The letter below was published in three of the widely read newspapers in Sri Lanka, Sultanate of Oman and in United Arab Emirates in April 2002 and after watching the recent agitations going on in London and other countries by the acolytes of a banned terrorist organization prompted to republish it in my own blog.
See how appropriate it is in today’s context too.
Sorry guys, your days are numbered………….!
IT IS a common misconception that some ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka took up arms against the government because of the discriminatory practices by the latter against the former. In truth, there are two types of Tamils in Sri Lanka. One is the Sri Lankan Tamils and the others the Indian Tamils. The latter were brought to the island by the British to work in tea plantations. They comprise 5.6 per cent of the population. On the other hand, the Sri Lankan Tamils, whom the LTTE terrorists claim that they are duty-bound to liberate and are calling for the Eelam, are 12.6 per cent. Out of which, 6.5 per cent live in the northern part of Sri Lanka, 2.7 per cent in the east and the rest, 3.4 per cent live in the other parts of the country.
If the discrimination against the minority were so prevalent, then the numbers would have been drastically different. Almost half of the Sri Lankan Tamils are living side by side with the majority and other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka in other parts of Sri Lanka. It is a fact none can deny.
The Tamils in Sri Lanka, or for that matter any minority, is free and entitled to live anywhere in the country, free to own properties or run business, practise their religion and customs, to have education in his own choice of language, like the majority Sinhalese.
Perhaps there may have been isolated cases of Tamils could have being denied employment opportunity in one of the key sensitive areas of employment such as National Security for that matter. Given the prevailing war scenario in the country, can anyone be blamed for such actions and it may have been done only because of the sensitivity of the issue and not because of the minority state of that person? Furthermore, there are special public holidays declared by the majority Sinhalese government on important religious and festival days to enable the minority to celebrate their cultural occasions.
Every government document is printed in all three national languages and Tamils are free to submit them in their own mother tongue, be it birth registration, school admission, or marriage certificates. All road maps are printed, and public transport service routes displayed, in the three national languages, not to mention road signs. Even if one travels to the farthest south of the island, one can find every important notification displayed in Tamil as well.
I think that this is a very unique situation, although some ethnic Tamils who have a vested interest in the conflict do not wish to accept it.
Otherwise, how would they be able to enjoy the benefits of asylum in liberal Western nations if a civil war no longer raged there? No war means no more staying there in comfort. - Sasanka De Silva, Sultanate of Oman
Kindly post your opinion.
Well said Sir.The King of Lions'
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