tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85206151420465817112024-02-20T18:00:06.755-08:00Sri Lankan Americans For Barack ObamaSri Lankan Americans For Obamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910054526868470853noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-33177961722494558282011-04-20T06:34:00.001-07:002011-04-20T06:34:43.399-07:00cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-44044715510823502011-04-20T06:31:00.001-07:002011-04-20T06:31:33.062-07:00cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-64093323203579413892011-04-20T05:57:00.000-07:002011-04-20T06:41:45.913-07:00Secretary General of the UN and his Reccommendations re; Sri LankaAccording to the Charter of the UN ,Chapter XV ,article 98 and 99 , your powers are well enumerated; The SG may bring to the attenetion of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintainence of international peace and security.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />You are also entitled to have any advisor or advisors you choose to appoint to advise you on any matter you deem fit. However the reccommendations of those advisors are for you to make your next move,and that is to call upon the Security Council of the UN to deliberate on those matters.However you are not entitled to harrass soverign nations on any matter that is brought to your attention.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We the Sri-Lankan Americans kindly call upon you to seize and desist.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thank you, With warm regards,<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Dr. C. Kumarlal Fernando. Chairmancfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-80870863916747028042011-04-06T15:14:00.000-07:002011-04-06T17:00:57.015-07:00Commemorating 2600 years of Buddhism.The 2600th anniversay of the Lord Buddha's attainment of enlightment falls on the full moon day of May, 2011 .Although the annual celebration of Vesak, the most sacrted day in the Buddhist calendar commemarating the three-fold coincidence of the birth, attainment of enlightment and the passing away of Gauthama Buddha falls on this day,this year it is uniquly signifcant as it is also the 2600th year of his enlightment.In this era where the world is confronted with many conflicts and natural and man-made calamities , the Buddhist Doctrine of non-violence ,understanding,compassion and peace holds hope for humanity. The United Nations, by General Assembly Resolution 54/115 of 2000 , officially recognized the International Day of Vesak .This day is commemorated annually at the UN Headquaters and its worldwide offices ,the unique feature being that each year a different Permanant Mission to the UN hosts the event,complete with religious and cultural events,with the cooperation of other Member States. This year, the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York is honored to host the commemorative events for Day of Enlightment and the Day of Vesak. On 16th May 2011,the commemoration commences at 7.30 a.m. with an offering of Alms to 150 Buddhist monks from all over the world at the Dag Hammarskjold Park, opposite to the UN headquarters.A session of the UN General Assembly will then be convened at the UN General Assembly on the significance of the event ,followed by an interfaith dialogue.Dignitaries invited include, the Secretary General,The President of the General Assembly and all the Permanent Representatives of Member States.Buddhist Scholars and Monks of various nationalities are expected to attend ,as well as religious leaders of other world religions. From May 21st to May 27th Traditional Buddhist arts and artefacts from various countries will be on display at the Lobby to the UN General Aeeembly. On 21st May 2011,a Buddhist Procession depicting tradional and Buddhist dances will take place from 57th to 47th street along 2nd Avenue and end at the Dag Hammerarskjold Park,which will be followed by a tradional food festival. All are invited to participate in all these events.For further information please contact the Permanent Mission to The UN, in New York and the Buddhist Temple in Queens ,NY.cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-87407849791865730822010-01-21T17:46:00.000-08:002010-02-05T04:55:19.185-08:00We Support the President!<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We have decided to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa to be President of Sri Lanka for the next six years.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> We believe it is in the best interest of Sri Lanka, and the World at large, that he be elected again for the following reasons:</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> 1. He defeated a ruthless enemy after 30 years of war,and without his focus and vision this should not have been possible.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> 2. As a Sri Lankan national, the President has the support of the majority Singhalese, and hence he and he alone and bring about a resolution to the on going Tamil problem. We believe the President has the support of the people of Sri Lanka to bring about implementing the 13th Amendment, thereby making peace with the Tamils of Sri Lanka and above all the Indian Government, whom he has promised to get this amendment finalized.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> 3. We strongly commend the President for standing against all the foreign powers who would have negotiated with the Tamil Tigers, even when the Tigers were on the verge of defeat. That we believe was bravery of the highest order, and we all salute him for his independent stance against the foreign Western Powers.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> 4. We strongly believe for the advancement of Sri Lanka, all the actions of the Government should be transparent and accountable. We strongly urge the Government of Sri Lanka to take all actions for swift punishment against those involved in the assassination of journalists, and allow journalist access to all government matters.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> 5. We also implore on the President to make sure the Sri Lankan Government adequately screens foreign NGO's prior to be given permission for entry, and that their activities are closely monitored.</span></p>cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-55414601627149899972009-12-19T12:31:00.000-08:002009-12-19T12:34:52.140-08:00Repairing US - Sri Lankan Relations: A review of the SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Arial; color: #931621"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b>REPAIRING SL-US RELATIONS</b></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman; color: #888888"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">December 10, 2009 </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 18.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold; ">THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 18.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">-</span><span style="font: 9.0px Times New Roman; letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b>By Dayan Jayatilleka</b></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">As a citizen of Sri Lankaand a political scientist by vocation, hardly a day passes when I do not envy the American people for the high intelligence of their political leadership and policy elites, the capacity for self-correction ensured by the functioning of their democratic political institutions, and the transparent, accountable, democratic and participatory character of their civic culture. (I didn’t feel this way during the Bush years of course).</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">One of the most superbly impressive of these institutions is the US Senate’s powerful Committee on Foreign Relations. That body has just issued a report dated Dec 7</span><span style="font: 8.7px Times New Roman; letter-spacing: 0.0px"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">, 2009, entitled <i>Sri Lanka: Re-charting US Strategy after the War</i>.<i> </i> Bearing the signatures of two of the most respected and influential USSenators, John Kerry and Richard Lugar, Democrat and Republican, it is an admirable combination of Realism and principle, balancing US interests with US values. Its sheer analytical intelligence and lucidity of perspective and presentation are in stark and welcome contrast with the preachy platitudes that pass for political and policy debate in Sri Lanka be it in the institutions or the public domain. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The Report shows that Sri Lankahas made its point. We didn’t blink, and fought the war to a victorious finish, using our friends to balance off the efforts of the West to secure a truce. Our balance of power strategy and countervailing efforts succeeded. The USunderestimated us, miscalculated. However – and this is crucial – the US has the “smarts” to strive to re-set the relationship, given its strategic interests. It also lets Sri Lanka know what its views, opinions and parameters are. The Report educates the USsystem and public opinion what reorientation is needed in US policy so as to best sub-serve US interests. In that sense it is an antidote to the anti-Sri Lankan propaganda of the pro-Tamil Eelam lobby. As importantly, it also seeks to educate the Sri Lankan political elite and opinion makers as to the deal that is on the table.