Tinker of Colombo

2011-05-07T14:19:00.000+05:30

Indi, our beloved Kottu God is losing it...

2010-01-28T13:58:00.002+05:30

I've been reading Indi.ca for some time and i really like the stuff he write about.. i follow him on a regular basis ..but lately I've been reading some pretty alarming stuff..especially on his 'coverage' of the recently concluded Presidential Election...and then came the bombshell ,titled 'Ranil should go' where Indi wants Ranil out of UNP...in his latest post, he lists clearly why he wants Ranil out.. and by god ..i guess now Ranil has no choice but to leave.. and leave soon...

Rather not waste more time on this issue.. below is my comment on Indi's post ..

"look Indi, i like you..

i like you for what your do in terms of facilitating and creating space in the blogspeare for a Sri Lankan voice but when you tell me (or in open fora..) about what Ranil should do next.. i think its time you go…

i assume you had been in Sri Lanka for least last few years and know the politics of this country for last couple of decades ..well, not the interpretations that you read on Wiki.,but what you read on national newspapers,that's mostly Sinhala and Tamil papers …

and if so, you would by now know (like most of ordinary Sri Lankans..not the western based,Obama and Hope types..) that after this election Ranil comes out as one of the winners and the only reason astute politicians like Ranil and Rauf Hakeem accepted defeat was not because they very lazy but because they understand the reality of politics well and because they were in touch with their party rank and file from all corners of Sri Lankan , because they know well, they can't offered to have a Elections petition without substantial evidence of malpractice as being alleged by some ….

that's one of the reasons why they had been on politics for some many decades and survived that much time…

just please spare us with your infinite wisdom and stick to what you know …while at it.. try and get yourself as a registered voter too…

good luck! "

My humble and erstwhile request to Indi is please get out of your Colombo 07 ,Western oriented high tech outlook and listen to what 6,015,934 humble and low tech people of Sri Lanka said on 26th January ,2010.

P.S- by the way i agree with Indi , i too think Ranil must go.. but not because of reasons provided by Indi..just because its time to overhaul the leadership of UNP and let the leadership reflect the aspiration and wishes of its grassroots ..the way it was before Ranil's ascend to power...

pls read my old post on Ranil...

A sigh of relief for Sri Lanka

2010-01-27T20:58:00.001+05:30

When asked by a foreign journo about how he feels following the announcement of the results.. 'a big relief' said MR at the Elections Department.I think its a feeling reflected by rest of Sri Lanka today.After a tense and closely contested campaign where call for 'change' (of what and why most of Sri Lanka never understood..) was widespread, we have come to a glorious conclusion.And yet again Sri Lanka has defeated evil set upon by forces seen and unseen and i hope this is the second and the last time.This election was more about destiny of Sri Lanka,than change or any other call that was heard on many a varied fora and Sri Lanka decided on its future and opted for MR.. Good One..a Great One..Cheers for the 6,015,934 for making the right choice and all others for believing in our exercises of Democratic choice.

Half Won Battle and My Vote Today..

2010-01-26T13:38:00.001+05:30

Mahinda Rajapaksha and Co are corrupt..there is no doubt about that...all you need to do is read Sunday Leader every week and you will get details of all the allegation leveled against MR&Co.,and if Mahinda is re-elected, corruption will continue but that's something I can live with ..

Not that i endorse corruption, but i know i,as an individual citizen, with my vote in hand can fight corruption.. and may be even on the streets...if there is an opportunity for such..i know that's the responsibility of the Opposing..and the media ..so i know well that I'm not alone in fighting corruption..of course assuming Opposition and Media will focus on fighting or least deterring such practices and not yield to it..

But what i can't fight is Terrorism and Subversion.. for that you need the Powers of the State and that's what Mahinda did when he uprooted the Cancer that's called LTTE and its call for Eelam..and the LTTE is gone .. least in Sri Lanka.. they are history and even a minute come back is not possible in the forcible future..

But the call for Eelam or a Separate,Mono Ethnic Tamil Only state that will take away 35-40% of Sri Lanka is still alive and well and is nourished by some sections of the Tamil Diaspora and some Western States and they have the tacit support of groups in Sri Lanka like the TNA for that venture..so, even if i voted today for the first time in an Independent Sri Lanka,that hard fought Independence will not be worthwhile if we lose the other half of the battle against the 'foreign' forces who call for Separation of Sri Lanka by other means.for this we need MR and no other.. and that's why i voted today for MR ..not because i want 'good governance' ' media freedom' and 'accuntability' ...those things can wait..but we can't wait and see the return of another 30 years of war and terror..

There can be no second best when comes to defending evils that are set upon this country..

"I don't know"....

2010-01-16T22:52:00.001+05:30

"I don't know" said President Rene Préval of Haiti..when asked by CNN where he would now sleep,thus experiencing, for a moment at least, the displacement and uncertainty that thousands of Haitians will face for many months to come...there is so much uncertainty in this world we live in..

Only hope remains in Haiti...

2010-01-15T20:27:00.001+05:30

Its Sad to see the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti's capital.. destruction and despair of people,bodies laying by the streets and helpless injured camped outside rubble of hospitals remind me of the aftermath of the Tsunami in Sri Lanka..and then the 'International' hoards starts descending down, first waves come with good intentions and then gradually the good Samaritans are replaced by the opportunists and the 'tourist NGOs' all looking for a cut from the 'pledges' pie..and then the big countries start the 'pledges and the stick' approach..and the rest I'm sure we all can imagine..

I hope President Rene Preval sets up a 'Helping Port Au Prince' Organisation and gets down to business soon..while his people suffer.. or may be not..

But there is light at the end of the tunnel for Haiti.. least a good start to let go of the decades of decadence and bad governance.. of course that happened with the kind sponsorship of its great neighbour..who now is calling for its own 'global leadership' to sort things out in Haiti... as if its the wish of the Haitians.. may be its time the so called international community gave a chance to Haiti to not only crawl back from the rubble but to get back in to business without dictating what the business is..

[pix:Foreign Policy mag.]

Gen.Sarath Fonseka-Downfall of a once Hero...

2009-11-25T11:34:00.001+05:30

"General Fonseka has had official discussions with the UNP, and other opposition parties, and the opposition groups including the JVP and the UNP had discussions about the strategies for elections" General Secretary of the UNP, Tissa Attanayake told the BBC Sinhala Service yesterday.

So there seems to be a process in motion within the Opposition,least the UNP to get Gen.Sarath Fonseka as the Oppositions main candidate for the upcoming Presidential Election.

Even JVP is strong about the inclusion of the Gen.as their common candidate.how UNP and JVP going to go to bed is one thing but if they indeed get him in as their 'common' candidate..well thats a major achivment itself i think.

whtever said and done, i think its a very good development..least we know that our democratic proses is such that even people of different views and beliefs could get to gather for a common cause, that of making about a change in Government. or is it?

Yesterday, addressing the media Gen.Sarath Fonseka said "In military, you can't talk but have to take action! In politics, you can talk even without action" ...that made me think.. i read his letter of resignation.. and the annex to it too.. marked supposedly 'confidential' but was made available to the media as soon as he walked out of the Presidential Secretariat after tending it!!!

But the best came out of his interview with Frederica Jansz of Sunday Leader ..where he goes on and on ranting about all the perks he lost but more than anything else.. his claim to be the unconditional holder to the title of 'man who wiped LTTE off the Map of Sri Lanka' ..if you read the interview, then its better to read D B S Jeyaraj's excellent write up on dellima of Sarath Fonseka.

Then it all adds up..this General is clearly losing his mind..sadly this is all about his Ego and his urged to be the center of all...

I sure hope some sanity will prevail and he ends this period of madness and take up the life of a retired General .. and may be take up some thing alternative to politics ..if he is genuine about his intention to serve the country..as he stated at Kelaniya Temple just after he handed his letter of resignation.

So far i haven't seen any indications of that happening and more and more the people are realizing who this guy really is.so, come next week or so, we will see this guy coming in to the foray as some sort of candidate for whatever the party or alliance and when that happens (if not its happening already) the Govt will start its own 'PR' campaign .. 'educating' the public on virtues of Gen.Fonseka.

Out comes the worms when the cans start to pop out and soon we all will be in knee high mud..but one thing is for sure, unlike the excitements that's shared by the pro LTTE lobby over the 'rifts' that's crated within the Govt over exit of Gen.Fonseka.. its not going to hurt this Govts Anti LTTE drive nor it will roll back the momentum started with the defeat of the LTTE and its proxies.

Reality is that, Gen.Sarath Fonseka is a spent force and he has exceeded his shelve life and now just like he claims, has the right to do anything but whatever he dose, its not going to hurt the Crusade against Tamil Eelamist-Separatist Cause.others have taken on the fight and the fight will continue..with or without Gen.Fonseka.

So Good Luck General Sir, but like most Sri Lankans I'm not going to Vote for you!

proud imports..

2009-06-29T22:59:00.001+05:30

some of the prominent imports to be proud of...

Serious Allegations against Army of Abuse & Torture of Prisoners -is this Govt policy?

2009-06-24T14:40:00.001+05:30

Allegations against the Army of serious abuse and torture on terrorists detainees and suspects have been uncovered by a leading news agency and I'm shocked by some of the details of such abuse.

Some of the former detainees have alleged they were beaten, deprived of sleep and threatened with dogs at detention facilities.this news agency had interviewed 27 former inmates from around the country over a period of two months.

They were held at times between 2002 and 2008 and they were all accused of belonging to or helping terrorists.None were charged with any offense or put on trial; some even received apologies when they were released.

Defence authorities has denied the charges and insisted that all inmates in the facility are treated 'humanely' but the list of abuses is horrifying..to list a few...

a. physical abuse ( i guess this means assault etc)
b.use of stress positions (including tied down upside down and left hanging from ceilings etc..)
c. excessive heat or cold (being immersed in cold or hot water,being kept inside freezer trucks for prolong hours etc)
d.exposure to unbearably loud noise (loudspeaker played in to a enclosed holding cell etc..)
e.forced to remove clothes presence of female soldiers...(every one understands this well...he he)

In some cases detainees were threatened with death at gunpoint in what i figure is a staged mock execution and one former inmate had allegedly stated that "They did things that you would not do against animals let alone to humans" while another had said "They poured cold water on you in cold days and hot water in warmer days. They used dogs against us. They put a pistol or a gun to your head and threatened you with death"...

"They put some kind of medicine in the water to make you sleepless and then they would interrogate you" said another..

But when the news agency took up these allegations of torture with Defence Authorities a senior officer had denied the allegations and had said that their conduct "meet international standards for care and custody".

They also argue that granting legal rights to detainees could harm their "ability to succeed in armed conflict and to protect their Governments' forces" by limiting their powers to conduct military operations.

Having read the allegations and follow on description I'm shocked by the details of such horrific practices and as a Sri Lankan who had experienced violence and fear that was part of LTTE's thirty year war of Terror against this country i understand some measures may be needed when it comes to interrogation of captured terrorists but by no way i condemn the use of such horrible and inhumane methods on suspects ,who in the end turned out to be Innocent civilians..

I wonder what the leadership of the country has to say about this and also the Defence Authorities who constantly claim they 'follow and defend Rights of people" ...especially the President who wants to portray himself as a champion of Freedoms and Justice...

by the way i forgot.. this is all about the US Army in Afghanistan and allegations mainly centred around its detention facility in Bagram Air Base North of Kabul..according to BBC..

Tehran burns, Western Govts feel the pain...

2009-06-19T11:22:00.001+05:30

Its several days now since the demonstrations and protests started over the outcome of the Iran's Presidential election and today Iran's Council of Guardians, the panel of clerics who act as the country's top political authority, have invited opposition candidates to share their grievances in Iran's disputed election. seems all quarters of Iranian life wants everyone with power to act now to resolve the ongoing political drama in Iran.

Whats more interesting is to watch all the Western Media coverage over this issue, so many commentaries ,assessments and analysis given throughout the day by an extensive panel irrespective of what news agency you watch.. but strangely most majority of the 'experts' tend to be westerners themselves and hardly any Iranians, locals nor expatriate Iranians! BBC i think takes pride in showing repeatedly the 'death to the dictator' and some other slogans which BBC interprets as 'anti-revolution',while CNN can't let go of its 'experts' from Christian Science Monitor.

Makes me wonder, it may be the Iranian public or least a section of the public who may be protesting over the outcome but its the Western Governments ,especially Mrs.Clinton who seems to be having sleepless nights over this 'crisis' and right wing Israeli politicians who are feeling the pain of the chaos in Tehran...and suddenly North Korea is benign, Kim Jong IL is not toying with the 'button' .. nor Taliban at the 'gates of Islamabad' is irrelevant.

It was the same Western media who played down the Iranian Revolution three decades back,when their favorite Shah Pahlavi was feeling the peoples power over his despotic rule and now the Iranians are on the streets and rest assured they will know what to do with the destiny of their country and they will do whats best for them, what they are able and capable and not what the Western Governments wish.

I hope Mrs.Clinton finds some peace and time to focus on more burning issues closer to home!

CPA receives a 'threatening' letter- about time i say....

2009-06-01T18:27:00.001+05:30

Seems CPA received a 'threatening' letter via post and i have read the content as they have made it available on their web, including English and Tamil translations.some individuals within CPA I'm told, attempts to paint that the 'threat' is made by a Sinhala nationalist group but i doubt the source or origins of the letter according to them.

Groups who oppose CPA ,whom with a capability to strike, if there is such that is in existence don't give damn about CPA..nor JHU,PNM or NMAT dose! if that was the case then the JHU/PNM/NMAT hordes would have demonstrated in front of CPA and would have done some vandalism like what we saw over last couple of weeks at UK,Canada Embassies..

Forget the actual 'threat' for now but the fact is that I'm sure CPA will put this 'threat' to very good use to make noise (and raise funds! ) calling for more foreign meddling in furthering its interests (CPA's interests that is !) .

So who can be the source of this letter? look no further but i think its none other than Mr.Sunanda Desha-Apriya and his cahoots from FMM.

Am i making baseless allegations? No, i have solid reasons to think its him..and if someone from CPA or least connected to CPA is reading this post, please make note and dig a bit around FMM boys who used to hang about CPA..buy then few drinks and they will tell how this letter originated and why (?) it was sent.

As for CPA, its shameless how they go about with a Pro LTTE agenda but i think its more to do with CPA's funders' than CPA itself and the best way to fight them is to expose CPA's unethical practices to the world,not send stupid letters threatening them to comply with 'Ranaviru Celebrations' . after all why do we need CPA to celebrate when we have the whole country irrespective ethnic divisions celebrating the victory over LTTE terrorism as one!

Whether Prabakaran..?

2009-05-18T01:53:00.001+05:30

I've been hearing so many rumors and speculation on the fate of LTTE Chief V.Prabakaran for the last couple of weeks now.. many include Prabakaran escaping via speed boat under cover of a massive Sea Tiger assault on the Navy petrol units (which happened last week..), and to be met by a LTTE charted/owned Freighter off the coast of Eastern Sri Lanka .... to claims such as Prabakaran escaped using a submarine..(which i think its too far fetched ,since we saw the embryonic state of LTTE R&D on building a Sub..when Forces captured some of such crafts under construction last month/Jan 09) .

And yesterday and today, there were speculations and rumors of Prabakaran's body found among group of LTTE dead, and is now in a Military base outside Colombo awaiting forensics (may be DNA testing..?). then according to a claim by surrendered (again cannot confirm) 'Senior Memeber' (as he is called!) and one time leader of EROS, T.Balakumar states that LTTE Chief V.Prabakaran was killed by LTTE when his attempt to escape failed or he got caught in a failed attempt to escape! [that's according to #LTTE on Twitter..]

However, i have no 'confidencial/highly placed sources' within the Military establishment nor Political leadership to verify or claim on the fate of Prabakaran but my simple question is, Is Prabakran any more relevant after the crushing defeat of the LTTEs Terrorist structure?

I think the more important strategic issue is to redirect focus on strengthening Unity of this country and may be establishing rule of law with the defeat of LTTE and its reign of Terror!

In the case of Prabakarans demise,the remnants of the LTTE both here and overseas (including ,now head less chicken like TNA,NGO mafia,Jehan Perera etc and of course not to forget those 'genocide' chanting hordes carrying LTTE terror flags in Western capitals ), i think this claim of "Silencing Guns" is a hint that under the helm of K.P or Kumaran Padmanadan or Selvarasa Pathmanathan ,the LTTE will go global with its war of Terror against Sri Lanka and best indications of such 'second genaration' terrorist campaign for a Eelam is the continued fire bombings and attacks on Sri Lankan missions abroad and other places of significance such as Buddhist temples etc.

Most LTTE sympathisers will continue to believe in a stay behind LTTE and a Continuation LTTE but the Government here will start the hearts and minds campaign to win Unity and Equality among the communities and the people living (and continue to call this home) in Sri Lanka.

Time has come for that and the people too are ready to embrace such change. i saw that walking on the streets of Anuradhapura today and I'm hopeful!

Karunanidhi too wants an Eelam...

2009-05-07T01:05:00.001+05:30

This is getting better and better...i was reading crap on the Indian elections and hey presto..news wires say M.Karunanidhi, current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK chief had claimed that he too wants an Eelam..

Now I'm not certain if he was calling for a Eelam in India but assuming this Eelam is the same as this mythical Eelam, LTTE is trying or was trying to crate for the last 30 years in Sri Lanka then i must say things are certainly getting interesting.

I say interesting because , unless you believe in Tamil movies it can't be true and realistic..even if its true, Sri Lanka is not part of Tamil Nadu nor Greater India.we are a separate,sovereign country and whatever ruckus happens in Tamil Nadu stays there,only the Movies and the amateur theatrics of the Tamil Nadu politicians come here in form of news!

So the story is that, at an election rally for DMK trade unions Mr.Karunanidhi ,who just only last week or so, championed a 'ceasefire' for the LTTE in Sri Lanka following a 3 hour fast unto death (read my earlier post on that drama) stated that he had assumed the responsibilities of making all efforts so that an 'Eelam' is created.

Karunanidhi had said "We have ensured a fair quantity of relief for Sri Lankan Tamils. As a next step, they should get Eelam and I assumed responsibilities of making all efforts to ensure that 'Eelam' is created"...OK, now its clear.. its not a Eelam in India as i feared in the start but the same old tune ..in Sri Lanka...!!!

Now I'm panting, getting sweat on my palm.. I'm nervous..nervous that if Mr.Karunanidhi says he is assuming responsibilities of making all efforts to ensure a Eelam is crated for Tamil people of Sri Lanka , then ITS GOING TO HAPPEN!

Now I'm worried, in loss of words..

But then, senses return, i catch hold of a breath and realise it was the same Karunanidhi who, for the last 20 years who promised so many for LTTE and the Tamil Political stooges of LTTE in Sri Lanka, that is making these claims..

So, rest assured i'm going to sleep tonight with no nightmares as long as i know its Karunanidhi who is at the helm of 'crating a Eelam for Sri Lankan Tamils' project.

I've said this before, but wanted state again..i don't know the people of Tamil Nadu but i know for sure the Tamil people of this country are not idiots as Karunanidhi may expect to be, so i feel sad for the fellow..his armature theatrics may win him the election in Tamil Nadu but not the hearts and minds of the Sri Lankan Tamils..they have moved on after 30 years of suffering under an imposed nightmare called 'a separate state'.

A list visitors and fall of LTTE

2009-05-05T00:17:00.001+05:30

A quick one..

