Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Academy Award for the Worst Supporting Actor Goes
....Here again to the joker of GodDamn City!!
[Sri Lanka Broadcasting Coorporation]
Certain Tamil Nadu political parties are engaged in fund raising activities for the LTTE.
24-Feb-2009
The Tamil Nadu Branch leader of the Bharathiya Jantha Party Dr. Subramaniam Swamy says certain Tamil political parties in Tamil Nadu are providing financial aid to the LTTE. Dr. Subramaniam Swamy participating in the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation’s “Dasa Desin” programme through telephone, further said the LTTE these political parties raise funds through unscrupulous activities such as drug racketeering. He pointed out however, only a handful of person in the Tamil Nadu state are extending support to the LTTE.
http://www. slbc.lk/he_news.asp?newsid=4397
[Sri Lanka Broadcasting Coorporation]
Certain Tamil Nadu political parties are engaged in fund raising activities for the LTTE.
24-Feb-2009
The Tamil Nadu Branch leader of the Bharathiya Jantha Party Dr. Subramaniam Swamy says certain Tamil political parties in Tamil Nadu are providing financial aid to the LTTE. Dr. Subramaniam Swamy participating in the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation’s “Dasa Desin” programme through telephone, further said the LTTE these political parties raise funds through unscrupulous activities such as drug racketeering. He pointed out however, only a handful of person in the Tamil Nadu state are extending support to the LTTE.
http://www. slbc.lk/he_news.asp?newsid=4397
Labels: mere naam joker
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Indian Media should learn from this Arab Media
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
ஆம் தலைவர்களே! தமிழகத்தின் தலைவிதியை உங்களால் மாற்ற முடியும்
ஆம் தலைவர்களே! தமிழகத்தின் தலைவிதியை உங்களால் மாற்ற முடியும்
மாற்றம்நம்பி
இன்று தெற்காசியத் தமிழர் அரசியல் நெருக்கடியான காலகட்டத்தில் இருக்கிறது. இலங்கையில் கடந்த 25 ஆண்டு காலமாக நடைபெற்று வரும் தமிழீழப் விடுதலைப் போர் மிகவும் நெருக்கடியான காலகட்டத்தில் இருக்கிறது. அது தமிழகத்தில் ஏற்படுத்திக் கொண்டிருக்கும் அதிர்வலைகள் தமிழ்நாட்டு அரசியலையும் நெருக்கடிக் குள்ளாக்கியிருக்கிறது.
கடந்த நூற்றண்டின் தமிழக அரசியல், சமூக மாற்றத்தை காங்கிரஸ், திராவிடர், பொது உடமை இயக்கங்கள் தீர்மானித்தன. கடந்த நூற்றாண்டில் முதல் 65 ஆண்டுகளில் தமிழகத்தின் தேர்தல் அரசியலை பெரும்பாலும் காங்கிரஸ் ஆக்கிரமித்திருந்தது. அடுத்த 40 ஆண்டுகளாக திராவிடர் இயக்கத்திலிருந்து உருவான கட்சிகள் ஆட்சியதிகாரத்தில் இருந்து வருகின்றன. திராவிட இயக்கத்தின் உள்ளிருந்து உருவான கட்சிகள் தம் கொள்கைகளிலிருந்தும், நோக்கத்திலிருந்தும் பெருமளவு நீர்த்துப் போயுள்ளதை பெருங்கட்சிகளான தி.மு.க.வும், அ.தி.மு.கவும் ஈழத்தமிழர் பிரச்சினையில் மேற்கொண்டிருக்கும் நிலைப்பாடுகளை தெளிவாக புலப்படுத்துகின்றன. ஒரு காலத்தில் ஈழ விடுதலைப் போருக்கு ஆதரவாக நின்ற எம்.ஜி.ஆர். தோற்றுவித்த அ.தி.மு.க கட்சியின் தலைமை இன்று “ஈழத்தமிழர்கள் என்பவர்களே இல்லை” என்றும், “போரில் சாதரண மக்கள் சாவது சகஜம்” என்றும் கூறும் இரக்கமற்ற ஜெயலலிதாவின் இறுக்கப்பிடிக்குள் இருக்கிறது. எம்.ஜி.ஆரின். இரத்தத்தின் இரத்தமான உடன் பிறப்புகள் ஜெயலலிதாவின் காலடியிலும், அவருடைய காரின் சக்கரத்தடியிலும் பணிந்துக் கிடக்கின்றனர்.
தமிழரின் வீரதீரப் பிரதாபங்களை, அருமைப் பெருமைகளை, வாய் ஓயாமால் பேசியும், கை ஓயாமல் எழுதியும் வருகின்ற தி.மு.க.வின் தலைவர் கருணாநிதி குறுகியகால அரசியல் ஆதாயத்திற்காக ஈழத்தமிழர் மீதான ஒடுக்குமுறைக்கு துணைபோகும் இந்திய அரசுக்கு அடிபணிந்து செயலிழந்து கிடக்கிறார். அக்கட்சியின் அடுத்த தலைமுறைத் தலைவர்கள் என அடையாளம் காட்டப்பட்டிருக்கும் தி.மு.க. தலைவரின் வாரிசுகளான மு.க. ஸ்டாலின், மு.க.அழகிரி, கனிமொழி கருணாநிதி, தயாநிதி மாறன் போன்றவர்களோ இப்பிரச்சினைப் பற்றி ஒரு கருத்தை வெளியிடும் திராணிகூட இல்லாமல் கட்சியையும், அரசியல் அதிகாரத்தையும் குடும்பத்துக்குள் பங்குபிரித்துக் கொள்ளும் முயற்சியில் மூழ்கிக் கிடக்கிறார்கள்.
திராவிடக் கட்சிகளிடம் அதிகாரத்தை இழந்த காங்கிரஸ் கட்சி என்னென்ன பெயரில் வந்தாலும், எத்தனைத் தலைமைகள் மாறியபோதும் மீண்டு எழ இயலவில்லை. அக்கட்சி அதற்கான காரணங்களை ஆய்ந்தறியும் திறனின்றி ஒரு புறம் இந்திரா காந்தி குடும்பத்துக்குக் காவடி தூக்கிக்கொண்டும், இன்னொரு புறம் ஏதாவதொரு திராவிடக் கட்சியின் முதுகிலேறி சவாரி செய்துகொண்டுமே கடந்த 40 ஆண்டுகளாக தன் இருப்பை தக்க வைத்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது. தொண்டர்களைவிடத் தலைவர்களை அதிகமாகக் கொண்ட ,தமிழகத்தில் அந்நியமாகிப்போன காங்கிரஸ் கட்சி டெல்லியில் பெற்றுள்ள அதிகார மமதையின் காரணமாகத் தமிழர்களுக்கு இன்னுமொரு வரலாற்றுத் துரோகத்தை இழைத்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது.
முழுக்கட்டுரையை வாசிப்பதற்கு இங்கே செல்லுங்கள்
http://www.keetru.com/literature/essays/matramnambi.php
மாற்றம்நம்பி
இன்று தெற்காசியத் தமிழர் அரசியல் நெருக்கடியான காலகட்டத்தில் இருக்கிறது. இலங்கையில் கடந்த 25 ஆண்டு காலமாக நடைபெற்று வரும் தமிழீழப் விடுதலைப் போர் மிகவும் நெருக்கடியான காலகட்டத்தில் இருக்கிறது. அது தமிழகத்தில் ஏற்படுத்திக் கொண்டிருக்கும் அதிர்வலைகள் தமிழ்நாட்டு அரசியலையும் நெருக்கடிக் குள்ளாக்கியிருக்கிறது.
கடந்த நூற்றண்டின் தமிழக அரசியல், சமூக மாற்றத்தை காங்கிரஸ், திராவிடர், பொது உடமை இயக்கங்கள் தீர்மானித்தன. கடந்த நூற்றாண்டில் முதல் 65 ஆண்டுகளில் தமிழகத்தின் தேர்தல் அரசியலை பெரும்பாலும் காங்கிரஸ் ஆக்கிரமித்திருந்தது. அடுத்த 40 ஆண்டுகளாக திராவிடர் இயக்கத்திலிருந்து உருவான கட்சிகள் ஆட்சியதிகாரத்தில் இருந்து வருகின்றன. திராவிட இயக்கத்தின் உள்ளிருந்து உருவான கட்சிகள் தம் கொள்கைகளிலிருந்தும், நோக்கத்திலிருந்தும் பெருமளவு நீர்த்துப் போயுள்ளதை பெருங்கட்சிகளான தி.மு.க.வும், அ.தி.மு.கவும் ஈழத்தமிழர் பிரச்சினையில் மேற்கொண்டிருக்கும் நிலைப்பாடுகளை தெளிவாக புலப்படுத்துகின்றன. ஒரு காலத்தில் ஈழ விடுதலைப் போருக்கு ஆதரவாக நின்ற எம்.ஜி.ஆர். தோற்றுவித்த அ.தி.மு.க கட்சியின் தலைமை இன்று “ஈழத்தமிழர்கள் என்பவர்களே இல்லை” என்றும், “போரில் சாதரண மக்கள் சாவது சகஜம்” என்றும் கூறும் இரக்கமற்ற ஜெயலலிதாவின் இறுக்கப்பிடிக்குள் இருக்கிறது. எம்.ஜி.ஆரின். இரத்தத்தின் இரத்தமான உடன் பிறப்புகள் ஜெயலலிதாவின் காலடியிலும், அவருடைய காரின் சக்கரத்தடியிலும் பணிந்துக் கிடக்கின்றனர்.
தமிழரின் வீரதீரப் பிரதாபங்களை, அருமைப் பெருமைகளை, வாய் ஓயாமால் பேசியும், கை ஓயாமல் எழுதியும் வருகின்ற தி.மு.க.வின் தலைவர் கருணாநிதி குறுகியகால அரசியல் ஆதாயத்திற்காக ஈழத்தமிழர் மீதான ஒடுக்குமுறைக்கு துணைபோகும் இந்திய அரசுக்கு அடிபணிந்து செயலிழந்து கிடக்கிறார். அக்கட்சியின் அடுத்த தலைமுறைத் தலைவர்கள் என அடையாளம் காட்டப்பட்டிருக்கும் தி.மு.க. தலைவரின் வாரிசுகளான மு.க. ஸ்டாலின், மு.க.அழகிரி, கனிமொழி கருணாநிதி, தயாநிதி மாறன் போன்றவர்களோ இப்பிரச்சினைப் பற்றி ஒரு கருத்தை வெளியிடும் திராணிகூட இல்லாமல் கட்சியையும், அரசியல் அதிகாரத்தையும் குடும்பத்துக்குள் பங்குபிரித்துக் கொள்ளும் முயற்சியில் மூழ்கிக் கிடக்கிறார்கள்.
