Friday, December 26, 2008

Mulliyawalai LTTE terror bastion under-siege: terrorists sustain heavy damages- Mullaittivu

59 Division troops have entered the Mulliawalai township along the A-34 Oddusudan- Mullaittivu main road claiming soaring LTTE casualties after hours of heavy fighting that broke-out between troops and LTTE in the tactically important battle terrain since last evening (Dec 25).

According to latest reports received from the battlefield, 16 Sri Lanka Light Infantry (16SLLI) regiment troops are now engaged in a fierce gun battle with LTTE in the area, today(Dec 26). Troops had to come across difficult ground where mobility was seriously limited, area military sources said. Terrorists have constructed long stretches of earth bunds, which were successfully negotiated by the advancing infantry battalions, the sources added. Full Text

Special mass to celebrate Christmas -Jaffna

Laying aside the bitter experiences of the arm conflicts over two decades, the Christian population in Jaffna peninsula celebrated the ascendant of most reverential Christmas since the midnight on 24th December till the dawn of next day.

A special Mass had been conducted by the Jaffna Arch Bishop Rev. Father Thomas Ravundranayagam at the St. Mary's Cathedral - Jaffna. The Rev. Fathers of the Cathedral and over 2500 devotees participated in this special event. The troops in the Jaffna peninsula also extended their fullest co-operation for this event providing the necessary security measures, and shifting the Curfew hours completely under the guidance of Jaffna Security Forces Commander Maj. Gen. GA Chandrasiri. Full Text

'Fall of the last LTTE bastion in sight ', says New Delhi paper

(By: Walter Jayawardhana)

In its leader editorial entitled , 'The Fall of LTTE's Last Bastion in sight' The Pioneer of New Delhi said that the Sri Lankan Army continued to make progress against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and predicted that the last bastion of the "terrorists" may fall before the year is over.

"The battle may now have entered a decisive phase," said the editorial which also added, "Kilinochchi is likely to fall soon and when it does it will be a big victory for the Government." Full Text

Repeated opposition for LTTE's child recruitment drive

(By: Walter Jayawardhana)

While Pope Benedict has appealed in his Christmas homily to the world to end all forms of child abuse including child soldiering - the psychotic chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has sent an order simultaneously demanding all students who just sat for the General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) examination be conscripted for military training.

Despite the Pope's appeal Prabhakaran wants to conscript the 8000 girls and boys who sat for the GCE (O'level) exam to beef up his army as a last resort to save his tottering fascist regime and the self declared political capital , Kilinochchi now surrounded and being besieged by the Sri Lankan armed forces. Full Text

27 Tamil civilians arrive at Omanthai Entry/Exit point

(defence.lk)Another group of Tamil civilians who were able to escape from non-liberated areas in Oddusudan, Mullaittivu have arrived at the Omanthai Entry/Exit point in Vavuniya yesterday (Dec 25).

According to the military sources, 27 Tamil civilians including 7 children have reached to security forces controlled area seeking safety for their lives Thursday morning. 10 males and 10 females are also among the group of escapees.

"Unable to resist the military attacks LTTE terrorists are forcibly holding civilians," one of the escapees said.

The escapees have been directed to the welfare centers established in the area after providing them with food, medical treatments and other necessities.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Army snipers guns down more terrorists - Kilinochchi

(defence.lk)Troops of Task Force 1 (TF 1), who have thwarted the LTTE counter attack in south of Sinna Paranthan area last morning, continued their offensive towards Kilinochchi.

Army snipers deployed in 582 Brigade have taken 14 targets while snipers deployed in 583 Brigade have also taken 14 more targets ahead of the own defence line in general area Nivil yesterday, 24 December, the military report received from the battlefront said.

Meanwhile, troops of 57 Division continued offensive push on terrorists while adjusting their defence lines yesterday. Two more LTTE bodies were found along with two T-56 weapons and one T-81 weapon in search operations conducted in north of Akkarayankulam and Akkarayankulam areas.

SLAF raids LTTE defences - Kilinochchi

(defence.lk)Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets have carried out two air raids targeting LTTE strong points observed in Kilinochchi front today, 25 December.

