When will Wigneswaran call for the UDI?
Posted on July 18th, 2013
Chanaka Bandarage – Sri Lanka Support Group, Australia
After its triumphant win on 7 September 2013, Wigneswaran, the new NPC Chief Minister, will not wait for too long to call for an UDI (Unilateral Declaration of Independence).
It is expected that TNA will gain more than 75% of the vote at the forthcoming election.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ TNA has already stated they will ask the world to consider the NPC election result as a Referendum for a separate Tamil State in Sri Lanka.
TNA has publicly stated that they do not believe in a unitary Sri Lanka. In Geneva early this year they lobbied for the Tamils right for self-determination (ie, a separate state).
Wigneswaran will call for the UDI irrespective of whether the Police and Land powers are given to the NPC or not.
Wigneswaran has already indicated he is not afraid to breach the CountryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Constitution. That is why he stated he will seek foreign aid and foreign participation to build the Northern Province. According to the Constitution a Chief Minister does not have such powers (Foreign Affairs is a Central Government power).
In KosovoƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s case, it was the US closely followed by UK that accepted it as a new Nation. In regards to Tamil Eelam, it is likely India will recognize it first, followed by the US, the UK and the European Union.
The Sinhala patriots ran a weak, incoherent campaign. Neither the JHU nor NFF demanded a Referendum to abolish the 13th amendment, instead they asked for tinkering of the current legislation (13th amendment); which will not solve the problem.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The only solution is to abolish the 13th amendment totally by way of a Referendum (then, that will be the end of the entire provincial council system)
Some argue that after the NPC is formed, amendments to curtail the powers of the NPC can be introduced. This is a foolish argument, akin to closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
The ordinary citizen has shown apathy about the NPC election. Most of them do not see the danger of giving the NPC to TNA on a platter (on 7 September). For them, the war is now over, they blindly believe that the countryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s sovereigntyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is safe,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ People are too preoccupied with their daily chores ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” cost of living has sky rocketed. The principal concern for the ordinary citizen is how to put food on the table for the family, not the 13th amendment or any other matter.
Furthermore, the people believe that the JHU and NFF will come and rescue the country; both are political parties whose primary aim is to enhance their vote banks. The NFF leader who initially statedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that he will resign from the Government if Police and Land posers are not removed from the Concurrent List, now implies he will continue to stay in the Cabinet irrespective of the outcome of the governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s proposed changes to the ConstitutionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (only if they occur).ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The JHU made a big issue about its draft Bill to amend the 13th amendment, but they are silent about it now.
It is obvious the parliament will not give 2/3 majority to further amend the 13th amendment. This means the efforts of NFF and JHU will be in vein.
People will one day realise that they were again hoodwinked by political parties that come in the pretext of Saviors of the Nation. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Anagarkika Dharmaplaa, Ven Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thero etc, did things for the Sinhala Buddhists with a wholehearted commitment. They were not politicians with vested interests.
Per article 4 of the Constitution the sovereigntyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ lies with the people (ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”the Sovereignty of the People shall be exercised and enjoyed by the People at a referendum.)ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
It is the people who can decide whether or not the country should have provincial councils.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In 1987, the then Supreme Court also advocated the Referendum pathway.
Unfortunately the Government seems hell bent on holding the CHOGM in November (which is not going to serve much purpose for the country anyway), hence tries to stick to its promise of holding he NPC election in September.
Preventing the TNA or similar separatist outfit fromƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ gaining the NPC power is more important than holding of the CHOGM. The former is a sovereignty issue.
It is foolish to hold the NPC election before CHOGM to impress the international communityƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ who are largely biased against Sri Lanka anyway. Holding of CHOGM is a mere event (given the western media contingency that will arrive inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the country during CHOGM, the Conference is likely to bring adverse publicity forƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka). The Government held the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 2010, it did not bring the desired results for the county.
Before calling the NPC election onƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 7 September , theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ government should have seriously considered the damage it willƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ cause to the country. The election will be the beginning of the separation of One Sri Lanka.