திராவிடக் கட்சிகளிடம் அதிகாரத்தை இழந்த காங்கிரஸ் கட்சி என்னென்ன பெயரில் வந்தாலும், எத்தனைத் தலைமைகள் மாறியபோதும் மீண்டு எழ இயலவில்லை. அக்கட்சி அதற்கான காரணங்களை ஆய்ந்தறியும் திறனின்றி ஒரு புறம் இந்திரா காந்தி குடும்பத்துக்குக் காவடி தூக்கிக்கொண்டும், இன்னொரு புறம் ஏதாவதொரு திராவிடக் கட்சியின் முதுகிலேறி சவாரி செய்துகொண்டுமே கடந்த 40 ஆண்டுகளாக தன் இருப்பை தக்க வைத்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது. தொண்டர்களைவிடத் தலைவர்களை அதிகமாகக் கொண்ட ,தமிழகத்தில் அந்நியமாகிப்போன காங்கிரஸ் கட்சி டெல்லியில் பெற்றுள்ள அதிகார மமதையின் காரணமாகத் தமிழர்களுக்கு இன்னுமொரு வரலாற்றுத் துரோகத்தை இழைத்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது.
முழுக்கட்டுரையை வாசிப்பதற்கு இங்கே செல்லுங்கள்
http://www.keetru.com/literature/essays/matramnambi.php
Labels: தமிழக அரசியல், மூன்றாம் அணி
Sunday, February 15, 2009
don't confuse me
போனகிழமைச்செய்திகளிலே
1. சூசை கொல்லப்பட்டார் (தைமாதத்திலே)
2. பிரபாகரன் தன் பிள்ளைகளைப் போருக்கு அனுப்புவானா? (ரயாகரனின் 11 வயது மகன்கூட எல்லாரும் எல்லாமே பெறும் மக்கள்போராட்டத்திலே இரண்டாவது குடிமகானாகப் போராடுகிறார் என்பதை ஞாபகத்திலே கொள்ளவேண்டும்)
3. பிரபாகரன் மலேசியா/தாய்லாந்து/கேரளா/ஐரோப்பா தப்பியோட்டம்
இங்கே அடுத்தடுத்த வரிகளிலேயான நகைச்சுவை
According to them, after the battle became more intense, Prabhakaran sent his wife and youngest son, who is 10, to safer, undisclosed location.
Prabhakaran has two other children - a daughter Dhuwraha in her 20's and another son Balachandran who is in his teens.
excuse me.
1. how many children does Pirapakaran (or as the Indian educated english media mafia forces to write, 'Prabhakaran') have?
2. does 10 yr old mean teen age?
Prabhakaran living among civilians in Sri Lanka: report
The Hindustan Times
Sutirtho Patranobis, Hindustan Times
Colombo, February 15, 2009
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) V Prabhakaran is still holed up inside rebel-controlled areas in the north-east of the country, two surrendered LTTE suicide cadres have claimed.
They further added that Prabhakaran's son, Charles Anthony, is now in the forefront of the battle against the Sri Lankan armed forces.
The two cadres, part of the suicide squad called Black Tigers, claimed that Anthony was commanding the remaining LTTE personnel along with top LTTE leaders like Banu and Lakshman.
It is rare for Black Tigers to be caught alive; instances of surrender are even rarer. But the Sri Lankan army (SLA) claimed that the two Black Tigers, both in their '20s, surrendered at a place called Therumurukandy in the north-eastern district of Mullaitivu on January 28. The duo surrendered after failing in their attempts to bomb the bund of the Iranamadu Tank which if succeeded could have caused immense disaster, the Sunday Observer said.
According to them, after the battle became more intense, Prabhakaran sent his wife and youngest son, who is 10, to safer, undisclosed location.
Prabhakaran has two other children - a daughter Dhuwraha in her 20's and another son Balachandran who is in his teens.
Anthony, according reports, returned from Ireland in 2006 with a degree in aeronautical engineering and is heading the air wing and computer unit of LTTE, according to the reports. He is also believed to have played a key role in building the LTTE air wing.
The two cadres told the military that Anthony and LTTE Sea Tiger chief Soosai had briefed them on the mission to bomb the bund. It was planned to be an underwater demolition on January 20. But the duo, fed up with the 'behaviour' of the group's leadership, decided to surrender, the newspaper said quoting the suicide cadres.
[snipped]
full text is at
http://tinyurl.com/c3su7s
Friday, February 13, 2009
மாலனும் நான்முகனும் கேளாத புண்டரீகக்கதை
சொல்லப்படாத கதை.
remeber liberating iraq?
`How many more boys have to die?'
Sri Lankan army's gains against Tamil rebels too dearly bought, some soldiers' families say
Feb 13, 2009 04:30 AM
Rick Westhead
South Asia bureau
Kuliyapitiya, Sri Lanka–In a parking lot off the main street of this town in Sri Lanka's lush "coconut triangle," a recruiting drive is taking place.
Standing next to a red school bus emblazoned with military posters and with loudspeakers mounted in the windows, three army commandos chat with a group of young men who seem impressed by the soldiers' camouflage uniforms, special forces badges and high-cut leather boots.
Posters around this town a three-hour drive north of Colombo show pictures of local youths who have enlisted and ask residents to donate blood. Radio ads encourage people to "join the winning side."
It's understandable why the army has focused on Kuliyapitiya. Smaller farming communities such as this one, where job prospects are scarce, have been especially fertile ground for Sri Lanka's military in its decades-long civil war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
"It used to be that kids grew up wanting to be doctors and lawyers; now they want to join the army," said Chandana Bulathsinhala, who works for an opposition member of parliament here.
The recruitment has come at a cost. This area of 150,000 has buried 5,000 soldiers over the past few years, Bulathsinhala said. In recent months, there have been as many as three funerals a week.
Sitting on a sagging mattress in her cramped clay-tiled roof home, a cat curled up next to her, Kusuma Gunawardana wiped away tears as she talked about her son.
Two weeks ago, the 24-year-old soldier disappeared near Elephant Pass, a key access point to the Jaffna peninsula in the north. The police came to tell Gunawardana her tall, thin boy had vanished in a firefight against the Tigers.
"There's been nothing since then. No offers of help, nothing," she sobbed. "I want to know what's happened to him. I want to end this feeling."
Steps from Gunawardana's front door, a poster pays tribute to Alimanka, a local commando who died during fighting in Jaffna. "Brother, you have not died. You bloom as a flower among us."
Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said 3,700 Sri Lankan soldiers have been killed since July 2006.
The families of fallen soldiers keep receiving their paycheques – Gunawardana still gets about $220 a month – until a time when they would have reached age 55.
Families also get a lump-sum payment worth about $820. That figure is doubled if the soldier was married, Nanayakkara said.
But it's small solace to Gunawardana. "This government is to blame as well," she said. "How many more boys have to die? It would have been better to have him living and not go in the military, even if we had to go and beg."
The difference between Colombo and towns like Kuliyapitiya is striking. In Sri Lanka's oceanside capital, the war is celebrated.
Last weekend, at a cultural fair called Deyata Kirula, hundreds of thousands of spectators packed a fairground to see signs of Sri Lanka's progress.
The most popular exhibits were the military ones. Crowds crushed around a recently captured Tamil Tigers submarine. Children sat on anti-aircraft guns and next to grenade launchers as grinning parents snapped photos. At one exhibit, a soldier showed a pair of Buddhist monks how to work an AK-47 rifle.
But for many families, the wounds will never heal.
[snipped]
full text is at
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/586944
remeber liberating iraq?
`How many more boys have to die?'
Sri Lankan army's gains against Tamil rebels too dearly bought, some soldiers' families say
Feb 13, 2009 04:30 AM
Rick Westhead
South Asia bureau
Kuliyapitiya, Sri Lanka–In a parking lot off the main street of this town in Sri Lanka's lush "coconut triangle," a recruiting drive is taking place.
Standing next to a red school bus emblazoned with military posters and with loudspeakers mounted in the windows, three army commandos chat with a group of young men who seem impressed by the soldiers' camouflage uniforms, special forces badges and high-cut leather boots.
Posters around this town a three-hour drive north of Colombo show pictures of local youths who have enlisted and ask residents to donate blood. Radio ads encourage people to "join the winning side."
It's understandable why the army has focused on Kuliyapitiya. Smaller farming communities such as this one, where job prospects are scarce, have been especially fertile ground for Sri Lanka's military in its decades-long civil war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
"It used to be that kids grew up wanting to be doctors and lawyers; now they want to join the army," said Chandana Bulathsinhala, who works for an opposition member of parliament here.
The recruitment has come at a cost. This area of 150,000 has buried 5,000 soldiers over the past few years, Bulathsinhala said. In recent months, there have been as many as three funerals a week.
Sitting on a sagging mattress in her cramped clay-tiled roof home, a cat curled up next to her, Kusuma Gunawardana wiped away tears as she talked about her son.
Two weeks ago, the 24-year-old soldier disappeared near Elephant Pass, a key access point to the Jaffna peninsula in the north. The police came to tell Gunawardana her tall, thin boy had vanished in a firefight against the Tigers.
"There's been nothing since then. No offers of help, nothing," she sobbed. "I want to know what's happened to him. I want to end this feeling."
Steps from Gunawardana's front door, a poster pays tribute to Alimanka, a local commando who died during fighting in Jaffna. "Brother, you have not died. You bloom as a flower among us."
Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said 3,700 Sri Lankan soldiers have been killed since July 2006.
The families of fallen soldiers keep receiving their paycheques – Gunawardana still gets about $220 a month – until a time when they would have reached age 55.
Families also get a lump-sum payment worth about $820. That figure is doubled if the soldier was married, Nanayakkara said.
But it's small solace to Gunawardana. "This government is to blame as well," she said. "How many more boys have to die? It would have been better to have him living and not go in the military, even if we had to go and beg."
The difference between Colombo and towns like Kuliyapitiya is striking. In Sri Lanka's oceanside capital, the war is celebrated.
