Honda Motor Co Yesterday Launched a new robot ("U3-X") that enables people to move around easily to any direction. The U3-X, equipped with the world's first omni-directional driving system, makes it possible to adjust speed and move, turn and stop an all directions when rider leans the upper body to shift body weight, Honda said.
Pics: Reuters
There were thousands of street protesters yesterday clashed with police in capital TEHRAN. Police used tear gas and water cannons to swept out protesters from main streets.
Once again US backed Iran opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has warned by Iran government that stop encouraging people to protest in Iran capital. However protesters are still on streets despite government warnings and police attacks.
Watch Videos of Iran protests:
June 20, Tehran capital-video
Iranians in Paris for democracy in Iran
Paris protests against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Protesters collide with Police in Iran
Iran government has banned the international media on reporting from Iran, However facebook, Youtube and twitter receives latest updates of Iran's current situation.
However protesters said that Internet speed is very low and mobile phone connections are interrupting throughout the day.
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Srilanka today celebrates the Victory of defeating terrorism from the island. Celebration ceremony held at the Galle Face Green, Colombo. Representatives from all srilankan armed forces who were contributed to the final battle, participated to the ceremony and paraded there.
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Srilanka won it's resolution on "Assistance to Sri Lanka in the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights" at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva ,27May. Srilanka received 29 votes in favor of the Resolution from UNHRC member countries and just 12 votes against it.
Countries who were supported the Srilanka including China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Philippines, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, South Africa, and other African countries. The emphasis here is that votes are mostly received from Developing Nations, Political Analyzers says Developing Nations no more act in Prejudice over high power developed nations and this is a good move to demolish the power of US and it's sympathizers on international organisations and committees.
Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe says that "This reflects that the international community is behind Sri Lanka in its endeavour to rebuild the nation and to provide our citizens with equal opportunities”.
The UN human rights council called on Tuesday for an international inquiry to determine if Sri Lankan government forces and Tamil rebels committed war crimes in the last burst of their conflict and Sri Lanka should ensure the full access to displaced people in camps located north.
But in an unusual move, Sri Lanka itself submitted a resolution stressing its sovereign right to act without outside interference, which then Human Rights Council approved.
Human Rights Watch
The "Human Rights Watch" is deeply disappointed with the UNHRC decision of praising Srilanka's resolution rather than opposing it.
CNN has conducting an Online poll on "Should The International Community Intervene In Sri Lanka? "
http://internationaldesk.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/11/monday-poll/
We request from all of our Readers to Say "NO" to this Poll and forward this massage to every one you know.
LTTE's media network has commenced a heavy international campaigns to spread fake news about the Srilanka issue. We have seen that BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera has published content directly taken from LTTE terrorists official web site.
There is an ongoing discussions about the Srilanka conflict and Human Rights issue over the International community. Please provide your support to iron out all fake contents.
Jayalalitha said that they will be sent Indian ARMY to Srilanka to create a separate Tamil State (Tamil Eelam) in the Island Nation, if her alliance wins all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Jayalalitha told at an election rally at Villupuram Wednesday, May 6. We send Indian Troops to Srilanka in order to make the Tamil Eelam in Srilanka, like what Indira Gandhi did to Pakistan by establising Bangladesh.
Jayalalitha made this remarks as Srilankan ARMY advanced towards the LTTE's hold last land strip.
Srilanka ARMY got the control of LTTE's improvised armour-plated six-wheel truck on tuesday afternoon. ARMY says that LTTE used this high security bullet proof truck to transport top level LTTE leaders.
Today 01/may 2009 morning Srilanka ARMY official web site (army.lk) hacked by a group, said LTTE propagandists. The attacker have modified and replaced some pictures of the army.lk web site and attempted to distort some of the information published by the site.
Gotabhaya Rajapakse today has announced that Srilanka rejected the LTTE's appeal for a ceasefire. Further said that there is no need for any ceasefire at this crucial stage on destroying LTTE.
"It must be a joke," Rajapakse told in response to the Tigers' ceasefire, which the rebels said would allow international aid agencies into the conflict zone to help civilians."What is the need for a ceasefire when they are running away? They should first lay down arms, surrender and let the people go," Rajapakse added.