It is still not too late for the Government to act. Rather than trying to tinker theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ existing legislation (but, per Keheliya Rambukwella, the Government will hold the elections under the existing full provisions of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 13th amendment; ie with Police and Land powers intact). Instead of holding the 7 September elections (3), the Government should put the matter before the people at a Referendum. This is the only way to save the country. The Government can explain to India and western countries that given this is a sovereignty issue, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ it had no other alternative but to put the matter beforeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the people.
The 7 September 2013 election may be able to be postponed through Supreme Court actions that challengeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the holding of the NPC election. More about this in a later Media Release.
srilankasupportgroup@bigpond.com
July 18th, 2013 at 2:05 pm
Well said Chanaka.
This is what will happen.
Endia has trapped the govt. into the CHOGM-NPC election trap.
July 18th, 2013 at 3:28 pm
I SEE THROUGH THE FACETS OF A PRISM, “” A JACKASS TRYING TO MAKE THE PEOPLE OF SRI LANKA SWIM IN BLOOD “”
July 18th, 2013 at 7:26 pm
C.V.Vigneswaran was educated at Royal College and his son is married to the daughter of Vasudeva Nanayakkara.
When the LTTE was on its last legs, C.V.Vigneswaran defended of its separatist ideology, by claiming that the LTTE is the offspring created by successive “mono ethnic parliamentary majorities”
C.V.Vigneswaran also claimed that It is not devolution or sharing of powers that the Tamils seek. “They seek the restoration of their rights. Rights which were snatched from them by virtue of a mathematical innovation where the majority in two provinces were added to the majority in seven provinces and thus made into a minority in the nine provinces” . What he meant by this is that he regrets these provinces being considered part of the country as a whole implying that they had a continuous separate political existence before the coming of the colonials. The fact is that the small Jaffna Kingdom was limited to the Jaffna and Mannar peninsulas and the Portuguese pointed out it was broadly subordinate to the Sinhalese kingdom.
C.V.Vigneswaran also accepted as truth the fictional Tamil traditional homelands in the following words “right throughout history, the Dravidians had occupied the present Northern and Eastern Provinces and even more lands surrounding them. This cannot be disputed. The Buddhist remains in the North are the remnants left by the Demala Bauddhayo not anybody else”
C.V.Vigneswaran also defended the LTTE stating “There are no terrorists who are born into this world. They are made”. For C.V.Vigneswaran, it was state terrorism that created the LTTE. This ignores the fact that resort to terrorism was a conscious act. As for his supporting and defending the Constitution, he is against the 1972 Constitution and consequently the entire edifice based on it including subsequent amendments.
C.V.Vigneswaran’s complaint of “a mathematical innovation”, the rule by the majority is a return to the absurd antidemocratic G.G.Ponnampalam’s demands of the 50-50 kind, namely that the majority Sinhalese be given the same number of parliamentarians as the much smaller minority of Tamils. The Soulbury Commissioners considered this an “attempt by artificial means to convert a majority into a minority” and added that this is “not only inequitable, but doomed to failure“.
C.V.Vigneswaran has internalised much of the Dravidian racist baggage invented through the DMK and its ideological allies. C.V.Vigneswaran implicitly believes in the Dravidian-Aryan racist dichotomy of the 19th and 20th centuries rejected today by most scholars. C.V.Vigneswaran also accepts and eulogizes the mythical Lemurian Continent – again rejected by scholars. His version is based on references in Tamil literature to a sunken continent. This is like today’s Sinhalese believing in the Uturu Kuru Dvipa as a real continent because it is referred in Buddhist literature.
C.V.Vigneswaran never mentioned anywhere about LTTE horrors including its ethnic cleansing, attacks on Buddhist sites, attacks on democratic Tamils and child recruitment. Justice is depicted as blindfolded and having a balance. C.V.Vigneswaran may be blindfolded but never had a balance.
