கருத்துகள் - views

Salute to parvathy ammal

2012-02-17T05:21:00.000+05:30

Sumanthiran comes forward to save Rajapaksa from international investigations

2012-02-17T05:15:00.000+05:30

Sumanthiran comes forward to save Rajapaksa from international investigations

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 February 2012, 01:47 GMT]
A few days left to the UNHRC sessions in Geneva, the Colombo-based nominated parliamentarian of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Mr. M.A. Sumanthiran, has come out with a statement to BBC Sinhala Service on Tuesday, bailing out the regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa. “TNA backs a domestic process to implement the LLRC recommendations. We should ask for an international probe only after a failure of that,” Sumanthiran said. “It is a step-by-step process. It will take time. They took 30 years in Cambodia,” the BBC further cited the MP, who welcomed the ‘US pressure’ on the SL government. Meanwhile, the visiting US Under Secretary General of State, Maria Otero, told reporters in Colombo on Monday that the US will support a resolution at the UNHRC providing an opportunity for Sri Lanka to implement the LLRC recommendations.

The US position publicly declared now tally with what some US officials told the civil groups in Jaffna a few days ago.

The stands of a revisionist section in the TNA leadership and that of Selvarasa Pathmathan (KP) finally come to a meeting point in facilitating escape avenues to the genocidal regime of Rajapaksa, without any answers to the political fundamentals of the struggle of Eezham Tamils, thanks to the manoeuvrings of India and the USA that were in complicity with the regime in the conduct of the war, political observers in the island said.

Coming out with open deception on the plight of former members and cadres of the LTTE, the TNA leader R. Sampanthan on Wednesday praised Colombo's ‘rehabilitation’ of them as excellent.

“We are glad that a large number of young men and women have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into society. The rehabilitation programme has gone on very well,” Mr. Sampanthan was cited as saying by the Daily Mirror.

The US Assistant Secretary of State, Robert Blake, long associated with the war and its aftermath, accompanied Maria Otero to Colombo.

The Press Trust of India (PTI) cited Blake saying that the USA will back a resolution ‘against’ Sri Lanka to implement the LLRC recommendations to advance reconciliation and to address the accountability, human rights and democracy concerns.

However, the proposal of the USA is not much different from the stand taken earlier by India, China and Russia in the international forums.

Media campaigns talking of Indo-US pressure and Rajapaksa government cracking down are a farce to deceive the Tamils, the political observers commented.

The proposed US move in the UNHRC in Geneva neither addresses due justice for the crimes of the genocidal war nor does justice to the post-war plight of Eezham Tamils. ‘Reconciliation’, step-by-step accountability, the deception of individual human rights and ‘democracy’ are not the issues of priority for Eezham Tamils compared to land-grab, colonisation, militarisation, denial of the right to self-determination and the denial of the right to develop themselves, faced by Eezham Tamils as a nation in the island. What international forum is going to address these issues is their question.

Pre-emption, hijack and precaution against Eezham Tamils coming out with any mass agitation to check the political hoodwink are being carried out in full swing in various ways from ministries to the activities of foundations in many countries in the West, diaspora Tamil circles pointed out.

Meanwhile, TNA parliamentarian Sumanthiran's statement is an open rebuttal to the unanimous resolution of the Tamil Nadu State Assembly and to the struggling spirit of the people of Tamil Nadu supporting the cause of the Eezham Tamils, the political observers in the island further said.

Coming out with a detailed analysis, the TNA had earlier rejected the LLRC report.

Mahinda Rajapaksa and the forces that were in complicity with him have again achieved their ‘victory’ even before the commencement of the UNHRC sessions in Geneva.

Such victories become repeatedly possible for the unjust, due to a failure in the identification of the adversaries, lack of strategy and lack of coordinated political action on the part of the Tamils, was the feeling in the diaspora Tamil circles, who lament at not finding political leaders but only agents.

Related Articles:
15.02.12 Build capacity when regime tries to take away all capacity: ..
14.02.12 Australian Tamils critical of Rudd's response to LLRC report
11.02.12 War crimes of ‘both sides’ or war crimes of all sides: Oslo ..
30.01.12 USA pressurises civil society to accept genocide and to live..

External Links:

dfa.gov.za:		South African Government position on the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC) in Sri Lanka
BBC Sinhala:		Sri Lanka divided after the war, says cabinet minister
Daily Mirror:		TNA hails govt. on rehab of combatants

Buddhist monk on Sinhalicisation project in Batticaloa causes ethnic disharmony

2012-02-17T05:12:00.000+05:30

Buddhist monk on Sinhalicisation project in Batticaloa causes ethnic disharmony

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2012, 23:55 GMT]
Venerable Ambitiya Sumanarathna Thera, the head of the Buddhist temple in Batticaloa, who conducted a fast-unto-death campaign in the year 2010 demanding Colombo to post Sinhala officers to all government departments in the predominantly Tamil-speaking district, has been waging a new fast-unto-death campaign from Tuesday this week. The new campaign is targeted against Tamils, who have been demanding resettlement in their occupied lands by documenting their land deeds. The monk, putting forward a false claim that officials in Batticaloa were issuing false land deeds to Tamils, claimed that the lands belonged to Sinhalese. He ended the fast-unto-death campaign after Colombo's paramilitary operative and a deputy minister in Rajpaksa's cabinet, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, met the prelate and promised to forward his appeal to SL President on Wednesday.

Following the 2010 campaign by the monk of the Mangala Raja Maha Vihara in Batticaloa, Sinhala officials have been deployed in almost all the key government institutions of the district.

The monk had demanded Sinhala officiers to be appointed to the Courts, District Secretariat, and Divisional Secretariats in 2010 and had called of his hunger strike in that instant on the promise by the Colombo government to implement his demands in due course.

Since then top-level Sinhala officers are appointed to the Eastern University and to all government institutions. Minor grade employees from south are also being posted to the district.

