Tamils - a Trans State Nation..

"To us all towns are one, all men our kin.
Life's good comes not from others' gift, nor ill
Man's pains and pains' relief are from within.
Thus have we seen in visions of the wise !."
- Tamil Poem in Purananuru, circa 500 B.C 

Selected Writings - S. Makenthiran

An Indictment of the Sri Lankan Government

29 December 2007 [also in Word Format]

The Sinhalese dominated Sri Lankan government stands indicted of genocide against the minority Tamils, who are the original inhabitants of the land. The following facts from the date of independence, proves beyond doubt the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the successive Sinhalese regimes. These need to be presented to the world community and World Court for adjudication of the crimes against humanity:

In 1948, the very year that the British handed over the Ceylon Government (now named Sri Lanka) to the Sinhalese majority on a platter without any solid safeguards for the minorities, the Sinhalese dominated government passed an obnoxious law rendering half the Ceylon Tamil population stateless in the land of their birth. Out of about two million Tamil people in Ceylon at the time of independence, over one million Upcountry Tamils, who had lived in Ceylon for generations, were deprived of their citizenship by the Ceylon Citizenship act. To add to this crime, immediately thereafter, the Sinhalese government disenfranchised these Tamils by depriving them of their voting rights by passing the Ceylon Elections Amendment Act.

The Upcountry Tamil leaders carried on a peaceful satyagraha protest against this state racist policy, but it was ignored by the racist government and was unsuccessful. The first Prime Minister of Ceylon, D.S. Senanayake, a scheming Sinhalese racist is responsible for these crimes.

The Sinhalese dominated government is guilty of land grab, by forcing a planned colonization of the traditional homeland of the Tamils in the Northeast by settling Sinhalese from the South in Tamil lands. Sinhalese criminals were systematically planted in Tamil villages by pushing out the indigenous Tamils. The protests by Tamils and their leaders were ignored and the Tamils who were the original inhabitants were deprived of their lands, reducing the latter to the position of a minority in parts of their own homeland.

The Sinhalese government passed the Sinhala Only Act in 1956 making Sinhala the only official language and depriving the Tamil language of its status as an official language. The Tamil language spoken by the Tamils and Muslims was the mother tongue of one-third of the people of Ceylon, but it was suppressed by the Sinhalese. S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake, who was a rabid Sinhala rubble rousing Prime Minister, is responsible for this crime. The Tamil leaders carried out a peaceful opposition to this discriminatory laws, but they were violently suppressed.

To add to this, in 1956, the Sinhalese mobs attacked and drove out Tamils from their villages in the Gal Oya Valley in the Batticaloa District. This was the commencement of Sinhala mob terrorism against the unarmed Tamils. The police were ineffective to protect the unarmed Tamil victims.

The Sinhala government stopped giving employment to the Tamils and squeezed out Tamils already in service, to strangle the community economically. Those Tamils already in the government service were deprived of their increments unless they passed the Sinhala proficiency tests.

In 1957 the Tamil leader signed the Bandaranayake-Chelvanayagam Pact with the Sinhalese government, to devolve power to regional councils. But it was unilaterally and dishonestly abrogated by the Sinhalese government.

In 1958 Sinhalese mobs and criminals unleashed terror against the Tamils all over the Sinhalese provinces. Tamils were massacred, their houses burnt, people burnt live, women were raped and tortured. Over 100,000 Tamils fled to their traditional homelands in the Northeast. Tamils were defenseless and attacked even in their homeland. Thus started Sinhala mob terror with the connivance of the Sinhala state.

In a blatant act of discrimination against the Tamil youth, in 1970, the Tamils students were barred from higher education, by a scheme of standardization. Tamil students were required to score higher marks than the Sinhalese for admission to higher studies.

In an unprecedented case of ethnic cleansing by the Sinhala state, Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranayake the then Prime Minister indulged in mass deportation of the stateless and disenfranchised Upcountry Tamils to India. In this crime, the Indian government colluded with the Ceylon government against the opposition of the Tamils of Ceylon by signing the Srimavo-Sashtri Pact in 1964. Half million Tamils were thus forced out of Ceylon to India.

In 1965, the Tamil leader signed the Chelvanayagam-Senanayake Pact for a second time with the Sinhalese government, to devolve power to district councils. But it was again unilaterally and dishonestly abrogated by the Sinhalese government.

In 1974 the Sinhala state unleashed police violence against the Tamils who had gathered to hold the Tamil Research Conference in Jaffna, killing nine and wounding many. In 1976 the Sinhalese police opened fire at a mosque killing many Tamil speaking Muslims.

In 1977 the UNP government under the anti-Tamil Prime Minister J.R. Jayawardena unleashed mob violence against the Tamils particularly in the plantations, massacring hundreds of innocent people. Nearly 40,000 Tamils were made refugees and destitute and many fled to India. Nearly 100 Hindu temples were destroyed with the active involvement of Sinhalese politicians.

