Stirring A Dangerous Cauldron Of Religious Hatred

May 6, 2012By Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena -

Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena

Religious fundamentalists of all faiths have just one attribute in common. The beliefs that they profess are a mere cloak, hiding maggots crawling around in their minds feasting on hate, bigotry and ignorance.

Insanities of religious fundamentalists

These are not new tales but rather the lessons taught by humankind’s devastation through millennia as a result of religious bigotry. Umberto Eco captured the devious fight of the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages to keep all knowledge and wisdom contained in ancient writings to itself, most inimitably in his classic book, the Name of the Rose (Vintage, Random House, 2004). This must surely be compulsory reading for all those who recognize the terrible value of history in our lives. That fight for knowledge still captivates us as it is the common fight of the enlightened, regardless of what age we live in. Read More

Indian Parliamentary Delegation: How long should Thamils wait for justice, dignity, equality and self-respect?

By: Veluppillai Thangavelu

Although, the Indian parliamentary delegation led by the charismatic Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Smt. Sushma Swaraj has returned to New Delhi after a 6 days hectic visit to Sri Lanka, the debate about the success or failure of the visit still hangs in the air. That the delegation was led by the Leader of the Opposition showed the bipartisan or multi-party cooperative approach on the Thamil issue within the Indian polity.

The Indian coup did not stop there. It was Smt. Swaraj who performed all the honours where ever she went whether opening the railway line laid by India or the distribution of Indian aid to the war-affected Thamil population. Such understanding is rarely witnessed even in the West and demonstrates the fact that India's foreign policy on Sri Lanka is bi-partisan between the government and the opposition.

The joint delegation was tasked to interact with the top leaders across Sri Lanka's political spectrum and assess progress on rehabilitating the IDPs and other development projects initiated by India.

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Friday 4 of May 2012

MaRa regime produced ruthless Cabraal missile explodes on the people at midnight today

(Lanka-e-News-04.May.2012, 11.30PM) The MaRa regime fired its ruthless most feared Cabraal missile on the people and devastated them today at midnight- this MaRa regime which has no sleepless nights if it does not impose burdens as often as possible on the people , had decided to increase the price of a 12.5 kilo cylinder of gas by Rs. 350/- ; a 400 gm. Milk powder packet has been increased by Rs.61/- ; and a kilo packet by Rs. 163/- , while the price of a bag of cement has shot up by Rs. 70/- The MaRa regime , of course however boasts that there is an economic growth in the country of 8% and is headed to become the Asia’s miracle. On the other hand , the people allege that even when the economy was in a worse plight during the President Chandrika rule , hardships were not imposed on the people so much as now. At the recent May day rally , the opposition leader said , the Rajapakse Govt. ‘s favorite occupation is attacking the people with Cabraal missiles . He added that even before the may day the Cabraal missile had launched its attack with the price of bread shooting up. He pleaded not to launch further attacks until at least the Wesak day is over. But the MaRa regime has again raised the prices of several commodities even before the Wesak has begun. That’s My Boy Namal Rajapaksa took oaths as a lawyer on Thursday before a panel of Supreme Court Judges led by the Chief Justice, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake. Picture shows Namal Rajapaksa with his happy parents — President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Madam Shiranthi Rajapaksa “Do not make us Read More »

Press Freedom Day in Jaffna remembers journalists

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 May 2012, 16:26 GMT]
The journalistic contribution of Sivaram Dharmeratnam (Taraki), especially his writings on the struggle of Eezham Tamils, were remembered by several speakers at a well-attended Press Freedom Day event held in Jaffna on Thursday. The event, organised by Nimalarajan Memorial Foundation (NMF), has also brought out a publication of cartoons by Mr Pious Raja, who passed away in Jaffna after experiencing the genocidal war and incarceration in Vanni. A speaker at the event urged the NMF to compile and translate Tamil articles by late Sivaram into English and vice versa, as his writings continue to be valuable to the Tamil cause. The NMF, in an exemplary way, took up the cause of Tamil female students of Vanni in the Jaffna Univeristy, as there have been several cases of suicides among them. Poverty, trauma and psychological stress have been identified as the factors behind the tragic trend.

Gayatri Pious Raja, the wife of Cartoonist Pious and their son lighting the memorial torch

Slain Uthayan journalist Selvarasa Rajivarman's mother lighting the memorial torch

V Thevaraj, the editor of Virakesari weekly edition, addressing the audience the current trends in contemporary Tamil media

R. Thayaparan of NMF

Sub editor of Jaffna Thinakkural A Sabeswaran

Jaffna University lecturer in law and civil activist Mr Guruparan Kumaravadivel

Rev Fr Rooban Mariyampillai giving a speech on the role of social media in modern journalism

Rev Fr Anton of Church of South India gifts funds to slain journalist Rajiwarman's brother for self-employment

Nimalarajan Memorial Foundation said that it would sponsor the educational expenses of a section of the female students from Vanni to continue their education without facing poverty in the new environment.

