Is Sri Lanka safe or dangerous?

The Island, Asia News Network, Colombo

Sri Lankans achieved unique ignominy on Wednesday with characteristic impassivity. We became the first nation in the world whose citizens would be finger printed for issue of visas for entry into Britain.

According to The Island report yesterday, the Sri Lanka government had agreed to this insult on this country without a whimper of protest.

Our report said that Sri Lanka's response to this request was "unhesitating and prompt" and "It wasn't even discussed". The decision had apparently been taken following a decision by the British government to designate this country as a "safe country". Whatever that may mean to Britain and its citizens, it means nothing to us Sri Lankans. Whether it was a "safe country" or a "dangerous country" to the British because of terrorism, which had been partly funded from Britain, we Sri Lankans, have lived and will continue to live in this country..

"Safe country" probably implies that it is safe enough for British citizens to come here as tourists. For the great majority in this country, it matters little whether these tourists come here or not except of course to the tourist industry whose cult is the worship of hard currency. Whatever the benefits of this "safe country" may be, to barter the honor, dignity, pride of this once proud country and its people for hard currency is an unpardonable crime committed against this country. Prime Minister Wickremasinghe and his government should be held responsible.

We Sri Lankans for the past half century have been singing our national anthem: Namo, Namo Matha - Sri Lanka Matha - Homage to Mother Lanka with deep conviction and feeling. Now, have we sold Mother Lanka for some pounds sterling?

Sri Lanka has been voluntarily put on the mantle of a "Pariah Nation" of the world. It could well be that very soon, other countries would also insist on this same humiliating process for issue of visas to Sri Lankans.

Finger printing, except in very extraordinary circumstances is done on those suspected of criminal offenses or are convicted criminals. No citizen of this country would like to be finger printed -- least of all by foreigners. Citizens of those mighty affluent countries of the West, if asked to be finger printed will probably invoke all laws, rights and conventions on privacy and claim violation of fundamental rights. If finger printing is no offense for which there can be no valid objections -- as probably the government will argue -- let them ask Britons coming to this country to subject themselves to such a process.

Of course the high and mighty of this land will not be subject to this humiliation. The Prime Minister and his ministers will be exempted even though most of his ministers should be finger printed for reasons other than possible violation of British immigration laws. But decent citizens: such as Supreme Court judges, professionals, mercantile executives and others who have lived honestly and have no desire of slumming and bumming in Blighty will be treated as common criminals and subjected to this humiliation.

The obvious question is, Why Sri Lanka only or Sri Lanka first? Certainly Sri Lankans staying back illegally in Britain are comparatively far less than those from other countries. It does appear that we have now become voluntary guinea pigs. All the big western powers got to say is "jump" and we will be somersaulting and cartwheeling. Not so other nations. Remember a few years ago, Britain attempted to impose a "Virginity Test" on Indian women? The proud Indians stood up: Virgins, non-virgins, men, women and the Indian government and soon the British beat a hasty retreat.

The question could be asked why Sri Lankans want to go to Britain, if we don't like their immigration laws? The answer to that is that the British came here centuries ago when we didn't want them. They looted, and pillaged and raped and finally conquered. They established commercial, cultural other bonds from which we cannot free us even now. Even on holiday Sri Lankans prefer to visit English speaking Britain than non-English speaking European countries.

The grim reality is not that the British don't want us. They wanted only some of us -- those who could do menial jobs which the British refuse to do. You can find Sri Lankans aplenty at airports, cleaning carpets, clearing the tarmac, sweeping roads, washing toilets etc. These were the asylum seekers or refugees which Britain at one time welcomed freely on the pretext that Sri Lanka was violating their human rights. Now a second generation of "refugees" are growing up in Britain and with it terrorism is spreading far and wide. More and more "asylum seekers" are being smuggled into Britain and British security is threatened. The fall out of it is that all Sri Lankans should be treated as asylum seekers and are to be finger printed.

Finger printing us will be followed up with other poor nations whose people as posing similar problems to the British.

It is time Sri Lankans stood up to this iniquitous practice and gross insult to the nation. We are supposed to be a member of the Commonwealth of Nations of which the British monarch is the symbolic head. Is this the way a member of this family of nations should be treated? True, our leaders have willingly put on this mantle of a Pariah Nation but are the people of this country willingly to stomach this insufferable insult? It is time for action.