Sri Lanka: Status Report on the Current Situation.
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Posted on: 30-04-09 19:31:07
Quote:
Originally posted by tamilkuravan
Quote:
Originally posted by Fido
Are Sri Lankan Tamils different from Indian Tamils ? ... simple question .
If different , those demonstrating - are they Indians / Sri Lankans ?
I was confused when someone told me that those demonstrating or from Sri Lanka .
Hi Fido,
When people first populated Sri lanka, it is said that North Indian formed the main Singala population while the Tamils of India formed the Tamil population in Sri lanks. When the British ruled India and Sri Lanka, Many south Indians were taken as labourers to work in the tea planations of Sri lanka. Most of them never came back to India as conditions in Sri lanka were better than that of India.
So the Sri Lankan tamils are totally different culturally, politically and locationally from the current Indian Tamils. Who ever was in the rally was from Sri lanka and not from Indian Tamil nadu (though many sri lankan Tamils fled to Tamil Nadu of India and then applied for refugee status at all locations all over the world)
Peace by TK
So it is these Tamils that were taken as Tea plantation workers that are now demanding a separate state? Is that correct?
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If you have a gun, you can rob a bank.
If you have a bank, you can rob everyone.
- Bill Maher
Quote:
Originally posted by blorean
Quote:
Originally posted by tamilkuravan
Quote:
Originally posted by Fido
Are Sri Lankan Tamils different from Indian Tamils ? ... simple question .
If different , those demonstrating - are they Indians / Sri Lankans ?
I was confused when someone told me that those demonstrating or from Sri Lanka .
Hi Fido,
When people first populated Sri lanka, it is said that North Indian formed the main Singala population while the Tamils of India formed the Tamil population in Sri lanks. When the British ruled India and Sri Lanka, Many south Indians were taken as labourers to work in the tea planations of Sri lanka. Most of them never came back to India as conditions in Sri lanka were better than that of India.
So the Sri Lankan tamils are totally different culturally, politically and locationally from the current Indian Tamils. Who ever was in the rally was from Sri lanka and not from Indian Tamil nadu (though many sri lankan Tamils fled to Tamil Nadu of India and then applied for refugee status at all locations all over the world)
Peace by TK
So it is these Tamils that were taken as Tea plantation workers that are now demanding a separate state? Is that correct?
Yes.
Quote:
Originally posted by Fendbend
Quote:
Originally posted by blorean
Quote:
Originally posted by tamilkuravan
Quote:
Originally posted by Fido
Are Sri Lankan Tamils different from Indian Tamils ? ... simple question .
If different , those demonstrating - are they Indians / Sri Lankans ?
I was confused when someone told me that those demonstrating or from Sri Lanka .
Hi Fido,
When people first populated Sri lanka, it is said that North Indian formed the main Singala population while the Tamils of India formed the Tamil population in Sri lanks. When the British ruled India and Sri Lanka, Many south Indians were taken as labourers to work in the tea planations of Sri lanka. Most of them never came back to India as conditions in Sri lanka were better than that of India.
So the Sri Lankan tamils are totally different culturally, politically and locationally from the current Indian Tamils. Who ever was in the rally was from Sri lanka and not from Indian Tamil nadu (though many sri lankan Tamils fled to Tamil Nadu of India and then applied for refugee status at all locations all over the world)
Peace by TK
So it is these Tamils that were taken as Tea plantation workers that are now demanding a separate state? Is that correct?
Yes.
But there was a small twist to the story. During the 20’s , 30’s and 40’s the Tamils qualified themselves very well and were placed in all top Government positions by the British and the majority Sinhalese were less influential.
After the British left the usual trend started. The majority even though ill- equipped tried to grab the power and with a great dosage of nationalism , language feeling etc made it into a full blown problem.
Quote:
Originally posted by Fendbend
Quote:
Originally posted by blorean
Quote:
Originally posted by tamilkuravan
Quote:
Originally posted by Fido
Are Sri Lankan Tamils different from Indian Tamils ? ... simple question .
If different , those demonstrating - are they Indians / Sri Lankans ?
I was confused when someone told me that those demonstrating or from Sri Lanka .
Hi Fido,
When people first populated Sri lanka, it is said that North Indian formed the main Singala population while the Tamils of India formed the Tamil population in Sri lanks. When the British ruled India and Sri Lanka, Many south Indians were taken as labourers to work in the tea planations of Sri lanka. Most of them never came back to India as conditions in Sri lanka were better than that of India.
