Sri lanka

[Sickle of Justice]

i'm confused about the situation in sri lanka, as well as exactly who the tamil tigers are... and what the hell was with their so called ceasefire??? "air raids and car bomb's are part of a ceasefire?

[kaaos_af]

The Tigers are a Maoist influenced national liberation front fighting for the independence of Tamil Eelam, northern Sri Lanka, since 1983. The control a great deal of territory, even to the extent of owning their own navy, but they are known to use terrorist tactics, like suicide bombings.

I myself would like to know why Sri lanka calls itself the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

[Janus]

The Tigers represent the Tamils which is a minority group in Sri Lanka and are fighting for an independent homeland because they believe that the Tamils are discriminated against by the Sinhalese majority.

In reality, the cease-fire only exists on paper as the truce has disintegrated over the last 6 months. Both sides aren't really ready for all-out war. Recently the Sri Lannkan government has called on the Tigers to rejoin peace talks in order to avert a civil war.

[rioters bloc]

yeah, my ex is tamil, and he has this big scar on his leg from where shrapnel hit him when he was younger - a bombing attempt gone wrong :(

[WUOrevolt]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/526407.stm

[WUOrevolt]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1166237.stm

[bayano]

im not a supporter, but theyre an interesting group to say the least, and they got hit pretty hard during the tsunami

[Karl Marx's Camel]

but they are known to use terrorist tactics, like suicide bombings.

Suicide bombings is not neccesarily terrorism in itself.

[Wanted Man]

http://www.exile.ru/2003-June-26/war_nerd.html

[bayano]

Originally posted by [email protected] 21 2006, 11:33 AM
Suicide bombings is not neccesarily terrorism in itself.
i think this is an extremely important comment by the way. suicide bombings against military or police targets, for instance, is not terrorism, depending upon how you define terrorism. but in sri lanka they have used them against civilian targets, and that most definitely is terrorism

[bayano]

Originally posted by [email protected] 21 2006, 11:33 AM
Suicide bombings is not neccesarily terrorism in itself.
i think this is an extremely important comment by the way. suicide bombings against military or police targets, for instance, is not terrorism, depending upon how you define terrorism. but in sri lanka they have used them against civilian targets, and that most definitely is terrorism

[bayano]

Originally posted by [email protected] 21 2006, 11:33 AM
Suicide bombings is not neccesarily terrorism in itself.
i think this is an extremely important comment by the way. suicide bombings against military or police targets, for instance, is not terrorism, depending upon how you define terrorism. but in sri lanka they have used them against civilian targets, and that most definitely is terrorism

[Karl Marx's Camel]

i think this is an extremely important comment by the way.

Thank you.


but in sri lanka they have used them against civilian targets, and that most definitely is terrorism

Agreed.

[Karl Marx's Camel]

i think this is an extremely important comment by the way.

Thank you.


but in sri lanka they have used them against civilian targets, and that most definitely is terrorism

Agreed.

[Karl Marx's Camel]

i think this is an extremely important comment by the way.

Thank you.


but in sri lanka they have used them against civilian targets, and that most definitely is terrorism

Agreed.

[Janus]

but in sri lanka they have used them against civilian targets, and that most definitely is terrorism
The sure didn't invent suicide bombings but with their fanatical soldiers, they have honed it and made it quite deadly.

[Janus]

but in sri lanka they have used them against civilian targets, and that most definitely is terrorism
The sure didn't invent suicide bombings but with their fanatical soldiers, they have honed it and made it quite deadly.

[Janus]

but in sri lanka they have used them against civilian targets, and that most definitely is terrorism
The sure didn't invent suicide bombings but with their fanatical soldiers, they have honed it and made it quite deadly.

[Red Heretic]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19 2006, 04:34 AM
Maoist influenced
Hardly.

[Red Heretic]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19 2006, 04:34 AM
Maoist influenced
Hardly.