I got on to a threeweeler today for a short hop and strike a conversation with the driver about the current state of the military operations in Vanni .he had an interesting theory on the steady stream of international A lists that come here to talk to the Govt and show sympathy to the Tamil people who are held by the LTTE as a human shield and shrapnel sponge! so this is his take...

He had seen the Defence Secretary Gota having a huddle with Yasushi Akashi today on TV..and recalls all the previous foreign emissaries who may have sat there in the same couch,thinking more or less the same..according the the threeweeler malli.."damn.. this mother fucker is sharp.." !!!! however, this had prompted him to think more into this 'phenomina' and ....

Then he says,"OK lets not talk about Gota",and start focusing on the A list again...and his fear is that the International community is sending plane loads of International high flyer's not only to cut out a bailout plan for the LTTE but also to buy time for them too...he (threeweeler malli!) explains each minute Gota spends with the IC reps is a minute saved from LTTEs ultimate destruction...

so his point is that western countries,failing to prevent the war are sending people constantly to talk to Govt hierarchy just so to tie them down from running the war effort! sounds more like a Machiavellian kind of conspiracy but still ....

hehe.. i think threeweeler malli's theory is an original worth an academic study!!!!!

Karunanidhi's Farce Unto Death for 'Sri Lankan Tamil cause'

2009-04-28T00:09:00.002+05:30

It was a memorable day and a truly historic day too..just the day for me to write something down on this damn blog of mine..so as the day started there was Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi,who just of a whim realized the 'plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils'' and decided the only way for a solution is to make the supreme scarifies..

So he goes to some memorial in Chennai and then states " Despite the LTTE calling for a ceasefire, the Sri Lankan government has done nothing. Rajapakse has killed so many Tamils. Let him consider me also. I am fasting for the Sri Lankan Tamil cause" and thus the great hero of Sri Lankan Tamils in Tamil Nadu started his farce, a farce unto death as his faithful daughter Kanimozi stated to media.

They say the decision to go on a farce was a spontaneous decision and Karunanidhi did not consult anyone,and of course can you consult any one on this? in your right mind you can't, especially if you had just finished a massive Breakfast in the first place!

To make matters worse DMK President and Karunanidhi's son MK Azhagiri (who is also contesting in election by the way!!) too went on a farce in Madurai saying "I am fasting for the Tamil issue in Sri Lanka in the same way as DMK leader Karunanidhi is doing"... "We will stop this only when there is ceasefire in Sri Lanka where innocent Tamils are being killed," he had further stated.

And then , pronto..some miracle happens..the Government in Sri Lanka 'yealds' to Indian Government pressure 'capitulates' and announce an end to all hostilities.jubilant Indian home Minister P.Chidambaram was heard on NDTV saying something like we didn't pleaded nor request with the Sri Lankan Government but India insisted (?) that war should be stopped and rehabilitation should start...

So according to Indians, the Sri Lankan Government has agreed to stop the war and let the LTTE return to its rightful place as the ruler of all Tamils in Vanni..wow,what a major achievement..but i read the statement of the Govt of SL on this and to my sheer horror finds nothing of sorts just something that says we're going to stop use of heavy weapons,Aerial bombardments,use of jets etc..WTF...was that not stopped last week since troops were more focuses on surgical strikes inside the small territory?

Then i realize...poor basterds were duped by the MR boys!

Anyway, lets forget all that and move back to Karunanidhi's farce..so, just as this 'break through' was announced , the jubilant Karunanidhi realising his efforts, his sole efforts had turned the tables on the Sri Lankana Government and realizing he,single handed had saved the LTTE from brink of decimation and also the realizing the fact that the cause of the Sri Lankan Tamils have been won, got up and ended his farce, just in time for a humongous Lunch!

However, Jayalalitha,leader of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) said the fast is a drama to gain political mileage out of the Sri Lankan Tamil issue and said "I accuse him of staging this drama of fasting just to fool the people..," but we need not listen to her..she had called for a Separate State for Tamils in India or Sri Lanka (not so sure where exactly..) last week..and this drama talk is irrelevant here...

So with that i end my post about the escapades of the great 'champion' of Sri Lankan Tamil people, M Karunanidhi who only today started a farce unto death, just after his Breakfast and ended it just in time for Lunch.....

[P.S- i can't speak for people of Tamil Nadu but as for the Tamil people of Sri Lanka, they have stopped eating such dead 'lanu' long ago..and that's something the leadership of the LTTE has realized recently, in a painful way too! ]

Captured LTTE Terror Tech and Armament in Vanni sector

2009-04-08T23:58:00.001+05:30

Army reported today and then saw on Rupavahini news of the #13th Artillery that was captured from the LTTE so far..although the gun had sustained considerable damage following an air attack some weeks back, it still had the markings and the main components and was seen being towed away by a Military Truck.

And then there is a this latest acquisition, the destroyed LTTE T-55 Main Battle Tank! this tank was hit by counter fire from Sri Lanka Army Tanks while it engaged in LTTE defensive attacks in Puttukkudirippu area and was destroyed by sustained fire from Army Tanks and had toppled over into a ditch..

It was ,again shown on news today after it was upturned and taken out of the ditch. news claimed that it had remains of the bodies of three LTTE carders, presumably the crew of the tank, some unidentified type of shells, and some other contents intact along with the manufacturers operating manual!

Apart from the fact that its now being use as a weapon to attack Ranil Wikramasingha and his "Peace Talks' as the Rupavahi claim that it was brought to Sri Lanka by the LTTE from overseas during Peace talks...but so far they didn't claim it was brought inside bags of LTTE peace talk delegates..as that's the regular practice for any significant weapon found on the battle field.

However the methods of procurement, its time the Ministry of Defence set up a proper Weapons Forensics Team to look into all this captured equipments and chart out the origins of the such technology and armaments , just so that in the coming future the Government can engage in whatever way to thus deny such sources from being used by the LTTE or any other of its successors!

Also, it will be a good lessons learned for the International Community and interested States to clamp down on illegal arms trade that fuel so many bloody conflicts of the world.

May be by doing so,we might be able to uncover some of the missing 'humaniterian aid and funds' that poured into Vanni during the last couple of decades too..

Fwd: FW: Gas [ pada / fart?] Attack in Colombo VERY SOOOOONNNNNNN.......

2009-02-16T14:50:00.001+05:30

I'm getting sick of this 'Gas Attack' Threat Advisory that i got 13 times so far from different people within the last 10 days!

PEOPLE WHO SEND THIS KIND OF E-MAILS HAVE NO F..KING CLUE!

There is no effective way to survive a Chemical warfare agent on a civilian population, unless advance warning is issued to the population ( not this kind of warning!!!)  who have some sort of prior training/access to protective equipment etc.!and are supported by Early Warning system including Air Sampling/Remote Sensors etc.

Only marginally successful awareness/training/preparedness of a population on NBC attacks was in Israel,when they prepped their Northern Settlements for possible NBC attack in the 90s just before first Gulf War and few years later according to a leaked Israel Govt.report had stated that they perceived the 4 year long prep was with marginal results and in an event of such attack ,even in the scale of Tokyo attack would have left the population to mass panic ,with only people who may have a chance of escape using the gas masks/shelters would be families of Israel Defence Force personal while rest of the general population would perish/survive with injuries!

Someone needs to write to this Police guy and the ANCL lady as this is nothing but blatant scare mongering and spamming exercise!!! ! the ANCL Lady seems to be in close contact with 'MI' and her list of threat locations are at times hilarious! fact is the list covers all the urban towns of Colombo city minus majority Tamil areas!

And if there is a likely threat, then it should be the responsibility of the Govt (??) to prep the people of such threats.[we know well, thats not going to happen!!!!]

I kinda like the one of the ways of surviving Mustard Gas " 4. Do not vomit, drink milk "..
what the f..k..? Allied forces in WW1 should have issued such warnings/advisory with loads of milk to its troops in the western front during the height of Mustard gas attacks !!!!!

I'm not an expert on chemical warfare but from what i understand, CS gas is a non-lethal riot control agent that's whats called 'tear gas' in normal parlance, and the Military version of the CS is much stronger and are used in fighting in urban areas to flush out people from closed places without harming them.however, Military use of CS is now banned following the 1997 Chemical Warfare Convention,but Law Enforcement agencies and Police use the more toned down version of CS, and known as, like i mentioned before 'tear gas' in crystallized form for riot control.

The deadly Chlorine attack in Japan took place in an underground subway and the culprits , the Aum Shinrikio Sect used a big 100kg drum to kill a dozen ppl..

Since October 2008, LTTE has being using tear gas (not Military version of CS [TZ342] against Army Troops in Vanni, especially in defending LTTEs FDLs ,with not much impact on the troops other than as a delaying tactic as the forward assault units in practice don't carry masks with them as its a hindrance for their mobility to carry extra stuff, though front line troops are equipped with such protective masks!

In the context of mass attack as expected in Colombo, the LTTE would need huge supply of gas, have to have a way to transport it to a staging area and would need elaborate ways of delivering it to its targets, ie. open public spaces etc..

But we all know that we are at a time when the LTTE is finding hard even to blast a small parcel bomb in a remote part of Colombo,against their capability to strike as they wised just a few years back..its hard to believe in a mass attack in this context and the use of Aircraft to drop chemical bombs too.

LTTE Aircraft (provided if any operational planes survived the Army attacks so far..) have a payload of around 250-350kg, as seen from previous attacks! so even if they undertake a, one off Air attack (provided they have take off strip /manage to counter the present Air Defence network ) using chemical agents , it might not yield that much of a kill ratio that's enough to make a considerable impact.

Therefor dissemination of bogus/spam messages, even with good intentions, can harm the public . Besides, the dissemination of such messages quite often creates unnecessary panic/anxiety, prompts public to take wrong/counterproductive measures and otherwise puts unnecessary strain on already overloaded Security/Health resources.

I really hope these people would take note and refrain from forwarding similar messages in the future.

        below is the 'Threat Advisory' thats being circulated en mass!

BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY...

Subject: !!!!! Gas Attack in Colombo VERY SOOOOONNNNNNN.......
   Dear All Friends TO BE ALERT ..
According to latest Intelligence reports, the LTTE has decided to
attack both military and civilian targets in the South to disrupt
civilian life as much as possible. MI warns of an LTTE plan to attack
   several major cities simultaneously including Colombo and cause
widespread panic and fear among civilians.
Borella
Nugegoda
Pettah
Kottawa
Homagama
Maharagama
Buses and Railway
Kandy-bus stand and railway station
   Gampola
The WTC twin towers,
Colombo
harbour and
the city of Kandy
are said to be among primary targets of the LTTE. According to MI,
LTTE intelligence cadres 'disguised as beggars', differently-abled
   people and sales representatives have already been
deployed to gather intel on these targets...
Send this to all your relatives & friends in Sri Lanka and inform them
to be alert.
Miss.Nadira.Gunatilleke
   Staff.Journalist
Daily.News(www.dailynews.lk)
ANCL
--
Gas Attack in Colombo VERY SOOOOONNNNNNN.......
   Its always beyond our comprehension, it's unimaginable sometimes. But
it always happened making us helpless and ashamed. Our defenses denied
LTTE having aircrafts. Proclaimed to shoot them down the moment they
   are airborne. Blamed people like Iqbal Athas as traitors for reporting
it. But now it has become a fact, they managed to invade our airspace
six times and escape without a scratch.
Recently media reported that LTTE is planning to use chemical weapons.
   Our defenses denied it bluntly, weeks after that they attacked our
army using chemical weapons. Well its said to be none lethal version,
CS gas. But this news is startling. It's reported that some of our
soldiers became ill after that.
   What if LTTE use these weapons on civilians, CS gas in a fully packed
bus could be lethal enough to kill many innocent people. Or they could
even use a lethal gas like Chlorine.Like in Japan.LTTE will only have
  minor effect on our army. If they use gas in open areas .Chemical
weapons are successful only if they are deployed in large amounts,
Possibly from air. But there is a possibility of LTTE using chemical
weapons on civilians. Government should take necessary steps in
advising the public of ways to survive a gas attack.
   Lets not wait to close the gate after the horse has run away. These
are some ways to survive Mustard or chlorine attack.
Chlorine Gas
1.Yellow,green gas with the strong smell of bleach might be chlorine
2.Move quickly into an area with clean air
   3. try to hold your breath until you move away.
3. Don't stay indoors
4. Move to higher ground ( chlorine is denser than air)
5. Pee on a cloth and hold it to your nose (urine crystallize
chlorine, this could be very useful . for our army).
   6. Remove cloths which touched the gas.
7. Do not vomit.
8. Wash your body throughly.
9. Stay calm, panicking may increase the amount of gas that you inhale
10. Don't try to cover your kids face, try to cover your nose first
   then you can help the kids
Mustard Gas
1. Burning or itching on the skin or onion smell gas is a sign of musted gas
2.Move to higher ground
3.Cover your skin to avoid burning
4. Do not vomit, drink milk
   5. Wash your body throughly.
If you have any other information please add-up, Can anyone translate
this into sinhala and tamil post in a blog, or circulate among people.
It Could be useful, lets not wait until the government do it, they are
   always late.
----
Dear All,
Please take all possible preventive measures on the interest of
security in your work places, homes, markets, schools, banks,
vehicles, trains, bus stops, temples, churches or where ever you move
   out. It may be on the road during your day to day business in the
future because, information has been received that very serious
calamity is been planed out by the LTTE to cause in the south or
central, in the coming period.
   Take care of your children more than any other times and educated all
inmates of homes, office,schools or else where.
Special attention have to be taken for those in the security services
and their homes etc.
   Please educate all your friends and relations on this to take adequate
care to avoid mass escalations to human lives and their properties.
if any suspicious person even a beggar is noticed by you, take steps
quickly to inform security authorities and the people around.
   See mail below for your interest.
With best regards
Caesar Ranaweera,

Contingent Commander for Sri Lanka ,
Team Leader/ Internal Evaluation Unit,
Police Commissioner's Office,
United Nations Mission in Timor Leste
   Caicoli, Obrigado,
Dili,
Tel:+670-3312210 Ext. 4606
Mobile :+ 670-7319012
Via Australia +61(8)89463900 Ext.4607
Via NY+212-9630099 Ext 4607
ranaweerac@un.org
   decaesar49@hotmail.com

Happy New Year - a Peaceful 2009

2009-01-01T12:32:00.001+05:30

Let us hope that this new year provides Peace & Justice to a world in need and usher an era of Peace & Prosperity to Sri Lanka, with an end to this murderous War and the Scourge of the LTTE.

My prayers to all the innocent who lost their lives amidst the war,
the ones who died fighting for the freedom of this country and..
for those who lost their lives while fighting for a myth,
after all they too are one of us!

Let this new year bring peace of mind to all ordinery people of Sri Lanka and rest of the World..to all those who are tired of war and destruction,dirty politics and bad economics!

Tinker of Colombo.

Sunila Abeysekera ..where are you?

2008-06-06T10:37:00.001+05:30

another day , another bomb and many more innocent civilians dead and we all know its not the Karuna group or the Sri Lankan Army thats behind it. there is no other entity in Sri Lanka , other than the blood thirsty LTTE of Prabakaran who takes pride in massacre innocent civilians.

the LTTE has marked another victory in their campaign to wipe out innocent civilians from the Sri Lankan soil and that campaign is gaining momentum .by looking at the innocent and unarmed victims of the bomb in a public bus in Kattubedda,Moratuwa today all i have to ask is where are you Sunila Abeysekera?

where are you?

are deaf today? did you not hear the bomb?

or may be your' in US , talking to the UN about defending Human Rights in Sri Lanka.

either way Sunila , thank you for all the things you have done for defending Human Rights in Sri Lanka and we are proud of you for winning so many awards for defending rights...

just one small question...

do innocent civilians living outside LTTE controlled territory have human rights?

Aranthalawa , 21 years ago ..And LTTE ethnic cleansing of Sinhalese of the East

2008-06-02T17:52:00.001+05:30

Twenty-one years ago, 45-member group of Buddhist monks, headed by Ven Hegoda Indasara Nayaka Thero were cold-bloodedly butchered by Tamil Tiger rebels of the LTTE in one of the planned campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Sinhalese population of the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. Many monks were very young novice monks aged between 12-16 years old, sons of very poor families of Ampara, Monaragala and Batticaloa Districts.

Today the mastermind of that campaign, the LTTE Leader V.Prabakaran is hiding under a deep cave some where in the Vanni jungles, still carrying out cold blooded killings, sacrificing young lives of Tamils in the name of a separate state, while his conies who carried the actual attack have de-camped him, with 'Col' Karuna Amman in custody in a UK immigration detention center and his deputy Pillian ,soon to be Chief Minister of Eastern Province.

We have moved on with our lives, we are trying hard to give space to the LTTE and its sympathizers or least people who renounced the LTTEs path of violence like Pillian, but we have not forgotten that day and we will not.

No so called 'Civil Society Organizations' in Colombo lights candles in the name of the victims and the families of the Aranthalawa attack , for the so called 'Civil Society' its taboo or too nationalistic to talk about it. Sunila Abesekara will not make public statements on this day about the rights of the victims, nor will Jehan Perera organize a candle light vigil.

some day Prabakaran will pay for it and so are the rest of the dark hearts that fed him and his clan of killers.

groundviews crap and Publis's postmortem to EP-PC elections

2008-05-21T15:21:00.003+05:30

i got a load of crap via Groundviews today , the so called citizens journalism site managed by CPA under the funding from USAID titled "the eastern provincial council elections:a brief post-mortem".

why i call it crap is for few reasons but thats a different story.may be i don't want to waste my or your time on going on explaining why its really crap. few words from the actual article below might give any one a hint , why i call it crap....

"Compounded with the patent illegitimacy of the manner in which the election was conducted, of which the most significant factor of course was that the central government's principal proxy in the East was armed and was not diffident about displaying the fact, it is difficult to share the government's sanguinity about the re-establishment of a great New Jerusalem of democracy in the East."

so whats this about this 'great new Jerusalem of democracy" that Publis seems to be so entrenched about?
what about the conduct of the election? in fact can you even think about a election in the east under the shadow of the murderous LTTE? the bloodthirsty LTTE led by psychopath V.Prabakaran has no bounds when it comes to waging violence against any practice of democracy and sadly Publis' failed to realize this.

"central governments principal proxy in east was armed..." ..right on mate, what do you expect anyway...? they are a break away gang from the LTTE ( and no different than the LTTE , after all they ARE a pack of terrorists ,till few years back!) and yes, they still have the culture of the gun with them. whole exercise of having them in this election, of the government taking them under the wing is about trying to give them some space, make them change., its not like the CPA organizing forcing trips on Federalism to the LTTE or providing 'capacity building' and 'confidence building ' support to the LTTE as they did in the past ( may be even now!!!?) , that the same treatment was given to the breakaway faction..

CPA paid lip service , and back behind the screen, forced the LTTE to "solve" the issue of the breakaway faction, so much so that once Sunil Abeysekera (so called defender of Human (LTTE) Rights) requested Erik Soilhaim to 'tell the LTTE leadership to take out " Kauna and his senior cadres.

and about holding on to the guns, well ..can you survive without he guns , as long as LTTE is there, not only in the North and East , but effectively rest of the country? LTTE has gunned down, blown to bits so many of their opponents, so much so that they amount to more that 15-20,000. thats a lot of people, not to mention a whole generation of moderate Tamil politicians that died under the hand of the LTTE, the so called liberators of the Tamil race.

so Mr.Publis , what crap are you talking about this New Jerusalem, when you have the blood thirsty pack of Prabakaran running around with guns and bombs?

