Prabhakaran’s war of attrition
By Dayan Jayatilleka
How many of those who should, actually recall the founding year of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam? Not many, I suspect. It was 1976. Its precursor the Tamil New Tigers was formed in 1972, but the LTTE, the Liberation Tigers, Viduthalai Puligal, was born in 1976.
That makes this year, 2006, the 30th anniversary of the LTTE. If anyone thinks that Mr Prabhakaran is going to let that go uncelebrated by some major, if not historic exercise, he or she does not understand such struggles and movements. This would be the year that Prabhakaran launches his Final War; one that has already been advertised among the Tamil Diaspora.
In a sense that Final War is already underway, but has not been recognised as such because it is in its first phase or ‘movement’: an undeclared, one-sided, War of Attrition, the bleeding to death of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces by a thousand ambushes, almost daily attacks. It is Death by a Thousand Cuts.
Trapped
Sri Lanka is caught in a trap. The CFA prevents the Armed forces from preventing the almost daily ambushes by hitting the Tigers. The international community has the leverage to restrain the Lankan state but not the LTTE. With the state in paralysis, Sinhala ‘ultras’ try to fill the vacuum, but these motley militia target the ethnic ‘Other’ - their ethnic neighbours, the Tamils, and not the Tigers. Mini-pogroms such as Trincomalee reduce the moral high ground occupied by the Sri Lankan side.
Some would think that the way out of this trap is simply to break out of the CFA and go for the Tigers. The problem there is that one really cannot be sure whether we will prevail, or whether the debilitating effect of the last few years under Ranil and Chandrika, compounded by our usual internal fissures at all levels including the military, have weakened us, hollowed us out. Prabhakaran spent the years of the ceasefire, preparing for war, while we spent that same time doing anything but that!
A healthy nationalism is no bad thing but it must be disciplined by a steely grasp of the realities. What we must avoid is an Arab-Israeli scenario of 1967, where we are carried on by the tide of our own rhetoric, into a set-up, and suffer huge losses of men and territory.
Mervyn de Silva often warned in the Lanka Guardian, that the East is our Bosnia, and if he was right, it is important that we not be Milosevic’s Serbia in that scenario. If we play the Serbs, we’ll wind up like them.
Prabhakaran’s Plan
It was of course Lenin and Mao who framed the most crucial of questions in matters of serious political contestation. Lenin’s question ‘Kto Kogo?’ (’Who-Whom?’) is variously translated as ‘Who gains?’ or ‘Who wins?’ or ‘Who will prevail over whom?’ When applied to Trincomalee and the East, it is evident that the only ones who gain from the anti-Tamil backlash after the LTTE’s provocative bomb blast in the market place are the Tamil Tigers.
Mao Ze Dong posed the query ‘who are our friends? Who are our enemies?’ and when applied to our context it is clear that the LTTE is our main enemy (and Karuna is our friend), while those who strengthen the enemy (and weaken Karuna), as did the Sinhala racist mobs in Trincomalee, are not the friends of the Sri Lankan state but its enemies.
Indeed the Sinhala ultras (the Ku Klux Klan types in Trincomalee as well as the JHU which has just returned to the religious issue) are objectively far more helpful to the Tamil Tigers, than their pet hates, the Southern peacenik NGOs.
‘Above all we must have clarity’, said Lenin. So let us be clear:
Firstly, Prabhakaran is the sole leader of the Tigers, not Balasingham or Thamilchelvan. Secondly, whether or not the Tigers go to Geneva, Prabhakaran is already at war. We do not have a peace process punctuated by outbreaks of armed violence; we have a (one sided) war of attrition, punctuated, if at all, by peace talks or silence.
Thirdly, it will not always be a war of attrition; the scale of the war will change and sooner rather than later Prabhakaran will escalate to a mobile-conventional war - that which the journalists call a full-on or full scale war.
Mr Solheim may think that will not happen as neither side can win militarily, but as long as his friend Mr Balasingham is unable to convince Mr Prabhakaran of that, it is irrelevant and dangerously illusory.
Fourthly, Prabhakaran will aim to make it a short war, modelled on Hitler’s blitzkrieg and Israel’s 6 Day War. He will fight on many fronts simultaneously, and strive primarily for decisive damage to the Sri Lankan forces and secondarily for significant territorial gains which can be frozen when the world community forces a ceasefire, which in turn Colombo will be happy to accept because we would be taking a beating.
Neither Provoked nor Passive
What we must not do is go into that war on a footing that is favourable to him. This means several things: We must not be provoked by his war of attrition into going for civilian targets or permitting Sinhala militias to do so. We must not be provoked into large scale retaliation which will trigger a full-scale war in which he is, at this moment, at an advantage. Nor however must we remain passive and paralysed.
The Sri Lankan armed forces must be re-trained in its battle tactics so that it can hit back hard in self defence when set upon by the Tigers on land or at sea, turning ambushes into counter-ambushes and defeats for the enemy.
In addition, retaliation must take place at the time and place of our choice, against Tiger (not civilian) targets, in Tiger territory, and must go unclaimed. If the Tigers can wage an undeclared war of attrition, the Sri Lankan state has the right of self-defence, bearing in mind though that Prabhakaran will use the opportunity to escalate - something we must be ready for.
The Sri Lankan armed forces must be swiftly strengthened. President Rajapaksa’s impending visit to China must be used for the purpose, sealing a weapons agreement and/or securing an outright grant which will enable us to buy the weapons on the open market.
The president should follow this up with a visit to Russia, which must also focus on security and the struggle against ethnic separatist terrorism. Both Russia and China (especially Russia) manufacture excellent ship-to-ship missiles, which can give an edge to the badly battered Sri Lankan navy.
A high level ministerial delegation must be despatched to Venezuela to sew up an oil deal which will keep fuel prices (and therefore prices in general) stable and supply secure.
Karuna’s Conundrum
The struggle, and therefore the challenge, is not just military but politico-military. There are urgent tasks facing the anti-Tiger forces, the Sri Lankan state and the Tamil resistance. One task faces Karuna, and it is a politico-organisational challenge.
He has rightly decentralised his forces for purposes of guerrilla warfare, but as numerous, counterproductive hits on pro-Tiger civilian (unarmed) targets shows, he has been unable to communicate his political line uniformly to and enforce it among his cadres.
It could be a weakness of C3: command-control-communication. Or there is too much of the early Tiger tactics by the Karuna cadres, which worked for Prabhakaran in the 1970s and ’80s, but will not succeed for Karuna in today’s global and political context where every attack is widely reported by the world media and commented on by the international community.
