Vibhasha English - Second Edition

8/3/2019 Vibhasha English - Second Edition

1/16

2 Vibhasha | November December 2011

The ormation o a collective

o Civil Society Organizations,

aimed at promoting language

rights in Sri Lanka, took placerecently. The Centre or Policy

Alternatives, Eastern United

Womens Organization,

Movement or the Deense o

Democratic Rights, National

Fisheries Solidarity Movement,

People Help Foundation

Mannar, Rural Development

Foundation Vavuniya,Foundation o Rural Economic

Development Panama and

the Trincomalee Sarvodaya

Shramadana Movement, act as

members o this collective.

Thus ar, this collective

has established approximately

150 language committees in

the North and East, and haveconducted approximately 600

awareness raising programs on

language rights.

The collective had also

made preparations to conduct

a public discussion regarding

the promotion o language

rights in commemoration o

the International Human RightsDay which ell on the 10th o

December.

A special report on this

discussion will be published in

the subsequent issue o Vibhasha.

Language rights violated; legal actionagainst the University Grants Commission

A collective ormed or the promotion o language rights

The Centre or PolicyAlternatives is presently in the

process o initiating legal actionagainst the University GrantsCommission, as the languagerights o the Tamil citizens o SriLanka have been violated as aresult o many o the coursesconducted by the Institute oHuman Resource Advancement(IHRA) o the University oColombo being available in theSinhala and English mediumsalone.

Chapter IV o the SriLankan Constitution sets outthe provisions on language,o which Article 21 covers thelegal ramework regarding themedium o instruction. Theconstitution states thus:

21. (1) A person shall beentitled to be educated throughthe medium o either o theNational Languages:

Provided that the provisionso this paragraph shall not

apply to an institution o highereducation where the medium oinstruction is a language otherthan a National Language.

(2) Where one NationalLanguage is a medium oinstruction or or in any course,

department or aculty o any

University directly or indirectly

nanced by the State, theother National Language

shall also be made a medium

o instruction or or in such

course, department or aculty

or students who prior to their

admission to such University,

were educated through the

medium o such other National

Language:

Provided that compliance

with the preceding provisions

o this paragraph shall not be

obligatory i such other NationalLanguage is the medium o

instruction or or in any like

course, department or aculty

either at any other campus or

branch o such University or o

any other like University.

(3) In this Article "University"includes any institution ohigher education.

According to Article 12(1)and (2) o the Constitutiono the Democratic SocialistRepublic o Sri Lanka, no citizenshould be discriminated againston the grounds o language.

The undamental right relatedto language in Article 12(2)provides thus:

12(2) No citizen shall bediscriminated against on thegrounds o race, religion,

language, caste, sex, politicalopinion, place o birth or anysuch grounds.

However, several coursesconducted by the Institute oHuman Resource Advancement(IHRA), such as

Diplomain Drug Abuse

Management Studies

BachelorofLaborEducation

CerticateCoursein

Counseling Psychology

leading to Diploma

are limited to the Sinhala

and English mediums.

Speaking on the issue, Mr.

Niran o the Legal Unit o the

Centre or Policy Alternatives

told the Vibhasha Newsletter

that his investigations

conrmed that no other

University within to the

University System o Sri Lanka

carried these courses in the

Tamil language. He added that

the Tamil citizens would not

ace this injustice i, at least,

another University in Sri Lanka

conducted these courses in

Tamil.

He urther stated that

he will be taking necessary

steps in the near uture to

bring legal action against theUniversity Grants Commission,

as several Universities other

than the University o Colombo

conducted a number o

courses that are limited to one

language.

VibhashaNovember December 2011 A publication o the Centre or Policy Alternatives Volume II Issue II


2/16

3Vibhasha | November December 2011

As a result o complaints

received, regarding the lack orailway trac inormation in

all three languages, Sri Lanka

Railways has taken steps to enable

announcements at all railway

stations, in all three languages in

the near uture.

Language battle at the railway station;Announcements in all three languages commence

Cadre o 350 capable o

working in Tamil join the Police

Addressing a public discussion held in Colombo to commemorate

Human Rights Day, the Minister o National Languages and Social

Integration Vasudeva Nanayakkara stated, that the government has

taken steps to enroll 350 persons capable o working in the Tamil

language, as Police Constables to work in the North and East areas,

with the intention o providing a solution to problems aced by Tamil

citizens o these areas in seeking Police assistance in their mother

tongue.

The Minister added that this measure was taken as a rst step,

and will be expanded on in the uture.

The Minister voiced these opinions while addressing a PublicDiscussion on the Promotion o Language Rights in Sri Lanka, held

on the 12th o December at the Mahaweli Centre, organized by the

Civil Society Organization Collective ormed to promote language

rights in Sri Lanka.

Complaints made to fve organizationsrequesting language rights in the marketplace

The Centre or Policy Alternatives has lodged complaints with 5organizations, regarding usage and other essential inormation related

to medication sold in the local market, not being made available to

the consumer in the ocial languages o this country.

As we had highlighted in the lead story o the previous issue o

Vibhasha, the basic inormation related to the majority o medicinal

products available in this country, is provided solely in the English

language. As emphasized therein, this violates not only the

language rights o the citizens o this country, but also their rights as

consumers.

As such, with the intention o seeking redress against this problem,

the Centre or Policy Alternatives has submitted complaints to the

Ocial Languages Commission, as well as the Consumer ProtectionAuthority. In addition, complaints have also been made by the Centre

or Policy Alternatives, to the Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Authority

Technical Advisory Committee (CDDATAC), the Presidential Initiative

or a Trilingual Sri Lanka, and the Drug Regulatory Authority o Sri

Lanka.

Numerous complaints

regarding this issue had beenreceived by several organizations

including the Ocial Languages

Commission in the recent past.

The Centre or Policy Alternatives,

has also lodged a complaint

with the Ocial Languages

Commission, regarding

announcements at a number orailway stations, including the

Anuradhapura railway station,

being made only in the Sinhala

language.

According to a statement

made by the Sri Lanka Railways

Director Planning Mr. Vijaya

Samarasinghe in the recent

past, except or at key stations,

announcements were not being

made in all three languages at the

majority o railway stations. Citingpersonnel related problems as the

reason; he added that the sta

will be provided the necessary

training and employed in the task

in the uture.

In keeping, the necessary sta

training commenced recently

under the initiative o the Ocial

Languages Commission. As at

present, 50 persons engaged

in announcement activities at

railway stations, have received thistraining.

While the rst group

comprising 25 persons received

their training on the 28th and

29th o November, the second

group received their training on

the 6th and 7th o December.

The resource contribution or

this training conducted under the

initiative o the Ocial Languages

Commission was made by the

Institute o Human ResourceAdvancement o the University o

Colombo.

Railway trac

announcements at all stations are

expected to be made in all three

languages in the near uture.


3/16


It seems that a new discourse

on an old subject is emergent within

the country at present. However, the

skeptics that question the sincerity

and meaningulness o this discourse,

and renewed interest in the language

rights in Sri Lanka, are also not in

shortage.

This skepticism is also notunounded. The numerous harsh and

disappointing experiences o the past

orm the basis or this doubt.

I one were to list out all

the problems aced by Sri Lanka

throughout her history, the

aorementioned language rights

would top the list.

It is also no secret that this

problem, which intensied in the

years ollowing independence, was

a key actor that resulted in thecountry eventually plummeting into a

dreaded war zone.

Even in those early days, it

is not that there were no leaders

who understood the gravity o the

problem and attempted to set the

country on the right track. Some even

put their lives on the line in their

eorts. However, the victors were

those who overpowered these eorts

with their own attempts to intensiy

the problem. In the end, the countrysinheritance was the 30 year unending

fames o war.

Now the fames have died and

the war has ended. And pledges o

never letting a repetition occur are

being made.

It is within such a backdrop that

the present discourse on language

rights in Sri Lanka is unolding.

