Was LTTE bankrolled for different objectives!

Was LTTE bankrolled for different objectives!
Posted on May 27th, 2015

Shenali D Waduge

A movement created overseas and exported to destabalize Sri Lanka that lasted 3 decades despite a wave of serial murders/assassinations/suicides & crimes with offices placed overseas to carry out its propaganda despite international bans has to have some reasons for its existence. The business of LTTE being kept alive had benefits not necessarily the same or with same objectives as obviously prevails at the post-LTTE phase. It is a good time to look at the players involved in LTTE Inc.

India:

LTTE & possibly over 30 other militant organizations sprang into existence as a result of being clandestinely taken to India and trained in 1970s by retired Indian military personnel and handled by Indian intelligence with the sole aim of destabalizing Sri Lanka. India armed, trained, financed and supported LTTE and a host of other militants. Thus the initial killings by these movements had to be with the explicit knowledge/awareness & even approval of India. LTTE’s first killings was against Tamils and to remove all Nationalist Tamils. Mayor Alfred Duraippah became first target, thereafter scores of Tamil policemen and then eliminating other Tamil militant leaders before LTTE self-declared itself the sole representative of the Tamils using the force of their gun. It was only afterwards that the guns turned on Sri Lanka’s military and unarmed civilians – initially to chase Sinhalese and Muslims out of the North, thereafter to chase them out of the East and then to create mayhem across the country.

Tamil Homeland:

The first quest for separation and calls for a separate Tamil homeland began in India and by the Tamil Nadu state. Their argument was that the British mashed together independent territories and princely states and created one nation christening it India. This argument is true. There was never a nation called India before the British named it so. It is also true that Tamils migrated to Sri Lanka from India and that is why Tamil language finds its roots to Tamil Nadu. Therefore all ingredients required for self-determination are available in Tamil Nadu and not in Sri Lanka’s North because the indigenous language/culture all finds its source to Tamil Nadu. In the case of the Sinhalese, their language is indigenous to Sri Lanka, cultures are indigenous to Sri Lanka and the Sinhala race is found nowhere else but in Sri Lanka. Therefore, arguments related to homeland of Tamils carries no water when Tamils cannot claim homelands in different countries. With 72million of the world’s 76m Tamil Nadu is best placed to be declared Tamil Homeland as Sri Lanka has less than 2million Tamils.

Themes & Slogans:

Over the years the themes and slogans have shifted to suit the tastebuds of those funding the campaign. Initially, it started with grievance and discrimination using standardization, language then when counter arguments questioned why Tamils oppose less privileged Tamils from gaining education and entering university the slogan shifted to victimization when challenged to show examples of where Tamils were denied that only Sinhalese enjoyed, without giving examples they moved on to the newest slogan ‘genocide’. Why are the MPs not challenging these claims and why are lawyers not taking action – genocide is a serious word but can those using it prove statistically that such took place? But propaganda and money has allowed this single word to gain world-wide momentum and if not countered likely to put people behind bars for no valid reasons.  

Tamil Politicians:

Like all politicians, Tamil leaders search for reasons to rule their own. We must be mindful that prior to LTTE emerging from low-caste/poor/smuggler family backgrounds the Tamil leaders were all from high caste/class English educated families and they wanted that status quo to continue. They had to compromise because of India’s involvement but in their hearts/minds their objective was to continue caste/class culture so that only they would rotate power amongst their own. This was why when in 1956 when SWRD Bandaranaike introduce the Social Disabilities Prevention Act enabling poor Tamils to gain education Tamil leaders even wrote to the UK to make objections and when Soulbury Constitution was being drafted they wanted caste to be included which British refused

Tamil middle class

Former colonies all suffer from an inherent desire to live in Western climes and feel that whatever wealth they have unless they have lived abroad they do not measure up. The LTTE, the 1983 pre-planned riots provided the avenue and today close to 1million Tamils now live overseas. The references to them as economic refugees aligns well because the protestors howling about discrimination, genocide etc are by asylum seekers who are still buying time to get their PR and do not wish to jeopardize that. Also, the LTTE fund generating apparatus has provided avenues to make money for people, while it has also enabled a handful to move with foreign leaders at higher levels, the illegal rackets that LTTE is involve are also opportunities to make money as are the legal investments handled through proxies. The restaurants, businesses purchased with LTTE money provide a win-win situation. These are all areas that will come under threat and scrutiny if there is peace and stability in Sri Lanka. A lot of hardcore LTTErs who had escaped may also fear that they will be charged under local laws.

Thus, whatever roads, infrastructure, housing, facilities given to the Tamils, the desire to live in the West cannot be removed and they find the LTTE project the best way to subtly provide the avenue for this goal. We need to all understand this inherent mental condition of Tamils. It may be one reason why most are reluctant to blame the LTTE since sub-consciously they feel they had a role to play in wanting the LTTE to prevail. A handful of Tamils however putting nation first have always come out with their views but under immense pressure and grave threat to their lives. They must be appreciated and applauded at all times.

Tamil poor & low caste

Very little attention is given to the fact that the guinea pigs for Tamil politicians and LTTE Terrorists have been these Tamil poor and low caste. It was from them that the cadres were taken. These mothers bred children as child soldiers, their men and young men were turned into virtual slaves and killed like dogs. Higher castes served as officials of LTTE with a handful low caste given opportunity just for propaganda purposes.

Tamil Diaspora (LTTE & Non-LTTE)

It is good to divide them as those openly supportive of the LTTE and the silent victims. To quantify this is rather difficult but the elections to the utopian Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam proscribed under UNSC 1373 shows that hardly any Tamils have voted over the years though the head refers to himself as ‘President’ to satisfy some inherent mental condition. For the LTTE Diaspora it has provided a gateway to stardom and today they are calling the shots because they have fitted themselves into a very cosy bargaining situation where they have coerced the foreigners into thinking that they hold the cards to how the Tamils in Sri Lanka think and function including the Tamil politicians – they ignore the Indian Govt influence over the Tamils as well as Tamils in Tamil Nadu though foreign intelligence has been able to use their links to Indian intelligence to tip the scales in favour of the West at crucial times. The deals being cut by the LTTE Diaspora with or without the Tamil leaders do not have the interests of the ordinary Tamils.