The other political tasks are those incumbent upon the Sri Lankan state. We simply cannot afford to face the LTTE’s war in a situation where the world community stays unhelpfully neutral. If the Sri Lankan state looks the other way while Sinhalese mobs kill Tamil civilians, then the world community will look the other way similarly, when the Tigers pounce on us! The word must go right down the ranks of the Sri Lankan armed forces and police, that Tamil civilians are off limits and Sinhala mobs are mandatory targets.
Nor can we afford to face Prabhakaran’s war with the world community asking us what reforms we have offered/ on offer for the Tamil people! At present we have a very favourable situation: the Sinhala hardliners have been pushed back by the Sinhala electorate at the recent local government elections, and at the same time the Tigers do not seem interested in talks.
So the Sri Lankan state need not allow either the Tigers or the JVP/JHU to have a veto over a solution to the Tamil ethno-national question.
Unfeasible Federalism vs. Actual Autonomy
Contrary to the utopianism of Sinhala liberals and Tamil democrats, federalism is simply not on. The issue is not whether federalism is desirable or not (personally, I think some form of it is); it is whether it is feasible, given public opinion.
Sri Lanka is a democracy and the electorate has clearly indicated its preference for a unitary, not a federal system. This confirms all the opinion polls conducted by the CPA over the years - there is simply no majority, or anything like it, for federalism. Had the UNP and SLFP cooperated under Chandrika, federalism would have been possible, but the last chance for that was the Mano-Malik dialogue of early 2004.
With the PTOMS, Chandrika joined Ranil in discrediting federalism in the eyes of the people, and public opinion swung, as it has so many times in Israeli (and American) elections. Today public opinion mandates that any settlement has to respect the unitary state, However- and this is vital- it does not mean that the unitary state cannot be stretched.
The UK, Spain, the Philippines, South Africa, Indonesia are all societies in which an explicit federalism is anathema. And yet, these are states in which there is substantial regional autonomy. Britain is of course the classic example.
Douglas Devananda has long proposed concrete measures to upgrade the 13th amendment, most dramatically on TV at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the SLFP. He was ignored by Chandrika Kumaratunga.
Professor Lakshman Marasinghe has sketched out, a few months back, three options for enhanced devolution within a unitary system. Only the first requires a two thirds majority; the second can be implemented by a simple majority in Parliament while the third requires only presidential fiat. I might add that India can help with legal-constitutional expertise to fully implement the Indo-Lanka accord and the 13th amendment.
With enhanced devolution in place we can declare elections in the North and East and express willingness to negotiate with whosoever is elected. This may be difficult to implement because Prabhakaran may be at (or will go to) all-out war.
Yet, it is far better to face him while he is trying to prevent an election. That is the only path to the moral high ground, which is the only defensible space. It is the terrain from which we can launch a victorious counteroffensive when Prabhakaran launches his Final War in this 30th anniversary year of the founding of his Liberation Tigers with a view to achieving its founding objectives.
If we fight this war as - or allow it to degenerate into - an ethnic (or worse, ethno-religious) war, we shall lose the moral high ground, world opinion and regional support, and therefore the war itself. [Source: Sunday Observer]
Thanabalasingam :
April 23, 2006 @ 6:59 am
21+14=
Milkhemet Sheshet HaYamim
106-76=
This is not a fluke post. The message is there LOUD and CLEAR.
Only thing I can hope is a HOPE.
Anthony Seelan :
April 23, 2006 @ 9:18 am
Dayan
I am not quit sure that this war between SLG and LTTE. It’s really a war initiated by SGL on tamils in early seventies by Srima with the help of Badhurdeen- Minister of Education. Please don’t forget the 1956 Sinhala Only. Initially in education then with the employment card. We know the quality and professilalism of the SLG arm forces including the Police. They are really bunch of “Sinhala Thugs”. You simply identifying them as SL Arm Forces. Are you sure?. I think you better use the word as Sinhala Arm forces. Do you think that the LTTE is the problem or the product of the problem. I strongly believe that the LTTE is teaching the lesson what the Sinhala arm forces and Sinhala Plotician can uderstand. Autually they don’t understand the Rule of Law. Your sugestions simply another side of the Mahinda Chinthana.
Ajanthan Herath :
April 23, 2006 @ 10:15 am
Dyan,
Great analysis of the problem. But you academics cannot influence the war. But you can influence on peace. So concentrate on that.
Advise, get in an influence the govt. to work with India and get more power devolved. One reason devoled power in 1987 did not work was the provinces did not have law making capacity.
Just do a research on the number of provincial laws made by all provinces ? My count was a handful.
Cater to these things.
Power on either side will listen only to the militaries of either side. concentrate your efforts on where you can make most impact.
thank you.
Anthony Seelan :
April 23, 2006 @ 10:35 am
Dayan
It has always been too little too late; Singhala leaders are being dragged into coming up with a just solution by Pirapa. We Tamils see it that way because your army have been blatantly racist in their behaviour towards all Tamils. Karuna and Douglas will be judged by the Tamils for their trecherous behaviour; sleeping with the govt purely for their personal gain. THey both have no mass appeal with the Tamils; what are they fighting for? Do they know?
Some of your realisations out of selfishness is true bu far toooo laaate.
Hermann :
April 23, 2006 @ 10:35 am
It is a well researched article, Dayan thank you very much. LTTE is prolonging this situatation ‘cos for drug and human trafficking. How on earth any body say Sinhalese waged war on Tamils in the seventies. How come so many senior government positions were held by Tamils if Sinhalese were waging a war on Tamils. Even in 1977 at the so called tamil-sinhala eruption caused by killing of 13 soldiers in Jaffna following tamils held very important positions. Murthi-Britain, Lksmi Naganathan-Bonn, Balasubramanium-Paris and Rudra-Rajasingham-IGP was a good combination to propogate hatred on Sri Lanka people. Sri Lankan government has not got hold of this propoganda machinery of LTTE even today. Then for Sinhala only act was first mooted by JRJ as an opposition member, and what is wrong with it. Just because some Tamils and Sinhalese held reigns of majority people by their influence of English. At that time 3% of the english speaking people contolled the majority 97% of the people. In India similar steps were taken. Hindi bacame the official language with other Languages given reasonable use. But India is a big country with a big population which can be reasonbly devided to several regions. How on earth any reasonable person can think by violence and intimidation you could get the majority law abiding citizens to agree. It is time the majority population stand up for their beliefs and get rid of this menace raging the peace of our country.