We believes that this is not a declared ceasefire by LTTE, but appealing for a time period for regroup and rearm in the name of protection of civillians.
The Tigers controlled a fifth of the island in late 2006 but are now penned into a coastal area measuring just 10 square kilometres (four square miles).Srilankan Soldiers captured another village on the edge of the Tigers' territory and freed about 500 people held hostage, the government said on Sunday.
So far more than 150,000 civilians have arrived to the Government controlled areas within past few days.
However the UN , United states and other international oraganizations provide fake estimates on damages to civilians by accusing the Srilankan government.
See BBC video here : Civilians fleeing from No-Fire Zone
Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi has announced that he will take immediate and maximum steps to grant 500$ million worth loan that was promised by Libyan leader, during the President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Libya on early April.
Gadaffi has revealed this during a special telephone conversation held with President Rajapaksa last night. A 500$ million amount of loan is much worth to the Srilankan Government at this time. Because Srilanka would make more concern on welfare of the IDP's in North and East, Also this amount can be used to finance the running cost of world's largest Cabinet.
At the telephone conversation Libyan leader has promised that he will visit the Srilanka soon after he got a chance. Gadaffi also congratulated the President on recent successes achieved by Sri Lankan Government in defeating LTTE terrorism.
The General-Officer-Commanding 58 Division, Brigadier Shavendra De silva. has stated that the LTTE leader Prabakaran may escape from Srilanka by using a submarine.
B.RAMAN
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is in its death rattle. It was decisively defeated by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces weeks ago, but a handful of its leadership headed by Prabhakaran has cynically and cruelly prolonged the agony of the Tamil civilians by using them as a buffer and human-shield in order to delay the re-establishment of the writ of the Sri Lankan Government in a miniscule piece of territory (about 20 sq.kms), which has been declared by the Government as a no-fire zone to avoid collateral casualties among the civilians still under the control of the LTTE and to enable them to escape from the clutches of the LTTE.
2. Prabhakaran is a leader with a split personality. During the 26 years he has dominated the Tamil landscape in Sri Lanka, he had shown a remarkable organizing capacity and an ability to motivate his followers to perform virtual miracles. His motivating his cadres to acquire a capability for action by air and sea would go down in the history of insurgency and terrorism as indicating an organizing capability of a high order. The LTTE under his leadership managed to bring almost the entire Tamil-inhabited territory in the Northern and Eastern Provinces under its control. The determined manner in which the LTTE fought against the Indian-Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in the late 1980s and frustrated its efforts to defeat it spoke highly of its capabilities for a conventional warfare.
3.If Prabhakaran had the activities of the LTTE confined to conventional warfare and developed the LTTE as a purely insurgent force, which targeted only the armed forces and not innocent civilians, he would have acquired greater support from the international community for the Tamil cause. The rational side of his personality as illustrated by his organizing capabilities had to constantly contend with a highly irrational side, which drove him to simultaneously take to terrorism of a shockingly brutal kind.
4. The targeted killings by the LTTE of many Sri Lankan Tamil leaders, who were perceived by Prabhakaran as possible impediments to his rise as the unquestioned leader of the Tamil community, and its brutal assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991 were the outcome of the irrational side of his personality. No other Indian leader had done more to help the Sri Lankan Tamil cause than Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Only a sickly and sickening irrational mind could have ordered the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and Laxman Kadirgamar, a highly-respected Tamil leader, who was a senior adviser on foreign policy to former President Chandrika Kumaratunge. The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi on Prabhakaran’s orders shocked Indian public opinion----including public opinion in Tamil Nadu--- and weakened Indian support for the Tamil cause. The assassination of Kadirgamar shocked the Western public opinion and led to the declaration of the LTTE as a terrorist organization by the Western world, thereby denying the last vestiges of Western support for the Tamil cause.
5.As the LTTE faced one defeat after another during the last three years from the Sri Lankan Armed Forces---initially in the Eastern Province and finally in the Northern Province---- the irrational side of Prabhakaran’s personality erased his rational side. His shocking use of the Tamil civilians in order to delay the final end of the counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism campaign undertaken by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces is driven by this irrational streak in him, which now dominates his personality.