NGOs / Human Rights Organizations

These are all foreign-government sponsored entities linked to the policy of their governments and paid to advance those agendas by projecting themselves as good hearts. While it is unfair to place all NGOs in the same basket the majority of those stationed in Sri Lanka were upto nefarious activities and some have been caught transporting weapons for the LTTE, providing technical expertise, giving sophisticated equipment even vehicles and providing covert assistance to the LTTE.

The Church

Western imperialism is always pushed via the Church and many of the NGOs are church-based as it provides a great cover. Moreover the new cults created are another source of converting and controlling the minds of natives to align with their agendas. The links to LTTE with the Church is something not many would like to acknowledge but the links cannot be denied or refuted and none are willing to even launch an investigation knowing the outcome.

What are the lurking dangers in store for Sri Lanka?

That the Tamils who had used LTTE to better their personal lives may be ignorant of the larger picture is something we need to accept, that the Tamil leaders and LTTE Diaspora may have compromised their own people for personal benefit by deals struck with the West & India is likely to eventually lead not only Tamils to suffer but the entire nation as well.

Let us again repeat, the whole Kosovo independence was a farce. Serbs were chased out just as Sinhalese and Muslims were chased out of the North to style an argument called ‘homeland’ and ‘self-determination’. The genocide claims were used in Yugoslavia war as well and these were all used to enable the West to set up a military complex in Kosovo to use as a watch tower on Russia and China. The KLA – Kosovo Liberation Army like the LTTE were drug smugglers and the narcotics trade is one source of income to Western governments who money launder these illegal earnings. Kosovo is not a hub for transit of drugs from Afghanistan to Europe. Sri Lanka is in a great sea trade lane. India’s role in this is certainly confusing for it appears India has been led up the garden path satisfying its own complexes and making India lose focus that eventually what happened to Yugoslavia is destined to happen to India.

Knowingly and unknowingly our own people have carved out Sri Lanka’s down fall. Politicians have played footsie and functioned with selfish motives and the foreigners have returned to prey. The West goes for the kill and has no empathy or believe in reciprocation – they simply take the loot and disappear leaving a conflict ridden nation to fend for themselves. Even the local friends are eventually eliminated to cover their allegiance and links… the truth comes out far too late.

Can we salvage the situation? Only if we can unite.

