Sri Lankan Solidarity Movement

26th October, 2016 F.A.O.: The Editor, The National Geographic

Dear Sir,

The National Geographic Article About ‘Can Sri Lanka Hold On To Its Fragile Peace?’ By Robert Draper Is Full Of Outrageous, Total And Utter Lies About Sri Lanka And Is Extremely Insulting To All Sinhala Buddhists And All The People Of Sri Lanka

The National Geographic Article about Sri Lanka ‘Can Sri Lanka Hold On to Its Fragile Peace?’ by Robert Draper in its November, 2016 issue is full of outrageous, total and utter lies about Sri Lanka and is extremely insulting to all Sinhala Buddhists and all the people of Sri Lanka. We hope that the Western media stop persecuting the Sinhala Buddhists by spreading such lies about Sinhala Buddhists for the sake of sanity.

The article says that in 2015 that the present Sri Lankan Government has admitted that since 1994, over 65,000 persons (the reader is made to think that all of these are LTTE terrorists) have disappeared as admitted by the present Sri Lankan Government. However this is a total and utter lie. Actually in 1994, the Sri Lankan Government at the time said that around 40,000 perished during the totally Sinhala Maoist leftist JVP or uprising of 1987-1989 which was a totally Sinhala Maoist leftist JVP insurgency which was located in the South of the island and had nothing whatsoever to do with the LTTE terrorist conflict in the North.

Of the rest of the 25,000 (65,000 - 40,000), the previous Sri Lankan Government appointed Paranagama Commission received around 24,000 complaints. However of this 24,000, 4,000 were duplicate complaints so it was only actually 20,000 complaints. Of this 20,000 over 5.000-5,800 were complaints about ‘missing in action’ Sri Lankan Security Forces members. Over 12,000 were complaints against the LTTE terrorists themselves recruiting young persons using coercion. Therefore 20,000 - 5,000 - 12,000 leaves 3,000 (as a maximum) outstanding complaints and even these must be those who were recruited by the LTTE terrorists and who then died in the war.

How did 3,000 (as a maximum) become 65,000? It is a total lie! What the present Sri Lankan Government said was that in the country as a total there were 65,000 missing as a whole (meaning 40,000 from the totally Sinhala Maoist leftist JVP insurgency or uprising which was located in the South of the island which was a totally Sinhala Maoist, leftist JVP uprising and which had nothing whatsoever to do with the LTTE terrorist conflict in the North and this 24,000 from LTTE terrorism in the North). However the 24,000 as I said is 4,000 duplicates which were discarded, 5,000-5,800 Sri Lankan Security Forces who are ‘missing in action’ and 12,000 complaints against the LTTE terrorists themselves recruiting young persons!. This precise question was asked by the local Sri Lankan media from Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga who made this statement and she admitted that the Western media totally distorted these facts and totally lied about this in their news reports.

Page 1 of 10

The article says that during the final stages of the war, LTTE militants as well as thousands of civilians died. However there is no proof whatsoever that apart from LTTE militants that any civilians died apart from perhaps a few hundred. We know 6,261 Sri Lankan Security Forces members died and quite a few hundred Sri Lankan Police Force members died from 2006-2009. Additionally from 2006-2009 around 1,000 Sri Lankan Security Forces personnel are ‘missing in action’ presumed dead. We also know that around 100 civilians were shot dead by the LTTE terrorists while fleeing to the Sri Lankan Army's side during the last few weeks of the war. During the last few weeks of the war, an LTTE suicide bomber also detonated a bomb amongst civilians at a check point which also killed a few civilians and members of the Force. The Sri Lankan Army rescued around 300,000 civilians and LTTE terrorists and the ICRC ferried up to 36,000 both civilians and LTTE terrorists to Pulmuddai (way outside the LTTE held areas) from Puthamathalan (inside LTTE held areas). We can estimate that from 2006-2009 up to 10,000 LTTE terrorists perished too.

Out of all those persons who were rescued or who surrendered during the last few weeks of the war, around 12,000 were LTTE terrorists themselves and who were then rehabilitated, provided vocational training and have now been released into society by the previous Sri Lankan Government. The Sri Lankan Security Forces had to de-mine 495,000 anti- personnel mines and 5,000 anti-tank mines from the North which they completed in record time so that people can return to live and cultivate their lands.