The monk launched the new campaign following the request of SL authorities in Colombo, Tamil officials in the district alleged.

The prelate is widely considered as a mouthpiece of the Colombo government in Batticaloa, making unjust demands to the authorities and creating dissension among communities. He has also been projecting “Mahinda Chindana” of the SL president in the district.

Chronology:

15.02.12 Buddhist monk on Sinhalicisation project in Battic..

29.09.10 Buddhist monk on fast-unto-death, demands colonisa..

24.07.10 STF appropriates Tamil land to erect Buddhist temp..

Abductions on rise in Colombo

2012-02-17T05:10:00.000+05:30

Abductions on rise in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2012, 22:48 GMT]
An abduction was reported in front of the Court complex on Monday and a body of a male was dumped and burnt near SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa's private residence in Boteju Mawatha in Colombo 05 on Tuesday while the fate of a leading Tamil businessman who was abducted on Saturday still remained in the hands of the abductors who have claimed 100 million rupees ransom from his family.

On Tuesday morning around 9.30 a.m. unknown persons who arrived in a white van dumped a male body and burnt it in front of SL President's private residence.

Earlier on Monday, an abduction was reported as the victim of the incident was walking out of Court complex. His whereabouts are still unknown.

On Saturday, around 7 armed men who came in a white van abducted the Tamil businessman Ramasamy Prabhakaran.

Hong Kong-based rights watchdog, Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), on Wednesday issued the following statement with details on the abduction of Mr. Ramasamy Prabhakaran:

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that a man who was tortured and illegally detained for 28 months was abducted before the Supreme Court could hear his Fundamental Rights application. The AHRC has in the past documented similar cases wherein police officials were directly involved in abducting and murdering torture victims to deliberately prevent them from testifying before court.

CASE DETAILS:

At 3:30pm on 11 February, 2012, Mr. Ramasamy Prabakaran was forcibly abducted in the presence of his wife, Shiromi and their daughter, near their home in Canal Bank Road, Wellawatte. Prabakaran, who owns Panama Traders, an electronic shop in Majestic City Complex, is a Tamil of Indian origin.

The Supreme Court was to hear his Fundamental Rights application on February 13. Please read our comments via our Open Letter to the Attorney General.

It is reported that the abductors, armed with assault rifles and shotguns, hid in the immediate vicinity of their home before they abducted Prabakaran. They took him into their 'white van' which was waiting nearby before they hurriedly left towards the direction of Dehiwela. The abduction happened in open view of the public; however, none of those who had seen the abduction and plea of the victim's wife had come to help. The reluctance and fear of the people to intervene is due, no doubt, to the widely held belief that these white van abductions are actually perpetrated by the security forces themselves. Prabakaran's wife, Shiromi, noted the registration number of the white van and immediately reported it to the Wellawatte Police. However, she was told that, "the number plates were false and the vehicle could not be traced".

The AHRC is of the opinion that the abduction of Prabakaran was deliberately done to prevent any possibilities of remedies by way of preventing him from testifying to the Supreme Court.

In the past, two torture victims were also assassinated. They are Gerald Perera, who was killed a few days before he was to give evidence before the Negombo High Court and Sugath Nishantha Fernando, who was also murdered as he was pursuing a Fundamental Rights application following the torture he and his family endured at the hands of the police.

Like Perera and Fernando, Prabakaran was had also been illegally arrested, detained and tortured from May 2009 before he was released in September 2011 due to lack of evidence and all charges against him were dropped. He was accused of being an LTTE member. In the police custody, he was interrogated, assaulted and tortured by senior police officers.

After his release, Prabakaran filed a fundamental rights application at the Supreme Court alleging "unlawful arrest and detention". The Supreme Court was to hear his application after it granted leave to proceed. In addition to his fundamental rights petition, he also filed a separate motion asking the court to order the police to unseal the premises of his business, on which the police had continuously kept sealed despite his acquittal by the court from the charges filed on him.

In the fundamental rights petition, Prabakaran's counsels, Romesh de Silva P.C. and K.S. Rathnavel, named Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vaas Gunawardena, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Anura Senanayake, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Attorney General (AG), and eight others as respondents. After his release, in March 2011 Prabakaran wrote to the Secretariat of the Committee against Torture asking for their intervention and giving details on how he was arrested, detained and tortured. The full text is below: 6767 Magazine Prison

Chronology:

15.02.12 Abductions on rise in Colombo

14.02.12 White-van abductors demand 100 million ransom

11.02.12 Tamil trader abducted in Colombo

change will come through education only :கல்வியால் மட்டுமே மாற்றம் வரும்:

2012-02-17T05:07:00.000+05:30

சொல்கிறார்கள்

கல்வியால் மட்டுமே மாற்றம் வரும்:

வறுமையில் உள்ள குழந்தைகளுக்கு, கல்வி உதவி செய்யும், "நம்மவர்கள்' அமைப்பின் உறுப்பினர் ஜான் ராஜா: வறுமையான சூழலில் வளர்ந்தாலும், படித்து, இன்று நல்ல நிலையில் இருக்கிறேன். ஏழ்மையில் உள்ள மாணவர்கள் படிக்க, உதவ வேண்டும் என்பது தான் ஆசை. ஆனால், இதை நண்பர்களிடம் கூறினால், என்ன சொல்வார்கள் என்று தயங்கினேன். என் நண்பர்கள் பலரும், இதே எண்ணத்தில் இருப்பது, பிறகு தான் தெரிந்தது. முதலில், 10 பேர் சேர்ந்து, ஆளுக்கு 100 ரூபாய் வீதம், ஆயிரம் ரூபாயில் அரசுப் பள்ளி மாணவர்கள் சிலருக்கு, நோட்டு புத்தகங்கள் வாங்கித் தந்தோம். மன நிறைவான அந்த நாள், உற்சாகத்தையும், நிம்மதியையும் தந்தது. எங்களின் இந்தப் பணியை, சிலர் வெளிப்படையாகவே ஏளனம் செய்தனர். அதை, நாங்கள் பொருட்படுத்தவில்லை. இன்று, பல நிறுவனங்களில் பணிபுரியும், 86 பேர் நம்மவர்களில் உறுப்பினர்களாக உள்ளனர். இங்கு, நான் உட்பட யாருக்கும் எந்தப் பதவியும் இல்லை. வட சென்னைப் பகுதியில், நன்றாகப் படிக்குகல்வியால் மட்டுமே மாற்றம் வரும்: வறுமையில் உள்ள குழந்தைகளுக்கு, கல்வி உதவி செய்யும், "நம்மவர்கள்' அமைப்பின் உறுப்பினர் ஜான் ராஜா: வறுமையான சூழலில் வளர்ந்தாலும், படித்து, இன்று நல்ல நிலையில் இருக்கிறேன். ஏழ்மையில் உள்ள மாணவர்கள் படிக்க, உதவ வேண்டும் என்பது தான் ஆசை. ஆனால், இதை நண்பர்களிடம் கூறினால், என்ன சொல்வார்கள் என்று தயங்கினேன். என் நண்பர்கள் பலரும், இதே எண்ணத்தில் இருப்பது, பிறகு தான் தெரிந்தது. முதலில், 10 பேர் சேர்ந்து, ஆளுக்கு 100 ரூபாய் வீதம், ஆயிரம் ரூபாயில் அரசுப் பள்ளி மாணவர்கள் சிலருக்கு, நோட்டு புத்தகங்கள் வாங்கித் தந்தோம். மன நிறைவான அந்த நாள், உற்சாகத்தையும், நிம்மதியையும் தந்தது. எங்களின் இந்தப் பணியை, சிலர் வெளிப்படையாகவே ஏளனம் செய்தனர். அதை, நாங்கள் பொருட்படுத்தவில்லை. இன்று, பல நிறுவனங்களில் பணிபுரியும், 86 பேர் நம்மவர்களில் உறுப்பினர்களாக உள்ளனர். இங்கு, நான் உட்பட யாருக்கும் எந்தப் பதவியும் இல்லை. வட சென்னைப் பகுதியில், நன்றாகப் படிக்கும் ஏழ்மை நிலையில் உள்ள,15 மாணவர்களைத் தேர்வு செய்துள்ளோம். அவர்கள் என்ன படிக்க விரும்பினாலும், அதற்கான முழுச் செலவையும், எங்கள் அமைப்பு ஏற்றுக் கொள்ளும். உதவி தேவைப்படும் மாணவர்கள் யார் வேண்டுமானாலும், எங்களுக்குத் தகவல் தரலாம். தகவல் கிடைத்ததும், மாணவர்கள் படிக்கும் பள்ளிக்கும், அவர்களின் வீட்டிற்கும் நேரடியாகச் சென்று, விவரங்களைச் சேகரித்து, உதவி பெறத் தகுதியான மாணவர் என்றால், உடனே, தேவையானவற்றை செய்வோம். எங்களின் அமைப்பைப் பற்றி அறிந்த வெளிநாட்டு நண்பர்கள் பலர், உதவ முன்வந்துள்ளனர். இதையெல்லாம் விட, எங்கள் பெற்றோர் எங்களுக்கு உறுதுணையாக உள்ளனர். கல்வியால் மட்டுமே, சமூக மாற்றத்தை ஏற்படுத்த முடியும் என்பதில், உறுதியாக உள்ளோம். அதனால், கல்வியை அடிப்படையாக வைத்தே, எங்கள் செயல்பாடுகள் இருக்கும். கற்றறிந்த சமூகத்தை உருவாக்குவதே, எங்களின் லட்சியம்.ம் ஏழ்மை நிலையில் உள்ள,15 மாணவர்களைத் தேர்வு செய்துள்ளோம். அவர்கள் என்ன படிக்க விரும்பினாலும், அதற்கான முழுச் செலவையும், எங்கள் அமைப்பு ஏற்றுக் கொள்ளும். உதவி தேவைப்படும் மாணவர்கள் யார் வேண்டுமானாலும், எங்களுக்குத் தகவல் தரலாம். தகவல் கிடைத்ததும், மாணவர்கள் படிக்கும் பள்ளிக்கும், அவர்களின் வீட்டிற்கும் நேரடியாகச் சென்று, விவரங்களைச் சேகரித்து, உதவி பெறத் தகுதியான மாணவர் என்றால், உடனே, தேவையானவற்றை செய்வோம். எங்களின் அமைப்பைப் பற்றி அறிந்த வெளிநாட்டு நண்பர்கள் பலர், உதவ முன்வந்துள்ளனர். இதையெல்லாம் விட, எங்கள் பெற்றோர் எங்களுக்கு உறுதுணையாக உள்ளனர். கல்வியால் மட்டுமே, சமூக மாற்றத்தை ஏற்படுத்த முடியும் என்பதில், உறுதியாக உள்ளோம். அதனால், கல்வியை அடிப்படையாக வைத்தே, எங்கள் செயல்பாடுகள் இருக்கும். கற்றறிந்த சமூகத்தை உருவாக்குவதே, எங்களின் லட்சியம்.

2012-02-17T05:04:00.002+05:30

upper side of the ramanathasaamy temple

2012-02-17T05:03:00.000+05:30

Build capacity when regime tries to take away all capacity: Prof Gene Sharp

2012-02-16T02:33:00.000+05:30

Build capacity when regime tries to take away all capacity: Prof Gene Sharp

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2012, 17:26 GMT]
In an exclusive interview to TamilNet on Friday in Oslo, Dr. Gene Sharp, Emeritus Professor of Political Science of the University of Massachusetts, provided some insights on non-violent strategies to be pursued by nations against states and powers that deny them their legitimate rights. “They have to build up some capacity for strength when the regime is trying to take away all capacity for strength from the oppressed people,” he said, adding, “We need to have a wise strategy – not something where you express anger but which achieves smaller victories and finally a big victory.” However, the leading theoretician of non-violent struggle who was not specifically addressing on any of the current struggles, conceded that “The situations are very different for different people of different countries.”

