http://udara2004.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/31692 Thu, 10 Nov 2005 07:52:00 EST http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/31692 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/31660
For any TIG members interested in reading the synopsis of the book, here it goes!


What is the distance between dream and nightmare?

Sri Lankan born, Canadian bred James shared a dream with most adopted children – finding his biological parents. The Killer wave which devastated Sri Lanka on Boxing Day of 2004 gave James the impetus and the opportunity to finally embark on his quest for identity.

Long before nature turned against her, Sri Lanka, land of Serendipity, had turned against herself. Her own quest for identity had led her into a hell where neighbour attacked neighbour and brother killed brother.

The search for his roots led James to Batticaloa, in Eastern Sri Lanka, once famed for its singing fish, but today made synonymous with death and destruction by man's inhumanity and nature's ferocity. What he did not know was that forces beyond his control or understanding - the ethnic conflict, the Karuna Rebellion and the Tigers' practice of child conscription - have already determined the final destination of his journey and his own destiny.

In Batticaloa the fishes are singing a song of mourning….


]]> Wed, 09 Nov 2005 10:58:00 EST http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/31660 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/29269
I and Gary are leaving together for Mississippi with food items and fuel tomorrow. Things are really awful and reminds me of what we went with Tsunami disaster!

Anybody planning to go there, make sure you take many food items as you can and also make sure you have fuel in the car for the max.

Money is no value right now, so make sure you guys have food and fuel with you for the katrina victims.

Best Wishes,

Udara ]]> Fri, 02 Sep 2005 16:33:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/29269 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/27726
The LTTE terrorists in Sri lanka assassinated our beloved Tamil foreign minister today with a sniper fire.

The whole country is weeping at this hour of grief. I urge EU and their western partners to stop the duplicity and stop supporting LTTE terror activities in Sri Lanka!

Udara]]> Fri, 12 Aug 2005 14:59:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/27726 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/27280
It was sad to see those pictures of slain Jaffna Police Superintendent Charles
Wijewardane published within 30 minutes of his death in \"Nitharsanam\" the Tamil website
run by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Norway. There he was full of life in full
uniform with his genial, handsome face and there he was lying lifeless near a poovarasu
fence in a sarong and half uniform. The Former Police and Sri Lanka Rugby captain
known as \"King Charlie\"to rugger fans had breathed his last in a place called Inuvil in the
Jaffna peninsula.

He was one hell of a place kicker.The best that the Police had after Bagoos Sourjah.
The tries that he converted to goal and the penalties he kicked through successfully were
legendary. So too were his booming kicks to touch changing the state of play on more
than one occasion. The reddish soil of Inuvil was no place for this ace place kicker to lie
dead. But there he was in the wrong place at the wrong time caught up in a cycle of
violence on that fateful day.

Thursday August 4th was \"Aadi Amavaasai\" the day on which departed parents are
remembered. The pattern of violence in Inuvil began at about 12.45 to 12.50 pm. Inuvil is
about four miles from Jaffna town along the Kankesanthurai road. It was at one time
famous for its farms, musicians, and of course the Mcleod Hospital. Nowadays it limps
along like many a once- bustling village in Jaffna.

The initial burst of violence was at a barber saloon on KKS road in Inuvil. Three versions
were available as to what happened when this article was being written in the wee hours
of Friday Aug 5th. According to the Armed forces Five soldiers from the nearby Inuvil
camp had gone there for a hair cut. Three stood outside with the firearms of the other
two who were getting a shave and hair -cut inside.

One soldier outside had accidently triggered off a gun. The shots fired hit the two
barbers inside the saloon. 24 year old Jeyaseelan Shantharuban was fatally
wounded.The bullet had penetrated his eye. 27 year old Thevathasan Logathasan was
also injured.But this was due to slivers of a shattered mirror struck by a bullet.Both were
taken to hospital but Shantharuban succumbed to his wounds. Logathasan is receiving
medical treatment

The second version is that three soldiers went to the saloon . Two went in and wanted a
hair cut while the third stood outside. Apparently the hair dressers refused to oblige and
there was an argument. Suddenly the third soldier standing outside the saloon lost his
cool and opened fire on Shantharuban and Logathasan.

The third version is that illicit liquour was available at the saloon. Soldiers from the
nearny camp often dropped in for a quick session under the pretext of taking a hair cut or
shave. Five or six soldiers had come on Thursday too. They took turns in gulping down
the stuff with two or three soldiers going in and the others standing outside. Suddenly
there was gunfire. It is not clear as to whether it was due to an accident or the result of a
heated argument

Residents of Inuvil who heard the gunshots and got excited saw the soldiers running
away from the saloon towards their camp. They went in and saw the bleeding barbers.
They were taken to Jaffna hospital where Shantharuban died. Then according to some
sections of the media the people of Inuvil got angray and launched an agitation outside
the army camp. This led to further violence.

Army spokesperson Brigadier Daya Ratnayake has predictably come out with the
\"accident\" version. The tiger controlled media is naturally focussing on the \"argument\"
version. Only a few Inuvil residents talk hesitantly about the \"alcohol\" version.

Brig. Ratnayake has also gone on record that the soldiers had no need to patronise the
barber saloon. There were facilities to get a haircut within the camp itself . So the soldiers
should not have patronised the saloon. If this is strictly so then the chances of the
soldierly visit being to imbibe liquour seems more likely. Since the gunshots were heard
at about 12.45 - 12. 50 pm the army boys could have nipped out for an appetiser before
lunch.

Both the \"accident\" story and the \"argument\" story seem weak. It is extremely puzzling
that only the two Tamil barbers were hit in the gunfire fire. Was it sheer accident that the
Sinhala soldiers escaped unscathed?As far as the argument story goes Inuvil residents
say that soldiers regularly patronised the saloon for clandestine booze and a business -
oriented yet cordial relationship flourished. If so the question of the barbers refusing
does not arise.

According to Ratnayake the soldiers involved in the incident were arrested by the military
police. They are being detained in Palaly. After a military inquiry they may also be
subjected to a Police inquiry. Thereafter Judicial proceedings are likely to be instituted. If
this process gets underway more facts may come to light. That is if no attempts are made
to cover up and thwart justice.

The tiger controlled media in Jaffna and elsewhere report that people of the area got
enraged and started agitating in front of the army camp. Army vehicles were stoned.
Police reinforcements were called in. The mobs were tear gassed and baton charged.
Jaffna SP Charles Wijewardane came to the scene and tried to pacify the mob. He was
seixed by some angry people. He was later found hacked to death at a spot about one
km away from the Inuvil junction.

What the pro - tiger media is trying to do is simple. The idea is to convey an impression
to the world at large that enraged Tamil civilians are running berserk. Tamil mobs are
engaging in violence. Tamil mobs are to be blamed for the atrocious killing of \"King
Charlie\" is the story planted by the pro - tiger elements. Unfortunately sections of the
independent media too are taking their cue from this line of thought. As for the
Scandinavian monitoring mission their statements on the incident are of a \"blissfully
ignorant\" state.

What really transpired at Inuvil after the incident in the barber saloon seems drastically
different to what the tiger media are projecting. Information gleaned through a few
telephone calls and e - mails to Jaffna provide a different insight. The rationale that Inuvil
people are reacting violently and going on the rampage because a local boy was killed is
utterly incorrect.

