Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

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RajeshA
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by RajeshA »

India should simply say that we have a different way of dealing with the situation in Sri Lanka, ensuring the rights of all Tamils there, and that the UNSC Resolution will not be helpful.
SwamyG
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by SwamyG »

Can you provide some evidence and support for #8? Rest of the items you have added/changed, adds clarity but does not change the underlying picture. Thanks for adding some clarity and filling in some gaps. So back to #8... :-)
Supratik
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Supratik »

Is there an evangelical angle to the sudden Western support for Tamils given the widespread conversions in both TN and SL? Where were they all these years? India should tread a careful line in supporting Tamil rights but not joining the evangelical bandwagon.
Philip
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Philip »

Last night's Times Now debate on the subject was illuminating.There was one panellist who said,after touring northern Lanka after the LTTE's extermination,that what the local Tamils wanted was a complete escape from the clutches of the LTTE and to get on with their lives.In the last days of the war,the LTTE used their own people in their tens of thousands as human shields,waiting for the west to rescue them from the sea.Warships were waiting for the call to evacuate the top brass of the LTTE and its fuhrer.The British and French foreign ministers travelled to Colombo to armtwist Rajapakse and engineer the deal,but he firmly refused and held out,which is why the prosecution of the LTTE was executed with extreme haste.
As for reconstruction ,the GOI had promised a lot but had delivered very little,so what was the point in only criticising the GOSL.

The issue of Tamil separatism in India was touched upon and former diplomat.Mr.G.Parthasarathy said that his Tamil friends in TN supporting the LTTE need to be told that the GOI will NEVER support a Tamil Eelam in SL.
Sanku
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Sanku »

Supratik wrote:Is there an evangelical angle to the sudden Western support for Tamils given the widespread conversions in both TN and SL? Where were they all these years? India should tread a careful line in supporting Tamil rights but not joining the evangelical bandwagon.
LTTE over last few years was firmly a EJ Org. Price for western support.
RoyG
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by RoyG »

DMK is going to force the GoI to go along with the UN resolution given that elections are around the corner.
Sanku
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Sanku »

SwamyG wrote:Can you provide some evidence and support for #8? Rest of the items you have added/changed, adds clarity but does not change the underlying picture. Thanks for adding some clarity and filling in some gaps. So back to #8... :-)
Well since you claimed discrimination, you will have to provide me with some points which I can refute :mrgreen:

On my part I offer to begin with this piece of evidence, remember, lack of linguistic parity was one great source of dissent. This was changed in 87 and ratified/put into action by 96 ( not sure when it was ratified, but it is now in place of quite some time)

http://www.priu.gov.lk/Cons/1978Constit ... 4_Amd.html
Official Language.
18. 3[(1)] The Official Language of Sri Lanka shall be Sinhala.
4[(2) Tamil shall also be an official language.
(3) English shall be the link language.
(4) Parliament shall by law provide for the implementation of the provisions of this Chapter].

National Languages.
19. The National Languages of Sri Lanka shall be Sinhala and Tamil.
The other issue was this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy_of_standardization

Dead by 1977

Most laws which were discriminatory were dead by the time of Rajiv Gandhi's Lanka accord. Can you now, please point me to any claims of existing unequal treatment (and not from Nordic EJ, troublemongers please)
RajeshA
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by RajeshA »

Sanku ji,
thanks for putting this up - Sinhalese and Tamil both being official languages of Sri Lanka.
Yayavar
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Yayavar »

note, the 'standardization' has parallels to the Khalistani grievance. During English rule a section benefited - Tamils in SL vs larger Sinhala wrt govt jobs and higher education; same as a large section of Sikhs in India wrt Army/defence. Post independence more equitable policies were implemented that saw a reduction in the numbers of the sections which had benefited under foreign rule. This was turned into a grievance - it was a real setback to the communities - but in the larger picture it was just removing the imbalance.

The SL govt did it in a ham-handed way. The reduction was going to happen but it could have been done in a better way. In India, inspite of a better managed change in policy the grievance found a hold with a section of the society.
svenkat
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by svenkat »

http://m.timesofindia.com/world/south-asia/US-draft-puts-India-in-bind-over-UN-vote-on-Sri-Lanka/articleshow/18853163.cms
The US has circulated a draft resolution in Geneva against Sri Lanka on Thursday, which militates against India's consistent stand of non-interference in internal affairs of countries. The draft resolution could complicate New Delhi's efforts to honour the sentiments of Tamil MPs while protecting ties with Colombo.

Reacting to angry demands on Thursday for action against Colombo in view of fresh "evidence" of war crimes against Tamils in Lanka, foreign minister Salman Khurshid told Parliament, "We will take into account the views of the MPs, the developments on the ground, what Sri Lankan government has done and what the other nations have said" before taking a decision on the resolution at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva."

