And of course..it has to change. I just don’t believe sanctions and an armed conflict will solve anything. It only exacerbates the situation further.

“My point was that the west does not know to differentiate a freedom movement from Terrorism.”

I think they do. The definitions are quite clear. Terrorism is a strategy, not an objective. Freedom is an objective. Both the Zimbabwean opposition and the LTTE are fighting for freedom, that is their stated objective; but the latter uses terrorism as a strategy, while the former uses democratic means. Therefore, ONLY the LTTE is designated a terrorist group.

“My point was also that Sri Lanka (SL), a terror state, deserves not a “medal of blood” but “punitive sanctions to put it right”.”

I think you’re mixing up my article with Gajaman Nona’s piece “Blood is Their Medal”. Perhaps you should take a moment to gather your thoughts. No one is awarding the GoSL any medals for what it’s done.

“Sri lanka has been walking away freely for long from economic sanctions by the west. If sanctions is the “way” for Zimbabwe, SL should have been put in this “way” long ago by the west.”

If the LTTE hadn’t hijacked and squandered the Tamil struggle with its own blood-drenched path, perhaps the GoSL would have faced sanctions. As long as the LTTE remains by choice one of the most murderous organizations on the planet, SL has no fear of sanctions.

“The government of Sri Lanka GOSL), the political parties in the South and the voters who voted this wretched government to power, should be severely punished by economic sanctions from the UN,”

Why should an entire population be punished for the (alleged) faults of its government? If the LTTE hadn’t prevented the NE Tamils from voting, Ranil Wickramasinghe would have won the presidential elections and a more benevolent administration would’ve been in power. In Zimbabwe, the sanctions are selective, to target the top brass, not the suffering population. The world learned from the mistakes of the Iraqi sanctions.

You are right that it was the violation of Tamil rights that sparked the separatist movement, but the subsequent actions of the LTTE have far surpassed anything done pre-’83. The LTTE has avenged itself, and so the scales are now balance, and in fact more in favour of the GoSL. The LTTE has had numerous opportunities to compromise and win a peaceful solution for the Tamils it professes to represent, but has wasted each chance.

“GOSL is overtly or covertly involved in torture, arrest, kidnap, murder, economic depravation and social disintegration of Tamils in the NE.”

As is the LTTE. Pointing fingers benefits no one.

“inflamatory inciting actions have made the Sinhala attitudes to harden. War talk and fighting talk is sweet to the Sinhalese.”

It is in fact the LTTE’s constant aggression, it’s breaking of every truce or ceasefire since ‘87, it’s intentional targeting of religious and other civilian targets, that have hardened the Sinhalese hearts. Do you need to be reminded that it took many months of continuous provocation by the LTTE before the Mahinda government retaliated, in spite of the media baying for LTTE blood?

“More than 80% of Tamils in the NE want self rule.”

Really? Could you substantiate that claim with a source please? If this is true, why didn’t the LTTE allow the NE Tamils to vote at the last presidential elections? A UNP government would have made Tamil self-rule much more of a possiblity. But FYI, the Eastern Province seems to have already got self-rule.

“LTTE also wants self rule.”

True, but the LTTE wants self-rule for the LTTE, not for the Tamils.

“The state and media continue to underscore the rights and sufferings of Tamils.”

Er… why are you against the highlighting of Tamil rights and sufferings?

“Tamils are coming to realise more and more with certainty that armed resistance is their only survival kit.”

Well then it’s a pretty faulty and useless survival kit, because more Tamils have been murdered, maimed and made homeless by the LTTE than were in July ‘83 or before. The LTTE is incapable of defending the so-called Tamil homeland (they are now restricted to just two districts) and must resort to conscription to make up their numbers. If 80% of the Tamils are for self-rule, why aren’t they all volunteering to fight? Why aren’t the Canadian Tamils sending their youth to fight? Why is the LTTE forcing little children to fight? After 30 years of war, the Tamils are in a worse state than ever before.

“They deliberately vote anti Tamil parties to power with the intent to exterminate Tamils in the NE”

But it is the LTTE that picked Mahinda by refusing the NE Tamils the vote.

“The Sinhalese are expensively educated in universities to be anti-Tamil”

Again, please provide sources for your claim that university syllabuses teach racism.

The bottom line is, Sam, that the Tamils and Sinhalese are equally racist. The only difference is that the Sinhalese outnumber the Tamils so the latter got the dirty end of the stick. If the Tamils were the majority, the Sinhalese would be oppressed.

My point was that the west does not know to differentiate a freedom movement from Terrorism. Therefore, Canada and Britain were not right in their actions.