The article says in one place that around 100,000 died in the war. This is an outrageous lie. It is around 84,000 who died on both sides of the war over 26 years. The majority of those who perished in the war of over 26 years have been on the Sri Lankan Government’s side. Over 35,000 Sri Lankan Forces members, Police Force members and Civil Defence Force members have perished at the hands of the LTTE over the 26 years of war. Over 1,253 Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) members have perished at the hands of the LTTE. Over 2,000 members of various Tamil armed groups who were against the LTTE and who were on the Sri Lankan Government’s side have perished at the hands of the LTTE. Over 6,000- 7,000 primarily Sinhala and to a lesser extent Muslim civilians perished at the hands of the LTTE. Some Tamil civilians too perished at the hands of the LTTE. Therefore over 47,000 in total have died at the hands of the LTTE and its leader Prabhakaran. Around 35,000 LTTE terrorists perished too. Therefore a total of around 84,000 have perished on both sides of the war of over 26 years. Therefore it is very clear that the majority of those who perished in the war were on the ’s side, which is around 47,000, and who perished at the hands of the LTTE.

The article says that the Sinhala people arrived in 500BC. From where did the Sinhala arrive exactly? There are no such people called the Sinhala people anywhere in the world except in Sri Lanka. So the Sinhala people did not arrive from anywhere else. Actually some of the Sinhala people’s part ancestors migrated around 600BC from possibly the Bengal or Orissa but they were our part ancestors. There were already an indigenous people in the island during the last 37,000 years as we know from many pre-historic cave findings who are part ancestors of the Sinhala people too. The Sinhala people are therefore the indigenous people of the island!

The article keeps on saying that the North is the Tamil homeland. How did a group of people i.e. the Tamils who came from quite recently be bequeathed a homeland just like that? The Sri Lankan Tamils were called Malabars until 1911 in all Portuguese, Dutch, British colonialists and even the Sinhala records. How on earth can the Tamils then claim a homeland if they came quite recently from the Malabar Coast of India? The article keeps on saying that the North is a Tamil homeland at quite a number of places. However until 1911, all Tamils were called Malabars by the Portuguese, Dutch, British and even the Sinhala

Page 2 of 10 records, meaning those from the Malabar Coast of India. Please check with historians before commenting on historical facts.

It is a fact that the island was called Sinhaladeepa in ancient times (meaning the island of the Sinhala), Sinhale, Heladiva, Zeylan, Ceilao, Ceylon, Eelam, the Sinhala Kingdom, Serendib etc. All these names mean the ‘land of the Sinhalese’. It is only called Lanka today since this was also another name the island was known by. However, the real name of the island is Sinhaladeepa or Tri Sinhale (meaning the three kingdoms of Sinhala). Ancient records of the Indians, Chinese, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Somalians, Malays, Indonesians, Ramanna (present day Burma), Siamese (present day Thailand), and the Cambodians all attest to this fact in their numerous ancient records.

The article says that thousands of Tamils died during the 1983 riots. This is a total and utter lie. It is true that there was a riot way back in 1983, thirty three years ago, which cannot be condoned under any circumstances. However, a Sri Lankan Presidential Commission of Inquiry after 1994 when a new Government came to power headed by a Sri Lankan Tamil judge no less found that only 355 Tamil people died due to thugs running riot which the Government at the time did not control and which they should have. What a few hundred thugs did cannot be blamed on an entire country or on an entire people. Those few hundred thugs and the Government at the time who did not control the situation should be blamed for that. What is not said is that it was also the beginning of the terrorist group, the LTTE, ethnic cleansing the North of over 65,000, the entire Sinhala people who lived in the North and ethnic cleansing of over 75,000, the entire Muslim people who lived in the North and ethnic cleansing of over 25,000 Sinhala people who lived in the Batticaloa District. It was also the beginning of the LTTE terrorists beginning their brutal massacres of overwhelmingly Sinhala villagers and to a lesser extent Muslim villagers in the North, North Western, Eastern and the North Central Provinces.

What the people of Sri Lanka are concerned is as to why the massive number of atrocities committed by the Liberation Tigers of (LTTE) terrorist group, at the behest of their leader Prabhakaran, during the Sri Lankan Conflcit which lasted over 26 years are neither acknowledged nor any sympathy shown towards these victims of the LTTE and Prabhakaran.