Shenali D Waduge

2

1. Lorenzo Says:
   May 26th, 2015 at 3:10 pm
   Very nice to see patriots WAKING UP.
   CRANK UP patriotism to destroy the enemies of the nation.
   Look what is happening in Jaffna. Violence and riots EVERY DAY. Jaffna town, Punguduthivu, Palai, Chunnakam, etc. Yesterday a shooting incident in Batticaloa where one man was KILLED. DE JA VU?
   SL Buddhists should not perish like NALANDA Buddhists but FIGHT like SHAOLIN Buddhists. They have a duty to protect the teachings that will survive here in SL for the longest. It is a DUTY not a choice.
   Hyenas will hopefully run away from SL than face the awoken lion from a LONG LONG sleep.
2. Independent Says:
   May 26th, 2015 at 4:14 pm
   Looks like Loren has taken the batten from Ben.
   Here Shenali has forgotten yet another trick by Tamil Speratists.
   Very good example Sinhala Buddhists should take up is Israel.
   Israel was created by the west chasing away the Palestinians who have been living there for 1000 years.
   What is the argument ? well, the reason is Jews lived there earlier than 1000 AD. So one animal shamelessly builds a house on a land stolen by force by Zionists and call it “this is my land”.
   The Ultimate Aim of Tamil Separatists ( represented by Loren and supported by Ben) is exactly the same. However , it is difficult to show evidence that “Tamils” owned the island before even Vijaya came. So they have commenced the well planned action of changing Sinhala names to Tamil names. This was started 50 years ago according to my ex Tamil friend who confessed to me.
   They will say the DO NOT support separatism (typical Tamil Lying machine – born that way) and they want UNITARY (not united) Sinhale now for the time being. 6 year ago hate our Army, 5 years ago, support MR, few month ago, My3, now back to MR and very soon may be another one – but the real intention will not change. That is keeping on insisting “Tamil” names.
   Wellavathai for වැල්ලවත්ත​ and NOT Wellawatte as most people write.
   Thutugemunai for දුටුගැමුණු and not Dutugemunu as most people write.
   Kassy Appa for කාශ්‍යප but not as Kashyapa
   Thathsenen for ධාතුසේන​ but not as Dhatusena
   Raman for මුගලන් – here he creates a new name as he hates Buddhism
   He will create more names and subtlety introduce it in the web. I challenge this shameless ruthless killing supporter to use the proper Sinhala name. He learned Sinhala for 10 years in Sir Lanka as a kid. He knows the proper pronunciation. There is no excuse.
   Actually , a real Sinhala Buddhst government should not allow using names like “Yalpanam” and must insist on using one name යාපනය​ if we Sinhalese are not sleeping. See whether these pretenders agree with that too.
3. Christie Says:
   May 26th, 2015 at 6:47 pm
   Namaste: ශෙනාලි ඉන්දියානු අදිරද ත්රස්ත වාදය මොහන්දාස් කරම්චාන්ඩ් ගාන්ඬි, චන්ද්රා බෝසේ හා ජවහර්ලාල් නේරු පටන් ගත්ත දෙයක්. මේ තුන්දෙනා තමයි අපේ සහ ඉන්දියානු යටත්විජිත වල ඉන්න මුල් පදින්චි කාරයින්ගෙ මුල්ම හතුරො. මොහන්දාස් කරම්චාන්ඩ් ගාන්ඬි 1920 ගනන්වල යාපනයට ඇවිල්ල ඉන්දියානු පරපෝශිතයන්ගේ ජඩවාදයට අඩිතාලම දැම්මෙ. සින්හලයන් මරා දැමීමේ ඉන්දියානු අඩිතාලම දැම්මෙත් ඒ කාලයේමය. ලන්ඩනයේ ඉගෙනගනිමින් සිටි පසුව හැන්ඩි පවුලේ කාන්තාවක් හා විවාහූ එකල ඇමෙරිකානු බැප්ටිස්ට් ආගම වැලඳගත් පුද්ගලයෙකි. පසුව 1950 හා 1960 ගනන්වල මෙම අඩිතාලම මත සින්හලයින් කොටස්වලට බෙදා දැමීමත් ඇරඹුනි. 50ස් ගනන්වවල බන්ඩාරනායකගේ ශ්රීලන්කා නිදහස් පක්ෂයද 60ට ගනන්වල ලන්ඩන්වල පටන්ගත් ඊරෝස් ද හොඳම උදාහරනයන්ය. මෙම ඉන්දියානු ජඩවාදයෝ ඒ සමගම සින්හල මරුවන්වූ ජේ වී පී යද පටන්ගත්තෝය. Jai Hind
4. SA Kumar Says:
   May 27th, 2015 at 2:03 am
   President Sirisena’s so-called ‘national governments’.!
   Well done President your suprise visited to Japanaya ! no Army ,only Baila what a simple visit !!!!
   Long life to Hon People Kirama sevaka President MS. At last Mother Lanka got it .
5. Fran Diaz Says:
   May 27th, 2015 at 6:13 am
   Well done, Shenali !
   You have exposed the cracks in the fabric of Lanka.
   ———–
   There is one more large crack to be exposed and that is LANGUAGE. As Lorenzo points out, there is a creeping sickness happening through NAME CHANGE of places to suit Tamilisation of Lanka.
   One way to stop the rot is to REMOVE the Tamil language as an Official/National Language. For example, if Britain had the French language as an Official/National Language there, Britain would by now be over run with the French. They are not as stupid as our past leaders of Lanka to hand over their country in a platter.
   Lorenzo is right. Wake up Lanka or become an appendage of Tamil Nadu. Our leaders will have to prostrate themselves on the ground in front of Jaya ! What a sight to behold ! The Unpatriotic Non-National Party (the UNP) leader, Sir Ranil, has also gone a far to remove the Northern Naval training camp too. Unless the coastlines are guarded against illegal migrants Lanka will be over run with Tamil illegal migrants. There are some 15 Million Tamils of Dalit origin who want to leave Tamil Nadu.
   The UNP is unaware of this ??
6. SA Kumar Says:
   May 27th, 2015 at 6:51 am
   machang Independent
   King Ravanan is Buddhst so Lord Bhudda is old than King Ravana ???
   Anpudan …
   Machan Hela Damila (Eelath Thamilan)
7. Fran Diaz Says:
   May 27th, 2015 at 8:12 am
   typo correction. Read as ” … has gone too far …”
   —–
   Also in place is Ms Radhika C., the famously R2P person. This is so that ‘divorce’ can happen in Mother Lanka in case of riots as in 1983 ?
   Sir Ranil is transparently far thinking ?
   Let us recall with sorrow the trumped up RIOTS of 1983 which was the start of problems in Lanka with real foreign interference in internal matters. The same cycle begins again ? :