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">As someone who played a direct role in defeating a Western attempt to push through a UN resolution inimical to Sri Lanka, I’d strongly suggest we take the deal that is on the table, barring one matter that should be off limits. That is Sri Lanka’s relationship with China. Now it must be stressed that the US Senate Report does not even hint that Sri Lanka should cut back on that relationship, but it signals quite rightly that the USshould not let its own interests go by default and should enter the ring. That’s fine. Given that the Report itself indicates that China’s power of veto forestalled a possible Western move to push a truce through the UN Security Council, none can fault us for recognizing the grand strategic value – perhaps even primacy—of that relationship, on which we cannot and must not compromise, <i>though we must carefully balance our relations with China and India as Madam Bandaranaike and Lakshman Kadirgamar did</i>. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">While our relationship with the US cannot be at the expense of our relationship with China, our relationship with China and India cannot be at the expense of each other, and our identification with the rest of the Global south must not be the price we pay for our relationship with the USA, the US Senate Report does not indicate any such zero sum games. Our relationship with the US can dramatically improve at virtually no cost to Sri Lanka, in a multiple sum game.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Our wartime foreign policy was an essentialist one, necessarily balancing off the East against the West and the North against the South. That is no longer necessary. It does not mean that we must dump our friends, shift our tested relationships or unmoor our existential identifications. It does mean that we have to re-balance; re-calibrate our relations, repairing the damage in our relationships with the USA, thereby plugging the gap in our external relations. This would enable us to have a multi-directional (multi-vector) foreign policy, suitable to an increasingly multi-polar global reality.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">A powerful, respected segment in Washington DC is ready to reach out to Colombo. Their checklist of concerns (though the word “demand” appears once) is transparent and to my mind possible and positive; unexceptionable and desirable. No international friend of Sri Lanka that I can think of would suggest that we ignore or cold-shoulder it. As I have pointed out before, we have stretched our friends to the point of embarrassment with our confrontationist rhetoric in relation to the Obama administration and there’s not much more mileage to be obtained by staying that course at a time when the equations these friends (China,Russia, India) have with the US under Obama have significantly improved.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Indeed the Report provides a kind of roadmap for domestic reform and re-democratization that a consortium of concerned Sri Lankan citizens should have come up with, but has not so far. The states that supported us when the chips were down have all been urging these reforms on us in private. Thus we may say that the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Report would command a broader international consensus on Sri Lankathan Sri Lanka’s own self –perception, claims and rhetoric. Our failure to win a majority of the Commonwealth over to our effort to host the heads of state summit in 2011 and its postponement to 2013 points to our position and predicament.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The Senate report recognizes some vital historical facts: <i>“President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared total victory after government soldiers killed the Tamil Tigers’ leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, and took control of the entire country for the first time since 1983...It was a bitter and hard-fought victory, </i><b><i>one of the few instances in modern history in which a terrorist group had been defeated militarily</i></b><i>.” </i>(My emphasis- DJ)</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">It correctly identifies, far better than any election propaganda, the challenges, tasks and programme for post war post –election Sri Lanka:<i>“The war in Sri Lankamay be over, but the underlying conflict still simmers. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Sri Lankais not a post-conflict environment. While the fighting between the Government and the LTTE may have ended, the reasons for the political and social conflict (that also gave rise to youth militancy and armed clash in the 1970s and 1980s) will take time to address. Those root causes must be tackled soon and with a sense of urgency to prevent the country from backsliding”</i>.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Tamil leaders and opinion makers should take note of the clear criticism contained in the Report, which indicates a course correction that should be made by the Tamil polity: <i>“Thirty years of violence have taken a toll on the majority Sinhalese population, giving rise to a siege mentality toward the ethnic Tamil minority. </i><b><i>For their part, Tamil leaders have not yet made anticipated conciliatory gestures that might ease government concerns and foster a genuine dialogue</i></b><i>”.</i> (My emphasis- DJ)</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The Report also has some fascinating snippets-- such as Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s suggestion to the US to “keep up the pressure”. It also contains some discreet signals. While the name of the present Foreign Minister does not appear even once in what is after all a Report of the Senate <i>Foreign Relations</i> Committee, one name crops up at least three times, in a clear indication as to who has presented the Sri Lankan case most successfully to the US: Justice Minister Milinda Moragoda. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, serif; font-size: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">Author's Profile</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times New Roman"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, serif; font-size: 17px; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Name <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 36.0px; text-indent: -36.0px; font: 12.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Description<br /></b>Dr Dayan Jayatilleka was Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations at Geneva, Chairman of the Governing body of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Vice President of the Human Rights Council (HRC), Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration, Coordinator of an agenda item of the Conference on Disarmament (CD), was facilitator to negotiate for the Asian Region at the Durban Review Conference and coordinator of the Asian Group of the UNCTAD and the UN HRC. He was Minister of Planning & Youth Affairs in the North-East Provincial Council in Sri Lanka, and is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He obtained a First Class Honors degree in Political Science from the University of Peradeniya, winning the CL Wickremesinghe Prize for best results, an MPhil from the University of Colombo and a PhD from Griffith University, Brisbane. His most recent book is titled Fidel’s Ethics of Violence: The Moral Dimension of the Political Thought of Fidel Castro published by Pluto Press (London) and the University of Michigan Press (Ann Arbor). It was reviewed in the January 09 issue of Chatham House’s International Affairs by Prof Clive Foss of Georgetown’s History Dept, and earlier by the LSE’s Professor Emeritus Sebastian Balfour in the Bulletin of Latin American Research. Dr Jayatilleka’s essay on Che Guevara entitled ‘Che’s Visage on the Shroud of Time’, was featured in Granma, the official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, in its edition of Nov 12/13 2007.</span></p>cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-59729184272398404142009-11-01T14:00:00.000-08:002011-01-03T17:41:51.440-08:00PPSRI Board Makes Progress on Rehabilitation Centers in Sri Lanka<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:12px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:12px;">Positive progress has been made towards the vision of two (2) rehabilitation facilities as Physical/Psycho-Social Rehabilitation Institutes (PPSRI): an Inpatient institute in the Northern Province with 20 beds, and an Outpatient Institute in the Southern Province.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">At their Summer meeting, the Physical/Phycho-Social Rehabilitation Institute (PPSRI) Board of Directors decided that the site of the PPSRI facilites should be at a location in the Northern Province as designated by the Government of Sri Lanka.