[Red Heretic]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19 2006, 04:34 AM
Maoist influenced
Hardly.

[Knowledge 6 6 6]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19 2006, 04:22 PM
The Tigers represent the Tamils which is a minority group in Sri Lanka and are fighting for an independent homeland because they believe that the Tamils are discriminated against by the Sinhalese majority.

There are serious colonial roots to that division. When the British left Sri Lanka, they gave all power to the Sinhalese because of their lighter complexion. Tamils were outlawed from entering into the government. They are a distinct society within Sri Lanka, so their stance has deep-routed history as well.

I am not justifying the actions of the Tamil Tigers at all - because they are horrid to say the least. There are two sides of the coin however.

Sri Lanka is very rich in history as well. Some of the earliest humans settled there if memory serves correct...

[Dreckt]

About the name, apparently Sri Lanka had a "strong socialist economy" from 1948-1977, but since then they have gone to privatizing everything. Maybe that is why they call themselves "Democratic Socialist Republic". At least that is better than "Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka", which they used from 1972 to 1978.

[leninist1917]

Sri Lanka
Sectarian violence grips Sri Lanka
by Matt Waine
Only 18 months after the devastating tsunami, the working class and poor of Sri Lanka are facing the grim prospect of a return to bloody civil war. Recent weeks have seen an escalation of attacks and bombings as Tamil Tigers and government forces clash. Over 300 people have lost their lives since the beginning of April.

The threat posed by a return to all-out civil war cannot be underestimated. The 18 year long civil war which began in 1983 claimed the lives of over 60,000 people. The present crisis has its roots in the presidential election campaign last November, where all the main pro-capitalist parties whipped up anti-Tamil sentiment among voters in a cynical attempt to win the election.

One of the main slogans of Mahinda Rajapakse, who went on to win the election, was to withdraw from the cease-fire agreement. As the United Socialist Party (USP - Sri Lankan section of the CWI) warned at the time, the communalist (sectarian) parties had released forces which threatened the stability and peace of the island. This prognosis has unfortunately been confirmed by recent events.

On 25 April, 11 people died and 23 were injured including the top Sri Lankan army commander in a suicide attack in Colombo. In response, the Sri Lankan military launched concentrated air strikes on Tamil-controlled areas around the city of Sampur. Over 15,000 people have fled the area. Round-ups and harassment of Tamils are a daily occurrence in Colombo and other towns. Individual Tamils have been snatched and assassinated, with headless bodies being dumped on the outskirts of town!

In a vicious and cold blooded massacre, Sri Lankan soldiers based in the north launched a muderous raid on the Tamil population of Kayts island, killing women, children and elderly men.
In mid-May, ‘Sea Tigers’ (LTTE navy) attacked Sri Lankan navy vessels including one carrying foreign peace envoys near the port of Trincomalee in the east. Over 50 people are reported to have died as a result of this attack alone.

Despite President Rajapakse’s pre-election promise to withdraw from the Ceasefire Agreement, the ruling class has come under serious pressure from US imperialism which fears the destablisation of the region. It was this pressure that forced the new Sri Lankan government to the negotiating table in February. This pressure also resulted in a short term agreement between the two parties. However, the failure of both sides to implement the agreement has led to the escalation of the situation and the present crisis.

Rajapakse himself is in a difficult situation. While his UPFA list won the local elections in March, they suffered a big drop in votes. The main opposition party - the UNP - also saw their vote decrease, as did the JVP and the JHU. In fact the only party to see their vote increase was the USP.

The latest crisis has had an impact on the economy and the living standards of the working class. When the LTTE announced that it was not going to attend the second round of peace talks, $250 million was wiped off the Sri Lankan stock market. The price of petrol has gone up by 7%, diesel by 16% and kerosene - a vital commodity for the poor and working class - increased by 25% while the price of fertilizer trebled. It is clear that the Sri Lankan ruling class want the working class to pay for any new war.