“To plan a strategy, people used to come to us and say, tell us what to do. We don’t do that. We tell them no. Because we don’t know your situation,” Sharp said.

84-year old, Prof Gene Sharp, was in Oslo as a participant in the Human Rights Human Wrongs documentary film festival. An author of over ten influential books, his From Dictatorship to Democracy, published in 1993, is considered as a guidebook for non-violent struggles in many parts of the world, especially in the Balkans and the Middle East.

Sharp is intellectually influenced by the Indian activist M.K. Gandhi and the American thinker Henry David Thoreau. He has been termed a ‘non-violent Clausewitz’ by the mainstream media.

However, Professor Sharp has not escaped criticism. French intellectual, journalist and political activist Thierry Meyssan in 2005 alleged that Sharp and his organisation Albert Einstein Institution had been helping NATO and the CIA to train the leaders of the soft coups. Crediting Sharp with unifying the Tibetan opposition under Dalai Lama, Meyssan alleged that Sharp tried to form a “dissident group within PLO” so that Palestinian nationalists would stop “terrorism”. Professor Sharp responded in an open letter to Thierry Meyssan categorically denying the allegations in 2007.

While some of the world powers that architected the genocidal war against Eezham Tamils are now engaged in pre-emption instead of justice, and hence are anxious whether their hoodwink would lead to another armed struggle, Prof Sharp’s thoughts on non-violent struggle and step by step achievement may find criticism as ways of imperialism’s ‘counterinsurgency’ and are ineffectice against planned structural genocide in the island.

But Sharp’s interview raises some serious issues for Eezham Tamils to ask themselves, whether they have tried their full capacity in the island, in Tamil Nadu and in the diaspora for a non-violent struggle in the given context.

If people are not able to plan a non-violent strategy then they are not able to plan a violent struggle either, Sharp said in the interview.

* * *

Observing that specific contexts require different strategies, Dr. Sharp outlined three broad points:

One needs to know your opponent in depth, including the weakness of the opponent. One needs to know and understand non-violent struggle in depth. One needs to know how to think strategically “like an army officer”.

When asked whether these general points on non-violent struggle could serve as guidelines to all types of tyrannical governments, Dr. Sharp responded that “Not every non-violent struggle succeeds. If the people planning the struggle don’t know what they are doing, if the people do not have a firm base in social institutions, if the people are frightened and weak, if they have become terrorized by the regime, it is likely to fail.”

He also stressed on the need for smaller victories when a big victory seemed impossible.

Dr. Sharp was opposed to the use of violence as he considered it fundamentally not strategic as the opponent usually has vast military capacities than the oppressed people.

When TamilNet asked him about a case of a national liberation struggle of a numerically disadvantaged nation in a state where the dominant nation wields monopoly over violence, he opined that a clear understanding of the context alone can secure victory.

Dr. Sharp was also of the opinion that while the oppressor nation should also ideally wage a non-violent struggle for the rights of the oppressed nation, it cannot be expected to do the same. He placed the onus on the oppressed nation to wage the struggle. The oppressed nation is the one that could cause changes in the oppressor nation, he said.

Since his focus has by and large been on tackling dictatorships, a question was posed on how his strategy would work in the case of a nominal democracy, where an oppressor nation commits genocide, militarizes and colonizes the lands of the oppressed nation. Sharp replied that a non-violent struggle in future would be tough especially if the oppressed nation has had a history of violent resistance.

“The oppressed people need to concentrate on small steps... Build up some control over their own lives. Simple things. Raising their own food, for example. Having their own sources of energy, if possible. Maintaining their language with their young children.”

He was of the opinion that while such a people should be proud of their history, they should not eulogise the violent parts of it adding that “they have to build up some capacity for strength when the regime is trying to take away all capacity for strength from the oppressed people.”

In the occupied territory of Tamil Eelam, steady Sinhala colonization and military presence imposes its language, culture and religious symbols on the native people in an attempt to destroy their identity.

Dr. Sharp argued that in such conditions the people should not submit to learning the foreign language when it was imposed on them and small community units and families must constantly persist in preserving their language. He also highlighted the positive role religion can play in preserving a sense of community.

He also gave suggestions for the diaspora of such a people to use creative means to connect to the people in the homeland and to broadcast their condition to the world. Sharp opined that the diaspora must also educate the people in the world Establishments that help the oppressive state, of the conditions in the ground and their aims, cautioning of starting with ‘huge objectives’.

It is critical not to play in the hands of the enemy, Sharp said.

* * *

Some of the observations of Sharp are orientated to conditions in the New World, and ancient nations in the Old World threatened by an internationalized paradigm of annihilation have to think of specific strategies to suit them.

For thirty years Eezham Tamils have tried a non-violent struggle and for another thirty years they tried an armed struggle.

The State of Sri Lanka and the powers that backed it for whatever the reasons, have set a new global paradigm in the way the war has been ended.

This is totally a new situation for a national struggle to adopt a non-violent struggle. It would have been enlightening if Shrap had said something on handling the new global paradigm as such that was experimented on Eezham Tamils by all the powers of the world and the UN.

The struggle of Eezham Tamils is not anymore confined to the State of Sri Lanka or to the Sinhala nation. The struggle has to challenge the new paradigm and the powers that back it, if we identify the ‘enemies’ correctly.

The thinking groomed in the South of the island for ages is a simple formula that Sri Lanka belongs to the Sinhalese and only Tamil Nadu in India belongs to the Tamils. The ancient nation of Eezham Tamils of its own evolution and identity in the island never figures in their imagination.

