The Ceylon News

The Sri Lankan army’s claim on Tuesday that a DNA mapping has already been done on the body of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was termed as ‘absurd’ by Indian forensic science expert Dr P Chandrasekharan.

He told The New Indian Express that DNA mapping could be done only if the army had samples of Prabhakaran’s DNA, obtained when he was alive, which was highly improbable.

Besides, the forensic expert who helped CBI’s Special Investigation Team crack the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, said that DNA mapping could not be done in a jiffy and would require a minimum of four days, given the fact there could be no laboratory near the war zone.

After watching the visuals on television, showing soldiers having a close look at the body, Chandrasekharan said that it looked as if Prabhakaran had been shot from point blank range.

Since the top of the head was covered in the visuals, he could not assess the damage to the skull and hence was unable to say what sort of firearm was used.

Asked if Prabhakaran could have shot himself or could have been fired at by the army, he said such details could be ascertained only through a ballistic test.

Keeping this in view, he said the Lankan government should not dispose of the body in a hurry, as Pakistan did with the body of Benazir Bhutto.

Chandrasekharan said ‘the manner of death’ and ‘the cause of death’ would be known only through tests.

Since the LTTE cadre were known to bite into cyanide capsules if cornered, a visceral test would also be required to find out if Prabhakaran had swallowed the poisonous substance before being shot.

The parents of the now dead Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran are in the "protective custody" of the Sri Lankan government, a media report said Thursday.
Thiruvenkatam Velupillai (76) and his wife Parvathi (71) surrendered to the army several days ago, The Island newspaper quoted a government official as saying.

They were reportedly among the civilians holed up in the no fire zone along the coast in Mullaitivu district before the army launched its final assault against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Prabhakaran and other LTTE leaders were killed May 18.

"Velupillai and Parvathi were among the early batch of Sri Lankan Tamils to go to India. They settled in Tiruchi," the report said.

They returned to the LTTE zone in northern Sri Lanka in 2003, a year after the Tigers and Colombo signed a Norway-brokered ceasefire agreement. Prabhakaran had fled their home in Jaffna way back in 1972.

Prabhakaran's death and the decimation of the LTTE ended a dragging Tamil separatist conflict that left some 90,000 people dead in Sri Lanka.

I have a dream that one day this proud island nation will rise up and live
out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the streets of Hambantota and Mullaitivu,
the sons of Tamils and Sinhalese will be able to sit down freely together
at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the towns of Tissamaharama and Jaffna,
towns now sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat
of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my children will one day live in this “paradise” nation
where they will not be judged by the language of their choosing or their
ethnicity but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in the South and up in the North, with
its previous racists, with its local leaders having their lips dripping
with words of themala and Sinhalayaâ -- one day right there in these many
towns, little Tamil boys and Tamil girls will be able to join hands with
little Sinhalese boys and Sinhalese girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill
and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and
the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of God shall be
revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I return to this island with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a
stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling
discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this
faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle
together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing
that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children
will sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet island of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of our forefathers’ pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if Sri Lanka is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of Kandy.
Let freedom ring from the fertile plains in Jaffna.
Let freedom ring from the lovely beaches of Trincomalee.
Let freedom ring from the beautiful landscapes of Nuwara-Eliya.
Let freedom ring from the lagoons in Batticaloa
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from the skyscrapers in Colombo.
Let freedom ring from humble homes in Vavuniya.
Let freedom ring from every hill and anthill of Ratnapura.
From every village, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring
from every village and every hamlet, from every town and every city, we
will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Sinhalese,
Tamils, Muslims, Burghers, Malays, will be able to join hands and sing in
the words of the old spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

LIKE WE WERE WHEN WE WERE KIDS IN SUNNY LANKA

The writer of this is a man who is dedicated to the wild life of Sri Lanka
CBS News Canada


If you are a Tamil and wish to continue this war then that is your right. You only have one option and that is to return to Sri Lanka. You cannot fight this battle from Canada. The reason is simple and obvious. This is not Canada's war. This is a civil war that has absolutely nothing to do with Canada. Canada and Canadians want nothing to do with this war other than to assist on a humanitarian front. What Canada and Canadians could do for the poor people in your country we have done.

Canadians are deeply saddened by the loss of your family members and friends. We realize that all contact has been lost and you are all in the excruciating position of not knowing their whereabouts or if they are injured or dead or alive. This is a catastrophe for you and Canadians appreciate that and wish it otherwise. We all want aid organizations and journalists admitted into the war zone and have asked for same. Your civil war is apparently now over and I am sure very soon the information you so badly need and deserve with be forthcoming.

That being said there are Tamils that seem to want more from Canada. One man stated, 'the only solution is a separate homeland.' So then why are you here? Really, the only point that I can see in your remaining in Canada is to disrupt our country. Canadians eyes are open and we see your terrorist organization, the Tamil Tigers are operating openly, and illegally in this country. There appears to be strong support among the Tamil people who have come to Canada, particularly in Toronto. Tamils here in Canada keep referring to their 'homeland' in Sri Lanka' and that you want your own country there. No problem - GO. You are not being held captive in Canada and you may at any time leave here in the same manner as you arrived.

Lion, Tiger and lies
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Too many loose ends in Lankan army's version of Prabhakaran's death

By Anita Pratap reporting from Norway

Precisely because he is many things to many people, LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran’s death has been greeted with joy by the Sinhalese, grief by his Tamil supporters, and relief by many who hope his death will bring peace to beleaguered Sri Lanka.

But is he really dead? Speculation is rife only because journalists are not allowed in, and independent verification is impossible. I was sceptical of the first report, which said he was killed while fleeing the war zone in an ambulance. No way. Prabhakaran would not do something so idiotic. Remember, the Sri Lankan army told us that Prabhakaran and his cadres were surrounded in a tiny patch of land, less than 1 sq.km. The area was so small and so well surrounded that anyone coming out on a bicycle would be spotted and stopped. So logically, what chance would an ambulance have of sprinting past unnoticed? If he had to flee from such a tiny war zone, he would have scurried out through an underground tunnel.

And then came the picture of Prabhakaran’s corpse. The first question: if he was killed in an ambulance, how come his body was discovered in a lagoon? The picture looked fake. Top of the head was blown off, but the face was clear and the eyes wide open. Prabhakaran’s most distinguishing feature are his eyes, which seemed artificially wide, as if someone was trying to prove it was indeed him by grabbing attention to his eyes. It reminded me of the front-page picture of the terrorist killed in a shootout in Ansal Plaza in New Delhi a few years ago. I had said then that I found it hard to believe that the terrorist had died that way with the gun in his hand. I have seen innumerable civilians, soldiers and guerrillas lying dead in battlefields. They don’t look like this. I instinctively felt the picture was stage-managed. Forensically, I did not see how it was possible that a guy involved in a massive shootout could die so perfectly posed. Subsequent investigations reinforced these doubts.

That is the same feeling I had when I saw the picture of Prabhakaran’s corpse. Far from setting my doubts to rest, the picture convinced me that something was fishy. The initial version was that soldiers had “shelled” the ambulance, which caught fire and was destroyed. If you pummel an ambulance with artillery shells or rocket propelled grenades, it will explode. So, if Prabhakaran were inside, his body would have been blown to bits. At the very least, charred. And when his dog tags and identity cards surfaced, the whole thing seemed even more of a set-up. Besides, Karuna’s and Daya Master’s identification of Prabhakaran’s body has as much credibility as a confession extracted in police custody.

