Sri Lanka is aware of India’s “inclinationsâ€ÂÂÂ
Posted on March 20th, 2012
Shenali Waduge
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-As regards the issue of a draft resolution initiated by the United States at the on-going 19th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, we do not yet have the final text of the Resolution. However, I may assure the House that we(India) are inclined to vote in favour of a Resolution, that, we hope, will advance our objective, namely, the achievement of the future for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka that is marked by equality, dignity, justice and self-respect.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Thus spoke IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Prime Minister on 19 March 2012.
Was there anything to be really surprised about? Does Sri Lanka ever learn lessons? Do we need another set of militants to be trained in India to start another 30 years of terrorist acts for Sri Lanka to finally wake up?
Sri Lanka is a country comprising of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims & Burghers.
Sri Lanka is not a country where ONLY TAMILS LIVEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.has India & the rest of the world forgotten this? For India to be speaking about self-respect India needs to first respect all the people that live in Sri Lanka. We do not accept the excuse that these statements are meant only for domestic consumption either.
More than getting angered over the part of Indian PMƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s speech regarding IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”inclinationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to vote against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council backing the US Resolution is the fact that IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s PM states that IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s OBJECTIVE is to ACHIEVE EQUALITY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & SELF-RESPECT for Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Tamils.
So what makes India think that Sri Lankan Tamils do not have equality, dignity, justice & self-respect? Is India going to believe TNA, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a party that openly stated the LTTE was the sole representative of the Tamil people and was too scared to talk when LTTE prevailed and now is suddenly worried about the plight of the Tamil people?
Can we finally know what Tamils are really denied legally & constitutionally to put a rest to this irritating question?
They own property & land (just count the number of condomoniums owned by Tamils in Colombo), their children go to private, international & public schools, they work in public & private sectors, they are given key appointments in public & private sectors, they are represented in the Cabinet holding ministerial portfolios, they can buy land & property in Colombo whereas Sinhalese cant do the same in JaffnaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦so where exactly is this injustice to the Tamil people that warrants the interference of a foreign nation? Unless we know where there is injustice merely quoting the word ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-injusticeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ just does not suffice.
Self-respect is a word that cannot be given over a piece of paperƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦. In the eyes of Sri LankanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s India certainly has no respect. For Sri Lanka to earn its self-respect, India must treat everyone equally. We know that India does not because of the 50,000 houses India is building NOT ONE has been allocated to a Sinhalese or Muslim who had been evicted by the LTTE during the 1980s. How racial can India be?
Lakshman Kadirgamar gained self-respect of the entire nation. Not because respect was given to him since he was a Tamil, not even for the eloquence of his words & presentation skills. He gained the respect of the Sinhalese who wanted to have him as Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s prime minister because he spoke and functioned not as a Tamil, representing the Tamil community only but as a Sri Lankan. This is what all Tamils must learn to do for any reconciliation to take place. Unfortunately, Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated by the LTTE in cold blood.
If India has been so concerned about Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Tamils why did India allow LTTE to not only kill scores of Tamils but also crush their own growth & development economically & socially? If India is so concerned about Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Tamils why did IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s IPKF go on a shooting spree killing & raping hundreds of Tamils when they landed in Sri Lanka for a supposed ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-peaceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ operation?
If India is so concerned about Tamils can India explain why it simply crushed the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We TamilƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Movement gathering momentum in IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Tamil Nadu and quickly introduced legislative changes denying any individual or political party to promote separatism in India?
Were Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s militants not created so that Tamil Nadu could watch from the balcony a fight for an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-eelaamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in Sri Lanka in the least and be their cheerleaders? WasnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t Rajiv GandhiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s death not an impediment to IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Sri Lanka policyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦wasnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t that why India did nothing about LTTE even after Rajiv GandhiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s death?
So has India changed its destabilizing policy on its surrounding neighbors and will India be open to actually allowing North Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu to separate to form a Tamil homeland? If IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s traditional policy is what is being followed we can assume that India will have nothing to do with any form of separation if at all it will be to eventually annex Sri Lanka creating a protectorate with the possible gradual ethnic cleansing of the Sinhalese.
If IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s objective is only Sri Lankan Tamils in Sri Lanka, our next question is what is the objective of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s leaders? We certainly need to know because handouts of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s resources to forge diplomatic ties simply does no service to the people who will ultimately have to pay for these sacrifices. Leaders come & Leaders go. Governments are elected & ousted but it is the people who eventually have to suffer every decision & inaction taken.
For too long Sri Lanka has been made to play the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-gratitude for IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ role when we are well aware of IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s role throughout LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s terror campaign. Now in post-conflict India appears to have selective amnesia about its guilt and is using Resolutions & pressures by Western nations to pretend to be our friend and push for ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”devolutionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ & the 13th amendment for that is the primary goal of India.
If our leaders do not finally wake up Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s fate will be secured not by foreign interference but as a result of our own leaders unable to counter these covert & overt plans of India or any other nation.
The question we need to have answered is will Sri Lanka be a country for all its present nationals and what will the future of the Sinhalese majority beƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦for everyone speaks about the minorities but the Sinhalese grievances & the rights of the Sinhalese are never spoken about. There are over 75m Tamils worldwide, there are over 2.2b Muslims worldover but there are ONLY 14.8m Sinhalese & the Sinhalese language too is officially designated as an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-endangered languageƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ by the UN.
As for India, it really doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t matter what India says for domestic or international consumption or whatever way India does vote eventually at UNHRCƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s stand should be never to trust India ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” ever.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Shenali Waduge
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
March 20th, 2012 at 3:50 pm
A small insignificant correction.
Sinhala is not an endangered language as far as I know. I may be wrong.
Only Vedda and Sri Lanka Malay are endangered “languages” from Sri Lanka.
However, it is not difficult to foresee this happening given India’s selective promotion of Tamils only. In fact illegal Tamil migration, above average Tamil population growth (excluding migration) and the preoccupation of Tamil at the expense of other minorities are the main causes for Vedda and Malay extinction.
March 20th, 2012 at 8:30 pm
When are Sri Lankan politicians going to wake up and realise that the Indian central government in New Delhi is simply a coalition of vote buying self-interested parties and groups and they are growing in their impotence, as power passes to the periphery. They do not give a dam about us and they never did and they cover this up with two faced lies and pretending to be our friend. It is in Sri Lanka’s interests to deal directly with the part of India that most closely affects us, South India – Kerela and Tamil Nadu in particular. We should learn from the Indian politicians and support the cessation of Tamil Nadu and Kerala from the union of India. In that way we can cultivate a friendly relationship with them and weaken the power of this dastardly, racist, western kow towing, Indian central government.
March 21st, 2012 at 2:36 am
If India is concerned about Tamils in Sri Lanka, next step could be recalling Tamils of Indian origin back to “Mother India”. Always unhappy Mano Ganeshan may lead the exodus. Few Tamil leaders had foresight to condemn this madness. As expected, TNA/LTTE rump and “Peace industry NGOs” are already talking of sanctions.
Unity among Sri Lankans, including those living overseas, is our main defense. We must encourage Sri Lankans to invest in Sri Lanka. Americans and Europeans will never forgive President Rajapaksa for ending terrorism in Sri Lanka. They expected it to last until we become another Sudan or Ethiopia.