Given the caste configuration of Jaffna those of the barber caste belong to the
\"panchamar\" or so called depressed sector. People of higher castes do not agitate or run
amok engaging in violence against the armed forces simply because an \"ambattap
podian\" (Barber youth) has been killed. Harsh and unjust as it is the caste reality of
Jaffna is exactly that. Moreover the Barber caste in any given locality is few in number.
Therefore they are incapable of mustering a large\"casteist\" mob in any area. Thus the
explanation that Inuvil people are violently protesting Shantharubans death is
unbelievable.

Furthermore Shantharuban is not even from Inuvil. He is from Kondavil. So too is the
injured Logathasan. They usually travelled down to Inuvil from Kondavil for business.
What is more Shantharuban is not even an original native of Kondavil. He is actually from
Trincomalee. It is widely suspected in Inuvil that Shantharuban was an undercover
intelligence wing cadre of the LTTE. The interaction with boozing soldiers at the saloon
was a stratagem to gather intelligence it is suspected.

So when Shantharuban was killed amid controversial circumstances by the army the
tigers went on the offensive. According to available information the \"known\" tiger
intelligence of the area Sudharshan and political wing head of the area Eeswaran arrived
on the scene with some other tigers and helpers at about 1. 30 pm. Eeswaran was earlier
in charge of Nallur and said to be responsible for the murder of Thambirajah Subathiran
alias Robert of the EPRLF on June 15th 2005. A tiger assassin took him out from a class
room building at Vembady Girls High school, Jaffna while Robert was exercising on the
balcony of his residence.

Soon the tiger \"agitprop\" machinery went into action. It has become a regular feature of
post - ceasefire Jaffna life for so called civilian protests to be staged at the drop of a
\"panankaai\" (palmyrah fruit).The tigers trigger a fracas for the flimsiest of reasons if and
when they desire it. If the armed forces block acknowledged \"tigresses\" from wearing a
belt \"some\" civilians of Jaffna assemble on the spot to protest. If an army vehicle knocks
down a cibilan accidentally a civilian \"mob\" converges immediately to agitate. When
Mahinda Rajapakse tried to visit a tsunami refugee camp a \"crowd\" gathered immediately
to throw excreta and stale food.

Only the naive and stupid will believe that all these are spontaneoius reactions of the
Jaffna Tamil masses. If the civilian public was really so fierce and emotional then they
should agitate and protest for a number of real or perceived injustices including those
committed by the LTTE. But no! these protests are most selective. They are only directed
at the armed forces, Police or perceived political enemies. The tigers and their
supporters are sacred cows. this is the state of things in Govt controlled Jaffna after the
ceasefire of Feb 23rd 2002 let loose hordes of tiger cadres into the peninsula to do
political work.

The tigers rely on three categories both separately and jointly to stage their so called
protests. The first category is of full - fledged tiger cadres. Some of them are openly
active as political cadres. Some adopt a low profile. But they arrive at a particular scene
and initiate action in the name of civilians. The second category is of students and young
people sympathetic to the LTTE. Some of them have arms and combat training but are
not full members of the LTTE. The third category is of anti - social, lumpen elements.
These people can be bought over easily and are also extremely thrilled at doing their
mite for the tigers.

So when there is an incident which the tigers want to exploit this \"combine\" arrives on the
scene promptly. The bulk of the agitators and protesters for a demonstration are brought
from outside. Once these \"outsiders\" arrive the protest against the Police or Security
forces of a particular place commences. The local population keeps away. The ordinary
people know that they will have to interact with the security forces and Police regularly in
day to day life. So they do not want to antagonize them unnecessarily.Moreover they
know that they will be \"marked\" if and when war erupts.

This is what happened in Inuvil. The LTTE manipulated \"mob\" sailing under false \"civilian\"
colurs got to work. The Inuvil camp was stoned. Tires were burnt on KKS road and
transport stopped. At least two army vehicles were stoned and mobbed. The Police were
called in. Together the cops and soldiers tear gassed the demonstrators. They were also
baton charged. Ordinary civilians would have dispersed. But not tigers and tigerish
acolytes in civilian garb.

Jaffna SP Charlie Wijewardane arrived at the scene to pacify the demonstrators. He tried
to get down from the vehicle and move into the crowd with some policemen to talk sense
and peace to what he thought was a civilian mob. A squad of tigers led by a cadre called
Eesan grabbed him and some cops suddenly and dragged them into the nearby
boutique. They were forcibly detained there. The tiger led mob then demanded that the
soldiers responsible for the shooting be handed over to them in exchange for
Wijewardana and the other cops.

With the other Policemen informing the soldiers of this development a platoon came in
and took up positions outside the boutique. Fearing that the soldiers were going to storm
in the LTTE came out with a deceptive exercise. They told the security forces that Jaffna
Political Commissar Ilamparithy was on his way. The soldiers were asked to wait till he
arrived. The army and Police swallowed the bait and began waiting for Ilamparithy.

Meanwhile the tigers and their minions stripped Wijewardane and dressed him in a
sarong. They swiftly whisked him away from the boutique through a backdoor while the
khakied boys maintained vigil outside. Charlie was then taken to another house nearby.
He was then tortured inside. How long this went on no one knows. He was then taken out
at dusk and hacked to death at Palavi Odai between Inuvil and Suthumalai. This was
about a km from Inuvil junction.

A telephone message was received by the Police at about 6 pm that the Jaffna SP\'s body
was lying near a paddy foeld. A search party was organized.His body was found at about
7 pm near a fence near a paddy field. Charlie was wearing a sarong and the uniform
tunic. His cap was also on his head. His trousers were crumpled nearby. It appeared that
the killers had tried to dress him up in uniform.

His body bore torture marks and cuts made by sharp instruments. There were no
gunshot wounds presumably to show that this was the work of an enraged mob and not
gun toting tigers. The body was taken to the Palaly military hospital. Even before the
body reached Palaly pictures of the murdered \"King Charlie\"were available on tiger
websites.

A curfew was declared intitially for the Chunnakam Police division and then for the entire
district. The time too was extended until 5 am Saturday August 6th. Once curfew was
declared the clashes ended and \"mobs\" of Inuvil dispersed. Also unknown at the time of
writing is the fate of at least three to six cops taken captive by the mob. Additional
soldiers are deployed in Inuvil and stationed at the Kandasamy temple premises
temporarily. The LTTE mouthpiece \"Tamilnet\" is complaining that normal life in Jaffna has
been affected by the curfew.

The reasons for the abduction and brutal murder of Charlie Wijewardane are not clear at
the moment. Was the whole episode deliberately planned from the start or was it an
exercise that went cruelly beyond limits? Was \"King Charlie\" a victim of circumstances
beyond anyones control or was he an innocent pawn in a calculated move by the LTTE
to provoke the security forces and Police? These are specific questions that need exact
answers.

There is one thing however that the family , friends and fans of \"King Charlie\" along with
the Country at large need to realise. He was not a victim of a mindless Tamil civilian mob
as it is made out by the tiger media. It is not as the \"Tamilnet\" says - \"The Police imposed
the curfew Thursday evening following the killing of Mr. Charles Wijewardene, Jaffna
Superintendent of Police by an angered crowd after the killing of a saloon employee by
SLA army soldiers\".

If the so called mob was indeed reacting to the shooting then their target should have
been the army and not the SP. The way in which he was seized and cunningly moved to
another house in a sarong suggests a calculated design not spontaneous mob violence.
Tiger cadres had also deceived soldiers that Ilamparithy was coming. This reveals tiger
complicity. Moreover a frenzied mob would have torn Wijewardane to shreds not taken
him captive, tortured him and then hacked him to death.

