part of Charles Reflections 2007

The Tamil Question ... very briefly

Do permit me to note that in the 'Tribute' Booklet presented to me recently (& referred to / provided in page on Photostory 2007)
the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka had described me as "The Free Thinker" ... 'not afraid of saying what he believes is right' adding also "He would look at a problem completely from a different angle which many of us would not have even thought of". I am hoping that my comments in 'Reflections' earlier and here would all be taken in that spirit ... as coming from someone who is committed to values and is honest.

I have been very consistent for over 2 decades in my views on the so-called ‘Tamil Question’.

The Western-dominated and English-educated elite continued to be in control after 450 years of colonial rule (particularly after 150 years of British rule) and independence in 1948. To be honest (yes, though I am myself a member of one of the minority communities involved, I must be impartial and honest), one aspect involved was that persons from the Tamil and Christian communities were over-represented in the top places (of the armed forces, of the administration etc ... not so much because of favouritism but because they probably had worked hard -- sociological research into minorities the world over has shown that such is quite a normal phenomenon -- and benefited from the educational system).

J.N. Dixit was the Indian Ambassador in countries such as Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan and was later India's Foreign secretary. Among his comments in the book "Assignment Colombo" were the following:

“[The British] also played on the apprehensions of the Tamil minority and used them as an instrument in their colonial regime. Another contributory factor to the good British-Tamil equation was the British familiarity with the Tamils because of their century-old connections with the Coromandal coast of India. The result was that Tamils became disproportionately influential in the management of Sri Lankan political and economic affairs right till the time of the country’s independence despite their being a minority. Tamils also became economically dominant because of their association with colonial rulers and their comparatively aggressive entrepreneurship. So the historical, ethnic and religious antagonism was compounded by the Sinhalese feeling of being discriminated against and unfairly treated by the British with the support of the Tamils” (Dixit, 1998).

As was therefore to be expected, there was in Sri Lanka a national revivalist movement when the Sinhala-Buddhist community tried to re-assert itself. The movement reached a peak in the late 50s. They wanted their rightful place in the affairs of the country. There is no denying that when the Tamil and Christian minorities began to lose the privileged place they had some excesses did occur due to actions of the revivalist movement.

There is much talk often of the 'Sinhala only Act' of 1956 often referred to as the initial contributing factor with reference to the ethnic conflict. Its official and real name was 'The Official Language Act No. 33 of 1956". But studying carefully one notices that the causes of the conflict are to be found much earlier in history. I note here below just one of the many factors.

Studies have shown that at the time the Act was introduced, about 30% of the employees of the Ceylon Administrative/Civil Service, 50% of the Clerical Service, 60% of Professionals (engineers, doctors, lecturers), 40% of the armed forces and 40% of labour forces were Tamils. In the case of the Tamil Civil servants, (the majority of whom were confirmed to have been of the dominant vellahla caste -- if I am not mistaken by Prof A J Wilson, son-in-law of S. J. V. Chelvanayakam) many of them could only speak Tamil and English. But most uneducated villagers spoke only Sinhala. When they attempted to transact business with the Government, they ran into difficulties. And the problem was made to look as if it lay with the villager rather than the Tamil Government servant who could not speak the language of the country. The problem even pervaded the courts of law and as such justice was not available to the common man. It has also been shown that at that time Sri Lanka was in a semi-apartheid situation with English dominating.

Similar things have of course happened in other places. As I have lived 11 years in Belgium I can draw a parallel with for example the ‘Walen Buiten’ movement of the (Dutch speaking) Flemish against the (French speaking) Waloons. Yes, the pendulum swung too much to one side ... and it took many years for some sort of equilibrium to be reached.

According to the 1981 census the ethnic composition of the Sri Lankan population was 74.0% Sinhalese, 12.7% Sri Lankan Tamil, 5.5% Indian Tamil, 7.0% Sri Lankan Moor, 0.3% Burgher, 0.3% Malay
and 0.2% Others.

It needs to be appreciated that even though 80-90% of the population (of both Sinhala and Tamil) did not know English, the official working language of the State continued (as already said earlier) to be English even after Independence. Interpreters were needed even for proceedings in courts of law

The removal of English as the key language of the administration was needed. In fact long before independence J R Jayawardene (key figure in Sri Lankan politics particularly after 1997 as Prime Minister and President) was the one who proposed in 1943 in the State Council that Sinhala be the official language of the country. But later in 1956 the way and particularly the rushed manner in which the 'Official Language Act of 1956' was introduced and pushed through during the regime of (his opponent) Prime Minister S W R D Bandaranaike is certainly not something an impartial observer would agree with.