6. The prolonged agony of the Sri Lankan Tamils caused by the final bout of Prabhakaran’s irrationality and loss of lucidity in thinking has to be ended. The Sri Lankan Armed Forces, which have shown patience till now and deliberately slowed down their operations, cannot be faulted if they have come to the conclusion that the time has come to liberate the no-fire zone too from the clutches of the LTTE by undertaking limited operations with small arms and ammunition even at the risk of some collateral casualties to the civilians.
7. The desperate attempt of Prabhakaran to use the civilians to protect himself from the advancing Sri Lankan Army can be attributed to the total loss of lucidity in his thinking and his consequent inability to face the bitter truth that he and his organization have been defeated decisively by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and that there is no chance of their staging a come-back. The Requiem for the LTTE could be written without fears of going wrong, should the LTTE stage a come-back as it had done on occasions in the past. It has been defeated beyond recovery. His conventional as well as terrorist capabilities are in shatters. Earlier conventional wisdom that small groups of the LTTE might still be able to keep indulging in sporadic acts of terrorism in different parts of Sri Lanks needs re-consideration. His desperate delaying action at the cost of immense suffering to the Tamils, whose cause he claims to espouse, is meant to give him an opportunity to seek safe sanctuary either in Tamil Nadu or elsewhere from where he could try to re-start his fight against the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. It is in the common interest of India and Sri Lanka that Prabhakaran is finally able to make peace with his Maker by either being killed by the Armed Forces or by taking his own life. A defeated Prabhakaran, if left alive in India or elsewhere, would not be a threat, but could be a nuisance for both the countries.
8. After the final death of the LTTE, which is expected any day, what is the future of the Sri Lankan Tamil cause? Would a Requiem for the LTTE also mean a Requiem for the Sri Lankan Tamil cause? Hopefully not. It is in India’s interest that the LTTE as a terrorist organization is destroyed once and for all, but it is not in India’s interest that the Sri Lankan Government and Armed Forces proceed from the destruction of the LTTE to the destruction of the Tamil aspirations for greater political and economic rights in their traditional homeland and for greater human dignity.
9. Let us not forget that ever since our independence in 1947, the Bengalis of the then East Pakistan, the Balochs and Sindhis of Pakistan and the Tamils of Sri Lanka have been India’s natural allies. It was this reality which persuaded Indira Gandhi to assist the Bengalis of the then East Pakistan to achieve their independence. Even though successive Governments in New Delhi refrained from supporting the causes of the Sindhis and the Balochs, Indian public opinion sympathized and continues to sympathise with their cause. It was sympathy for the Sri Lankan Tamil cause at New Delhi when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister and in Tamil Nadu, which induced India to take up their cause in the 1980s.
10.There is no reason why India should not pride itself and seek to be the paramount power of the region. To emerge and remain as the paramount power, we need natural allies in the region around us. We should not let the legitimate aspirations of our natural allies---whether they be the Sindhis and Balochs of Pakistan or the Sri Lankan Tamils--- be crushed by a brutal regime--- whether in Islamabad or in Colombo.
11. Since 1947, the Balochs rose twice in revolt in favour of independence for their homeland. On both occasions, they were defeated by the Pakistani Armed Forces as decisively as the LTTE by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. The Pakistani leadership brutally used the Air Force against the Balochs to crush their freedom struggle. Undaunted by this, the Baloch people, under a new leadership, rose in revolt for a third time two years ago and their third war of independence is still going on.
12. The remarkable victory of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces against the LTTE was partly due to their improved counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism capabilities made possible by Indian assistance in the form of training and sharing of intelligence and partly due to their emulating the Pakistani Armed forces in the brutal use of the Air Force against people whom they portray as their own. Just as the Balochs were defenceless against the brutal Pakistani air strikes, the Sri Lankan Tamils were defenceless against the Sri Lankan air strikes.
13. The US has used air strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan----but in foreign territory and against foreign nationals. Only three countries in the world have used air strikes in their own territory against their own people---- the Pakistanis against the Balochs, the Russians against the Chechens and the Sri Lankans against the Tamils.
