By OaO Asithri
July 22, 2010
Mr. Robert Blake, US Assistant Secretary of State said yesterday when meeting the media in Colombo:
Furthermore, he said “the panel is only an advisory panel and does not have an investigatory or judicial role of any kind."
Blimey, how silly of us little brown men/women of Sri Lanka ! Why did we not think of these entirely-good-intentioned measures before ourselves? Silly us, did we not know that our own Commission is deficient as it was lacking “helpful greater-experience” of this UN panel?
“helpful greater experience of UN panel” – what is that? Pardon me, but is this akin to the white elephant we all long to see before we die?
Yes, I am astounded beyond words but then again not surprised by this man’s utterances! What galling cheekiness, what diplomatic gaudiness and simply stated, what crass “holier than thou” condescending cheap behavior!
Since when did Sri Lankans appoint this Bobby as their National Reconciliation Minister, or the National I-know-whatz-good-for-you-you brown-minions Minister, or for that matter, their National Raw-sewage-salvation Minister?
Maybe we Sri Lankans did, and in the same vein I am sure Americans also appointed our veritable, ever-potent Keheliya Rambukwella as their “Hide-our-utter-shame-&-proudly-tucktail-&-exit-from Iraq-Afghanistan” Special Advisor to Obama?
Truly, this man’s crass arrogance and gaudy diplomatic faux-pas vis-à-vis Sri Lanka that I have seen, now and before, never fails to shake-my-cockles and ghast-my-flabber to a fit!
I wonder…
Would he dare to do the same by giving such unsolicited, warped advice to other countries, say to the Spanish on the “Basque issue” or to the Canadian on the “First Nations issue” or for that matter to the Indians on the “ Kashmir issue?” I think not!
Rather, should not this man be concentrating his evidently-challenged acumen in the extrication of the now badly bogged-down, all but defeated, demoralized US and other “US-coalition forces” from Iraq and Afghanistan? Is that not a more important issue for this man to waste his sweat droplets on than the now-self healing Sri Lankan issue?
Sadly, what this man fails to realize is that his crass arrogant behavior is so gaudy and nauseating to us Sri Lankans that the complete opposite of what he wants to achieve is bound to realize vis-à-vis his pet-project cum-mania, the “Sri Lankan issue!”
Aha, lest I forget, yes, did I not earlier speak of the National Raw-sewage-salvation Minister? Now we all know that when we speak of Raw-sewage, we cannot not consider our heinous-terrorist LTTE darlings of only about one year ago. As such, sorry Bobby, this is one post you cannot stealthily grab as today that position is hotly contested between the masses-resoundingly-rejected Ranil Wickremasinghe and Somawansa Amarasinghe camps and the last I heard, this “menace-to-SL traitors” Rajapakse-Regime (resoundingly accepted by the masses) has very magnanimously agreed to let each camp share that mandate equally and each of them camps is in sheer bliss now, working at it night and day!
534 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 534 of 534SK,
"Well, this is the only point that I disagree with."
that's something!!
we should not allow anyone to exploit our poverty. agree. but there is very little a democratic society can do APART FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT!!!
even with economic development it will not fully stop.
e.g. US, south korea, singapore, china, japan, canada, etc.
there will always be ppl who will even sell their motherland for a few dollars. so no wonder there are those who change their religion for money.
i'm open to discuss a democratic way to stop ONLY unethical conversions.
1. democratic
2. unethical
3. conversion
4. ONLY unethical conversions.
ananda,
i have no problem with jewish chrisitians for obvious reasons.
some MAY convert bcos they are financially poor while EVERYONE that converts do so bcos they are spiritually poor.
.......................................................
jesus visited sea of gallile. peter, simon, etc. were packing their fishing nets and complained they couldn't catch any. jesus asked them to lay their nets again. they said no use but finally agreed. they caught the catch of their lives. but jesus told them to abandon their catch and come with him and promised to make them catch humans for his faith instead of fish!!!
this is the level of effort missionaries MUST put to bring salvation to ppl. everyone is born with the original sin. you must be baptised to cleanse of the sin. is it bad to help someone clean from sin and go to god?????
you may not agree with this but this is what christians/muslims believe.
in buddhism and hinduism it is different.
so it is our conditioning by our religions that makes us differ on this. (krishnamoorti!!!) we should identify that and move on.
end of discussion.
Moshe;
[[i'm open to discuss a democratic way to stop ONLY unethical conversions. ]]
So am I. I am a free thinker discussing a topic about religion. I have no bias point other than the fact that religion plays a key role in civilization and the natural balance shud not be changed abruptly.
I am not saying that right to preach shud be abandoned. Also I think in whatever quarters where they [Bs and Hs] complain, the main culprit is themselves. Every religion has obligation to take care of followers and shud not complain before doing that duty.
Yet the question is the unethical acts of so called "missionaries".
Some occasions, they block progress of other sectors deliberately. They gang-up with rotten ppl of the region. There are allegations of killing of ppl who try to protect the established religion. Some monks get poison, while some others get hacked, when they become threats. Some monks are threatened by "unknown" gangsters.
There are churches of these "new faiths", whom find you jobs and "tax" you a portion of salary. This is head-hunting, but being illegal you have to call it extortion. GOSL shud tax these churches.
Some of these "priests" regularly travel abroad and bring hefty sums of money totally undocumented. If a man going for a humble job cannot bring money w/o being taxed, how can a man in cloak do the same. They are not priests, but workers like NGO employees.
And their "churches" agitate society in wicked ways. They spread hatred. They force the convertees to defame the prev religion in manners that it hurts the other ppl of the region. I don't like the "hatred spreading" of any sector, or segregation.
Some of these ppl ganged with NGO threaten refugees that if they do not convert they will be left to die in hunger. This is not fair. It is not like giving money to a normal man. They take lives of those who are in their hand and have a punishment for those who disagree.
[TBC]
[CONTD]
So far I covered some factions of Assembly of God, Yehova's Witness, Pentacoastal and another myriad of neo-missionary elements. To date I am not aware of similar acts conducted by traditional churches like Roman catholic or Anglican. There may be in fringe level, but in mainstream they remain within "ethical" preaching levels.
But even those churches had some hand in next one - the biggest crime. That is supporting pussycats. Pussycats are more friendly to abrahmic religions, and many such priests seem to admire it. There was unprecedented support from all churches. Priests even transported bombs. And took part in defamation campaign to their glory.
And it is one reason why Colombians [who are either attached to or familiar with these churches] supported pussycats. Most of these NGO workers are either grown up with church or its eqv of socialism. The link is obvious. So is anti-SL brainwash.
I agree that Hindu priests also supported the separatists. But they lived under the threat. They had no choice, just like the ppl of N/E. Even on such grounds some hindu priests opposed pussycats and even paid price for doing so.
The churches are all over the country, yet until today I never heard a single anti-pussycat statement from any church. But always they kept on telling us, the need of non-violence, to be peaceful and the rest of the seemingly good but internally rotten ideas which NGOs preach. At the same time the members of the same churches who lived in the affected areas are stating a carbon copy of what TNA states which is full of hatred vengeance and all the kinda bad things. Supporting pussycats is a crime tat all SL churches can never redeem.
Leaving that out, the unethical conversion acts are happening in SL. It is not as simple as giving their lunch packet and preaching religion. It is an organized machine with its claws all over. It harms the natural balance and blend of religion. And the synthetic ppl that it creates are weaker. Easily marketable for not only commercial consumerism, but also for neo-liberal cronic ideas like Fonsekaism to Pussycatosm.
I stop here, but leave you with one example. Read Sunday Leader paper and you can find what mess these neo-religious "missionaries" have brought to SL. It is a key concern indeed.
[END]
Moshe,
I am not challenging the intrinsic merits of ANY of the major religions. The Buddha himself taught us Buddhists to honor other religions.
Our debate is focused on the narrow issue of unethical conversion of VULNERABLE people of ANY religion in poor developing countries by missionaries of ANY OTHER religion from a foreign country (usually advanced and rich) for the express purpose of pushing a political/military agenda.
These activities are cloaked under the cover of "humanitarian missions" but are actually highly organized proselytizing organizations attempting to pry desperately poor people away from their existing religions, families and support networks, and deliver them bound hand and foot into their hands as captives. Once these victims cut their links to their existing communities, there is no going back for them, and they become pliable puppets who have to do the bidding of the missionaries.
I see that happening not only in Sri Lanka, but also in many other poor developing countries.
I want the GOSL to EXPEL these people and DENY ENTRY to foreign missionaries who come to Sri Lanka with their carpet bags hunting for cheap souls.
Vanakkam ladies,
Won't you step in to my palour to see the latest?
BBC Sinhala Service under attack by former allies
Moshe said ..
[then will he resort back to his old religion????
NO.
this is my point. then they make a choice to continue. at this time they are NOT economic dependants.]
Your POINT is not usually VALID.
You have to understand that people live in a society that provides a support network, and not in a theoretical vaccuum.
That support network may have several parts: family, friends, neighbors, business associates, religious organizations, and government.
While government support is largely unaffected by religious conversion in Sri Lanka, every other component of the support network is disrupted by conversion. Once one breaks those bonds, the only support comes from the new religious organizations that you have converted to, and the few new co-religionists who befriend you.
For those reasons, it is RARELY POSSIBLE for a CONVERT to reverse the process in a practical society. These are very relevant and very unpleasant powerful barriers to reversion.
These are the barriers that prevent his reversion; not necessarily his allegiance to his new religion.
Moshe,
It is useless to debate the merits and beliefs of different religions .. that is not what we are debating here. I am well aware of all of what you said about biblical history.
If we debate religions, we would be like the six blind men who visited the elephant; none of them could accurately describe the elephant though they argued about it heatedly.
Cheers!
Ananda;
Still there is the big defect in Buddhist and Hindu factions that they do nothing to raise the standards of the ppl of their faith. Most temples [at village level] care more to what they can get from the poor communities than what they can give. Buddhist charity is spilled by means of gold, silver [coloring on wals, shrines] and pichcha mal etc. If they put 1/10 of the energy they put for such things, they can raise the lives of those vulnerable ppl.
I had close relationship with other religions and found that they really try to give more than get. It is good, and in fact the way how the religion shud be.
Although followers call it a very sensible religion Buddhist structure is behaving most insane. And its own "hethupalavaadaya" is not considered here. Cause for conversion is poverty and try eliminate poverty to solve it. Stop wasting buddhist charity for nonsense.
I think it's their primary fault that many ppl fall prey to the funded gang of mafia who conduct unethical acts of conversion calling themselves missionaries [sorry moshe, the factions which I know fit the description jolly well].
Sri Lankan ambassador: We back Israel's war on terror
Donald Perera, who served as Sri Lankan chief of staff during offensive that ended in Tamil rebels' surrender after more than 30 years, is enjoying a change of pace in Israel. In interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, he recalls seeing body of rebel leader Prabhakaran, says IDF needs public's support to successfully eradicate terror. 'Citizens must realize struggle will exact a heavy price,' he adds
David Regev
Published: 07.21.10, 19:10 / Israel News
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Donald Perera saw the blood-soaked stretcher carrying the body of Velupillai Prabhakaran being transported through the jungle, but he was not calm. Air Chief Marshal Perera, the Sri Lankan chief of staff at the time, had been chasing after the leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels who had terrorized his country for over 30 years. He wanted to make certain that the lifeless body in front of him was indeed that of his long-time adversary.
"I asked to see his personal gun," recalls Perera. "I knew precisely what type of gun he was carrying, as well as its serial number. Only when I saw the number 001 did I realize that he had finally been taken out. I drove home, took off my uniform and told myself that now I can retire."
Perera, 60, has since been appointed Sri Lanka's ambassador to Israel. His wife, a military dentist, and his daughter, a university student, remained in Sri Lanka.
"I was familiar with Israel before coming here," he tells the Yedioth Ahronoth daily. "In the framework of my previous positions as air force commander and chief of staff, I had a great relationship with your military industries and with Israel Aerospace Industries.
"For years Israel has aided our war on terror through the exchange of information and the sale of military technology and equipment," says Perera.
"Our air force fleet includes 17 Kfir warplanes, and we also have Dabur patrol boats. Our pilots were trained in Israel, and we have received billions of dollars in aid over the past few years. This is why I asked to be assigned to Israel – a country I consider a partner in the war against terror. Many Sri Lankans admire Israel," says Perera, a native of the capital Colombo.
As chief of staff, Perera commanded over 240,000 soldiers. His greatest challenge was to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or Tamil Tigers, who since 1976 had fought to establish an independent Tamil homeland.
Guerilla forces led by rebel leader Prabhakaran eventually took over east as well as north Sri Lanka.
Moshe Dyan said...
ananda,
i have no problem with jewish chrisitians for obvious reasons.
some MAY convert bcos they are financially poor while EVERYONE that converts do so bcos they are spiritually poor.
I think Moshe you hit the nail when you said 'spiritually poor'. When these people convert, their children are targeted for brain washing, so that they will be 100% towards the new religion, while the parents are hooked financially. Mind you some of those who convert are not financially poor, just spiritually poor.
MERVIN SACKED!
I think we should wait and see how it all turns out, as he can be repentful and be reinstated next week with more perks.... but hope this is the end of the creature at least for a while...
this is a good move. live in harmony with other communities or perish. that should be the choice given to racist elements in the north and east.
from TN.
"Work on the construction of a Buddhist Vihare on land close to the Sri Lanka police station along A9 highway in Maangku'lam area has begun and the new Vihare has been named Sugatha Vihare, according to media sources. The construction is in progress amid claims by Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne who is also the Minister of Buddha Sasana that 289 sites had been identified in the North and East where Buddhist Vihares were earlier located besides 88 archaeological sites.
The Prime Minister said that action is being taken to preserve the archaeological sites and a Civil Defence Force has been formed to protect the sites from outside interference."
SK,
i fully agree that we should stop these "missionaries" when they violate the law.
another big danger isa messing with politics. this is unethical for missionaries. if anyone does it, they should be made to suffer the consequences.
ananda,
yes we are not discussing various religions here.
but we have to accept that various religions look at spreading their religions in DIFFERENT WAYS.
tolerance of other faiths ESSENTIALLY include tolerating their different approaches to "expansion". of course within the legal and ethical framework.
ananda,
"Our debate is focused on the narrow issue of
1. unethical conversion of
2. VULNERABLE people of ANY religion in
3. poor developing countries
4. by missionaries of ANY OTHER religion
5. from a foreign country (usually advanced and rich)
6. for the express purpose of pushing a political/military agenda."
less than 0.1% of all missionary groups would fall into this category.
yet again i don't think ANY group will do it for the "EXPRESS PURPOSE OF pushing a political/military agenda".
even if they do, they will never express it EVEN TO THEIR FINANCIERS.
re: vulnerable
they are not just financially vulnerable but MORE spiritually vulnerable. (thanks TTBO).
re: society
for the new converts to CHANGE their society after conversion, they should have good reasons. as a society they should be in a better position to see if their new religion is doing them good or not long after the missionaries are gone.
in most cases the entire society find it OK.
TTBO, Moshe,
[I think Moshe you hit the nail when you said 'spiritually poor'. When these people convert, their children are targeted for brain washing, so that they will be 100% towards the new religion, while the parents are hooked financially. Mind you some of those who convert are not financially poor, just spiritually poor.]
I beg to disagree! Please consider the following.
1. Why is it that these missionaries are usually from advanced rich countries whose own people are largely moving away from those very religions?
These people in their own countries are certainly not "financially poor," so are those people "spiritually strong" in that they resist conversion? But, how can they be "spritually strong" in a religious sense if the majority reject religion, as national stats indicate?
Therefore, we conclude, that economics and poverty in poor developing countries MUST HAVE SOMETHING TO DO with why these missionaries pile into them, and their success there!
In poor developing countries they can get more conversions with little money while they would have to spend orders of magnitude more money to achieve the same number of conversions in their own countries. It is not the "spiritual bankruptcy" of the little brown people that allows them to gather souls, but the "material and economic bankruptcy" of those people.