Publis' ends his crap load of crap by saying;

"What is nevertheless surprising, however, is that the Rajapakse regime's conception of political self-interest did not extend to seeing the value of a free and fair election conducted through independent institutions, from the windfall of legitimacy of which, it could have been the primary beneficiary."

are you nuts or blind, or may be you're under orders form the LTTE, but make no mistake Mr.Publis this election is not about being free and fair, its all about giving a former pack of blood thirsty LTTE'rs a chance to experience democracy , so that least try and change them from believers in violence to practitioners in democracy.

that docent happen overnight, and that will take time, and we the people who are against the LTTE and its murderous ways, need to be bit calm and focused.

and then on the other hand if this election was about the LTTE , and had it being contesting , the Flower Road 'Civil Society' and its champions like Publis would make a terrible effort to justify the LTTE holding on to its guns and liberally discharging them on the innocent.

its very good to have LTTE mouth pieces like the Groundviews cause it not only keep the rest of us informed about the many ways the LTTE wages terror , especially psychological terror but also provides justification for more tougher action against pseudo liberal democratists like Publis, who is on the payroll of LTTE.

Prabakaran using an Armoured Personal Carrier?

2008-03-18T11:38:00.002+05:30

was reading the 'Situation Report ' by Iqba Athas on Sunday Times of 16th March 2008 , on the events relation to the death and funeral of TNA MP Mr.Sivanesan and to quote Iqbal Athas;

" On Saturday morning, the body of Mr Sivanesan was taken from Kilinochchi to his home town of Mallavi. Thereafter, it was taken from village to village including Puthukudiyiruppu and Mullaitivu. Around 5.30 p.m. it was brought to the Kalachara Mandapam (Cultural Hall) in Kilinochchi for the public to pay their respects. Around 8.30 p.m. it was removed from there.

At the same time, members of the family of late Mr. Sivanesan, his wife, four children and the 13 MPs were transported in a vehicle to a location outside Kilinochchi. The journey had lasted almost an hour. There, they were ushered inside a building. Around 10.30 p.m. those inside heard the loud roar of the engine of a vehicle. They were not sure whether it was a Jeep or a coach. Moments later, they saw armed men walking in. [emphasis mine]

First to walk in thereafter was the head of LTTE intelligence Pottu Amman (Shivshankar) followed by the leader of the Political Wing (and former guerrilla "Police Chief") Nadesan (Balasingham Mahendran). Thereafter, Tamilendhi, the head of Finance Wing and LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran followed. At least one TNA parliamentarian said his eyes "immediately focused on LTTE leader's leg to see whether he had been injured or was using an artificial leg. He walked normal."

point "those inside heard the loud roar of the engine of a vehicle. They were not sure whether it was a Jeep or a coach" captured my imagination and come to think of it , Jeeps and Coaches ,however badly maintained don't do a laud roar. even if that's the case one cant believe Prabakaran is using such a beat up vehicle, considering the accounts by people who were close to him and also by the nature of luxury and exotic merchandise used by Prabakaran which were later captured by Security Forces in the past.

so what is it then , that brought Prabakaran to this 'secret' venue?

i think with the increased LRRP and dissident LTTE attacks against the LTTE targets in Vanni has forced Prabakaran to abandon his entourage of Pajero/Prado jeeps and use a armoured vehicle. LTTE has over the years captured number of APCs (Armoured Personal Carrier/wheeled) and even a couple of IFVs ( Infantry Fighting Vehicle/Tracked) from the Security Forces and it may be the fact that they have mustard one of them as Prabakarans means of transport.

APCs/IFVs offer a relative amount of protection from landmine/claymore mine explosions and they are also quite reliable when it comes to negotiating off road/difficult terrain conditions and even has the capability of fording limited depths.plus they support comms/command control gear so its a very versatile option as a mobile command platform while offering armoured protection too.

Security Forces top brass do use APCs for VVIP transport and also as command vehicles most of the time and its quite possible that the LTTE is using the same tactics now , not only in order to transport Prabakaran but also as mobile command post , thus preventing a security risk of having him visiting one or few command centres .

over the time Sri Lanka Army and Navy has lost few APCs of different types including Buffels , Unicorns and Saracens , and even a couple of late modle BTRs. also some people say we have lost few IFVs including the Chinese made ones and a Russian BMP.event though the military claim most of these captured assets were destroyed by areal attacks we experianced the LTTE using captured T-55 from Elephant Pass , against a Navy Dovra in the 1990s.

although the possibility of use of the captured T-55 is very marginal considering its cumbersome maintenance and steady stream of spare parts , use of APCs or IFVs is quite high. hence i think the Military establishment should spend some time on this as if Prabakaran is really using such an armoured vehicle it will much more easy for a LRRP unit or a Jet to pick this target .

since there are more specialised and not so complicated ways of taking out a armored vehicle and also having being able to ID using thermal imaging with its distinctive thermal signature , Prabakaran traveling in a armoured vehicle will be a rich picking .

War to end by April (2008?) -Kohona

2008-02-07T22:15:00.001+05:30

a friend of mine sent me an e-mail and i want to reproduce a portion of it below...

" I met Dr. Palitha Kohona (Foreign Secretary) a couple of days ago and
during the conversation he said that if all goes well, by April the
war should be over. I hope this is true. What do you think? Am I an
idiot or is this possible? You can respond with one word. Just say
'idiot' or 'possible'. Based on the feed back, I hope to write
something about the war."

i sure hope this is true and pray this happens. i just want to see the end of the LTTE and its genocidal war against people of Sri Lanka.

10th anniversary of LTTE attack on sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy

2008-01-26T00:19:00.001+05:30

today falls the 10th anniversary of the LTTE attack on the sacred temple of the Tooth Relic , the Sri Dhalada Maligawa in Kandy.Dhalada Maligawa is the most sacred of all the places of Buddhist worship and considerd as some thing that's equal to the Mecca for Islam or Jerusalem for Jews and Christians.

LTTE on 25th January 1998 exploded a powerful bomb laden truck within the temple precinct and followed by a attempt to raid the temple with 2 more suicide bombers.however the suicide bombers were prevented from entering the temple by two heroic Police personal but 13 people lost their lives and many more got injured in this attack.

this attack was clearly an attack to create a Sinhala-Buddhist backlash against the minority Tamils as the LTTE expected island wide riots and mass scale attacks against innocent Tamils and Tamil owned businesses in the rest of the country.however soon after the attack all most all the leading religious leaders in Sri Lanka and India condemned the heinous attack and called on the LTTE to take up responsibility .a backlash that the LTTE expected never materialised , however there was intense pressure from the public and mainly Buddhist organisations towards then President Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumarathunga to act strongly.

interestingly , no so called 'Civil Society' leader nor so called International Community condemned nor stated a single word against the LTTE over the attack. they simply issued statements that basically said they were sad and hoped things get better.

no one today talks about the LTTE targeting places of religious worship, let alone sacred sites nor the LTTE use of such sites and places as cover for launching attacks against military.today we hear so much about the LTTE or 'Tamils' being denied of so many rights but fails to ask how much the LTTE has done to destroy rights of believe a religion , place to worship etc.

LTTE continuously use places of worship as launch pads for military attacks and use them in a two pronged strategy. primarily LTTE used the sacred or holy places as cover and expect a military counter attack on the site as a example of SL Military attacking religious sites on a secondary basis. this is a time tested tactic for the LTTE, which they horned against the IPKF when they were in North and East Sri Lanka.

the LTTE used and continue to use the grounds around and within the sacred Madhu church to launch attacks against the military and during these days , with the continuing military operation against the LTTE in Mannar , the LTTE uses the Church grounds to launch Artillery attack against the Military forces. this is a known fact and for some reason the Church of Mannar and the Bishop of Mannar seems to be silent on this. when the SLMM was here , they too denied such use and went to the extent of stating that they have found 'evidance' of Military attacking the Church and its vicinity.

10 years on after the deadly attack against the Dhalada Maligawa , we not only remember the attack but also realise well , what the true face of the LTTE is and also take solace in understanding that even with such a devastating attack against the Buddhist faith , we the Sri Lankans , especially the Sinhala-Buddhist never yielded to terror nor wielded violence against innocent Tamils (against the wishes of V.Prabakaran ).

iTRO crap on abrogating CFA

2008-01-24T02:07:00.001+05:30

this is bit too late but never late when it comes to TRO. after putting TRO plainly out of business by Sri Lanka and mainly US and few other western governments , suddenly it has come to the limelight .

well not so much of a limelight but at least it had issued a statement on the GoSL'S abrogation of the CFA and surprise surprise , it got to D B S Jeyarajs blog , while no other print/electronic media nor any other blogger noticed it.

whats really funny is that now the good old TRO is called ..iTRO ... may be after the hype of the Apple and its iPhone and iPod, the main face of the TRO to the rest of the world Arjunan K. has signed the statement , with address and phone numbers of a location in London ,England.

we all know the story of the TRO, no need to repeat it again and again but my question to Arjunan is who are you trying to fool here?
iTRO is 'shocked and concerned' about the GoSLs move to abrogate CFA?

did they not realised that during the CFA , from the start till the end ,iTRO or its predecessor TRO's master the LTTE was killing innocent people and breaching the CFA on a daily basis?

dose Arjunan know ( or may be he was the one!) that TRO was a front for LTTE in not only channeling funds but also in purchasing arms and other warlike material ?

dose Arjunana realise many of the LTTEs assassins and bombers came to Colombo under the guise of TRO staff?

K.P Reggi , the head of TRO is now and was before a fully fledged LTTE military cadre and former area leader ,who not only conducted terror attacks against the Military but also against civilian villages in Pollonnaruwa/ Kantale area?

only the stupid Tamils who live in western countries who are blindly believe LTTE will create a Eelam in SL will read and believe this nonsense from iTRO . as for the IC , they don't give a damn about Sri Lanka.

one other thing about the iTRO is that it seems now its relocated to UK and again and gain we see that UK soil being used to wage terror against Sri Lanka .

whats the stand of the UK government on this ? do they tolerate LTTEs terrorism against Sri Lanka while , they the UK government fight each and every other rag tag terrorist group in the world ?

why the double standers then?

Prabakaran celebrates the end of CFA in a bloodbath

2008-01-17T13:24:00.001+05:30

the whole world knows how the blood thirsty LTTE led by V.Prabakaran celebrated the end of the ceasefire agreement yesterday.Prabakaran ended the ceasefire officially not in North or Eastern province of Sri Lanka but on a remote road leading to Buttala from Kataragama in the Uva province and a chena in a remote area of Monaragala.

we all saw the dead bodies,stacked on each other of the people who died in the Prabakarans attack on a bus in Okkampitiya , yesterday. dead included many small children.those innocent and poor people were not shareholders of the war,separate state nor within the spear of power and influence. at the same time these innocent people had no connection to the President , Defence Sec or the Army commander or any other important person within the Sri Lankan State.

for these people , wither the CFA was alive or not was not a issue, it was the same for them. the piece of paper which is called the CFA agreement (which by the way the original signed doc has gone missing, according to the Govt..maybe at 5th Lane residence of Ranil,where he might be reading it every morning before he starts his work!) is not a thing for them,for the only war they know that existed in this country was the war to stay alive.

its was the same war that the people who died on the Kebithigollawa bus had to face and it was the same war that the farmers who took water from the Maavil Aru anicut for cultivation had to fight.it is the same war that the Tamil community who live beyond the check point in Omanthai , under the hands of Prabakaran who fight on a daily basis.

since the dawn of civilisation the worst scourge faced by the humans was violence and terrorism is the pinnacle of that scourge.during the rain of Hitler , terrorism was called 'facisim' and the height of fascism is the terrorism of the modern days.

if someone takes revenge on fellow humans for the single intention of capturing or seizing power , then that person is a monster and Prabakaran is a monster beyond imagination.he is in fact far beyond Hitler when it comes to the amount of cruelty he had imposed on the human race.

with the advent of the ceasefire in 2002 , prabakaran had the chance of entering a fair process of Political engagement, yet for him it was a sojourn to re arm and re group his bad of murderers. had Prabakaran had a genuine interest in Peace and a peaceful settlement to the ethnic issue, then he could have used the opening when Mahinda assumed the Presidency, however instead Prabakaran decided to increase the scale of LTTEs ceasefire breeches in ten fold and enter a era of mass scale assassinations and bombings. after waiting patiently for few months the Government started to fight back, throwing Prabakaran to a rapid pace of withdrawals and defeats.

today Prabakaran bombs and kills people in desperation ,knowing that he will face the same fate as that was met by his close confidants such as Shankar,Tamilchelvam, and Charles and understands very well that his days are numbered.

although Prabakaran is living in air conditioned very deep hole somewhere in Killinochchi or Mullativu , he will be met by a bunker buster bomb pretty soon and when that happens President Mahindas promise of handing over Prabakara to India will be fulfilled though it will be in form of a box.

i hope that happens soon , so that the poor innocent people of this country can still cram into a bus early morning and go to places of their work and to know that their children got to school on time, and not to fear the deaths awaiting them by the road and all the Tamils who live overseas who blindly fund a bloody war in Sri Lanka can use that money for something more benevolent and also the so called international community to focus more on talking peace with Taliban or the Iraqi insurgents and entering to ceasefire with them with the facilitation of the Norwegians .

annulling the ceasefire and the crocodile tears of the bogus 'civil society'

2008-01-03T17:06:00.001+05:30

ceasefire ceased to exist for me the day LTTE killed Lakshman Kadiragamar MP and minister of Foreign Affairs.minister Kadiragamar,a Tamil and believer in democracy and non violance was killed by the LTTE not because he was a crusader to liberate the Tamils from the LTTE but because LTTE leader V.Prabakaran and his cohorts realised Kadiragamar was a moderate Tamil leader who could not only reach out to the rest of the Sri Lankans , whole world how had a pinch of interest in happenings in Sri Lanka and the Tamils in the rest of the world.

when Kadiragamar was killed, the bogus 'civil society' only made vague statements and called for all 'parties' to adhere to the ceasefire. whats the f... , all parties to the CFA was adhering to the ceasefire minus the LTTE at that time , but for some unknown reasons they never mentioned the LTTEs hand in killing Kadiragamar nor Kethesh Loganadhan , another Tamil moderate killed by the LTTE during .. of course the ceasefire.

so called civil society of Sri Lanka , who constantly we hear on mainly English language print and electronic media , who 'represent' rest of the civilians in Sri Lanka , in overseas mainly in Western countries are a bunch of wankers , spineless crowds who pay lip service to the LTTE. for them 'loss' of Tamilchelvam was for more serious then scores of civilians getting killed by road side bombs or Tamil politicians from opposition political parties in the hands of the LTTE.

day has come for Dr.Jehan Perera,Dr.Kumar Rupasingha,Prof.Jayadeva Uyangoda, Sunila Abesekara , Nimalka Fernando and rest of the so called 'civil society' band wagon to understand who the real enemies of peace in Sri Lanka is and why they should stand against not only the ills of the Sri Lankan government ,as they do all the time but also the scourge of the LTTE too.

Pirabakarans state of the Terror adress

2007-11-27T18:04:00.001+05:30

prabakaran will in few hours time deliver the ,LTTEs version of 'state of the Union adress' called the State of the Terror address. what is accepted as the LTTEs annual terror policy speech where Prabakaran will spell out the steps and direction the LTTE will take in attaining their terrorist aspirations.normally this speech has attracted a notable amount of interest from all quarters of interested parties in Sri Lanka and rest of the world and most notably the Tamils who sustain Prabakarans reign of terror from oversease will look in to 'new' rays of hope and vision to expand the war while , Tamils living under oppression of the LTTE will see this a another sounding of their death knell.

Tamilnet reported the SLAF attacking the LTTEs voice of tigers radio station in Vanni just few hours ago and i guess this time it will not be a live broadcast like last times and most probably this time it will be more of a pre recorded message , aired from a overseas location and not from the deep hope where Prabakaran is holed up, somewhere in the deep jungles of Vanni.

whats ironic is Prabakaran is more close to the burning Magma crust of the earth than the suffering Tamils of Vanni on the ground, and i guess in a way Prabakaran must be feeling the heat from the hell , being still alive.

for the rest of the people of Sri Lanka , this event is on not so much significance let alone the hustle they face on such a day as successive governments tend to take the particular day as a high threat day , thus increasing levels of security.

although till recently governments paid some attention to the content of the speech , but since last few years that had changed as more and more the LTTEs real interests keep coming into light.

considering the message delivered in the last couple of years, any one can come to the conclusion that this much envisaged speech of Prabakaran is nothing but simply giving on the stand that theirs is No Hope for Peace- War is the only option kind of rhetoric and only last year Prabakaran declared they had 'exhusted' all options for peace and are giving last chance to the Sri Lankan government to come up with a 'solution' .

but what solution they want? after four or more Peace efforts from successive governments and the last Peace Accord where a CFA and a number of rounds of peace talks under Ranil Wicramasingha and Mahinda Rajapaksha governments , LTTE opted to walk away from talks when they realised the Governments efforts were serious and the International Community was hell bent on supporting any solution that would have come out of talks.

so back to the question of the what solution, well as i see it there can be no solution to this problem in the eyes of the LTTE as for them the only solution is the continuation of war and noting else.

so today in few hours only thing Prabakran can say is that they are ' fed up with the MR government and they see no reason to continue with search for Peace' and may take the opportunity to pull out from the CFA , thus ending the presence of SLMM and the Norwegian Peace meddling ( ooops , sorry Mediation).

few other options Prabakaran can take up is -

1.declare a Unilateral declaration of Independence ( we've gone through a UDI before.. and know what happened to Mr.Perumal afterwards..)

2.call international community to accept LTTEs right to self determination ( dah...!!!! )

3. declare all out war on the Sri Lankan state ,claiming that the state is waging a full scale war against them ( they have seen noting yet..)

either way , I'm not surprised, and will not be. one thing that I'm certain is that , Prabakaran will never never opt for a another chance of peace talks.

all Prabakaran wants is war , destruction and death. that's the only way of life he knows and he is comfortable of . so today in few hours time , from a very deep hole somewhere in Vanni ,he will go on air (if he can get to do that ) or may be its already recorded and ready to go off, from a overseas location to spell out whats next in store for Sri Lanka and Tamils of the world over.

either way, all he can say is 'Sinhala government is hell bent on waging war' ' our peace efforts are being ignord' 'Tamils have no future under the current Government' etc.

Prabakaran might go forward and declare independence unilaterally or may be call the International Community to accept the LTTEs right to self determination, but all this he will do to ensure one thing..

WAR and CONTINUATION OF WAR .