14. President Mahinda Rajapakse has repeatedly promised that once the LTTE is defeated, he would be generous in meeting the political aspirations of the Tamils. He gives the impression of being a sincere man, but will the Sinhalese Army with its head bloated by its success against the LTTE allow him to do so? The indicators till now are not encouraging. Many Sri Lankan officers might have been trained in India, but their mindset and their attitude towards the minorities have more in common with those of their Pakistani counterparts than with those of their Indian counterparts. Therein lies the danger that after winning the war against the LTTE, the Government, strongly influenced by a victorious army, might trey to impose a dictated peace on the Tamils.
15. If the angry Tamils once again look up to India, there is no reason why we should not reciprocate provided a new leadership emerges in the Tamil community and it has drawn the right lessons from the brutalities of the LTTE.
16. The LTTE is deservedly dying, but long live the Tamil cause. (22-4-2009)
( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai. E-Mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )
Today Srilanka ARMY along with Srilanka Air Force and NAVY has been able to rescue more than 35000 civilians trapped by LTTE as hostages in the Puthumathalan No-Fire zone along the coast of Mullaitivu.
This is the biggest ever civilian rescue mission in the world. However there are about 50000 civilians yet to be rescued. ARMY started the mission at 11.15PM Yesterday by entering to No-Fire zone by destroying the huge 7 feet earth bunt built by LTTE. After getting control over the earth bunt spread around No-fire zone, Civilians were begin rush towards the ARMY in large numbers.
See Video Here (wmv) : Civilians fleeing
UAV images transmitted to the Sri Lanka Air Force Headquarters clearly shows how civilians were rushing in droves towards army controlled areas and at the same time the LTTE too were firing at the civilians to prevent them from entering Government controlled areas.
Tigers initially fired at the fleeing civilians on the causeway using heavy machine guns, however when Srilankan ARMY stepped into the lagoon to avoid the LTTE gunfire, three LTTE suicide cadres ran in to the civilians and exploded themselves killing 17 and injuring more than 200 civilians.
At the same time Srilanka NAVY has rescued rescued 92 boats with over 1500 civilians onboard in the indian Ocean along the Mulativu coastal area. Navy now escorting boats to the Point Pedro harbor and Pulmoddai.
The mission to rescue hostages has planned for a week and started at yesterday night by entering Puthumathalan No-Fire Zone. Since the start of the mission ARMY head quarters and ARMY control unit were too busy with operations. While President Mahinda Rajapaksha eye witnessed the whole seen at the Airforce headquarters and ordered the ARMY to provide medical and foods to the civilians immediately.
Obama is to gather his full Cabinet together on Monday for the first time as president and challenge it to cut a total of $100 million in the next 90 days. US top officials said.
Obama returned to Washington on Sunday night from the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, focusing on a plan to save government money.
However the official announcement to cut cost has not yet been issued. However, International NEWS agencies said that it's sure to implement such a plan immediately to cope with the United States recession.
As House and Senate lawmakers return from recess this week, they are expected to start reconciling their versions of the fiscal 2010 budget resolution. The president's budget request is $3.67 trillion.
Here are few plans on how to cut domestic cost.
• The Department of Homeland Security's plan to save an estimated $52 million over five years by purchasing office supplies in bulk.
• The Department of Agriculture's effort to consolidate 1,500 employees from seven locations into a single facility in 2011. It's estimated to save $62 million over a 15-year lease.
• The Veterans Affairs Department's move to cancel or delay 26 conferences, saving nearly $17.8 million. Veterans Affairs also will use video-conferencing to cut costs.India's controversial DLF IPL (Indian Premier League) matches starts today in South Africa.
The first match held between Last year's runners-up Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings and defending champions, Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians.
Matches will be played in eight different venues over 37 days. The packed schedule involves moving 700 people, including over 200 television and digital media crew.
It is said that IPL is the world's biggest and controversial Twenty-20 series.
IPL involves a huge amount of money. some argues that IPL is not true cricket but rather play for money. This year IPL series has been insured for $286 million.
Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has the highest individual insurance cover of $10.5 million. Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh follow behind with Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya of Mumbai Indians commanding the highest price among overseas players.
We haven't heard such amounts of money in international Cricket until the big bang IPL series.
IPL and Bollywood:
IPL teams are well blend with Bollywood stars in India. Punjab Kings 11 comes with pretty preity zinta and Shah Rukh Khan with Knight Riders.