I am not saying that I know for sure Prabhakaran is alive. What I am saying is that this version of his death does not ring true.
I have said before that Prabhakaran will never be captured alive. But there is one more thing I would add. If he knew there was no way out, he would not only have killed himself but have made sure his body was not found. There are two reasons for this. One, he is a keen student of military history and knows if his body were found, it would be desecrated by the victorious Sinhalese soldiers. All triumphant soldiers have done this through history. I can still vividly recall the dead Afghan leader Najibullah hanging from a Kabul lamp-post, cigarette stuffed in his nose, body bloated and beaten black and blue by the victorious Taliban. I have seen videos of dead female LTTE soldiers being stripped naked and paraded by gleeful Sinhalese soldiers.

Many detest him, but one must understand Prabhakaran’s psyche. He is an extraordinarily proud man, one who believes he is fighting to restore the honour and glory of the Tamils. There is simply no way he will allow himself to be desecrated and bring eternal shame and dishonour to his people. So not only will he swallow his cyanide, have his bodyguard shoot him to make his death doubly sure, but he will ensure that his body is blasted to bits, so that no corpse ever surfaces.

That brings me to the second reason why he would ensure his body was never found if he had to commit suicide to evade capture. Remember, one of his favourite heroes is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Even today, there are people who believe that Bose is still alive. The mystery and the mystique remain. If Prabhakaran’s body is never found, no one can be sure whether he is really dead or alive and the conspiracy theories will spin forever—keeping him alive in people’s imagination. Purpose served, especially if he is dead.

I do not rule out Prabhakaran’s death. I don’t think he was killed, more likely he took his own life. If I were to pick a day that he decided to commit suicide with his top cadres, it would be May 16.
In my last article published a month ago in THE WEEK (Crouching Tiger, May 3) on what I expected Prabhakaran’s next move to be, I had written, “He will be watching the Indian elections closely to see which dispensation takes charge in New Delhi. He will be watching to see if there is a popular upsurge of support in Tamil Nadu for the plight of Tamils across the Palk Strait. …He will be watching President Barack Obama who rightly analysed that conflicts stem from our perception of the other.”

On May 13, referring to the “desperate, humanitarian crisis” in Sri Lanka, Obama urged the Tigers to “lay down their arms” and the government to stop the “indiscriminate shelling that has taken hundreds of innocent lives”. Tiger spokespersons said they were willing to accede to Obama’s request, but the Sri Lankan government refused to slacken or halt the final onslaught to wrest the last piece of land from Prabhakaran’s grip. On May 16, the Indian election results came out and contrary to media punditry, the Congress made a resounding comeback. That spelt doom for Prabhakaran: his implacable foes will remain in power for another five years. Instead of an upsurge in Tamil Nadu, staunch LTTE supporters like Vaiko were routed. Prabhakaran has been waging this battle alone for the last three years and he knows what it has cost him—his cadres, the Tamils civilians and the diaspora. It has been truly horrific. Surviving another five years of this isolation with a hostile Congress establishment at the helm in India and an impotent international community is very hard. Getting Eelam in the near future in such hostile international circumstances is impossible.

In the past, after he was routed, Prabhakaran started all over again from scratch. That is why I had said I could envision him continuing the war. But with Congress’s victory, Tamil Nadu’s political defeat and adamancy of the Sri Lankan state to disregard even the American president, I can see why he saw the futility of continuing his struggle, deciding then to fight unto death.

In his introduction to an absolute must-read 1964 book, The World of Yesterday by Austrian author Stefan Zweig, Harry Zohn talks about the three times that Zweig had to start his life all over, caught up as he was between the two world wars. Writes Zohn: “Too exhausted to start a fourth, Zweig took his life in Brazil soon after completing his autobiography, at a time when the prospects for the realisation of all that he had ever striven for looked particularly bleak.” Zweig and Prabhakaran are complete opposites. But this, I think, sums up Prabhakaran’s mood on May 16. What lends some credence to my theory is that several members of the Tamil diaspora said they began getting calls from their LTTE contacts in Vanni, tearfully bidding farewell. That most of the top rung of the LTTE’s military wing are dead, points to mass suicide.

A war crime? The death of Charles Anthony, Prabhakaran's son, raises questions

Rumours began circulating in the blogosphere on May 16 that Prabhakaran and 300 of his top cadres had committed mass suicide and blown themselves up. In fact, Sri Lanka’s army website posted an item at 17:51 on May 17 from the battlefront: “Self-ignited LTTE explosions [were] heard and witnessed in close vicinity. Likelihood of Tigers committing suicide en masse or burning of LTTE assets on their own has not been ruled out.” Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced victory and end of war. On May 17 afternoon, the LTTE, issued a statement: “This battle has reached its bitter end. We remain with one last choice—to remove the last weak excuse of the enemy for killing our people. We have decided to silence our guns.” The statement blamed the silence of the international community, the impunity with which the Sri Lankan government ignored urgent appeals, used words like “desperate” and “saddened”, referred to “bitter end” twice. And added: “Against all odds, we have held back the advancing Sinhalese forces, without help or support…. Our only regrets are for the lives lost and that we could not hold out any longer.” It reads like a suicide note.

For an even more absurd reason, I am inclined to believe that he could have committed suicide on May 17. Prabhakaran was very superstitious and once confessed to me that the number 8 is very unlucky for him—even though he is born on November 26. So he never undertook major offensives on 8th, 17th and 26th of a month. I reported that. And the Sri Lankan army took it easy on those days. But Charles Anthony, his son, couldn’t care less about superstition. Many of the operations he commanded were on 26th, precisely to surprise the army. On April 26, 2006, an LTTE suicide bomber tried in vain to assassinate Sri Lankan army commander, Sarath Fonseka, who since then became Prabhakaran’s mortal enemy. From this superstitious perspective, it is perhaps not a coincidence that the likely date of Prabhakaran’s suicide is May 17. When Prabhakaran told me about his superstition regarding numbers, I read Cheiro. According to Cheiro, people born with the birth number 8 are destined for great successes and great failures! If he has indeed committed suicide, this prediction certainly rings true for him!

On May 18 at 3 a.m. Vanni time, the LTTE political chief B. Nadesan and its peace secretariat director Puleedevan telephoned their European contacts requesting them to ask the ICRC to evacuate about 1,000 of their wounded cadres and LTTE’s civil officials. But a few hours later, the Sri Lankan defence ministry claimed they had found the dead bodies of Nadesan, Puleedevan and Anthony. The LTTE accused the Sri Lankan government of “treachery”. Their version is that their international contacts told them that arrangements had been made with the Sri Lankan military to discuss “an orderly end to the war”. So as instructed, Nadesan and Puleedevan, unarmed and carrying white flags, contacted the 58 division of the Sri Lankan troops operating nearby. But they were shot and killed. If this is true, under international conventions, this would be a war crime. The number of dead bodies shown on Sri Lankan websites indicates that this war on terror ended with a bloody massacre.

Sri Lankan army released pictures of Anthony’s corpse on May 18. Up until then, they had been releasing old pictures of a bulky Anthony in battle fatigues looking at the camera sulkily. But now two photos were released—one in which he is alive and the other his corpse. The strange thing is in both pictures he is wearing the same blue shirt. The explanation then could be that he, with Nadesan and Puleedevan, had gone dressed in civilian clothes with white flags to the 58 division. Pictures were taken, where he looks clean-shaven, relaxed and neat. And then something went wrong and a massacre followed some time later (the dead Anthony’s face has stubble). All Tiger fighters wear combat fatigues, so if he was fighting, Anthony should have been wearing battle dress. But the army’s version is that Anthony and others arrived dressed in civilian clothes on what was a suicide mission. But then that doesn’t explain the picture of Anthony alive.

