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Sri Lanka Denies Scrapping National Anthem's Tamil version
Sri Lanka's government on Monday denied reports the cabinet had decided to eliminate the Tamil version of the national anthem, a step that would have echoed past linguistic slights that fuelled a three-decade civil war.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government defeated the Tamil Tiger separatists in May 2009, ending a war that had its roots in conflicts between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority over language, resources and religion.
"We have decided to use the national anthem as it is now at the moment, and no decision was taken to scrap the Tamil version," Public Administration & Home Affairs Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne told Reuters. Two other ministers confirmed that.
At present, the Tamil version is sung in areas where Tamils, about 14 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million people, are predominant. Elsewhere the Sinhalese version is sung. Local media had said the decision to scrap the Tamil one was final.
Seneviratne said cabinet "discussed the way people should behave when the national anthem is sung as there are problems," but declined to elaborate. The cabinet has not issued the gazette notice required to make any such decision law.
Tamil political leaders and some Western governments have accused Rajapaksa of moving slowly on reconciliation.
"This might reflect the true picture of the government," M.A Sumanthiran, a Tamil legislator, told Reuters. "This will stop Tamils singing the national anthem for ever if they want."
Among the many reasons given by Tamil leaders for taking up arms was the introduction in 1952 of the Sinhala Only Act, which made the language of the majority Sinhalese people the only official language in Sri Lanka.
That act was aimed at what Sinhalese leaders felt was the disproportionate representation of Tamils in the civil service. Tamils held about a third of government jobs at the time.
Under the constitution now, Sinhala and Tamil enjoy equal status, but in reality there are many government offices where only one language is spoken.
Rajapaksa's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, appointed to make recommendations on reconciling the two communities, urged the government in its preliminary findings to ensure services are delivered equally in both languages.
Sri Lanka denies scrapping anthem's Tamil version | Reuters
Sri Lanka's government on Monday denied reports the cabinet had decided to eliminate the Tamil version of the national anthem, a step that would have echoed past linguistic slights that fuelled a three-decade civil war.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government defeated the Tamil Tiger separatists in May 2009, ending a war that had its roots in conflicts between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority over language, resources and religion.
"We have decided to use the national anthem as it is now at the moment, and no decision was taken to scrap the Tamil version," Public Administration & Home Affairs Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne told Reuters. Two other ministers confirmed that.
At present, the Tamil version is sung in areas where Tamils, about 14 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million people, are predominant. Elsewhere the Sinhalese version is sung. Local media had said the decision to scrap the Tamil one was final.
Seneviratne said cabinet "discussed the way people should behave when the national anthem is sung as there are problems," but declined to elaborate. The cabinet has not issued the gazette notice required to make any such decision law.
Tamil political leaders and some Western governments have accused Rajapaksa of moving slowly on reconciliation.
"This might reflect the true picture of the government," M.A Sumanthiran, a Tamil legislator, told Reuters. "This will stop Tamils singing the national anthem for ever if they want."
Among the many reasons given by Tamil leaders for taking up arms was the introduction in 1952 of the Sinhala Only Act, which made the language of the majority Sinhalese people the only official language in Sri Lanka.
That act was aimed at what Sinhalese leaders felt was the disproportionate representation of Tamils in the civil service. Tamils held about a third of government jobs at the time.
Under the constitution now, Sinhala and Tamil enjoy equal status, but in reality there are many government offices where only one language is spoken.
Rajapaksa's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, appointed to make recommendations on reconciling the two communities, urged the government in its preliminary findings to ensure services are delivered equally in both languages.
Sri Lanka denies scrapping anthem's Tamil version | Reuters