Khurshid, like PM Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, refused to commit India's decision until seeing the final text of the resolution. Separately, Ghulam Nabi Azad told members of Tamil Eelam Supporters Organization (TESO) that India would back a resolution that is non-intrusive.

But balancing the imperative to mollify the anti-Sri Lanka opinion with the need to stick to principled stand to prevent outside powers from interfering in the sovereign affairs of nations was looking much more difficult after the US circulated the draft of its resolution for UNHRC. Scheduled to be voted on March 21, the American resolution has several intrusive provisions.
svenkat
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by svenkat »

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/ensure-passage-of-resolution-says-tr-baalu/article4486775.ece
“Genocide” of Tamils in the war and atrocities against them had not yet stopped.

Besides mass killings and rapes, Tamil language and culture were being targeted as shown in the change of names of a large number of villages in the Tamil-dominated areas of the island nation, he said, adding that the war criminals must be punished in the same way as those convicted for similar crimes in Bosnia, Syria and other places by the International Court of Justice.
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/us-announces-sri-lanka-reconciliation-awards/article4486774.ece
The U.S. State Department on Thursday announced that it would be awarding $500,000 each for two projects in Sri Lanka, one for increasing support and safety for journalists and a second for facilitating reconciliation on the island.

Eligible awardees would be restricted to a U.S. non-profit organisation meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code Section 26 USC 501(c) (3) or a comparable organisation headquartered internationally, or an international organisation, according to the list of compulsory criteria outlined by the State Department.

The awards gain significance as they come shortly ahead of this month’s United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka, which is sponsored by the U.S. and will call on the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

Anticipating that it would award grants in the third quarter of FY 2013, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour (DRL) emphasised that it “will not consider proposals that reflect any type of support, for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organisation, whether or not elected members of government.”
svenkat
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by svenkat »

members of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United) and United Progressive Alliance constituent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) staged a walkout in protest.

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha,the former External Affairs minister,demanded an impartial enquiry into the "genocide" and said there should be a clear commitment from Colombo that the guilty would be punished.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/khurshid-promises-best-possible-decision-on-sri-lanka-in-geneva/article4485614.ece?homepage=true
Philip
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Philip »

Any official form in SL has the matter in all three languages,Sinhala,Tamil and English.All Sri Lankan airlines announcements are also done in the three lingos.This has been done for over 30 years! Long before regional lingo announcements were made by India's airlines,pvt. or state.

The TESO should never have been allowed to hold a meeting in the capital as the LTTE is a a banned organisation.In fact the word "Eelam" should also be a banned word and supporters prosecuted as it aspites to separatism both in SL and India.The LTTE's goal has always been a "Greater Eelam" incorporating Tamilnadu.Regrettably,the UPA lacks cojones even ant size.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Lilo »

svenkat wrote:
Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha,the former External Affairs minister,demanded an impartial enquiry into the "genocide" and said there should be a clear commitment from Colombo that the guilty would be punished.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/khurshid-promises-best-possible-decision-on-sri-lanka-in-geneva/article4485614.ece?homepage=true
^^ The stock of Yaswant Sinha just keeps plumbing new lows

Recently NVS on newsinsight revealed that he tried to influence Vajpayee during their US visit to sign CTBT . Now he is demanding "impartial inquiry on the Genocide" (== US+UQ interference) in our backyard. BJP should get rid of these rootless wonders if it wants to win the next election .
Philip
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Philip »

Then who should conduct the enquiry,the GOSL or Tamil Net?
habal
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by habal »

all finance ministers since Indira's cabinet are US/WB/IMF approved, are all rootless and have to work on internationalist agenda. Their main job is to further western corporate interests and foist the same on locals and for this they have to fight against parliament/people/vested interests in GoI.

Manmohan Singh, Chidambaram, Yashwant Sinha, next may be Sidharth Varadarajan or Arun Jaitley.
rohitvats
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by rohitvats »

Why are we hell bent on giving a handle to foreign powers (USA/UK/Europeans) to meddle in our neighborhood? If I understand corectly, Sri Lanka was in American orbit before 80s and IG did use the Tamil angle to put pressure on SL on both humanitarian grounds as well as geopolitics. After having brought in SL into our orbit, why are we giving an opportunity to others to plant themselves so close to our underbelly?

We know USA/UK/Europeans don't give rat's arse to this human rights nonsense...for them, this is just a leverage. If enough pressure is brought on the SL by these powers, SL Government might just cut some sort of deal with them. And the same will be to our detriment.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by RoyG »

^^DMK.
svenkat
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by svenkat »

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Karunanidhi-condemns-Sri-Lanka-for-preventing-Tamil-protest/articleshow/18858357.cms
Karunanidhi recalled that the US Embassy in Sri Lanka had asked Colombo to allow free movement of citizens calling for information about their missing loved ones.