Last weekend, at a cultural fair called Deyata Kirula, hundreds of thousands of spectators packed a fairground to see signs of Sri Lanka's progress.
The most popular exhibits were the military ones. Crowds crushed around a recently captured Tamil Tigers submarine. Children sat on anti-aircraft guns and next to grenade launchers as grinning parents snapped photos. At one exhibit, a soldier showed a pair of Buddhist monks how to work an AK-47 rifle.
But for many families, the wounds will never heal.
[snipped]
full text is at
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/586944
Labels: உருத்திரன், நான்முகன், புண்டரீகம், மாலன்
Thursday, February 12, 2009
7 upcountry Tamil youths arrested in Kandy
7 upcountry Tamil youths arrested in Kandy
[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 February 2009, 19:49 GMT]
Seven Tamil youths were arrested in cordon and search operation conducted in Kandy town Tuesday by the Sri Lanka Police, sources in Kandy said. The operation was conducted by the Kandy police to ensure protection of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse who was scheduled to address a provincial council election meeting in Getambe in Kandy district the same evening.
The arrested are residents of Hatton, Hewaheta, Thigana and Kandy.
Police said they were taken in for questioning as their behavior in the busy bazaar area created suspicion and also they failed to prove their identity and justify their presence in the location.
The arrested are being detained in the Kandy police station and are being interrogated, police sources said.
[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 February 2009, 19:49 GMT]
Seven Tamil youths were arrested in cordon and search operation conducted in Kandy town Tuesday by the Sri Lanka Police, sources in Kandy said. The operation was conducted by the Kandy police to ensure protection of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse who was scheduled to address a provincial council election meeting in Getambe in Kandy district the same evening.
The arrested are residents of Hatton, Hewaheta, Thigana and Kandy.
Police said they were taken in for questioning as their behavior in the busy bazaar area created suspicion and also they failed to prove their identity and justify their presence in the location.
The arrested are being detained in the Kandy police station and are being interrogated, police sources said.
wordmint: nonகடவுள்
நோம் ஸோம்ஸ்கியின் 'போகிறபோக்கிலே போடடா" கருத்தை
I revere this guy. Yet he has to learn more about the ongoing tamil issue (that he agrees not knowing much). However this interview originally appeared in Sri Lanka Guardian. You can not read some right questions that were supposed to be asked, and can see some silly questions that were implanted to get a reply
"Professor Chomsky On Sri Lanka And American Affairs"
By Eric Bailey
12 February, 2009
Sri Lanka Guardian
Sri Lanka Guardian's Washington correspondent Eric Bailey interviews Noam Chomsky
As the Sri Lankan Civil War's military aspect slowly but surely draws to a close, questions about Sri Lanka's future are becoming more and more pressing. What should happen to former rebels, especially those who may have committed war crimes? What will be the fate of the Tamils in Sri Lanka as a people and will their rights be protected? While no one can answer these questions before events occur, we can hope to expose Sri Lanka to the best minds available in the relevant political and social fields, and the most diverse advice available.
Appearing for the first time in Sri Lankan media, MIT's linguistics Professor Noam Chomsky has given the Sri Lanka Guardian an exclusive interview to discuss the events unfolding in Sri Lanka, as well as in his home country, the United States. Professor Chomsky has gained fame worldwide for his political activism and has been an outspoken critic of United States Foreign policy over the years. He is a self-described anarchist, but is probably most famous for his strong stances in support of suffering peoples, such as those in Palestine and Somalia. Now we hope to apply his years of experience and insight to Sri Lanka to help the nation make the transition from a house divided to a united and peaceful country.
Here is full text of Interview;
Eric: Can you still hear me alright?
Chomsky: Yes I can hear you.
Eric: Ok, great. I'd like to talk with you about several world events, but especially starting with Sri Lanka because that's where this newspaper is from.
Chomsky: Yeah.
Eric: You may have been hearing some news about their civil war that has picked up in the last year.
Chomsky: Yes, yes I've been following.
Eric: Yes, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, have been fighting for an independent country for over a quarter century now, but have been facing defeat after defeat for the past few years, especially in the last year when they lost their capital city of Kilinochchi and several other key bases. In fact just yesterday their last major naval base fell. Could you please tell me a little about your views of Sri Lanka and how it's handling the separatist problem?
Chomsky: Well, I don't feel that I have a profound enough knowledge of the details to offer a confident opinion, but it is clear that there is a problem of Tamil Rights and now that the military aspect of the conflict seems to be coming to an end what would be necessary, and humane, and best for everyone concerned, is to arrive at some kind of political solution that gives a recognition to the valid claims for some form of autonomy or self determination within the Sri Lankan state. To work that out you'd have to know more than I do.
Eric: Do you feel that an independent state for the Tamils is a viable option or do you feel that it is in the best interests of the island to remain as one independent nation, or one united nation, rather?
Chomsky: I think the idea of a single state is a bad option in much of the world and in fact parts of the world, like parts of Europe, for example, are moving towards more federal arrangements. So take, say, Spain. In Spain, Catalonia by now has a high degree of autonomy within the Spanish state. The Basque Country also has a high degree of autonomy and the same will increasingly be true of other regions. In England, Wales and Scotland in the United Kingdom are moving towards a form of autonomy and self determination and I think there are similar developments throughout Europe and they're mixed with a lot of pros and cons, but by and large I think it is a generally healthy development. I mean, the people have different interests, different cultural backgrounds, different concerns, and there should be special arrangements to allow them to pursue their special interests and concerns in harmony with others. Some form of federalism I suppose is a good outcome in multinational, multicultural, systems, especially where there is a fair amount of geographical separation. You know, it just depends on local circumstances, the kinds of accommodations that are possible. Without a really deep knowledge of these matters would be just too presumptuous for an outsider to offer opinions.
Eric: I understand that. I would like to talk a little bit about how Sri Lanka is going to be dealing with reconstruction, basically, after the LTTE is finally defeated, which most military analysts are saying should occur in the next month or two. What do you feel should be the fate of the tens of thousands of rebels who have fought over the decades-
Chomsky: I'm sorry, say it again. What do I think, in terms of what?
Eric: What do you think should be the fate of the tens of thousands of people who have fought with the LTTE over the decades, including lower level soldiers all the way up to leading officers?
Chomsky: I understand. Well the general approach, I think, should be, the general presumption should be that there will be a form of amnesty. It's probably not a bad idea to establish some kind of truce commission without punitive powers, but with investigatory powers, that would bring to light atrocities and crimes committed on all sides, as a step towards reconciliation and living together.
Eric: Yes, the war crimes and atrocities is actually going to be a hot issue in Sri Lanka, given that so many top rebel leaders are accused of (ordering) several massacres and that this is the group that actually invented the suicide bomber, or at least the suicide belt, as far as I understand it.
Chomsky: Yeah, well there are plenty of crimes on all sides, undoubtedly, and there should be- You know, it's not easy. A lot of people have suffered and it's hard for them to face that their side too is guilty of crimes, but it is quite important for that to take place. It has been moderately successful in other places; in South Africa, in El Salvador, in Guatemala. It doesn't overcome the problems, but it leads to a basis for a degree of reconciliation and a basis for living together in some constructive fashion.
Eric: Alright, I understand that. In regards to the very top leadership of the LTTE, do you think it might be more healthy or harmful for Sri Lanka to create its own Nuremburg trials to try these top Tiger leaders?
Chomsky: I frankly doubt it because the Nuremburg trials, if they were serious, would have to avoid the profound immorality of the actual Nuremburg trials. Remember, the actual Nuremburg trials were trials of the defeated, not of the victors. In fact, the principle of the Nuremburg trials was that if the Allies had committed some crime, it wasn't a crime. So, for example, the German war criminals were not accused of bombing urban, civilian targets because the Allies did more of it than the Nazis did, and Nazi war criminals like submarine commander Dönitz was able to bring as defense witnesses, American and British counterparts who testified that they had done the same things so these automatically became non-crimes. In other words, a war crime is defined as something you did and we didn't do and that turns the trial into a sham. It has been a sham since. The Chief Justice at Nuremburg, Chief Robert Jackson, the American Chief Prosecutor, he made very strong statements at Nuremburg, admonishing the judges there that, as he put it, "we are handing the defendants a poison chalice and if we sip from it (meaning if we carry out crimes like theirs) then we must be subject to the same punishment." Of course, nothing like that has happened or is even conceivable. Jackson said, "If we don't do this it means that the trial was a farce." Well we haven't done it so that means the trial was a farce, even though the guilty were maybe the most guilty criminals in modern history. So a Trial modeled on Nuremburg would not be a good thing at all. It would simply be a trial of the defeated and that only engenders further hatred, anger, and promises an ugly conflict. An honest trial, which tries everyone, might be conceivable, but my guess is that it's probably not a good idea, just as it wasn't carried out in the countries that I mentioned.
[snipped]
full text is at
http://www.countercurrents.org/bailey120209.htm
"Professor Chomsky On Sri Lanka And American Affairs"
By Eric Bailey
12 February, 2009
Sri Lanka Guardian
Sri Lanka Guardian's Washington correspondent Eric Bailey interviews Noam Chomsky
As the Sri Lankan Civil War's military aspect slowly but surely draws to a close, questions about Sri Lanka's future are becoming more and more pressing. What should happen to former rebels, especially those who may have committed war crimes? What will be the fate of the Tamils in Sri Lanka as a people and will their rights be protected? While no one can answer these questions before events occur, we can hope to expose Sri Lanka to the best minds available in the relevant political and social fields, and the most diverse advice available.
Appearing for the first time in Sri Lankan media, MIT's linguistics Professor Noam Chomsky has given the Sri Lanka Guardian an exclusive interview to discuss the events unfolding in Sri Lanka, as well as in his home country, the United States. Professor Chomsky has gained fame worldwide for his political activism and has been an outspoken critic of United States Foreign policy over the years. He is a self-described anarchist, but is probably most famous for his strong stances in support of suffering peoples, such as those in Palestine and Somalia. Now we hope to apply his years of experience and insight to Sri Lanka to help the nation make the transition from a house divided to a united and peaceful country.
Here is full text of Interview;
Eric: Can you still hear me alright?
Chomsky: Yes I can hear you.
Eric: Ok, great. I'd like to talk with you about several world events, but especially starting with Sri Lanka because that's where this newspaper is from.
Chomsky: Yeah.
Eric: You may have been hearing some news about their civil war that has picked up in the last year.
