Hi guys,
This thread is the continuation of a previous thread that was closed due to rabbles’ length of posts. The previous thread and the link is: Asian Human Rights Commission report regarding treatment by Sinhalese forces of dead Tamil combatants. http://rabble.ca/babble/international-news-and-politics/asian-human-rights-commission-sri-lanka-exhibitionism-necroph I recommend reading the previous thread to understand the current title and the discussion that is continued on this thread.
I'm glad the thread made it to part 2 but I think perhaps you should have taken oldgoat's advice thirusuj and retitled the thread with a shorter name... especially if the intention is to provided a space for general discussion on the conflict Sri Lanka/Sri Lankan Tamil predicament. I know you cannot change it now though... too bad.
I take responsibility for the clumsy title. If anyone wants to suggest something better I'd be happy to change it. Probably something more general like "current conflict in Sri Lanka" might do.
I was thinking about changing it, since I was going to name it part 2 I thought about just leaving it alone.
Suggestion for appropriate title would be a great idea. Here are my suggestions:
1. The Conflict of Sri Lanka and Tamil Eelam in the island of Ceylon
2. Lions and Tigers in one cage
3. Bloody mess in India's southern backyard
4. The Tamil side in the Sri Lankan marriage wants divorce due to untold abuse
tomtoronto
Regarding the thread name: Drop Asian Human Rights Commission Report from the thread. It is not a report of the Asian Human Rights Commission, part one or part two. The document published in part one of whatever we call this was published by an online organization, not the Asian Human Rights Commission. That it is still popping up in the thread attests to the difficulty of removing effective propaganda. This false attribution in the thread sullies the context for any honest discussion.
Thirusuj I figured you left the name the same in order to make it clear this thread was the sequel to the prior. I like the thread naming contest idea. Of your suggestions the most appropriate is probably #1 or maybe #4. Personally my favorite is #2... maybe it could be "Lions and Tigers and guns oh my...".
The document published in part one of whatever we call this was published by an online organization, not the Asian Human Rights Commission. That it is still popping up in the thread attests to the difficulty of removing effective propaganda.
It also attests to the fact that the document is still hosted by the AHRC on their website with their permission, so they are hardly unaware of their association with this articles contents. You are awfuly interested in this attribution for someone who has not yet demonstrated any other interest in this topic...
I agree that #1 is the most appropriate. #4 is catchy in a way. #2 also catchy and the way you put it makes it catchier.
I agree. #1 it is. 2 is great, but titles should offer clarity for people looking for a thread, which is more important than literary value.
Contest over!!!
And with that --
Thirusuj, you're saying the Tamils have the same right to self-determination and (when driven to it) violence in defence of that right as, say, Palestine. Is that right?
If so, I wonder why you think the global perceptions are so different?
Is it that there's a conspiracy against the Tamils to paint them (or at least the LTTE) as terrorists? Or is it because of the numerous reports of human rights violations by the LTTE (by such groups as the Asian human rights commission web site report that i linked to last thread)?
Ze I know you asked thirusuj specifically I just want to comment on one of your questions:
Is it that there's a conspiracy against the Tamils to paint them (or at least the LTTE) as terrorists?
Speaking only from personal experience the difference in perception is the result of exceptional ignorance about Sri Lanka... it forces a reliance on the MSM whose treatment of the subject is at least as bad as with Palestine (though more silent), without anything to counter it. At least thats what I've found talking to Nova Scotians on the subject... no conspiracy necessary, rather the opposite IMV.
Thirusuj, you're saying the Tamils have the same right to self-determination and (when driven to it) violence in defence of that right as, say, Palestine. Is that right?
Yes, when the entire political paths were blocked and non-violence was made a mockery in Sri Lanka, the Tamil youths took over the leadership of the community. What do you do when the only thing the government communicates with is violence? Palestinians are in similar situation. I am sure if you provide the Palestinian with missiles and fighter jets as given to Israel, the use of terror tactics like suicide bombing would not occur. Same goes for Tigers.
If so, I wonder why you think the global perceptions are so different?
