Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 14 Mar 2012 09:24

Sri Lankan ‘rights violations' issue rocks Parliament

Uproar in Rajya Sabha over Sri Lankan Tamil issue

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 14 Mar 2012 10:56

Colombo/Lanka news update:

First,the situ in the island is exceptionally peaceful.There is absolutely NO goondaism on aimed at any Tamil entities whatsoever.The recent reilgious events in the North,Katchativu fest.,Jaffna church fests,etc., where in the words of the Catholic Bishop,extremely well organised and he praised the roile of the SL navy who organised these fests.I know first hand how some religious functions which were held in Delft isalnd,where some rebuilding of a church was financed by some Colombo Cathos (non-tamils),how well they were recd, by the islanders,etc. They visited other islands too and were similarly recd. Jaffna now supplies huge qtys of veggies to the south and prices of veggies has dropped sharply.This will bring down the COL,though the oil crisis with Iran being virtually the sole supplier and Lanka has no alternative,will make it difficult if the west turns the screws.Apparently the Iranians offered to finance 75% of the cost of modernisation of the refinery ,but the Lankans stupidly did not take up the offer as they ahd to find the balance 25%.

Tourist arrivals have reached record levels.hotels are being constructed all over especially in the east by many major intl. chains,and barring the oil/energy issue,affectiong balance of payments,the economic outloopk is bright.The new southern Expressway to Galle takes just 45mts.,when compared with 4 hrs. earlier,anmd amaxingly,you can drive to galle for dinner and be back in Colombo in just 4 hrs! A huge redevelopment plan for the Fort area in the city is on the cards ,with much renovation oif heritage structures to boost tourism.The Colombo port is undregoing a massive expansiuon too.

The current "crisis" of human rights relates only to the past and the last days of the Eelam War.A combined "Alliance" of the US,western nations and NGOs funded by the west along with the Eelam /LTTE diaspora are trying to engineer a condemnation of the GOSL and a back-door invasion of Lankan sovereignity through the apparantly harmless Trojan Horse of implementing the GOSL's own findings,trying to have the implementation carried out by external "independent" forces,meaning the LTTE/diaspora! This absurdity is however a very clver concerted effort by all the fascist western forces in league with each other for their own vested interests.I am relianbly told that "egime change" in Colombo by any means is the ultimate aim and the division of the island using the "East Timor" method.The first strike will be massive economic sanctions/armtwisting using Iranian oil supplies as the excuse and the hope is with economic collapse will come chaos and the opportunity for well-known stool-pigeon Ranil W. (Jayawardene's nephew) to emerge as the leader who will deliver the island to the west.Rajapakse has only two strong friends right now who can rescue him from the west,India and China.He would be best advised to listen to India,act on the political front on devloution,thus shutting out the LTTE/diaspora in favour of local Tamil politicians of the TNA,etdc.,who need a "success",abd rid epiggy-back on India's defiance of the west with respect to Iran and energy supplies.The thought of Lanka falling into Chinese hands strategically is simply unacceptable to India and must be preventerd at all costs.

There is absolutely no way that India can support this insidious move which will immediately be used against it too in thefuture.There is such hypocrisy from the west with no similar bodies for HR abuses/war crimes in Iraq,Afghanistan,Camp Gitmo,Pak,etc.The GOI musy however obtain genuine undertakings from the GOSL that there will be genuine devolution of local powers to ther N-East ,where developmental fnding from India on the ground will stymie Chinese interference.The two Dravidian parties of TN are just using the issue to appear more "Tamil" than each other.Their soundbites are insignificant,eexcept for the fact that the UPA-2 is in the sh*t house right now! Lanka is being kicked like a damsel being wooed/lusted after by three suitors,the West/US,China and India.One wants to rape Lanka,one wants to "own" Lanka and India wants preferably a mutual marriage of interests.

nvishal · Post by **nvishal** » 14 Mar 2012 13:06

@Philip
Look at the geopolitical location of srilanka. It's going to get f'ed eventually. All it needs is a reason.

Forget what india THINKS.
Look at what india DOES.

Then ask yourself this... when SL was carpet bombing the north, what did india do? Did it prevent it or not?

Jarita · Post by **Jarita** » 15 Mar 2012 00:22

nvishal wrote:@Philip
Look at the geopolitical location of srilanka. It's going to get f'ed eventually. All it needs is a reason.

Forget what india THINKS.
Look at what india DOES.

Then ask yourself this... when SL was carpet bombing the north, what did india do? Did it prevent it or not?

Makes sense for Sri Lanka to become a state of India

shyam · Post by **shyam** » 15 Mar 2012 10:44

nvishal wrote:Look at the geopolitical location of srilanka. It's going to get f'ed eventually. All it needs is a reason.