Chomsky: Yes, yes I've been following.
Eric: Yes, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, have been fighting for an independent country for over a quarter century now, but have been facing defeat after defeat for the past few years, especially in the last year when they lost their capital city of Kilinochchi and several other key bases. In fact just yesterday their last major naval base fell. Could you please tell me a little about your views of Sri Lanka and how it's handling the separatist problem?
Chomsky: Well, I don't feel that I have a profound enough knowledge of the details to offer a confident opinion, but it is clear that there is a problem of Tamil Rights and now that the military aspect of the conflict seems to be coming to an end what would be necessary, and humane, and best for everyone concerned, is to arrive at some kind of political solution that gives a recognition to the valid claims for some form of autonomy or self determination within the Sri Lankan state. To work that out you'd have to know more than I do.
Eric: Do you feel that an independent state for the Tamils is a viable option or do you feel that it is in the best interests of the island to remain as one independent nation, or one united nation, rather?
Chomsky: I think the idea of a single state is a bad option in much of the world and in fact parts of the world, like parts of Europe, for example, are moving towards more federal arrangements. So take, say, Spain. In Spain, Catalonia by now has a high degree of autonomy within the Spanish state. The Basque Country also has a high degree of autonomy and the same will increasingly be true of other regions. In England, Wales and Scotland in the United Kingdom are moving towards a form of autonomy and self determination and I think there are similar developments throughout Europe and they're mixed with a lot of pros and cons, but by and large I think it is a generally healthy development. I mean, the people have different interests, different cultural backgrounds, different concerns, and there should be special arrangements to allow them to pursue their special interests and concerns in harmony with others. Some form of federalism I suppose is a good outcome in multinational, multicultural, systems, especially where there is a fair amount of geographical separation. You know, it just depends on local circumstances, the kinds of accommodations that are possible. Without a really deep knowledge of these matters would be just too presumptuous for an outsider to offer opinions.
Eric: I understand that. I would like to talk a little bit about how Sri Lanka is going to be dealing with reconstruction, basically, after the LTTE is finally defeated, which most military analysts are saying should occur in the next month or two. What do you feel should be the fate of the tens of thousands of rebels who have fought over the decades-
Chomsky: I'm sorry, say it again. What do I think, in terms of what?
Eric: What do you think should be the fate of the tens of thousands of people who have fought with the LTTE over the decades, including lower level soldiers all the way up to leading officers?
Chomsky: I understand. Well the general approach, I think, should be, the general presumption should be that there will be a form of amnesty. It's probably not a bad idea to establish some kind of truce commission without punitive powers, but with investigatory powers, that would bring to light atrocities and crimes committed on all sides, as a step towards reconciliation and living together.
Eric: Yes, the war crimes and atrocities is actually going to be a hot issue in Sri Lanka, given that so many top rebel leaders are accused of (ordering) several massacres and that this is the group that actually invented the suicide bomber, or at least the suicide belt, as far as I understand it.
Chomsky: Yeah, well there are plenty of crimes on all sides, undoubtedly, and there should be- You know, it's not easy. A lot of people have suffered and it's hard for them to face that their side too is guilty of crimes, but it is quite important for that to take place. It has been moderately successful in other places; in South Africa, in El Salvador, in Guatemala. It doesn't overcome the problems, but it leads to a basis for a degree of reconciliation and a basis for living together in some constructive fashion.
Eric: Alright, I understand that. In regards to the very top leadership of the LTTE, do you think it might be more healthy or harmful for Sri Lanka to create its own Nuremburg trials to try these top Tiger leaders?
Chomsky: I frankly doubt it because the Nuremburg trials, if they were serious, would have to avoid the profound immorality of the actual Nuremburg trials. Remember, the actual Nuremburg trials were trials of the defeated, not of the victors. In fact, the principle of the Nuremburg trials was that if the Allies had committed some crime, it wasn't a crime. So, for example, the German war criminals were not accused of bombing urban, civilian targets because the Allies did more of it than the Nazis did, and Nazi war criminals like submarine commander Dönitz was able to bring as defense witnesses, American and British counterparts who testified that they had done the same things so these automatically became non-crimes. In other words, a war crime is defined as something you did and we didn't do and that turns the trial into a sham. It has been a sham since. The Chief Justice at Nuremburg, Chief Robert Jackson, the American Chief Prosecutor, he made very strong statements at Nuremburg, admonishing the judges there that, as he put it, "we are handing the defendants a poison chalice and if we sip from it (meaning if we carry out crimes like theirs) then we must be subject to the same punishment." Of course, nothing like that has happened or is even conceivable. Jackson said, "If we don't do this it means that the trial was a farce." Well we haven't done it so that means the trial was a farce, even though the guilty were maybe the most guilty criminals in modern history. So a Trial modeled on Nuremburg would not be a good thing at all. It would simply be a trial of the defeated and that only engenders further hatred, anger, and promises an ugly conflict. An honest trial, which tries everyone, might be conceivable, but my guess is that it's probably not a good idea, just as it wasn't carried out in the countries that I mentioned.
[snipped]
full text is at
http://www.countercurrents.org/bailey120209.htm
Monday, February 09, 2009
"ஸோவேஸ், அவனுகளை முடிச்சிடு" - "யெஸ் பாஸ்"
read the lines in red (UK Ambassador Sawers' irresponsible comments) http://www.innercitypress.com/unsc2srilanka020909.html also read http://www.innercitypress.com/unsc3srilanka020909.html In UN Council, Japan Works on Sri Lanka Issue, "Ongoing Engagement" of UN, Says Official Coomaraswamy Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis UNITED NATIONS, February 9, updated -- Whether and how Sri Lanka will be presented in the UN Security Council is an issue currently being "mediated" by this month's Council president, Ambassador Yukio Takasu of Japan, he confirmed on the record to Inner City Press on Monday. Video here from Minute from Minute 1:46. In Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's closed-door briefing to the Council on Monday afternoon, Sri Lanka came up, UK Ambassador John Sawers confirmed after the meeting (see below). Meanwhile, senior UN official Radhika Coomaraswamy told Inner City Press that while Sri Lanka is "a new place for them" at the UN, "there is now an ongoing engagement." Video here, from Minute 48:56. Last week, Inner City Press exclusively reported that Security Council member Mexico had on February 3 asked that the Council get a briefing about Sri Lanka, and that Russia had blocked it, saying that Sri Lanka is not on the Council's agenda. Click here for that February 5 story, which was picked up in Sri Lanka's Sunday Times which in turn reported that "a senior Foreign Ministry official in Colombo said that what Mexico had suggested was at an informal meeting... However, H.M.G.S. Palihakkara, Sri Lanka's Permanent representative to the UN in New York, would meet the Mexican representative and brief him 'adequately' on the situation in Sri Lanka, he said. 'Ambassador Palihakkara will handle the situation. We are confident the issue will not come up at the Security Council,' the official said. The UN-based Inner City Press reported that this month's Council president, Yukio Takasu, had said he would engage the two sides -- Mexico and Russia -- in bilateral consultations on the issue." Because of the pressure being brought to bear on Mexico and others, Inner City Press on Monday sought further confirmation that the issue is "live" in the Council. Even the Permanent Representative of a north African country not on the Council told Inner City Press he was aware of the discussions in the Council. Another Council member said that beyond Russia, others of the Permanent Five members -- the UK, France, US and China -- are against having a briefing. On camera, Inner City Press asked Ambassador Takasu to confirm Mexico's request and where things stand. "I cannot confirm who said what," Takasu replied, "but this issue has been the matter of consultations I have accepted to take. And I am talking to the people among themselves, but no decision is made yet." Video here from Minute from Minute 1:46. Amb. Takasu with the President of the UN General Assembly, outcome on Sri Lanka not shown Inner City Press asked, is the upsurge in fighting in Sri Lanka an appropriate issue for consideration by the Council, given the effect on civilians? Ambassador Takasu said "among Council members there are different views. There is the strong view that is interested in hearing about the humanitarian situation in that country. But at the same time some other members are saying that it is purely an internal matter, that the Council has no agenda yet. That is why they are putting myself in consultations to come up with a common understanding." Video here, from Minute 2:19. There are other Council members who are supportive of Mexico's request. But it is the position of the Permanent Five that is dispositive in the Council. Last week, when Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador John Sawers -- who did not participate in Monday's Council session, instead squiring Lord Mark Malloch Brown around to meetings -- why he was not proposing to discuss the impact on civilians of the government operations against the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka in the Council, while proposing a new Presidential Statement on Sudan's impact while fighting the Justice and Equality Movement, Sawers replied: "Well, the situation in Sri Lanka is entirely different. We do have concerns about the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka. We have urged the government of Sri Lanka to have everything in count to bring an end to the hostilities so that humanitarian relief can be extended to the civilians.... The Tamil Tigers are a proscribed organization and the government of Sri Lanka has long been blighted by the activities of the Tamil Tigers. We want these to be brought to an end." So it appears to some that since the UK and many others want the Tamil Tigers "brought to an end," they are looking the other way on a level of civilian casualties not seen in many of the other situations which they talk about at length in the Security Council. Update: now it's said that the UK Mission to the UN's position is that if a formal request were made for a Council briefing on Sri Lanka, the UK would not oppose it, even, would be supportive. But they will not make the request: over-worked, apparently, or delegating to Mexico on the issue.Further update: following Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's closed-door briefing to the Council on Monday afternoon, Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador Sawers, "Did Sri Lanka come up?" Sawers answered, "Yes," and then left. Watch this site. In the Sri Lankan press, following Inner City Press' exclusive report on Mexico's request and Russia's negative response, there has been discussion of why Mexico and Russia are interested. Click here for some discussion. Of the latter, it must be noted that Russia often opposes new items being brought before the Council, on the theory that some of their "internal" conflicts could then make an appearance. The UN and the Security Council should strive to be objective, as regards consideration of humanitarian suffering, and not only focus where Permanent Five members want to. To request a briefing on Sri Lanka is not to support the Tamil Tigers. Many of those countries which expressed concern about Gaza at the same time criticize Hamas, for example. Russia, as Inner City Press has reported here, raised in the Council the issue of the Coalition's killing of civilians in Afghanistan, and that was not seen as support for Al Qaeda or the Taliban. Then again, Afghanistan was already on the Security Council's agenda...