July 18th, 2013 at 9:07 pm
In Kosovo situation, Kosovo did not try the UN Security Council or the UN General Assembly, but simply made a UDI. Kosovo is now accepted as a new nation by majority of the countries. Russia and Serbia still have not recognized Kosovo (need to check China’s position), but customary international law has intervened and recognized Kosovo. The same situation applied to new nations of South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Ingushetia and Georgia. They are members of the UN.
We can still save the country:
The JHU can, per Article 80 (2) of the Constitution, place its Bill to abolish the 13th amendment before the Cabinet for approval (a simple majority of the Cabinet is sufficient). Hon Ranawaka, being a member of the Cabinet, can do this. The Cabinet of Ministers should issue a Certificate stating that they intend to submit the Bill for approval by the People at a Referendum (if they do not exercise this right given to them by the Constitution, some may not regard them as patriots). Per Article 85 (1), HE the President will have to submit the Bill to the people by Referendum (he has no discretion in this regard).
Suggested Referendum question: ‘Do you agree to abolish the 13th amendment to the Constitution, that was enacted in 1987, that has created the present Provincial Council system?
If the ‘Yes’ vote has obtained majority of the votes, then, per Article 80 (2), the President is required to issue a certificate in the following form: “This Bill/provision has been duly approved by the People at a Referendum.”
Once this process is successfully carried out, that will be the end of the Provincial Councils (all 9 of them).
The Country will be saved! There will be no NPC for Wigneswaran to call for an UDI.
July 18th, 2013 at 9:51 pm
time for gota to take over the land and put the monkeys is their deserved cages and feed banana.
I don’t believe MR will do anything to stop Wig-vesa-waran becoming 1st chief monkey of tamil eelam.
July 18th, 2013 at 11:57 pm
HE the President,
North will be another Kosovo very soon. The powerful countries in CHOGM do not care about Sri Lanka. They have been trying to put us in trouble all the time. This is the hour you have to take a firm stand and take action to save the country. If you do not do it now it will be too late. What ever the minorities do you will be our leader as long as you want. Nobody is perfect in this world. Indians will try do their utmost to discredit you. It does not matter.
Please give the opportunity to people to do whatever they want with 13A.
July 19th, 2013 at 12:36 am
Leaving the Articles 80 (2) and 85 (1) aside, per Article 86 of the Constitution, based on the issue of ‘national importance’, the President can call for a national referendum anytime (JRJ used this provision in 1982 to hold the national referendum; though, it was not based on an issue of national importance, he simply wanted to avoid a parliamentry election).
July 19th, 2013 at 5:17 am
Chanaka,
Thanks for article.
In addition to getting the 13-A abrogated, please address the need now to put into ACTION the 6th Amendment in full i.e. any act of any person advocating Separatism (bifurcation of the country) will lead to confiscation of all property of that person as well as a prison term, etc.
———–
The INDIAN ELECTIONS DUE NEXT YEAR is, among other factors, playing a large role in Sri Lanka politics right now. Placating Tamils of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka to please Indian politicians and running the risk of bifurcating Lanka – is that the duty of Sri Lanka citizens ? !
July 19th, 2013 at 5:18 am
This is a very good analysis of current situation in Sri Lanka and an eye opener.
Also, this is the scariest news article I read in the recent past! Wake up people!!!
July 19th, 2013 at 6:06 am
Lankan Tamil do not believe in a unitary Sri Lanka ! fully agreed !
We all believe in United Mother Lanka !!!
Unit in diversity !
Nalliah Thayabharan
C.V.Vigneswaran may be blindfolded but never had a balance- Wrong !
Your first sentence is C.V.Vigneswaran was educated at Royal College and his son is married to the daughter of Vasudeva Nanayakkara !
is not that enough He is for united Mother Lanka ( eg: charity begin from Home) !
July 19th, 2013 at 6:16 am
Dear Chanaka, thank you for writing this excellent article. But not enough, this is only a starting point. Please, bring this issue to the national level. As an organization, you can do it! LankaWeb is doing a great service to the nation by publishing these articles on very important issues facing our motherland today. However, looking at the comments published, it looks like the readership of this website is not sufficient. We’re trying our best to spread the message among Sinhalese but you must reach the highest level in the present govt. to negate the impending danger. There are several patriots in the present government too. Mr. Udaya Gammanpila is one such person although he is not an MP. I think he and others like Dr. Gunadhasa Amarasekera, Elle Gunawansa thero, Kengamuwe Nalaka thero, Mr. S.L. Gunasekera, Dr. Nalin De Silva are already working behind the scene. This is the time to act! Save our motherland!!!