Air Force spokesperson, Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara speaking to defence.lk said that the first air raid was launched around 10.30AM targeting LTTE defence line in west of Kilinochchi. The mission was launched to assist the troops of 57 Division.

Meanwhile, the second air raid was launched around 3.40 PM at LTTE defence line in west of Paranthan in support of ground troops of Task Force 1.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Army thwarts LTTE counterattacks in Adampan South- Kilinochchi

(Defence.lk)Troops of the 57 Division have thwarted successive attempts made by LTTE to launch counterattacks in general area South of Adampan, Kilinochchi, Saturday (Dec 6).

Fierce fighting ensued between troops and LTTE which lasted from 3a.m., until 9p.m., Wanni military sources said. According to reports, terrorists have launched 3 successive counterattacks only to be left heavily beaten, with over two dozen LTTE fatalities and twice as many casualties.

Troops have engaged LTTE with heavy Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL), artillery and mortar fire, Wanni military sources further said.

Terrorists have withdrawn from the area abandoning dead, weapons and ammunitions, the sources said. LTTE's area ground leaders Velavan and Gopith were also involved in the failed attempt, military said citing intercepted LTTE communication.

The 57 Division troops are led by Major General Jagath Dias.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

75,000 landmines removed

Over 1,700 persons have lost limbs in landmine explosions :

(DN)COLOMBO: A total of 75,000 anti-personnel landmines have been removed from areas affected by terrorism, Chairman of the National Steering Committee on Humanitarian De-mining at the Nation Building Ministry N.S. Jayasinghe said yesterday.

He said 95 per cent of anti-personnel landmines have been removed from Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts.

Senior Project Officer of Support to Mine Action Project Programme Management Unit of United Nations Development Programme Niloufer de Silva said more than 1,700 persons have lost their limbs due to landmine explosions. Full Text

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Prabha on the run - Keheliya

Indian PM, SL President agree ceasefire only if Tigers disarmed

By Jamila Najmuddin

(DM)The Government yesterday said that LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is believed to be on the run as troops moving closer towards fully recapturing the Wanni.

Defence Spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella also said that credible information had been received that several LTTE cadres have already left areas which are now being targeted by the military in the north.

"We know that Prabhakaran is on the run. We know he is not in the Wanni any more as we are about to recapture the area. Several LTTE cadres, including Prabhakaran have fled the Wanni, to escape from the security forces," Minister Rambukwella said. Full Text

Recognising Sri Lanka's Strenghts - A release of PROTECT SRI LANKA

(mawbimanews)Protect Lanka believes that Sri Lanka has entered a critical milestone in the history of its war against terrorism. For the first time, there is a well focused, planned strategy with adequate resources to dilute and eventually eliminate the forces of terrorism which has maintained a stranglehold on our nation. We are able to exercise our right to protection from terrorism. Protect Lanka believes that this is also an opportune moment to reflect on the strengths and positive aspects over the past 25 years, giving credit to our achievements as a nation which has not allowed terrorism to destroy our social networks and commitments to development. Unfortunately it is the negatives which have been constantly highlighted by the media both local and international. This has been focusing only on loss of lives, displacement, human rights violations, ethnic discrimination and the destruction created by war. However a more balanced view of the country’s situation reveals quite a different picture, in fact a paradox. Sri Lanka is probably the only country in the world which has managed to maintain a parallel between coping with the tragedies, heightened security and waste of valuable resources to overcome terrorism with development programmes including the social welfare of its people, particularly the poor. Sri Lanka’s remarkable degree of resilience and coping capacities has not been sufficiently emphasized as most media have their vested interests, particularly those at international level and others which promote intervention. It is only by highlighting weaknesses and Sri Lanka’s inadequacies that western power groups can promote Peace Keeping Missions and greater international presence including the support to expand INGOs and NGOs who pretend to be human rights defenders. Protect Lanka believes that it because of many strengths and positives that the nation has managed to still continue the path to development, even if it has occurred at a slower pace because of terrorism. Full Text

“LTTE is part of problem in Sri Lanka”

Special Correspondent

(The Hindu)CHENNAI: Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday reiterated that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was part of the problem in Sri Lanka and could never be made a part of the solution.