It is most surprising (to say the least) that when Prime Minister Bandaranaike entered into a pact with the Tamil leader S. J. V. Chelvanayakam (father-in-law of Prof A J Wilson referred to earlier) through the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam pact of 1957 to give more rights to the Tamil People, the one who started national protests against the changes was Mr J.R.Jayawardene (referred to in earlier para ... well known leader of the political party 'the UNP' ... father of the so-called post-1997 'Open Economy' which as referred to in 'Reflections' led to an 'Open Licence Economy' which step by step led to the erosion of the ethos of a people ... and the uncle of the current Leader of the Sri Lanka Opposition who is trying to appear to be the saviour of the Tamils, of Human Rights, of Integrity, etc) ! I do not wish to name names, but at least those who are aware of the real facts know ... who more or less gave the "go ahead" in 1983 (the much publicised 'ethnic' riots) to groups of thugs to "teach a lesson to the Tamils". (Well, one cannot laugh ... perhaps only cry.)

Fortunately things have changed since then ... 'Reasonable use of Tamil' was introduced in 1958 ... The 1978 constitution made Sinhala and Tamil the national languages of Sri Lanka with English regarded as the link language. In the late 1980s parity of status was granted. I grant that one may need to push the nitty-gritty details of some aspects of implementation ... but the legal framework is there and much has been done.

The current trend is that all new entrants into Public Service will need a working knowledge of both Sinhala and Tamil.

So the pendulum has been moving towards a better equilibrium ... but ... propaganda machines keep harping only on history ... and are not honest enough to show developments.

Coming back to what concerns Sri Lanka --- If one reads the newspapers of the West of the late fifties and the early sixties, there would be enough stories that the Christians were being persecuted. But particularly with the reformist trends of the 2nd Vatican Council it began to dawn on the Christian community that while they had a lot of power earlier, they had to accept that that was not the normal situation, that they had to be a minority --- and yet part and parcel of the Sri Lankan community.

The Tamil political leaders were not ready for any accommodation of the type. In fact a different trend had started way back in the 1930s asking for 50% of power to that minority (of about 13% in reality even if all Sri Lankan Tamils of all castes are counted ... but leaving aside the 5% or so of Indian Tamils who were frowned upon by the High Caste Tamils of Jaffna). Even a very positive national consensus to build representation on the basis of territorial boundaries instead of communal distinctions was unfortunately rejected by Tamil leaders and that reasonable and sane recommendation has always been interpreted by them as ‘communal’ whereas it was a just and fair element of solution. And so it has continued to be said that the Tamils are exploited and the Sinhalese are the exploiters. But they have continued to forget what has happened since then with the pendulum moving slowly but surely away from the relative extreme of the late fifties.

There are aspects of the conflict which are not referred to in the LTTE propaganda literature.

I believe it is good to realise that the 1956 nationalist revival in the south succeeded in wrestling the power from the then dominant feudal castes and passing same on to the broader masses from a mix of castes. The new leaders were more populist and relatively democratic.

The north was however dominated by the inbred, insular, closed Jaffna culture dominated by a vellahla leadership that was not inclined to prepare the northern electorate for multi-ethnic, democratic or tolerant cultures. It has been said that the ancient regime of feudal Jaffna was not willing to give up its past. They could retain it only through violence.

True there were attacks on Tamils in the south e.g. in 1977 and 1983. Objective study will however show that these did not have at their root a Sinhala-Buddhist antagonism against the Tamils (both communities have been living for centuries without such ethnic collisions) but because of the racist ideologies, divisive politics and aggressive and provocative tactics initiated deliberately by the Jaffna Tamil leadership to undermine and destroy the prevailing inter-ethnic relations.

The cat has been let out of the bag by none other than Prof. A. J. Wilson, who was so close to the centres of power of the northern leadership. Outlining the provocative and aggressive tactics adopted by the Jaffna Tamil leadership he wrote: "A second tactic is to destabilise the internal political situation. Political murders, acts of sabotage, and inflammatory and provocative speeches ... are the established forms, and these have been tried. The Sinhalese masses and their lower-level ethnic leadership are needled by such acts and urge their rank and file to take retaliatory action. Nothing is more satisfying to the Tamil militants." ( p. 301 - Sri Lanka and its Future: Sinhalese versus Tamils, 1981). So provocation was part of the strategy ... and it still is today.

True I condemn the 1983 attacks on some of the Tamils in the south. But I condemn also all the ethnic cleansing carried out over the years by the LTTE chasing out the close to 75000 Moslems and over 20000 Sinhalese from the north, and migrant Sinhala fisher families from the East etc. May I be permitted to add that the house I live in now belonged in 1983 to a Tamil family, and when the mobs attacked the house it was the Sinhala neighbours who hid the family and saved their lives.

And it is worth noting that while there have been so many massacres by the LTTE after 1983, the Sinhala and Moslem populations have remained patient and peaceful ... suffering in silence the loss of their beloved and struggling with the task of caring for the injured and the maimed.

Recently (July 14) when Sri Lankan Ace Cricketer Murali reached 700 test wickets the 'Associated Press' released a news item which had within it the phrase: "In a society bitterly divided along ethnic and religious lines and bruised by a two-decade-long separatist war ....". Even if one does not have access to the printed versions of news papers from around the world, it is really interesting to do a search on the web and see how so many just repeat the report parrot-wise & verbatim. ... More on the media further below ...