What is clear from the present situation is that none of the establishment parties have a way out of the current crisis. Their approach is summed up by Udaya Gammanpila, a leader of the Heritage Party, allied with the Rajapakseís ruling coalition, “We must follow Israel. For every suicide bombing, there must be retaliatory strikes.”

The only force that can offer a way out is the working class. Whether Tamil or Sinhala, the workers of Sri Lanka have a common enemy in the capitalist system. The various factions have a interest in maintaining the divisions in Sri Lankan society. For this reason there cannot be a lasting solution on the basis of capitalism. Nor can the massive poverty and inequality be addressed if left to the sectarian pro-capitalist parties.

What is needed now, and what is being advocated by the USP, is an independent trade union convention to build a non-sectarian voice of opposition to war. It is only on the basis of a struggle for basic democratic and economic rights - which supports self determination for the Tamil people - that the war mongers can be silenced. This would then open up the path to a socialist alternative which could gaurantee the rights of all. The threat of a return to bloody sectarian civil war makes the task of building the USP and a mass working class alternative more vital than ever before.

from The Socialist, monthly paper of the Socialist Party in Ireland
www.socialistparty.net

[Janus]

There are serious colonial roots to that division.
Yeah, these types of divisions are quite common in many post-imperialist nations. Of course, Rwanda was the most terrible example of this type.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Under the guise of peace, Sri Lankan government accelerates drive to civil war

Amid the descent into all-out civil war, the Sri Lankan government, via its peace secretariat (SCOPP), issued a thoroughly cynical statement on June 18, which has been trumpetted in the international press as a “call for peace talks”. It could be more aptly described as a declaration of war on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The statement denounces the LTTE’s “intransigence” for the breakdown of peace talks, condemns its reliance on “violence and terrorism to achieve its political goals” and, without providing any evidence, blames the LTTE for the killing of 64 Sinhalese villagers in a mine blast near the town of Kebitigollewa on June 15.

The atrocity at Kebitigollewa is the starting point for a tirade against the LTTE, which the SCOPP attacks as “an eternal killing machine that kills innocent civilians without rhyme or reason... It appears that the LTTE has decided to exit from the peace process and its strategy appears to be one that aims at an ethnic backlash as a justification for opting out of the peace process. The LTTE can rest assured that the GoSL [Government of Sri Lanka] will not let that happen.”

SCOPP’s concluding appeal for the LTTE to reenter “peace talks” and “to commit itself to an inclusive peace process” is nothing but window-dressing. If one regards the LTTE as an eternal, irrational killing machine then why would one sit down with it at the negotiating table? The logical conclusion would be that the LTTE had to be crushed militarily, which is precisely what the Colombo government is preparing and its Sinhala chauvinist allies—the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU)—are openly advocating.

Even the manner in which the talks are proposed—“an inclusive peace process”—is aimed at undermining negotiations that were opened in 2002 by the former United National Party (UNP)-led government. The LTTE has always insisted—as the self-proclaimed “sole representative of the Tamil people”—on excluding other parties or groups. It opposed UNP efforts to include a separate Muslim delegation at the negotiating table.

As it pushes the island back to war, the present United Peoples Freedom Party (UPFA) government’s posturing as an advocate of peace and restraint serves several purposes. Firstly, it is designed to keep the major powers on side. Secondly, it is aimed at deluding the Sri Lankan people, the vast majority of whom are opposed to any return to the 20-year war that has already claimed 65,000 lives.

At the same time, by denouncing the “terrorist” LTTE as the aggressor, the “peace secretariat” is deliberately inflaming communal tensions and cultivating the political climate for exactly what it accuses the LTTE of—“an ethnic backlash”. It is a polite term for unleashing a vicious anti-Tamil pogrom—one of the trademarks of the Sri Lankan political establishment over the past half-century.