July 19th, 2013 at 6:58 am
MAY BE (just may be) the govt. is giving enough rope to TNA to hang themselves.
IF they declare UDI then MOST people will be against 13 amendment and ALL forms of political solutions nonsense. THEN a referendum can be held to SCRAP IT ALL.
Tamils will BOYCOT such a referendum which is even better.
July 19th, 2013 at 8:12 am
Any prelude to any UDI will be bad. Remove that UDI game once and for all. If they want games, then let them play safer games, but not games that endanger the lives of thousands of people. Can’t we grow economically without dangerous political games ?
We are playing Russian Roulette every time with this Tamil Separatism factor, falling for games devised for outsider gains. Every time Sri Lanka seems to lose, reputation included. Even winning the war against the ltte has been made out to be a losing game for Lanka with the IC & Tamil Diaspora citing HR violations !
We say remove the 13-A and ACTIVATE the 6th Amendment NOW.
July 19th, 2013 at 8:49 am
Fran Diaz
let them play safer games or harder games are not worth with lives of thousands of people !
unit in diversity !!!
live & let live happy for ever !!!
July 19th, 2013 at 12:13 pm
I have submitted the following as a stand-alone Article to be published at LankaWeb. I am presenting it here as a comment because the issue is important and needs to be urgently addressed.
…………………….
STOP the PC Elections NOW: Census 2012 Data Shows Massive ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION of Indian Tamils into Sri Lanka during LTTE control of the North & East in the last 30 years!
By Ananda-USA
July 18, 2013
The 2012 Census indicates NO REDUCTION in the Tamil Population of Sri Lanka, after allowing for the net natural population increase due to greater births than deaths.
If 1.5 million Sri Lankan Tamils EMIGRATED, legally and illegally, to foreign countries, over the last 30 years, and hold Sri Lankan passports, why is the EXPECTED REDUCTION in Sri Lankan Tamil population not reflected in the 2012 Census figures?
The only explanation is that during the Eelam War years about 1.6 MILLION Indian Tamils illegally entered Sri Lanka with the connivance of the LTTE and Tamil Nadu.
Were the 300,000 Tamils herded by the LTTE as a “human shield” actually some of the ILLEGAL Indian Tamil Immigrants brought into Sri Lanka who would be DEPORTED back to India if the SECRET of their ILLEGAL Immigration status was revealed? Were they WILLING participants in the human shield for that reason?
The article below by IRIN bemoans the difficulties faced by “war returnees” due to the lack of National ID cards, The reason why they don’t have Sri Lankan National ID cards may be because many of them are ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS who were never citizens of Sri Lanka, and NEVER HAD Sri Lankan National ID cards issued to them.
This should be INVESTIGATED IMMEDIATELY by the Government of Sri Lanka to IDENTIFY and DEPORT these 1.6 Million ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS from Sri Lanka, as soon as possible!
Now it becomes clear why the TNA, the Tamil Nadu Politicians, and the Government of India are in SUCH A HURRY to hold Provincial Councils Elections and install the TNA in the Provincial Government, and Devolve Police and Land powers to them. If the TNA is endowed with Police & Land Powers, they can easily FALSIFY REGISTRATION RECORDS, issue documents certifying Sri Lankan citizenship to these ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, and COVER UP the MASSIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION that has taken place!
If this MASSIVE Immigration SCAM is allowed to take effect, the DEMOGRAPHICS of Sri Lanka would change INSTANTLY to favor the Tamil Community, with the induction of 1.6 MILLION new citizens!
