I Pretty Much Agree With Obama
Aadhavan made a valid comment about rejecting international opinion outright and joining the ranks of China, Russia and Libya. I’m not for that. However, a lot of the stuff in the international media is poorly researched and sourced largely from LTTE-supporting diaspora. I’m serious, the footage they get is from TamilNet or Vanni Mercy Mission or whatever. So I reject that. However, the recent statements that came from Barack Obama and the UN do make sense and I thank them. They basically call for the LTTE to lay down arms, let the hostages go and for Sri Lanka to allow much more humanitarian relief in.
I think this is about right. It is vital to condemn the LTTE. Whatever, negotiating position they were in before is pretty nullified by the despicable use of human shields. As Obama said ‘Their forced recruitment of civilians and their use of civilians as human shields is deplorable. These tactics will only serve to alienate all those who carry them out.’
That is clear. That the LTTE needs to let our people go. Then Obama is in a valid position to say:
I’m also calling on the Sri Lankan government to take several steps to alleviate this humanitarian crisis. First, the government should stop the indiscriminate shelling that has taken hundreds of innocent lives, including several hospitals, and the government should live up to its commitment to not use heavy weapons in the conflict zone.
Second, the government should give United Nations humanitarian teams access to the civilians who are trapped between the warring parties so that they can receive the immediate assistance necessary to save lives.
Third, the government should also allow the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross access to nearly 190,000 displaced people within Sri Lanka so that they can receive additional support that they need.
The United States stands ready to work with the international community to support the people of Sri Lanka in this time of suffering. I don’t believe that we can delay. Now is the time for all of us to work together to avert further humanitarian suffering.
Now is the time for the LTTE to lay down arms and let its hostages go. Now is the time for the government to admit it needs help (which it does internally) and allow much more local and international humanitarian assistance. We have to unite with the civilians now and give them every possible support. Within Sri Lanka.
Today on the 
Janith has updated 
This is highly dubious. Miss Travel is a travel/social networking site that connects ‘Generous’ and ‘Attractive’ travelers. To, like, travel together, I guess. It all seems a bit like arranged prostitution and trafficking. This is part of a broader online trend to connect rich men to younger, attractive women. Sites like 
Sri Lankan domestics never say anything, they just stop coming. My maid just stopped coming and when I finally pressed her she said I needed to get a washing machine. I was hoping to ride this one out, but I’ve run out of underwear and I have no choice. I finally caved and bought a washing machine, from 
Out of interest, and I mean this as a genuine question rather than a “prove a point” sort if thing, do you think there would have been this level of international awareness and interest in the Sri Lankan situation right now if the ongoing Tamil protests around the world hadn’t happened?
what on earth are you saying here . Apologies. Trying to say here ?
I replied to this on the other post. The context to Obama’s statement was the clear, unequivocal statement by his Secretary of State that the IMF loan is not going to happen for now. That’s kind of a sanction, you know.
Right, so first you must state the obvious so the even more bleedingly obvious point can then be presented? If you reverse the sequence, it’s suddenly an unsupportable and invalid statement?
I’m a bit baffled by this indiscriminate shelling charge. When 300-400 hardcore cadres including Theepan were outflanked by the Army and isolated without a civilian shield, the battle was over in a day or two. If the Army is showing as much callousness to civilian casualties as Tamilnet, etc are saying they are, why has it taken so long to take the 4 square kilometers left? If the SL Army is as willing to kill civilians as the LTTE is, wouldn’t this have been done awhile ago? Note I’m not denying civilian casualties have occured or the brutality of this war, but something doesn’t seem to add up?
Obama did hit the nail on thehead regarding the camps though, I do think the GOSL is acting idiotically in its management of the camps. They really need to let the UN (ineffective but international exposure) and a local NGO like Sarvodya (who appear much more effective) into those camps to manage them and get people back on their feet and only maintain a police presence to nab infiltrators.
Shelling is, by definition, indiscriminate.
ok….but why shell when it has no apparent tactical purpose, is bad for ‘publicity’ and is expensive?
Shelling the “safe” zone has a fairly clear tactical purpose. The LTTE are good at digging in, and they’ve dug in quite well in the no-fire zone. Shelling lets the army advance with fewer casualties.
See, it’s like this.