If as is shown to the world, there is bitter division and genocide in Sri Lanka against the Tamils then the following would just not be possible:

54% of the Tamils live outside the Northern area and 39% of Colombo is Tamil… and we live happily together, and can sort out any more problems that may exist.

For me, it is very clear that under-privilege and exploitation are not linked to religion or race. It cuts across these borders. (Even in my MA dissertation which was in demography, I was able to show through demographic data that a clear area of under-privilege started not in Jaffna but much lower and closer to Mannar and moved eastwards through Vavuniya and down through the ancient cities areas to Moneragala areas and down south thus putting the Tamils, the Sinhalese and the Moslems together amongst the underprivileged.) Those who have no access to power (be they Sinhalese, Tamils or Moslems…) are powerless. Elsewhere I have shown how powerless I sometimes am as a Sri Lankan. If I, being a person who commands respect and has so many connections etc, find that my rights as a citizen are not respected … then just imagine how powerless the ordinary citizen of the neglected regions of Sri Lanka is.

Incidentally, I had the privilege the other day of viewing the movie "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" that came out only some months back.

In the Ireland of 1920, the two brothers Damien and Teddy come together in the Irish Republican Army to fight for independence. They fight side by side until a truce is signed. But soon the two brothers find themselves pitted against one another: Teddy, who is involved in the organisation of the new Irish Free State, wishes everyone to support peace; Damien, however, deems that this peace treaty is not what he has fought for, and that it will 'only change the colour of the flag', the oppressed remaining so while the elite is replaced. This is the outbreak of the Irish Civil War.

I must confess that some Sri Lankan religious leaders who were talking of "Peace and Justice" some decades back have now shifted to a chorus of Peace. What is the meaning of "Peace" if there is no "Justice" behind it? In the film, "Peace" was achieved ... but Damien realised that the oppressed remained the same ...

This is not the place to go into a detailed analysis of the so called ‘Tamil Question’. I am not a specialist in that either. But it is very clear that this is a case where international propaganda built over several decades through a well-oiled propaganda machine has contributed to many people of good will (particularly the humanists and the humanitarian persons in the developed countries whom we must respect for their honesty) have been led to forget the complexity of the situation and take a one-sided view.

That persons with humanistic and humanitarian tendencies in the developed world have been exploited can be seen through the illustration that follows. They have been led to believe that their looking at problems in a certain way and favouring whom they see as the underdog is really the best thing to do.

I remember being invited to the university in Namur (Belgium) to make a presentation in the early 80s on the then situation in Sri Lanka. Someone from the audience posed a question about the Sri Lankan system of admission to the national universities saying that it was discriminatory towards the Tamil community. I went into a detailed explanation of the situation that existed from independence etc and showed how the privileged classes from Colombo and Jaffna (and to a lesser degree from Kandy) managed to win places in the coveted fields of Medicine, Engineering etc. Then, having stated that I did not expect a perfect system to be in place as yet, I explained the system that existed then and the rationale. At the end of it I posed the question to the audience: “When you compare what we have now, with what existed for many years after independence, could you tell me what is less elitist and more egalitarian and socialist?”. All agreed that the newer system was in the correct direction, and was proactive and affirmative. This shows that the well-intentioned people from the developed countries who may have been misled are ready to listen if facts are explained to them.

Perhaps you will permit me to relate one more story and a few more facts ... In 1982, the Belgian national TV broadcast a film shot in Sri Lanka. It was entitled "Any time is tea time behalve voor de Tamils" (the last half meaning "except for the Tamils"). It was wonderful propaganda ... The exploited estate workers were shown ... and in the minds of the viewers that became the image of the typical Tamil person and how such person lived and was treated. I wrote several letters and protested saying that if the title was "Any time is tea time behalve voor d'arbeider" (except for the worker) I was fully in agreement. The worker, whether Tamil or Sinhala received the same wage. And the audience would not have known that some of the big tea estates were owned by Tamil Businessmen and Politicians living lives of luxury. But the example illustrates how the propaganda machine was working ... When we were studying sociology I remember such processes being referred to as "glissage" (French for something like "slipping & shifting") ... where the exploited Estate Worker became "the typical Tamil".

Incidentally, speaking of the media ... I heard recently that Japan was providing an additional 3 million US dollars to continue with the removal of land mines in the North and the East. I have however been totally confused by the fact that no media report has asked the question as to who planted these land mines in the first place.

Further on the media ... on the basis of protests and a demand from 'media' personnel, the Government appears to have recently issued instructions that the media identity card issued by the Ministry of Information should be accepted as valid in place of the 'National Identity Card'. I am of the view that if Sri Lankans are required to produce the National Identity Card at check-points etc, then the same rule should be applicable to all. A media identity card can be an 'additional special permit' requesting special consideration. To me this is an indication of both a lack of clear policy as well as of 'being afraid of the media' and indirectly points to an inordinate power the media may have.