26 November - day of Patriots and Monsters

2007-11-26T01:16:00.000+05:30

26th November is in many ways monumental to Sri Lanka. it was the day in 1818 the British crushed Sri Lankas first war of independence ( although somehow we were being taught to call it a 'Rebellion' by the same masters who re-wrote the history of Sri Lanka) , when they executed Monarawila Keppetipola , Dissawe of Uva. it was Keppetipola Dissawa who led the first war of independence against the British ,following the transfer of sovereignty to the British after the capture and the end of King Rajasingha II and the Kandyan dynasty.

where as the first monumental event was of a historical and national significance , the second monumental event is the birth of V.Prabakaran in the Jaffna Hospital. V.Prabakaran rose up to be the leader of LTTE, the Tamil terrorist organisation who for the last 30 or so years had been waging a war and reign of terror to curve out a separate state for minority Tamils in North and East of Sri Lanka.Prabakaran is nothing but a monster in human form , wielding a reign of terror , death and destruction not only in North and East of Sri Lanka , but also in every corner of the Island, beyond the seas in India and and many other un named , unknown places and at high seas.

not only Prabakaran had killed many hundred thousands of Sinhaleese and Muslims of Sri Lanka but he has a wiped out several generations of Tamils , including Tamil academics, religious and community leaders , elected representatives and politicians.The LTTE, under the leadership of Prabakaran has done more damages to the cause of the Sri Lankan Tamils than any other .

The LTTE has sabotaged every attempt to a reasonable political solution to the ethnic problem of Sri Lanka. The sole aim of the LTTE is the establishment of a one-party fascist regime by the name 'Tamil Eelam' in the North-East of Sri Lanka.

hence , November 26 th is a monumental for Sri Lanka.

on one side there is Keppetipola Dissawa , a man who fought for the freedom of his people, who was killed in the hands of a colonial oppressor and then there is Prabakan who continues to kill people in the name of establishing a separate state for the Tamils of Sri Lanka.Prabakaran has hijacked the Tamil cause with his gun totting terror tactics.he leads an organization with a fascist tendency. Its only aim is to establish a fascist regime in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

Due to its fascist leaning, it has made a self-proclamation as the sole representative of the Tamils. To maintain the status-quo of the sole representation, it has eliminated all the democratic Tamil leaders or subjugated their parties through their terror tactics.

To name a few Tamil leaders, brutally murdered by the LTTE are, A. Amirthalingam MP and Tamil National Leader, V.Yogeswaran MP, A.Thangathurai MP , Mrs. Sarojini Yogeswaran Mayor Jaffna , Dr.Neelan Tiruchelvam MP and S. Sivapalan of Tamil United Liberation Front the TULF Mayor Jaffna , Kumar Ponnambalam of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress the ACTC, Sri Sabaratnam Leader of the TELO, K. Padmanabha Leader of EPRLF, Sam Tambimuttu MP and his wife Kala Tambimuttu of the EPRLF and recently Luaxman Kadiragama, MP and former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka.

The leaders who succeeded them were cowed down and compelled to be subservient to LTTE. it was Douglas Devananda MP , a Tamil from Norhtern Sri Lanka who once led a Tamil Separatist group against the Government of Sri Lanka, who denounced violence and joined the mainstream democratic politics ,who as a Minister of the current government went on record recently and said " in the four decades of confrontation, not a single Tamil leader has been murdered by the Sri Lankan security forces" .

There are only a handful of democratic Tamil leaders who have still escaped the LTTE death trap, him being one amongst them and one who had escaped at least four attempts on his life.

Prabakaran's reign of terror extended its tentacles to our neighbouring Indian soil and globally as well. In the Indian soil, they killed former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan Tamil leaders. They murdered those who opposed them in the European countries. For example, T. Sabalingam, one of the founder member of the Tamil militant movement in Sri Lanka, was murdered in France.

LTTE extort money from the expatriate Tamils by threatening that their kith and kin, living in Sri Lanka will have to face the consequences, if they do not meet their demand.They also assassinated President Premadasa and attempted on the life of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who as a result, lost her sight in one eye.

Prabakaran thrives on the Tamil cause and has stood in the way of negotiated settlement within the frame work of united Sri Lanka, fearing, such arrangement would not give room for his fascist rule of law. LTTE aspire for a separate piece of land 'Tamil Eelam' to impose their fascist rule. As a result, the Tamils' aspiration for a power sharing arrangement in the areas of their habitation, remain unfulfilled to date. This is a vicious circle which the LTTE cleverly manipulates and thrives upon.

Further, the LTTE survives on the frustration of the Tamil people caused by the after effects of the war they initiate. In an environment of war, people undergo a lot of hardships such as; large scale displacements, non-availability of essential goods and services, black marketing, non-availability of proper educational, health and infrastructure facilities.

The LTTE capitalizes on this situation to win over the support of the Tamil people locally as well as internationally, This is also another vicious circle, the LTTE rides on.

so different to what Keppetipola Dissawa had envisaged , and ultimately brought to an end of his life.Keppetipola not only took personal responsibility for the acts of war and violence that we committed in the name of free Sri Lanka but also yielded to British use of terror tactics against the civilian populace of the Uva province in particular during the ensuring battles against forces of Keppetipola in 1818.

Keppetipola never used the collective suffering of his people to further his war , nor quelled dissension within his ranks.

his war was to attain freedom and restore rights and liberties of the common man of Sri Lanka and not curving out a separate state. it is sad that remembering Keppitipola Dissawa today , for somehow rests with the JVP and not the common man , while the so called 'Civil Society' of Sri Lanka and some pseudo 'free' media elements gather around to silently ( not so long a ago , very openly ) celebrate the birthday of Prabakaran , a monster of our times.

rest assured , come 26th November, next year I'm not going a write a word about V.Prabakaran nor about his LTTE , and way the things are going its also not sure if Prabakaran might make to the next years birthday , but will concentrate more on the first war of Independence and remember Keppetipola Dissawa and the rest of the patriots who had given life for a noble cause and not a cause that surpasses any myth.

Sri Lanka's hour of shame

2007-11-25T15:41:00.001+05:30

its been few days since Pakistan got chucked out of Commonwealth and our countries pussy footed approach to the whole saga.looking back i see so many rhetoric against the move and even UNP has gone out hard on the decision and also heavily criticised the Foreign Minister ( who is a MP of their party , by the way ..) and the government in general. President it seems made some noise at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting against the Pakistan being suspended from the Commonwealth.

there is now more and more statements and comments coming from all quarters of the government, including the Foreign Secretary Kohona, Deputy FM Husain Bhaila , FM himself , Prime Minister Wicramanayake and the President himself, but as i see it damage has been done.

when Pakistan needed us most as friend not only to voice against the sinister moves against Pakistan but also to stand up for a friend who has over and over and over the times had stood for us, Sri Lanka irrespective of who was on power in Pakistan , which party or which General in power , when all the so called friends and International Safty nets and so on failed us.

when Sri Lanka faced grave threat to its freedoms and security in the face of terror it was not the Commonwealth nor its Secretary General or its nominal head the Queen of England who stepped in to help us , it was the Republic of Pakistan,very Pakistan we betrayed on 22 November 2007.

its true that there is a serious crisis in Pakistan in terms of governance , and there is emergency rule , which is stop short of Marshal law and the judiciary and the opposition parties are under threat, but its also a fact that Pakistan had seen its fair share of turmoil and there is moves within Pakistan to come to a settlement on this continuing crisis.

having being suspended from Commonwealth is , in fact for Pakistan is not a big deal, after all Commonwealth is nothing but sort of a glorified club to celebrate the now defunct British Empire and its gathered in the expenses of the UK taxpayers money so that that UK government and its head of state the Queen ( and what ever remnants of the Royal Family) gets to go on a nostalgic trip of a 'once a mighty empire we had ' sort of thing, where they get a chance to tell their former colonies 'how bad' they are doing and ' what they must to ' to fix things up, the British way of course.

its irrelevant what the Commonwealth has to say about Pakistan or about any other country or the suspension of Pakistan from Commonwealth. however,whats relevant is that we have betrayed a friend , a friend who had been there for us in our time of need and had been many times over . therefor , the Government including the President and the FM must somehow do its best to rectify this grave error.

may be the best place to start is the up coming Parliamentary sitting where the Budget of the Foreign Ministry will be taken up. FM Bogollagama can explain what made him to take the pussy footed approach and Deputy FM Bhaila can explain what went wrong with the 'breakdown of communication ' which he seems to be repeatedly referring to and on the top of it , MP Basil Rajapaksha , being the Governments Viceroy in Parliament can say what they are going to do to fix the problem and also remedies in terms of not repeating the same mistake.

let us all hope that Pakistan doesn't experience a 'break down of communications' when they have to deal with a crisis facing Sri Lanka, if it arises in the future.

Fwd: LTTE admits committing mass murder-Nitharsanam 05.11.07

2007-11-05T10:23:00.000+05:30

LTTE website Nitharsanam.com , in an article today (05 th November 2007 ) on the arrest of Karuna Amman in UK has admitted to LTTE committing mass murder.

in its article, Nitharsanam.com states:

" Karuna has to be tried for the mass murder on 11 June 1990 of the 600 Sinhala and Muslim police officers in the jungles of Thirukkovil.They were all blind-folded, with their hands tied behind their backs,and made to lie down before they were shot in the back of their heads"

we need to understand that during the 1990s Karuna Amman was the LTTE's Ampara-Batticaloa Area leader and was under the direct command of LTTE leader V.Prabakaran.considering the power structure of the LTTE then and now, its cristal clear who gave the order to carry out such an act of mass murder.

there for not only its important that Karuna Amman be tried of Mass Murder but also V.Prabakaran,along with the rest of the LTTE leadership must be tried for Mass Murder and acts against humanity.

LTTE website http://www.nitharsanam.com is believed to be run by the LTTE's intelligence wing , under the direct supervision of LTTE Intelligence and Assassination wing leader Pottu Amman.

following is a screen shot of the article as it appeared in Nitharsanam.com and the link to the said article.

http://www.nitharsanam.com/?art=24873

Dispatching Terror 20 Fathoms Down

2007-10-11T12:09:00.001+05:30

A group consisting thieves, smugglers, bank robbers and common
criminals organizes itself into a rag tag terrorist group with a few
hand guns. In time with support of politicians and other interest
groups they become a group practicing political terrorism and end up
with a flotilla of old ships and small air craft resembles farm
tractors. This is the evolution of the LTTE in a nutshell.

Leaving aside the LTTEs 'air power', in resent times there has been a
lot of chanting and praising about the deep sea fleet of LTTE gun
running, drug smuggling ships. LTTE not only used to talk about its
strategic sea lift 'ability' but also the fact that the LTTE own more
ships than the Sri Lankan Government. They were considered one of the
crown jewels of the Overseas Tamils who overtly supported the LTTEs
murderous cause to carve out a LTTE Eelam in Sri Lanka.

These ships represented the LTTEs ability to move weapons and other
warlike material to sustain its campaign of terror without hindrance,
and in tern exert pressure on any elected Government in Sri Lanka or
overseas. utilizing the sojourns within different bogus 'peace talks'
and cease fires ,and by spreading misinformation about Sri Lanka all
over the globe , the LTTE amassed a massive global network of support
and acceptance, portraying them as a indestructible force and a major
power player to recon with.

Then there was the former leader of this country who at times not only
accepted this as a fact but also gave justification and legitimacy to
such claims and continued to follow a policy of non engagement with
the LTTE, recognizing a somewhat 'de facto' status of the LTTE
'controlled ' areas. In a twist of fate this quasi Eelam states all
powerful ground elements lost all its ground and strength, stating
with the closure of the Mavil Aru anicut .

Military operations to save the Eastern Province from the LTTE had
dealt a major defeat to the LTTE and, effectively sounded the death
knell of the LTTE as a force to recon with. The over estimate state of
the LTTEs land fighting power seems to diminish on a daily basis, with
the continuing operating of the Sri Lankan Security Forces.

However, the LTTEs 'sea power' was a totally different in context. It
was foreseen as a major player in both shallow and deep water
operations and boasted as more powerful than the Sri Lankan Navy by
some 'think tanks' and 'independent' experts. Successive Sri Lankan
Governments, including Chandrika and Ranil administrations at many
times had to resist stiffly to the SLMMs moves to recognize LTTE 'Sea
Tigers' as a legitimate force.

all that came to a sad end on Monday the 8th October 2007, with the
sinking of the last of the 10 sea lift ships of the LTTE. Not only the
ship went to the bottom of the sea, 1700km south of Sri Lanka but with
it took a considerable consignment of arms and war like material. But
more than the material it took with itself down to the bottom of the
sea , it also took the prestige and the false dream of LTTE Sea Power
to the deep bottom of the Indian Ocean.

the dreams and aspiration of the LTTE, its Tamil Diaspora sponsors and
International guardians (including Local Supporters from so called
'Civil Society') of having the LTTE dominate the waters surrounding
the Island of Sri Lanka, the Indian Ocean that surrounds it and the
Sea Lanes that cross this Island went down the toilet when the Sri
Lanka Navy Spokesmen Commander D.K Dassanayake announced the
distraction of the last of LTTE ships on Monday.

by not having the anchorage rights at neighboring port around Sri
Lanka, its well known that LTTE ships acted as a network of floating
warehouses ,storing and ferrying arms and material for the LTTE and
disembarking as when required . This was thought the history of the
LTTEs 'sea power' and that was the very history that was put to an end
two days ago, 1700km south of Dondra head. Sri Lanka Navy should have
the full credit for ending this legacy and all the officers and
sailors of the Sri Lanka Navy must be commended for its actions.

Having said that, one must not expect that LTTE will not put and end
to its sea lift capability nor should the Navy not let off the guard,
expecting no more LTTE ships entering Sri Lankan waters. There are
many expatriate Tamils and other parties who benefit form the
prolonged conflict in Sri Lanka to the effect that LTTE will be able
to replace or may be may have already replaced couple of lost ships by
now. trained and experience crew, who not only are used to the waters
and arms smuggling may come hard to find for the LTTE and also crews
able to operate covertly in neutral ports and understand the Sri Lanka
Navy tactics will be a major hurdle the LTTE has to overcome in order
to restore the sea lift capability, knowing well the fact that all 10
shies the LTTE lost, had no single survivor.

After LTTE lost each and every engagement with the Sri Lankan Security
forces, in Land, Sea and Air the LTTE will call for a time out, just
so that it can get some critical rest and recuperation for its
fighters and sharpen its arsenal by replenishing its armory. they will
want to use this time out to chart out the prolonging this savage war
for another few years as it had happened in every 'Peace Talk' time
during the past couple of decades. unfortunate day for LTTE is that
this time that most wanted R&R is not possible due to a leader with
back bone within the seat of Government in Sri Lanka.MR has over and
over made his intentions clear , and his intentions for peace dose not
include granting a weekend and war weary LTTE re coupe rating/ re
arming period.

Added to this, there is the Sri Lankan Security Forces, who are with a
firm and strong resolve to give LTTE a permanent rest.

Question remains, despite these victories, why some quarters within
the Sri Lankan society want to play doom such victories.

State of the key rocketing cost of living and the continuation of war
against LTTE should not be mixed together and be considered as a
single issue. Any such linking of cost of living with war should be
considered a treacherous act , and should be seen as an act to destroy
the current march towards destruction of the LTTE and an attempt to
resuscitate the LTTE.

Annihilation of the LTTEs ocean going fleet is not a victory of the
Sri Lanka Navy nor a victory of MR, but a Victory of all peace loving
Sri Lankans, be it a Sinhalese , a Tamil , a Muslim or any other
community in Sri Lanka.

Gotabhaya and the grim reality of peace talks with LTTE

2007-09-19T14:07:00.001+05:30

in midst of war, the best news can be the news of a victory but for some unexplained reason we seemed to be waiting for news of a 'peace', and this is quite common with not only our public but also with politicians and soldiers. However, LTTE, denied of any news of victory in war currently seems to be waiting for any news of 'peace', anxiously waiting for a chance to involve in 'peace'.

this in not because they the LTTE understand the peoples urge for peace but its more due to the fact that by portraying their inclination towards peace they can avoid facing decimation in the face of war and a total destruction of its terrorist livelihoods. Although in reality the LTTE was never genuine about a lasting peace, they embarked on a path of fake peace for few reasons. One is that, with the inclination towards a fake peace they could easily deceive the international community .secondly the LTTE utilized the fake peace to deploy ,train and place its informants, suicide bombers and 'tax' collectors within the government controlled areas.

During this time LTTE knows its sympathizes in South would bring in Democracy, Human Rights and other Rights and Liberties to hide the LTTEs intentions of war and protect the war preparedness and violent act of LTTE against its enemies and crate path for LTTE to wage war by proxy.

During this time ,such sympathizers in the South will bring in Berthold Brecht to Pablo Neruda, great artists who utilized their pens against fascism to great revolutionaries like Ernesto Cheguara and great fighters against Apartheid and racial discrimination like Nelson Mandela as plates of bytes in a drinking table and use moonshine distilled in Norway to raise glasses for a future Eelam.

As this happens there will be a continued flow of sermons on pleasures of peaceful life in North and East, with calls to enjoy the joy of saving money earmarked for war, and use of such savings on economic development.

Mr.Prabakaran ( as Prabakaran, the leader of the LTTE will be called during that time) , who will put up his combat fatigues for laundry at this time, will donne white safari suites and will appear every night in Sirasa ,Shakthi and MTV TV, talking with no lip movement about LTTEs commitment to 'Peace' and dialogue.

Stop..... Stop.....pause.....

Above was some of the scene and acts from the LTTEs 'Peace' drama. A drama we experienced and watched with disbelief many times over the last couple of decades. What ever the brand of 'Peace' the LTTE promotes, there is a notion that we need to follow it as it is within the ruling class of the main political parties in Sri Lanka today. This is more fueled by the myth that floated around stating that the LTTE cannot be defeated militarily and there is no alternative to LTTEs power of terror.

However, starting with Maavil Aru to Silawathura the military victories against the LTTE terror has proven that this notion of LTTEs invincibility is nothing much but a myth cultivated to nourish a culture of defeatism. It's irrelevant as much as a used paper napkin today. Therefore, when Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksha claimed that no political solution, however effective and realistic to end the ethnic conflict can be successful without defeating the LTTE militarily, it makes sense.

only way we can achieve peace is not by few military victories but by defeating the LTTE hundred percent ,states the Defence Secretary , and further adds that the Sri Lankan security forces have managed to chase LTTE out of East and Jaffna and managed to corner LTTE to Vanni.

I think a terrorist group of the brink of collapse might call for a fake 'peace', with no intention for a genuine peace for many reasons. However, there has to be an immediate solution to the ethnic crisis but as Gotabhaya puts it "A total defeat of the LTTE is necessary before a political solution to the ethnic crisis can be implemented".

Bravo Mr.Gotabhaya Rajapaksha, for not being scared to speck the truth.

Nedumaran and voyage to 'save' Jaffna Tamils

2007-09-12T11:43:00.001+05:30

Pro LTTE Tamil Nadu politician P.Nedumaran announced his intention to cross the Palk strait with 'hundreds of boats' full of his supporters and 'supplies' to the Tamil people of Jaffna as protest against the Indian governments support towards the government of Sri Lanka.Nedumaran the leader of the Tamil National Movement it Tamil Nadu has been a longstanding supporter and promoter of the LTTE ,its leader V Prabakaran and LTTE murderous campaign of terror in Sri Lanka and in India.