"The Embassy calls upon Sri Lankan authorities to allow free movement of these citizens. The right to freely express opinions is universal and protected under Sri Lankan and international law,'' the US Embassy had said on Wednesday.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cong-backs-ally-DMK-on-vote-against-Lanka-at-UN/articleshow/18857701.cms
The TESO meet started with an address from DMK leaders Kanimozhi and Stalin who went on to compare Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa with Hitler for systematic annihilation of Tamils and erosion of their ancient culture. He also demanded a referendum for self-determination of Tamil future in Sri lanka.

"Of all dictators, Rajapaksa is comparable only with Hitler. Rajapaksa has waged a genocidal war against the Tamils, to wipe out a National Race from the Island...A lasting political solution lies in a referendum...History will not pardon any further delay! India and the world organizations should realize the urgency," he said.
Lilo
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Lilo »

Philip wrote:Then who should conduct the enquiry,the GOSL or Tamil Net?
Philip ji,
If that is not a rhetorical question , this is my reply..

>There was already a commission of inquiry called LLRC which was set up ,
>It had a few Tamil members along with a majority Sinhala members constituting it (reflecting the ethnic composition of Srilanka)
>The independence or impartiality of none of those members was called into question by the northern tamil groups in Srilanka before or during the commission's inquiry .
>Its terms of reference did not exclude inquiry into the alleged human rights violations during the war.
>Its recommendations were hailed by many Srilankan tamil groups (some in India even) and they demanded their full and speedy implementation.
>If the Srilankan people want a fresh inquiry in light of the "new evidence" unearthed by their western "fliends" or otherwise , they will eventually have one. Else if both parties are satisfied with the recommendations of LLRC they will not want one. Time will tell .

All these Western shenanigans to force an "external" inquiry commission on the Srilankan people will not effect the above realities. It will do India good to not be a party to any such plans for external interference chalked out by the West.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by svenkat »

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/karunanidhi-seeks-support-of-all-for-general-strike/article4489178.ece
He demanded that a holiday be declared on the strike day

DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Friday appealed to all political parties and the people to participate in the March-12 general strike, called by the Tamil Eelam Supporters’ Organisation (TESO) to condemn the Sri Lankan government for human rights violations.

In a statement, Mr. Karunanidhi recalled the recent resolution passed by the TESO demanding fair international probe into the genocide in Sri Lanka and urging the Union government to support a resolution moved at the United Nations Human Rights Council against Sri Lanka. He also said, “During the discussion on the issue in the Parliament even political parties such as BJP voiced support to the cause of Tamils. As there was no strong commitment from the Union government as anticipated and it was necessary to exert more pressure on the Centre.”

The DMK president called for total support from all quarters, including those in government positions, and demanded that a holiday be declared on the strike day.

“Private and government buses (should not run). Why, even Centre should announce suspension of train and flight services that day,” he added.
SwamyG
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by SwamyG »

Sanku, I posted a link to a book that has speeches of Vajpayee. Well after 1977. I hope you would not dismiss Vajpayee as windbag, like Sushupati so often does.

Even Cho does not think the situation has improved. http://bharatabharati.wordpress.com/201 ... ramaswamy/. You know Cho is firmly anti-LTTE, pro-Modi, and a strong Hindu. No EJ or Norway connection.
SwamyG
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by SwamyG »

Also, here is what Hinduism Today carried about the temple destruction: http://www.hinduismtoday.com/blogs-news ... 12693.html

And thanks to our own Stan, here is the source article: http://www.internationalpolicydigest.or ... Wounds.pdf

Hinduism Today is published by Himalayan Academy based in Kauai. I can assure you they are as authentic Hindu monks as their white skins would allow. I have visited their monastery in Kauai, and the temple - one of the best temples and environment. And they follow Srilankan Saivasiddhanta sampradayam.
chetak
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by chetak »

A very interesting read for those still driven by outmoded ideologies when only national interests should dominate discussions.


How India secretly helped Lanka destroy the LTTE
Well-coordinated operations by the two navies

