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Call for debate on LTTE's history books

By V. S. Sambandan

COLOMBO, JAN. 10. Controversies over history school books, an oft-raised point of contention between communities in conflict, is entering the mainstream media debate in Sri Lanka, following reported moves by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to distribute its history textbooks in northern Sri Lanka.

For several years now, the LTTE has its version of history circulated in the rebel-held Vanni, "to supplement'' the mainstream courses in the national curriculum. However, earlier this week, Sri Lankan dailies reported that the LTTE was distributing them in the Jaffna peninsula as well.

Commenting on the reported move, the Daily Mirror today wanted "educational authorities to obtain full details'' and "take swift action to stop the attempted invasion of young minds by the LTTE''.

The LTTE's leader of the education wing, Ilankumaran, told a few months ago that its history textbooks were aimed "at increasing popular interest in the subject'' and that "the mainstream curriculum is followed for the national and school leaving examination". According to the LTTE's education wing, just 65 Tamil students appeared for the history subject in 1998, compared to 5,335 Sinhalese students. It says the mainstream books prepared by the national board "have errors''. Moreover, as Tamil translations of the history books prescribed in the mainstream curriculum, such as the Indian historian, Nilakanda Shastri's book, "are not available'', the education department "circulates copies among school teachers''.

Named `Social Sciences and History', the slim textbooks, according to the LTTE, are aimed at correcting the "Sinhala bias'' in the official textbooks. The LTTE says this "has resulted in a lack of interest by Tamil students'' in history, hence their books. The book for class VI starts with a chapter "National anthem, national flag and national insignia''.

The red and yellow LTTE flag, with the emblem of the roaring Tiger, but without the name of the organisation, "was announced as the national flag by the Tamil national leader, Prabakaran in 1990'', the book says. The four-stanza `national anthem', with a chorus, sings the praise of the `national flag' and the "fallen heroes''. While there is no specific mention of the "national insignia'', the textbook says "once a Tamil Eelam Government is formed, we would have to have a Tamil Eelam insignia''.

The next chapter on "Tamil Eelam and the freedom struggle'' places the extent of "Tamil Eelam'' at about 20,000 sq. km., spread across "the Sri Lankan island's north, east and central districts''.

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