Sri Lanka Map
Some months ago when I was researching another equally horrible subject (Corrective Rape of Lesbian Women In South Africa), I ran into a woman and her (non-political) blog about Sri Lanka. She was commenting on a post that I read regarding the SA situation, and I liked her comment so I followed on to her blog. She had a sort of ‘Mom’s blog’ which included some discussion about the situation in Sri Lanka regarding the Tamils and the Sinhalese. She described the situation as a struggle over language. The Tamils are shut out from many things in Government and private sectors because their language is not recognized. I talked to her about the similarity of the situation in Canada between the Francophone / Anglophone populations and how the language problem was addressed by making both languages official.
Anyway, I’m not saying that the language problem is all that is wrong or that the whole situation could be solved easily. It is just how I was introduced to the Sri Lankan conflict on a more personal level. That, and through the recording artist M.I.A. (more on that later).
I have gathered together a list of links and quotes here from various news sources. The general trend for world governments is treating all Tamils as terrorists in the media. This seems to be a global effort that has been going on to propagandize the Tamil people into non-existence, by allowing the Sri Lankan forces to wipe them out in the name of saving civilians from terrorists. It seems to me, the truth of the matter is, this is a general conspiracy to wipe out another root tribe. I haven’t researched this enough to be all ‘conspiracy’ about it, but I feel that the uprising of Tamil people all over the world asking the governments of various nations to please step in and stop this genocide – this is something that needs to be known and understood. There is a general consensus by the mainstream folks in North America that these people have no right to protest because they are ‘terrorists’ – which is rediculous and proves that the propaganda is working.
Anyway – here’s the leads, read ‘em and weep. Be sure to watch both videos of M.I.A. because she obviously is not a terrorist and she seems to be speaking the truth.
===========
PARTICULARS
===========
Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean about 20 miles off the southeast coast of India, about half the size of New York. The population of about 18.2 million is about 74% Sinhaalese and 18% Tamils. Sinhala & Tamil are the country’s official languages, and English is widely used too.
(small map – link to larger detailed map of island – http://www.eelamweb.com/tmap/map.jpg)
Tamil people (also called Tamils), are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, a state in India, and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. They speak Tamil, with a recorded history going back two millennia. Emigrant communities are found across the world. The Tamils are mostly Hindus with sizable Christian and Muslim populations.
Modern period
British colonists consolidated the Tamil territory in southern India into the Madras Presidency, which was integrated into British India. Similarly, the Tamil parts of Sri Lanka joined with the other regions of the island in 1802 to form the Ceylon colony. They remained in political union with India and Sri Lanka after their independence, in 1947 and 1948 respectively.
When India became independent in 1947, Madras Presidency became the Madras State, comprising present-day Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh, northern Kerala, and the southwest coast of Karnataka. The state was subsequently split along linguistic lines. In 1953, the northern districts formed Andhra Pradesh. Under the States Reorganization Act in 1956, Madras State lost its western coastal districts. The Bellary and South Kanara districts were ceded to Mysore state, and Kerala was formed from the Malabar district and the former princely states of Travancore and Cochin. In 1968, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu.
There was some initial demand for an independent Tamil state following the adoption of the federal system. However, the Indian constitution granted significant autonomy to the states, and protests by Tamils in 1963 led to the government adopting a new policy called the “three language formula”. This has led to Tamils in India becoming increasingly satisfied with the federal arrangement, and there is very little support for secession or independence today.
In Sri Lanka, however, the unitary arrangement led to a growing belief among some Tamils of discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. This resulted in a demand for federalism, which in the 1970s grew into a movement for an autonomous Tamil country. The situation deteriorated into civil war in the early 1980s. A ceasefire in effect since 2002 broke down in August 2006 amid shelling and bombing from both sides. Today Tamils make up 18% of Sri Lanka’s population (3.8 Million).[64], 6.2% of Malaysia’s Population (1.06 Million).
Civil War and the Origins of the Tamil Tigers
Twenty five years ago on the 25th of July the world watched in horror, the vicious and the violent attacks against the Tamils in Sri Lanka. While the shocking images of burning bodies, gruesome prison massacres and masses of Tamil refugees were flashed across the screen of the world television, the detailed news articles about the murders, rapes and the plight of refugees were started to emerge in the media all over the globe. An extract taken from the Guardian correspondent speaks for itself. full story >>> GENOCIDE OF THE TAMILS
=================
C U R R E N T P R O T E S T S
=================
London Protest Coverage – BBC News
On April 11,2009 A hundred thousand protesters have marched through central London calling for an end to war in Sri Lanka.
