posted February 09, 2001 11:32 AM         

Have you ever wondered why this Island has been called by a "purely Sinhala name" for thousands of years, instead of a "purely English" name ???

One can not change facts.

[This message has been edited by Casper (edited February 09, 2001).]

posted February 14, 2001 11:08 AM         

While you complain the Sri lankan people don't speak the two main official languages, have you made any attempt to learn the "other" language ? I have to admit that I have failed to learn Tamil and I wish I learnt it.

posted February 14, 2001 01:20 PM         

Bottom line is Tamil kings were defeated and land was freed from foreign powers. Few Tamils who were left in Sri Lanka, some moved to Jaffna (Northern part) and some mixed in to the community. Obviously they leaned Sinhala (I Hope Henry is not expecting all the Canadians to learn Tamil after he moved to Canada).

The rest of the Tamils were brought in by other invaders (mainly English), which came in much later. I have to mention lot of illegal Tamil immigrant also cam in during this era. Well that is that.

Now Sri Lanka is being more than generous to encourage students to learn Sinhala and Tamil while English being the international language. Only 23% Tamils…. You do the math. Nevertheless, speaking three languages is an excellent idea we should encourage all to learn for the future of our country!

Having said that, I must say these LTTE supporters are ever so eager to change history. To make up history which never existed.

-Henry is contradicting his own "cause" by bringing subject. Better ask your grand parents for validity before typing again.

posted March 14, 2001 07:02 PM            

So, why wasn't the name changed from Ceylon to Eelam if as Casper says the only reason they wanted to change the name was get rid of colonialist attitudes.

What is this nonsense about Sri Lanka being a unified Sinhalese nation before the Portuguese? There were three distinct kingdoms. When the Jaffna kingdom fell to foreign power, the Kandy kingdom itself lamented the fact that it had lost a close ally of its!

Observer: Check your facts again! Most of the people who came to the island were Tamils or of South-Indian origin. This has been documented by Sinhala authors even and I have even posted a quote from Obeyeskere's work elsewhere in this forum! Heck, even your great Anagarika Dharmapala is from a caste that traces its origins to South India!

posted March 15, 2001 02:49 PM            

AND,

So, why wasn't the name changed from Ceylon to Eelam if as Casper says the only reason they wanted to change the name was get rid of colonialist attitudes

What can I say, CASPER always manage to find EXCUSES for all the Oppressive Things her Sinhala Governments and Her people have done to Tamils, What can I say, she is getting better at this as the days progress.

CANADA, is envy to the world.

For people from just ONE PROVINCE, Canada maintains Both Official Language Policy in the other Nine Provinces and Two Territories. What a Democracy. Not only that, Every software they use, every documents they print, employees and the Government Departments will be punished if they don't make them bi-lingual 100% of the time(not even 95%), even though there hardly french people live outside of Quebec, they MUST make sure the French Forms are available at anytime across the country.

AND IF YOU WANT TO WORK IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, YOU HAVE TO KNOW BOTH OFFICIAL LANGUAGES FLUENTLY. And they all know here the French are the one Most Benifits from this Policy because, almost every French speak English and only few English Speak French. Therefore, It is harder for an English Speaking Canadian to get a Job in Federal Government.

BUT, Canadian Government had to do this in order to KEEP the country together. Lets Imagine, if this situation arise in Sri Lanka, they will bring new Standadization Law(like they did for University Studies) to CRUSH the monority rights. REALITY CHECK

AND the Canadian Government has given SELF-DETERMINATION to french Speaking QUEBEC Province. QUEBEC HAS ITS OWN IMMIGRATION POLICY and More powers than the rest of thr 11 Canadian Provinces, LETS FACE IT. This is the way to keep the minorities happy MAKE THEM FEEL part of the GREATER SOCIETY instead of CRUSHING their rights as the Sri Lankan Goverment and CASPER's people do, everyday

And,

the majority of FORMER and Even the Present Canadian Prime Ministers are a FRENCH CANADIANS FROM THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC?

UNLIKE the Sinhala, the civilized Canadian English people don't have any problem with that.