Over 26 years of war, these atrocities of the LTTE have included hundreds of massacres of primarily Sinhala and to a lesser extent Muslim civilians in what were known as ‘threatened villages’, at places of worship and in their agricultural fields in the Eastern, North Central, Northern and parts of the North Western Provinces (massacring civilians intentionally, is a war crime). Over 360,000 Sinhala villagers and over 560,000 Muslim villagers were living in fear of their lives for over 26 years in the Eastern Province alone, due to the threat of being massacred by the LTTE. Over 1.2 million Sinhala villagers in the North Central Province also lived in fear of their lives due to threats by the LTTE. In certain village massacres carried out by the LTTE, the villagers were hacked to death using axes. From time to time, once a massacre by the LTTE occurred in a Sinhala or a Muslim village, the entire local area evacuated to what were known as temporary Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. This was the fate of primarily the Sinhala and to a lesser extent, Muslim villagers of the Eastern and the North Central Provinces. Bombs, improvised explosive devices, claymore mines were used to create explosions at the roadsides against civilians, especially against civilian modes of transport such as buses and vans on many occasions by the LTTE, to massacre primarily Sinhala and to a lesser extent Muslim villagers in these provinces.

The Sri Lankan Government at the time created what is known as the Civil Defense Force to guard each threatened village. The Civil Defense Force consisted of a villager from each threatened village, trained to guard the village and provided with a shotgun to guard the village from an LTTE attack. This was how vulnerable these villages were to LTTE attacks.

Page 3 of 10

In the Anuradhapura Massacre, on 14th May, 1985, LTTE gunmen shot dead 146 Sinhala civilians and injured 85 others at the Sri Maha Bodhiya, a sacred Buddhist Shrine in the North Central Province. The Kattankudy Mosque Massacre was the killing of over 147 Muslims at a mosque by the LTTE on 3rd August, 1990. The Aluth Oya Massacre (also known as the Habarana Massacre) was the massacre of 127 Sinhala civilians by the LTTE on the 17thApril, 1987, near the village of Aluth Oya on the Habarana Road in the North Central Province. On the 18th of September, 1999 in Ampara, the Gonagala Massacre took place. LTTE cadres entered Gonagala village and hacked to death 50 Sinhala civilians while they were sleeping. On 10thApril, 1992 in Ampara Town, an LTTE bomb exploded in a bus killing 25 Sinhala civilians and injuring 33. One policeman was also killed and two army personnel were wounded. On 25th May, 1986, the Mahadivulwewa Village Massacre took place. The LTTE killed 20 Sinhala villagers by shooting them dead and set alight 20 houses. On 25th March, 1987, the Serunuwara Massacre took place. LTTE cadres stormed the Serunuwara village, herded the Sinhala villagers at gunpoint onto a road. 25 villagers were then were shot dead, execution style. On 9th October, 1988 at Mahakongaskada Medawachchiya, LTTE cadres shot dead 44 Sinhala villagers and set fire to 11 houses. On 14th November 1998, at Paniketiyawa, Gomarankadawela, Trincomalee, LTTE cadres shot dead 28 Sinhala civilians, including two security forces personnel.

On the 25th May,1995, in what is known as the Kallarawa Massacre, LTTE cadres attacked the fishing village of Kallarawa and hacked and shot dead 42 Sinhala civilians. On 23rdJanuary, 1991, at Bogamuyaya, Maha Oya, Ampara, LTTE cadres hacked to death 25 Sinhala villagers and injured nine others. Four subsequently succumbed to their injuries. In the Palliyagodalla Massacre on the 15th of October, 1991, at Palliyagodalla, the LTTE cadres shot and hacked to death 182 civilians (171 of whom were Muslims), 12 policemen and 8 soldiers. 83 others were injured. On 26th July, 1990, at Thammannaelawake, Medawachchiya, LTTE cadres hacked and shot to death 19 Sinhala persons and set fire to 30 houses. On 6th August, 1990, at Ampara, LTTE cadres killed 33 Muslim farmers working in their rice fields. On 7th August, 1990, at Bandaraduwa, Uhana, Ampara, LTTE cadres killed 30 Sinhala villagers and injured 4. On 27th June, 1991 at Lahugala, Ampara, LTTE cadres exploded two claymore mines and opened fire at at the passengers of a bus killing 16 Sinhala civilians and wounding 8.

In the Wilpattu Village Massacre, on 5th May, 1985, Wilpattu, a Sinhala village in the Anuradhapura district was the target of a raid of an armed group of LTTE cadres, who killed 18 villagers that included women and children. On 19th February, 1986, when villagers from Serunuwara, Dehiwatta were being escorted by army personnel along the Ella/Kantale road, the LTTE exploded a mine killing 35 Sinhala civilians and four army personnel. In the Mollipothana Village Massacre, on 9th July, 1996, Mollipothana village was stormed at night by a group of armed LTTE cadres who killed 16 Sinhala civilians, most of them women and children. At Mamaduwa, Vavuniya, on 22nd July, 1986, LTTE cadres exploded a landmine under a civilian bus, killing 32 Sinhala civilians and injuring 20 others. On 20th April, 1991, at Niyadella, Okkampitiya, Moneragala, LTTE cadres attacked the village and hacked and shot to death 21 Sinhala civilians, inclusive of women and children.

