3 civilians, including child, killed in SLA shelling in Vanni

Actually, I tried raising awareness of this issue with a moderator (Oldgoat), but he callously claimed that both sides are equally responsible for this war, and that the Tamils have no right to a homeland. Equally responsible... One side has gunships, jet bombers, gunboats, and high tech gear, and the other is a rural society with only small arms.

I am glad there is a thread about this as well. Why does the Sri Lankan assault against Tamil-controlled areas get so much less coverage, when civilians are also being murdered? Tamil Tigers are a terrorist org like Hamas, however the Sri Lankan offensive has as little regard for innocent civilian live as the IDF offensive.

(I am not talking just of babble thread discussion, but of general media coverage - whether it be pro-Sri Linkan war crimes or pro peace)

We had a conversation in this thread:

http://www.rabble.ca/babble/national-news/cupe-wants-ban-israeli-academics-canadian-schools

Oldgoat's points were, and I quote:

"There is a civil war going on in Sri Lanka involving a Tamil secessionist movement.  Actually, the Sinhalese army is not occupying the very loosely defined disputed territory.  They probably see that as a problem, but the sides and bounderies are vague.  It's a highly complex issue, with atrocities having been performed on both sides, but it isn't an occupation. You don't know what you're talking about."

That's from a moderator. But he's not unique.

Typical comment by an Israeli propagandist looking - and failing - to find another conflict where international law is being violated as savagely as Israel is doing, and for as many decades. Sri Lanka? Nope, it's an internal conflict. Time to talk about Darfur. Or maybe Azerbaijan. Ah, the glories of sleight of hand.

I'm very sorry I mentioned Palestine... Its just been on my mind lately, as I'm sure it has been on the minds of most Babblers. I did not mean to suggest that we have to pick one group whose national aspirations we will support, personally I support both the Palestinians and the Tamils.

Unionist you're hiding behind the indifference of others on this one; just because the UN has not seen fit to issue any pronouncements on Sri Lanka and no national governments have decided to stand up for Tamil Eelam doesn't mean that the independance struggle of the Tamil people is ignorable. Anyone who beleives in solidarity with the Palestinian cause but claims that they need a UN resolution to have solidarity with the Tamils is being cowardly or hypocritical. The facts in Sri Lanka speak for themselves, you can't observe what has taken place/is taking place and then turn away, the imperitive is not handed down by the UN, it comes from the reality on the ground in Sri Lanka. I for one would support the Palestinians whether or not the UN took notice; its hard to accept that known progressives like yourself would ignore the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils because their suffering hasn't been endorsed by the UN...

An internal mater? Hardly... unless the Sinhalese dictatorship learns to manufacture its own advanced weaponry, or to survive without foreign backing and foreign trade. We are aiding and abetting Genocide in Sri Lanka every bit as much as we are doing in Israel. 

O O, I am in a rush right now and won't have time to elaborate until later.  I never said that the Tamils have no right to a homeland, and am in fact quite sympathetic to thier position.  I commented when you tried to draw parallels between two unrelated conflicts, drawing conclusions which were incorrect, and you got your nose out of joint when I pointed it out.

Intentionally misrepresenting opinions of other babblers, and putting words in thier mouths can lead to suspension, so don't do it. 

This is a tagline. It has nothing to do with the comments posted above. Just a tagline...really. Please disregard.

 Just to add, and now I really do have to run, that this sad and oft ignored conflict does deserve a thread of it's own, so let's not get sidetracked with gratuitous comparisons to other world trouble spots, despite the fact that that's exactly what O O did in a Gaza related thread. 

Seems he doesn't like it now. 

This is a tagline. It has nothing to do with the comments posted above. Just a tagline...really. Please disregard.

So Oldgoat, I'm still not sure if you support the Tamils and their struggle for a homeland. Do you? I do.

I meant that the daily body count is currently much higher in Gaza.

And I don't know enough of the facts to comment upon your other statements at this point. 

I am absolutely in support of an independant Tamil homeland. More
recent demands from the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam) have
been reduced to a more watered down regional autonamy, but I support
whichever reflects the will of the Tamil people, which is clearly not
to be ruled by the Sinhalese from Columbo.

A quick word on what infoms me on this, is that I work in the heart of
the Tamil community in Scarborough, have a few Tamil colleagues on my
team, and have done a fair bit of work in the community with refugees
from Sri Lanka. Out of all the all the Sri Lankans I met, I can only
recall meeting one Sinhalese.

Much of todays conflict can be blamed on yet another British
post-colonial mess, and how they left the country administratively. Pre
exisiting but manageable social frictions were set on a collision
course with one another.

When I said there were atrocities on both sides, I have in mind
particularly, the LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaren. There had been
in the 70's and 80's, a number of factions trying to work together
toward the end of Tamil home rule. Prabhakaren brought everyone under
his leadership through assasination and intimidation within that part
of the Tamil population who were involved with other factions, or even
just not involved. I do grant however, that lots, if not a majority are
voluntary supportes of the LTTE, and he has led a model guerilla
operation against conventional Sri Lankan forces.

There have been ebbs and flows during this struggle, and esp during the
mid-late '90's it was extreemly vicious. Sri Lankan forces have, for
the most part unnoticed by the world at large, engaged in torture and
massacres of civilian populations. At one point in the '80's I think,
India had a peace keeping force there, but was regarded by both sides
with suspicion, probably for good reason.

In some ways it's a classic secessionist movement. The Tamils have a
fairly substantial area from which to operate, though it's less than it
was just 8 years ago, have some sophisticated armaments including a
small air and sea capability. The SL gov't has a conventional military
with an air force consisting of a lot of old crap the Chinese and
Russians didn't want any more, but still good for bombing
civilians,  a nastily effective little navy of small gunboats
(fishing is an important industy among the Tamil population), and of
course an army.

This is a tagline. It has nothing to do with the comments posted above. Just a tagline...really. Please disregard.

[quote=It's Me D]Thanks for the thoughtful post oldgoat. I'm curious, particularly given where you work, what you think of Canada's role in Sri Lanka's conflict and the situation facing Sri Lankan Tamils (including our huge emigre/exile community)? Particularly given the size of the aforementioned community Canada's role in the Sri Lankan conflict greatly disappoints me. [/quote]

Well, oil is not part of the equation here, so the US gov't hasn't told the Canadian gov't what to think.  Thus, they are a bit adrift.

In terms of trade etc, I don't think a huge amount goes on between the two countries, so it's just the large Tamil population here, which is havind a growing influence as refugees and thier children enter our universities, graduate and join the workforce. 

A number of years ago there was a big to-do in the Canadian press about Tamil gangs, as well as the LTTE through the agency of the Tamil Elam Society in Toronto  extrorting money to send back home.  The gang thing was hugely blown out of proportion and forgotten about after a while.  The latter matter did attract the attention of CSIS at the time.  I can tell you that the LTTE could teach the United Way a few things about grass roots fundraising.  It's a huge strength, and they get a lot of funding from their overseas communities.  As far as intimidation goes, I know for a fact that it did happen, but I would say it wasn't hugely widespread.  Most donations were voluntary.

The Sri Lankan embassy wanted the Tamil Elam society declared a terrorist entity or some damn thing.  This society also does very good settlement work within the community, and as far as I know nothing came of it.

Other than sad shaking of heads, the Canadian gov't has done little.  On the other hand when you have little involvement with a country you have little leverage.