Sri Lankan tourists sent back home

[Umair Nawaz]

Indian Taliban on the roll here

Indian Taliban on the roll here.......

Secularism and Greatest democracy

Yet another batch of Sri Lankan Christian pilgrims are harassed in India.

Shameful. Of course the Indian government won't say a word.

This is the true color of their beautiful and incredible india!!!!!

 

[KS]

It has nothing to do with the current Congress government. I was no supporter of Rajiv Gandhi or his mothers policy on SL but when an Indian PM or a former PM is assassinated, it is the business of the state to deal with that. Regardless of my disagreement with RG's position, a foreign terrorist organisation killed him & had to be made to pay.

The point again and again I'm making is, the LTTE were not made to pay as much the innocent civilians payed. That is the most important thing that you are disregarding. The majority does not care about the LTTE. We care about the Lankan Tamil civlians wo were killed as a form of revenge, as a form of sending a message, as a symbol of triumphalism.

Just trying to hide and cover up the entire war crimes being the LTTE bogey is not intellectually honest.The issue of war crimes goes far beyond that of LTTE. That is the first thing that needs to be recognized.

As far as interference goes, you cannot start history at the time & place of your choosing. If Indira Gandhi has not interfered, there would have been no LTTE in the first place

Indira Gandhi interfered not because of any love for Tamils but because of Lankan support to Pak during the 71 war and the persisting rumor of Lanka was planning on leasing either the Colombo or Tirikonamalai port to USN. No one asked her to interfere.

& had RG not airdropped supplies & forced Jayawardane to back off & accept the IPKF & sign the Indo_SL accord, this matter might have finished ages ago.

And Jayawardena tricked Rajiv into converting a peacekeeping force that should not have taken any sides and instead be a neutral arbiter of peace into an active LTTE-disarming force that exploded on our own face.

However after the IPKF & RG's assassination, Indian role in SL was never going to be in support of the LTTE.

And it was the innocent civilians who paid the price for that for that revenge mentality.

Most information trickled out slowly and most massacres took place in the time zone of the war.

The information trickled slowly to civilians like us. If you think that even Indian Govt was in the dark then either you are mis-informed or the Indian govt is so damn incompetent that it does not know what was happening in its own backyard irrespective of the outcry those days in TN.

That may well be but since the LTTE was still fighting & using human shields, they were not going to get any sympathy.

Who asked for your sympathy for LTTE ? No one gives a jack about the LTTE. The entire focus is on the innocent civilians who were killed.

Believe it or not, I don't. In any case, they will be far more if India did what you wanted it to do and it would in any case be completely non-effective.

Then you are not informed about the perceptions of the Sinhalas. They hate India as a whole - Tamil or non-Tamil does not matter. They blame India for all their faults just like any other small country and think China is their messiah. And when people like me tell that , non-Tamils dont believe it, because apparently that would cause their stand to be weakened in an argument with the Tamil. I know how things work in online debates. So I am not going to press this point.

No such rule. Can understand why we weren't popular earlier but your characterisation of an entire community is not something I agree with.

You can understand ? Can you tell me why they granted Pakistan logistical supply in the 71 war when LTTE was not formed or India was not meddling in their country ?

Still pointless. The west tried everything even when the war was happening but without Indian support were completely ignored. Now SL has even less need of support from India, any resolution can anyways be blocked with Chinese help. With disastrous consequences for India. With no benefit whatsoever.

Its pointless because you refuse to see the point. You are convinced that whatever we Tamils say about Lanka must be a lie and the reality is exact opposite. I honestly dont know how I can convince you. The Lankans are already antagonistic of India and have decided who they are going to ally with. Disastorous consequences ? Are you even listening to yourself ? What can that country that is half the size of Tamil Nadu in India's rear do to us ? Are we that impotent to face even them ? But then again, seeing that even Maldives does not listen to India nowadays, Lanka is indeed a powerful country, relatively.