I feel the other way. It is recovering from a huge f'ed up situation and is slowly recovering. The risks and challenges are not over yet.

nvishal · Post by **nvishal** » 15 Mar 2012 23:50

shyam wrote:I feel the other way. It is recovering from a huge f'ed up situation and is slowly recovering. The risks and challenges are not over yet.

There is no such thing as a quick solution

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 16 Mar 2012 00:25

SL,the "other half".A contra view of current events.

In previous posts I concentrated upon the geopolitical aspects of the situ in SL,which by and large is almost totally peaceful because the LTTE has been exterminated.The method of extermination and "collateral damage" is what is being used against the GOSL by a vengeful diaspora and its western patrons.Now in the UNHRC proposal,for the GOSL to act upon the findings of its own reconciliation findings,the "sting is in the tail" as one analyst put it.The UN will use the provisions in its apparently mild nudging of the GOSL,in the fine print to actually "take over" all the execution of the findings in the island,in actual fact,overriding the GOSL's sovereignty! This has been described as a stealth "non-violent" method of "invasion",where the UN becomes master of a country through the trojan horse of human rights.

Now while the north and east are "quiet",there are disturbing signs of stonewalling by the GOSL on R&R of the Tamils affected.It is a fact that the armed forces are squatting on valuable land belonging to Tamils.While on occasion LTTE caches of weapons are being discovered,there is little need for squatting deliberately as an act of cruelty.Housing of the dislocated is another issue.India has been inefficient at building the promised houses,but it is also the duty of the GOSL to rehabilitate the north and east and not just spend billions in infrastructure in the south,esp. in Pres. Rajapakse's backyard.Moreover,asking the displaced population to produce documents,etc.to prove ownership of their lands and properties ,after a 25 yr old war ,where the locals were squeezed between the LTTE and the SL army,herded like cattle as human shields by the LTTE is the final days,is adding "salt to the wound".

However,what is gripping the island's politics is not the issue of the R&R of the north-east so much as the lack of human rights within the "south" affecting mainly the Sinhalese critics of the govt.,where any criticism of the GOSL of the day results in journos being punished,from beatings to allegedly even subject to the "disappearing act".Mysterious white vans allegedly abduct people who speak or write against the GOSL,give the victims a sound thrashing and then dump them.These vans are apparently and allegedly vans belonging to the Mil.Pol. Many journos have fled the island.The murder of the editor of a prominent newspaper a year ago still rankles.Coincidentally,the papers had several articles remembering the most prominent victim of the Premadasa era,Richard de Zoysa ,who was the principal leader of the avant garde theatre movement in the '80s.RDZ was a personal friend.Some Lankans say that the spectre of those awful days are appearing to haunt the country once again.In Geneva,some of the heads of the Lankan NGOs have spoken out lambasting the GOSL on its human rights record .There has been an immediate counter,censure and verbal abuse of them by prominent govt. spokesmen in the media and fears for their safety upon their return are being expressed.

The Q being asked is "Quo Vadis?". SL is at the crossroads yet again.If the GOSL continues using the bludgeon upon any criticism of it by the populace,then the chances of another southern revolution is always on the cards.The domination of the huge extended Rajapakse family,in almost every aspect of life for Lankans ,given their control over key ministries and depts.also renders them liable politically when the economic sh*t hits the fan affecting the poor.The oil bill is going to be about $5 billion for the island nation this year.Nevertheless,there is a massive boom going on in the island with huge numbers of luxury hotels being built with lot of investment by the Qatar govt. in the beautiful Kalpitiya area north of the airport and Negombo,the hottest place for future tourist enclaves.India has a pivotal role in the future of the island,where we have massive opportunities at every level.The Chinese and Pakis are snapping at our heels and if we stumble,they will overtake us.The GOSL however needs to show concrete action on Rehabilitation and Reconciliation (R&R).Thus far,its record has been dismal and this millstone will hang around its neck as long as it does b*gger all,allowing the diaspora,Eelamists and western mischief-makers a window of opportunity to destabilise the island.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 16 Mar 2012 18:17

Philip ji, thanks for the updates. R&R is very important and India really needs to get involved and ensure it all happens smoothly - its important for the future of the region. Although it is important that GoI is hamstrung by domestic politics on the issue and national interests. GoI should channelise the domestic policy issue and help all the parties achieve R&R with TN govt support.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 18 Mar 2012 05:46

Op-Ed in Hind Times

http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorial ... 26055.aspx

Time for tough love

Sreeram Chaulia, Hindustan Times

March 15, 2012

The dog-eat-dog world rarely offers convergence between opposing goals of promoting human values and national interests. Usually, democratic States adopt illiberal policies that go against their own core beliefs, but which serve economic or strategic ends. However, the ruckus over the upcoming vote in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on a US-sponsored resolution seeking investigation of crimes committed in the final phases of Sri Lanka’s war presents a chance for India to mix morals with statecraft.

