THE WHOLE WORLD FAILS THE TAMILS IN SRI LANKA. NO ONE SEEMS TO UNDERSTAND THAT INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO PEACE AND JUSTICE EVERYWHERE!
VP.SARATHI On 31 Mar, 11:51, Anivar Aravind <[email protected]> wrote: > Many of the Journalists supporting tamil cause is also getting > targeted . Around 12 Journalists are now escaped to india after the > murder of a Jouranlist by Srilankan army > > > One of my colleagues( A driver who happened to be Tamil) was picked up on > > his way back home- after a marriage function. And he is still in Jail- and > > as someone who knows him- the guy is far away from any political issues- > > and someone who just wanted to have a peaceful family life. > > Dear John, This is nothing new in Colombo. This called as White Van > catches. If the army uses white maruti vans to capture tamilians in > colombo streets after 9 pm. Once a person is catched by these people > he will never come back. I remember Tamil friends were rushing back > to houses by 8 pm to avoid possible threats even during South asian > peoples assembly last year. > > Anivar > > > > > > > J > > > --- On Tue, 3/31/09, Anivar Aravind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > From: Anivar Aravind <[email protected]> > > Subject: [FEC] Arundhati Roy on Sri Lanka (fwd) > > To: "Greenyouth" <[email protected]>, > > "[email protected]" > > <[email protected]>, "JINU ABRAHAM" > > <[email protected]> > > Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 11:56 AM > > > '...It's a colossal humanitarian tragedy. The world must step in. Now. > > Before it's too late. ...' > > > THE SILENT HORROR OF THE WAR IN SRI LANKA by Arundhati Roy, Times of India, > > 30th march 2009 > > > The horror that is unfolding in Sri Lanka becomes possible because of the > > silence that surrounds it. There is almost no reporting in the mainstream > > Indian media - or indeed in the international press - about what is > > happening there. Why this should be so is a matter of serious concern. > > > From the little information that is filtering through it looks as though > > the Sri Lankan government is using the propaganda of the 'war on terror' as > > a fig leaf to dismantle any semblance of democracy in the country, and > > commit unspeakable crimes against the Tamil people. Working on the > > principle that every Tamil is a terrorist unless he or she can prove > > otherwise, civilian areas, hospitals and shelters are being bombed and > > turned into a war zone. Reliable estimates put the number of civilians > > trapped at over 200,000. The Sri Lankan Army is advancing, armed with tanks > > and aircraft. > > > Meanwhile, there are official reports that several 'welfare villages' have > > been established to house displaced Tamils in Vavuniya and Mannar > > districts. According to a report in The Daily Telegraph (Feb 14, 2009), > > these villages 'will be compulsory holding centres for all civilians > > fleeing the fighting'. Is this a euphemism for concentration camps? The > > former foreign minister of Sri Lanka, Mangala Samaraveera, told The Daily > > Telegraph: 'A few months ago the government started registering all Tamils > > in Colombo on the grounds that they could be a security threat, but this > > could be exploited for other purposes like the Nazis in the 1930s. They're > > basically going to label the whole civilian Tamil population as potential > > terrorists.' > > > Given its stated objective of 'wiping out' the LTTE, this malevolent > > collapse of civilians and 'terrorists' does seem to signal that the > > government of Sri Lanka is on the verge of committing what could end up > > being genocide. According to a UN estimate several thousand people have > > already been killed. Thousands more are critically wounded. The few > > eyewitness reports that have come out are descriptions of a nightmare from > > hell. What we are witnessing, or should we say, what is happening in Sri > > Lanka and is being so effectively hidden from public scrutiny, is a brazen, > > openly racist war. The impunity with which the Sri Lankan government is > > being able to commit these crimes actually unveils the deeply ingrained > > racist prejudice, which is precisely what led to the marginalization and > > alienation of the Tamils of Sri Lanka in the first place. That racism has a > > long history, of social ostracisation, economic blockades, pogroms and > > torture. The brutal nature of the decades-long civil war, which started as > > a peaceful, non-violent protest, has its roots in this. > > > Why the silence? In another interview Mangala Samaraveera says, 'A free > > media is virtually non-existent in Sri Lanka today.' > > > Samaraveera goes on to talk about death squads and 'white van abductions', > > which have made society 'freeze with fear'. Voices of dissent, including > > those of several journalists, have been abducted and assassinated. The > > International Federation of Journalists accuses the government of Sri Lanka > > of using a combination of anti-terrorism laws, disappearances and > > assassinations to silence journalists. > > > There are disturbing but unconfirmed reports that the Indian government is > > lending material and logistical support to the Sri Lankan government in > > these crimes against humanity. If this is true, it is outrageous. What of > > the governments of other countries? Pakistan? China? What are they doing to > > help, or harm the situation? > > > In Tamil Nadu the war in Sri Lanka has fuelled passions that have led to > > more than 10 people immolating themselves. The public anger and anguish, > > much of it genuine, some of it obviously cynical political manipulation, > > has become an election issue. > > > It is extraordinary that this concern has not travelled to the rest of > > India. Why is there silence here? There are no ?white van abductions? ? at > > least not on this issue. Given the scale of what is happening in Sri Lanka, > > the silence is inexcusable. More so because of the Indian government's long > > history of irresponsible dabbling in the conflict, first taking one side > > and then the other. Several of us including myself, who should have spoken > > out much earlier, have not done so, simply because of a lack of information > > about the war. So while the killing continues, while tens of thousands of > > people are being barricaded into concentration camps, while more than > > 200,000 face starvation, and a genocide waits to happen, there is dead > > silence from this great country. It's a colossal humanitarian tragedy. The > > world must step in. Now. Before it's too late. > > > ------------* ----------------- > > > -- > > Any responsible politician should be encouraging a home grown Free Software > > industry because it creates the basis for future jobs. Learning Windows is > > like learning to eat every meal at McDonalds. > > -- > Any responsible politician should be encouraging a home grown Free > Software industry because it creates the basis for future jobs. > Learning Windows is like learning to eat every meal at McDonalds. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