இதுக்கென்ன சொல்லும் இந்தூ
BBC suspends Sri Lanka FM reports
17:44 GMT, Monday, 9 February 2009
The BBC World Service is to stop providing radio news to Sri Lanka's state broadcaster because of what it calls "deliberate interference".
A statement said FM broadcasts to the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation would be suspended from Tuesday.
The BBC said many of its news reports in Sinhala, Tamil and English had been blocked or only partially broadcast.
The SLBC chairman admitted censoring BBC programming, saying he had a duty to do so at a time of war.
The BBC says it will maintain its services in Sinhala, Tamil and English on short wave radio and online. BBC news reports in English are to continue on the Sri Lankan commercial radio broadcaster, MBC.
The BBC move follows allegations that press freedoms are being eroded in Sri Lanka as fighting intensifies between troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.
Media rights groups accuse the Sri Lankan authorities of cracking down on dissent. The government denies the charge.
full text is at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7879743.stm
17:44 GMT, Monday, 9 February 2009
The BBC World Service is to stop providing radio news to Sri Lanka's state broadcaster because of what it calls "deliberate interference".
A statement said FM broadcasts to the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation would be suspended from Tuesday.
The BBC said many of its news reports in Sinhala, Tamil and English had been blocked or only partially broadcast.
The SLBC chairman admitted censoring BBC programming, saying he had a duty to do so at a time of war.
The BBC says it will maintain its services in Sinhala, Tamil and English on short wave radio and online. BBC news reports in English are to continue on the Sri Lankan commercial radio broadcaster, MBC.
The BBC move follows allegations that press freedoms are being eroded in Sri Lanka as fighting intensifies between troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.
Media rights groups accuse the Sri Lankan authorities of cracking down on dissent. The government denies the charge.
full text is at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7879743.stm
Labels: ஊடக்கம், பத்திரிக்கழுத்துச்சுதந்திரம்
இதுக்குத்தானா ஆசைப்பட்டாய் பாவகுமாரா?
One time rebel leader of Sri Lanka to join SLFP
Monday, February 9, 2009, 14:19 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Feb 09, Colombo: One time area leader of the LTTE rebel outfit and founder of the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) party parliamentarian Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman says he will join Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in near future.
[snipped]
Finally he said that Eastern Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan will be alone in TMVP following his crossover as a large number of party supporters are getting ready to join with SLFP.
full text is at
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_09/February9141953RA.html
Monday, February 9, 2009, 14:19 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Feb 09, Colombo: One time area leader of the LTTE rebel outfit and founder of the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) party parliamentarian Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman says he will join Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in near future.
[snipped]
Finally he said that Eastern Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan will be alone in TMVP following his crossover as a large number of party supporters are getting ready to join with SLFP.
|
full text is at
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_09/February9141953RA.html
Labels: கருணாவை நம்பினோர் கைவிட படார், யார் பையன்?
Friday, February 06, 2009
What the main st(r)eam nationalist Sri lankan & Patriogothic Indian media may not tell you
The Truth Here Is One-Sided (& fully blinded as well)
Sri Lanka’s journalists are under pressure from their government to toe the official line
SUNANDA DESHPRIYA
Journalist
Not allowed to speak Journalists protesting after senior scribe Wikramatunga’s death
Photo: AP
SRI LANKA is among the most dangerous places in the world for a journalist. During the last three years, the media has come under unprecedented pressure. Journalists have been killed, abducted, assaulted, arrested and labelled as traitors. Media institutions were forced to close down, set on fire, and branded anti-national.
Since 2006, 18 journalists and media workers have been killed. The majority of journalists killed had been Jaffna-based Tamils. The most recent case was last month, when Lasantha Wikramatunga, editor of the Sunday Leader, was killed in broad daylight. Last month saw increased pressure on the Sri Lankan media. On January 6, petrol bombs had been hurled at the popular television and radio station MTV/MBC network. Two days later, a gang had entered the station and set it on fire after destroying the control room. Two days later, Wikramatunga was killed.
Within a week, Keheliya Rambukwela, the spokesperson for national security, named both Sunday Leader and MBC as media institutions that didn’t heed government advice on reporting defence-related matters. Media activists who spoke out against these attacks received death threats, and gangs visited their homes. Two weeks later, Upali Tennakoon, Editor of the Rivira Sinhala Weekly, was attacked. He survived as his wife covered him with her body.
On January 10, the website Lankadissent.com voluntarily closed its operations. In its last editorial it said, “A lesson learnt, that needs no repeats to learn. This ‘compassionate Sinhala Buddhist land’ does not tolerate ‘dissent’. Those who would not want to learn that living, would have to learn that in death. We, who live, would come back when ‘dissent’ comes back as a democratic right, accepted and enjoyed in a modern land of compassion. Till then, goodbye!” In the wake of these attacks, at least 11 senior journalists left the country, seven of them for India. Since the beginning of 2006, more than 30 journalists have left the country.
In his first address to the nation in December 2005, President Mahinda Rajapaksa made it clear that the media had to take its side against the war with the LTTE. The government has not left any room for ambiguity. The message to the messenger was clear: there was one truth in the war against terror and that was, the one that came from the official Media Center for National Security (MCNS) and like institutions.
In 2006, the government requested for media self-censorship. In a letter to the media, the Ministry of Defence appealed: “Please be advised that any news gathered by your institution through your own sources with regard to national security and defence should be subjected to clarification and confirmation from the MCNS in order to ensure that correct information is published, telecast or broadcast.”
Finally, in October 2007, the government put out a gazette prohibiting news reporting on proposed military operations. It was illegal to report material “which pertains to any proposed operations or military activity as well as plans to buy equipment for security forces or the police.” Under the terms of those regulations, editors could be jailed for up to five years. But due to strong opposition, the government backed down.
The systematic silencing of the Tamil media has been a grave indicator of the deteriorating space for freedom of expression. Tamil journalists, especially in the north and east, have been subjected to intimidation and harassment on a daily basis by security forces and armed groups. Certain Tamil newspapers, particularly in the east, have been set on fire and distributors prevented from selling them. Newspaper offices have been looted, burnt, vandalised and bombed.
Since 2006, the Tamil-populated Jaffna peninsula has become a nightmare for journalists, human rights activists and civilians in general. Murders, kidnappings, threats and censorship have made Jaffna one of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists to work. At least 11 media workers, including three journalists, have been killed in the Northern Province since May 2006. Three media workers are missing, including a journalist.
OVER THE past three years, army officers have summoned Jaffna-based Tamil media chiefs several times to order censorship of certain events such as the speeches made by LTTE leader V Prabakaran, the students’ strike, kidnappings, and other matters the army would prefer not reported. This puts the Tamil media in an impossible situation, because the LTTE demands they cover such topics. More than 20 journalists have been arrested all over Sri Lanka, the majority of them Tamils. Four Tamil women journalists were taken into custody under emergency regulations. All were branded LTTE supporters and suicide bombers. Well-known Tamil journalist J Tissainayagam, trainee journalist, V Walarmathi, and her husband, V Jasiharan, were arrested and charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
[snipped]
Deshpriya is a Sri Lankan journalist living in exile in Chennai
From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 6, Issue 6, Dated Feb 14, 2009
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main41.asp?filename=Ne140209the_thruth.asp
Sri Lanka’s journalists are under pressure from their government to toe the official line
SUNANDA DESHPRIYA
Journalist
Not allowed to speak Journalists protesting after senior scribe Wikramatunga’s death
Photo: AP
SRI LANKA is among the most dangerous places in the world for a journalist. During the last three years, the media has come under unprecedented pressure. Journalists have been killed, abducted, assaulted, arrested and labelled as traitors. Media institutions were forced to close down, set on fire, and branded anti-national.
Since 2006, 18 journalists and media workers have been killed. The majority of journalists killed had been Jaffna-based Tamils. The most recent case was last month, when Lasantha Wikramatunga, editor of the Sunday Leader, was killed in broad daylight. Last month saw increased pressure on the Sri Lankan media. On January 6, petrol bombs had been hurled at the popular television and radio station MTV/MBC network. Two days later, a gang had entered the station and set it on fire after destroying the control room. Two days later, Wikramatunga was killed.
Within a week, Keheliya Rambukwela, the spokesperson for national security, named both Sunday Leader and MBC as media institutions that didn’t heed government advice on reporting defence-related matters. Media activists who spoke out against these attacks received death threats, and gangs visited their homes. Two weeks later, Upali Tennakoon, Editor of the Rivira Sinhala Weekly, was attacked. He survived as his wife covered him with her body.
On January 10, the website Lankadissent.com voluntarily closed its operations. In its last editorial it said, “A lesson learnt, that needs no repeats to learn. This ‘compassionate Sinhala Buddhist land’ does not tolerate ‘dissent’. Those who would not want to learn that living, would have to learn that in death. We, who live, would come back when ‘dissent’ comes back as a democratic right, accepted and enjoyed in a modern land of compassion. Till then, goodbye!” In the wake of these attacks, at least 11 senior journalists left the country, seven of them for India. Since the beginning of 2006, more than 30 journalists have left the country.
In his first address to the nation in December 2005, President Mahinda Rajapaksa made it clear that the media had to take its side against the war with the LTTE. The government has not left any room for ambiguity. The message to the messenger was clear: there was one truth in the war against terror and that was, the one that came from the official Media Center for National Security (MCNS) and like institutions.
In 2006, the government requested for media self-censorship. In a letter to the media, the Ministry of Defence appealed: “Please be advised that any news gathered by your institution through your own sources with regard to national security and defence should be subjected to clarification and confirmation from the MCNS in order to ensure that correct information is published, telecast or broadcast.”
Finally, in October 2007, the government put out a gazette prohibiting news reporting on proposed military operations. It was illegal to report material “which pertains to any proposed operations or military activity as well as plans to buy equipment for security forces or the police.” Under the terms of those regulations, editors could be jailed for up to five years. But due to strong opposition, the government backed down.
The systematic silencing of the Tamil media has been a grave indicator of the deteriorating space for freedom of expression. Tamil journalists, especially in the north and east, have been subjected to intimidation and harassment on a daily basis by security forces and armed groups. Certain Tamil newspapers, particularly in the east, have been set on fire and distributors prevented from selling them. Newspaper offices have been looted, burnt, vandalised and bombed.
Since 2006, the Tamil-populated Jaffna peninsula has become a nightmare for journalists, human rights activists and civilians in general. Murders, kidnappings, threats and censorship have made Jaffna one of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists to work. At least 11 media workers, including three journalists, have been killed in the Northern Province since May 2006. Three media workers are missing, including a journalist.
