[lg policy] Northerners are no less Sri Lankan

[Harold Schiffman]

Northerners are no less Sri Lankan
Posted by Sri Lanka Guardian culture, feature 10:57:00 AM

Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission



by N. Paramesvaran in Jaffna

(November 14, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Lessons Learnt and
Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) on Thursday and Friday heard from
several prominent persons from the Jaffna district, including wives of
prominent LTTE leaders reported missing. Jayavathi, wife of one time
LTTE politburo member Yogaratnam Yogi, claimed that, her husband had
surrendered to the military, along with several senior LTTE cadres,
but they have not been heard of since then.

“My husband Yogi, Puthuvai Ratnadurai (in charge of the LTTE’s fine
arts division) Lawrence Thilakar (in charge of the LTTE’s European
division), Baby Subramanian and some others surrendered to the
military at Vattuvahal on May 18, 2009. Rev Frances Joseph was also
there, and they were all taken way in a bus. We have not heard from
them since then”, Mrs Yogi told the Commission.

She pleaded with the Commission to assist her trace the whereabouts of
her husband. Former Vice Chancellor- Jaffna University, Prof. P.
Balsundarampillai blamed the Sinhala Only Act for the troubles between
the Tamils and the Sinhalese, and non implementation of the Official
Language Policy, as contributing to the continuation of the problems.
“Tamil medium students are around 23%, but the percentage of Tamil
speaking persons in the administrative service is below 5%. We have
Tamil identity, Sinhalese identity, Muslim identity, but have failed
to create a Sri Lankan identity,” he said.

A delegate of the Jaffna Diocesan Laity Council, A Shanthipillai
addressing the Commission, said that it is disturbing that the
Government, even after 17 months since the war ended, has not
indicated the type of political solution it hopes to put forward. He
also urged the LLRC to try and find the real cause for all the
disturbances of the past five years, and to recommend viable, just and
effective approaches to solve the long festering problem.

Meanwhile, President- Sarvodya Movement, Dr A.T. Ariyaratna, in his
submissions to the LLRC in Colombo on Tuesday (9), said that, “the
State should be sensitive to the feelings, needs and aspirations of
the people in a plural society and take adequate note of actions by
non State organisations. State machinery such as the CID and other
intelligence services, maintained at taxpayers expense, should not be
used to hunt down opponents of the government in power, but instead,
for purposes of real national security,” he said.- The Sunday Times

http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2010/11/northerners-are-no-less-sri-lankan.html

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