Until this ISSUE IS RESOLVED, NO PC ELECTIONS should be held, and NO POWER should be DEVOLVED to these CROOKS! There is NO ISSUE OF GREATER IMPORTANCE to Sri Lanka’s National Security than the protection of the legal status of native Sri Lankans by keeping illegal immigrants out of Sri Lanka.
STOP THE PC ELECTIONS … NOW!
……………
No ID, no security, the dilemma of Sri Lanka’s returnees
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
July 17 (IRIN) COLOMBO- Close to 100,000 returnees in Sri Lanka’s north lack national identity cards (NICs), more than four years after the end of the country.s decades-long civil war.
“Many people cannot resume their lives as NICs are the passport to accessing multiple services and were made mandatory for voting in 2006,” Suresh Premachandran, a member of parliament (MP) with the Tamil National Alliance, one of the largest national parties representing minority Tamils from the north, told IRIN.
According to the United Nations, more than 460,000 displaced persons have returned to Northern Province – which is home to more than 1 million inhabitants – since government forces declared victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who had been fighting for an independent Tamil homeland since 1983.
In Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts alone, an estimated quarter of the districts’ 200,000-plus inhabitants are without national IDs.
Without such documentation, many residents struggle to access public services such as health and education, and well as government assistance programmes.
They also face the risk of questioning and delays by police and security officials.
Not a priority
Under the law, NICs are compulsory for all Sri Lankans 16 years or older, and authorities may detain suspicious individuals who fail to show any form of legal identification – a legacy of the war.
“Without an NIC, you are always at risk,” said Shereen Xavier, a north-based lawyer and executive director of the Home for Human Rights (HHR). “Without it, the impediments can be many.”
Even to enter many government buildings, one must produce an NIC, people complain.
But moving ahead on this issue is proving a challenge.
Despite the identity cards’ importance, the government has yet to prioritize the issue, with much of its effort focused instead on large-scale infrastructure and development projects in the north.
Many returnees do not have the required documentation to apply for an NIC, and with no local offices for issuing NICs, applications can take several months to process.
“The processing of papers can prove time-consuming,” Shanthi Sachithanandan, chairperson of Viluthu, an organization promoting good governance in the north, explained.
Temporary IDs
After the war, the government was keen to have its voter lists updated.
When these lists were updated ahead of presidential and local polls in 2010 and 2012, temporary IDs were issued to over 40,000 people to allow them to vote, a process that continues today.
At that time, around 90,000 people from the north failed to indicate their NIC number, Deputy Elections Commissioner M.M. Mohammad confirmed.
“Temporary IDs were issued to many, especially to facilitate their participation in the presidential and local government elections that were held,” he said.
But many returnees say such IDs are looked down upon. Those holding temporary ID have difficulty accessing government services and are sometimes treated with suspicion by officials, they say.
Now, with the first provincial council election in Sri Lanka’s former war zone scheduled for September, returnees and politicians alike are again urging the government to improve the issuing of NICs.
“The government has started issuing temporary IDs, which is a time-consuming process. People have to contact the local government officials and process papers, which is not easy for returnees,” MP Premachandran said.
But according to the department responsible for issuing NICs, given the amount of time and documentation it takes to process such applications outside Colombo – and specifically in the former war zone – temporary IDs may still be the best option available at this point.
“This is the best solution to the present problem,” maintained M.S. Sarath Kumara, commissioner general of the registration of persons, noting that temporary IDs issued to facilitate voting could also prove useful to people without any other form of identification.
“A temporary ID is a practical idea, and it can be revalidated through reapplication,” agreed Rohana Hettiarachchi, executive director of People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections, an election monitoring body that has been helping eligible voters to obtain national identity cards through a mobile clinic effort.
But for those returnees without an NIC, still struggling to establish some semblance of normalcy in their lives after years of conflict and displacement, the idea of anything temporary offers little solace.
“A temporary ID is useful for those who wish to cast their vote at the forthcoming northern provincial election. [However,] for us former IDPs [internally displaced persons], returning home after being displaced for a decade, there are much bigger issues than getting involved in a political battle,” explained Muttuvel Kadirmani, a 46-year-old father of three from Mullaitivu. He urged the government to issue NICs instead of temporary forms of identification.