Watch IPL Online:
Watch IPL Live matches with IPL T20. and with Willow TV. You can watch IPL for free with them. Also available in IPL match highlights and match events with official IPL channel on Youtube.
Here is the refined shedule and timing of IPL 2009 S.A.
| Match No. | Between Teams | Venue | Match Date and Time[IST] |
| 1 | Mumbai Indians Vs Chennai Super Kings | Cape Town | April 18 4 p.m |
| 2 | Rajasthan Royals Vs Bangalore Royal Challengers | Cape Town | April 18 8 p.m |
| 3 | Delhi Daredevils Vs Kings XI Punjab | Cape Town | April 19 4 p.m |
| 4 | Deccan Chargers Vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Cape Town | April 19 8 p.m |
| 5 | Chennai Super Kings Vs Bangalore Royal Challengers | Port Elizabeth | April 20 8 p.m |
| 6 | Kings XI Punjab Vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Durban | April 21 4 p.m |
| 7 | Rajasthan Royals Vs Mumbai Indians | Durban | April 21 8 p.m |
| 8 | Bangalore Royal Challengers Vs Deccan Chargers | Cape Town | April 22 8 p.m |
| 9 | Chennai Super Kings Vs Delhi Daredevils | Durban | April 23 4 p.m |
| 10 | Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Rajasthan Royals | Cape Town | April 23 8 p.m |
| 11 | Bangalore Royal Challengers Vs Kings XI Punjab | Durban | April 24 8 p.m |
| 12 | Mumbai Indians Vs Deccan Chargers | Durban | April 25 4 p.m |
| 13 | Chennai Super Kings Vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Cape Town | April 25 8 p.m |
| 14 | Bangalore Royal Challengers Vs Delhi Daredevils | Port Elizabeth | April 26 4 p.m |
| 15 | Kings XI Punjab Vs Rajasthan Royals | Cape Town | April 26 8 p.m |
| 16 | Deccan Chargers Vs Chennai Super Kings | Durban | April 27 4 p.m |
| 17 | Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Mumbai Indians | Port Elizabeth | April 27 8 p.m |
| 18 | Delhi Daredevils Vs Rajasthan Royals | Pretoria | April 28 8 p.m |
| 19 | Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Bangalore Royal Challengers | Durban | April 29 4 p.m |
| 20 | Kings XI Punjab Vs Mumbai Indians | Durban | April 29 8 p.m |
| 21 | Deccan Chargers Vs Delhi Daredevils | Pretoria | April 30 4 p.m |
| 22 | Rajasthan Royals Vs Chennai Super Kings | Pretoria | April 30 8 p.m |
| 23 | Mumbai Indians Vs Kolkata Knight Riders | East London | May 1 4 p.m |
| 24 | Kings XI Punjab Vs Bangalore Royal Challengers | Durban | May 1 8 p.m |
| 25 | Deccan Chargers Vs Rajasthan Royals | Port Elizabeth | May 2 4 p.m |
| 26 | Delhi Daredevils Vs Chennai Super Kings | Johannesburg | May 2 8 p.m |
| 27 | Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Kings XI Punjab | Port Elizabeth | May 3 4 p.m |
| 28 | Bangalore Royal Challengers Vs Mumbai Indians | Johannesburg | May 3 8 p.m |
| 29 | Chennai Super Kings Vs Deccan Chargers | East London | May 4 8 p.m |
| 30 | Rajasthan Royals Vs Kings XI Punjab | Durban | May 5 4 p.m |
| 31 | Delhi Daredevils Vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Durban | May 5 8 p.m |
| 32 | Deccan Chargers Vs Mumbai Indians | Pretoria | May 6 8 p.m |
| 33 | Bangalore Royal Challengers Vs Rajasthan Royals | Pretoria | May 7 4 p.m |
| 34 | Kings XI Punjab Vs Chennai Super Kings | Pretoria | May 7 8 p.m |
| 35 | Delhi Daredevils Vs Mumbai Indians | East London | May 8 8 p.m |
| 36 | Deccan Chargers Vs Kings XI Punjab | Kimberley | May 9 4 p.m |
| 37 | Chennai Super Kings Vs Rajasthan Royals | Kimberley | May 9 8 p.m |
| 38 | Mumbai Indians Vs Bangalore Royal Challengers | Port Elizabeth | May 10 4 p.m |
| 39 | Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Delhi Daredevils | Johannesburg | May 10 8 p.m |
| 40 | Rajasthan Royals Vs Deccan Chargers | Kimberley | May 11 8 p.m |
| 41 | Bangalore Royal Challengers Vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Pretoria | May 12 4 p.m |
