In 1956, after the Prime Minister of the Sinhala nation, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, introduced the “Sinhala Only” Bill in the House of Representatives on June 5,

the nonviolent protest conducted by Tamils at Galle Face Green in the capital, Colombo, was disrupted by racist Sinhalese driven by Sinhala-Buddhist supremacist dominance, and the Tamil satyagrahis were attacked.

Following this, although history records the “Inginiyagala massacre,” in which more than 150 Tamils were brutally killed by Sinhala-Buddhist supremacists,

some other massacres and violent attacks carried out against innocent Tamils during the same period by terrorist Sinhalese with a supremacist mentality were not recorded. I therefore share some of them,

so that Sinhalese who pour out their views as though the country achieved equality after the Tigers were destroyed may understand how brutally murderous their Sinhala ancestors were.

Dear relations!

Seeing the harm inflicted upon our Tamil mother tongue,

the Tamils who lived in the northern and eastern regions of the country called Sri Lanka

thought that they could stand in the way of truth, uphold peace,

and wage a righteous struggle through the weapon of satyagraha.

Accordingly, the people of Jaffna sent a large contingent to conduct a satyagraha struggle at Galle Face Green.

When a black flag was raised at Jaffna Town Hall to express their opposition,

people living in many parts of Jaffna District

fasted at the temples in their respective villages and expressed their ethnic consciousness.

In Trincomalee, men and women,

students, teachers and lawyers—one thousand people in all—gathered

and set out in procession at around nine in the morning.

They went to St. Anthony’s Church, prayed, and then departed from there,

proceeding along Main Street, Bazaar Street, Central Road and Post Office Road.

They arrived at “Aaliyappa Kaburadi,” a Muslim place of worship at the esplanade, prayed there as well,

worshipped at the Kali temple,

and sat peacefully in front of the Municipal Council to undertake the satyagraha.

Nevertheless, the police baton also took part against this righteous protest, which had continued from morning until evening.

While this was the situation in Trincomalee,

in Batticaloa, in opposition to the “Sinhala Only” Bill,

the nonviolent struggle for the language rights of Tamils was observed with full ethnic consciousness and public mobilisation across Kallady, Manchanthoduvai, Kattankudy, Araiyampathy, Puthukudiyiruppu, Eravur and Chenkalady,

with shops closed,
black flags flown,
and children not attending schools.

When Tamils gathered to protect a Tamil home that had been burned by Sinhala thugs in Thandavanveli,

a Christian Sinhala supremacist named Raphael from Periya Pullumalai fired a gun at them.

Two Tamils, Rajendra and Thangaraja, were killed,

and five others, including a six-year-old girl, were seriously wounded.

This racist Sinhalese man named Raphael, who brutally murdered innocent Tamils,

was released by the police of the Sinhala nation, imbued with a Sinhala-Buddhist supremacist mentality, without even being taken to court.

I convey this news to the Sinhalese who come to Tamil records to speak of neutrality and justice, and to the ignoble Tamils who live as lackeys of that Sinhala establishment, and record that the thirst of the Tamils is the homeland of Tamil Eelam.

Swami Shankarananthaa 🙏