Indian and Sri Lankan navy sources revealed that well-coordinated operations by the two navies between 2006 and 2009 actually broke the backbone of the Sea Tigers.
The Indian Navy, the Sri Lankans said, helped in various ways.
For instance, the Indian Navy's Dorniers based at Ramnad in Tamil Nadu flew regular reconnaissance missions over the seas around Sri Lanka. These Dornier aircraft, fitted with high-powered radar, scoured the area for ships with suspicious movement and cargo.
Whenever such a ship was detected, the Indian Navy passed on the information to the Sri Lankans. The real time intelligence helped the Sri Lankan navy track and then destroy LTTE arms consignments.
Once the rogue ships were located, Sri Lankan navy's Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) would go after these floating warehouses and destroy them. The Sri Lankan navy destroyed the first warehouse ship on September 17, 2006, about 120 nautical miles east of the island. Three more such ships were sunk in early 2007.
Moreover, under an agreement between the two countries, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard frequently sent out ships to patrol the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. The presence of warships and Indian Coast Guards's OPVs acted as a firm deterrence against the Sea Tigers.
Indian naval ships traveling between the east and the west coast and those going on overseas deployment were also told to look out for rogue vessels. Frequent exchange of information between the two navies resulted in a fine-tuned system that enabled quick remedial action.
Sri Lanka's navy chief Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda praised the Indian Navy's role. 'Cooperation with India has been extremely successful in countering the LTTE. Every year, the Indian Navy with the Indian Coast Guard and the Sri Lankan navy, holds four bilateral discussions. We are conducting coordinated patrols with the Indian Navy as well,' he said in early 2008.
'The navy has destroyed almost all LTTE vessels that could have assisted the Tigers in attacking the armed forces,' he said. 'Within one year, we have destroyed eight floating warehouses, which had carried more than 10,000 tonnes of war-like material including artillery, mortar, dismantled parts of three aircrafts, bullet proof vehicles, underwater delivery vehicles, scuba diving sets, and radar, among other things.
India's hidden hand in 'whacking' the LTTE

In one instance, accurate intelligence enabled the Sri Lankan navy to sail nearly 1,600 nautical miles southeast of the country, close to coasts of Australia and Indonesia, to destroy three ships in September 2007 and a fourth ship, which had escaped the initial action, three weeks later on October 7, Admiral Karrannnagoda said.
One of the LTTE weapons smuggling vessels was intercepted and destroyed by naval task units after a long pursuit in the high seas 1,700 km off Dondra Head, the southern extremity of Sri Lanka. At least 12 Tamil Tigers on board were killed in the attack.
'We went near Australian waters and whacked the last four vessels,' Vice-Admiral Karannagoda told Jane's Navy International in March 2009. 'Yet we are not a big navy; we had to improvise and use innovation and ingenuity to get our job done. The Sri Lankan navy does not possess any frigate-sized ships, so we used offshore patrol vessels and old tankers, merchant vessels and fishing trawlers as support vessels.'
What he left unsaid, according to sources in both Indian and Sri Lankan navies, was India's hidden hand in providing vital intelligence and operational support to identify and locate these ships.
In March 2009, the Sri Lankan naval chief deliberately avoided mentioning India's crucial contribution since electioneering in Tamil Nadu was picking up speed and Eelam War IV was in its final stage that month. Any public admission of India's hand in destruction of LTTE assets would have created a furor in Tamil Nadu and further strained the already delicate relationship between Sri Lanka and India.
But the fact remains that in late 2007, the Indian Navy's Southern Command deployed three fast attack boats and a missile corvette that patrolled the Palk Straits, searched and caught hold of LTTE fugitives.
'India is the big power in the region'

The 'sea denial' and 'naval blockade' by the Indian Navy started after a daring attack by the Sea Tigers on the Delft Island near Jaffna.
Delft Island, the largest inhabited island of the Jaffna peninsula, is located almost equidistant from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Jaffna. The Sri Lankan navy used the island to monitor sea and air movements not only towards Jaffna but also between Mannar and Tamil Nadu coast.
In May 2007, the Sea Tigers mounted a daring attack on the naval attachment posted at Delft Island and after killing seven naval personnel, took away two anti aircraft machine guns, two machine guns, one RPG launcher and eight rifles.
Some reports said the Sea Tigers also took away functioning radar from the island. Jolted by this setback, the Sri Lankan navy requested India for operational help. The assistance was immediately given, but both sides had decided to keep quiet about the details.
Despite such a close working relations between the two navies, India was not happy with Colombo's increasing dalliance with China and Pakistan. New Delhi was acutely aware of the deep inroads made by Pakistan and China in India's backyard.
A worried Narayanan had bluntly declared in May 2007: 'It is high time that Sri Lanka understood that India is the big power in the region and ought to refrain from going to Pakistan or China for weapons, as we are prepared to accommodate them within the framework of our foreign policy.' Which in effect meant India could only supply 'defensive' equipment to Colombo.
Narayanan's statement in fact reflected the dilemma that New Delhi faced. The crisis was, of course, purely India's own making.
Crippled by the iron grip wielded by the DMK and other smaller Tamil parties on the UPA coalition at the Centre, New Delhi could not even openly approve of Colombo's determination to exterminate the LTTE.
Colombo understood India's predicament but had no other option but to shop for weapons and ammunition from elsewhere once India refused to comply with its requests.
chetak
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by chetak »

India must stand by Sri Lanka, vote against US resolution
Kanchan Gupta

How Colombo deals with its domestic Tamil problem is entirely its business. New Delhi must mind India's interest and not succumb to DMK's political blackmail

Nothing would be more disastrous for India’s national interest if the Congress were to decide to force Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Minister for External Affairs Salman Khurshid to vote for the resolution against Sri Lanka moved by the US in the United Nations Human Rights Council. At the fag end of UPA 2’s tenure, the Congress would be tempted to appease the DMK rather than risk the alliance collapsing and dying a premature death. But as Khurshid knows, succumbing to political blackmail at home can lead to possibilities of more than embarrassment abroad: It required Herculean effort to stave off a similar anti-India vote at the UNHRC when PV Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister and President Bill Clinton was determined to rub India’s nose in the dirt. Robin Raphael was implementing a Democratic Administration’s South Asia agenda which could witness a revival with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel pitching for Pakistan against India.