Therefore, there need to be no illusion about any military solution or political solution coming from the South ultimately aiming for genocide and structural genocide.

Genocide not necessarily mean the killing of an entire people, as some try to argue against genocide in the island say and as even Prof Sharp agrues generally.

Killing even a part of a people in large numbers is genocide, according to its legal definition. What Sri Lanka did in the pogroms and military operations of more than 50 years, and ultimately at Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal, were a clear case of genocide.

They were intended for the total annihilation of Eezham Tamils as a nation of its own territory in the island, through a structural genocide to be followed– colonial, psychological, cultural and ‘development’. All remaining Eezham Tamils should eventually become Sinhalese if they want to survive in the island, is the message that repeatedly comes and is implied in the LLRC report.

Eezham Tamils cannot have a land for them, all land belongs to all, is the stand of the dominant nation intends to do away with the other.

The struggle of Eezham Tamils therefore finds no comparison with those of the blacks in the USA or in South Africa (minority in a multi-ethnic New Nation or aparthied-affected majority in a colonial-made State).

Losing their land is death-blow to the nation of Eezham Tamils.

Eezham Tamils at no stage of their struggle could afford to drop their identity as a nation, its claim of sovereignty and the right to self-determination, for the sake of ‘small victories’ or for showing to others that they don’t have ‘huge objectives’.

In fact, the primary aim of the enemies is to make Eezham Tamils forget the fundamentals. The paradigm challenge lies in the fundamentals.

It is now for the internationally-accused to reach out with alternatives if they want, and they may succeed if they are honest and sincere. But, that is not going to happen.

Prof. Sharp agrees to the extent that in cases of natoinal oppression the opressed should preserve language and religion, and resist learning an imposed language.

If preserving identity is important, in the context of Eezham Tamils they have to strictly maintain the Eezham Tamil identity and resist to the imposed ‘Sri Lankan’ identity. This could be easily done if the diaspora and Tamil Nadu are psychologically determined about it.

Meanwhile, Eezham Tamils have to count India out, if they want separation to protect them, is the position of New Delhi.

As the major player in the region, the struggle of Eezham Tamils may have to be primarily addressed against New Delhi.

The strength of Eezham Tamils at the end of the Vanni War is their moral victory that has brought Sri Lanka and all the international players to face universal accusations of crimes.

If Tamils have to opt for a non-violent struggle, the primary question that arises is that to what extent they have translated this strength into a massive mass movement of global nature in demanding ultimate political justice – not merely war crimes justice, as some try to deviate. According to the deviators, the war was not wrong, the intentions of the war was not wrong, but only the way it was conducted was wrong.

Even the Tamil Nadu State Assembly has deviated the directions of the struggle in this respect.

Eezham Tamil political circles in the diaspora still don’t think of continuing the momentum and solidarity shown by the masses during the war into a global non-violent movement, demanding liberation.

Another strength of Eezham Tamils in a non-violent struggle, that is not available to many other struggling nations, is the strength of Tamil Nadu, global Tamils and a world-wide Eezham Tamil diaspora – if Tamils could overcome dissension conspired by their enemies.

To what extent this strength has been mobilised with a coordinated political agenda is the question.

If a non-violent struggle means building capacity of strength through independent institutions, to what extent our existing political parties in the island and political or social movements in the diaspora have a vision to achieve it without falling victims to the ‘development’ agenda of the detractors of our cause.

In the given context of the nature of oppression in the island, the model of non-violent struggle discussed by Prof. Sharp should first begin in Tamil Nadu, especially against New Delhi, if any success encouraging and directing Eezham Tamils towards a healthy non-violent struggle could be expected, commented a political science analyst from Tamil Nadu.

External Links:

Voltairenet.org:		The Albert Einstein Institution: non-violence according to the CIA
peacmagazine.org:		198 methods of nonviolent action
peace.ca:		Gene Sharp: A Biographical Profile
aeinstein.org:		The Albert Einstein Institution
BBC:		Gene Sharp: Author of the nonviolent revolution rulebook

Parents- Please listen! பெற்றோர்களே கவனியுங்கள்!'

2012-02-16T02:29:00.000+05:30

சொல்கிறார்கள்

"பெற்றோர்களே கவனியுங்கள்!'

மன நல மருத்துவர் திருநாவுக்கரசு: தற் போது இளம் குற்றவாளிகள் அதிகரித்து வருகின்றனர். 13 வயது முதல், 20 வயதிற்குட்பட்டவர்கள் தான் கொலை, கொள்ளை போன்ற சம்பவங்களில் அதிகம் ஈடுபடுகின்றனர். இதுபோன்ற பிரச்னைகளுக்கு காரணம், நம் வளர்ப்பு முறையும், வாழ்க்கைச் சூழலும் தாறுமாறாக மாறிப் போய் கிடப்பதும் தான். இன்றைய படிப்பு, அறிவை வளர்ப்பதற்கு பதில், பொருளாதார ஆதாயத்தை நோக்கியதாகவே உள்ளது. தாய்மொழிப் பாடங்கள் வழியே மாணவர்களுக்கு புகுத்தப்படும் நன்னெறிகள், நீதிபோதனைகள் அனைத்தும் குறைந்து விட்டன. நற்குணங்களை வளர்த்தெடுக்கும் அம்சங்கள், மொழி இலக்கியங்களில் தான் அதிகம் விரவிக் கிடக்கின்றன. விரல் விட்டு எண்ணும் அளவிலான மாணவர்கள் கூட, இவற்றையெல்லாம் இன்று படிப்பதில்லை. அறிவியல், கணக்கு என்று இயந்திரத் தனமான பாடங்களையே தான் குழந்தையிலிருந்தே கற்றுக் கொள்கின்றனர். காரணம், நம் வற்புறுத்தல் தான். மீடியாக்களில், அதீதமாகக் காட்டப்படும் வன்முறைக் காட்சிகள், குடும்பத்தில் பெற்றோரிடம் நடக்கும் தொடர் மோதல்கள், இன்னபிற அம்சங்கள் அனைத்தும் சேர்ந்து, சிறு வயதிலேயே பெரும் குற்றங்களைச் செய்யும் அளவிற்கு மனதைத் தூண்டுகின்றன. உளவியல் ரீதியாக இதை அணுகும்போது, தொடர்ந்து ஒரே விஷயத்தை எடுத்துக் கொண்டு கொடுக்கப்படும் டார்ச்சர், இயல்பாகவே மனபாதிப்பை உண்டாக்கும். இதை மன நோய் என்று சொல்ல முடியாது; மன பாதிப்பு என்று சொல்லலாம். வழக்கமான செயல்பாடுகளிலிருந்து, ஒருவர் மாறுபாடு தெரிந்தாலே, அதைச் சரியாக கண்டுபிடித்து முறையான கவுன்சிலிங் கொடுக்க வேண்டும். மனநோய் என்பது 40, 50 வயதிற்கு மேல் தான் வரும் என்று இப்போது பலரும் நினைக்கின்றனர். ஆனால், இன்று 13 -17 வயதுள்ளவர்கள் அதிகமாக மனநோய் பாதிப்பிற்கு ஆளாகின்றனர். இதை அனைத்துப் பெற்றோரும் உணர்ந்து, குழந்தை வளர்ப்பில் அதிக கவனம் செலுத்த வேண்டும்.