Numerous workshops, conerences

and lectures are at present being

conducted to raise awareness on

language rights amongst the citizenryo this country.

At rst glance, this seems a

positive development. Various issues

that were suppressed during the last

thirty years by the terrorizing war

environment are yet again being

brought up or discussion as a result.

However, key amongst the questions

raised, is that which asks how helpul

this discourse will be in providing

solutions to the problems people at

the grassroots level ace in their daily

lives. While such doubt and dismay

ounded in past experience may be

justifed, we must understand that

an increase in public interest is step

one o any process o resolution. In

this light, we must be able to view

this renewed interest with positivity.

The medias ability to draw public

as well as policy makers attention to

problems related to language rights,

is also due or special consideration.

While our past experiences with

the media have been less than

satisactory, not all hope should be

lost. It is the media that is responsible

or bringing the problems related to

language rights aced by the average

person, to the attention o society

at large. Journalists, as well as the

various pressure groups working on

language rights should understand

this ability that the media possesses,

and work towards using it or societalprogress.

What is meant here is not the use

o media to create media circuses, but

rather the use o media as a platorm

through which to bring societys

attention to real problems related to

language rights, and seek solutions

or the same.

However, this responsibility

should also not be underestimated as

one that can be ullled by the media

alone. What the media has at presentis a journey that is merged with the

parallel social activism related to

language rights. When examined in

comparison to the past, one could say

that the situation today is somewhat

positive, as neither the various social

orces working on language rights,

nor the media, seem to be aced with

the kind o direct adverse pressures

they were aced with a ew decades

ago.

The main obstacle today isthe inadequate dedication and

enthusiasm seen on the part o

responsible parties. The article

published on page 16 o this issue o

Vibhasha can be cited as one simple

example o this.

The article speaks o a problem

related to a government sponsored

billboard displayed in proximity to the

Colombo Town Hall. As the billboard

was not displayed with sensitivity

to language rights in Sri Lanka, the

Chairman o the Ocial Languages

Commission was aced with the

need to rectiy this problem. As such,

while the Chairman contacted the

relevant responsible parties o the

Ministry o Health several months

ago, inorming them o the error, no

change whatsoever is seen on the

billboard as yet.

The Minister o National

Languages and Social Integration

Vasudeva Nanayakkara presented

another example o a language rights

violation rom the recent past. A large

number o Sinhala as well as Tamil

speaking persons visit the Colombo

National Museum on a daily basis. The

majority o them are students rom

ar fung areas o the country. There is

not a single Tamil speaking employee

at the National Museum to provide

them with inormation related to

the exhibits. Having understood thegravity o this problem, the Minister

has over the last ew months been

pressuring the Museum authorities

to hire two Tamil speaking sta

members. However his eorts have

yielded no results thus ar.

Bothincidentsdonotbodewell

or the dream o a uture Sri Lanka

with established language rights.

What they indicate is the same old

country that is insensitive to language

rights. One might cite the problemo inecient administration that we

all ace oten in this country as the

reason or this. Another might say the

lawsexistbutarenotenforced.But

what the country is in need o today

are not excuses, but solutions to the

problem.

Mr. S.G Punchihewa in his

publication Language and Humanity,

points out administrative shortall is

nothing new by citing the ollowing

representation made by the All

Ceylon Tamil Congress at the Soulbury

Commission Evidence Hearings.

Discrimination against the

Ceylon Tamils arises not so much rom

legislative as rom administrative

or executive acts o commission or

omission.

I this allegation made by the

ACTC at a time beore independence,

is still valid or the present day, what

does it say o the independence we

have achieved?On the other hand, proo that

administration is not a problem when

the need exists, is aplenty.

This act has been proven time

and again both in the case o the

war as well as through subsequent

post war urban development and

accelerated development projects.

As such, this administrative

passivity should not be allowed

validity as a reason with regards to

problems o language rights alone.

Becauselanguagerightsissues,

and related arising problems,

are second to none amongst the

problems aced by this country.

An accelerated plan to

win language rights as well


4/16


To page 14

No. Respondent Complaint Oce

reported to

Date o

complaint

Case number

1 Senior Superintendento Police Vavuniya andInspector General oPolice

Police Ocers o Police Stations within the VavuniyaPolice Division recording complaints and statementsmade by Tamil speaking persons in Sinhalese

Head OceColombo

08/11/2011 HRC/3464/2011

2 Senior Superintendento Police Ampara andInspector General o Police

Police Ocers o Police Stations within the AmparaPolice Division recording complaints and statementsmade by Tamil speaking persons in Sinhalese

Head OceColombo

08/11/2011 HRC/3467/2011

3 Senior Superintendento Police Trincomaleeand Inspector Generalo Police

Police Ocers o Police Stations within theTrincomalee Police Division recording complaintsand statements made by Tamil speaking persons inSinhalese

Head OceColombo

08/11/2011 HRC/3465/2011

4 Senior SuperintendentofPoliceBatticaloaand

Inspector General oPolice

PoliceOcersofPoliceStationswithintheBatticaloaPolice Division recording complaints and statementsmade by Tamil speaking persons in Sinhalese

Head OceColombo

08/11/2011 HRC/3463/2011

5 Station SuperintendentMaho Railway Stationand General ManagerRailway Department

Announcements regarding railway trac not beingmade in the Tamil language at Railway Stations

Head OceColombo

08/11/2011 HRC/3470/2011

6 Station SuperintendentPolgahawela RailwayStation and GeneralManager RailwayDepartment


Head OceColombo

08/11/2011 HRC/3471/2011

7 Station SuperintendentGaloya Railway Stationand General ManagerRailway Department


Head OceColombo

08/11/2011 HRC/3469/2011

8 Station SuperintendentAnuradhapura RailwayStation and GeneralManager RailwayDepartment


Head OceColombo

08/11/2011 HRC/3468/2011

9 Chairwoman UrbanCouncil Maharagama

Street signboards not containing the street name inthe Tamil language

Head OceColombo

08/11/2011 HRC/3462/2011

10 Chairman PradeshiyaSabha Thirappane

Street signboards not containing the street name inthe Tamil language

Regional OceAnuradhapura

08/11/2011 HRC/AP/555/11/I

11 Chairman PradeshiyaSabha Thirukkovil

Street signboards not containing the street name inthe Sinhala language

Regional OceKalmunai

08/11/2011 HRC/KL/177/11/R

The Minority Language

Rights Promotion andEmpowerment Program o the

Centre or Policy Alternatives

has to date submitted 14

complaints related to the

violation o language rights

in this country, to the Human

Complaints food in to the Human Rights CommissionRights Commission o Sri Lanka

and its regional oces.According to the response

received by the Human

Rights Commission when

queried, investigations into

the complaints are already

underway.

These complaints have been

led on the grounds that theundamental right All persons

are equal beore the law and are

entitled to the equal protection

o the law as set out by Article

12(1) o the Constitution, have

been violated.

A summary document regarding these complaints submitted to the

Human Rights Commission o Sri Lanka is available below.


5/16


It is a requently seen

act, that most groups that

speak o language rights

ocus their attention solely

on its related legal provisions.

Their importance cannot be

underestimated. However, when

looking beyond legal provisions,

it becomes evident that it is

a grave shortall to not ocus

attention on the impact o social,

economic and political actors on

language rights.For example, education

can be considered a key actor

that impacts language rights.

It cannot be accepted that

universal equality o language

rights could be realized within

a situation in which the right

to education is unequal. I this

point were to be explained

quite simply, literacy could be

cited as a key actor that aects

language rights. As is the case

with a multitude o resources, itis no secret that a discrepancy

exists with literacy as well in this

country. While on the one hand

a discrepancy in literacy exists

within the city and the village,

on the other hand a discrepancy

also exists within the city and the

plantation, as well as the village

and the plantation.

This discrepancy is ounded

within the education sector. This

inconsistency can be identied

via a number o visages.