That the Lankan armed forces indulged in extreme violations of international laws in prosecuting the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is a fact. Media revelations of brutal conduct by the Sri Lankan military are only the tip of the iceberg. I have witnessed the iron fist of Sinhalese chauvinism first-hand during my years as a civilian peacekeeper in eastern Sri Lanka. It has far too many unaccounted graves and disappearances.

Moreover, mass detentions of suspected LTTE sympathisers and the heavy militarisation of the north and east of Sri Lanka by Sinhalese armed forces are continuing unabated. After winning the war against the LTTE in 2009, the majoritarian Mahinda Rajapaksa regime is at war with its Tamil speaking people at large.

India has been repeatedly frustrated by the Rajapaksas, who parry the critical issue of devolution of powers to the minorities by dangling the China card. Colombo’s game plan is to emotionally blackmail New Delhi against pushing too hard on autonomy for the north and east via the threat of embracing Beijing. Unfortunately, across South Asia, we have been allowing regimes in Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to replay variations of this same song: ‘Pamper me or else I land in China’s lap’.

Wary of China’s looming strategic penetration of our backyards, we have permitted political processes in these countries to drift away from our core interests. Sri Lanka under the Rajapaksa clan keeps playing off India against China and gets away with mass murder. India is not benefiting from the status quo, which is a unitary Sri Lanka with a simmering minority population whose civil and political rights haven’t improved one whit since the decimation of the LTTE.

Hence, it’s time for New Delhi to change track from treading softly on the Rajapaksas’ failure and refusal to usher in post-war political solutions that are crucial for security in the Indian Ocean. As the vote next week at the UNHRC nears, India is proffering technical alibis about our foreign policy ‘tradition’ of not voting in favour of country-specific resolutions in this international institution. But why did we bypass this ‘tradition’ of supporting non-intervention in the internal affairs of States when we voted against the government of Syria recently in the UN Security Council?

Bailing out the Sri Lankan regime, which is guilty of crimes against humanity, in international fora hasn’t served our offic-ially unmentioned but intended purpose of keeping China ‘out’ of the Indian Ocean. The American writer, William Avery, has written that India must “Finlandise” Sri Lanka and kick China off the island nation. Has the policy of coddling the Rajapaksas and buying into their China bogey helped us one bit in achieving this objective?

New Delhi is facing pressure from political parties in Tamil Nadu to reverse its gingerly approach to the cry for justice in Sri Lanka and to side with the American resolution. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s open letter to his coalition partner M Karunanidhi indicates that we aren’t planning to change the present policy of bilaterally appealing and begging the Rajapaksas to make incremental changes towards ethnic reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

Can there be healing in a post-war society without holding heinous crimes to justice? India could be enabling the rise of another wave of insurgency in the Tamil-speaking provinces of Sri Lanka by siding with a regime which is bent on rubbing salt into the wounds of minorities.

It is imperative that New Delhi reassesses why it has lost all leverage over Sri Lanka and how that can be regained. Colombo is no less closer to China today than it was during the endgame of the LTTE. We can regain respect and influence in Sri Lanka through tough love and collective multilateral action with western powers that are showing greater concern for redressing grievances of its minorities. Letting the Rajapaksas off the hook yet again would be a costly blunder of strategy and of principle.

Sreeram Chaulia is vice dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs. The views expressed by the author are personal

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 18 Mar 2012 06:09

Remember KS garu saying three schools of FP experts?

The above is running with the hounds to scare your own rabbits.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Mar 2012 06:37

We can regain respect and influence in Sri Lanka through tough love and collective multilateral action with western powers that are showing greater concern for redressing grievances of its minorities. Letting the Rajapaksas off the hook yet again would be a costly blunder of strategy and of principle.