Occupying SL Army, Police jointly attack Tamil youth in Vanni

2012-02-15T05:25:00.000+05:30

Occupying SL Army, Police jointly attack Tamil youth in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2012, 18:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka's occupying Sinhala army and police brutally attacked a number of Tamil youth below the age of 25, who were passing by the road in Nedung-kea'ni in Mullaiththeevu district on Tuesday night. The unprovoked and random attack followed some complaints of Sinhala road workers from the South, news sources in Vanni told TamilNet. Sometimes back a similar attack took place in Vanni after a confrontation between some Sinhala visitors from the South and the local people. Such attacks by the colonial forces were to remind the Eezham Tamils in Vanni of their subjugated status, the sources further said.

The SLA soldiers stopped around 7 youths who were crossing the road. The youth were severely attacked, made naked and dumped into the nearby irrigation canal and were tortured inside the canal.

The loud wailings of the youth were heard for a long time while people confined themselves to their houses due to fear.

Finally, the SLA soldiers dragged some of the youth into the nearby scrub jungle, residents said.

The SLA and Police excused themselves to the public by saying that the youth had come to attack their camps.

Last December, a group of Sinhala men from South who came to a Tamil shop at Ira'naimadu junction in Kilinochchi, attacked the shop owner provoking the local people to retaliate.

Following the incident, the occupying military brutally attacked passing by people of the locality.

Chronology:

14.02.12 Occupying SL Army, Police jointly attack Tamil you..

07.12.11 Tension prevails as SLA terrorizes Tamils confront..

Australian Tamils critical of Rudd's response to LLRC report

2012-02-15T05:23:00.000+05:30

Australian Tamils critical of Rudd's response to LLRC report

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2012, 13:15 GMT]
While the Australasian Federation of Tamil Association (AFTA) said it is disappointed to see Australia’s response to LLRC "lacks either the persuasive language or open caution to Sri Lanka for its failure to address alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights," Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) said it is "concerned that Mr Rudd has continued to call on Sri Lanka to investigate itself. The Tamil community has no confidence in the Government of Sri Lanka to conduct an independent investigation and deliver justice to the victims of the war. We cannot expect justice when an investigation is initiated by a party to the alleged crimes," ATC release said.

AFTA Press Release

ATC Press Release

While the two representative organizations of the expatriate Tamils in Australia were highly critical of Rudd's response to the LLRC report, Sri Lanka's controversial ambassador to Australia praised the same report for "refusing to back calls for an independent international inquiry into his country's vicious civil war."

Australian Tamil Congress said in its release: "The LLRC's failure to acknowledge and address issues of war crimes has revealed Sri Lanka will not genuinely pursue justice for war victims. Furthermore, history has proven that internal inquiries by Sri Lankan authorities have predominantly failed. With a well entrenched culture of immunity still persisting, a truly independent investigation is only possible through an international mechanism as recommended by the UN panel of experts last year."

AFTA commented: "It is obvious that our FM has chosen to ignore the fact that the Sri Lankan President has failed not only to implement a number of simple, mere symbolic and easiest recommendations of the LLRC such as the National Anthem should be sung in both languages at national functions using the opportunity at the recently held Independence day celebrations but also has tried to hoodwink the international community by saying in his independent speech that during the 6 weeks period after the release of the report his government has been actively implementing the recommendations of the LLRC."

Expatriate Tamil circles widely believe that the reluctuance of the Western Governments, including the US and Australia, to push for an external independent investigation into the alleged war-crimes, reflect possible complicity of several countries in violating international treaties including Genocide Convention for the failure to intervene and stop the "genocide."

"Expatriate Tamils should be vigilant and understand the background to the "statements" by the international community which criticize Sri Lanka's rights violations but continue to allow Sri Lanka space to avoid an independent investigation despite the presence of plausible evidence that "international crimes" were committed in the final stages of war. Individual diplomats may also be criminally liable for "Crime against peace" for efforts to disrupt the peace process while a Ceasefire Agreement was in place and when the two antagonist parties were involved in a peace process," spokesperson for the US-based activist group, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) said.

External Links:

AU:		Australia's response to Sri Lanka's LLRC Report
Age:		Sri Lanka heaps praise on Kevin Rudd

White-van abductors demand 100 million ransom

2012-02-15T05:20:00.000+05:30

White-van abductors demand 100 million ransom

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2012, 01:41 GMT]
Speaking in broken Tamil, a man claiming to have abducted the Colombo-based Tamil businessman Ramayasamy Prabakaran on Saturday, has demanded ransom of 100 million rupees over phone call, family members have told media Monday.