Global perceptions and I am guessing when you say that you are excluding the oppressed people around the world. Oppressed people around the world would support the Palestinians and Tamils any time, unfortunately the oppressed people are busy trying to defend themselves or trying to be alive. So that leaves the global perceptions to be determined by those who have freedom which is actually not a global perception but perception of the privileged who have no connection with the oppressed. What's more important is that the privileged people have a lack of knowledge of the situations and understanding of the feeling of the oppressed.
I hope I made sense and answered you question.
Is it that there's a conspiracy against the Tamils to paint them (or at least the LTTE) as terrorists?
Well there is no worldwide conspiracy to paint the Tamils as terrorist but there sure is a open conspiracy to do that to the Tamils by the Sri Lankan government around the world. Which they have succeeded. Surely the mood of the western nations after 9/11 did not help the Tamils but it provided the Sri Lankan governments with the environment that they could only dream of. They exploited the feelings of the people living in the western world and easily allied with the western governments simply by saying "we have the same problem". The "war on terror" painted a new picture of the Tamil peoples struggle and open human rights violations became acceptable in the name of fighting terrorism.
Or is it because of the numerous reports of human rights violations by the LTTE (by such groups as the Asian human rights commission web site report that i linked to last thread)?
The same groups have put out more reports on the Sri Lankan governments; ironically a officially recognized authority seems to be immune to these reports or any condemnation. At the moment these human rights group would not function in Sri Lanka if they actually reported what is really been going on. ICRC and BBC are on the brink of being kicked out at the moment. Anything seen as supportive to the Tamil is quickly labeled as Tamil Tiger, terrorist, trying to destroy Sri Lankan and they end up getting kicked out. This is what happened to all the NGO's and International media that refused to follow the Sri Lankan government's line. I could list prominent international figures that are called "White Tigers" because they said that serious Human Rights violation is taking place and the government is responsible.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7879743.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7874079.stm
To the questions of conspiracy or global perceptions, I'd only ask, how much oil is around or what significant trade route? Like thirusuj, I believe most of the oppressed and their supporters can see the reason for concern.
See, this claim that all oppressed people sympathize with the Tamils, I'm not sure that's true. I think the bad image of the Tamil struggle is truly global, which is damn unfair but still seems to me to be the case.
I've heard quite a lot of people involved in one independence movement or another assert that their struggle is just and deserves international support because of the tactics they've chosen. The whole Tibet campaign is based on the moral superiority of non-violence (I'm not agreeing, merely paraphrasing). I've heard Tibetans say Tamils deserve support, but that the LTTE does not -- in fact, they deserve extra support by the very fact of not choosing LTTE tactics. Or unpack the rhetoric of the Burma democracy movement which makes Aung San Suu Kyi a hero because she's "Mandela and Martin Luther King" rolled into one. I've heard people involved in these movements and others denounce the LTTE as murderous fanatics (quoting here, not endorsing).
I think ignorance, like It's Me D said, that's the main challenge. But there's also the fact that Sri Lanka's government has managed to paint the LTTE as plain-and-simple terrorists, and the LTTE has played right into that. Might say the same about India and Kashmir, etc.
See, this claim that all oppressed people sympathize with the Tamils, I'm not sure that's true. I think the bad image of the Tamil struggle is truly global, which is damn unfair but still seems to me to be the case.
I've heard quite a lot of people involved in one independence movement or another assert that their struggle is just and deserves international support because of the tactics they've chosen. The whole Tibet campaign is based on the moral superiority of non-violence (I'm not agreeing, merely paraphrasing). I've heard Tibetans say Tamils deserve support, but that the LTTE does not -- in fact, they deserve extra support by the very fact of not choosing LTTE tactics. Or unpack the rhetoric of the Burma democracy movement which makes Aung San Suu Kyi a hero because she's "Mandela and Martin Luther King" rolled into one. I've heard people involved in these movements and others denounce the LTTE as murderous fanatics (quoting here, not endorsing).