Intriguingly, it took another whole day before the government released the picture of Prabhakaran’s dead body. If Prabhakaran did indeed blow himself up along with his top cadres, then there can be no body to parade. In which case, the Sri Lankan government came up with a Prabhakaran “double”. How weird is that? But the answer could be simple—the army was under pressure to show a dead body as proof. No one will believe otherwise that Prabhakaran is dead. If the Sri Lankan military has evidence that Prabhakaran did indeed blast himself, then they can be certain he will not surface to dispute their claim. On May 20, Sri Lanka’s defence ministry website carried a bizarre announcement: “We are not going to comment on how he died.”

But the story gets more curious. The LTTE is silent about Anthony, but has issued a statement that Prabhakaran is alive and safe. But few believe the LTTE, so rumours are now rife that Prabhakaran will give a television interview to prove he is alive. That will be a bombshell if it happens, suggesting he had waged an elaborate war of deception, complete with his own “double”. Any move he makes will be picked up by the Sri Lankan intelligence. But that is if he is alive. A Sinhalese blogger said: “He is alive and well—in hell.

But all these conspiracy theories can be quelled. The international community can force Sri Lanka to share the DNA tests done on Prabhakaran and Anthony and verify if they match Prabhakaran’s sisters’ who live in Canada and Europe. If they match, all speculation can be put to rest. India and the four co-chairs—the United States, Europe, Japan and Norway—should insist on this

Thursday, May 28, 2009

By Philip Fernando in Los Angeles

As successive U S ambassadors to Colombo hemmed and hawed loosing sight of Sri Lanka’s geo-strategic importance, foreign aid component from US to Sri Lanka also dwindled drastically. So they switched from baiting to bullying using the moth-eaten argument “humanitarian intervention in the internal affairs,” as a weapon of persuasion. That too failed as Sri Lanka refused to be bullied.

The measly $ 7.4 million aid package last year to Sri Lanka is fiddle sticks—said one observer--that bait is not enough even to catch a handful of smelts in the Indian Ocean. The prized possession for naval supremacy in the East is now with China and India, who are now riding the seas east of Suez in style. The West has shown an incapacitated mind-set unable to think beyond the mundane denunciations and name calling.

Thus a resounding victory was won by Sri Lanka in repulsing the sinister attempt by the West to punish a country who just won a great victory against the Tigers: it was former U S ambassador to Sri Lanka who felt that the war against Tigers was unwinnable. Sri Lanka's strategic importance was ignored by the western powers. China, India and many Asian countries are now solidly behind Sri Lanka.

USA also lost the battle to pressurize Sri Lanka into a submissive adherence to the global outreach of the West. In contrast, Russia, China and India have a common interest insofar as they oppose the doctrine of "humanitarian intervention" in sovereign states-the hobby horse of Hillary Clinton and David Miliband. China and India have been harshly treated in the past on the human-rights issue and have extended mutual support to Sri Lanka in warding off western pressure. The bullying by the West will never work, said a seasoned analyst after West’s debacle in Geneva.

Sri Lanka had the support of many who felt the need to keep the intervention of the West away from their shores. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions on human rights paved the way for the harassed countries to show their muscle and ward off Western bullying. Geopolitics and common sense took precedence over everything else.

Over 70 percent of world’s petroleum plies via the Indian Ocean. Fifty percent of the container traffic is also through that route. Policy makers in the West were more interested in keeping their control of the financial outlays going to their favorite lackeys. IMF loans were their prying weapons. They have not thought seriously about the “mundane’ affairs of international navigation. They paid the price when China and India usurped their supremacy with solid moves that spoke of a long-term ascendancy of their strategic presence. The West lost a major slice of control.

The UNHRC session that was expected to precede a Kangaroo court on Sri Lankan war crimes ended with a whimper as the sponsors of the resolution to initiate folded. Sri Lanka stole the thunder with a counter resolution titled “Assistance to Sri Lanka in the promotion and Protection of Human Rights,” commending Sri Lanka for its victory over terrorism and soliciting funding from a grateful international community. The 12 co-sponsors of the Sri Lankan resolution include China, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cuba Nicaragua and Bolivia. Sri Lanka won the day.

Whether Clinton, Miliband and Kouchner! The writing on the wall for Tiger proxies who rushed to force a ceasefire on Sri Lanka during the waning hours of the war against the Tigers had to do a hasty retreat. They lots gaian in Geneva. Their track record is looking more dismal by the hour.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Leave a Comment

By Dr. Noel Nadesan

(May 28, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian)

The Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, deserves the congratulations of all Sir Lankan regardless of their ethnicity. More than any other community, the Sri Lankan Tamils owe him their thanks for ending their misery. As every body knows Tamils in Sri Lanka were under the delusion of Tamil Eelam. His victory should at last cure this mental illness of the Tamils. Sri Lanka has at last found the leader who can act above the pressures of communal forces that had beveled Sri Lankan politics for the last 60 years.

President Rajapaksa arrived on the political scene at a time when all the communities were sick of this war. All communities wanted an end to the futile war. He arrived at the correct time to win the backing of all peace-loving people.

His political leadership was strengthened by his brothers Basil Rajapaksa who played a key role in the political field and Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the military field. He was ably assisted by a talented military commander, Gen. Sarath Fonseka. This is the first time in last thirty years political leadership did not interfere in military matters. Nor did they use military successes to their political advantage though the advantages fell into their lap automatically. .

LTTE performed pathetically by rejecting Norway mediation, demanding parity of status with the Sri Lankan government and by sending imbeciles for the negotiation with Sri Lankan government. A look at the list of the Tamil negotiators made it clear to me that LTTE was not interested in negotiating peace. Most of them are from Australia where I live. I will not even send them even to buy a packet of cigarettes from the corner shop, let alone bargaining for Eelam. Prabakaran dream was shattered when the Eastern commander Karuna split with the Wanni leadership on genuine grievances. Predictably LTTE leadership sent a team to kill him so. He had no option but to defect to the government.

LTTE killed the Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar during the ceasefire with Sri Lanka. The government maintained commendable restraint. LTTE, however, overstepped its mark when it attempted to assassinate the military commander. War was inevitable as LTTE increased tensions and violence.

In Mavil Aru and Mutur, LTTE gave legitimate reasons for the Sri Lankan government to counter-attack which ended on the beaches of the Jaffna lagoon. These are some reasons that led to Eelam War IV. But there are also deeper and intrinsically ingrained reasons for the war. It is little known that Veluppilai Prapaharan’s personality was not conducive for peace. He revealed his sadistic tendencies from a young age. As a young boy he was given to killing garden lizards and birds with his catapult. He is a school drop out who quit school at the age of 10. It was during this time that the Jaffna student agitated on the language issue and admission to university. Prabhakaran was engaged more in internal and personal power struggles even during this time killing his opponents. In 1979 April he killed his comrade-in-arms, called Suthumali Pattkunam, when he was fast asleep. By this time he was addicted to killing. The internecine warfare among Tamil militants began in the seventies. All these happed before 1983. We cannot blame the Sri Lankan government or Sinhala community for the crimes committed by Tamil militants. . Tamils were killed even for petty thefts. Early in 1982, when I was passing Columbagam and Kachcheri Road in Jaffna, I saw the body of one petty thief left to rot on the road. I was told that he was killed by Tigers and he was left there as a lesson for others. This is the first time I realized that Jaffna was breeding a fascist outfit. What most do not know is that he was born with sadism in his bones. As a young boy he was once playing marbles with another young Tamil boy. He soon found that he was losing to his friend. Angered by this he took a stick and poked in his friend’s eyes, blinding him forever. That is Prabahakaran.

That cruelty turned me off the LTTE. I also made it a point to study his tactics more closely. His cruelty was also predictable. But it is sad to note that his fascist cult attracted many intelligent people. And some of them even became victims of his fascist cult.

When I was in India helping refugees during 84-87, I had opportunity to learn more about him.I had the opportunity to listen to his order to liquidate TELO issued through the wireless set up in Chennai. I was also getting first hand information about LTTE massacring other Tamils in Kanthankarunai in Nallur. After I received the news of the massacre news, I felt sick in my stomach. I can still remember the feeling even after 22 years...