Arun Vincent, Croydon, U.K. :
April 23, 2006 @ 10:48 am
Hi Anthony Seelan,
You are far away from reality. Your name itself sounds that you do not live in reality.
If you say that Praba was personally upset over standardisation issue you are totally wrong. Not only Praba, Charles Anthony, Seelan or any ‘Grade 7 drop-out cycle theif'’ would have loved that discrimination because education was something which these ‘boys’ did nt like from the time they were conceived in theiir mother’s wombs.
Praba & Co. were basically a smugglers, criminals and theifs. He would have become like ‘Sandlewood Veerappan’ of Tamil Nadi or as someother worst criminal of the day if there was no political problem in Sri Lanka. The communal issue was a very convenient card to Praba and other VVT smugglers to politicise, legalise and socialise their criminal behaviour. Politically immatured fools like Amir and others helped these criminals to live on these politically sensitive issued and suffered at their own creatures.
So, duirng LTTE’s time, the LTTE is THE problem for the Tamils who beleive in Law and Order. Eliminte LTTTE and alll those who are armed from our soil before Tamils can talk of Politics and welfare of Tamils.
Persons like Dayan Jayatileke may say that the LTTE has a point. But doing so, they are eliminating Tamils from Sri Lanka by using the LTTE. They are using the LTTE to send us out and that is what happening since 1976. We are into that trap and do nt you think, we shoud get out of sooner. Too little is too late, Seelan.
So your question is what to do with the Sinhalese. My solutions is: we have to live with all those problems instead of getting killed by those problems. We have Will, stamina, and the maturity to withstand any discrimination Sinhala man can impose on us. First Live and then Let Live and then die. But not in the reverse order. It does not work in that way.
Arun Vincent.
Arun Vincent, Croydon, U.K. :
April 23, 2006 @ 11:06 am
Dear my countryman Herman,
You are totally correct in saying that,
“Even in 1977 at the so called tamil-sinhala eruption, . . . tamils held very important positions. Murthi-Britain, Lksmi Naganathan-Bonn, Balasubramanium-Paris and Rudra-Rajasingham-IGP was a good combination to propogate hatred on Sri Lanka people.”
But, mind you Herman, in order to become snr. govt. servants they served govt for 30-40 yrs. in a period there was no discrimination, merits were counted and the due places were given the due persons. In other words, as there was no discrimination in early 40s, 50s and 60s, these Tamils were seen in public in 1970s, and NOT thereafter.
Tamils’ poisiton is, and correctly, due to discriminatory policies SINCE 1970, we do not see a similar scenario now. But if you argue that as minorities, they do not deserve for postiions such as those, then there are people like Seelan who wants their own land to become Majority.
Sinhala Only Act- The consequence of this Act is that now you see very very few SInhalese in Sri Lanka who can communicate in English, like TamilSelvan and others on the other side of the fence. Look at Tamil Nadu today - it is still Tamil Nadu but English is like first language there. Even an auto driver speaks good English than any Head of any Dept in Colombo today. Sinhala Only Act was introduced not to help and enrich the people but to emotionalise people like you and to get into power. And exactly, that was what happened.
Arun Vincent
David :
April 23, 2006 @ 12:43 pm
Looks like all these UK people ran away from Srilanka after 1983. (Bunch of Chickens) The UK and other people should go back to Srilanka and join with LTTE or with Srilankan armed forces. If you people can do this, it will be great to listen to the comments posted here. You guys are bunch of wimps living outside of Srilanka and talking nonsence.
The people are dying over here are and you guys are living outside of Srilanka and having fun.
Get back to the real world. We live in Srilanka and we need “Peace” with our brothers and sisters. Srilanka is our country and it belongs to Singhalese,Tamils & Mulims. You guys have gone out of Srilanka and don’t come back. You guys continue to kiss the white people ass over there for the living. In Srilanka we don’t that, we value our friendship.
The GOS better to start offer what the Tamils are looking for the past several years. I dodn’t understand why they are delaying. Mr.Rajapakse this is the last and final call. The ship is about leave the port. Remember one thing. “Short Term Bennifit Long Term Loss”. All the other parties are Using you. If you offer what the Tamils are looking for, you will loose only one thing- Your job. But you can be proud for saving thousands of life.
Now you decide you value your job (President) or human life. You have enough money and you were in politics and you got the most powerful job in Srilanka.
Mr.President please value human life more than your job. I will gurantee you, if you check with your wife she will 101 % agree with me. I like her because she is supporting the handloom industry by wearing their saree in the future. I think lot of people need to learn a lot from her because she value their contribution to the country. Great job Mrs Rajapakse. We need more people like you.
Mr President open the Magic Box and start relesing their rights to our brothers and sisters and save human lifes and our beautiful Mother Lanka. You can do it. Don’t worry about JVP. The entire world will march with.
David
Harikesh Wijeyanathan :
April 23, 2006 @ 2:11 pm
Up to now no Sri lankan gov. had done anything to address the injustice done to tamils - Tragedy no 1.
Tiger interest & tamils interest are not the same - Tragedy no 2.
I sincerly hope & pray, The majority of peace loving Tamil and Sinhala
people will soon get the wisdom & courage to do something about this.
Theya, UK :
April 23, 2006 @ 2:58 pm
Dayan,
I hope people like you live long enough so, LTTE can rout the SriLanka for good. You recist idiots bunch, in the cover of intelletuals, have caused more damage to the Ceylon than untruly Sinhal mob. Kepp on good work in fooling the Sinhalese and showing what (sihalese from allwalks) are upto.
Thanabalasingam :
April 23, 2006 @ 5:10 pm
My dear brothers and sisters,
I will tell you a story, there was a horse, it was worth for all the good to pull the bear cart. So beautiful and so masculine a man and a woman thought, breeding that horse will give them some money and they bought it. Latter they realized that it was not the thoroughbred type “RACE HORSE” any decided a trick!!
In a horse race or sports events, there are horses and sports teams repeatedly showed poor performance and graded as unfit to win or achieve any set goal. However, this man and the woman decided to inject the STEROID to the horse thinking that those players or the horse get a STEROID INJECTION, may perform marvelously. The woman is Tisaranee Gunasekara and the man is Dayan Jayatilleka who are betting on this crumbling STEROID INJECTED (with anti-tiger force such as karuna, epdp on the government side) horse to win the race knowing it can’t PERFORM with will.
People, I heard that the WTM was raided in Toronto after Canada had banned our little tigers and now the EU is on the card. I heard they took all the computers and papers with all the names. Don’t bother with any thing, those are just a show piece that they have to do to show they are doing something. THE LAW CANNOT BE APPLIED RETROACTIVELY.