“It will be useful in every aspect of life and provide us with a sense of security,” he said.
Read More:: IRIN (Source)
July 19th, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Bravo Ananda USA ! You have made the right analysis on the illegal migrant matter and made the ‘request of the century’ from the Lanka Parliament. This is not merely a GoSL issue, but an issue for the entire Parliament.
The question of illegal migrants into Lanka must be sorted out as soon s possible, as should the Tamil Refugee Camps issue in Tamil Nadu.
Sri Lanka is too small & poor to absorb the caste affected poverty stricken people from Tamil Nadu. Parliament of Lanka : Please understand this situation and solve this problem asp. Tamil Nadu must take back her people.
July 19th, 2013 at 2:03 pm
It was rumoured that during the Ceasefire period Maheshwaran (UNPer, now dead) used his ships to carry illegal immigrants from South India to Sri Lanka. I believe there is justification in the belief. May be late Jayalath was also aware of this. Tamilnadu Govt knows their people are coming to Sri Lanka in the guise of fishermen; unfortunately like many other things we have not been strict on this
July 19th, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Dear Chanaka Bandarage…….Many months ago, you published a similar thought provoking,action oriented article. I wondered WHY after that everybody was quiet & silent about Sri Lanka & its recent developemnts.
A legal mind, and ecellent presentation is what is needed NOW, BUT not before CHOGM..because, at any cost, against ALL, President will want this conference held in Hambantota. It is his dream, so we have to reluctantly agree to this.
Unfortunately INDIA is quite prepared to OBSTRUCT, one way or another to have their way. If we do not act now, INDIA has already decided to POPULATE H’tota with Indians (Unemployed) & using Handicrafts as a way to enter & communalise the South.
What we need is NOT handicrafts, which our craftsmen have done well, BUT we need MANUFACTURING plants, with real value jobs, where OUR PEOPLE can export products to developed world. We have done this supplying of raw materials or unfinished goods abroad. THIS IS WHAT is needed. India has always infiltrated to Central Province & now to Southern Province & Jaffna.
Our political leadres will accept A HEADACHE even, if it is free. Thats what Sir John said when he was the Prime Minister. Anyway the need of the hour is to let the CHOGM happen & paying bills after, will be a HUGE problem for ordinary folks in Sri Lanka.
BUT WE NEED TO DO IT, if not for any other JUST to make war President happy. We need NOT wait till CHOGM is over to start our plan of action. Specially people like CHANAKA & few others who subscribe to LANKAWEB, can join hands & presnt HE President with a plan. The preparation & getting all DUCKS in a ROW, is most important, because there will road blocks, criticism etc. WE MUST BE BOLD to face any obstacle that come our way.
ONLY argument I made when I was a GRADE 12 student at Nalanda, was that with a population of mere 12 %, Tamils were asking special previledges, 50-50% to start & hoping at least SOME concessions will trickle from that. That was their motive.
Now the dyanamics have changed WHO will even entertain 4% of the Tamils demanding special status? Preveledges, which Muslims do not enjoy. ASK THEM TO ASSIMILATE, INTEGRATE, and keep quiet like good school boys & girls. Because Sri Lanka is for Sinhala & other minorities who can and be part of our way of life, NOT the TAMIL NADU way or Indian way.
My article was published in the Magazine & ofcourse, from that day on I have advocated, that majority race should NOT be treated with threats , Demands & be part of the Society. If the Tamils go to Germany, they have to learn GERMAN, in France, learn French, THEN whyON EARTH THEY cannot learn Sinhalese & be part of Sri Lanka.??
NO, we have given enough so far, to Tamils & Indians, NOW It is OUR TURN. Lets get all Sri Lankans who practice what they preach & Lets get Ammendment 6, applied FORTHWITH. Anyone who is found guilty of ANTI-Lanka acts will be punushed so that others will learn a good lesson. Advice of D.J.Jayathilka WILL NOT APPLY anymore.