And yes, I would never forgive the Indian state for its callousness in condoning the massacre of my people there just because one terrorist organization killed its prince. It might seem irrelevant, but when a majority of the 72 million population have that feeling, it atleast shows the failure of the country to gain the trust of a significant portion of its population, for what it is worth.

Nation states are not so easily turned. Especially when they see national interest at stake. See how Nepal plays the China card and how carefully India has to tread there. Sometimes the stick is merely an illusion or much smaller than what one thinks.

Nepal - another failure of Indian foreign policy. It shows nothing but how shoddy nincompoops are manning the South Block.

 

[Umair Nawaz]

tamils do not attack anyone at all! T.

Yup, its ISI oh sorry a new Indian Boogeyman Prof Hafiz Saeed of LeT or Ajmal Kassab or even Saeed Ajmal

tamils do not attack anyone at all! T.

Yup, its ISI oh sorry a new Indian Boogeyman Prof Hafiz Saeed of LeT or Ajmal Kassab or even Saeed Ajmal

 

[KS]

Everything can be compared. You do not get to decide the parameters of other's people's comparison. It is not about opting out of India, it is whether once you have stayed, you have the same rights as any other. Not one right for the Tamil & another for the Muslims...etc.

When the starting points are not the same or there was no level playing ground ow fair is that comparison ? Would a comparison between the speed of an automobile and human just because they run on the road at the same time be fair ?

Comparison with Punjabis or Bengalis was fair but not Muslims. They stayed back even after being given the choice to move out and live as per whims and fancies of their religion. But if they still stayed back that means they agreed to supremacy of the Indian interest and not necessarily Islamic interest. The Tamils, or for that matter the Punjabis or Gujratis or Andhras were not given that choice to begin with.

India cannot interfere in other countries just because of a claimed kinship, we can show concern but citizenship matters.

But the point is we already interfered. So your grouse about 'we cannot interfere' does not hold ground. If the GoI can interfere then, it can very well interfere now.

And that point was made to illustrate how your analogy was flawed.

Those kind of sweeping generalisations are yours to hold, not possible for me to agree.

That is your choice. But I'm am saying what I observe, from my surroundings, from Tamil forums, for neighbours, for community men and that does have some weight.

Perception of a minority segment of population is not valid grounds for policy, national interest will have to defined more clearly.

What is national interest ?

Can you detail what "national interests" have been accomplished in this kow-towing before the Lankans ?

Even if it were, there is still nothing we can do realistically. Sanctions won't work & whatever the west does now, in the long term, they don't really care. Proof of that is with the west taking one position on Modi years ago & promptly taking another now

We can do many things. The first thing that needs to be done is come out of this defeatist mentality that "we can do nothing". Or the blind ego that I see in many non-Tamils about not agreeing with anything a Tamil might say. Not necessarily pointing out at you, but have seen many people opnely taking that line of thought "why should we listen to you Tamils" in many places.

 

[KS]

^^@KS why don't you mentioning TN fishermen and SL fishermen clashes in mid sea? These both are Tamils, if TN is actually concerns about SL Tamils then why TN government not implementing a system to keep TN fishermen in Indian waters? If TN fishermen enter to SL waters then Indian government can't do nothing if they get trouble. All your fishermen get troubled in Sri Lankan waters, to avoid it simply don't enter to SL waters!

What you call Lankan waters is not yours to begin with. Your Govt agreed to let our fishermen continue fish in the waters around katcchtheevu in return for the transfer and as usual they went back on their words.

Yes, the fault is with the Lankans for not keeping their word and the GoI for not forcing the Lankans to keep their word and protect the Tamil fishermen. Fault is with both.

 

[Sashan]

@KS - Forget it bro - Any amount of argument will fall on deaf ears of the fellow Indians - Our fellow Indians are dreaming that they can extract some concession with their carrot policy not knowing that SL stance is steeled by the Sinhala/Tamil ethnic/religious rivalry going back centuries with the Theravada monks at the core. Others will simply sacrifice tamil interests in the name of a convoluted national interest as though there are no other options available for India.