These are a few examples of the hundreds of massacres of primarily Sinhala and to a lesser extent, Muslim civilians that took place in threatened villages and at the roadsides.

Large scale bomb attacks were carried out by the LTTE in the Western Province, particularly in the capital , and in other main cities at shops, oil storage facilities, airports, buses, trains, hotels and at temples (bombing civilian targets intentionally and massacring civilians is a war crime). Provided below are a few of the many hundreds of bomb attacks carried out by the LTTE against civilians.

Page 4 of 10

In the Central Bank Bombing of 31st January, 1996 in Colombo, a truck cantaining 440 pounds of high explosives crashed through the main gate of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The blast killed at least 91 people and injured 1,400 others. At least 100 people lost their eyesight. In the Katunayake International Airport attack, the only international airport in the country was attacked on 24th July, 2001 by the LTTE and at least 7 Sri Lankan Forces members died restoring the airport back to normal. Over half of Sri Lankan Airlines fleet, of 6 airbuses, 3 totally and 3 partially, was destroyed due to the attack. On 3rd May, 1986, an Air Lanka plane was bombed by the LTTE and around 21 foreign tourists died due to that bomb attack, while 41 were injured. On the 20th of October, 1996 at Kolonnawa, Colombo, the LTTE attacked the oil storage complexes at Kollonnawa and Orugodawatta. Suicide bombers blew up the tanks destroying the tanks. 22 security personnel were killed while diesal, aviation fuel and crude oil worth over US $ 10 million was destroyed. The oil tanks burned for many days.

The Central Bus Station Bombing was the car bombing of the central bus terminal of Colombo carried out on the 21st of April, 1997 in Colombo killing 113 civilians. On the 28th of November, 2007, an LTTE parcel bomb blew up a Department Store in Colombo killing 20 civilians. In the Moratuwa Bus Bombing of 6th June, 2008, a roadside bomb exploded targeting a passenger bus killing 23 civilians and wounding 80 more. On 16th January, 2008 at Buttala, a roadside bomb targeting a passenger bus exploded killing 27 civilians and woundng 67 more. On the 24th July, 1995, in the Dehiwela Train Bombing, the LTTE exploded 4 bombs in a train at Dehiwela killing 60-70 civilians. On the15th of October, 1997 in the Colombo World Trade Centre Bombing, an LTTE bomb exploded at the Colombo World Trade Centre, killing 13 and injuring hundreds.

In the early 1980’s, the ethnic cleansing (which is a war crime) of the entire Sinhala people of the North took place at the behest of the LTTE leader Prabhakaran. In the 1990’s, the ethnic cleansing of the entire Muslim people of the North took place at the behest of Prabhakaran. Over 65,000 Sinhala people and over 75,000 Muslim people were ethnically cleansed from the North. Until 2009, these desperate and unfortunate people were living in small tin roofed huts in the Puttalam District and in other parts of the country for over 26 years. The LTTE also ethnically cleansed the entire Sinhala population of the Batticaloa District in the East of over 25,000 Sinhala people.

Today, the Sinhala people and their descendants of over 135,000 are yet to be resettled in the North and in the Batticaloa District and Muslim people and their descendents of over 115,000 are yet to be resettled in the North. We demand that the over 135,000 Sinhala people and their descendents ethnically cleansed from the North and the Batticaloa District be resettled immediately. Similarly, the over 115,000 Muslim people and their descendents ethnically cleansed from the North should also be resettled immediately. According to the most recent census carried out in 2012, over 32,000 Sinhala people and over 32,000 Muslim people have been resettled in the North. Therefore, the majority of the Sinhala and Muslim people displaced from the North are yet to be resettled. The majority of the Sinhala people displaced from the Batticaloa District are yet to be resettled too. If their original lands and houses have been granted by the LTTE to family members of LTTE cadres, then these Sinhala and Muslim people displaced from the North should be provided with alternative lands, adequate alternative housing facilities and resettled immediately.