The World Socialist Web Site holds no political brief for the LTTE. Its bankrupt perspective of establishing a separate capitalist statelet of Tamil Eelam has led the island’s Tamil minority into a deadly trap. Its reactionary communalism, including violent attacks on innocent Sinhalese civilians, has directly assisted successive Colombo governments to drive a wedge between working people and to block the struggle for a unified political offensive on the basis of a socialist program.

But the political responsibility for plunging the country back to war rests with President Mahinda Rajapakse and his government. Since winning office last November, with the backing of the JVP and JHU, Rajapakse has given the green light for an escalation of provocative attacks on the LTTE and its supporters. The military denies colluding with various anti-LTTE militias in this covert war, but even the latest Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) cites mounting evidence to the contrary.

Rajapakse’s allies, the JVP and JHU, have repeatedly denounced the peace process, provocatively demanding a fundamental revision of the 2002 ceasefire to undermine the LTTE. Talks in Geneva in February nearly broke down, when government negotiators called for changes to the ceasefire. Of course, the “peace secretariat” has nothing to say about the role of the JVP and JHU in whipping up communal hatreds. Nor does it criticise the military and associated paramilitaries for their part in the shadowy conflict in the North and East that has cost hundreds of lives since November.

As for the Kebitigollewa killings, it is by no means certain that the LTTE is responsible. It is quite possible that the JVP, JHU or sections of the military organised this atrocity to achieve their political goals. Certainly in the wake of the murders, the clamour for war from the Sinhala extremists has become deafening and the armed forces have seized on the incident to launch a series of air and artillery attacks on LTTE positions. Over the past week, the slide toward open warfare has been accelerating, with attacks and counterattacks virtually daily.

“Root causes”

The most cynical aspect of the SCOPP statement is the section that declares: “It [the government] seeks to engage the LTTE in talks so as to address the root causes of the conflict that may have contributed it to take to arms and the path of terrorism. Paradoxically, the LTTE had never in any negotiations with the Government of Sri Lanka agreed to address and redress the root causes of the conflict.”

The root causes of the war lie in the anti-Tamil discrimination that has been entrenched in the Sri Lankan state since its inception in 1948. Colombo governments have repeatedly whipped up and exploited anti-Tamil racism as the means to divide the working class and shore up their own social base. The Rajapakse government has no intention of ending the systematic discrimination against Tamils and other minorities that is expressed most clearly in the constitutional clauses making Buddhism the country’s state religion.

While the government’s peace secretariat speaks of addressing root causes, its security forces are engaged in the systematic harassment, intimidation and repression of Tamils. Over the past six months, the military has reestablished roadblocks, arbitrary checking of individuals, and the wholesale roundups known as “cordon and search operations”. The latest allegations of violence come from locals in the village of Pesalai, who accused naval personnel last week of lobbing a grenade into a church where they were sheltering, killing a woman and injuring 40 others. Bishop Rajappu Joseph has written to the Vatican protesting over the “innocent blood shed by unjust aggressors, the Sri Lankan Navy”.

Throughout the four years since the signing of the ceasefire in 2002, successive Colombo governments have never addressed the issue of a power-sharing arrangement, let alone the “root causes” of the conflict. In the first round of talks, the LTTE formally abandoned its demand for a separate state of Tamil Eelam and declared its willingness to help transform the island into a “tiger economy”—that is, a cheap labour platform for foreign investors. But, from the outset, the UNP-led government confronted a hostile military and chauvinist opposition from the JVP, which regarded the ceasefire as a “betrayal” of the nation.

In league with President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the military was involved in one provocation after another to try to scuttle the talks. Under Rear Admiral Daya Sandagiri, appointed recently as Deputy Secretary of the Defence Ministry, the navy sank several LTTE vessels on the high seas and played a major role in prompting the LTTE to walk out of negotiations in April 2003.

Significantly, it was the LTTE that submitted a set of proposals for an Interim Self Governing Authority for the North and East in late October 2003 as the basis for the resumption of talks. Within days, amid an outpouring of denunciations from the JVP and agitation by the military top brass, President Kumaratunga arbitrarily seized control of three key ministries, including defence, and only drew back from imposing a state of emergency and dismissing the government under international pressure.