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">In addition, the Board has decided to build an outpatient center in the Southern Province in an area designated by the Government of Sri Lanka.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The Board plans to build these Institutes and fully furnish them, including start-up supplies. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Once completed, it is the Board’s intent to hand these over to the Sri Lankan Government to serve the people of Sri Lanka. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">“We are only waiting for the land to be designated by the Sri Lankan Government.” said Dr. C. Kumarlal Fernando, President of the PPSRI Board.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The Board also decided to retain “Give2Asia” as the 501.c.3 organization for these projects. Give2Asia will continue to collect all funds and work with the PPSRI Board to build the hospital. Donations will also be available on-line with Pay-Pal. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The Board also decided, for the purposes of transparency, that all expenses incurred by the Board President and other members of the Board towards the hospital project will be purely from their private funds and not from PPSRI funds. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Dr. Fernando and Dr. Menezes have agreed to bear expenses from their own private funds for all administrative expenses and secretarial work.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The PPSRI Board is made up of eighteen (18) prominent members of the Sri Lankan-American community from all across America, including: President Dr. C. Kumarlal Fernando, CEO of Island Rehabilitation Center of Marco Island, Florida; Vice President Dr. Ralph Menezes, MD, former Medical Director of Forest Hospital, Chicago, Illinois; Dr. Jiva Ganepola, MD, Professor of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY; Dr. Samuel Tambyraja, MD, Consultant Child Psychiatrist, Cincinnati, OH; Dr. Jayasiri Fernando, MD, Consultant Radiologist, Effingham, IL; Brian Thambi, Managing Director, Pharmaceuticals, Chicago, IL; Manel Samarashinghe, Montessori Instructor, Wilton, CT; Hihal Goonerwardene, President, International Science & Technology Institiute Potomac, MD; Priyan Guneratne, Chief Operating Officer, TF Stor Inc., Denver, CO; Diva Sandrasagra, Princeton, NJ; Mahinda Ranawake, Commissioner, International Visitors Commission, Springfield, IL; Dr. Ahmed Rahm Mowjood, D.O., Consult Physician, Aneheim, CA; Thalif Deen, Editor-in-Chief, IPS UN Journal, New York, NY; Indrajith Obeysekera, Esq., Consul to Kaiser Permanante, San Francisco, CA; Dr. Ananda Guruge, PhD, Former Ambassador for Sri Lanka to the USA, CA; Saliya Abeysekera, Chief Executive Officer, Aqua Regal Inc., Sarasota, FL.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p>cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-40218155211659800722009-10-14T17:22:00.000-07:002009-10-14T17:25:12.707-07:00News: "Tamil Doctors Say Only 600 Killed"From BBC News, site: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(70, 70, 70); font-size: 10px; ">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8297568.stm</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;font-size:85%;color:#464646;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px;"><br /></span></span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(70, 70, 70); font-size: 10px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; "><span class="lu" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); ">Page last updated at </span>16:05 GMT, Thursday, 8 October 2009 17:05 UK</span><table class="storycontent" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px; width: 786px; "><tbody style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px; "><tr style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px; "><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px; "><div class="mxb" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px; "><h1 style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 2.4em; font-weight: bolder; ">Sri Lanka medics allowed to work</h1></div></td></tr><tr style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px; "><td class="storybody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 1.3em; float: left; width: 466px; display: block; line-height: 1.4em; vertical-align: top; "><div class="mvb" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><table cellspacing="0" width="466" border="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><tbody style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><tr style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><td valign="bottom" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><div class="mvb" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><span class="byl" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 1.4em; ">By Swaminathan Natarajan </span><br /><span class="byd" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.4em; ">BBC Tamil</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif" width="466" height="1" alt="" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "></p><table border="0" cellspacing="0" align="right" width="226" cellpadding="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><tbody style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><tr style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46029000/jpg/_46029244_007619717-1.jpg" width="226" height="170" alt="Doctors appear before the media " border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 13px; " /><div class="cap" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 13px; ">The doctors hope they will be discharged from remaining cases</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="first" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><b>Four Tamil doctors have been allowed back to work after being detained and accused by Sri Lanka's government of exaggerating civilian casualties.</b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">The doctors treated Tamil civilians throughout the final phase of Sri Lanka's bitter war against Tamil Tiger rebels earlier this year.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">After the government declared victory, the doctors were arrested. They later recanted their claims, saying they came under pressure from the rebels.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">They were released on bail recently.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">Three doctors have now been posted to the northern and eastern provinces. Another one has been allowed to pursue higher studies in Colombo.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">A fifth doctor, Dr Sivabalan, who the government claimed was working for the rebels, was also detained. He has not been released.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; "><b>Contested claims</b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">The doctors still face charges of talking to the media and aiding rebel propaganda.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">But one of the medics, Dr Satyamoorthi, told the BBC Tamil service of his relief at being appointed as a health director for the northern province.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">"We are very happy to join back," he said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">"We have to appear in the court on 9 November. Apart from that we have to go and sign in at the Criminal Investigation Department's office every month.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">"I hope in due course we may be discharged from these cases," he said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">Regularly during the war some of the doctors said people had died in shelling which appeared to come from government-controlled territory.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">When recanting their statement Dr V Shanmugarajah said that he and his colleagues believed a total of 600-700 civilians had been killed, and nearly twice that injured, between the start of January and the end of the war.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">But United Nations figures for those killed are roughly 10 times higher, while on 12 May the Red Cross said it had evacuated nearly 14,000 sick or wounded people and their relatives since mid-February.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">The Sri Lankan government barred journalists from entering the war zone so there has been no way of verifying the various claims.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; ">Most international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were also asked to leave the area before the final assault began.</p><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></div></div></div>cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-51772495121518638862009-10-12T18:07:00.000-07:002009-10-13T12:50:40.331-07:00ENGAGING THE SRI LANKAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica">On Friday, October 9th, 2009, a meeting was held by Assistant Secretary of State, Robert O. Blake, Jr., with a group of Sri Lankan Americans at the State Department in Washington, D.C., USA.