It is wrong to think that tigers will tug their tail and go the GENEVA because of this external pressure “ANYMORE”. As the name implies time and again they proved, when cornered or when frustrated with the successive governments, they are more ferocious than other times. Unfortunately our pundits in COLOMBO did not learn the lesson from the history.
My message on the top has many meanings, warning and if any one get it please pass on to your kith and kin out there.
Thava :
April 23, 2006 @ 6:59 pm
Its funny how LTTE dorks label anybody condemning LTTE either as a traitor or a singhala extremists!
LTTE supporting Tamils, our heritage is destroyed by LTTE and you are silent!
Wake up please Thanks da!
Thava :
April 23, 2006 @ 7:00 pm
Tiger interest & tamils interest are not the same - AMEN TO THAT!
Rohan :
April 23, 2006 @ 9:48 pm
What a stupid article. The article is worst than a grade 10 research paper. Where do you get you facts MR.Daya? So, according to you, I am assuming that you are one of those singala peace loving intelectuals think that GOSL should beck for military help from countries like China, Russia and India and wage a holly war against the Tamils? The Singala army is so pathetic….it dosn’t matter what sort of weapons GOSL get from other countries, the LTTE will distroy them. They have no cause for fighting except for a paycheck.
Shyam, USA :
April 23, 2006 @ 11:11 pm
Tamils should unite to wipe out Karuna group, EPDP and other paramilitary gangs first.
As for Canada’s ban, let us make clear no power on earth can impose its will on a people who are simply fighting for their legitimate rights to live in security and peace. Find ways to help the people in their without violating any laws.
Thanabalasingam :
April 24, 2006 @ 12:07 am
While Mr. Geneva II is slipped into the Bay of Geneva from the boat ‘S.L.Northeast’, here the much talked about or criticized Hon. CFA, the Minister in charge of enforcing peace in the country, is admitted into the intensive care unit of ill- equipped Kilinochchi Hospital (while the birthday celebrations of the Mr. TN is fast reaching.)
It was a comment of a wise man.
Ajith Dharma :
April 24, 2006 @ 4:27 am
I have been to Dayan’s Lectures when Mervin Silva wrote to “Lana Guardian” and Bopage and Wijeweera of JVP Supported Tamil self determination. Ignorant UK/Canada living Tamils in these forums did not know/ realise that we Sinhalese (including Dayan) once supported Tamil Liberation Struggle. Bopagae left JVP because he did not agree with later stance of JVP regarding to National question. ( which I think here Bopage was right). I waasin a meeting once when our Tamil brothers came to Colombo to adddress Young Socialist league members. We all supported Tamil struggle until this ruthless Nazi thugs called LTTE destroyed everything. Our heroes at the time Uma Maheshwaran, Sri Sabhrathnam etc were ruthlessly killed. Those are the Tamil liberators who realised Libearting Tamils means libearting Sinhalese as well from ruling racist elite. Racist Tamil elite who ran away to West now cow towing the LTTE because their children do not die in Jaffna or Vanni as VP’s children also safe in UK.
What Dayan says is correct, We should defeat LTTE milatarily and ideologicaly and then support progreessive Tamils to achieve peace and autonomy in SL. LTTE backtracked Tamil struggle 30 years.
A Sinhala Hardliner
Anthony Seelan :
April 24, 2006 @ 5:53 am
Dear friends,
My point is that Jayan is advoacting distruction of LTTE. BY whom? BY bunch of sinhala thugs- Arm Forces. With the permission from the national dress folls in the parliamet and blood sucking Monks. Do you think this mobs stop those majority myth. What I am pointing is wiht sinhalese, you have to talk with their language. That is Killings. The don’t practicing Budhisim, Which Budha taught. The practice only Sinhal Budhisim, Wich is murder,rape looting. They need lesson from what they are practicing. One shoud understand how and why LTTE took the leading role for the tami stuggle. One need brain not the racist lecture -Jayan.
Neil, Waitemata, New Zealand :
April 24, 2006 @ 6:32 am
After observing civil wars all over the world for the past 50 years, I think it is cowardly & despicable to attack civilians of any race. And it’s absolutely noble to defend such civilians from hurt & destruction. Experience shows that history will judge such cowards very harshly.
Ajith Dharma :
April 24, 2006 @ 6:36 am
Well Dear Seelan, your comment exactly match with LTTE too. That is Killing. Just need to remove Monks, JHU Sinhala thugs with LTTE. Get the picture. They are the differnt sides of the same coin unfortunately. So if the Sinhalese say LTTE should be taught a lesson from their own language that is Killing of oppononets and Army isn’t it?
What we have to do is to advocate to stop killings from both sides. Arrest Sinhalese who instigate communal violence as well as punish LTTE for indescriminate killings.
Sinhala hardliner
Anthony Seelan :
April 24, 2006 @ 7:07 am
Hi friends,
I am not a hardliner. Belives in democracy, rule of law and live with peace. I don’t know you remember July 1883. There are 3000 tamil killed. All of thier har earned wealth distroyed and looted in front of the by thoese sinhal thugs in front of Sinhala Army navy and Airforce. Who are they? Do you think these thugs will protect tamils? . This is state sponsored terrorism. It shoud be defeated. In any form.
Ajith Dharma :
April 24, 2006 @ 7:28 am
I completely agree with you on that Seelan. As a Sinhalese who witnessed pogrom 1983 I saw Army and Navy stood by. That was because no order from JR (Commander in Chief) came for them to act. Local UNP organiser led the “Rioters”. i.e people brought by busses from Kandana “Cyril Mathew’s ” electorate. We did what we can. My mum later took food to take refugee camp in the Kovil for the Tami girls who stayed with us who later immigrated to India. I still don’t know what happened to them. yes state spoonsored terrorism killed tamils and 1988-1989 Sinhala youths. (I do not agree JVP policies in 1988-1989 either) but massacre happened nonetheless. This state terrorism should be deleted. No arguement on that.
Sinhalese
Ajith Dharma :
April 24, 2006 @ 7:29 am
Sorry I mean defeate State sponsored terrorism.