 

[Bang Galore]

The point again and again I'm making is, the LTTE were not made to pay as much the innocent civilians payed. That is the most important thing that you are disregarding. The majority does not care about the LTTE. We care about the Lankan Tamil civlians wo were killed as a form of revenge, as a form of sending a message, as a symbol of triumphalism.

Just trying to hide and cover up the entire war crimes being the LTTE bogey is not intellectually honest.The issue of war crimes goes far beyond that of LTTE. That is the first thing that needs to be recognized.

There was no way to separate the Tamil civilians from the LTTE and to aid only the civilians.

Indira Gandhi interfered not because of any love for Tamils but because of Lankan support to Pak during the 71 war and the persisting rumor of Lanka was planning on leasing either the Colombo or Tirikonamalai port to USN. No one asked her to interfere.

Regardless, she intervened.

And Jayawardena tricked Rajiv into converting a peacekeeping force that should not have taken any sides and instead be a neutral arbiter of peace into an active LTTE-disarming force that exploded on our own face.

Many things exploded in our faces including help in the creation of the LTTE.

And it was the innocent civilians who paid the price for that for that revenge mentality.

True but so did the LTTE.

The information trickled slowly to civilians like us. If you think that even Indian Govt was in the dark then either you are mis-informed or the Indian govt is so damn incompetent that it does not know what was happening in its own backyard irrespective of the outcry those days in TN.

Doesn't matte, we simply have no proof of what was known. Conjectures are well...just that.

Who asked for your sympathy for LTTE ? No one gives a jack about the LTTE. The entire focus is on the innocent civilians who were killed.

As I said earlier, impossible to separate. Maybe Tamil leaders should have persuaded the LTTE to surrender/consume cyanide if they cared about the civilians.

Then you are not informed about the perceptions of the Sinhalas. They hate India as a whole - Tamil or non-Tamil does not matter. They blame India for all their faults just like any other small country and think China is their messiah. And when people like me tell that , non-Tamils dont believe it, because apparently that would cause their stand to be weakened in an argument with the Tamil. I know how things work in online debates. So I am not going to press this point.

Don't go Tamil , non-Tamil on me. You have no knowledge of what Tamil connections I may have. Your assumptions are your own.

You can understand ? Can you tell me why they granted Pakistan logistical supply in the 71 war when LTTE was not formed or India was not meddling in their country ?

The U.S. did what they did in 1971, we don't share the same relationship today. If the Sri Lankans felt very close to India, they would have joined India. The fact that they didn't shows that they didn't feel a strong connection. No reason why we cannot have a normal civil relation with them.

Its pointless because you refuse to see the point. You are convinced that whatever we Tamils say about Lanka must be a lie and the reality is exact opposite. I honestly dont know how I can convince you.

More of the Tamil, non-Tamil bit. Wasted on me & wrong on your part to assume that I have no connection whatsoever.

The Lankans are already antagonistic of India and have decided who they are going to ally with. Disastorous consequences ? Are you even listening to yourself ? What can that country that is half the size of Tamil Nadu in India's rear do to us ? Are we that impotent to face even them ? But then again, seeing that even Maldives does not listen to India nowadays, Lanka is indeed a powerful country, relatively.

I still see no benefit in doing what you suggest. Blind anger is not a good variable.

And yes, I would never forgive the Indian state for its callousness in condoning the massacre of my people there just because one terrorist organization killed its prince. It might seem irrelevant, but when a majority of the 72 million population have that feeling, it atleast shows the failure of the country to gain the trust of a significant portion of its population, for what it is worth.

The same can be said in reverse of your utter lack of appreciation of a PM who was elected with a huge majority. No reason to hold on to your chauvinistic feelings but expect everyone else to not feel aggrieved when you so disrespect one of their own. Mathematics would tell you the difference in numbers of the population reverse affected.

Nepal - another failure of Indian foreign policy. It shows nothing but how shoddy nincompoops are manning the South Block.

Exactly. There are no free lunches anymore.