According to the 1997 report

o the Presidential Task Force

on General Education, o the

total population o children o

Sri Lanka, 14% o the children

within the ages o 514, which

is considered the compulsory

school going age, do not attend

school. It also stated that only

1/5th o the students o grade

5 had reached the Expert skill

level in writing. O the students

that sat the GCE Ordinary Level

exam in 1995, 10% had ailed

all 8 subjects. O the Advanced

Level students, 1/11th had

ailed all 4 subjects. This was

the general situation withinthe country at the time. Given

that the plantation sector is in

a much more regressive state

in comparison to other zones

within the country, its situation

was ar more pathetic. According

to reports by the Ministry o

Education in 2006, o the total

number o students between

grades 1 and 6, only 58%

continue studying beyond the

6th grade. In other words 42%

leave school at the 6th grade.

93% leave school between the

11th and 13th grades. Only

0.002% qualies or University.

As such only 10 children

representing the plantation

sector qualiy or University each

year.

The discrepancy in literacy

is also the same. When literacy

is 94.5% amongst the urban

segments, it is 76.9% within

the plantation sector. The

publication Human Security

in the Hill Country quotes thePALM Foundations 2004 Interim

Plan January Issue, according

to which a survey conducted

in 1996/7 showed that while

the non schooling population

in the urban and rural sectors

were 5.9% and 7.9% respectively,

the non schooling population

amongst the plantation sector

was 23.9%.

The teacher shortage is a key

problem that drastically aects

education in the plantation

sector. As at May 2003, while

the teacher shortage or Tamil

Medium schools was 10121,

the teacher excess or SinhalaMedium schools was 6704

(Education Progress - 2003).

Teacher problems have had

their impact quantitatively, but

also qualitatively. Oten they

have been recruited or service

with minimum educational

qualications as well as training.

The in-service trainee teachers

situation is also no dierent.

While the shortage o Sinhala

Medium in-service instructors

was 9%, the shortage o Tamil

Medium in-service instructorswas 51%.

While increases and

decreases in these gures

may have occurred over time,

one does not however need a

numbers tally to make clear that

a drastic inconsistency exists in

the distribution o education

resources even today, between

the city and the plantation

sector, as well as the village

and the plantation sector. The

discrepancy is plainly visible.On the other hand, it is

not only direct acilities that

impact education. The state o

transportation acilities, housing,

water, health, sanitation and

the amilys level o income

also have a decisive impact on

it. Accordingly, the National

Education Commission

calculated a Composite Indexin 1990 encompassing these

actors.

This amply illustrated the

discrepancy, with Colombo

District showing a score o 77,

while the Monaragala District

showed a score o 41. While

the Western Province showed a

score o 65, the Uva and Central

Provinces showed a score o 45

and 50 respectively. Given that

the Uva and Central Provinces

represent the plantation sector,there is no doubt that this

inconsistency has most adversely

aected the plantation sector.

Even within the Provinces,

it is evident that there is

inconsistency in the distribution

o these resources between

the village and the plantation.

As such, this inequality in the

distribution o acilities which

can be considered inrastructure

or education has undoubtedly

drastically impacted educationwithin the plantation sector.

In addition, ve other actors

o infuence that are directly tied

in with ormal education can be

identied.

I. An increase in educational

opportunities

II. An increase in the quality o

education

III. The development o practical

and technical skills

IV. Teacher education andteacher training

V. Provision and management

o resources

It is clear that the situation in the

plantation sector regarding these

ve actors is also not one which

is healthy. According to all these

reasons, the plantation sector

is in a severely disadvantaged

position with regards to the

equal right to education. On

the other hand what is evidentis that there is also no short

term solution to this situation o

disadvantage.

Language rights,education rights andthe role o Community

Based Organizations

To page 10


6/16


Let me rst express my appreciation

o your decision to make Sri Lanka the

venue or this Ninth Conerence on

Language and Development. I believe

at this time o our history, the holding

o this conerence is signicant.

In Sri Lanka, today we are speaking

the language o peace. I am sure that

your decision to hold this conerence in

Colombo is urther proo o the peace

that prevails in our country ater a long

period o confict, terror and immense

hardship to our people. During thethree decades o terror and mayhem

that we experienced, not many wanted

to come here. With the elimination o

terrorism, the situation has drastically

changed. Sri Lanka is becoming a

destination or business, leisure and

tranquility.

Language, as we all know, is

a means o communication and

understanding. However, our own

experience shows that language can be

an instrument o division and confict,too. I am, thereore, pleased that this

conerence with its theme o Language

and Social Cohesion will have special

relevance to Sri Lanka, as it would also

An international conerence that is o great

signicance to Sri Lankas current post war era,

ollowing a 30 year confict, was held or 3 days in

Colombo last October rom the 17th to the 19th.

Known as the International Language and

Development Conerence, its theme this time

was Language and Social Cohesion. It is no secret

that language rights were at the ore amongst the

issues that post independence Sri Lanka battled

over. It is also no secret that language was key

amongst the various actors that led to war.

While it is o great importance that a

conerence o this nature was held in this country

under such a backdrop, its results should also be

elt by society.

The President, Senior Minister Scientic

Aairs and a considerable number o participants

rom ministries including the Ministry o

Education represented the government sector,

while Universities and Educational Institutions

were represented by a considerable number

o academics. There was also signicant

representation o Non Governmental

Organizations and as well as the internationalcommunity at the conerence.

It is reported that many great ideas were

voiced therein. There is no debate on that act.

However, questions arise as to what the results

received were rom this conerence in a post war

country, and whether a conerence o this nature

received adequate attention. Did an adequate

discussion take place within society regarding it?

Is societys knowledge on the discourse therein

sucient? Such awareness is not at present

visible amongst the groups interested in the

subject, nor amongst organizations within thecommunity. Under such a situation, the question

as to whether this conerence became just

another amongst a multitude o conerence held

in this country, cannot be avoided.

As a country that battled with language

rights throughout its post independence history,

and has many scars to show or it, this need not

be the case in Sri Lanka.

This discourse should be taken to the people.

A change that can be elt by the people should

occur.

In any case, a ew ideas brought orth by the

President and the Minister o National Languages

and Social Integration Vasudeva Nanayakkara

while addressing the conerence are published

herein or the readers attention.

be o much value to other countries o

the developing world.

Sri Lanka is at present implementing

a policy that seeks to use language

to bind our people together. We

are committed to saeguarding the

language rights o our people and also

transorming Sri Lanka into a tri-lingualcountry with the use o English as a

link language among our communities.

English would also be the vehicle or

our children to access knowledge, as we

envisage becoming a knowledge hub in

the region. Our primary ocus however

would be to ensure that people o this

country, irrespective o their ethnicities

will learn the main languages, Sinhala

and Tamil, to communicate with each

other.

We are ready to learn rom theadvances o language teaching that

can help the progress o pluralism in

our society. We see the importance o

language or economic development,

especially in improving employment

opportunities or our youth, enabling

social mobility among our people, and

opening the way or us to participate in

the global economy.

In the eld o education we see the

important role that language can play in

social integration. It is or this purpose

that we have introduced new policies

or teaching English and Inormation

Technology, to take the latest advances

in knowledge and technology to all

parts o our country.

In pursuance o this objective 2009

was declared as the year o English

and IT, purely to give strong emphasis

to the teaching and learning o these

two vital areas o education. We look at

English as a Lie Skill that would enableour children to orge ahead in lie and

become global citizens.

International

Language and

Development

Conference

Sri Lanka is committed to protectinglanguage rights o all ethnicities

President says at the International Language

and Development Conerence

In the eld o education

we see the important role

that language can play in

social integration. It is or

this purpose that we haveintroduced new policies

or teaching English and

Inormation Technology, to

take the latest advances in

knowledge and technology to

all parts o our country.