Kumaratunga finally dismissed the government in February 2004, laying the basis for new elections and the return of a UPFA government that included the JVP. The president came under considerable international pressure, particularly in the wake of the devastation caused by the December 2004 tsunami, to resume peace talks. But even the efforts to establish a temporary joint mechanism with the LTTE to distribute aid produced a rupture with the JVP and left the government in a parliamentary minority. Prior to last November’s presidential election, Rajapakse patched up a coalition at the price of agreeing to the JVP’s demand for an aggressive stance against the LTTE.

One other key factor is responsible for the renewed conflict in Sri Lanka—a discernable shift in the stance of the Bush administration. The US backed the ceasefire in 2002 and peace talks not out of any concern for the plight of the Sri Lankan people, but as a means for ending a conflict that threatens to destabilise South Asia, where Washington has growing strategic and economic interests, particularly in India. By branding the LTTE as a “terrorist organisation,” the US has made clear that it was always willing to back the military option, if the peace tactic failed.

Since Rajapakse has come to power, the statements of US officials have become far more menacing against the LTTE. The former US ambassador to Sri Lanka Jeffrey Lunstead warned in January that if the LTTE did not agree to peace talks on Colombo’s terms and war recommenced, “they will face a stronger, more capable and more determined Sri Lankan military”. The comments are an unmistakable threat of US military aid to help bolster the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Washington has been behind diplomatic efforts to isolate the LTTE internationally. Under US pressure, the European Union recently banned the LTTE as a “terrorist organisation,” putting another nail in the coffin of the so-called peace process. Not surprisingly, the LTTE responded by insisting that SLMM ceasefire monitors from the EU be replaced by personnel from the non-EU countries involved—Norway and Iceland. Following the Kebitigollewa killings, the US immediately blamed the LTTE, despite the lack of any evidence.

The US stance has only encouraged the Rajapakse government and its chauvinist allies to accelerate the drive toward war. In a statement to parliament yesterday, JVP leader Wimal Weerawansa rabidly denounced the LTTE, calling for it to be banned, for the de-merger of the northern and eastern provinces and for an immediate military campaign “to liberate the east from the tigers”. The JVP is critical of the military’s current “limited” retaliation and calls for “an all-out offensive” against the LTTE, declaring that “terrorism is unlimited”.

The rest of the political establishment in Colombo is rapidly falling into line. The UNP, which has in the past advocated the peace process, has jumped on the bandwagon for war, sending its MPs out to villages to drum up support for the war effort. The Daily Mirror, which has previously pushed for peace talks, issued an editorial on June 15 calling for “national unity” and urging the UNP to drop any criticism of the government that “would assist all those who are suspected to be conspiring to destabilise and divide the country”.

The statement issued by the “peace secretariat” is simply part of this frenzied preparation for war.

http://wsws.org/articles/2006/jun2006/sril-j22.shtml

[afrikaNOW]

Originally posted by Knowledge 6 6 6+Jun 25 2006, 08:55 PM--> (Knowledge 6 6 6 @ Jun 25 2006, 08:55 PM)
[email protected] 19 2006, 04:22 PM
The Tigers represent the Tamils which is a minority group in Sri Lanka and are fighting for an independent homeland because they believe that the Tamils are discriminated against by the Sinhalese majority.

There are serious colonial roots to that division. When the British left Sri Lanka, they gave all power to the Sinhalese because of their lighter complexion. Tamils were outlawed from entering into the government. They are a distinct society within Sri Lanka, so their stance has deep-routed history as well.

I am not justifying the actions of the Tamil Tigers at all - because they are horrid to say the least. There are two sides of the coin however.

Sri Lanka is very rich in history as well. Some of the earliest humans settled there if memory serves correct... [/b]
War is horrible.