> The conversation that took place prompted me to write this.
> >
> > Sri Lanka is a place for all of us to live in harmony. If anyone,
> >especially the Tamil diaspora thinks that Sri Lanka should be ethnically
> >divided, then, the following is food for though for you. This is also good
> >for those LTTE sympathisers in our country as well as around the world:
> >
> >Your claim: Sri Lanka is the only place for Tamil Ealam
> >
> >Fact: Sri Lanka is the ONLY place in the world for the Sinhala race and
> >the Veddahs. Whether you like it or not, they have the right to this land
> >before anyone else. Tamils, on the other hand, have the historical right
> >to Tamil Nadu – and that is where the only Ealam Dreamland should be. Or
> >you may consider Singapore , Malaysia , Canada , Germany , England or
> > Australia – they have been pampering you well, haven't they?
> >
> >Claim: North and East are the historical Tamil Homeland
> >
> >Fact: If you think the North and East belonged to the Tamils historically,
> >think twice. Read the history of Sri Lanka – the truth, not the rubbish
> >you teach in Tamil schools in Germany . Visit Anuradhapura and look at the
> >moonstones: Lankan civilisation began in the North (not in the South) and
> >the Buddhists were there before the Tamils. Many places of worship of
> >significant importance for Buddhists still lie in the North and East,
> >including places such as Nagadveepa and
> >
> >been built containing relics of the lord Buddha.
> >
> >Only during the Polonnaruwa regime that the cow was removed from the
> >moonstone as a result of the Hindu influence. That's the first time ever
> >the Cholas set foot in our island – so how dare you claim that the North
> >and East are the "traditional" land of the Tamils?
> >
> >Claim: Sinhala Buddhists are committing a Genocide in Sri Lanka
> >(Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in
> >part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group.)
> >
> >Fact: There were Sinhala and Muslim communities living in the North and
> >East – not so long ago. Where are they now? Who has systematically
> >eliminated them, chased them out of their own homes? Who has chopped the
> >heads off the infants, split opened pregnant mothers, stamped their wombs,
> >killed every Sinhala person in sight and torched their villages?
> >
> >Starting from the Kent Farm and Model Farm, the Tamil extremists have
> >eliminated the Sinhala and Muslim communities from the North (and tried in
> >the East too); they attacked temples and mosques, brutally executing
> >monks, priests and innocent people while they were praying. From
> >Aranthalawa, Dimbulagala and Sri Maha Bodhiya to Kandy , the barbaric LTTE
> >terrorists didn't even spare a temple or a mosque. It's the Tamil
> >terrorists committing genocide in Sri Lanka , not anyone else!
> >
> >Claim: Tamils are discriminated in Sri Lanka
> >
> >Fact: A person from the majority Sinhalese cannot buy a piece of land in
> >the North (prevented by a pact), but the Tamils can buy land anywhere in
> >the country. Statistically speaking, Tamils are occupying more than their
> >share in universities, in the civil service, the government and even in
> >the private sector. From Sea Street to 4th Cross Street , there are
> certain
> >trades and industries that "belong" to the Tamils, and no Sinhala or
> >Muslim merchant can penetrate that. A closer look at the transformation of
> > Colombo and its suburbs will make any pea-brain understand who is having
> a better life and who is being pushed aside from the capital city. From
> >Paskaralingam to Kadirgamar to Muralitharan, there are millions of Tamils
> >who have flourished in this country. It is the Sinhala students who cannot
> >attend the Jaffna University or the Eastern University , while the Tamil
> >students enjoy their rights all over the country, including the Peradeniya
> >University in the heartland of the Sinhala Buddhists. Even in Colombo , a
> >Sinhala student is not admitted to any Tamil school, while all the Sinhala
> >schools accept Tamil students.
> >
> > From education, to civil service, to businesses and private sector, to
> > land-ownership in Colombo – Tamils are enjoying more than their fair
> > share. How would it be possible if there is so-called discrimination
> > against Tamils in Sri Lanka ?
> >
> >Claim: Sri Lankan regime has failed to take care of the North and the East
> >
> >Fact: Jaffna had been almost on par with Colombo at one time, a thriving
> >cosmopolitan – the second capital of Sri Lanka – before the troubles
> >began. There are many provinces and districts that have been forgotten by
> >the ruling parties – North and East aren't at the top of that list. Uva,
> >for example did not even have a university until 2 or 3 years ago;
> >Moneragala district is the most deprived in the entire country. The
> >governments have always favoured the Tamils – in order to keep their
> >votes, and as a result, they have been enjoying better benefits than the
> >others in Sri Lanka .
> >
> >Claim: Tamils get hassled and harassed by the security checks
> >
> >Fact: The Sinhalese, the Muslims, the Burghers – we all get woken up in
> >the wee hours of the morning, during search operations; we all get our
> >bags, baggage and vehicles checked, we all get harassed – that's the price
> >the innocent people pay for the environment the stupid LTTE has created.
> >Anyone who fails to produce valid identification or reasonable evidence
> >for whereabouts would get into trouble – unless you are a foreigner (they
> >are the privileged ones in paradise). There are Sinhala and Muslim
> >informants on the LTTE payroll too, so everyone is a 'suspect' at a
> >checkpoint. We all go through the same hassle, same agony. But then again,
> >you hardly visit Sri Lanka , so what would you know?