KUMAR ,Toronto :
April 24, 2006 @ 9:51 am
You have mentioned that Prabakaran spent the years ofceasefire for preparing for war, while GOSL spent the same time doing anything but that! Are you joking? It is common knowledge that every Government want to solve this problem by militarily.They do not want to give tamils any reasonable solutions.You have also mentioned that the Srilanka is a democracy and the electrorate has clearly indicated its preference for unitary not a federal system and had the UNP and SLFP corperated under Chandrika ,federalism would have been possible. Noway! In fact The UNP and SLFP took turns to deny Tamils rights from 1948. Both parties wanted the slow death of tamil nation.Now JVP and JHU have joined the group. Only difference ,they want quick demise of tamils.Asper public opinion among sinhalease,It is being controlled by Politicans and the media controlled by politicans.I worked and lived with them for 20 years in my life.They are nice and descent people.But they are being told negative things about tamils by politicians and their controlled media to perpetuate their power and cover other problems . The same thing was being done done by tamil politicians.
In 1977,When the biggest Tamil Shopping complex in Kekirawa, in Anuradhapura district, the owner of the shop is a UNP supporter and UNP’s branch office is in the same building complex,just infront of the Kekirawa police station, was being burned by UNP supporters after the infamous JR’s quote to tamils whether you want peace or war ,my sinhalease friend told me the same day “Kumar ,Your people should die fighting-Maragana Marinda ona-”. In 1988,a police officer ,who was working in Central Camp Police station in Ampara,told me after seeing the tamils in that area finding difficult to obtain drinking water from Irrigation dept while water is being diverted to sugarcane fields owned by UNP minster from Inginiyagala tank,that he can understand why you people are fighting. These are the real opinion of the reasonable sinhalease people.The real enemy of the tamils are the ruling elites and media managed by their interlectual stooges.
raphael uk :
April 24, 2006 @ 2:12 pm
I was thinking that mr dayan a peace loving journalist but now i understood that he is a piece lover. Time is the healer i heard that, now i new this too. Time shows real personality and intention.
Thank u.
Neil, Waitemata, New Zealand :
April 24, 2006 @ 3:56 pm
I was surprised to read the following rubbish above:
“As a Sinhalese who witnessed pogrom 1983 I saw Army and Navy stood by. That was because no order from JR (Commander in Chief) came for them to act.”
This is absolute nonsense. After serving with the RAAF for 42 years, I can tell you frankly that any military personnel who behaved in that way are absolutely useless. Such personnel would not exist in a properly functioning democracy.
Ajith Dharma :
April 24, 2006 @ 4:09 pm
Mr Neil from NZ, I can tell you this . How you can say what I saw is wrong. May be we Sinhalese still do not want to accept what happened in 1983. Or may be you are a die hard UNP supporter. BUt I can give you names who had eloctoral list in their hands. I was living in Police Quarters and my father was a Policeman. I am against LTTE killing security personal and that’s why I support Dayan’s article. In your 42 years unfortnately you have been blind perhaps. Army and Navy could not do anything in the first few hours because I beleive they were ordered not to do anything. Don’t tell me what I saw as rubbish.
Shyam, USA :
April 24, 2006 @ 4:22 pm
http://www.tamilnation.org/tamileelam/overview.htm
“….If democracy means the rule of the people, by the people, for the people, then the principle of self determination secures that no one people may rule another…The struggle for Tamil Eelam is about giving effect to the will of the Tamil people expressed by their leader S.J.V.Chelvanayagam in 1975 and reinforced by the mandate that they gave the Tamil United Liberation Front in 1977, and reiterated in the Manifesto of the Tamil National Alliance in 2001. It is also about reversion of sovereignty - a sovereignty that the Tamil people enjoyed before the British unified the administration of the island of Sri Lanka in 1833. However, the struggle for Tamil Eelam is not about a search for historical first causes - a search that will end in the stone age and in a discussion about original sin. Neither is the struggle for Tamil Eelam an invitation to engage in the politics of the last atrocity - a pursuit which leads to brave speeches, retaliation and more atrocities. The struggle for Tamil Eelam is about the democratic right of the people of Tamil Eelam to govern themselves in their homeland - nothing less and nothing more. It is about freedom from alien Sinhala rule. It is not about securing benevolent Sinhala rule. It is about securing a legal framework where two free peoples may associate with one another in equality, in freedom and in peace. The demand for Tamil Eelam is not negotiable. But an independent Tamil Eelam will and indeed, must, negotiate. And here, there will be everything to negotiate about. There is a need to telescope two processes - the emergence of an independent Tamil Eelam and the emergence of a free, inter dependent association of Tamil Eelam and Sri Lanka. The European Union, structured albeit after two world wars, stands as an example of what the Tamil people and Sinhala people in the island of Sri Lanka may be able to achieve - but we will need to dig deep to find common ground.”
Ajith Dharma :
April 24, 2006 @ 5:47 pm
I do not like the term “Tamil Ealam”. It sounds very much mono ethnic. There cannot be a state only for one pure ethnic group. It should be Ealm with pre British Borders where three communities can live together. Sinhalese and Muslims who were ethnic cleansed should brought back, Baticaloa should come under the Kandyan State (Kingdom) as it was then. Southern State should cover the Colombo and the rest up to borders of Ealam. And these free states should be within United Sri Lanka. Each state can have their own police force, National Health Service, Education Policy and resouces and Land under the State legislature. As Southern State accepts Tamils and Muslims among themselves and Kandyan State accepts British engineered Indian Tamil colonies in the shape of estate workforce, Ealam should accept Sinhala colonies and border villagers. Every body has right to live peacefully with democraticaly elected representatives. IF we can agree to basics we can go from there.
First thing first. Stop the killings by every side : LTTE, Government, Karuna Faction, EPDP and rest.
Sinhala Hardliner
Neil, Waitemata, New Zealand :
April 25, 2006 @ 6:47 am
I have to say a “Very well done” on hearing the latest news from Colombo. The country will no doubt be a better place with 6 fewer murderers there.
Thanabalasingam :
April 25, 2006 @ 8:39 am
What ever the news from COLOMBO is what is called “SELF INFLICTED INJURY” leading to the CANCER.
They tried “NATURIPATHIC” medicine, did not work
The tried “HOMEOPATHIC” medicine, did not work
They even tried Western “PILLS”, did not work
It seems the RADICAL SURGERY may be the only CURE if at all only a PALIATIVE measure.
Thanabalasingam :
April 25, 2006 @ 9:34 am
For the readers,
I have been hinting from the HISTORY about the impending disaster in my previous postings. I am re-posting my earlier one here
“It is wrong to think that tigers will tug their tail and go the GENEVA because of this external pressure “ANYMORE”. As the name implies time and again they proved, when cornered or when frustrated with the successive governments, they are more ferocious than other times. Unfortunately our pundits in COLOMBO did not learn the lesson from the history.”
THIS POSTED THIS EXACTLY 2 DAYS AGO.
UNLESS out president change the course, the history will tell, RANIL was the SMARTEST prime minister Srilanka EVER had.
