Note the fine print which says "idiriyatama yawu helayini blah blah blah"- if Champika Ranawaka and his assortment of racist bull frogs don't already know. Our armed forces are composed of more than just the Sinhalese, large numbers of Burghers, Malays, Moors and even Tamils are engaged in fighting to save the country and the civilians from terrorism.
It is exactly this kind of ill advised, illogical and blatantly racist propaganda that gives Sri Lanka so much bad press.
These poster boys for nationalism that go about branding people traitors and patriots should take a long hard look at themselves in the future, before calling anyone names.
I think the armed forces are now 99% Sinhalese.
ReplyDeleteIt is how you look at it .. isn’t it? if you look at it in a racist point of view, you can make that a racist statement. හෙලය is another name for Sri Lanka, and people who lived in හෙලය called as හෙලයන්. That does not necessarily mean Sinhalese. When the time we call ourselves හෙලය, our king happened to be Tamil speaking.
ReplyDeleteIf you do not familiar with that concept, I can give you some current examples, such as there is a country name America and people who live their call themselves American. And there are Mexicans, Italians and Irish in American army. Or now since we use the name Sri Lanka, we call ourselves Sri Lankans. So in that case, I don’t see anything wrong if Tamil speaking person or English speaking person become a Helaya. The whole argument I can see from your point is, you refuse the concept of other language speaking people to become a Helaya?
is it?
Nah I don't think so all the guy in army intel that were killed during the last couple of year were malay... and the centre commander in the army womens corps is a tamil...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.army.lk/regiments.php
I personally have no objection to Sri Lankans being called Helayas... but to the average Siripala on the street Helaya means Sinhala, though the term may mean Sri Lankan if it is defined in intellectual discourse.. even then there is point for contention and it is not an absolute fact...
ReplyDelete.yes i agree with you bawa..an average joe would digest being a Helaya as being Sinhalese..but the thing is bawa..that phrase to my knowledge is taken from old Sinhalese literature..I don't think it was with an intent of discriminating any other race though i also agree that this quite stupid.
ReplyDeleteyeh man ur right about the sinhaleese literature part but its not really that old.. it is from a poem by Rev. S. Mahinda Thero of Tibet which places it in the 19th centruy, and the poem was meant to target the Sinhalese masses and mobilize them against the imperial British forces..
ReplyDeleteI really don't believe that calling us Sri Lankans as helayas is a problem. Simply due to the fact that the time the original context of the poem was written Helayas was referred to a multiracial movement....(Sinhalese,Tamil,Burger teaming up against the British).
ReplyDeleteYa maybe it's true the average Srirpala may refer Helaya to the Sinhalese.... But then it's not just Siripalas problem it's the problem of this god damn society who doesn't know a thing about it's past its culture nor doesn't give a damn been puppets of an autocratic Govt. And about the stats I think the Sinhalese population in Sri Lanka is some where around 77%...And when it comes to the armed forces I think it counts up to over 95% Sinhalese at minimum. But I have to say I Don't believe in the JHU cause. My concerns about the quote and how it's been interpreted.
They are supporting the armed forces who are fighting against the LTTE. Since majority of the armed forces are Sinhalese , I dont see anything wrong there.
ReplyDeleteEvery time if Sinhale people talk about anything regarding their nationality they are racist, but if a tamil talk about their nationality its patriotism. How can this be fair?
for starters you have made a error regarding the difference between ethnicity and nationality...
ReplyDeletesecondly the poster disregards the valuable contribution of the non Sinhaleese in the armed forces..
The stupidity of racists and their bed mates continues even after 50 years of independence from white invaders. These square brains don't even know what Helaya means. Sinhalese are only a part of Hela. Hela is a concept of a group of people who call this country their home. Hela existed even before the advent of eastern Indians led by Vijaya. Hela were the aborigines of Sri Lanka consisting the four tribes. In the modern Lanka the union of all races (sinhala, tamil, muslim, burgers and others) forms the Hela. I just cant think why some idiots can't realize this. Probably their stomachs are full of NGO Sweets and anti-Sri Lankan peace shits.
ReplyDeleteI am not trying to insult anyone here, I personally support JHU. And I also agree with sam, skywalker and chathura. Bawa, yes our history is old thats what makes this land so special among the rest and that doesn't give you the right to discredit the works of our national heroes. S. Mahinda was from Tibet But he was a Hela for us because its not the race must the way you think makes you a Hela. So read between the lines dear friend. You have your answer in the same poster you are trying to discredit.
ReplyDeleteI don't see any racist thing here? Just an appreciation to our forces
ReplyDeleteIt is blatantly racist.
ReplyDeleteThe JHU are sinhalese extremists just like the LTTE were tamil extremists.
Dont believe me?
See what happends AFTER war ends.
It will not turn into a peaceful democracy but into a junta regime. The JHU wont allow the country to develop.
this is a violent process.. I'm against this. we can't forget other cultures because grouping concept create these problems. specially MR must do something for this JHU people. they are creating the infrastructure for a new war. these bold headed monks are not real buddhist monks otherwise how they go for such violent. that bugger Soma monk created the foundation for them.
ReplyDelete