| 42 | Mumbai Indians Vs Kings XI Punjab | Pretoria | May 12 8 p.m |
| 43 | Delhi Daredevils Vs Deccan Chargers | Durban | May 13 8 p.m |
| 44 | Bangalore Royal Challengers Vs Chennai Super Kings | Durban | May 14 4 p.m |
| 45 | Mumbai Indians Vs Rajasthan Royals | Durban | May 14 8 p.m |
| 46 | Kings XI Punjab Vs Delhi Daredevils | Bloemfontein | May 15 8 p.m |
| 47 | Chennai Super Kings Vs Mumbai Indians | Port Elizabeth | May 16 4 p.m |
| 48 | Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Deccan Chargers | Johannesburg | May 16 8 p.m |
| 49 | Kings XI Punjab Vs Deccan Chargers | Johannesburg | May 17 4 p.m |
| 50 | Rajasthan Royals Vs Delhi Daredevils | Bloemfontein | May 17 8 p.m |
| 51 | Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Chennai Super Kings | Pretoria | May 18 8 p.m |
| 52 | Delhi Daredevils Vs Bangalore Royal Challengers | Johannesburg | May 19 8 p.m |
| 53 | Rajasthan Royals Vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Durban | May 20 4 p.m |
| 54 | Chennai Super Kings Vs Kings XI Punjab | Durban | May 20 8 p.m |
| 55 | Mumbai Indians Vs Delhi Daredevils | Pretoria | May 21 4 p.m |
| 56 | Deccan Chargers Vs Bangalore Royal Challengers | Pretoria | May 21 8 p.m |
| 57 | Semi Final 1 | Pretoria | May 22 8 p.m |
| 58 | Semi Final 2 | Johannesburg | May 23 8 p.m |
| 59 | Final | Johannesburg | May 24 8 p.m |
A Trojan horse of British make (The Island : Srilanka)
The government has acted wisely by rejecting Britain's call for an extension of the humanitarian pause declared in view of the traditional New Year on April 13 and 14. The kneejerk reaction of the LTTE to the government's gesture was to spurn the truce offer contemptuously out of hand and step up attacks on the troops, demanding a 'permanent' ceasefire with international mediation.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has evinced a keen interest in Sri Lanka's conflict. Britain is full of weretigers and Miliband lacks only a striped tail to go with his Tigerine voice. He and others of his ilk like Keith Vaz, MP in the LTTE's pocket are desperate to throw a lifeline to the sinking Tigers.
Miliband and his political bosses are also trying to distract the public attention from the plight of the marginalized sections at home as well as from Iraq and Afghanistan, where they are mired in a never ending war. For them Sri Lanka's conflict has come in handy. They are trying to use it as a fig leaf to cover their humanitarian nudity as regards their war on terror and to keep the LTTE terrorism afloat so that they could continue to have a strong presence in this region on the pretext of conflict resolution.
The Daily Telegraph has reported (see the World View section today) that one in five elderly people in Britain skip meals to save money on food, while two-fifths are struggling to afford essential items. Many of the aged are said to be 'going to extreme measures to cope putting their health at risk'. This has been the dismal record of the Brown government which is trying to export humanitarian concerns to the rest of the world! Charity, they say, begins at home!
The humanitarian situation is bad in the Vanni and it is only natural that the world community is concerned about the civilians trapped there. But, those who weep buckets for them and seek to step in on their behalf must prove their humanitarian credentials first of all. Before undertaking any more humanitarian missions, Miliband ought to make his position known on the plight of the original inhabitants of Diego Garcia, which the British ethnically cleansed to pave the way for an American military base over three decades ago. The people who were banished from that once palm-fringed peaceful island had been living there over 200 years! And they are still demanding that they be permitted to return home, but in vain.