Criticising the Congress for the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a delegation of Members of Parliament belonging to Tamil Nadu on the Sri Lankan issue in New Delhi on Tuesday, he said the LTTE was the most dangerous and cruel terrorist organisation, which had been training naxalites and others for years. “Terrorist, whether Muslim or Tamil, needs the same treatment. Be wiped out. There is no room for double standards,” he said.

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Anglo : Saxon Attitudes

‘What curious attitudes he goes into!’

(PISL)‘Not at all,’ said the King. ‘He’s an Anglo-Saxon Messenger – and those are Anglo-Saxon attitudes. He only does them when he’s happy.’ (Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass)

On Friday I was woken to an urgent message from a friend in Australia about the arrest of my old flatmate Damian Green, now a Conservative MP and Shadow Immigration Minister. He had been arrested by an anti-terror police squad, who the Daily Mail in its headline characterized as ‘Terror police’. The alleged offence was that of leaking confidential documents. I have no idea whether anything worse was in question, but according to the Daily Mail the leaked information included a memo that ‘an illegal immigrant had been working in the House of Commons as a cleaner’ and another that ‘suggested a cover-up by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith of a massive Government blunder over thousands of illegal immigrants cleared to work in sensitive Whitehall security jobs’. Full Text

Failures of logic and intelligence and discrimination and memory in attacking Sri Lanka

(PISL)As the armed forces move nearer to Kilinochchi, the defensive measures brought to bear against them get ever more intense. They also tend to lose sight of rationality. Thus, over the last few days there has been an extraordinary escalation of allegations about an incident that took place in the early hours of Saturday November 29th.

Raising the stakes

The Sri Lankan Air Force attacked a Training Camp in the Tiramanthakulam area at around 1 a.m. On that day, one TamilNet release announced that Kfir bombers attacked a refugee camp 'bordering Piramanthanaa'ru and Uzhavaoor (Tharmapuram)' and that three persons were killed and at least 18 wounded civilians were admitted to hospital following 'the indiscriminate bombardment on IDP settlement'.

On the 30th, the description had developed into the claim that the Air Force 'deployed Russian made OFAB-500 cluster bombs in their indiscriminate attack that killed three civilians, including a child, eyewitnesses told TamilNet's Vanni correspondent on Saturday'. By then, it was asserted that 'The OFAB-500 bomb is believed to have been cleared for carriage on MiG-21 'Fishbed', MiG-27 'Flogger' and MiG-29'. Full Text

Lanka not among cluster bomb signatories



Cluster bombs
Cluster bombs
(BBC)Minister keheliya Rambukwella has denied accusations that the government is using cluster bombs in the battle against the Tamil Tigers.

“We will not breach internationally accepted standards “, said minister Rambukwella.

Responding to a question as to why Sri Lanka is not among the signatories, Minster Rambukwella said that he will have to refer to the Foreign Ministry for a specific explanation but it was not uncommon for a country not to sign a treaty. Full Text

'A chance emerging to bring prabhakaran to international criminal court ' says Paul Harris

( By: Walter Jayawardhana)

(defence.lk)Paul Harris, one time Jane's Intelligence Review correspondent in Colombo, Sri Lanka who was banished from the island by the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for exposing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said, now there is a chance emerging for the international criminal court to bring Velupillai Prabhakaran before justice for personally choosing boys aged 14- 16 as suicide bombers, among other crimes.

He wrote in the South China Morning Post, "Earlier this year I wrote that the great dream of the International Criminal Court was to end the centuries-old situation where the law has been, in the words of Jonathan Swift, "a spider's web which catches small flies but from which wasps and hornets break free". With movement at last in northern Sri Lanka, there is finally a chance that a large and malevolent hornet will be brought to justice." Full Text

Monday, December 1, 2008

Sri Lanka faces a daunting task in the midst of a global financial crisis - Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona

Colombo, 01 12 (Asiantribune.com): Despite the undoubted uncertainty in the financial sector, Sri Lankla Government is committed to pursuing its policy goals of achieving economic and social progress, with special emphasis on bridging regional disparities through rural livelihood and infrastructure development. Rural development remains a priority for the government. The major infrastructure development projects which are already underway, are clearly demonstrative of this commitment to ensure that the fruits of prosperity are shared equitably. The Budget proposals of 2009 that were recently submitted to Parliament, are ample evidence of this policy approach of the government, emphasized Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona.