It is interesting also to go into other information that appears in the media. There is for instance a typical figure of 60,000-65,000 killed which appears in most of the International Media (AFP, AP, BBC etc.) with regard to the northern conflict. It is noted that Reuters has recently started stating "two-decades of civil war in which nearly 70,000 people have been killed since 1983". While I have used in "Reflection 2" an estimate of "around 26000" for the numbers killed in the Southern Conflict during the period 1987-1990 as stated in that same section there are officials who claim that about 65000 were killed or disappeared during the southern conflict.

And strangely the pro-LTTE website Tamil Nation at http://www.tamilnation.org/refugees/95USCourt2.htm refers to and quotes a US court case [JUDGMENT OF UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY Civ. No. 95-1922 (DRD)] which in turn quotes reports from reputed international agencies as follows:

Superimposed upon the Sinhalese-Tamil ethnic strife was the April 1971 insurrection of the Maoist Sinhalese youth movement, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna ("JVP") or People's Liberation Front. It took the government two weeks of heavy fighting to suppress the revolt, during which between 1,200 and 8,000 people were killed and 16,000 imprisoned. Thereafter, the JVP continued an armed struggle against the government which was not fully suppressed until 1990.

Disappearances and extra-judicial executions have been reported with increasing frequency since mid1983. In addition, in the late 70s opposition groups engaged in armed struggle to establish a separate Tamil State. From July 1987, armed opposition escalated in the Sinhala majority areas of southern Sri Lanka and were particularly numerous towards the latter half of 1989. In addition, the Prevention of Terrorism Act and Emergency Powers Regulations gives power to police and armed forces to arrest and detain suspects without any democratic accountability. ... Reports were received of people who have been taken and their bodies later discovered often burned and mutilated. Other people were taken into custody and disappeared after release from custody. In many cases, people have disappeared without any trace. Families seeking information about their relatives from the police station receive no information and are still waiting to hear. ... Various estimates we have received, suggest that at least 60000 people disappeared in the South of Sri Lanka since 1987. This represents about one in every 250 of the population.

Now the question is this ... The southern rebellions of 1971 and 1987-90 have been seen as super-imposed on the northern ! In such a context it is possible that the figure of 60000 referring to the killings in the south is being used as killings connected with the North! Once again a matter of convenient 'glissage' which helps the propaganda campaign ? Over to the Sri Lankan Academics and Researchers ... who do so many studies for their own promotions or for money from donor agencies ... but do not usually grapple with issues that matter!

Yes, the effect of several decades of propaganda, and of lobbying etc continued. Most of the developed countries are telling Sri Lanka and its government: “Negotiate with the LTTE”. But is that what they tell the Afghan government, or the Iraqi government or Israel? They did not say anything similar when particularly during the 2nd southern rebellion of Sri Lanka several thousands of youth Sinhalese rebels from a southern group were eliminated. (It is a pity that many persons in the west who speak about the northern rebellion unfortunately do not even know about the two rebellions in the south!) When a little thing happens in Sri Lanka, world powers, agencies and movements are quite sharp in showing that the end does not justify the means … but they seem to forget that the same principle should apply for example when western powers arm the Sunnis in Iraq to fight al-Qaeda. A recent feature in one of the national newspapers drew attention to double standards involved (http://www.island.lk/2007/07/09/features1.html). The same national newspaper in its edition of 31st July 2007 referred to the fact that the IC (international community) is misled and that it is not in giving in to the LTTE that human rights of the Tamils and of the others can be respected.

In addition to saying “Negotiate” … "Allow us free access to rebel areas and provide security and transport"... they are now saying “No aid, unless you re-start the peace process and negotiate with the LTTE”.

But of course the powerful nations do not link conditions such as those for collaboration with Israel ... even though they try sanctions in the case of Iran and North Korea etc. Some tried such tactics with Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia and we know what his reaction was. When ethnic and religious conflicts erupt in India there are no conditions either. They are powerful but Sri Lanka is small and 'beggars are not choosers' and others are trying to decide Sri Lanka's fate!

The poster opposite appeared recently around Colombo's roads. Mr Chilcott is the UK High Commissioner / Ambassador in Sri Lanka ... who has been making quite a few comments on internal affairs of Sri Lanka. The poster asks:

Mr Chilcott,
was there a
terrorist attack
on Glasgow Airport?
Please tell us
If 'yes'
when will negotiations
with Mr Bin Laden
begin?

When two cars with explosives are discovered in the centre of London or one explodes at Glasgow airport, it is "world news" ... and all action that the UK government takes (including arrests in other countries ... new terrorism regulation provisions etc.) are part of the war on terrorism. But here in Sri Lanka, on 1st June 2007 there was in the North-Central area the chance discovery of a lorry in which 1052kg of C4 explosives (and Sri Lanka does not manufacture such!) were nicely packed into its side walls. One can imagine the catastrophe that was planned.

