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Closure of Mavilaru sluice gates `caused an escalation of violence`
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tamilcanuck
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 28 Sep 2006 21:20:27 GMT Report for Abuse
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Allright guys. need to run some errands. if you guys can get through to Forest ping me.
see you guys later. Miss seabreeze a special good bye to you all the way from the otherside of the atlantic!
Tigress19 catch you later.
Edited By - tamilcanuck - 28 Sep 2006 21:21:37 GM |
forest
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 28 Sep 2006 21:35:14 GMT Report for Abuse
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I think the western countries especially the UK, EU, Norway, canada etc. should clamp down on the LTTE fund raising in their countries with which they purchase weapons to perpetuate conflict when there are non-violent pathways like negotiations are open to resolve all issues.
Otherwise they will only cast suspicion on themselves to the view that western countries want poor third world countries internal conflicts to go on and on so that then their resources can be bought cheaply and can use their labour cheaply etc since their economies would be very weak.
Edited By - forest - 28 Sep 2006 21:37:17 GMT |
solar
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28 Sep 2006 21:44:02 GMT Report for Abuse
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Hi tigress19
how you? allright? I think this tigers are the main obstacle to sinhala tamil unity & love.Please dont let them brainwash you.Any way if you live oneday as a tigress in ltte camps, you will hate these tigers forever.You are western living girl.do you know about aranthalawa, Sri Maha Bodhi, pettah massacres.Tell me why did tigers close these water.It is that innocent farmers who will suffer.They are hard working oppressed people.If they dont get water, they will stay hungry this year.Mahinda did the right thing .
Your tamil cousin dude says civilians closed the gate, but you just accept it.He says civilan attacked our army with artillery,motor fire, you still believe it.
Edited By - solar - 28 Sep 2006 21:47:44 GMT |
forest
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28 Sep 2006 21:47:06 GMT Report for Abuse
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Tck, revy,
When I say you guys should suggest solutions they must be constructive solutions not solutions suggested in an extremely confrontational manner. This will solve nothing. Even in day to day life, if someone suggested things in an extremely confrontational manner with extreme threats and threats of using violence or backed up by violence as well, will that create a consensus?
Edited By - forest - 28 Sep 2006 21:48:34 GMT |
JRJayawardena
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28 Sep 2006 21:47:58 GMT Report for Abuse
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Tigeress19,
You have denied when I mentioned that the sluice gates closure by the LTTE was the route for this continous troubles. Now what do you want to say? even the SLMM are accepting that is the fact.
While you are on your own devices you better change your tune to fathom your LTTE supporting outfits' strategy. This whole nonsense were started by it. SLMM despite always late in their judgements have come up with the valid answer.
What we see is a useless CFA, because LTTE does not bother about it and not surprisingly the GOSL retaliates, so what is the point in having a CFA?
You tell me why your Thamilsellang wants peace talks to be back on track? Is it because they know its heading in the wrong direction?
JRJ |
JRJayawardena
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28 Sep 2006 21:52:49 GMT Report for Abuse
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Bro Kusumbu,
How are you doing malli?
Have not seen Chandana malaya today?
Anyway, hope you are having a good day malli.
TC
JRJ |
vinivida
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 28 Sep 2006 22:00:24 GMT Report for Abuse
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Forest,
When I say you guys should suggest solutions they must be constructive solutions not solutions suggested in an extremely confrontational manner. This will solve nothing. Even in day to day life, if someone suggested things in an extremely confrontational manner with extreme threats and threats of using violence or backed up by violence as well, will that create a consensus?
I like your positive attitude in trying to convince hardcore LTTE terrorist investors like TC, Revy etc...
Although I hope they are not laughing at you for your pleadings (above).
If you read their posts attentively, you would notice the bizarre points they come up with.
Hint: They are already living in Elaam. :) |
JRJayawardena
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28 Sep 2006 22:11:46 GMT Report for Abuse
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Vini,
The hardcore LTTE supporters just trying their final rituals to salvage some pride. The so-called EElamists the all conquering guerilla group is facing a tough opposition among themselves.
Even the moderate tigers must feel its an upward sailing than plain sailing mission. 'Udugam bala pihinima amarui wage'.
Things have to pick up slowly for them. I guess only peace talks can bring meaningful solution, when and how must be thought and set out by the GOSL. As it is obvious that certain strongholds like Sampoor will not be tiger held territory any more.
I am waiting to see what the megalomaniac so-called maha kotiya is going to say now.
