This is an email I sent to a few friends. England is abuzz about this Vanni Mercy Mission to send a ship to Sri Lanka with aid. They’ve even got a letter of support from M.I.A. On their site they list the UK government and celebrities as dependencies, but no mention of the Sri Lankan government. This leads me to think this is just a PR stunt, because you have to work with the government of a sovereign nation to land a ship there. This is very cynical because the problem is real. You simply cannot antagonize the government if you want aid to actually reach people. I fear that’s not their goal at all, I think they just want to have the ship turned away to make a point. It’s so sad, because the suffering is very real.
I’m working with a group of citizens called ACT for Relief (www.actlanka.com). We have some lorries leaving Friday (God willing) to the Vavuniya Hospital. We’ve raised a bit of money and collected mattresses, crutches, medicines and basic supplies. This is only possible because we have worked closely with the Ministries of Health and Defense. That is the only way to get goods into this country and the only way to deliver them to the people at the end. It is difficult and frustrating, but necessary. You have to compromise to actually help people.
This Vanni Mission does not mention the government of Sri Lanka as a stakeholder at all. I disagree deeply and publicly with the government and I did not support this war. However, it is still my government and this is still my country. It doesn’t matter if Claudia Schiffer is on the prow of the boat, you simply cannot land in a sovereign country without permission. Certainly not in a warzone. I honestly believe that they want the ship to be turned away to score PR points. This is really sad, because if they want to actually help human beings they have to compromise.
Please remember that the human suffering is real. I visited children brought to a government hospital in Colombo and it’s just tragic. I saw a boy named Ketesh who’s a double amputee. Couldn’t be more than three years old. Another child had burn wounds all down his chest and couldn’t stop shivering. They are doing triage in the North on a level we simply cannot imagine and they’re lacking basic items like surgical gloves, bandages, painkillers, anti-biotics, etc. I think this is a humanitarian tragedy just like the tsunami and we should extend just as much support to our fellow Sri Lankans.
These Sri Lankans don’t need politics, they need relief. I think it is important to remember that they are being treated in government hospitals and helped by government people while the LTTE is simply firing on them and conscripting them as cannon fodder. You simply have to work with the government if you want to help human beings right now. I don’t like the government much, but I’m quite willing to put that pride aside for now. If you want to make a statement you can call the government genocidal maniacs and throw a party, but it doesn’t actually help anyone. That’s really cynical, and really sad.
There are people in Sri Lanka who are trying to reach out to our fellow citizens in the North on a human level, working with whoever we have to, apolitically. There are no gala events because that jeopordizes the actual, delicate work of delivering relief, but do know that people are doing something. You can help. I’ve cc’d an ACT representative, and you can help through there. Please note that’s just a group of concerned citizens. Sarvodaya is a reputed NGO and you can donate online to them here (sarvodaya.org/donate). Sri Lanka Red Cross also accepts donations via their bank account. These are donations that actually reach people.
indi
Here’s an excerpt from their email appeal. The last line especially is a joke. Like, that’s the most important thing?
The launch event of the Mission of Mercy Aid ship to Sri Lanka will take place on Tuesday 31 March, 2009, from 1:00 pm at The Royal Horse Guards, 1 Whitehall Place, 2 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EJ. To view, please visit http://www.theroyalhorseguards.co.uk/index.html).
A global appeal to the Sri Lankan Government to let the aid into the affected region and to call a ceasefire will be launched on the same day. A launch event has been organised to allow celebrities and politicians to sign a special letter (scroll) of Appeal.
The latest news is that the Sri Lankan Government is threatening to sink the boat! (http://www.island.lk/2009/03/21/news2.html) Come and hear more at the meeting.
We welcome any and all media to attend the event.
Supermodel Claudia Schiffer will be attending.
As a note, I know Arjunan [the guy who sent this mail and seems to be organizing this thing]. He’s the former spokesperson for the TRO, the LTTE’s NGO wing. I know him and we fight about his support for LTTE as ‘the’ Tamil representatives. If you look at the related organizations, they’re holding maps where that land isn’t Sri Lanka at all, so I suppose they think it’s all right to land here. I’ve cc’d him here. Arjunan, please compromise if you want to actually help people. Work with the government of Sri Lanka.
this is another pro government website supporting sri lankan state government
Um, yeah, please have a read through this website.
@ Vishwa – All i can honestly say is…. ROTFL..!!!