2. Second, there is an agenda to convert the people of poor developing countries for economic exploitation, political and military control reasons. It is not by accident that they follow like locusts in the wake of wars, invasions, and trumped up peacekeeping interventions into poor developing countries.
I am reminded of King Edward's historically accurate comment in the movie "Braveheart" that the problem with Scotland is that there are too many Scots. His solution: Breed them out by requiring every newly wed woman to be delivered to the local English baron on her wedding night for the express purpose of "Breeding out the Scots." The modern equivalent of King Edward's machiavellian policy: If allegiance to other religions is a problem for you, CONVERT THEM by God to my God!
TTBO, Moshe,
.....continued....
3. Some additional indirectly relevant comments are in order.
We must ask why, if their religious product is so great, it so unattractive to their own people. And, if it is so unattractive, and they can't convince their own to buy it, why should we in poor developing countries accept it?
Also, if their people are much less religious than us in the poor developing nations, shouldn't they save their own fallen people first? Should not that be their first urgently compelling priority? Should not charity on "spiritual poverty" begin at home? Why focus these products on people in poor developing countries, when their own people are in such desperate need of saving?
For example, in the US over 50% of married people get divorced, creating large numbers of broken homes with children without proper religious, or ethical, guidance, and sufficient monetary support, creating additional societal problems. Wither spirituality?
The lives of the unborn in the US and the EU are rarely given adequate protection against abortions of convenience. Fewer people take the obligation to care for their aged parents seriously .. the impersonal government is expected to take care of them. Wither spirituality?
If we adopt those values, disrupting our own family based systems of taking care of the elderly, who is going to take care of the elderly in poor developing countries once they swallow these foreign religious pills and gradually disrupt our family values. Having lived in the US, I would much rather be taken care of my family in Sri Lanka than be abandoned to fend for myself in the US in my old age.
In the US and the EU, more and more people are taking drugs, and are resorting to deviant sexual behaviours. The moral compass in these nations is pointing South, while vote-bank driven governments sanction and adopt laws that encourage these trends.
Is this what we want for Sri Lanka? It seems to me that those missionaries from the advanced rich nations should stay at home and attend to the spiritual needs of their own people .. who are in desperate need of it!
Should they have a compelling need to be TRULY charitable to the people of the rest of the world, then IMPARTIALLY GIVE the funds to local organizations of all INDIGENOUS RELIGIONS, or to government welfare agencies, BUT KEEP YOUR MISSIONARIES TOES at home where they can work assiduously to their hearts content to foster religion and improve spirituality of their own people in their own country .. whether they want it or not.
ananda,
"Therefore, we conclude, that economics and poverty in poor developing countries MUST HAVE SOMETHING TO DO with why these missionaries pile into them, and their success there!"
don't jump into this conclusion without considering the whole picture.
south korea, china don't fit into your category but christianity is growing faster than in poor countries.
take the south asian region. christianity is not growing in india, pakistan, bangladesh as much as it grows in SL. and SL is slightly better in terms of GDP per capita/quality of life than these countries.
take the south east asian region.
christianity is growing faster in singapore and malaysia than indonesia, laos, thailand, etc.
take north america and soutn america.
USA (world's largest christian population), canada have a higher conversion rate than most other countries.
take africa. poorest countries have no real christian conversion as much as richer countries.
so your theory is wrong.
the little bit of it that is true is: rich countries finance poor countries.
this is true in every case not just in missionary work!!!
charity, IMF, WB, foreign aid, NGO funding, you name it. rich countries are the donors and poor countries are the receipients.
take bhutan on the other hand. a poor country BUT RICH in spirituality. so far it has not seen many conversions. why???? bcos bhutani ppl are RICH in spirituality (at least until recently).
"We must ask why, if their religious product is so great, it so unattractive to their own people."
it is not that it is unattractive to its own ppl, but they have MORE attractive things to do!!!
and you will CERTAINLY agree that their spirituality is fading.
"those missionaries from the advanced rich nations should stay at home and attend to the spiritual needs of their own people .. who are in desperate need of it"
certainly their services are needed in their countries too. but they have a choice which is upto them.
so this is the "solution" (if there is a problem)
1. make SLs richer spiritually
so that they won't seek to fill their empty spirituality.
2. make SLs richer financially
so they won't be motivated by money.
So DNA alienates JVP. See the committee members.
-------------------
ප්රජාතන්ත්රවාදී ජාතික සන්ධානයේ අර්බුදය විසඳීමට කමිටුවක්
රනිල් ධර්මසේන
ප්රජාතන්ත්රවාදී ජාතික සන්ධානයේ පැන නැගී ඇති අර්බුදය විසඳීම සඳහා එහි පක්ෂ හතරක් විසින් ඉදිරිපත් කර ඇති යෝජනා සලකා බැලීමට සන්ධානයේ නායක ජෙනරාල් සරත් ෆොන්සේකා මහතා විසින් කමිටුවක් පත්කර ඇත.
පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්රීවරුන් වන ටිරාන් අලස්, අර්ජුන රණතුංග හා ජයන්ත කැටගොඩ, අනෝමා ෆොන්සේකා යන මහත්ම මහත්මීහු මෙම කමිටුවට අයත් වෙති.
මෙම කමිටුව අද (11 වැනිදා) ටිරාන් අලස් මහතාගේ කාර්යාලයේදී රැස්වීමට නියමිතය.
ප්රජාතන්ත්රවාදී ජාතික සන්ධානය නියෝජනය කරන නව සිහළ උරුමය, ප්රජාතන්ත්රවාදී එක්සත් ජාතික පෙරමුණ, එක්සත් ජනතා පෙරමුණ හා ජනතා ද්රවිඩ කොංග්රසය විසින් පසුගියදා ජෙනරාල් ෆොන්සේකා සමඟ පැවැති සාකච්ඡාවකදී මෙම යෝජනා දහය ඉදිරිපත් කර ඇත.
සන්ධානයට ජාතික ලැයිස්තුවෙන් හිමි මන්ත්රී දුරයක් පුරප්පාඩු වුවහොත් එහි පත්කරන තැනැත්තා පිළිබඳව පක්ෂ නායකයන්ගේ එකඟතාව මත නම් කිරීම, ප්රවෘත්ති සාකච්ඡා සංධානයේ නායකයන් විසින් පැවැත්වීම, මැතිවරණයකදී අපේක්ෂකයන් නම් කිරීමේදී සන්ධානයේ පක්ෂ නායකයන් විසින් එකඟතාව මත තීරණ ගැනීම, මාධ්යවලට ප්රකාශ හෝ සම්මුඛ සාකච්ඡා පක්ෂ නායකයන් විසින් ලබාදීම ආදිය එම යෝජනාවලට අයත් බව සන්ධානයේ නියෝජ්ය නායක සරත් මනමේන්ද්ර මහතා පැවසීය.
"DNA alienates JVP"
that is like soviet union without russia.
lol!!!
good for JVP idiots for accepting UNGRATEFUL motherfcukers like gonzeka, arjuna, tiran into its fold.
like the camel's story. rofl!!
SLFP dumped gonseka
then UNP dumped gonzeka
then TNA dumped gonzeka
now JVP dumps gonzeka
what a political career!!!
govt's strength was in dividing all opponenets. divide and rule!!!
1. first they split the LTTE (karuna)
2. then they split the UNP.
3. then they split the SLMC.
4. then they split the JVP.
5. then they split the TNA.
6. then they split the IC (classic!!!)
7. can they split the UN over monkey boon's panel??????
rule of thumb.
whenever our enemies split, one group joins us.
as the proverb in hebrew goes, OUR ENEMIES' ENEMY IS OUR FRIEND.
more should be the enemies of our enemies.
that in action.
from CNN.
"If the Western powers want to drive a wedge between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, they must address Pakistan's geostrategic concerns and interests via India. An effective settlement of the Afghan-Pakistan conflict must be region-wide and involve India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and China, an almost impossible mission."
Moshe,
[but they have a choice which is upto them.]
ON THE CONTRARY, we have a choice to make with respect to these missionaries .. which is to deny access to our country to them.
Moshe,
[south korea, china don't fit into your category but christianity is growing faster than in poor countries.]
South Korea was targeted by an avalanche of evangelists from the US being to all intents and purposes a nation CAPTIVE to the US, with no way of pushing back against that influx. It went from a Buddhist majority to a Christian minority. South Korea was poor and underdeveloped when it was subjected to that missionary invasion. What you are seeing is the END RESULT of that INVASION, not the BEGINNING, or the MIDDLE STAGES of it.
What are the Pros and Cons of this transformation? As South Korea adopted Christianity, it gained more and more support from the US, particularly the Republicans, access to US technology and markets. In that respect they gained.
However, at least in one respect all Koreans, South and North, have LOST. Despite the efforts of several Korean administrations on both sides, they could not unify the peoples of the two Koreas.
Why? Partly because the US discouraged it. While the US encouraged the reunification of the two Germany's with the demise of the Soviet Union, as a bulwark against a possibly resurgent Russia, the US did not want Korean unification WITHOUT the demise of Communist China.
So, the South Koreans (and the North Koreans) could not reunify their country and become one people. They remain mired in a dangerous cold-war standoff that threatens their lives and all of the economic prosperity of the South.
The increasing Christianization of South Korea has itself become another wedge between the two Koreas .. given that the officially aethistic people of the North still hark back to their pre-communist heritage and identify themselves as Buddhist. If we accept that all Koreans feel a sense of kinship towards each other and would like to unite with their family members and kinsmen across the border .. we can say that all Koreans have lost in the yawning gap created and cemented by missionary activity and the consequent inability to escape the embrace of the US long enough to reunify the two Koreas. The ultimate impact of this divide still remains to be seen.
China was, and still is, a poor developing country, one step ahead of India. You have to assess the poverty of a country on the basis of PER CAPITA INCOME, and not the cumulative strength of a nation of over 1.5 billion people wielded by a government of a massive nation. Furthermore, who says Christianity is growing very fast in China? In fact, it is China's indigenous religions that are seeing a revival with the loosening of the Communist reins .. not Christianity .. in the presence of the TIGHT CONTROL China's government exercises on foreign interference within China. Please PROVE your statement by presenting your EVIDENCE!
Moshe,
[you will CERTAINLY agree that their spirituality is fading]
I said EXACTLY that! There is nothing to contest.
ananda,
we have no choice IF we are to remain democratic (apart from my solution).
i spare my comments about dictatorship!!!
ok here is proof.
decades ago china banned practicing christianity. but today china has the officially seventh (actualy fifth) largest christian population. >5% of its population.
that is roughly equal to SL which is down from 8% in 1981 to about 5%.
it was astronnomical growth from near zero a few decades ago.
if you know any chinese guys (you should) ask them how fast it is growing in china, especially in urban areas.
(same with russia but it during communist rule many russians did practice the religion secretly.)
re: south korea
NOPE!!
the north-south divide is the US-SU divide. it is still continuing bcos unlike east germany, north korea didn't give up communism. and chinese influence.
china and russia want their share of korea while US wants its share. it has nothing to do with christianity.
except for monkey boon, south korea is a great country. whereas north korea is totally crap.
Moshe,
[take the south asian region. christianity is not growing in india, pakistan, bangladesh as much as it grows in SL. and SL is slightly better in terms of GDP per capita/quality of life than these countries.
take the south east asian region.
christianity is growing faster in singapore and malaysia than indonesia, laos, thailand, etc.]
Most countries like pakistan, bangladesh, malaysia, and indonesia are places where Christian missionaries dare not tread .. I STRONGLY contest your statement.
India, and all South East Asian Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka, Laos, Thailand are fair game for these missionaries because they have not recognized the danger and begun to act. They have largely swallowed .. hook, line, and sinker .. the "equivalence" of Buddhist and Hindu beliefs with the "true democracy" which the missionaries play upon to gain access and manipulate these societies.
I also contest the case of India. You should follow the daily news reports, the multitude of youtube videos, the political platforms of parties like the BJP, and attacks against Christians in India, to realize the degree to which Indians are incensed by religious conversions of Hindus in India. The targeting of Dalit communities in India by missionaries is ENDEMIC and is ENTIRELY CONSISTENT with my claim that foreign missionaries exploit the most VULNERABLE segments of countries to achieve their aims. India has a BIG RED TARGET painted over it.
India will soon shut the door to foreign missionary meddling within India, just as I advocate for Sri Lanka. They will not allow the creeping undermining of their country by foreigners. Please present your EVIDENCE in support of your claim that religious conversions by missionaries in SL exceed that in India.
ananda,
we have to conclude this discussion about missionaries constructively.
otherwise we are not going anywhere.
don't you agree with my suggested DEMOCRATIC solution?????
so this is the "solution" (if there is a problem)
1. make SLs richer spiritually
so that they won't seek to fill their empty spirituality.
2. make SLs richer financially
so they won't be motivated by money.
???????????????
Moshe,
[take africa. poorest countries have no real christian conversion as much as richer countries.
so your theory is wrong.]
No, my theory is NOT WRONG.
In fact, Africa (non-Moslem countries) and India are the two major regions of the world in which the largest percentages of people are being converted by Western missionaries.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but could you please present the EVIDENCE to back up your claims?
When I ask you to present your evidence .. PLEASE DON'T just cite unsupported numbers, but PLEASE give the LINKS to the original published references.
We can't accept information without references.
ananda,
"India will soon shut the door to foreign missionary meddling within India, just as I advocate for Sri Lanka."
i doubt that.
india is world's largest democracy. even when china allows them, how can india and SL do that?????
i strongly advocate for SL not to do such dictatorial crap and follow my solution. it is long terms and sustainable. have many other benefits too.
lets address the sickness not symptoms.
BTW i'm worried about "our" increasing love for undemocratic stuff!!
:) --------> :(
Moshe,
[otherwise we are not going anywhere.
don't you agree with my suggested DEMOCRATIC solution?????]
Don't back out now; We are just about to GET SOMEWHERE; as soon as you present CREDIBLE references to support your claims.
BTW, that fallback position of yours on "democrazy" ... well, if democracy means abandoning your country to be undermined by foreigners so they can hoist "democracy" on you to get you to open up your country and dismantle your defences, so they can destabilize the nation and steal you blind .. I am NOT FOR DEMOCRACY.
As Mahinda Rajapaksa said, we must develop our own solutions to the problems we face as a nation; rejecting the self-serving vocabulary foreigners would like to crown us with.
Creeping destabilization of the nation was the issue that the Shoguns of Japan faced when they had to protect the integrity of Japan against the political meddling spawned by the Portuguese missionaries many centuries ago. As I recounted in my earlier post, they handled it beautifully .. as effectively as the SLDF did in Sri Lanka against the LTTE in 2008-2009. Our own problems were spawned by foreign meddling by a host of NGOs we allowed to meddle in our country, until they had us bound hand and foot trying to satisfy their needs, not ours.
Moshe,
My dear fellow .. where is the EVIDENCE supporting your statements? I am still waiting .. anxiously.
Moshe,
[Re India shutting out missionaries: i doubt that. ]
Wait and see .. when the FOG LIFTS, the Indians will act to protect the integrity of their nation and their people .. nation and people first, democrazy second.
When the US had to protect the nation against Al-Quaida sponsored Islamist terrorism .. they enacted the Patriot Act imposing many limitations on democratic freedoms.
As I said, when push comes to shove .. nation and people first .. democrazy second.
Moshe said ..
[ok here is proof.]
My dear Moshe,
Proof constitutes published references; not numbers pulled out of thin air!
Moshe Dayan said ..
[take bhutan on the other hand. a poor country BUT RICH in spirituality. so far it has not seen many conversions. why???? bcos bhutani ppl are RICH in spirituality (at least until recently).]
Well, it so happens that Bhutan protects itself well ... no proselytizing is allowed AT ALL in Bhutan. Religious freedom id guaranteed to the local people does not extend to foreign meddlers!