JRJ |
Sritharan
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28 Sep 2006 23:01:31 GMT Report for Abuse
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Reporting from Vanni - Part 1
by K. Mylvaganam
I have neither received nor sent out any email for the past 22 days. I have very little faith as to whether this article will find its way out. But I have a faint hope that it will, if things work out as planned.
Vanni is still in darkness and cut off from the outside world by denying us telephone facilities. If the GoSL thinks that it can prevent its atrocities in the Northeast from being spread to the outside world, then it is making a big mistake. By now, from the reactions of the world leaders and the UN, it should have realised its mistake or is it like the cat that drinks the milk with its eyes closed?
We may not have the luxuries of things man gets from electricity and we are denied inflow of all items from outside the Northeast. Prices are soaring high. A bag of cement that was sold for around Rs.650.00 fetches over Rs.2000.00 if you are lucky enough to get one. But that is not going to break the determination of the Tamil people. They have undergone these treatments in the past and have come through it meticulously; so will they even now and in the future as well. Many people have already planted more maniocs, sown grains like Kurakkan and Thinai, etc. These grains do not need heavy watering. And the rainy season being round the corner even the Manavari (rain fed) paddy cultivation is to commence in full swing with the first onset of the rain. So the supply of rice is assured.
I have parked my vehicle in my garage due to unavailability of diesel. But I have gone in for a bicycle. I admit it was a bit tricky to restart cycling after forty years, especially for a person of my age -74. But I am now getting the hang of it gradually. The only major problem was to swing my leg over the rear wheel to get seated. But I solved it by swapping the Gents bike to a Ladies one. Now it is a piece of cake, except for the sarcastic smile from the members of the opposite intimacy on the road.
Jaffna is one of the worst hit areas, in addition to Vaharai, where there are over forty-six thousand refugees living under extremely primitive conditions. A good number of them spend their days and nights under the trees. The GoSL not only refuses to supply these refugees their basic requirements, but also refuses the International Non-Govermental Organisations (INGOs) and the NGOs access to these refugee camps. Several lorry loads of goods belonging to these organisations are kept held up at the army checkpoints.
The GoSL is so heartless that they do not allow the transport of relief materials even to the refugees who have been driven away from their homes by the numerous and indiscriminate bombing and shelling of the armed forces. Severely ill patients taken from LTTE-controlled areas to major hospitals by ambulance for special and emergency treatments are denied passage through the checkpoints and are mercilessly sent back, resulting in the death of the patients.
The undeclared embargo imposed on the Tamils areas has created severe shortage for lots of things ? both essential and nonessentials. Sugar, flour, rice, dhal are the main essentials that are hard to get.
The shortage of fuel, especially diesel and kerosene, is causing immense hardship to the people. For example, the number of CTB busses plying in Jaffna has been cut down to the minimum and it is expected that the busses will come to a total standstill within a matter of days. The private minivans, too, face the same fate and even the few that are running have put up their rates, thus hitting the commuters who are already paying very high prices for essential food items. I hasten to add that I do not blame the minivan owners as they too have to pay high prices for their fuel. The farmers are unable to irrigate their plots as their water pumps are short of kerosene. They are now resorting to the old method of the well sweep. But the only hitch is that three people are needed to irrigate in this way ? one has to be on the well sweep, the other to draw the water from the well and the third to divert the running water on to the plots. With a water pump the farmer can do all these single-handedly ? after starting the pump, he can irrigate the plots without any additional help.
Abductions, disappearances and cold blooded murders in broad daylight are taking place daily, not only in the Northeast, but also in the south, especially in Colombo. Tamil merchants are taken away in unnumbered white vans and later released after obtaining heavy payoffs by their relatives. Some are murdered and their mutilated bodies are thrown on the road. All these crimes are done with the blessings of the army, if not by the army itself.
They claim that Colombo is well fortified from any attacks. Many checkpoints have been newly introduced. All the seven inlets leading into Colombo are excessively manned and all vehicles are thoroughly checked before they are allowed to pass through. If this is so, then how come the unnumbered white vans are moving freely, carrying their captives, without being caught at any of these checkpoints?
There are two motives for these abductions. One is, of course, to make money. It is reported that so far within the past two months 50 leading merchants have been abducted. Each is expected to pay between Rs.3 to Rs.5 million before they are released, depending on their wealthy status. Some are not released even after receiving the ransom. There are a few cases that are not reported but ?arranged? in a ?hush hush? manner.
The other motive has a deeper intention. It is to drive away the Tamil merchants from Colombo and its suburbs so that the majority community can take over many, if not all, well-established multimillion business institutions free of charge served on a silver plate - a repetition of July 1983 - but is being done in a very subtle, deceitful and treacherous manner.