OVER THE past three years, army officers have summoned Jaffna-based Tamil media chiefs several times to order censorship of certain events such as the speeches made by LTTE leader V Prabakaran, the students’ strike, kidnappings, and other matters the army would prefer not reported. This puts the Tamil media in an impossible situation, because the LTTE demands they cover such topics. More than 20 journalists have been arrested all over Sri Lanka, the majority of them Tamils. Four Tamil women journalists were taken into custody under emergency regulations. All were branded LTTE supporters and suicide bombers. Well-known Tamil journalist J Tissainayagam, trainee journalist, V Walarmathi, and her husband, V Jasiharan, were arrested and charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
[snipped]
Deshpriya is a Sri Lankan journalist living in exile in Chennai
From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 6, Issue 6, Dated Feb 14, 2009
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main41.asp?filename=Ne140209the_thruth.asp
Labels: fadar***r malafia, malaf***er meindia, mere outdia
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
STATEMENT OF SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY ON THE SITUATION IN SRI LANKA
STATEMENT OF SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY
ON
THE SITUATION IN SRI LANKA
February 3, 2009
Mr. LEAHY. The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka that has waxed and waned for decades costing the lives of tens of thousands of people has exploded into a full scale war and it is civilians who are bearing the brunt of the carnage.
The origins of the conflict arise from decades of the Sinhalese majority’s systematic discrimination against the Tamil minority, and its denial of the Tamils’ meaningful participation in the political process. The Sri Lankan army is almost exclusively Sinhalese. Successive Sinhalese-dominated governments have failed to effectively address these longstanding injustices.
Over the years, peaceful demonstrations by Tamils have been met with violence by Sinhalese extremists, which has in turn fostered violent extremism on the Tamil side.
In recent weeks, as the Sri Lankan army has seized control of most of the northern strongholds of the Tamil Tigers, or LTTE as they are otherwise known, the situation has gone from dire to the verge of catastrophe for the estimated 250,000 vulnerable civilians who are trapped in a so-called “safe zone.”
The LTTE has a history of suicide bombings and other indiscriminate attacks against civilians, using civilians as shields, and preventing civilians under their control from escaping to government areas. Several hundred local staff of the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations are reportedly trapped because the LTTE refuses to allow them to leave. The LTTE has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.
For its part, the Sri Lankan army insists it is targeting the LTTE, not civilians. But the army has also acted in ways that have blurred any meaningful distinction between itself and the LTTE. It has reportedly shelled areas populated by civilians, including hospitals, causing hundreds of casualties, summarily executed suspected LTTE sympathizers, and detained those who have fled LTTE areas, including women and children, in militarized camps where they are exposed to great hardship and danger.
The United Nations says a compound sheltering UN national staff inside the safety zone was shelled on January 24 and 25, killing at least nine civilians and wounding more than 20. On January 26, another artillery attack reportedly narrowly missed UN local staff working in the safety zone, but caused dozens of civilian deaths. The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that “[h]undreds of patients need emergency treatment and evacuation to [a] hospital in the government-controlled area.”
In the past two days, another hospital was reportedly shelled multiple times, resulting in more civilian deaths and injuries.
Human Rights Watch reports that since last September, when the Sri Lankan government ordered the withdrawal of most UN and nongovernmental humanitarian organizations, as well as journalists, from the conflicted area, a grave humanitarian crisis has developed with acute shortages of food, shelter, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies.
The Sri Lankan government has a duty to respect the rights and protect the safety of all Sri Lankan citizens, whatever their ethnic origin or political views. Instead, the government has embarked on a strategy to defeat the LTTE militarily and in doing so has shown disregard for the laws of war. Rather than protecting the Tamil people, the government has often contributed to their suffering. Its strategy has been to cordon off the area and blame everything, including its own violations, on the LTTE.
Since 1984, successive peace talks have failed, as both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government have reneged on their agreements, and the government has failed to provide the vision and leadership necessary to build a multi-ethnic consensus. Both sides’ extreme ethnic nationalist agendas have caused widespread human suffering. Both sides are accountable.
I have no sympathy for the LTTE, which has brought misery upon the Tamil people it professes to represent. But while the LTTE has been severely weakened, it is unlikely to disappear, and the cycle of violence may continue.
It is imperative that the government and the LTTE agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid further loss of life, permit access to UN monitors and humanitarian organizations, and permit civilians to leave for areas of safety. The Obama administration, the British, Indian and other concerned governments, should be publicly urging the same.
Over the longer term, if lasting peace is to come to Sri Lanka, the government must effectively address, in negotiations which include all the main Tamil and Muslim parties, the core issues that have fueled the conflict including laws and policies that unfairly discriminate against Sri Lanka’s minorities.
There is a related issue that needs to be mentioned, and that is the imprisonment for the past ten months of J.S. Tissainayagam, a journalist, and N. Jashiharan, a publisher, and his wife, V. Valamathy. They were arrested for articles critical of the government, and are being held in violation of their right to freedom of expression. Another of Sri Lankan’s most respected journalists, Lasantha Wickrematunga, was gunned down in broad daylight a few weeks ago. According to Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, “[t]he killing of . . . Wickrematunge . . . was the latest blow to the free expression of dissent in Sri Lanka. The searing article he wrote prophesying his own murder is an extraordinary indictment of a system corrupted by more than two decades of bloody internal conflict.” The High Commissioner noted that there have not been any prosecutions of political killings, disappearances and other violations committed in recent years. That in itself speaks volumes about the Sri Lankan government’s credibility.
For many years, the United States and Sri Lanka have enjoyed good relations. A close friend of mine, James Spain, was our Ambassador there years ago. He often told me of his deep affection for the Sri Lankan people, and of the country’s extraordinary natural beauty.
When the tsunami crashed ashore in December 2004, a member of my staff was on the island. The American people responded generously to help Sri Lanka rebuild.
It has therefore been difficult for me to watch the conflict intensify, the LTTE abuse civilians and fail to live up to its commitments, and the government threaten to expel foreign diplomats, aid agencies and journalists, and refuse appeals to permit independent observers and aid workers access to areas where Tamil civilians are trapped. And as reputable, courageous journalists have been arrested on transparently political charges or assassinated.
The Sri Lanka government will one day want the respect and support of the United States. The same can be said of the LTTE, if and when it renounces violence and becomes a legitimate political party. How they respond to today’s humanitarian appeals will weigh heavily on how the United States responds when that day comes.
ON
THE SITUATION IN SRI LANKA
February 3, 2009
Mr. LEAHY. The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka that has waxed and waned for decades costing the lives of tens of thousands of people has exploded into a full scale war and it is civilians who are bearing the brunt of the carnage.
The origins of the conflict arise from decades of the Sinhalese majority’s systematic discrimination against the Tamil minority, and its denial of the Tamils’ meaningful participation in the political process. The Sri Lankan army is almost exclusively Sinhalese. Successive Sinhalese-dominated governments have failed to effectively address these longstanding injustices.
Over the years, peaceful demonstrations by Tamils have been met with violence by Sinhalese extremists, which has in turn fostered violent extremism on the Tamil side.
In recent weeks, as the Sri Lankan army has seized control of most of the northern strongholds of the Tamil Tigers, or LTTE as they are otherwise known, the situation has gone from dire to the verge of catastrophe for the estimated 250,000 vulnerable civilians who are trapped in a so-called “safe zone.”
The LTTE has a history of suicide bombings and other indiscriminate attacks against civilians, using civilians as shields, and preventing civilians under their control from escaping to government areas. Several hundred local staff of the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations are reportedly trapped because the LTTE refuses to allow them to leave. The LTTE has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.
For its part, the Sri Lankan army insists it is targeting the LTTE, not civilians. But the army has also acted in ways that have blurred any meaningful distinction between itself and the LTTE. It has reportedly shelled areas populated by civilians, including hospitals, causing hundreds of casualties, summarily executed suspected LTTE sympathizers, and detained those who have fled LTTE areas, including women and children, in militarized camps where they are exposed to great hardship and danger.
The United Nations says a compound sheltering UN national staff inside the safety zone was shelled on January 24 and 25, killing at least nine civilians and wounding more than 20. On January 26, another artillery attack reportedly narrowly missed UN local staff working in the safety zone, but caused dozens of civilian deaths. The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that “[h]undreds of patients need emergency treatment and evacuation to [a] hospital in the government-controlled area.”
In the past two days, another hospital was reportedly shelled multiple times, resulting in more civilian deaths and injuries.
Human Rights Watch reports that since last September, when the Sri Lankan government ordered the withdrawal of most UN and nongovernmental humanitarian organizations, as well as journalists, from the conflicted area, a grave humanitarian crisis has developed with acute shortages of food, shelter, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies.
The Sri Lankan government has a duty to respect the rights and protect the safety of all Sri Lankan citizens, whatever their ethnic origin or political views. Instead, the government has embarked on a strategy to defeat the LTTE militarily and in doing so has shown disregard for the laws of war. Rather than protecting the Tamil people, the government has often contributed to their suffering. Its strategy has been to cordon off the area and blame everything, including its own violations, on the LTTE.
Since 1984, successive peace talks have failed, as both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government have reneged on their agreements, and the government has failed to provide the vision and leadership necessary to build a multi-ethnic consensus. Both sides’ extreme ethnic nationalist agendas have caused widespread human suffering. Both sides are accountable.
I have no sympathy for the LTTE, which has brought misery upon the Tamil people it professes to represent. But while the LTTE has been severely weakened, it is unlikely to disappear, and the cycle of violence may continue.
It is imperative that the government and the LTTE agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid further loss of life, permit access to UN monitors and humanitarian organizations, and permit civilians to leave for areas of safety. The Obama administration, the British, Indian and other concerned governments, should be publicly urging the same.
Over the longer term, if lasting peace is to come to Sri Lanka, the government must effectively address, in negotiations which include all the main Tamil and Muslim parties, the core issues that have fueled the conflict including laws and policies that unfairly discriminate against Sri Lanka’s minorities.