Unfortunately,the author advocates India simply following like a lap dog the Yanqui "Pox Americana",instead of creating a "Pax Indica" that serves India's interests.What the west/US are trying to do is to control and capture a nation through the "Trojan horse" of human rights,where the UNHC will be in charge of all follow up actions on the ground with overriding power than the native state itself!
A "Ghandian" non-violent invasion ,with the threat of hauling up the leaders of the affected state into the ICJ like Milosevic and Karadic! This is what the US/west has in store for the Rajapakses,while they conceal the fact that it was the west primarily who supported the Eelamists and LTTE two-fold,by first giving refuge to the LTTE diaspora and then funding them overtly and covertly!They promised the LTTE's fuhrer and the diaspora,that Prabhakaran and the top LTTE heirarchy would be saved during the last stages of the Eelam war.It is why both the British and French FMs flew into Colombo and attempted to armtwist Rajajapkse into allowing the LTTE's top cadre to be picked up by US naval warships (helos).rajapakse's upturned finger to the west is why it is engaged in trying to demonise the GOSL of the day,recognising only one demon,the GOSL but ignoring conveniently the main demon,the LTTE and its 25yrs history full of war crimes!

India has hopefully not forgot the lesson of Rajiv's assassination,and the very same (diaspora/west) individuals who bankrolled the LTTE into harming India are now seeking our "blessings".The reason why we are lacking influence in Lanka is because for decades,we abdicated our legitimate rights in the island,as I've been saying for two decades now.When Lanka was ready to sign a defence treaty with us forever keeping out the Chinese,who stalled it? The TN parties,fringe parties in particular who are nothing but unpatriotic quislings,put pressure upon weak Delhi durbars,who were more interested in looting the coffers of the nation than seeing to its security.However,the day is not lost.India has the most influence in Lanka thanks to geography and as I've mentioned earlier in many posts,must monitor the R&R of the North-East if Lanka does not want the UNHC squatting in Colombo dictating terms to it.India must get an agreement from Rajapakse to this effect or face a concerted Indian "tilt"towards support for punishment for the GOSL.

The signing of any mutual defence agreement between the two nations actually helps the Lankan Tamils,as India will guarantee safety and devolution of power to the north-east while seeing that the two enemies of India,China and Pak are kept out from using the island as a base.Rajapakse's alleged China card is bogus,for China can support the island economically no doubt,but it is a long,long,way to the Yangtse,while India is just minutes away flying time! In any (unlikely) spat,the logistics of supporting a Chinese presence on the island would be almost impossible,just as the LTTE discovered which factor led to its downfall.Rajapakse'e bluff (if made),must be called,but by india and not India joining a (wild) western posse led by Elamist "trackers",hell bent on extracting its pound of flesh!

To enforce a "Pax Indica",requires a more pro-active Indian diplomacy in the island's affairs,something which has not been seen for a very long time,the Rajiv era in fact.Indian MPs and MLAs from TN on official bi-lateral visits,should visit the island and ascertain for themselves how the R&R of the Tamils of the N-east is getting along,where we have agreed to fund much of the re-development.Non-genuine hot-air from the fringe elements in TN and the one-upmanship gymnastics of the two main Dravidian parties must not like a tick on the tail,"wag the Indian dog".The national interests must come first and our security would be gravely endangered if we do nothing to stop the creeping Sino-Pak combine.

PS:Some ground realities.What is slowly and not very widely known is hat small businesses in India ,mainly from the south,are investing in the island.garment factories belonging to Indians have been set up.Those in trade especially are doing well and slowly setting up small local offices for various business pursuits.This will have a far greater effect than any large Chinese hand-outs to a GOSL,as these are person-to-person business contacts benefiting both sides,unlike the cold nature of Chinese loans and "gifts".Once the two ferries,from Tuticorin,Rameswaram and even Cochin run smoothly in the future,Indians will be able to take their cars across and drive on the excellent expressways being built in the island for business and holiday purposes.A massive amount of hotels are being built to accommodate the huge tourist arrivals of the future,with casinos,Singapore style ,being envisioned.Just imagine the flow of tourists to the island from India alone once this happens.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Mar 2012 12:02

Cho Ramaswamy on the Lankan issue.Pithy comments!

* Do you think Tamil nationalism is going overboard?
There is no doubt about that. It has been doing that persistently for many years. The insurgents need not follow any rules but the state should always be mindful of international law or rules of war etc. How is that possible? In that case no state can put down terrorism. It is as if we are asking the state not to act against terrorism.

* So, the LTTE was anti-India?
They were definitely anti-India, and that’s why they maligned the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) there and made that operation a total failure. Let me ask, are all the Tamils in Sri Lanka united? Are the Tamils in Colombo and the Tamils in the north united? Are the Tamils in the east and those in Jaffna united? The Tamil diaspora are also not united. Of course, the Sri Lankan government has been behaving unfairly towards the Tamils — their rights are being denied; they are not equal citizens there.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/editoria ... %80%99-137

‘US resolution on Lanka only to divert attention from Israel’

March 18, 2012
Cho S. Ramaswamy

‘US resolution on Lanka only to divert attention from Israel’

Cho S. Ramaswamy, the redoubtable editor of the Tamil weekly Thuglak, and a former Rajya Sabha member, tells R. Bhagwan Singh that the hue and cry in Tamil Nadu in support of a US resolution on human rights against Sri Lanka is uncalled for

* Tamil parties here and across the world are demanding that India support the US resolution against Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC). What do you think?
I doubt these people realise that the US resolution does not condemn Sri Lanka as such. The resolution says that recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Com-mission (LLRC) appointed by Colombo, which was something like the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, should be implemented. The US resolution also insists that there must be a settlement of the Tamil problem. I cannot understand what the champions of the Eelam cause see in it.