Nedumaran is known to be one of the few people who never condoned the murder of Rajiv Ghandhi , former PM of India ,by the LTTE and had travelled many time illegally to Jaffna and Vanni in Sri Lanka with the help of the LTTE to further its cause in waging terror.

since of yesterday the Indian Cost Guard has informed the Sri Lankan Navy that they will prevent any illegal crossing and nothing much is expected from Nedumaran as accoriding to the news reports from Tamil Nadu , support to Nedumarans move has gathered little or no support from the populace of Tamil Nadu.

however, there is a very interesting twist to this 'crossing' .

yesterday the Sri Lanka Navy destroyed and sunk three major ocean going vessels of the LTTE ,believed to be carrying a large consignment of arms, ammunition, light air crafts and speed boats ,off the south east coast of Sri Lanka.

can this 'crossing' be a diversion to the more extraordinary move by the LTTE to resupply itself with arms ?

its about time the Government , and its security apparatus should make more seriously look into the real reasons behind this 'crossing' and the timings as one could expect the bulk of the small Sri Lankan Navy to be positioned in Manner Sea , with the intention of intercepting and blocking the planned 'crossing' of Nedumaran while the three LTTE gunrunning ships slide un checked and dislodge its dangerous cargo.

Prabakarans 9/11

2007-09-12T11:21:00.001+05:30

while the rest of the world commemorated (some celebrated) the infamous attack on the World Trade Centre in New York and rest of the sites in Washington D.C on September 11th, 6 years ago, Prabakaran felt the jitters of a major attack on LTTE as he learned the news of the capture of Kumaran Padman alias ' KP', the elusive LTTE financier and logistician in Bangkok and the loss of three arms smuggling LTTE ships off the coast of Sri Lanka.

the all 'powerful' ( as the so called Civil Society of Sri Lanka call's him) LTTE supremo , Prabakan has been riding the downwards slide lately, the loss of all LTTE controlled territory , the arms and equipment in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka was the sounding of the death knell to Prabakaran, starting with closure of the Anicut in Maavil Aru , the 'powerful' LTTE started to feel strength and the resolve of the Sri Lankan Military and the Government .

there seems to be a major breakdown in the 'powerful' military machine of the LTTE, and by looking at the series of events lately , one can determine that Prabakarans unending world of terror is falling part.

I guess the beginning of the end, started with the Sri Lankan Security Forces move towards the East.

President Premadasa had the ability to start this beginning, but he some how he didn't, and in the end he met his death in the hands of the LTTE. Then came President Chandrika, who never wanted to embark on that beginning, ultimately, she also had to leave, but without losing a eye to a almost fatal suicide attack of the LTTE. Prime Minister Ranil never wanted the beginning, all he believed was peace with the LTTE and he never had an interest in touching the Prabakarans world of terror, so Prabakaran made sure that Ranil didn't become President.

However, under the intense pressure from the so called International Community, and under a barrage of murderous and heinous campaign of disinformation by the bogus Civil Society, MR started this beginning.

Cost of living started to sky rocket and people started to get uncomfortable.

Yet, Prabakarans world of terror too started to crumble. Two significant event of yesterday were a significant and major milestone in the end of Prabakarans rain of terror. a turning point in struggle to free people of Sri Lanka from the clutches of LTTE terror.

One of the main aspects of the complexity of Kumaran Padman is the number of passports he used to travel and the latest figure states as 200. Prabakaran used the best man for the required task, and that a trade mark of Prabakaran. For Prabakaran the task was always been the use of terror and nothing else, therefore he made sure he eliminated others who were not up to the task.

KP coordinated the arms smuggling network of the LTTE, and his capture in Bangkok, Thailand is not only a victory of the Sri Lankan government but also a victory in the International War on Terror.

LTTE lost its 2/3 of its power when the government took control of the East. Any person who travels within the East including Vakare and Verugal will witness this. all the LTTE cams that were there a year ago are in the hands of the Sri Lanka Army today, all LTTE check points are now Sri Lanka Army check points and all the arms and equipment (including the vehicles and other equipment ie- generators, tents, boats etc that the LTTE 'captured' from INGOs) are in the hands of the Sri Lanka Security Forces today. They have become property of the Government of Sri Lanka and this includes a highly equipped hospital close to the Swarnam Base of the LTTE, in Verugal, again built/equipped by INGOs.

In this moment of time, when Prabakaran is facing a speedy decline in his rain of terror, there is other among us who abhors this. Fall of Prabakaran should be celebrated as a 'National Victory' without any party alligances.KP counting the bars behind the door that locks him in a Thai jail and the LTTE ships that kissed the sea floor are a testimonial to the start of such a National Victory.

Return of the Tinker of Colombo

2007-09-12T11:20:00.001+05:30

after many weeks , lost in the wilderness i have returned to the Blogspear!

many things have happened in my absence ,not that i had any hand in it, but just that many times i wanted to voice my pinch of salt on issues of concern,

but then.. access to the Internet ,a decent connection and a PC were few of the questions i had to face.

resolved they are,

back on the business I'm.

Ethiopia accuses Norway of undermining security

2007-08-28T17:22:00.001+05:30

28 Aug 2007 11:36:50 GMT

Source: Reuters

Tsegaye Tadesse

ADDIS ABABA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Ethiopia accused Norway on Wednesday of undermining its national security and spreading instability in the Horn of Africa, a day after the Addis Ababa government asked Oslo to recall six diplomats.

"Norway has consistently and repeatedly (been) involved in acquiring leverage with the focus of causing instability in the Horn of Africa region," said Wahide Belay, spokesman for Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry.

"This, in turn, has seriously aggravated problems of stability in the Horn of Africa region and also threatened to undermine Ethiopia's national security. ... It has now become clear that there has been no change of policy in this regard."

Late on Monday, Norway's foreign minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere, said in a statement that his government regretted the "unilateral decision" taken by the authorities in Addis Ababa.

"We must now take the consequences of the fact that the Ethiopian authorities are upholding their decision and we are therefore making preparations to withdraw six diplomats from our embassy in Addis Ababa (by Sept. 15)," Stoere said.

Stoere did not say whether Ethiopia provided any background on the reasons for the expulsions.

Stoere said the "sharp reduction in staffing" meant Norway might not be able to maintain development cooperation with Ethiopia at current levels, he said. Oil-rich Norway is one of the world's biggest aid donors in per capita terms.

Wahide said Ethiopia's government remained ready to talk.

"Our efforts have been and still are to engage Norway's government in serious dialogue over the matter," Wahide said. (Additional reporting by Wojciech Moskwa in Oslo)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28378886.htm

Tamil Tiger Inc. exposed by Jane’s Intelligence Review

2007-07-25T13:39:00.001+05:30

Jane's Intelligence Review, in its August 2007 edition will publish a major expose on the Global financial network of the LTTE, according to a press release issued by the JIR.

This will be some what the most updated and informed report on LTTE's international funding and procurement network, published on the public fora in resent times and surely will be welcomed by almost all who are interested in LTTE and its rain of terror.

This report will be a chronicle of LTTE's culture of fear and deceit as lions share of its funding are gained through 'taxes' from overseas Tamil Diaspora and the people living in areas under the LTTE in Northern Sri Lanka.

Reuters commenting on the Jane's report added that the report paints a picture of a powerful global network of professional managers -- both Tamils and others -- across a string of countries with operations perhaps from shipping to drugs and extortion.

Furthermore, Christian LeMiere, managing editor of Jane's Country Risk, commented to Reuters "Some of the money will go on arms, some of it on administrating areas controlled by the LTTE," and It further states that "with financial and procurement structures well organized and strategically positioned around the globe, the group has a profit margin that would be the envy of any multinational corporation – some USD200 to 300 million per year"

Some of the interesting aspects of the envisaged report as highlighted by the JIR press release are the LTTE's channeling of Tsunami aid money, LTTE use of fronts and cover organisations involved in charity and social work, transfer of arms, narcotics ,contraband and people smuggling. Press Release further indicates the reports details of how the LTTE convert the gains into arms, utilizing a charitable façade's tax-free status and legitimacy.

This report will be very much welcomed in terms of understanding the depth of the LTTE's reach and its nature as a global financial terrorist group. I guess the LTTE will face more increased pressure once the report will be public, so are the governments who's territory are being used by LTTE for its illegal activity.

Of the main hubs of LTTE activity the report has highlighted Cambodia and Southern India, being its principal staging posts, while it lists some other countries in Southeast Asia and rest of the world as sources of arms for the LTTE.

How much the Sri Lankan government will do to curb such activity in terms of raising this issue with host governments remains a question.

Below is the full text of the Press Release issued by the Jane's:

USD200 million profit margins maintain sophisticated Tamil Tiger war

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has created one of the most sophisticated insurgencies in the world, largely due to a complex global network of financial resources and weapons that are integral to prolonging its campaign for a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka.

In a unique report on the financial operations of the LTTE, Jane's Intelligence Review reports that with financial and procurement structures well organised and strategically positioned around the globe, the group has a profit margin that would be the envy of any multinational corporation – some USD200 to 300 million per year.

The Tamil Tigers is consequently the only known insurgent organisation with its own army, navy and now even a rudimentary air force, with access to financial resources and weapons giving it the luxury of introducing bold, new dimensions to the conflict.

The report details two overarching financial and procurement bodies that provide the main source of LTTE money, manpower and weapons; the Aiyanna Group and the Office of Overseas Purchases (nicknamed the KP Department).

The Aiyanna Group functions as the group's intelligence and operations body, likely to be responsible for monitoring and ensuring the organisation's financial support and revenue streams, while the KP Department is most probably the LTTE's procurement arm.

In addition, the LTTE creates and staffs some charitable organisations, projecting its influence through this front to raise money from Tamil communities and, ultimately, convert the gains into arms.

The Jane's Intelligence Review report says that the system works as an efficient way to move funds wherever investment or procurement opportunities arise while utilising a charitable façade's tax-free status and legitimacy.

Geographically, the LTTE use a myriad of methods to maintain this formidable, non-state support structure. The southern province of Tamil Nadu in India plays a pivotal role in LTTE procurement and has become an essential transit point in the LTTE arms, narcotics, contraband and possibly human smuggling.

Beyond Sri Lanka's neighbour, Cambodia is one of the most significant single sources of weapons for the insurgent group. The remainder of internationally procured weapons are believed to originate from the rest of Southeast Asia, North Korea, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Ukraine.

The report adds that the procurement of anti-aircraft technology, given the destruction wrought by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces' aerial assets, will be the primary driver of the LTTE's continued international fundraising campaign. (ENDS)

Ranil, Ranil... Go away…never to come, another day…

2007-07-17T17:37:00.000+05:30

Time has come for Ranil Wickramasingha to step down and fade away. He has to step down as the leader of the United National party (UNP) and fade away from Sri Lankan Politics. Ranil has done nothing for this country other then hurting the fabric of this society so much, over the period of time he was in Politics.

Since he became the deputy minister of education in JRJ administration he has caused chaos, like the mess he did with the introduction of a destructive White Paper, to infamous Batalanda torture house and later with the introduction of the CFA, nothing but irreplaceable damage.

During the premiership of Ranil, LTTE not only got a new lease of life, but also a life line in terms of receiving quasi state of recognition. CFA had its own good things, it brought some sense of peace and stability, opened the LTTE controlled 'living prisons' areas to normal life and brought about investor confidence and better economic opportunities, but at what cost?

LTTE never saw the peace process and the CFA as a viable option in search of peace but an opportunity to seek an impasse to engage in terrorism against the people of Sri Lanka. Under the cover of the CFA, the LTTE embarked on a campaign of murder and assassination. It rearmed itself and re trained its cadre. During CFA time, LTTE was instrumental in recruiting more than several thousand child soldiers and used the peaceful and open access as a time to stockpile weapons of violence and murder.

All this was attributed to Ranil's failure to act according to established and agreed norms of the CFA and uphold the laws of the land. While Ranil gave a blind eye to increasing amounts of CFA violations, he never raised the LTTE campaign of assassination and re armament with his 'International safety net'.

If not for the Tsunami of December 2004, the LTTE would have launched a preemptive strike against the Government and annihilate the forces in North and East.

There is much to be said about Ranil and his misdeeds during his Premiership and the time prior to that but that's not the focus of this post. It's more to do with Ranil's constant attempt to undermine the integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka in the resent times, and also role as a campaigner to win back support for the LTTE.

Ranil's resent comments on the capture of Thoppigala, the last bastion of LTTE control in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, aptly describe the inner workings and the portrays the real Ranil Wickramasingha for all the see.

Wickramasinghe's initial position is capturing Thoppigala is a useless exercise as it is worthy only for collectors of fire-woods, and went on to question the use of 700 square Kilometers of jungle .later he had the audacity to allege that the security forces allow the LTTE leaders including Ramesh and its cadres to escape from Thoppigala with all of its military hardware including multi-barrel rocket launchers.

Ranil told the press that the order that the LTTE leaders and cadres should be allowed to escape through pre-arranged route came from Colombo, allegedly from the political leadership of MR administration.

Whatever the value or not of Thoppigala to Ranil, the reaction of the LTTE was, such that it was in shock and at sense of Desperation. Such was the Desperation of the LTTE, S.P Thamilchelvam, the political head of the LTTE vowed to fight back and threthned to hit economic and military targets of the country, with the aim to cripple the economy. And Illanthiriyan, the LTTE spokesmen concede that they were defeated in the East to BBC. Such was the view of the LTTE for the loss of a ' patch of jungle'. But then Ranil went on to say "there was not much to crow about".

Then with regards to Ranil's allegation of letting the remaining LTTE cadres flee Thoppigala, whether it's true or not, the government from the beginning reiterated that this operation was a humanitarian operation, not an offensive, in order to clear the East of the scourge of the LTTE and establish normalcy and civil administration.

By examining the conduct of the operation, it was quite evident that the governments' war strategy was not based on killing as much as LTTE or capturing or destroying its war machine but to follow its interest in clearing the East. As such, the forces were more committed in wrestling control of Thoppigala from LTTE, and not a bloodbath.

If the allegations are true then it proves that unlike the UNP governments' crush of the JVP insurrection in the 1980s, which Ranil was a major player in, the Army was not in for a bloodbath, nor they were intended on butchering the LTTE. But close study of military achievements gained since the Maavil Aru Operation, portrayers a strategy that achieved maximum results at a minimum loss of life. may be this is due to MR administrations claim that they do not believe in a all out military solution but a peaceful end to this conflict, at the same time never to give in to Terror.

So far that in all means stands evident, and the LTTEs' loss of East is very much a reality.

Ranil today stands alone, abandoned by a treacherous international community ,lost among the hoards of NGO wallah's who used to cajole him and surrounded by a group of vultures, awaiting his downfall, to start devolving him. Long gone are the trusted Journalists, who traveled under his wings, justifying his every move, as a traitor of peace loving citizens of this land.

Abandoned, alone and in company of vultures is no qualification for a leader of this land.

Therefore, Ranil must go, never to return.

LTTE Declaration of its commitment to Terrorism

2007-07-14T23:30:00.000+05:30

So the LTTE has spoken, after all it seems the LTTE is in shock over the loss of Thoppigala. And this is no more evident in the resent statement by S.P Thamilchelvam, the Political head of LTTE.

In a statement, seen as more as an LTTE reiteration of its commitment to terrorism, Thamilchelvam has gone on to state that the LTTE will effectively engage against the Sri Lankan government and use whatever means to destroy and destabilize the Sri Lankan military.

"(We will) weaken the military capacity of the government of Sri Lanka, which will invariably end up hitting economic targets as well," Thamilchelvam told The Associated Press, declining to elaborate , yesterday 12th July, from their hideout deep in the jungles of Killinochchi.
However, far more ground breaking and what is seen more of a reiteration to its commitment to use of terrorism is more than ever evident in Thamilchelvam's statement where he claimed the LTTE will hit major economic and military targets, in an aim to cripple the economy of Sri Lanka.

Not only this is a indication of the LTTE's mounting loses but also the fact that the LTTE is facing a desperate situation in terms of not only saving face but also long its so called military 'might'.

There is not much to be surprised over Thamilchelvams statement, as the LTTE over its three decades of violence has been using tactics of terror against all kinds of targets, not only restricted to Military and Military related .

The LTTE has actively targeted civilian centres and government locations, serving purely Civil Administrative tasks. The LTTE has, over the period bombed several locations in Colombo, all Public, including bomb attacks in Maradana, Dehiwala Railway station and Central Bank. Moreover, the LTTE has attacked and crippled the only International Air Port in Sri Lanka, Katunayake International Airport .

Therefore Thamilchelvam's rhetoric of a bloodbath is some what unfounded, but then the important point here is that the LTTE after many years of waging open warfare has suddenly decided to revert to its age old tactics of terrorism.
This is how the LTTE is distinguishes from the rest of the worlds territories organisations, as they effectively identify economic targets as legitimate targets.

But when you consider economic sites in a free country, they are also centres of civilian concentration, and since we don't have the Military running economic sites and institutions, hence, any target against an economic site or concentration should be also considered a target against a civilian centre. Therefore, LTTE's claim of its intention to attack economic targets can be interpreted as a statement of its intent to attack the civilians of this country.
As the desperation mounts within LTTE hierarchy and its search for scapegoats and ghost within, there will be more and more pressure mounting on the LTTE hierarchy to address the issue of losing face and loss of moral both within the fighting cadres and its international network of financiers. Therefore, considering the LTTE's performance in the past and the tactics and strategies employed it is quite evident that the LTTE, given the opportunity will strike civilian targets.

Important question is what will the government does in terms of addressing this threat and also what will be the reaction of the so called 'international community' over such threats and attacks.

As for the government, the MR administration has over the past have embarked on a more stringent security measures over LTTE targeting of civilians, however such attempts were mostly centered on key urban areas in Colombo ,outskirts and other main population centres and not in rural areas , especially in LTTE threat areas. While the security of the citizenry is paramount to the government, civil liberties and freedom must not be scarified in the name of countering LTTE terror.

Consequently, any increase in security measures will be an added advantage to the Colombo based 'Civil Society' and its 'crusade' against the (only) Governments so called 'human rights' abuses. While the 'Civil Society' focuses its sights on the activities of the government and ignore grave violations of all rights know to man by the LTTE, it will use any stringent security measures as an epitome of bad governance and lack of respect for Human Rights.

As for the international community , they need to understand the LTTE threat to attack economic targets, vis a vis Civilian targets as a greave threat against not only Sri Lankan's living in non-LTTE controlled areas but also against any country that has a LTTE or Pro-LTTE Tamil Diaspora presence.although LTTE has never (at least not recorded) carried out a major attack against civilians in foreign countries, it has a long and bloody record of carrying out a low intensity campaign of violence against Tamils living in Western countries , who oppose activities of the LTTE.

Resent bombings in London and capture of massive loads of explosives en-route to Colombo in few parts of Sri Lanka are some of the grim reminders of LTTE's commitment to use of terror against civilians and S.P Thamilchelvams statement to the effect of attacking economic/civilian targets is a declaration of LTTE's reiteration towards its commitment in use of violence and murder, or basically terrorism as a alternative against peaceful dialogue. For the LTTE peaceful dialogue or peace talks is not a viable option but an opportunity to seek an impasse to engage in terrorism against the people of Sri Lanka.

Exit Thoppigala, enter Vanni

2007-07-12T17:09:00.001+05:30

Fate is sealed, the dye is cast for LTTE presence in Thoppigala, and the last bastion of power of LTTE in Eastern Province has fallen. I got a SMS from Dialog-Reuters alert service saying " Thoppigala captured with LTTE losing its Eastern headquarters a few hours ago, troops still clearing the area-Brig.Prasad Samarashinghe " 1055hrs, 11^th July 2007.