Thanabalasingam :
April 26, 2006 @ 1:05 am
Believe it or not, GoSL had fallen into the LTTE trap. An UNFORTUNATE REALITY.
Ajith Dharma :
April 26, 2006 @ 4:31 am
Not Really. Mr Thanabalasingham. Government bombarded the LTTE to placate growing Sinhala discontent. Government should seem to be doing something. You will know bombs may not have damaged LTTE much in few days time. I agree that Ranil as the prime minister would have been more smarter but LTTE did not want Ranil exactly because of that. Now we have two people with mustaches (VP and MR) dragging us to war. War will be waged exactly as Dayan J predicted. We will wait and see.
To Neil from NZ: Please look at the recent HRW report. You did not agree with me about “Army stand by phrase”. HRW says exactly the same. Please understand I condemned LTTE atrocities against civilians. However two wrongs did not make it right. Sri Lankan army should protect every citizen of the country Sinhala, Muslim, Tamil Burger etc. They should to behave impartialy to remove the prejudicial tamil lable “Sinhala Army” to them. But acting like that would not help.
Neil, Waitemata, New Zealand :
April 26, 2006 @ 6:55 am
Mr Dharma, why do you continue to misunderstand me? Find that elusive switch, then switch your brain on!!
I said that military forces are absolutely useless if they do nothing while civilians are being attacked. The excuse that they were waiting for an order from the top is a nonsense excuse - any reasonable person can see that. They obviously & deliberately did nothing to ensure that the violence against the innocent civilians continued.
How disgusting!!
Such a cowardly military obviously suffers from very low morale & low self-esteem & will therefore be easily defeated.
Ajith Dharma :
April 26, 2006 @ 7:04 am
Well, if you were in the forces you should know you cannot go against orders unless you want dismissal or court martial. How many German soldiers were killed as traitors when they defied Nazi orders to shoot civilians in BeloRussia.
Same goes to LTTE too. If LTTEr defied VPs order his body will be found hanging on the tree. I do not think every LTTE fighter want to kill Sinhala civilians. They follow orders. Same as the Army.
Neil, Waitemata, New Zealand :
April 26, 2006 @ 7:13 am
Well done in finding that switch (was it difficult to find?)
Are you aware of a NZ-born Flight Lieutenant serving as a doctor with the RAF who refused another tour of duty with the British forces in Basra last year on the grounds that the UK/US invasion of Iraq is illegal. This has been widely publicised by international media so I expect most readers to be aware of this. Yes, he was indeed court-martialled and is now subject to appeal. There was another British SAS officer who received an honourable discharge from the SAS after he expressed the view that the British action in Iraq was illegal.
What these soldiers had in common was integrity & intelligence, both of which appear sadly lacking in the Sri Lankan military!!
Although the Kiwi was court-martialled, just watch history unfold over the next few years. Integrity will always be vindicated!!
Ajith Dharma :
April 26, 2006 @ 10:32 am
Yes I am aware of those isolated incidents. There are many other soldiers especialy in the British Army follow the orders even though they do not approve the iraqi war. Not to follow orders means Mutiny. After the Aurora (1917) when you heard last time a mutiny of a Modern army. Sri Lanka Army is no differnce. If they were asked to stay away by the commanders that’s what they do. That’s why we can understand why LTTE went to top most position of the Army with Suicide attack. (For his credit VP reads things correctly how brutal the tactic is) Would you ask LTTEr to defy the VP or Pottu’s order when attack in Veg marcket full of civilians or Serunuwara killed mother. You simply can’t because they follow orders.
Some how we all lack integrity. We sinhalase cannot influeance our leaders as well Tamils can’t tell anything to theirs. At least we have a vote. You guys even don’t have that. Don’t you think situaution is realy pathetic to the people like us who simply want peace and not against fedaralism, power sharing or whatever you call it. We simply don’t have a voice.
Thanabalasingam :
April 26, 2006 @ 11:19 am
Well said Neil,
Many LTTE fighters want the war for long time and the leadership gave a chance to GoSL. Mind it many new recruits and recent recruits were born after 1983 and only thing those guys know are ANTI-GoSL, ANTI SINHALA.
It is wrong to believe that knocking off the heads in the LTTE will be the solution as the younger generation won’t even ready for compromise.
Let me brief the history in few sentence so that many short term memory loss people can recall the circumstances leading to the peace talks.
When LTTE was in the gates of Jaffna, it came under some international pressure not to capture as it will lead to high human death toll. In order to appeal for the peace, they declare a unilateral cease fire and they had to retrieve by the SLA’s offence with high casualties from the captured area. Still GoSL by CBK rely on her military (of course her uncle’s word). Then come the Agni-Hehala and ill fated offence with nearly 400 SLA dead and 1000 or more disabled or injured. Still CBK refused to believe in making peace effort.
Then come some Aerial bombing on Punagary with some civilian casualty. VP had told CBK, they can expect a swift reply. Hence, the Katunayake operation. It brought the economy to the knees and then Ranil won the government and he was smart enough (at that point) to trap the LTTE into the ceasefire and initiate the talks.
The talks went on for six rounds and nothing tangible was achieved as far as peace dividends concerned to the Internally displaced people (IDP)
Ranil government was mainly focusing on getting the aid and development of Srilanka as a whole and has no immediate plan on focusing on any either interim solution or long term solution. In the mean time some of his ministers were involved in engineering the split to weaken the LTTE so that they can reduce the bargaining power. (Mind it LTTE went to the CFA in a position of strength which they will never want to loose).
Then come the other governments and all they did was encouraging the growth of ANTI-LTTE elements in both overt and covert war. When Kousalyan was killed, LTTE decided to take an equal weight on the government and they took Lakshman Kataragamar. Instead of government realizing that this violence will never end, they keep the fire by adding more fuel.
In the mean time the IDPs are still living in the cattle sheds which the LTTE see day in and day out in their control area and realized that none of the GoSL has any reason to believe will give any meaningful relive to those people.
LTTE know very well that electing Ranil means, SOFT-HARD approach and they will get trap with the international safety net, instead they decided to have MR come as president so it will be HARD-HARD approach. This was very clear on last NOV speech by VP.
They gave a final chance at Geneva 1, to see how genuine the GoSL with simple implementation of existing CFA and nothing new, nothing else. The government for their hard, hawkish believes, they can weak LTTE and ISOLATE LTTE and force feed the so-called FINAL SOLUTION with the supervision of International community. They are breeding Karuna group so they plan on bringing them the table as equal partner for the eastern representation to weaken the LTTE bargain power, not realizing that what sort of growth LTTE had in the mean time (it is any body’s imagination and only people will see retrospectively).