* They are demanding an international investigation into “war crimes” by Sri Lanka.
The US resolution does not speak of war crimes. It speaks of human rights violations. Even the rights activists in Sri Lanka have expressed disappointment with it. I don’t know whether they have read it, but there’s nothing in it to demand such vehement support here.

What happened when the UNHCR spoke about (alleged violations by) Israel? The US attacked it and said that this is becoming political. Why target Israel when there are violations all over the world? You are doing all this country-specific thing and that won’t do, the US had said. And that’s what India says. Perhaps, the US has come up with this resolution just to show that there are human rights violations elsewhere, too, in order to divert the world’s attention from Israel. Why should India be interested in it? Why should the Tamil champions be interested in it?

* What do you think should be done to bring to book the perpetrators of war crimes?
There was no war. Is there a war between the Naxallites and the Indian government? Is there a war between the Islamic militants and the Indian state?

There is no war; there is terrorism; there is internal insurgency. The government puts it down with a firm hand, with the use of the military if necessary. Was there a war in the Golden Temple when Bhindranwale was shot down? Would you call that war because the military was there?

* But there were thousands of civilians killed in this war, or whatever you call it, in Sri Lanka.
Because the civilians were used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as shields. Nobody speaks of that now. They can use civilians; they can use children as shields and as suicide bombers.

* Do you think Tamil nationalism is going overboard?
There is no doubt about that. It has been doing that persistently for many years. The insurgents need not follow any rules but the state should always be mindful of international law or rules of war etc. How is that possible? In that case no state can put down terrorism. It is as if we are asking the state not to act against terrorism.

* If we look back, this terrorism itself was the result of discrimination against the Tamils by the Sri Lankan state.
I entirely agree with you. But that alone does not justify what the LTTE did. They did something worse than what the Sri Lankan government did. They wiped out the entire Tamil leadership, Amirthalingam downwards. The Sri Lankan government did not do that. The LTTE massacred Muslims in mosques, alienating them totally. They eliminated other Tamil militant organisations, too. At one point, they clearly said that the Sinhalese and we (Sri Lankan Tamils) are brothers, and that India, an alien country, has no business in our affairs. The LTTE had made that statement. And we here have no sense of shame even after that.

* So, the LTTE was anti-India?
They were definitely anti-India, and that’s why they maligned the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) there and made that operation a total failure. Let me ask, are all the Tamils in Sri Lanka united? Are the Tamils in Colombo and the Tamils in the north united? Are the Tamils in the east and those in Jaffna united? The Tamil diaspora are also not united. Of course, the Sri Lankan government has been behaving unfairly towards the Tamils — their rights are being denied; they are not equal citizens there.

This must be addressed by Sri Lanka, but militancy is not the solution. Suppose the US or some other country sponsors a similar resolution tomorrow on Kashmir. Are we going to honour it? We will say that the UN has no right to do this. The LTTE was the most powerful and ruthless terrorist group. They even had submarines and warplanes, apart from rocket launchers. The LTTE killed thousands of Tamils and executed them, calling them betrayers. And they decimated the entire Tamil leadership so that there could be no other representation for the Tamils except them.

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 18 Mar 2012 12:30

Dealing with Sri Lanka

India faces a crucial decision-making moment at the United Nations Human Rights Council on the U.S.-sponsored resolution that urges Sri Lanka to address rights violations alleged against its army in the final phase of the war against the LTTE in 2009.

Three years after winning the war against the LTTE, Sri Lanka is yet to cement a peace with the Tamils. Instead, the triumphalism about the military victory, unaddressed human rights violations and the overwhelming presence of the Army in northern Sri Lanka, have deepened the political alienation of the Tamils.

As for the “feelings” of the political parties in Tamil Nadu, it should be clear by now that for them, the Sri Lankan Tamil issue is an opportunity for cynical one-upmanship, and nothing more. There was no clearer evidence of this than at the time of the UPA victory in 2009, which coincided with the last stand of the LTTE. After creating a furore over the war in Sri Lanka during the elections, the DMK's only concern after the results was how many and which cabinet positions the party would get in the new government.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 19 Mar 2012 13:42

India to vote against Sri Lanka: PM

Amidst mounting pressure from ally DMK and other parties, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said India was 'inclined to' vote in favour of a resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN which meets 'our objectives' with regard to the future of ethnic Tamils.