The brutal and cowardly murder of Charles Wijewardane was committed by the tigers and
their accomplices. It was not the handiwork of a civilian mob. The degenerate tigers are
shamelessly framing up civilians for a crime they committed.The LTTE must bear
responsibility. No amount of whitewashing by the Norwegians can change that. Let us
hope that Justice will be done in this incident at least .

In the meantime \"King Charlie\" will play no more rugger. He brought immense pleasure to
countless rugby fans in the seventies and early eighties. I for one cannot forget the 1979
season where he excelled. The memory of those magic boots sending the oval ball
straight between and over those posts from particular angles and difficult distances will
never fade. [Cross Currents - Sunday Leader, Aug 7, 2005]
]]> Sat, 06 Aug 2005 02:38:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/27280 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/26037 LTTE members attacked a Muslim tsunami relief camp in Periyapalama , Muttur causing injuries to a child and several other security forces members providing security to the camp this morning, police sources said
Injured soldiers and the child were admitted to Trincomalee hospital by naval troops.

The army spokesman Brigadier Daya Ratnayake confirmed that the attack had been carried by the LTTE.

This relief camp provides shelter to 250 Muslim refugees in Trincomalee district who were affected by the Tsunami disaster last year.

Meanwhile, the Muslim refugees reacted angrily against the attack

"This is how the LTTE treat tsunami affected Muslims. How do we expect such an organization to provide a service to the Muslim community in tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation" said a tsunami victim living in this camp.

Our Muttur correspondent claims that the Muslim anger and dissention against the PTOMS had been intensified with this incident.

"We can not expect LTTE to provide a fair service to our community, only a separate Muslim representation can ensure the rights and dignity of our community" another Muslim tsunami victim added
]]> Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:31:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/26037 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/26000
Latest CID investigations have revealed an LTTE plan to eliminate chief of army intelligence , Major General Kapila Hendavitharana. LTTE suspects arrested last week in the possession of arms are reported to have disclosed during interrogation the details of how they conducted secret surveillance on the movements of Maj. Gen. Hendavitharana of Sri Lankan inteligence.

The arrested gang had been entrusted the task of to eliminating the army intelligence chief with the help of other LTTE gangs operating in the city. The suspects had revealed that another gang operating along with them was responsible for the assassination of Major Muthalif.

The LTTE had also kept standby gang in readiness to make sure that Major Muthalif got killed in case the attempt of the pistol group on motor-bike failed.

The police sources claim that the arrested LTTE suspect Rajan alias S.K Kumar is one of the top intelligence wing leaders of the LTTE. He is reported to have divulged LTTE plans on future attacks in the city ..

Police had also got valuable information on several Sinhalese persons abetting LTTE activities in Colombo. The main suspect, Sanjeewa, who was an editor of several newspapers was arrested in Rakwana.He had allegedly used his press identity card, vehicles and other facilities given to him as a journalist to obtain information about Army members and pass it on to the to the LTTE.

Meanwhile,it is also revealed that more Sinhalese are abetting LTTE cadres in Colombo in return for LTTE ‘s assistance to promote their business in the LTTE held areas in the North East Sri Lanka.

The police arrests of the LTTE intelligence members and their supporters last week is a major break through for the police department, according to police. ]]> Mon, 11 Jul 2005 13:31:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/26000 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24869 (http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=14528) Photos

The Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tamil Tiger of Eelam agreed to a permanent ceasefire in 2001 as part of the Norwegian initiative to end decades of violence in North East regions of Sri Lanka. This move was happily welcome by Tamils in Amparai and Batticaloa area who were agonized by the prolonged war.

However, the plight of Batticaloa and Amparai Tamils still remains far from “normalcy”.

The systematical elimination of alternative Tamil political parties by LTTE pistol groups in Batticaloa town on the orders from LTTE intelligence Chief Pottu Amman and the intense child recruitment drive, agonized the lives of Tamil in the Eastern region, days after the ceasefire agreement which amounts to placing the people of the region on a daily nightmarish situation with sickening regularity.

LTTE spies quite openly hang out with cell phones. When they spot a target they summon the death squads, who would come promptly on motorcycles or auto rickshaws.

The ground situation in Amparai and Batticaloa areas was dramatically changed with the rebellion of Col. Karuna who demanded regional autonomy and revolted against the LTTE leadership in Wanni.

Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan a.k.a "Col." Karuna alias Karuna Amman was the longest-serving regional commander of the LTTE. The Eastern commander had been in charge of Batticaloa and Amparai districts in the Eastern Province since 1987.

Karuna's complaints about discriminatory treatment of the East by the northern LTTE were real. The two main groups that supported his rebellion were eastern traders and the educated classes, particularly a significant section of the Eastern University. Eastern University north of Batticaloa had been closely watched and controlled by Pottu Amman's Intelligence Wing in a bid to stamp out any show of 'regionalism'. There was at the university a clear show of support for Karuna. Pottu Amman's men in quick succession made attempts on the lives of Acting Dean of the Agriculture faculty, Dr. T. Thiruchelvam, and Government Agent Ratnam Mounagurusamy, who both narrowly escaped, according to University Teachers for Human Rights Jaffna.

Many facts on the assassinations and assassination bids were twisted attributed to the Karuna faction by the LTTE dominated Tamil media in Sri Lanka. However, the ground reality speaks differently.

“ I fear that my son will abducted by the LTTE suspecting him a Karuna supporter, “ said an elderly father who was worried of the safety of his son.

“ Why we Batticaloa Tamils have to live in the agony, we do not want Eelam or Sri Lanka but we need peace “ said another distressed parent.

A teacher of a leading school in Batticaloa told that the neither Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission nor Government of Sri Lanka take adequate steps to protect the lives of the people.

“ LTTE can move freely from house to house killing whoever they want and the Karuna faction will subsequently take revenge. The killing will not end,”he added.

It is further reported that the youths who were earlier disbanded from the LTTE cadres on the orders of Col. Karuna are now seeking to take up arms and join the Karuna’s ranks for survival from the haunting LTTE’s pistol groups, according to another teacher.

Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarians come under heavy criticism for failing to protect the people.

“TNA MP’s need to figure out whether they are working for the LTTE or for the people” said a Tamil government official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

- Asian Tribune -
]]> Wed, 25 May 2005 10:18:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24869 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24820

Journalism VS Propaganda (Ganapati Column) By Kanapathy Uthayamoorty

http://www.asiantruth.com/journalist1.htm

Misdirection of foreign concern on Tamil Struggle in Sri Lanka.- UTHR - J

http://www.asiantruth.com/mis1.htm

A North Korean Perspective By Yong Kyeong Roo

http://www.asiantruth.com/nk.htm



*************************************************************************
The Asian Truth is an online research journal highlighting the "spinning," distortion and misinterpretation of news reports and features published in the print media. Our aim is to provide the public with an alternative and more balanced perspective. We are presently focusing on countering extremist propaganda from elements in the Sinhalese, Tamil, Islamic extremist and Christian right-wing media.
**************************************************************************]]> Sun, 22 May 2005 13:38:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24820 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24663 When you're sick and tired of living, you don't have to get into politics to get on a terrorist's hit list - equally free and gratis and equally painful is the death you can experience at the Negombo hospital which notched up its second hit in a row on April 26th.

Nice of them not to seek any political mileage out of this butchering by calling a Press conference and telling the world of their bloody deeds....and it reads like something from Ripley's Believe -it- or -not .