 

[KS]

@KS - Forget it bro - Any amount of argument will fall on deaf ears of the fellow Indians - Our fellow Indians are dreaming that they can extract some concession with their carrot policy not knowing that SL stance is steeled by the Sinhala/Tamil ethnic/religious rivalry going back centuries with the Theravada monks at the core. Others will simply sacrifice tamil interests in the name of a convoluted national interest as though there are no other options available for India.

This....this is the core of the problem.

 

[Bang Galore]

Comparison with Punjabis or Bengalis was fair but not Muslims. They stayed back even after being given the choice to move out and live as per whims and fancies of their religion. But if they still stayed back that means they agreed to supremacy of the Indian interest and not necessarily Islamic interest. The Tamils, or for that matter the Punjabis or Gujratis or Andhras were not given that choice to begin with.

All Indian citizens started with the same slate, no one more equal than the others. To reverse your argument, Muslims who stayed back proved their loyalty & wish, you suggest that others might have stayed only because they were not given a choice. Why should the Indian state put on a higher pedestal those who throw the secession card when they run out of arguments?

But the point is we already interfered. So your grouse about 'we cannot interfere' does not hold ground. If the GoI can interfere then, it can very well interfere now.

Post RG's murder, any intervention could only have been against the LTTE.

And that point was made to illustrate how your analogy was flawed.

It wasn't, yours is.

That is your choice. But I'm am saying what I observe, from my surroundings, from Tamil forums, for neighbours, for community men and that does have some weight.

Fair enough.

What is national interest ?

Can you detail what "national interests" have been accomplished in this kow-towing before the Lankans ?

Can you tell us what national interest will be accomplished by doing what you say should be done? For now, we can always use the leverage that if SL overlooked our concerns completely, we can always fall back on your plan. Should be enough. SL has no death wish but make no mistake, if pushed to the corner, we leave the door wide open for mischief in our backyard.

We can do many things. The first thing that needs to be done is come out of this defeatist mentality that "we can do nothing". Or the blind ego that I see in many non-Tamils about not agreeing with anything a Tamil might say. Not necessarily pointing out at you, but have seen many people opnely taking that line of thought "why should we listen to you Tamils" in many places.

More "Tamil, non-Tamil Talk" Becoming a bit tedious. I listen to everyone, Tamil, non-Tamil alike. I can & will be moved from my position by a coherent argument if made. If however, you make an argument about sentiments of Tamils being the only reason, then it automatically follows that no non-Tamil can agree simply because they are non-Tamils. A pointless exercise then.

 

[KS]

There was no way to separate the Tamil civilians from the LTTE and to aid only the civilians.

There was if not, it should have been invented.After all how could a nation be if it does not care about the collateral damage involving massive civilian casualties ? The truth the people in power , neither in Lanka nor in India, were simply not interested to care to about as long as the people killed were Tamilians.

To them LTTE was Tamil, hence all Tamilians are LTTE and deserved to be killed or raped.

Regardless, she intervened.

You are deflecting.

This is what you claimed - If Indira Gandhi has not interfered, there would have been no LTTE in the first place.

Point is she did not intervene for the sake of the Tamil people there. But her intervention further messed up the situation of the Tamils and hence even more responsibility on the part of the GoI to set that right.

Many things exploded in our faces including help in the creation of the LTTE.

Again deflection - you sought to portray as if had Rajiv not intervened, it would have been over long back. Who asked Rajiv to intervene ? Did the SL govt ask ? Did the LTTE ask ? We paid for our own mistakes. Dont blame them.

True but so did the LTTE.

Heartless.

And even then does the fact that just because a few LTTE fighters died, you are willing to condone and overlook the massacre of tens of thousands of civilians who had no role in either the LTTE or fighting sound right to you ? If this is the logic you guys have for overlooking the warcrimes, then I am honestly lost for words.

Doesn't matte, we simply have no proof of what was known. Conjectures are well...just that.

Not conjectures. But more of a common sense. Common sense dictates that a big nation, a big as India, which has interests in Lanka would be thoroughly aware of the situation there when even random journalists from west and Tamil nadu were aware of that.

As I said earlier, impossible to separate. Maybe Tamil leaders should have persuaded the LTTE to surrender/consume cyanide if they cared about the civilians.