"We are inclined to vote in favour of the resolution if the resolution will cover our objectives namely the achievement of a future for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka that is based on equality, dignity, justice and self respect," he said while replying to the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President for her address to the joint sitting of Parliament.

His statement which was received by thumping of desks including by DMK members assumes significance as the key ally has said it would discuss the issue including the option of withdrawing from the UPA over it at the party's internal meeting tomorrow.

Nihat · Post by **Nihat** » 19 Mar 2012 14:06

Oh this is not good, pandering to Allies who in turn pander to populist vote banks is not going to serve our purpose. Seems to have become a habit of UPA-II , I wonder what happened to them to make them so meek.

Jarita · Post by **Jarita** » 20 Mar 2012 07:45

^^^ Perhaps it is the interests of certain pple in UPA that have driven this. You can connect the dots.

PratikDas · Post by **PratikDas** » 20 Mar 2012 12:44

Or perhaps India gets to start Koodankulam in exchange for voting against Sri Lanka to appease Tamil Nadu.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 20 Mar 2012 13:13

Our "plasticene " PM cannot have his cake and eat it too.I agree with the TN CM,Mrs.JJ,that his statement leaves a lot to be desired. He should've explained the consequences of pandering to the US proposal,which in the fine print would've left even India exposed to futre human rights allegations and intrusive action on Indian soil by the UN.He shoudl've also said that India would guarantee that the GOSL would stand by their promises of R&R and include the TN govt. in monitoring the same.

Now,he has opened the door for the Chinese and Pakis to make further inroads into the island and has annoyed the state CM,who has obliged him on the KKM green kight.WHy are we in this sorry state? It is our fault for abdicating our legitimate role in seeing to the plight of Tamils in the island,just as we have abdicated our similar genuine right to those of the Tibetans and the tibetan diaspora! There is no moral difference between the two.Given such a spineless govt. of the day,which can't even talk tough to its allies,we have become the laughing stock of the world,especially those powers who wish to deny us UNSC status .Meanwhile in Colombo,the Tamil population have come out in anti-US demos protesting the insidious US proposal at Geneva!

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 20 Mar 2012 16:17

I dont think top level GoI is united on the decision on SL. SL could now easily support west position on Kashmir.

All India should do is convey that the LLRC needs to be implemented - which we have done I suppose. This UN resolution in a way will cause a huge problem for SL because they have settled several former LTTE members, now they'll have to detain these people again and get their versions of the story and so on... It just causes loads of problems for GoSL.

Apparently this is being driven because SL failed to rebuild relations with EU and Unkil - why would they when they were backing LTTE

Jarita · Post by **Jarita** » 20 Mar 2012 19:54

^^^ Sonia Gandhi's orientation may be driving this decision. We have ceded civilizational ground in all surrounding countries due to some top level person in UPA (who else).
- Nepal (The Maoist missionary confection) - ceded to China
- Sri Lanka (Not supporting Lanka is supporting Norway, Vatican and other mischief makers) - Ceded to China
- ...

How do we know that it is not this that is driving these terrible decisions

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 20 Mar 2012 21:19

SL FM rang up EAM SM Krishna asking India to reconsider its position

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 20 Mar 2012 21:34

Sonia Gandhi's orientation may be driving this decision.

Jaritaji,
Thats unfair to Soniaji and shows little understanding of emotions running high in TN.

He shoudl've also said that India would guarantee that the GOSL would stand by their promises of R&R and include the TN govt. in monitoring the same.

Now,he has opened the door for the Chinese and Pakis to make further inroads into the island and has annoyed the state CM

Bringing GoTN into monitoring is a red rag before sinhala nationalists.

Philipji,
I value your comments on the lankan situation but what can Dr MMS do to convince Ms.Jayalalitha?How can you blame Dr MMS when DrMMS has to take the larger view while Ms Jayalalitha has to be responsive to tamizh sensitivities?