During the conflict, almost all Sri Lankan Forces members, Police Force members and Civil Defence Force members who were captured by the LTTE, were executed on the spot by the LTTE. Executing prisoners of war (POWs) is a war crime. However, the LTTE leader Prabhakaran had a ‘take no prisoners’ policy. Therefore, thousands of Sri Lankan Forces, Police Force and Civil Defence Force members who were captured by the LTTE, were executed on the spot by the LTTE, in this way. Over 5,000-5,800 complaints have been received regarding Sri Lankan Forces, Police Force and Civil Defence Force members being

Page 5 of 10 to this day, ‘missing in action', due to the LTTE executing them on the spot in this way, by a Sri Lankan Government appointed commission of inquiry. The over 5,000-5,800 complaints have been made by the relatives of these ‘missing in action’ Sri Lankan Forces, Police Force and Civil Defence Force members. Provided below are some examples of occasions where the LTTE executed POWs. There are hundreds of other examples of occasions where the LTTE executed POWs.

On 18th July, 1996, the Sri Lankan Army Camp was captured by the LTTE. During this battle, the Sri Lankan Military lost 1,242 troops. Sri Lankan Military alleged that 207 Sri Lankan Forces members who surrendered to the LTTE and who were POWs were executed on the spot by the LTTE. Hundreds of Sri Lankan Forces members, who were unconscious, appeared to have been herded together, doused in kerosene and burnt alive by the LTTE. The Sri Lankan Military complained about this barbaric execution of POWs by the LTTE at that time. On 22nd April 2000, during the capture of the Elephant Pass Sri Lankan Army Camp by the LTTE and in its aftermath, 758 Sri Lankan Forces members were killed and 2,368 were injured. 349 Sri Lankan Forces members were ‘missing in action’ which means they were executed by the LTTE when they should have been taken as POW. During the capture of the Elephant Pass Army Camp, its water supply, which was a well, was blocked by the LTTE. As a result, Sri Lankan Forces members dehydrated to death. Such barbaric acts by the LTTE should be condemned unreservedly.

On November 10th 1993, at Pooneryn, 241 Sri Lankan Military personnel were killed inclusive of 8 officers, in an LTTE attack on the Pooneryn defences. The LTTE also executed 200 soldiers of the Sri Lankan Military who surrendered during the attack on the Pooneryn Sri Lankan Army Camp when they should have been detained as POWs.

Contrary to the LTTE leader’s ‘take no prisoners’ policy (executing POWs is a war crime), the Sri Lankan Forces always followed, as a matter of policy, detainment and rehabilitation of any LTTE cadres who were captured or who surrendered (following international norms). However, there may be occasions where LTTE cadres did perish when hostilities took place between the Sri Lankan Forces and the LTTE and who could be construed today very wrongly as ‘missing’ by LTTE supporters but in reality these LTTE cadres have died during hostilities (just as thousands upon thousands of Sri Lankan Forces members died!).

Further, there are a large number of former LTTE cadres domiciled in countries such as the UK, Canada, US, EU countries, Norway, Sweden, Australia etc. There are many scams taking place where these former LTTE cadres who are supposed to be ‘missing’ are actually living in countries such as the UK, Canada, US, EU countries, Norway, Sweden, Australia etc. where they have claimed political asylum under new identities.

The UNICEF itself acknowledged in one of their reports in 2007 that the LTTE at the behest of its leader Prabhakaran, has perhaps recruited over 20,000 child soldiers (those under 18 years of age). The recruitment of child soldiers is a war crime. When Tamil head teachers and teachers complained to the LTTE about the LTTE recruiting students from their schools, head teachers and teachers were shot dead from time to time for complaining by the LTTE which add up to a notable number, over the 26 years of war. Over 12,000 complaints have been received, predominantly against the LTTE (and other Tamil armed groups), of forced recruitment of young persons by the LTTE (and other Tamil armed groups) into their ranks, by a Sri Lankan Government appointed commission of inquiry.

The LTTE, at the behest of Prabhakaran, has killed hundreds of Sri Lankan politicians, civil servants, senior military and police officers, prelates, activists, academics, journalists and other professionals not to the LTTE leader Prabhakaran’s liking. Prabhakaran commenced his career by gunning down the Mayor of , Alfred Durayappah on 27th July, 1975. Since then, he has executed hundreds of Sri Lankan politicians who he found irritating. Most

Page 6 of 10 prominent among them was a former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, , assassinated by the LTTE on 12th August, 2005. A former President of Sri Lanka, was blown up in a suicide bomb attack on 1st May, 1993. A former Presidential Candidate and a Minister, Gamini Dissanayake, was blasted to pieces in a massive bomb blast at an election rally in Colombo on 24th October, 1994 where over 50 people died, with 75 being seriously injured. Prabhakaran even blasted to pieces the Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi along with 13 civilians using a suicide bomber on 21st May, 1991. On 7th May 1990, a Tamil member of the Sri Lankan parliament, Sam Thambimuttu and his wife were blasted to pieces in their car, by use of a car bomb in Colombo. On 29th July, 1999, a prominent Tamil lawyer, Neelan Thiruchelvam was blasted to pieces in his car by use of a suicide bomber in Colombo. In 2005, a Tamil journalist not to Prabhakaran’s liking, along with her husband, was assassinated at their home in Colombo by the LTTE pistol gang. Over 200 noteworthy Sri Lankan politicians, civil servants, senior military and police officers, prelates, activists, academics, journalists and other professionals were assassinated by the LTTE. They were only but a few of the hundreds of assassinations carried out by the LTTE.