Having made their mark in terrorism by nonchalantly lopping off Sithy Nazeera's leg just over a month ago, the Gestapo from the Negombo Archipelago got on the scent of another victim, their Cloaks and Daggers at the ready. This time around it was a more refined type of kill - and kill they did, just pump her full of the wrong blood group and watch her wax cold in death.

Shiroma Doreen Fernando had not the faintest idea that the blood infused into her veins was to end with her suddenly jack-knifing in spasms that wrung the life out of her...and the white clad Angels of Death, doctors and nurses, would by now have dreamed up another sickening story to hoodwink the public while the late Mrs.Fernando's husband and children remain numbed with shock, unable and unwilling to accept this curse that surges through their senses ..." Amma has died ".

Amma was buried. And is that how it all ends - not with a bang but a whimper? the heart rending whimper of children suddenly left motherless.. of a husband suddenly having just a wedding photograph .. and pain for a memory. ?
But why make a fuss over the death of some woman.

As with Sithy Nazeera's case, one cannot really blame the Health Ministry for not launching an investigation into the death of some non-entity of a woman.

Question is "How much will the doctors offer her husband to sign a document saying it was he who brought the blood from an outside source labelled with his wife's blood group identification."

Can't rightly blame those nice but naïve people over at the Asian Human Rights Commission for sincerely believe they could get an impartial inquiry moving anywhere in this country.

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said in a release today that they had received information regarding the death of a woman, due to a post-surgery transfusion of the incorrect blood type, at the Negombo Base Hospital on 26 April 2005.


Shiroma Doreen Fernando reportedly died due to a transfusion with the incorrect blood type. She was operated to remove swelling from her womb.

"The death of Mrs Fernando is yet another serious case of medical negligence on the part of authorities at the Negombo Base Hospital. On 1 March 2005, doctors at the same hospital mistakenly amputated a woman's healthy leg, after she was admitted for a minor illness.

To date, there has been no investigation or inquiry conducted into the death of Mrs Fernando. The hospital authorities and all others involved in the administration of the incorrect blood type have not been charged. No assistance or compensation has been made available to the victim's family. Her husband is now pursuing the case." stated the release.

AHRC also appealed for immediate measures from the officials on this incident.

However, the Medical Superintend for the Negombo hospital, Dr. Champika Wicramasighe told lankamuslims.com that the hospital is conducting an impartial investigation.

As impartial as the inquiry into Sithy Nazeera's case ?
]]> Sat, 14 May 2005 10:27:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24663 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24662 The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has demanded an immediate and urgent inquiry by the authorities into the Sithy Nazeera tragedy.Sithy Nazeera suffered the amputation of a healthy limb because hospital surgical staff did not care to ascertain her identity before the amputation.

"Despite the matter receiving widespread publicity, no inquiries into this incident have yet been conducted either on the basis of criminal negligence by the police or on the basis of the negligence of doctors and the hospital by the health ministry or any other medical authority. Meanwhile, the victim has submitted an affidavit to the Ministry of Healthcare, Nutrition and Uva Wellassa Development, the Inspector General of Police and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, stating the circumstances in which her leg was amputated" the AHRC said in its release.

"Sithy has also made a written complaint to the officer-in-charge of the Negombo Police and the Senior Superintendent of that station. However, despite these formal complaints being made, none of the authorities have yet conducted any inquiry or even visited her to record her statement. Sithy is in no position to walk due to the amputation. She is also still living in a state of shock due to this incident.

In the meantime, two doctors and a police sub inspector attached to the Negombo Police Station have visited Sithy's house twice and stated that if she signs a document the doctors are willing to pay her Rs. 200,000 (USD 2,000), which she has refused. Thereafter, a broker has brought a document written in English, a language she does not understand, asking her to sign it stating that if she does so the doctors are willing to give her some compensation. This too, Sithy has refused to sign. Thus, the only action that has been taken is to bring about pressure on the victim to give up her complaint

In addition, a voluntary organisation helping the victim and a local provincial newspaper have been approached by some doctors trying to discourage them from assisting the victim. The message from the Negombo Hospital authorities has been that if the doctors are criticised for some 'small mistake', they will be discouraged from doing their duties. Such pressure is perceived as an attempt to isolate the victim, who is poor and weak, and thus persuade her to withdraw her complaints." the statement further added.

http://www.lankamuslims.com/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=458Itemid=1
]]> Sat, 14 May 2005 10:21:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24662 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24519 By Dr. Thrishantha Nanayakkara

I believe many Sri Lankans have already read about the mobile robot MURALI (Moratuwa University Robot for Anti-Landmine Intelligence) that was developed by the local researchers to detect landmines. It was a dream of my research group who developed the mobile robot MURALI to present the work in the world's largest robotics conference known as the IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

It is a dream of any researcher in the field of robotics to attend to this conference, because there one gets the opportunity to meet all the leaders in the field and to start strong scientific collaborations with researchers sharing similar interests.

My research paper that I submitted jointly with some other scientists in the Robotics Institute of the Carnegie Mellon University, USA, which is a leader in robotics in the world, was accepted to be presented at the ICRA2005 conference held in Barcelona Spain from 18th - 22nd April, 2005.

While I was a graduate student, I presented research papers in over twenty international conferences. But this time it was different due to two reasons.

One was that this time I represent my own country as a senior lecturer of a State University, and present something that was done on Sri Lankan soil.

The other was that I was supposed to present an advanced robotics application in a real world application of faster and safer landmine detection to change the lives of many those who suffer in the North and the East of my country.

The National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka that funded the research project extended their support by allocating funds to cover my travel to Barcelona.

The University of Moratuwa granted me leave and allocated funds to support the conference registration fees. I reserved air-tickets and lodging in Barcelona. It was only a matter of securing to fly to Barcelona, Spain. I called the Spanish Embassy to see how I can proceed with the Visa application. They recommended me to go through the French embassy because that should logically be the easiest way since the French embassy issues Schengen Visa for France, Spain, and Portugal, whereas, the Spanish high commission has to send my passport to India to get the Visa issued.

Therefore, I had to go through the French embassy. I had all the documents required such as the invitation letters from the conference organizers, letters from the University approving my visit, travel insurance, bank statements, hotel reservation documents, and the fund approval letters from the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka to attend the conference.

While in Japan and the US as a graduate student and a postdoctoral research fellow, securing Visa to attend international conferences was not an issue to worry about, because the officers in those embassies are well educated about the importance of such visits. But I knew that while in Sri Lanka, the case could be different because different embassies treat brown people in different ways due to the ignorance of the Visa officers who are employed in some embassies in Asian countries. But the following story showed me that the process is more than a tough process but one that can end up in a nightmare ruining your future.

I started the process of applying for Visa a little more than one month before I was supposed to leave. Once I went to the French embassy located in the Rosmeid Place around 7 o'clock in the morning. The line was already full. I was told that only fifteen applications are taken everyday. To get into that first fifteen, people have to come early in the morning and wait till 9.30 in the morning. Therefore, the first day was not for me. It reminded me how fair the American embassy was. People could submit applications on arrival and they were issued numbers so that everybody gets an opportunity to submit their applications well ahead in advance.

