Buddhism

I was not aware of Sri Lankan Buddhist nationalism but it does not surprise me. It parallels similar nationalism in India, Pakistan and Thailand of the 1950s when there existed a pan Asian resurgence in hyper nationalism that included, among other things, exhortations to significantly increase national stature by increasing the size of the population.

It doesn't change my basic point that the Buddhists in Burma who are involved in violence are wholly different than what eventually happened in Sri Lanka who were subject to the most extensive sustained campaign of terror against civilian populations by the Tamil Tigers. In those circumstances any civilian population will eventually break and instill order by force.

I have found all of the people I have met from the Island to be very positive and enlightened people, but like all places there are cynical powers that work to divide and rule for personal gain by exploiting divisions within society.