Outsourced: Your Educational Update

The Tamil Tigers have been in the news lately, and not gonna lie, my knowledge about them and the civil war going on in Sri Lanka is woefully inadequate. All I knew was that M.I.A.’s father, upon returning to Sri Lanka, became a political activist under the name “Arular” (also the name of her first album). Back in Sri Lanka, he became involved in the movement for the creation of a Tamil Eelam. Eelam, as I just found out, is the Tamil name for Sri Lanka.  Here’s a summary of what I learned.

• Who? — Tamil Tigers versus Sri Lankan government. The Tamil Tigers represent the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka, a group of people who originated  from southern India. The Sri Lankan government mostly represents the majority Sinhalese.
• Why? — After independence in 1948, Ceylon became Sri Lanka and the shit really started to hit the fan. A series of discriminatory legislation was pushed through. In example, citizenship was denied to Sri Lankans of Indian origin. In other words, the Tamil minority. Imports from Tamil Nadu, India were banned. Sinhala was made the only national language of Sri Lanka. The government changed the demographic in the Eastern province to favor the Sinhalese — a place the Tamil considered their ancestral homeland. Also, a somewhat affirmative action plan was put in place for college based on geographic disadvantages… This apparently helped the Sinhalese, but decreased Tamil involvement in college. (wiki)
• How long? — About twenty-five years

It’s kind of easy to see why a revolutionary group like the Tamil Tigers (considered a terrorist group in 32 nations!) formed. I’d be a little pissed too. So what’s goin’ on now?

• Lasantha Wickrematunga, the editor of Sri Lanka’s Sunday Leader, was gunned down January 8th. So many journalists have already died… why is his death so interesting? He predicted it would happen and wrote “And then they came for me,” a posthumously published article. READ IT.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: The Leader is there for you, be you Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, low-caste, homosexual, dissident or disabled. Its staff will fight on, unbowed and unafraid, with the courage to which you have become accustomed. Do not take that commitment for granted. Let there be no doubt that whatever sacrifices we journalists make, they are not made for our own glory or enrichment: they are made for you. Whether you deserve their sacrifice is another matter. As for me, God knows I tried. (Lasantha Wickrematunga)

• “Last Tamil Tiger Bastion Taken,” the BBC South Asia article reads. Apparently the Sri Lankan forces have captured, after a month fighting, the Tamil Tiger stronghold of Mullaitivu. Though, I somehow think that this won’t stop them — the Tigers really want a political solution and, according to the article, have shown to make comebacks in the past. Currently, to the concern of many organizations, 250,000 civilians are trapped in the conflict zones.

Here ends your educational South Asian Blupdate. Good night, and good luck!