Comments on: Identity in Jaffna and Jewish Badge in Germany https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany Journalism for Citizens Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:15:37 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 By: Bala https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2266 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:15:37 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2266 s create LTTE so we can wipe out 70000 people in Sri Lanka. Do not fool yourselves by giving in to the notion that, Sri Lanka was a nice country and LTTE purposely sabotage it. It was the last resort by Tamils for Sinhalese aggression to create the LTTE. As a Tamil who born and lived most of my life in Jaffna, I know the problem’s we face were not created by LTTE as some of you have written in this forum. Seems like some people have amnesia when it’s come to criticize LTTE. From 1948 to 1977, before LTTE was even born, who are they going to blame for the atrocities committed by Sinhalese to Tamils? Where were all these people and countries when Tamils were systematically cleansed by Sinhalese? I know the Tamils from eel am including the expatriates are so distressed and feel hopeless about what is going on today for our people.]]> When I read the comments, most of them are written by people who have no real knowledge about Jaffna and the people who live there. Understand one thing people, Tamils did not just wake up one morning and say let’s create LTTE so we can wipe out 70000 people in Sri Lanka. Do not fool yourselves by giving in to the notion that, Sri Lanka was a nice country and LTTE purposely sabotage it. It was the last resort by Tamils for Sinhalese aggression to create the LTTE. As a Tamil who born and lived most of my life in Jaffna, I know the problem’s we face were not created by LTTE as some of you have written in this forum. Seems like some people have amnesia when it’s come to criticize LTTE. From 1948 to 1977, before LTTE was even born, who are they going to blame for the atrocities committed by Sinhalese to Tamils? Where were all these people and countries when Tamils were systematically cleansed by Sinhalese? I know the Tamils from eel am including the expatriates are so distressed and feel hopeless about what is going on today for our people.

]]> By: Critic https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2265 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:13:53 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2265 VERY SOON the whole world will see re-emergence of another POL-POT in the name of Rajapakse brothers.

]]> By: Raj https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2264 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 04:02:19 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2264 More interesting than the article itself is the fear that emanates from its detractors that the analogy is true.

]]> By: suntzu https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2263 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:57:57 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2263 Sounds bureaucratic, but might prevent innocent civilians from being arrested, so why not?
David…did having an ID card prevent the police and armed forces from taking innocent Tamils into custody after the bomb blast in Nugegoda?
I wish that for one year the majority in Sri Lanka could become the minority and undergo the present harrasment that Tamils have to put up with.

ps: David it not only ‘Sounds bureaucratic’ IT IS BUREAUCRATIC! A FARCE! ONLY THE PEOPLE SUFFER! WHEN WILL IT ALL END!
In August? Like the army commander said?

]]> By: Peterson https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2262 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:39:49 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2262 Jews were not terrorist!!

This author assumes that Jews in Germany were terrorists!! he is flawed to assum so and unfair for millions of innocent Jews. How many innocent people did they (Jews) kill in Berlin? how many German leaders did they assasinate? How many German villages did they wipeout? what part of Germany did they want? I know that majority of Tamils do not support Ltte, but when terrorist use the civilian population for cover to carry put their murderous agenda…what would the author suggest law enforment do to protect the innocent civilians.

]]> By: Joseph C. https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2261 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:03:00 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2261 One should look at a problem from both side. The national identity card itself is discriminative. For Sinhalese it is only in Sinhala and for Tamils it is in Sinhala and Tamil. Tamils need Sinhala and Sinhalese do not need Tamil in a country where Tamil and Sinhala are official Languages? Who said there is no Sinhala people in Jaffna? All the forces in Jaffna are Sinhalese. It is Tamils who have to carry the national identity cards, the police report, and military document etc. etc. in their own country and treated as 2nd class citizens. Discrimination started even before the birth of LTTE. Those who simply refer recent incidents as reasons for the government to implement different undemocratic security measures by which Tamils in Sri Lanka have to undergo unbearable hardships do not see the whole picture of the seriousness of the problem. They just believe what the Sinhala media tell them and Sinhala media do not report THE REAL SITUATION in the North and East to the masses. If they do report impartially, the war would have ended long ago and the Sinhala masses would have known the real faces of their politicians. The recent mass arrest of Tamils in the South itself is fundamental human right violation. A lot of Tamils had all the necessary documents, but arrested and put into jail. This is how the government fight terrorism. How many Sinhalese know as how the Tamils in North and East live now a days? Do they know the many hardship they undergo? Do they aware of the economic embargo imposed on the people of Jaffna as well as those who live under the control of LTTE. Do they know how many get killed by unknown gun men in Jaffna daily? How many racial riots against Tamils in Sri Lanka until 1983? and now in the name of terrorism it is easy to erase the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Everyone who took up arms has his own sins. No one can achieve anything by means of arms, but death and destructions. It is not Sinhalese hoisting the lion flag in Killinochchi but Tamils live with human dignity in Sri Lanka is the need of the hour.

]]> By: Nandaguptha https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2260 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:53:31 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2260 Use of Jewish Badge situation as an example for requesting the civilians in Jaffna to carry a special document is a total misinterpretation of what is going on in Jaffna.
LTTE send their cadres to Jaffna to spy and kill innocent Sri Lankan Tamils who are living under the protection of the Sri Lanka army. LTTE is desperate and trying its best to create havoc in Jaffna. The army is making all its efforts to distinguish the civilians from the LTTE cadres. This is a one side report. A good writer will ask the army for the reasons for the mentioned document. Report has to be balanced, and reporters have to be independent; they need to understand the hardship the people are going through due to the terrorist activities in Sri Lanka Reporters should not allow the terrorists to use them, the country has suffered enough terrorism has to end.

]]> By: Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2259 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:35:04 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2259 JM’s comment reminds me of the rationale my Sinhala friends gave after the riots in Colombo in 1956. That is, “The riots started because the Federal Party MPs were demonstarating against the Sinhala Only proposal, in front of the Parliament on the Galle Face Green. Again their excuse for the 1958 riots was that the Federal Party Members were demonstrating against the Sinhala Only Act. The message being given to the Tamils by such reasoning is that “Know your second class status, and accept what the First Class citizens dish out to you.

]]> By: N https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2258 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:04:39 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2258 The analogy is odd, Jews were forced to wear the star to make them stand out from the general German populace. In Jaffna pretty much everyone is Tamil, what would the purpose of a document identifying them as Tamil be? Considering that everyone is Tamil already. I know David explained it better, but the comparison is truly mind bogglingly stupid.

]]> By: David Blacker https://groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2257 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:18:36 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/17/identity-in-jaffna-and-jewish-badge-in-germany/#comment-2257 I think the article is an attempt to create a little tsunami in a teacup. Gamini Viyangoda has misidentified the document he takes issue with. First of all he calls it an identification document (which it isn’t), and then sets out to draw a parallel between it and the Jewish Star of David badge that the German Jews were forced to wear (which was in fact for identification). The GoSL has no reason to create a special ID document for Tamils; the Tamils already have one (as do the Sinhalese, Burghers, Moors, Malays, etc) — the National ID Card, which roughly specifies which community one belongs to. The document Viyangoda refers to is in order that Jaffna residents (99% Tamil) can prove it, and not be mistaken for Tiger infilterators from outside Jaffna. Sounds bureaucratic, but might prevent innocent civilians from being arrested, so why not?

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