> >
> >Claim: Sinhalese Buddhists are at War with the Tamils
> >
> >Fact: Nope, we aren't. If we did, there wouldn't have been any Tamils
> >living outside LTTE-controlled areas. Majority of the Tamil population is
> >living outside the LTTE grip; living amongst the other ethnicities in
> >harmony. Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is at war with the terrorists,
> >just like some other democracies around the world. Some LTTE propaganda
> >agents substitute GoSL with Sinhalese Buddhists and LTTE with the Tamils,
> >to leverage certain situations in their favour.
> >
> >Claim: Some Sinhala Extremist Parties are spreading Sinhala-only
> ideologies
> >
> >Fact: Yes, there are extremist elements such as Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU
> >trans. National Sinhala Heritage) – which came to being to counter the
> >extremists such as the LTTE under a political mandate. Tamil extremism is
> >over 50 years old in Sri Lanka while JHU isn't even 10 years old. JHU,
> >being an extremist, has almost zero influence on the average civil
> >society. Tamils, on the other hand, have "erased" Sinhala from their areas
> >(only Tamil and English exist on the sign boards from the North – out of
> >sight, out of mind?) while the rest of the country treats Tamil as one of
> >the official languages.
> >
> >Now, who is being extreme and who is breeding extremism in this country?
> >
> >Claim: Sri Lankan Government has no option but to negotiate with the LTTE
> >
> >Fact: Sri Lankan Government did not negotiate with the Sinhala Buddhist
> >uprisings in the early 70's and the late 80's. The Sinhala terrorists were
> >captured, tortured and killed – and their heads decorated the roadside
> >fences. Their burning bodies were seen in almost every street corner every
> >morning, and over 50,000 youth are still missing to date. That was the
> >Sinhala Buddhist government taking care of the Sinhala Buddhist youth who
> >terrorised the country. The government does NOT have to negotiate with
> >terrorists. The Sri Lankan governments have been too nice, and tolerant,
> >to the Tamil terrorists all these years.
> >
> >Claim: The international community has a right to involve in the Sri
> >Lankan situation
> >
> >Fact: The international community has already banned the LTTE – a terror
> >outfit and its sister-concerns. Not even India can ecourage terrorism or
> >division anymore; they too have Mumbai and Kashmir on their agenda. Sadly,
> >it is only a few misguided Tamil businessmen and individuals who support
> >the LTTE around the world trying to lobby a voice for lost cause – they
> >hardly quantify or qualify as the "international community." BBC and the
> >gullible British elements don't qualify either.. You too will soon see the
> >truth and realise that the Ealam dream was nothing but a painful
> nightmare.
> >
> >Claim: LTTE is the only and true voice of the Tamil people
> >
> >Fact: LTTE does not represent the true Tamils of this country. If they
> >did, why would they eliminate EPRLF, EPDP, EROS and TULF? Weren't they
> >representing Tamils too? Why would they kill any Tamil voice that was
> >against the LTTE agenda – no matter how big or small the person was? From
> >innocent villagers who were labelled as "traitors" to great statesmen like
> >Lakshaman Kadirgamar, LTTE has killed thousands of its own kith and kin
> >that they were "supposedly" protecting. In fact, the LTTE has killed more
> >innocent Tamils than the number of LTTE militants killed by the Sri Lankan
> >Security Forces. LTTE is not the true voice or the protector of the Tamils
> >in Sri Lanka . It's just the opposite.
> >
> >Claim: LTTE is protecting the civilians in their area, if they get out,
> >they would be killed by the Sri Lankan Security Forces. (Also according to
> >LTTE and the BBC)
> >
> >Fact: Almost all the Tamils in Sri Lanka – except for the ones who are
> >trapped in the current War Zone – live outside the LTTE influence. How
> >come they are not killed? If over 90% of the Tamils are living outside the
> >LTTE held areas, in harmony with the rest of the Sri Lankans, protected
> >and freely, what are they talking about? They would be killed by the
> >military advance if they DON'T leave the LTTE-held areas soon enough.
> >
> >Claim: Sri Lanka failed to recognise the demands of the Tamils and never
> >offered a political solution
> >
> >Fact: Sri Lanka did, but sadly the Tamils didn't recognise the power they
> >had in their hands. The country switched from a 225-seater parliament that
> >represented an MP per electorate to the Provincial Council System to
> >satisfy the demands of the Tamils. This may not have been perfect, but it
> >was a very good beginning. North and East were combined and offered in a
> >silver platter to the terrorist leader twice, but he refused to enter the
> >political stream. LTTE rejected democracy and took up arms, not once, not
> >twice, but many a times. Every "Cease-Fire" ended in LTTE regrouping,
> >re-arming and murdering hundreds of Sinhalese – the Tamil Diaspora that
> >has never set foot in the island should use their brains to understand why
> >the LTTE were NOT acting for the benefit of the ordinary Tamils.
> >
> > Sri Lanka would have been better off without the high-maintenance
> >Provincial Council System – with a leaner, meaner, accountable and more
> >responsible Parliament. Today we have a white elephant – created for the
> >Tamils, but fed by the rest of the Sri Lankans.
> >
> >We were a resourceful nation in South Asia, ahead of Singapore on the
> >development curve, once upon a time. Thanks to the idiotic ideologies and
> >stupidities of LTTE, the whole country has gone back in time – in to the
> >stone ages. The roads are still the same width as it were 30 years ago,
> >the currency has depreciated from Rs 16.00 to a US Dollar in 1978 to
> >almost Rs 114.00 to a US Dollar today – a whopping 712% in just 30 years!
> >The country is filled with the maimed and the war-victims – a huge burden
> >on the welfare system for the next few generations to come. Emotional
> >scars would take another zillion years to heal; and I could write another
> >million ways the war has crippled our Paradise .
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