Next day, I came at 4 o'clock in the morning. Somebody in the line said the first fifteen are already there. This time, I decided to wait till the first fifteen are taken. Around 7 o'clock in the morning the real applicants started to arrive. Most of those who were in the line were a gang that organized to reserve the place at a fee

. Being a researcher in a Government University, I did not feel like paying them to keep a place for me. Instead, I suggested an officer in the embassy to issue numbers to those who were in the line with a legitimate passport. This was not an original idea. That was my experience in the American Embassy. People are not harassed, and the whole process looked far more civilized. Obviously, I had little time to waste in such lines. Waking up in the mid-night and driving to the embassy just to wait in a line of only fifteen to submit the Visa application form at 9.30 in the morning was an utter waste of time. Yet, the officer reminded me that French do not listen to what Sri Lankans’ suggest. But I never wanted to argue. I just made a suggestion a solution to some apparent problem that was the normal practice in the daily life of many of the civilized countries I have been to.

While I was in the embassy, some Europeans came to get some other work done. There was a sharp difference between the way the officers in the embassy treated and talked to them compared to how I was treated. There was a great sense of respect and gentleness in the conversation. It quickly explained me many things. The officers had a racist, discriminative attitude towards Sri Lankans.

No matter how busy the Sri Lankans maybe, they did not seem to care about the pain and their time. They just let them waiting in the line in the hot sun when they could think of a better system. For the officers, those Sri Lankans waiting in the hot sun were no different to the slaves in their colonies. Yet, nobody dared to speak due to the extreme powers the Visa office had to decide one's future. The bad track record of the French embassy escalated the fear and suspicion that they would abuse their sweeping powers to discriminate people.

Consequently, I had to try this painful waiting game three times. On the third day, an officer told us that he would issue numbers the next day and that he would come at 9 o'clock and make sure people get the due opportunity.

On the fourth day, we decided to come as early as possible in the morning. Now I had few friends who faced the same agony several times. We waited in the line. This time, I was within the first 17 people. The officer who promised to come at 9 o'clock, never turned up. No numbers were issued to the people in the line. He had lied us. Anyway, I was taken in around 10 o'clock in the morning and interviewed.

The Visa office was very different from the ones I had seen before. Somebody interviewed me while chatting with about four people who seemed to have paid casual visits to the room. They were just chatting, laughing, and walking around. I was wondering how a Visa officer could concentrate in such an environment. One of them took my passport from the table and turned through the pages and told something in French to others that made all of them laugh.

Then, one asked me whether I had really visited US and Japan. It was not a question to be asked because my student Visa was on the passport. Then, the only person who seemed to be official asked me what the conference was. Then I answered that it is the International Conference of Robotics and Automation 2005. Then she asked me what I was going to present. I said it is about a mobile robot that can walk in a field of landmines to detect them. People in the room treated me with a sarcastic look, as if they did not believe that Sri Lankans could do such research especially while working in Sri Lanka.

Once again, somebody said something in French. Everybody laughed. I was the subject of a big joke. I must compare this situation with the graceful interviews in the American and Japanese embassies that I have experienced. In those embassies, only one officer interviews you in a much focused conversation. You are never laughed at. The whole environment looks far more civilized.

Then, she asked me whether there is any relevance of my presentation in this conference. I thought it was obvious, because the conference had decided to include my paper in the list of presentations. But I patiently explained the relevance of my work to this conference to this senseless lady.

I was asked to submit few missing documents like detailed bank statements for the last three months by 12.30 on the following Monday (11th, April). In the guidelines for Visa applicants, it mentions about documents to prove assets in Sri Lanka. It is only in the interview I was told that I am required to submit detailed bank statements for three months. My documents of land deeds were not what French meant by assets. However, I made sure to submit these documents before the deadline. I was asked to come to collect my passport on the 13th of April.

By then I had purchased tickets to leave on 15th of April. By this time, I had spent more than a month collecting documents and waiting in the world's most amazing line to get within the first fifteen. My head of department in the University knows the nightmare I underwent, because I had to cancel lectures, meetings, and other official duties many times during this month. However, that is what any researcher had to face if he/she decided to return back to Sri Lanka to contribute to the country's image in the world of science. I am aware that the Sri Lankan authorities are doing their best to change this situation.

On 13th April, I went to the French embassy to find that my Visa had been rejected. Amidst all international recognition of the work we had done, amidst all official documents from the University and the National Science Foundation, amidst all invitation letters that quoted web-sites where my name was displayed among the list of invitees, a racist Visa officer could block the massive opportunity for our country and my career. If one wishes to check, please visit the web-site: www.icra2005.org

I asked for the reason why they did not allow me to attend the conference. They refused to explain the reason why my Visa was rejected despite my submission of all those official documents.

Now what happens to all those plans to start new collaborations? What happens to all those opportunities to build new contacts and bring credibility to my country? I was clueless. I called the Dean of the faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa to seek help. As usual, he responded quickly.

The best he could do was to make a request from the consulate general to educate us as to what was wrong in the application, so that we can try again. He had told the consulate general that this conference is of utmost importance to the scientific research program in the University. Yet, the consulate general had refused to give the reason.

The end result of this whole affair of returning to Sri Lanka, carrying out some relevant research, achieving results amidst hardships, getting research papers accepted in recognized international conferences, and securing state sponsorship to attend the conference, was finding myself at a dead end decided by a Visa officer who does not give a reason for rejecting my Visa. If there is nobody in this country who can at least get me the reason why my Visa was rejected, does that mean that the most important decision regarding our scientific programs can be taken by some racist Visa officer? Who is going to pay compensation for the damage they caused to the value of my passport without giving any reason why they did it? Do I have to bear that for trying to work for the country?

Against this racist discriminations and harassments to local scientists who go abroad to popularize local inventions, what can we do? Can we trust the famous international human rights organizations to stand by us? Never! Yet, there are few things that we can do in a peaceful but powerful framework.

First, all scientists in Sri Lanka, let us make this a point to make a new-year resolution to get together to achieve our common dream of making our beautiful, warm country, a prosperous country, by venturing more into advanced research projects that can make a tangible difference in the economy. We should understand that most foreigners will like us to stay dependant, export raw material and slaves, while buying their finished products. Donors will give us fish but never a fishing rod that will make us independent. They know that the way out from this vicious cycle for countries like ours is local research and development that was vibrant in the pre-colonial era. Few civilized countries will support it, but this experience is good evidence that there are foreigners who will use their extreme powers at the point of issuing Visa to block such advancements in a systematic manner.

Second, our Sri Lankan authorities should try their best to support Sri Lankan researchers to organize international research conferences in Sri Lanka, so that our researchers do not have to face harassments from racist embassies. The purpose of hosting more international scientific conferences in Sri Lanka is only to provide enhanced opportunities for local researchers to get an opportunity to mix with other researchers.

An example is the International Conference of Information and Automation ( www.icia2005.mrt.ac.lk) I am organizing together with the IEEE Sri Lanka section to be held in Sri Lanka in December, 2005. Amidst all the enthusiasm shown by the Sri Lankan researchers, I am yet to secure a decent sponsorship to host the conference in Sri Lanka. The Ministries that have a mandate to foster scientific advancement in the country should pay serious attention to supporting this kind of efforts.

Third, we can stimulate a phenomenal rate of regional growth if South Asian researchers come together around common goals. Through a scientific forum like a future "SAARC forum for regional scientific cooperation", we could exchange scientific ideas, collaborate, organize regional scientific conferences, and work together to realize common regional dreams. My colleagues in India used to say that the recent scientific advancements in the region has at least made sure that the future colonialists will think twice before attacking the peace loving people in South Asia. There are many common causes around which we can get together, an elaboration of which is beyond the focus of this article. If the region revives its innovative culture lost during the colonial suppression, our scientists will not have to face any racist discrimination like what I faced at the French Embassy in Sri Lanka. Therefore, I request the foreign ministry to start a dialogue with the SAARC countries to start such a forum. If any of the Excellencies in the SAARC foreign missions reads this article, I humbly request you to take the initiative through your respective Governments.