   Demand by Tamil leaders for seperatism (this time Federal state per Wigneswaran & PC of North) > this time Rape /murder of a young innocent Tamil school girl – 3 residents of Jaffna are the chief suspects > Riots > complaints re Northern Police > Hartal (closure of shops etc) > have Tamil Genocide week > draw public attention to North again > hope for Riots to spread > this time hoping R2P goes into action ??
   Forewarned is forearmed.
8. Cerberus Says:
   May 27th, 2015 at 11:48 am
   This is an old one which I think was put out by Lorenzo but worth re-reading.Who are the real owners of Sri Lanka?
   Posted on May 26th, 2015
   – Kumar Moses
   Now the Sinhalese are challenged in their home turf. We are told Sinhalese don’t have a homeland despite sacrificing 26,010 Sinhala lives (out of 26,559 total) in the war. Did the Sinhalese die fighting a war with so much passion not knowing it is their only homeland? If Sinhalese had a separate homeland, they would have left there without fighting a war which no one wanted. It defies logic.
   ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
   A very interesting comment on a website by a Tamil Christian is being shared to convey who the real owner of Sri Lanka is in very simple terms.
   Here is what he writes:
   Being a Tamil Christian, I believe Sri Lanka is a SINHALA BUDDHIST country.
   Let`s play a game.
   1. Show me where is Tamil Hindu country?
   Tamil Nadu. Good.
   2. Show me a English Anglican country?
   England. Good.
   3. Show me a Hindi Hindu country?
   India. Good.
   4. Show me an Islamic Arabic country?
   Saudi. Good.
   5. Now show me the Sinhala Buddhist country?
   ????
   It is now called Sri Lanka. Correct name Sinhela.
   Did God Jesus Christ visit Sri Lanka? NO.
   Did Prophet Mohammad visit Sri Lanka? NO.
   Did Krishna visit Sri Lanka? NO. (Rama did visit Sri Lanka but to destroy it.)
   Did Buddha visit Sri Lanka? Oh! Yes!
   So it is a Buddhist country. Sri Lanka is the ONLY country Buddha visited BY CHOICE. He was in Nepal/India so he had no choice there. But the moment he got a choice, where did he visit? Sri Lanka
   So this is why Sri Lanka is the Sinhala Buddhist country.
   But some foolish Sinhala Buddhists have out of GENEROSITY given up their claims. So all the cats and dogs have started to claim the house as theirs.
   If you still don`t believe it let me explain from the Bible Wise King Solomon.
   Once upon a time there was a very wise king by the name Solomon
   He was the king, army commander, the judge and the jury and the parliament. Somewhat like MR.(I like this!)
   One day 2 women came to him claiming ONE baby as theirs. 2 mothers 1 baby!
   King asked, Yako, whose son is this?
   MINE! Screamed both women.
   Then the king asked, whose son is this?
   MINE! Screamed both women.
   hmmmm thought the wise king. He ordered a soldier to cut the baby into half and give each half to each woman. Then ONE woman came to the baby`s rescue and stopped the king. She begged to spare the baby.
   So the king found the OWNER of the baby!
   And he hacked the other FAKE woman to death.
   When Norway, UK, India, USA, UNHRC, LTTE, PLOTE, IPKF, Tamil MODA-RATES, etc. tried to CUT SL into halves, who came forward to defend it?
   Muslims? NO.
   Tamils? NO.
   Europeans? NO.
   (Well VERY few of them DID come forward UNDER the leadership of real owners).
   Sinhalese. YES. Like the REAL mother of that baby, Sinhalese came forward to defend their baby Sri Lanka.
   That establishes who the REAL OWNER of Sri Lanka is.
   (I know we are not as wise as King Solomon, but we are enough intelligent to get it, aren`t we?)
9. Fran Diaz Says:
   May 27th, 2015 at 4:29 pm
   When a country has 74% majority of a certain group, then that is the predominant culture. The rest are welcome to live in peace. Constant bickering over territory and division of the country will not help the others.
   I wonder what would happen if these minorities who are now in various western countries want territorial rights there ?
   Tamil Homeland is in TAMIL NADU. If they do not like it there, then either change matters there, or fit into the host countries as others do.
10. Independent Says:
    May 27th, 2015 at 7:02 pm
    Lingam,
    There you go similar to Lorenzo you say “Rawanan” instead of “Rawana”.
    We are not attached to Buddha like Muslims to Allah or Christinas to God or to Siva / Krishna and thousand more to Hindus.
    Buddha is not a “person”. There were thousands of Buddhas in the past in different Solar systems.
    Whether Buddha came before Rawana or after is irrelevant.
    What is relevant is Buddhas are enemies of Lingams. They hate Buddhas but quote him whenever a Sinhala Sahodaraya makes a mistake.
    Lingams can kill, steal, rape, but no problem …. but Sinhalas cannot , because they are Buddhists.
    Lingams killed thousands of innocent civilians – no problem, when Lingams get killed in the battle it is Genocide.
    Many girls are raped killed in Sri Lanka by various Lingams but 1 girl raped and killed by Lingams- our President had to go and say sorry .
    No logic in this argument Machang.
11. SA Kumar Says:
    May 28th, 2015 at 2:29 am
    Tamil Homeland is in TAMIL NADU- agreed but We-Hela Demila home land is Mother Lanka (TE)
    74% – have Sinhala Lanka 26% have TE !!! 100% have United Mother Lanka .( You know We know when to call UD of TE that is different mater)
12. SA Kumar Says:
    May 28th, 2015 at 6:03 am
    Independent
    I mean Bhudda that is Gautama Buddha Born c. 563 BCE or c. 480 BCE you know that .
    Rawanan King of Ilanka puri is Sivas (Lingam/Sangar) devotee.
    No logic in this argument, Machan We lived together ( fight time to time) more than 2,500 years in mother lanka according to our Mahavamsam.
    We are two different community
    mahang – manchan
    japanaya- Jalpanam
    Mahavamsa- Mahavamsam
    Hela – Eelam
    Amme – Amma
    Akke – Akka
    Modaya – Sakkiliyar !!!! Happy now .