So that's it. Thoppigala has finally fallen, and I wonder what Illanthiriyan, the LTTE "military spokesmen" has to say about it. Lo and behold, he did say some thing. It was sent out via the Dialog-Reuters alert service saying " LTTE "will use every possible mode to engage the enemy" post Thoppigala fall." if they want to come to the North ,let them come and see what happens"

There are few things I observed in that statement. One is that, mentally the LTTE has adjusted itself to the imminent fall of Thoppigala for the last few weeks, and the statement was the culmination of it. That's the reason why they say "will use every possible mode to engage the enemy", hinting that they will revert to guerrilla warfare to fight the Government in the East. There is a hint of desperation within the LTTE in that statement, but then only time will say the validity of my statement.

Interestingly, this was the same view most of the Colombo based Tamils, who were sympathetic towards the LTTE were saying too. They too have been coming under immense pressure, as the Government was seen relentless in its push towards Thoppigala and the LTTE seemed clueless over its defenses in East. So, in turn the Pro LTTE Colombo Tamils started to push the idea that the imminent loss of Thoppigala was no big deal to the LTTE, as they (LTTE) was planning to vacate it anyway (to make space to war affected etc? ), and the LTTE will revert to guerrilla warfare in the East against the Government forces.

However, I have some reservations over this. LTTE has for a long period of time, had operated as a quasi uniformed force, with line fighting units and established support structures. So none of these cadres have been trained nor practiced the art of covert urban warfare and are, like the Military dependent on heavy weaponry at times. That's point one, against the LTTEs revert to Guerrilla warfare in the East.

Then, even if they have trained cadres in such type of warfare, can they operate clandestinely in the East, given the factors posed by the present situation?

Current situation is that the anti-Prabhakaran breakaway LTTE group, the Karuna faction and armed elements of EPDP are at loggerheads and involved in somewhat open war with each other, while at the same time the Karuna Group has split into two with Pillian, Karuna's former trusted Military commander fighting against the Karuna Group (K) has crated a major hotbed of inter-militancy war in the East.

In this scenario, while Karuna (K), Karuna (P) and EPDP are on the look out for each others activity and try and check mate in a violent manner, how will the remaining fatigued and demoralized LTTE cadres in East wage a guerrilla war against the Government?

So, point two is that in terms of actual power, the LTTE is severely drained in the East and in absence of a fresh infusion of blood from Vanni, whoever left in the East, of the LTTE is going to quietly disappear. However, there may be a clamor or two might materialize but it will not hamper the Governments intended political timetable set for East.

Going back to Ilanthiriyan statement, where he said. " if they want to come to the North, let them come and see what happens", it seems that there is a definite expectation from the side of the LTTE that the attack on its Northern stronghold is imminent. Though I will take it in pinch of salt, as I have also heard what both V.Thamilchelvan and R.Illanthiriyan had to say about Muttur/Sampoor/ Mavil Aru and Verugal earlier. LTTE's rhetoric of its great power, war and mother of all casualties within SL military is nothing but a dud.

Ilantheriyan in an interview with Roland Burke of the BBC when asked whether the LTTE has received a defeat said that, "In a way yes. From a point of view it is a defeat." since the government forces have gained a greater control of the Eastern Province".

So from another point of view, fall of Thoppigala is the start of a new Political landscape in Sri Lanka. There is East in one side , along with the governments intention to hold elections there, and then there is the LTTE, backed out from Peace Talks, severely under pressure over- child recruitments , exchange of terror know-how with other international terrorist groups, financial fraud/extortion in host countries in North America and Europe/Australia, to name a few on the pariah list of the rest of the International Community and the falling economy of the country along with the so called HR 'abuses' in the part of the government , will crate a unique mix of choices and options to all the powers to be.

I, Dhutugemunu...

2007-07-10T13:27:00.001+05:30

07/07/07 came and went. That was a Saturday, again another 7. Then came Sunday, Sunday comes along with Sunday papers and going through 'The Nation' there was an interesting interview with Hon. Mervyn Silva, MP and Labour Minister (non Cabinet) of MR government.

Mervyn Silva is infamous for not only his acts of assault and harassment (even within Parliament chamber) but also for his relationship with the leadership of this country and also the criminal underworld. So much so many refer to him as the god father of all major kingpins of all illicit trades and is what the Insurance Corporation to an ordinary Merchant to the criminal underworld.

His son is no different from the father, a know thug, he is a regular fixture till recently in Colombo night life, and spares no one who 'crosses' his path. This included Police personal and members of Media.

There was a time when Sirasa and MTV used to repeat over and over, Mervyns blatant threat and an almost assault on a camera man outside the Courts complex in Colombo 10.

Mervyn is a marked man in India, well known for his connections to Drug kingpins of India and is said that Indian Customs and anti Drug Police has a permanent watch on him. In Sri Lanka, Mervyn Silva used his Parliamentary privileges and inside influence to covertly or overtly assist all most all the Drug barons and the lesser drag dealers ,when they face 'trouble' with Police and Law Enforcement services.

Mervyn Silva was a one time supporter of the 'Peace Mafia' even went on to share the stage with the rest of the peace mafia including Jehan perera ,Kumar Rupashingha & Co,. this wan when that infamous incident occurred ,when a group of JHU/NSF supporters led by few monks tried to disrupt a National Anti War Meeting , when Mervyn leashed out his 'Peace Force' against them.

Mervyn Silva is well known for his loyalty to the top. This virtue brought him from a regular SLFP thug to a SLFP Member of Parliament, appointed through the National List (after he lost the election when he received only few thousand votes), mainly thanks to his services provided to one time 'defender' of Democracy and Rule of Law in Sri Lanka, Mrs.CBK. when MR became president, Mervyns loyalties simply shifted towards Medamulana Walawwa.

Anyway here are some interesting points of that interview. Moreover, I suggest all readers should refer to the full text of the interview, as this is, in my view a chronicle of bankrupt leadership and reliance on common criminals in modern day politics of Sri Lanka.

His remarks on being a confidant of the President " When I was in the UNP, I was close to Ranil Wickremesinghe. I have always been close to the leaders. With the present leader, we have a friendship for generations. Nothing has happened to the respect I have for the former president. But, I am very angry with her, for making derogatory remarks of our party and of our leader, in a private newspaper" is a silent testimony to this.

Some excerpts from the Interview:

Mervyn's view of Sripathi and Mangala decamping MR & Co.-

All who came to our party are giants, while the two who went to the other side were just two pebbles.

JVP's accusation of concealing details of vehicles-

I am important to myself and to my family. This is why I refused to give details. I won't reveal further details

On Certain remarks made in Parliament against Anura Kumara Dissanayake which were expunged from the Hansard-

It is an accepted norm that one does not marry the relatives of one's father. But, in today's newspapers, we read of fathers sleeping with their daughters. I am not like this. My record is straight.

How Mervyn deals with LTTE supporters and violators of peace-

But, if anybody supported the LTTE or, attempts to destroy peace, I won't go to the police to lodge an entry. Instead, I will kill them with my own pistol.

Mervyn's license to kill-

To do something beneficial for society, I do not need any license. Never fear to do good. King Dutugemunu said that his efforts were not for his throne but, for the Sinhala race and Buddhism.

Mervyn's Justifications for being a descendant of Dutugemunu-

I have written proof of my lineage to Dutugemunu. My original name is Hewakoparage Mervyn. The name Silva was bestowed by the Portuguese as an honor.

Mervyn's links to abductions –

The importance of a person cannot be judged by his wealth but, should be counted by the virtue of his parents. After all, I am convinced that my mother never slept with outsiders. What runs in my veins is my parents' blood. I grew up drinking my mother's milk. But, dirty blood runs in those who are involved in abductions. I am not that type

On Mervyn's connection with underworld kingpin Lal Peiris alias 'Kudu Lal'-

Who prefixed "Kudu"? Has he been imprisoned? He is a Municipal councilor. He won the election while in England. He is a good friend of mine. I repeat that he is my good friend. So, if he is involved in 'kudu' business, the law enforcement authority should catch him and punish him. The day he is found guilty of drug peddling, I will spit on his face and abandon my friendship with him. I will not give character certificates to such elements. If the police is competent enough, let them catch him

Mervyn on his Son and his brawls –

My son wants to enjoy like others, once a week. There are nightclubs and he has a right to go and enjoy himself. If someone confronts him, he has a right to respond according to his own conscience

On Mervyn's ownership of luxury cars-

I bought this Porsche before I bought the Jaguar. In another year or so, I hope to purchase a helicopter. After this, I will even buy a jet. Why, who cares? My car, my petrol.

Mervyn and his good looks-

The only shortcoming I have is that I am a little short. I would have been more handsome than Vijaya Kumaratunga, if I were three inches taller than him

Reasons for threatening a Muslim beef seller in Kelaniya electorate-

Because, he was selling beef in that area. Kelaniya is a place where Lord Buddha visited and that place must be kept clean. Lord Buddha even bathed in the river and we cannot allow that place to be defiled. Take for instance, India, people don't slaughter cattle. So why encourage this in Kelaniya?

On objection to Tamils and Muslims taking residence in Kelaniya electorate-

No, there is no such thing. But, if a Tamil or, a Muslim planned to settle down there, he should prove his identity. Almost all the destructions have taken place because they have been allowed to come into the city, unchecked. I have made an order in my electorate that all minorities must establish their identity

Mervyn on accusation that the UPFA has given money to the LTTE to win the presidential election-

If this could be proved or if LTTE chief Prabhakaran admits this then we will ask Prabhakaran to take over the government

Solution to the North-East conflict?
Certainly, negotiations.

(For the full text of the interview - http://www.nation.lk/2007/07/08/inter1.htm )

20 years of LTTE Suicide Terror-A History of Human Sacrifices

2007-07-05T17:09:00.001+05:30

Today marks twenty years since the infamous attack on the Army personnel in Nelliyadi in Vadamarachchi, Jaffna by LTTE cadre known as "captain miller" ,when he ploughed his explosives laden truck into a makeshift camp in 1987, killing 40 soldiers, injuring a dozen more. Thus LTTE entered the cult of suicide terrorism. Today Suicide attacks carried out by LTTE amounts more than 300 incidents, by far the most amount of attacks carried out by a single terrorist group in the world.

LTTE is topping the list of terrorist groups utilizing Suicide Terrorism in all possible categories. May be the only category they haven't so far touched are the use of Child bomber (they have Child soldiers-in fact ,plenty of them), plus Airborne suicide bomber category needs to be added up too. In the hall of fame(shame) they have used men, women, crippled people, partially blind people and even cattle too although in Non-LTTE lacuna term cattle fall into classification as animals. LTTE hierarchy even used pregnant women, as in the failed attack against the Commander of Sri Lanka Army.

In terms of targets they have used suicide bombers against a multitude of targets, ranging from Air Craft and Ships to Heads of State. Notable percentage of the victims list include a high amount of Tamils, including moderate politicians, intellectuals, artists, journalists and even ordinary citizens.

However, most alarming factor is that the LTTE over the past decade or more have embarked on a campaign to share suicide bombing technology and know-how among other Terrorist groups all over the world. LTTE has established strong links with almost all the major terror groups, and use such links for number of purposes, mainly to acquire weapons and associated material, training and intelligence.

There is a more covert and some what unknown LTTE links with the Central and South American Narco-Terrorist groups. This link is being used by LTTE as a channel to collect revenue via drugs smuggling and also to launder black money. Recent capture of a FARC rebel with a distinctive Suicide Bomb jacket that closely resembled the unique jacket type used by the LTTE, in Colombia is a strong indication of LTTEs sharing of bomb making know-how with Narco-terrorists.

Throughout North and East and oversease epspeacialy, North America and Europe ,LTTE commemorates 'Black Tiger Week' and culminating on the 5 ^th July, the "Black tiger day" when V.Prabakaran comes out (or since the last few years from within his bunker) and lights the 'Flame of sacrifice' symbolizing the homage to black tigers killed and also highlighting the LTTEs tradition of worshipping death and distraction.

LTTEs doctrine of warfare is centered on suicide bombers. And this is so evident in the level of training and devotion they place in selecting and training 'suicide Black Tigers'. Once a cadre is attached to the black tigers group , the members psychologically manipulate the new recruits, persuading them, "brainwashing" them to believe that by carrying out a suicide attack, they would find an honored place in the corridor of martyrs for the LTTEs cause, and their lives would be meaningful; moreover, their families would be financially rewarded.

From the time they are recruited, the group members never leave their sides, leaving them no opportunity of backing down from their fatal choice." The glorification of death steps in. The final meal with the 'great leader' V.Prabakaran is somewhat the grand finale of the pre-deployment process. Here the last meal with the leader is portrayed as LTTEs homage of tribute for the sacrifice the attacker is going to make.

LTTE is able to benefit from the death of a member immensely. Prabakaran from the beginning understood this, thus conferring a sense of legitimacy on the use of suicide bombers. The message is one of no going back. The group glorifies the act, infusing a culture of martyrdom that may include posters, songs, and flyers, street dramas and in doing so seeks to inspire others to join its ranks. Indeed, even before the bomber has struck, he is in many ways a living martyr. Before undertaking a specific operation, would be suicide bombers are photographed in heroic poses and videos recorded explaining reasoning behind becoming a Human bomb.

Today most of the Orphanages and Day care centres in many parts of Vanni (also in the East in Karadiyanaru,Tirikkovil ,Kokuvil, Thoppigala and Sampur - before the fall of East -) are run by the LTTE. This is done under the cover of TRO and 'White Pigeon' ,both organisations being a covert front of LTTE, their mail aim as they claim is to 'ensure the welfare, wellbeing and education' of all war affected orphans of 'maveer' (LTTE veterans ) families.

However, not only orphans and young of the LTTE, but also children brought from other Orphanages run by both the government and the church are also part of these LTTE 'homes for children'. They are constantly exposed to LTTE propaganda and all their day to day functions are linked to activities of the LTTE.

Rituals and traditions followed in such homes are of the LTTE and not of Hinduism or Christianity. all this effort in the end is to breed and to train a generation of LTTE 'super fighters' who are from the tender ages , trained ,indoctrinated and brainwashed to blindly follow the LTTE and its 'great leader' .even the names of the homes bear the names of late suicide cadres of LTTE.

Such is the extent of the LTTEs attempts to crate a tradition of suicide terrorism. Ultimately, LTTE wants its entire cadre of fighters to sacrifice their own lives for the Organisations, in the name of its leader and for a common goal (a common goal which is dictated by the leader and, lesser mortals having no say in).

This was no more evident than in the failed attack against the present commander of the Sri Lanka Army, inside the Army HQ in Colombo, last year. a female suicide bomber gained access to the Military Hospital located within the Army HQ , due to her pregnancy , and as a result of the attack she not only killed herself but also the unborn baby. Such is the level of LTTEs respect for humanity. By using a pregnant woman, not only did it portray the murderous tradition they follow but also displayed its language of death.

In reality use of suicide bombers is the outcome of crude cost-benefit analysis in the part of LTTE hierarchy; representing the most efficient manner the LTTE can inflict maximum damage whilst incurring the least cost. In lay mans terms, use of suicide terrorism for LTTE represents "value for money"; it is brutally efficient, cheap, and until recently, has been easy to organize.

So today, 20 years after the first use of a suicide bomber by LTTE, Prabakaran commemorates 300+ of his human sacrifices, while the Tamil Diaspora in West and Europe celebrate the culture of death; they have to ask themselves, what they gained in the end. Eelam is no where to be seen and LTTE seems to be the main instigator against the devolution of power and also Peace Negotiated in Norway.

In retrospect what a price the Tamil community had to pay for an untenable dream, a false cause and a crusade to sustain a rain of terror. When the time comes will Prabhakaran task his UK educated son or UK educated Daughter as a suicide bomber?

Never, Never, Never.

Reuters News alerts on Dialog Mobile phones

2007-07-04T19:52:00.001+05:30

Dialog Telecom Ltd, in partnership with Reuters news service has launched a novel service where subscribers get breaking news alerts on Dialog mobile phones. As part of the offered service, Reuters will provide up to the minute breaking news stories covering Sri Lanka and Dialog, will deliver it via sms to its subscriber network.

So far this service is offered free, and assume with time Dialog will include this into its paid services sector. Interested Dialog subscribers are required to type NEWS and send to 7777 for registration. Once you receive a confirmation, you're just a sms away from any breaking news event in Sri Lanka.

Unlike the some what biased content of BBC, Reuters in their reportage is still considered a trusted source, and is considered a network providing timely, unbiased and reliable news and information.

However, given the current situation where there is question on the authenticity and neutrality of the content of both the State and Private electronic media in Sri Lanka, such service can entice ordinary citizens to not only be informed but also to react in a more timely and organized manner.

I see this service with a tremendous amount of potential. Not only for covering breaking news alerts but also this service can be used as a platform for sharing information and advice on many fields and sectors. Especially in areas of Disaster alert and response and also public/ social mobilizing, this kind of service can play a greater role.

Soon after registering, I got my first alert, informing me of SLAF carrying out a bombing sortie against suspected LTTE positions in Thoppigala area. Not that it will help me to re-arrange my travel plans, or may be to re-think about the investment portfolio of my employer, it made me realize the current state of war that we are in and lured me to seek more details of the latest developments in the military operation to capture Thoppigala.

In a state where both the government and the LTTE are doing equal best attempt to keep the ordinary people in the dark, this service will enable any one with a Dialog connection to access Reuters, thus removing the barrier of having Internet access to read international wire service, let alone access to breaking news.

Given the fact that current MR governments close and cozy link with Dialog Telecom (+MTN Malaysia) , i see no obstacle in latter continuing this service in the coming future. but then as with any other 'for profit' business venture, both Dialog and Reuters have to see the financial viability of this , to see things through.

UK Bomb attacks-Travel Advisory

2007-07-01T20:54:00.000+05:30

Following London Bombing and attempted bombings in Scotland , I've decided to issue a Travel Advisory to all ,with effect to travel to and from United Kingdom.this advisory is specify issued given the light of the resent attempt to bomb the Glasgow Air Port and also revelations of attempted (and suspected ) bombers connection to UK Medical Health Service.

furthermore, following the UK practice of issuing a travel restriction every time the LTTE carry out a attack against civilian target in Sri Lanka, i decided to issue this Travel Advisory instead of a Restriction , of course. we understand the curse of terror well , and feel the impact of it on our day to day lives. therefor, with that understanding i do not wish to see the same happening to poor people of UK.

There is a high threat from terrorism in UK and a risk of innocent travelers becoming indiscriminately caught up in attacks. Terrorist attacks have taken place throughout the country, including in areas and on travel routes popular with tourists.

Considering the failed attack on Glasgow air port ,travellers should check with airline or travel agent for the latest information about flight schedules.There is heightened security, including in London and other cities.

There have been detentions, particularly of people of Muslim/Islamic affiliations. travellers should ensure that they carry some form of identification with you at all times. If you are detained, you should ask the authorities to contact your embassy or high commission. travellers are strongly advised to comply with government and security force instructions,including signing any document the UK authorities produce , while under detention. unlike places like Sri Lanka , in UK no body will force you to sign any document against you will.