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 20 Mar 2012 21:46

shyamd wrote:SL FM rang up EAM SM Krishna asking India to reconsider its position

Indians are putting pressure on the lankans for some of their recent statements saying that there is more than enough in srilanka for china and India. The GOI will hedge it's bets and cast a meaningless vote in the end, if at all.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 21 Mar 2012 02:30

Sentiments in TN these days according to any resident ,are all about the massive power cuts and not the SL issue at all! The intermittent power cuts at night are according to media reports driving people crazy this summer.The population is furious about lack of power and industries other than international MNCs ,who were promised uninterrupted power (at the expense of local industry),are in virtual revolt,demanding the opening of the KKM N-plant as well.The sentiments "running high" are only in the coolth of the Air-con chambers of the two rival parties,each trying to score brownie points using the SL issue as a whipping boy.Neither really cares a damn for the Tamils in SL,who they all lump together as if they were one species.In Colombo.the Colombo Tamils are actually protesting against the US attempt to censure the GOSL.

The mendicant of snake-oil is a plasticene puppet,undeserving of being PM of our great country.His record is so spineless and pathetic,that he allowed the looting of lakhs of crores by his own cabinet members ad infinitum,and was brought to book only by the SCourt.He has shown himself to be as grasping and greedy as the looters by squatting firmly in his seat of (apparent) power,allowing the country to drift dangerously.His new ambition is to now become India's president ,as I predicted quite some time ago,so that he will still have the cushiest job in the world .How can one let him off the hook for doing b-all during his two terms regarding the Lankan ethnic issue and the penetration by China and Pak? Has he been totally blind to the danger that has appeared on our dooorstep? The new Chinese art gallery/cultural centre in the heart of Colombo looks splendid,designed in the contemporary form of a lotus.This is the 4th Chinese physical gift to the island nation after the BMICH,Supreme Court complex,Mrs.Bandarnaike museum at the BMICH and now the art centre.Visible examples of its relentless pursuit of relations with the GOSL.Contrast this with what we've provided on the ground.You need both a telescope and a microscope to look for a similar Indian "gift"!

Jarita · Post by **Jarita** » 21 Mar 2012 02:31

^^^ Loss of civilizational ground. The chinese are desperate to claim buddhism

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 21 Mar 2012 02:45

Yeah. Right now, as always during JJs tenure as a cm, power is a major problem. More so this time than any other previously I think. Places like coimbatore etc with industries galore are shutting down units due to lack of power. Even handloom smes that run on power are having to shut down and sell off assets to ensure viabiliity. There was an article in the hindu about it recently. Its that bad. Both a/dmk know that all this talk is just fluff cos nobody really bothers about sl right now.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 21 Mar 2012 02:46

Absolutely Jarita! You are spot on,the Commies are pouring in money into a huge Buddhist project in Nepal and are trying to "capture" Buddhism as if it were a Chinese philosophy.It is also using its Maoist catspaws in denying the Gorkhas their right to serve in the Indian and British armed forces.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 21 Mar 2012 20:14

Heavy back channel discussion going on between SL and India on the vote.

praksam · Post by **praksam** » 21 Mar 2012 21:11

Lankan Muslims Seek Quota in Indian Housing Project

http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=756633

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 21 Mar 2012 21:16

praksam wrote:Lankan Muslims Seek Quota in Indian Housing Project

http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=756633

Quite right.

We must immediately implement the kangressi international quota. 19 % onlee.

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 21 Mar 2012 22:19

shyamd wrote:Heavy back channel discussion going on between SL and India on the vote.

Too late for India to reconsider. Why did they lose to Bangladesh? Hain?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Mar 2012 06:31

The UN resolution on SL is not about SL but India.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Mar 2012 06:54

X-post...

Views from the Right

Rights and Wrongs

The RSS weekly, Organiser, has taken a strong stand on the resolution against Sri Lanka being moved at the United Nations Human Rights Council, saying India should not support this US-sponsored resolution.

The lead editorial contends that the United States, whose track record is “pathetic” when it comes to human rights violations, now wants to intervene because it will open up the possibility of a similar role in India, which faces internal problems in Kashmir and the Northeast, from Naxalites and Islamic extremists, and has had to deal with campaigns led by “so-called human rights activists”.

“India should take an unequivocal stand against the resolution being backed by the US to condemn Sri Lanka. If India baulks today and adopts a neutral position, it would find itself in the dock one day. India, by its geopolitical position, must take a robust stand against the West interfering in issues not concerning them directly,” says the Organiser. “There is no case for the US or any of the European nations to dictate to a democratically elected government or try to humiliate it in a world forum that belongs as much to us as it does to them,” it says. The RSS stand, significantly, is at variance with that of the BJP, which has supported the UNHRC resolution.

“Two years after the civil war in Sri Lanka ended with the decimation of the terrorist outfit LTTE, the United States of America is poking around the scab to reopen healing wounds. What else could be the intention of the resolution being moved by it at the UNHR Council session?” asks the Organiser.