Ethnic cleansing is a grievous crime. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Miliband, who jointly indulge in firing statements exuding compassion on anything and everything at the drop of a hat, must address the grievances of the people of Diego Garcia. So long as they ignore the woeful pleas of those victims of 'total evacuation', they won't be acceptable as champions of human rights.
It is surprising that even the Human Rights Watch and the Amnesty International have forgotten those hapless people of Diego Garcia. Is it that the championing of their cause is not lucrative for the captains of the Victim Industry?
However, there is no gainsaying the situation in the Vanni is bad and the protection of civilians must be ensured. Is an indefinite ceasefire the solution as suggested by Miliband?
The answer to this question is found in an observation made by Sir John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs on Sri Lanka's situation, in New York on Wednesday. He said: "There seems to be less civilians getting out during the [New Year] pause than before. So it is clear that LTTE did not allow those who wished to leave even if they wished to leave the area during this pause to do so, they seemed to be actively prevented from doing so, perhaps more actively prevented from doing so during this pause, so that is a matter for great regret."
Even if the Sri Lankan government were to agree to an open-ended truce, it is only wishful thinking that it would help secure the release of civilians in the LTTE's clutches. A ceasefire will mean nothing to those people. For, Prabhakaran knows the moment all the civilians are removed to safety, he will be without any protection whatsoever and, therefore, won't let go of them. He is aware that the army is in a position to annihilate the remaining LTTE combatants within hours in total war.
If Prabhakaran is really willing to release hostages he has taken, he should have made use of the recent forty-eight-hour truce the government declared for that purpose.
Even without a truce, he can release civilians by allowing them to shift to the welfare centres.
What Prabhakaran wants is not a pause to release civilians but a protracted truce and a CFA like the one the Norwegians drafted in 2002 granting him unbridled freedom to expand his operations in the North and the East. In other words, he wants to escape death and reverse the battlefield gains of the military through non military means with the help of the British and the Norwegians. It is not that Miliband and other do-gooders are not au-fait with his plans. Instead, they want to help him with his grand design. It is not an end to Sri Lanka's conflict that those sinister elements seek but a means to its perpetuation.
If the Sri Lankan government ever blundered by playing into their hands as the UNF did in 2002, the country would revert to the pre-Mavil Aru position with the passage of time and all the sacrifices the armed forces and people made to defeat terrorism would be in vain.
Next time Miliband calls for a truce, he ought to be asked how Britain would act if Osama bin Laden were to be cornered in a small area taking cover behind civilians. That question may also be posed to all the other 'hawks' in doves' plumage unleashing hell on Afghanistan and advocating human rights elsewhere.
Courtesy : The Island
United States Department Spokesman Robert Wood issued a statement saying both sides must immediately return to a humanitarian pause and both must respect the right of free movement of civilians, regarding current confrontations of Srilanka between Srilanka ARMY and LTTE terrorists.
Some National Movements in Srilanka defines this statement as another International attempt to provide time phase to regroup and rearm the LTTE.
Here is the full statement by US Department.
Call for an End to Hostilities in Sri LankaRobert WoodActing Department Spokesman, Office of the SpokesmanBureau of Public AffairsWashington, DCApril 16, 2009The United States government is deeply concerned about the current danger to civilian lives and the dire humanitarian situation created by the fighting in the Mullaittivu area in Sri Lanka. We call upon the government and military of Sri Lanka, and the Tamil Tigers to immediately stop hostilities until the more than 140,000 civilians in the conflict area are safely out. Both sides must immediately return to a humanitarian pause and both must respect the right of free movement of those civilian men, women and children trapped by the fighting.
The United States calls upon the government of Sri Lanka to assist its Tamil citizens by halting shelling of the safe zone, permitting international monitors to ensure the safe exit of the civilians. The government of Sri Lanka should also enforce international humanitarian standards in IDP camps, grant visas to international aid groups and permit entry into Sri Lanka of international monitors and media access to those camps.