To page 14


7/16


It is no secret that

virtually all Sri Lankan

indigenous communities

are presently aced with

numerous challenges

with regards to their

language and cultural

identities. The most at

risk amongst them is the

language and cultural

identity o the Vaakarai

indigenous community.

Their indigenous Veddah

language has all but

disappeared rom use.

This article examines

the lives o the Vaakarai

Coastal Veddahs that

are commonly known

as the Tamil Veddah

community.

Without a mother tongueThe Coastal Veddah Community

We have no transport to

get anything done. We have to

walk six miles on oot beore

we reach the bus route. This is

the reason as to why we see no

development Kannamuththu

Sellathamby says with tearul

eyes.

He is the indigenous leader

o the Koongnankulam village.

This community commonly

known as the Tamil Veddahs,

liveintheBatticaloaVaakaraiarea. The number o indigenous

amilies that live there is 67.

What is special about them is

that they speak Tamil instead

o the Veddah language, and

some o them have adopted

Christianity.Beforebeingmoved

to the Koongnankulam colony

lands, they lived in the jungles

o Karamunai. Later they were

given 3 acres o paddy land

and one acre o land rom theMankeni area, and relocated.

Subsequently, some o them

moved to the Koongnankulam

village due to the war that

ravaged their areas in the 80s.

We rarely go to the woods

to gather honey now. I we do

intend to go we need to obtain

permits rom the Army. Most o

us are engaged in arming. We

travel to Mahiyanganaya to workas labourers on paddy elds.

We sh rom the lake. Produce

dried sh or sale the leader o

the Veddah community tells us.

The leader o the Coastal Veddah

community also attended the

Indigenous Peoples Conerence

which was held recently. The

requests he made while there,

are as below.

01. Renovate the roads

02. Provide the village with a bus

03. Provide the village with

hospital acilities

04. Provide the village with

electricity

05. Provide the village with water

or drinking and irrigation

acilities or arming

The Veddah leader

anticipates that at least one o

these requests will be providedor, ollowing participation at the

conerence.

A ew Veddahs

commented that their God was

Muththukaattu, but that they

worshipped God Mariyamman at

present.

There are only two wells

or the entire village. We walk

about a mile to etch water. We

have no place to bathe as thelake dries up. There is no one to

even tell the President o our

plight. It has become hard to

go to bathe. Please at least tell

the President o our sorrows

Kanapathi Raasamma, the wie o

the leader o the Kungnankulam

village says. She adds that the

house they live in was built

by the Army camp and that

assistance in varied orm has

also been received rom various

organizations.

Vijaya Kumar, the Chairman

o the Mankeni coastal village

is married to the eldest

daughter o the indigenous

leader. Her name is Dayabadee.

Their eldest son is Norbert.

The second is Jemson Raj.

This shows the nature o their

names.

Now many are mixed withTamil people. Thereore they

dont know their mother tongue.

They speak Tamil. Sometimes

Muslims scold us calling us

Veddahs. The reason or this

is conrontations that occur

when doing business in sh

sales says Vijaya Kumar, who is

the President o the Mankeni

Fisheries Association. Ourindigenous community lost

their property to the tsunami.

We managed to gather what

was missing with the aid o

the government and other

organizations. We got 12 boats.

We have received 120 boats

through the committee Vijaya

Kumar said.

Pakyarasa Siri Nandani is the

mother o one.

Her husband makes a living

working as a labourer. She states

that her ather speaks the Veddah

language fuently, though she

hersel only knows Tamil as a

result o growing up in a Tamil

speaking society rom childhood.

Many lost their Identity

Cards during the war. Identity

cards were made and given to

us. The gentlemen o the Army

intervened to get a Registrarto marry the amilies that were

living without marriage. O the

67 amilies in our village, 33 live

as actual indigenous people.

Butthisfactorchangingsoon

is a cause or disappointment

Pakyarasa Siri Nandani said.

The children o these

indigenous people study in

Tamil medium schools. As

such, their socialization as a

community that belongs to

the Hindu culture is evident.

Ranjani Jayanthi Mala who

studies at the Madurankelikulam

Arasinal Tamil medium school,

is preparing to sit or the 2010

GCEOrdinaryLevelexam.But

she eels uncertain o the uture

due to deciencies at the school.

Four people will be sitting the

examwithme.Butwedont

have teachers or Mathematicsand Sinhala. There is a Christian

Church as well as a Kovil.

Thereore during prayer time in

To page 14


8/16


Media can play an immense role in

rights and engendering social discours

Belowareafewnewsitemsonthe

and Tamil language newspapers in the

how language rights issues are depicte

No incentive payments itranslators are used when

language knowledge existsA circular by government administration to

organization heads

Jayantha Samarakoon

20.10.2011 The Ministry o Public Administration and Home Aairs has

decided to halt incentive payments o government ocials who have

language prociency but use the assistance o translators.

SecretarytotheMinistryP.B.Abeykoonhasnotiedallministries,

ministerial secretaries, provincial councils, and the heads o all

organizations o the same via a circular. This circular has been issued

as a result o the majority o government ocials procient in

Sinhala, Tamil and English using translators or ocial tasks while also

collecting on the incentive payments.

The circular states, that government ocials who have language

prociency, should not seek the assistance o translators, and that

their incentive payments will be halted in the event that they do.Junior government ocials who have passed the National Language

Prociency Exams receive an incentive payment o 15,000 rupees,

while ocials o the clerical grade receive a payment o 20,000 rupees

and sta grade ocials receive a payment o 25,000 rupees.

A survey to study theimplementation o the

Ofcial Language PolicyAnusha Gurusinghe

12.10.2011 Dinamina

Mihiri Fonseka

13.10.2011 Lakbima

Action will be taken against

government ocials who,

when spoken to in a mother

tongue, by a person seeking

assistance on an ocial matters,

reply in a dierent language

though they have knowledge

o the mother tongue, Minister

o National Languages and

Social Integration Vasudeva

Nanayakkara said.

He added that his Ministry

is currently in the process

o teaching Sinhala to Tamil

ocials and Tamil to Sinhala

ocials, but that he has

observed that ocers, who have

passed language prociency

exams and received an increase

in pay, do not conduct their

work in the second language.

The Minister requested that

ocials rerain rom doing so as

it violated the citizens right to

work in their mother tongue. He

pointed out that Sinhala ocials

would have to be transerred to

Tamil areas and Tamil ocials

to Sinhala areas in order to

prevent this rom happening,

stating that they would then

instinctively become amiliar

with utilizing the language.

He stated that enabling any

citizen to work in his or her

mother tongue is the Ocial

Language Policy, adding that

his Ministry is at present in the

process o teaching 26,000

government ocials a second

language with the objective o

providing this acility.

Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara

stated the above at a press

conerence held at the Ministry


Social Integration located at the

RajagiriyaButhgamuwaroad.

He urther stated that sending

ocial documentation, leafets

and orms printed in Sinhala

alone to the North and East, has

been stopped. He added that he

should be notied with details iany ocial is violating this order

and is sending documentation

printed in Sinhala alone.

The Minister added that his

Ministry has a unit that is

capable o working in both

Sinhala and Tamil languages,

and that it was his goal to

establish a unit that could

work in both languages at all

Ministries.

Do not violate citizens right towork in the mother tongue

Advice rom Minister Vasu

A special survey is being

conducted to study the proper

implementation o the OcialLanguages Policy within

government organizations o the

Western Province.

Implemented under the

advisement o the Minister


Social Integration Vasudeva

Nanayakkara, the survey is

intended to cover 12 Police

Stations, 13 Provincial Secretariats,

14 hospitals and 04 Courts

complexes within the Colombo,

Gampaha and Kaluthara districts.

A survey team o approximately

75 persons has been employed

to study the manner in which

the Ocial Language Policy is

implemented and to identiy

problems that exist therein. The

survey team that consists o

University students, was recently

provided the necessary trainingat the Ministry, and instructed on

the objective o conducting the

survey.