I think ignorance, like It's Me D said, that's the main challenge. But there's also the fact that Sri Lanka's government has managed to paint the LTTE as plain-and-simple terrorists, and the LTTE has played right into that. Might say the same about India and Kashmir, etc.
I plead ignorance that's why I hope a constructive discussion might ensue. Are there any strategic interests of the West?
Thanks for your thoughts Ze. Links are appreciated as they aren't readily available unless you know where to look.
Are there any strategic interests of the West?
This is not strategic interest of the west alone, but there is also strategic interest of the east as well. China, Iran, India, US and many others all wants the Trimco harbor which would ensure their supremacy over the Indian Ocean and would give them major leverage over Asia. Right now, it is getting more complicated as Chinese, Iranian and Indian companies are granted permission to explore for oil in the Gulf of Mannar which is believe to hold a substantial amount of oil. Remember that Gulf of Mannar and the Trimco harbor is part of Tamil Eelam. Tigers knowing the importance of the strategic and commercial value of Trimco harbour have declared the Trimcomale as the capital of Tamil Eelam (once entire Tamil Eelam is liberated) even though Jaffna district was used as the administrative center/capital in the 80's and 90's and Killinochi in the late 90's until December 2008 by the Tigers.
Here are some useful links, I have some good articles regarding the geo-political intrests in my laptop which needs a LCD screen replacement.
TrincoOnline History
http://chat.carleton.ca/~jshanthi/trincoonline/history.html
Competing Geopolitical Monologues in Sri Lanka
http://www.tamilnation.org/forum/sinnathurai/051104geopolitical.htm
Hambantota Harbour and an Exile’s Return – Geo-Political Dimensions of an Invasive Species
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers24%5Cpaper2347.html
Sri Lanka’s Strategic Importance
http://www.tamilnation.org/intframe/indian_ocean/050530sri_lanka_strateg...
Rapper M.I.A is adding a mainstream and popular voice to the Tamil struggle:
[url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/world/asia/11mia.html?_r=1&hp] NY Times: [/url]
M.I.A. — who has been nominated for an Oscar for the song she co-wrote for the hit film “Slumdog Millionaire” — has branded herself through music videos and interviews as the voice of the country’s Tamil minority. In the video for her song “Bird Flu,” for instance, children dance in front of what looks like the rebels’ logo: a roaring tiger.
“Being the only Tamil in the Western media, I have a really great opportunity to sort of bring forward what’s going on in Sri Lanka,” she said in an interview on the PBS program “Tavis Smiley” last month. “There’s a genocide going on.”
But her political views rankle some people at a time when most Sri Lankans are clutching to the hope that the rebels, branded by the United States and European nations as a terrorist group, are on the verge of military defeat by government troops.
“Frankly, she’s very lucky to get away with supporting, even indirectly, perhaps the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world,” said Suresh Jayawickrama, a songwriter based in Colombo.
The article notes that her father was a leader in the Tamil seperatist movement.
Regardless of your opinion on the Sri Lankan conflict, M.I.A. is pretty [url= http://www.feministing.com/archives/013633.html] kick-ass [/url] for performing on her due-date.
I'm a fan of MIA and have been for quite a while now, I would say her music helped me to become aware of the situation in Sri Lanka. The first song I heard of her's was Pull Up the People (on CBC radio!).
M.I.A., No Loss For Words
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR200509...
Guys,
I was wondering your opinions on how some countries consider this purely an internal matter of Sri Lanka and use that as a pretext to stay away.
And Sri Lanka's actions of shutting down foreign diplomats when unfavorable comments are made regarding the conflict.
There is no such things as an "internal matter" when it comes to rights, I think.
Others will disagree.
What do you think about independent local media and international media being shut out from covering the war without interference from the state?
Listening Post - Conflict coverage in Sri Lanka - 13 Feb 09
Why is their no coverage in the MSM?