Your example backfired, my dear Moshe!
Here is the relevant text from a reference:
"Bhutanese population follow Vajrayana Buddhism, which is also the state religion. About one quarter to one third are followers of Hinduism. Muslim and non-religious communities account for less than 1% of the population.[32] The current legal framework, in principle guarantees freedom of religion; proselytism, however, is forbidden by a royal government decision.[32]"
ananda,
"proselytism, however, is forbidden by a royal government decision"
BS!!
read for youself!
http://www.bhutantimes.bt/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1644&Itemid=1
now you have to filter the little bit crap in it for obvious reasons.
it is not the ban but spirituality that kept them from coverting. but no society is 100% spiritual.
ananda,
now don't get too excited (and disappointed).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_population_growth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_by_country
BTW you seem to have got it wrong about africa.
but you gave the answer!!!
what i was trying to say is the spread of christianity is africa is not the same across rich and poor countries.
anyway you gave the answer.
Guys,
Moshe and I argue and debate various things, because they are important and as different people we have different views on some topics.
But, make no mistake .. at the end of the day, we are both Patriots fighting side-by-side together to defend and protect Sri Lanka.
Article on Conversions in Bhutan Referred to by Moshe:
.................
Christianity spreads in Bhutan
Written by Dekey Choden Gyeltshen
BhutanTimes.bt
The proselytization of the Bhutanese people by local pastors with the promise of pecuniary benefits has led many people adopting Christianity as their religion. The murder of a 46-year-old woman in Dumtoe village in Dorokha, Samtse, on March 13 this year, by a group of converts branding the victim as evil had sowed widespread fear that missionary work would be affected by the incident.
On the contrary, a BT scan of officially registered Christians in Bhutan after the Dorokha incident revealed more than 2,500 fresh converts. And sources say the number could be more.
While Samtse dzongkhag has the maximum number of Christians in the country, Mongar has none. And even Paro, Punakha, Trongsa, and Thimphu have registered fresh converts.
Local pastors, however, refute the allegation of proselytization. They say pastors in Bhutan are not engaged in forced or induced conversions.
“If they (people of other faiths) come willingly then only do we let them come,” said a pastor in Thimphu.
On the other hand, local leaders say people in villages are being influenced by pastors to join the Christian faith. According to the Dumtoe gup, Kamal Singh Rai, who talked to BT earlier, pastors promise prosperity and peace in life to rope in more converts.
BT sources revealed that foreign nationals were invited by their Bhutanese counterparts to conduct mass and meetings with the pastors of Thimphu and other dzongkhags.
On May 6, senior pastors from Nagaland, Kalimpong, Sikkim, and Jaigaon had come to Thimphu for a meeting with the Bhutanese pastors. The meeting was reportedly initiated by a Bhutanese pastor in Thimphu.
BT also learnt that a Norwegian national, Erik Ringsvold Jensen, and a Pilipino, Santiago L. Largado, had come to Bhutan for a four-day meeting with pastors and converts from Dagana, Samtse, Trashigang, Gelephu, Sarpang, Punakha, and Thimphu.
BT’s sources at the Thimphu Christian Fellowship revealed that the agenda for the meeting was to create Bhutan Evangelical Society, strengthen the Christian base in the country, and form Christian associations.
Bhutanese pastors
Most gatherings are conducted in private homes, and the masses are held for the converts at various places all across the country. The masses are conducted by pastors comprising people from all walks of life and different ethnic groups.
To qualify for a pastor, one needs a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from a recognized Christian college. Only after working in the field for some time, one receives an ordination. And only after the ordination can one preside over marriage ceremonies and funerals.
However, in Paro, it is all about love for Jesus.
A woman in Paro said Christianity has helped her family members quit habits like smoking, drinking, and doma-chewing.
“My husband who was very ill was treated by Jesus himself,” she said. “We have all the good health and wealth because of our faith in Christ.”
Churches
There are no official churches in Bhutan. And most of the Sunday masses and gatherings are held in the homes of pastors and converts.
The Sunday mass is the most popular service attended by a huge number of Christians. Churches in rural areas are in apple orchards, labor camps, huts, and rented homes.
Organizations and finances
BT came across two Christian organizations, one in Thimphu and the other in Gelephu.
The Thimphu Christian Fellowship has its headquarters in Thimphu and branches in almost all the dzongkhags. The branches are headed by local pastors who are entrusted with the responsibilities to inform the headquarters the number of converts initiated in their particular areas.
Christianity spreads in Bhutan
......continued...
The Bhutan Christian Church has its headquarters in Gelephu and has branches in all the dzongkhags headed by local pastors.
BT couldn’t confirm how the finances are collected and maintained, but unofficial sources say a lot of money is collected from European countries in the name of Bhutan.
Unconfirmed reports say some of the homes built to host Christian gatherings were financed by foreign Christian institutions.
Home minister worried
Home Minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji had earlier said Bhutan shouldn’t suffer the ill effect of religions. Today, he is a worried man.
Lyonpo Minjur Dorji said it was absolutely okay if people were born Christian.
“The constitution supports them. But it is unlawful to convert,” he said over the phone from Trashigang. “If we get proof of proselytization in the country we shall definitely take action.”
Further, documents with the Dorokha dungkhag revealed that missionary work had helped increase the number of Christians in Dorokha. Bhutan’s Constitution guarantees religious freedom but conversion to another faith by compulsion or inducement is unlawful.
Moshe,my friend,
Thank you for offering more data to demolish your arguments on Bhutan!
Let us begin!
1. I said "proselytism, however, is forbidden by a royal government decision"
and Moshe responded:
"BS!!
read for youself!"
This is what I read in your reference:
“The constitution supports them. But it is unlawful to convert,” he said over the phone from Trashigang. “If we get proof of proselytization in the country we shall definitely take action.”
Further, documents with the Dorokha dungkhag revealed that missionary work had helped increase the number of Christians in Dorokha. Bhutan’s Constitution guarantees religious freedom but conversion to another faith by compulsion or inducement is unlawful."
which supports what I said. Thank you for providing additional evidence supporting my statement and debunking your own response of "BS!".. LOL!
2. In an earlier post you said:
"take bhutan on the other hand. a poor country BUT RICH in spirituality. so far it has not seen many conversions.
"Yet, the very first sentence of your reference article says:
"The proselytization of the Bhutanese people by local pastors with the promise of pecuniary benefits has led many people adopting Christianity as their religion."
which demolishes your hoisting Bhutan on a pedestal of "high spirituality" that makes them immune to conversions for "pecuniary benefits".
Much of this debate between us is about whether "pecuniary benefits" induce conversions, and this lead sentence in the article supports my view!
Other segments of the article supporting my view that money talks in conversions by foreign missionaries are:
"On the other hand, local leaders say people in villages are being influenced by pastors to join the Christian faith. According to the Dumtoe gup, Kamal Singh Rai, who talked to BT earlier, pastors promise prosperity and peace in life to rope in more converts. "
and here is evidence of the scale of these "pecuniary" inducements to convert and assist in making more conversions:
Unconfirmed reports say some of the homes built to host Christian gatherings were financed by foreign Christian institutions.
similar to the case of my own ISP in Sri Lanka whose entire ISP business was financed by foreign missionary organizations on the condition that he assist in creating more converts.
I also stated that these foreign missionary organizations gain access under the cloak of providing "humanitarian assistance" to the needy, and are run by foreigners operating within these countries. This statement is supported by the following statements, with the familiar Norwegian miscreats playing a leading role:
BT sources revealed that foreign nationals were invited by their Bhutanese counterparts to conduct mass and meetings with the pastors of Thimphu and other dzongkhags.
On May 6, senior pastors from Nagaland, Kalimpong, Sikkim, and Jaigaon had come to Thimphu for a meeting with the Bhutanese pastors. The meeting was reportedly initiated by a Bhutanese pastor in Thimphu.
BT also learnt that a Norwegian national, Erik Ringsvold Jensen, and a Pilipino, Santiago L. Largado, had come to Bhutan for a four-day meeting with pastors and converts from Dagana, Samtse, Trashigang, Gelephu, Sarpang, Punakha, and Thimphu.
BT’s sources at the Thimphu Christian Fellowship revealed that the agenda for the meeting was to create Bhutan Evangelical Society, strengthen the Christian base in the country, and form Christian associations.
Dissection of Moshe's Article on Conversions in Bhutan by Foreign Missionaries
............
I also stated that these foreign missionary organizations are HIGHLY ORGANIZED from abroad and create networks covering the entire targeted country. The following statements in this article support that statement:
BT came across two Christian organizations, one in Thimphu and the other in Gelephu.
The Thimphu Christian Fellowship has its headquarters in Thimphu and branches in almost all the dzongkhags. The branches are headed by local pastors who are entrusted with the responsibilities to inform the headquarters the number of converts initiated in their particular areas.
The Bhutan Christian Church has its headquarters in Gelephu and has branches in all the dzongkhags headed by local pastors.
BT couldn’t confirm how the finances are collected and maintained, but unofficial sources say a lot of money is collected from European countries in the name of Bhutan.
Finally, I stated that every targeted country have Patriots who in the past confrontyed and defeated this menace, or are waking up to confront it. The following statements support that view. as well:
Home minister worried
Home Minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji had earlier said Bhutan shouldn’t suffer the ill effect of religions. Today, he is a worried man.
I hope this minister's worry translates soon into ACTION by the Government of Bhutan to kick out these foreigners who are in the process of destabilizing their country.
Moshe, my friend, THANK YOU ever so much for drawing my attention to this article .. which proves my contentions beyond doubt.
Can you now PLEASE ADMIT you were WRONG, so we can cheerfully lay this debate to rest?
The following is a table of Indian states with the highest percentages of Christians.
India 1,028,610,328 2.3 24,080,016
Mizoram 889,000 90.5 804,545
Nagaland 1,990,000 90.0 1,791,398
Meghalaya 2,319,000 70.3 1,630,257
Manipur 2,294,000 34.0 779,960
Goa 1,343,998 26.0 349,439
Kerala 31,841,000 19.0 6,049,790
There are approximately 24 million Christians (2.3% of population) in India.
They are concentrated in a Dravidian South India with the Northern boundary of these states extending from Mumbai in the South West to the North East, and in the North Eastern states of Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland.
The vast majority of the North Western & Central States of India have less than 1% Christians.
Conversions are also proceeding most rapidly in these states, which we can attribute, in part, to foreign missionary activity. If we assume that to be so, what strikes me IMMEDIATELY from this map is the coincidence of the band of states running from the South West of India across to and including the North Eastern States of intense Naxalite Maoist terrorist activity in India.
Therefore, my question is: Are foreign missionaries responsible in full, or in part, for inciting the Maoist terrorism in India?
In that connection, I cite the following statements in the source reference:
Although about 70% of Indian Christians are widely reported (only as a claim by some groups[131][132]) to be Dalit Christians,[133][134][135][136] the Sachar Committee on Muslim Affairs reported that only 9% of Indian Christians have Scheduled Caste status, with a further 32.8% having Scheduled Tribe status, and 24.8% belonging to other disadvantaged groups.[137] This discrepancy in the numbers is generally attributed to the Indian Constitution's discriminatory Scheduled Caste Order of 1950 that dismantled the social, economic and educational benefits of Dalits who converted to Christianity.[138] As a result of this, many of India's Christian Dalits identify themselves as Hindu for all public and official purposes in order to avail themselves of constitutional reservation benefits.[139] This has led to an increase in the number of Crypto-Christians among lower caste converts.[140] Consequently, the 70% figure includes members of Dalit castes who are not officially recognised as Christians.[141][142]
The above seems to support my contention that foreign missionaries exploit the VULNERABILITY of the neediest of citizens of poor developing nations to create converts.
Given that Naxalite Maoists principal demands are for better benefits and control of resources, one wonders about a possible nexus between foreign missionaries, the Maoists and the growing terrorist destabilization of India we see today.
>Religious Conversion in India
After the Independence, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat have enacted laws to put a check on religious conversions. The Bharatiya Janata Party has it in its agenda to amend the Constitution and criminalize forced religious conversions.
The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act of 1968
The Niyogi Committee (1954) set up by the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh alleged that Christian missionaries were creating ‘a state within a state’ and observed that the ‘philanthropic activities of Christian missionaries are a mask for proselytization.’[1]
The Madhya Pradesh ‘Freedom of Religion Act’ requires that a convert produce a legal affidavit that s/he was not under any pressure, force, or allurement to convert but was converting by own will and desire after evaluating the religion properly. Also according to this law, anyone who writes or speaks or sings of ‘divine displeasure’ (with an intention to induce forced conversion by means of threat) can be imprisoned for a period of up to two years and fined up to five thousand rupees.
The Orissa Freedom of Religions Act of 1968
The Orissa Freedom of Religions Act of 1968 states that “no person shall convert or attempt to convert either directly or otherwise any person from one religious faith to another by the use of force or by inducement or by any fraudulent means nor shall any person abet any such conversion.” Contravention of this law was punishable with imprisonment of up to one year and/or a fine of up to Rs 5,000.
The Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act of 1978
The Arunachal Pradesh government enacted this Act to protect the tribals of Arunachal Pradesh from forced conversions of any kind. It reads:
3) Prohibition of forcible conversion. No person shall convert or attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise any person from indigenous faith by use of force or by inducement or any fraudulent means nor shall any person abet any such conversion. 4) Punishment of Contravention of the Provision of Section. Any person contravening the provisions contained in Section 2, shall without prejudice to any civil liability, be punishable with imprisonment to the extent of two (2) years and fine up to ten thousand (10, 000) rupees. (i) whoever converts any person from his indigenous faith to any other faith or religion either by himself performing the ceremony for such conversion as a religious priest or by taking part directly in such ceremony shall, within such period after the ceremony as may be prescribed, send an intimation to the Deputy Commissioner of the District to which the person converted belongs, of the fact of such conversion in such forms as may be prescribed.[3]
The Tamil Nadu Anti-Conversion Act of 2002
The Tamil Nadu Anti-Conversion Act of 2002 stated that ‘No person shall convert or attempt to convert directly or otherwise any person from one religion to another either by use of force or by allurement or by any fraudulent means.’ However, soon after the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition in the 2004 elections, the Tamil Nadu Government led by Jayalalitha repealed the law in June.[4]
The Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act
The Gujarat Assembly passed the Freedom of Religion Act in March 2003. It was called the Dharam Swatantrata Vidheya (Freedom of Religion Act). Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of the State, called the Act as one of the main ‘achievements’ of his government’s one year in office. The law prohibited conversion by force or inducement. [5]
Article on forced conversions by religion and state.
Article with Map of Naxalite activity in India
ananda,
re: article on bhutan
i gave you a warning. it was written by a state newsmedia that cannot support missionary work.
but the important thing is STILL CONVERSIONS TAKE PLACE despite a law banning unethical conversions.
so my suggested 2 pronged solution is the only way out.
don't know why ananda avoids it????
you got lost in some peripheral anti-missionary stuff in the article which is nothing new.
BTW you have either not followed the links i gave you or you cannot face it!!
which one is it???
(ananda and i argue over many things. but we are best of friends bcos more important things unite us. same goes for most patriots here including pol).
ananda,
just 4 states out of 29!!!
now, it is absurd to suggest any nexus between naxals and missionaries!!!
at least now shall we concentrate on a sustainable solution based on uplifting ppl SPIRITUALLY and economically????
I have to clarify my statement about the spiritually poor. There are several factors that drive people towards the missionaries in SL. Majority of them have poverty or debt as a pre-requisite and a real lack of understanding of Buddhism. Some of those who converted due to financial gains (money and job offers) have done so with the aim of coming back to Buddhism after making some gains. Not everyone has been able to make that trip back due to the conditional release of funds and other offers. Also the children are the main target once the family has been converted. Also as many of the bloggers know it is a very well run intensive process. Once these missionaries visit poor villages, only some of them convert, and that is what causes friction/trouble within the village or families.