As Minister of State in South Block, Khurshid barely managed to prevent the anti-India resolution from being put to vote in Geneva —had it not been for Atal Bihari Vajpayee stepping in to retrieve the situation by deploying his diplomatic skills and calling in favours, Pakistan would have scored a splendid victory. Times have changed, India is in a far more stronger position today than it was in the 1990s and the US is no more the sole and dominant global power. Ironically, it is precisely for those very reasons that Khurshid will find it impossible to prevent an anti-India resolution from being carried through on the back of a majority vote. Among those voting against India would be Sri Lanka and all sundry countries who stood by that country when New Delhi broke ranks to vote against Colombo in March last year. Not that Sonia Gandhi would want to take the Opposition’s help in such a situation, but even if she were to do so, Khurshid would not have Vajpayee leading the counter-offensive.

Even the most casual reading of the draft resolution circulated by the US would show that a similar resolution can be moved against India at the UNHRC to demonstrate care and concern for Kashmiris. There would be more than enough takers for that, even if the care is bogus and the concern treacly — make no mistake of that. For, if Sri Lanka is accused of unfair use of state power against civilians and ‘armed opposition’, so is India charged in some quarters about counter-terrorism operations in the Kashmir Valley. If Sri Lanka is guilty of suppressing Tamil aspirations (including the right to self-determination), India stands accused of doing far worse, not only in Pakistan but also in Europe and America. If Sri Lanka must open its doors to international rapporteurs and allow unfettered access to the UN Human Rights Commissioner and other UNHRC staff, then a similar and seemingly credible demand can be made of India. Are we willing to accept this and other demands? Are we willing to subjugate our national sovereignty to illegitimate interference in our domestic affairs? These and other questions must be confronted and answered before we push for punitive action against Sri Lanka.

It could be argued that separatism and its attendant terrorism in Kashmir Valley cannot be compared to Tamil separatism in Sri Lanka. A legitimate case could also be made in justification of putting down terrorism in Kashmir Valley and disallowing secessionists their presumed right to secede territory from the Union of India. But in the popular perception, and if the veneer of sophistry were to be rubbed off, there is little that separates Kashmiri separatism in India from Tamil secessionism in Sri Lanka. Colombo had the guts to declare war on domestic terror and take that war to its logical conclusion. New Delhi has been consistently hypocritical, refusing to acknowledge that the Indian state is indeed waging war on terror — whether in battling jihadis in the Kashmir Valley or Maoists in the jungles of central and eastern India. Our hypocrisy blinds us to the fact that in any asymmetrical war of this nature there are bound to be collateral damages; Sri Lanka witnessed similar losses to life and property in wiping out, root and branch, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. How they cope with those losses is their concern inasmuch as how we deal with death and destruction at home; there is no scope for third party intervention just as there is no space for third party mediation.

This is not to suggest that Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority must remain uncared for or denied equal social, economic and political rights by the country’s Sinhala majority. Nor would it be prudent, least of all for Colombo, to gloss over excesses committed by the Sri Lankan Army in the last months of the war against LTTE. It would be equally in order to point out that four years after the last LTTE fighter fell and V Prabhakaran met a death no different from that to which he sent thousands of others, including fellow Tamils and India’s former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Government of Sri Lanka has failed to deliver the peace dividend. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has clearly failed to honour his commitments to his own people — the Tamils are as much citizens of Sri Lanka as the Sinhalese — about devolution of power and facilitating the integration of the minority into the nation’s society, polity and economy. The promised 13th Amendment to the Constitution is not the only promise that remains unfulfilled. Worse, majoritarianism defined by narrow sectarian interest and Sinhala supremacy which recalls harsh memories of the 1980s have come to dominate Colombo’s decision-making process.