That extends also to the massive demonstration that took place in Toronto on January 30. Tamils young and old lined University Avenue shoulder to shoulder, from Queens Park to the Gardiner underpass, carrying what seemed to be thousands of placards and banners, talking to one another, offering information to passersby, singing, shouting out slogans. More were massed at Yonge and Bloor. There was dead silence on my bus leaving Toronto from the Elm Street terminal that frigid cold afternoon -- everyone taking in what was, for me, one of the most moving demonstrations I have ever witnessed.
I looked for the coverage in the paper the next day and there was a single buried paragraph, no photo.
That was an amazing feat of organization. I wonder who put it together?
I'll return to lurking now, but I did want to say thanks very much to everyone for these extremely educational and eye-opening threads.
According to Al-Jazeera (you know that totally biased pro-west network - lol), the Tamil Tigers are massacring civilians and forcing children into their militias:
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia/2009/02/200921620151665741.html
"Tamil rebels have prevented thousands of civilians from leaving Sri Lanka's war zone and also used force against them, the UN says.
The LTTE, or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, is holding non-combatants in a patch of coastal jungle in the northeast of the island, where they have been cornered by government forces, the world body said in a statement on Tuesday.
"A growing number of people trying to leave have been shot and sometimes killed," the UN said.
Both the LTTE and government forces must work harder to ensure that civilians are not killed by disease and the continuing fighting, it said.
The LTTE is also intensifying the recruitment of child soliders into its ranks as it comes under attack from government forces, Unicef, the UN agency for children, said on Tuesday."
The Al Jazeera story posted by Stockholm bothered me as well; it starkly contradicts the view that the vast majority of the Sri Lankan Tamils support the LTTE's struggle for Eelam self-determination (verified by many reports of Tamils protesting the "military solution" of the Sri Lankan regime such as the latest by triciamarie). I'd have just brushed it off if it was a North American news source but while AJ's coverage of Sri Lanka has always been rather poor I would not be so quick to assume they would manufacture this story or directly print a story manufactured by the Sri Lankan government. If the LTTE have resorted to the measures the UN (via AJ) acusses them of in this article, is this a turning point in their popular support? Or am I perhaps reading to much into this?
To further complicate the story (from Tamilnet):
260 killed, SLA shells and boxes civilians, preventing movement to safer areas
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery barrage has boxed Theavipuram and Va'l'lipunam villages within the old 'safety zone,' trapping thousands of civilians preventing them from moving to the new 'safe zone'. Around 275 civilians are feared killed since Saturday and the roads remain continuously under heavy artillery barrage, civilians who managed to flee the area said on Monday. At least 5 humanitarian workers were killed while serving the needs of the civilians trapped inside the 'Theavipuram box'.
We are deeply sad, puzzled: LTTE Political Head
"We are deeply sad and puzzled at the attitude of the apex institution of humanity, the United Nations, in not taking effective measures to protect the life, security and interests of innocent Tamil civilians," said LTTE's Political Head B. Nadesan on Tuesday.
Mr. Nadesan's response, when contacted by TamilNet on recent statements of UN Colombo office and the UNICEF, follows:Unfortunately, the International Community is adopting an ironical line of allowing the war and at the same time worrying about the plight of the civilians.
The Colombo government verbally says that their war is against the LTTE, but in truth it is fighting a war for complete Tamil subjugation.
LTTE has to respond defensively to protect Tamil interests.
All concerned are very well aware that the civilians stay in our territory at their own will.This is what pinches the Colombo government which is bent on taking every effort to terrorise, inflict death and injury, and deny essentials of life in order to capture them.
In the process, the Colombo government doesn't hesitate in deliberately and extensively using even prohibited weapons such as firebombs and cluster bombs on civilian targets.
According to Al-Jazeera (you know that totally biased pro-west network - lol), the Tamil Tigers are massacring civilians and forcing children into their militias:http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia/2009/02/200921620151665741.html
"Tamil rebels have prevented thousands of civilians from leaving Sri Lanka's war zone and also used force against them, the UN says.
The LTTE, or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, is holding non-combatants in a patch of coastal jungle in the northeast of the island, where they have been cornered by government forces, the world body said in a statement on Tuesday.