And at the end of June there was a second discovery, this time in the East in a fishing village near Trincomalee. 1007kg of C4 explosives (once again C4) were nicely packed into the rear wall of the freezer compartment . The plan had been to use it apparently as a vehicle transporting fish.

Is it with a group that plans to unleash the "Power of the Devil" and is unwilling to give such up that the international powers are forcing Sri Lanka to negotiate?

LTTE and Pirabaharan - are they the real leaders/representatives of the Tamil people?
Let other Tamil leaders to speak.

I think it is for Tamils persons themselves to show how complex the so called “Tamil Question” is.

I will take just one example: Prof. Hoole (a respected Tamil and a good friend of mine) who was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jaffna could not assume duties and finally had to leave the country together with his family because of death threats from the LTTE. During the Munk Centre lecture at the University of Toronto on Saturday 21, April 2007 it took courage for him to speak, among other things, of communalism also among the Tamils and to highlight the dominance by the high caste Vellala.

" In further evidence of Tamil Communalism we note that Tamil intellectual leadership by the Vellahla caste that orchestrates this Jaffna-centric Caste-Hindu Nazism (Tamil Sangam of NY even today carries an article on its web-site describing Roman Catholics as low caste). Incidentally the Vellahlas shout from the West while many Roman Catholic Tamils die fighting for the LTTE. If you take any Tamil leader, you will find the he is highly likely to be Vellahla, Hindu and from Jaffna and he would say that we are all united and have no problems. The rest will remain silent because of what this vicious crown can do to them for not falling in line ..."

It can be useful to just have a look at alternative analytical and critical yet positive views among the Tamil community. The University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) cannot operate from Jaffna because of death threats against them. But it is worth visiting their website (www.uthr.org/index.html) which they maintain despite many difficulties. The picture below shows a graphic of their home page. It certainly is a site worth visiting.

There is much more. The chasing away of all the non-Tamils (Moslems and Sinhalese) from the north, and the murder of those who tried to stay on was never called 'genocide' but the word is used as describing what the government does. Let us forget the many thousands of innocent civilians killed by the LTTE but think of their eliminating scores of Tamil leaders who were moderate and had a different point of view such as Alfred Duraiappah (the Mayor of Jaffna), Appapillai Amirthalingam (the leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front), Dr Neelan Thiruchelvam (eminent constitutional lawyer), and Lakshman Kadirgamar (then the much respected Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka). But there is no need to go on.

This article (www.tamilnewsweb.com/Central chronicle_11jan07.htm) shows what an independent Tamil website has to say about the need for the LTTE to keep the conflict going without finding a solution for otherwise that economy (estimated at 500 million US dollars a year) will collapse. So the LTTE is not ready for a consensual solution. Then why force Sri Lanka to negotiate … is it because the western powers have a vested interest or are afraid of what the world’s second most vicious terrorist organization can do in their own lands? On 23 July Reuters reported that the internationally well known Jane's Intelligence Review in its August
issue was carrying information ... which any impartial observer can see is a confirmation of the earlier info.

Mr Kadiragamar (Sri Lankan Foreign Minister) was killed by the LTTE. A few paragraphs above one notes the names of some of the other Tamil leaders who dared to have different views and were eliminated by the LTTE.

Douglas Devananda, Minister in the current Sri Lankan Government and leader of the 'The Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF)' has escaped many attempts on his life while many of his party members have been killed. (See statement published at a Tamil website... see especially the appeal to the international community in the last para.)

V Anandasangaree, leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) is under death threat too. He is a respected and mature leader. Here is what he had to say on 26th June 2007.

So, then ... what ?
What I would tell my friends (particularly my foreign friends) is …
Let us be honest and accept that this is a highly complex situation.

We appreciate your good will ... your humanistic concerns. But you need to reflect on whether you are being misled and exploited.

First of all, let us try to leave stereotypes out. The Sinhalese and the Buddhists are not genocidal or murderers. They are not chauvinistic or communal either. Only a handful among them are. The Tamils are not terrorists. Only a few among them are. The vast majority of Sri Lankans (irrespective of religion, race etc) are wonderful people. Those of you who have visited Sri Lanka would have discovered what the typical Sri Lankan is.

The typical tourist does not however easily discover who the real underdogs of Sri Lanka are. Sri Lankans usually do not display their problems. They hide such behind a smile. But the real underdog in the Sri Lankan situation is the ordinary powerless citizen ...irrespective of whether such person is Sinhala, Tamil, Moslem or other. I have lived among Tamil Estate workers for years and know what struggles they go through even though there has been some improvement in the last decade or so. I have personally worked with the powerless Tamil people of Colombo ... for example the cattle-mart community in Dematagoda. Such poverty and powerlessness however affects also the Sinhalese and other communities in the slums of Colombo or in the fringes of the city or in the remote villages. Their lot is not improving.

