Of course not. It’s just a feature of a government and a country that has little respect for human rights. It’s terrible, but it isn’t motivated by racism.

These “collateral damages” have occured a countless number of times during the Singala Governments “war to liberate” the Tamils. I don’t think Tamils except this sort of “liberation” by the Singala Government. Why can’t you do anything whole-hearted to “liberate” the Tamil people?

There are so many excusses and so many ways to Justify killings of innocents. Don’t even try!

thanks

Maran
Batticaloa

The difference is the lack of intention, and the non-existence of a policy on the part of the GoSL, whereas with the LTTE there is a clear policy.

This week the the Sri Lankan army injured 14 people (3 critically) in a grenade explosion at the BMICH. Was this terrorism?

What’s wrong with negotiating indefinitely if in the interim you’re able to achieve your goals and your people are’s situ is being improved? Even if you don’t want too negotiate forever, you must be realistic in your time frames. Nations are not created in a year or four. And when you say you won’t negotiate anymore (as the LTTE did after the Washington donor conference), you throw away your options.

Right now, the LTTE cannot come back to the tablle without massive loss of face, and it seems unable to hold back the GoSL militarily. The LTTE has squandered through its impatience all the sacrifices made by its troops in the late ’90s and early ’00s. There will be more revolts of the Karuna mode, and the sooner the better.

I do understand your point and agree that both the ltte and the state should find a compromise, that negotiations are better than violence. But, actually, the ltte (and the state) did cease to fight in 2001, and a negotiated settlement was pursued by it.

The problem is obviously that the ltte and the gosl cannot agree on how much “autonomy” should be given to the northeast- and there is simply no “objective” way to determine the amount of autonomy the northeast is entitled to. You cannot expect the ltte
to accept ANY offer the gosl makes just for the sake of peace. And you cannot expect the ltte to negotiate for an indefinite period of time without any tangible results because the gosl can live with the status quo- which implies economic development in the south and continuied occupation of the north. But the ltte cannot do that since all they have ever tried to do was to change the status quo.

So what has the ltte achieved through negotiations for the tamils in the last 4 years? How long should they negotiate even though it seems to be fruitless endeavour until they are allowed to go back fighting?

No one is unreaalistic enough to expect the LTTE to be disbanded, but the Tamils need to ensure that the LTTE truly represents their needs and aspirations (not just their race), and goes about getting thosse in an effective manner. Not by squandering lives for no gain.

“At least, the ltte managed to create a de facto state, i.e. there are areas in the island where the state has completely lost its sovereignty to the ltte”

Bandits and gangsters can achieve much the same (and have). It doesn’t make that area a de facto state. Also, a state is recognised by its ability to defend its territory and people,, something the LTTE cannot do.

“By the way, you could pose your question differently: after 25 (50) years of trying to quell the liberation struggle of the tamils, what has the state achieved? lost about 60% of the northeast, thousands of young soldiers killed and maimed, ”

Soldiers know the risks. And we’re all volunteers. We don’t need to conscript women or kidnap kids. Armies exist to defend the state with its blood and the blood of its enemies. In 25 years the state has prevented the separatists from gaining their goals, while ensuring the rest of the country outside the NE lives in relative (3rd World) peace & prosperity. On the other hand, the Tamils are suffering far more than they did before. It’s time to change, and only the Tamils can make that change.

The Tamil diaspora can put the most pressure on the LTTE, and ensure the change that’ll benefit the NE Tamils. Instead, they’ve turned their backs on Eelam. They’re throwing cash & rhetoric at the problem and hoping it’ll solve itself.

However, the LTTE (and by proxy the Tamils) have now lost that opportunity in the short term. The inability of the LTTE to hold the East ensures that the GoSL will be now less concessionary. Therefore the NE Tamils will have to ride out the current cycle of violence, and hope that the LTTE will be able make its way back to the table and not fuck up again.

That is not true. What about all those race riots in the 50′s, 60′s and 70′s? And Black July? It got worse from decade to decade, not better…

Really ggg and how the fuck are you going to do that… I don’t think a “pretty please” is going to cut it with Ol’ uncle Prabha. I think the term “snowball’s chance in hell” just about sums it up…

Oh wait I know… you’ll could take up arms and fight for it… brilliant…