So the Sri Lankan tamils are totally different culturally, politically and locationally from the current Indian Tamils. Who ever was in the rally was from Sri lanka and not from Indian Tamil nadu (though many sri lankan Tamils fled to Tamil Nadu of India and then applied for refugee status at all locations all over the world)
Peace by TK
So it is these Tamils that were taken as Tea plantation workers that are now demanding a separate state? Is that correct?
Yes.
No! Tamil speaking Sri Lankans can broadly be classified in to 3 main groups:
1) Sri Lanka Tamils
2) Muslim Tamils ( Moors )
3) Indian Tamils ( Up Country Tamils )
The first 2 groups were in Sri Lanka long before Portuguese/ Dutch / British colonial times. The 3rd group, the Indian Tamils were brought by the British as labourers to work on tea plantations ( just like Indian Tamils were brought by the British to Malaysia to work on rubber estates ). Famous spin bowler Murali comes from this 3rd group.
Those who are demanding a separate state come from the 1st group. This 1st group can inturn be classified into 3 sub-groups according to their locality:
i) Jaffna ( Northern ) Tamils
ii) Eastern Tamils
iii) Colombo Tamils
Jaffna Tamils consider themselves as the " premier" Tamil goup and the split in the LTTE in 2004 was because of differences between the Jaffna group and the Eastern group - the Eastern group apparently felt that the Jaffna group was using the Easterners as sacrificial lambs duing fighting.
Colombo Tamils are mainly Jaffna Tamils and some Eastern Tamils who settled in Colombo during colonial times.
There are some differences in dialect and culture between all these groups. Because of obvious caste differences, Group 1 ( Sri Lanka Tamils ) generally regard the Group 3 (Indian Tamils) as belonging to the lowest rung of the Tamil social ladder and intermarriage between Group 1 and 3 are rare.
We have had so much information and propoganda from both sides in this civil war. It is indeed difficult (and more, a matter of opinion) as to who is on the right side of morality, in this 33 year old conflict.
I have followed this war from it's infancy (way back in 76), when I just finished school. No matter who wins this war, the only casualty is the common man, in the predominantly Tamil speaking areas of Sri lanka. One side yells \"bloody Genocide\" and the other won't let the \"terrorists break up the country\".
No matter what the situation, there are certain facts that can't be hidden.
1. Thanks to the self centered, egomaniac Prabhakaran, the local people have had development or progress during the last 33 years - schools were converted into training camps, agriculture has suffered and people have gone hungry.
2. Health care has been virtually non-existent, and people have died in the thousands, due to disease.
3. Families have suffered on an individual basis - children have been taken away forcibly, (conscripted?) into the army - some of them as young as 12 or 13.
4. The local populace has had no education in the last 33 years - those with some semblance of education and skills have taken refuge in other countries.
If this self styled leader had any interest in the welfare of \"his Tamil brethren\", he would have solved this crisis politically, instead of continuing this war (which he will never win). He could have turned this area into a paradise, if he wished to.
The tragedy is that he lives in a world of make believe - No matter what we like, the Srilankan Government will never let the LTTE get away with breaking the country.If he had taken the path of dialogue and political solution instead of guns and violence, thousands of lives (on both sides) could have been saved.
The irony is that the Tamils and some of our own politicians like karunanidhi, Jayalalitha and Vaiko equate Prabhakaran to Gandhi,and Nelson Mandela!!
The Tamils have been brainwashed into believing that there is no other path, than that of violence, and bloodshed to solve this crisis. As long as this belief stays in the mind of the Tamils, there will be no peace. The only other way there will be a forced peace is the elimination of the LTTE, and it's violent leaders.
For those of you who want to understand the different viewpoints on recent Tamil protests worldwide, the below article AND the over 200 reader comments will make very interesting reading.
http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/461
Quote:
Originally posted by wesley
For those of you who want to understand the different viewpoints on recent Tamil protests worldwide, the below article AND the over 200 reader comments will make very interesting reading.
http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/461</font>
Very fair and balanced article, Wesley. Finally, someone says it exactly how things are on the ground.
Talking to many colleagues, it’s very clear that the recent University avenue blockades have severely damaged whatever goodwill Tamil Diaspora have earned in the past 2 decades. Many Canadians now view the ‘Eelam’ struggle and Sri Lankan tamils in a very negative light.
Peace,
Seenappa