When the business community threatened to go for a massive demonstration in protest, the GoSL became a bit nervous and promptly contacted President Mahinda Rajapaksha, who is overseas at the moment. It is reported that the President requested to postpone the demonstrations until he returns to Sri Lanka and had assured that he would stop the arrests and abductions forthwith. Now we know as to who is behind all these atrocities ? the cat is let out of the bag.
Killings of youngsters are also taking place daily at a rate unabated, particularly in Jaffna, Batticaloa and Vavuniya. On an average about five to six youths are targeted daily. I understand that during the last four months more than four hundred and fifty people have been killed and many have gone missing. They are shot down even in broad daylight. Arbitrary arrests are also taking place very frequently. Every time there is a so called ?Roundup and Search? on dozens of people are taken into custody and some of them get released after ?questioning? and the fate of the rest remains a mystery.
When their close relatives approach the army officers and inquire about their relatives who were arrested by the army, they only get a blunt denial of the arrests. They go to the Human Rights organisations and to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and lodge a complaint and there ends the story. And those arrested and not released add up the statistics of ?Missing Parsons.?
When an individual like a Thiruchelvam, Kathirgamar or an army moron is killed, the whole world raises its voice condemning it as a ?Terrorist Action.? Why is the same world, including our worthy neighbour, keeping mum when so many innocent lives are being taken away mercilessly by an undisciplined army; the most recent ones being the 51 school children at Senchcholai and the 11 Muslim workers in Amparai?
The question that arises out of logical thinking of the people of the Northeast now is; why don?t we follow the footsteps of our government? Is anybody listening?
Edited By - Sritharan - 28 Sep 2006 23:30:00 GMT |
Sritharan
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28 Sep 2006 23:04:16 GMT Report for Abuse
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Muzzling the Media: Reporting from Vanni, Part II
by K. Mylvaganam
The killing and abduction of media personnel and the damaging of media offices and their equipment have become a day-to-day affair in Sri Lanka. Muzzling the media is not a new phenomenon in this country. Even during the period of Srimavo Bandaranaiyake, J.R.Jeyawardene, Premadasa and Chandrika Kumaratunge, the clamping of the media has taken place.
Even the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) adopted the same tactics. Freedom of the press was non-existent. All newspapers were subject to scrutiny by a government authority before the papers were put on sale. Most of the papers came out with blank pages marked ?Censured.?
Several presses were closed and kept sealed for a long periods.
The offices of Murasoli and that of Eelamurasu were blasted by using high explosives by the IPKF in 1987. Similarly the television centre Nitharsanam and the radio station Pulikalin Kural were mercilessly bombed, totally damaging very valuable equipment. These governments, Sri Lanka and India, were fully aware of the effect the media would have on the masses. It was during the IPKF period that the regional representative for Eelamurasu in Chunnakam, Mr. Navaratnam, was shot and killed by members of the EPRLF that was collaborating with both the Sri Lankan government and the IPKF. During the same period the reporter for a Colombo-based daily (The Island), Mr. Mahalingam, was gunned down. Another reporter for Eelanadu, Mr. Manicam, escaped several attempts on his life. Mr. Satchithanantham from Madduvil, publisher of the paper called ?Thamilina Viduthalai? was killed by the same paramilitary group in 1989.
Premadasa Era
It was during this era that a proliferation of thugs, innumerable murders and a sharp increase in gagging the press were recorded. One could safely say that Premadasa terrorized the country. It was no wonder that some Sinhalese people fired crackers when his murder was announced. Editors, reporters, owners and distributors received threatening telephone calls. A very famous and highly popular person who was not only a media man, but was also an actor and a director of dramas, Mr.Richard de Zoysa was forcibly removed from his house one night, killed and his body was taken on a helicopter and dumped in the sea near Dehiwela. His mother fought a severe legal battle to bring to books the perpetrators, but nothing came out of it, even though the public knew fully well who was behind that murder. de Zoysa highlighted the human right violations and the corrupt activities which prevailed in that government through his pen and his dramas. A relative of Premadasa called Cecil Vaithiyaratne, who was a commander in the army, sent a wreath and a message of condolence to the present day columnist in the Sunday Times, Mr. Iqbal Athas as a warning on his life.
Chandrka Bandaranaiyake Era
Chandrka Bandaranaiyake was no second to her predecessors. She also enforced severe restrictions on the press. One of the - if not the only - Sinhala press, that gives coverage to the problems faced by the Tamils is ?Ravaya.? Victor Ivan is its chief editor. Chandrika made life hell for him. And ?Yukthiya,? another Sinhala paper run by Sunantha Desa Priyasena were subjected to untold hardship by her government. Rohankumara, the editor of ?Sattana,? another Sinhala paper, was murdered in cold blood.