Wimal Swmanithan, a lecturer in the field of linguistics, hands over NMFs fund to a university student

Editor of Virakesari, V. Thevaraj hands over NMFs fund to a university student

Nakaranjani Aiyngaran, the chairperson Valikaamam South PS gifting her one month salary to the education of poverty affected students from Vanni at the university of Jaffna

N. Ponraja

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4 May 2012

Fears for Tamil detainees in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan army defeated Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009

A key Tamil opposition politician in Sri Lanka says he fears for the safety of dozens of people arrested in a fresh round-up of Tamil Tiger suspects.

The government has acknowledged holding them and says most will be put through a process it calls "rehabilitation".

It says the families have been informed, but this is disputed by the biggest Tamil party in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan army defeated separatist Tamil Tiger rebels after 26 years of bloody civil war in 2009.

After at first denying reports that it had detained a new batch of people it suspects of past links to the Tamil Tigers, the Sri Lankan government now acknowledges it is holding them.

Thirty-eight people, out of 150 initially questioned, are under arrest after being detained in the Trincomalee area of north-east Sri Lanka, police said.

Police spokesman Ajith Rohana told the BBC that the 38 had past links to the rebels and that their families had been informed.

The leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R Sampanthan, says relatives of the detainees have no idea where their husbands or sons are.

He told the BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo: "I hope they are safe. I hope they're alive. But that is a matter which is in doubt, because the whereabouts of these persons are not known."

He added: "There is no reason whatever for the persons who have taken them into custody to be so secretive about where they are being held."

He insists the detainees are being held illegally and on an arbitrary basis. The government says all have been brought before magistrates.

'Serious offences'

The police spokesman said they were taken in under the Prevention of Terrorism Act on an order signed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as defence minister.

The spokesman said most of the detainees will be put through a year-long process known as rehabilitation, although those accused of serious offences would be tried.

Asked why this was happening now, he said it had recently been "observed" that not all former Tigers had surrendered, after three people were arrested on suspicion of killing a pro-government Tamil politician in March.

Exclusive: Embassy vehicle on a recce mission near Chennai?

By P C Vinoj Kumar 05 May 2012

Posted 30-Apr-2012 Vol 3 Issue 17 In an incident that has deepened suspicions about the alleged espionage activities of members of the Sri Lankan consulate in Chennai, activists of Makkal Mandram, a Kanchipuram based organization working among tribals, dalits and other downtrodden sections, have complained that a team of intelligence men from the embassy travelling in a SUV with registration plate number 6 CC 3966 tried to take unauthorized photos of their office and escaped at breakneck speed, almost running over a ten-year-old boy when questioned. Muslims protesting against the demolition of a mosque in Sri Lanka outside the Sri Lankan consulate in Chennai Sunday (Photo: News Alai) The Sri Lankan embassy is alleged to have conducted a recce to gather intelligence on the organization, whose member Senkodi immolated herself in August last year demanding commutation of the death sentence of the three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Perarivalan, Santhan, and Murugan. There have been baseless allegations in Sri Lanka in the recent past that LTTE cadres are being trained in Tamil Nadu. The Kanchipuram incident, said to have taken place on Friday, is being seen as an independent operation by Sri Lankan intelligence personnel to probe if any such camp was located in the State. According to Makkal Mandram, “on 27.04.2012, at around 9.50 am, a navy blue Scorpio bearing registration plate number 6 CC 3966 came to our office at Sengodiyur Village in Kancheepuram. There were seven persons in it including the driver. There were six men and one woman (with short hair, boy-cut style) in the vehicle.” Makkal Mandram’s Jessy Gloria, an engineer turned activist, said the occupants had started taking pictures of their office from inside the vehicle, without lowering the glass windows. When their members rushed towards the vehicle, the driver took off at high speed, narrowly missing a ten-year-old boy who got out of the vehicle’s way in the nick of time. The group had then alerted two of their team members at Kanchipuram town, who managed to intercept the vehicle. “But they escaped assaulting one of our members who tried to open the door,” said Jessy. Later, a Chennai based documentary film maker Santosh Gopal, a class mate of Jessy in college, traced the vehicle to the Sri Lankan consulate and lodged a complaint with officials at the embassy. “I said their vehicle bearing registration number, 6 CC 3966, had hit a boy. They admitted the vehicle belonged to them and spoke to the occupants of the vehicle in Sinhalese. “I heard words like ‘intelligence’ being used in the conversation. They asked for details of the boy. I gave them the details and returned. The Sub-Inspector on duty at the embassy is witness to the incident,” said Santosh. The Superintendent of Police, Kanchipuram District, S Manoharan, said he was not aware about the incident. When contacted, the secretary to the Sri Lankan deputy high commissioner denied that any such incident took place. However, the police officer on duty at the consulate confirmed that Santosh had visited the consulate in connection with the incident. The incident raises serious issues of misuse of diplomatic privileges by Sri Lankan officials in Chennai and calls for urgent measures from the State and Central Governments to rein in the notorious intelligence operatives in the Lankan embassy.

