Adrieen Clarkson on Rathika Sitsabaiesan
Posted on October 16th, 2011
Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1, Canada
16 October 2011
The Editor (Letters)
The Ottawa Citizen
Sir:
The excerpt from Adreinne ClarksonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s book Room for All of Us on our rookie Tamil NDPƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ MP for Scarborough-Rouge River, Rathika Sitsabaiesan, was exciting reading until I came across the words ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Rathika says that many in the Tamil community are very politicized because they were forced to leave a countryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ which dulled myƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ short-lived excitement.
I am a Sinhalese from Sri Lanka, and know that no Tamil was forced to leave Sri Lanka, and that ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is the only reason why 54 percent of the Tamil population who lived in the South where the riots ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ July 1983 happened,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ decided to stayƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ put and did not buy a plane ticket to take off to foreign lands that opened their flood gates to take inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ these Tamils as refugees.
RathikaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s characterization of the Tamils who she says wee foced to leave Sri Lanka and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ came over to Canada as convention refugees fails to make sense since, according toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ government statistics, 71% went back to Sri Lanka on holidays, visited relations, and attended weddings, et cetera.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Tamil community who believed in Sri Lanka and decided to stay back is a thriving community and being a minority, 41 per cent of the population in the capital Colombo happens to be Tamils enjoying ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ethnic harmony with the majority Sinhalese.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They own 75 percent of the real estate in Wellawatte a rich suburb, the Rothwell Heights of Colombo. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Some are millionaires driving BMWs and their children attendƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ high-fee private International schools.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That is a reality check for Adrienne Clarkson and your readers.
Asoka Weerasinghe
October 16th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
This looks like the Tamil long term plan – using world parliaments to spread false propaganda.
Dumb and dumber will have ecstasy because things.
October 16th, 2011 at 6:56 pm
Probably, Rathika is catering to Tamil -Tribalism in order to get votes. So, Harper and his party are talking rap to counter act that. WE need to think about that.
October 17th, 2011 at 6:39 am
You are a Sinhalese. That is why you dont know how the Tamils were terrorized and tried to leave Sri Lanka! Asoka is a economical immigrant.
Asoka or other Sinhalese never faced any bombing or shoot out in their life. That is why they simply telling lies here!
October 17th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
MS Mudal, for decades Sri Lankans both at home and in the West have been terrorised by the LTTE Tamil Tigers and their gang of supporters – so develop some guts and stop blaming the victims. What? Sri Lankans never faced bombing or shootout? How do you describe Sinhalese children, pregnant women and monks being chopped up alive by LTTE cadres? How about serial bombing of officials and elected politicans? Land mines everywhere? Premeditated destruction of infrastructure? Bombing of civilians in trains and shopping centre? This is far worse than your “shootouts”! Its your Tamil LTTE terrorists that did this to all Sri Lankans. I think Asoka may not be an “economical” immigrant. (Do you mean economic?). He may be a political refugee.
October 18th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
As usual Asoka has stated the facts that are well known to all citizens of Sri lanka. Way back in 1964 when, I was doing my engineering education in the UK, one or two Tamils arrived & joined the same College I was attending.
No sooner they came to know the Professor who was helping me in my further education, these two tamils started blaming Sinhalese for all of their problems. THIS IS NOT something new…in 1964 if they started blaming Sinhalese, and now we are in 2011.. yet they have not stopped or changed their FALSE propaganda.
Here I draw parrallels with Quebec & Canada.. only difference is Quebecers are one of the founding communities of Canada, and their population base is much larger than Tamils in Sri lanka.
Tamils have NO SUCH claim or advantage.. back in 1948 one tamil leader asked for 50 – 50. With a population of ONLY 12 % at that time..it is inconceivable that any majority race will give into such stupid demands.
Now the Tamil population is even LESS, some say around 4 to 5% of the total population of 20 M people in Sri lanka. In any other country they will be asked to assimilate & learn Sinhalese WITHOUT EQUAL language STATUS. But Sri Lankan govrenments of all stripes agreed to give tamil language official status.
As one Quebec leader when asked WHAT DO YOU WANT to give up separatism and be a part of Canada. He thught for a while & said.. I WILL TELL you ofcourse in FRENCH.. so I did not understand, BUT the interpreter said HE SAYS WE WILL TAKE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE and THEN LEAVE CANADA and laughed.
Now this is their mentality EVEN if we Sinhalese give them freedom to LIVE in Colombo & other major cities, EXCEL in Business STILL they will complain and ask for more.
WHY DO THEY HAVE TO RUN TO INDIA to get their blessings..when all stake holders, politicians , electorates are IN SRI LANKA.
Settle your concerns wilth the elected officials of the day. Enough is ENOUGH it is high time Sri lankan government called their BLUFF and resist ANY MORE Concessions.
I agree with Asoka, even if ASOKA is an ecnomic immigrant as many of us are..that we must not allow a 4% of the population to hold the majority to ransom.
GOD BLESS UNITED SRI LANKA.. One Nation under ONE FLAG..indivisible & Strong… May the NOBLE TRIPLE GEMS PROTECT ALL CITIZENS, including tamils & other minorties………Gamunu Alahakkone. Retired Engineer-Canada
October 19th, 2011 at 12:35 am
I am not a supporter of LTTE or any Tamil political party. In the name of the LTTE Sinhala racists bark too much.
But they keep silence about the honey moon of UNP and LTTE.
Alahakone:
When did you become Sinhala?
நீங்கள் எப்பொழுது சிங்களவர் ஆகினீர்கள்?