I don’t believe legislation can stop conversion as the missionaries can easily adopt methods to make it very hard to take someone to court and prove it beyond reasonable doubt. Also the freedom to convert to any religion should remain as it is a right of any person.
Creating awareness among the Buddhists and helping the poor villagers to uplift their lives is the only way forward to prevent these conversions. That is working well, but requires a lot of commitment from volunteers in terms of time and other resources. Been there, done that!
I apologise I can only read and provide comments intermittently when time permits!
TTBO,
"Creating awareness among the Buddhists and helping the poor villagers to uplift their lives is the only way forward to prevent these conversions."
that's what i said too.
not just the poor villagers and not just buddhists.
there is a little bit i agree with ananda on laws. but it may still be very ineffective.
law should ban missionaries funding POLITICAL movements. it is happening now. they finance not the (financially) poor but the rich!!
e.g. vesy senanayaka, sajith, eran, etc. are of similar cults. these missionaries finance their political party through them.
but again given the difficult burden of proof, inefficiency, clash with fundamental rights, bribery there is very little law can do.
but i can see this becoming a MAJOR election issue in time to come. one party cannot escape from its CURRENT (after 2010 april) strong connections to missionaries while the other will have a free go at it. if the other can amass hindu and muslim elements too against it, then they will have a formidable political case. once again it is nor going to RESOLVE the matter.
National Post editorial board: Turn back the Tamil ship
The case of the MV Sun Sea, carrying as many as 250 Tamils toward our West Coast, is a complicated one, especially considering that at least two more Tamil refugee ships are believed to be on their way in the coming months. But the federal response should be a simple one: Turn the ship back before it reaches our territorial waters.
Until we as a nation have reformed our refugee system and made it easier to deport failed claimants, the last thing we need is boatload after boatload of people with unknown affiliations arriving here seeking the protection of our courts and refugee bureaucracy.
With the imminent arrival of the 100% genuine, refugee ship in Canada, do we have any data on the nationality of people who went to Canada, Australia and Malaysia by ship recently?
And let’s not forget the Tamil Nadu connection:
Sundara Raja Sivakumar, 50, a Sri Lankan national and a key operative in regrouping LTTE cadre, has confessed to massive trafficking of LTTE cadre to various parts of the world through the Tamil Nadu coast.
Over the last one-and-a-half years, nearly 1,500 Sri Lankan natives, including LTTE activists, were trafficked to various countries from the Tamil Nadu coast.
Around 35 boats had set on a sail from Tamil Nadu coasts, especially from Cuddalore, Kanyakumari and Rameswaram, to locations like Australia, Canada, Italy and France, highly-placed sources told on the backdrop of interrogating Siva.
Siva was arrested in Chennai by a police team from Kollam as part of the investigation into the attempt to trafficking of 37 Sri Lankans in May which was tipped off by the Central Intelligence Bureau.
Key operative in regrouping LTTE : Sundara Raja Sivakumar nabbed by police
76 last year, 200 about to land and 66 million on their way!
Friends I'm back, been busy attending to the newest member of our family.
I see there has been some complications here.
Mervin is out, contrary to the common belief that this is good I think this is bad
You can achieve your objectives only if you stay strong, and in politics you are never wrong unless you admit you were wrong. Remember Bush said Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11, even to date about 70% of americans beleive this lie.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-09-06-poll-iraq_x.htm
But the point is Bush and the neo-con gang were able to sell a lie to achive their objectives.
Like wise political steadfastness (some call it arrogance) is essential if you want to win your objectives.
1. By giving in to the opposition demands MR has shown he is weak, (he might not be but this is how its interpreted) this is not good.
2. My second point is , no where in the has anything achived with clean politics, MR cannot do the dirty stuff there should be others to do it, by sacking Mervin he looses one of his good soldiers on that front. And the others will also think twice now, this is not good at all.
We do not live in a perfect world, if we want to achieve something good, the other side will try all the dirty methods to stop us, so we need to use dirty tactics as well. As far as I know this is how the world works, there is nothing called clean politics on this planet.
All nationalists should fear, government has shown its first sign of weakness.
no_mess,
now that opens a whole new world of possibilities.
1. no point forcing SL political solutions to stop "tamil" boats coming to canada, australia and no body knows where else.
2. india, not SL should human trafikking to cananda, etc.
3. SLDFs have not been very effective if 1,500 terrorists had safely left the country.
4. illegal activity between SL and TN still take place.
5. LTTE still has its ship network. now they trafic humans. nothing stops them from trafikking weapons!!
6. MILLIONS of dollars earned this way will go to buy weapons and recruit cadres.
someone said you have to pay $30K to go to canada and $15k to go to australia.
on average it means,
=15K*750 + 30K*750
= $33.75 MILLION
now that is a lucrative way to earn money to buy weapons.
desha,
but mervyn exceeded his limits too far this time.
i also noticed that MOST of his attacks were against ppl of the SAME PARTY!!!
IT RARELY HAPPENED THE OTHER WAY!!
1. the attack on the CEO of rupavahini corp
2. attack on a samurdhi officer
3. plenty of other cases
so he is a political burden either way you at him. its true he acted with good intentions but good intentions alone won't do.
TTBO said,
I don’t believe legislation can stop conversion as the missionaries can easily adopt methods to make it very hard to take someone to court and prove it beyond reasonable doubt. Also the freedom to convert to any religion should remain as it is a right of any person.
Creating awareness among the Buddhists and helping the poor villagers to uplift their lives is the only way forward to prevent these conversions.
I agree with much of what you said, especially "the freedom to convert to any religion should remain as it is a right of any person", except I disagree with the following:
1. "legislation can(NOT) stop conversion as the missionaries can easily adopt methods to make it very hard to take someone to court and prove it beyond reasonable doubt."
2. "the only way forward to prevent these conversions."
The FIRST STEP to take MUST BE to COMPLETELY DENY ENTRY to Foreign Missionaries, while continuing to assure freedom of worship to the citizens.
That freedom should not and must not include the importation of foreign missionaries arriving for religious proselytization, or arriving under the guise of "humanitarian" workers. KICK THEM ALL OUT!
Some will say that this infringes on inalienable rights of people to freely worship.
HOGWASH! Freedoms are not limitless. Every freedom we have is limited in some way to assure, and secure, that same freedom to others. People are limited to driving only one way in a vehicle lane, to assure the safety of all. The freedom of speech does not include the freedom to campaign on election day. The list goes on. The FREEDOM of all citizens to LIVE and PROSPER in a society at peace is what the eradication of foreign missionary meddling will assure for ALL Sri Lankan citizens, as it did for ALL Japanese citizens in past when they Kicked Out the Portuguese missionaries - lock, stock, and barrel. THAT FREEDOM to live in safety of the citizens TRUMPS the freedom to support the foreign missionary agenda on any and all pretexts.
Furthermore, when has the DIFFICULTY OF ENFORCEMENT ever invalidated a legal action, or any human endeavour?
Did we accept terrorism in our midst because it was difficult to eradicate it? Do we sanction drug use, because it is difficult to control it? Do we stop having children because they are extraordinarily difficult to raise?
On one side of each of these coins is the DIFFICULTY, on the other is the blessing and beauty of its ultimate ACHIEVEMENT.
In addition, Proselytizing activities by ANY foreigner, even those arriving on tourist visas, should not be allowed. No religious activities should be allowed beyond his/her own personal worship.
Furthermore, the receipt of foreign FUNDING from abroad for religious proselytizing activities by locals should also be banned.
The LAW must take the LEAD, for the PEOPLE to FOLLOW.
Where the LAW FAILS to LEAD, the PEOPLE will have NOTHING TO FOLLOW.
Awareness comes with government leadership. With awareness comes understanding of what is at stake. With understanding comes the enacting of laws. With laws comes lawful action. With lawful action will come relief from this looming danger to peace, tranquility and the national integrity of Sri Lanka.
guys,
as we expected islamic FUNDAMENTALISM is raising its ugly head in SL.
read in lankaweb and SLG how the muslim sharia law was applied illegally in SL. adultry does not carry lashing in SL and it is barbaric and illegal.
islamic fundamentalism is the first step towards full blown islamic terrorism.
why???
bcos invariably these fundamentalists will encounter the law and when beaten by the law, they will look for ways to beat law enforcement.
there is only one way - terrorism bcos fundamentalists don't give up their MEDIVAL arabic (or rather barbaric) methods.
ananda,
stopping foreign missionaries is NOT AN OPTION.
that will lead to a host other problems.
the society has many vulgar men looking to fcuk others' wives, etc. it is upto these women to remain chaste.
BUT if they genuinely love to fcuk a stranger, NOTHING should stop them.
ananda,
"Was it equally ABSURD to suggest a nexus between elements of churches and the LTTE in Sri Lanka as well?"
now ananda ventures into the evils of racism.
FACTS
1. foreign missionaries DID NOT support the LTTE to any significant level
2. no "elements of churches" supported the LTTE as "elements of churches".
they supported tigers ONLY as individuals.
e.g. kasippu joseph, dulip chikera
3. there ARE hardcore patriots who strongly support foreign/local missionary work and may be the church too.
e.g. MD (i don't support the SL church not bcos some members supported the LTTE but bcos it is pathetic in safeguarding ppl's spiritual needs just like buddhist monks or the police).
racism destroys this link. (not in my case).
the only exception is POLITICS.
missionary groups, NGOs, foreign govts, ANYONE financing anti-SL political elements or over involvement in anti-nationalist political elements should be handled appropriately.
ananda,
i fully agree with TTBO. what he and i say is the PROVEN SOLUTION.
let me show why AGAIN. (how many times???)
the ancient HIGHLY MORAL SL society where a thangachchi can run naked from one end to the other wearing jewels with no harm whatsoever was no accident.
it was bcos of the STRUCTURE and LINKAGES in the SL society.
1. wewa-dagoba
2. gama/kaamam-pansala/kovil
1. the essential economic-spiritual link. upliftment of both SIMULTANEOUSLY.
2. the social life-centre of culture/regilion/spirituality
see how strong this link is.
this is what we need to achieve again. through modern practices.
e.g. meditation, etc.
not by banning anyone.
IF you ban FOREIGN MISSIONARIES, you might as well banned ven mahinda thero and his group of FOREIGN MISSIONARIES, sangamitta, etc. too!!!!
absurd!!
also there are ppl in SL who cannot be satisfied with existing spiritual development schemes for some reason. they need some different spirituality. this they find through evangalical missions, etc. let them have it.
all religions teach good things. if they become good men/women by WHATEVER religion, i have no problem.
Maximum punishment shall be given to the criminals who committed this act.
http://www.divaina.com/2010/08/12/news02.html
Bugger! isn't there any limit to the stupidity and unpatriotic nature of traitor Ranil and his ilk? This bloody poof knowing very well that stinking Norwegian fish-eaters were on the terrorist side still went through with a CFA agreement that heavily favored the terrorists. This bloody poof should be dragged in front of the commission and forced to reveal all his shady dealings in favor of terrorists.
Cheers!
Norway blamed for unwarranted haste in finalising CFA
Former head of the Peace Secretariat Ambassador Bernard Gunatilleke yesterday alleged that there had been a sense of urgency on the part of the Norwegian government to finalize a Ceasefire Agreement between then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government and the LTTE.
...
Responding to a query by the Commission, Ambassador Gunatilleke said that the Norwegian facilitators had wanted the government to keep amendments to a minimum. Although the facilitators had accepted a proposal regarding the Kandy-Jaffna A9, two key suggestions in relation to child soldiers and freedom to engage in political activity in LTTE-held territory were rejected. Ambassador Gunatilleke said that the government felt that political parties hitherto not allowed to operate in the LTTE-held area, too, should be given access to coincide with the LTTE launching their political activity in the government-held area.
"Our concerns were brushed aside," he said, adding that the Norwegian facilitators felt that various issues should not be allowed to hinder a CFA.
more fun in the caucacian mountains????
we have a cold war again.
there are at least 2 superpowers, not one. the more the merrier.
"BBC News, Moscow
The head of the Russian air force, Gen Alexander Zelin, said the S-300 air defence system had been put in place to destroy any aircraft entering the airspace of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The Georgian government, which officially still hopes to bring the breakaway regions back under its control, has reacted angrily.
Government officials in Tblisi accuse Moscow of breaching the ceasefire agreements which ended the war two years ago, and say Russia is projecting its power in the region - which should be of concern to NATO.
One defence expert here in Moscow said he believed the announcement was a warning to NATO not to help Georgia build up its fledgling air force."
Moshe,
[now, it is absurd to suggest any nexus between naxals and missionaries!!!]
Oh, Yeah?
Was it equally ABSURD to suggest a nexus between elements of churches and the LTTE in Sri Lanka as well?
We KNOW VERY WELL which religious denominations aided and abetted separatist activities in Sri Lanka for 30 long years!
Search the web; there is quite a bit of info on the Nexus between the Church and Naxalites. I will post if I can locate that info on my computer.
Facts are facts .. we have to accept them.
Lanka News Whores have dream a plan to arrest Major General Prasanna Silva in Britain. We need to confiscate that lawyer donkeys assets in Sri Lanka before his cocaine runs off.
Moshe,
[now ananda ventures into the evils of racism.]
OMG .. Where did this charge spring from?
Where is the racism in anything I have said on this subject? Please clarify!
[1. foreign missionaries DID NOT support the LTTE to any significant level]
On the contrary, for example, MOST of the Norwegian NGOs who supported the LTTE then, and are supporting them now, are associated with evangelical missionary institutions.
[2. no "elements of churches" supported the LTTE as "elements of churches".
they supported tigers ONLY as individuals.
e.g. kasippu joseph, dulip chikera]
Yeah, right! This is always the "cover" they operate under .. everything is the fault of a few "misguided individuals" .. especially when the attempt failed .. big time. Send out the activists .. say nothing to condemn them, nothing to oppose the LTTE, nothing to defend the nation on the global stage .. then claim complete innocence.
On the other hand, if the principle infringed upon was abortion, sanctity of marriage, induction of female priests, or gay rights .. insitutional condemnation and punishment would be swift! It is only when individual work against their nation that the church hierarchy is pitifully powerless.
[3. there ARE hardcore patriots who strongly support foreign/local missionary work and may be the church too.
e.g. MD ]
I am sorry to hear that you are a SUPPORTER of foreign missionary Proselytizing in Sri Lanka.
We PART COMPANY on this issue.
[racism destroys this link. (not in my case).]
No, NO! .. you are, of course, clearly beyond reproach.
It is Ananda you condemn as a racist .. isn't it? Yet, I wonder what earned me that heavenly condemnation, and nailing to the cross, in my posts on this issue .. perhaps I can't see it, being the ignorant heathen that I obviously am.
[the only exception is POLITICS.
missionary groups, NGOs, foreign govts, ANYONE financing anti-SL political elements or over involvement in anti-nationalist political elements should be handled appropriately.]
What in heaven do you think I have been talking about, all this time, if not POLITICS? Manufacture of Swiss cheese?
When foreign missionaries meddle in Sri Lankan society, to alter Sri Lankan religious demographics, to change people's allegiances, to create power blocks at a most elemental, powerful and permanent level that they can use to manipulate and achieve their foreign agendas, you don't think that POLITICS is involved? Does not POWER spring from the decisions made by individual people? If you allow foreign elements to capture and hold those decisions captive, isn't the control over national POLITICS compromised?
Response to Moshe on Foreign Missionary Activity in Sri Lanka
.....continued....
When the Spaniards conquered Mexico with a pitifully small force employing mostly artifice, forcing King Montezuma of the Aztecs to convert, holding him prisoner, destroying Aztec temples, separating him from his people, hoping to pacify his people with religious indoctrination while they robbed them blind, that was missionary activity at its very POLITICO-MILITARY best.
Likewise, when the Portuguese made a puppet of the King of Kotte, renamed him Don Juan Dharmapala, forcing him to cede his kingdom to the King of Portugal, alienating his people from him, and enslaving them like the Aztecs of Mexico .. that was also missionary activity at its POLITICO-MILITARY best.
