Separatist Tamils justify their cry for Eelam – A Motherland – as an escape from atrocities perpetrated by the Sinhala. They also claim to be the original inhabitants of Lanka.
For their separate state they claim the Northern and Eastern Provinces. However, according to the last available census of 1981, 27.37% of all Sri Lanka Tamils, 90.85% of all Indian Tamils and 53.2% of all Tamils live in the rest of the Island where the much maligned Sinhala form the overwhelming majority. The prevalent discrimination is in the Northern Province, the nucleus of the cry for Eelam, where no Sinhala civilian is allowed to live.
According to the Mahawamsa, our great chronicle, advent of Vijaya in 483 B. C. marks the beginning of the Sinhala Race. Since then an unbroken line of Sinhala kings ruled Lanka, with sporadic Chola, Pandava & Pallava invasions from Southern India, to hold and rule parts and parts only, never the whole, up to the accession in 1707, of Narendra Singha, known in some Chronicles as Wira Parakrama, after whose demise, ended the Royal Line of Sinhala Kings.
Thereafter, the queen’s brother a Malabar from South India ascended the throne, taking on the Sinhala name of Sri Wijaya Rajasinghe, swearing allegiance, as did his predecessors, to the Buddha Sasana and the Sinhala race. Three more kings of the same family ruled, ending in 1815 A. D., with Sri Wickrama Rajasingha, whom the Sinhala lords, considering a foreign usurper, conspired with the British to depose. This Royal line of the kings of Sinhele is second only to the Royal lineages of Japan & Iran and, is recorded History.
Tamils claim, giving credit to the poem, ‘Kaylasa Mala’, the tribe of Naga, habitants of Lanka pre – Vijaya, were expelled by Dravidians. The book Matara Manawa Vamsaya, which gives research done by the Venerable Professor Kamburupitiye Vanartana Thera effectively disproves this theory. The lettering in the caves, similar to the modern Sinhala alphabet, shows its evolution, very clearly, through the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa inscriptions, even to the uninitiated. The Tamil alphabet of Dravidian origin can show no connection.
Having refuted both claims and undeniable fact still remains. There is an ethnic minority terrorising a nation and holding successive Governments to ransom in their demand for a separate state. Who are these Separatists?
In about 500 A. D. The Moughal Conquest of India forced the then reigning Dravidians to the south of the Sub Continent. Of these, the ruling class Vellala Tamils found their way to the northern tip of Sri Lanka. Here they lived sometimes in ignominy, sometimes ruled by a Dravidian paying tribute to the King of Lanka or of South India, depending on who was the stronger.
In 1815, Lanka became a dominion in the British Empire. As successful colonists, the strategy of the British was to bring down and keep down the ruling class Sinhala. This was achieved by giving Economic and Educational opportunity to chosen minorities. This colonial authoritarian regime lasted close upon a century.
Transformation from a Colonial Government to that of a Parliament came in 1912 where members would be elected by universal franchise and directed by a cabinet of Ministers. Though officials of the British Government formed the majority, the franchise was opened to Lankans with an English education. These formed about 4% of the population, the majority being Burghers, Tamils and Muslims in that order. Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan was an electee in this legislative committee, in which Sinhala and Tamils were equally represented though Tamils were a definite minority.
In 1919, Ceylon National Congress was formed under the leadership of Sir Arunachalam Ponnambalam, with Sir James Peiris, Sir D. B. Jayatileka,
D. S. Senanayaka and F. R. Senanayaka among its members.
The National Congress grew in influence but the Tamil representation grew weaker. In 1920, three seats were held by Tamils while the sinhala held thirteen, as opposed to the equal representation of the previous year. This made the Tamils break away from the National Congress to form their own Party. Their demand was for 2/3 as many seats in congress as would be assigned to the Sinhala.
This was the beginning of the political Forum of the Separatist Tamils. Their cry was not for a separate state but, to dominate the Island as a whole.