My point was also that Sri Lanka (SL), a terror state, deserves not a “medal of blood” but “punitive sanctions to put it right”. Sri lanka has been walking away freely for long from economic sanctions by the west. If sanctions is the “way” for Zimbabwe, SL should have been put in this “way” long ago by the west.

The government of Sri Lanka GOSL), the political parties in the South and the voters who voted this wretched government to power, should be severely punished by economic sanctions from the UN, for denying the legitimate rights of Tamils and for gross violation of human rights abuses in the North East (NE), even before armed resistance commenced.

GOSL is overtly or covertly involved in torture, arrest, kidnap, murder, economic depravation and social disintegration of Tamils in the NE. And the Sinhalese are made to support this cruelty. Inflamatory inciting actions have made the Sinhala attitudes to harden. War talk and fighting talk is sweet to the Sinhalese.

More than 80% of Tamils in the NE want self rule. LTTE also wants self rule. Though LTTE wants self rule, all the Tamils who ask for self rule are not LTTE. Sinhalese are deliberately told by the Sinhala media and the state that all those who ask for self rule are in LTTE. Sinhalese are flogged into this untruth to promote violence, bloodshed, war and Tamil genocide.

Any born Sinhalese is grown into anti-Tamilism. They are never taught to respect the legitimate right of Tamils to rule themselves. This has happened for decades and is not reversible even by a “medal in blood”.

Because of such deliberate “anti-Tamil rights” movement, Sinhalese can neither be reasonable with Tamil rights nor understand the pathetic predicament. The state and media continue to underscore the rights and sufferings of Tamils.

It is Tamils who face state terror and brutal oppression. Tamils are coming to realise more and more with certainty that armed resistance is their only survival kit. Unfortunately, for any Sinhalese armed resistance by Tamils is offensive because it impedes their corporate intent for Tamil genocide.

SL has more than 90% literacy. Voters who vote the racist anti-Tamil governments are not stupid to be misled by politicians. They know what they are doing. They deliberately vote anti Tamil parties to power with the intent to exterminate Tamils in the NE

The Sinhalese are expensively educated in universities to be anti-Tamil. For their brains to open up to wisdom, economic sanctions by the UN is vital. Sanctions will make them realisse that there is a world out there requiring human norms and standards of governance in their country, SL.

The Sri Lankan state is a “rotten apple” in the world basket of countries. The “rotten apple” must be taken out of the basket to prevent other apples from rotting. It has already made Zimabawe to rot. Therfore, SL shoul be isolated from the world community and strict economic sanctions should be imposed to bring the country back to human norms and standards of governance.

Tamils had to resort to armed resiatance to minimise state terror. The victims may be prime misters but they were executing the war, and so are enemies in the war of resistance or freedom.

The prime misters had “medal of blood” . So be happy !

Peoples opinions are peoples opinions. I never congratulated the article. In fact the only reason I even posted was in response to Sam’s message. You can’t stop people from saying what they believe in really…it’s up to you to filter out what you don’t like and I’m all for discourse. But I do not appreciate being labeled as a Sinhala Buddhist chauvinist without any due cause. If you see it as being your role to pass harsh judgment to prove a point and act superior …get off your high horse.

I believe it was Sam Thambapillai who brought up the Zimbabwean issue, which was quite irrelevant to my article. Did you miss that, Chee? Blinkers, huh?

“but freedom of speech does not extend to the point of giving license for someone to cry ‘fire’ in a crowded theatre”

Ah yes, the tired old excuse used by fascists everywhere to suppress free speech. You’ll be pleased to know, Cheelanka (intuitive pseudonym there), the Defence Secretary and the MoD are in total agreement with you. We can see the revoking of the licence to cry ‘fire’ on a daily basis as journos are assaulted, imprisoned, and kidnapped in SL. Chee, you should be proud of yourself and your stand against our constitutional rights.

Oh, and I’d like you to quote any portion of my article that cries anything, never mind ‘fire’. I’m merely reporting on the banning and closing down of several LTTE front groups. Would you prefer that no one heard about these things?

“or merely repeat the war rhetoric and propaganda of the Sinhala Buddhist hegemonist government.”

So instead we should repeat the war rhetoric and propaganda of the LTTE, as has been done quite often on this site. Would you prefer that only one side is represented, as both the GoSL and the LTTE wish? Why, you’ve got Tamilnet and Defencenet already.

And mark my words: first they came for the Tamils of all faiths. Now they are already targeting Muslims. Next they will single out Sinhala Christians/Catholics. Very soon, only those who are Sinhalese AND Buddhists AND true blue will be allowed to live in peace in this country. Knowingly or not, soldier boy and Shanil are cheerleading the sinister march of this Sinhala Buddhist hegemonist government.

This is a place for discourse is it not….