I strongly recommend that all foreign nationals especially Muslims who are resident and/or working in UK, or visiting , should register with the UNHCR or HRW .furthermore, strongly recommend that travelers obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. with regards to securing insurance , travelers can also request assistance of Amnesty International , in the case of illegal detentions. just call Ms.Irene Khan. she will organise a mud slinging campaign against the UK government and call for the Queen to abdicate over the detentions.

sad it may be, the reality of UK bombing is that it depicts the double standards rich countries use against poor countries .basically , if there is a bomb attack , be it how small or insignificant it may be , where ever it may be in Sri Lanka or any country in the UKs 'good to bully' list , they simply issue travel warnings, enforce all kinds of bans and go on talking /sending missions to visit and report on the 'deteriorating' situations,preach about talking peace and democratic dialog with terrorists and so on.

but when faced with the same old "risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks in public places " they simply switch to the 'War on Terror' mode. for them any attack against them is terror and BBC will go on calling suspects well before the UK police will start speculating. BBC will go on and have special 'help' lines and 'information' lines with every report they sent out , thus forcing the listeners into virtual state of 'snitches' . but then , in terms of reporting a incident where LTTE indiscriminately target civilians , BBC will question the LTTEs involvement , and cast doubts about any kind of allegation against the LTTE, further adding a 'inside' twist to any news story.

Resent capture of a Bomb hidden in a fuel tank of a vehicle that arrived in Colombo from LTTE held Kilinochchi , is grim reminder of perils of such policies as practised by UK. the driver was advised by the LTTE handlers in Kilinochchi before his departure , to await a certain phone call , once the vehicle was in Colombo. a call,that did arrive .it directed the driver to a drop off location of the fuel tank/bomb , but the interesting point is ,the call originated in ..........LONDON.

Terrorism is Terrorism, whether its in UK or Sri Lanka , its the use of violence against civilians and , in most cases against elected governments. UK should understand this. they must also understand the fact that , they cannot fight terror at home , while harboring terrorists and terrorist financiers of other countries in their own soil.

Bomb in the Fuel tank of vehicle in Colombo was a chilling reminder of that.

Car Bombs in London-UK feeling the heat

2007-06-30T17:43:00.001+05:30

UK Anti-terrorism police have launched a huge manhunt for the people who planted two car bombs in central London. Police, who have described events as "troubling", are studying hours of CCTV footage in the search for suspects. The cars - both Mercedes - were packed with nails, petrol and gas cylinders, but the devices were not detonated.

One car was found outside a nightclub while the second was towed to a pound before its device was found. police have increased their patrols of the capital and are reviewing security for a number of public events being held in the city.Police said the safety of the public was their top priority and urged everyone to remain vigilant. BBC security correspondent said "Simultaneous, co-ordinated bombs have historically been a distinguishing feature of (al-Qaeda's) anti-Western attacks ".

while the new cabinet crisis group met under the leadership of the new PM Gordon Brown , UK police have started a massive hunt, while discussions are being taking place to have more stringent security measures and also to have tighter anti terror laws.

acts of terror must be not only condemned but also be it any where in the world , we understand the scourge terror far too well than any other country . LTTE in Sri Lanka has repeatedly over the last couple of decades carried out indiscriminate bombings in both Colombo and rest of the country. many hundreds if not thousand of lives were lost in such bombings and many are living with visible and invisible scares of such attackers.

all through the time, well through some of the most devastating bomb attacks including the Bomb in Maradana, Central Bank UK not only took the position of peacemaker but also insisted the successive governments to follow a process of peace, dialog with a terrorist group who had no interest in a political solution nor dialog. UK kept their pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka through the decades ,cutting off financial and military aid,forcing the government to fight on its own, a murderous terror group ,while UK harboured the most of the predominant and leading LTTE figures, turning a blind eye to LTTEs use of UK as a logistics and a financial hub.

LTTE made UK its financial hub, the center of its operations in Europe for extortion but also procuring weapons and explosives and also exchanging terror know how. the latter was achieved by making connections and links with many of the terrorist and subversive groups of the world, most of whom who had a presence in UK. it was only recently that the UK authorities arrested two of the top LTTE financier in UK, in a bid to stop the use and abuse of UK soil as a centre of terror financing.

i guess UK government and the police should understand the graveness of terror, be it waged in streets of Jaffna or London , terror is terror and to fight it the methods and standers are the same. while UK presses with More and more tough anti terror laws they should not criticise actions of the Sri Lankan security forces as abusing human rights.UK needs to understand, when you play with snakes they tend to bit you back too.

may be the arrest of the two LTTE agents in London may be linked to the two car bomb , or it may not be the case, but who ever the culprits are , rest assured the LTTE may have links to them,even may have provided bomb making know how.so, its up to UK to understand the graveness of terror abroad is also terror at home.

it was divine intervention or some thing else prevented the two bombs from going off, thus preventing a great loss of life. that would have been bad, and we understand that well.we have felt the pain of losing so many in the hands of terror and we need to get together to fight the scourge of terror.but then you cant have double standers, one set for UK and another for Sri Lanka.

Richard Boucher’s interview with a Norwegian newspaper

2007-06-28T00:32:00.000+05:30

I was going through Asiantribune when I came across two articles on an interview of Richard A, Boucher, US Assistant Secretary, for South and Central Asian Affairs with Dagsavisen, a Norwegian newspaper. The interview took place soon after the end of the Co-Chairs meeting in Oslo to review the latest developments in Sri Lanka.

Boucher represented USA. While Japan, EU, and Norway, the other members of the Co-Chairs, also participated in meeting.

I find the interview quite interesting, not because Boucher was plain and up to the point about the LTTE but also hinted or at least expressed on the type of ‘solution’ the Co-Chairs vis a vis International Community wants to see, parties to the conflict accept.

With regards to the LTTE, he had stated that the US governments banning of the LTTE was based on the fact that it was crucial in terms of finding a solution. And went on the state “We have to be honest. The organization has killed leading members of parliament and public officials; they have killed the Indian Prime Minister. They have been engaged in terrorism until to this day. This the nature of a terrorist organization” needless to say, at least it’s good to know that US understands the true nature of the LTTE.

Unlike some of the other members of the Co Chairs, particularly Norway who constantly attempt to whitewash the terrorist actions of the LTTE, US made it clear about LTTE’s use of violence as means to justify its cause.

Furthermore, Boucher refused to compare the Human Rights violations of the Government with LTTE terror, claiming that the Sri Lankan Government is leading a democratic country. This is quite right, hats off to Mr.Boucher for that. But the notable fact is that the Norwegian papers attempt to compare LTTE terror to HR violations is a highly significant point. It gives out the viewpoint of the Norwegian Press over the LTTE and, again its use of terror to justify its claims.

Boucher went on to say that the Government should ‘dissolve’ Karuna group as its involved in Child recruitment and went on to state that “They have been involved in too many unacceptable actions”. However, in terms of the LTTE , Boucher acknowledged the fact that LTTE also recruits child soldiers but stopped short of saying “In order to get the Tigers to abandon the use of child soldiers there must be pressure from the international community “ So in Boucher view what are the ‘unacceptable’ actions that are executed by Karuna Group ? And why is that the LTTE is to get pressure from International Community over child soldiers, while the Karuna group has to dissolve? This need to be answered by the International Community I guess before we proceed beyond this point, as there should be no double standards of each different group or stakeholders.

But what’s more interesting is that while explaining the International Communities current approach to the situation, he mentions that the diplomats will use both whip and carrot in order to get the parties in the civil war back to the negotiation table. He cited economic consequences as the ultimate penalty to be paid by the Sri Lankan government, if it elects to continue war.

While commending the International Communities efforts so far to both screw up and to settle the conflict in Sri Lanka , I have to ask how on earth did they decided on this policy. Is it that they decided to use it because this is the best option so far, open to them or just that they see us as easy pray to yield to their consuming pressure? I don’t think this is the approach they used in Afghanistan, with its dealings with the Afghan government or Pakistan, over its issues in Human Rights and eroding Democracy or government of Israel.

As for the penalty, the sad truth is that not only it’s a hard hitting reality but also due to our prolonged reliance on foreign aid and investment we are but bounded by it.

Then the ‘final solution’ bombshell, where He stated “The USA shares the view of other countries involved in the peace process and a final solution must contain a one state solution where the Tamils are given broad control over their own matters. The problem is to get the parties to accept such a solution”.

So, if that’s the case, I’m I to understand that already US and rest of the Co-Chairs have found a solution to this question? What’s a ‘one state solution”? I guess these are some of the questions the Sri Lanka public should ask from the Co-Chairs, if not we might finally get ended up with imposed ‘solution’ with the kind courtesy of the Co-Chairs.

Abductions –an after thought

2007-06-26T12:11:00.001+05:30

Reading few websites, including Tamilnet and few Pro Peace (LTTE Peace) NGO/ NGO Ltds' I get the impression that most of the people who are living in Colombo or at least majority of the Tamils get abducted now days. So, if that's the case, then all most all the white colored vans I see on the road everyday must be either transporting abductees or transiting towards an abduction point.

Some times I'm made to feel as of these metaphorical 'white vans' are a alternative and covert means to curb the shortcomings with public transport, introduced by ,well at least in the eyes of the 'Peace' NGOs .,the Government and some cases 'Para militarise'.

Either way there are many ways to define Abductions, for example in the West , including NATO +PfP countries use the term Rendition instead of Abductions, while in the US its known as Extraordinary Renditions.

whereas is Sri Lanka , white vans are associated with Abductions, Renditions are associated with Executive Jets and Cargo Planes flying to hitherto unknown air fields in eastern Europe, and Middle East , stopping over in major NATO/US bases in Mediterranean and Central Asia.

Then there are other forms of abductions, such as in Central and South America, where abductions are also known as kidnapping and are a thriving local industry itself. There are related services provided by major Western companies and institutions in order to prevent kidnapping in Americas in the form of risk assessments /hostage negotiation etc.

Some people believe in more unearthly forms of abductions and this is known as 'Alien' abductions. X-files are well known for this.

When abductions take place in Europe and US (or renditions as know in that region), they are a necessity. they involve one or many western states , mostly NATO members like Norway , UK and Germany etc. when that happens , people get abducted and bungled in jets and flown to Middle East or North Africa, to places where better known for torture then tourism. They end up later by a busy street in a third country they are wanted or under persecution and of course, a county with a high quality Human Rights abuse record.

When Abductions happen in Sri Lanka, they are a gross violation of Human Rights, a major draw back for Democracy and Fundamental Rights. that's the view of the 'International Community' mainly consisting Western Countries with a interest in Sri Lanka , such as US,UK, Germany ,Norway etc. that view receives a instant seal of approval provided by the so called 'civil society' of Sri Lanka ,consisting a motley collection of Colombo based NGOs. Also since such acts are committed by the Government according to NGO sector and furthermore they will say the government is behind every missing person, however genuine or not the claims are.

When the LTTE abducts children to expand its cadre, that's called a forced recruitment and warrants no reaction from neither the international community nor the civil society and in turn the LTTE is served with a muted press communiqué.

Considering above, one can say there is a stark difference between how abductions are perceived in Society, and moreover, it depends of the different powers involved and also depends of biases and sympathies.

Anyway with regards to abductions in the Sri Lankan context, one has to be more rational and practical. This phenomenon of abductions should not be interpreted not treated with western norms but must be looked through a Sri Lanka angle.

Abductions are a integral part of the Sri Lankan psyche, and this has been practiced for a long time. When considering the actual history of abductions, it spans a few millennia and the oldest recorded incidence of abduction is recorded during the ancient Lankapura times, when king Ravana of Sri Lanka abducted the wife of Rama , princess Seetha of India.

This was not a snatching of a woman, as its portrayed in some western text. Had that been the case there will be a different type 'Ramayana' today, as the Ramayana discusses in length the character of Seetha before and after the abduction and her subsequent rescue. So, it was a abduction, of Political in nature. Is a nutshell the first recorded abduction in Sri Lanka involves a woman but is centered around a political issue. The fight to save Seetha is seen as a war between good and the bad, it self reflects the opposing ideology representing the two warring parties.

Then there are more historical evidence, including Pandukabhaya abducting his mother etc.

Therefore, abductions in Sri Lanka should be taken in a more cultural sensitive aspect. This is a expression of culture and a manifestation of our hidden identity as island dwellers of Sri Lanka and not a pseudo western practice of rendition.

This is why both the government and TNA is silent on the 'growing' spectra of abductions as they both get their interests served, as the government go on thinking with abductions , the Security Forces are getting rid of the LTTE sympathizers ,while LTTE is clogging time with more the suffering of the Tamil people , more the support to their cause increase.

Sri Lanka and 'Failed State' Mantra

2007-06-25T17:06:00.001+05:30

Week since the launch of the "Failed States 2007" report by Foreign Policy magazine, we are hearing more and more of the 'failed state' mantra being chanted by the so called Civil Society.

Foreign Policy journal has been compiling this report for some time now and they based /ranked States on different indicators. The report is some what extensive but doesn't give out much about the back ground and also about the factors that change status of the states in the report.

Also, reading the report I get the impression that most of these factors /indicators are more towards the western way of thinking, and attempting to interpret life the western way but in reality the report should be based on more realistic terms and factors.

Report mentions freedom of worship as a significant indicator of stability. Furthermore, it states that vulnerable states display significant amount of religious intolerance. They go on to say that religious repression is a thinly veiled attempt to muzzle civil society of the said countries.

I don't know much about the ground situation in Sudan who is topping the list nor Yemen who is just a notch above us or Republic of Congo, a notch below us but one thing I know is that there are four main religions in Sri Lanka and they all co-exist. If anyone, doubt for a fraction of a second that there is persecution based on religious beliefs in Sri Lanka, please visit the local township nearby or visit four most significant religious places of each major religion in Sri Lanka, and you'll find may be a Temple, Kovil, Mosque or may be a Church close by not more than 1Km away, with a healthy congregation.

So are we really failed states as much as they say?

Are we like Yemen or Congo?

I think not. However, I do accept the fact that there is a question when it comes to the level of rule of law, transparency and accountability that exist currently in Sri Lanka. But that doesn't definitely amount to be ranked and places below Liberia or Congo.

What's next for the Failed States? Pass resolution in the UN Security Council against such stats and send in US troops to remove the failed government and establish a new democratic and all love, happiness and strawberries type government, like the one in Iraq?

I guess the NGO pundits will add the 'Failed State' tag into their list of reasons (War, Abductions, killings, human rights violations, and evictions) why we need to discuss 'peace' with LTTE, or yield to pressure from Norway or organisations like AI or even Federalism as a solution to a so called Failed State.

May be its time we simply forget this "Failed States 2007" report and get on with exploring and executing realistic ways and means to restore Rule of Law in the country and enforce Accountability and Transparency within Governance.

Duminda Silva released-again

2007-06-23T23:26:00.001+05:30

UNP Western Provincial Councillor Duminda Silva who was charged with attacking security officials of the US Embassy at Clancy's Irish Pub was released by the Colombo Magistrate yesterday.

this incident happened in May last year when Mr.Dumin Silva assaulted and caused injuries to the two US nationals following a drunken brawl inside the pub, with another group of people.duminda silva was released as the two witnesses had gone abroad and was not available for the court hearing.

however, this incident, the third case against such behavior of him , is not the only,there is a history of such incidents including shoot outs , threats , and attempted rape. the list goes on.

in a nutshell Duminda Silva is nothing but a thug and he should be no where but in Welikada Prison doing good quality time, but UNP decided that since he represents the youth of the UNP ,therefor he must be in the Parliament.that didn't work out.thank god for that!

but sadly he is now in the Western Provincial Council, as a Councillor of UNP. this is a man who get to vote on provincial councils spending on education, development etc.

can we have a guy with a long and extensive history of bashing people ,just because he had money and power ,who repeatedly pick fights and smashes people at night clubs on a regular fixture represent us?

i think this is a clearer and visible aspect of UNPs policy's toward youth of this country and how UNP view the rest of the people of this land.

no wonder why Ranil Wicramasingha is a colossal loser of a leader.

Armed Hovercraft for sale -Rs. 250 million

2007-06-22T09:36:00.001+05:30

The Sri Lanka Navy has called tenders to sell its only Hovercraft - Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) that has never seen any action nor being used for any security related operation during its illustrious career.

This UK built LCAC was purchased by then commander of the Navy , Admiral.Daya Sandhagiri for a exuberant price , with of course kick backs provided/received for use in amphibious attacks, mainly to land Special Forces and spearhead troops in the shallow waters of the North.

The medium-lift M10, is capable of carrying 50 troops or two jeeps ,and is equipped with a forward ramp for easy access and landing and is armed with a 20mm cannon.

When the Sri-Lanka Navy acquired this Hovercraft ,they were told that it could achieve a speed of 50 knots with a full load of 10 tons and a range of 600 km for logistical use.however, during sea trails in both UK and later in Sri Lanka, it was revealed that it could only sustain speeds up to 35 knots and the payload capability restricted the range.

This Hovercraft was once hired out by the Navy for the launch of the Porche Cayenne , the SUV of Porche in 1998 and earned some money for the Navy. apart from that , it was never used for any other purpose , either military nor commercial, other than the yearly photo op , for the Navy calender and publications.

In 2005, then newly elected Rajapaksha administration wanted it to take part in the show of sea power on Independence day and it almost made to the last rehearsal before being withdrawn with engine failure.

Aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami when the Navy found itself deploying all sea worthy assets for relief and recovery, the LCAC failed the Navy another time...,

All in all the SLN Hovercraft excelled well in qualifying it self as a 'white elephant' ,however, with intense pressure brought in by Admiral.Daya Sandhagiri, it was purchased using public money and was rendered useless afterwards.

Sandagiris actions are well documented , not only with regards to the purchase of the Hovercraft ( which is a minor issue) but with many other purchases and in general the mis-management of the Navy during his time as the Commander and later as all powerful CDS.

Apart from 'Soosai' of the LTTE Sea Tigers, Daya Sandagiri ranks No.2 in the list of people who were responsible for destroying the Sri Lanka Navy. at least Mahinda Rajapaksha administration did some good by getting rid of him, but that should not be the end to this sad story.

In my opinion Daya Sandhagiri should be tried for high treason and be shot at dawn ..may be in Trincomalee.pay back for all the sons of this country who perished at sea fighting in the name of Sri Lanka.

Tamilnet banned in Sri Lanka

2007-06-20T00:12:00.001+05:30

It seems what i guessed for the last few days is right. Tamilnet , the pro-LTTE web site is 'banned' in Sri Lanka. this was announced in Groundviews , and few other blog sites . it seems ,according to GroundViews , the government had requested all ISPs in Sri Lanka to block Tamilnet. if this is true , then this must be the first time a website was banned in Sri Lanka.

Tamilnet is well know for its pseudo impartiality , and its strong anti-Sinhala / anti-GoSL stance. not only that they were quite anti-anything anti LTTE. all in all Tamilnet was the quasi virtual voice of the LTTE , being operational continuously since 1997. operating out of Norway the Tamilnet was notorious for not only biased reporting but also its twisted form of reporting incidents that relates to the conflict in Sri Lanka, claiming 'reporting Tamil affairs to the world' .

D.Sivaram or Taraki was the former Editor of Tamilnet until he was abducted and assassinated by Karuna Group in 2005. a well known LTTE sympathizer, fell victim to the breakaway group from Wanni LTTE , the Karuna group.

I guess this will be another major coup for the 'Civil Society' now and I'm quite certain Sunanda Deshapriya of FMM and the gang will hit the Lipton circus pretty soon, claiming 'another infringement to freedom of expression' . however, i do agree that the banning is somewhat curtaining of freedom of expression, as this ban will be effective only in SL, there can be alternative ways to access Tamilnet , thus government will lose out the intended outcome anyway.

This is the case in fact, as already Groundviews along with the announcement provides few options in reading the Tamilnet via other mirror sites. may be the government should look into closing them too. may be even GroundViews, so called space for citizen journalism. Groundviews is run by CPA and its nothing but a wanna be pro LTTE web , with a loose collection of former ,now bankrupt journalists from Ravaya and CPA, now running on USAID and other Western funds.

