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M.I.A Tells of Sri Lanka Genocide to U.S.A & World Fans.
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by WilliamBaptist | January 30, 2009 at 01:54 pm
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Oscar and Grammy award nominee, Eezham born music phenom, Maya Arulpragasam, in the PBS interview on Tavis Smiley show Thursday told the U.S. listeners and fans worldwide that "there's been a systematic genocide which has quiet thing because no one knows where Sri Lanka is. And now it's just escalated to the point there's 350,000 people who are stuck in a battle zone and can't get out, and aid's banned and humanitarian organizations are banned, journalists are banned from telling the story."
PBS interview of Maya Arulpragasam
Excerpts from the interview that relates to Sri Lanka:
M.I.A.: This is a good luck baby for me, and all the events, the way it's been happening, the way I've been sort of seeing it, is that being the only Tamil in the Western media, I have a really great opportunity to sort of bring forward what's going on in Sri Lanka. Like my success, it just seems to parallel the situation in Sri Lanka -- the more successful I'm getting, the dire the situation in Sri Lanka's getting.
And there's a genocide going on, and it's kind of -- it's ironic that I am the only Tamil, and I've turned into the only voice for the Tamil people, the 20 percent minority in my country. And yeah, it's weird that I'm being given the opportunity.
Tavis: This platform.
M.I.A.: : Yeah, a platform.
Maya "Mathangi" Arulpragasam, nominee for Grammy, Oscar Tavis: Since you've been given the platform, take it for just a second. For those who may not be familiar with Sri Lanka and the Tamil people, tell me the top line of who the Tamil people are, what's happening in Sri Lanka, now that you have this platform to talk about it.
M.I.A.: Well, Sri Lanka is an island off the coast of India. There's two ethnicities there; one the Sinhalese, which is the majority and the government, and the minority, who are the Tamils. That's where I'm from. And my lifetime sort of began there, I spent 10 years, and I was there during when the war started and fled as a refugee to England.
And basically since I fled till now, it's -- there's been a systematic genocide which has quiet thing because no one knows where Sri Lanka is. And now it's just escalated to the point there's 350,000 people who are stuck in a battle zone and can't get out, and aid's banned and humanitarian organizations are banned, journalists are banned from telling the story.
It's just, like, one-sided, 100 percent, and I think it's just escalated because Obama was coming into power, because only under sort of Bush's presidency that you could get away with doing as much as that.
Tavis: When you say there's genocide happening there, what's your sense for why a story of genocide isn't being covered more in the media? Why don't we know more about this?
M.I.A.: You don't know more about it because due to the propaganda -- when you think Tamil, you automatically thing tiger, and that is completely disproportionate. So human beings around the world have to be taught to go Tamil equals Tamil civilians first, and the Tamil Tiger is a separate thing. And both of those groups are different. It's like a square and a circle.
And the thing is there's only 4,000 Tamil Tiger soldiers in Sri Lanka, and if you want, you could just sneeze and wipe them out in a day. They're not that sophisticated with their weaponry and stuff like that -- the Sri Lankan government, which is a million soldiers big, can handle that.
But using those people, we're managing to wipe out the whole Tamil population, the civilians, and that is why you don't hear about it, because the propaganda in the media, because if you're a terrorist organization, you don't have the right to speak, that is passed on to the Tamil civilians. The Tamil civilians don't have the right to speak or right to live, they don't have any liberties.
So that's been the key thing, that when you think al Qaeda, you're not thinking Afghanistan. That if you want to go and fight and kill al Qaeda, then you can, but you can't wipe out Afghanistan. And that's what's happening in Sri Lanka, and I think it's really important for America to understand that, because they set the precedent on how you fight terrorism around the world.
And it's really important that just that sort of throwaway comment, "Oh, Tamil, she must be a Tamil Tiger," actually, the repercussions of that is killing people back home.
Tavis: And offensive, I would assume.
M.I.A.: Yeah, definitely.
Tavis: I'm glad we had a chance to talk about that. I learn something on this show every day, so I thank you for indulging my questions about that. You mentioned -- we were talking about your country you mentioned that you sort of grew up there and you were there for at least 10 years. There were some other years when you weren't there, and I was reading about your background -- you've lived, like, a lot of places. How has that impacted your music, your sound, your style, the fact that you --
M.I.A.: Well, I've lived in India, too, and --
Tavis: Right. And London, and --
M.I.A.: Yeah. I've just always traveled because that's what you do when you're a refugee, and I think it's just impacted me because I'm not judgmental, and I like to hear things from the horse's mouth and I use my own brain to make judgments about what the truth is and what isn't, and I know it from my own experiences what that is.