ජාතික ගැටලුවට මුල සුලුජාතින් සිංහල බෞද්ධ සංස්කෘතිය පිළිගැනීමට ඇති අකමැත්ත

ජාතික ගැටලුවට මුල සුලුජාතින් සිංහල බෞද්ධ සංස්කෘතිය පිළිගැනීමට ඇති අකමැත්ත 

Kandy: the roots of the rebellion

Kandy: the roots of the rebellion

Our history is replete with instances where the country was mercilessly plundered by invaders. As we mark fifty years as a free nation, Dilrukshi Handunnetti looks at the Kandyan rebellions against the British which assume particular significance as protest groups oppose the visit of Britain's Prince Charles for the Independence celebrations Sinhalese rulers were not the most prudent and wise when employing tactics to be rid of foreigners. They made the repeated mistake of trying to play one group against the other which culminated in the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom in 1815- making every inch of this country the territory of the British Crown.
When the British arrived in ancient Ceylon, the country was being governed by the Dutch East India Company which was shrewdly monopolizing trade and export in Ceylon at that time. Whilst ruling the Maritime Provinces, the Dutch also had established links with the Kandyan Kingdom in order to obtain certain concessions. They disliked these methods. Jan Schreuder, Dutch Governor from 1757-1762 recorded, "We cannot even stir, if we did not play the crouching little dog to the Court which is not amenable to reason."
According to historians, the tussle between the Dutch authorities and the Kandyan rulers existed for a long time, and owing to the monopolistic attitude of the Dutch, the Kandyans with much reservations decided to accept the British offer of help. The animosity between the Dutch and the Sinhalese grew especially with the introduction of new taxes in the areas governed by the Dutch.
When the British became the masters of the Dutch possessions in Ceylon in 1796, the desire to capture the rest of the territory bringing it entirely under the King of England also increased. But as England was at war with Holland, the Dutch East India Company was allowed to manage the affairs of the island for the time being, and Ceylon became part of the territory governed by the Governor in Madras.
Many British delegations seeking to arrange treaties of alliance between the British and the Kandyans failed. After a turbulent period of civil dissatisfaction, Ceylon was declared a Crown Colony and Frederic North (subsequently the 5th Earl of Guildford) became the first Governor.
North despite his state craft and shrewdness made several mistakes during his rule. He realised the country's potential and the benefits the British could derive by bringing the Kandyan Kingdom under the Crown.
What paved the way for the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom which appeared indestructible to the forces outside, was the death of King Rajadhi Raja Sinha in 1798 leaving no children.
It is his first Adigar Pilima Talawe who promoted a Malabar Prince named Kannasami who was a nephew of one of the King's wives. He had no right to the throne as other close relatives were alive. Kannasami had no proper education and was considered young and immature. But these disadvantages were overlooked by Pilima Talawe who intended the king to be a mere puppet in his hands. Certain historians have been kinder to Pilima Talawe- attributing his zeal to the noble cause of restoring the Sinhala Dynasty, for he himself was a descendant from the Royal family of Ceylon. The Adigar's efforts paid off when Kannasamy ascended the throne as Sri Wickrama Rajasighe. As Rajadhi Rajasinghe's relatives were imprisoned and his second Adigar was killed by Pilima Talawe, the former king's brother in law Muttusamy who was the rightful heir, sought protection from the British.
Pilima Talawe provoked the British on many occasions to make them wage war against the Kandyan Kingdom. From 1803 there had been sporadic fighting. Despite the lack of intense fighting, there was civil unrest and disenchantment.
Maitland who succeeded Governor North, tried to understand the native culture. He was greatly assisted in this endeavour by John D'Oyly who had mastered the language of the country thereby establishing good links with the Sinhalese, and earned their much needed respect and trust. D'Oyly contributed largely to the expansion of the Bogambara Lake, and imposed severe penalties on British subjects who infringed upon the rights of the Ceylonese. All this culminated in his gradually winning many Kandyan leaders to his side.
The significant changes in the Kandyan Kingdom took place during the tenure of Sir Robert Brownrigg who succeeded Sir Thomas Maitland in 1812. Whilst improving the living conditions of the people, Brownrigg also invited the various Missions to establish themselves here. As a result, the Baptist Missionaries came in 1812, Wesleyan Missionaries in 1814, American Missionaries in 1816 and the Church Missionaries in 1818.
Meanwhile, the young king had embarked upon a course of tyrannical rule. But the King committed his ultimate mistake when he employed brutal methods to kill Ehelepola Adigar's entire family. This brutal act shocked the people and led to a week of mourning. This thrust the Adigar in to the arms of the British, and Brownrigg promised all support to relieve the Adigar of his suffering. The king also provided the much awaited excuse when he tortured ten native traders who were British subjects, hence leading to the proclamation of war against him in January 1815.
The Proclamation stated that the war was not against the Kandyan nation but against the King who had by the violation of the every religious and moral law, become an object of abhorrence to mankind. It promised the Kandyans full protection of person and property.
Several days later, the Kandyan Convention was signed on the 2nd day of March, 1815, at the Palace of the city of Kandy. The signatories to the convention were Robert Brownrigg, Governor over the British Settlements and Territories in the Island of Ceylon and ten representative Adikars, Dissaves and other Chiefs of the Kandyan Provinces.
The shrewd British rulers capitalizing on the sentiments of the inhabitants who had faced a tyrannical rule under Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, pressed the point in the Treaty's 1st clause that emphasised the cruelties of the Malabar ruler, for his arbitrary and unjust infliction of bodily tortures and the pains of death, - the cited reason for dethroning the king.
Clause five of the Kandyan Convention held Buddhism inviolable, and its temples and priests were to be protected and maintained as before, and the laws of the country were not to be amended and the king's levies were to be levied as before. The Brtish agreed to this as they saw no other way to get the Kandyan aristocracy to accept them without the protection clause.
The absorption of the old Kandyan Kingdom to the British administration posed serious problems to the British in making it part of the Crown Colony of Ceylon as the British had consented to the continuation of the traditional administration of the Kandyan Kingdom with the signing of the Convention. Here it was specified that the British would administer the Kandyan region without much change, according to the laws, institutions and customs established and in force amongst them. However, the British retained the right to introduce any changes as and when they deemed fit.
In 1817, Muslims in the Wellassa area began agitating , demanding that a member of their community be appointed as Muhandiram. This request was met. Meanwhile, the fields were destroyed and the British began killing the cattle for food, driving the natives to a frenzy. The cultural clash and certain decisions by the British ultimately led to the Rebellion of 1817. The first outbreak was in Uva, with the blessings from the Uva Disawe, Keppitipola. The rebellion caused heavy losses to both sides. Except for a few Provinces, the rebellion spread to all parts of the country and the British sought to suppress the rebels applying the motto by famine, sword and flame. This revolt exhibited the strength of the British military might, making Kandyans suffer severe setbacks.
A significant change with regard to Buddhism was made by the British Government at the same time. As they found that the Buddhist priests were the main architects of the rebellion, the hostile British created a new agreement which merely stated that the priests and the ceremonies of Buddhism shall receive the respect which in former times was shown to them. Despite Governor Brownrigg's resolve to set up a proper road network which would provide the British with the necessary access to the hill country, he could do little to achieve this goal with two uprisings during his tenure. It was therefore Governor Barnes who fulfilled this objective of the British for which he took a decade and did so at much cost.
The challenges of governing increased with the crumbling of the economy. Coffee plantations became non-profit making ventures driving the native and British cultivators to despair.
The seething hatred was fuelled further when the Governor sought to impose new taxes-on boats, roads, dogs etc.; Of all the taxes, the road tax was the most hated as the Ceylonese did not care for new roads and thought that they were being constructed for the benefit of the Europeans alone. Every male between 18-60 years excepting a few categories, were made to compulsorily give six days labour for road construction. It was misunderstood to be a practice similar to the rajakariya system which was abolished in 1832.
The rebellion began in the Dambulla area, where people rallied around Gongalegoda Banda and soon spread to other areas. Many were shot dead on the spot and their houses were burnt by the British Army which went on a rampage, burning and looting the properties of the Sinhalese. Puran Appu was one of the 18 executed following a brief trial by a Court Martial during this reign of terror.

Kurunegala and Matale districts were the most affected, and Kandy was placed under martial law and reinforcements were sought from Madras. In this backdrop, the Kudahahapola Therunnanse was shot dead at Bogambara in his saffron robes-insulting Buddhist priesthood and injuring the religious sensitivities of the people. It was symbolic that monks be executed in their robes which also marked the destruction of the Buddhist Kingdom by the British. In less than three months, the Rebellion had concluded. Torrington's manner of governing the Colony drew much criticism from the British themselves. A Parliamentary inquiry in Britain followed,resulting in his resignation in 1850 which marked the end of one of the most turbulent periods in the history of Ceylon.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/980201/plus7.html

The Kandyan Convention and the legality of the Royal Proclamation and Constitutions enacted thereafter?

