I would like to draw the serious attention of the Government of Sri Lanka to the following news Item appeared in THE HINDU National NewspaperTuesday, Oct 06, 2009
Posted on October 7th, 2009
Dr.Sudath. Gunasekara. President Senior Citizens Movement. Kandy 6.10.2009.
Refugees seek dual citizenship
Madurai\Tirunelveli\Tiruchi, Oct. 5: While Indian Tamil descendants of the island nation living in refugee camps here rejoice over the DMKƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s proposal for permanent resident status, Sri Lankan Tamil refugees apprehensive over future demand dual citizenship.
As a race we are wronged and hence remain stateless, is the refrain of refugees living inside and outside camps. But not a single soul wants to go back to the island Republic immediately given the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-gross human rights violationsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ against Tamils there. Albeit, the Lankan Tamils still nurse the fond hope of returning to their motherland, the Tamil Eelam.
Newton (60), a fisherman of Peshalai living in Aanaiyur camp in suburban Madurai says, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We will be grateful if the Indian government makes us permanent residents here and at the same time ensures of our citizenship rights in Lanka. It should not be a question of losing one eyesight for the sake for another for we live a decent life here with our roots there.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ All his neighbours in the camp back his plea.
Middle-aged refugees and women prefer to stay back as they feel there is no safety and security in the war-torn island. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Despite the Sri Lankan governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s claim that the ethnic war has ended, the situation there is not conducive for us. Unless the Indian government forces us to go back, I shall not go back to the island,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ says S. Sivasundaram (45) of Jaffna, an inmate of Kottapattu camp. Chellapackiam endorses his view.
Women like Sivaneswari of Jaffna want to live in India for the welfare of her children. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-My daughters and I prefer refugee camp in India to the concentration camp in Lanka,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ she says.
Youngsters who are not the direct victims of war aspire for better living condition in India. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-If the government provides us employment, we will never think of going back to Sri Lanka,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ says Vinobha (19), a diploma holder in nursing.
The aged feel homesick and beg to differ. In fact, 30 families from the camp have decided to leave for Sri Lanka and are awaiting official clearance. V Jayaseeli (65) is happy of the very thought of going back to her native Valvattithurai. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I want to spend the rest of my life with my son and grandchildren,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ she says.
Many refugees in Thalayoothu camp are not convinced of the DMKƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s request to the Congress-led government to make them Indian citizens as they believe it would not help them secure their innate rights as Lankan citizens on par with the Sinhalese.
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Can it give us the feeling of living in our motherland?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ asks 39-year-old Vanitha. Some feel that the PR status would not only alienate them from their soil but also render their half-a-century struggle meaningless. Thangeswaran of Oferr is of the opinion that living among Indian Tamils would wipe out their identity, which the Sri Lankan government desired for.
The expatriates of Indian origin, however, wish to remain in India. Chittrambalam (60), an Indian descendant of Vavuniya says, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-My two daughters are happily married and my son is getting a decent education. We live a peaceful life that is unimaginable in Sri Lanka. I cannot start life from the scratch in Sri Lanka at this age. The citizenship status will help restore our dignity.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Many expatriate families are of the similar view.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I want not only the authorities of the government but all patriotic Sri Lankans to seriously read the above article between lines and clearly understand the deep rooted anti Sri Lankan mind set of all these people, except the 39 year old Yanitha (marked red) The few others in the same para who are skeptical about this Indian proposal seem to still carry the LTTE mindset. This is what we have to be very serious about. It shows even if they come back they want give up the separatist communal mindset. For them India is their Motherland and Sri Lanka is only an Ambalama. The ideas expressed by these refugees clearly show how all these people, even though they have been here for generations, think India as their Motherland. In fact this is the psychological alienation almost all Tamils in Sri Lanka suffer and therefore it is also the crust of the communal problem. Therefore I strongly suggest that none of these unpatriotic people who do not think this country as their Motherland should never be admitted again back to this country. None of these ungratefull men should also be given the facility of dual citizenship either, because it is still dangerous to have that type of Depathnayas for the security of this Island nation.
October 7th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Sri Lankans have suffered enourmously because of their generiosity. In 1952, prabakaran’s father arrived in Sri Lanka penniless and jobless. Thanks to Sri Lanka, he got a home, government employment and a family. His son paid us back with interest.
The Tamil Nadu is a wonderful place for an Eelam. It has 70 million Tamils. Why Sri Lankan Tamils are dreaming of a Eelam in Sri Lanka is beyond belief. The Sri Lankan Tamils are the 4th largest ethinic group in the Sri Lanka after Sinhala, Muslim and Indian Tamils of recent origin. They are a very small minority. They should either think as Sri Lankans or look for Eelam elsewhere. My personal choice for Eelam is Toranto.
October 7th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Thank you for this timely reminder that may show the path for those rootless multiculturalists to understand that ethnic identity is unique and it not only has its own values, but a place of origin as well. By the way, I am yet to find a Tamil speaker who could be considered a friend of Sinhala people even among those Tamils doing the lip service while waiting for an opportunity to do exactly what VP did. We have been left in the current situation with an identity crisis as a result of unskilled idiots taking up leadership positions contributing to the total alienation, invasions and our servility to alien religious and political ideologies that have destroyed our original history. Obviously, our worst enemies are even born among us and we need a new way to deal with them. Only a very few have the capability to identify the root causes of our flight. When we compare what we are today with what we were during our ancient heydays, all the arable land in the subcontinent was part of the native place of many ancient Sinhala people. At that time, these uncivilised barbarians were a small minority called forest dwellers living in the wild. When we lost our “Devil” stature (our military prowess even noted by monkey worshippers) thanks to the rise of suicidal humanitarianism, they continued with the same brutal means of torture, murder and ethnic cleansing to take the land and are continuing to this day. As the saying “tail of a dog can not be straightened even after holding inside a straight tube like a bamboo tree for seven years” goes, these barbarians have not changed a bit, though multiplied in huge numbers, just like the other animals who are permanently fixed into their usual life cycle. Unfortunately, we have to do what we have to do to get rid of this menace amongst many other challenges, once and for all using all possible means. Or else, it will be worse for our future generations. Those affected or having delusions should remember that we are talking of a type of barbarism that can never be tamed or pacified.
October 8th, 2009 at 2:21 am
Absolutely true. Tamils have two minds always. They do not want Sri Lanka but Elam. We do not want them back. It’s like bringing trouble home. Please keep them there.
October 8th, 2009 at 6:36 am
Lanka Tamils must realize that by demanding a separate state for Tamils only brought about their estrangement from feeling Lanka as their home. They brought it upon themselves.
They can reverse it, if they wish, by making a promise to be loyal to Sri Lanka. We feel a questionnaire should be filled out by every refugee (in India) & every IDP (in Lanka), about where they wish to reside for life. A written promise should be made by each applicant that they will be loyal to the country they have chosen. These questionnaires should be signed & delivered to the governments of Sri Lanka & India, to see the truth, as it were in black and white. No point dragging on this ‘beggars wound’ – it is high time we looked at it rationally and not emotionally, and settled it once and for all.