A Prabhakaran should be born in Tamil Nadu

l by Dr.Sripali Vaiamon

(28 April 2012, Canada, Sri Lanka Guardian) Dr,Wickramabahu Karunaratna,a veteran politician,vociferous Samasamajist who is a member of the Dehiwala-Mt.Lavinia Municipal Council, recently pronounced that Prabhakaran should be remembered next 3000 years.

Velupillai Prabhakaran should be cherished as an honest leader of his society. To safeguard his society he had a burning desire from his childhood. His society members, neighbours and fellow mates were constantly harassed, oppressed, abused and became a depressed multitude who had no strength to keep their back born straight. Elderly people in the society were humble, meek and lethargic that they had no guts to utter a word

Against those who trample them.

One Scandinavian lady who involved in a research in the Tamil community in Jaffna had described in her research volume, that the low caste multitude in the Tamil society treated as stray dogs. She further explained, those who are at the bottom of the caste hierarchy are called by many names, outcaste, untouchable, pariah, pollutant, low caste, depressed minorities, scheduled caste, unclean caste. She has quoted so many examples and the harrasments meted out to them.

In a working place if a low caste woman accidently touch the food parcel of a high caste woman, she won’t consume but throw it away stating it has got polluted. So if the same people in the same society treat their fellow members as pollutants, naturally they will get hurt. When people walk on the road if a high caste man come across they have to get into the gutter and remove their shawls from the necks and bend and salute. Their land lords do notnot allow them to get even water from their wells.

There was a very vociferous member of the Parliament, Mr.Suntheralingam.In nineteen fifties. He did not allow low caste people to enter temples. They were harassed and battered in so many occasions. This was another ambiguous situation where low caste minorities had to undergo in the North. If an outcast is in urgent need of transport, usually as a result of an accident, illness or complicated childbirth, someone has to go to the neighbouring village, perhaps 5 km away to get a taxi. High caste taxi drivers close by never oblige, even the person died they are not concerned. She had quoted so many similar instances.

Thiruvenkadam Veluppillai Prabhakaran

Caste system has given rise to serious social evils. It denied certain civil and religious rights to a large number of people and let to the oppressions and exploitations one caste by another, which paved a constant source of discontent or unrest, commented Kenneth W. Morgen in his ‘The religion of the Hindus’.

Classic instance was that of Sir Ponnambalm Ramanathan, a recognized Tamil leader, who opposed the introduction of adult franchise on the ground that it would give the lower caste the right to vote. He was also against the tradition of equal seating and commensurate in Jaffna schools. (James Russel’s ‘Tamils and Donoughmore Commission.)

Govt. issued the Social Disability Act of 1957 forbidding caste discrimination by Land Lords and other upper class and high caste elites but they did not pay any heed.

However prior to branding them with the ghastly label as Dalit from India, Prabhakaran was adamant to show his colours. He was eagerly awaiting with deep depression, hatred and animosity from a long time until Mr.Amirthalingam incited Tamil youth to rise up against the government of Sinhalese in a meeting at Mankulam. Prabhakaran and young brats who couldn’t stand the daily harassments in innumerable ways towards the oppressed people in his society who had been categorized as low caste or scheduled caste, pariahs by the upper class, so called Vellalas and other Land Lords. With Amirthalingam’s push they got the Dutch courage to launch a struggle against their oppressors, the high caste people and the government for the discrimination. They aim at a double target. They had more animosity towards their upper caste Vellalas other than the Sinhala government.

So these young brats who were planning to form terrorist groups started their first attack in 1972, on the Mayor of Jaffna. Mr.Alfred Doraiappa.A high class, high caste well recognized leader in the Tamil society.

Thereafter several Tamil groups consist of youth, supposed to be low castes, were got together. They killed even Amirthalingam who gave them a push. So many high caste people were massacred. All those who were tied up to lamp posts and bumped off were supposed to be high caste category. A long list of academics, lawyers, doctors, political victims given in the Internet are also high caste people. Most of the other high caste families were virtually kicked out from the country and they migrated to foreign countries as refugees. Prabhakaran was satisfied with his main target.

To achieve a separate region for them to govern was a camouflaged plan to hoodwink the elite Tamils. However this concept became powerful when Tamil people migrated to foreign soils and gave him the assurance to financially support the war. Most of the Tamils who were well organized and collected millions and channeled to Prabhakaran. There was a continuous flow. So he stepped on to the second target with restored vigour. Prabhakaran became a martyr and was living in a seven story bunker and led the war. This part of course everyone knows and I have well exploited this situation for the sake of Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese who are not aware with, in my recent publication,’Prehistoric Lanka to end of terrorism.’

But to see whether it is totally justifiable for him to earn the applause as Dr.Karunaratna proclaimed I wish to reminisce a few situations out of the many which may generate negative repercussions.

His battalion in Aranthalawa hacked to death several families including pregnant women and children. One bus load of Buddhist monks who had gone for a religious ceremony was mercilessly shot down. On the Wesak month of 1985,at Anuradhapura in Sri Maha Bodhiya premises there was a blood bath where 70 upasaka men and women were mercilessly shot down. In a single raid at Eelephant Pass they killed over 2000 soldiers. In another instance 600 police men. His Suicide bombers blasted in many crowded places and massacred so many innocents including their own Tamils. There were no limits for genocides At the last stage when they were rounded up to a jungle patch by the military they grabbed over 200,000 civilians as human shields.