It is also intended to identiy

the tactics used in the proper

implementation o the Ocial

Language Policy within the

Western Province, with the

intention o incorporating them

into uture programs.

It is anticipated that steps will

be taken to conduct the survey

in a manner that covers other

provinces o the island upon

completion o the Western

Province.


9/16


Requests to appoint a Sinhala language teacher

Steps will be taken to ensure productivity o the

language training provided to government ofcials- Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara -

Language Committeescountrywide to promote

ethnic harmony

Vasudeva NanayakkaraM.I. Muhammad Faizal

21.10.2011 Metro News

The Minister o National Languages and Social

Integration Vasudeva Nanayakkara stated that aprogram has already been implemented via the

establishment o island wide Language Committees,

to enable people to learn various languages, and

create national harmony.

In the past, language has been used to incite hatred

andemphasizedierences.Butthissituationhasnow

changed. The terrorism that existed or three decades

has been destroyed and democracy has been properly

implemented in the North and East as well. Emergency

Regulations have also been lited.

Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara pointed out, that

it is a highly productive course o action to additionally

establish Language Committees countrywide, with the

intention o providing the necessary acilities to create

bilingualism amongst the ethnic groups, and thereby

engender mutual understanding and coexistence.

Maheshwaran Prasad

Dehiwela Mount Lavinia

Special Correspondent

13.10.2011 Thinakaran

The Minister o National

Languages and Social

Integration Vasudeva

Nanayakkara stated that

programs will be implemented

to enable government ofcials

who have received languagetraining to make use o and

develop on their training.

The Minister pointed out

that there is a segment o

ofcials who have received

training, but are not showing

enthusiasm in utilizing it,

and that uture steps and

program implementation will

be done with the intension o

eradicating these weaknesses

and obtaining increased

productivity rom the training

that has been provided. Over

20,000 government ofcials

have received training in Tamil

and Sinhala languages to

date. They have also passed

the Grade Three language

examinations.ButMinisterVasudeva Nanayakkara added

that they show an inability to

practically utilize the language.

The Minister urther stated

that a special mechanism

will be implemented in order

to study issues related to

government ofcials who have

received training not utilizing it

properly, and that the necessary

acts are being gathered or it.

He added that steps have

been taken to emphasize the

usage o the Tamil language

in ministries and government

departments.

The Minister stated that a

document printed in Sinhala

alone was sent to a government

department in the North duringthe previous election, and

that it has been brought to his

attention.

He added that the necessary

steps will be taken at the

necessary time in uture in

order to solve such problems,

and that measures have already

been taken in this regard.

Anuradhapura Central Special Correspondent

18.10.2011 Thinakaran

Parents o students rom Tamil medium

schools located in the Anuradhapura

District have made requests asking or

the appointment o Sinhala language

teachers.

Tamil and Muslim children living in the

Anuradhapura District ace dicultiesdue to their lack o Sinhala language

knowledge. The majority o the Tamil

speaking populace does not know

Sinhala. Similarly, the majority o Sinhala

speakers do not know Tamil. This

situation has resulted in a great many

problems.

Considering this act, parents o the area

emphasize the need or responsible

parties to take action in appointing

Sinhala language teachers to Tamil andMuslim schools.

Tamil medium schools request theappointment o Sinhala language teachers

Deniyaya Correspondent

23.10.2011 ThinakkuralParents and ormer students o Tamil

medium schools located in the Matara

District request the appointment o

teachers who are able to teach Sinhalaas a second language.

Tamil and Muslim students studying in

Tamil medium schools in the Matara

District ace language problems.

The majority o these Tamil speaking

students do not know the Sinhala

language. We have learned that they

ace various diculties as a result o

this.

Considering these actors, the parents

and ormer students o Tamil medium

schools located in the Matara District,

state that responsible authorities

should act to appoint teachers who

are capable o teaching the Sinhala

language to Tamil medium schools.


10/16


A 50,586,757 strong

population resides on 1,221,037

square kilometers o land within

the Republic o South Arica. It is

a country that has a heritage ovast cultural diversity. Citizens o

not only Arican and Asian but

also European cultural heritage

live here. South Arica which was

plagued or a very long time bya dark period o administration

based on black and white

divisions, later emerged romthese shadows entering a new

path in 1996.

Language, which is one

essential aspect o culture,

uniquely aects the South

Arican people due to the actthat a multitude o languages

and dialects are spoken therein.

It is only natural that a greatmany challenges will be aced

in the process o drating the

language policy o a country

with such diversity. However

they have successully aced thischallenge. They have done so by

granting Ocial Language status

to 11 main languages used in

the country, by way o the 1996

South Arica has succeeded

in recognizing a language

spoken by a mere 1.6% othe countrys population, as

an Ocial Language.

This article examines how

South Arica sets an example

to the whole world by

recognizing the language

rights o even an extremely

small minority community,

arming the countrys

cultural diversity.

OfcialLanguage World

Cup to SouthArica

South AfricanLanguage Policy

Constitution. Amongst them is

a western language as well as

Arikaans which is a language o

western origin. The remaining 9

are Arican languages which arehome languages to the various

ethnic groups.

As such, the inclusion o

IsiNdebele, which is spoken by

a mere 1.6% o the population,

as an Ocial Language, makes

evident the eort taken by way

o the South Arican Constitutionto acknowledge its cultural

diversity.

Further, the Pan SouthAfricanLanguageBoard

Note:

Jagath Liyana ArachchiAttorney at Law

Population and language use in South Aricaas per the 2001 Census

Language Speakers %

IsiZulu 10,677,315 23.8%

IsiXhosa 7,907,000 17.6%

Arikaans 5,983,000 13.3%

Sesotho sa Leboa 4,209,000 9.4%

Setswana 3,677,000 8.2%

English 3,673,000 8.2%Sesotho 3,555,000 7.9%

Xitsonga 1,992,000 4.4%

SiSwati 1,194,000 2.7%

Tshivenda 1,022,000 2.3%

IsiNdebele 712,000 1.6%

Other 217,000 0.5%

Total 44,820,000 100.0%

established under the

Constitution, has set out

conditions or the development

o all Ocial Languages as

well as indigenous, pidgin andsign languages. South Arica

has ocused its attention onpromoting these conditions, as

well as on the promotion and

respect o languages such asGerman, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi,

Portuguese, Tamil, Telegu, Urdu

and other languages spoken

within South Arica, as well

as languages such as Arabic,

Hebrew and Sanskrit which arealiated with religions.

These needs will have to be met

via a long term development

plan. The elds o policy

making, development plans

and reorm procedures are

relevant to herein. As such,

an essential rst step is to

create pressure or such

a broad course o action.

However, waiting to see results

in the long term via such a

program is also insucient.

It is a social responsibility toalso design an accelerated

program through which to

seek solutions to this problem.

As such a major responsibility

fallsonCommunityBased

Organizations in and around

the plantation sector.

In order to realize language

rights, a program that

leads rom literacy, across a

bilingual education, to a broad

educational outlook, needs tobe designed.

An expansive education

program that not only targets

children but also educates the

parents within the plantation

sector is intended herein.

Two key eatures such an

education program will need

to have can be identied thus.

It should

1. Bedesignedtotthe

specic conditions o the

plantation sector

2. Not be limited to the

ramework o a ormal

education

A program that can empower

the populace o the plantation

sector, taking them rom the

right to their mother tongue, to

the right to bilingualism, needs

to be designed under this. In

the nal analysis it will notonly be a victory with regards

to language rights, but also a

way towards a lie o advanced

culture.

Language rights,education rights

From page 5


11/16


Then and Now

Language Policies

As a result o strongopposition to these Articles bynationalist elements, it became

just another document. Laws,regulations and circulars are ono relevance within a culture onon enorcement o the existing

law. Where there is no attitudeo providing rights, there is nopunishment when the lawsproviding or such rights arebroken.