I don't agree on the Governments moves to ban websites, that freedom of expression and in this new century , this new form of society called the Internet the government needs to understand that , it too has to provide space for different views however subversive they may be. as the freedom of expression is one of the core distinctions that we differ from a society the LTTE intends to established with the power of gun , called Eelam , we need to uphold that freedom and have adequate mechanisms to address the ill effects of negative publicity on the society by such entities like the Tamilnet , not ban them outright.

The banning, if its true, is it based on the terrorist content of the Tamilnet or is it a futile attempt to stop the Sri Lankan society reading some thing more countervail , such as the Mahinda Rajapaksha- V.Prabhakaran deal ?

Only time will answer that question.

Al-Jazeera TV footage of the Thoppigala offensive

2007-06-19T16:54:00.001+05:30

this is some what old, nevertheless has some good points to ponder ,plus real close up of the real action the Army is facing in the East.good television journalism in the part of the Al Jazeera reporter Tony Britly and crew.

interestingly, there is a scene where they film a bunker built by the LTTE using sacks of rice, donated by 'Humanitarian' agencies. watching this clip makes me think... the whole mask of so called Humanitarian agencies are exposed ..they have no concern for plight of the civilians caught in the war, instead they just use the misery as means to widen their own spear of influence.

Falklands War and UK offer to mediate peace in Sri Lanka

2007-06-18T19:43:00.001+05:30

10,000 veterans of the Falklands war congregated to commemorate 25 years since the end of war in the South Atlantic islands of Falklands ,also known as Malvinas to the Argentinians.

An air-show featuring aircraft's that played a role in the conflict followed a moving ceremony of speeches and music that was attended by Prince Charles and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The war came to an end on 14 June 1982, two and half months after the UK territory was invaded by Argentina. Some 255 British servicemen, more than 650 Argentines were killed in the 74-day conflict.

On the eve of the celebration, outgoing UK PM Mr.Tony Blair offered to mediate between the GoSL and the LTTE in a bid to kick start the currently dormant peace process. although UK has played an active part in the governments search for peace and the International Communities support for such a search, UK by far has done nothing to stop the LTTEs murderous campaign of terror , both on its own people and the rest of the people of Sri Lanka.furthermore , Tamil terrorist supporters and agents in UK continues to play a major role in financing , coordinating and controlling the LTTEs rain of terror.

While UK celebrates a war they waged to wrestle power back to them of a colony of its own in South America , they preach us about peaceful dialogue and need to find peaceful means to end conflicts. I'm not a expert on Falklands war but I'm sure Mrs.Thacher ,then PM of UK didn't send a party of Politicians and Dilpomants to Bounos Aires to have peace talks ,or requested the UN to intervene , instead she dispatched a massive flotilla of ships and bombers to hit hard and wage war and wrestle back the control of Falklands.

After 25 years of that war , UK still hasn't admitted their inclination to war and not apologised to the families of the Argentinians killed during the war. for the UK government , Argentinian dead were combatants and the road to war was the only choice they had. be it may be , but when third world governments, particularly Countries that fall under the UKs spare of influence face threats Domestic and International ,they tend to turn around and play the role of 'Peace maker', the great believer in dialogue and discussion.

Was this the case for Falklands? why the Foreign Office and the Parliament of UK didn't request PM Thacher to sit down with the Argentinians , instead of bombing them ?

it all depends on who is fighting whom, if you're a big power, or a NATO member , or part of the G8 then you're exempted, if your nobody , like Sri Lanka today, then we have no option but to discuss peace and search for 'Peaceful Solutions to War" .there is no Peaceful solution to War , nor there is a space for discussion with people who practice terrorism as a means to justify their political demands.

The West, the so called IC understand that dictum very well , but in their zero sum/cost-benefit game they tend to tell us otherwise. so enter Mr.Blair. the Peace Maker in making... i wonder what will happen to Mr.Erik Soilham then... will he join the LTTE international Secretariat and continue to play the role of Antone Balasingham in proxy ?

President in Geneva-Big Talk and lots of noice but did the IC hear it right?

2007-06-16T17:19:00.001+05:30

President while addressing the 96th Sessions of the International Labour Conference in Geneva yesterday said "We are determined that in a democracy like ours where political views can be expressed freely, political objectives must be realised through negotiation and dialogue and through compromise. There can be no room for extremism, and even less for violence,"

And he went on to say "Terrorism has no place in the contemporary world. As a government, we are not prepared, at any cost, to bow down to terrorism," . MR also in his speech at a latter part asked the question "Would any of your governments submit to terrorism had they been in our position?"

yah!, i guess it was all great talk, its anyway embodied in our Constitution ,but are we really practicing it? instead of the rest of the world seeing this speech as all talk and big fart and no deeds,... the president has to have the balls to tackle all this allegations of abductions, 'culture of impunity' and the rest of the 'Civil Society' talk and live up to what he says...

I'm sure he may have got a big round of applause, may be a even a near standing ovations, due to the presence of a huge Sri Lankan delegation that accompanied the president but applause's is not we want at this stage of the game , its more hard political support that we need along with big wads of cash.as i see that's not going to happen in the near future.with this gathering storm against the Sri Lankan government in the west, it may be the time we start doing few quick impact 'special projects' and do out few 'quick fixes' so to have our tarnished image is fixed and glittering as new as a Swarnamal ad.

To start with may be we should get rid of the current Police Chief, for not ordering the (he didn't do it, we all know that-it was someone else idea!) expulsion of the Tamils in lodges but because he cant keep his mouth shut and keep on making comments that hurt the wider game plan of the government.

I like it when he asked the terror question on submitting to terror, of course no one will , except may be Norway.but then, not submitting to terror is one thing but violating some of the basic rights of citizens and denying rule of law is another.

New SG for SCOPP

2007-06-16T13:27:00.001+05:30

Professor Rajiva Wijesinghe, who was until recently attached to the Sabaragamuwa University has been appointed the new Secretary General of SCOPP. He replaces Dr. Palitha Kohona, who is the Foreign Secretary and was the Secretary General since April 2006 .

Professor Wijesinghe was a senior member of the Liberal party and till recently was its leader.
apart from his functions as a lecturer at Sabaragamuwa Uni., he was also a active member of the Board of Directors at the BCIS in Colombo.

Tinker of Colombo on ADSL

2007-06-13T21:51:00.001+05:30

I got my ADSL today. it was an end to a great saga, a Sri Lankan epic , a chronology of typical incompetency and sheer sub standard practises.a month after getting the runaround by the regional SLT office , i sent a letter to CEO and COO of SLT and within 2 hours i got ADSL, not only that i got a call from the regional office.

The call from the Regional office was a momentous change of face, about turn for the some people who insisted repeatedly at times humanly impossible undertakings from the part of the subscriber and inhumane treatment from the side of the Regional office staff .

Hats off to the CEO and the rest of the key people. at least i can rest knowing the SLT is in good hands , and the people at the helm are competent and concerned of their clients.

This is sadly the very opposite of some of the foot soldiers of SLT.

Now, I'm online..my virtual presence ensured, this is my web..

God speed.

Hambantota Air Port

2007-06-12T17:13:00.001+05:30

I see that the President Mahinda was in Hambantota recently to lay the foundation stone and cut the ceremonial pillar of soil to kick start the Hambantota Port.i was passing by Hambantota few days prior to the event and witness half of the Sri Lanka Army there. i guess when your the president and and when your' under threat from the LTTE you have to have some decent security.

Back the subject at hand , Hambantota Air Port is a massive project (or claims to be ) undertaken by the Rajapaksha administration and this is is in fact going to be the second international air port in Sri Lanka.

Apart from utilising a USD $175 Million loan from Saudi Arabia the Government wants to tap into locally generated funds. this is mainly going to be funds from the development lottery and National Lotteries Board. this appears to be fine , if the Government can unitised that funds its good, but i amazes me, to see the fact that this funds are coming from revenue earned by the Lotteries Board. one might ask the question now, who buys lotteries ? its the poor people of this country.

Although we talk about banning gambling, illicit liquor and casinos, the jackpots this Lotteries are on the top of the vice list.but then, Governments gets to earn the big bucks from the Lotteries so , who is there to complain!

Back again to the point of discussion, if the poor are buying lotteries then its safe to assume its the poor folk of this county are funding the Weeravila International Air Port in Hambantota.

So , in reality for whom is this Air Port for ? the poor? no, an international air port if for the rich and now the paradox.

Poor people> buy Lotteries> lotteries Board earns> Government taps in the Lotteries board earnings>make Air Port> rich people use it

That means the poor of this country is funding a air port for the rich people of this country.

get it?

Massakar of Policemen in Eastern Province 11 June 1996

2007-06-11T17:41:00.000+05:30

On June 10 ,1996 the LTTE resumed its campaign of terror for a Eelam with viralance, snuffing out 14 months of Peace Talks with Colombo and shattering Premadasa administrations hopes of peace with the LTTE.

Tamil Terrorist unleashed a killing inferno, massacring hundreds of Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil Police men and Women in the Districts of Trincomalee, Batticoloa and Ampara in the countries East.

Premadasa government in a break neck attempt to save the Cease Fire and the Peace with the LTTE went ahead and requested the Police to surrender , even though Military and Defence establishment in Colombo were certain of LTTEs resumption of war. end result was more than 600 Police personnel getting brutally killed by the LTTE.

Governments view of hoping the surrender would trigger a change of mind in the side of the LTTE hierarchy tragicly shattered when the LTTE went into a blood bath.

11 years on today, the LTTE has enterd and broken 4 Peace accord and a number of Cease Fires. its rain of terror and thurst for blood has never ceased to stop.LTTEs utter disrespect of laws of war , laws governing combatants and rules of engagment are very much evident.

even the SLMM has to agree on that , even the TNA will ,even with LTTEs cold steel behind their backs will agree.

when will the so called International Community realise the true face of the LTTE?

Unethical hiring practices by NGOs in Sri Lanka

2007-06-11T17:13:00.000+05:30

i got this article written by Hemendra Fernando via e-mail and not sure about the original source, but I believe it may have had appeared on the last weeks Daily Mirror .however , this article highlights somewhat controversial aspect of NGOs in Sri Lanka.

Not only hiring of staff members, but firing and pay scales of NGOs are very much a subject of interest to many but one thing that's not highlighted is that these activities are not governed by any law of the country nor there is a mechanism to monitor any malpractices.

There is a vast disparity in terms of Salaries and payments for staff in many NGOs, expeacially the 'Elite' Colombo based National level NGOs. However, there has not been much discussion on these issues in either the public or state forums. The government keeps on following its 'anti NGO' stance, while some of the Opposition parties fuel the greater anti NGO drive.
This is the same with INGOs operating in Sri Lanka, and this is more evident in the Eastern Province where there is still a major presence of INGOs and Local NGOs. Rather than promoting a anti NGO rhetoric, the Government should look into establishing a Competent Authority or a NGO Regulator, thereby not only monitor what the NGOs do but also how they treat their staff.

During my time with a certain UN agency in Eastern Province during the post Tsunami reconstruction period, I have witnessed so many expatriates working in capacity of minor positions, ie-Accoutants/Logisticians etc, positions that can be easily filled by qualified and competent Sri Lankans. Most or, all most all Organisations don't have Local counterparts for high positions held by expatriates. And the access to facilities and benefits that are enjoyed by expatriates are far away from the reach of the Locals within Organisations.

In most of the Colombo based 'elite' class NGOs like the FoCEx, CHA, CPA and Berghoff, there is a particular group of people who consist the public face of these organisations. They also get all the benefits or at least the lion's share of benefits plus retaining the ability to undertake foreign travel (disguised as study visits/meetings/workshops etc) and other vide range of 'Civil Society' type activity.

Currently the NGO Secretariat of the Ministry of Social Services and the Centre for Non Governmental Sectors (CNGS) in Ministry of Finance handle all NGO matters particularly INGOs and big Local NGOs. Registation, visas and work permits are issued by or recommend by these two institutions. However, I'm not sure if any applicant has to neither justify any staff appointment nor account for the pay scales or benefits issued to the staff.

there has to be a uniformed structure ,may be a National Policy on NGOs , therefore not only the state and the public can keep tabs but also facilitate the good work of the NGOs in Sri Lanka.

I hope the Government and the State Structures act soon and not rather sit on their lazy rear sides to formulate some effective procedures and set up a structure to ensure the rights of the staff of NGOs and also ensure transparent and accountable manner in which the NGOs are managed.

this is the Article-here goes>

FEATURES
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Unethical hiring practices by NGOs in Sri Lanka
By Hemendra Fernando

Ever wondered why some of us can’t get a job in an NGO; especially in the old and established INGOs? This is a question that many qualified and experienced often ask. What is required to get hired into an NGO?
The writer conducted many interviews on this matter with current and ex INGO/LNGO staff and a range of applicants with diverse qualifications who continue to apply for specialized positions in INGOs/LNGOs. Often, an organization would place huge advertisements in the print media and the internet, advertising for various posts that require a very high standard of education and experience. However, when the selection is complete, it is rather interesting to know that the person who has bagged the job has merely a basic degree or in some cases just their secondary education only. On some occasions, positions are not advertised at all and backdoor recruitment takes place.
Many interviewees who are qualified (graduates, post graduate degree holders and those with doctorates) said of their experiences; that despite more than 30-40 attempts, their applications have never been acknowledged leave alone have an opportunity for an interview.
Most INGOs when interviewed declined to talk about their hiring practices perhaps because of the negative publicity and public opposition they already experience. Some senior officials point blank refuted any such malpractice in the hiring of staff while other senior managers feigned ignorance. The middle and junior personnel were afraid to commit themselves openly for fear of retribution.
A lady who worked as an assistant to the Human Resources manager of an INGO described how applications of qualified and experienced candidates are immediately thrown into the waste bin and unqualified persons are recruited via the back door. She related the story of how an unqualified yet highly connected lady who worked as an ‘Office Assistant’ (this position was previously referred to as Clerk) was later recruited into the INGO as an “Office manager” who subsequently became the designated ‘Program Officer’ for a very important National Project. She takes home a considerable LKR. 100,000 as salary.
The Human Resources lady acknowledged that this particular post was never advertised. In another instance, two PhD candidates who applied for specialized posts said that they were amused to be interviewed by persons with no more than just O/L qualifications.
Many INGO/LNGOs are supposed to be involved in a variety of activities ranging from conflict resolution, awareness raising programs, peace conferences, advocacy for women and child rights, human rights issues, legal aid, youth empowerment programs, community development, psychosocial support to micro-credit schemes and so on.
However, they lack the capacity in suitably skilled staff to manage the projects. The temptation for most NGOs is to first take the money, and thereafter worry about their actual ability to implement the projects. They often cling on to existing projects and engage in fragmented work just to satisfy donor funding requirements.
A country manager of an NGO was heard complaining that he is unable to get a project completed due to lack of competent staff. On further probing, he discovered that the reason for the dearth of talent in his organization was owing to the unscrupulous deeds of his own project manager/coordinator. There is speculation that the said Project Manager possibly is someone who has reached his maximum level of incompetence (Peter Principle- "In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." Formulated by Dr. Laurence J. Peter) thus he feels uneasy in recruiting persons more qualified than him.
Projects funded by foreign aid always come with conditions imposed by the donor countries. What is surprising is that even these donor agencies show disinterest to investigate the reasons behind the lack of capacity and trained staff to be properly engaged with their projects. This has in turn created confusion amongst the public that INGO contributions do not have any practical impact.
Legally unauthorized personnel
There have been occasions when legally unsuitable persons have been recruited into INGOs. In one instance, a reputable INGO recruited a raw unregistered medical graduate, (with no internship and practice experience at all) to the important post of National Health Advisor. He was paid a very high salary. This person posed as a consultant doctor by having a photocopied hospital (cancer hospital, Maharagama) entry permit pasted on his car windscreen!! It’s shocking that he still operates “at large” escaping the Medical Council’s “Quacks catching net”.
The persons responsible for such unscrupulous and unethical hiring practices are the INGO/LNGO heads themselves. Higher level bosses of established INGOs pursue their own interests rather than national interests. The behaviour of some of them are worse than those in ‘spurious’ organizations that are formed to acquire donor funding. They lack total interest in inducting staff with exceptional skills. These bosses enjoy extravagant perks and are a breed of irresponsible spendthrifts. Developing countries with poverty and conflict is a fiesta for these mercenaries who fail to acknowledge that there is a cost to their extravagance.
This further contributes to the notion that foreign aid is associated with fraud, waste, and abuse and the main cause for the culture of corruption that pervades our society. These facts are even highlighted in an American Economic Review study by James Bovard. (http://www.lewrockwell.com/bovard/bovard13.html) Most interviewees confirm that aid money is used in unproductive ways and not towards real needs. They claim that although some aid money goes into projects, it has only brought about economic and social calamity rather than encouraging good governance and economic stability because NGO bosses fail to take practical decisions that are necessary for self-sustainable growth of the beneficiary.
Subcontracting mechanisms
Subcontracting mechanisms within NGO systems also cast doubts and is a process which is dubious. It is observed that when an NGO arrives in the country, politicians and other shady characters tag onto them. They then thrive on foreign money by obtaining highly inflated subcontracts. In one instance, a media and advertising campaign (AIDS Day 2004) was handed over to the niece of the office manager of an INGO. A sum close to six million rupees was granted for the poster and banner printing! Other printers quoted between 2-3 million for the same job. What was more surprising is how this very lady appeared at a UN workshop and talked about corruption of other INGOs! Another common occurrence is when powerful local staff members of various INGOs hire their houses for the use of INGOs using fake quotation procedures.
In Sri Lanka, the majority of the public perceive INGO activities as foreign intrusion and most such activities are closely monitored by various ethics groups. NGOs are playing a negative and irresponsible role that harms their reputation by encouraging unethical hiring practices.
Thus it is time for INGO/LNGOs to make a significant investment in organizational change and development. Ethical hiring practices require the change in mindsets of the donor agency and the INGO/LNGO. It is time for the big bosses to re-think their employment strategy and implement considerable organizational change if development and peace initiatives are to be taken seriously.
There are many qualified individuals trained in a range of disciplines much suitable for NGO activities. (Community development, Capacity building, peace-building health etc) These individuals must be absorbed into organizations in order to build integrated, highly knowledgeable multi-disciplinary teams. A few INGOs interviewed said that they have already started this process. The ethics groups will continue to monitor the code of conduct of all INGO/LNGOs.

Supreme Court of Sri Lanka puts a stop to the shamefull eviction of Tamils

2007-06-08T18:01:00.001+05:30

Reuters today quoted a lawyer with the Colombo based independent think tank Centre for Policy Alternatives stating " "They have just made the order. The registrar has been asked to contact the Inspector General of Police immediately to stop any further evictions of Tamils from Colombo,"

this follows the Governments decision to forcibly evicting minority ethnic Tamils from the capital ,which started on Thursday the 05th June.

today a day after police deported hundreds to the island's war-torn north, the news of the Supreme Court order brings a sigh of relief for the rest of the Sri Lankan citizenry ,who was shocked and at the same time angered by the move of the Government to evict Tamils from Colombo.

CPA had on Friday early morning filed a stay order with the Supreme Court request a stop to evictions.

Hope this serves as a wake up call to President Mahinda Rajapaksha.