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Eric A. B. Fernando A.C.M.A, A.T.F.A., Kandy, Sri-Lanka, 25 August 2003 : This is most regrettably a well calculated and a mischievous statement to justify the need to create a separate state not so much for the benefit of the Tamils but those who wish to be rulers of the Tamils and their passive supporters. May I state one simple instance of unity. I was living at Nildandahinna at that time (in the 1970's) when ethnic problems broke out. There was a collegue of ours (Nathan) from Vadukodai an innocent man whose wife as I remember was expecting her first baby. All of us gave him shelter and looked after him till the situation subsided. Sometimes later, he took his vacation leave and I thought I could join him to see "Jaffna" a place that I had seen only in the map at that time. With much eagerness I asked him whether I could join him. His immediate reply was "My community will not be happy if I take you there". We singhalese can live only in areas outside their so called "traditional" nijabima. The Tamils can live any where with the Sinhala friends in a spirit of brotherhood.They can earn as much as they like by fleecing the sinhalese. Their shops in my home town (Kandy) is far in excess of their proportion of population and will show a sharp gap with the line of best fit. Their governance in sinhala residential areas is statistically significant. It is we singhalese who should complain that constraints are placed on us in excercising the freedom of selecting where we should live. It is unfortunate that they level frivoulous accusations aginst us who have not only been their most concerned friends but guardian angels at times. The unkindest cut of all is that they assault us first and then run to international communities to make a complaint on a matter that is rightly ours.
Niyas A, Kuwait (14 Jan 2002) - I must say that this is utterly false. My family was chased out of Jaffna in 1983 along with approximately 40,000 other Muslims. Our property (two shops and a small block of land) were all left there but since then we have no access to any of them. My family has settled down in Maradana and I have seen Jaffna Tamils living without and hindrance in Colombo as well as many other parts of Sri Lanka. They fortunate to be the only citizens capable of travelling or living in any part of the country. My question is when will the Muslims who lived in Jaffna for so many years before being chased out, will be bale to return back to Jaffna?
Dharmasena R, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. (14 Jan 2002)
- False. It is now an accepted truth to say, that 80% of the Tamils live in areas other than North and East, as per the latest consensus. In fact in the city of Colombo the
Singhalese have become a minority. The Tamils, from the time of independence live and do business and get
education, practice religion, maintain community centres and celebrate cultural extravagances and festivities
without an iota of hindrance from other communities specially, the Singhalese.
In certain areas such as Wellawattha, Mutwal and Kotahena etc. are virtually Singhalese are not welcomed,
and are not safe either. Outside Colombo too there are many other towns and cities of similar status and if you
go to Nuwara-Eliya and plantation areas, one would feel that he is in some other foreign country. Even to ask a
direction for a place you may have to speak in Tamil or else you are lost, Singhalese is not a useful language
there.
The Govt. offices, institutions, road names, and all private organizations display their signboards in all three
languages, that is Singhala, Tamil and English, in areas where the majority are Singhalese. But in Tamil areas
like Jaffna, Trincomalee and Batticoloa one cannot find any Singhalese signboard; it is either in pure Tamil or
Tamil and English. This is not something new; this habit was practiced from the time of “The British Raj”, and is
a legacy that they left to us, these colonial masters. If you go to buy a stamp in a post office, in these Tamil
areas, your voice is not heard or ignored, until you get fed up and go away or just plead and wait for every
other “Ponnaiya” and “Lechchemy” was properly treated with. But in other areas the Tamils are most
welcomed, and are addressed as “Aiyah”, “Thambi”, “Aachchee” etc. and most of the patrons of their
businesses are the Singhalese.
Many big businessmen of Tamils are living and thriving in Colombo and other major towns of majority Singhalese. If they have difficulty in living in other areas except North and East how can so many of them have
conglomerates and condominiums in Colombo? They get education from the kindergarten to the university level
and further, in our areas and practice law and medicine or work in govt. establishments unhindered. They can
travel from Dondra to KKS without any hassle, whereas a Singhalese is not allowed beyond not
Medavchchiya, but Anuradhapura as of the prevailing situation, except for some Peace Project elites such as
Dr. Jayalath Jayawardhane.
So, where is the point to support that Tamils cannot live in other areas apart from North and East.