Recent Quotes on Sri Lanka IV

by Nadodi, January 8, 2009

1. Guardian, Dec 17, 2008

Revealed: Tamils terrifying plight.

Behind a wall of censorship horrendous battles are under way in northern Sri Lanka. The details are unclear since no independent reporters have been allowed access.  But through the fog of war a dreadful outline emerges.  According to international aid agencies about a quarter of a million people have been made homeless by conflice in the area which the tigers once controlled behind officially agreed ceasefire.

2. Hansard,  UK Parliament,  Dec 19, 2008

Sri Lanka – debate in the British parliament on the 18th Dec 2008.

We urge the govt. to redouble their efforts to ensure that good work is done. Presented evidence from relatives of what was happening in vanni province there is an immediate crisis and a need not only for a long term solution, but an immediate one particularly for those deprived of even the most basic medical supplies and of support from United Nations Agencies.

3. TamilNet,  Dec 19, 2008

The current approach by the govt. of Sri Lanka  to defeat the LTTE militarily before developing a political solution, does nothing to win the hearts and minds of conflict affected civilians in the north and it will not resolve the UNDERLYING CONFLICT said minister of state , foreign and common wealth office Bill Rammell.

4. Daily Mirror,  Dec 20,  2008

SRI LANKA Dealier than Afganistan.

Time magazine online in a recent special report states that judging by the dealth toll the Sri Lankan conflict is deadlier than the war in Afganistan in the year 2008. In its special “Top 10 underreported news stories of 2008” Time reports following the Sri Lankan govt. pulling out from the 2002 ceasefire in Jan, this year the war has claimed more lives than the US led war in Afganistan the same period.

5. TamilNet,  Dec21, 2008

Sri Lankan army steps up attacks on hospitals in Vanni, disregards Geneva Conventions.  Mullaithevu Government Hospital has come under attack under artillery fire by the Sri Lankan army despite the Sri Lankan military and civil authorities being reportedly urged by the Medical Authorities at the hospital not to fire shells on the Hospital Premises.

6. Sunday Leader, Dec 21, 2008

Government – Judiciary on a collision course as the war takes its toll. With the Supreme Court taking the high road on public interest litigations, the Govt. decided to take the battle to the judiciary last week, while a resurgent opposition planned a counter offensive in the name of safeguarding democracy and the rule of law, setting the stage thereby for major confrontations in the days ahead.

Having placed all its eggs in the war basket , the Govt. is totally dependent on success in the military front to survive politically , in the face of a crashing economy due to mismanagement and extravagance, and the stiff resistance faced in the Vanni

Has now placed Mahinda Rajapakse administration on a razor’s edge.

7. Asian Human Rights Commision  Dec 22, 2008

Sri Lanka: Corruption and Sovereignity

Sri Lanka the state being above the law and the state claiming the right not to be questioned on the issue of corruption are two inseparable parts of the same problems.  This type of claim for the right to be above the law and the right to be corrupt are  claims that the state can make.  In face these are made by those who want to take cover behind the state in order to violate the law and engage in all sorts of activities that are destructive to the Nation.

8. IANS,  Dec 24, 2008

Sri Lanka bleeds with no peace in sight.  Sri-Lanka’s dragging ethnic conflict is at a decisive phase, with the military determined to crush the Tamil Tigers and the Guerrillas adamantly refusing to give up.  P.Karunakaran is the Colombo Correspondent of IANS.  He can be contacted at karuna.kharan@gmail.com.

9. Tamil Canadian, Dec 25, 2008

An open letter to the Most Rev.Dr.Oswald Gomis, Archibishop of Sri Lanka.

Most Rev. Gomis, as you are well aware and many Sri Lankan Govt’s including the present one have acknowledged that the Tamils in Sri Lanka have been ill-treated by the Successive Sinhalese dominated govts. You are also well aware and fully accept the fact the armed Tamil Militancy is a by-product of the ill treatment and not the cause for this conflict.