India could have prevented that. If only New Delhi had been wise enough to dishonour bogus ‘coalition dharma’ and partnered Colombo’s war on terror, it would have been in a position to influence both the conduct of the war and the terms of peace. But India erred, and erred grievously. Instead of standing by Sri Lanka, it vacated space for China to step in. No less fatally flawed was India’s policy after the guns fell silent — we could have, even at that late stage, proactively engaged with Sri Lanka and fashioned a durable peace. Sadly, we took recourse to highfalutin bunkum that neither impressed nor scared Sri Lanka and left the Tamils to the tender mercies of the Sinhalas. We allowed national interest to be subverted by the crude identity politics of the DMK whose chief M Karunanidhi brazenly proclaims, every now and then, that seeing the creation of ‘Tamil Eeelam’ (whose borders he does not specify) is his dream. We prostrate ourselves before Karunanidhi to ensure parliamentary majority; would we be so supine with, say, Syed Ali Shah Geelani?

There is still a window of opportunity that is open to us, a tiny window no doubt but a window nonetheless, to cut our losses and ensure national interest takes precedence over vacuous politics of cynicism. India must vote against the US-sponsored resolution in the UNHRC. It’s also an opportunity for Khurshid to do what he (and I know this for a fact) instinctively believes is the right thing to do. Voting against Sri Lanka in 2012 was bad enough; repeating that folly would be unmitigated disaster — for us, and for Sri Lanka’s Tamils.

(The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi)
Javee
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Javee »

All these talks of so called journalists that TN joining the Eelam is worse than WMD in Iraq. I guess the above author has never visited the state of TN in India?? and saying Mu.ka is similar to Geelani steals the cake. What's next from Delhi media?? Plebliscite in TN??
Philip
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Philip »

In previous posts I've given the situ today,where the R regime is getting more embattled and behaving more like autocrats than democrats.This is a very dangerous path to follow,as every now and again,when democracy is derailed,the Sinhalese south revolts.To deflect the anti-regime mood,the Muslims are now being targeted.

But the sad truth is that for years now-and I've been reporting ad nauseum about it,that we've abdicated our responsibility in "winning the peace" and shutting out firang interference,esp. Chinese and Paki.The ISI have been trying to infiltrate the country through TN-cases have been reported in the media,and the usual western pressure on the GOSL given its strategic location in the IOR is a permanent feature.Depending hugely upon tea exports,tourism and foreign remittances,with no proven energy/petro resources,the island is vulnerable,especially as of now to the Chinese who have bankrolled many important projects.In this they are far ahead of India who promised a lot but delivered precious little.Our lack of vision in Lanka is astonishing.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Sanku »

SwamyG wrote:Sanku, I posted a link to a book that has speeches of Vajpayee. Well after 1977. I hope you would not dismiss Vajpayee as windbag, like Sushupati so often does.
SwamyG, I did not say the problems were over after 77. I only said some laws were changed by 77. Sorry if I was not clear. A number of laws were fixed only in 87 during the Rajiv's accord, and the implemention of those happened by 96.

Problems certainly exist in terms of issues of resettlement, growth, and trust building, however, you mentioned institutionalized discrimination. While I can go through the article you have listed, would you be so kind as to point me to the specific pieces that you think are relevant here?
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by vishvak »

SwamyG wrote:Also, here is what Hinduism Today carried about the temple destruction: http://www.hinduismtoday.com/blogs-news ... 12693.html

And thanks to our own Stan, here is the source article: http://www.internationalpolicydigest.or ... Wounds.pdf

Hinduism Today is published by Himalayan Academy based in Kauai. I can assure you they are as authentic Hindu monks as their white skins would allow. I have visited their monastery in Kauai, and the temple - one of the best temples and environment. And they follow Srilankan Saivasiddhanta sampradayam.
So how does that happen after LTTE is no more? Under what pressure?

Is it because of external pressure that post-war more problems are created?
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by habal »

Philip wrote:In previous posts I've given the situ today,where the R regime is getting more embattled and behaving more like autocrats than democrats.This is a very dangerous path to follow,as every now and again,when democracy is derailed,the Sinhalese south revolts.To deflect the anti-regime mood,the Muslims are now being targeted.
Situation will soon come to pass where many parties involved will converge on the fact that removing R from the scene is critical to situation moving ahead for both Tamils and SL democracy.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by svenkat »

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/loyola-college-students-on-indefinite-fast-on-sri-lankan-tamils-issue/article4491309.ece
Eight students of a city-based college have embarked on a ‘fast-unto-death’ here on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

Students of the Loyola College, who began the fast yesterday, are staging the protest to press their seven-point charter of demands including an independent probe against Colombo for alleged war crimes, referendum on Tamil Eelam (separate homeland for Tamils) and slapping economic sanctions on Sri Lanka, protester Joe Britto said.
http://truthdive.com/2013/03/11/loyola-college-students-on-hunger-strike-on-sri-lankan-tamils-issue-evicted-by-police.html
Loyola College students had embarked on a fast unto death at Koyambedu in the city protesting against the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. The students’ hunger strike enters third day today.

Out of the eight protesting students, seven of them were forcibly evicted by the police in the wee hours of today. There is no information about the eighth student. Considering the health condition of the students, the police said they have admitted the students in Royapettah Government Hospital here. The fasting venue has been sealed by the police.

