Herold Leelawardena

When LTTE was wiped out with all its combat leaders, sensible people thought Tamils would give up their fight for Eelam and negotiate with the government for a settlement. But Tamils never wanted to give up their original goal. Some demanded 13A, and some others 13 plus, and others federal, yet more con-federal and the Diaspora self rule. But each one of them said it is only for a starter. Meaning, the endgame is Eelam.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Apart from the above demands, Diaspora Tamils kept up the pressure on the government through various tactics to reach their goal. They brought bogus charges such as war crimes. They spread the news of a plan to revive the LTTE rump as a guerrilla force. They set up an Eelam government, TGTE in the sky.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Indeed one Western News paper reported an interview with a guerrilla commander at a jungle camp in Sri Lanka just a few months back. Another reported on how hundreds of new Piripaharans are getting ready for a final Eelam war. In the face of such belligerent exploits only a naive government could pull back the army to barracks.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yet, hierarchies of the Christian Church told the LLRC that the establishment of Army cantonments in the North and the East would negate the long term peace in the country. They wanted our forces to track back to the south, amalgamate N & E, elect a chief minister, empower him with 13A and let him manage the security of the province. These are no different to the discoveries that were unearthed by Robert Blake, Solhiem and company.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Evidently, present day hierarchies of the Christian Churches still bear the mindset of their neo colonist ancestors. For them, Sri Lanka history starts in 1505 and not 550 BC. Worst, they think Sri Lanka is a combined federation of two countries; N&E of Tamils and the rest of Sinhalas. It is clear that the church deliberate with the ideas of LTTE and its sympathizers.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The new Cardinal had explored the reasons for the war as well. He says; ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚in fact, the roots of the conflict could be traced back to the 1950’s, especially the Sinhala only policy of 1956 ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Among other things the GodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s agent revealed as reasons for violent acts by Tamils are black July, settlement of Sinhalese in the East, standardization of education in the 70s, and etc.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But, eminent writer D.B.S. Jayaraj says; cry for a separate Tamil state was first proposed by a little known man called Visvalingam in 1918. He also says; C. Sundaralingam articulated a clear-cut political demand for Eelam. Sundaralingam spelled out Eelam as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”EylomƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, so says Jayaraj. Jeyaraj further says; an explicit reference was made to Tamil Eelam by the intellectual giant Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam in 1924. Needless to say the British Raj had ruled this country in the years 1918 and 1924. Consequently, there couldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have been any Sinhala policy during that time. So, Malcolm RanjithƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s claim of Sinhala policy of 1956 as the reason for the conflict or Tamil fight for Eelam is a ruse.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Black JulyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ occurred in 1983. Waddukkoddai resolution was made by TULF in 1976. LTTE was formed the same year. So, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”black JulyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ cannot be a reason for the formation of LTTE or the declaration of Vaddukkoddai resolution. Apparently, LTTE was formed by thugs and brutes just before Waddukkoddai resolution to back the so-called non-violent campaign by TULF with the necessary aggression. According to KP, TULF leader Amirthalingam introduced him to Piripaharan. What more proof than that to show LTTE and TULF were like hand in glove.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Christian churches had been synonymous with LTTE. Its Bishops have participated at LTTE rallies and spoke praiseworthy of murderous LTTE leaders and given them moral support for their depraved killings. A former Vicar-General of the Catholic Diocese of Jaffna Rev SJ Emmanuel had been a leading LTTE activist and a part of its terrorism network. Then again, the record of the Catholic Church is worse than that.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Christian church never took an active role in our independence struggle. They have a vicious record against Sinhala Buddhists throughout history. Many churches had put up the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Union JackƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and not the national flag at the independence. In the 1950s it supported the separatistsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ the band wagon imported from India, the Naam Thamizhar Iyakkam (We Tamil Movement). But the Churches had never opposed unreasonable demands like PonnambalamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s 50-50.