Professor Veluppillai provided a useful，if pedestrian，overview of developments regarding the Tamil problem and their demands in Sri Lanka from independence until the present. What made his paper unusual and impressive was the strong underlying tenor of a general Tamil perception of not only being isolated and marginalized in their own country，but even more，of consistently being betrayed and deceived. In his paper he also very strongly emphasised the strange character of the conflict in Sri Lanka：it is not a conflict Buddhists against Hindus, but Sinhala Buddhists against Tamils. On the other hand，the Tamils do not fight against Buddhism，but against the Sinhalese who deprive them of their rights. These are a few of the outstanding points. Professor Veluppillais is a cautionary tale of the awakening of hope and shattered illusions in turn. One would like to know still something more about the reasons for the seemingly irrational Sinhalese fears. Even theories of a majority with a minority complex and such like do not really clarify whether the Sinhalese actually think autonomy for the Tamils will destroy Buddhism or bring some new Greater Tamilnadu-invader to their shores, especially now when India has completely disassociated herself from any interference in the conflict at all and the government of Tamilnadu is in the forefront of Tiger-bashing.