There is a related issue that needs to be mentioned, and that is the imprisonment for the past ten months of J.S. Tissainayagam, a journalist, and N. Jashiharan, a publisher, and his wife, V. Valamathy. They were arrested for articles critical of the government, and are being held in violation of their right to freedom of expression. Another of Sri Lankan’s most respected journalists, Lasantha Wickrematunga, was gunned down in broad daylight a few weeks ago. According to Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, “[t]he killing of . . . Wickrematunge . . . was the latest blow to the free expression of dissent in Sri Lanka. The searing article he wrote prophesying his own murder is an extraordinary indictment of a system corrupted by more than two decades of bloody internal conflict.” The High Commissioner noted that there have not been any prosecutions of political killings, disappearances and other violations committed in recent years. That in itself speaks volumes about the Sri Lankan government’s credibility.
For many years, the United States and Sri Lanka have enjoyed good relations. A close friend of mine, James Spain, was our Ambassador there years ago. He often told me of his deep affection for the Sri Lankan people, and of the country’s extraordinary natural beauty.
When the tsunami crashed ashore in December 2004, a member of my staff was on the island. The American people responded generously to help Sri Lanka rebuild.
It has therefore been difficult for me to watch the conflict intensify, the LTTE abuse civilians and fail to live up to its commitments, and the government threaten to expel foreign diplomats, aid agencies and journalists, and refuse appeals to permit independent observers and aid workers access to areas where Tamil civilians are trapped. And as reputable, courageous journalists have been arrested on transparently political charges or assassinated.
The Sri Lanka government will one day want the respect and support of the United States. The same can be said of the LTTE, if and when it renounces violence and becomes a legitimate political party. How they respond to today’s humanitarian appeals will weigh heavily on how the United States responds when that day comes.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Piece of Shit Business
கழித்து விட்ட இந்த மலன்களை என்ன செய்வது? இவர்களுக்குத் தேர்தல்தான் முக்கியம்!
The Times of India
Cong feels Lanka situation will not affect its TN alliance
3 Feb 2009, 0318 hrs IST, TNN
NEW DELHI: Congress is hopeful that barring a sudden and sharp deterioration in the humanitarian situation, the Sri Lankan offensive against LTTE will not rock the party's Tamil Nadu alliance too hard ahead of general elections due to get underway in April.
Congress is of the view that the LTTE storm has been "hamdled" by foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Colombo and the subsequent window offered to civilians to reach safe zones. LTTE's reluctance to allow movement of civilians has not gone down well with public opinion, feels the party.
Given the near-certainty that the Tigers are not likely to stage a recovery as they have in the past, Congress's assessment is that DMK chief M Karunanidhi will not break with UPA. The shrewd politico is expected to reflect concern over the woes of civilians but stop short of adopting any formal position seeking an Indian intervention to halt the Lankan offensive.
[snipped]
full test is at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Cong_feels_Lanka_situation_will_not_affect_its_TN_alliance/articleshow/4066818.cms
The Times of India
Cong feels Lanka situation will not affect its TN alliance
3 Feb 2009, 0318 hrs IST, TNN
NEW DELHI: Congress is hopeful that barring a sudden and sharp deterioration in the humanitarian situation, the Sri Lankan offensive against LTTE will not rock the party's Tamil Nadu alliance too hard ahead of general elections due to get underway in April.
Congress is of the view that the LTTE storm has been "hamdled" by foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Colombo and the subsequent window offered to civilians to reach safe zones. LTTE's reluctance to allow movement of civilians has not gone down well with public opinion, feels the party.
Given the near-certainty that the Tigers are not likely to stage a recovery as they have in the past, Congress's assessment is that DMK chief M Karunanidhi will not break with UPA. The shrewd politico is expected to reflect concern over the woes of civilians but stop short of adopting any formal position seeking an Indian intervention to halt the Lankan offensive.
[snipped]
full test is at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Cong_feels_Lanka_situation_will_not_affect_its_TN_alliance/articleshow/4066818.cms
Labels: The Anger Project, மரண அரசியல், மல அரசியல், மலன் பத்திரிகையாலாகாத்தனம்
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Activist warns of Sri Lanka "massacres"
Activist warns of Sri Lanka "massacres"
Swiss Tamils meet integration challenges The defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels at the hands of the Sri Lankan military could well lead to reprisal massacres, warns a Swiss human rights expert.
Sri Lankan troops are battling to finish one of Asia's longest wars, having won a series of major battles and swiftly encircled the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northeast of the Indian Ocean island.
Sri Lanka's president urged the rebels on Friday to allow the estimated 250,000 civilians trapped in the northern war zone to flee to safety following reports of heavy casualties among non-combatants stuck in the shrinking territory.
"The human right most under threat at the moment is life itself. After a conflict lasting over 30 years and atrocities committed on all sides, a military defeat of the Tigers would open the door to the settling of scores and massacres," Adrien-Claude Zoller, director of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Geneva for Human Rights, told swissinfo.
Zoller recently returned from the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, where he had been giving human rights courses to civil society NGOs.
Human rights groups have accused the rebels of holding civilians hostage and accused the military of launching heavy attacks in areas filled with civilians, including a government-declared "safe zone" in the north.
full text is at
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/Activist_warns_of_Sri_Lanka_massacres.html?siteSect=108&sid=10266130&cKey=1233499785000&ty=st
Swiss Tamils meet integration challenges The defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels at the hands of the Sri Lankan military could well lead to reprisal massacres, warns a Swiss human rights expert.
Sri Lankan troops are battling to finish one of Asia's longest wars, having won a series of major battles and swiftly encircled the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northeast of the Indian Ocean island.
Sri Lanka's president urged the rebels on Friday to allow the estimated 250,000 civilians trapped in the northern war zone to flee to safety following reports of heavy casualties among non-combatants stuck in the shrinking territory.
"The human right most under threat at the moment is life itself. After a conflict lasting over 30 years and atrocities committed on all sides, a military defeat of the Tigers would open the door to the settling of scores and massacres," Adrien-Claude Zoller, director of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Geneva for Human Rights, told swissinfo.
Zoller recently returned from the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, where he had been giving human rights courses to civil society NGOs.
Human rights groups have accused the rebels of holding civilians hostage and accused the military of launching heavy attacks in areas filled with civilians, including a government-declared "safe zone" in the north.
full text is at
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/Activist_warns_of_Sri_Lanka_massacres.html?siteSect=108&sid=10266130&cKey=1233499785000&ty=st
Sri Lanka: helping families keep in touch across the front line
அகிலச்செஞ்சிலுவைச்சங்கத்தின் செவ்வி
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/sri-lanka-interview-300109
30-01-2009 Interview
Sri Lanka: helping families keep in touch across the front line
The conflict in northern Sri Lanka has affected some 200,000 civilians in the Vanni. The majority have fled their homes, while others are at risk of displacement in this volatile situation. Many have not been able to talk to their families in recent days and weeks. Monica Zanarelli, the ICRC’s deputy head of operations for South Asia, explains the organization's efforts to re-establish family links in an extremely volatile situation.
Monica Zanarelli, ICRC’s deputy head of operations for South Asia
Monica Zanarelli, ICRC’s deputy head of operations for South Asia Has the fighting forced people to move away from their homes?
Over 2,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have reached the region of Vavuniya. Approximately the same number have arrived in the Jaffna Peninsula. These areas are controlled by the government, and displaced persons are living at permanent sites under the control of civil and military authorities. Due to security concerns, their movements are restricted and family visits are limited. Government authorities are expecting the number of IDPs coming from the Vanni region to increase by tens of thousands in the coming weeks.
What are their needs concerning the re-establishment of family links (RFL)?
Ever since people started moving from and within the Vanni, the ICRC has been assessing their needs in this respect. Until now, telecommunications and the postal service have worked well throughout Sri Lanka and most people were able to communicate with their families abroad or in other areas of the country. However, due to increased restrictions on movement, the ICRC expects people to need considerably more help in restoring or maintaining contact with their relatives in the coming days and weeks.
Today, communication is extremely limited for families staying in the LTTE-controlled area of the Vanni. The ICRC, Red Cross Societies and Red Crescent Societies are getting more and more requests from worried family members living abroad. Many have not heard from their loved ones for weeks or even months, and they cannot contact them.
Can the ICRC currently locate people displaced in the Vanni?
Massive displacements in the Vanni make it impossible for the ICRC to locate individuals at this stage. The intense fighting is making it very dangerous for our teams and those of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) to move about.
The SLRCS and the ICRC are currently setting up priorities. The two organizations will first seek to reunite unaccompanied children with their families and transfer bodies across front lines, with the aim of returning them to their families.
What is the situation in government-controlled areas?
The situation is different for those who left the LTTE-controlled area and moved to the government-controlled side. The SLRCS and the ICRC have access to sites in this zone and are hoping to establish a permanent presence in these camps so as to help restore contact between people in the camps and their relatives elsewhere in Sri Lanka and abroad. We will be using "Safe and Well" messages for this, together with telephone calls.
Given the current situation, are there limits on what the ICRC and the SLRCS can do to help families stay in touch?
At this stage, the Family Links Network is unable to collect Red Cross Messages and individual tracing requests for people living in the Vanni.
However, the SLRCS and the ICRC are currently in a position to accept Red Cross Messages and individual tracing requests for people originally from the Vanni who have moved to other areas controlled by the Government of Sri Lanka.
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/sri-lanka-interview-300109
30-01-2009 Interview
Sri Lanka: helping families keep in touch across the front line
The conflict in northern Sri Lanka has affected some 200,000 civilians in the Vanni. The majority have fled their homes, while others are at risk of displacement in this volatile situation. Many have not been able to talk to their families in recent days and weeks. Monica Zanarelli, the ICRC’s deputy head of operations for South Asia, explains the organization's efforts to re-establish family links in an extremely volatile situation.
Monica Zanarelli, ICRC’s deputy head of operations for South Asia
Monica Zanarelli, ICRC’s deputy head of operations for South Asia Has the fighting forced people to move away from their homes?
Over 2,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have reached the region of Vavuniya. Approximately the same number have arrived in the Jaffna Peninsula. These areas are controlled by the government, and displaced persons are living at permanent sites under the control of civil and military authorities. Due to security concerns, their movements are restricted and family visits are limited. Government authorities are expecting the number of IDPs coming from the Vanni region to increase by tens of thousands in the coming weeks.
What are their needs concerning the re-establishment of family links (RFL)?
Ever since people started moving from and within the Vanni, the ICRC has been assessing their needs in this respect. Until now, telecommunications and the postal service have worked well throughout Sri Lanka and most people were able to communicate with their families abroad or in other areas of the country. However, due to increased restrictions on movement, the ICRC expects people to need considerably more help in restoring or maintaining contact with their relatives in the coming days and weeks.