Yes, I went through a major health crisis in 2006 and the cost of 6 weeks of care and surgery etc (leaving aside continuing costs for tests, drugs etc) permitting me to be alive today was over 15 months of a senior lecturer's salary! I had the connections and so many were ready to help me. But what are the options available to an ordinary powerless connection-less Sri Lankan falling ill in that manner ... often it is to accept the inevitable!

Systematic changes are required within the Sri Lankan system to respect and protect the rights of all these.

Given that, as for the current so-called "National Question", the best way to simplify it is to force the Sri Lankan government to work for a solution that is fair to all citizens (elsewhere I show how the rights of the ordinary citizens are being violated and the innocent have to die on Sri Lankan roads or at the hands of thugs), and fair to the Tamil community which has so many leaders who are ready to join hands with others and negotiate. But unfortunately what stands in the way is the LTTE.

Let us see the reality … examine it … be intelligent and rational
and not keep on saying that the Government and the LTTE are the two parties between whom negotiations should take place.

Yes, the LTTE too can be part of the Tamil representation if they give up arms, and stop the killing, extortion, child recruitment etc. Well, if they are not ready to do such, the government and the international community should work together for a different solution.

A minority (of Sinhalese, Tamils, Moslems etc) floats in riches and pleasures and they are the ones linked to power whether political, economic, or of the mafia. The real underdogs ... the ordinary people (irrespective of race and religion) of this land are suffering and go from bad to worse. It is their future we must be concerned about. What we need is a Sri Lanka that is more democratic and inclusive, where the rights of the simplest are respected.

But of course 'beggars are not choosers'. Sri Lanka is a small country and its precious resources are being used up for a meaningless war. Is the war justified? Who is responsible? Which is the way forward?

Some of what is above will hopefully provide indications of the orientation needed ... not only by the Government of Sri Lanka and its people ... but also by the 'International Community' which (probably in good will, and due to lobbying by the Tamil Diaspora and bombardment by a biased media) created conditions in which the LTTE became stronger and stronger. Some of the recent arrests of LTTE kingpins in USA, UK and Australia are perhaps eye-openers. It is also interesting to note that there are dissenting voices in Norway which is the "centre" of the Peace Process ('Peace Industry' specialist?).

Can we work together at least now ... not for a country that the LTTE wants ... but for a Sri Lanka that is more democratic and inclusive, where the rights of the simplest are respected and protected ?

postscript:

On 11th July, Sri Lanka Armed Forces captured "Thoppigala" the last major camp of the LTTE in the Eastern Province. Did the international media report it? How did they do it? Did they report it as a "liberation"? Did they give the details of what was found? Did they report on the civilians who had been held prisoners and who surrendered to the Armed Forces? If not why?

And within Sri Lanka who belittled the achievement? Which groups kept silent about it?

There is for example a well-known Moslem Leader / Politician who said in parliament after the recent events in the East that the "Tamil People" are being made to "feel conquered". I have yet to meet a Sri Lankan who wants to conquer the Tamils. The problem is with "LTTE terrorists" and not with the Tamil people. These are all indications of the games that different people are trying to play. So, what this politician says can be true only if one thinks that "LTTE" equals "Tamils" in which case it is difficult to imagine how the State and the People permit 39% of Colombo's population which is Tamil to live peacefully and safe amongst the rest.

As a person not linked to any political party, and tries to be impartial but committed to issues and values, (and also one not prone to easily accepting conspiracy theories) ... I cannot but hypothesise that there can easily be behind all this a political conspiracy. One is not interested in the "ordinary people" but one wants to grab power "does not matter how". The slightly more "populist" trends within the country are anathema to such people ... and to foreign groups and powers who fear they will not be able to "play the same games" if the populists capture power and so keep pumping money into the country for the purpose of furthering their own agendas by discrediting populist leaders. (Their local agents in some NGOs and organisations too play the game of telling the world what their principals would "like" them to say.) And so all some of our political leaders (among others) are keen on highlighting are the weak points of persons ... and not really of the system (supported by proposed structural and permanent solutions). And unfortunately (while hopefully being a committed Christian) I have to be honest enough to admit that many Christian Leaders (as well as some of the political/politicised Buddhist Monks) are (wittingly or unwittingly) part of the conspiracy (perhaps by not understanding the reality that is beyond what is apparent).

There was recently a statement attributed to the Bishop of Jaffna Dr Thomas Saundaranayagam. I find it difficult to understand why the Bishop - who for example is a friend of mine with whom I have lived 5 years in Kandy and to whom I have rendered many services just as he had done to me - refers to Sinhala Buddhist Chauvinism. The problem is that when persons held in high esteem in responsible positions make statements that are quoted internationally there is a greater readiness on the part of the international community (and in particular those who are 'humanitarian / humane' oriented) to accept such statements as true. Unfortunately, on an earlier occasion the Bishop denied a report that had appeared in the same source (Tamilnet) and finally Tamilnet had to admit that they were basing themselves not on the Bishop but on sources close to the Bishop.