And I think it's always been that's the thing about my music. Like, I wanted to become a musician and help, like, some sort of change, or stand up for what I believe in, or use music for what it's supposed to be for. And so it wasn't really about getting fame and success and becoming a celebrity and selling records, it was more about bringing together an opinion or a point of view of the other that doesn't usually get heard in the mainstream.
Tavis: You know there are a lot of artists who shy away from that; they don't want to bring their truth, whatever that is, into their music. They just want to entertain people.
M.I.A.: I know, but music was also used for social change. It's not a bad word. And I think we just kind of shy away from it because the pressure of being successful and the pressure of being sexy and standing up for nothing is just so big, you know what I mean? (Laughter.)
Tavis: Yeah, I like that.
M.I.A.: Yeah, so I think that is -- you have to be pretty tough to, like, fight that, and the fact that I kind of had the experiences that I had made me so tough and thick-skinned that it didn't matter what anyone put onto me, but it was more about the people that I was representing.
Maya's "Paper Planes" single, featured on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, is nominated for a Grammy, and she received a best song Oscar nod for 'O Saya." She also has her own fashion line and a music label, N.E.E.T.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (87)
at 18:02 on January 30th, 2009
To be given a platform to speak, and voice the concerns of the oppressed is a wonderful thing.Yet to use it to say things that are not factual is a misuse of this opportunity, and a disrespect to the recipients of this information. The situation in Sri Lanka is far more complex than M.I.A's simplified and biased story. Tamil Tigers are a powerful terrorist group, they have aircrafts that attack the rest of the country and suicide bombers who kill at a moments notice. If this type of behaviour is condoned by any peace loving nation, then the meaning of peace needs to be redefined.
at 07:02 on January 31st, 2009
Sri Lankan government is Terrorist government they kill civilians in thousands, they torture and rape young women and men then kill them in thousand
at 13:22 on February 20th, 2009
Why does more than 50% of Tamil population still live in the South ,in Colombo? Why did't they move to LTTE controlled Tamil only north? Why is not SL army kill 35000 civilians who fled out of LTTE clutches. False information has short lives. World is not foolish as you think.
at 05:56 on February 1st, 2009
I'm just going to repeat my thought, but this is not a war on terrorism, but a war of genocide. The Sri Lankan Army celebrates 25 years of Tamil genocide and 60 years of Tamil genocide. Up to 1 million innocent men are killed, women are raped murdered and children savangely slaughtered. The Sri Lankan Army also possesses biohazardous weapons that could wipe out the Tamil population in Northern Sri Lanka. Therefore, the Tamil people across the globe, mostly for the reason to see their loved ones alive and their homeland safe
at 15:00 on February 2nd, 2009
uummm...excuse me, before u tlk i suggest that u get ur facts and opinions straight. the reason the tamil tigers are fightring in srilanka is because of the genocide of tamils and inhumanity. due to the favourism by the Sri lankan government, the tamils were hot treated equally, and therefore a group of tamil civilians took charge and responsibility to stand up for their people, hence formed the tamil tigers. as soon as the truth was gettin exposed to the world the government and sinhalese society created and blemished the name 'terrorists' to cover the truth. illiterates and heartless people like you create stupid rumours and change the society's perspective wen really u have no clue wat the hell is happeneing down there..i bet a million dollars u have no clue wats really happening in sri lankaa, and ur only hearing and taking one side of the problem and making a false judgement. therefore i highly advice u that u take bak watever u nonsence u jus sed earlier about m.i.a's opinion and her 'biased' story, cuz clearly u have no idea wat ur talkin about
at 22:26 on February 8th, 2009
Let me ask you a question, if you weren't receiving equal treatment in terms of school and jobs ect, would you think it was okay to blow up a bus full of innocent people? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for standing up for your rights. But in this day and time, there are ways to do this. We are not barbarians nor do we live in the 18th century where you take up arms and revolt.
"as soon as the truth was gettin exposed to the world the government and sinhalese society created and blemished the name 'terrorists' to cover the truth."
OMG how can you blemish the word "terrorists"? You say the government and the Sinhalese people are hiding the truth? What would you call a group that sends a woman strapped with explosives to make her appear pregnant into the Sri Lankan army headquarters? What word shall we use to describe this act if not terrorism. Perhaps you'd like the world to use an euphamism. "Freedom Fighter" perhaps?
at 11:40 on March 16th, 2009
clearly said, hate people who are illitrate on the subject they speak.
at 11:43 on March 16th, 2009
my comment is for tula, i support you.
at 23:21 on February 3rd, 2009
"Oscar and Grammy award nominee, Eezham born music phenom...blah blah...."
Eezham...???