Finally, I wish to emphasize that I have no intention to disgrace the people in France or the Government of France. I just wanted to raise a voice against apparent abusing of power at the point of issuing Visa to impede the advancement of local research projects. Had the embassy have the slightest desire to help Sri Lanka's scientific advancement, they had ample evidence to check the validity of my application, advice me as to the chances of being rejected before stamping Visa refusal stamp on my passport, because the University and the National Science Foundation, having gone through the relevant documents carefully, had issued me letters recommending the Visa office to issue me Visa. I just have a remote hope that the supreme Sri Lankan authorities will at least make an effort to get me a clarification as to why my Visa application was rejected. I hope I have the right to know that. I hope somebody will do it in the name of Sri Lankan science.

* Dr. Thrishantha Nanayakkara

* Schengen Visa

* www.icra2005.org

* www.icia2005.mrt.ac.lk




]]> Sun, 08 May 2005 04:20:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24519 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24496
JVP top rungers told President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday that the proposed three -tiered national, district and regional level joint mechanism to distribute tsunami aid would give the LTTE enhanced official recognition far and above that given by the Ranil-LTTE MOU but stopped short of maintaining its earlier confrontationist posture on the issue with the President.

The SLFP was represented by the president, prime minister and leading SLFP ministers of the UPFA government while the JVP was represented by Tilvin Silva, Wimal Weerawansa, Vijitha Herath, Sunil Handunnethi and Bimal Ratnayake.

The president told the JVP that the structure of the joint mechanism comprised a regional level structure, district and a national level structure. The regional level structure would consist of five LTTE representatives, three Muslim representatives as well as two government representatives while the district level structure would have government officials from the district secretary's office, the national structure consist of representatives one each from LTTE, Government and Muslim community, the sources said.

A spokesman for the JVP said however that the party would not soften on its hard-line stance regarding the joint mechanism.

However, LTTE member will be nominated as the chairman of regional level committees in the Tamil predominant areas while a Muslim member will be nominated as the chairman of regional level committees in the Muslim dominated areas.

The above structures will plan the rehabilitation and reconstruction projects in the North East and monitor the progress of the developments. The structures will also coordinate with the Ministry of finance for the monetary matters, sources added.

The President had informed the JVP representatives that the LTTE had already given their consent to this proposal. However, the JVP representatives had pointed out that this proposal will give more official recognition to the LTTE organization and a step forward than the previously signed MOU between the former Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasigha and the leader of the LTTE.

Meanwhile, both the JVP and the SLFP had agreed to hold more discussions on the matter, sources further added.]]> Sat, 07 May 2005 11:01:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24496 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24393 A Sri Lankan scientist claimed that he was racially abused at the French embassy in Colombo last week before being denied a visa to Europe.

Dr. Thrishantha Nanayakkara, the world renowned robotics scientist and the inventor of the landmine removal robot MURALI (Moratuwa University Robot for Anti-Landmine Intelligence) made this allegation after he was refused a visa to attend International Conference of Robotics and Automation held in Barcelona, Spain.

“People in the room treated me with a sarcastic look, as if they did not believe that Sri Lankans could do such research especially while working in Sri Lanka,” Dr Nanayakkara recounted his experience at the embassy. “Once again, somebody said something in French. Everybody laughed. I was the subject of a big joke.”

He alleges that they even questioned the authenticity of the other visas on his passport.

“One of them took my passport from the table and browsed through the pages and told something in French to others that made all of them laugh,” he said. “Then, one asked me whether I had really visited US and Japan.”

The French embassy refused to issue the visa after making the scientist visit embassy six times. Dr. Nanayakkara claims that he presented all the documentary evidence requested by them. The French embassy has refused to disclose the reasons for the visa refusal.

Analysts believe that this was a deliberate attempt on the part of the French government to stifle scientific progress in developing countries. They believe this stems from institutionalised racism that is prevalent in the country.

“Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, end where third world begins.” human rights acitivist Thushara De Silva said. “Even inside France, violence against the minorities is on the rise. The French authorities have been involved in some of these violent attacks, and police routinely torture minorities in its custody. If that’s the way they treat French citizens of different skin colour, people applying for visas shouldn’t really expect more.”

“Against this racist discriminations and harassments to local scientists who go abroad to popularize local inventions, what can we do?” asks Dr. Nanayakkara. “Can we trust the famous international human rights organizations to stand by us?”

“We should understand that most foreigners will like us to stay dependant, export raw material and slaves, while buying their finished products,” the scientist added. “Donors will give us fish but never a fishing rod that will make us independent.”

“They know that the way out from this vicious cycle for countries like ours is local research and development that was vibrant in the pre-colonial era,” he lamented “Few civilized countries will support it, but this experience is good evidence that there are foreigners who will use their extreme powers at the point of issuing VISA to block such advancements in a systematic manner.” ]]> Sun, 01 May 2005 11:30:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24393 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24381 “Nobody really wants peace. The government wants foreign aid while the LTTE wants to expand their rule and power. Innocent Tamil people are suffering as a result “said a Denmark based Tamil businessman.

“Sivaram is the latest victim of violence based politics! LTTE is killing other Tamils who are opposed to LTTE ideology and anti-LTTE forces who are armed are targeting suspected LTTE sympathisers for revenge. I don’t know where this will end” he added.

Another Tamil living in Denmark commented that the international community and media movements must stand against atrocities irrespectively of the perpetrator.

“When Nadesan was killed, many stood up for him. When the journalist Kamalanathan who wrote against the LTTE was killed, none came forward to condemn it” he complained.

S. Kamalanathan, a former member of TELO and provincial correspondent for the Tamil newspaper, ‘Thinamurusu’ was shot to death by the LTTE after being abducted.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Democratic forum from Denmark also condemned the killing of Sivaram.

“In spite of the ceasefire agreement signed three years ago by the warring parties, the country is daily confronted with murder and other crimes committed in the name of nationalism and freedom. Both the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are to be held responsible for these crimes.

The Tamil Democratic forum urge the Danish as well as the rest of the International society to condemn these actions and put pressure on both parties to find a sustainable solution to end the ethnic feud that has raged the country for more than 20 years and cost over 70,000 innocent human lives.” added the press release.

http://www.theacademic.org/]]> Sat, 30 Apr 2005 10:28:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24381 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24360 By Udara Soysa in Colombo, Fri 29th April 09:30GMT. Dharamartnam Sivaram, alias Tharaki, was abducted last Thursday and found dead with gunshot injuries . His body was found near the Japan-Sri Lanka Friendship Bridge today.

Sivaram was once a member of the armed wing of the People’s Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). He later left the party and worked as a journalist, aligning with the LTTE. He was also a columnist to the Daily Mirror and the editor of the tamilnet.com web site.

Sivaram was abducted by four men in a Toyota SUV, outside a Bambalapitiya Restaurant, in front of the police station, according to sources.

A Tamil language daily Virakesari reported that Sivaram had left his house for a movie according to his wife. Kusal Perera, a freelance journalist said that he, Sivaram, Ravi Kumudesh and Prasannna Ratnayake came out of the Bambalapitiya restaurant at about 10.25 PM yesterday night.

