A far thinking Sri Lankan living in the southern town of Galle has
made a very detailed proposal to resolving the Sri Lankan conflict, by
transplanting the proponents of a separate state of "Eelam" in Sri
Lanka including the self declared sole representative of the Tamil
community, namely the LTTE headed by the Sungod, Velupillai
Prabhakaran and his Guardians of Human Rights made up of the armed
LTTE cadres, lock, stock and barrel, from the contested parts of Sri
Lanka to the wide expanse of Canada, bringing much needed labour and
capital acquired through both illicit and legal means, to form a new
federal state with more powers than the existing provinceswithin a
united Canada to be negotiated with Norwegian facilitation and British
mediation.
Whilst many of us Canadians of Sri Lankan origin may sup****t the
proposal, we are likely to uphold the principle of NIMBY, not in my
back yard, but would certainly be amenable to creation of the new
federal state of "Eelam- Canada" somewhere in the prairies to be
parcelled out by the Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and
Alberta. This arrangement is likely to have a far reaching impact, as
the industrious Sri Lankan Tamils are bound to make it a highly
successful granary that would become the food basket of the world,
along with cash crops which have a demand in the narcotics consuming
regions.
I am not sure if the Federal Government and the affected Provinces
would appoint Special Task Forces to study and implement the proposal.
I understand that the proposal also requires the donor countries that
pledged $4.5 billion towards the division of Sri Lanka into two states
to contribute such funds to Canada to implement the whole package
notwithstanding the fact that the LTTE has ac***ulated funds, and
frozen funds that could be released and utilized in the re-settlement
process.
EELAM =96 AN ALTERNATIVE WAY
What is it?
Now that we know that the LTTE and its sup****ters will be satisfied
with nothing less than a separate state and are by devious means doing
everything to achieve it no matter how, it is my view that both the
Government and the international community, particularly, Norway, in
trying to restart the peace talks, are only flogging a dead horse.
Instead, it may be more productive to help the LTTE and their
sup****ters to achieve their goal than thwart them. But the problem
here is the fact that, other than them, the majority of all varieties
of Sri Lankans will never agree to a separate state or any kind of
division of this country. Yet, going to =91war=92 with them again is not
the only option available.
In these cir***stances, my proposal is that they be helped to have an
Eelam in another land. My suggestion is Canada.
Why Canada?
Why Canada of all countries? Well, I have carefully considered all
other countries sympathetic to the Tamil cause, and Canada emerged as
the most suitable. Here is my reasoning:
1. The Canadian Government and its people are very sympathetic to the
Tamil cause. They are probably convinced that the Tamil people in this
country are indeed a discriminated lot who are re****ted to be
suffering due to discrimination as no other minority in the world.
2. Canada has already accommodated over 250, 000 Tamils as refugees
who are well settled there. Only, may be a further 500,000 the
maximum, from the North and the East, that need to be accommodated.
3. Geographically, Canada is probably one of the largest countries in
the world with large tracts of unoccupied land.
4. Canada is greatly under-populated.
5. Is a country full of natural resources and is blessed with a sound
economy. Hence, she can contain within her resources this additional
population without any strain. Besides, Tamils who are an industrious
people, could significantly contribute to the economy, that way, a
great resource. In that sense it not a bad investment either.
As an incentive for Canada to consider this proposal favourbly, and
also to reduce any financial burden that may arise owing to this
project, I would recommend that the US$ 4.5 billion offered by the
Donor Countries as incentive to the Sri Lanka Government to divide
this country, be diverted to Canada, to be used for the welfare of the
Tamil people she takes over and to cover their administrative costs.
Canada could also asked keep back any future aid to Sri Lanka, and
could be used for rehabilitation of the Tamil people in their new
home. Sri Lanka will be able to manage her development with her own
funds because by that time the money that she would have to spent for
war with the LTTE will be saved. This might also be a blessing in
disguise to Sri Lanka as it would help reduce her corruption level
since the Government will be minus that much Foreign Aid, for
misappropriation at its different levels, by way of commissions.
LTTE could also be allowed to move to Canada, the monies regularly
collected by the Tamil Dias****a all over the world to fund their =91war=92
in Sri Lanka. The countries which have withheld their bank accounts
could release them to enable the funds to be taken to Canada on the
LTTE giving an assurance that these monies will no longer be utilized
to fund terrorism or any violent =91freedom struggles=92 in any country.
Will Canada like it?
Well, Canada has to be persuaded. There is a good prospect that she
may consider the idea favourably since she is genuinely aware of the
discrimination meted out to the Tamils in Sri Lanka from time
immemorial and is concerned for their welfare. She may also be aware
that with the insincerity of the successive governments in Sri Lanka
there could be no lasting solution to this never ending problem.
We could also seek the assistance of the international community to
help us in engaging in friendly persuasion of Canada and even to bring
some mild pressure on her, as they did on Sri Lanka during the last
twenty years, when they tried to pressurize her to give in to the
LTTE.
In this regard, I think if Britain and Norway have a great role to
play. If they would show the same anxiety that they evinced to help
Sri Lanka by persuading her to agree to Eelam or ISGA , to get Canada
to agree to this alternative solution, they are bound to succeed with
their great
diplomacy.
Will the LTTE agree ?
Here, there are two parties. The LTTE and the Tamil people. The LTTE
however claims to be the sole representative of the Tamil people.