The rebel Tamil Tigers started fighting in the 1970s for a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka’s north and east. They argue they have been discriminated against by successive Sinhalese-dominated governments.
They are a banned terrorist group in many countries, including the UK.
Thousands of Sri Lankans living in the UK have taken part in the rally that began on Monday afternoon in London’s Parliament Square.
Tamil protests underway in Oslo
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Members of the Tamil community in Oslo, Norway are demonstrating in protest of the Sinhalese-dominated government of Sri Lanka. The protests are taking place peacefully on the grounds in front of the Storting, the Norwegian Parliament.
Protesters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), popularly known as the Tamil Tigers. They criticised the Sri Lankan governments handling of Tamil civilians in the war zone in northern Sri Lanka and are attempting to get the Norwegian government to intervene diplomatically in the conflict to stop the Sri Lankan government from putting civilians at risk.
Tamil protesters end blockade on major Toronto highway Monday, May 11, 2009 – (In this article the majority of the commenters were totally fascist and seemed more concerned about getting home on time, than the safety or plight of these people. Embarrassing to me as a Canadian. These people aren’t terrorists, they’re protesters. kids – take note: If you want to really get some attention with your protest – go sit on a railway line or major thoroughfare – that will get people listening (just keep them away from the beer fridge and the TV for long enough and they’ll give in to anything)
Thousands of Tamil Canadian protesters who blocked all lanes of a downtown Toronto highway for several hours Sunday evening began walking away from the area around midnight. A spokesman for the protesters told TV station CP24 that Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff’s deputy chief of staff has promised to bring up their concerns Monday in caucus about the civil war in their native Sri Lanka and the possibility of economic and diplomatic sanctions by Canada.
The demonstrators were happy with the response and said they’d leave the Gardiner Expressway and take their protest to the Ontario legislature at Queen’s Park, he said.
2009 Tamil protests in Canada - A synopsis on wikipedia (someone has questioned the ‘balance’ of the reports)
Around 2000 Tamil Diaspora men, women and children staged a protest demonstration Sunday in Toronto, Canada against the genocide of Tamils in Vanni blocking all lanes of a downtown Toronto highway for several hours, sources in Toronto said. “The Tamil Diaspora will not give up. The Sri Lankan regime continues to unleash terror on our people who have been silenced by brute force and unimaginable atrocities. ‘Mother India’ and International community remain silent. But we, the Tamil Diaspora, will see to that Justice is done. Tamil Eelam will be freed,” a protestor said. tamilnet.com
Map of the war zone in northeastern Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tiger rebels have accused the Sri Lankan government of killing more than 2,000 civilians in 24 hours of artillery attacks, but the military denied the allegations.
Canadian Government Public Safety (Terrorist Organizations) World Tamil Movement
Description
The World Tamil Movement, created in 1986, is the leading front organization for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Canada. The various offices of the WTM in Canada transfer funds to bank accounts in Sri Lanka destined to support the terrorist activities of the LTTE. The leadership of the WTM acts at the direction of leaders of the LTTE. WTM representatives canvas areas in Canada with large Tamil populations demanding large donations on behalf of the LTTE. Refusals to contribute often lead to threats and intimidation.
Violence Silences Voices of Sri Lankan Journalists
Sri Lanka: Government and Tamil Tigers violating laws of war 28 January 2009
Amnesty International - Reports emerging from Sri Lanka suggest that government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are violating the laws of war by targeting civilians and preventing them from escaping to safety.
UN decries Sri Lanka `bloodbath ` 106 children die
Monday, 11 May 2009 – 7:55 PM SL
The United Nations condemned a `bloodbath` in Sri Lanka`s northern war zone Monday after two days of shelling that a government doctor said killed as many as 1,000 ethnic Tamil civilians including 106 children.
Volunteers dug mass graves in the marshland, putting 50 to 60 bodies in each pit, according to Dr. V. Shanmugarajah, who works at a makeshift hospital in the war zone. He said one nurse was killed along with his family in a trench that was then filled with soil and turned into their grave.
Shanmugarajah said the hospital was so short-staffed that many of those wounded in the first barrage late Saturday had still not been treated Monday morning. `The hospital death rate is increasing, but we are helpless,` he said.
A rebel-linked Web site blamed the attacks on the government, while the government denied firing any artillery into the area.