Wow what a logic. So as I said, all we should do is round up the Muslims and start gassing them and then pass the blame onto the terrorists that had they voluntarily come forward we need not have killed the civilians. Astounding.

Don't go Tamil , non-Tamil on me. You have no knowledge of what Tamil connections I may have. Your assumptions are your own.

I mentioned that I am not specifically pointing to you. But that mentality is more common that you might like to believe.

The U.S. did what they did in 1971, we don't share the same relationship today. If the Sri Lankans felt very close to India, they would have joined India. The fact that they didn't shows that they didn't feel a strong connection. No reason why we cannot have a normal civil relation with them.

Because dear poster, the Sinhala attitude towards India, as Sashan pointed is shaped up by the hard core Theravada antagonism towards Tamils and Hindus developed over the centuries and that is what will reflect in their general policy towards India.

by expecting the lankans to automatically behave good you are just expecting the peacock to give you its feather on its own. No it wont. You have to pluck it.

I still see no benefit in doing what you suggest. Blind anger is not a good variable.

You do not see because you do not want to see. That is what I can say.

The same can be said in reverse of your utter lack of appreciation of a PM who was elected with a huge majority. No reason to hold on to your chauvinistic feelings but expect everyone else to not feel aggrieved when you so disrespect one of their own. Mathematics would tell you the difference in numbers of the population reverse affected.

My lack of appreciation of the PM is because of his non-perfomance and not because of anything else.Tomorrow if he turns around and performs I would support him just like I supported him in the nuclear deal. But the feeling I am saying is more deep. It is a feeling of a sense of betrayal of the trust we reposed in this country, the hope our concerns would be given importance to and not sacrificed in the altar of some non-existant national interest as a cover to hide regional misgivings.

 

[Android]

Most north Indians don't have any idea about this SL issue since you guys know media and education are both under congress control issue and both of them never mention any of the wrongdoings of wrong doings of congress

 

[KS]

All Indian citizens started with the same slate, no one more equal than the others.

No we did not start with the same slate. That is absurd. We were not asked of our choice whether we wanted to stay in this country while the Muslims were given one.

Post RG's murder, any intervention could only have been against the LTTE.

Not-necessarily.

The NDA Govt pressured the Ranil W govt and the LTTE to shed hostilities to get back to the negotiation table. That is how a useful foreign policy is conducted.

And once again you are going back to the same bogey of LTTE. **** LTTE, I cant be more clear that this. The GoI was in a position to stop the massacre of the tami civilians and it did not because in its eyes, every Tamilian, no matter who was by default a LTTE fighter and deserved to die. That is reprehensible.

Can you tell us what national interest will be accomplished by doing what you say should be done? For now, we can always use the leverage that if SL overlooked our concerns completely, we can always fall back on your plan. Should be enough. SL has no death wish but make no mistake, if pushed to the corner, we leave the door wide open for mischief in our backyard.

Simple.

But making our displeasure known by taking these steps, either we knock some sense into the Lankans or make them go on a suicide wish. That is a gamble that we ought to take. By simply clinging onto status quo and doing nothing, we are not improving things any better. They are still hostile to India and still in bed with China.

We are curently kow-towing to the Lankans for no apparent reason.

More "Tamil, non-Tamil Talk" Becoming a bit tedious. I listen to everyone, Tamil, non-Tamil alike. I can & will be moved from my position by a coherent argument if made. If however, you make an argument about sentiments of Tamils being the only reason, then it automatically follows that no non-Tamil can agree simply because they are non-Tamils. A pointless exercise then.

LIke it or not, what I am stating is the ground reality. Most non-Tamilians make up their position on this issue on this single ground and I have had people openly telling me that. You may not like it me telling that, but then when has truth been ever sweet ?

What I am saying is non-Tamils should move on from their positions just because of this single issue and look at it from the larger perspective of the concerns of a fellow Indian.

 

[Bang Galore]

The truth the people in power , neither in Lanka nor in India, were simply not interested to care to about as long as the people killed were Tamilians.