The majority of those who perished in the war of over 26 years have been on the Sri Lankan Government’s side. Over 35,000 Sri Lankan Forces members, Police Force members and Civil Defence Force members have perished at the hands of the LTTE over the 26 years of war. Over 1,253 Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) members have perished at the hands of the LTTE. Over 2,000 members of various Tamil armed groups who were against the LTTE and who were on the Sri Lankan Government’s side have perished at the hands of the LTTE. Over 6,000-7,000 primarily Sinhala and to a lesser extent Muslim civilians perished at the hands of the LTTE. Some Tamil civilians too have perished at the hands of the LTTE. Therefore over 47,000 in total have died at the hands of the LTTE and its leader Prabhakaran. Around 35,000 LTTE terrorists perished too. Therefore a total of around 84,000 have perished on both sides of the war of over 26 years. Therefore it is very clear that the majority of those who perished in the war were on the Government of Sri Lanka’s side, which is around 47,000, and who perished at the hands of the LTTE.

The LTTE cracked down hard on Tamil dissenters, other Tamil armed groups, those who were deemed as ‘Government Informers’ or those who were seen as ‘collaborating with the Government’ and others who opposed the LTTE’s grip on the community.

Over 14,000 Sri Lankan Forces members today are deemed disabled due to the conflict, according to records of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence. These over 14,000 Sri Lankan Forces members are permanently disabled and receiving assistance, according to records of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence. Over 23,000 Sri Lankan Forces members were both permanently and temporarily disabled during 26 years of war and received assistance, according to records of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence. Over 156,000 Sri Lankan Forces members have been wounded over the 26 year period due to hostilities with the LTTE.

Sri Lanka, for over 2600 years, has been a unitary state. When observing the history of the island of over 2600 years, it is very clear that a Sinhala civilization existed since 600BC on the island. Sinhala Prakrit writing, which is over 600BC years old, written using the Brahmi script, was the earliest writing found on the island.

Please note that the island has a pre-history dating back 37,000 years since many pre- historic cave dwellings have been discovered with the earliest human remains found on the island dating back 37,000 years. There are many iron age dwellings that have been discovered all over the island. In fact, the ancient Sinhala capital of Anuradhapura was a large village even by 900BC. These tribal people are part ancestors of the Sinhala people.

Page 7 of 10

The Sinhala Buddhist Kingdom of Rajarata (600BC-1400 AD) was located in the dry zone of the country encompassing today’s North Central, North Western and Northern Provinces. The Eastern Province was part of the Sinhala Buddhist Kingdom of Ruhuna (600BC-1400 AD) which encompassed today’s Eastern, Uva, Central and Southern Provinces. There was a third Sinhala Buddhist Kingdom called Malayarata (600BC-1400 AD) which encompassed the rest of the island. The Sinhala Buddhist Kingdoms were based on building thousands of irrigation reservoirs in the dry zone of the country. An irrigation reservoir map in The National Atlas of Sri Lanka, Second Edition, 2007, published by The Survey Department of Sri Lanka, depicts the thousands of irrigation reservoirs built by this Sinhala Buddhist civilization and there are hundreds of ancient irrigation reservoirs located in the North and the East of the country too, built by Sinhala kings. Many Buddhist archaeological sites are located all over the dry zone, inclusive of the over 273 important Buddhist archaeological sites present in the North and in the East, and in particular the over 21 Buddhist archaeological sites in Jaffna in the North. We urge that the over 273 important Buddhist archaeological sites present in the North and in the East, and in particular the over 21 Buddhist archaeological sites in Jaffna, be preserved and to ensure their security. The preservation and the security of hundreds of minor Buddhist archaeological sites in the North too should be ensured.

Subsequently, the Sinhala Buddhist kingdom, the Kandyan Kingdom, located in the Central highlands (1400AD until the British colonial times of 1815) existed, encompassing most of the island inclusive of today’s Eastern and Northern Provinces. Today’s provinces were created by British colonialists only recently during British colonial times for their administrative purposes, without any input whatsoever from the Sinhala people and do not tally with the actual history of the island which was a unitary state or one country. The British found the Sinhala unruly and rebellious and took every possible action to suppress them.