10. Boston Globe, Dec 26, 2008

Asia’s longest civil war is building to a violent crescendo.  In the island nation of Sri Lanka the Sinhala majorit govt. should be pressed to accept a cease-fire to permit a political settlement.

11. Tamil Canadian, Dec 28, 2008

An open letter to Sinhala President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Journalists have been barred from the Northeast for more than thiry months.  Tamils live in fear and hopelessness under the Sinhala Occupation army.  The European Parliamentary delegation visiting Sri-Lanka six months ago was prevented  from going there. Govt. has been refusing  for more than three years to let in UN human rights monitoring mechanism in Colombo.  The New York based Genocide prevention project issued a damning new report released  to mark world human rights day listed Sri Lanka  among top eight RED ALERT regions including Darfur, Democratic republic of Congo & Somalia are engaged in Genocidal Conflict.

12. The Week, Dec 28, 2008

Living in constant fear, the Tamils are fugitives in their own land.  For the Tamils in Sri Lanka white Van is terror on four wheels. WHITE VANS  have been used to abduct people, especially young Tamil Men.  Mano Ganeshan MP from Colombo and head of Civil Monitoring Commission that tracts human rights issue of the Tamils feels the abductions were carried out with the CONNIVANCE OF THE ARMY. Report says there have been around 3,000 white van abductions in Sri Lanka  since the Cease-fire.

13. Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong,  Dec 30, 2008

Sri Lanka:  The Gruesome treatment of a woman IV   abduction of Children and threats to lawyer’s appearing for alleged terrorists brought to the notice of UN general Secretary.

The AHRC wrote to the Secretary General of the UN , Mr. Ban Ki Moon calling for diplomatic engagement with all the members of the United Nations  & the SL Govt.regarding several incidents , which are not only shocking but are in our view War Crimes and gross abused that violates all the basic norms of human decency and human rights.

14. Chennai: Tamil Nationalist Movement,  Jan 3, 2009

Sri Lankan army attack on LTTE will  aggravate tensions: Tamil Leader Pazha Nedumaran  has said that the Sri Lankan army’s capture of Kilinotchi would intensify the LTTE’S movt of Sri Lanka.  It does not mean LTTE will stop the war, but it will be more dangerous to the Sinhala Govt.

15. Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka  Jan 3, 2009

Three hundred days in prison for expressing an opinion.

As the world celebrated the 6oth anniversary of signing of the universal declaration of Human Rights, Journalist T.S.Tissanayagam, Publisher, N.Jesiharan and his wife V.Valarmathy begin their tenth month in prison.

16. The Hindu, India  Jan 4, 2009.

UPA betrayed Sri-Lankan Tamils Cause

NEW DELHI: Accusing the congress –led  UPA of “betraying” Sri-Lankan Tamil cause, the CPI asked the Govt. to tell President Mahinda Rajapakse to end the war and resolve the ethnic conflice through negotiation.  “India should help Tamils live peacefully in their country and also make sure that their legitimate aspirations are met.” The report also said that India should not indulge in providing “Clandestine military aid to the Sri Lankan Government.”

17. Sunday Leader, Jan 4, 2009

A Nation’s last Hurrah

Winning the war? Then there must be elections around the corner. It is no secret that the war has become Mahinda Rajapakse’s recipe for electoral success.

While the UNP has cleverly promised to support any political solution mutually acceptable to the govt. and the Tamil parties, it does not seem any longer to entertain a vision of its own.  Ss provocative as it may seem the Greens would do well to articulate what they feel is a fair solution, if for no other reason, to check on public opinion.  Even if the Rajapakses, swollen as they are with the pride of blood thirsty euphoria, are unable to think beyond the destruction of the LTTE and its leadership, it behoves us to think of the day after tomorrow now. Should we fail meaningfully to address the aspirations of the Tamil people that survive this HOLOCAUST, we can be sure as night follows day that history will repeat itself,even though it may take a generation from now.  All the bloodshed and all the sacrifice made to bring the war to a conclusion will have been in vain.