After coming to Australia I was disappointed that the Sri Lankan governments allowed it to be hoodwinked by the Tigers. My fellows Tamils too supported this “pathological serial killer” (Prof. James Jupp) in the name of Tamil Rights. .

Tragically, some Tamil writers and NGO groups built a halo around him and created the myth of Prabahakaran as a mighty warrior. He basically used expatriates’ money and Jaffna Tamils ingenuity to build a human fortress around himself, using Tamil civilians as stones for his walls.. Interesting thing is he believed in his invincibility. He had a grand ride until the Sri Lankan army commander Sarath Fonseka took him on. His determined effort to continue the war relentlessly until the Tiger outfit is crushed has paid dividends. He has liberated not only Sri Lanka but also Tamil community at last.

(Dr. Nadesan is the Editor of UTHAYAM, the Tamil community newspaper in Australia. He led the recent delegation of Tamil expatriates to open a dialogue with the Govt.of Sri Lanka)

Russia has pledged to continue to assist Sri Lanka for the restoration of peace and reconstruction in the country after the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels, the Sri Lankan government said Tuesday.

The presidential office said in a statement that Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev told Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on Tuesday in a telephone conversation that Russia considered Sri Lanka an old friend and ally, and looked forward to continuing the warm relations between the two countries.

He assured that Russia will give all assistance to Sri Lanka for the restoration of peace, reconstruction, and for necessary and expeditious relief to the large number of internally displaced persons, according to the statement.

Rajapakse thanked the Russian president for the considerable assistance given to Sri Lanka, especially in the UN Security Council and other UN organizations at the last stage of civil war.

The Sri Lankan president also conveyed his thanks to Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin, who had also been very helpful to Sri Lanka in the battle against the rebels, during his term as the president, said the statement.

In the telephone conversation that was initiated by Medvedev, it was agreed that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Sri Lanka in October this year, the statement added.

Sri Lanka's 30-year civil war came to a conclusion last week with the total defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Claiming discrimination at the hands of the majority Sinhalese dominated governments, the LTTE began to fight for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east since the 1980s, resulting in the killing of more than 100,000 people in Asia's longest civil war.

Both sides have been accused of committing abuses against civilians

The UN's high commissioner for human rights has called for an independent investigation into alleged atrocities by both sides in Sri Lanka's civil war.

Navi Pillay said it was the only way to build a sustainable peace in Sri Lanka.

Her comments to the UN's Human Rights Council (UNHRC) come amid growing concern for more than 250,000 civilians now living in government-run camps.

Sri Lanka has rejected Ms Pillay's demands and has called instead for financial aid to rebuild the country.

In her opening speech to the UNHRC's emergency summit in Geneva, Ms Pillay said there were "strong reasons to believe that both sides have grossly disregarded the fundamental principle of the inviolability of civilians".

She said an "independent and credible international investigation" should be carried out to establish "the occurrence, nature and scale of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as specific responsibilities".

"Establishing the facts is crucial to set the record straight regarding the conduct of all parties in the conflict," she said.

"Victims and survivors have a right to justice and remedies."

Her comments were echoed by the UN's Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, who told the BBC an investigation was essential if the country was to move forward.

Mr Holmes said the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) had used civilians as human shields "in the most cynical and brutal way", but that civilians had also been "affected very badly" by being caught up in army shelling.

'Outrageous'

The rights council's special session is considering two different draft resolutions.

One put forward by 17 European and Latin American countries calls on the Sri Lankan government to investigate allegations of rights abuse and for aid agencies to have greater access to displaced people.

But Sri Lanka has drafted its own document calling for UN co-operation in providing humanitarian aid.

Its resolution cites the "principle of non-interference" in states' internal matters and says it is addressing the needs of civilians.

Sri Lanka's ambassador to the UN, Dayan Jayatilleka, said it was "outrageous" to suggest that the government should be investigated.

The country's resolution has been supported by India, whose representative to the council said his country had "serious reservations about the objectives and usefulness" of the session.

A Gopinanthan said the focus of the international community should be on promoting reconciliation and healing in Sri Lanka.

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says it appears that the widespread allegations of violations are not being seriously addressed at the meeting, much to the frustration of rights groups and Ms Pillay.

The end result of the session is likely to be a bland and consensual resolution which does not demand much action from anyone, says our correspondent.

Cramped conditions

Ms Pillay has also called for journalists and human rights monitors to be given access to the camps for internally displaced people.

Agony in Sri Lankan camp Sri Lanka rejects Tigers' offer

The Sri Lankan army is currently controlling the closely-guarded camps and there is concern about the poor conditions in which up to 300,000 people are now living.

The BBC's Ethirajan Anbarasan was taken by the Sri Lankan military to two camps housing tens of thousands of displaced people.

He said conditions in one camp were very basic, with people complaining of a lack of water, proper food and sanitation.

At another camp - also run by the military - conditions were better, although still cramped.

The government has said it is addressing the problems but has also accused the rebels of infiltrating the camps.

The Tigers' defeat has almost brought to an end their 26-year fight for a separate Tamil homeland with most senior leaders believed to have been killed in recent weeks.

FROM THE WORLD AT ONE More from the World At One

But Daya Mohan, head of the political wing of the LTTE in the eastern district of Batticaloa, told the BBC Tamil service that the remaining fighters in the east were not thinking of surrendering.

He said the groups were "capable of carrying out guerrilla attacks" and were waiting for a decision from their leadership.

On Tuesday, Sri Lanka's defence secretary rejected an offer from the Tamil Tigers to enter a democratic process after their military defeat.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told the BBC the LTTE rebels could not be trusted to give up "terrorism".

May5,2009
Author: udu Email | Filed under: Udu's Home Page 9537 views

Subject: BREAKING NEWS!
Suicide bomb attack in hell!

There has been a suicide bomb blast in hell! The target was the leadership of the hell (the devil and his deputies). One V.Prbhakaran and members of his orgnisation, LTTE, all new arrivals in hell, are demanding a separate state for the tamils in hell. The new tamil only state in hell is to be called Eelam! It is believed that many suicide bombers are around. War has broken out in hell, while Prabhakaran is hidden in a bunker in hell! Please await further details.

We need some Humour with Udurawana.

Tamil Tigers

A day ahead of an emergency session by the United Nations human rights council on Sri Lanka military authorities announced that over 9000 Tamil Tiger suspects are being held in detention.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told the BBC that 9,100 has been identified as those with LTTE links.

"We have sent the majority of them including child soldiers for rehabilitation," he said.

allegations by Human rights watchdogs

Denying allegations by Human rights watchdogs that some of the suspects have been abducted from IDPs camps in the north, Brigadier Nanayakkara said that these suspects have "surrendered themselves" at screening centres.

These screening centres are used to identify suspected Tamil Tigers leaving the war ravaged Vanni area.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, who visited the war displaced in Vavunia in the weekend called for the speeding up of the screening process.

separation of the former combatants

"I sincerely hope that the screening process and the separation of the former combatants will take place as soon as possible, so that the others can return to their homes," he said.

The media centre for national security says that those sent for rehabilitation are held at "Pompemadu, Rambakulam, Omanthai, Pallekale, Ambepussa, Thelippalai, Welikanda, Poonthottam and a few more in the Menik Farm along with their parents".

The announcement comes on the eve of an emergency session held by the United Nations human rights council, which will discuss the situation in Sri Lanka and allegations of violations committed during the conflict.

By VOA News
25 May 2009


Sri Lanka says it will hold elections in northern areas that were caught up in the devastating war between the military and Tamil rebels.