What eezham? Are you refering to this "thing" mentioned in the below link?..lol...
http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/20001208/ina08005.html
This may be a bit old news, but very much relevent in the context of what happening in Srilanka.
This is the root cause of the Srilankan crisis.
Agent.
PS. More readable story of this eezham.. :))
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2000/12/06/stories/0206000h.htm
at 02:21 on January 31st, 2009
She isnt supporting the tigers. She's just saying she wants to stop the genocide that has been going on non stop, since she fled. As the governments doesnt allow free press, and in the west we turn a blind eye, its pretty plausible that the plan is to kill off the tamils, or treat them as second class citizens. It happened to the aborigines, american indians, jews, etc etc. youd have to be gullible to think that it aint happening right now. one might even imagine the more powerful nations are secretly supporting the genocide. they might even be supporting the tigers too, to give the goverment the excuse to do what they do. who knows.
Lets be like Maya and steer clear of the politics. We can save those lives if we raelly give a fuck.
at 08:14 on February 1st, 2009
@ will jones (not verified) >
"Lets be like Maya and steer clear of the politics."
M.I.A. i have heard of, is very much promoting her politics and her biases through her music targeting the ignorant (about the Sri Lankan situation) American audience mostly. Her first album cover contained a map of Sri Lanka with the core being ripped out, just the way the tiger terrorists claim they want their ethnically pure separate land to be.
See where her political motivation comes from.
" Sri Lanka:M.I.A.Maya Arulpragasam - Motivated by Father Arular's support for Independent Tamil Eelam"
Maya was born in Hounslow, London but spent little time there as, at only 6 months old, her parents moved the family back to their native Sri Lanka. Motivated by her fathers wish to support the Tamil efforts to win independence from the majority Sinhalese population, her father became politically known as Arular and was a founder member of EROS (the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students), a militant Tamil group. In Sri Lanka, they lived at first on her grandparent’s remote farm, a collection of huts without electricity or running water. After a year, as her fathers involvement in militant activities increased, Maya, her older sister Kali and their mother moved to Jaffna in the far North of the country, where Maya's younger brother Sugu was born.
at 17:02 on February 1st, 2009
There are humans who admit guilty to their mistakes but
some humans wait for not one but continue Genocide of a
people called Tamils. The people who commit Genocide is Sinhalese.
Sinhalese mythology is founded on when a woman slept with a Lion.
There you see how this race begotten.
Source. Mahavamsa Chronicles
at 23:28 on February 1st, 2009
@ tamilaneelavan >
hehe is that in reply to me stating the facts about M.I.A's father, a founder member of the militant group EROS? or in reply to someone else? :)
Half of the EROS later joined the LTTE, and I think some of the other half was Killed off by the LTTE.
at 22:54 on February 8th, 2009
Excuse me but the Sinhalese people are not committing genocide. By the way, what does Sinhalese mythology have to do with anything. Perhaps you don't know the defition of a myth, it is a " fictitious story, person, or thing".
at 22:47 on February 8th, 2009
If she doesn't support the Tigers, then why are her videos filled with Tiger symbols including the LTTE flag and images of Sri Lanka with a chunk separated. For what possible reason would the government want to kill off the Tamil people.
The aborigines were killed because settlers wanted their land, the Jews were killed because they supposedly brought ruin to Germany.
at 07:00 on January 31st, 2009
Tamil Tigers are freedom fighters, the Sri Lankan propaganda made the world think that they are terrorist. They are freedom fighters but Sri Lankan government and it's forces are Terrorists.
at 22:58 on February 8th, 2009
Freedom fighters is simply a euphemism. Many leaders start off as freedom fighters trying to bring justice to their people and perhaps the LTTE leader was such a leader. However, when you start blowing things up, the only term you can use is terrorist!
at 13:31 on February 20th, 2009
Wow! So thats why MIA call herself a freedom fighter because she is a LTTE member.
We Sri Lankans are proud of her achievement. We wish her good luck in her carrier. But getting mixed with the LTTE is not for you. Dont lie in bublic for LTTE. People are not fools. Facts are facts. Truth prevails.
at 11:51 on March 16th, 2009
you fucked up iyer kutti, you will spent your life.
at 08:27 on January 31st, 2009
http://ca.youtube.com/user/TROKilinochchi
at 05:58 on February 1st, 2009
you cannot judge Tamils and label us "Tigers." yiou have to first know our situation, and that's what the global Tamil community is trying to accomplish all these years.
at 07:57 on February 1st, 2009
"M.I.A.: Well, Sri Lanka is an island off the coast of India. There's two ethnicities there; one the Sinhalese, which is the majority and the government, and the minority, who are the Tamils."
It's unbelievable how she lies through her teeth.