On a more serious note, I think the SL government should permit this ship to enter our waters and seize the ship and its cargo. The relief supplies can be distributed through the ICRC or Sarvodaya and the ship should be auctioned off to raise money for more relief supplies!!
That way we can actually make some good come out of all the effort being put into this project by TRO.
The email says that an appeal to allow the ship in will be made to the GoSL. So why do you say that the GoSL isn’t being considered. From the POV of the MIA-types the GoSL is the Nazi Party, so working with them would be anathema. Having said that, I’m sure this is just a PR move as you say. But don’t discount the naivete of Europeans — remember those jokers who went to Saddam Hussein and offered themselves as human shields?
There’s a bit more involved in landing a supply ship on foreign land than issuing an appeal. Under their mission they never mention coordinating with the government of the country they’re landing in. Instead, the constraints are listed as:
WTF? What do the British Parliament and foreign celebrities have to do with landing a ship in Sri Lankan territorial waters?
Maybe the GoSL should have a chat with those Somali pirates…
If the impression they’re trying to give is that the GoSL is beyond the pale, then this attitude is quite reasonable. Would you care if a ship carrying supplies to Burma after that cyclone didn’t involve the Burmese junta? Or if a relief convoy into Bosnia didn’t get Serbian approval? These guys are trying to create the impression that the GoSL is a similar entity.
I once pointed out that you were wrong to be outraged at MIA’s ignorance. This is similar — it’s not a mistake but a calculated tactic.
I agree that this is a tactic. The TRO is not stupid and neither is their parent LTTE.
The sad thing is that the people in the North are either human shields or photo-ops for these people. They don’t actually help.
Sad to think all these worms crawl out from under the rocks for their 15 secs of fame with a meaningful comment sic!
Get real people I have met some of the suffering tamil people, so has Indi along with me, so he can speak on their behalf. I have heard the most harrowing stories of mandatory conscription by the LTTE of one member of every single family, held against their WILL, yes, Against their will, shot at by the LTTE. We met a mother whose son was gunned down by the LTTE when they ran away toward the free zone, yes there is more, one child was shot in the leg, only an 11 year old girl, one girl was shot in the head and later died in the Colombo General hospital where she was flown by the security forces….. so all of you who speak on and on behalf of the LTTE, Arundati Roy, MIA, yes and even Arjuna…(oh by the way I remember you dancing the night away, drunk, in the night clubs of Colombo night after night till … maybe just over a year ago?) just take a hike…. you dont know what you are talking about… you who live in foreign lands like cowards, send funds over to the LTTE for more killing…. if you really believe in this hatred and idiology go fight beside the LTTE send your children to fight, but pleeeaaase stop sending money to a dead cause, as if it is some meaningful and worthy thing to do… and oh yes, ACT is a Sri Lankan citizens initiative….
this is not a tamil or sinhala issue, this is a Sri Lankan issue
Two options:
1) sink the ship for invading our territorial waters
2) seize the goods, imprison the sailors, and send MIA the bill
Its sad that people are so twisted in their motives. If they are geuinely that concerned, why dont the organizers also attach a petition to Prabhakaran calling for the release of civilian hostages and a stop to child recruitment! I think the supermodels have a right to know! :)
Remember so called Helpers we true Sri Lankans can help and take care of our own people. Actually we are doing so. If you want to bring a ship here and take terrorist Prabha(Who has destroyed the Tamil community) out, Come and have try.
We do still need international support. The World Food Program helps feed over 1.1 million people here, for example (LBO). Also the UN, US, UK statements on the situ here are generally reasonable. Celebrities, however, sometimes randomly spout off. They can say things institutions can’t, but that often include things that are either unhelpful or untrue
Yip, you’re absolutely right. In fact now more than ever there is a need for international support! The countries worst hit by the financial crisis are developing nations, and food prices are still incredibly high: http://www.wfp.org/global-food-crisis-in-depth
Has the ship left, and did Claudia show?
No and no
come and see the power of the legal Government of the Civilasied society. are these all organizers are lunatics even think a such a mission? still u believe that LTTE can lead the tamils in Sri lanka?
this is why the tamils don’t want to come to govt controlled areas:
http://meenagan.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post_28.html
its not a mistake like Mr. David Blacker says…it’s a calculated ploy…this is not the first one…plenty of similar incidents have happened in countries like Venezuela, Guatamala, Sudan and Egypt for going against the will of imperialist countries….Sri Lanka should be very careful about these things…Act with brain…not emotions….the correct term to describe this is ‘false flag operation’…just type in google and see how many you get :D