In studying the history o Sri Lankas language policies, through

the previous issue o Vibhasha, we discussed the manner in

which, the declaration o Sinhala as the Ocial Language

via Act No. 33 o 1956, became a decisive turning point.

Subsequently the passing o another Act was necessitated. Thatwas the Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act No.28 o 1958.

This Act provided or the use o Tamil in state afairs. While it

contained many provisions ensuring Tamil language rights,

through this issue o Vibhasha we examine whether it was able

to bring about the desired results.

BetweenSinhalabeing enacted the OcialLanguage in 1956, and thenon implementation o the1958 Tamil language Act, therequirement o Tamil civilservants to gain fuency in

Sinhala within a given periodo time (3 years) began totake eect. Pay raises werestopped. A Tamil civil servant,Mr. Kodeswaran led a caseat the Colombo DistrictCourts, challenging that thissituation was in violation othe Constitution, and won.

This decision was overturnedby the governments victory atthe Appeals Court. However,Mr. Kodeswaran subsequentlyappealed to the House oLords. It was decided thereinto be in violation o Article29(2) o the Constitution. Thisdecision was only receivedaround 1970. Instead o giving

Tamil civil servants their right,the government committeda historic oence. To be reeofBritishbonds,itwasalso

necessary to be reed rom theinfuence o the House o Lords.Further, to keep with nationalistsentiment that was on the rise,

Sri Lanka was made a Republic.What was the historic oencethat was committed by this?

1972, Article 6 declaredBuddhismtheStateReligion

1972, Article 7 reinstatedSinhala as the OcialLanguage as per Act No.33o 1956

BothaboveArticleswere

in direct contradiction oArticle 29(2) o the previousConstitution.

As such, would it not hurtthe eelings o Tamil speakersand persons o other aiths?

Though two Tamil languageProvisionsBillswereapproved,

they ell into irrelevance withthe 1972 Constitution. As such,while Acts turned to inactions,the language struggle becamean armed struggle. One solutionto this was the inclusion o Tamil

as an Ocial Language in 1987.

However, the acts oomission continued. TheOcial Language Commissionwas established in 1991 asone solution. Later it ell underthe Ministry o ConstitutionalAairs and National Integration.At present, a new programhas been launched under theMinistry o National Languagesand Social Integration, withchanges to the name and

subject matter.The greatest proo, that the

discrimination against the Tamillanguage by administrative andexecutive acts reerred to in theSoulbury Commission report,continued well into 2005, isseen in the report issued by theOcial Languages Commissionin June 2005. It reads:

The Secretarial Divisionswhich have been directed touse both Ocial Languages as

Languages o Administrationhave so ar ailed to provide asatisactory service to thosespeaking the Tamil Language.(page 5)

The government hasgenerally ailed to provideacilities to citizens in thoseareas where Sinhala is used asthe Language o Administrationto receive communicationsand to communicate and totransact business in the Tamillanguage. Nor are adequate

acilities available to citizens inthose areas to obtain copies oor extracts rom or translationo such rom any ocialregister, record, publication or

other document, in the TamilLanguage. Similarly adequateacilities do not exist or themto obtain translations in Tamilo documents executed by anocial and issued to them. In

those areas where Tamil is theLanguage o Administrationsimilar problems are aced bycitizens who are entitled toobtain these same services inthe Sinhala Language. (ibid)

Such injustices causedby the administrative andexecutive cannot be changed bythe law alone. It should changethrough our actions, with intent.I we have love or all humanity,the language that understands

this love has no sound orimage.Nowords.Bymaking

language a tool o suppression,discrimination and suspicion,we invite tumultuousnessand anarchy to humans tohumanity. The time or changehas passed by or too long.

The unjust treatment that

the Soulbury Commission saw

A submission made bythe All Ceylon Tamil Congress,at the evidence hearings o

the Soulbury Commissionwhich was appointed tomake recommendations ora Sri Lankan Constitution, ispresented thus on page 41 o itsreport (1945) under chapter VIIIparagraph 138:

Discrimination againstthe Ceylon Tamils arises not somuch rom legislative as romadministrative or executive actso commission or omission.

The Commissions opinion

regarding this evidence ollows,and is presented thus:

I discrimination ispracticed against a minority,it is usually by means oadministrative actions whichare more dicult to detectand expose than are legislativemeasures.

The situation indicatedherein is rom approximately100 years ago. Yet despitecountless laws and regulations,

evidently, this discriminationby way o administrative andexecutive acts continue to date.

To the next issue...

The 56 Act and the 58 Act

The government

has generally ailed

to provide acilities

to citizens in those

areas where Sinhala is

used as the Language

o Administration to

receive communications

and to communicate

and to transact business

in the Tamil language.

S.G. PunchihewaAttorney at Law


12/16


person acting on behal o anaggrieved person or group opersons, can seek redress romthe Human Rights Commission ithey are discriminated against bya government institution on the

basis o language, i a governmentocial acts in violation o theOcial Languages Policy, i agovernment institution violatesan Administrative Circular on theOcial Languages Policy, or ia government ocial obstructsany citizens right to speech andexpression in their mother tongueas provided or by Article 14(1)(a)o the Constitution.

Complaint procedure

A complaint can be made via

a letter or by visiting the HeadOce or a Regional Oce o theCommission.

Investigation procedure

I your complaint alls withinthe scope o the Commission,the accused parties will beallowed the opportunity to makea statement in response, andattempts will initially be madeto bring the issue to resolution.I resolution is not possible aninvestigation into the issue will beconducted and recommendations

will be made. The presence oan Attorney is not essential inthe case o a hearing by theCommission. There is no stampduty or any other charge or thisprocess.

The nature o

recommendations

I the accused parties areound to be guilty during aninvestigation, the ollowing actionwill be taken.

Recommendations will be

made to Rectiy the error

Reinstate the status quo

Pay a ne

Take remedial action toprevent such a violation rombeing repeated

The Human RightsCommission can be describedas a simple, low cost andwidely accessible (10 RegionalOces) institution establishedby the government to enable

to protection o a citizensConstitutional language rights.

Note:

Jagath Liyana Arachchi

AttorneyatLaw(L.L.B)

When language

rights are violatedHow to seekredress

Most citizens o this country

are aware o the existence o

a legal system that protects

their language rights. Most is

used herein as there may be

some who may not be aware.

In any case, having laws alone

does not ensure that a right is

protected.

In order to do so, there

needs to be a mechanism

through which to enorce

the laws as well as to provide

redress when such a law is

broken.

Another essential actor

is citizens participation in

seeking solutions when a

right is violated.

As such, the citizenrys

knowledge is a key necessity.

A citizen o this country

should gain awareness

regarding their language

rights, the steps to be

taken in the event these

rights are violated, and

the organizations through

which such a process can be

initiated. Through this series

o articles beginning herein,

we intend to inorm you o

the organizations through

which redress can be sought

in the event a language right

is violated. As such, today

we will provide you with

inormation regarding theHuman Rights Commission o

Sri Lanka.

Commission o Sri Lanka

3. The Ocial LanguagesCommission

4. Parliamentary Commissioneror Administration(Ombudsman)

O these, through this articlewe will discuss how to le acomplaint with the Human RightsCommission o Sri Lanka and itsremedial procedure in the event alanguage right is violated.

The Human RightsCommission o Sri Lanka,established by the ParliamentaryAct No. 21 o 1996, is anindependent commission. TheCommission has the power to:

Investigate and conduct

hearings on any inringementor imminent inringement oundamental rights

Intervene in any proceedingsrelating to the inringementor imminent inringement oundamental rights pendingbeore any court, with thepermission o such court

Monitor the welare odetained persons by regularinspection o their places odetention, and make suchrecommendations as may be

necessary or improving theirconditions o detention

Undertake research into,and promote awareness o,human rights, by conductingprograms, seminars andworkshops to disseminate anddistribute the results o suchresearch

Take such steps as it maybe directed to take by theSupreme Court, in respect oany matter reerred to it bythe Supreme Court

Summon any person residingin Sri Lanka to give evidenceor produce any document orother thing in his possession,and to examine him as awitness

Do all things necessary orconducive to the discharge oits unctions

What problems related to

language can be orwarded to

the Commission?

