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

They did the same with Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike and laterwith their daughter Chandrika. They are still stoking the flamesof the war between the Sinhalese and Tamils. Herein lie theembers of disaster.Non-Buddhist Religious groups are not allowed to propagatetheir faith as in any society that is committed to free expression.They do not receive equal treatment in the allocation of fundsand resources from the State’s treasury. Buddhist clergy receivepreferential treatment in terms of funds and patronage. A veryrestrictive anti-conversion bill is being contemplated fanninginter-religious warfare for decades to come. The writing is alreadyappearing on the wall.Recent history of Sri Lanka is replete with examples that almostthe entire period since independence was preoccupied with theagitation of the stalwarts of the Sinhala Buddhist Movement. In1955 an unofficial Buddhist Committee of Inquiry was appointedto look into the grievances of neglected Buddhism. Its report inshort terms was labelled The Betrayal of Buddhism and it hadan electrifying effect on the electorate during the 1956 GeneralElection. Its sharp effects continued to reverberate thereafteras well till the Sinhala Commission was appointed in 1997 tolook into Sinhala grievances even as late as half a century afterindependence. The Sinhala psyche has been quite adverselyaffected by the following factors:1. The perennial fear of India. Indian expansionism is linkedwith Tamil Nadu’s proximity and support for the Tamils ofNorth and East Sri Lanka.2. The myth of the Buddha investing the Dhammadeepa withthe mission of safeguarding Buddhism in all its pristineform - a small nation’s concept of manifest destiny.3. The fact of the island being the only place in the planetwhere the Sinhala language is spoken and prevalent: thelanguage will die out if neglected.48