Mr. Prabakaran had been earlier detained by the Sri Lankan police for 28 months without any inquiries and was released last September by an SL court that didn't find any specific charge against him.

Seeking justice and compensation from the SL authorities was possibly the reason behind his abduction, his business friends blamed.

Prabakaran, who hails from Badullla, is married to a Sinhala woman and he is a father of one.

Chronology:

14.02.12 White-van abductors demand 100 million ransom

11.02.12 Tamil trader abducted in Colombo

EPC puts off debate on controversial ‘land grab’ bill

2012-02-15T05:18:00.000+05:30

EPC puts off debate on controversial ‘land grab’ bill

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2012, 01:37 GMT]
The Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) on Monday put off the debate on the proposed "Town and Country Planning Ordinance Amendment" till February 28 as majority members of the opposition raised objection to the amendment bill. This controversial amendment allows the central government to acquire any land for ‘development’ and ‘religious purposes’ without the consent of the provincial council.

The amendment has been placed before the provincial councils to obtain their approval before tabling it in parliament on a directive by the SL Supreme Court before determine its constitutionality.

The SL Supreme Court is of opinion that powers regarding land are devolved to provincial council. Hence the consent of the provincial council is needed before tabling any amendment to parliament regarding land matters.

Colombo-backed group attacks Muslim journalist in Batticaloa

2012-02-15T05:17:00.000+05:30

Colombo-backed group attacks Muslim journalist in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2012, 01:24 GMT]
Puvi Rahumathulla, the chief editor of a weekly magazine “Vaara Uraikal” published from Kaaththaankudi in Batticaloa district was attacked by a group of persons Friday while he was distributing copies of his magazine, according to complaints lodged with the Kaaththaankudi Police.

Vaara Uraikal magazine has been critical of Mahinda Rajapakse regime, disclosing corrupt practices of SL deputy ministers of the Colombo government in the district and fraudulent activities of Kaaththaankudi Piratheasa Chapai (PS) run by pro-Rajapaksa Muslim politicians.

Rahumathulla has been harassed and intimidated by pro-government elements continuously for exposing misdeeds of the Colombo government and its henchmen in the Batticaloa district. He was assaulted in 2010 and 2011.

No media organization at island level or at provincial level has come forward to safeguard this journalist-editor Rahumathulla from the continuous attack and intimidation, sources close to him blamed.

Chronology:

14.02.12 Colombo-backed group attacks Muslim journalist in ..

16.03.11 Political rivalry behind Police arrest of Battical..

09.02.11 Muslim journalist attacked for exposing corruption

03.04.09 BDJU condemns attack on Muslim Tamil editor in Bat..

02.04.09 Muslim editor of Tamil weekly attacked in Battical..

heroine - photo message

2012-02-15T05:14:00.000+05:30

photo message : poverty

2012-02-15T05:12:00.000+05:30

2012-02-15T05:10:00.000+05:30

சொல்கிறார்கள்

"ஒரு அடியேனும் திருப்பி அடியுங்கள்!'

பெண்களுக்கான தற்காப்புக் கலை பயிற்சியளிக்கும் கோபுடோ கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி: தமிழக அளவில் பலருக்கும் கராத்தே பயிற்சி அளிக்கிறேன். என்னிடம் பயின்ற, 16 மாணவ - மாணவியர், உலக அளவில் தங்கப் பதக்கம் பெற்றுள்ளனர். பெண்கள், தங்களை தற்காத்துக் கொள்ளும் முறைகள் பற்றி பயிற்சியளிக்கிறேன். ஒருவரின் உடலில் எளிதாக தாக்கக்கூடிய பாகங்களான கண், வாய், மூக்கு போன்ற பகுதிகளைத் தாக்கினாலே, எதிராளி எளிதில் தடுமாறி விடுவான். கைவசம் பாக்கெட் கத்தி, மிளகாய்ப் பொடி, ஸ்பிரே இல்லையென்றாலும், துப்பட்டா, டவல், குடை, சாவிக்கொத்து, மோதிரம், சில்லறைக் காசு, சுருட்டப்பட்ட மாத, வார இதழ் என்று, கையிலுள்ள பொருட்களையே ஆயுதமாகப் பயன்படுத்தலாம்; குறைந்த கால பயிற்சியே இதற்குப் போதுமானது. உதாரணமாக, ஒரு பெண் இரவு நேரத்தில், இருட்டான பகுதியில் செல்லும் போது, முன்னெச்சரிக்கையாக துப்பட்டாவில் ஒரு கல்லை முடிந்து வைத்துக் கொள்ளலாம். யாரேனும் கத்தி அல்லது ஆயுதம் கொண்டு தாக்க வந்தால், தங்கள் கையில் உள்ள குடையை, சட்டென ஆயுதமாக்க வேண்டும். எதிராளி குத்த வரும் போது, குடையால் அதைத் தடுத்து, குடையின் வளைந்த கைப்பிடிக்குள் அவன் கையைச் சிக்க வைத்துத் திருகி, கீழே இழுத்துப் போட்டு, அவன் சுதாரிப்பதற்குள் தப்பிக்கலாம். வளையலைக் கழட்டி எதிராளியின் மணிக்கட்டில் வேகமாக குத்தினால், வலி தாங்காமல், கையை விட்டுவிடுவான். எதிராளி கழுத்தை நெரித்தால், கைவிரல்களே ஆயுதம். இரண்டு விரல்களைக் கொண்டு அவன் கண்களைக் குத்தலாம். பெண்கள் பெரும்பாலும் எதிர்ப்பதில்லை என்பதாலேயே திருடர்களும், போக்கிரிகளும் தைரியமாக, துணிந்து குற்றச் செயல்களில் ஈடுபடுகின்றனர். துப்பட்டாவே துப்பாக்கி, வளையலே வாள் என்று மனதில் நினைத்து பதிலடி கொடுத்தால், நிச்சயம் நம்மை தற்காத்துக் கொள்ளலாம்!

