry and Low Country Sinhalese. Asoka
is counting all the Sinhalese, but only counting half the Tamils,
conveniently leaving out Upcountry Tamils. Is Asoka saying that Upcountry
Tamils are not Tamils or are they a non-existence in his racist mind? What
arithmetic, what logic is this? He is having one argument for Sinhalese
and different set for Tamils. As a racist, Asoka supports the expulsion of
the Ceylon Upcountry Tamils who had lived for generations. He himself
maintains his umbilical cord with his motherland Sinhalese Lanka, but
remains in Canada even after retirement. He does not want to return to the
land where he was born. One argument for himself and another for the
Tamils.

If you apply the qualification demanded by the Sinhalese from Upcountry
Tamils to let them live in Ceylon, Asoka Weerasinghe will get thrown out
of Canada. Dushy Ratnatunga, Ira de Silva, and all those chauvinists doing
propaganda against Tamils, will not be qualified to live in the Western
countries if the same qualifications are demanded. Asoka knows that
Sinhalese have been using Tamils against Tamils like Douglas Devananda,
Anandasangaree, Karuna and G.G. Ponnambalam. D.S.  Senanayake, the father
of Sinhalese racism used G.G. Ponnambalam against Tamils by giving him a
minister's post to get him to vote against Tamils.  This is classic divide
and rule policy used by colonial masters.

Asoka is writing half truths about caste system among Tamils, which the
LTTE has banned. The Tamil leader himself is not a Vellala. So what Asoka
Weerasinghe wrote is false and misleading. He is flogging a dead horse.
The banned caste system among the Tamils is similar to the caste system
among Sinhalese, which he has covered up. The Sinhalese are divided into
Goigama, Karava, Salagama, Padu, Rodiyas and so on. The Sinhalese
treatment of Rodiyas is worse than the Tamil caste system, as they are
forced to beg for food and women cannot fully cover their body. Asoka
should accept this truth. Half truths are worse than lies.

As usual, Asoka is trying to cover up the caste system among the Sinhalese
by talking of it as only among Tamils. The Sinhalese are destroying
churches in the South and the army is occupying some temples in Northeast.
This is sacrilege. S.J.V.  Chelvanayagam, who led the Tamils till his
death was a Christian and he never changed his religion like the Sinhalese
politicians. General Janaka Perera is accused as a war criminal
responsible for massacring thousands of Tamil civilians and the Chemmani
mass graves in Jaffna. Asoka, you cannot deny this. You are praising him
for killing innocent Tamils and obliterating Tamil villages and naming
them after his name.

When the Sinhalese army occupied Jaffna and planted the lion flag in 1995,
there were nearly 900,000 people. Now, after ten years, there are only
half that numbers left there. Where are the rest of the Tamils? Asoka is
lying about the killing of the Principals. The Principal of Kopay Training
School (Sic) was a strong supporter of LTTE and was conferred the title of
Naadupattalar (patriot) by the Tamil leader. He was reportedly killed by
the Sinhalese intelligence in collaboration with para militaries. Tamils
students protested his killing by the Sinhalese backed elements, but Asoka
is twisting facts. The Sinhalese army is spreading false information to
the world.

Standardization of marks is a ruse by the Sinhalese to keep out the Tamils
from equitable education system and the public services. Asoka cannot deny
what a Sinhalese diplomat Mr. Godage wrote and confirmed, that Tamils
cannot transact business in Tamil. Sinhalese police and courts force the
Tamils to use Sinhalese language, which they do not understand.
Recruitment of Tamils to the public services has dropped to 3%. or 4 %.
Does Asoka Weerasinghe deny this and does he consider this equitable.

The other day, Tamil MP Sampanthan complained that Bank of Ceylon, a state
bank, has recruited only 2 % Tamils and sent all Sinhala officers to
Trincomalee, a Tamil town. Don't tell that this is equitable. It is high
time Asoka supports affirmative programs to help the poor internally
displaced Tamil refugees, created by the Sinhalese armed forces. If Asoka
wants to take Canada as an example, Sinhalese should follow Canada, in
federalism and language policy, which they are not doing.

Asoka comes out with a mother of all lies by saying that in June 1987, the
Tamil separatists threatened to blow up the 15 storey building in Ottawa,
because he was working in the 14th floor. Is Asoka Weerasinghe so
important that the Tamils can destroy hundreds of Canadians to get at this
man? Can Asoka name the culprits; if not withdraw accusing the peaceful
Tamil Canadian community. You owe an apology. Asoka, you are a good story
teller, but a bad communicator. You are anti-social versions is spreading
racial animosity.

Is it surprising that with people like Asoka Weerasinghe, JVP, JHU,
Sinhala Urumaya and Mahinda Rajapakse demanding a mono-ethnic unitary
Sinhala Budhist state, Tamils will move more towards a separate Eelam.

These Sinhalese say, no federalism, no Tsunami relief, no autonomy, no
homeland, no self-determination, no ISGA, no mediation by Norwegians, and
no nothing for Tamils. What the Sinhalese are now screaming is "if the
Tamils want war, they will have war, if they want peace, they will still
have war, but disarm and come for talks on our terms, we are the masters,
you obey us or else.."

P. Chandran, Canada.

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