Government officials announced Monday that local council elections will be held inin early August. They will be the first elections in the area in more than a decade.

Parts of the region were held by the rebels before they admitted defeat last week in their quarter-century-long war.

The rebels' chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, announced Sunday that the group has given up violence, and will pursue independence through peaceful means.

He told the BBC the rebels have agreed to enter a democratic process to achieve the rights for the self-determination of the Tamil people.

The rebel spokesman acknowledged for the first time that the Tamil Tiger leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, died last week during the final battles against government forces.

The United Nations estimates that more than 7,000 civilians were killed during the final months of the war. About 300,000 people have been displaced.

The rebels began their fight for a separate homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority in 1983. The U.N. estimates that the civil war resulted in up to 100,000 deaths.

Sri Lanka said it needs partners, not monitors, in the international community to help the South Asian island nation rebuild after the end of a 26-year conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Assistance must be “according to the wishes of the people of Sri Lanka,” Basil Rajapaksa, senior presidential adviser, said, according to the government’s Web site. “We don’t want ‘monitors,’ we need partners.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ended a two- day visit to the country at the weekend with a call to the government to start the process of reconciliation with the Tamil community and for aid to reach an estimated 300,000 people displaced by the fighting in the north.

Sri Lanka’s government said last week its forces defeated the Tamil Tigers, ending their fight for a separate Tamil homeland in the east and north. President Mahinda Rajapaksa said aid workers will be allowed into the conflict zone once the army completes operations to clear rebels hiding among the refugees.

“The international community must understand that it is we, the people of this country, who had to endure this problem” of terrorism, Basil Rajapaksa said in an interview. “There is nobody else who understands the repercussions and the sufferings.”

Good Record

The government has a “good record” dealing with displaced civilians in the past, he said. It is committed to returning people who fled in recent months to their homes.

“We will ensure that when everybody in the north returns to their homes, they will go back to a place where there is security,” he added.

Sri Lanka said last week it intends to resettle the displaced people within 180 days and close the transit camps.

“Whether the government can live up to this promise remains to be seen,” Jehan Perera, director of the National Peace Council, a Sri Lankan non-governmental advocacy organization, said in an e-mailed statement today. The scale of destruction, the de-mining of villages and building the basic infrastructure needed to enable refugees to return may take “considerable” time, he said.

Ban, at the end of his visit, said there “is a wide gap between what is needed and what is available” for the refugees. “The UN and other international humanitarian agencies need immediate and unimpeded access to the camps.”

Ban called on the government to speed up the screening and registration of civilians.

LTTE Leadership

Soldiers routed the last Tamil Tiger forces more than a week ago, killing their chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran and the group’s leaders, who were holding out in a strip of land near the northeastern port of Mullaitiviu.

The LTTE acknowledged yesterday for the first time that Prabhakaran is dead, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported on its Web site.

The Tamil Tigers will now use non-violent methods in the struggle for a Tamil homeland, the BBC cited Selvarasa Pathmanathan, head of international relations for the LTTE, as saying in a telephone interview.

About 10,000 LTTE fighters, including 1,601 female members, have surrendered to the army and are being rehabilitated, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on its Web site yesterday.

The UN Human Rights Council should use its special session on Sri Lanka tomorrow to seek commitments from the government to address the “disastrous” humanitarian situation, Human Rights Watch said, according to a statement on its Web site today.

“Although the fighting has stopped the humanitarian situation is still alarming and real improvements are needed now,” Brad Adams, Asia director of the group said, according to the statement.

The meeting in Geneva is a “waste of time, energy and resources,” Mahinda Samarasinghe, Sri Lanka’s minister for disaster management and human rights, said May 21, according to the government’s Web site. Funds would be better used to help the displaced people, he said.

The Sri Lankan government has said it will rehabilitate the child soldiers who were recruited by the Tamil Tigers to reintegrate them into the society.

The announcement comes after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who was on a two-day visit to the island nation, conveyed his concerns to the government about the welfare of child soldiers, following the military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Sri Lanka and the UN have recognised that a large number of child soldiers forcibly recruited by the LTTE was an important issue in the post-conflict scenario.

"President (Mahinda) Rajapakse reiterated his firm policy of zero tolerance in relation to child recruitment. In cooperation with the UNICEF, child-friendly procedures have been established for release, surrender and rehabilitation of the child soldiers," the government said in a joint statement at the end of Ban Ki-moon's two-day visit to the island nation Saturday.

"The objective of the rehabilitation process, presently underway, is to reintegrate former child soldiers into society as productive citizens," the statement said.

"The Secretary-General (Ban Ki-moon) expressed satisfaction on the progress already made by the government in cooperation with the UNICEF," it added.

The government said around 10,000 LTTE fighters, including child soldiers, had surrendered to the security forces in the past several months.

During his stay, Ban held talks with Rajapakse, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and other senior leaders.

The UN chief also visited the relief camps for displaced people in northern Vavuniya district and inspected the areas near Mullaittivu, where the government troops and the LTTE fought their final battles.

Sri Lanka's 30-year civil war ended early last week after the defeat of the LTTE.

The LTTE had fought for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east of the country claiming discrimination at the hands of the majority Sinhalese dominated governments.

More than 100,000 people have been killed since the conflict started in the 1980s.

Two top Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leaders had tried to negotiate their surrender but were killed by the Sri Lankan Army while "holding white flags", a Sunday Times report said.

According to the paper, Balasingham Nadesan, political leader of the Tamil Tigers, was in touch with its correspondent till late night on May 17 by satellite phone from the tiny strip of jungle and beach on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka where the Tigers had been making their last stand.

"We are putting down our arms," Nadesan told Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin.

Amid machine gun fire in the background, he told Colvin: "We are looking for a guarantee of security from the Obama administration and the British government. Is there a guarantee of security?"

Nadesan and Seevaratnam Puleedevan, the head of the Tigers' peace secretariat, were holed up with a group of 300 fighters and their families, many of them injured.

The Times correspondent established contact with the UN special envoy in Colombo, Vijay Nambiar, through highly placed British and US officials and passed on the Tigers' conditions for surrender, which he was to relay to the Sri Lankan government.

According to the paper, at 5.30 a.m. Sri Lankan time on May 18 Colvin got in touch with Nambiar in Colombo and told him that the Tigers had laid down their arms.

Nambiar said he had been assured by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa that Nadesan and Puleedevan would be safe. "All they have to do is hoist a white flag high," Nambiar said.

Colvin by now had lost touch with Nadesan. She contacted a Tamil Tiger sympathiser in South Africa and asked him to send the message to Nadesan - hold a white flag.

A Tamil who was in the group with the two leaders and managed to escape the war zone described what happened.

The source, who spoke to an aid worker, said Nadesan and Puleedevan walked towards Sri Lankan Army lines with a white flag in a group of about a dozen men and women. He said the army started firing with machine guns at them, the news report said.

Nadesan's wife, a Sinhalese, yelled in Sinhala at the soldiers: "He is trying to surrender and you are shooting him." She was also shot down.

The source said all in the group were killed. He is now in hiding, fearing for his life.

The Sri Lankan military decimated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) May 18 by killing its entire leadership including chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. The death of Prabhakaran brought the curtains down on a quarter-century old insurgency for a separate Tamil homeland in the country's northeast.

