Sri Lanka to rename Indian origin Tamils as Sri Lankans

[Skyline]

July 28, Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne has suggested that the government take steps to remove the nationality name of Indian origin Tamils that live in Sri Lanka for generations.

According to the Prime Minister, the government hopes to remove the current Indian Tamil name from their identity cards and birth certificates and replace with Sri Lankan identity.

"We hope to name them as Sri Lankans instead of Indian Tamils. Similarly, we are planning to call them estate employees instead of estate workers," the Prime Minister was quoted as saying at a function.

The Prime Minister has said that the government expects to guarantee the equality for the estate workers and create an environment for them to live on equal grounds.

Indian origin Tamils were brought to the island by British colonial rulers in late 19th century for plantation labor.

Some of them were sent back to India under Sirima-Shasthree pact in 1960s and the rest of them were granted the citizenship rights.

Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka to rename Indian origin Tamils as Sri Lankans

 

[MohitV]

indeed a good n smart step by the lankan guv. ....just like the khalistani movement faded away...even dis situtation will fade away within a few years now after this decisn.....very necessary for the prosperity and development of a beautiful country like Sri Lanka

 

[Skyline]

indeed a good n smart step by the lankan guv. ....just like the khalistani movement faded away...even dis situtation will fade away within a few years now after this decisn.....very necessary for the prosperity and development of a beautiful country like Sri Lanka

Indian origin Tamils did not involve in terrorism.

I wonder SL Tamils will accept this decision and accept Indian Tamils as their brothers.

 

[MohitV]

Indian origin Tamils did not involve in terrorism.

I wonder SL Tamils will accept this decision and accept Indian Tamils as their brothers.

if they want peace and prosperity then they will....by the way nowadays i am seeing a lot of development in SL that too at a very fast pace....how is the situation in northern sri lanka right now ???

 

[Skyline]

if they want peace and prosperity then they will....by the way nowadays i am seeing a lot of development in SL that too at a very fast pace....how is the situation in northern sri lanka right now ???

SL Tamils and Indian Tamils are two different communities in SL.

Northern province is getting back to normal, election will be in September.

 

[itachiii]

Indian origin Tamils did not involve in terrorism.

I wonder SL Tamils will accept this decision and accept Indian Tamils as their brothers.

why would sl tamils have problem ?

 

[Skyline]

why would sl tamils have problem ?

After this merging all Tamil groups consider as one group? That's the doubt I have got. Normally SL Tamils aren't getting married with Indian Tamils in here.

 

[Ayush]

Good initiative.

 

[Gibbs]

After this merging all Tamil groups consider as one group? That's the doubt I have got. Normally SL Tamils aren't getting married with Indian Tamils in here.

Sri Lankan Tamils (Jaffna Vellaya) do not consider either the Indian origin Plantations Tamils of the Central districts or the Vanni Tamils (Originally from of Kerala and Coromandel coasts, which is present day Andra) In the northern and Eastern Districts as equal.. They consider them of lesser caste indentured labor bought over by first the Dutch for tobacco plantations (Vanni and the East) and later the British for Coffee and Tea in the 16th,17th through to the 19th centuries

Infact Lankan Tamil leaders like G.G Ponnambalam and S.V Chelvanayakam were instrumental in forcing the repatriation of Indian origin Tamils in the late 40's,50's and early 60's.. They also have a grudge against the Plantation Tamils because they have always sided with the GOSL since independence and never got involved with the separatist movements and the fear of they will dilute the hierarchy of the high casts Vellaya's

 

[Sliver]

Sri Lankan Tamils (Jaffna Vellaya) do not consider either the Indian origin Plantations Tamils of the Central districts or the Vanni Tamils (Originally from of Kerala and Coromandel coasts, which is present day Andra) In the northern and Eastern Districts as equal.. They consider them of lesser caste indentured labor bought over by first the Dutch for tobacco plantations (Vanni and the East) and later the British for Coffee and Tea in the 16th,17th through to the 19th centuries

Infact Lankan Tamil leaders like G.G Ponnambalam and S.V Chelvanayakam were instrumental in forcing the repatriation of Indian origin Tamils in the late 40's,50's and early 60's.. They also have a grudge against the Plantation Tamils because they have always sided with the GOSL since independence and never got involved with the separatist movements and the fear of they will dilute the hierarchy of the high casts Vellaya's

so
1) the separatist movement was not from indian origin tamils but ethnic tamils
2) the ethnic tamils treated the indian origin tamils as lesser caste

kind of puts a new twist on my understanding of the SL LTTE issue.

