Posts Categorized: Military

Blood of the Combatants and the Trauma

During the confrontation with the LTTE, he killed five of the enemy carders. After some years, he predominantly preoccupied with the thoughts that were related to these killings. Although they came to kill us, they too were human beings says Sergeant Sx78.
“They were poor village boys like us who had no many options in life. They were indoctrinated, poisoned with racial hatred and directed to attack us. We had no alternative except firing at them. I in a war things are intense, either you or the enemy. If you don’t kill him he will kill you. Anyhow, these Tamil youths had parents like us, they too had expectations. All ended very sadly. Someone in somewhere may be still missing them. I know killing is bad. It is a violation of the first Buddhist precept. I was compelled to do that act.

Sergeant Sx78 feels that one day he has to face the Karmic repercussions for these killings in 1993 at the Jaffna Fort. His conscience was shattered and he became more religious. Sergeant Sx78 wishes to be a monk after his retirement from the Army.

Insider Account of Government Forces Torturing Civilians

[T]he captain… was transferred to Colombo, where he helped with search and cordon operations that rounded up ethnic Tamils. He said he knew the army was torturing, beating and raping civilians.

“I admit that it is a harassment of these people,” he said. “I admit that.”…
[T]he board ruled in February he was not eligible for refugee protection because he was complicit in crimes against humanity.

Thinking the Unthinkable

by V. Gunaratnam; published May 10, 2004 Power to change Power springs from the people, not a piece of paper that is a country’s constitution. When power becomes an instrument of oppression by the tyranny of the majority, as against the Tamils of Sri Lanka, the need for justice empowers those oppressed to seek such remedies… Read more »

ANZAC Day and the Eelam Tamil

by Sabesan (Melbourne); TamilNaatham, April 26, 2004 ANZAC Day and the Eelam Tamil“Anzac Day mirrors the soul of our nation, And shows the price it was willing to pay, To secure our freedom, knowing if it was lost, That soul would sicken, and would wither away” (Bernard Sprunt) ANZAC Day – 25 April – is probably… Read more »

Power, Terror, Peace, and War

  Power, Terror, Peace, and War: America’s Grand Strategy in a World at RiskSpeaker: Walter Russell Mead, senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy, Council on Foreign Relations; author, Power, Terror, Peace, and War: America’s Grand Strategy in a World at RiskPresider: John Parker, Washington, D.C., bureau chief, The Economist Council on Foreign Relations Washington, D.C. Tuesday, April 20,… Read more »

Foreign Intervention, Part 2

by Neville Jayaweera; The Sunday Island, Colombo, February 22, 2004   Foreign intervention and Sri Lanka’s changing fortunes Part 2The coming crisis by Nostradamus Part 1 We have seen that for securing the interests, primarily of the US and partly of India and Japan, intervention in Sri Lanka is an imperative. Already, the US’s frenetic interest… Read more »

Straw Man

Tamil Guardian editorial; London, April 15, 2004 Straw Man: Karuna’s revolt was overstated and its defeat welcome When the LTTE’s then Special Commander for the Batticaloa-Ampara district declared in early March that he was splitting from the movement and establishing a separate administration in the eastern region, the development was described as the movement’s most… Read more »

Sri Lanka Scene: Revolt Strengthens Pirapaharan

by T. Sabaratnam; Colombo, April 13, 2004 Weekly Review Revolt Strengthens Pirapaharan Fled in a Hurry Karuna’s revolt is now history. It collapsed abruptly. Karuna fled Sunday night in a hurry with a group of about 15 of his confidantes and bodyguards. They escaped in two vehicles. They fled towards the Tharavai-Kudumbimalai region in the Thoppigala… Read more »

SWOT Analysis

by R Shanmugananthan; published April 14, 2004 It was a swift operation commencing Friday. By Monday it was all over. It took only three days to retake the entire liberated lands in Maddu-Amparai. In these three days an area comprising many thousand kilometres have changed hands with minimal disruption to civilian life. Once again the LTTE… Read more »

TNA MPs Pushed Around by SLA

by Surinamala; The Sunday Leader, Colombo, April 10, 2004 PM stakes and the war setting http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20040411/politics.htm ..[T]he events last week could well lead to a situation of a severe backlash from the LTTE given the conduct of the President and the security forces over the five TNA MPs from the Batticaloa and Ampara Districts considered loyal… Read more »

Vanni Trip, Section V, Part I

by K. Mylvaganam; Tamil Circle, published April 13, 2004 We are back in the wilderness of concrete blocks and polluted air from the heavenly atmosphere of Vanni. We had a wonderful time with our people there. The place we put up our house is surrounded with hundreds of our boys and girls from the LTTE. They… Read more »

‘Another Fine Job, Well Done’

by Rajkumar Sivapatham; published April 13, 2004 As the new year is born, the situation in the eastern Sri Lanka has changed upside down. The so-called Karuna crisis is effectively over now, as predicted by the people who know the inside out of the Tamil struggle in Sri Lanka. However, for the past 5 weeks or… Read more »

Life After Former Col. Karuna

by The Action Group of Tamils (TAGOT); Kotte, Sri Lanka, March 19, 2004 The Action Group of Tamils (TAGOT) Kotte, Sri Lanka Email: tagotsl /A_T/ hotmail /D_O_T/ com PRESS RELEASE 19 March 2004 LIFE AFTER FORMER COL. KARUNA The Reaction in the Sinhala south to Karuna’s exit from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is varied…. Read more »

Pandora’s Box

by V. Gunaratnam; published March 29, 2004 On the Brink As Sri Lanka stands on the brink of plunging into the murky waters of post-election politics, a veritable Pandora’s box full of political imponderables awaits the Tamils – a Tiger revolt, JVP shenanigans, Buddhist clergy in politics, and a powerful new political alliance. All hell will… Read more »

Terrorism Refined & Distinguished

by Wakeley Paul; published March 29, 2004 Those described by their enemies as ‘Terrorists’ who are engaged in a struggle for Independence from foreign domination, have often wound up as international heroes. Some obvious examples are Jomo Kenyata who defied the British in Kenya, Nelson Mandela who suffered imprisonment and humiliation at the hands of the… Read more »

Tamil Homeland is Part of Tamil Identity

by Tamil Guardian Editorial; London, March 17, 2004 Indelible Blot – The homeland is part of the Tamil identity The standoff between the Liberation Tigers’ leadership and the rebellious former commander of the movement’s forces in the Batticaloa-Ampara districts continued this week, with several developing aspects of the crisis raising anxieties amongst the Tamil people, particularly… Read more »

Some Reflections on Terrorism

by Wakeley Paul; originally published February 23, 2004 SOME REFLECTIONS ON TERRORISM Terrorism and Rebellion Distinguishable like Theocracy is from Democracy The common concept of terrorism is one of ruthless civilians who attack helpless unsuspecting civilians for political gain. Is that the only definition there is? If the first narrow definition was the only way to… Read more »

War or Recognition of Realities on the Ground?

by Wakeley Paul; originally published February 5, 2004 WHAT’S NEXT ? WAR OR RECOGNITION OF REALITIES ON THE GROUND The question that confronts everyone, Tamils, Sinhalese and the international community is, how long are the Sinhalese parties in parliament intending to maintain the current stalemate? While nothing happens, who suffers more than the Sinhalese people? The… Read more »

Lessons to be Learnt from the LTTE

by Rajkumar Sivapatham; TamilCanadian, January 30, 2004 Lessons to be learnt from LTTE by Tamils For years, the Tamils (no matter whether they are from India, Sri Lanka or any other part of the world) have been longing for a leadership that make them proud. There has not been any such organisation which made an impact… Read more »