This page contains some of your comments and most of our replies to them. If you have any comments on our web site, or you wish to submit any articles for publication, please send them to our editor: editor@sinhaya.com.

Also see : Articles of Interest

I am a student studying in a Norwegian University. I will give my full support for your attempt.

Dear Editor,

I would like to point out a basic fact that has been overlooked by both the Sri Lankan government and your analysis of the so called ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. There wasn't a ethnic problem in Sri Lanka, and there isn't a one now. If so, what is this problem? It was a problem handed down to us by the British regime. If you look into the statistics and other evidence it is amply clear.

With the installation of British regime in Sri Lanka, Sinhalese people fought every which way they could with colonial invaders. Only way they could manage the uprisings was by dividing the local communities and setting them against each other and rewarding those who obeyed their orders and became subservient loyalists to them.

This they did in Sri Lanka by bringing their religion-Christianity to the Island. They were not able to convert or proselytise Buddhist or Moslems. But they were able to convert low cast Tamils from Jaffna and other parts of the country who were not entertained in the Kovils due to their casts. These newly convert loyalists got another gift from British regime. Most important of all was missionary education and Christian Schools in Jaffna and Batticoloa and other parts of the country ( St Micheals, St. Patrick, Hartley College etc.) The second most important gift was government employment such as Ceylon Civil Services, Ceylon Administrative Services and other professional jobs they were given after coming back from completion of post missionary education funded by British Regime. Thereafter, high caste elite also joined these forces to enjoy the privileges of education and government sector employment.

On the other side British regime totally neglected the majority community because its intolerance nature towards colonials. They neglected tank based irrigation systems, temple based education systems which was taxed to feed the other sectors such as plantations. Sinhalese even revolt against plantation work upto a point where they had to bring indentured labourers from South India to work in plantations.

Later on there were a few Sri Lankan elite who converted to Christianity to enjoy privileges. Family of former minister Tyronne Fernando, SWRD Bandaranayake are some examples. After the independence, government of Ceylon began giving priority to restoration of irrigation systems and education systems mainly neglected by British regime in majority Sinhalese areas. This education paved the way for Sinhalese and Moslem youth to compete on a equally level playing ground for a fixed employment base. The rate of increase of labour force did not match the available employment base which was solely government sector. There was hardly any private sector opportunities due to government nationalisation policies. Increasing competition in the job market was felt by Tamils as a discrimination because the privileges they enjoyed under British regime eroded due competition. Then they tried to beat the competition through cheating of national examinations etc. This too was not much of a help. Government policies was not directed toward solving problems but aggravating them. This was mainly caused by nationalisation policies, discouraging private sector which in turn led to the declining employment opportunities both for majority and minority.

Majority Sinhalese interpreted this problem as preferential treatment problem emanating from class differences. Therefore they sought to over turn regime which were inherently bias toward urban populations. This was culminated through a leftist rebellion in 1971 and 1989-1991. Minority interpreted this as a race problem because it was what they were made to believe by their opportunistic political leaders. This was superficially felt because the government was in the hands of majority community. This was the base for discriminatory cry. Apart from that there were real issues of discriminations by ruling elite of minorities and rural communities. It is even pervasive today if you compare the facilities enjoyed by rural folks and urban folks.

So there is a discrimination not based on race but due to uneven development of urban and rural sector of the island. So the ethnic issue is blown out of proportion.

Do you have any information on what the Sri Lankan embassy in the U.S. is doing with regard to the LTTE petition filed before a U.S. court requesting the removal of its name as a terrorist group?

That embassy was such a useless place and unless reminded or forced they may not act to prove the facts mentioned in the LTTE petition were false.

Dear Sir,

Congratulations on an excellent web page. We needed such a page for a long time, and, since we have one now, it's 'hit' frequency should be worked upon so that the whole world gets to know what these barbarians are upto. I have already informed many of my friends about the page.

Being one of the first Army Officers to be sent to the Dollar and Kent Farms, after the cowardly massacres of innocent civilians, I know, and still get flashbacks of how little children had been killed by holding them by their legs and banging their little heads against walls. I saw babies with crushed heads, and pieces of brain matter on the walls, right above where these babies lay dead, eyes gaping innocently towards heaven. This was the day I realised that Sri Lanka was up against primitive animals and not human beings.

I commend your page. May the Devas give you strength to continue this page.

Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

Col. L.G. (Retd)
Ex Sri Lanka Armoured Corps

As a singhalese I am depressed to see that your view of the attempts to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the war are as extremist as those of the LTTE, albeit in the opposite direction. Even if the LTTE were to be completely exterminated (an extraordinarily unlikely prospect), other Tamil groups would appear to replace them. Attempting to find a military solution with no attempt at negotiation will only increase the hatred that all Tamils living in the north, including civilians feel for the Singhalese.