One Tamil medical student tried to escape and he was killed, mutilated and displayed stating this would be the outcome if anybody tries to escape. His brutalities were so abominable. When the red-cross and security forces made possible attempts to rescue innocent civilians Tiger cubs shot most of them from behind, even children and pregnant women.

These incidents reflect over Prabhakaran badly. Other wise he should be cherished as a hero and remembered as Dr.Karunaratna proclaimed for 3000 years.

Most of the people in the country as well as those who are in the South were not aware the prime reason to crop up this 26 years abominable war. It was primarily on the caste rift where the low caste poor people harassed and suffered for centuries. The discriminations of the governments were really affected high class upper caste lot. Western countries and Super powers are quite ignorant of the Dalit position in south East countries.

I like to quote the first para. of the Chapter 24 in my ‘Prehistoric Lanka to end of terrorism’, where I portrayed the crux of the terrorist war.

The war is not an Olympic game where participants display their skill, valour and sportsmanship to entertain millions and win laurels. Quite contrary to the spirit of sportsmanship those who indulge in a war display killer-instinct. In the case of army or security forces of any Government, the prime responsibility is to defend the country from enemies. Only way to maintain a full control and subdue foes, the forces will be forced to slay them without any mercy or pity. In this context army personal have to be trained to kill opponents, invariably human beings, as the prime prerequisite. As such the killing instinct is engulfed in their minds from the time of training. It is inevitable. However they fight within the accepted international parameters of the war. If non combatants intercept in cross fire government army think twice. They have the responsibility to safe guard the civilians in the country. In the case of terrorists they have no sympathy or absolutely nothing to care about. They relentlessly fire their guns, motors or missiles. 

So that is how it occurred during the past 26 years. I won’t deny that there were no exceptions in certain instances. Which may have been unavoidable. Why I portrayed this is to judge again whether Dr.Karunaratna’s proclaimation on Prabhakaran is justifiable.

This caste concept in southern Sri Lanka is fast deteriorating unlike in Tamil Nadu where madam Selvi Jayalalitha and Sri Karunanidi quite deaf and blind to know what is happening in their territory. Tamil Nadu news papers viz. Daily Thanthi, Dinakaran, Kumudam, Thina Bhumi, The Hindu and the Internet news daily reporting on Dalit brutalities in Tamil Nadu. Dalit women raped and limbs were cut off-The violence and brutalities on Dalit youth were horrendous. Dalit people live in constant fear- We are appalled to see the everyday atrocities on Dalits quoted by petitioners on human rights. In one of the Districts in Tamil Nadu, about three weeks ago, a Dalit youth for wearing shoes and walking in their road, he was hammered and forced to eat excreta.Dalis are always at risk of discrimination, dehumanization and degradation in their social structure.

Jayalalitha definitely need a Prabhakaran to annihilate all these caste based miseries in her regime. In consultation with Kaunanidi she should initiate remedial measures to stop these caste based brutalities in her territory rather than worrying about the Tamils in the North of Sri Lanka. A few high caste political elites in the North, probably due to the incitement of Tamil Nadu, pressing the Govt. to implement 13th amendment. The delegation headed by,M/S Sushama Swarajh,the Leader of the Opposition of Lok Sabha was fully satisfied with the position in the country, particularly the North and expressed her opinion to the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Sing that the delegation was satisfied with the observances. But they too requested to implement the 13 Amendment as TNA insisted. But the Government may have to think twice as the country people, not only Sinhalese and Muslims even Tamils are appalled to face another holocaust where they are already shuddered up with a bitter experience.

In southern Sri Lanka it is only among the monk’s society the degrading caste concept is prominent. It started in 1753, when the King. Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe got down a batch of monks headed by Upali Thera and conducted an Upasampada ceremony for the monks he got enrobed. They were from Goigama caste, which is supposed to be the highest caste that was existing. He named them as Siam Sect. Malwatta and Asgiriya temples were entrusted to them. He placed all the temples and monasteries in the Island under those two temples and thereby created a precedent.

There were several other castes in the country that they treated as low and eventually they were compelled to formed Amarapura and Ramanna sects to accommodate the rests. However according to Buddhism creating divisions among monks is an ananthavedaniya karma.

In one my books,’The View on Buddhism,’Vol.1. pps 103-104 I sited where Aggamahapanditha Dr.Walpola Rahula Thera prominently enunciatedded that Buddha refuse to recognize any caste difference in the Sangha. In the Paharadh Sutta,he says that just as the rivers of different names lose their identity immediately after they enter the ocean and henceforth known as Samana Sakyaputtha. It is also well known that Buddha admitted into his Order men of all castes, including the members of the low castes, like Sunitha the scavenger.

There are plenty of examples in the Buddhism where this situation was highlighted. Caste rift faced by Prabhakaran may not rise in the southern Sri Lanka. But it is abundant in the degrading term,Dalit in Jayalalitha’s Tamil Nadu and other parts of India. To annihilate this position in Tamil Nadu a Prabhakaran should be born there. Then undoubtedly he could be remembered for 6000 years