Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Please explain me your special culture. Why do you speak of my culture which is not known to you.

Have you ever been to N/E OF sri lanka!

I lived 5-6 years in the East, Trincomalee from 80 to 85.

Your strategy is good to make people tired of repeating the same thing but not good enough to save the country from divison and economic disaster.

I had to repeat the same answer in different ways because you kept on quoting K Indrapala on 'existance' of Tamils in SL, and then link that with your 'imaginary Tamil Kingdom' to base claims for autonomy/self determination

#1
Please do not look at everything with a 'separation-phobia'. The issue I am arguing is not about separation is justified or not. As I have indicated many a times, I am dead against separation. I am talking about the existence of Tamils in Sri Lanka in the pre-historic period and the existance of Tamil Kingdoms in the north-east of Sri Lanka. Some might use that to justify a separate state in the North-East but not me.
#2
By including the minorities in the political process, by addressing their issues and by avoiding discrimination, these countries have found a way to maintain their unity. If you look at all these countries they have all adopted more decentralized political process through Federalism which we have failed to do.
That has created the rebellion and call for separation.
What we have to do is to address those issues and prevent separation.
We have missed such opportunities many a times and continuing to do so.

If we continue to do so more and more, we will only inching towards separation by default

#3
I too wish that Tamils gave up separtion but the reality is that it will be probably in excahnge for a Federal state.

If you expect that Tamils will give up both, what can I say other than to say 'wishful thinking'.

If the majority had accommadated the concerns of the monorities and treated them as equals in the early stages of the ethnic problem, there would not have been a need for even autonomy; we could have co-existed within a unitary constitution. But now its too late for that.

So, only way out for you is to somehow (mis-)interpret history (K Indrapala's work included) to weave a story that there was an Indepdent Tamil Kingdom in SL and today's Tamils are descendants of this Independent Tamil Kingdom hence have the historical right to self determination. Pro-LTTE web sites like Tamil-Canadians are following this approach. Unfortuntely for them and you, no historian accepts these Myths ;-)

Let me quote from Prof. Indrapala from his new book:
P165,
In fact, from other evidences it is known that there was a chiefdom named Nagadipa in the northernmost part of the island. Its ruler appears to have been known as Diparaja and there is a Brahmi record of a Diparaja. Although this record is from Minintale, Pranavitana suggests that the Diparaja mentioned here was the ruler of Nagadipa. Apart from these references to Diparaja, there is at least one early Brahmi record from the Jaffna peninsula itself providing evidence about a chief with a title 'Ko' ( the equivalent of the Prakrit raja in Dravidian languages)

Tamils have more rights in SL than USA, UK, Australia, NZ, Norway or any other Western nation. If Tamils can live happy in those countries, they should be even more proud of additional rights they have in SL.

#1
This is the major reason for today's problems.
Tamils in the countries you have referred above are migrants. That is why there is no issue of ownership or rights claims.
In Sri Lanka, we feel that we are natives and that is why the claim for equality
#2
The Tamils or even Sinhalese who migrated overseas in the recent past had done so willingly and have to accept the laws of the land as they knew that when they migrated.