While I agree that it is important to counter the one-sided propaganda of the LTTE, further one-sided propaganda such as that found on your site is unlikely to influence those people sophisticated enough to be able to use the WWW.

It would be more helpful if you could come up with some proposals for ending the war beyond "kill all the tigers".

Regards,

DG

Hi,

We're not sure how much you know about a democracy, but one of the basic rules of any democracy is YOU DO NOT NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS. Thoese who did, like Rajiv Ghandi, did not live to realise their mistakes. Sri Lanka should not follow the same mistake.

Which one of our views do you find so extreme; is it that the LTTE terrorists who have killed thousands of civilians including babies by smashing their heads on the walls should be defeated; that we should not negotiate with them; or that they do not represent the Tamil people, considering they killed over two thousand Tamil civilians who oppose them.

Why do you think other Tamil groups would take the place of LTTE when (not if) they are defeated? All other Tamil groups who were once fighting alongside LTTE are now in mainstream politics, and standing for elections. If the Tamils have any grievances, they should be listen to and dealt with, but when some group take up arms and starts massacring civilians to justify a 'ethnically pure Tamil homeland' we should not negotiate with them.

We do not have 'one sided propaganda' in our web site. The site contains facts and news items about the terrorist problem in Sri Lanka.

Sinhaya.

Thank you for responding to my email and publishing it on your WWW site. I still completely disagree with your views on a military solution to the
ethnic conflict and on devolution, but I am pleased to see that you are willing to publish viewpoints that differ from your own.

One area in which we are in complete agreement is that the overseas funding activities of the LTTE must be opposed. I intend to use some of the
information on your site to prepare letters to Australian government officials, to encourage them to ban fund raising for the LTTE.

DG.

Below is an email that sent to the Home Secretary titled "Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Activities in UK ". Please make an effort to write to your local MP, Home Secretary and to the Prime Minister and urge them to closedown LTTE activities in the UK. LTTE office in East London is being used as the main nerve centre for LTTE drug trafficking, welfare defraud and for their specialist activity ? Killing women and children as a part of their ethnic cleansing policy. Emphasise the fact that LTTE is defrauding the UK Social Welfare system. Please feel free to use any of the material published in our website
Home office email is:gen.ho@gtnet.gov.uk

Home Secretary,
Home Office,
London.

20 October 1997.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Activities in UK

Dear Sir,

We are sure you are aware of the appalling incident that took place on 15 October in Sri Lanka, when a terrorist organisation called Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) exploded massive truck bomb in Central Colombo on 16 October 1997, killing twelve and injuring over one hundred civilians and destroying a number of commercial buildings. Six of the injured are British nationals, who were all injured by flying glass from the force of the explosion.

As British nationals, we were appalled to find out that not only these terrorists are legally operating in UK, but they have their International head office and number of other offices in London. It seems they also raise most of their funds in UK. All of their press releases bear the UK address:
LTTE International Secretariat, 211 Katherine Road, London E6 1BU, United Kingdom.

By allowing these terrorists to be based in UK and make press releases from a UK address, this country is being implicated in the terrorist activities of the LTTE against civilians of Sri Lanka, and other nationals who are visiting Sri Lanka.

We applaud your decision to apply high ethical standards when deciding government policies. What we fail to understand is why you let these terrorists, who are at the other end of the ethics spectrum, operate legally in the UK. The money these terrorists raise in UK are being used by buy bullets and explosives which kill and injure innocent civilians, some of whom happen to be British nationals. United States has take a courageous decision to ban fund raising for the LTTE on their soil. We urge you to see behind the mask of this terrorist organisation, ban their fund raising activities in UK and expel all their members.

Thank you,

Yours Faithfully,

Sinhaya Association.
http://www.sinhaya.com
Email: sinhalaya@sinhaya.com

Reply from the Home Office

Subject:Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Activities in UK
Date:28th November 1997

Dear Sir or Madam

Thank you for your e-mail of 20th October to the Home Secretary concerning the activities of the LTTE. Your e-mail has been passed to me for a reply.

The Government is committed to combating vigorously any manifestations of terrorism in the United Kingdom. We are determined that this country should not be used as a base for supporting terrorism overseas in any way.

You ask why the Government allows the LTTE to operate in the UK. The Government currently has the power only to ban groups involved in activities related to Northern Irish terrorism. However, the Home Secretary has recently announced that the Government is preparing a consultation paper which will examine the possibility of banning foreign terrorist organisations operating in this country. The paper will also set out proposals to introduce permanent legislation aimed at tightening up controls on foreign terrorists seeking to make their base in the United Kingdom.