There are THREE ethnicities: Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. Muslims have been chased off by thousands from their homelands and massacred/hacked to death by hundreds by the tiger terrorists. Wonder why she is hiding the facts about the Muslim population.
Government is NOT Sinhalese alone, but it consists of all these three ethnicities. There are Tamil and Muslim cabinet ministers. Former foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar who was assassinated by the tiger terrorists was an ethnic Tamil.
at 09:35 on February 1st, 2009
Source: my.nowpublic.com
"Ellam Poi" Poi Solla Waana, Adi shari illai.
I agree with You Hiranya, and your comment sounds Neutral, compared with other Comments, they (Other comments) are nothing else than hole and empty propaganda. And many Tamils lies to get advantages. And sometimes it is easier to come through with such lies unbeliveble!! As a ex.
"I did not get a Job in SL because I could not speak Singhala! Tamils Dont have rights in SL. There are no schools for Tamils"
Every one regrets his cituation but they dont ask "If there are no schools for Tamils How did you became a Doctor"??
Argues from such "Want to be Doctors" does not match to each other. These Arguments can only be truth if: He is not a Doctor, or he can speak singhala or There are schools for Tamils.
2. My Family got killed, singhalese killed my Parents and some years later they want to get Visa for Family memebers and parents????
3. Our House is destroyed due to Shellings and in the otherway telling to gain Financial support "I have to pay lot of money to the bank cause my Parents got a hypothecary credit (For our Houese) for my journey to europe!!
and so on.........
Now in SL many Tamil civilians, in the clutches of Tigers, are suffering due to this war. I am affraid that civilian casualties goes high next days :-((
at 11:42 on February 1st, 2009
@Sathyajith >
That is the saddest situation here Sathyajith. Those innocent people have been suffering for so long now, having to sacrifice their children's childhood, education, everything - for what? So that a few like Prabakaran here in SL and the Tamils living elsewhere want (not all of them) their ethnic state dream realized?
No matter how many arguments they put through saying they used to live in the North and have gone through every horror, the truth is they are trying to ride on the backs of the innocent Sri Lankan people who are the residents here now. Using Wanni children as combatants to materialize their(Diaspora) need. They act as if they know what the people in Wanni want. But all they want is their dream land. That is why they keep repeating the words of the LTTE shouting "genocide genocide" and refuse to believe that the Govt is putting every effort to rescue the civilians and minimize harming them. That is why they DO NOT tell the LTTE to release those civilians.
I for one cannot believe that the Diaspora's concern for the Wanni civilians is genuine for the simple fact that they don't seem to tell the LTTE to release them.
However, the common people of Tamil Nadu seem to be misled and it looks like are genuinely concerned.
at 17:09 on February 1st, 2009
I do not know whether somepeople are humans. Sorry,
some people ancestry of Lioness in them. So, As everyone knows
Lion does not forgive and It kills. That is what is happening in Sri lanka.
THe so called Sinhalese dominated Lions are eating innocent Tamil Children
and women.
M I A is our saviour. She spoke the truth to power. Some people have jealousy
in them because They know they cannot achieve stardom like this Tamil Eelam born queen of hipHop.
Go GIRl my girl, MIA
at 17:05 on February 1st, 2009
I guess some people got their facts wrong here.
Uthhika Putha ---One who blesses a friend
Tamils are getting killed by brutal Sinhalese dominated Sri lankan Army
who target innocent Tamil children for their sexual apptite.
Sri lankan government is a racist government.
at 17:12 on February 1st, 2009
Sri lanka is committing Genocide oF Tamils
Some people who eat Dog SHits do not have brain write stupid
comments that does not make sense.
Go Girl MIA. Tamil EElam born MIA has blood of EElam in her so
is very strong. GO GIrl MIA GO GIRL M I A Go Get that OScAr
And let the whole world know about the Genocide of Tamils.
at 12:20 on February 1st, 2009
Hello the name's Corinne Stevie.I'm an painter/illustrator/musician who was so inspired by M.i.a's Music(the Kala Album) that i decided to paint this in dedication to her.I think the article is awesome.
Corinne Stevie has contributed a photo to this story.
at 23:20 on February 1st, 2009
Some lyrics from M.I.A. songs>
If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name
If you come around here, I make 'em all day
…
All I wanna do is (BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!)
And (KKKAAAA CHING!)
And take your money
M.I.A.
Third world democracy
Yeah, I got more records than the K.G.B.
Some, some, some I some I murder
Some I some I let go
-----
at 09:27 on February 2nd, 2009
Correct in the accusation against the government. Incorrect in stating there are only 2 races. Incorrect in saying ltte could be wiped out if you sneeze?! Is that y they've been around for 26 odd years.