"A growing number of people trying to leave have been shot and sometimes killed," the UN said.
Both the LTTE and government forces must work harder to ensure that civilians are not killed by disease and the continuing fighting, it said.
The LTTE is also intensifying the recruitment of child soliders into its ranks as it comes under attack from government forces, Unicef, the UN agency for children, said on Tuesday."
While doing some research into the conflict a few years ago, I saw it quoted somewhere that the LTTE has the dubious distinction of having killed more Tamils throughout this conflict than either the Sri Lankan or Indian governments combined.
I saw it quoted somewhere that the LTTE has the dubious distinction of having killed more Tamils throughout this conflict than either the Sri Lankan or Indian governments combined.
Dubious is right; downright dishonest sums it up better though... your claim that is.
Al Jazeera article given by Stockholm has Al Jazeera quoting the UN, TRO and ICRC. TRO is the one actually in the deadly conflict zone, ICRC on the border of it along with UN with the Sri Lankan government towering over them both. Ever since Al Jazeera and BBC like many others who couldn't get access to investigate have quoted their sources and in their article have clearly marked every quote's source to avoid damage to their journalistic integrity.
International community is not going to believe TRO as it was accused by the Sri Lankan government of being a front organization of the LTTE. Many of the western governments have carried out extensive auditing of their accounts and activities following the accusation by Sri Lanka. Canadian TRO offices have seen regular visiting by the RCMP and the claims by Sri Lanka has been stamped invalid. Apparently the US TRO office has seen many visit by the FBI and at the end of it the US government has frozen their account until investigations are completed (I am not sure what stage it is at now).
ICRC and UN don't have the access the TRO has right now or for the past three years. ICRC and UN functions under the rules of the Sri Lankan government. I find it hard when ICRC and UN reports on an area where they don't have access and only depend on hearing civilians who are under the control of Sri Lankan government If these civilians were to say something that was against the government, they are in for a long and brutal quality time with the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and other security forces. WFP official John Campbell comparing the situation in Sri Lanka worst as Somalia, he got in so much trouble from the government.
http://www.tamilguardian.com/tg388/p14.pdf
As for Tamilnet, they have correspondence and reporters all over the conflict zone including the small stretch of land the government is shelling day and night. They work undercover because the government has banned and blocked access to the Tamilnet.com site long ago as the information starved independent Sri Lankan media were quoting Tamilnet when they don't have access to the Tigers and the civilians in the intense conflict zone. Many of the international media also does the same and it has irked Sri Lankan government and accused many of the international media of carrying out pro-LTTE news when they are caught quoting Tamilnet and other Tamil sources.
So we are back to square one, the need of UN monitors and international media to be present so that the international community can feel assured that they are getting the right news to come to a conclusion. Right now the accurate sources available are the Tamil sources and they are seen as biased toward the Tamils and any mention of them will make the Sri Lankan government scream out that is terrorist's sources. The government has to allow (which it will never do) international media and UN monitors to investigate, get first hand experience and report to the world. The international community has to force the government to allow it or face sanctions of all sorts and isolation.
While doing some research into the conflict a few years ago, I saw it quoted somewhere that the LTTE has the dubious distinction of having killed more Tamils throughout this conflict than either the Sri Lankan or Indian governments combined.
I wonder who's mouth that quote came out of.....
Dubious is right; downright dishonest sums it up better though... your claim that is.
Oh D, there's no need to drag your disagreements with me into other threads. Do try and be civil.
It turns out that I still have the paper on my harddrive, but it doesn't look like I used the fact in the paper itself, but from the bibliography I think it might be in one of these two works:
Sankaran Krishna. Postcolonial Insecurities. Borderlines vol. 15. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999.
Magnus Norell. “A New Medievalism? – The case of Sri Lanka”. New-Medievalism and Civil Wars. Neill Winn (ed.). London: Frank Cass, 2004.
It turns out that I still have the paper on my harddrive, but it doesn't look like I used the fact in the paper itself, but from the bibliography I think it might be in one of these two works:
Can you give us the title and author of the paper or the link so that we can see it online.