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Assistant Secretary Blake welcomed the Sri Lankan-Americans to the State Department and expressed the desire to discuss matters of mutual interest to SriLanka and the USA. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Mr. Blake said he wished to discuss three subjects: IDP’s, Political Reconciliation and Human Rights.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Regarding IDP’s, Mr. Blake was quite adamant that the US Government insists that the people in the camps should be allowed freedom of movement, and that the US Government would continue to support that effort if the Sri Lankan Government does not act in good faith.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br />Many members of the Sri Lankan-American delegation implored the Secretary to understand that the Sri Lankan Government is trying its best to resettle the IDP’s in safe surroundings after de-mining has taken place, and after the Tamil Tiger elements are separated from the rest of the Sri Lankan community within the camps.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Dr. C. Kumarlal Fernando, Chairman of the “Sri Lankan-Americans for Obama.com” network, compared the current IDP situation to the Hurricane Katrina refugees. The Katrina disaster occurred nearly 4 years ago and still nearly half the displaced persons have not yet been resettled. This is in-spite of the fact that the US is a wealthier nation, and did not have the difficulties of an internal war as in Sri Lanka. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Dr. Fernando went on to say that the government of Sri Lanka has pledged to resettle all IDP’s by the 18th of January, and called upon the US Government to allow Sri Lanka to meet that schedule.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">It was apparent that the US government seems not to trust the word of those in power in Sri Lanka and it is important we all help in the process of bridge-building to bring the to two sides closer.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Responding to the matter of Political Reconciliation, Mr. Blake spoke of his views that the Sri Lankan Government seems to delay the process of implementing the 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Dr. Fernando pointed out that Sri Lanka is the oldest democratic country in Asia. Certainly the US Government should support this democracy, and not attempt to mico-manage another country. Dr. Fernando referred to the fact that Sri Lankan President Rajapakse has pledged that he will devolve power to the Provinces after the elections next year. Dr. Fernando urged Mr. Blake to communicate a willingness to wait until after the elections to make judgement on this issue.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Regarding human rights, Mr. Blake implied that there has been limits to freedom, liberty of movement, and profiling against the Tamils. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Attendees, Dr. Hemachandra and Dr. Nihal Goonertane, both spoke up to Mr. Blake in saying any perceived attention towards the Tamil is due to the war with the LTTE terrorists, nothing more. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Dr. Hemachandra and Goonertane, voiced comparisons of Mr. Blake’s perspective of the “profiling” of Tamils to the US Government’s “profiling” of Muslims due to the US’s current “war on terror.” They pointed out that the majority of Tamils live with the other communities in the rest of the country other than Eastern and Northern Provinces.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Mr. Blake reminded those present that the US government has provided $56 million in humanitarian assistance and another $6.6 million in de-mining assistance in 2009. He went on to say that if the US sees that the Government of Sri Lanka moves rapidly with resettling the IDP’s and hastens the process of reconciliation, the US Government would be more helpful to the people of Sri Lanka. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Dr. Goonertane added that we should avoid Sri Lanka moving towards the Chavez-Ghaddaffii group and try to maintain their friendly relations with Sri Lanka.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Regarding Human Rights, Mr. Blake went on to say that the Government of Sri Lanka must seek to improve human rights and accountability. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Mr. Blake recommended that the Sri Lankan-Americans present should seek opportunities to channel their resources and expertise toward supporting national reconciliation and the reconstruction of Sri Lanka. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Dr. Fernnado appealed to the Sri Lankan-Americans present to unite and form institutions and foundations such as “think-tanks” and others to help Sri Lanka.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Everyone present thanked Mr. Blake and his efforts with the help of the US government to continue friendly relations for the benefit of both countries. Mr. Blake concluded by saying that he would like to continue the dialogue with the Sri Lankan-Americans and urged the participants present to continue to share their feedback.</span></p>cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-15526619114919804772009-09-17T13:32:00.000-07:002009-09-17T13:33:32.775-07:00<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The Honorable Ban Ki-moon</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Secretary-General</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">United Nations</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">3 United Nations Plaza</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">New York, NY 10017</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Dear Secretary-General Ki-moon,</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">As Chairman of the “Sri Lankan Americans for President Obama,” and as a United States citizen, I am writing this letter to you to express our feelings regarding Sri Lanka.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">As Secretary General of the United Nations, I am sure you are quite aware of the Charter of the UN, and specifically Article 2, Paragraph 7 which states:</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>”Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the UN to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state……”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We US Citizens who are also members of this group cannot understand why you are interfering in Sri Lanka’s internal matters in regards to the internally displaced persons within Sri Lanka.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">May I point you many other situations that would deserve your attention, that the UN has legal right to be involved with, and that are greatly impinging on the free world and causing harm to all peoples on this earth such as: North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Tibet, Georgia, the Maoist problem in India and Kasmir, to name a few.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We implore you, Mr. Secretary General, to abide by the the letter of the Law - namely the UN Charter - and not to appear to please your paymasters.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Please grant us an interview to meet with you at your earliest convenience.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Sincerely,</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Dr. C. K. Fernando</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">President </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">PPSR Institute</span></p>cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-73934956094375081222009-08-30T15:10:00.000-07:002009-08-30T15:11:52.673-07:00Sri Lanka government to resettle 50,000 IDPs soon<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; "><a name="topofthepage"><table align="center" border="0" width="850" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#ffffff" valign="top" background="http://www.colombopage.com/imgs/cp_bk3.png"><p><span class="newsbody" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; color: rgb(15, 15, 15); font-size: 12px; "><span class="headB" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; ">Sri Lanka government to resettle 50,000 IDPs soon</span><br /><span class="cpndesk2" style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(102, 0, 68); font-size: 10px; ">Thu, Aug 27, 2009, 10:00 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.</span></span></p><p align="justify">Aug 27, Colombo: Sri Lankan government is making arrangements to resettle at least another 50,000 Internally Displaced persons now housed in relief camps at Vavuniya, in the next two weeks, the government announced today.</p><p>According to the Vavuniya Government Agent Mrs. P.S.M. Charles arrangements are being made through the relevant GAs to resettle these IDPs in their original homes in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.