Fortunately for us, the Sri Lankan people were made of sterner stuff than the Aztecs.
Many Sinhala Patriots, like Konappu Bandara (later King Wimaladharmasuriya I, founder of Kanda Uda Rata Rajadhaniya), Mayadunne, and Sithawaka Rajasingha, opposed and confined the Portuguese to their walled forts .. from which they could sally out only with military escorts. The Sinhala people ran away and joined their traditional leaders, en masse. These Patriots were so successful in confronting the Portuguese, that the Portuguese Viceroy of the Far East wrote to the King recommending abandonment of the Portuguese presence in Sri Lanka, because military operations there cost more than all of the rest of Portuguese possessions in the East put together (Lisbon colonial archives).
I will never forget the waves of foreign evangelical missionaries who came to Sri Lanka, Sword in one hand, the Bible in the other, out of extreme compassion for our misguided souls and to uplift our economic condition .. no doubt.
They say, "To FORGIVE is DIVINE"!
Yes, I say, but "To FORGET is ASININE"!
Pro-LTTE elements still collecting funds from Diaspora, former Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat head tells war crimes panel
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 11, Colombo: Bernard Goonetilleke, the former head of Sri Lanka's now defunct Peace Secretariat that was operational during the period of the conflict, today said that pro-LTTE elements were involved in collecting funds from the Tamil Diaspora even after the war.
Goonetilleke made this comment while giving evidence before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission when it commenced sittings for the first time this morning.
The government-appointed Commission called the former Ambassador to the United States as its first witness when it opened its first hearings at the Kadirgamar International Relations and Strategic Institute in Colombo today.
The panel has been asked to report to President Mahinda Rajapaksa within six months on why a truce agreement signed in 2002 broke down and to suggest ways to ensure the island will not revert to conflict.
A group of 57 United States congressmen yesterday urged the Obama administration to conduct and independent investigation into the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka during the last stages of the war.
In a letter to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, the lawmakers said the government-appointed panel lack credibility.
According to Goonetilleke, pro-LTTE elements were collecting funds claiming that Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was still alive. These elements are said to be collecting funds using documents with Prabhakaran's signature.
LTTE leader Prabhakaran was killed during the final stages of the war in May last year.
Referring to the Tamil Diaspora, Goonetilleke said that the Diaspora desired the continuation of the war and helped towards this end since they feared they would lose the privileges being enjoyed in the Western countries.
He suggested the government to engage with the Diaspora and convince them about the changed situation in Sri Lanka but warned that there are still a minority of hardcore elements that still support the separation.
Commenting on the issues of resettlement and the devolution Goonetilleke said the people should be allowed to resettle in their original habitat and the presence of armed forces should be limited without instilling fears in the minds of the people.
The Commission is to continue hearings till August 25.
ananda,
"Many Sinhala Patriots, like Konappu Bandara (later King Wimaladharmasuriya I, founder of Kanda Uda Rata Rajadhaniya), Mayadunne, and Sithawaka Rajasingha, opposed and confined the Portuguese to their walled forts .. from which they could sally out only with military escorts."
he TOLERATED missionary work!!!
your example backfired.
"MOST of the Norwegian NGOs who supported the LTTE then, and are supporting them now, are associated with evangelical missionary institutions."
what total crap.
this is just BS created by you.
also "associated with evangelical missionary institutions" is by itself is not sufficient.
even some govt institutions are "associated with missionary institutions".
e.g. NGOs including caritas (that built houses in mannar under the ministry of rehabilitation, etc.
"2. no "elements of churches" supported the LTTE as "elements of churches".
they supported tigers ONLY as individuals.
e.g. kasippu joseph, dulip chikera]
Yeah, right! This is always the "cover" they operate under"
it is not a cover. these MFs exposed they are racists. just bcos they donned a robe didn;t change their stripes.
but they are a MINORITY with the "elements of the church".
is it not, ananda???
"I am sorry to hear that you are a SUPPORTER of foreign missionary Proselytizing in Sri Lanka."
now don't introduce words. i support foreign missionary work in SL. that's all.
"["Was it equally ABSURD to suggest a nexus between elements of churches and the LTTE in Sri Lanka as well?"]
now ananda ventures into the evils of racism."
look at the CONTEXT within which i said so.
NO ONE can stereotype this way. even ppl of other faiths did support the LTTE. why only drag the elements of the church??? and as i explained they are the minority and a few LOW ranking individuals acting on their own accord.
re: anti-SL politics
it has nothing to do with missionaries per se. they are no exception to evade justice just bcos they are missionaries. i could have included all the societal groups here which i didn't!!!
ananda,
again and again you avoid the PROVEN solution!!
lol!!
why??????
BTW ananda, what do you say about FOREIGN MISSIONARIES arriving in SL in the 3 century BC and converting the king and the ppl to buddhism????
we got a large proportion of language elements, culture, technology, etc., etc. as benefits.
also the king was surely influenced by the powerful asokan empire that spread across and beyond india.
so they too came with goodies to convert SLs to buddhism.
what a good thing that was!!
sam,
any BS by UK means the UK embassy in SL will have to face the music.
NOTHING is proven and they are innocent until proven guilty.
i'm waiting till the BS case against JCD collapses.
Moshe,
[your example backfired.]
You are taking my example out of context; I did not comment on his stand for or against missionary work. I commented on his total opposition to the Potuguese colonization of Sri Lanka. That colonization was aided and abetted by the Christian missionaries.
Moshe,
[what total crap.
this is just BS created by you.]
On the contrary, go and dig up the affiliations of the Norwegian NGOs who supported the LTTE and tried to carve out a separate state for them in Sri Lanka.
Do I have to research common knowledge for you too? OK, I'll get the references and post it here.
Moshe,
[[now ananda ventures into the evils of racism.]
OMG .. Where did this charge spring from?
Where is the racism in anything I have said on this subject? Please clarify!]
I STILL have not seen any reason for you to make this charge, with or without CONTEXT.
Moshe,
[but they are a MINORITY with the "elements of the church".
is it not, ananda???]
My point is, the Church went along with what the so called "individuals" did without disowning them, or disciplining them for turning against the Motherland.
In other words, they were hedging their bets .. which patriotic organizations do not do.
I certainly blame the church for their lack of pro-active action to teach their clergy what is and what is not right, and for covering it up.
This is the same behavior we saw in the US Catholic Church which did not discipline/disrobe their priests who were sexually abusing children on a grand scale without acting to protect their flock. Instead they covered up their crimes, blamed the victims, and allowed them to to continue their predation.
These abusive priests in the US were a "minority" of the Catholic priests, just as those supporting the separatists were in Sri Lanka, but their transgressions were condoned and covered up at the very highest levels of the Church in the US, just as they were in Sri Lanka.
Moshe,
[again and again you avoid the PROVEN solution!!]
I say it is BLOODY NONSENSE; a PROVEN solution my foot!
It is just looking the other way and allowing the nation to burn!
Moshe,
["I am sorry to hear that you are a SUPPORTER of foreign missionary Proselytizing in Sri Lanka."
now don't introduce words. i support foreign missionary work in SL. that's all.]
And what do foreign missionaries do in Sri Lanka, if not proselytizing and converting people? Sri Lanka has enough of her own priests of her own, in every religious denomination, to attend to the needs of her citizenry .. we don't need foreign missionaries here!
Therefore, if you support foreign missionaries in Sri Lanka, you support religious conversions in Sri Lanka. I am appalled!
ananda,
"My point is, the Church went along with what the so called "individuals" did without disowning them, or disciplining them for turning against the Motherland."
the church cannot disown them. but the church didn't share their BS.
same with JHU buddhist monks IN RELATION TO MONKS IN POLITICS.
don't stereotype. it has NOTHING to do with the church as a whole.
Moshe,
No, it is not racism.
Lets us agree to disagree, and end this discussion. I will not engage in discussions with people who insult me in this way.
Greetings!
I have been assigned to take over as Administrator of the SriLankaDefenceForum blog by Ananda-USA.
I will not participate in the blogging, but will only administer the site, and moderate comments. Moderation will consist of deleting posts with offensive content, and completely excluding repeat offenders.
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an interesting pov
"IT WAS FIRST THE WHITE CHRISTIANS AGAINST BUDDHIST SRI LANKA AND NOW “THE BLACK CHRISTIANS”
Posted on August 12th, 2010
Malin Abeyatunge"
from lankaweb
oh the "elders"!!!
branding them as "christians" is not right.
i brand them as "retired ppl with an itch to interfere in small nations".
best is to ignore these jobless jokers.
anyway i don't wish to write anything as it MAY get rejected.
ananda is much more humane in allowing my STRONG DISSENTING views than other websites.
Unethical conversions (I dont agree with the term UC, can some one define it?)
Let me add my two cents.
Legislation is the easy method, politicians can say they've done something to stop UC, can also be effective, but at what cost.
If we legislate against religious freedom.
That would further alienate many western civil organizations.
We would be giving our enemies weapons to show that we are against democracy.
Many people who are involved with these evangelical churches (accused for UC) are not bad people we have to learn to live with them.
Are those churches having a huge impact on the buddhist society in Sri Lanka?
Has the number of christians in the country risen during the last few years?
I dont think so, I havent seen any numbers.
I think the story is blown out of proportion.
These churches are a greater threat to the catholic church in Sri Lanak than Buddhism.
desha,
fully agree.
we should not do ANYTHING UNNECESSARY at this moment that WILL BE INTERPRETED as AGAINST MINORITIES which does not happen in many other countries.
you are correct in saying the biggest threat is to the catholic church than to buddhists.
christian population percentage fell in 18 districts as a whole from 1981 to 2001. i doubt any change in 2011.
If Buddhism is fading in Sri Lanka it is the responsibility of the Buddhist society and clergy to uplift it.
I think as MD said, Buddhist temple has to find new ways to get involved with the society.
Linking, career development of the village youths might be a good point, many temples have huge halls which can be used for free seminars for OL, AL, technical college options etc.
Providing an inner soothing for peoples battered lives is also a good point (by the way this is their major responsibility). I do not think they are doing it right, I'm not a monk, but I definetly know that majority of our temples and monks are not good at this.
Organizing a "sangayanawa" ( I think this is a world wide event) would also be a good starting point.
MD about Mervin.
It is true that he was acting out of control and attacked UPFA supporters, but giving in to opposition demands is not a winning political stratergy. MR being a savvy politician I'm supprised at his decision.
Mervins character is essential in a modern democracy.
A political debate is done on two levels, every where in the world.
A higher level where the pros and cons of a political decision/legistlation are debated.
A lower level where personal attacks, mudslinging and all the dirty tactics are utilized.
To win a political debate you have to fight and win at both levels, if you leave one level open the other side will utilize it and pretty soon you will be in the opposition.
You cant have the same people debating at both levels, then they loose credibility, we need supposedly clean people at the top level and rednecks at the second level.
MR being a veteran politician effectively used Mervin at this level.
I believe Mervin was a strong factor keeping the hung UPFA parliament steady during the war. If not for him, MR would have slowly bled his credibility amoung people and parliamentarians, with Mangala and the NGO media gang attacking him almost every day, and UPFA would have lost the parlimet, and war would have stalled.
I think they mishandled this samurdi member case.
What they would have done was, ask Mervin to give a generalized apology like " I apologise to the people who were sadend by my actiuons".
And they would have called a joint press conference with Mervin and the Samurdhi Niyamaka guy, where Mervin would have said, that he is so frustrated with the Dengu epidemic, and he is beeing working hard to fight it and save our childern from it, and he cannot even sleep at night because he is thinking about its affect on people all the time, so he over reacted and he is hugely and bigly sorry for the events.
Then the samurdi Niyamaka guy would have said, he accept Minister Mervins apology and he understand the frustartion in Minister Mervins mind and he is amazed at Minister Mervins devoted work on fighting dengue epidemic and saving the people. He would have further added that if all politicians, specially the ones in UNP were passionate about peoples problems like Minister Mervin, our country would be a heaven on earth.
For doing this the Samuridi Niyamak wont be attacked in future and his wife's brother will be offered a job in a ministry and he will be considered for a much more permanant position in a ministry.
If they did this then Mervins popularity and UPFA's popularity would have soared and people would be cursing UNP for trying take political advantage on the emotions of a hard working dedicated minister.
I'm suprided with savvy politiciand like MR and BR on board why they didnt used this method.
They just lost a golden oppertunity to take a hard political swing at the oppostion, instead ened up taking a swing on their nose.
desha,
yes. that should have turned the weakness into a strength. the threat into an opportunity.
Bloggers,
All comments submitted for posting are now held for review and moderation before publishing.
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ananda,
i had a comment b4 SLDF's comment. that is NOT offensive but it has disappeared!!
what is happening????
Who is this new moderator? Is he/she someone we know as a blogger?
Hundreds of Tamil migrants arrive at B.C. base
Videos will play automatically after the advertisement.
Wake-up Canada, soon your map will look like this!
No_Mess,
Thanks for the links.
Yes, Canada is TOTALLY SCREWED .. bound hand and foot by their OWN LAWS, initially intended to assist bona fide refugees, but now exploited on a grand in-your-face scale by economic, terrorist and crimnal immigrants to CIRCUMVENT the immigration laws that apply to ordinary immigrants. They can't get in through normal channels, so PRECLUDE the application of those laws, and jump ahead of all other law-abiding people in the immigration queue. That is typical of the Eelamists.
Until Canada says ENOUGH! and goes the way AUSTRALIA did, Canada will be exploited .. as if CANADIANS have no choice in the matter on issues affecting their own country. A "Canadian Tamil Congress" is actively working the hustings to see that Canada NEVER SUMMONS THE WILL to do that, playing on the harp of "humanitarian" and "democratic" values .. ignoring that these refugees are breaking even Canada's current immigration laws.
The situation in Sri Lanka with respect to FOREIGN RELIGIOUS MISSIONARIES pursuing RELIGIOUS CONVERSIONS is VERY SIMILAR. They go about undermining Sri Lankan society, under the cover of "humanitarian" excuses, because current Sri Lankan Laws are toothless to stop it.
But, make no mistake, Sri Lankans will WAKE UP SOON and shut the door in the face of these Foreign Missionaries gathering Converts in Sri Lanka!
Tigers 2.0
Kevin Libin
National Post
August 14, 2010
A young Calgary man believes he has family aboard the MV Sun Sea. He also believes strongly in the cause of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a.k.a. the Tamil Tigers. He is, in a person, the predicament Canada faces if the Tigers, as some suspect, are employing human-smuggling ships as part of broader efforts to use this country as a base to rebuild their organization -- the one behind a decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka. This country, say some LTTE-watchers, has all the moral support, infrastructure and political accommodation the Tigers need to make Canada their new headquarters.
.........
What the Tigers have done is well-documented by the 32 countries, including Canada, that have labelled the group a terrorist entity. In pursuing a Tamil homeland, they pioneered suicide bombings before the Palestinians, launching nearly 200 of them; they are believed to have been behind the assassinations of Sri Lanka's president and former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, as well as many moderate Tamils who they considered disloyal to their cause. At the height of their power, they operated a renegade air force, navy, police force, bank and radio and TV stations.
In 2009, Sri Lankan forces decisively defeated the fierce rebel group. But the diehard movement has hardly disappeared, said Peter St. John, a professor specializing in intelligence and terrorism at the University of Manitoba. Beaten in Sri Lanka, their members rounded up by the government there, they may use Canada as their base; the MV Sun Sea, which Canadian officials suspect is ferrying at least some LTTE members, could be part of that strategy.
.......
In addition to operating a reputedly sophisticated crime ring, including running weapons and drugs, sea piracy and human trafficking, the Tigers have since the beginning relied on the Tamil diaspora to raise the reported US$300-million a year--an estimated $12-million from Canada -- that funded their fight with Colombo. Many, like the Calgary man, support the Tigers. But Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has pointed out that the group uses also "extortion and intimidation to raise funds within the Canadian Tamil community."