If the army were to engage in only small arms fire, it’d only kill dozens, or possibly scores, of civilians (small arms fire means supplies, medicines, the ICRC, etc. can get through quite easily, so fewer would die or be permanently maimed as a result of wounds), but would suffer a large number of casualties itself and taking the “safe” zone would take many months.
If the army were to engage in a significant, but not unrestrained, amount of shelling, it’d kill a couple of thousand civilians, and take the “safe” zone in weeks.
If the army were to engage in unrestrained shelling, it’d kill tens of thousands of civilians and take the “safe” zone in a couple of days.
We’re being told to be grateful that they’ve “only” gone for option two, and not for option three. Excuse me if I don’t see it in quite those terms.
The ‘good guys’: http://www.tamilcircle.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4693%3A2008-12-24-07-58-02&catid=74%3A2008
Not to downplay what is happening in vanni,…..
I heard on NPR that in 2008 ,2000 civilians died .Half of them due to US/Afghan forces operations.So where is the ‘effing outrage?SL army is not US Army.We all know how it behaved in the past.On the other hand it is not a terrorist force or a genocidal army.If it was so ,this would have been over much earlier like N mentions.Why do they keep going slow?Only 2.5 sqkm left .If it is indecriminate the fighting would have over a long time ago.
chandare,
great to see you deploy the, “i have black friends but…” argument. Cheers and backslaps all round for a job well done.
The fact remains that the SL army is just like any other subcontinental outfit, getting only tenuous loyalty from cannon fodder and effective only when aided by technology that they themselves cannot use or even buy without training and funding from foreigners.
I suppose you think that 20 civilian casualties here and there doesn’t constitue “indescriminate” shelling. The commenter who pointed out the fallacy of “discriminate shelling” is right–even a laser guided munition has a range. If the SL army was bombing as MUCH as the US was in Afghanistan, then surely, yes, the conflict would have been over long ago. As far as indescriminate shelling goes, yes, they are doing so. They’re firing shells with less innate precision than laser-guided munitions and doing so in an area of 2.5 square km. it doesn’t take a an all-seeing god to know that this approach leads to civilian deaths.
What the army should be doing is thinking about how to maximize civilian escapee volume from the tiger-occupied area–which can’t happen when their body parts are scattered all over the place.
thanks for your input, General Nagayan. Would you mind sending us a few laser guided munitions along with your homily on what the army should be doing next time around? I think Fedex may oblige and ensure you do not leave the comfort of your armchair.
best regards,
the SL artillery brigade
Well said, Nayagan, particularly the last sentence.
Of course SL army is like any other subcontinental outfit.
May be slightly better and professional than some outfits.
I heard SL army is around 175 ,000.How long do you think it would take them walk all over 2.5 sq km patch ,if they do not care about civilian casualities?
of course they care Chandare, they just care too little. It is similar to the care expressed by a cat for a captured mouse or an orca for a similarly caught dolphin. Just enough to prolong the semblance of security till the inevitable CHOMP.
you fail at logic, btw.
SL Army High Command,
wait until i care about the army and say more than once what they should be doing before you launch into a half-assed analysis of your lower digestive tract. But considering you hate everyone, i suggest you include yourself in this circle of fury and spare us the sanctimony for good.
struck a nerve there, did I Nagayan? lol. the outward symptoms of dementia seem to be common in your family.
seems to me like you offered your expert analysis on what the army should be doing and you got told. where does my lower digestive tract come into it?
by the way work on the reading comprehension. i hate the flag wavers on both sides. that got twisted into everyone by the time you spat it out.
like i said get that dementia checked out.
Nayagan, well u say that the SL forces “care too little” about the civilians.. but the ppl who are trying to “liberate” them seems to be caring even less. If they do care, they probably will let them go instead of shooting them in their backs while fleeing away, chopping their legs off or even sending suicide bombers to the camps!!!… come on man, tell them to set an example.. tell them to show the world how much they care for their own ppl… its time that u guys start expect the government to do everything on ur behalf… have some backbones…
Ahh, the hypocrisy of the ‘respectable middle’ opinion laid bare. You assume because i’m Tamil that I have a direct line to every Tiger cadre still kicking–in fact, I’d have a much easier time sending a message to CBK, via the old-school aunty socializing network than I would anyone else.
racist much?