Dr. Sudath Gunasekara. (SLAS) and President Senior Citizens Movement Mahanuwara-Posted on September 20th, 2010 -www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2010/09/20/

20. Sept. 2010.The constitution is supposed to be the most sacred document that guaranties good governance in any country. It embodies the supreme law that directs and administers its governance. But sometimes eloquent and cunning interpretations by eminent lawyers and high powered political power make it a travesty as well. That may be why some times law is called an ass by some wise men. What I am going to discuss in this paper below I think will enhance this perception of the law. Any way constitutions have come to stay as instruments that lay down the parameters and norms within which a country has to be governed. A constitution need not be always a written document. As such there are written constitutions as well as unwritten constitutions; some are both written and unwritten. The British Constitution is an example for the later. The unwritten part of a constitution is composed of conventions.
 Niti Niganduwa a treatise of Sinhala law composed during the Kandyan period gives evidence of a number of ancient legal treaties that had been composed during the times of the Sinhalese Kings. It has defined law as the “implementation of the charters of ancient Kings without breach” (“Niyati ti Niiti”). PƒÆ’-¦rƒÆ’-¾na rƒÆ’-¾juhi panccantta dhamman na samuccindiyanti ti niti ni pƒÆ’-¾punane”). It further identifies three broad division in law .They are a) Raja niiti, b) Dharmaniiti and Loka Niiti. Raja Niti is law laid down by the King. Dharma niiti is law that is prescribed by the Dhamma; in our case as they appear in the various suttas. Finally Loka niiti are the conventions that have evolved over time by popular acceptance which are mostly conventions. According to the ancient tradition the law is laid down after general acceptance by the people and it is called Mahasammata, approved and ratified by the people. In this context ultimately all laws have to be enacted for the good of the people and therefore they cannot be designed for the benefit of the Ruler. According to Buddhist teachings, like all other things, the law has to be there for the good of the many and happiness of the many. But unfortunately since 1815 during the Colonial times the law in this country has been designed for the benefit of the British Empire until Independence in 1948 and thereafter it is often designed more for the benefit of the native rulers more than the subjects. The successive events after 1987 have made things worse than ever before. As a result the legality of our Constitutions has undergone rapid erosion during these few decades.
 In this back ground the object of this note is to draw the reader’s attention to some very important legal aspect of our Constitutions hitherto has not been given serious attention by our legal luminaries or the general public. I hope this point will open a new forum, for a wider and open discussion on this issue.
 Let us begin with the Kandyan convention of 2^nd March 1815. This was entered upon between two parties namely Robert Brownrigg, Governor and commander-in-Chief of Ceylon, on behalf of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, on the one part, and the Adigars, Dissawas, and other principle chiefs of the Kandyan provinces on behalf of the  inhabitants  of the Kandyan Provinces (Sinhale) on the other part. The Sinhala Translation clearly has said that it was an agreement between the Kingdom of Britain and Sinhale, which meant the whole Island and its maritime territories including the Maldives Islands and the ocean around. This historic Convention had only 12 sections and it was issued at Kandy as a Royal Proclamation on the 2^nd of March 1815.
 The most important features of this Convention.
 1 It was a Convention singed between two countries (parties)
2 It was drawn and entered upon between Great Britain and Sinhale
3 King Sri Wicrama Rajasingha and all his relatives and all their claims to the dominion
   of the Kandyan provinces (Sinhale) is abolished and extinguished. (Sec.2)
4 The deposed King and all his relatives are declared enemies of the Kingdom (Sec.3)
5 The Dominion of the Kandyan provinces is vested in the Sovereign of the British
    Empire to be exercised through the Governors or Lieutenant Governors and their
    Accredited Agents (Sec 4).
6 The religion of Buddha is declared inviolable, and its rites, ministers (monks) and
   places of worship are to be maintained and protected. (Sec.5)
 Of the above, the item directly relevant to this discussion is no 1. Since this was an agreement between two parties any amendment to that instrument, addition or its replacement by repeal needs the explicit consent of both parties, for such amendment to be legally valid.
But Governor Brownrigg unilaterally abrogated this Convention by his Royal Proclamation No 21 of 1818.  It declared the supremacy the British Crown, exercised through the Governor and his Agents and to which obedience of all citizens is due.  The Board of Commissioners and the resident Agents of the Government were vested with the sole power over the affairs of the territory. This was issued on the wake of the so-called rebellion 1818. The last section (56) stated “He (Governor) also reserves full power to alter the present provisions as may appear hereafter necessary and expedient: and he requires, in his Majesty’s name, all officers civil and military, all Adigars, Dissavas and other chiefs, and all other His Majesty’s subjects, to be obedient, aiding, and assisting in the execution of these or other his orders, as they shall answer the contrary at their peril”.
The word Convention was only once mentioned in Sec 2 just to refer to its date. But nothing was mentioned about the legal validity or other wise of its provisions thereafter. This shows the arrogance and the manner in which the Kandyan Convention has been ignored and abrogated by the British government. Therefore any ex-parte action will have no legal validity. It appears that there was no protest by the locals either on this draconian Proclamation by the Governor. So the presumption is that the Kandyan Convention died a natural death on the 21^st of Nov.1818. There is no argument about the authority of the King of Britain over Ceylon and its territories even under the Kandyan Convention.  But the powers of the native chiefs were severely curtailed by the Proclamation of Nov 1818. It also removed provisions of Section 5 of the Convention and it was replaced with some mild reference to respect to priests and processions of Buddho religion, adding some new provision to general protection to all other religions  This contravenes section 5 of the Kandyan Convention.  In sum the Proclamation has tightened the grip of the British authority over the Island and set the process of gradual erosion of power of the local aristocrats and the Priests
 Thereafter until 1948 this country was governed under royal declarations and statutes that inherited the illegal Proclamation of 1818. In fact one can say that even the Soulbury Constitutions of 1948 to that extent was not legally valid. According to the provisions of the1815 Convention Independence should have been given to Sinhale as the convention was singed between Chieftains of the Sinhale and Brownwrigg on behalf of Great Britain.  But it was given to a hybrid State called Ceylon.
 There is also no mention any where in any of the subsequent legislations that the 1815 Kandyan Convention was repealed, though it was physically thrown in to the dust bin of history by the British. The 1972 Republican Constitution repealed the 1948 Soulbury Constitution but it also has not said anything about the Kandyan Convention. But it had rekindled the Sec 5 of the Kandyan Convention by inserting Sec 10 on Buddhism. The 1987 Constitution also followed suit. All these law makers appear to have acted on the presumption that what they inherited from 1818 onwards was legal. But I think the Kandyan Convention of 1815 is still valid in law as it had not been legally repealed by any subsequent legislation up to date.
 The Kandyan Convention was published as part of the legislative enactment of Ceylon and it is included as a chapter in the Legislative enactment Vol X1 Chapt.390 (P376-378). It also appears in Vol XX. This was done when Dr Nissanka Wijeratna was the Minister of Justice in the 1977 government. The person behind this decision was Dr. Harischandara Wijetunga the Officer In Charge of the Sinhala translation of the Legislative enactments at that time. There were two other persons involved in this historic decision. They were W. J. M. Lokubandara, the present Hon. Speaker and Hector Deheragoda who was in charge of the English Edition. This also confirms my contention that the Kandyan Convention is still a living and valid part of our law. It is said that Brown Wrigg’s 1818 Nov 21 Proclamation was ratified by the British Parliament. It also now appears as a Chapter in the legislative enactments of Sri Lanka under Vol XX Chap 638 (P319-329) under the title Declaration of British Sovereignty. I wonder whether an illegal Proclamation could be declared legal by such ratification, by the British Parliament that represents only one party to the 1815 Convention. As such I opine that such ratification by the British Parliament is null and void. Therefore I think the 1815 Convention still holds good in law. In this back drop both the Proclamation of November 21. 1818 and all laws enacted after the prescribed date of that Proclamation and all actions taken there under should stand illegal and questionable.
 One may get temped to think that this is only wild imagination of one man. But I think there is a strong and valid point in what I see. Therefore I invite those interested, constitutional experts, lawyers and all others interested to initiate an open debate, a serious one too, on this all important issue at a time of our history when radical changes are taking place in the political scenario in this country, since Independence