In 1978 the Parliament enacted the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act and the armed forces were given a free hand to kill Tamil youth. Torture camps were set up and Tamils disappeared in large numbers.

The government set up Sinhalese and Muslim Home-guards to oppress Tamils. These thugs with the support of the Sinhalese armed forces, committed horrible atrocities on unarmed Tamils civilians.

In 1981, the Sinhalese armed forces rampaged in Jaffna, killing and setting fire to buildings including the historic Jaffna Public Library and 94,000 valuable books. This was an act of cultural genocide carried out by two extremist Sinhala ministers, Athulathmudali and Cyril Mathew, who were present in Jaffna at that time.

The Sinhalese government chased out Tamils from their villages in large numbers in Northeast and planted Sinhalese from the South. Plantation Tamils, who had taken refuge in Northeast due to Sinhala terror, were forcible put into buses and dumped in the Central Province.

Tamil students in the University of Peradeniya were attacked to prevent the educational advancement of Tamil youth.

Tamils were arrested in large numbers and held without trial for long periods in violation of human rights. Many were tortured and many disappeared.

In July 1983 the Sinhala state under J.R. Jayawardene organized and committed a genocide of the Tamils all over Sri Lanka. 53 Tamil prisoners were slaughtered in Welikade jail. Over 3,000 Tamils were massacred and 90 % of their property destroyed. Tamil women were raped and men burnt alive. Hundreds of thousands of Tamils fled by land and sea from the Sinhalese areas to their traditional homeland in the Northeast. 200,000 Tamils fled to India.

From 1983 onwards, under successive Sinhalese leaders like J.R. Jayawardena, Premadasa, and Chandrika Kumaratunga, the Sinhala armed forces continued a reign of state terror in the Tamil areas. Mass arrests, killings, disappearances, torture, rape, burning of houses, destruction of schools, hospitals, businesses, shops, temples and churches resulted in Tamils getting thrown into destitution. Tamil villages were bulldozed and the army followed a scorched earth policy in the Tamil homeland.

The massacre of Tamils by the Sinhala state and mobs are too numerous to give in detail. For example, in the Tamil village of Manalaru, the Tamils were uprooted, it was renamed Welioya, and Sinhalese convicts were settled. In various places in Sri Lanka, the Sinhala armed forces, Homeguards and mobs, systematically and continuously slaughtered Tamils over the years in Jaffna, Palali, Nedunthivu, Manalaru, Valvettiturai, Kilali, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kokkadicholai, Mannar, Bidunuwewa, Kanchirankuda etc. Tamils were massacred and buried in mass graves as in Chemmani. Some of the war criminals have been rewarded with ambassadors� posts.

The Sinhala government imposed an inhuman economic embargo on the Tamil provinces preventing the supply of food, clothing, medicines, building materials, fuel and other basic necessities. People were dieing, but the Sinhala state prevented help from international bodies.

As a result of Sinhala terrorism, 800,000 Tamils fled from Sri Lanka to India, U.K., Europe, North America, Australia and Africa. One million Tamils became internally displaced and most of them became homeless.. Hundreds of thousands of Tamil children have been made orphans and destitute. Thousands of Tamils have been maimed and lost their limbs.

The Sinhala dominated state has uprooted hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians from their traditional homes, and continue to occupy them on the pretext of requiring them for High Security Zones. Even after four years of cease-fire, the Sinhalese armed forces and state are occupying Tamils homes, hospitals, schools, places of worship and public places in large areas, and forcing them to live as destitutes.

The Sinhalese police and army have also been guilty of large scale sadistic torture of Tamil girls and women.. These again are too numerous to enumerate. Vijitha was tortured by the Negombo police by inserting Chilli powder into her vagina and made to suffer till she became unconscious. Sarojini, a mother of two children in Amparai district was tortured by the Amparai police and detained in Welikada. Her relatives complained that a pipe rubbed with chilli powder was inserted into her vagina during the investigation, but no action was taken on the complaint.

Teen-ager Krishanthi a Jaffna schoolgirl was gang raped and killed, as also her mother, brother and neighbour who went to look for her. Sarathambal 29 (a Hindu priest�s daughter) of the island of Punguduthivu , Poomani aged 70 of Neerveli, Rajeswary (35) of Thenmaradchi, Pushpamalar a child aged 12 of Chavakachcheri, Kalanithy (26) of Mirisuvil, Thanalakshmi (42) of Meesalai, Ajanthana (17) of Arialai, Thankanayaki (49) of Amparai, Santhirakala (20) a teacher of Jaffna, Velan Rasammaa (34), her sister Velan Vasantha (28), Sivasothy (31) and Nageswari (37) of Batticaloa, Rajani (22) of Urumpirai, Lakshmi Pillai of Trincomalee, Subashini (19) and Vijayalalitha (14) arrested at sea, deaf and dumb Selvarani (28) of Meesalai, Ida Hamalitta off Pallimunai, Koneswari of Amparai, Sivamany and Wijikala of Mannar, Rathykala of Polonnaruwa, Velu Arasadevi (28) of Colombo, are some of the many Tamil women raped or gang raped by Sinhalese police and army. Many of them like Krishanthi, Koneswary and Sarathambal were slaughtered in cold blood, after the gruesome acts to cover them up. Most of the cases of rape have not been brought to light. The culprits escape punishment even when prosecuted in courts, due to the patronage of the Sinhala state and judiciary.