</p><p>The government is expediting the process to resettle the IDPs before the arrival of the monsoon rains as flooding in the camps is a major concern.</p><p>Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda assured the parliament last week that measures have been taken to reduce or prevent the flooding in the camps.</p><p>The numbers resettled could be even higher as more facilities are made available for resettlement by the government and other agencies carrying out this work, the Vavuniya GA said.</p><p>Senior Presidential Advisor and parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa who heads the President's Uthuru Waanthaya development program in the North said the goal is to return all the IDPs in the camps to their original homes within the projected 180-day period.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></span>cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-49672732821309228562009-08-30T14:13:00.000-07:002009-08-30T14:14:51.981-07:00INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDP'S); SRI-LANKA compared to New Orleans, USA<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> There are nearly 300,000 IDP'S in SRI LANKA. The cause, I am sure, we all know. But let me remind us all that the reason was the war with the LTTE (The Terrorist Group) that was beaten after 28 years of destruction.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> Why 300,000 people? Well the facts are these: When the LTTE terrorists were withdrawing their fighters they not only took themselves, but at gunpoint took men, women and children with them as Human Shields. Now the point to be made is these people had no food, homes, sanitation, medical care etc, etc. While the Terrorists were fighting the Government forces these people were left on their own to fend for themselves. So the Sri Lankan government had to feed all these people taken forcibly by the LTTE. Not only that in addition to food, the Sri Lanka government has to sent them medicine, fuel, and other necessities for life. But unfortunately most of the food and other supplies were taken by the Terrorists. So here was a war fought by two sides and from one side the government has to feed both sides!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> The World Food Program was responsible for this. What a WAR! </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> I have not heard one word from the Human Rights Groups about the IDP's when the war was was been going on. Now again the Human Rights Groups and some US bureaucrats are shouting that the IDPS should be resettled sooner that the government of Sri Lanka is taking too long.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> Lets look at some facts in the US: Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans 4 years ago and caused total havoc, displacing many millions of people. What has happened since then in New Orleans? According to Amy Liu of the Brookings Institute and Nigel Holmes (as published in the NYTimes of August 28, 2009) there were 198,232 Households receiving mail before Katrina, and today only 152,904 households are receiving mail. Before Katrina the Labour Force was 638,912, and today only 534,451. There were 129 Pubic Schools before Katrina, and today only 86. Daily transit riders were 71,543, and today only 31,007. In Orleans Parish alone there are 62,557 abandoned houses today out of 213,066 total houses. This tells the difficulty resettling people back into their own hoses after a natural catastrophe. If the worlds most powerful country take all that time, then surely Srilanka is doing a remarkable job resettling ite people after such a terrible war. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 16.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Lucida Grande"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> Please give Sri Lanka time and resources and sure they will do a better job than the US is doing in New Orleans.</span></p>cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-11285228095058007392009-07-17T07:36:00.001-07:002009-07-17T07:37:14.667-07:00Letter to Senator Patrick LeahySenator Patrick Leahy<br />433 Russell Senate Office Building<br /> United States Senate<br />Washington, DC 20510<br /> <br /> Re: IMF Loan<br /> <br />Dear Senator Leahy,<br /><br />We are very disappointed that you, Senator Leahy are acting in a very undemocratic manner to stop the IMF loan to Sri Lanka. It is very sad a man of your stature acting like a tin-pot dictator in the light of all the facts on the ground.<br /><br />As you are aware Sri Lanka totally annihilated a Terrorist Group in Sri Lanka, without hardly any collateral damage to its own people, compared to our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan where we the Americans have killed literally hundreds of thousands of civilians in the name of fighting terrorists in other peoples land. Now Mr. Leahy, where are the inquires and structures against our own army and the government? Are we asking for an inquiry for war crimes against the US government!<br /> <br />Now, let me ask you what is your rationale for asking an inquiry against Sri Lanka? Obviously you are not aware over 5 billion of the free world voted for Sri Lanka against half a billion people from the old colonial counties against Sri Lanka for the same purpose and how come we joined the old colonial network.<br /><br />Please stop this nonsense and work with the Sri Lankan government to usher a prosperous and united Sri Lanka.<br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Sincerely,<br /> Dr. C. Kumarlal Fernando<br /> President, Srilankanamericansforobama.comcfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-72250993398287225772009-06-16T07:44:00.000-07:002009-06-16T08:10:44.225-07:00LEE MATHEW: INNER CITY PRESS: NORWAYMr. Mathew,<br /><br />Everything you said about Sri Lanka is wrong; in fact they were blatant lies. I understand you are a highly paid (it is alleged) by the LTTE left over’s who still control a large sum of money. The money the LTTE controls is illegal and it is time the INTERPOL went after them. I have never heard one word you uttered that has been correct about Sri Lanka. Why don’t you give-up your day-job and find some useful employment!<br /><br />You are still harping on the detainees and internment camps and genocide. Don’t you understand that nearly 5 billion people voted for Sri Lanka at the UN HRC meeting in Geneva and only half a billion voted for your buddies-the colonial powers- who have no standing in the world anymore. My friend this is DEMOCRACY AT WORK!<br /><br />I am a US citizen born in Sri Lanka and lived in Ceylon until I was 23 years old. Let me remind you some local home truths. In Sri Lanka everybody uses barbed wire around the perimeter of their home. I remember vividly my dad had people working on our fence with concrete posts around the house with barbed wire inside the posts to keep outsiders coming to our home. The front of the house was protected by a wooden picket fence with two large gates for cars to drive through. This was generally the rule. So Mr. Mathew it is not to keep us in the house, but to protect us from outsiders. You in the West do not seem to get it! You think of BARBED WIRE and the CONCENTRATION CAMPS you guys started in South Africa and later in Germany. CONCENTRATION CAMPS are not the hallmark of EASTERN SOCIETY.<br /><br />As for Norway been worried about the Internally Displaced persons-let me tell them there is<br />nothing to worry about them. They are citizens of that country and they will be resettled soon the moment the de-mining is complete. The Norwegians are shedding crocodile tears. They are the main cause of the problem. They helped the Tiger Terrorists so much-including training them in military warfare and given them all types of arms and ammunition. In fact, Norway with a few other countries should be tried in the International War Tribunal for aiding and abetting a fanatical terrorist group.<br /><br />I am wondering why Mr. Matthew, the UN or Norway worry about the displaced persons in the SWAT Valley. Nearly 80% of 2.5 million people are refugees due to the fighting. Is it ok when the West fight the locals, and them to be displaced, I do not understand the logic. Common guys lets be real!cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-62303495877196768942009-06-08T06:49:00.000-07:002009-06-08T06:50:28.671-07:00TAMIL DOCTORS IN TERRORIST CAMPThree Tamil doctors who were in the terrorist held areas were informing the world regarding the final days of the war. Now there are two groups clamoring for their release.<br /><br />The first group is the medical group – “Doctors” without borders. The Second group is the Human Rights Groups who have no credibility either in Sri Lanka or anywhere else.<br /><br />Now let’s look at the facts, if these three doctors were working for the Sri Lanka Government and yet talking to the world on their own, then they are in a lot of trouble. On the other hand if they were coerced by the terrorists to say all the stuff they said they said then it is another story.