To them LTTE was Tamil, hence all Tamilians are LTTE and deserved to be killed or raped.

Disagree, the truth is far more nuanced.

You are deflecting.

This is what you claimed - If Indira Gandhi has not interfered, there would have been no LTTE in the first place.

Point is she did not intervene for the sake of the Tamil people there. But her intervention further messed up the situation of the Tamils and hence even more responsibility on the part of the GoI to set that right.

Not really, I was pointing out that history does not begin where one would like it to.

Again deflection - you sought to portray as if had Rajiv not intervened, it would have been over long back. Who asked Rajiv to intervene ? Did the SL govt ask ? Did the LTTE ask ? We paid for our own mistakes. Dont blame them.

MGR did. The Tamils did.

Heartless.

And even then does the fact that just because a few LTTE fighters died, you are willing to condone and overlook the massacre of tens of thousands of civilians who had no role in either the LTTE or fighting sound right to you ? If this is the logic you guys have for overlooking the warcrimes, then I am honestly lost for words.

Not really heartless, just being a realist. You were angry at one Indian intervention, yet you want another. No logic.

Wow what a logic. So as I said, all we should do is round up the Muslims and start gassing them and then pass the blame onto the terrorists that had they voluntarily come forward we need not have killed the civilians. Astounding.

Nope, where do all Muslims come into this. All Indian Mujahideen maybe but not all muslims. You were making an argument for intervention, I said impossible as long as the LTTE existed on the ground. I'm not answerable for SL government's actions, hold only a brief(unauthorised) for my country

I mentioned that I am not specifically pointing to you. But that mentality is more common that you might like to believe.

Maybe but still a pointless assertion to make.

Because dear poster, the Sinhala attitude towards India, as Sashan pointed is shaped up by the hard core Theravada antagonism towards Tamils and Hindus and that is what will reflect in their general policy towards India.

by expecting the lankans to automatically behave good you are just expecting the peacock to give you its feather on its own. No it wont. You have to pluck it.

Still see no benefit in doing it your way. Even if we go by your argument that SL is naturally antagonistic to India, what would be served by doing it your way? Far better to hide the stick, it is not as if they don't know we have one.

You do not see because you do not want to see. That is what I can say.

I see what I see. I cannot see what you wish for me to see.

My lack of appreciation of the PM is because of his non-perfomance and not because of anything else.Tomorrow if he turns around and performs I would support him just like I supported him in the nuclear deal. Idiotic analogy is there was ever one. But the feeling I am saying is more deep. It is a feeling of a sense of betrayal of the trust we reposed in this country, the hope our concerns would be given importance to and not sacrificed in the altar of some existant national interest as a cover to hide regional misgivings.

I was talking Rajiv Gandhi and the fact that you didn't seem to be too bothered by his death, even defending it vaguely as the outcome of policy (not an idiotic analogy but an idiotic interpretation ). Pointed out that those who voted for RG and they were a huge number can be as aggrieved with "Tamil" (those who do) support for his assassins as you are about the deaths of SL Tamils. Pointed out that figure would be considerably higher than the 72 million you quoted.

 

[KS]

Disagree, the truth is far more nuanced.

Nothing can be so far nuanced as to justify and overlook the murder of tens if thousands of civilians and non-combatants in a systematic and calculated way.

Not really, I was pointing out that history does not begin where one would like it to.

The tell me where does it begin ? For one it does not begin with Lankan Tamils wronging india in anyway or interfering in our natioal sovereignity. We interfered in their affairs first.

Not really heartless, just being a realist. You were angry at one Indian intervention, yet you want another. No logic.

I was not angry at Indian intervention - I would have been happy if India had not intervened and made the life of the Tamils there worse.

I was just pointing out the hypocrisy when some members say "we cant interfere in Lankan affairs" when we were neck deep in their **** all along.

