Amardeep, as a fellow outsider to the situation, I would respectfully request that you learn more about the pre and post independence history of Sri Lanka as well as the current military situation before you make statements that are as sympathetic to the GoSL as the above (to the point of repeating of government propaganda), particularly at a point when the GoSL has banned reporters from entering the war zone, shelled hospitals, and engaged in tactics that are horrendous as well as keep people from finding that out. Your estimates of the numbers in the zone are also late, which means that they’re lower than the numbers we were hearing a few weeks ago.

A far better analysis would indict both LTTE and the GoSL for their tactics over time, but understand that miltarily, at this point there is an enormously disproportionate balance of power and thereore the GoSL has far more control over the situation than the LTTE. This is not really a matter of opinion – this is simply a fact, as is the idea that what has happened over the past few months, if not longer, probably has to be described as a form of ethnic cleansing, regardless of what you think of the LTTE. A detailed analysis shows this – or perhaps I’m wrong, but you do need to engage in a detailed analysis and show that.

This article gives some idea of china’s involvement: Chinese Billions in Sri Lanka fund battle against Tamil tigers

The Trincomalee harbour which is a natural harbour is in the East of Sri Lanka in the Tamil areas so the Chinese are helping Sri Lanka build a harbour in the south in the sinhalese areas which would probably enable them to gain a foothold in the Indian ocean and more control of an important trade route.

But this war is aided by: China Iran Israel India Pakistan

basically anyone who puts their hand up. Libya is also going to provide some generous funding to Sri Lanka. The US did start off helping but then made a decision to let India handle such matters. Particularly the threat of china dominating the region. The Indian central government has made a hash of things as seen from the article above and now the US is acting independently.

A small country like sri lanka with hardly any external border threats has an army bigger than that of Israel or Britain.

I predict greater unrest in the subcontinent and Sri Lanka is a litmus test for these powers. Wars are now waged, in my opinion mainly to benefit weapons manufacturers and the corporate sector rather than the interests of the people. The Australian government for instance is aiming to increase their defence spending despite the global financial crisis citing the rise of India and China as being a potential threat. What is of concern is the person on the chair that provided these recommendations to the Australian government works for a Weapons manufacturer (Thales). Meanwhile Australia is also reducing their emissions target because they claim that they need to help businesses ride these difficult times.

I am a Sri Lankan Tamil and this is the first time I heard about American Baptists having anything to do with this!!! As for the Catholics…the president of Sri Lanka’s wife is a practicing catholic and they both made a much publicised visit to the Vatican. At the same time, the director of Caritas, a catholic aid agency and one of the few NGOs operating in the war zone, got injured after a church was bombed by SLA forces in this area and had to have one leg amputated.

As someone pointed out apart from the ethnic issue, you have the problem of state sanctioned violence, corruption, break down of law and a restriction of media freedom with Amnesty internatitonal calling Sri Lanka the most dangerous place for journalists. Many have been killed even in the South (sinhalese areas) and one of them was sinhalese journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga. Journalists from BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera etc. are not allowed in the war zone.

This interview on Al Jazeera is a classic worth watching: Both sides of the Sri Lankan conflict

The powers that be are also watching to see if Sri Lanka could get away with waging a war in this manner:

Because as a journalist from Tehleka stated:

SRI LANKAN President Mahinda Rajapaksa should consider writing a book on how to win wars. The Rajapaksa Doctrine is quite simple. There are three main rules. The First (and most important) Rule: Conduct the War Without Witnesses. Ensure that the theatre of war is out of bounds for the media, international monitors and aid agencies. The Second Rule: Give the Army a Free Hand. Do not constrain them with rules and international conventions. The Third Rule: (In the absence of witnesses), Don’t Worry About Human Rights Violations.