More Than 100 UN Soldiers From Sri Lanka Were Deported Under Charges Of Sexual Abuse Of Underage Girls: What About UN Crimes?

May 3, 2012By Manfred Gerstenfeld -

This article was orginaly published under the title of “What About UN Crimes?”

Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld

The YouTube video of Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Shalom Eisner hitting a Danish provocateur “peace activist” with the butt of his gun has become world news. To get a better perspective on the true importance of this “affair,” one should compare it with the conduct of soldiers elsewhere in the world.

The best point of reference is the Peacekeeping Forces of the United Nations. This organization issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the non-initiated would expect its soldiers to be “a light unto the nations.”

In Haiti in 2005, UN peacekeeping troops killed 23 people, including children, in a poor area of Port au Prince. Doctors without Borders reported that they had treated 27 people for gunshot wounds – around 20 of them were women under the age of 18. In December 2007, more than 100 UN soldiers from Sri Lanka were deported under charges of sexual abuse of underage girls.

A video was also released showing four Uruguayan troops in Haiti laughing while allegedly raping an 18 year old Haitian boy. Two Pakistani peacekeepers were recently sentenced for raping a 14 year old Haitian boy. There are also strong claims that fecal waste from UN troops deposited in a river spread cholera bacteria in Haiti which killed more than 6,000 Haitians and infected more than 400,000.

There are older accusations of Italian and Dutch UN soldiers having sex with young prostitutes in Eritrea, some of whom were 10-11 years old. Reports from 2006 mention sexual abuse of girls as young as 13 by UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2007, the Daily Telegraph reported on UN peacekeepers and staff abusing children in southern Sudan. Other reports concerned sexual and other abuse in Burundi, Liberia and Ivory Coast.

A study by Cornell Law School stated, “The problem of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation… has occurred among the military and civilian personnel of a wide range of countries from all parts of the world.”

There are pictures of a Belgian soldier from the UN Restore Hope mission urinating on the face of a dead Somali. Another picture shows Belgian soldiers roasting a living Somali over a fire. Canadian soldiers killed three Somali teenagers, of whom at least one was tortured. They also bound and beat others and made videotapes of themselves boasting that they “ain’t killed enough niggers yet.”

A Canadian general reacted by saying that “in stressful circumstances, this should be accepted.” In 1997, 47 Canadian UN troops serving in Bosnia were accused of “drunkenness, sex, black marketeering and harassment of patients at the mental hospital they were guarding.”

Rwanda fiasco

The NGO Save the Children UK revealed cases of abuse associated with 23 humanitarian peacekeeping and security organizations. These include civil humanitarian agencies such as those delivering food and nutritional assistance, care, education and health services, reconstruction, shelter, training, and livelihood support, as well as military actors providing peace and security services.

Yet this small selection of crimes pales when compared to the role of the United Nations and its peacekeeping forces in the genocides in Rwanda in 1993 and Bosnia in 1995. Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, Commander of the UN forces in Rwanda, saw the genocide coming and contacted his UN superiors months before the murders. His requests to undertake deterrent actions were turned down seven times. When the mass murders started, the UN cut its force in Rwanda from 2,600 to 450.

When the Bosnian Serbs conquered Srebrenica, a town which the UN had guaranteed safe haven status, Dutch peacekeepers fled upon instructions of their government. This after they helped separate the Muslim men and boys from the women. An estimated 6,000-8,000 Muslims were killed by the Bosnian Serbs.

To make matters worse, the UN itself cannot be prosecuted for the disasters it has played a role in. This was confirmed by a recent judgment of the Dutch Supreme Court. The UN people who made the decisions which facilitated the Rwanda and Srebrenica genocides are far more senior than Colonel Eisner will ever be.

If one were to include in the list of abuses, besides those by UN Peacekeepers, those of Western armies, they would fill a few books. The Eisner Affair would not even merit a footnote.

Eisner’s acts should have been investigated and judged exclusively by the army itself. Before Israeli politicians jump to exacerbate such a case, they should investigate what happens elsewhere. And regarding Israel’s answer to the Danish ambassador’s questions about the Eisner incident, it should have included the hardly publicized story of how 200 fully armed Danish soldiers stood by in Croatia when nine handicapped Serbians were executed before their eyes.

Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld has published 20 books. Several of these address anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism// courtesy ynetnews .

TWO SOLDIERS KILLED IN MURDER-SUICIDE...

