The Exodus of Tamil Youngsters of North East Sri Lanka - Is the Other Side is Always Greener?
Before the 30 -year civil war in Sri Lanka, youngsters and professionals travelled overseas either to improve their existing academic qualifications or to take up well paid employment. But during the civil war, about a million of the 4 million Tamil population living in the North and East left Sri Lanka for reasons of safety and moved to Europe and other Western countries as refugees or economic migrants. The United Kingdom was one of the preferred destinations. Discrimination, marginalisation, and the deliberate neglect of economic development of North-East, coupled with the fanaticism of the intolerable governments which have ruled over the country since independence, were the main drivers of this exodus.
This pattern of going abroad in search of a better future has continued, partly due to the continued lack of opportunities in Sri Lanka but now, increasing, because of a growing culture which prioritises people joining their kith and kin abroad but without this contributing to their own development either by securing degree level qualifications or being involved in relevant work experience. On the contrary, young Tamils in the North and East, often financed by the Diaspora, tend to concentrate on finding illegal ways to go abroad rather than focusing on achieving high quality qualifications at home or working in local highly skilled jobs.
Youngsters subsequently waste the precious time of early adulthood that is so important in achieving qualifications and gaining highly skilled work experience. In comparison, once abroad, they can do odd jobs etc to pay the fees of their agents and for solicitors to support their asylum application, for which they have no guarantee of success. Ironically, they would not dream of doing these jobs at home, instead they can choose the very high-risk option of potential illegality and arduous journeys. We would argue that this can lead to significant hardship and does not contribute to either the wellbeing of the young people themselves or that of their home country.
At the same time migration has become a far more prominent global issue. All the countries in the West have made border controls and eligibility criteria tighter. At present about 1000 migrants cross the English Channel daily in dangerous conditions with the hope of reaching their dream of a land flowing with proverbial milk and honey. These illegal border crossings have become a major political issue for the UK and other governments who have responded by announcing deportation plans aimed at sending back 150,000 illegal immigrants over a period of five years.
In Sri Lanka the demand for overseas travel provides a lucrative business for the unscrupulous agents who organise illegal trafficking. Those who have ambitions but no sound education, qualifications or skilled job experiences are often let down by agencies. People often borrow to fund illegal travel in the hope of recuperating the vast sum when they land in their desired country. But things can go badly wrong, leaving the travellers in a precarious position, even in death. If they cannot find work they will be in debt, which can lead to working illegally often in menial jobs. Equally, the solicitors who deal with the asylum claims cost a lot of money and if the case is not successful there is, again, a danger that the immigrant may be deported to his or her country!
Social disintegration in the North and East of Sri Lanka and the exodus of youngsters going abroad rather than seeking good jobs or a future at home is also extremely worrying as it contributes to a decline in their Tamil homeland. In this once bastion of exemplary education, it will be necessary to develop jobs which require high skills and provide the necessary training these would require if we are to stop youngsters leaving the country. Another solution would be to build major industries like the KKS Cement Factory in the Norh and East to keep the young employed in the engineering sector.
The Diaspora can play a major part in reshaping the, often sorry, state in which North East Tamils can find themselves by following the model of South Indian Tamils. The South Indians typically achieve qualifications in the various fields of highly paid overseas jobs then work locally to gain experience before finding very senior or high skilled jobs abroad through legal channels. After obtaining working or resident visas they can enjoy a very high standard of living and apply to obtain permanent settlement.
If this model of support were adopted by the Tamil Diaspora they would try and ensure that money is only sent to educate the young to qualify and find skilled jobs at home rather than financing expensive attempts to travel abroad for work, journeys which all too often lead to disappointment. Once they have gained three to five years of high skilled job experience and, in the process have contributed to the local development of their homeland, they will be in a much better position to move abroad through legal channels.
Such a move would help stem the damaging cycle which both contributes to an individual's self-harm and deprives a local economy already struggling through dwindling population and a lack of manpower. The Diaspora and the elders must encourage youngsters to remain in their home country and not only build themselves up but also contribute to the local development of a beloved homeland. Without this, continued neglect and a shrinking population could eventually lead to Tamils losing control of their homeland. Already the number of Tamil MPs representing the North East has fallen from twenty-three to eight. Again, this is contributing to the remaining Tamil dominated parts of Sri Lanka becoming further marginalised with the possibility that Tamil political representation in parliament etc will become a thing of the past.
Now, it is rumoured that, due to nostalgia, some of the Diaspora want to return to North East Sri Lanka in order to enjoy the best of both worlds. When they do, they must guide the youngsters to follow the correct path starting with the emphasis on education followed by high skilled jobs. If the youngsters continue the current trend of dreaming of abroad and stepping into the unknown without a firm foundation, if they are not careful, there is a danger of them sliding from the frying pan into the fire!! They need to be persuaded that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
When the mass scale exodus of the Sri Lankan Tamils began in 1980s, it was left to Tamil leaders and sympathisers in the Western countries to gather and unite these severely traumatised people, to care for them and provide the necessary help, advice and infrastructure which would allow them to cope and develop in a foreign land.
Now, after over 30 years, the Tamil Diaspora is very strong having become politically integrated, become professionally established as doctors, lawyers, solicitors, engineers and financiers as well as being very successful businessmen in their host countries thereby contributing vastly to the respective economies. If the Tamil leaders and those who came with them were able to do the above and help build a strong and successful Tamil community abroad, then it is now high time for them to repeat that success in their homeland to help protect the disintegrating population and culture before it is too late!
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Tamil Writers Guild Editorial Board
London, U.K.