It says that the LTTE was no hapless, unarmed group of peaceful activists, but well-trained cadres, armed to the teeth with the latest machine guns, rocket launchers and tanks. “The last few weeks of war that are under scrutiny now, witnessed a pitched battle in which both sides killed and got killed unrestrained. The number of child-soldiers Prabhakaran recruited and trained has not been documented. Boys and girls were picked at an unsuspecting age, fed on a liberal dose of LTTE literature enumerating the torture and humiliation of the Tamils by the Lankans and were prepared to fight on the command of well-structured LTTE ‘army’. Several thousands of Tamils were killed by LTTE cadres for defying the leadership. But the US or any other nation did not raise the issue of war crimes then,” says the Organiser.

,,,,,

.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 22 Mar 2012 13:48

ramana wrote:The UN resolution on SL is not about SL but India.

Hope that we don't land up in another sharm el sheik situation courtesy MMS. It sure is shaping up like that.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 22 Mar 2012 14:33

Ramanna is spot o as it's "all about India",using this method of ostensibly to bring the GOSL to task,but establishing a precedent where nations esp. India with its multi-ethnicity and variety of religons are open to NGO mischief.

The Organiser is also spot on.The one-sided US attitude towards the events in Lanka are hypocritical in the extreme,LTTE crmes and human rights abuses-the LTTE killed an infinitely greater number of Tamils than the GOSL whoich are being conveneintly forgotten,because it was the US who surreptitiously bankrolled the LTTE and are now encouraging the Eelam diaspora to continue the fight. Theresolution at Geneva has in the fine print a "virus" which will enable foreign entities like the UN and NGOs to usurp sovereign rights of nations through the guise of establishing and monitoring human rights.

One very intersting fact.Recently,a team of diapsora individuals visited the north to find out how the R&R efforts were being executed.They met many of their Tamil brethren and siscussed the current siut with them.What however was a shocker was that they couldn't communicate with the local Tamils because the diaspora delegation knew only/mainly English and the locals only Tamil! It was left to the Sinhalese who accompanied them to translate.I saw this fact and predicted the same 8 years ago when on a flight from Paris to Colombo. The flight was full of Lankan diapsora Tamils and their families on holiday flying to Colombo.While the parents spoke to each other in Tamil,the children only spoke French.I then knew that the Eelam "struggle" would last only this generation of northern Tamils,unless the majority Sinhalese screw up as they did in '83.

I've also seen in the UK over a decade+,how in a certan part of London,Lankan Tamils running convenience shops which I'm familiar with,have graduated from driving small cars and bikes to the latest BMWs and sports Mercs! What inducement is there for success stories to go back to tilling the hard earth under the scorching sun while they rake in hard currency n the west? In fact,many Lankan diapsora Tamils have told me that the riots of '83 actually were for them a passport to the west,manna from heaven.While those who were directly affected surely deserved their refugee status,the lakhs of others who took advantage of the situ have enjoyed for the most a far cushier life in the west ,where they can also demonstrate at will against the GOSL without fear! Truly the Chinese word for "crisis" also means "opportunity"!

habal · Post by **habal** » 22 Mar 2012 15:38

Fault also lies with Sri Lankan govt and their Indian handlers who are so obstinate as to not even concede an inch to the tamils of North East in terms of making their lives slightly more comfortable. Sri Lanka needs to understand that the price of freedom is a golden cage for the tamils of the North East at the minimum. If they cannot even get to do that, get ready to get strung up from the highest tree.

Their advisors in GoI are also equally clueless on how to handle the aftermath of the war against LTTE. Sri Lanka needs to be seen to be sacrificing and empathizing with the tamils of the North East. Usually if you talk to any Sinhala about tamils of the North East, all you can get is a blubber of racial vomit and how Tamils do not deserve anything special. How much ever one tries to put polish on this the racial nature of Sinhalese worldview always comes to the front, which also explains Rajapakse's do nothing for tamils policy.

habal · Post by **habal** » 22 Mar 2012 21:28

India the founder of SAARC votes against Sri Lanka. Looks like Sardarji doesn't give 2 hoots of destroying India's credibility in neighbourhood as well.

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 22 Mar 2012 21:37

habalji,
India has an impossible task in SL,atleast for the present.India has done the best it can for everyone concerned in the last three years and this includes the current vote and the discussions with all parties preceding the vote.

I am sure SL will understand.

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 22 Mar 2012 21:57

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-new ... 29439.aspx

One has to weigh pros and cons. What we did was in line with our stand on Sri Lanka. We do not want to infringe on the sovereignty of Sri Lanka but concerns should be expressed so that Tamil people can get justice and lead a life of dignity,"

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Mar 2012 23:54

Philp, Think a little bit more about why its about India and not SL!
I know you'll get it.