I do admire the concern for the people my classmate Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar manifests. But there are many situations where some level of naivete does manifest itself. He even went to the extent of suggesting that the LTTE does not recruit children and the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) was courageous enough to point that out. He has recently been appealing for the area around the well-known Madhu Shrine in his diocese to be a 'peace zone'. I note that when my daughter visited that shrine after the signing of the cease-fire agreement he was very kind enough to give an opportunity for my daughter to meet him and had spoken of the wonderful times we had spent together in Kandy for seven years. I do however have photographs which show clearly that even the sanctuary area of the shrine was being guarded by LTTE Police in uniform. Such I believe would reflect the underlying forces, pressures and imagery involved. So we probably have to understand that he is torn between different forces.

Further, sociological analysis leads one to hypothesise that other factors too may be at play. When President Premadasa was moving towards becoming the Prime Minister and later President it was very clear that there was behind many things a clash between the "Colombo Elite" culture and the "Rural Masses". I believe that similar forces too are at work even today.

I certainly am not trying to defend everything the current government is doing. My views are clearly presented in the "reflections" section. I think that the waste of the people's money through commissions some obtain on various projects (& which international organisations give) and by way of the number of Ministries, of Government Ministers, and of perks offered to them is a terrible sin crying for vengeance.(We need to remember that politics is a big business. People spend a lot of money to become elected representatives / members of parliament. And so once they are in, they try to concentrate on making several times the amounts they spent. And so the need is for a reform of the electoral system introduced in 1978 when the present Opposition was in power saying we would have the best Constitution in the World, better than that of France or USA!) But as I said in 'Reflections 2' let the political parties come together and end corruption and waste in a firm structured manner reducing the risk of such continuing to occur also when others come to power. The rights -- not only of those who have access to the media and to international bodies that shout -- but of the people as a whole and the weaakest in particular have to be protected. But one cannot solve all problems at once. As happened in Northern Ireland and other places steps must be brought to limit the impact of the terrorist problem (which compounds the problems referred to earlier) and move towards a political solution (not the one Tigers are demanding with the gun but) that is just and fair to all peoples of Sri Lanka. Even with regard to the latter one notes a good sign in that the "All Party Representative Conference" has been functioning for some months now trying to build a consensus.

Just when some meaningful (may not be perfect!) steps are being taken to solve (not the Ethnic Problem but the real problem which to me is one of the key causes of the chaotic situation in the country ...) the "Terrorist Problem" (on the military front through appropriate action and on the political front through an "All Party Representative Conference") I find it absurd that political leaders who only 4-5 years back were saying that the "Ethnic Problem" was the key issue to be solved ... are avoiding the issue ... and are concentrating instead on other issues as priority ... particularly when the key leader of such is one who has lost elections for his party on 13 occasions and when the more democratic elements of his party have broken away. Political games?

The 'primitive blogs' section includes a note that Charles had dispatched in November 2005 soon after the voting had ended for the last Presidential Election. To Charles, nearly all Sri Lankan political leaders are not desirable ... but he concluded that the option available was to choose "the lesser of two evils". He prefers not to look at what politicians say (we have had enough experience of people saying one thing and doing another... and in fact ruining Sri Lanka using wonderful and high-sounding theories and selling off public assets - to name just one, the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment - to stooges below value) but to try to discover their patterns of behaviour. He continues to be of the view that the more people-oriented, more rural-oriented, more country-oriented and less-dictatorial is better than one who in reality is mainly more urban-elite oriented, more international-oriented, more corporate-business-oriented and more dictatorial. Yes, all are playing political games and all are corrupt in varying degrees. (It may be of interest to see what Charles had to say in his article "Youth in Rebellion" available in the "Articles" section about what the situation was when the first post-independence rebellion of southern youth took place in 1971. ...and then ... In 1977 we had thought that the new leader -- uncle of the current Leader of the Opposition -- who emerged would be a benevolent dictator who would put the country in the right direction ... but we know what happened!) Until a cleansing occurs (-when, if such were possible?-) it will continue to be a matter of choosing what appears on each occasion to be the "lesser evil" or what in management implies a choice of a satisficing solution instead of an optimizing one.

Yes, of course ... politicians the world over play games. But if the ordinary people have a basic standard of living and things move relatively smoothly ... the people can survive crises. (I remember a time -- was it in the 1980s? -- when Governments were falling one after another in the Netherlands. There was a superb article the title of which was "How to Govern without a Government". Yes, life went on quite normally.) The impact of political games is (super for the privileged ... as they have the resources and know how to profit from any side) however disastrous for the weaker and the weakest in countries such as ours.