The government released footage of Prabhakaran's body after speculation he could still be alive [AFP] The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have confirmed their leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, has been killed. "We announce today, with inexpressible sadness and heavy hearts that our incomparable leader and supreme commander ... attained martyrdom fighting the military oppression," Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the LTTE's head of international relations, said in a statement on Sunday. The Tigers said Prabhakaran had been killed on Tuesday during fighting between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan military and declared a week of mourning. The military had previously announced Prabhakaran, 54, was shot on Monday while travelling in a small convoy of vehicles in a bid to escape the final battle between the two sides. 'Final request' The LTTE statement read: "For over three decades, our leader was the heart and soul and the symbol of hope, pride and determination for the whole nation of people of Tamil Eelam," "Since the failure of the peace process and the escalation of the war forced upon the Tamil people, the LTTE was faced [sic] to confront the Sri Lankan military that was supported by the world powers. "This deliberate bias and position taken by the international community severely weakened the military position of the LTTE. "Our leader confronted this threat without any hesitation. He would not waver in his desire to be with his people and fight for his people till the end. "His final request was for the struggle to continue until we achieved the freedom for his people. "His legend and the historical status as the Greatest Tamil Leader ever are indestructible," Pathmanathan said in the statement. Body 'cremated' The Sri Lankan authorities have not published a post mortem examination report or officially confirmed how or when he died. A government spokesman said on Tuesday that the body would be given to an undertaker, but General Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lanka's army chief, told the privately-run Sunday Rivira that the body had been cremated and his ashes thrown in the sea. Fonseka said Pottu Amman, the LTTE intelligence chief, and Prabhakaran's wife, Mathiwadini, were among the dead, but have yet to be officially identified. The government released footage of Prabhakaran's body for the first time on Tuesday after a pro-LTTE website, Tamilnet, denied the government's announcement that he had been killed. Sri Lanka said Sunday it would not allow aid workers complete access to civilians who remain held in camps after the conflict, saying LTTE remnants still remained among the refugees. Aid restrictions Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, on a visit to a camp housing 200,000 Tamils, had called for his staff to be given "unhindered access" to those displaced in the decades-long war that ended last week. "His legend and the historical status as the Greatest Tamil Leader ever are indestructible" Selvarasa Pathmanathan, LTTE international relations chief The government said that "as conditions improved, especially with regard to security, there would be no objections to such assistance". Ban, who toured the Menik Farm facility on Saturday, described the conditions as overcrowded and the detained civilians as "badly in need of food, water and sanitation". The government has described the camps as "welfare villages" and says it wants to resettle all displaced civilians as soon as possible. But Tamil activists say they are "concentration camps" with inmates penned in behind barbed wire. During his visit, Ban urged Rajapakse to probe alleged human rights violations committed during the defeat of the Tamil separatists, a joint statement on Sunday said. The UN estimates that up to 7,000 civilians have been killed in fighting since the beginning of the year.

Thousands of Sri Lankans gathered to celebrate the victory over the Tamil Tigers [AFP] The UN secretary-general has called on Sri Lanka's leaders to seek reconciliation with the country's minority Tamil population following the end of its long-running conflict with separatist rebels. Ban Ki-moon made the remarks shortly after arriving in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, late on Friday. "Now that the long decades of conflict are over, it is time for Sri Lankans to heal the wounds and unite without regards to ethnic and religious identity," Ban said. On Saturday, Ban toured Sri Lanka's largest war displaced persons camp and pressed for wider humanitarian access to the camps currently housing more than 300,000 people displaced during the final months of the country's war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers. The main camp, known as a Manik Farm, holds a vast expanse of white tents neatly lined up in rows on dirt paths. Roads between the tents are crammed with people, and barbed wire fences encircle the area, keeping the tens of thousands of civilians from getting out. Soldiers are stationed across the camp. Ban is to hold talks with Mahinda Rajapakse, the president, and Rohitha Bogollagama, the foreign minister, during his 24-hour visit to Sri Lanka. 'Critical' conditions Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the UN humanitarian co-ordination office, said that overcrowding was the main problem in the camps, and in the Manik Farm camp in particular. "The situation in this camp is improving slowly ... but conditions in these camps remain extremely critical, extremely difficult, which is why we are asking for total access," she said. The government describes the camps as "welfare villages", but Tamil activists have likened them to concentration camps. The Sri Lankan government imposed restrictions on access to the site last week, shortly before it declared victory over the LTTE after more than 25 years of fighting. The government has said that the displaced Tamil civilians, many of whom left the conflict zone in a malnourishered state, will be rehoused within six months. "The government of Sri Lanka ... outlined a 180-day plan to resettle the bulk of IDPs [internally displaced persons] to their original places of habitation," it said in a joint statement with Indian officials. There have been accusations of child abductions inside the camps, with the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers saying it had received reports of pro-government paramilitaries taking those it said had fought for the Tamil Tigers. Political will Nimmi Gowrinathan, the director of South Asia Programmes for Operation USA in New York, an international relief organisation, told Al Jazeera: "If past visits by UN officials have been any sort of record, I don't think [Ban] is going to achieve what we need him to achieve at this stage for the humanitarian crisis. "The Tamil people are hesitant to believe there is the political will to provide aid services." Vijay Nambiar, Ban's chief of staff, has urged Sri Lanka to begin a process of reconciliation with the Tamil minority, which make up 12.6 per cent of the population of 20 million. "The process of national reconciliation, we feel, must be all-inclusive so that it can fully address the legitimate aspirations of the Tamils as well as other minorities," Nambiar said. "It is important that victory becomes a victory for all Sri Lankans." The Tamil Tigers had been fighting for an independent homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of the island after years of marginalisation by the Sinhalese majority. Victory celebrations Earlier on Friday, thousands of people gathered in Colombo, to celebrate the victory. Rajapaksa addressed the crowds, telling them that he was not afraid of calls for an investigation into possible war crimes during the conflict. "They wanted to take [us] to international criminal courts. Some are trying to do this even now," he said. "But I am not afraid of walking up to any gallows, having defeated the world's worst terrorists, and I know that I have the confidence and the strength of my people." The UN estimates that up to 100,000 people have died during the conflict, including at least 7,000 civilians killed since the beginning of the year. The government has not announced the civilian toll, but on Friday the government revealed that more than 6,200 soldiers had been killed and nearly 30,000 wounded in the last three years of fighting . Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the defence secretary, announced the figures - which cover the phase of fighting against the LTTE since August 2006 - on state television. "We made huge sacrifices for this victory," he said on Thursday. The government has said that at least 15,000 LTTE fighters died in the conflict, but these figures are yet to be confirmed.

More than 6,200 soldiers died and nearly 30,000 have been wounded since the last phase of Sri Lanka's 25-year war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) began in July 2006, the Defence Secretary has said.

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave the figures for the first time during an interview late on Thursday with the state-run Independent Television Network.

By comparison, in the six years and one month since the United States went to war in Iraq, nearly 4,600 US, British and other nations' troops have been killed.

Sri Lanka had only given its own casualty figures erratically if at all during the final 34-month phase of the war, dubbed Eelam War IV, and stopped giving them altogether last year.

The military had said several months ago it had killed at least 15,000 Tamil Tigers in the course of fighting but has not given a final tally.

Much of the fighting over the last year took place as troops crossed tall earthen dams and moats to break through into LTTE-held areas, across an area strewn with landmines, booby traps and Tiger fighters willing to commit suicide attacks.

Overall, the United Nations this week said what had been Asia's longest modern conflict had killed between 80,000-100,000 people since it erupted into full-scale civil war in 1983.

Unofficial and unverified UN tallies show 7,000 civilians were killed since January alone. Aid agencies say some 280,000 ethnic Tamils who fled the war zone are in refugee camps.

Sri Lanka's government declared the LTTE totally defeated on Monday, and the next day said troops had wiped out its entire leadership, including founder Vellupillai Prabhakaran, in a cataclysmic final battle near the Indian Ocean island's northeastern shores.

