Archive for February, 2009
February 24, 2009 at 6:05 pm · Categories: Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Lionel Bopage
A side issue arising from Professor Michael Roberts’s Dilemmas at War’s End: Clarifications & Counter-Offensive
According to Professor Roberts, dissident SL Tamils are of the view that the LTTE has passed its use-by date and a new leadership is needed to fight for their rights. He thinks these dissident Tamils have a far better understanding of the immediate priorities of the Tamil people. Is he referring to the ones now in positions of power because they claim they have accepted the democratic process? If so, has their record to date in upholding these democratic norms stood up to scrutiny? Or, is the hope a thousand flowers will bloom as soon as the LTTE leader Pirapaharan is dead? Or, …
February 23, 2009 at 5:44 pm · Categories: Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Lionel Bopage
I would like to preface my response to Professor Michael Robert’s two articles (Dilemma’s at Wars End: Responding to Hard Realities and Dilemma’s at Wars End: Clarifications and Counter-offensive). By writing this, I have no wish to devalue my friendship with Professor Roberts. For at the end of the day both of us stand for an inclusive Sri Lanka that recognizes the pluralist nature of its society comprising Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. I am completely with Professor Roberts when he emphasizes this as a central plank in addressing the current conflict.
Disregarding the many allegations raised in the new article, I still cannot find grounds from the two articles to resile from the position I have taken….
February 23, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Satire | by Banyan News Reporters
by Global Citizen for Banyan News Reporters
Colombo, Sri Lanka: Researchers at the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence and their counterparts at the LTTE Humanitarian Research Institute at Puthukkudiyirippu (formerly based in Kilinochchi and which did not at any time have a hospital) have been competing for months to produce the most accurate calculation of the value of life.
The Defence Ministry spokesman who leads the government research team revealed their preliminary findings several months ago through the Media Centre for National Security. Speaking to Journalists, he reported that eight soldiers had died in battle the previous day, when the actual body count of security forces personnel killed in battle was thirteen. He …
February 23, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Colombo, Foreign Relations, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Dayan Jayatilleka
Velupillai Prabhakaran is about to be defeated but he has left a time bomb hidden in plain sight which must be defused if he is not to wreak a posthumous revenge. This is the time bomb placed under a strategic four lane intersection, that between the Sinhalese and the Tamils and Sri Lanka and the world. The time bomb can be seen in the epidemic of demonstrations by the Tamil Diaspora and the statements critical of Sri Lanka that flood the international media. Prabhakaran is hoping that the time bomb will go off in time to save him, his army and his project. It is unlikely to do so, though we must not take that for granted and must …
February 22, 2009 at 2:56 am · Categories: Colombo, Satire | by Banyan News Reporters
by a Special Foreign Correspondent for Banyan News Reporters
London (February 21st) – Two Grammy Award winning paper planes of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) crashed in Colombo last night, killing two people and injuring 58 others according to our sources in Sri Lanka. The first plane exploded into the Inland Revenue Department building while the other one was reportedly shot down near Katunayake when its pilot’s identity was mistaken for a prominent journalist.
Moments after the attack, the pro-LTTE web media quoted Alan Greenspillai, the finance secretary of the banned terrorist organisation, who claimed that their mission was to give Sri Lankan businesses a tax break. “We want to encourage small and medium …
February 22, 2009 at 2:48 am · Categories: Colombo, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Jaffna, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict | by Ange
These are difficult times for all.
The GoSL is fighting a humanitarian war to liberate innocent civilians from the scourge of man-eating Tigers and claims that the safety and welfare of these “innocent civilians” is foremost in its agenda. The UN claims that the GoSL is cooperating with it, and vice versa. (Atleast that’s what it seems to some of us, as the majority are deafened by the roar of Lions and unable to hear anything else but the roaring)
INGOs are being approached by the GoSL to help with the problem of vast numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs). However, to quote a helpless INGO worker, “this is a Catch22 – total loose-loose situation…. Us humanitarian organisations have been put …
February 21, 2009 at 1:17 am · Categories: Colombo, Peace and Conflict | by Sanjana Hattotuwa
I had just posted The psychopathology of the LTTE suicide bombers here when the first JNW SMS news alert came of an LTTE air raid in the environs of Colombo. A friend called in to say that air defences had been activated and my wife called to ask whether I had electricity. All of Colombo was in darkness, but beyond the Nugegoda junction there was power.