I have always been of the view that the merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces is against the Constitution as language, race, religion etc cannot be reasons for decision-making. (Further, I do not think India or the US will re-mark the boundaries of their States. There are certain facts we accept from history as 'given'..) Another reason is that the East is not the North ...The East is very special. It is in reality a microcosm of Sri Lanka as home equally to Sinhala, Tamil and Moslem peoples. That should retain that identity and be a model for the rest of Sri Lanka. The merger referred to was forced on the country through the Indo-SriLanka Agreement of 29 July 1987. But there was a clause that the people would decide the future by a referendum that was to have been held on or before 31 December 1988. That was never held.

It is interesting to look at a few points raised in the national weekly 'Sunday Times' editorial of 15th July. Yes, why is the "International Community" silent?

My honest view is that everything possible should be done to hold a fair and peaceful election in the Eastern Province. Let all those commissions, observers etc who came from abroad and all local groups who monitored earlier elections in the country (and helped change Sri Lanka's 'election culture' to become relatively fair and free) get involved to ensure that the election be non-violent, peaceful and not rigged.

It is not enough to let violence and the use of force to impose themselves ... and to issue a report afterwards to condemn such. If needed, the armed forces must be given power to "shoot to kill" anyone who tries to use violence at election time. Let the foreign observers oversee this. And let religious leaders be there on the spot at election booths ... ready even to die (after all that is what they preach)... in order to protect the freedom of the people to choose their leaders and their future.

Further ... elections must go ahead in spite of any violence that will occur. One tactic of the terrorists will be create some initial violence and get their agents to shout for postponement of elections. Such is and will be part of another strategy, another game, which must be defeated.

That will be the real test for democracy in the East. Yes, let the people of the East (not the politicians in Colombo, nor politicians and armed groups in the East with their own agendas) ... decide their leaders and their future freely. Let Sri Lankans and the International Community come together to ensure such a step forward.

That is the best all can do (in addition to ensuring that the benefits of the Development Effort that is being launched really reaches the ordinary people) ... to help the people of the East who have suffered too much ... and by clearly getting the message across to the terrorists that terrorism will not win help also the whole of Sri Lanka who too have suffered too much over nearly 3 decades.

I tend to believe that the fact of whether a conspiracy of the type referred to earlier (which is not really for the 'People', but for power and for other agendas and in which the Leader of the Opposition and his stooges, some of the developed countries, some international organisations and NGOs/INGOs, some elements of the media both national and international, some elements of the Christian Community in Sri Lanka, etc.) exists will be proven if the international community does not come to the help of Sri Lanka to have Free Elections in the East and save and develop it for the sake of its people, which province as I said earlier is for me a microcosm of Sri Lanka.

Yes, there are other problems in Sri Lanka (real major problems that have to be tackled in a 'structural way' and also minor problems bloated out of proportion by parties involved in the conspiracy) ... and who does not have them? But we must give priority to what deserves such. So let us see.

But, of course, the LTTE, though beaten, has declared war. It has given a clear signal that it will prevent free elections by killing the Chief Secretary of the Eastern Province on 16th July. Those who helped create the LTTE and the international community, international media, and the international non-governmental organisations etc etc (in varying ways and degrees) contributed to the LTTE gaining such power so as to become the world's 2nd most powerful terrorist group have the responsibility to tell the LTTE ...

" Stop or you will be damned".

But if one forgets the international community, even some of our power-hungry local political leaders don't have a backbone to do that ... and what they do will only further support the agenda not of the people but of the LTTE ... . A sarcastic cartoon in the national weekly http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2007/07/22/fea03.asp sums it all up very well.

I am afraid that the campaigns for human rights are all on behalf of those who have access to the media. I have shown in the other sections on 'reflections' that the rights of many thousands of ordinary people are being violated all the time ... and that they die, or carry the burdens imposed, or suffer in silence simply because they are powerless.

A minority (of Sinhalese, Tamils, Moslems etc) floats in riches and pleasures and they are the ones linked to power whether political, economic, or of the mafia. The real underdogs ... the ordinary people (irrespective of race and religion) of this land are suffering and go from bad to worse. It is their future we must be concerned about.

My fear is that through some of the current campaigns (human rights, peace, etc.) we may ignore the real reforms needed and may effect some changes that will perpetuate the system of power and privilege.

Yes, on the whole, we Sri Lankans (of all races, religions etc.) are humane, hospitable, peace-loving and conciliatory ... to all peoples (of the other races and religions) ... It is only with extremists and terrorists that we do not agree.

Yes, Tiger Terrorism can be defeated if the kind of power-hungry conspiracies are left aside. Much has already happened since independence for assuring the rights of the Tamil People. But even more important, a democratic and inclusive society (where disparities are not there or are at least within acceptable range, and) where the rights of the weakest (whether they be Tamil or Moslem or Sinhalese ... for those are the really exploited) are well protected can be built.

Que Sera, Sera ?...

Irrespective of the people, what they want they will somehow-or-other get ? ...

Make offers that one cannot refuse?

Or what? ...