Now, Sarath Fonseka openly admitted that it was his plan of hit back on LTTE sympathizers made LTTE go to the Geneva 1, is just quite enough for the LTTE to make him a HARD TARGET and they did (at no time LTTE will claim these type of action is a well known history).
After the blast, LTTE expect the government to retaliate so that CFA was officially BROKEN by them.
Now, as we all live out in the western world or in Australia/NZ area, just sit and watch as things will unfold in the next few weeks to months come. Only at this point as I have told some time earlier “THERE will be a loud cry that CFA should have fully implemented”
Thanabalu
Dr Mike Adrews CIA agent USA :
April 26, 2006 @ 12:14 pm
The LTTE should be dealt with just like any terrorist outfit in the world. They are hell bent in creating chaos and destruction to the nation and the suffering tamils. The LTTE leadership strives on choas destruction and psychological warfare. Barbarians should be dealt with barbaric actions…..eeelam is out of the question and total annhilation of this monsterous regime should be on the war agenda. SL will not ever in my opinion liberate itself as a free country with this monster around. Prabakaran and his buddies not forgetting Mr. Aton who is a british subject married to a white women and enjoying the luxuries of all the eelam monetary contributions by tamils in the UK, should be captured and tried out for war crimes and crimes against humanity with death by firing squard. Liberating the poor unfortunate tamils is a flimsy excuse and an illusion propagetd by the LTTE, when they infact sit in the lap of luxury in wanni with prabakaran’s children attending foreign medical schools and they continue to commit local atrocities and international crimes, which the CIA is aware of……….. these are a bunch of thugs surviving by creating fear and commiting atrocities to their own people for their own gains both financially and politically. We in the USA are well aware of the LTTE connection to the middle eastern terrorist outfits and the training and evolution of the concept of suicide bombing………and we will continue to monitor the situation in SL with possible intervention if assistance is required.
Thanabalau :
April 26, 2006 @ 4:41 pm
WELL COME DOCTOR MORAN, When did they hire you to CIA without your MD attached to your name Illiterate.
Have you heard about Kamakaze, Fukuryu , Selbstopfer and so on and on.
How come CIA doesn’t know about this, DID some one impersonate you at the INTERVIEW????
WOW, CIA has authorized some MORANICs to expose their identity?
Go and S—- your self. MORAN, DOn’t waste the space.
Ajith Dharma :
April 26, 2006 @ 5:27 pm
She was really pregnant. She kept the child in her womb specialy to kill Army Commander. Do you really beleive this act can be justified?
Shyam, USA :
April 26, 2006 @ 6:20 pm
To the Sinhalese who support military action–this war in Sri Lanka is not just like another war. Why?
On one hand, you want Tamils to be part of a unitary state that is Sri Lanka, while on the other you want to bomb and shell Tamils areas indiscrminately, killing scores of Tamil civilians, with the clear message that the same government that wants us to be part of one country considers our lives expendable; that we have to really find our own means to protect ourselves.
Make no mistake, Tamils will remember these war crimes for generations to come and no matter what happens to the LTTE, Tamils will seek justice. If the only way that justice can be ensured is the wholsesale destruction of Sri Lanka, Tamils will have to do that…what happens then? These Sinhala thugs who are keen on a military solution do not realize the gravity of the issue that they work for their own destruction.
Ajith Dharma :
April 27, 2006 @ 4:42 am
The problem here Shyam is that you support LTTE miltary actions. After the ceasefire they killed indiscriminately. Whether Army intelligence people or other Tamils. As a Sinhalese who do not support any military action to kill any one (As a buddhist I do not kill any living creature knowingly- Not JHU version of Buddhist) can you please condemn LTTE killings too. Then we can understand you. There are no reasons to kill Sinhalese farmers and that women who was nursing her baby. I do not support Gov war. Neither I support LTTE. Problemn with you is you guys are supporting whatever LTTE do like Sinhala Nationalist supports miltary actions.
Neil, Waitemata, New Zealand :
April 27, 2006 @ 6:23 am
Here’s a question for you Mr Dharma - please ensure your brain’s switched on for this one!!
The Americans hated Soviet communism. So did Winston Churchill. Hitler claimed in the early 1930s that his main reason for entering politics was to put an end to communism.
And the Soviets hated the Americans too.
Roosevelt, Churchill & Hitler had much in common: their common enemy was Soviet Communism.
Now the question for you Mr Dharma: So why did Churchill & Roosevelt finally ally themselves with Stalin in the war against Hitler?
If you can see the answer to this question, you should then be able to understand why the LTTE enjoys so much popular support.
Ajith Dharma :
April 27, 2006 @ 11:43 am
Well, I am quite busy at the moment to find my switch at the moment Mr Neil. You seems to play “I am the intelligent one here” game. Any way you are not pointing a gun to my head I will reply to you. In my humble opinion Churchill and Rooswelt went against Hitler because Hitler invaded Europe and declared war against UK. Stalin was fighting in Russian front and it is logical that UK and US ally themselves with Stalin. Had Hitler never attacked UK they would have let Hitler to attack USSR. Your enymy’s enemy is my friend logic. However USA did not ally with Stalin until Stalingrad victory by Soviet forces. US still waiting to see who is winning.
In that arguement Hitler Prabhakaran enjoys so much support because Sinhalese are your enemy or Sri Lankan Army is your enemy. In my case even LTTE is not my enemy. I don’t see them as my Enemy neither JVP JHU or SL Army. I am trying to tell people not to kill but talk. Like you an me. We might understand somehow if we talk. When I condemn killings it does not matter who commit it for me.
Shyam, USA :
April 27, 2006 @ 8:43 pm
Hello Ajith:
To tell you the truth, I condemn both privately and publicly, some of the mindless and brutal violence by the LTTE, including its attacks on innocent Sinhalese people. I also know the LTTE leaders have been callous toward many Tamil civilians in their quest for power.
But the recent violence by the Tigers came in the context of continuing paramilitary and military intelligence murders–the almost daily killings of civil society leaders and innocent Tamil people, the rapes, the beheadings, etc., in the North and East. And the Govt, the President and the Army commander brazenly denied their hands in this murderous spree–even though it is common knowledge even among the Sinhalese that it is a shadow war by government. It was inexcusable and I think the suicide bombing, despite the worldwide condemnation, should have ssent the message to Rajapakse that this couldn’y go on.
Instead, he goes to Trinco and bombs and shells, killing and displacing Tamil civilians.