Packed hurriedly and gave a call to Airport Express to advance my pick up time by an hour.
Gave the following update to a friend at around 11pm.
I am typing this on my Blackberry en route to the airport. Around an hour ago, the LTTE launched an air raid on Colombo. One bomb suspected …
February 20, 2009 at 9:26 pm · Categories: Jaffna, Peace and Conflict | by Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D.
Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D.
There’s a hole in the world tonight.
There’s a Cloud of fear and sorrow.
There’s a hole in the world tonight.
Don’t let there be a hole in the world tomorrow.
Eagles
The LTTE suicide killing is one of the most bizarre forms of political action adopted by its authority via glorification of death and violence. For the LTTE this action is not cleanly a military tactic or reprisal. It is a mass ritual as well as an action beyond death. The LTTE suicide carders better known as Black Tigers (or in Tamil: Karum Puligal ) are psychologically motivated to kill and get killed.
The selection of a member for a suicide mission is a …
February 19, 2009 at 10:58 pm · Categories: Colombo, Human Rights, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Maitree de Silva
In this article, my objective is to focus on a crucial area of Sri Lankan political life, where significant developments have taken place: military successes against the LTTE coupled with the development of a culture of ruthless impunity. This can be described as the result of a mixture of very dangerous elements:
1. Rise of Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism
2. A sentiment of intense ‘fear’ of the state and the military establishment
3. A military force marked by impunity and immorality.
These three factors are complemented by acts of assault, imprisonment and murder of journalists and, and a policy of zero tolerance of any dissenting voices.
Insights into the situation can be glimpsed …
February 19, 2009 at 4:21 pm · Categories: Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Peace and Conflict, Vavuniya | by Sri Lanka Diary 2009
Though I have been following the news about the war in Vanni, and the damages made to human lives and properties, I never thought it would be so bad until I went in person. I got a call from one of our parish members from one of the interim camps saying our foster son Rev. Daniel was killed in the war. The first time I experienced the steps in grief, which I had lectured several times to my students. “No, No, it can’t be” I cried. I straight away went to the Anglican Bishop’s office. I couldn’t control my tears when I saw Rev. Nesakumar. They told me that he was safe and is in one of …
February 19, 2009 at 4:12 pm · Categories: Colombo, Human Rights, IDPs and Refugees, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Devanesan Nesiah
Michael Roberts in an article published on Groundviews recently suggests that in the context of “an uncertain number of Tamil ‘civilians’ trapped within the beleaguered and shrinking LTTE territory…emotion and humanitarian concerns have eclipsed realism and factuality”. Are humanitarian concerns ever undue? In fact Michael’s position is lacking not only in ‘humanitarian concerns’ but also in ‘reality and factuality’.
The objective of the proposed ceasefire is, surely, not to postpone the defeat of the LTTE (which will not help the LTTE or the trapped Tamil civilians) but to negotiate arrangements for urgent relief to those trapped and to facilitate the evacuation of those who wish to cross over (this would be the large majority of those …
February 18, 2009 at 7:22 pm · Categories: Human Rights, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Groundviews
Vasantha Raja, Editor, www.lankaeye.com
After reading Michael Roberts’ “Dilemmas at wars end” and his subsequent “Clarifications & Counter-offensive” my curiosity above all was to find out what kind of logic could have led an academic of his calibre to end up in prescribing in effect to the world to be patient until the government’s Sinhala forces (my adjective) annihilate the Tigers’ “conventional fighting machine” (I shall use double-quotes to indicate Roberts’ words.) even at the risk of sacrificing thousands of Tamil civilians. [Presumably, the adjective “conventional” above seems to allow for the possibility of Tigers’ future existence as a guerrilla fighting machine, which in my view would be the more likely scenario. Perhaps, it would …
February 18, 2009 at 2:52 pm · Categories: Colombo, Human Rights, IDPs and Refugees, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict | by valkyrie
When I read Jeevan Thiagarajah’s piece published on Groundviews a few days ago several questions sprung to mind. Why is the article trying so desperately to be apolitical? How can we solve conflicts if we cannot even acknowledge that certain groups, i.e. the government, the LTTE, the paramilitaries, are responsible, in different ways, for the humanitarian emergency and rights violations we are faced with? The author mentions preventable deaths- how would he define them? By speaking of preventable deaths, are we as ‘caregivers’ subscribing to the logic of the state and the LTTE that some civilians will have to be sacrificed as collateral damage, i.e. are expendable?
