And Susantha Goonatilake claims he’s a New Yorker!

+Thank you so much dear Yapa for the trouble taken, much appreciated. I agree that I have used a much abused word, which would need hair splitting arguments to define, which is not my intention at all. All that I ever wanted to say was that when the JVP proposed the most suitable person at that time to be appointed as the PM, who was without argument Mr: Laksman Kadirgamar, the majority in the ruling party did not approve of it since he was not a Sinhalese. If you could cite any other disqualification where he was concerned, I would consider it an honor to be enlightened. Thanking you, dear Yapa I remain your friend.

Dear Wallflower;

Are those riots based on race or ethnicity? Can you tell me how rioters ascertain the opponent’s “RACE” before they went in for riots? There must have been a lot of people with same race connections among them who fought each other.

For example Muslims live in Low country must have around 50% “Sinhalese blood”, but there were Sinhalese-Muslim quarrels in the past. There is a lot of common blood among Sinhalese and Tamils as well, does this common genetic factor prevent riots between them?
On the other hand there are “Sihalized Tamils” in South, do you find riots among them and others living there? Do you find riots between the “Timilized Sinhalese”(Koviars) and other Tamils living in Jaffna?

“Race” has nothing to do with riots in this country, or in many other places in the world today. In Zimbabwe and South Africa and many parts of Africa, you can say riots, struggles and wars were based RACE. You can call them racist, if you really want to. But most of the riots/disagreements erupted today are based on cultural differences and not based on their DNA.

The word “racist” have been used by many to make their attacks on the opposition more severe and intensify their claims over the others.
This is one of the most “unduly weighted” and “abused” words, to gain undue advantages.

Don’t you agree my dear friend?

Thanks!

Yapa, The riots of ’57 and ’83 were based on the race of a certain section of the Ceylonese and Sri Lankan population. The intermittent riots that erupt in Beruwala too target a certain race of Sri Lankans. Please do enlighten me, I am quite open to correction.

Wijayapala, The justification for their grievances would have received a serious set back.

“If that came to pass, this country would have not been where it is today.”

You mean the LTTE would still be around?

Dear nathan

“The Tamil identity, on the other hand, well…”

…is also a post-colonial aberration?

“btw, the Tamil community in Paris dont call themselves Sri Lankans.”

Silly, that’s because they live in Paris, not Sri Lanka. They’re Parisians!

Racist? Can you please explain how?

Thanks!

French/British/Dutch colonialism and the literature that was used to justify it extensively used a term to justify their actions.

I didnt say that it was the humanists, unless you are deliberately trying to read me wrong. Read my sentence again.