Any credible information or evidence about terrorist activity is investigated. The Prevention of Terrorism Act 1989 creates offences in relation to terrorist fund-raising and, in the aforementioned consultation paper, the Home Secretary shall propose increasing those powers to investigate fund-raising by terrorists. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to prove a link between money raised in one country and terrorist offences in another, as our experiences of IRA fund-raising shows.

As regards your suggestion that we ban all LTTE members, where sufficient evidence emerges that individuals are involved in terrorism of any kind, we do not hesitate to take action against them, either under the criminal law, supported as necessary by prevention of terrorism legislation, or under Immigration Act powers.

Yours sincerely

Organised and International Crime Directorate
Andy Marshall
Communication Directorate
Home Office

Dear Editor,

Congratulations! on a great web site. It certainly is a tribute to a great hero, fellow Royalist, a colleague of mine. Keep up the good work.

Lak bimata Jaya Wewa!!!

Subject: LTTE and the fuel distribution trade in the UK

07 November 1997 at 21:23:42

I am writing to draw attention to this aspect, where I believe another way that money is being raised for their terrorist activities in our country. Not so long ago when I went to pay for the fuel I purchased, and presented my credit card, my address in UK, country of origin and similar irrelevant questions were put to me by the cashier. From his appearance and the accent I noticed that he was a Tamil. Afterwards he also wrote of my card details in a note book. When I questioned he only said " Ah that's nothing ". Nothing may be but I am concerned. So I have informed the petrol company. I wonder if I should inform the Home secretary too.

Please be vigilant

S

Congratulations on the bright new site. There's a revealing article in the Nov. 2 Sunday Island centre page -"Devolution by Brainwashing" - which you might consider adding. The "Recipe for Disaster" item is excellent.

Keep up the good work!

Hi,

Good site, Well done keep it up.

regards
H

It is a great work and of course a YUGAYE AWASYATAWAYAK. I accidentally found this home page in the web and subsequently I have informed all my sinhalese friends who live all over the world about this magnificent site. Please let me know if I can do any thing to this goes.

B.P.
New Zealand

Congratulations on your web page. If you are based in UK please let me know if there is any programme set-up to lobby MP's etc in UK

M

Dear people at Sinhaya, ayubovan!

I am a German who has been interested in Sri Lanka for quite a while, and right now I am studying the Singhalese Language and Culture at the university. I am not certain about the happenings in the North of Sri Lanka, but I suppose that the Sinhalese government should win the war, since that is what even Tamil refugees in Germany have told me they want to happen, if the government will be more sensible this time. And that is the point I am aiming at: You write that the Tamil minority has been privileged in Sri Lanka. Now seriously, think that that is true when you look at the figures, but if you look at the trend that has been showing since the 70s, the picture changes: The government policy has been aiming at getting rid of the good reputation of Tamils in Sri Lanka for quite a while. Hoping that anyone among you knows German or somebody who knows German, I would like to give you the title of a book to get, a scientific paper on Sinhalese Nationalism since the Independence. Please do not think that I am a Pro-Tamil person who wants to convince you of their goals, if that were the case, I wouldn't be writing to you! I am just somebody who himself doesn't know what to think about that whole conflict, since every one of the two parties has some right on their side. The book I was writing about is: Die Gestalt und Entstehung des Singhalesischen Nationalismus, Jakob Roesel, Berlin 1996, (printer:) Duncker & Humblodt. Please consider what I am writing. Forget all you have got to know so that you will get a clear picture of the situation! I'd like to receive an answer:

Yours,
E.K.

Ayubovan,

Sri Lankan governement should and will win this war against the terrorists. The reason so many Tamils are supporting the government in its fight against this group of criminals called LTTE because the LTTE are not fighting for the Tamil People. They have murdered over 2000 Tamil civilians, including all politicians in the Northern and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka who does not agree with their perverse views.

As for your second point, what government policy have been aimed at getting rid of 'good reputation of Tamils in Sri Lanka?'. Unfortunately, none of us read German so we are unable to read the book you mention. However we can say that except for the Northern and Eastern parts, Sri Lanka has one of the most multicultural societies in the world. Sinhalease, Tamils, Muslims and number of other races live in harmoney. It is only in the northern and eastern parts, where LTTE terrorist activity is ripe, that tensions exists.

In any case, the LTTE terrorists and its predecessors are not asking for a separate state because of the recent policy changes by the Sri Lankan government. They started claiming a separate state for the Tamils in 1947 while the Sri Lanka was still ruled by the British. This is because they had so many privileges under the British, they never wanted to be among equals with the Sinhalese.

Thank you for your interest in our country.

Good luck with your studies.

More Comments

  Home