 

[GR!FF!N]

so
1) the separatist movement was not from indian origin tamils but ethnic tamils
2) the ethnic tamils treated the indian origin tamils as lesser caste

kind of puts a new twist on my understanding of the SL LTTE issue.

yup..me too..I though it was India origin tamils who were fighting for tamil elam..

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

yup..me too..I though it was India origin tamils who were fighting for tamil elam..

Sadly, but the truth. In the past, Indian origin tamils and ethnic tamils did not see eye to eye with each other.
Not sure of the current situation though.

 

[GR!FF!N]

Sadly, but the truth. In the past, Indian origin tamils and ethnic tamils did not see eye to eye with each other.
Not sure of the current situation though.

but I think Sri Lanka is getting a good decision,by giving them Sri Lankans tag and depriving the difference between them.they should treat tamils without any bias so that they don't get any moral stand to claim a separate country..

 

[Gibbs]

so
1) the separatist movement was not from indian origin tamils but ethnic tamils
2) the ethnic tamils treated the indian origin tamils as lesser caste

kind of puts a new twist on my understanding of the SL LTTE issue.

The Tamils of Indian origin which constitutes to about 7% of the population, Never got involved in the separatist movement.. To this day their political representatives the CWC and UWC and other polity remain with the Govt of Lanka

Unlike the rest of the Lankan communities SL Tamils have a rigid caste system due to their Hindu back ground.. Majority of the non Vallaya Jaffna Tamils are infact people from Kerala(Malabar) and Andra (Corommandel) coasts bought over by the colonists and were Tamilised though the preceding centuries.. So yeah Intermarriage between Jaffna Tamils and Sinhalese are more common than with their Indian origin counter parts

The LTTE was just a baby of the cold war power brokering with the socialist block of Russia with Indira Gandhi regime trying to destabilize the then increasingly prosperous Sri Lanka that was cozying up to the West in Particular the Regan Administration, Ofcause it was fed well by the separatists in Tamil Nadu having failed in their bid of a separate greater Dravida Desam in India twice in the late 19th century and again in the 50's( Latter due to Kerala,Andra and Karnataka refusing to be under the hegemony of Tamils) and in Malaya also in the 50's.. Saw a opportunity in Sri Lanka who had only a ceremonial armed force then and was totally unprepared

Ofcause short sighted chauvinist policies of successive Sinhalese dominated govts and pogrom's against the Tamil minority in the 50's and in 83' gave rise to part of the Tamil population to take arms against the state and be cats paw of global political powers.. And the rest is history

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

The Tamils of Indian origin which constitutes to about 7% of the population, Never got involved in the separatist movement.. To this day their political representatives the CWC and UWC and other polity remain with the Govt of Lanka

Unlike the rest of the Lankan communities SL Tamils have a rigid caste system due to their Hindu back ground.. Majority of the non Vallaya Jaffna Tamils are infact people from Kerala(Malabar) and Andra (Corommandel) coasts bought over by the colonists and were Tamilised though the preceding centuries.. So yeah Intermarriage between Jaffna Tamils and Sinhalese are more common than with their Indian origin counter parts

The LTTE was just a baby of the cold war power brokering with the socialist block of Russia with Indira Gandhi regime trying to destabilize the then increasingly prosperous Sri Lanka that was cozying up to the West in Particular the Regan Administration, Ofcause it was fed well by the separatists in Tamil Nadu having failed in their bid of a separate greater Dravida Desam in India twice in the late 19th century and again in the 50's( Latter due to Kerala,Andra and Karnataka refusing to be under the hegemony of Tamils) and in Malaya also in the 50's.. Saw a opportunity in Sri Lanka who had only a ceremonial armed force then and was totally unprepared

Ofcause short sighted chauvinist policies of successive Sinhalese dominated govts and pogrom's against the Tamil minority in the 50's and in 83' gave rise to part of the Tamil population to take arms against the state and be cats paw of global political powers.. And the rest is history

For your info , Dravida nadu didnt have many takers even within their party and among the people of TN. And Dont blame your problems on us. Sinhalese chauvinist created a problem that made indian politicians to intervene? Are u just refusing that?

And Tamils in Malay, Singapore are living good enough. If people in the past hadnt done mistakes, am sure LTTE wouldnt have formed as well