Tigers 2.0
.....continued....
Canada, with more Tamils --200,000--than any country outside Sri Lanka--is already a key seat of what is something of a rebel government in exile: In May, tens of thousands of Canadian Tamils cast ballots to elect the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, a 135-member parliament- style organization with more Canadian representative, 25, than any other nation. The Sri Lankan high commissioner to Ottawa called the election a Tiger strategy "to keep the movement alive."
"They've been talking about forming the Tamil government in exile here and setting up a number of institutions. Among the old support network for the Tamil Tigers here, they've resolved that the war isn't over, or that it can always be resumed. As far as they're concerned it's war to the knife," said John Thompson, executive director of the Mackenzie Institute, a Canadian security think-tank. "Here in Canada, you've got all these young kids, their whole sole idea of Tamil identity has been defined by the Tigers. They're being raised as a poisoned generation to perpetuate the conflict."
Canada has long been considered fertile soil for Tamil radicals. With a large ethnic concentration around Toronto and Vancouver, front groups have lured several federal politicians to their rallies and events: Paul Martin, when he was Liberal finance minister, along with Liberal MP Maria Minna, attended a pro-Tiger fundraiser in 2000. Even after Ottawa listed the Tigers as a terrorist group in 2006, Liberal MPs John McKay and Borys Wrzesnewskyj attended a Markham vigil in 2007 to honour the LTTE's assassinated political chief. Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis met with Tiger leaders on a visit to Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami, and Liberal MP Gurbax Malhi told a rally of Tiger supporters last year "I am helping you guys, I'm behind you because you're fighting for the right cause." He later claimed he "did not realize" the significance of the prominent LTTE flags and featured pro-Tiger speeches.
.........
The ability of extremists to keep warm here old squabbles from abroad "is another one of Canada's gifts to the world," he said. And the government, he believes, is not fully prepared for the kind of underground organizing a sophisticated operation like LTTE is capable of which, he suggests, could well include infiltrating political and judicial institutions.
Overseas, he said, politicians in affected countries have occasionally expressed anger at the inability of governments here to tamp out Canadian sponsorship of terror movements abroad. "To the extent that this develops here, from whatever origins, we have to ask ourselves at what point a reasonable foreign entity that's being targeted by some of our citizens and their affiliates, is entitled, as a matter of self-defense, to regard Canada as some kind of adversary," he said. "That's a big issue and it could be a growing one. You cannot wash your hands of these things, if you have ... what seem to be shadowarmies, formed on our own soil, and launching hostilities against other powers."
Sri Lanka military court finds Fonseka guilty
August 14, 2010
COLOMBO: A military court here Friday found the former Army chief General Sarath Fonseka guilty of doing politics while still in uniform, Xinhua reported.
Fonseka would be accordingly stripped of all his ranks and decorations in what is known as "dishonorable discharge", military sources said.
The verdict was read out during the military court proceedings Friday afternoon.
This was the first of two courts martial which Fonseka was subject to since his arrest Feb 8.
The proceedings began March 8 under a three-member military court bench.
Fonseka is also facing the second court martial on alleged misconduct as the chief of the Army's tender board.
Fonseka led the Sri Lanka Army from December 2005 until November 2009.
He was credited for the Army's victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, ending the over three decade campaign to set up a separate Tamil homeland.
He contested the Jan 26 presidential election against the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa and lost convincingly. He has challenged the result in court.
LTTE threat: Experts suggest joint patrol
P K Balachandran
August 13, 2010
COLOMBO: Professor Rohan Gunaratna, a leading Sri Lankan expert on terrorism, has sought joint patrolling of the seas between Sri Lanka and India to prevent a Mumbai-type attack that a resurgent LTTE can stage from the Tamil Nadu coast.
Gunaratna, who heads the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, told an international conference on maritime security held in Galle last week, that the remnants of the LTTE, based in the West, could use Tamil Nadu to stage a sea-borne, Mumbai-style attack on targets in Lanka.
Briefing Express on his presentation at the 10-nation conference, Gunaratna said: “The only place in which the LTTE can regroup militarily is Tamil Nadu, and it is the only place from which it can stage a Mumbai-type sea borne attack on Sri Lankan targets. And since the LTTE poses a threat to India also, it is in the interest of both the countries to have their navies jointly patrol the seas.”
According to him, the Tamil Diaspora in the West is propping up pro-LTTE elements and Eelamists in Tamil Nadu. While most of the 20-odd pro-LTTE groups are small, some high-profile politicians like Vaiko are also in it, posing a significant threat. Gunaratna said the Indian delegation at the conference led by the former Indian Navy chief Adm Arun Prakash, saw the Mumbai-type strike as a trend setter and supported the idea of joint patrolling of the Palk Strait.
BETTER Laws needed: The Sri Lankan scholar pleaded for a reform of the Law of the Sea to better police the “international waters” as these were still not governed properly. He recalled that from 1997 to 2009, the LTTE had brought 95 per cent of its weaponry by sea.
QUALITY INTELLIgence: Among the key factors which enabled Sri Lanka to pulverise the LTTE’s military machine in the island between 2006 and 2009 was “very high qualityintelligence” from India on the LTTE’s shipping, Gunaratna said.
FINALLY, the US moves to better control illegal immigration, if only to PREVENT border STATES from doing themselves what the Federal Govt had seemed UNWILLING TO DO.
What is good for the USA, is good for Sri Lanka too!
Let us GUARD our borders WELL!
...............
Obama ignores Indian concerns, to sign visa bill
Arun Kumar
August 13, 2010
WASHINGTON: Unmindful of India and corporate America's concerns, President Barack Obama is all set to sign into law a legislation to secure the US-Mexico border with $600 million raised by hiking work visa fees.
"Today's action by Congress answers my call to bolster the essential work of federal law enforcement officials and improve their ability to partner with state, local and tribal law enforcement" to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants, Obama said Thursday hours after the final passage of the bill.
The bill, he said, also "will make an important difference as my administration continues to work with Congress toward bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform to secure our borders and restore responsibility and accountability to our broken immigration system."
White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said Obama will sign the bill Friday.
But the State Department, which had Wednesday suggested that the Obama administration had initiated a dialogue with lawmakers, business and within the government about what many see as "discriminatory" US legislation that would largely hit Indian companies, maintained it was still talking to lawmakers.
"Well, we'll continue to work with Congress, I think, on this," spokesman Mark Toner that the Congress had already passed the measure which the US-India Business Council, representing 300 top US firms doing business with India, has warned could hurt burgeoning India-US economic ties.
The bill includes money for 1,500 new border personnel, a pair of unmanned drones and military-style bases along the border.
The measure's $ 600 million tag would be paid for mostly by hiking visa fees on what the measure's backers called a handful of foreign firms that "exploit" US visa programme to improperly import workers to the United States.
A summary of the bill named Indian firms Wipro, Tata, Infosys and Satyam, which send thousands of employees each year to the United States to work at their clients' locations as technicians and engineers.
The legislation proposes to raise the fees on H-1B visas for companies who have more than 50 percent of their employees on such visas for highly skilled professionals from $320 to $2,320. Similarly the fee on L visas given to multi-national transferees is hiked from $320 to $2,570.
The Senate briefly suspended its six-week summer break to give final approval to the border security bill Thursday in response to Obama's request for reinforcements on the Southwest border by passing the House version of the bill by "unanimous consent" with just two lawmakers present.
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, a lead sponsor of the measure who had branded Indian IT major Infosys as a "chop shop" during the senate debate, offered up the bill, and Democratic Senator Benjamin Cardin gavelled it approved.
Later Senate Democrats and labour unions also released statements claiming the measure nullifies Republican arguments that they can't consider a comprehensive immigration reform bill until Congress addresses security along the US-Mexico border.
No country should depend on foreign army: SL Foreign Minister
August 13, 2010
(PTI, Beijing) With LTTE vanquished, Sri Lanka now says that the important lesson it learnt during the war with Tamil Tigers is that if a country wants to suceed against terrorism it has to depend on itself and not on a foreign army. In an apparent reference to the country's experience with Indian Peace Keeping
Force in the late 1980s, Foreign Minister G L Peiris said: "The most important lesson we have learnt is that if a country wants to succeed in their war on terror, the effort has to be made by the country itself, not by a foreign army of another country."
"Because intuitively people will support their own inland terrorists and gang up against the foreign army as they will consider them as the invading force. It has happened in many countries already. Patriotism is part of people's instincts," he said.
Peiris, who is here on an official visit, was speaking at the China Institute of International Studies on Sri Lanka's experience and fight against terrorism.
India sent its peace keeping forces to Sri Lanka to disarm the LTTE after the countries signed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord in 1987 to end the ethnic crisis in the country.
Sri Lanka's 30-year-old war against the LTTE came to an end with the death of the outfit's chief Velupillai Prabhakaran in 2009.
Peiris, a constitutional law specialist who in the past was involved in working out proposals to devolve power to Tamil areas, said his country is now safe after the defeat of the LTTE and welcomed more Chinese enterprises to invest in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Releases Rebel Elders After Rehabilitation
COLOMBO, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- The Sri Lankan government has released more former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels to the society after rehabilitation, Xinhua news agency reported officials as saying Saturday.
A total of 42 rebels all aged over 50 were released at Pompeimadu in the northern district of Vavuniya, said Brigadier Sudantha Ranasinghe, the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation.
Ranasinghe said a full total of 3,080 have now been reintegrated into the society after the due process of rehabilitation.
During the process of rehabilitation the former rebel cadres are given vocational training.
Officials said that about 8,000 Tiger rebels including their hardcore members are being held for further action.
Nearly 70 percent of the over 27,5000 civilian population displaced in the final stages of the conflict which ended in May last year have now been resettled.
State programme to provide fair price for farmers' products
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 14, Colombo: Sri Lanka Cooperative Development Department says that it has initiated a special programme to purchase the agriculture products from the farmers at a fair price and provide them to consumers.
The programme came to effect as the local farmers were complaining that they are unable to find a reasonable price for their products, especially rice.
The Cooperative Development Department expects to supply the products to the consumers at nominal rates through their marketing network.
Accordingly, vegetables, fruits, big onions, and red onions will be purchased from the farmers and supplied to the consumers at controlled prices via Marfed department stores, said the Commissioner of Cooperative Development A.P.G. Kithsiri.
A sales outlet to sell these products has been setup at the Economic Centre of Narahenpita and another sales outlet will be established at Ratmalana Economic Centre in near future, said the Commissioner.
No_Mess,
The MV Sun Sea is a LTTE owned ship, that was previously registered under a Thai name Harin Panich 19, that went missing from its berth at Songkhla, a Thai harbour city, in the spring, according to media reports. I have read that it had a Tamil name before that, and was used to ferry arms and other contraband to Sri Lanka.
As recently as last week, it was reported to be carrying 200 people, but now Canadian authorities report that it is carrying 490 people .. packed well beyond its limits!
Apparently, these people set sail from Tamil Nadu, and is carrying mostly LTTE cadre who fled from the Mullaitivu pocket near the end of the Eelam war in boats to India, to escape surrendering to the SLA.
A Canadian security expert says each of them paid $45,000 for the trip, earning at least $22.5 million for the LTTE.
I wonder how an average Sri Lankan Tamil can raise that kind of big money for the trip! Do they pay with gold and jewelry they ripped off from deposits in "Eelam banks" at the end of the war, or are these cash previously held by LTTE leaders in the Wanni, or are they monies raised from the Global Eelamist diaspora for this purpose?
Obviously, the situation is very complex, and the actors involved are many. Is the LTTE trying to assist its committed militant cadre to escape to a cushy life in Canada to help the Eelamist struggle in the future? Or, even more ominous, do they intend to use these people as witnesses of events the last days in the Mullaitivu pocket?
This "Exodus" style refugee ship arriving in Canada is good theater .. designed to elicit sympathy from Canadian citizens. However, this "humanitarian" ploy may backfire on the Canadian Eelamists. Canadians may be willing to sympathize as long as it is Sri Lanka's Ox that is being gored, but when the burden returns to Canada to roost .. it is an entirely different story. Now, it is the Canadian Ox that is going to be gored, not the Sri Lankan Ox.
These people are now flouting Canada's laws, and are costing Canada lots of tax-money at a time when most Canadians are hurting from an economic recession and many are jobless. Reportedly, so far each of the 490 refugees has cost the Canadian Govt $70,000 each for a total of approximately $35 million Canadian dollars. The refugees will have to be held in custody for years, prosecuted at public expense, and supported on the public dole for a decade beyond that, costing Canada untold millions more.
This is just the tip of the Eelamist refugee iceberg .. as two more ships, packed to the gunwales, is waiting to ship out to dear old Canada. All these LTTE cadres will help set the stage for the Canadian Eelam no doubt, posing as the descendants of Canada's original inhabitants, once they get around to rewriting Canada's history.
I hope this POLL on Support for the Naxalites reflects REALITY in India, and is not merely a flawed poll affected by reluctance to voice true opinions.
.............
'Majority in Naxal areas side with government'
August 14, 2010
NEW DELHI: While the government views Maoist violence as the single largest threat to internal security, a study focused on 36 Maoist-affected districts reveals that a majority of the population there side with the government.
A study done by the Centre for Study of Developing Societies in collaboration with news channel CNN-IBN reveals that while 49 percent of the population in the Maoist-affected areas side with the government, those supporting the Left-wing rebels are only five percent, while 34 percent are neutral.
The study covered 36 Maoist-affected districts in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal based on the list of districts identified by the Planning Commission.
Asked about their perception of security, while 50 percent respondents felt "very safe", 34 percent felt "somewhat unsafe" and only 10 percent felt "very unsafe".
On the issue of Maoists controlling these districts, 49 percent said that the government has full control of the area while a meagre two percent found Maoists to have control.
However, 10 percent respondents accepted being Maoist sympathisers while a majority of 37 percent accepted they had "mild" sympathy for the red rebels.
On the reason underlying Maoism, a majority 55 percent had no opinion while 32 percent blamed lack of development and 13 percent blamed inequality for it.
Halt trawling in Lanka waters, TN fishermen told
August 14, 2010
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan fishermen will hold meetings with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu from August 16 to press the latter to stop trawling in the Island waters as it could lead to marine life destruction.
“We are not against TN fishermen fishing in Sri Lankan waters in the traditional way, as we believe that the sea is common to all. But we are certainly against the wanton destruction of marine life by trawling which TN fishermen indulge in. Trawling scrapes the bottom of the sea and destroys all marine resources,” said Sinnaiah Thavaratnam, President of Federation of Jaffna District Sea Workers’ Associations. Nine fishermen from Jaffna, four from Mannar and two from Kilinochchi, will visit Pamban, Rameshwaram, Nagapattinam and Chennai for five days from August 16.
“If trawling is not stopped forthwith, there will be no fish in the northern Sri Lankan waters very soon. Trawling has destroyed all marine life in the waters off the south TN coast thus forcing them to poach Lanka waters. If the Lankan waters are to retain their marine life, and if north Lankan fishermen have to make a living, trawling by our Indian brethren will have to stop,” Thavaratnam told Express on Friday.
He pointed out that Lankan Tamil fishermen had not been able to fish freely for the last 20 years because of security restrictions and that it was only recently that they had been allowed to fish.
“But we are not able to resume our livelihood because of trawling by the TN fishermen. If this continues, very soon, we may not even be able to catch crabs here!”
Leaders of the TN fishermen who had come down to Colombo in 2004, had understood this and had requested the north Lankan fishermen to visit the state and explain their case to their colleagues there. But because of the war, the visit to Tamil Nadu could not take place.
Slicing and Dicing of India by race and caste continues; it is every community for itself in the race for Govt benefits!
As Blogger R.Krishnamurthy quips:
When dirty Politicians speak on casteless society, they also want census on caste basis.
............
