Sri Lanka – Must Listen To It’s People
Posted on May 1st, 2010
Ira de Silva London, Canada
The Editor
The Guardian
U.K.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Dear Sir:
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
I just read the commentary by Nash Colundalur on Sri Lanka. The writers bias is evident in the very first sentence when heƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ states that a bloody civil war followed an oppressive history of the Tamils. He has obviously read only the false propaganda of the LTTE. I will point a few of the falsehoods on which he bases his comments/arguments.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
The oppression in Sri Lanka was by the British during their colonial rule where thousands of people, all Sinhalese, were murdered, driven from their homes, all male children killed just so they could subjugate the Sinhalese. This is documented in the British colonial records available to him in London. These records will also provide information thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the Tamils were only in the northern Jaffna peninsular when the British arrived which makes the statement that “Sri Lankan Tamils have been living in the northern and eastern areas of the island state since 3 BC”, a figment of his imagination. The TamilsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ became theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ favoured people of the British in Sri Lanka, a true exampleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the world famous British policy of divide and rule. When the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka would not work for the British they imported cheap Tamil labour from South India. I refer him to a transcript by the British governor in his own handwriting which is available in the Public Records Office dated March 14,1880 – “my suggestion to your Excellency is to look to South Indian Labour. They come to us from a condition of poverty. They are often lowly in their caste system too. In a foreign land they will serve us well”. Please note – FOREIGN LAND.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The British did not take these Tamil British citizens with them when they left in 1948.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They remained in a “foreign land” namely Sri Lanka.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
It is not “alleged” that the LTTE coerced children into conscription, it isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ well documentedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ with statistics as well as pictures of the child soldiers. The LTTE even boasted about them.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This policyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of the LTTE was in place for at least fifteen years with numerous U.N, reports that addressed the subject.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Most Sri Lankan Tamils are NOTƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ languishing, held compulsorily in camps.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Millions of them are living all over Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That he believes that most Tamils are in camps merely illustrates his unbelievable ignorance. Today there are only 60,000 Tamils in camps being fed, clothed and taken care of by the Government of Sri Lanka because they have no homes to go to, no relatives to keep them, the land is heavily mined all courtesy of the LTTE whoƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ drove them from their homes from 2006 to use them as a human shield. Even these 60,000 are to be settled within four months.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
He states” patriotism is riding high in the Sri Lankan diaspora in the UK with 99.33 % of them in favour of an independent state”.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is NOT the Sri Lankan diaspora in the U.K. that voted in these elections but the Tamil LTTE supporters in the U.K.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If they are British citizensƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and want an independent state they can vote for it in Britain. They have no vote in Sri Lanka. The people of Sri Lanka have just voted in a general election and the Government of Sri Lanka I hope will listen to it’s peopleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ asƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the voters of Sri Lanka have rejected the LTTE and theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ political party thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ represented the LTTE. If it is argued that the Sri Lankan diaspora in the U.K.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ haveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ “rights” in Sri Lanka, then Sri Lankans should have the same right to voteƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on British policies. Do they? Please let the people of Sri Lanka know immediately so they can vote in your up-coming general election.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
There are many other falsehoods and illustrations of the writers bias and ignorance of Sri Lanka but I believe that the above examples will suffice. If he wants to write on Sri Lanka, I suggest that he at least check British records for the period pre-1948 as well as post 1948ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and not depend solely on LTTE propaganda.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Yours truly,
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Ira de Silva
London, Canada
May 1st, 2010 at 7:22 pm
It is a well written article. Tamil diaspora is racist in their thinking that is how they manage to provide false information to IC. We must get together to document all the authentic records and start counter propaganda. I suggest patriotic Sri Lankans must support it without any reservations. Our Diplomatic missions must come to help in launch it.
May 1st, 2010 at 7:58 pm
What amazes me is that how Pommies think that they have the God given right to tell other countries what they should be doing. Why don’t they tell their political leaders that ‘UK must listen to its people and withdraw troops from Iraq’? Why don’t they tell ‘UK must listen to its people and stop exploiting the poor people around the world so that they can have a comfortable life style’?
May 2nd, 2010 at 4:22 am
These guys are paid by the LTTE “dead” proxies in UK and they will cough up with anything if the correct amount is put in their pocket. The name COLUNDALUR alone suggests that he and ancestors are those who had come from their “foreign land”.
May 2nd, 2010 at 5:35 am
This is not the first – and it won’t be the last – example of a slanted, poorly written piece on Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, the readers of the Guardian who may not be properly informed of the situation in the island, are bound to be misled by what it says.
One thing that amuses me is about the 99.33% of the Tamil Diaspora who reportedly voted for a separate state – Tell me, are these fellows going to give up their comforabale and profitable lives – with access to a good education, liberal social services and and hospital and medical facilities and so on – in the UK if their dreams of a separate state comes to fruition, and move to their ‘new state’?
May 2nd, 2010 at 10:45 pm
A news item appearing in the Ceylon Daily News says:
“United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says in his message to mark World Press Freedom Day, that all Government have a duty to protect those who work in the media. This protection must include investigating and prosecuting those who commit crimes against journalists, he points out”
Unfortunately the SG hasn’t appealed to the journalists who he wants given protection, not to publish provocative, fabricated stories furthest from the truth that may lead to unrest and disharmony between communities as well as undermine democracy. The commentary by Nash Colundalur on Sri Lanka in the Guardian newspaper is one good example of how journalists could misinform the reader rather than perform their duty of informing the reader. I believe, these journalists need to be prosecuted and the rights and good name of the honest journalists protected.