The author of the paper was *me*, and it is not online.
I'm afraid that those are the only two sources it may have come from, or it could have been some other source I didn't use at all - but I'm reasonably sure I can be found it in one of the above.
Oh D, there's no need to drag your disagreements with me into other threads. Do try and be civil.
My posts in the Venezuela threads are just to counter lies and misinformation. This however is a thread I have a great deal of interest in and have been posting in since it started. I have also posted on all the previous Sri Lanka threads here, and prior to thirusuj's arrival also started all the threads on the topic on Babble since signed up here. I don't recall your participation in those threads and for you to suggest that I'm posting in this one just because you did is idiotic.
I'm here because I care about the subject at hand; I posted my response to you because as usual you were engaged in spreading falsehoods. I'm not certain what noble work you and Sven and Stockholm and Babble's other historical pro-imperialism posters think your doing but if you're going to post in this thread could you try and add some value to it? Otherwise you're just wasting space.
Please to be identifying the falsehoods I have been spreading.
Please to be identifying the falsehoods I have been spreading.
In this thread? Your first comment perhaps:
While doing some research into the conflict a few years ago, I saw it quoted somewhere that the LTTE has the dubious distinction of having killed more Tamils throughout this conflict than either the Sri Lankan or Indian governments combined.
Though I'm not sure how you couldn't put that together on your own, since I replied and said as much immediately.
Today, there are massive rallies going in front of the UN head office in Geneva and White House in the US.
You can watch the live streaming of the rally in Geneva soon as you enter http://vakthaa.tv/. It is happening as you read the email.
I don't believe the US rally has started yet.
Furthermore, I have heard a story that 50 buses of people went from Canada to the US for the protest. 10 buses were denied entry into the United States because the influence of the Sri Lankan government. This is disgraceful that a foreign government has influence over right Canadian citizen's to organize and protest in North America.
If I get more information, I will pass it on. Please circulate information.
I won't repeat my comments from the other thread but I certainly wish those at the rallies (or trying to attend them) well. 
Troy I am curious about your interest in the subject; I'm not a Tamil myself, just a supporter, how about you? That is if you don't mind sharing your reasons for following this subject (its not really a popular one afterall).
I am Tamil and I want the world to hear our cries. No one really covers our rallies on TV. We need to create our own ways of passing on the news.
News about the Rally to be held in Washington
Information about the Rally in Geneva:
http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsiaNews/idINIndia-38109320090220
Here's some background to the protest in Washington today:
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 - Over 3,000 supporters, advocacy groups, and leaders are expected to rally across from the White House on Friday, February 20, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. An audio video press event is scheduled at the National Press Club from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on February 20th located at 529 14th Street NW, 13th floor Lisagor Room, Washington DC, 20045.The rally will protest the ongoing daily atrocities inflicted by the Sinhalese Buddhist Government of Sri Lanka against Tamil civilians uninvolved in the longstanding ethnic conflict with the Tamil Tigers, including repeated bombing and shelling of hospitals and a bogus "safety zone" into which more than 300,000 civilians have been herded.
Tamils head to D.C. to press for peace in Sri Lanka
Asha Ramachandran is a lawyer in Philadelphia and a new mother. Balan Balasingham is an engineer in South Brunswick, N.J., with three kids.Both are 40-year-old Tamils, an ethnic group from Sri Lanka, an island off the tip of India formerly called Ceylon. And both plan to attend a rally today in Washington, D.C., organized by a group called Tamils Against Genocide.
They plan to go to the White House and the State Department, calling on the U.S. to press for an end to warfare between the Sri Lankan army and rebels known as the Tamil Tigers.
Oops, cross-posted with troy doing the same thing! I couldn't find any article about the buses being turned back though troy, any news on that?
I am Tamil and I want the world to hear our cries. No one really covers our rallies on TV. We need to create our own ways of passing on the news.