05/21/09
I wrote to you personally over a month ago under registered cover and also sent you an Email, but did not receive even an acknowledgement, which should not have surprised me, considering your actions and statements in recent days. Tell me, what have you got against this country? You seem to be steeped in hate and prejudice, unbecoming of a person holding your office; this has been evident from the day you assumed duties. We in this country recall your message on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of our independence; it was in such poor taste that it was a disgrace to your country and to your gracious Queen, whom we too respect, and the British people. We wondered then as to whether you were fit to hold this important post.
You appear to be so self-righteous, it is quite unbelievable. This is perhaps because of your immaturity, which you yourself admitted to, when you visited India not so long ago. Yes your learning curve can be vertical but it should not be at the expense of the British people, for it is they who, to put it mildly, are acutely embarrassed by your stupidity. The extent of your prejudice was evident by the fact that you never asked the LTTE (I presume I do not need to recount their horrendous acts of terrorism) to surrender. Does that not speak for itself? This itself proved your motive, which was not to save those who were being held hostage, as a human shield but to save Prabhakaran. Such was your ‘Humanitarian concern’, which was and is, absolutely bogus.
You have been indulging in cheap political stunts, having prostituted yourself for the money bags of the pro-LTTE lobby in the UK, who appear to have bought up Siohhain Mc Donoagh representing Mitchum and Joan Ryan of Enfield North, Simpson of Mid Norfolk Davy MP for Enfield, Simon Hughes, and MP Andrew Dismore amongst others, to support their cause. All of you have been cheating the British taxpayer and have been caught with your hands in the public till. But you have the gumption to accuse the government of Sri Lanka of using Cluster bombs and indiscriminate shelling, (not once did they or you refer to the cowardly LTTE holding civilians as a human shield nor ask them to surrender). You continued your call for the government to immediately call a ceasefire. You and your friends also threatened that if Sri Lanka did not do so, Britain would take the initiative to have Sri Lanka suspended from the Commonwealth. Miliband, are you not aware that there is no ‘British Commonwealth anymore? And further, you took the issue to the UN Security Council, claiming stupidly that this internal conflict was a threat to international peace and security and came within Chapter 07 of the UN Charter.
There is indeed much justifiable anger against you in this country; the British High Commission was attacked as a result of your actions, I would seriously advise you not to return to this country ever again for I doubt that the government could protect you from the anger of the people.
I am making this letter public as you did not respond to my earlier letter.

K. Godage

former Sri Lankan Ambassador

PS. You should be ashamed to carry on the Bible character your name represents. (You were trying to keep the “western inflated Goliath”, but our valiant
Army, catapulted him. Go back to the scriptures or take advice from Archbishop Rowan Williams, and live a life similar to Biblical David!!!

The wealth that your forefathers took away during, colonial days, from our country is our wealth & no longer “Commonwealth”.

