I am a Diaspora TamilI

I am a Diaspora Tamil

http://www.island.lk/2010/06/10/opinion3.html

I left the country nearly thirty years ago due to the fact that after getting high grades I could not do engineering in Sri Lanka as I valued it so much.
I went to a western country and graduated in engineering and after working there for four years, moved to a south East Asian country and worked as an engineer for 28 years.
I returned to Sri Lanka four years ago to set up a manufacturing concern and I got myself actualisation needs satisfied and it gives me immense satisfaction in my old age to practice what I learned for the last 40 years or so. I employ 70% Sinhalese 25% Tamils and 5% Muslims and all of them work together as one family. I always emphasise that the future of all of them are intertwined. They are a pleasant lot and let me tell that it is a pleasure to work with them. They are obedient, hard working and above all, creative. I always ensure that they are paid above the market rate and we arrive at a win-win situation. There are good educated engineers and accountants also available at good rates when compared with any other country.
Those who are keen to explore, will find abundant opportunities for investment in Sri Lanka. The scope is immense from infrastructure, to agri-business, to manufacturing and to a range of services such as in hotel sector, engineering services, manufacturing of parts equipment etc. Sri Lanka has 20Mn population and an access to the second most populated country in the world – India with 1 Bn population. You can do that in a simple straight forward way without going through any red tape.
Please note that the present Sri Lanka is very different from the Sri Lanka in the eighties. If you miss that the vacuum may be filled by others. I think it is the duty and responsibility of every Sri Lankan to do this.
I urge all Sri Lankans who left the country years ago, to come and explore and employ Sri Lankans and offer transfer of technology and this is the only way you can help your fellow citizens.
I would like to think as a Sri Lankan first and then a Sri Lankan Tamil and I hope that a day will come when all of us think that we are Sri Lankans irrespective of ethnicity.
DT