It is unclear what the author means when he …
February 18, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Colombo, Constitutional Reform, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Somapala Gunadheera
Now that the armed conflict of the LTTE is supposed to be approaching its end, it behoves those concerned with the future of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, to reflect seriously on the options available to redeem their future. In that context, the speech delivered at the seminar organized by NIPU on December 21, 2008, by Sumanasiri Liyanage on“Reformist Perspective on Constitutional Change“, assumes relevance and significance. The text of the speech has been reproduced in Groundviews on February 10, 2009.
The Incrementally Progressive Approach
Liyanage sums up his preferred option for the Tamils as follows;
‘My submission here is if the advocates of pluralist democratic constitutional order adopt a strategy of gradual and incremental …
February 17, 2009 at 10:19 am · Categories: Colombo, Human Rights, IDPs and Refugees, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Michael Roberts
My essay DILEMMAS (note the plural) was also sent to a circle of friends and has appeared in other outlets, viz., http://sacrificialdevotionnetwork.wordpress.com and the Island, 11 February 2009. I thank all those who have provided cyber comments as well as email responses: both sets, as it happens, are quite polarised, with some highly critical and others strongly supportive.
Groundviews was my first choice. One reason for this decision was the fact that I had aired my political position previously in this outlet (notably Roberts, 2008a, b and c) and could reasonably expect one part of the readership to read this piece within that broader framework (mistaken here). Dilemmas was (is) also constrained by space because it …
February 17, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Colombo, Disaster Management, IDPs and Refugees, Peace and Conflict | by Laksundara
“You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of impurity.”
The disturbances in Sri Lanka are slowly drawing to an end. I call it disturbances as many times we have heard the authorities say that it is not a war. But if it is not war, then it must be treated under the law. But then again it is a problem of terrorism, and the word terrorism itself is now played in a fast and loose manner. This prevents any application of law, international or local upon it.
At a time when to speak for or against these disturbances is to be done with great fear and trembling, …
February 16, 2009 at 8:39 am · Categories: Jaffna, Satire | by Banyan News Reporters
by Global Citizen for Banyan News Reporters
Colombo, Sri Lanka: Our sources revealed that the Sri Lankan government was admitted to the proctology ward of the General Hospital in Colombo late last week after it complained about acute abdominal dysfunction.
Leading British proctologist, Doctor Des Browne was hurriedly pushed in to examine the Sri Lankan government even before the patient was consulted. Dr. Browne later told reporters that he was unable to examine the patient due to an abnormal tightening of its anal sphincter – a muscle controlled by the patient’s nervous system to keep out uninvited poking in inappropriate places.
It is believed that the Sri Lankan government first reported these symptoms as …
February 16, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Colombo, Foreign Relations, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Dayan Jayatilleka
How do we describe our country, Sri Lanka, and how is our country described by others? As an island in the Indian Ocean, just south of or off the Southern shores of India. All descriptions of Sri Lanka are a variant of this because no other is possible. We are defined by our placing, and that placing is in relation to and proximate to India.
The unique importance of the Indian factor in Sri Lanka’s external relations is best evidenced in the fact that Sri Lanka is simply indescribable without reference to India.
The inevitable asymmetry inherent in the Indo-Lanka equation is similarly evidenced in the fact that India is easily describable without reference to Sri Lanka.
Our relation to India is …
February 15, 2009 at 6:31 am · Categories: Jaffna, Peace and Conflict | by Jeevan Thiagarajah
Amidst night cricket, world records, 20-20 cricket, and Deyata Kirula in another part of the country a grim battle rages. Caregivers have lost faith in justice and seek to die with those trapped than watch the horror. Some feel we are profiting on their misery. Many are tortured, scarred and traumatized by their experiences. Thousands are unable to make it out on their own freewill and will need to be led to safety in the next few days or many will die. This is in addition to the thousands recorded and unrecorded who have already paid with their lives. Our primary duty is to prevent any more preventable deaths, disability and suffering. It requires a willingness on the part …
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