<br /><br />Sri Lanka is a sovereign state and everything they have said so far has been correct and even the UNHRC gave then a huge victory.<br /><br />So let the Sri Lanka Judicial Process take its course and if it is found out that the doctors were coerced then they will be released according to the law in Sri Lanka.<br /><br />WE SAY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF SRILANKA DO NOT ALLOW THE TWO HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP, AI AND HRW EVER TO ENTER SRILANKA.cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-12710795079511812742009-06-04T07:28:00.000-07:002009-06-04T07:32:06.349-07:00A Tamil Talks* The views expressed in this article are those of the author<br />May 24, 2009<br /><br /><br />Hi Friends,<br />I write this with a lot of sadness, relief and hope, form what has happened in the past few months. As a Tamil, (and proud to be one) I deeply feel that together, we can build the burnt bridges and pave a path to peace, happiness, equality and prosperity for us and for the future generations to come.<br /><br />We cannot forget what happened for the past three decades, however we need to put aside our emotions, despair and remember those lives, which were lost in bloody war in the name of “equality”. We (Tamils) have to now reconcile and win the trust of the nation. For decades, we have been secretive, unpredictable and uncompromising. Sure enough, we were discriminated in the past, deprived of our equal rights and treated unfairly. Now we have to give the nation a chance to prove that, it is not the case.<br /><br />We have to let go of the past and not react to our feelings in an irrational and selfish way. We talk about the 1953 era, of the riots and how the Tamils were discriminated and treated badly. In 1953, the whole world was a different place and had a different attitude. In America blacks could not go in to a restaurant or a supermarket or attend a white school, the aborigines in Australia did not have any rights. Now America has a black president, and the Aborigines have equal rights; we Tamils now have to give it a chance for change to happen in our motherland. We are hanging on to views and ideologies, which formed thirty years ago, which are not appropriate anymore. I think that, in the past 20 years we have created a doubt in the minds of the Sinhalese and the nation, making them wonder weather every other Tamil is a Tamil Tiger or not.<br /><br />Prior, to 1988, before I left to Australia, I remember after a rugby game at Longden Place and a few (in my context) drinks at the club, going home in the early hours of the morning, my only fear was whether I will be stopped and breathalyzed and charged for DUI – Driving Under Influence. In the later years in my many trips to SL, the fear was whether I would be subject to harassment because of my Tamil name. Why do you think it is so? Is it not because of the war, the suicide bombings? All of this distrust of Tamils started after the war began. So, did we not create this for ourselves? This is not only happening to the Tamils, in fact If you send money to the US or visit the US bearing an Arabic name, you are scrutinized vigorously, which began after “9/11”. The Arabic world calls it “discrimination”. <br /><br />In 1983, the news of the death of 13 soldiers sparked an organized riot, and over 2000 Tamils lost their lives and over 100,000 Tamils were displaced. The nation soon realized that it should not have let it happen, and the wider community shared the same sentiment. In 1996 a raid on a Military camp in Mullaitivu by the Tigers, 1,500 soldiers were killed, yet there was no repeat of 1983, or for that matter since 1983 several thousands soldiers have lost their lives and we did not see a repeat of 1983. <br /><br />We talk about “Genocide”, which is a very powerful and compelling word. No doubt, that many women and children have lost20their lives, but one has to remember in every war, innocent people loose their lives. There is blame on both the armed forces and the Tigers. Let’s not be the judge of that, let the appropriate organizations investigate and report the findings. <br />The Tamil Diaspora and number of organizations are having protest marches and their websites are relentlessly publishing calls for the IC to intervene about the mistreatment and harassment of the civilians. However much we are angry and anxious, we must have patients and let the government, UN and the other aid organization to embark on the huge task ahead of them to relocate, resettle and reconcile the civilian casualties. <br /><br />We have been having protest marches for decades around the world. Has one head of state or a member of a parliament took a flight and gone to Sri Lanka and discussed the problem with the authorities? I do not think so. The IC will mention our plea in their speeches, or talk about it when the next election comes around. <br /><br />Does the IC know the differences between Jayasinghe and Jayasingham? It is up to us reconcile and rebuild friendships. What has happened in the past has happened; we cannot turn back the clock. The truth of what happened in the battle zones will only surface, if the victims have no fear in revealing the truth. From this point, onwards it is up t o us to make sure that this is possible. <br />We should regain the trust and the sympathy of the grater community. <br /><br />We Tamils started this war his was never an option. For thirty years, we have fought a bloody war with no results. Are we going to continue this for another thirty years? No. We, have lost too much, the nation has lost too much. It is time to take a step back and think sensibly putting aside our emotions and pride. <br /><br />The Tamil Diaspora and community leaders, spokespersons and organisations are calling for the Tamil community to “re-group and realise our leaders dream”, after three decades of war, is it not the time now to wake up from that dream? They say now that the Tigers are defeated that we will be systematically eradicated, as there is no one to protect us. We should stop speculating of what the future holds for the Tamils in Sri Lanka and need to get these myths out of our heads and win the trust of the nation we should responsibly publish and circulate articles and news items, or even refrain from doing so until the displaced civilians are settled. Now we need to concentrate and work closely with those who are in SL to help the refugees. <br /><br />In the past few days there are reports that, during the celebrations following the governments’ victory over the Tigers many Tamil businesses were forced to give money towards the celebrations, and this news is from “Reliable sources”. This may be true may not be true, however when we hear such news we need to think rationally and responsibly before we spread it around, Sometimes, in times of sadness, desperation and anxiety the, truth is often exaggerated and taken out of context. We all remember, back in SL at a big match we generally have a “hat collection” to pay for our celebrations. This has been a culture. Every Christmas, New-year, Vesak or during Veil Festival, the garbage collectors, the posties etc go house-to-house collecting money for celebrations. It is not an unusually thing to happen. The people who have not experience this should not be alarmed and portrait such incidents as “discrimination and harassment”. <br /><br />I ask those who receive this mail, to support me in achieving a united and equal Sri Lanka for all who were born there. One day I wish to return to the country of my birth and live as an equal citizen in peace and harmony.<br /><br />How can you help? Tamils should reach out to the Sinhalese and speak about the grievance you have, and ask them to help you achieve security and equality. My Sinhalese friends should reach out to a Tamil and unconditionally trust them and help them achieve security and equality. <br /><br />We, Tamils have to realize that this is the only nation that Sinhalese is spoken, and we should respect that, win their trust and respect in return.<br /><br />Cheers !!! <br /><br />Mohan.cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-91302243472322450932009-06-04T06:46:00.000-07:002009-06-04T07:01:08.244-07:00UN Officials- The UN and UNHRC; MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE UNI am a world citizen who is a political junkie; I sometimes do not seem to get it! Could someone try to explain to me how officials who are paid by us, seem to go against the votes passed by the member nations of the World Bodies.<br /><br />Yesterday Ms. Marie Heuze, spokeswoman for the UN in Geneva said “What happened in the Human Rights Council last week is more than troubling.” She was referring to the votes that Sri Lanka was given by the members, and the EU resolution was completely voted down by the UNHRC by a huge majority. If you count the number of people represented by these countries-it was 5 billion votes for Sri Lanka and 1/2 billion votes against Sri Lanka. What is so troubling for Ms. Heuze? It’s time that these folks who do not understand how DEMOCRACY WORKS should be KICKED OUT of these WORLDS BODIES! TIME WE THE SILENT MAJORITY SPOKE UP!cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-71089518400708236892009-06-04T06:26:00.000-07:002009-06-04T06:29:07.378-07:00Don’t pull the draw bridge up*The views expressed in this article are those of the author.