Quota Bill: Why is Karuna mum, ask Vanniyars
August 13, 2010
CHENNAI: The Vanniyar community on Thursday charged the government with betraying the people of Tamil Nadu by “keeping quiet” about the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Amendment Bill, 2010.
The Bill, introduced in the Rajya Sabha on August 6, provides for giving additional time of three years to central and centrally-aided educational institutions to create infrastructure for implementing 27 per cent OBC quota.
On Thursday, the Vanniyar Federation said that the CM, being the constituent partner of the UPA government at the Centre, should have opposed the Bill.
‘‘No member of the DMK in the Rajya Sabha has spoken about it. Why has Karunanidhi failed to prevent this Bill which would have far-reaching impact on the welfare of backward classes,” federation chairman C N Ramamurthy said here.
He said the federation had written to President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, asking them to withdraw the Bill.
‘‘If the Bill which aims at stalling the implementation of the 27 per cent reservation is not withdrawn, the government would face protest from all quarters,’’ he added.
Sri Lanka Ambassador Describes Peace, Progress, Growing Prosperity in Sri Lanka
Thousands Turn Out for 'Sri Lanka Day Expo 2010'
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya served as "Chief Guest" at the recent "Sri Lanka Day Expo 2010" in Santa Monica, Calif., a festival that celebrates Sri Lankan culture, heritage and community.
During the Expo, Ambassador Wickramasuriya, told the gathering that Sri Lanka has entered into a new era of peace and prosperity, one unrivaled in the nation's modern history.
He expressed thanks to the Sri Lanka Foundation and its Founder and Chairman, Dr. Walter Jayasinge, and the Serandib Foundation as well as all other organizations.
Launched in 2006, the "Sri Lanka Day Expo", is spearheaded by the Sri Lanka Foundation. Today the Expo has grown to be one of the biggest events in the expatriate community calendar, allowing the Sri Lankan Diaspora to share their culture and heritage with the American public.
Dr. Jayasinge offered opening remarks at the Expo. Sri Lanka's recently-appointed Consul General to California, Mr. Jeff Goonewardena, also offered a welcome.
The Expo featured stalls of Sri Lankan food, handicrafts, clothing and travel information from Sri Lankan Airlines. Thousands of people attended the event, including a large number of non-Sri Lankans.
Ambassador Wickramasuriya remarked to Expo guests that the cultural show and Perahara -- the Buddhist Festival of the Tooth -- reminded him of Sri Lanka. The highlight of the Expo, he said, was the participation of the many different ethnic groups that make up the Sri Lankan community in the U.S., including Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims.
The Ambassador thanked the participants for supporting the link between the Sri Lankan Missions in the U.S. and the community. He also expressed gratitude for the community's willingness to support Sri Lanka's economic development.
The California visit continues a series of meetings that Ambassador Wickramasuriya has held with members of the Sri Lankan community throughout the United States following Sri Lanka's defeat of the LTTE terrorist group in May 2009.
Since then, the Sri Lankan government has engaged in a broad, worldwide reconciliation effort to bring together all members of the Sri Lankan community, including Tamils, Sinhalese, Muslims and many others.
Sri Lanka has also focused on the reconstruction of regions damaged by nearly 30 years of conflict with the LTTE, as well as economic development in other areas where growth is promising.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Washington DC
USA
Let us PRAY that North and South Korean Leaders will have the courage and the wisdom to REUNIFY KOREA, resisting all foreign agendas and opposition to reunification!
................
SKorea leader urges North to halt provocations
Hyung-Jin Kim
August 15, 2010
SEOUL: South Korea's president urged North Korea to abandon its military provocations and make a "courageous change" toward peace, using a speech Sunday marking the Korean peninsula's liberation from Japanese rule to outline a path for its eventual reunification.
President Lee Myung-bak made the offer even as relations between the two Koreas are at their lowest point in years following the March sinking of a South Korean warship, which Lee said Sunday was "unprovoked attack" by North Korea.
"The North must never venture to carry out another provocation, nor will we tolerate it if they do so again," Lee said.
Tensions on the divided peninsula deepened last week when North Korea fired a barrage of artillery into the sea, some of them into South Korean waters.
On the 65th anniversary of Korea's liberation at the end of World War II, President Lee Myung-bak called on North Korea to heed calls to improve ties with South Korea.
Lee also said that South Korea should prepare for unification with North Korea by studying measures including the adoption of a unification tax aimed at raising money for the costs of integration.
Dressed in Korean traditional costume, Lee spoke after officials unveiled the restored main gate at the former royal palace. The Gwanghwamun gate symbolizes Korea's turbulent modern history, as it was once torn down and rebuilt at a different site to make room for the Japanese governor's building during the colonial period before it was destroyed again during the 1950-53 Korean War and rebuilt in 1968.
Speaking before a crowd of people, Lee said North Korea must face reality and make a "courageous change."
To achieve that, he proposed a three-stage unification, in which the two Koreas first form a "peace community" involving denuclearization on the peninsula, then an "economic community" for cross-border economic integration and eventually a "community of the Korean nation" with no institutional barriers between them.
"Through this process, we can ultimately bring about the peaceful unification of Korea," Lee said.
His plans are aimed at upholding a 1994 unification scenario by Seoul that proposed the Koreas reconcile and form a federation before building a unified nation, according to Lee's office.
SKorea leader urges North to halt provocations
......continued.....
There was no immediate reaction from North Korea on Lee's proposal, though it's unlikely for the regime to accept it given deteriorating ties between the countries.
North Korea — which denies attacking the Cheonan — has recently vowed to expand its nuclear arsenal in protest.
On Japan, Lee said that Seoul and Tokyo should never forget history but work together to develop a new future.
Last week, Japan's prime minister offered a renewed apology for his country's past wrongdoing, saying that he "would like to express once again our deep remorse and sincerely apologize" for the suffering caused by the colonization. Naoto Kan's apology was issued ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Japanese annexation of the Korean peninsula that falls on Aug. 29.
"I have taken note of Japan's effort, which represents one step forward," Lee said of Kan's apology.
"However, there still remain issues that have to be resolved," he said. "The two countries are called upon to take concrete measures to forge a new relationship for another 100 years."
Many older Koreans still harbor strong resentment against Japan over the colonization. Hundreds of thousands of Koreans were forced to fight as front-line soldiers, work in slave-labor conditions or serve as prostitutes in brothels operated by the military.
Development Comes Slowly to Sri Lanka's Former War Zone
By Amantha Perera, Jaffna
Time.com
August 15, 2010
Jaffna is emerging a popular place to do business after security forces crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels last year
They are everywhere and more are coming: huge billboards advertising everything from formula to mobile phones dominate most vantage points in Sri Lanka's former war zone. Where artillery and shells shrieked overhead a little over 15 months back, there are now gigantic, smiling women holding tubes of skin-whitening cream. In Kilinochchi, the former political and administrative nerve center of the Tamil Tigers, a toppled water tank once symbolized the wanton destruction caused by war. The tank is now obscured by a billboard for Highland milk; the ad is a vision of the future, the tank a vision of the past.
After being cut off from the rest of the country for more than 25 years, commerce has arrived in this part of Sri Lanka. Business is booming, even on the swath of land known as the Vanni that was controlled by the Tigers until mid-2009. (Watch TIME's video about civilians affected by the war.)
Veramuththu Singamuththu, a displaced fisherman turned entrepreneur, is helping transform the landscape. A native of Kilinochchi, he fled his home village of Pulliyankulam, south of Kilinochchi, with his wife and three children in 2008. After a year on the run, they ended up in a camp for displaced civilians. They left in December 2009 with $220 from the government and aid agencies. Not long after, Highway A9, the link between Jaffna and the rest of the country, was reopened to civilian traffic.
The 58-year-old saw his chance for a better life in the buses full of visitors that were speeding on the highway. He used his cash grant to set up a tea shop on the side of the road. "The best decision I ever made in my life," he says. He makes $300 a month selling phone cards, tea, snacks and even meatballs to visitors from the south and government soldiers. His boat now sits empty. "I don't think I will go back to fishing," he says. "This is much better and easy work." He's not the only one whose luck has changed. "Before the opening of the A9, things brought from outside were just too expensive here," says Murugesu Rajagopal, a furniture dealer in Jaffna. "Now we can sell at affordable rates and there are no shortages."
Development Comes Slowly to Sri Lanka's Former War Zone
........continued....
The reopening of Highway A9 was a milestone for Singamuththu and, indeed, for the region as a whole. As thousands of tourists and civilians flooded north, entrepreneurs and companies like Dialog, the country's top cell-phone service provider, moved in. Within 90 days of the war ending, the phone company established a network in region. "Dialog's subscriber base and service utilization has witnessed substantial growth," says the company's chief executive Hans Wijayasuriya. Lion Brewery, the maker of Sri Lanka's most popular brew, has also benefited. "From a growth perspective, it has been tremendous," says chief executive Suresh K. Shah. All told, the demand for goods and services has jumped by double-digit margins since unrestricted road access was provided to Jaffna this year.
Still, not everybody is satisfied with the pace of change. The north remains economically marginalized, says Muttukrishna Sarvananthan of the Point Pedro Institute of Development. The mainstays of the northern economy before the conflict were agriculture and fishing. As the fighting raged, the region found itself left out of the rapid industrialization that was taking place elsewhere. The north's economic contribution is still modest; according to the Central Bank's provisional figures, the northern province's contribution to GDP increased only fractionally in 2010, from 3.2% to 3.3%. This tremor of change only feels like an earthquake, critics say, because this type of free-market trading seemed unimaginable during wartime, when supplies came by sea, if at all, and shortages, high prices and double taxation were common. (Read "Sri Lanka: Endless War.")
"I did not see much improvement in the situation of the civilians when I was there," says Suresh Premachandran, a parliamentarian from the Tamil National Alliance. Indeed, goods transported south are still searched by police and parts of the Vanni remain closed to the rest of the country. There are also complaints of extortion, artificial monopolies and kidnappings for ransom, Sarvananthan says. Despite the return of tens of thousands displaced by the fighting, the reconstruction of houses is only beginning and permanent jobs still remain elusive.
There are worries, too, that outsiders will siphon off the region's meager gains. A foreign bank generated deposits of $8 million within a few months of opening a branch in Jaffna, but failed to issue a single loan during the same period. A new project hopes to reverse that trend. MAS Intimates, a leading apparel manufacturer, is setting up a $3 million plant in Omanthai, on the southern edge of the Vanni. The plant will create 1,500 jobs with USAID providing a capital infusion of $600,000. The aid agency has plans to create 10,000 new jobs in the north through similar programs.
More projects like this could help channel the peace dividend to ordinary people and, in so doing, help the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa that faces the unenviable task of rebuilding the fractured country's economy. Singamuththu, for one, is cautiously optimistic they'll succeed. He's planning to repair a billboard that was recently swept away by a speeding tour bus — another sign, he hopes, of prosperous times ahead.
Over 95% of refugees coming to Canada are brought by human smuggling criminals; yet Canada is "Powerless" to halt it and yields to the blackmail of having such economic immigrants dumped upon it, while law-abiding immigration applicants languish in the queue!
The LESSON for Sri Lanka is: NEVER LET OTHERS IMPOSE NATIONAL POLICY ON THE NATION!
The big business of human smuggling
By TOM GODFREY, Toronto Sun
August 14, 2010
Each of the 490 Sri Lankans dumped on the B.C. coast by MV Sun Sea are worth up to $20,000 — a haul of almost $10 million — for smugglers or "snakeheads", a Liberal MP says.
"Snakeheads" routinely charge from $15,000 to $20,000 for the sea trip to Canada, said Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis, who is a member of an immigration standing committee.
"I am concerned about the women and the children," he said Saturday.
"The women can be forced to work in the sex trade to repay their passage," Karygiannis said.
There were 90 women and 45 children on the boat.
"In many cases their families here pay for the trip," he said, adding others work in harsh conditions for low pay to give to the smugglers.
"We know there are human smugglers preying on these people in refugee camps," said Manjula Selvarajah, of the Canadian Tamil Congress, adding living conditions on the ship were terrible.
"This is awful and we have taken a strong stand against human smuggling," she said.
More than 90 Toronto Tamils have called their office with the names of 150 relatives who may be on the ship.
The migrants, who are expected to file refugee claims, are now undergoing health and background security checks at CFB Esquimalt.
Officers are screening for Tamil Tiger terrorists who may be hiding among the refugees.
Toronto immigration lawyers estimate it'll cost about $22 million in legal fees for refugee hearings and appeals for the claimants.
About 91% of Sri Lankan refugees are accepted by immigration and refugee boards (IRB) to stay in Canada, Lawyer Richard Kurland said.
"Most of this group will end up living in Canada legally," he said.
"The majority are accepted by the IRB as legitimate refugees." Public Security Minister Vic Toews has said.
He added that the government "must ensure that our refugee system is not hijacked by criminals or terrorists."
Meanwhile, the office of the UN high commissioner for refugees in Ottawa is encouraging Canadian authorities to receive and provide assistance for the Tamils.
tom.godfrey@sunmedia.ca
Would the US have agreed to the following if instead of the LTTE and Prabhakaran, it was Al-Quaida and Osama bin Laden?
The civilians would be confined to specified No Fire Zones and LTTE leaders (25 to 50 of them) would be taken to another country to conduct talks with the Lankan government with Norwegian facilitation.
This scheme was to be underwritten by the US, the EU and Norway. According to KP, the US was ready to evacuate the LTTE leaders by sea in their naval vessels.
This underscores why Sri Lanka must ALWAYS RELY ON ITS OWN WISDOM and not on the self-serving advice of foreigners in these matters.
I say, declare Norwegians persona-non-grata in Sri Lanka!
.........
'I made several attempts to rescue Prabhakaran'
P K Balachandran
August 16, 2010
COLOMBO: LTTE’s ace arms smuggler Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP had made several attempts to rescue Tiger chieftain Velupillai Prabhakaran during the last bitter phase of Eelam War IV in 2009. But all of them failed.
KP, who is now under detention in Sri Lanka, told Daily Mirror that at first he lobbied hard to get the international community to save at least the innocent Tamil civilians who were caught in the fighting. The US had even offered to send ships to ferry the 280,000 Tamil civilians caught in the fighting to safety in Trincomalee.
But the plan to save the civilians was not accepted by Prabhakaran for understandable reasons, KP said.
“The LTTE leadership had no choice. If they released the people first, then only the Tigers would be left there. Thereafter, all of them could have been wiped out,” he said.
KP then tried for a ceasefire, which would save all, civilians and the LTTE leadership. The LTTE leadership was ready for it but it was too late, KP said.
He felt that if Prabhakaran had gone for a ceasefire and talks in 2008, when the fighting was taking place only in the Western Wanni region, the LTTE would have been a strong military position to talk with greater assurance and get an honourable peace. But when Prabhakaran sought a ceasefire in 2009, after Pooneryn, Paranthan, Elephant Pass and Kilinochchi had fallen to the Lankan forces, it was too late.
“From the government’s point of view, victory was in view, with outright victory in sight.It would have been stupid to go in for a ceasefire,” KP said.
'I made several attempts to rescue Prabhakaran'
.....continued...
Then in March 2009, KP again tried to get a ceasefire and save Prabhakaran. According to this plan, the LTTE was to “lock off” or confine its weapons in particular places and hand them over to the UN. The civilians would be confined to specified No Fire Zones and LTTE leaders (25 to 50 of them) would be taken to another country to conduct talks with the Lankan government with Norwegian facilitation.
This scheme was to be underwritten by the US, the EU and Norway. According to KP, the US was ready to evacuate the LTTE leaders by sea in their naval vessels.
But the plan did not take off for two reasons. Firstly, it was not concretised and officially communicated to the Lankan government for their response. And secondly, Prabhakaran spiked it by saying: “Ithai Ettrukkolla Mudiyaathu” (This cannot be accepted). KP blames the hardline LTTE leaders in Europe led by Nediyavan of Norway, for this decision.