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main41.asp?filename=Ne090509on_the.asp

The two major concerns are 1. the daily carnage in the war zone with 50 000 civilians trapped for over 3 months without barely any food or water in an 8 square kilometre area which the Sri Lankan government designated as a “safe” zone and caught in the cross fire between both the government and the LTTE. According to Brad Williams from human rights watch, in a statement released after a satellite picture from the UN showing signs of heavy artillery being used in the “safe zone” was leaked to the Media, call this the most dangerous place on earth. This report on al Jazeera refers to these images with the Sri Lankan government being forced to admit they bombed the safe zones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqC8Bcoym5Q

1. The detention of civilians escaping the zone in government run “welfare” camps or more accurately detention camps funded by organisations such as the UN that are ringed with barbed wire and guarded heavily by military personnel. Hospitals outside the warzone holding the injured are also heavily guarded by military personnel. People are not allowed to leave the camps for at least a year until the government completes a screening process of sorting out “LTTE terrorists” from innocent civilians.

Yesterday a British Channel 4 cameraman managed to sneak into the camps and interview people in there and and captured exclusive footage from inside the camps: Channel 4 grim scenes in Sri Lankan camps

Finally this is a press statement by concerned South Asian citizens to provide a perspective for those in the South asian region.

And I think it is worth leaving with this speech made by the widow of murdered journalist Lasantha Wickramasinghe in a speech read at an ceremony where he was awarded the World Press Freedom Prize in 2009.

Just to provide a few quotes:

The free Sri Lanka in which I was born no longer exists. Our country has entered a Dark Age characterized by tyranny and state-sponsored terror, where the government publicly, cynically and unapologetically equates democratic dissent to treason.

That this is a racist war is not a secret. I would not go so far as to use the word genocide, but it would not surprise me to see it used in future international legal action against the government. At any rate, the government itself has plastered the countryside with enormous placards lauding the military with the slogan, in Sinhala, the language of the Sinhalese majority to which I too, belong, stating: “Soldiers, our race salutes you!” Not “the people”, not “the country”, but the race. And all these placards exhibit the stated provenance of the Ministry of Defence or other government institutions. Interestingly, none of these hoardings are in Tamil, the language of the people the government claims it is seeking to liberate. I make this point because it is urgent and important that the world realizes what is happening in Sri Lanka before it is too late.

I am quite amused that in the post and in the comments so far, there has been no mention of the divisive role played by the Christian clergy in bringing the situation to this stage.

Ok..lets keep the Church aside.How come no one’s even mentioning the role of China in this conflict? Isn’t it true that China wants a naval base in Sri Lanka (Trincomalee), and has been doing all it can to help cleanse that part of SL?

Some links, please:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6207487.ece

http://www.dailypioneer.com/173668/Triumph-and-tragedy-in-Sri-Lanka.html

http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=540

Disclaimer for the third link:The site is a pro-Hindutva site and therefore, there could be some exaggeration.But most of the ‘facts’ are true, especially the role currently being played by Father Jagat Gasper-Raj.

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20090111/editorial-.htm (read it again yall)

Also, in my uneducated, non Lankan opinion, any of the government apologists, here and around the world (that rapper who dissed mia for one) can go fuck themselves. The LTTE is a vicious organization and plenty of lankan tamil expats i know here in the states feared them back home, but view them as a neccessary evil that prevent the country from devolving into complete Sinhalese apartheid.

Those advocating Indian military intervention in the area should see some of the corpses left around from last time.

I totally agree! Where were you people all this time? Lost a lot of respect for SM.

Of course, one does not forget the time when Rajiv Gandhi was blown up by Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, a female LTTE suicide bomber.

We are well aware of LTTEs true nature. Remember Rajiv Gandh!. Tamils in TN are also aware of his genocidal Pol Potist policies, they are in touch with happenings on the ground and do not have the shameful attitude of the diaspora which is still waving tiger flags and saluting the “great leader”.

All that being said, this is an enormous tragedy, the indians can and should draw some red lines. A few naval vessels moving towards Jaffna would be a good start. Denial of funding to sri lankan govt should also be discussed and implemented rapidly.

Also Buddhism in Sri Lanka is hardly “peace-loving.” The Buddhist clergy is an integral part of the Sinhala nationalist movement. That is not to deny the existence of moderate Buddhist monks but the Buddhist clergy has traditionally been hardline regarding the aspirations of the predominantly Hindu Tamil minority. In any case, moderate Sinhala voices are almost irrelevant now that the the LTTE has been defeated in a conventional war without the Sinhalese having had to make any concessions.