A section of Tamil traders at Pettah, Colombo’s main market, on Thursday condemned the attack on Sri Lankan pilgrims near Tiruchi, and asked the Government of India to take action to ensure protection for tourists and pilgrims.
They shut their shops post noon and organised a protest near the Indian High Commission here. Later, a few representatives handed over a petition to officials.
This is the latest in a series of events that seems to indicate that tempers in the island nation have not cooled down. In the past two days, newspapers went to town with the attack story and held that the Sri Lankan government was right in issuing a travel advisory to those visiting Tamil Nadu.
On Thursday, a newspaper website used a file image of a mangled bus, to indicate the condition of the bus in which the pilgrims had travelled post-attack. This was promptly detected by independent news website Groundviews. The newspaper’s website quietly removed it about an hour later, without any explanation.
Relations between the two countries have been at a new low post-March, after India voted against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council at Geneva. Then too, there were many forms of protests near the Indian High Commission, banners mounted outside India House in London and the residence of the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, and overt doomsday predictions in the media on the path of relations between the two nations.
The news of organising TESO (Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation) conference in Tamil Nadu too saw rise of anti-India sentiments in the media and elsewhere — the August 12 protest outside India House held up the High Commissioner from reaching his house for more than an hour.
Doubts have been raised over the spontaneity of all these protests, mainly in cyberspace. Commenting on the latest protest, one tweet said: “A pettah tamil trader says instructions to organise the protest came from President’s catchers. Some traders intimidated to do so.”
Asked about this, representatives of Pettah traders said that they met on September 5 to decide on the protest.
“We are fully with President Mahinda Rajapaksa. We want to make our protest over this incident clear,” said a trader.
With hardly a fortnight left for the start of the T20 cricket world cup tournament in Sri Lanka, anti-India sentiments is a worry for the Indian community in Sri Lanka.
Members of one family, who have been here for a few years, recalled that they encountered hostility from Sri Lankan fans for the first time during the recent India-Sri Lanka series. Flag-waving Indians were targeted with beer cans, water bottles and sundry missiles at R. Premadasa stadium here, venue of two one-day matches, and at the Pallekele International stadium, venue of the last ODI and a T20 game.
If the Tamil Traders want to continue business calmly they know very well they had to do this whether or not they like it. Remember they are all aware of 1983 anti-Tamil riots when, in addition to killings of innocent Tamils, Tamil businesses were burnt down (in Sea Street too) under the instruction or encouragent of the then Sri Lanka Governemnt. MR J R Jayarwadena was the then President, who said to UK's Daily Telegraph(soon after July 1983 riots)as follows, " I am not worried about the opinion of the Jaffna people... now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or the opinion... the more you put pressure in the north, the happier the Sinhala people here.. Really if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy." Now Sri lanka is with China and India wants to decide who they want to be allied with if they want to be in part control of the Indian Ocean.
India should take note of the the below statement from one of the Tamil traders in Pettah. This is the ground reality and should be taken up by the Indian media
“A pettah tamil trader says instructions to organise the protest came from President’s catchers. Some traders intimidated to do so.”
true,indian politicians have lost their foot and people are losing their
cool.
It is observed that, the Age old Saying - Vandarai Valavaikkum
Tamilagam,seems to have lost its value,after one observes the present
hatred actions of a select group of persons or politicians of our
State.
Even in War,there are some codes,being strictly followed,whereas, the
current events in Tamil Nadu indicate that, people,including political
bosses have lost their coll and are shouting against anything,that has
some relationship with this neighbour.
For over 150 years, we were ruled by foreigners and fought for
freedom. We also waged wars with our neighbour China on border issu.
The irony today is that, we import almost all items,including food,
vegetables,fruits,Clothes, Children s toys,electronic Gods etc. from
all over the country,especially China,with whom we waged a border
issue war. We are offering all sorts of concessions to the foreigners
to invest in our country and take back profits or products or both.
What do you expect in Colombo? They might have been forced to shut the doors.
There is an inherant intolerance of sinhalese towards their own Tamils and Indians. The attack of fishermen in the high seas is an over reach of this tiny nation. As a big power India needs to exert its full might and show SriLanka cannot survive with out our cooperation. A simple air and sea embargo will cripple that nation. The attitude of sinhalese may be shaped such due to our military set back (IPKF) and their victory over LTTE. There are issues with in this country and its relation towards us. It has to be dealt with through diplomacy or through military. we need to nip it in the bud.
I visit Sri Lanka for business. The truth is the Tamils in Sri Lanka are not taking the TN politicians - be it Vaiko or Karunanidhi or Jayalalitha seriously. They feel these politicians are making use of SL tamil issue for their own political gains and for vote banks. Sri Lanka Tamils do not want any sympathy and help from TN politicians at all. I think TN politicians can look for some other issue to while away their time. It is a waste of time to sympathise for SL Tamils, who say they can take of themselves.
The culmination of petty warfare between two prominent dravidiyan parties here.Shortsighted agenda killed the golden goose.
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