The Sinhalese state carried out forced strerilisation of Plantation Tamils to reduce their numbers. Due to abject poverty, 230,000 Tamil children are estimated to be employed in Sinhalese homes as domestic servants and exposed to abuse.

These crimes against humanity continued to be committed by the Sinhalese government and thugs from independence in 1948, and even after the cease-fire signed in February 2002 by the LTTE leader Prabaharan and the Sri Lankan UNA Prime Minister. It is estimated that 70,000 Tamil civilians have been slaughtered by the Sinhalese.

The devastation to the Sri Lankan Tamil people caused by the Sinhalese pogrom can be seen from the fact that since independence, the Tamil population has been reduced by about 30 %. Figures of Tamil population forced out of Ceylon or killed by the Sinhalese, have appeared now and then in the media.

At the time of independence in 1948, the Tamil population of Ceylon was 1 million Ceylon Tamils and a little over 1 million Upcountry Tamils, out of a total population of 8 millions. That is, Tamils were then 26 % of the population.

Now out of a total population of over 19 millions, Tamils should have numbered about 5 millions. However, according to statistics put out by the SL government, as of now, there are only 12 1/2 % Ceylon Tamils and 5 1/2 % Upcontry Tamils ie. Total 18 % = about 3 1/2 millions. That means the Tamil population in Sri Lanka has been reduced by about 30 % (1.5 / 5.00 = 31%).

The loss can be accounted for as follows:

Expatriation under Srimavo-Sashtri Pact 500,000
Fled to India 200,000
Fled to Canada 300,000
Fled to UK 150,000
Fled to rest of Europe 150,000
Fled to Australia and other parts of the world 100,000
Killed by the Sinhalese 70,000

TOTAL TAMIL REDUCTION 1,470,000

Is this not proof of ethnic cleansing? These are all fair estimates, but closer to realities.

Numerous cases of rape of Tamil women and gruesome torture of Tamils have come up in the Sri Lankan courts and were reported in the media. A British Medical Organisation reported after interviewing some Tamil men released from detention, that some young Tamil men in detention have been raped and sexually molested by Sinhalese army and police.

Coming to Internally Displaced Tamils, in 1995 when the Sinhalese army occupied Jaffna Peninsula, the entire population of the peninsula ( around 800,000) were reported to have fled to Vanni and other areas. Some returned later, but have to endure army occupation.. Tamils from all the 8 districts of NE province suffered forced displacement during the war from 1983 to 2002. The figures are staggering.

As an example, I was informed reliably that in my own ancestral village of Kurumpasiddy near Palaly airport, there is not a single house left. The Sinhalese armed forces of occupation, the para-militaries and home guards continue to deny Tamil farmers and fishermen, their livelihood.

During the last few years too the killings continue, even during the cease fire. In 2000 the Sinhalese mobs, police and guards hacked to death, 28 detainees including children in the �Rehabilitation Camp� at Bindunuwewa. Some accused police officers, who were sentenced to death were freed by the Supreme Court. In the Kalutara Jail, 6 young Tamil detainees were hacked to death by jail guards. In 2002, the police Special Task Force killed 8 Tamil demonstrators and injured 20 in Thirukovil. In Tricomalee 3 unarmed Tamil demonstrators were killed and 40 injured.

In 2005 in Welikanda four unarmed LTTE personnel incuding Colonel Kausalyan and Chandra Nheru ex-MP , who was a human right activist were killed by para-militaries working with the armed forces. The killings continue unabated in areas controlled by the Sinhalese army. On Christmas Day, the Tamil Member of Parliament for Batticaloa, Joseph Pararajasingam was murdered. Recently, Vanniasingam Wigneswaran, who was to replace him was killed with the connivance of the army in Trincomalee.

After Mahinda Rajapakse became President in November 2005, violence against Tamils has taken a turn for the worse. As many as 4,000 Tamil civilians have been killed or disappeared at the hands of the armed forces and paramilitary working with them. This is continuing daily.

The World community has remained unconcerned, whereas in places as in Sudan they are more active in highlighting atrocities. The Sinhalese extremists are pretending to be saints and spreading vicious propaganda against the LTTE and the Tamils. These crimes by the Sinhalese state and personnel committed against the Tamils need to be taken up before a World Court or International Tribunals, and the criminals responsible tried for genocide and crimes against humanity.