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Land
to which Tamils were forcibly sent
A few years ago, I listened to an interesting conversation
about the Tamil claim for a homeland. A Sinhalese scholar
laboured to ‘prove’ that north and east originally
belonged to the Sinhalese and Tamils could claim only Tamil
Nadu, as their homeland.
Prof. K. Sivathamby did not refute any of those ‘facts’.
He said, “My understanding is simply this: Tamils consider
the land to which they were repeatedly sent during riots,
as their homeland.”
Tamils were sent to the north and east in army-guarded trains,
navy- escorted ships and on chartered flights to the north
and east, on four different occasions. I am not including
the 1956 June Gal Oya riots because, Tamils were sent then
in army-escorted buses to Batticaloa only.
In May 1958, for the first time in Sri Lanka’s 2500-
year- old history, Tamils from Colombo and other southern
parts were sent in trains and ships to the north and the east.
I was in Colombo at that time and was shielded by the Lake
House employees from attack. I was a witness to the special
operations undertaken to send the Tamils to the north and
east.
In the week-long rioting in the last week of May 1958, the
golden jubilee of which went unnoticed a fortnight ago, 12,000
Tamils were herded in the special camps at Royal College and
some other Hindu Kovils in Colombo. In the outstations, the
situation was worse. In Anuradhapura, Matale and Kandy the
number of refugees in each place exceeded 3000 Tamils. Over
1000 Sinhala refugees from Jaffna were brought to the camp
at Thurston College, Colombo.
The Tamils were sent to the north and the east and the Sinhalese
to their villages in the south. The situation was considered
by the Government Parliamentary Group meeting on June 3. There,
some SLFP members raised two important matters. They asked
Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike about the advisability
of sending the Tamils to the north and east and brining the
Sinhalese from Jaffna to Colombo. “Will that not amount
to the division of the country?”, they asked.
The following is the quote of the Prime Minister’s reply:
Premier: ‘I will never allow that. I will never allow
division of this country. What has happened is that the women
and children, who were living under very unsatisfactory
and inconvenient conditions, have been sent, on their own
wish, back to the north. That is all. There was no intention,
nor is there any intention whatsoever, that the Government
is helping, by this manner, the creation of a Federal or separate
State.’
Then the following discussion took place:
M.P. for Horana, Mr Sagara Palansuriya: ‘The Tamils are
gaining strength in all parts of the country, where they are.
Is this Government going to stand for this nonsense? The Sinhalese
are in danger of being liquidated by them.’
An M.P., identified as M.P. for Hambantota, Lakshman Rajapakse:
‘Destroy them!’
Premier: ‘Who said that? Are you seriously thinking that
the Tamils must be destroyed? This Government has no such
intention. I am surprised that, there is such talk and stranger
still, such talk from the M.P. for Hambantota, who is wedded
to a Tamil, for better or for worse—isn’t that so,
Lakshman?’
Those interested in a fuller report can read Tarzie Vittachie’s
‘Emergency ’58’ available in the Internet.
Search for Emergency 58.
The second matter was also equally important because, that
too implanted in the Tamil mind, the concept that asking for
Tamil rights would be treated as provocation for retaliatory
violence. Several parliamentarians told at the June 3 meeting,
that the riots were a spontaneous Sinhalese reaction, to the
Tamil demand for federalism. They urged that, the Sinhala
anger be ‘cooled’ by taking action against the Federal
Party, which was agitating for a federal unit for the north
and east.
The prime minister announced that, the aspect of the matter
was considered by him and announced the arrest of the Federal
Party parliamentarians and the banning of the Federal Party.
The announcement was greeted with applause.
Then during 1977 and 1981 riots, Tamils living in the south
were sent to the north and the east. The 1983 July holocaust
had made the Tamils believe that, they could live in safety
only in the north and the east. They believe that, the present
situation in the north and east is transitory and their permanent
home is in the areas, where they are in the majority.
Every bomb that explodes and every instance of abduction and
killing in the south, reminds them that, they are insecure
in the south. “South is their home, not ours,” is
their thinking.
You will be surprised to learn, that every time a policeman
or a soldier checks the Identity Card turns back and looks
at the place of birth, the Tamils are reminded of their homeland.
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