Thank you..Glad that there are quite a few responses….BE POSITIVE & UNITED.. then we will win~ J
July 19th, 2013 at 8:08 pm
Dear Jayasiri
I appreciate your comments. By having that valuable experience at Nalanda you seem to have progressed well. That is why you write so well. Nalanda is a great school.
Current problem:
The irony is that we Sinhalese have not fought a coherent battle thus far. Various groups are making various demands – both JHU and NFF seem happy with partial abolition of the 13th amendment. This means the TNA will still get to form the government, which means among other avenues, they can make the demand for UDI. This must be the main reason why they appointed Wigneswaran (an experienced lawyer) as the Chief Ministerial candidate.
If all patriots work in unison and make one loud demand – “We want a Referendum to abolish the entre 13th amendment”, the government will listen.
I have sadly noted some patriots are doing the current anti-13th amendment work somewhat in a competition like manner. This is what I experienced in Colombo and also in an email forum that I created with about 50 members. Some patriots (say 3 or 4 in the 50 member group) feared one group/individual may become prominent over others, or will get more publicity etc. They disliked fresh ideas/fresh thinking, costs saving measures. They wanted to take over the leadership of the group which was receiving lots of expatriate funding. Instead of attacking the separatists, they viscously attacked a fellow patriot for no reason whatsoever, who was doing a fantastic job. He had no option but to drop out from the forum. This is just one example.
These are silly, childish thinking and practices. By engaging in them, we are digging our own grave. The country will be the loser. TNA and Tamil Diaspora will gain.
Read Anagarkika Dharmaplaa diaries – when he was under house arrest in India for about 10 years, not a single person spoke on his behalf nor made representations to the British about him. When his ashes were brought to the country (he died as a monk) from Bodhgaya, the then leaders fought hard to get a photo opportunity at every possible event!
But, overall patriots are working with remarkable determination. I met a lawyer friend who had spent every cent of his against the anti- 13th amendment campaign.
I was fortunate to distribute leaflets in front of the Fort Railway Station. It was a fun thing. The ordinary person on the street is very eager to have a discussion about the matter.
Yes, I believe it is important to meet with HE the President personally and outline him the problems properly and effectively. I am happy to be part of that delegation. HE the President is a good listener and a strategist; he will take appropriate action(Referendum in this situation) to protect the Nation. Our group in Colombo (13වන සංශෝධණය අවලංගු කිරිම සඳහා වූ ජාතික පෙරමුණ) have had meetings with top government officials, unfortunately not with HE the President. We will continue to do lobbying.
Future
Leaving the past failures behind all patriots should get together and run a full scale battle in one voice (the demand for Referendum) – the government will also come on board then. It will be a strength to the Government if we do this. The Government will say to the world (and also CHOGM) that the public momentum was too high, due deference had to be given to people’s voice (this includes the expatriates voice). We have not reached this point yet.
Once we hit the peak, the Government will say it has no other alternative but to scrap the forthcoming provincial council elections (3) and hold the Referendum instead.
So let’s fight hard to reach that peak.
Once we abolish the provincial councils, it will give us some protection and breathing space; but, that does not mean the battle is over. Like a deer in jungle who is constantly looking for ways and means for survival, we have to look for ways and means to keep our country intact. The international situation is so bad, we have too many very powerful enemies now, they are the lion we are the deer.
nb – CHOGM is a spent force which has no relevance to today’s society. It is a mechanism to keep the British Monarch intact. They hold the Commonwealth Games every four years where 2 or 3 countries completely sweep the medals table. It is a good preparation for those countries for Olympics. We should be happy we did not win the Hambanthota Games. It would have ben another colossal waste of money. In our efforts to hold this big party in November (they will wine and dine and go), why should we run the risk of losing our sovereignty? If we lose CHOGM it is a one off thing (who cares anyway), if we lose our sovereignty, that is forever. The North will not go alone, it will take the East with it.
Let’s keep our discussion herein going.