KP’s next proposal was to send a ship-based helicopter to rescue Prabhakaran and his family. This was initiated at the instance of Prabhakaran’s eldest son Charles Anthony.
Charles Anthony, who was commanding LTTE troops at that time, wanted his father, mother Mathivathani, sister Thuwaraka and younger brother Balachandran to be rescued. He himself would stay put and fight.
Prabhakaran refused to accept this proposal as he too wanted to stay and fight. KP then suggested that a helicopter pick the LTTE leader from the battle zone and drop in a safe place behind the Lankan army lines in the Wanni jungle, from where he could carry on the fight. The rest of the family could be taken by a chopper and put in a ship waiting for them in international waters. But this plan too failed.
We Sri Lankans and Indians share a COMMON GOAL in our quest for ONE NATION, of ONE PEOPLE,with ONE DESTINY!
Jayawewa Sri Lanka!
Jai Hind!
................
Prime Minister's Independence Day address
August 15, 2010
NEW DELHI: The following is the text of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's address to the nation on India's 64th Independence Day:
"Dear citizens,
I greet you on the 63rd anniversary of our independence. When Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the Tricolour on this historic Red Fort, on 15th August, 1947, he called himself the first servant of India. I address you today in the same spirit of service.
A few days back, many precious lives were lost in Ladakh due to a cloudburst. I convey my heart felt condolences to the family members and other near and dear ones of those who have perished. In this hour of grief, the whole country stands with the people of Ladakh. It is my assurance that the Central Government will do everything possible for rehabilitation of the affected people.
When I addressed you last year on Independence Day, our country was facing a number of difficulties. There was a drought like situation in many parts of the country. We were also affected by the global economic slow down. I am happy to say that we have acquitted ourselves well in these difficult circumstances. Despite many problems, the rate of our economic growth has been better than most other countries in the world. This shows the strength of our economy.
This strength has been evident not only in the last one year but also in our economic progress in the last many years. Today, India stands among the fastest growing economies of the world. As the world's largest democracy, we have become an example for many other countries to emulate. Our citizens have the right to make their voice heard. Our country is viewed with respect all over the world. Our views command attention in international fora.
All of you have contributed to India's success. The hard work of our workers, our artisans, our farmers has brought our country to where it stands today. I specially salute our soldiers whose bravery ensures the safety of our borders. I pay tribute to all those martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for our country.
We are building a new India in which every citizen would have a stake, an India which would be prosperous and in which all citizens would be able to live a life of honour and dignity in an environment of peace and goodwill. An India in which all problems could be solved through democratic means. An India in which the basic rights of every citizen would be protected. In the last few years, we have taken many significant steps in this direction. Every person living in rural areas now has the assurance of 100 days of employment through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The Right to Information Act is helping our citizens to become more aware. This year our Government has enacted the Right to Education which will help every Indian to share in the benefits of the country's economic progress and also to contribute to it. To ensure equal partnership of women in our progress, we have taken initiative for reservation for women in Parliament and in State legislatures. Apart from this, reservation for women has been increased to 50 per cent in local bodies.
Despite our many strengths, we face some serious challenges. We should resolve today that we will meet these challenges as one people. Our society often gets divided in the name of religion, State, caste or language. We should resolve that we will not allow divisions in our society under any circumstance. Tolerance and generosity have been a part of our traditions. We should strengthen these traditions. As we progress economically our society should also become more sensitive. We should be modern and progressive in our outlook.
Indian Prime Minister's Independence Day address
....continued 1 ....
Our Government has laid special emphasis on the welfare of our farmers and on increasing agricultural production. After we came to power in 2004, we realized that the state of Indian agriculture in the preceding 7-8 years was not satisfactory. Our Government increased public investment in agriculture. We started new schemes for increasing production. We encouraged agricultural planning at the district level. I am happy that the growth rate of our agriculture has increased substantially in the last few years. But we are still far from achieving our goal. We need to work harder so that we can increase the agricultural growth rate to 4 percent per annum.
Our Government wants a food safety net in which no citizen of ours would go hungry. This requires enhanced agricultural production which is possible only by increasing productivity. Our country has not witnessed any big technological breakthrough in agriculture after the Green Revolution. We need technology which would address the needs of dry land agriculture. In addition, our agriculture should also be able to deal with new challenges like climate change, falling levels of ground water and deteriorating quality of soil. In the history of Indian agriculture, Norman Borlaug commands a special place. About 40 to 50 years back he developed new and more productive seeds of wheat. Under the leadership of Smt. Indira Gandhiji, India achieved the Green Revolution by adopting these seeds. I am happy to announce that the Borlaug Institute of South Asia is being established in India. This institute would facilitate availability of new and improved seeds and new technology to the farmers of India and other countries of South Asia.
We have always taken care to provide remunerative prices to farmers so that they are encouraged to increase production. Support prices have been increased every year in the last six years. The support price for wheat was enhanced to Rs.1,100 per quintal last year from Rs.630 per quintal in 2003-04. In paddy, this increase was from Rs.550 per quintal to Rs.1,000 per quintal. But one effect of providing higher prices to farmers is that food prices in the open market also increase.
I know that in the last few months high inflation has caused you difficulties. It is the poor who are the worst affected by rising prices, especially when the prices of commodities of every day use like foodgrains, pulses, vegetables increase. It is for this reason that we have endeavored to minimize the burden of increased prices on the poor. Today, I do not want to go into the detailed reasons for high inflation. But, I would certainly like to say that we are making every possible effort to tackle this problem. I am also confident that we will succeed in these efforts.
It is obvious that any person or institution cannot spend more than his income over a long period of time, even if it is the Government. It is our responsibility that we manage our economy with prudence so that our development is not affected adversely in the future because of high debt. We import about 80 percent of our requirement of petroleum products. After 2004, we have increased the prices of petroleum products much less compared to the increase in the price of crude oil in the international market. The subsidy on petroleum products has been increasing every year. It had become necessary therefore to increase the prices of petroleum products. If this had not been done, it would not have been possible for our budget to bear the burden of subsidy and our programmes for education, health and employment of the poor would have been adversely affected.
Indian Prime Minister's Independence Day address
....continued 2 ....
In the 63 years after independence, India has covered a long distance on the path of development. But our destination is still far away. A large part of our population still suffers from persistent poverty, hunger and disease. When our Government came to power in 2004, we resolved to build a new India under a progressive social agenda. We wanted the fruits of development to reach the common man. We initiated programmes especially targeted to the welfare of the socially and economically backward sections of our society. We still stand committed to the welfare of the poor, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, minorities, women and other backward sections of our society. But today we do not need many new programmes to achieve our goals. However, we do need to implement the schemes we have already started more effectively, minimizing the chances of corruption and misuse of public money. We want to achieve this in partnership with the State Governments, Panchayat Raj Institutions and civil society groups.
Secularism is one of the pillars of our democracy. It has been the tradition of our country and society to treat all religions with equal respect. For centuries India has welcomed new religions and all have flourished here. Secularism is also our constitutional obligation. Our Government is committed to maintain communal peace and harmony. We also consider it our duty to protect the minorities and provide for their special needs. This is why we have started many new programmes in the last four years for the welfare of our brothers and sisters belonging to the minority communities. These include scholarships for minority students and special programmes for the development of districts which have a high concentration of minorities. These schemes have shown good results. We will vigorously take this work forward.
We have been giving special attention to education and health in the last six years. Improvement in these two areas is an important component of our strategy for inclusive growth. It is also necessary for higher economic growth in the years to come. After independence, these two areas could not get the importance they deserved. We tried to change this state of affairs in the 11th Plan. Today, almost every child in our country has access to primary education. Now, we need to pay more attention to secondary and higher education. We also need to improve the quality of education at all levels. It is our endeavour that every child, irrespective of whether he is rich or poor and which section of the society he belongs to, should be given an education that enables him to realize his potential and makes him a responsible citizen of our country. We will continue to implement the new schemes that we have started in the last six years in the areas of education and health with sincerity and hard work and in partnership with the State Governments. We will soon bring a Bill to Parliament for constitution of two separate councils in higher education and health respectively so that reforms in these two areas can be accelerated.
Nutritious food and good health services are necessary but not enough for ensuring good health of our citizens. We also need cleanliness and good sanitation in our villages, towns and cities. There are many diseases which would be difficult to prevent otherwise. The truth is that our country lags behind in this area. I consider it a primary responsibility of all our citizens to maintain cleanliness and hygiene around them. I would like our children to be taught the importance of cleanliness and hygiene in schools from the very beginning under a campaign for a Clean India. I appeal to the State Governments, Panchayat Raj Institutions, civil society groups and common citizens to make this campaign successful.
Indian Prime Minister's Independence Day address
....continued 3 ....
Mahatma Gandhi had said that our earth has enough for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed. Imprudent use of the earth's natural resources has resulted in the problem of climate change. We need to use our natural resources with care and prudence. It is our responsibility towards the coming generations to protect and preserve our forests, rivers and mountains. Our government will endeavour to take care of environmental concerns in our projects for economic development.
There is a large deficit in our physical infrastructure which affects our economic development adversely. There is a shortfall in the supply of electricity to industries. Our roads, ports and airports are not of world standards. We have been trying to increase electricity production and improve our roads, ports and airports. The resources required to create good physical infrastructure are difficult for the Government alone to mobilize. Therefore, we have endeavoured to involve the private sector in our efforts. The steps that we have taken after 2004 to improve our physical infrastructure have started bearing fruit now. About one and half a months back, I dedicated a new terminal of the Delhi airport to the nation. This is an excellent terminal which has been completed in record time. We will continue to make such efforts to improve our physical infrastructure.
There has been much discussion recently on the issue of internal security. If law and order in any part of India deteriorates or peace and harmony gets disturbed, the common man is adversely affected. Therefore, it is one of the primary responsibilities of any government to maintain law and order so that the citizens can live and earn their livelihood in an atmosphere of peace and harmony. Naxalism is a serious challenge to our internal security. I pay tribute to the men and officers of our security forces who have became martyrs in the attacks by naxalites in the last few months. I have stated this before and I say it again - our Government will fully discharge its responsibility to protect each and every citizen of our country. We will deal firmly with those who resort to violence. We will provide all possible help to State Governments to maintain the rule of law in areas affected by naxalism. I once again appeal to naxalites to abjure violence, come for talks with the Government and join hands with us to accelerate social and economic development. A few days back I took a meeting with the Chief Ministers of States affected by naxalism. We will fully implement the consensus that emerged in that meeting. I would like to repeat here a point that I made in that meeting. It is imperative that Centre and States work together to meet the challenge of naxalism. It would be very difficult for any State to tackle this problem without cooperation from the Centre and coordination between States. We all need to rise above our personal and political interests to meet this challenge.
As I have stated earlier, most naxalite affected areas lag behind in development. Many such areas also have a large concentration of our adivasi brothers and sisters. We want to end the neglect of these areas. I have asked the Planning Commission to formulate a comprehensive scheme towards this end, which we would implement fully. It is also our endeavour that our adivasi brothers and sisters join the mainstream of development. They have been dependent on forest produce for centuries and this dependence should not end without the creation of new sources of livelihood. Apart from adequate compensation for land which is acquired from them, we should also ensure that our adivasi brothers and sisters have a stake in the developmental project being undertaken.
Indian Prime Minister's Independence Day address
....continued 4 ....
I would like to state one more thing in this context. It is very necessary to make the administrative machinery more sensitive in areas affected by naxalism. The government officials who work there should not only be sincere but should also be alive to the special needs of our adivasi brothers and sisters. It is my hope that the State Governments will pay adequate attention to these requirements.
We have a special responsibility towards the States of the North East. We are trying to live up to that responsibility. The North Eastern part of our country has been witness to some unpleasant incidents in the recent months. I would like to convey to all political parties and groups of the North East that disputes in the name of State or tribe can only harm all of us. Discussion and dialogue are the only options to resolve complex issues. As far as the Central Government is concerned, we are ready to take forward every process of talks which could lead to progress in resolution of problems.
In Jammu and Kashmir, we are ready to talk to every person or group which abjures violence. Kashmir is an integral part of India. Within this framework, we are ready to move forward in any talks which would increase the partnership of the common man in governance and also enhance their welfare. Recently, some young men have lost their lives in violence in Jammu and Kashmir. We deeply regret this. The years of violence should now end. Such violence would not benefit anyone. I believe that India's democracy has the generosity and flexibility to be able to address the concerns of any area or group in the country. I recently participated in a meeting with political parties from Jammu and Kashmir. We will endeavour to take this process forward. I would like to convey to our countrymen, especially our citizens in Jammu and Kashmir and in the North East, that they should adopt democratic means to join hands with us for their and country's welfare.
We want prosperity, peace and harmony in our neighbouring countries. Whatever differences we have with our neighbouring countries, we want to resolve them through discussions. As far as Pakistan is concerned, we expect from them that they would not let their territory be used for acts of terrorism against India. We have been emphasizing this in all our discussions with the Pakistan Government. If this is not done, we cannot progress far in our dialogue with Pakistan.
I would also like to say something which is related to our glorious cultural traditions. The use of harsh and unpleasant words in our political discourse has increased in recent days. This is against our traditions of generosity, humility and tolerance. Criticism has a place of its own in a democracy and in a progressive society. However, criticism should not be undignified. We should have the capacity to reconcile opposite points of view on important issues through debate and discussion. I would request all political parties to consider this issue.
The Commonwealth Games will start in Delhi after about one and a half months. This will be a proud moment for the whole country and especially for Delhi. I am convinced that all our countrymen will treat the Games as a national festival and will leave no stone unturned to make them a success. The successful organization of Commonwealth Games would be another signal to the world that India is rapidly marching ahead with confidence.
Our future is bright. The day when our dreams will come true is not far off. Let us all resolve on this anniversary of our independence that we will keep the flag of our nation flying high. Let us march ahead together on the path of progress and prosperity.
Dear children, please say Jai Hind with me. JAI HIND, JAI HIND, JAI HIND."
With tears in eyes, he recalls Nehru's speech
Rahul Vaishnavi and Amit Kumar
August 15, 2010
NEW DELHI: He still gets tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat remembering the day when India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, made the historic "tryst with destiny" speech on the midnight of Aug 14, 1947.
Ninety-two-year-old Bal Krishna Khurana was among the fortunate few who witnessed the historic moment unfold right before his eyes as the clock struck 12 that night. The glorious words are still etched in his memory.
"I still remember, I was in parliament on the midnight of Aug 14. There was a huge gathering in the hall and we were jostling for space," said Khurana, who migrated from Pakistan in 1943 at the age of 25.
"When Pandit Nehru uttered the words 'long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny...' there was not a single person in the hall who didn't have tears in his eyes," he added.
At that time, Khurana was 28 years old and was working in a post office in central Delhi.
He cannot forget the clamour to hear Nehru.
"We just couldn't believe our ears as we were sceptical of the British and weren't sure if they would keep their promise, but at the same time we were desperate to be free," said the man, who has four children and 11 grandchildren.
"Nehru's excitement and enthusiasm had to be seen to be believed. It was enough to inspire a whole nation," said Khurana, who lives in Geeta Colony in east Delhi.
He recalled the excitement and feeling of exhilaration. "The mood in the atmosphere was that of freedom and determination to craft a splendid future for our motherland and ourselves with our own hands," he stated.
"Those were the days when we believed that we can do it," he added.
But he feels disappointed with the current state of affairs.
"No one is enthusiastic about this day any more. The importance of the day is totally lost on them. Be it common people or politicians," he said.
"Independence Day just means hoisting the flag and delivering a speech. Where is the passion and emotion in their words?" he asked.
"I know the price that we have paid for our independence. People laid down their lives for this great nation. We waited for so many years for Aug 15 to happen and the corrupt politicians today are literally making a mockery of our freedom fighters," he added.
With tears in his eyes, he sings the national anthem and dedicates it to all the freedom fighters.
"I only have this much to offer to them as a tribute. Jai Hind."
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