Nope, where do all Muslims come into this. All Indian Mujahideen maybe but not all muslims. You were making an argument for intervention, I said impossible as long as the LTTE existed on the ground. I'm not answerable for SL government's actions, hold only a brief(unauthorised) for my country

Muslims come because you said LTTE was responsible for not coming forward or drinking cyanide and hence the killings of the civilians was the responsibility of the LTTE. Well. the IM too is among the Muslims and they are not coming forward. So go ahead, kill the Muslims, you migt end up killing one or two IM for every 1000 muslim which can be justified as saying, "see two terrorists were killed, so lets disregard the rest 1000 killed".

Maybe but still a pointless assertion to make.

its not. Its the mentality that shapes the perception of a shockingly large number of non-Tamils oon this issue. It is the price for us standing up in the 50s and 60s against the hindi imposition. That latent hostility manifests in many ways.

Still see no benefit in doing it your way. Even if we go by your argument that SL is naturally antagonistic to India, what would be served by doing it your way? Far better to hide the stick, it is not as if they don't know we have one.

They know we have a stick and they also know we are chicken to use it. That they can afford to ****-a-snoop at us and get away with it.

And what part of the benefit you did not get ? But making our displeasure known by taking these steps, either we knock some sense into the Lankans or make them go on a suicide wish. That is a gamble that we ought to take. By simply clinging onto status quo and doing nothing, we are not improving things any better. They are still hostile to India and still in bed with China.

I was talking Rajiv Gandhi and the fact that you didn't seem to be too bothered by his death, even defending it vaguely as the outcome of policy. Pointed out that those who voted for RG and they were a huge number can be as aggrieved with "Tamil" (those who do) support for his assassins as you are about the deaths of SL Tamils. Pointed out that figure would be considerably higher than the 72 million you quoted.

If those fanbois of Rajiv are angry at the common Tamil civilians who suffered the most casulaties in this war for his death, then they are irrational. LTTE killed Rajiv. For that the LTTE was vanquished. Where did the deaths of civilians come into this ?

And no, what we feel goes much beyond that. It is something even more fundamental. It is about our role and place in this country as a population.

 

[Bang Galore]

No we did not start with the same slate. That is absurd. We were not asked of our choice whether we wanted to stay in this country while the Muslims were given one.

That your argument 65 years later? As I said, the Muslims who stayed chose to, you on the other hand are complaining that you weren't given a choice. Why should your feeling be put on a higher pedestal?

Not-necessarily.

The NDA Govt pressured the Ranil W govt and the LTTE to shed hostilities to get back to the negotiation table. That is how a useful foreign policy is conducted.

...and if you know it was the LTTE that caused Ranil to lose the election. Tough luck.

And once again you are going back to the same bogey of LTTE. **** LTTE, I cant be more clear that this. The GoI was in a position to stop the massacre of the tami civilians and it did not because in its eyes, every Tamilian, no matter who was by default a LTTE fighter and deserved to die. That is reprehensible.

Nope. Any intervention would only have helped the LTTE. It was Indian government's stated policy to treat the LTTE as a terrorist organisation and its elimination was always going to be welcomed. Unlike what you say, there was no way to separate the civilians & kill only the LTTE.

Simple.

But making our displeasure known by taking these steps, either we knock some sense into the Lankans or make them go on a suicide wish. That is a gamble that we ought to take. By simply clinging onto status quo and doing nothing, we are not improving things any better. They are still hostile to India and still in bed with China.

For what purpose? What national interest is served (not your sentiments) by doing what you say? Gambling for no reason is not good policy.

We are curently kow-towing to the Lankans for no apparent reason.

No, we are not but your version seems to be that we are "kow-towing" if we don't beat them on their head with a hammer.

LIke it or not, what I am stating is the ground reality. Most non-Tamilians make up their position on this issue on this single ground and I have had people openly telling me that. You may not like it me telling that, but then when has truth been ever sweet ?

Truth is not in the repository of "Tamils" alone.

What I am saying is non-Tamils should move on from their positions just because of this single issue and look at it from the larger perspective of the concerns of a fellow Indian.

Nothing stopping you from looking at it from outside your box either.

P.S. This is getting repetitive, so my last post on this matter. Thanks for your time. Will join you on another topic