18. Daily Mirror,  Jan 4, 2009

Sri Lanka Crisis Deepens.

The outcome of the military engagement , a major humanitarian catastrophe is well under way , including displacement of people in the battle torn regions. This is likely to result in a refugee problem in the near future.

19. TamilNet, Dec 4, 2009

Tamil National alliance accuses Colombo of WAR CRIMES.

Describing several recent escalation in incidents where Sri Lanka armed forces have targeted Tamil civilian during festive days between Christmas and Thaipongal, TNA in a press release issues “Stringent economic, food and medical embargos on the war affected areas:” are not only war crimes in a contravention of the Geneva Conventions but are also a part of a policy of Genocide that the Sri Lankan state has been carrying out against the Tamil people . “ The release also noted with disappointment of the silence of the international community whilst the Genocide of Tamil people is taking place” and continuing military assistance of the international states to the Sri Lankan state “using various pretexts”.

20. Tamil Canadian,  Jan 5, 2009

Violation of human rights: Eelam Tamils herde by bombers and butchered like JEWS in HITLER’S  Germany.

Sri Lankan Govt. was over enthusiastic when they captured Kilinotchi on 2Jan. Capturing a place even it is the headquarters of an opponent is not winning a war. May be the Govt. won a little battle.  Tigers had neither surrendered , nor been killed, nor been captured.  Therefore they will strike back as they had done before on many occasions.  Many political observers urge the Sri Lankan Govt. to settle the Tamil’s issue through dialogue.  Tamils in Sri Lanka who democratically opting for self rule in their   traditional homeland of North & East called Eelam are being herded by bomb throwing  Sri Lankan Kifer bombers under trees and makeshift camps and  BUTCHERED LIKE JEWS IN HITLERITE AUSCHWITZ (POLAND)  Camp like pigs with multi-barrel guns.

21. Business Daily,  Jan 6, 2009

(From the Hindu Group of Publications.)

Sri Lanka needs political Solution. In a world that has developed ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CONFLICT with a terrorist element, it is easy to see why the Sri Lankan military offensive against the Tamil Tigers is looked at with  admiration.  The govt. propaganda machinery did its utmost to tell Sri Lankans that long years of battle with the LTTE was nearing an end.  But it is exactly this kind of euphoria and propaganda that is worrying political analysists and peace activists in Sri Lanka.  They look upon the military offensive and its results as a short lived triumph that will do nothing to address the real problem, which is the ethnic issue and sense of alienation felt by the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka.

THE TAMILS DON’T BELIEVE A WORD OF WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAYS BECAUSE THE CONDUCT OF THE GOVT. TOWARDS THE TAMILS HAS BEEN ATROCIOUS.

Refusing to be carried away by the sense of triumph and euphoria evident in the Sri Lankan Govt. circles, Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda, a Colombo based political analyst, says the Rajapakse govt needs to make a distinct difference between “military gains and finding a lasting solution to Sri Lankan’s ethnic conflict.  At the moment the govt. is triumphant , but they have to politically address the issue of political rights of the Tamils. That is the REAL CHALLENGE and not the military gains.”.The political management of the ethnic conflict is very important , and have to remember that the ethnic conflict is  a conflict for equality. Unfortunately the govt. propaganda machinery creates an impression that this is a Sinhalese victory over Tamils. This is the feeling you get when you hear the govt. radio.  It is not only incorrect , but also dangerous to give the impression that this is a Sinhalese victory over the Tamils. LET’S NOT FORGET THAT SRI LANKA IS A COMMUNITY THAT BELONGS TO ALL COMMUNITIES AND ITS ONLY WHEN THE MAJORITY AS WELL AS MINORITY COMMUNITY FEEL EQUAL, THAT WE CAN FIND PEACE

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