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Conflict in Sri Lanka: Ground Realities - Tamil Nation & Beyond

Conflict in Sri Lanka: Ground Realities - Tamil Nation & Beyond

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<strong>Sri</strong> <strong>Lanka</strong> and <strong>Tamil</strong> Eelam: The Partition andits Aftermath- Joseph A. Chandrakanthan[Joseph A Chandrakanthan is of the view that the emergenceof two separate l<strong>in</strong>guistic States is the unavoidable political outcome of the two mutually exclusive forms of nationalisms; namelythe offensive nationalism of the S<strong>in</strong>hala-Buddhist polity and theconsequent defensive nationalism of the <strong>Tamil</strong> resurgence.]The Prognosis:Before the close of the first decade of the 21st century the S<strong>in</strong>hala-<strong>Tamil</strong> conflict <strong>in</strong> <strong>Sri</strong> <strong>Lanka</strong> will br<strong>in</strong>g about the permanent breakup of this Indian Ocean Island <strong>in</strong>to two separate micro-Statesthereby br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to reality the political prophesy of the highlyreputed political scientist A. J. Wilson. Hav<strong>in</strong>g spent almosta lifetime of research <strong>in</strong> <strong>Sri</strong> <strong>Lanka</strong>n politics, he wrote <strong>in</strong> 1988about the “The Future of Ceylon” predict<strong>in</strong>g the emergence of theState of <strong>Tamil</strong> Eelam and said that “when partition does takeplace, it will be based on a unilateral declaration of <strong>in</strong>dependenceand not with the consent of India 11 ” Before comment<strong>in</strong>g on theIndian factor it must be said that the <strong>in</strong>tra-state, <strong>in</strong>ter-state and<strong>in</strong>ternational relations of these two micro-States, viz. <strong>Sri</strong> <strong>Lanka</strong>and <strong>Tamil</strong> Eelam would be re-arranged to suit the current geopoliticalclimes of the region and with the reasonable assuranceof the security of the citizens of both these States.Hav<strong>in</strong>g held on to the view that <strong>Sri</strong> <strong>Lanka</strong> as “Dhammadipa”is entrusted by Lord Buddha to the S<strong>in</strong>hala race and that bydiv<strong>in</strong>e writ it is ‘one and <strong>in</strong>divisible,’ the partition is bound tocause a S<strong>in</strong>hala hysteria that will manifest itself <strong>in</strong> the form ofthe massacre of <strong>Tamil</strong>s <strong>in</strong> all S<strong>in</strong>hala prov<strong>in</strong>ces and a massivetransfer of wealth from the <strong>Tamil</strong>s <strong>in</strong> these areas to the S<strong>in</strong>halese--someth<strong>in</strong>g rem<strong>in</strong>iscent of the partition of India and Pakistan<strong>in</strong> 1947. It is beyond the scope of this essay to enter <strong>in</strong>to adiscussion of the post-partition <strong>in</strong>ternational responses andpossible l<strong>in</strong>kages to the two separate States. Our aim here is to43

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