‘Tamil diaspora can help rebuild Sri Lanka’
An atmosphere conducive to find a permanent political solution to the Sri Lankan Tamil issue is emerging now and it is the moral responsibility of the Tamil diaspora to join in reconstruction efforts, according to a group of Tamil MPs from the island nation.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Sivagnanam Siritharan, Kilinochi MP, said that with the coming together of two major political parties and the efforts of several nations, including India, pointed to the emergence of an opportunity to find a permanent political solution to the Sri Lankan Tamil issue.
Tamils living in the North and East of Sri Lanka were not politically empowered now to bring about economic transformation in the war-torn region and look up to Tamils living elsewhere, especially to Tamil Nadu, for help in reconstruction, he said. An estimated 90,000 war widows were living in this region without a clue of how to bring up their children. The government did not treat them on a par with widows of Sri Lankan Army personnel, he added.
Regretting that most of the promises made in Sri Lankan Parliament on rehabilitation of Tamils were yet to be translated into action, he said the housing schemes of India and other countries, however, had reached the intended beneficiaries.
Charles Nirmalanathan, Mannar MP, said that most of the war widows lived in the Vanni region and about 1.8 lakh children faced an uncertain future.
It was the moral responsibility of the Tamil diaspora to help in educating these children and empower them to earn a livelihood. Most of them were attending local schools and their families did not have the wherewithal to assist them in pursuing higher education.
Velukumar, Kandy MP, felt that the predicament of plantation Tamils was not properly understood in Tamil Nadu as the Sri Lankan Tamil issue was restricted to the North and East.
The plantation workers, who were originally from Tamil Nadu, faced as much discrimination and oppression as their counterparts in the North and East and hence a political solution to the Tamil issue should also include these people, he said. Only education, Mr. Velukumar said, would deliver the children of plantation workers from bondage.
(Source: The Hindu)
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Yes. Talk is easy and words are cheep. It is easy to say that they can create a paradise but it is entirely different thing when they try to do it.
When you look at the picture stupidity is written all over there faces.
“…. faced as much discrimination and oppression as their counterparts in the North and East…” Well Mr. Velu Kumar (Kandy MP) to start with try to mary your son or daughter to Vellala family in Jaffna.
Well said Mr. Amarakoon, first of all the Tamils in Jaffna should never think high of themselves and work together with not only other tamils of other provinces but also with other communities its only then that we could rebuild Sri-Lanka
How can Tamils work together. Jafna Tamils don’t like Batticlow Tamils. Batticlow Tamils don’t like tea estate Tamils. Tea estate Tamils don’t like Tamil Nadu Tamils. Tamil Nadu Tamils don’t like Malaysian Tamils. Malaysian Tamils don’t like Singapore Tamils. Singapore Tamils don’t like any Tamils.
Concerned assumes that Tamils of the North and East would like to work with other communities in the South to build Sri Lanka.
This assumption is stupendous having experienced the socially detrimental effects of an occupying Sinhala dominated Army in our homelands for over 6 decades.
Homeland???? Mr. T. Somadundaram Sri Lanka is the homeland for all of us. See the Northern Province Population of 993,741 is 31.92% of the total population of 3,113,247 Tamils in the island. remaining 62.08% of Tamils live outside the Northern province.
Mr Amarakoon, who cares where they live? The North and the East are historically the homelands of the Tamil speaking population. Please restore their rights to live there, after a break since 1948, in peace.
Dear Mr. T. Somasundaram, We care where they live. We care they live in harmony with other communities like in Wellawatta and Kotahena. We do not want mono-ethnic areas. 1948 very interesting. SL’s history doesn’t start from the day we get independence from the people who colonized us, from the day Portuguese or Dutch arrived. Or the day THesawaleme law was introduced or from the time White Sahibs created these provinces. Just like Tamils buy lands in the South I like to buy a property in Jaffna. Can you help me?