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter jets carried out two bombing raids at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, sources from inside the safety zone
1200 bodies counted, hundreds seriously injured, aerial bombing continues
[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 May 2009, 11:26 GMT]
Rescue workers within the Mullaiththeevu Safety Zone have counted more than 1200 bodies after the large scale slaughter Saturday night and Sunday morning by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) with the use of cluster ammunition, multi-barrel rocket launchers and cannons, sources from Vanni said. The workers fear that there may be additional bodies yet to be uncovered, and the numbers killed will likely rise. Rescue workers also said several hundreds were very seriously injured, and the critical shortage of medicine at the makeshift hospital in Mu’l'li-vaaykkaal will lead to many more deaths. Meanwhile, Mu’l'li-vaaykkaal Hospital staff said, until 3:00 p.m. the number of bodies brought to the hospital was 378, injured totaled 1122. The staffers added that 106 of the dead, and 251 of the injured were children.
LTTE firing at fleeing civilians – This is (what seems like to me) to be a mainstream news propaganda report by the Sri Lanka Daily National Paper which states that the National forces are not firing on civilians, rather it is the Tamil Tigers. In typical propaganda style they even have ‘quoted’ radio transmissions by Tamil leaders ordering the civilians to be shot at.
While Security Forces were rescuing trapped civilians from the LTTE human shield, the LTTE cadres were directing fire towards fleeing civilians from the No Fire Zone (NFZ). Over 60 civilians sought protection with troops of the 53 division yesterday morning.
Palestinians say ‘Hands off Sri Lanka’
“Hands off Sri Lanka” say the Palestinians in unison angered and dismayed by the sinister manipulations and arm bending tactics of some self centered politicians of the West against Sri Lanka, one of the friendliest nations of Palestine.
The Dissonant Undertones of M.I.A.
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.
M.I.A Tells of Sri Lanka Genocide to U S- World Fans
MIA explains that the mainstream propaganda has linked the two words ‘Tamil’ & ‘Tiger’, but the Tamil Tigers are only a small uprising of 4000 Tamils, who could easily be stopped by the Sri Lankan Government military forces. She explains that the Sri Lankan Government is perpetuating and using the so called ‘terrorists’ in order to commit a genocide and wipe out the Tamil people. (Political part of the interview is in the last half of Part I and the first half of Part II)
Grammy Red Carpet Interview w. MIA - This isn’t politically related, but it shows how unaffected she is by media, hype and all the ‘fame’. This girl is real.
“Paper Planes” – Read the full story on wiki about the M.I.A. song.
I fly like paper, get high like planes
If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name
If you come around here, I make ‘em all day
I get one down in a second if you waitSometimes I think sitting on trains
Every stop I get to I’m clocking that game
Everyone’s a winner, we’re making our fame
Bonafide hustler making my nameAll I wanna do is (BANG BANG BANG BANG!)
And (KKKAAAA CHING!)
And take your moneyPirate skulls and bones
Sticks and stones and weed and bongs
Running when we hit ‘em
Lethal poison through their systemNo one on the corner has swagger like us
Hit me on my Burner prepaid wireless
We pack and deliver like UPS trucks
Already going hell just pumping that gasAll I wanna do is (BANG BANG BANG BANG!)
And (KKKAAAA CHING!)
And take your moneyM.I.A.
Third world democracy
Yeah, I got more records than the K.G.B.
So, uh, no funny businessSome some some I some I murder
Some I some I let go
Some some some I some I murder
Some I some I let go
Tamil Nadu women become self-dependent through home made milk sweet sales May 3rd, 2009
KRISHNAGIRI – A voluntary organization in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri District is helping women sell homemade milk sweets in the market. The best part of this self-help exercise is that the women can appropriate the profits earned.
TamilNet is an independent and not-for-profit newswire service that provides up to date news with Tamil perspective on issues concerning Tamil people in the island of Sri Lanka.
A HISTORY OF THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
Dr Brian Senewiratne – A Pro-Tamil Sinhalese Expatriate Speaks On Behalf Of The Tamils
May 7, 2009 — Socialist Alliance (Australia) — I am a Sinhalese from the majority community in Sri Lanka, not from the brutalised Tamil community. I have campaigned for some five decades for the right of the Tamils to live with equality, dignity and safety in the country of their birth.
I am releasing this media briefing as a concerned Australian (here for 32 years), and as a member of the Socialist Alliance, the only non-Tamil organisation [in Australia] to support the struggle of the Tamils for justice.
The Sinhalese-dominated Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) claims it is fighting a “war on terrorism”. What it is really doing is fighting the Tamil people to force them to accept Sri Lanka as a Sinhala-Buddhist nation. To this end, it is prepared to commit genocide of the Tamils, similar to Hitler’s “final solution of the Jewish question”.
>>>> FULL STORY
Cool blog!
Rocks Tops