Thanks for sharing, and welcome to babble troy! I agree about the difficulties in getting the word out, the MSM's coverage of Sri Lanka (or lack thereof) is abysmal. Good luck spreading the word, I do my part here in rural Nova Scotia but let me tell you theres a lot of work to be done here! Its nice to see we have two bonafide Tamils here now, I hope you stick around and get a chance to participate in babble's discussions, thirusuj has done a good job already (in this thread for example) at getting the word out.
Hey troy have you heard of this:
Sri Lankans in the US engage in an anti-LTTE campaign today.
Sri Lankans living in the US have organized an anti-LTTE protest campaign. It will be held today in front of the White House in Washington. Sri Lankans living in the states of New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, Los Angeles and Florida are due to participate in the protest. The campaign is aimed at calling on the LTTE to release Tamil civilians in their clutches and also to express support to the Sri Lankan government for its anti-terrorism drive.
It would appear they are either trying to misrepresent the rally we've been discussing or they are referring to a counter-protest which I have not found any info about anywhere else... although perhaps I don't know all the best places to look!
Yes. I heard about that. They are trying to misrepresent our message. The government of Sri Lanka is always behind these problems. They have people in the international community who cause these problems. Usually the brains behind these operations in Canada is Lankan Counsel General in Toronto Bandulla Jayasekara and the Sri Lankan Embassies.
Today, they know that the Tamil people are all going to be there at Washington. Therefore, they are trying to reduce the amount of people who can attend the rally by making sure buses don't pass the US border to protest infront of the White house.
Today, they know that the Tamil people are all going to be there at Washington. Therefore, they are trying to reduce the amount of people who can attend the rally by making sure buses don't pass the US border to protest infront of the White house.
Turning people away from demonstrations is awful and bad enough (though it happens a lot here in North America) but to think that people in Sri Lanka (who have a hard enough time getting access to free media as it is) would be presented with news of these rallies and tricked into thinking that the rallies are in support of the Sinhalese regime... disgusting! I doubt many people would be taken in by it though, afterall who demonstrates in favor of the genocide of their own people? I suppose this is for their Sinhala-supporter audience.
Unrelated to today's rallies here is a link to (and excerpt from) a Gwynne Dyer piece about about the conflict in Sri Lanka that came out today; I don't know if this counts as the mainstream media but I was reasonably pleased with its conclusion, considering the source (not news to anyone who's informed about the subject, but thats not many people!):
Sri Lanka seems set to waste chance of peace - Gwynne Dyer
Open war broke out in 1983, with the Tamil Tigers rapidly eliminating the rival Tamil separatist groups and establishing totalitarian control over the population under their rule.Twenty-six years later, the Tamil Tigers' army has finally been crushed, and the Sri Lankan state (in practice, the Sinhalese state) is triumphant.
But the 12% of the population who are Tamils will still not accept unequal status, and are not going away.
This is the time when a peace that gives the Tamils equal rights and autonomous local governments in the areas where they are a majority could secure the country's future, but it is most unlikely to happen.
Sinhalese nationalism is as intolerant as ever, and now it is triumphalist to boot.
Moreover, the rapid growth of a "national security state" under President Rajapaksa has undermined democracy and largely silenced criticism of government policies.
The forecast, therefore, is for a reversion to guerrilla war in the north, and continuing campaigns of murder by both the Government and Tamil extremists in the rest of the country.
Its funny that these times of "peace" would present the Sinhalese regime a chance to provide equality and autonomy to the Tamils, since that is what the LTTE is fighting for! You could also say that, with military victory seemingly in hand, there has never been a time when there was less pressure on the Sinhalese state to provide these things for their Tamil citizens.
Sri Lankan Defence Minister, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa Said to his troops "Make the Tamil Women as the feast of our army, while letting the men's blood drip into a red sea".
I can't believe a Sri Lankan Defence Minister (Gotabhaya Rajapaksa) who is also a US Citizen would have the guts to say this. Shame!
I translated what he said from Tamil News EuroTv
Disgusting, I wish you could translate the whole article though, but I know thats a lot to ask... I'm never going to be able to learn that language!
ETA: might as well remove the instructions... 