One of the student protesters Joe Britto had said they are protesting to press a seven-point charter of demands including a proactive role by the Central government for an independent probe into the alleged war crimes by the Sri Lankan army, a referendum on the demand for Tamil Eelam and slapping of economic sanctions on Sri Lanka.

Sembian, another protester said that it is purely a students’ struggle and that they have no political leanings and will not allow any political party or Tamil nationalist movement to guide or dominate them. Sembian also added that they have taken this decision on their own and they would continue with their protest until the Centre agrees to their demands.

Political leaders like CPI national secretary D Raja and the party’s senior leader R Nallakannu, DMK organizing secretary and MP TKS Elangovan and VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan met the students on Sunday in solidarity of their support to the protest. MDMK leader Vaiko had also visited the students earlier.

The former TNCC president K V Thangkabalu met with some protest from a section of the students when he visited the fast venue, who raised slogans against the Congress.

Three senior college staff have been present at the fast venue to ensure a peaceful protest.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Sanku »

svenkat wrote: Students of the Loyola College, who began the fast yesterday, are staging the protest to press their seven-point charter of demands including an independent probe against Colombo for alleged war crimes, referendum on Tamil Eelam (separate homeland for Tamils) and slapping economic sanctions on Sri Lanka, protester Joe Britto said.
So Tamil Elam is not dead eh? EJ trouble mongers.
chetak
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by chetak »

svenkat wrote:http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/loyola-college-students-on-indefinite-fast-on-sri-lankan-tamils-issue/article4491309.ece
Eight students of a city-based college have embarked on a ‘fast-unto-death’ here on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

Students of the Loyola College, who began the fast yesterday, are staging the protest to press their seven-point charter of demands including an independent probe against Colombo for alleged war crimes, referendum on Tamil Eelam (separate homeland for Tamils) and slapping economic sanctions on Sri Lanka, protester Joe Britto said.
http://truthdive.com/2013/03/11/loyola-college-students-on-hunger-strike-on-sri-lankan-tamils-issue-evicted-by-police.html
Loyola College students had embarked on a fast unto death at Koyambedu in the city protesting against the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. The students’ hunger strike enters third day today.

Out of the eight protesting students, seven of them were forcibly evicted by the police in the wee hours of today. There is no information about the eighth student. Considering the health condition of the students, the police said they have admitted the students in Royapettah Government Hospital here. The fasting venue has been sealed by the police.

One of the student protesters Joe Britto had said they are protesting to press a seven-point charter of demands including a proactive role by the Central government for an independent probe into the alleged war crimes by the Sri Lankan army, a referendum on the demand for Tamil Eelam and slapping of economic sanctions on Sri Lanka.

Sembian, another protester said that it is purely a students’ struggle and that they have no political leanings and will not allow any political party or Tamil nationalist movement to guide or dominate them. Sembian also added that they have taken this decision on their own and they would continue with their protest until the Centre agrees to their demands.

Political leaders like CPI national secretary D Raja and the party’s senior leader R Nallakannu, DMK organizing secretary and MP TKS Elangovan and VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan met the students on Sunday in solidarity of their support to the protest. MDMK leader Vaiko had also visited the students earlier.

The former TNCC president K V Thangkabalu met with some protest from a section of the students when he visited the fast venue, who raised slogans against the Congress.

Three senior college staff have been present at the fast venue to ensure a peaceful protest.
Javee, saab.

Coincidence?? :wink:
Philip
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Philip »

The fasts will tun into "feats" once the UN vote is done ! Loyola College used to have a great reputation as an institution of academic excellence,always being mentioned as one of the top institutions in many media polls.I know that the Amrithraj brothers all studied there,so did the Krishnans father and son,Jayakumar Royappa,etc..A college once famous for its pro-tennis stars,now infamous for its pro-terrorist fasters!
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by svenkat »

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/take-tamil-nadu-out-of-lanka-policy/article4494700.ece
Domestic politics will tell on external affairs as much as fine principles and strategic interests. In the context of the draft resolution on human rights violations in Sri Lanka now before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, India will have to factor in domestic political exigencies alongside long-held principles and long-term interests while firming up its stand. Last year, India voted for a resolution asking Sri Lanka to investigate abuses by its military during the final phase of the war with the separatist LTTE. But it did so after making efforts to water down the resolution. Though appearing to have been taken under pressure from the DMK, India’s decision to vote against Sri Lanka last year was intended to tell President Mahinda Rajapaksa that his failure to move towards a settlement of the Tamil question could no longer be glossed over. If New Delhi went beyond its own norm of not voting for country-specific resolutions, it also hoped this would be no more than a one-time exception. However, with Sri Lanka having done precious little since last year’s vote to address the rights abuses and push for reconciliation, India cannot be expected to dilute its stand now.