Over the years, other peoples have migrated to the island and today, Sri Lanka is a multi ethnic country. Today, Sri Lanka comprises over 74.9% Sinhala, 11.2 % Sri Lankan Tamil, 9.3% Muslim, 4.1% Indian Tamil and 0.5% Malay, Burgher and the indigenous Veddha people (part ancestors of the Sinhala people). Since Sri Lanka is a multi ethnic country, taking into account the fact that most provinces themselves are mixed, it defies belief how anyone can suggest that somehow certain parts of Sri Lanka should belong to certain ethnic groups. This does not tally with the very long history and archaeology of the island, as stated above, where we find that the island has had a very long Sinhala Buddhist civilization of over 2600 years which encompassed the dry zone of the country, which includes the North and the East. All today are mixed in terms of ethnic groups. Therefore the island is one country and is the homeland of its entire people in total. Therefore no part of this island can belong exclusively to any exclusive group of people. If someone claims such, it is definitely a human rights violation of all the other islanders and does not tally at all with the history and archaeology of the island which for over 2600 years has been Sinhala Buddhist, as described above.

Further, there are a large number of LTTE supporters as well as former LTTE terrorists domiciled in countries such as the UK, Canada, US, EU countries, Norway, Sweden, Australia etc. For over thirty years, subsequent Sri Lankan Governments requested these countries to take action to terminate fund raising on a large scale, amounting to millions of dollars each year, which was carried out by these LTTE supporters in these countries. It is using these funds that the LTTE purchased sophisticated weapons inclusive of all conventional weapons necessary to wage a conventional war, equivalent to or even better than what the Sri Lankan Forces had, which perpetuated the war for this long. Sophisticated bomb making material, claymore mines, improvised explosive devises etc. was purchased with which civilians were blasted to pieces. If the UK, Canada, US, EU countries, Norway, Sweden, Australia etc. did not allow this fund raising to take place in their respective countries, the war in Sri Lanka would have ceased a long time ago, with many lives being saved as a result.

Page 8 of 10

In addition to purchasing the most advanced and sophisticated weapons, the LTTE possessed a telecommunication system encompassing the latest technology and a transportation system equivalent to or even better than what the Sri Lankan Forces possessed, purchased using the above mentioned funds raised in the UK, Canada, US, EU countries, Norway, Sweden, Australia etc. Criminal activities of the LTTE included extortion of money from those who entered, exited or were domiciled in their former areas of control, extortion of money from those who lived in foreign countries, robbing banks, robbing railway stations, robbing cooperatives, weapons smuggling, people smuggling, arms smuggling, money laundering, passport forgery, blowing up railway lines, bridges, buses, trains, vans, cars, fishing boats, ferries, planes, private ships, post offices, railway stations, bus stations, fuel facilities, the national electricity transmission system and the national communication transmission system, sea , assassinations using the LTTE pistol gang etc.

The LTTE was notorious for its horrific terror tactics such as large scale bomb attacks and the use of suicide bombers in carrying out hundreds of attacks against mainly Sinhala civilians and the country’s leadership, horrific attacks against Sinhala civilians using IED devices, claymore mines and bombs, the massacre of Sinhala villagers in their villages in the North Central, Eastern, Northern and North Western Provinces, the coerced recruitment or abduction of Tamil youth and children for recruitment as child soldiers, forced money collection from Tamils with threats to life in case of non-compliance, attacks on Sri Lanka’s economic infrastructure such as the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), Sri Lanka’s the then only international airport, oil storage facilities, hotels, planes, buses, trains etc. ethnic cleansing of Sinhalese and Muslims from the North and East of Sri Lanka, the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the systematic assassination of over 200 noteworthy Sri Lankan politicians, civil servants, senior military and police officers, prelates, activists, academics, journalists and other professionals who were assassinated by the LTTE who were but a few of the hundreds of assassinations carried out by the LTTE, including the former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.