1

1. Ramanie Says:
   September 21st, 2010 at 3:36 pm Dr Gunasekera, I do not think this is “only wild imagination of one man”- these are very valid points. We need to work on these issues to sort out exactly where we as a nation lost the plot. At the point of the granting of “Independence” to SL which in effect ended the deal with the Queen of England we did not have people who knew our history or could see the bigger picture in high places. With all due respect to our ‘founding fathers’ of the country we depended on Western educated, whiskey drinking, tie-coat gentlemen leaders who did not have the benefit of a ‘swabhasha’ education like we were priviledged to have. That point in time in 1948 would have been a great opportunity to change the name of SL back to Sinhale and ask the tranference of power back to the Sinhale instead of Ceylon. We should also have asked the British to offer compensation or remedy for the demographic nuclear bomb they placed under us by way of an army of South Indian immigrant labour force in the hill country and the divide and rule pampering of the Dutch imported South Indian labour force in the North. These are Sinhala grievances that no local or international person is aware of or cares about. It is time we took notice of how we feel about all this. This will certainly be a more worthwhile exercise for the other doctors who write poisonous, malicious, petty, character assassinations in the web.
   
2. M.S.MUdali Says:
   September 21st, 2010 at 8:53 pm I never heard the NORTH was colonised by the Dutch. Then who were the people in the North when Dutch arrived?
   
3. Lorenzo Says:
   September 22nd, 2010 at 2:02 am M.S.Mudali,
   Mayalee (Malabar) people and Sinhala people. Even the Nallur Convention was signed in Portuguese and Sinhalese languages. Tamils were a small minority.
   
4. Lorenzo Says:
   September 22nd, 2010 at 2:06 am Malayalee people didn’t create any trouble. In fact they supported the Sinhalese in fighting off Tamil Nadu invaders and other kallathonis. Dutch imported farming caste (vellala) people from Tamil Nadu. If natural migration from Tamil Nadu was allowed there would never be so many vellalas in Jaffna. If natural migration from Tamil Nadu was allowed the fishing caste people would be the majority in Jaffna.
   
5. Sunil Vijaya Says:
   September 22nd, 2010 at 4:57 am Lorenzo – I hope you are clearly differentiating between ‘fishing caste people from Tamil Nadu’ and Kshatriyas. Although I hate even to engage in a dialogue on caste, I need to clarify a point here (sorry for the drift on the topic). King Parakramba Bahu the sixth sought the assistance of mercinaries and Kshatriyas volunteered to protect the maritime provinces in Sri Lanka. Kshatriyas, Aryan in origin, who were displaced towards the south of India(lasting 3000 years or more) after the war with Pandavas, began even speaking Dravidian languages and when they arrived in Lanka, they never spoke any aryan language/dialect. Since there were no activity with regards to protection of the shores, they too began fishing and thats how the great Kaurawas became known as ‘fisher folk’. However they intermingled with Sinhala people and embrased their culture. Negambo kaurawas still use Tamil for communication. In fact during Buddha’s time (who was a Sakya an off shoot of Kshatriyas/Kaurawas) and before his time, the Noble kings and warriors were at the top of the hierarchy, naturally in Indian society, then came the priests, followed by Trades people (farmers etc) and lastly the Slaves. However, the crafty priests, the Brahmins (now Hindus) concocted the creation theory and put theselves at the top coming from the mouth of Brahma the creator, and suddenly nobility came second. The greatest being, Buddha, the greatest king Asoka and the greatest kings in Lanka were all Kshatriyas/Kaurawas/Sakyans and now their decendants unfortunately are branded as ‘fisher folk’ which is pathetic indeed.
   
6. Gangdhi Says:
   September 22nd, 2010 at 7:22 am A constitution depend on its origins or the sources.
   Decrees, Conventions, Agreements between a occupying force and the subjects cannot be compared to a constitutin among a group of people.
   What is important is the actions of the occupier and its actions.
   The problems of Ceylon are not different to problems of the former British Empire.
   In the first place is it a British Indian Empire?
   For the first time in human hystory the british brougt in ther partners in large numbers. If not for that british could not have maintained such a vast Empire.
   In nature this type of partners are prasites. (parasites a word I do not like to use but a perfect explanation)
   During the Franco -Dutch war the Dutch Studholder asked the british to look after their colonies.
   After the war British in their best of morals did not return the Dutch possesion in Ceylon.
   When the Dutch governer refuced to hand over, the British brought in their Madras Regiment.
   The Dutch Govenor had only one choice.
   The new possesions were administred ftom the Indian subcontinent. (British have not finished making India by this time).
   They brought in administrators from Malabar coast intead of using the Dutch Administration.
   These new administrators screwed (taxed everything and mistreated the locals) up the locals and cheated (roots of corruption) the British. The locals killed them as the most of the land was jungle and no highways and freeways.
   Thereafter British engaged the Dutch administrated.
   British saw the need for road and the PWD was born. As Ceylon was close to the South of the subcomtinent most of the workers who came were from the South, mainly Dravidayans.
   By this time slavery was abolished, mechnised transport has begun and mass transportation of of colonial parasites began.
   Ceylon, Burma, Malasia, Fiji, Mauritius, West Indies, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa…….were colonised by the colonial parasites and the British were the absentee land lord.
   Remember Low Caste are not allowed to leave their habitats and all the colonial parasites are High Caste Hindus.
   Colder places like Canada, Australia was colonised by the British due to the likeliness of the climate to British Isles.
   And no Indian parasites were not allowed in to Australia or Canada.
   Australia White policy, Canada you have to go directly from India to Canada and there were no steamers plying directly between the two.
   It is time to decolonise Indian colonies.
   