Ever since the war ended and allegations of large-scale atrocities began to surface, it has been obvious to friends of Sri Lanka that the only way Colombo can ride the tide of rights charges is by delivering the political package it had itself once promised. Speaking on the matter in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh steered clear of recent allegations that the Sri Lankan army killed LTTE supremo Prabakaran’s 12-year-old son in cold blood and instead emphasised the need for Sri Lankan “national reconciliation.” This was his way of showing the Rajapaksa government how it must deal with the upcoming resolution. Dr. Singh’s dilemma is unenviable. His diplomats have told him India’s 2012 vote did not push Colombo to do the right thing as some had hoped. On the other hand, Congress ally DMK wants a further toughening of stand. The party unwisely raised the stakes last year by reviving the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation. TESO meetings have so far stopped short of advocating a separate state for Sri Lankan Tamils but the outfit’s revival has itself allowed hardliners in Sri Lanka to argue that the grant of rights to the Tamils is a slippery slope to their secession. Difficult though this may sound, New Delhi must craft a Lanka policy that includes a case for the island’s Tamils free of the opportunistic imprint of Tamil Nadu’s competitive politics. The more its policies towards Colombo are seen as the product of political pressure from the State, the less effective those policies will be.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/khurshid-siding-with-adversary-karunanidhi/article4494764.ece
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by svenkat »

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Karunanidhi-s-goodbye-to-Congress/Article1-1024299.aspx
DMK chief M Karunanidhi's tough stand to force Indian government to vote for a US-sponsored resolution before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 22 may be more than just to make Colombo accountable for war crimes and deliver on its promise on devolution of powers to Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Karunanidhi could be preparing the DMK to move away from the Congress in Tamil Nadu when the Lok Sabha polls will be held next year, DMK and Congress sources say.

Also, as DMK officials say, the Congress isn't in great shape in TN owing to the image of the UPA government, which may not be help Karunanidhi either. Jayalalithaa is bound to make the Centre's "failures" and the DMK's role as its biggest ally as her election plank.

AIADMK leaders say Karunanidhi is also worried by the criticism that the DMK had failed to take any constructive measures when the war against the Tamil Tigers was at its peak in 2009, when it was in power in Tamil Nadu. At that time, the DMK depended on 35 Congress MLAs for its survival.

Karunanidhi raps Congress's soft stance
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by SwamyG »

Sanku wrote:
SwamyG wrote:Sanku, I posted a link to a book that has speeches of Vajpayee. Well after 1977. I hope you would not dismiss Vajpayee as windbag, like Sushupati so often does.
SwamyG, I did not say the problems were over after 77. I only said some laws were changed by 77. Sorry if I was not clear. A number of laws were fixed only in 87 during the Rajiv's accord, and the implemention of those happened by 96.

Problems certainly exist in terms of issues of resettlement, growth, and trust building, however, you mentioned institutionalized discrimination. While I can go through the article you have listed, would you be so kind as to point me to the specific pieces that you think are relevant here?
Take your time, read the links and give me your response. Your earlier post where you want me to give you points so that you could refute them is not the way I would have phrased it. It looks like you are more interested in refuting than trying to understand or go from a common ground. The common ground that you do seem to have agreed is that tamilians have been wronged for decades. Now it is up to GoSL to show us they are correcting them.

If the general belief is that Buddhists are so peaceful and fellow dharmics, then I wonder why hundreds of temples were destroyed. GoSL could have just gone against armed militants, no?
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by Sanku »

SwamyG wrote:Your earlier post where you want me to give you points so that you could refute them is not the way I would have phrased it.
You only asked me to give you "how things have improved for SL Tamils" in response to your point of "things have not improved for Sri Lankan Tamils and there is institutionalization discrimination"

First you ask me to refute you, then you critize me for not looking for common ground. What is this saar, not fair I say. :(( :(( I only replied in good faith that you are looking for contra-indications, I do not think you should extended it to make the accusation that you did.

:(( :((

----------------------------

On another note -- maybe this is indeed what is needed

http://www.fakingnews.com/2013/03/mulay ... anka-vote/

Mulayam Singh Yadav to represent India at UN on Sri Lanka vote
New Delhi. Impressed with his impeccable ambivalence on political and diplomatic issues, the central government has decided to send Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to United Nations whenever a resolution critical of Sri Lanka is put to vote.

“We don’t want to offend Tamil groups, and at the same time we don’t want to offend Sri Lanka. Frankly, we have absolutely no idea what to do, so we have asked Mulayam Singh ji to help us and show us the way out,” Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid told Faking News.
.............

“We hope he does something magical. Say criticizing Sri Lanka and then walking out when voting comes up,” Salman Khurshid said, “The best thing about him is that even if he ends up reading up a Portuguese speech on the resolution, no one will notice it.”
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