The Sri Lankan government, as the legitimate sovereign power, has before it an opportunity to put an end to this lengthy conflict. A durable and lasting peace will only be achieved through a political solution that addresses the legitimate aspirations of all Sri Lankan communities. Further killing, particularly killing of civilians, will not end the conflict and will stain any eventual peace. We urge the Sri Lankan government to employ diplomacy to permit a peaceful outcome of this conflict. We call on the Sri Lankan government to put forward a proposal now to engage Tamils who do not espouse violence or terrorism, and to develop power sharing arrangements so that lasting peace and reconciliation can be achieved.
PRN: 2009/336
The joyful New year season have arrived.
We wish all people a Joyful and prosperous Happy Sinhala and Hindu New Year.
Srilankans or Sinhala people together with tamils celebrates there New Year in month of April.
Normally The new year day falls to 14th of April. the day and time determined by astrological signs. this happens when the sun moves from the House of Pisces (meena rashiya) to the House of Aries (Mesha Rashiya) in the celestial sphere.
In Sinhala The new year season people are moves to a new life, by forgetting past unhappy memories and this is the season which makes individual relations stronger.
Srilanka ARMY collaboration with all Srilankan security forces have captured lands controlled by LTTE terrorists. LTTE considered as one of the top terrorist organization in the world. FBI The United States' top intelligence agency, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) once said that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is the most dangerous and deadly extremist organization in the world.
Most terrorist and war experts said that LTTE is a top level guerrilla organisation and hard to defeat. However clever Srilankan boys destroys the LTTE. Only there were few LTTE top heads who were hiding behind innocent tamil civillians with frighten, remaining to destroy. Srilanka's security forces would done the job within next 20 minutes if there were no any civilians at the north No-Fire zone in Pudukuduirippu.
With regard to the problem Srilankan forces have now initiated a strategic operation to rescue hostages trapped by the LTTE. We strongly says that LTTE is killing people who are trying to flee from the No-fire zone. To LTTE there's no mater who they are, they killing any one. Small kids and pregnant mothers were killed by LTTE in recent weeks who were trying to escape from their clutches. Most of the time peoples are coming to the Srilanka Government controlled area passing the Nandikadal Lagoon with taking dead bodies killed by LTTE.
The Sri Lankan Army today at Apr. 10, launched a massive humanitarian operation – the first of its kind anywhere in the world – to rescue the thousands civilians held hostage as human shields within the No-fire zone declared by the government for civilians in the north-east.
ARMY's Senior Officer said that they have specially trained officers and soldiers specially trained to operate this kind of mission, hence it's possible to rescue people without harm. also said that they will liberate Civilians and destroyed LTTE within next few days.
The second target of this Operation Final Countdown, are LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, his deputy and intelligence leader Pottu Amman, his deputy Kapil Amman, the LTTE military intelligence head Ratnam Master and the last of the battle-hardened leader Vellevan.
According to sources, the LTTE’s assets are divided into two main segments. One segment is operated by Kumaran Pathmanadan alias K.P for procurement purposes. The remaining segment is said to be directly operated by V. Prabhakaran himself. This segment includes assets in foreign banks and Prabhakaran is said to be very familiar with internet banking.
The same sources point out that it is very unlikely that Prabhakaran will commit suicide and leave all LTTE assets in the hands of K.P, thus making the Tiger leader’s wife and three children destitute.
Srilankan troops are being inducted into this first ever major humanitarian operation of its kind in the island nation or probably in the world. But the Sri Lankan military hierarchy is confident of success as specialized units, which cannot be identified due to security reasons, are being deployed.
India’s intelligence services have becoming increasingly concerned about the prospect of an election-time attack by the LTTE on top political leaders, including Congress party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
Sources in the intelligence services have told that while there is no substantive intelligence to indicate that assassinations or attacks have been ordered by the LTTE, the inflammatory language being used by the terrorist group’s supporter in India was a cause for concern.
Vaiko, warned of large-scale secessionist violence if Sri Lankan forces killed LTTE chief V. Prabakaran. Read the related full article here.
He made a reference to the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur, and warned India of a secessionist movement if it did not push for an end to Sri Lanka’s anti-LTTE campaign.
The MDMK polemic isn’t the sole cause for concern among the intelligence services. Facing annihilation in Sri Lanka, some analysts fear, the LTTE could unleash violence within India to coerce its political leadership and create conditions where it could set up safe havens in Tamil Nadu.
Source: The Hindu
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