Today, communication is extremely limited for families staying in the LTTE-controlled area of the Vanni. The ICRC, Red Cross Societies and Red Crescent Societies are getting more and more requests from worried family members living abroad. Many have not heard from their loved ones for weeks or even months, and they cannot contact them.
Can the ICRC currently locate people displaced in the Vanni?
Massive displacements in the Vanni make it impossible for the ICRC to locate individuals at this stage. The intense fighting is making it very dangerous for our teams and those of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) to move about.
The SLRCS and the ICRC are currently setting up priorities. The two organizations will first seek to reunite unaccompanied children with their families and transfer bodies across front lines, with the aim of returning them to their families.
What is the situation in government-controlled areas?
The situation is different for those who left the LTTE-controlled area and moved to the government-controlled side. The SLRCS and the ICRC have access to sites in this zone and are hoping to establish a permanent presence in these camps so as to help restore contact between people in the camps and their relatives elsewhere in Sri Lanka and abroad. We will be using "Safe and Well" messages for this, together with telephone calls.
Given the current situation, are there limits on what the ICRC and the SLRCS can do to help families stay in touch?
At this stage, the Family Links Network is unable to collect Red Cross Messages and individual tracing requests for people living in the Vanni.
However, the SLRCS and the ICRC are currently in a position to accept Red Cross Messages and individual tracing requests for people originally from the Vanni who have moved to other areas controlled by the Government of Sri Lanka.
Labels: ICRC
Why is M J Akbar of the Times of India so pro-GoSL?
எம் ஜே அக்பர் ஸ்ரீலங்கா காலியிலே வசதியாகத் தங்கிக்கொண்டு ஸ்ரீலங்கா அரசுக்கு ஆதரவாகக் கட்டுரை எழுதுகிறாரா?
கூடவே நாகார்ஜுனனின் கட்டுரைப்பின்னூட்டத்தினையும் வாசிக்கவேண்டும்.
விடுதலைப்புலிகள் பிரச்சாரம் என்பது நீண்டகாலமாக இருப்பதுதான். தமிழகத்தின் தமிழ்-ஊடகங்கள் பல இதை விரும்பி ஏற்றன, ஏற்கின்றன என்பது சரியே. அதை ஊடுருவிக்காண்பது எளிது. அதேவேளை பத்திரிகைக்காரனாக இருந்தவன் என்ற நிலையில் எனக்குக் கிடைக்கும் செய்திகளை வைத்துப் பார்க்கும்போது இலங்கை அரசின் ஒருதலையான பிரச்சாரத்தை விரும்பி ஏற்று இந்திய-தமிழ் ஊடகங்கள் பல பலியாகிவிட்டன என்று தெரிகிறது. எடுத்துக்காட்டாக, சென்னை ஆங்கில ஏடொன்றின் ஆசிரியர் குழு கூட்டங்களில் சென்னையில் உள்ள இலங்கைத்தூதர் பங்கேற்று வருகிறார் என அறிந்தேன். டில்லி ஆங்கில-ஹிந்தி ஏடுகளின் நிருபர்கள் சிலர் ஸ்ரீலங்கன் ஏர்லைன்ஸின் சலுகைகளை ஏற்று, கொழும்பு சென்று காலி-கண்டி சுற்றுலாவை அனுபவித்திருப்பதாகவும் அறிந்தேன். இதை நேரில் பார்த்து அதிர்ச்சியடைந்தவர்களே என்னிடம் தெரிவிக்கிறார்கள். தூரத்திலிருக்கும் என்னைவிட உங்களுக்கு இன்னும் அதிகம் தெரிய வாய்ப்புண்டு.
V.V.Ganeshananthan (வாசுகி. வி. கணேசானந்தன்) பற்றி டிசேயின் குறிப்பிலே வாசிக்கவும்
அலைந்துழல் வாழ்க்கையும், இடம்பெயர மறுக்கும் மனங்களும்
Does this mean, some journalists and authors are welcome to Sri Lanka for providing or have provided pro-GoSL views?
MJ Akbar
Hatred can also become a need
1 Feb 2009, 0048 hrs IST, M J Akbar
Mukherjee, foreign minister of a party that had once trained, armed and financed the LTTE, placed India's interest above politics, ignored any potential anger-lament from the DMK, agreed that Prabhakaran was a terrorist, negotiated a commitment on civilians trapped by the war, and went home.
Paradoxically, Colombo has been able to succeed militarily and diplomatically precisely because it has overcome its obsession with India as an enemy. Hatred is also a form of dependence. Enmity becomes the sole definition of your identity. Colombo has reason for continued suspicion of Delhi. The UPA alliance is heavily dependent on the DMK, to begin with. But it has exchanged past bitterness for commonsense, refused to let animosity interfere with trade, benefited from the ensuing economic partnership and created a sustainable and equitable relationship with Delhi.
[snipped]
The end of the war against the LTTE has to become the beginning of a peace process with the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. Delhi can be credible partner in the management of peace, precisely because it has shown the respect for Sri Lanka's territorial integrity and independence that must be the foundation of any relationship. Lifting any siege needs partnership.
[snapped]
full text is at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Columnists/M_J_Akbar_Hatred_can_also_become_a_need/articleshow/4058233.cms
-----------------
Now go and read this one
Head to Galle!
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/090111/Magazine/sundaytimesplus_04.html
Tickets are selling out fast for the year’s most exciting literary event- the Galle Literary Festival to be held from January 28 to Feb 1 at the Fort, Galle. The impressive array of local and foreign authors attending includes Germaine Greer, Colin Thubron, Pico Iyer, Anne Ranasinghe, V.V.Ganeshananthan, M.J. Akbar, Moses Isegawa, Romesh Gunesekera, Vivimarie Vanderpoorten and the event promises some stimulating exchanges and discussion amidst a whole host of complementary events.
For more details and to book your tickets online, see the GLF website: www.galleliteraryfestival.com. Tickets are also available at Barefoot.
The Sunday Times is the print media sponsor of the festival once again.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/090111/Magazine/sundaytimesplus_04.html
கூடவே நாகார்ஜுனனின் கட்டுரைப்பின்னூட்டத்தினையும் வாசிக்கவேண்டும்.
விடுதலைப்புலிகள் பிரச்சாரம் என்பது நீண்டகாலமாக இருப்பதுதான். தமிழகத்தின் தமிழ்-ஊடகங்கள் பல இதை விரும்பி ஏற்றன, ஏற்கின்றன என்பது சரியே. அதை ஊடுருவிக்காண்பது எளிது. அதேவேளை பத்திரிகைக்காரனாக இருந்தவன் என்ற நிலையில் எனக்குக் கிடைக்கும் செய்திகளை வைத்துப் பார்க்கும்போது இலங்கை அரசின் ஒருதலையான பிரச்சாரத்தை விரும்பி ஏற்று இந்திய-தமிழ் ஊடகங்கள் பல பலியாகிவிட்டன என்று தெரிகிறது. எடுத்துக்காட்டாக, சென்னை ஆங்கில ஏடொன்றின் ஆசிரியர் குழு கூட்டங்களில் சென்னையில் உள்ள இலங்கைத்தூதர் பங்கேற்று வருகிறார் என அறிந்தேன். டில்லி ஆங்கில-ஹிந்தி ஏடுகளின் நிருபர்கள் சிலர் ஸ்ரீலங்கன் ஏர்லைன்ஸின் சலுகைகளை ஏற்று, கொழும்பு சென்று காலி-கண்டி சுற்றுலாவை அனுபவித்திருப்பதாகவும் அறிந்தேன். இதை நேரில் பார்த்து அதிர்ச்சியடைந்தவர்களே என்னிடம் தெரிவிக்கிறார்கள். தூரத்திலிருக்கும் என்னைவிட உங்களுக்கு இன்னும் அதிகம் தெரிய வாய்ப்புண்டு.
V.V.Ganeshananthan (வாசுகி. வி. கணேசானந்தன்) பற்றி டிசேயின் குறிப்பிலே வாசிக்கவும்
அலைந்துழல் வாழ்க்கையும், இடம்பெயர மறுக்கும் மனங்களும்
Does this mean, some journalists and authors are welcome to Sri Lanka for providing or have provided pro-GoSL views?
MJ Akbar
Hatred can also become a need
1 Feb 2009, 0048 hrs IST, M J Akbar
Mukherjee, foreign minister of a party that had once trained, armed and financed the LTTE, placed India's interest above politics, ignored any potential anger-lament from the DMK, agreed that Prabhakaran was a terrorist, negotiated a commitment on civilians trapped by the war, and went home.
Paradoxically, Colombo has been able to succeed militarily and diplomatically precisely because it has overcome its obsession with India as an enemy. Hatred is also a form of dependence. Enmity becomes the sole definition of your identity. Colombo has reason for continued suspicion of Delhi. The UPA alliance is heavily dependent on the DMK, to begin with. But it has exchanged past bitterness for commonsense, refused to let animosity interfere with trade, benefited from the ensuing economic partnership and created a sustainable and equitable relationship with Delhi.
[snipped]
The end of the war against the LTTE has to become the beginning of a peace process with the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. Delhi can be credible partner in the management of peace, precisely because it has shown the respect for Sri Lanka's territorial integrity and independence that must be the foundation of any relationship. Lifting any siege needs partnership.
[snapped]
full text is at
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Columnists/M_J_Akbar_Hatred_can_also_become_a_need/articleshow/4058233.cms
-----------------
Now go and read this one
Head to Galle!
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/090111/Magazine/sundaytimesplus_04.html
Tickets are selling out fast for the year’s most exciting literary event- the Galle Literary Festival to be held from January 28 to Feb 1 at the Fort, Galle. The impressive array of local and foreign authors attending includes Germaine Greer, Colin Thubron, Pico Iyer, Anne Ranasinghe, V.V.Ganeshananthan, M.J. Akbar, Moses Isegawa, Romesh Gunesekera, Vivimarie Vanderpoorten and the event promises some stimulating exchanges and discussion amidst a whole host of complementary events.
For more details and to book your tickets online, see the GLF website: www.galleliteraryfestival.com. Tickets are also available at Barefoot.
The Sunday Times is the print media sponsor of the festival once again.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/090111/Magazine/sundaytimesplus_04.html
Labels: SAFMA too
