The Dutch maritime possessions in Sri Lanka were transferred to the British in 1796. The Kandyan Chieftans and the British began plotting for power. The Sinhala King became unpopular. Finally, on 02nd March 1815 the entire island was annexed as a Colony of the British Empire.
The origin of the Tamil settlements in a narrow coastel strip of the East can be traced back to early British times some 150 to 175 years ago. Upto the end of the 18th Century, the " Mukkuwars " or the Moors said to be fisherfolk from South India lived amicably with the Sinhalese under Sinhala rule without discrimination. The British in persuance of their policy of " divide and rule ", and victimisation of Sinhala people deprived the Kandyan Sinhalese of their ancient traditional homelands inhabitaed by them from time immemorial. The British encouraged and assisted Tamil settlements in the Eastern Province from the begining of the 19th Century.
Percival in his book " An Account of the Island of Ceylon " written in 1805 has stated that " there were more foreigners in Jaffna than those who were native to Jaffna ". These " foreigners " are the people who were brought from the Coromendal coast in South India; some of them as slaves to grow tobacco. In fact, the legacy of the tobacco boom in Jaffna is reflected in the 80,000 odd wells that are being used for irrigation in the Jaffna peninsula to this day. The tobacco boom did not last long and these " foreigners " were encouraged to migrate to Batticaloa District. This is the genesis of the Batticaloa Tamils ( estate labour and tobacco labour ) who are to this day considered to be inferior to the Jaffna Tamils.
Prof. Kingsley de Silva, Historian, in his book " The Rebellion of 1848 ", refers to a despatch by Governer Torrington dated 11th August 1884 to the British Colonial Secretary, recommending that the Tamils who assisted the British in quelling the 1848 Rebellion be settled on lands in the Eastern Province. This was repeated in his despatch of 13th October 1848 and was approved for implementation by the Colonial Secretary. It is well known that the restoration of the abandoned irregation network belonging to the great Sinhala Hydraulic Civilization ( which was destroyed by South Indian invaders ) by British Governor Ward in 1856 was primarily intended to settle Tamil families brought from South India as estate labourers for coffee cultivation and as agricultural labourers for tobacco cultivation. Those who are descendents from the Plantation Tamils, brought by the British from South India in the 19th Century to work especially in the plantations still live in those areas.
Knowingly and willingly and aided and abetted by the British colonial administration, the deliberate policy of Tamilising the traditional homelands of the Kandyan Sinhalese was continued throughout the 19th Century which changed the ethnic composition in favour of the Tamils ( 55 % ) in the Trincomalee and Batticalova Districts. The Assistant Government Agent of Trincomalee District, C. M. Lushington in his Administration Report for the year 1898 ( Ceylon Administration Report 1898, Part I, page F-7 ); gives a graphic description of the unfortunate plight of the Sinhala villagers of the Eastern Province with particular reference to Kaddukulam Pattu Chief Headman's Division; which today covers Gomarankadawala, Morawewa and Padaviya Siripura AGA Divisions; as follows; click here to view maps ( map No. 04 )
" Kaddukulam Pattu Chief Headman's Division; This part of the District is inhabited by Sinhalese villagers of Kandyan descent forming an outlying community which is; I fear rapidly dying out or becoming effaced. The District is most interesting, being dotted over by numerous village tanks; some of which are restored and others abadoned. The villagers retain many of the primitive customs of Sinhalese Kandyans; but, they are becoming rapidly Tamilized which is a great pity. They inter-marry with Tamils, and many of them speak Tamil as well as they speak Sinhalese. Even the government School Master is Tamil, and only that language ( Tamil ) is taught in the only school, and unfortunately in some cases the Sinhalese villages have been bought out by Tamils who now own all the paddy lands of some villages. The Sinhalese have even given up their patronymics ( names derived from their ancestors ) and have adopted the Tamil custom of prefixing the fathers name instead of the usual patronymic; and even the names of the villagers are assuming a Tamil dress. This is perhaps not to be wondered when the interpreters of the Court and the Kachcheri, the Petition Drawers, and all through whom the villagers have access to government officials can speak nothing but Tamil. I must say, I regard this as a great misfortunate. I should like to see a strong Sinhalese Headman acquainted with English appointed as Chief Headman of the District ( later called Ratemahatmaya or DRO or AGA ) and I should like to see the Tamil School abolished ".
It will be appropriate to place on record here that the Tamil separatist dream of a Tamil Eelam encompassing the Eastern Province dates back to 1885. Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan has gone on record that the Muslims are ethnically Tamils and since he represented the Tamil community there was no need for a Muslim Representative in the Legislative Council. His argument was that the Muslims are ethnic Tamils and that they were divided only on the basis of religion as Tamil Hindus, Tamil Christians, and Tamil Muslims and therefore constituted one ethnic group. Muslim leaders notably Siddi Lebbe and M. L. Abdul Azeez objected to Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan's statement. They wrote an article on the " Ethnography of the Muslims of Ceylon " and established that they were of Arab and Moor origin and had nothing to do with ethnic Tamils of South India.
Visit Maps page click here |