Casper, CAN A Tamil FROM JAFFNA ever become an Elected President of Sri Lanka? We all know what happened to Mr. Vasantharaja, Former Rupavahini Chairman, who tried to do something against Sinhala Wish,

THIS IS WHY WE TAMILS NEED A SEPERATE COUNTRY CASPER, FREE FROM YOUR SYSTEMATIC OPPRESSIONS.

posted March 16, 2001 09:32 AM         

You are wrong when you say "you have to be fluent in BOTH official languages to work for the federal government".
My best friend works at Revenue Canada, a federal agency and she speaks and writes only
English. It is only the people who directly deal with the public that are expected to be fluent in BOTH languages. It is not required of computer programmers, accountants, engineers etc etc who will not come in contact with the public on a daily basis.

posted March 16, 2001 09:51 AM            

I am a Computer Programmer myself, and I worked for Health Canada last hear and now I am with the Bell. In two days, I am going back to work with the Federal Government Again. And I am not fluent in French. If you want to be a FULL time employees of the Government, you MUST be bilingual, no other way. For temporary(they call it TERM employees, usually not hired directly by the Government but thru a Emp Agency) or Contrators like myself, can work with them for short time without knowing french. But for Permanent, a big NO NO. Not only the front line employees(This is why the English are upset here), everone must know French. I know a Tamil(from India) Big Manager at Health Canada. He had been manage to be working permanent for the past 20 yrs. Last year they told him he must learn French or he would be out of his job. So, last year they sent him to French Class with pay and at the end he had to proof his French by writing an Exam, but he failed. Now they gave him a month extention to proof his knowledge or He will be out of JOB.

And other thing, We created a Database for Health Canada last year, every single English Word we write, we had to also write the French Translation besides. If you go to any Canadian Government Website, you can see this proof. When we went alive with the database, it was required by law, to have the documentation READY in both official Languages.

BUT Casper, they have a Provision for Visual Minorities(Excluding English Natives) like US Tamils and your Friend, that JUST to increase the Visual Minority Representation in the Federal Government, they do hire sometimes the Colored People even though THEY DON'T SPEAK FRENCH

posted March 16, 2001 11:32 AM         

Henry,
99.9% of the government transactions are not conducted in Sinhala. The Government Gazette, for axample is printed in both languages and has been do for the past 15 years or more.

I am not saying SL is yet 100% bilingual. But we are getting there. Canada became bilingual only in the early 80's or so. We are not Canada and we do not have their resources. Public opinion and government policy in SL is changing for the better, i.e: making a bilingual state. it is my sincere hope that SL will be a truly bilingual country , soon.

posted March 16, 2001 05:59 PM         

You must know the story of the bet between the sun and the wind, where the wind bets the sun that he can get the a man to take off his coat. He blows and howls around the man but the man only pulls his coat tighter around himself and the wind fails to blow it off. The sun just shines on the man and within a few he is tearing it off.
Moral?
Persuasion always easier(OK nicer than) than force.
You say these bombs and other killing of villages full of people are to bring the country around to your way of thinking and get the attention of the world.

You have our attention! No need to do it again.
We are listening. Now act Tigers, before you become extinct.

I know you dont like it but the fact is you Tigers must do as I say. Lay arms down,demolish defensive constructions, mark minefields (extremely important), de-mobilise the LTTE and send the children home. Thwe SLA will cease all military action and make no advances nor occupy LTTE held territory, anyone without war crime problems could remain and await the arrival of international police force which would care for and protect Tamil interests and lives against retaliatory crimes. To be replaced as and when agreed among all combatants by a newly trained National Police. Maybe like the RCMP or the FBI. Having authority over any local force and being racially relative to the area and to the island as a whole.

posted March 20, 2001 01:37 PM            

Website's comments shows that he even salivates at the prospects of Tamils learning Sinhala and in the process the Tamil community become Sinhalized just as the Burgher community has and the present Muslim community is undergoing. According to such mentality, another ethnic group cannot maintain its distinct origins and attributes.

Language is one of the important things that defines an ethnic community! To lose it, is to lose one's ethnicity.

And whats this nonsense about Sinhala being more easier to pick up than Tamil? Childish arguments. Here's a thought website: To be bi-lingual in Sri Lanka doesn't mean that only Tamils should learn Sinhala. The reverse must be true also. Sinhalese should learn Tamil also. I mean, if Sinhala is easy to pick up, why isn't Tamil?

I think English should be made the only official language because studying in the vernacular only succeeds in polarizing the communities and creating mistrust in an atmosphere of ignorance.