May 4, 2012 Two army soldiers were killed following a shooting incident today (May 4) at a security checkpoint near the Naga Viharaya, Jaffna. Military Spokesman Brigadier P.R. Wanigasuriya stated that a soldier on duty had shot his friend, another soldier, using his official firearm and then turned the gun on himself. Preliminary inquiries had revealed that the incident had occurred over a personal dispute.

Govt. labels us as tigers after keeping KP on its laps and caressing him- Ranil at Jaffna rally

If possible try and get KP to wave the national flag- The country’s ethnic issue shall be resolved fully and clearly-

(Lanka-e-News-03.May.2012, 6.30PM) ‘If the Govt. says it is stabilizing the country politically and economically , then it must come to the select committee , and as opposition we are prepared to give support to it by our participation , but it is the Govt.’s responsibility to provide the necessary environment conducive to it. On the other hand if the Govt. addresses us as ‘Tigers’, then that environment cannot be created’ , the opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe for the first time expressed this sentiment today. The Opposition leader made this announcement when addressing the joint opposition may day rally in Jaffna. A massive crowd attended this may day rally which was sans differences between North and south . Based on reports from Jaffna over 12000 people from the south , while at least ten thousand from the north attended the joint opposition historic rally , held for the first time in Jaffna.

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How the Brahmins marked World Press Freedom Day

The World Press Freedom Day – May 3 2012 –will remain a black day in the history of media freedom in Sri Lanka, the resplendent and blessed isle.

Self-acclaimed champions of media freedom who obtained millions of dollars or Scandinavian Kroners to set up their own organisation to preserve media freedom, train poor journalists and make them independent, fearless writers free from state influence want to be a strong voice have decided to back the MahindaRajapaksaGovernment. They have sent feelers privately. Publicly, it became as clear as it could be this week.

These champions, once respected editors, publishers and a video cameraman (who spends more time at Temple Trees than his own house) leads all of them by the nose. Because they did not want to take the path walked by state media, with the millions of Kroners they received, they purchased property and equipment. These elite Brahmins belong to the print media. They have money. They bought expensive video and radio broadcast equipment to train radio and TV journalists. None in the mainstream television or radio organisation in the country is represented or involved in their activities. This is used to canvass for more foreign funds. Annually they spend millions for an awards ceremony where Black Label whisky flows faster than the Kelani River. To a few young scribes, their baptism in imbibing Johnny Walker comes at that show. Go to the Mount Lavinia Hotel in July and you can see it. Selectors know to give awards to buddies of the elite group. Prominent publicity is given only in one media group, or maximum two.

Thursday, they marked the World Press Freedom Day in the luxuriously furnished auditorium of the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI). Among the speakers was Mohan Samaranayake, Chairman of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. He got that post after defaming UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon when he was serving as Information Officer at the UN Office in Colombo. He was told to leave. RajpalAbeynayake, a lawyer and Editor of the Lakbima News. He became a Rajapaksa faithful after a UNP lawyer slapped him at the lawyers’ annual voet lights dinner for allegedly casting abuse. Mr.Abeynaike is not only a journalist. He was also a member of the Sri Lanka delegation to the Geneva United Nations Human Rights Council where they adopted a resolution against Sri Lanka sponsored by United States. He wore around his neck his official photo identity with picture et all to confirm this.

MessersSamaranayake and Abeynaike did what was expected of them. They took to shreds the foreign media. It has remained on the cross hairs of government politicians. Who should praise them? BandulaJayasekera, Director General of the President’s Media. He tweeted that diplomats present at the SLPI “went red” at the remarks made by the two gentlemen. Jayasekera also told a Presidential Secretariat staffer that Canadian High Commissioner Bruce Levy did not know where to hide his face.

It looked like everything worked according to the script. The choreographer worked overtime at Temple Trees and executed his contract without any hassle.

Still, it did not end there. BBC correspondent in Colombo, the gutty Charles Havilland (Charlie) sought an interview with Samaranayake. He asked why his SLRC branded local journalists who covered the Human Rights Council meeting “traitors” and carry out a “vicious campaign.” Samaranayake dodged it saying he was not aware of such a thing. Not one champion for media freedom stood out at the auditorium when MessersSamaranayake and Abeynayake spoke. The two nayakes got away.

Other than a handful of the elite who run the SLPI and their various institutions, it is not surprising that even private media groups are suspicious. This is why the Leader Publications are not members. This is why another newly emerged private group flatly refused to join the Brahmins. Their owner said that one of the elitist members had canvassed and even bribed newspaper venders not to sell his publications when they came into the market. They now have a foothold and have been invited. The publisher has said that he would, in time to come, expose the hypocrisy of the elite group and their activities. Kroners not only help lead good lives, but also provides a platform for disinformation. That is press freedom on a World Press Freedom Day.