7. Lorenzo Says:
   September 22nd, 2010 at 8:19 pm Sunil Vijaya,
   That is a completely different thing altogether. By the way I have absolutely no regard for caste. All I’m saying is had Tamil Nadu people freely colonized Sri Lanka, the majority in Jaffna cannot be farmers. They must be fishermen in that case as farmers didn;t leave their fertile farmland in Tamil Nadu until the Dutch forcibly removed them.
   You are referring to the “Warnakulasuriyas” I guess. My understanding is that they were from Kerala and Karnataka. They have integrated with all communities very well.
   
8. samurai Says:
   April 21st, 2013 at 6:22 am At the time British began to occupy the Kandyan Kingdom it extended to the North Central and Eastern Provinces – except the coastal area. The Maritime Provinces were already under foreign rule (the British having replaced the Dutch). So the Kandyans did not refer to the coastal belt as part of Sinhale for obvious reasons.
   Needless to say, the Kandyan Convention was the outcome of the invitation extended to that same foreign power to depose King Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe who had by that earned the hatred of those around him. The Convention signed on March 2, 1815 was a farce. General Robert Brownrigg never meant to observe its conditions. Article No. 5 of the Convention which guaranteed the inviolability of the National Religion (Buddhism) and the “protection and maintenance of the rites, priests and temples” was inserted to throw dust in the eyes of the Sangha, the traditional guardians of the life and liberty of the people.
   “In truth,” the General wrote in a dispatch to the Secretary of State Bathurst, “our secure possession of the country hinged upon this point. I found it necessary to quieten all uneasiness respecting it, by an article of guarantee couched in the most unqualified terms,” and he repeated this assurance to the Sangha of Malwatta and Asgiriya Viharas… (Revolt in the Temple)
   It is hardly surprising the British never intended to honour this pledge.
   “The Kandyans,” says Dr. Colvin R. de Silva in his Ceylon under British Occupation, “had called the Britisher for the sole purpose of ridding themselves of an unpopular monarch, and they had not contemplated the establishment of British rule.”
   The ascendancy of a Christian government in the Kandyan Provinces constituted a distinct menace to Buddhism. The Colonial power was never in truth legally bound to protect Buddhist interests before or after 1818.
   These were the circumstances under which the Uva uprising of 1818 occurred. The rest is history. For further background information you may read Professor Tennekoon Vimalananda’s THE STATE AND RELIGION IN CEYLON SINCE 1815 (which is the most comprehensive book on this subject).
   It is therefore hardly surprising that the Ceylon we got back from the British in 1948 was not the Sinhale they occupied in 1815. They had almost erased the religious and cultural identity of that nation
   

Taming the Tamil Tigers From Here in the U.S.

Taming the Tamil Tigers
From Here in the U.S. 

A woman fighter of the Tamil Tigers takes a shooting position in Sri Lanka in July 2007. AP Photo.

01/10/08

As terrorist groups go, it has quite a résumé:

• Perfected the use of suicide bombers;
• Invented the suicide belt;
• Pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks;
• Murdered some 4,000 people in the past two years alone; and
• Assassinated two world leaders—the only terrorist organization to do so.

No, it’s not al Qaeda or Hezbollah or even HAMAS. The group is called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or the Tamil Tigers for short.

Needless to say, the Tamil Tigers are among the most dangerous and deadly extremists in the world. For more than three decades, the group has launched a campaign of violence and bloodshed in Sri Lanka, the island republic off the southern coast of India.

Its ultimate goal: to seize control of the country from the Sinhalese ethnic majority and create an independent Tamil state. Along the way, it has launched suicide attacks, assassinated politicians (including a government minister this week and even the Sri Lankan President), taken hostages, and committed all of kinds of crimes to finance its operations. The resulting civil war has taken the lives of nearly 70,000 Sri Lankans on both sides of the conflict since 1983 alone.

Why should you care? Certainly because of the suffering and bloodshed that the Tamil Tigers have caused. And because its ruthless tactics have inspired terrorist networks worldwide, including al Qaeda in Iraq. But also because the group has placed operatives right here in our own backyard, discreetly raising money to fund its bloody terrorist campaign overseas, including purchases of weapons and explosives.

The U.S. government has designated the Tigers a foreign terrorist organization, so their activities here are illegal. And we’re determined to stop them, using the full range of our investigative and intelligence capabilities.

In April, for example, we struck an important blow when our Joint Terrorism Task Force in New Yorkarrested the alleged U.S. director of the Tigers. The man supposedly held several fundraising events at a church and various public schools in Queens and in northern New Jersey in 2004. He is also accused of arranging high-level meetings between the group’s leaders and U.S. supporters.

We’ve also arrested another 11 Tamil Tiger-related suspects in the New York City region. And in Baltimore, following a multi-agency investigation, a pair of Indonesian men pled guilty and were sentenced recently for working with others to export surface to air missiles, state-of-the-art firearms, machine guns, and night vision goggles to the Tigers in Sri Lanka.

You can help by being careful with your donations. Like other terrorists, the Tigers have raised funds under a variety of cover organizations, often by posing as charities. A great deal of money, for example, was raised for the Tigers following the 2004 tsunami that devastated Sri Lanka and many other countries.

And please report any suspicious activities to your local field office or anonymously through this website.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/january/tamil_tigers011008