Kusal Perera also stated that both Ravi Kumudesh and Prasanna Ratnayakae went in the direction of the Bambalapitiya market to get their bus while he and Sivaram went in the opposite direction to a nearby bus stand.

Perera states that Sivaram had then received a phone call on his mobile and started walking towards Devos lane. While he was in conversation, three persons are said to have alighted from an ash colored SUV and shoved him into the jeep. When Perera came forward calling for Sivaram, two unknown persons had chased him until he climbed into a nearby bus.

On arriving home, Perera had informed others and the wife of Sivaram about the incident. Meanwhile the wife of the slain journalist had told him that Sivaram informed her that he was going to be late. She also said that a friend of Sivaram had phoned to inform her about the kidnapping and that she could not contact her husband on his mobile phone, the Thinakural report added.

Meanwhile, the LTTE media blamed the government directly for the killing while the defense spokesperson Brigadier Daya Ratnayake condemned the abduction and said that the authorities will take all measures to investigate into the matter.

Political abduction has become a common phenomenon in Sri Lanka. Many Tamil political activists have been kidnapped by the LTTE during the ceasefire period.The kidnap and murder of Sivaram is also widely seen as being part of the internal clashes between LTTE Karuna- Prabhakaran factions.

The Karuna group previously murdered Nadesan, (Batticaloa correspondent of the Virakesari) while the Batticaloa correspondent of the anti-LTTE weekly Thinamurasu was shot dead by the Prabhakaran group. ]]> Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:20:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24360 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24104
MANAMA

A PREGNANT Sri Lankan woman was beaten with a plastic hose by her Bahraini husband, after she refused to abort the baby. The 34-year-old woman was extremely lucky not to lose the baby, said doctors at Salmaniya Medical Complex.

The woman, who is four months pregnant, was attacked when her jobless husband turned up at the hotel where she works, at around 2.30pm.

Scared colleagues, ran off leaving her alone with her husband, she said.

"He pushed me to the floor and started beating me with the hose, he was so angry," said the woman, who works as a cashier.

"He said he wanted me to get rid of the baby, but I told him I wanted to keep our baby.

"Nobody helped me."

Staff alerted the police, who later arrested the 32-year-old man.

The woman spent two days in hospital with severe bruising, but later took her husband back after he signed a court pledge never to attack her again.

"He's my husband. I have no other family in Bahrain and I do not want to go back to Sri Lanka," she said.

"Besides, my husband is unemployed and has no one else to support him."

Police made the man sign a legal document stating that he would no longer beat his wife up.

Another such incident will land him a jail term, it said.

Doctors at the SMC said that she was extremely lucky that she did not lose her baby.

"He says now he is sorry and wants the baby," said the woman, who has an 11-year-old child from a previous marriage.

Her first husband is Sri Lankan and lives in Sri Lanka with their son.


Note:-

[B] An international efforts are needed to safe guard the labourers of developing countries in the middle east [/]]]> Thu, 21 Apr 2005 09:43:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/24104 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/23698

cheers,

Udara]]> Tue, 12 Apr 2005 11:16:00 EDT http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/23698 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/23357
On 1st March in the wake of LTTE accusations against the Government, President Kumaratunge appointed a commission comprising two judges to probe attacks on LTTE personnel. Whichever way one looks at it, it is a belated and intriguing exercise in accountability. To begin with the LTTE’s complaint is not new. It has regularly blamed the government forces for all killings of political activists and civilians in the ‘government controlled’ areas. The number is above 150, nearly all of them opponents of the LTTE. Not only was the Government too cowardly to investigate these, it lent complicity to covering these up. Early in the peace process, the Defence Minister under Prime Minister Wickremasinghe dismissed well-founded reports of child conscription by the LTTE as gossip. Following the assassination of senior EPRLF(V) leader T. Subathiran in June 2003, strong evidence was produced identifying LTTE’s Nallur ‘political commissar Easwaran as the chief operator in the assassination. The Police did not even question him.

Matters did not improve when President Kumaratunge, after criticising Wickremasinghe’s management, took personal control of defence. The same month, on 28th November 2003, the LTTE brutally hacked to death 3 Muslim farmers near Kinniya. One survivor escaped to reveal the facts. Trincomalee’s police chief SSP Upali Hewage dismissed the atrocity as a land dispute between Muslims and Tamils.


Most bizarre was the Government’s attitude to the suicide assassination attempt on Minister for Hindu Affairs, Mr. Douglas Devananda on 7th July 2004. The suicide attack during a peace process was a clear revelation of the LTTE as an institution. The plot involved a woman who had a long association with the EPDP introducing the bomber to Devananda as a supplicant for a job. The bomber was a former LTTE woman cadre who tried to return to civilian life and became very upset after a marriage was arranged and the bridegroom’s party pulled out at the last minute.

Following the failed attempt, President Kumaratunge’s untimely spokesman Harim Peiris went public to say in effect that the failed attempt was an internal matter, to say nothing of the five policeman killed when the bomber blew herself up: "It is the LTTE going after a political opponent”, he said. "It is that and absolutely nothing else. It [the LTTE] is resorting to violence to kill an opponent; it is not reverting to hostilities.” The opposition UNP spokesman Ravindra Randeniya found in the suicide blast “evidence that President Chandrika Kumaratunga should take the peace process seriously”. In getting this hapless girl to blow herself up the LTTE was evidently resolving a legitimate internal matter or was working harder to find a settlement along democratic federal lines!

As for the UNP, it has continuously played the game of thwarting all attempts at a permanent solution, feeding off chaos and anarchy. While gloating over the fact that the Karuna split had weakened the LTTE, the UPFA government had meekly allowed the Vanni faction to make a bloody conquest of Batticaloa, doing nothing to protect the people and children. Tamils killing Tamils was good news. For the people of the East it was the worst of all worlds.

The new priority for the Government and the security forces was to make a show of being very impartial as regards the two LTTE factions. The Government and the STF chief Nimal Lewke have tried to impress the Vanni faction by repeating umpteen times the incident where the STF shot dead a Karuna man after he killed Vanni faction’s Jude in Akkaraipattu. One wonders what the Judges on the commission would make of that.


The Tamil people have complained since 1984 that the STF did not know the law. There was never any suggestion that the Karuna man who shot Jude posed a threat to the STF. The STF’s brief was to arrest him and charge him in court, not murdering him to score brownie points with the LTTE.


President Kumaratunge’s appointment of a commission to look into attacks on the LTTE is a caricature of accountability against the record of a systematic cover up of attacks on all others. The people of the North-East have since the 1970s demanded accountability from Colombo. Hopes that were raised when Kumaratunge came to power were dashed in 1995 when the LTTE unconscionably restarted the war. When Air Force bombing killed about 120 refugees in the Navaly church precincts on 10th July 1995 and 45 civilians including about 24 school children at a gathering in Nagar Kovil two months later, accountability was rudely denied. The LTTE was not blameless in the two incidents. But what stayed in the people’s minds was the Government’s arrogance. The same trend continued, such as when the STF in 1996 detained two innocent youths in Kalmunai, murdered them, claimed credit and were rewarded for ostensibly preventing the assassination of visiting ministers.

Arrogance had its price. Today imagination has failed; the institutions of state, the Government and the Opposition have been reduced to the Ludicrous.

What can the new presidential commission do? Find out that one military intelligence official or the other kept links with Karuna contrary to orders that were not seriously meant? The perspective is all wrong. The Government must be accountable first and foremost to the people of the North-East, not to the LTTE. The handling of the Karuna split was scandalous from the very beginning.