There is a misconception that the Sri Lankan Tamil people have been somehow discriminated by successive Governments. Nothing can be further from the truth. Prior to the commencement of the conflict in 1983, the 11.2% of Sri Lankan Tamils were the best placed ethnic group socio-economically in the country, slightly ahead of the 74.9% indigenous Sinhala people, and way ahead of 9.3% Muslims, 4.1% Indian Tamils and 0.5% Malay, Burgher and indigenous Veddha people (part ancestors of the Sinhalese people). As per the UN charter, language, religious and cultural rights have been provided to all minorities in Sri Lanka. Sinhala and Tamil are national languages of Sri Lanka since 1987 (in the Tamil Homeland of , India, Tamil is not a national language!!!). Since 1956, Tamil was an official language in Sri Lanka. Anyone can learn from kindergarten until postgraduate level in Tamil in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has at least four religions, Buddhism, Catholicism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and indigenous beliefs. Besides, other minorities in the country 9.3% Muslims, 4.1% Indian Tamils and 0.5% Malay, Burgher and indigenous Veddha people (part ancestors of the Sinhalese people) are not complaining of ‘discrimination’. However all other minorities supported all Governments of Sri Lanka against the terrorist group the LTTE who harassed and persecuted Sinhala Buddhists and all other minorities living in Sri Lanka during 26 long years of war.

Sri Lanka today is recovering from over 26 years of war, forced upon it by the LTTE and its leader Prabhakaran. After two generations, the present generation at long last, is in a fortunate position to move forward in peace, to create a more developed country and to live a peaceful life. We urge all concerned not to deprive Sri Lanka of this historic opportunity to move forward towards a peaceful future. We also urge all concerned not to interfere in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs. Interfering in a country’s internal affairs is against the UN Charter. Considering Sri Lanka’s over 2600 years of history of a Sinhala Buddhist civilization, we

Page 9 of 10 hope that all concerned respect that history, take our concerns outlined above into account and ensure that Sri Lanka’s unitary status, integrity, sovereignty, independence and freedom are not compromised in anyway under any circumstances.

Yours faithfully,

Chairman, Sri Lankan Solidarity Movement

Note: Several variations of the word ‘Sinhaladvipa’ have been used by foreign countries when speaking of the island. Weerakkody says ‘these names testify, not only to the variety of nations who visited its shores but also the extraordinary renown which this illustrious island enjoyed from antiquity down to modern times. had more than thirty names for Sri Lanka, dating from the Han Dynasty (206 BC), such as ‘Se cheng buguo’ and ‘Si diao guo’. The names all derive from ‘Sinhadipa’. The term widely used from the Jin Dynasty (265-429 AD) was ‘Shi zi guo’ (lion country). Buddhist kingdoms in South-East Asia, such as Burma (Myanmar), Thailand and Cambodia used ‘Sihala’ and ‘Sihaladeepa’.

The Greeks called the island ‘Sieladiba’ and later ‘Salike’. Sieladiba was a translation of Sinhaladvipa and Salike came from Salai, which was probably derived from Simhala. Eratosthenes (230-195 BC) and Ptolemaus (2nd century) speak of Sinhaladipa. The Greeks briefly called the island Palesimoundou, derived from Parasamudra. Scholars are unable to work out how this name was derived. Ptolemy in the 2nd century spoke of ‘the island of Taprobane, which was formerly called Simoundoue and now Salike.’ Roman literati referred to island as Serendivi. Cosmas (6th century) said that the island was called Sielediba.

A copper plate grant of the Western Chalukya King Pulakesin I (89-90 AD) refers to the island as Sinhala. Nagarjunikonda inscriptions (2nd and 3rd century) record the foundation of a monastery named Sinhala vihara. The early Tamil word for Sinhala was ‘Ila’. Two cave inscriptions at Tirappanguram and Kalugamalai refer to ‘Ila’. ‘Cinkalam’ was also a name that was used. Sri Lanka was referred to as ‘Ilam’ or ‘Singalam’ by the Chola Kings. Inscriptions of Raja Raja I (985-1014 AD) speak of ‘Ila Mandalam’ and the ‘land of the war-like Sinhalas’.

Arab traders called the island ‘Siyalan’, ‘Singaldib’, ‘Serendib’ and ‘Saheelan’. ‘Saheelan’ was the Persianised form of Sinhaladvipa. In his Kitab-Al-Masalk-Wal- Mamalik, the oldest available work of Arab geography, Ibn Khurdabdhbih (c. 345 AD) uses the term Sarandib to describe the island. The island was called Siyalan and Sahilan. Abu Zayad, Al Biruni and Al Masudi (10th century) spoke of Sri Lanka as Serendib or Zailan. The Portuguese called the island ‘Ceilao’, the Dutch ‘Zeylan’ and the British ‘Ceylon’, all derive from Zailan.

From the Anuradhapura period to the Kandyan Kingdom period, the island called itself Sinhaladvipa or a variant of the word. The ‘Kandyan Kingdom’ was known as the Sinhala Kingdom or ‘Sinhale’.

Page 10 of 10