Article 12 o the Fundamental

Rights Chapter o the Constitutionprovides that all persons areequal beore the law and areentitled to the equal protectiono the law. As such, an aggrievedperson, group o persons, or a

The Human Rights

Commission o Sri Lanka

The law has established ourorganizations through which a SriLankan citizen can seek redresswith regards to the violation o alanguage right.

They are

1. The Supreme Court

2. The Human Rights

I your complaint

alls within the scope

o the Commission,

the accused partieswill be allowed the

opportunity to make a

statement in response,

and attempts will

initially be made to

bring the issue to

resolution. I resolution

is not possible an

investigation into the

issue will be conducted

and recommendations

will be made.


13/16


It is reported that a

signicant number o the

complaints lodged at the

Human Rights Commission

with regards to the violation o

language rights, are in relation

to the violation o language

rights committed at Police

Stations.

The reason behind the

majority o these complaints is

the Police recording complaints

and statements made by Tamil

speaking persons, in Sinhala.

While citizens in the North

and East are the most requently

aected by this problem, it is

reported that Tamil speaking

persons rom several other areas

o the country have also been

aected.

A complaint, led at the

Human Rights Commissionagainst the Senior

Superintendent o Police

Vavuniya and the Inspector

General o Police, based on the

ndings o a study conducted in

the Vavuniya area, states thus.

. Via a survey

conducted in the Vavuniya

District, the complainant

has learned that citizens

complaints are recorded

in Sinhala at the majority

o the Police Stations

under the Vavuniya SeniorSuperintendent o Police

Division.

Having to place their

signature on a statement

or complaint recorded in

a language they do not

know, results in Tamil

speaking citizens being

disadvantaged legally,

as well as discriminated

against.

Inormation has been

received that indicate thatthe Tamil speaking populace

suers great inconvenience

as well as injustice as a

result.

The complainant also states

that the vast majority o

the populace o this Police

Division speaks Tamil as

their mother tongue.

The complainant

emphasizes that the

Vavuniya SSP Division isbased within the Northern

Province, and that

Tamil is the language o

administration o the area

as per Article 22(1) o the

Constitution as amended by

the 16th Amendment.

Further, as per Article

22(2) o the Constitution

as amended by the 16th

Amendment, a person other

than an ocial acting in his

ocial capacity, has beengiven the right to interact

with any ocial in his ocial

capacity in Sinhala or Tamil

as is relevant.

The complainant states that

when recording complaints

or statements at the Police

Stations, by not recording

them in Sinhala in the

case o Sinhala speaking

citizens and in Tamil in

the case o Tamil speaking

citizens, Police Ocers at

these Stations violate theundamental right provided

or by Article 12(1) o the

Constitution, which reads

All persons are equal beore

the law and are entitled to

the equal protection o the

law, with regards to persons

whose mother tongue is

Tamil.

Similarly, the complainant

states that this process

violates the right o Tamil

speaking residents oVavuniya set out by Article

14(1)() o the Constitution,

which provides the

reedom by himsel or in

association with others to

enjoy and promote his own

culture and to use his own

language.

The complainant has

learned that the main reason

or this problem is the

shortage o Police Ocers

who can work in Tamil atPolice Stations located

within the Vavuniya Senior

Superintendent o Police

Division.

He states that as the Ocer

in charge o the Division,

the 1st Respondent is

thereore responsible or

these undamental rights

violations.

Similarly, as the Head o

the Department, the 2ndRespondent is responsible

or these undamental rights

violations.

The complainant adds that

the persons who have had

their undamental rights

violated by not being able

to lodge complaints or

statements in Tamil, are

earul o taking legal action

against the Police.

The complainant states that

he is able to, as provided

or under Article 14 o theHuman Rights Commission

o Sri Lanka Act No. 21 o

1996, lodge and pursue

this complaint with the

Commission as a person

acting on behal o an

aggrieved person or a group

o persons.

As per the above stated

acts, the complainant requests

the Commission to:

a) Provide a decision statingthat, as per the complaint,

the Police violate the rights

o the Tamil speaking

community set out in Article

12(1) o the Constitution, by

recording complaints and

statements made in Tamil, in

Sinhala.

b) Provide a decision stating

that these actions violate

the right provided to these

people by Article 14(1)() o

the Constitution.

c) Provide a decision that

states that the 1st and 2nd

Respondents are responsible

or the above stated

violations o undamental

rights.

d) Provide a decision

ordering the 1st and 2nd

Respondents to take

immediate and practical

remedial action to

prevent this problem romcontinuing.

e) Provide other and additional

redress as desired by the

Commission.

Complaint book in violation

Complaint against the Police

The reason

behind themajority o thesecomplaints is thePolice recordingcomplaints andstatements madeby Tamil speakingpersons, inSinhala.


14/16


school the two segments engage in their

religious rites separately.

According to the Grama Niladhari

o the Madurankelikulam division,

he is responsible or part o the

Koongnankulam village. He states that the

preparation o Identity Cards or some has

become a dicult task due to the lack o

BirthCerticates.

On several occasions we contacted

depots asking or a bus, but we have not

received a reply to date. They say there are

no busses to give. Everything is like this.

Butwealwaystrytogivethesepeople

some relie .

TheBoardsaysthattheywillprovide

electricity by next year. The Red Cross

has given loans to start sel employment

projects. However ensuring the protection

o these indigenous peoples lives is our

responsibility the Grama Niladhari said.

Though indigenous communities

are seen living in several areas, it is the

Vaakarai Veddahs that have become a

community whose language and cultural

identity are in the process o being

completely erased. What is unique is their

eorts to live in harmony with both Tamil

and Muslim communities. However they

are still behind both o these communities

in terms o economic strength.

Extract rom the report o a studyconducted on several marginalized

communities within Sri Lanka.A publication o the Centre or Policy

Alternatives.

Note: Thimbiriyagama Bandara

From page 6

Without a mother tongue

The Coastal Veddah Community

Complaints ood in to the Human Rights Commission From page 4

International Language and Development Conerence From page 6

12 Station SuperintendentMahawa Railway Stationand General ManagerRailway Department


Head OceColombo

07/11/2011 Registered Post

13 Senior Superintendento Police Mannar andInspector General oPolice

Police Ocers o Police Stations within the MannarPolice Division recording complaints and statementsmade by Tamil speaking persons in Sinhalese

Head OceColombo

08/11/2011 2011-12-05

14 Mayor MunicipalCouncil Kalmunai

Street signboards not containing the street name inthe Sinhala language

Regional OceKalmunai

08/11/2011 HRC/3466/2011

We also see language

playing a very important role

in the development o the

arts. The usion o languages,

and through this the interac-

tion o dierent cultures,

enriches the cultural pat-

terns and standards o arts in

society.

I observe that there is a

very distinguished list o par-ticipants at this conerence,

drawn rom diverse elds

o knowledge and experi-

ence in aspects o language.

You have a very interesting

agenda set out or your dis-

cussions. I strongly believe

that your deliberations will

bring about solutions to

some o our long standing

language issues.

I warmly welcome alloreign delegates to Sri

Lanka and trust that you will

take back with you the best

memories o the riend-

ship and hospitality o our

people. I wish this coner-

ence every success.

Senior Minister Scien-

tic Afairs Professor Tissa

Vitarana

The dierences in lan-guage and culture between

people rom dierent coun-

tries o the world, becomes

a barrier to us orming close

relationships with them.

We should learn to

respect any language o

any country in the world

the same way we would our

mother tongue.

The English language

is used extensively as a link

language at the interna-

tional level. At the very least

we should learn one inter-national language. Knowl-

edge is not isolated in the

present world. Knowledge

is o prime importance to

economic development.