Out of the Tamil dailies ?Uthayan? is the worst hit. In 1990 one employee was killed when its office was subjected to aerial bombing. In 1996 Uthayan highlighted the Chemmani killings and hand grenades were thrown at its office.
It was during Chandrika's period that Mamanithar Kumar Ponnambalam was murdered in broad daylight for exposing the misdeeds of her government both nationally and internationally. Freedom of speech was taboo in her vocabulary.
When the Unceasing Waves III operation was conducted and Elephant Pass was taken over by the Tigers, Chandrika declared a state of emergency and muzzled many papers, particularly Uthayan (Tamil), The Sunday Leader (English) and Irithaperamuna (Sinhala). The editor of the Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge, and his wife were pulled out of their car one night and both were beaten up. Lasantha is harassed even today for his bold and forthright reports.
It was during Chandrika's period that Mylvaganam Nirmalarajan was killed. On 19.10.2000 when armed gunmen walked into his house, he tried to run away but they chased him and shot him down. He reported to Tamil, Sinhala media and also to the B.B.C.
The next famous journalist who was killed was Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan.
Mr. Tharmaratnam Sivaram better known as Tharaki ,another highly respected journalist,was another victim of the state. When he walked out of a very popular restaurant in Colombo along with a Sinhalese friend of his, he was dragged into a white van and his mutilated body was found lying on the road on the following day.
The JVP was also responsible for several such activities. When the Sakthi TV broadcast the Martyrs? Day celebrations of 27.11.2004, the JVP elements that have infiltrated the army smashed their branch office and caused severe damage to their properties. It was the JVP who was behind the brutal attack on Mr.Jathurshan of Sudar Oli in Pettah. The JVP was responsible for the throwing of a grenade into the office of the Sudar Oli in August 2005 which killed its watchman, Mr.David Selvaratnam. This sort of atrocities is not uncommon to the JVP. During their reign of terror in 1988 ? 1989 they killed the lady announcer from Rupavahini, Ms. Shakriya Gomes and one Mr. Davis Guruge. Now they have diverted their attention on the Tamil media personnel.
The distributor of Eelanatham from Kalmunai, Mr. Kannamuthu Arasakumar, was killed on 29.07.2005 by the Karuna group. A similar distributor, Mr. Krishnapillai Joekumar, was also murdered by the same group on 30.08.2005. There is a total ban imposed on the distribution and sale of certain Tamil newspapers.
Mahinda Era
Rajapasha seems to beat all the past records of his predecessors. Since he was elected on 17.11.2005 as President numerous people in the mass media have been killed. Press freedom, reporters, editors, publishers and even minor employees are targeted ? a striking example is the watcher at the Uthayan office in Jaffna being shot and killed. The weekly paper Sudar Oli gave prominence for the killing of the five students in Trincomalee and this was not palatable to the government and its armed forces. Sudar Oli employee, Mr. Subramanium Sukirtharajan, was murdered in the early hours one morning shortly thereafter. Mr. Krishnapillai Navaratnam, who was involved in the distribution of the Tamil daily Thinakural, was shot and killed on 23.12.2005. Following these killings, Mr. George Sahayathas (Marketing Manager) and Mr. Rasaratnam Rajitkumar from the distribution section of the Uthayan daily were killed. A third person was severely injured. This happened on 02.05.2006. Mr. Mariathas Manoraj, a distributor of Metro News and Thinakural, was killed by claymore attack on 27.07.2006. He was only 22 years old. Another distributor of Uthayan, Mr. Sathasivam Baskaran was killed on15.08.2006. The manager of the daily Eelanadu Mamanithar, Mr. Sinnathamby Sivamaharajah, was killed by the Sri Lanka forces. He was 68 years old. He has contributed a lot of services for mankind in several fields. He was one of the leading cooperators, someone who works in the cooperative movement, of his time.
Recently a journalist, Kumarakuruparan, was abducted by ?unidentified people? in a white van in the early hours of one morning. When several protests were launched by fellow journalists in Colombo, he was released after two days. The last one to get a similar treatment was one Tharajah Thavamani working for the Maharajah?s TV network.
The question in everybody?s mind is; ?Who is Next?? The most interesting part of all these killings is that none of the perpetrators have since been caught. Isn?t this a typical example of; ?to set a thief to catch the same thief??
This is the sort of ?Freedom of the Press? and ?Freedom of Expression? that exists in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
Edited By - Sritharan - 28 Sep 2006 23:05:27 GMT |
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