]]> Fri, 01 Apr 2005 09:48:00 EST http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/23357 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/23308
In the aftermath of the tsunami warning yesterday early morning (29'th), more than 10 people are reported killed due to accidents due to the panic situation Some are reported to have died from heart attacks too, according to sources.

Thousands from Eastern Sri Lanka fled their homes for safe places and Mohammad Riyaz from Samanthurai was killed when his motorbike collided with a van. Many died in similar scrambles in the coastal areas of the country.


Another victim is reported to have committed suicide by hanging himself from a rubber tree after hearing about possible tsunami threats in Kalutara.

http://lankamuslims.com/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=274Itemid=63]]> Wed, 30 Mar 2005 08:37:00 EST http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/23308 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/23237 Meanwhile unconfirmed reports also claimed of yet another possible earthquake within the next one and a half hours. The initial quake which struck Sumatra just a little more than an hour back was given a magnitude of 8.2. The magnitude of last year’s quake was 9.0.
]]> Mon, 28 Mar 2005 13:38:00 EST http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/23237 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/22803 "The tree is free at last."

She said the ruling was a triumph for traditional knowledge and practices, giving millions in developing countries the right to use their natural resources.

Sri Lanka

Environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardhana told BBC Sandeshaya that many trees in Sri Lanka have been victims of "bio- pirates".

"Patents were taken for seven varieties of the Binara tree, nine types of Murutha tree and many herbal mixtures," Gunawardhana said.

He said four Patents were taken only for Sri Lanka's Kohombo (Margosa) tree and there are about 80-100 Patents for Sri Lanka's trees and herbs. More...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2005/03/050309_kohomba_ruling.shtml
]]> Sat, 12 Mar 2005 13:49:00 EST http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/22803 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/22802 "The tree is free at last."

She said the ruling was a triumph for traditional knowledge and practices, giving millions in developing countries the right to use their natural resources.

Sri Lanka

Environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardhana told BBC Sandeshaya that many trees in Sri Lanka have been victims of "bio- pirates".

"Patents were taken for seven varieties of the Binara tree, nine types of Murutha tree and many herbal mixtures," Gunawardhana said.

He said four Patents were taken only for Sri Lanka's Kohombo (Margosa) tree and there are about 80-100 Patents for Sri Lanka's trees and herbs. More...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2005/03/050309_kohomba_ruling.shtml
]]> Sat, 12 Mar 2005 13:49:00 EST http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/22802 http://udara2004.tigblog.org/post/22011 NEW YORK (Reuters) - The entire staff of the New York radio show "Miss Jones in the Morning" was taken off the air on Wednesday after broadcasting a song that ridiculed victims of the tsunami in South Asia, the radio station said.

New York FM radio station WQHT, or HOT 97, repeatedly ran the segment last week on the show, hosted by deejay Tarsha Nicole Jones who uses the on-air name Miss Jones.

Jones and her team were suspended indefinitely, according to publicist Lizzie Grubman, who declined to say whether Jones would feature in another show at a later date.

"What happened is morally and socially indefensible," said Rick Cummings, president of Emmis Radio. The station is owned by Emmis Communications Corp .

"All involved, myself included, are ashamed and deeply sorry. I know the members of the morning show are truly contrite. They know their actions here are inexcusable," Cummings said in a statement.

The piece used racial slurs to describe people swept away in the disaster, made jokes about child slavery and people watching their mothers die.

"You can hear God laughing, 'Swim you bitches swim,"' was one line in the song, sung by staff of the show to the melody of the 1985 famine relief song "We Are the World."

On Monday, the hip-hop and RB radio station and the deejay apologized and the seven-member morning show crew agreed to donate one week's pay to relief efforts. The tsunami struck on Dec. 26, leaving nearly 300,000 dead or missing around the Indian Ocean from Somalia to Thailand.

The incident is not the first time HOT 97 has been accused of racism and poor taste. The station made headlines when deejay Star, now at another radio station, called Jennifer Lopez a "rice-and-bean eater" and satirized the plane crash that killed RB singer Aaliyah in 2001
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The frenzied reaction of the Western media, beating up the Nazi fancy dress of Prince Harry, is typical of the sensation-mongering press that ignores the larger concerns of the world and focuses on trivia – and this includes the BBC.

First, the underlying and the unstated logic of castigating Prince Harry is that in wearing the Nazi swastika he is endorsing Hitler’s perverted politics. The media have been very busy digging up archival graves to trace the genealogy of the Windsors going back to their German origins. Nor have they missed the opportunity to reproduce pictures of the Prince of Wales, who gave up the English throne, shaking hands with Hitler. The implication of all this is that Prince Harry is a throwback to German fascism. But the plain fact is that the Prince was not making a political statement. As a rather immature young man – he’s hardly the serious political type – he would have thought that it was a fun thing to go to a fun party in a fun costume. If he is to be berated it should be for linking Nazism with the theme of fancy dress party, “Natives and Colonial”. Fascism was purely a product that came out of Europe and devastated the world. Obviously, Prince Harry did not have the basic political nous to realize that his Nazi costume was as close to the theme as he is to the natives.

Second, the dress theme of the party, “Native and Colonial”, should not be overlooked. Based on this theme, if Prince Harry went as Tarzan’s simian, swinging from one branch to another in the wilds of colonial Africa, no one would have bothered one bit. No political interpretation would have been thrown into this joke. Of course, the fact that this simian, responding to the ululations of Tarzan, symbolized to a generation of colonialists the primitive horrors confronted and tamed by the superior white man, had not even have crossed the minds of the media pundits. But when Prince Harry goes as a Nazi “gorilla” – Nazism is a product of Christian theology that demonized the Jews throughout Christendom – he is vilified and persecuted by the Western media.

Third, the media has never ceased to preach to Royalty that they should not “lose the common touch”. Then when they behave like any other fun-loving commoner they are castigated for not upholding the expected standards of Royalty.

Fourth, highlighting any faux pas of Royalty has been the common pastime of the British media, mainly because it increases sales instantly. The media will not miss an opportunity to cash in on Royalty slipping even on a banana skin. They do not focus with the same degree of persistence and intensity when Blair harbors terrorists devastating the ex-colonies. Example: London-based Anton Balasingham, the leading LTTE apparatchik responsible for the cold-blooded murder of 600 policemen who surrendered to his killing machine on his word that they would be protected. Even the self-righteous BBC skip over the mass murders and the violations of basic human right by Velupillai Prabhakaran ,“the latest Pol Pot of Asia” (New York Times, June 26, 1995).

The BBC reporters in Colombo pretend to be illiterate when it comes to reading and reporting the mass of evidence contained in independent documents exposing the suffering of the Tamils under the fascist rule of Prabhakaran. Not even the segment on Asia cares to deal with the latest LTTE atrocities documented by the leading Tamil NGO, the University Teachers Human Right (Jaffna). The BBC, which responds consistently like a seismograph, picking up the slightest noises made by the agents of Tamil Tigers, has failed to focus on the gross violations of the Tamil Tiger terrorists the way they cover Prince Harry’s contretemps. BBC and the western media in general prefer to divert attention to the peccadilloes of Royalty than to the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the likes of Velupillai Prabhakaran in Asia and Africa.

In short, this whole issue is blown totally out of proportion. Isn’t it time for the Western media to acknowledge that there are more serious, moral and life-threatening issues than a 20-year-old wearing a Nazi costume to a fancy dress party?

- Asian Tribune -


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