Kind regards
Chanaka
July 20th, 2013 at 6:19 am
Chanaka,
Our heartfelt thanks for your efforts. All you say is true. We are concerned to note that the Sinhala groups are not yet shouting with one voice for removal of 13-A. Some people do not know all the facts, and that may be a reason for keeping quiet.
Sometimes they do not want to challenge a ‘learned’ person, and they would rather keep quiet. Or it may be that they do not
want to go public with what they know, but tell their immediate family only. Inability to properly articulate what they want to say may compel them to keep quiet too. There are many reasons why some folk may not participate in our hour of need.
Apart from what your group does, BBS and other influential groups must keep the masses well informed so that when the time is right, action is taken. The leaders of all groups ought to meet up NOW to exchange ideas and decide on a Master Plan.
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Re keeping people informed, for instance, I think most people in Lanka think that illegal migrants are there, but only in small numbers. Some are not aware of the caste/poverty issues of Tamil Nadu, and that millions of Tamils may swarm into Lanka, if allowed. If Sri Lanka offers free education & health care, plus land, homes, jobs, etc. who on earth will not come from caste & poverty ridden Tamil Nadu ? There are some 11 Million Tamils (2001 Census) designated as Scheduled Castes i.e. low castes or Dalits (they are so low in the social strata that they are beneath all caste). These people want to lose all caste status imposed in Tamil Nadu (& India) and will cross the narrow Palk Sts. to come to Lanka. Our local folks do not know all this. It is time to throw out the facts, however uncomfortable.
The artificial padding up of numbers of poor, uneducated people who are also homeless via the Tamil illegal migration machine will only add more fuel to the Indian & international ‘human rights’ machine.
Sri Lanka has to deport all ILLEGAL MIGRANTS, mainly from Tamil Nadu. Since it was the the Cold War games times that brought them freely into Lanka, we can send them back now that the Cold War is over.
Sri Lankans must think logically about these matters. The alternative is to lose Sri Lanka. It’s a case of Govern well or Depart.
July 20th, 2013 at 3:05 pm
Illegal immigration from Tamilnadu happened largely throughout the colonial periods and post-independence and in the mid-20th century. That is why the big Tamil population in the North especially in Jaffna,. After independence, in the 50s and 60s, the illegal immigration was well monitored and controlled. We called them Kallathoni. They still came but with much difficulty. The whole country was vigilant about them. Sirimavo and Dudley in the 60s want to curb the problem. They were somewhat successful.
There have been very prominent Tamils who were Kallathonis; they came in the 20th century, after the 1st and 2nd world wars. I can give you the names in private.
It is probable Prabhakaran’s father was a Kallathoni who crossed the Palk Strait from Kerala.
Now, illegal immigration is happening in a grand scale; unfortunately most people are either ignorant or do not care. Some don’t know what to do with the problem. They think best thing is to keep it quiet.
Note what I have stated about Maheshwaran and Jayalth J in my comments under SL’s above article.
Tamilnadu insists that their fishermen plunder our fish; the hidden agenda is that they can also send Kallathonis to Sri Lanka in the guise of fishermen.
Vaiko and Nedumaran wanted to establish terrorist camps in Sri Lanka. They can send their people in boats. Nedumanran had been to Sri Lanka several times in boats (without a visa). He wined and dined with Prabhakaran.
It is very easy for an illegal immigrant to become a Sri Lankan citizen. Forged documents are in plenty. One can prepare a National Identity Card even at home. Can you believe it – they still handwrite the name on the NIC! It is just a matter of writing your name on the photocopied yellow paper and laminate it. You’ve got your Sri Lankan NIC! With that and the forged birth certificate in arm, you apply to obtain the Sri Lankan Passport . It is given within 24 hours. The government will readily issue the passport provided that the higher fee is paid.
So any illegal can become a citizen of Sri Lanka. There is hardly any prosecution in Sri Lanka for such forgery.
I have heard many Maldivians (and Pakistanis) are living in Sri Lanka illegally, using the system above mentioned and other methods. No wonder why in Colombo and other big cities you now see so many Muslims. This was not the case about 20 years ago.