There are a few people who disagree openly. And there is the large
silent majority.
If all the arguments that have been advanced to justify demanding a
separate state as the only solution, this proposal should appear as a
strong and a viable alternative to those who advocate the separatist
cause. Therefore logically, if they are genuine, both LTTE and any
other varieties of Eelamists are likely to agree to the proposal
should Government and the Opposition speaking in one voice, succeed in
persuading Canada, like the Sirima-Shastri Pact.
The Eelam Tamils also have two other encouraging factors to take into
account. Whoever Tamils who settled down in Canada have no regrets and
are comfortable in their newfound home country. Sinhala Language is
not thrust down their throats in those civilized countries. There they
have willingly embraced Canadian English without any fuss .So no
problem there. There are precedents too. There is the Ceylon Burgher
community who feared that they would be discriminated against after
the changes in 1956 migrated to Australia, are happily settled down
there and absorbed into the Australian population. Similarly, there
are even Sinhalese, especially, the plantation superintendent
community who left in disgust after the nationalization of plantations
in the Seventies and even later, another group, due to the 1988/89 JVP
insurgency, now living in different countries, some of them well
absorbed into those communities while some others jealously
maintaining their national identities.
Besides, there are the Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese, Italians,
Cypriots etc. all having their own countries planted abroad. So a tiny
Eelam in Canada is not going to hurt either party, unlike in small and
complicated Sri Lanka. At least, here in their Eelam they will be rid
of their hated tormentors, the Sinhalese who Poya day Sil and Friday
kill.
So in all likelihood, the LTTE are likely to agree, because it means
no longer have they to go round daily killing their own people, which
they do, not because they like to. They will not have to wrench away
children from their wailing parents who even commit suicide unable
contain their grief. They will not loose any more cadres in battle. No
more Mahavirs. The Sea Tigers could then patrol the entire Atlantic
Ocean, unharrassed by Sri Lanka or Indian Navies. Prabhakaran and
Karuna need no longer be hiding from each other. They could live
freely with their families as could other Tamils could with theirs.
But why is an Eelam not possible in Sri Lanka ?
1. Because this country in its entirety belongs equally to all its
citizens and no group could claim any particular part of the country
to belong exclusively to themselves, reducing the other groups in that
locality to a minority. It will infringe the right to this Land by the
rest of the people. ( In fact, the song goes as: =93/This land belongs
to all of us/=85..! ) It is a dangerous precedence which can lead to
further dismemberment of a country which is only 25,000 sq. miles in
extent. Besides there is no basis to such claim.
2. Because this country is one whole unit and is indivisible. It does
not comprise several separate states or provinces brought together at
any time.
3. Because, more than half the Tamil population live /outside/ the
demanded Eelam, in other parts of the country. Hence, an Eelam is no
solution to the alleged discrimination being suffered by these Tamils
who, curiously by their own choice, have elected to live among their
tormentors.
4. Because it creates a new problem of Minorities in the =91Eelam
country=92 who will suffer discrimination at the hands of the Eelam
Tamils It will be like =93/Atuwa kada putwa heduma=94- =93/Like breaking
the=
barn and making a chair=94.
5. Only 10% of the population live in the area claimed for Eelam
occupying 30% of the total land mass in the country and 2/3^rd of the
country=92s coast line and the sea , leaving 90% of the people only 70%
of the land to live.
6. The vast majority of the people of this country do not want this
country to be divided, to accommodate a separate state in two of its
provinces.
7. In any case, a country cannot be divided on the basis of a
linguistic group. More so in Sri Lanka where language of the Tamils is
an official language in the whole country
8. Because, constitutionally this country is a unitary state.
Who gains who looses?
Nobody. In fact everybody gains.
Firstly, Canada gains an industrious and a literate work force who
will help in their economic progress. And they are not coming as
penniless refugees to live on them, but with substantial funds to back
them.
Secondly Sri Lanka will gain because she will have no insurgency to
hold her back in her progress. She could plunge herself into economic
development.
Thirdly, Norway will add to their laurels, as their success in
negotiating this peace will be another feather in their cap.
Fourthly, LTTE will have a country for them selves achieving what they
failed for over 25 years, destroying so many lives and families and so
much property.
Fifthly, the Tamil people will be free from the torments of the LTTE
grabbing their children away, to be used as child soldiers. They will
no longer be extracted, robbed of their earnings as =91taxes=92. The Tamil
Dias****a will be rid of the LTTE snooping on them to grab their
earnings abroad threatening their lives.
Sixthly, the UNESCO will be saved of their embarrassment caused by
Prabhakaran treating them with scant respect on the Child Soldiers
issue.
One apparent group of losers will be the local NGOs who will
tem****arily have no cause, without an =91ethnic war=92. But they are adept
at finding new causes to earn their living. They could now concentrate
on Human rights and the rights of elephants whose are legs are chained
in order to prevent them from violating the rights of humans to their
lives, when they run berserk occasionally. They can perhaps starts an
agitation against horse racing termed Royal S****t, where horses are
being whipped unmercifully by jockeys till they reach the winning
post, gleefully cheered by thousands of onlookers.
But the real losers will be the Sri Lankan Politicians on either side
of the divide. They will not be able to cheat the people on the Tamil
issue. Now, after 50 years they will be compelled to find something
else. That might be hard.
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