SLAF fighter jet crashes in North Western Province

2012-02-14T04:46:00.000+05:30

SLAF fighter jet crashes in North Western Province

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 February 2012, 11:19 GMT]
A Russian-built MiG-27 fighter jet used by the Sri Lanka Air Force against civilian targets in the country of Eezham Tamils during the war, crashed Monday in the North Western Province. The SLAF deployed Russian built fighters to carry cluster bombs on LTTE and civilian targets in Vanni, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity throughout the war.

The SLAF said there was no casualties and that the cause of crash was ‘engine failure’.

The SLAF had deployed foreign pilots to fly its fighter jets during the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

The fighter was used to train new pilots when it crashed, informed sources said.

The Russian built bomber with a "crocodile nose," containing laser rangefinder, is capable of carrying large variety of bombs, unguided rockets, and missiles.

Pakistan seeks Colombo’s help in deploying genocidal model

2012-02-14T04:43:00.000+05:30

Pakistan seeks Colombo’s help in deploying genocidal model

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 February 2012, 11:38 GMT]
A high level team of Sri Lankan officials who visited Pakistan were actually on a mission to help Pakistan combat and crush the Baloch freedom fighters or Sarmachars demanding independence from the failing state in South Asia, said an Examiner feature by Ahmar Mustikhan on Monday. Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa was on a two-day visit to Islamabad and signed three MoUs with Pakistan. But secret talks held during the visit were on Pakistan getting Colombo’s ‘expertise’ in crushing Tamil Tigers for deployment against the Balochistan movement, and this matter should be immediately reported to the International Criminal Court, the feature further said.

The feature quoted a former Balochistan fisheries minister Kachkol Ali Advocate, talking of a protracted struggle of the Balochs, dismissing any comparison between the Tamil and Baloch movement.

But in dismissing comparison, the Oslo-based former Baloch minister only exposed his ignorance in South Asian affairs, when he said “The Baloch are the sons of the soil of Balochistan, while Tamils came from elsewhere to Sri Lanka.”

It is such poor understanding among the struggling nations about one another that helps the oppressors to easily go ahead with their agenda, commented diaspora Tamil circles, reminding the Baloch politician that Eezham Tamils are as old as the Sinhalese in making ancient nations in the island.

Meanwhile, with war expected soon with Iran, the USA is keen in securing Sri Lanka and Maldives on its side. The current US engagements aiming at pre-emption and mediation in these countries are to strengthen state militarisation for its use, said circles close to another West Asian national movement.

Wikileaks documents have earlier revealed that immediately after the Vanni War, the USA was negotiating with Colombo for the deployment of Sinhala military in Afghanistan.

2012-02-13T02:54:00.000+05:30

Tamil trader abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 February 2012, 23:51 GMT]
A Tamil businessman of up-country origin, who owns an electronic business (Panorama Electronics) in Colombo, has been abducted Saturday around 3:30 p.m. in front of his house on Peniquick lane in Colombo 6, according to his family in Colombo. The victim, Mr. Ramasamy Prabakaran, had been earlier detained by the Sri Lankan police for 28 months without any inquiries and was released last September by the SL courts, the sources further said. Around 7 armed men, who came in vehicle, carried out the abduction.

The victim, who has been a successful businessman, recently filed a case claiming compensation from the SL authorities for having caused closure of his business for 2 years by keeping him jailed without providing any valid reason.

Prabakaran, who hails from Badullla, is married to a Sinhala woman and he is a father of one.

Seeking justice and compensation from the SL authorities was possibly the reason behind his abduction, according to Tamil businessmen, who are subjected to harassments by the Sri Lankan military establishment that claims large sums from them in order to run their businesses in Colombo.

2012-02-13T02:52:00.000+05:30

Human skeletons recovered from well in Valikaamam North

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 February 2012, 16:40 GMT]
Recently resettled civilians in Kollangk-kaladdi of Valikaamam North in Jaffna have located human skeletons inside a well while clearing it for their use, sources in Valikaamam told TamilNet Sunday. A skull was located. But, the number of the recovered skeletons indicates that some of the victims had been decapitated, before they were dumped into the well, the sources said. It is believed that the victims were civilians abducted by the Sri Lanka Army operated squads and those who went to check their properties inside the SLA occupied territory after year 1992, when the SLA seized the village of Kollang-kaladdi.

Residents of Kollangkaladdi also said there were three persons from a nearby house reported missing earlier when the area was seized by the SLA.

After discovering human skeletons in wells and toilet pits in the area, the civil organisations representing the resettling civilians have begun a systematic search for similar graves, civil sources in the area said.

Allegations have surfaced that the abducted youth from Jaffna peninsula were taken into the so-called High Security Zones and detained by the Sri Lanka Army there till they were tortured and killed.

The pattern of recovery of skeletons in areas allowed for resettlement, especially inside the buildings used by the SLA as mini-camps and in abandoned wells near the bunds of the SLA in areas recently allowed for resettlement has indicated that such killings have been widespread inside the Hight Security Zone adjacent to the Palaali military base situated in Valikaamam North in Jaffna.

Related Articles:
27.01.12 Human skeletons found in SLA abandoned locality in Jaffna
26.01.12 Resettled Tamil woman's body recovered near SLA bund in Then..
10.12.11 Two human skeletons found in Kokkuvil, Jaffna
28.08.11 Decades-old skeletons unearthed in former SL Navy camp in De..
06.08.11 Resettling civilians locate mass graves in Mullaiththeevu

photo message by dinamalar

2012-02-13T02:39:00.000+05:30

theni by night

2012-02-13T02:35:00.000+05:30