By: Shenali Waduge
No congratulatory messages from world leaders - No applause for Sri Lanka's military - No mention for the world's biggest humanitarian rescue operation by the armed forces that rescued almost 250,000 Tamil civilians from LTTE clutches - No plaudits for the ONLY NATION to have crushed the world's worse Terrorist movement....Did we not say that barring a few friendly nations, world leaders remained hostile towards Sri Lanka preferring instead to play fiddle to the LTTE's "liberation" "discrimination" "genocide" tune. Sri Lanka has proved the world & these world leaders wrong & as the nation continues to celebrate & rightly so there are a few key messages that need to be highlighted.
What is left for a country to do when its State land is illegally held by an armed group - which imposes taxes upon the people who live in the area, which doesn't think twice about killing those who speak or act against them (their own people), which having no volunteers ends up conscripting by force & even creating a separate wing for child soldiers, which makes millions of dollars through illegal & illicit dealings internationally but doesn't use a penny for the welfare of the people who they had to eventually use as human shields? A nation cannot have two Governments. A nation cannot have two armies & a nation cannot have two national flags. Will talks & negotiations ever concede the territory illegally held by the LTTE back to the State? Talks, negotiations & ceasefires are meant for compromise & absolutely nothing has resulted from any of these discussions held in Sri Lanka or overseas even with the biased participation of moderators & peace facilitators like Norway! The refusal for compromise only deduces that the LTTE was never interested in a political compromise but interested in nothing but a separate state which in its lengthened & delayed forms provides the perfect means to run a terrorist-cum money spinning enterprise the perfect ploy for the continuity of the movement & the assurance of VIP status & recognition & the means to hold not only a country to ransom but even thousands of people. This is the reality that lies behind a movement that has prevailed in Sri Lanka for almost 3 decades.
The confusion that has arisen from this debacle is the unfortunate decision by Tamil political parties who have chosen to hide under the skirt of the LTTE making the international community & the world in general to think that the separatist movement & the political grievances are one & the same. The fault also lies with the general Tamil public (not the destitute Tamils who have been hellholed by the LTTE) but the others who lead comfortable lives very much amongst the Sinhalese & who silently watch the lies by LTTE preferring not to speak the truth for the presence of an "ethnic" situation provides them means to apply to leave Sri Lanka & eventually obtain permanent residency in those western countries & bring the rest of their families as well. How else would 800,000 Tamils be living in the West & why are some now feverishly worried that their foreign terror campaign may be over - thus the attacks on Sri Lankan High Commissions & temples abroad - they realize their days of terrorizing non-LTTE Tamils is soon to be over & the nations that silently watched LTTE crimes take place because their Governments had indirect gains will now come down heavy upon them & many soon are likely to end up in foreign jails for these countries will have no reason to curry flavor with the LTTE propagandists since now they have no clout whatsoever in Sri Lanka.
The LTTE allowed this confusion to prevail as it suited its existence & the ethnic-based Tamil political parties tagged alongside the LTTE's lines of thought for it would ensure their lives were saved. Neither the LTTE nor these Tamil political parties would ever say what these grievances are! It is pointless speaking of or referring to things that took place decades ago - for bridges to heal things that are irrelevant need no repeated reference. Its relevance becomes a necessity if it is repeated - there is no Sinhala Only Policy taking place in the present, there is no legal or constitutional provisions that pinpoints to Tamils specifically & deny any rights to them....the question that need to be straightforwardly asked of these Tamil political parties as well as the general Tamil public is where are the exclusive denials to Tamils (in the present) when Tamils can live anywhere they like, when Tamils can own property anywhere they like, when Tamils can go to public schools, private schools, international schools are Tamils denied education, when Tamils can enter medical colleges & even top the marks list where has been the discrimination?
When Tamils can join the public service & private sector climb the corporate ladder, hold professional memberships & portfolios & even join any of the political parties that are not ethnic-based & secure even cabinet portfolios where is the discrimination or denial to Tamils.....Has Sri Lanka not had Central Bank Governors who were Tamil?, Inspector General of Police who was Tamil, Chief Justice who were Tamil, a Foreign Minister who was Tamil?.... moreover merit should take precedence over ethnic-based allocations. Have the 250,000 Tamils not suffered enormously even living in a defacto Tamil Eelaam....look at these people who have been saved...they are in appalling conditions & the LTTE, the pro-LTTE Tamil extremist groups are totally responsible for their plight.
In the milieu of this unhealthy-marriage of sorts with Tamil political parties & Tamil people in general choosing to remain mum over LTTE atrocities a considerable number of Tamils ended up having to suffer under duress. These are the 250,000 Tamils that the Sri Lankan army has rescued - when the world says these people are malnutritioned - they are so not because the Government has denied them food, but they are fleshless & bones because the LTTE has stolen the food for their own consumption. Many of us has noticed the high numbers of pregnant women & little children & it only suffices to assume that the LTTE were ensuring they had enough stocks of child soldiers for their gullible terror movement & provides a baseless conclusion to the ceasefire agreement entered upon in 2002 - what a farce of an agreement that only left a nation having to be humiliated by a piece of document that provided the means to bring in shipments of arms & weaponry as Sri Lankan officials were left only to silently watch with orders coming from the top with instructions to allow these shipments to go untouched to LTTE territory. Our army has a task to unearth thousands more of these weapons & arms brought during the ceasefire agreement & all those party to that treachery that took place should have sleepless nights for their role in the deaths of the innocent lives that were lost because of their silence.
What needs to be continuously reiterated is that within this hyped up grievance scenario targeted against the Sinhalese it was a pathetic reality that Tamils outside the war zones & Tamil political parties chose to side with the LTTE while the 250,000 or more Tamils ended up bait for the 3 decade long existence of the LTTE, the existence of Tamil leaderships & for other Tamils to go abroad....the Tamil extremist groups stand guilty of not sending a penny for the IDPs while they descended in large numbers on the guise of giving tsunami aid to bring replenishment for the LTTE - some of these LTTE front organizations that disguised themselves as Charitable Organizations are banned - Tamil Rehabilitation Organization , World Tamil Movement. The unhealthy tie ups to foreign MPs is enlightened through their association with these "charity" organizations & the puzzling question of why these MPs would speak for a terrorist movement banned in their own countries shows how these very MPs have misused public expenses...should we be surprised at their association with the LTTE....these MPs who have no ethics & are no better than the LTTE....we all know how to judge people like Mrs. Clinton, Miliband, the French foreign Minister, the foreign lawyers who were paid handsomely by these terrorists.........& politicians who could easily be bought over for money & all these people & their nations have the audacity to tell Sri Lanka what to do....can the US accept their role for killing almost a million Iraqi people through their occupation without UN mandate? Is that no different to the damage the US is doing in Afghanistan?
Can any foreign military boast that it has completed a military operation as well as saved thousands of innocent lives....in an operation where we are dealing with the worlds most terror outfit there are bound to be deaths...no military operation can take place without deaths but without appreciating that the military has saved almost 250,000 people countries & media channels enjoy promoting small numbers of death & picturing a human catastrophe situation. Are these people who have been saved not been looked after & fed daily....think of the logistics that goes towards feeding people three meals....looking after the children...keeping them occupied through the day is no easy endeavor & it is the army who first took up the task of cooking the food & feeding the people - not many even praised the army for their caring.
In the renewed calls for "post-war peace" - national reconciliation the world must now open their eyes wide & clear & the pretence must stop. The Government to its credit did right to ignore the false & fabricated moves by US, UK, EU, Norway to provide oxygen for a movement that provided side benefits to those Governments. Calling a spade a spade ensured that a 3 decade conflict unnecessarily dragged on ended in 3 years - the responsibility for the 3 decade situation falls upon many & even some of Sri Lanka's leaders in the Opposition are accountable for many preferred to use the conflict for their gain - political & monetary. In this scenario that the present Government chose instead to go against the practices of former leaderships & openly declare it will militarily defeat the LTTE is commendable for we have reaped the results in just 3 years - the megalomaniac is dead having become an instrument of his own movement for he eventually ended up just a guinea pig of those providing the funds & those providing the armory - without this he was no better than a jungle thug. In actuality he was just taken for a ride by the Tamil Diaspora the LTTE lobbyists who live luxurious lives using a pretentious "ethnic conflict" scenario & who have no requirement for even a separate state as they are unlikely to ever make a home in Sri Lanka even if it were separated.
Amidst this there are some others however who become tagged to the LTTE movement who actually believe in a separate state for Tamils - this group of thinkers are those who picture a larger Eelaam with even Tamil Nadu included - a final homeland for the 80million Tamils of the world. Yet, this is a scenario that India will never allow therefore when even Tamil Nadu barring its atypical politicians has clearly showed through their vote that they do not desire a separate homeland (in Tamil Nadu or Sri Lanka) we can be happy to look forward to a peaceful future. We are extremely happy that India has a good solid Government for it nullifies the pressures brought up by coalition partners....things look good for India & Sri Lanka...& we can never forget friends like China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Libya & even the South American nations who stood by Sri Lanka in its darkest hours.
Things are clear for those who can view things clearly - in drawing up any changes we need to ensure that we do not formulate policies that will create new problems & it is precisely for this reason that we need to firmly accept that Tamils living in the South - the Tamils in Jaffna will have different problems to those Tamils in the East - mostly related to infrastructure, development etc - all not exclusively applicable to only Tamils, the Sinhalese & Muslims who also live in the East will have similar problems....there are no Sinhalese & Muslims in the North as the LTTE either chased or killed those who had lived & worked there. In a developing nation such as Sri Lanka the majority of the people who belong to all the ethnic groups will naturally have problems to complain about - better education, better schools, healthcare, better roads & bridges, employment etc....is the Government expected to solve these issues first or cater to the very different problems that the richer Sinhalese, Muslims & Tamils together are likely to pinpoint? Governments come to power by the strength of the rural vote base - these are the people who remain the forgotten lot but it is from these people that even the armed forces are made up of. Similarly, it is from the 250,000 Tamils that the LTTE were able to year after year replenish their Tiger cadres...is it a surprise that the women being rescued are either pregnant or carrying small children....these are the children who will end up brainwashed & sent to fight the Sri Lankan armed forces. Year in & year out this has been the fate of these people...so for the country to rescue them finally & eliminate the LTTE men & women who subjected these people to inhuman standards of living is something that must be repeatedly mentioned & the army to deserve appreciation.
Therefore the Government must actually take into account what changes need to be brought to the lives of these people FIRST....Starting off by compromising on shortcomings that Tamils who comfortably live amongst the Sinhalese first will lead to dire repercussions & will only lead to further discord amongst the other communities for they too will have similar problems to project. Therefore it is extremely essential that our politicians identify that changes need to take place in the North where over 250,000 Tamil people have been denied education, proper health care facilities, employment, loans to help them upgrade their livelihoods, better homes....these were denied to the Tamil people by the LTTE, silently watched by other Tamils in Sri Lanka & artfully orchestrated by Pro-LTTE Tamil extremist groups.
These people whom the army has rescued have been the guinea pigs throughout the LTTE's reign - is it a surprise that realizing the reality of the situation it is the Sinhalese who came forward to provide food, clothing & other essentials when it became apparent the Government was facing difficulty with pressures coming from the West to declare a ceasefire so that the LTTE would be able to regroup as it has done in the past - No Western nation or Government did anything to help rescue these people except declare that a ceasefire was needed knowing very well that the LTTE was keeping these people as hostages, they did not even force the pro-LTTE Tamil extremist groups to allow these civilians to flee the LTTE & even the UN need to now feel ashamed for its role & the mannerisms of its representative heads who provided false statistics & attempted to create a humanitarian disaster situation.
For years the UN has been compiling reports year after year on LTTE child soldiers...nothing was done against the LTTE...the decades of reports are of no use now that the LTTE has been wiped out...its evil leaders are all dead including Prabakaran who has been shot alongside his two key men - Pottu Amman & Soosai...poetic justice for a killer who has killed thousands & ruined the lives of thousands of others. As crackers are heard in all corners of Sri Lanka - a nation that is jubilating that the army has eliminated the curse of terror those LTTE backers who now emerge to project a guerrilla scenario should perhaps come to terms with the pretense that they have lived with & accept their follies & emerge a better citizen by accepting that Sri Lanka's decision to militarily defeat the LTTE has been a right one - lives have bee lost especially those of our brave soldiers but at least their parents can be proud that they died in the final battle that has rid Sri Lanka of LTTE terror - only Sri Lankans will know the magnitude of the jubilation they are feeling, only Sri Lankans will feel in their hearts the relief that we can move forward without the shadow of LTTE behind us....Sri Lanka has endured, Sri Lanka has weathered the storms & Sri Lanka will prevail a better, more prosperous & peaceful nation. Terrorism will never be allowed to enter our lives again.
"This is my home and no one can defeat me in my home"