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The likes of Ranjith Malcolm sweet wrapped the anti-Sri Lanka Eelam project with genuine Tamil grievances. They encouraged the Tamils to mix their reasonable Tamil language and other practical demands with unrealistic self determination. No wonder, Sinhala people mixed the two and opposed all Tamil demands as lunatic fringe. If late Thondaman could have achieved most of his reasonable demands through non-violent means there is nothing to say other Tamils couldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have done the same. But Tamils of the north had other ideas.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Anyway, if not for India, Sri Lanka forces could have finished the separatist war twenty two years ago. And that would have saved tens of thousands of subsequent war the deaths. India that nourished the separatists at the beginning pushed JRJ to ram 13th amendment to our constitution as the solution for the so- called Tamil grievances. India failed to understand that Tamils aspirations go beyond grievances. But all the Christian churches know it as a fact.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Malcolm Ranjith grumble about ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”the massive colonization schemes undertaken by successive governments after independenceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and lament about an attempt by every Sri Lankan governments to a gradual breakdown and erosion of the original cultural make-up of these (north and East) regions.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Malcolm Ranjith and Swamipillai talked at the LLRC as if they knew not our history of the recent past. They should have gone back just fifty more years in their memory lane and think about the land grab by the British and the forced colonization of our central hills with Indian Tamils. Did not that Indian Tamil invasion totally alter our religious and the political culture at the central hills? But ancestors of these padres never ever talked against such invasions. They only condemn the settlement of Sinhala people in a Sinhale country.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It all started with the first Christian padre that is said to have washed up to our Sinhale soil in a ship with a clique of Portuguese pirates in 1505. It is said that GodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s emissary had a Bible in one hand, a sword in the other and an out size cross around his neck. The padre, the precursor of this Malcolm Ranjith and Swamipillai duo was a cleric from the infamous Franciscan tribe. He is said to have held the first mass in that ship with the aim of obliterating Buddhism from this country.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ From that day onwards, for almost two centuries, Catholic Padres assisted the murderous Portuguese to raid and rob the wealth our nation. Not that only, these padres destroyed the very culture that firmly endured over two-millennium in this land. Thereafter many Christian denominations had come to our land and joined forces with the Dutch and the British to destroy and obliterate Buddhism from this country.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now, let me quote Sir James Emerson Tennent who had written aptly about that Portuguese sojourn. He said; ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-There is no page in the story of European colonization more gloomy and repulsive than that which recounts the proceedings of the Portuguese in Ceylon.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Did Cardinal Ranjith ever make an apology for his ancestorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ wrong doing and cruelties? No.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But this duo has the cheek to come up at the LLRC and compose short comings of the war against LTTE terrorism and indirectly accuses our forces for war crimes. They make only passing remarks on gruesome crimes by LTTE. These one sided Jacks should know that if the TULF had followed ThodamanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s example, there wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be a war. If the war had concluded in 1987, there wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be so many unwanted deaths.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now let me also quote the missionary attitude under the British Raj; ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”The Jubilee memorials of the Wesleyan Mission, South of Ceylon,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ published in 1864; clearly shows the motives of the then missionaries. It wrote; ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ were convinced that it was the intention of the missionaries to destroy Buddhism and place Christianity in its steadƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Do I have to produce more proof for Christian aims?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now if you read what eminent professor and a historian Tennakoon Wimalananda pointed out in his book, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Buddhism in Ceylon under the Christian powersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ you will understand that the sole aim of the Christians were to ruin Sinhala culture. Wimalananda wrote; all colonial governments in Sri Lanka had promoted apostasy. With ample statistics, the book shows how Christian education was uplifted with lavish subsides while Buddhist Pirivena monasteries were deprived of it. It also pointed out; the manner that evangelists coerce the British rulers to withdraw all subsidies due to Buddhist monasteries under submission agreement with the sole aim of ruining Sinhala culture.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Today, this padre duo talk against standardization and injustice caused to Tamils conveniently forgetting what their ancestors did to Sinhala Buddhists.

Herold Leelawardena