<br /><br />There is euphoria in the island and none can deny the relief felt by any peace loving Sri Lankan to know the military conflict is over. Whether he is cultivating in Kakirawa or marketing in Wellawatta the opportunity has dawned for everyone to begin a new and safer journey. Who does not want peace? Who wants to live in fear and get so used to it that it becomes a regular routine to hear of yet another bomb blast. Or for a mother to be frightened to death when sending a son to school not knowing which institution would be targeted next. The Northern story is no different. What would little kids feel when they hear the scream of fast jets tearing the sky? Wouldn’t it bring back stories, or worst still, terrifying recollections ingrained in hard disc memory of death falling from above? Would they forget easily monstrous helicopter gunships loitering menacingly searching for enemies that are difficult to define?<br /><br />That has been our lot and we all have paid the price. The ones abroad too, irrespective of what race they belonged to. Everyone suffered from this war and the ravage of their homeland. It is an empty statement to say that only those who live in Sri Lanka have a right to talk. It is another meaningless morsel to add “if they love this land so much, they should come here.” Yes, such sentiments are good for evening TV times and baseless conversation.<br /><br />Scott’s immortal “breathes there a man with soul so dead” did not imply that someone abroad cannot retain the love of his motherland. The Diaspora may buy their chicken at Tesco’s and lunch on Caesar salads but the sambola, parippu and ala theldaala feelings will always be there same as the idely, waade and masala thosai tastes that will not leave the pallet with a hundred sips of Shiraz or a thousand bites of Kentucky fried. <br /><br />That is us, Sri Lankans, Sinhalese, Tamils, Burgers and Muslims, home rooted or diasporic, always having a little place in their heart linked umbilical to a tiny island that has been the home of all races. As for Sinhalese and Tamils, we came on Monday, they came on Wednesday, that was more than 2000 years ago, let’s not forget that. <br /><br />So what do we have now? The LTTE war machine is defeated. An army of separatists that the CIA rated as the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world has been vanquished totally for the entire world to witness in awe, erasing forever our “kavun kanna yodaya” label. The long drawn battle had lasted almost three decades and many a nameless fallen had fought valiantly and have selflessly sacrificed life, leaving behind loved ones to lament so that we could have our homeland back. That is the totality, wasted lives from both sides for blatant mistakes by men who had the power to decide. It does not matter today who supported whom, the war is over and the draw bridge must be down and hands must extend in newly acquired friendships built on trust, maybe slow at start, but trust it must be, if we are to change the festering dissection. What wisdom is there in denying the defeated an honourable way to search for peace and reconciliation?<br /><br />The people in the camps, that’s tragic and nobody denies the harrowing experiences of the displaced. Yet, we must be careful not to mix the issue with other connotations of minority rights. The situation in the camps fell upon the administrators and 300,000 people came as an exodus seeking shelter and they had to be accepted, accommodated and cared for. Questions of security had to be addressed in the midst of mostly biased international scrutiny. If the occupants of camps are not in universally accepted living conditions that should be positively addressed and not racially demarcated. During tsunami times I personally saw effected people languishing in makeshift shelters for months in putrid conditions and suffer the worst. They were Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils. It wasn’t easy to handle tsunami displaced people and even today if one were to visit Moratuwa, right next to the Lunawa Railway station there are so many tsunami victims still living in squalid conditions and waiting for a new home to move into. They are mostly Sinhalese, all suffering with impotent anger for five long years since the tsunami.<br /><br />Let us totally accept that the plight of the IDP is sad, but it is not racial, just circumstantial. This is the time we need everyone to take the blinkers off and look across ethnic barriers. Steps are being taken to care for the displaced and steps must be expedited to stem the tide of disaffection. No one in his right mind would deny the need of resettlement so long as the enormity of the task at hand is given due consideration. <br /><br />I know that 84 years old grand dame of journalism, Aunty Anne is coming with a walking stick to write about racial amity. I also know Sohan and Sunil gathered thirty artists, the best in the land to record a song “Sri Lanka we are one” and arranged to give proceeds to help the children of the injured and the displaced. Thousands are rising to the call and it is not a call of a government or a race, but a Sri Lankan call of people who love this land and who prayed and pleaded for peace and has risen from the mire of war to add their smidgen for racial harmony.<br /><br />Let us not allow die hard racists from either side, local or settled abroad, to raise the draw bridge. The big picture is so beautiful, we of the older generation have seen it and you of the younger minds need to know what it is to live in peace. A Sinhala man to go to Keeramalai and bathe and drink Thal ra or a Tamil counterpart to visit Bundala Bird Park and taste meekiri with kithul pani in Hambantota and not be asked to produce an id card.<br /><br />More than eighty thousand deaths have been counted in this conflict that began with an agenda to divide the land which unfortunately has now resulted successfully in dividing the people. This is the moment for the leadership to set the tone and the “common us” to add our mite to tilt the scale in favour of peace and harmony. <br /><br />As individuals, be it a Sinhalese or a Tamil, let us not raise the draw bridge to isolate ourselves and callously wallow in racism. The war is over, we are one people, we have all suffered and it is time to find ways to live together in peace.<br /><br />“Sri Lanka we are one” that is what they are singing now, let us clap hands and stamp feet and join in the chorus.<br /><br />Capt Elmo Jayawardenacfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-12055933797688403792009-06-02T07:56:00.001-07:002009-06-02T07:56:17.607-07:00I think it’s high time the so-called guardians of democracy and human rights are told by the democratically elected governments of the Latin America, African and Asian countries that they are not needed in those countries.<br /><br />I am an American Citizen who has lived in UK and the USA for the last 50 years, I have never seen these two groups, Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch ever talking of the violations that happened in those countries, ruled by the colonial powers, or the violations by UK during the Suez canal take over by Nazer, or during the Vietnam War, the Korean War,the Nicaraguan war ,or the Falklands war. Not a word by these twins of deceit and lies and hypocrisy.<br /><br />Just listen to the famous Harvard Professor of Law Dr. Alan Dershowitz;”Now we must ask who is watching the Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s best financed and most influential human rights organizations? It turns out that they cook the book about facts, cheat on interviews, and put-out pre-determined conclusions that are driven more by their ideology than by evidence. These are serious accusations and they are demonstratably true.”<br /><br />I agree 100% with the good Harvard Professor. All those countries that are non-aligned and democratic should ban these two groups ever entering their countries. They have their own agenda! WATCH OUT!cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-83992634911620598182009-06-02T07:55:00.001-07:002009-06-02T07:55:34.839-07:00Human Rights Commmission - AmnestyIt was pretty apparent that the free world has spoken and given Sri Lanka a clean bill of health. The free world spoke and the majority spoke for Sri Lanka. But the Colonial Powers, about 17 of them do not seem to get it! The bellicose cries of Genocide, Internment Camps, Concentration camps, and blood baths were the words used by the Colonial Powers and their Cronies the Human Rights Watch and the Amnesty International.cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-85760867128776391412009-06-02T07:53:00.000-07:002009-06-02T07:54:51.961-07:00HIROSHIMA/NAGASAKI SURRENDERSo you see Mr. President, people who are with the Sri Lankan government in spite of the Southern States of India is home to 70,000,000, million Tamils. The Indian government and both major Indian political parties are against dibbing Sri Lanka. It’s a well known secret many in the West wish they could blakanise India, and see; the dividing of Sri Lanka is the beginning of the process.