This conerence should

be used as an opportunity to

increase knowledge o inter-

national languages. Then we

will be able to nd shared

solutions to many problems.Choosing Sri Lanka to host

this conerence this time

is very timely. We accept

the challenge related to

language that the world is

aced with today.

Minister o National

Languages and Social

Integration Vasudeva

Nanayakkara

The opportunity to hosta conerence o this nature

ater the end o a civil war

that lasted over several

decades is a historic occa-

sion. This can be considered

a privilege that our country

has received.

No culture lasts within

any country without a

language.

Language plays a large

role in enabling the ex-

change o ideas as well as in

orming social connections.

We are in the process o

taking steps to reestablish

social connections that had

grown distant between

two communities o our

society, having ended a war

that shed blood. We are

establishing the necessary

programs to create a social

transormation.

We will bring humanity

to the highest level throughlanguage and communica-

tion.

We anticipate a Sri Lanka

in which all communities act

together in cooperation.

The German Ambassador

to Sri Lanka Jens Ploetner,

Director o Tamil Schools

Development o the Ministry

o Education S.P Muralitha-

ran, and the Secretary tothe Ministry o National

Languages and Social Inte-

gration M.S. Wickramasinghe

also spoke at the conerence.


15/16


Write to us The Sri Lankan language policy is a topic which has been subject to extensivediscussion. Through the Vibhasha Newsletter, we aim to urther oster this discussion.It is our belie that reader contribution is vital in building up this dialogue. Write to us

with your various ideas, news and inormation. The Vibhasha Newsletter is open to allwho are sensitive to the language rights o this country.

Regarding language rights

Send us your ideas, suggestions, problems and eedback.

Hal the teachers o the

plantation sector

lack adequate training

A study conducted in the Uva, Passara zone hasrevealed that while hal the teachers o the plantation

sector lack adequate training, some schools do not

have even one trained teacher.

This inormation was gathered during a study

conducted by Transparency International in 21

selected schools located within the Passara Education

DivisionoftheBadullaDistrict,wherethemajorityof

students are rom the plantation sector.

The report also states that approximately hal the

teachers surveyed within the zone, had not received

their letter o appointment in their mother tongue. As

such, a signicant number o teachers o the plantation

sector serve without even having knowledge o their

terms o employment.

We have thus ar received numerous responses rom the readers o the debut issueo the Vibhasha Newsletter.Along with well wishes or its continued journey, there were also many ideas andsuggestions or its urther development.A ew such selected responses, suggestions and ideas are presented below. Wegreatly value all your responses, and anticipate continued eedback with the issuesto come.

Editor

Well wishesO the problems Sri Lanka has aced in its history, the language problem is one o the

biggest. I believe that the politicians and media o this country are responsible or it.

They uel problems urther rather than show adequate commitment towards xing it.

It is a pleasure to see a newsletter such as Vibhasha within such a context. It contained

a lot o inormation that was useul in increasing awareness on the language policy o

this country. We wish Vibhasha the best in its eorts to solve the language problem inSri Lanka, and build a cordial relationship between the communities.

N. Priyantha - Panagoda

Consider cultural problems as well

Focusing our attention on each others language is very useul in building a dialog between

the Sinhala and Tamil communities o Sri Lanka. It is evident that Vibhasha is working towards

this end.

Its my opinion that it would be even more useul i the ocus could include each others

cultures as well, in addition to language, as in my opinion, language and culture are very

closely tied in.

I anticipate that the Vibhasha Newsletter will consider it in the uture.

M. Zuhaib - MaradanaNumerous problems with English medium education

The role such a newsletter can play in engendering a bilingual culture in Sri Lanka, is

signicant. In addition to Sinhala and Tamil, it would be best i your attention could ocus on

English medium education.

The damage resulting rom the breakdown o English medium education in this country is

immense. We are currently suering rom the impact o these results.

As a solution to this problem, English medium education has also been given an opportunity

via the implementation o a trilingual policy. As such a signicant number o students have

opted to study in the English medium as opposed to in their mother tongue.

Students, who successully complete this journey up to the GCE Ordinary Level standard,

ace great diculties when attempting to sit or their GCE Advanced Level exams in theEnglish medium. This is as a result o a shortage in teachers and other resources. As such

these students are oten orced to seek other schools. This is a grave problem aced today by

students today step orward to study in a language medium o their choice.

It would be great i Vibhasha could also ocus on such problems in the uture.

Priyani Marasinghe - Delkanda

The Language Committee program was launched

on the 19th o November 2011 in the Monaragala town

under the initiative o the Institute or Human Rights and

Community Development.

While 19 such committees established within

the district under this program, have been registered

under the Ministry o National Languages and Social

Integration, steps have been taken to establish several

more committees within the district in the near uture.

The establishment o the frst Language Committee, launching the

Language Committee program in the

Monaragala District

Response

Editor,

Vibhasha Newsletter,

The Centre or Policy Alternatives,

24/2, 28th Lane,

Flower Road,Colombo 07

Telephone : 0112 370801/4 Fax : 0112 370802

The establishment o Language

Committees in Monaragala commences


16/16


The best or the childrenis a great saying. Lets keep ourchildren happy is also a similarlygreat saying.

Axing billboards that raisesocietys awareness is anothergood thing.

As such, the display o theLets keep our children happybillboard at the Eye HospitalJunction, visible to the LiptonCircus, should without a doubtbe called a good thing.

Displaying the billboard inone language alone however,can in no way be called a goodthing the reason being, thatthe Mental Health Unit that isresponsible or the billboardhas ailed to show sensitivitytowards the language rights othis country.

The Mental Health Unitshould understand thatdisregarding language rights isalso detrimental to the mentalhealth o a nation. The 30 yearwar in this country standstestament to the act that it isnot only detrimental to mentalhealth, but also to the physical.

A news item published a ew

Sensitive to children sensitive to language rights

A healthy use o language

Beingsensitivetolanguagerights

The Mental Health

Unit should understand

that disregarding

language rights is alsodetrimental to the mental

health o a nation. The 30

year war in this country

stands testament to the

act that it is not only

detrimental to mental

health, but also to the

physical.

months ago stated that theOcial Languages Commissionhad decided to take legal actionagainst the Mental Health Unito the Ministry o Health, onthe grounds that this billboardviolates the Ocial Languages

Policy o this country.The news item in ull, which

appeared on the Lankadeepao 19th o September 2011, wasas below.

Legal action against thePsychiatric Unit o the NationalHospital? A decision o theOcial Languages Commission

The Ocial LanguagesCommission decides to takelegal action against the MentalHealth Unit o the Ministry oHealth on the grounds thatit has violated the OcialLanguages Policy.

According to the Chairmano the Commission Nimal

Ranawake, such action will betaken as the Psychiatry Unit othe National Hospital ailed totake any remedial measuresdespite being inormed thattheir billboard displayed atthe Eye Hospital Junction,

visible to the Lipton Circusand bearing the messageLets keep our children happy,should be displayed in all threelanguages.

He added that the MentalHealth Unit o the Ministryo Health had been inormedon several previous occasionsthat the billboard should betrilingual in keeping with theOcial Language Policy.

Though it has been three

months to date since thepublication o this news item,there has been no changewhatsoever to the billboard,as is evidenced by the picturepublished herein.

However, another billboardon public health, constructeda ew eet away rom the saidbillboard, sets a good exampleto everyone. It has beenconstructed in close proximity tothe mental health billboard, with

content displayed in both Sinhalaand Tamil in a manner visible toall.

Despite its visibility however,it does not appear to have beenseen by the powers that be o theMental Health Unit. I they hadseen it, they would have at leasthad the opportunity to ollow itsexample and correct the error otheir own billboard.

However, no correction

whatsoever can be seen thus ar,and a remedy to this problemis urgently needed, as historyhas shown us that the impact osuch error aects the nation as awhole.

Documents

Vibhasha English - Second Edition