I thought if the Govt. had refrained from giving carte blanche to its intelligence operatives and paramilitaries to go on a a killing spree, there was still a chance for the ceasefire to hold. Politically Rajapakse’s
alliance with the JVP/JHU and his emphasis on “Unitary” state will make it impossible for Tamils to entertain any thoughts of cooperating with the government–after all these years of struggle and sacrifice, the Tamil people need to get something that is much more than the Federalism practiced in India–at least something like a confederation. So the SL State will have to face painful consequences for its intrasigence on this. I am not repeating the LTTE’s stand here–this is my stand and the stand of countless Tamil people.
I faced a lot of SL military atrocities in the North East in the late eighties and nineties, and I cannot see how any self-respecting Tamil can support anyone allied with the SL government.
You cannot make LTTE’s actions and callousness an excuse in not ensuring security of Tamil civilians; If you want violence to stop, pressure the thugs who are around Rajapakse to put a stop to all murderous activity by SLA and paramilitaries. Then the Tigers and Tamils might respond more positively. However, Tamil experience has been that we cannot trust any Sinhala government.
Roger, Canada :
April 28, 2006 @ 1:20 am
May Sarath Fonseka suffer unbearable pain for the rest of his lifetime. This is for murdering 600 innocent Tamil during the rampage into Jaffna in 1995 and the brutal murders of Tamil Civillains once appointed Army Commander.
According to informed sources:
Mass murderer Sanath Fonseka is being kept in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), more than 48 hours after he was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital with serious injuries, hospital sources said.
Around 12 surgeons worked around the clock and performed three different major operations to maintain him in a sate at which he could be medically classified as being ‘alive’, sources added.
However, his actual health can not be confirmed for at least another 12 hours, a hospital nurse said.
Medical experts told this reporter that Fonseka’s injuries seem to be severe and that even if he survives “he may have to be tube fed for the rest of his life”. “He would most likely be paralysed from the hip below,” experts added.
Neil, Waitemata, New Zealand :
April 28, 2006 @ 7:21 am
Given the multiple blunders repeatedly preformed by Sri Lankan government & armed forces, it appears Tamil Eelam will become a reality even sooner than previously possible.
Are there any brilliant lawyers around who will expose not only the Sri Lankans but also the US/UK governments for the crimes against humanity they committed in providing the means to prolong the genocide in Sri Lanka? The dumb yanks & poms should not be let off the hook!!
Ajith Dharma :
April 28, 2006 @ 10:47 am
Dear Shyam, I some what agree most of the things you said there. However in one point I do not agree with you is this. I accept very recent violent may have started after Vignesh killing. However when Ranil signed the Ceasefire with LTTE, LTTE start killing there Tamil opponents to sort of set the score. Now you may said that these Tamil guys commited atrocities and they should pay for this. How much that can be true ceasefire is ceasefire. Without any provocation from RW’s government LTTE start killing them and they got more bold alter and killed Captain Nilam, Cap Muthaleef etc. Those were wrong. Some die hard LTTEr may say they should be killed. Big BUT. At the time I was vehemently critising LTTE and my friends specialy some who worked for BBC branded me as Sinhala Nationalist or JHU supporter. Overnight I was branded as Anti LTTE and anti Ceasefire and some times as JVPer. I told them killing by the LTTE of their own Tamils from other groups and LRRP (Army guys) would give voice to anti Tamil sinhala harliners. Now after four years all those accused me accpets I was right. I blame Norwegians, Ranil and Solheim for this rather than LTTE. No one stand up and told VP he should stop. Why? because that strengthned Sinhala hardliners and paved the way for CBK to get the ministries and paved the way for majority Sinhala support for MR. Either VP saw this before and he wanted MR any way or VP is really bad as a political strategist. I don’t quetions VP’s or LTTE’s military strategy. They are excellent. However politically it was wrong to kill just after the ceasefire. After the Karuna rebellion it gave gov. and hardliners a perfect platform to launch shadow war beacuse of that killings. So all in all even though recent violent acts should have stoipped, and gov. should have stopped helping paramilitarries there is some blame lies on LTTE, by their targeting the tamils (Devananda etc) and Some sinhala sec personnels just after the ceasefire. Norway, Solheim, RW clearly should take responsibility for not stopping LTTE at that stage. That’s just my private opinon.
I don’t know as Neil says Ealam is inevitable or not. But Neil there are Sinhalese who complained IC is not condeming LTTE enough. As you know UN’s kofi condemned Karikalan kiling and japan, US, Canada etc condemned Para killing. As I know IC diplomats behind theseen urged MR to stop the raids. US can’t do that because that’s what Clinton and Bush did. Launching air strikes against Kenya etc after the suicide bombing. So there you go. Whatever you say SL gov. is still legitimate internationally. In IC’s eyes they cannot condemn SL gov. because US and UK just do the same in Afhanisthan and Iraq.
At least I hope sanity will prevail.
Neil, Waitemata, New Zealand :
April 28, 2006 @ 3:00 pm
A legitimate government protects its own citizens.
If a government cannot or refuses to do that, then it is clearly illegitimate!! Surely the Sri Lankan government have repeatedly proven themselves illegitimate in their policies toward non-Sinhalese over some time now.
How much more evidence of failed governance does one need?
If the Sri Lankans government can demonstrate legitimacy, then any desire for Tamil separation will evaporate.
However if the Sri Lankan government is determined to prove that it’s incapable of providing good governance, then the Tamils will obviously get their separate state.
Murali :
April 29, 2006 @ 3:28 am
Some one give me details about how the killer was made pregnant ?
To me it is a ploy to divert the world attention.
I spoke to a retired doctor from Kandy and he told me that they test the urine sample to confirm the pregnancy and many clinics don’t even do the physicial check until after 30weeks.
DID this woman provided a urine sample of some one and made her a true pregy?
I am some what puzzled to see the investigation how far she was carrying since one news said 5 months and she pretends to be 9month on the fatal day
Could this woman faked the real pregnant woman’s ID and papers and impersonate as the other woman. It will be a good hollywood movie if we know the truth with facts.
recent co-chair decision and EU decision seems to me they were some what happy to see the TOP SOLDIER confined to where he is than where he was as a mode to end the cycle of violence.
SUMAN :
July 30, 2006 @ 9:22 am
the sl president is just doing what the the ltte want …to establish “THE TAMIL EELAM”……..
even though i dont blv in astrology i have to accept the prediction that SRI LANKAN ISLAND WILL NO LONGER BE A ONE COUNTRY-OFFICIALLY- B4 THE JUNE IN NEXT YEAR….