a way to divide the workers movement, Asia Left Observer said in June last year. This racism bloomed into institutionalised discrimination when Sinhalese chauvinists took control of the country after it gained independence in 1948. Sinhalese was eventually declared the sole national language and Tamils were discriminated against in terms of access to resources, services and jobs. After decades of peaceful campaigning against discrimination, the 1970s saw the emergence of armed Tamil groups. These were mainly led by frustrated youths who saw no other way to oppose growing repression. The LTTE became the dominant group in the 1980s when it organised the killings of leaders of rival Tamil groups, especially targeting those with progressive politics. Asia Left Observer said: "Their objective of a separate Tamil state became the sole proclaimed objective, separating it from the question of the rights demanded by Tamils and mortgaging any democratic resolution of the civil war." With Tamil resistance now shattered, the Sri Lankan government is pressing its advantage to crack down on any dissenters. Australia should be assisting those fleeing this situation as a basic act of human decency, not using them as political footballs to assist racist regimes at home and abroad. Comments 1. The UN estimates that only 6,500 people were killed in May 2009 - NOT 50,000 - check your stats. The biggest number estimated so far before your imagined 50,00 was 20,000 2. The LTTE was a terrorist organisation that used most of 6,500 people as human shields. Yes, walking