<br /><br />Mr. President here are old countries with great civilizations and the great religions of the world began in the East. So people are aware what is going on. The EU is completely ballistic. They do not understand Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation, equal among equals. So please Mr. President tell some of your friends to stop bullying Sri Lanka.<br /><br />Before I complete my remarks a few home-truths. In The SAARC region consisting of 7 countries and in spite of this 30 year war, Sri Lanka has the highest standard of living. It has the highest literacy rate, nearly close to us in the US, and very high life expectancy. Sri Lanka is the only country that looked after its terrorists and their HUMAN SHIELDS- in every respect-food, water education and health, they were only not provided with guns and bullets. And yet those disrepute NGO’s like the HHRW, IA to name a few are very upset a democratic country beat its own terrorists after 30 years.<br /><br />Please Mr. President I ask you to invite a few of us to meet with you to discuss the Problem in Sri Lanka and find COMMON GROUND.<br /><br />Thank you.<br /><br />Dr C.K. Fernando<br />Chairman Sri Lankan Americans for Obama.comcfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-58634201411206892032009-05-27T07:14:00.000-07:002009-05-27T07:15:10.534-07:00UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONObviously this Commission has no important work to do. I wonder why a group of EU countries, with Mauritius and another Latin American country is so keen to discuss Sri Lanka, when she last week beat a formidable army belonging to the Tiger Terrorist group which has being terrorizing Sri Lankan civilians for nearly 27 years.<br /><br />The EU countries for all these years did nothing to help Sri Lanka a democratically elected government. We wonder whether there are other motives bigger than Sri Lanka itself. Could it be that these EU countries are trying their best to balkanize India by the way of Sri Lanka. Divide Sri Lanka first and the breakaway Tamil Nadu to form a HOMELAND for the Tamil people. Is this the thinking in the EU capitals?<br /><br />If EU is sincere in its efforts regarding war crimes and other violations of Human Rights they should call for a meeting to discuss the violations in IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN and PAKISTAN. The NATO countries are killing millions in these countries and yet this is to save the planet!<br />What utter hypocrisy!cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-26975041952575254952009-05-19T06:26:00.000-07:002009-05-19T06:27:13.954-07:00HOLLOW VICTORY IF WE DO NOT UNITEWe thank the President of Sri Lanka and its armed forces for this quick and efficient way the civilian hostages were rescued. This might be a lesson for the large western powers including the US, to learn from these folks how they minimized collateral damage in the war zone.<br /><br />In war this is not new. One can go back to the second half of the seventeenth century, when the international community tried to limit the suffering of civilians and ‘Human Shields”. In recent history, human shields were used by a Unionist commander in the American civil war. Similar practices were carried on by the British during the South African Boer War, by the French in the Franco-Prussian war and both the Germans and British in World War I and II In the very recent times, cases were reported in the Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf War, The Nato campaign in the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Russia-Chechyna conflict, the second Gulf-War, and the Palestinian conflict. Today we hear the same thing happening in Afghan-Pakistan border war, Swat valley, where human shields are used by the Taliban, and the NATO forces are killing many civilians in spite of smart bombs and smart missiles! In Sri Lanka many thousands of civilians were used by the Tiger Terror outfit, and Sri Lankan army very carefully and efficiently taking well over two months to clear 5 square miles of land killed mostly all the terrorists and few hundred civilians, in spite of all the care.<br /><br />We hear that the EU is trying to pass a resolution condemning Sri Lanka for the way they eliminated the Tiger Terrorists. We do not understand these EU leaders -when they go an attack other countries with impunity, and kill thousands literally the world over, it seems the rest of the world has to take it lying down. But when a democratically elected government like Sri Lanka handles its internal matters, then the western world is up in arms. Nobody gives a hoot for your bellicose warnings.<br /><br />I might suggest to the leaders of SAARC, to pass a resolution in their group condemning the actions of the EU and praising how Sri Lanka with tenacity and grit against all pressures went against them and at last beat the terrorists in their homeland.<br />We in the US and especially the Obama administration should learn from Sri Lanka and go forward fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Let me remind the Obama administration that Sri Lanka fought a bigger threat alone and without US and EU money and arms and beat the most RUTHLESS GROUP in the world.<br /><br />Finally let me remind the Sri Lankan government it is time now for them to go forward and begin implementing the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, working hard to reunite the displaced people, after clearing the land mines and booby traps left behind by the Tigers and above all ,as said by the President of Sri Lanka to hold parliamentary elections as soon as the conditions warrant, so these folks who have been denied a voice by the ruthless Tigers now can begin the process of reintegration and nation building with the rest of this great country we all call paradise.<br /><br />Thank You.<br />Dr C.K.Fernando<br />Chairman- Sri Lankan Americans for Obama. Comcfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-33360396809904456842009-05-15T06:31:00.000-07:002009-05-15T07:14:51.187-07:00Tiger Pirates and TerroristsWhile the Western governments are fighting the Somalian pirates-who have been trained by the Tiger Terrorists-the Sri Lankan Government had to single handedly fight the Tiger Pirates for the last ten years. The Tigers have pirated many foreign vessels and looted their contents and at last we see the Jordanian Ship FARAH 111, which was captured by the Tigers in December 2006, and brought to the shores where the Tigers held sway. At last the ship was rescued yesterday by the Sri Lankan forces from the terrorists who were using this ship as an operational center.<br /><br />In a few more days we hope this terror will be soon over and a new day will dawn in Sri Lanka, where we hope and pray all civilians of all ethnic groups will live in peace and harmony.<br /><br />-Dr C.K.Fernando<br />Chairman Sri Lanka American for Obama.com.cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8520615142046581711.post-26922901998967319552009-05-08T05:08:00.000-07:002009-05-08T05:09:22.208-07:00CFA abrogation unmasks LTTE-TULF leader* The views expressed in this article are those of the author.<br /><br />By: Sunil<br /><br />The Tamil United Liberation Front leader Veerasingam Anandasangaree welcoming the decision to abrogate the Ceasefire Agreement said that the agreement only helped the LTTE to expand its terrorist activities and to blindfold the international community.<br /><br />Anandasangaree commenting on the abrogation of the CFA said that the CFA should have been scrapped when the LTTE went beyond its limits. "The CFA was introduced to streamline the peace process.<br /><br />Not only Sri Lankans even the international community expected the CFA to work effectively. But the LTTE had committed the bulk of the CFA violations. The CFA allowed the organisation to carry out the political activities in the cleared areas. But instead of concentrating on political matters, the outfit was planning its war strategies within the cleared areas to launch its attacks against the Security Forces," Sangaree said.<br /><br />Adding to the CFA violations, he said that the Norwegian facilitators had failed to nip the bud of the LTTE's CFA violations. "The Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) was bullied, insulted and intimidated in the areas it functioned. Hence, the Scandinavians were in a helpless situation in implementing the CFA.<br /><br />"I believe the CFA collapsed within a year of its introduction. The agreement was a farce and lost its credibility soon after the peace talks came to a standstill in April 2006 in Geneva," Sangaree said.<br /><br />"While abrogating the CFA the Government should explore new avenues in re-launching the peace process.<br /><br />However, the ultimate solution to the Tamil crisis could only be brought about through political means and not by military means. Therefore, I consider the abrogation of the CFA is nothing but unmasking the LTTE," the TULF leader said.cfernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01225423280531139336noreply@blogger.com