In his keynote address recently at the Annual Report Awards presentation ceremony at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs further said. Full Text

Acts of terrorism and differentiating terrorists

By Ranjith Soysa – Melbourne

(AT)In Bombay, the ordeal of the civilians who were agonized, is taking its toll. More than hundred had to pay the supreme price and many would have received serious injuries, some, disabled for the rest of their lives. We have witnessed similar horrific crimes in Bali, New York, Colombo, London Baghdad and Bangkok among other cities. Yet, the international community is still not convinced how to define acts of terrorism and terrorist organizations!

As one would agree, the terrorist organizations learn from each other and very often exchange vital information about deadly weapons and techniques of mass killings. As an example the suicide bombers' kit 'invented' by Tamil Tigers have been copied by almost all the terrorist organizations. Therefore, it is of vital
importance to discourage , marginalize and effectively ban all organizations which depend on armed violence and indiscriminate killing to achieve their political ends. Full Text

Hitler and Prabhakaran - supernatural similarities

(The Island)In describing the Fuhrer, Rauschning wrote as follows: "One cannot help thinking of him as a medium. For most of the time mediums are ordinary, insignificant people. Suddenly they are endowed with what seems to be supernatural powers which set them apart from the rest of humanity. These powers are something that is outside their true personality - visitors, as it were, from another planet. The medium is possessed. Once the crisis is past, they fall back again into mediocrity. It was in this way, beyond any doubt, that Hitler was possessed by forces outside himself - almost demoniacal forces of which the individual named Hitler was only the temporary vehicle. It was like looking at a bizarre face whose expression seems to reflect an unbalanced state of mind coupled with a disquieting impression of hidden power."

Bouchez said: "I looked into his eyes the eyes of a medium in a trance. Sometimes there seemed to be a sort of ectoplasm; the speaker’s body seemed to be inhabited by something .... fluid. Afterwards he shrank again to insignificance, looking small and even vulgar. He seemed exhausted, his batteries run down." Full Text

Italy recognises danger posed by terrorists - Envoy

(DN)ROME: Italy recognised the dangerous potential of terrorists by arresting those with alleged links to the Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Italy, Hemantha Warnakulasuriya told Adnkronos International (AKI).

In an interview with AKI in Rome, Warnakulasuriya, said the Italian government had taken the lead in Europe in clamping down on anyone who tried to extort money from the Sri Lankan community to support the Tigers.

Italian authorities in June arrested 28 suspected Tiger sympathisers in nine Italian cities including Rome and Naples. Warnakulasuriya said others had been arrested elsewhere in Italy. “The Italian Government supports Sri Lanka in its fight against terror agents. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is a terror organisation whose tentacles spread all over the world,” he told AKI. “It is an organisation against civilisation and democracy. Full Text

Police seize army uniforms from Maligawatte

(DM)Police yesterday seized twenty pieces of uniforms matching those of the Army from a residence at Maligawatte.

The uniforms were found at a flat in Maligawatte, and a woman has been taken into custody along with her son and husband.

The raid was conducted based on a tip-off to the intelligence unit. Police were conducting investigations as to the background of possessing the look-a-like uniforms.

Army deserters flee Panagoda camp

(DM)A joint search operation was underway to capture three army deserters, who escaped from the Panagoda army detention centre late on Saturday night, army sources said yesterday.

Military Spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said initially seven deserters, who were arrested and under detention at the centre within the Panagoda army complex, had attempted to escape from the centre.

However, troops at the security points managed to capture four of them after firing in the air. Three other persons however managed to escape.

The military spokesman said following the incident the army and police launched a search operation in the area to locate the escapees and also informed police stations in the area. Full Text

Prabhakaran : OH, WHAT A LIAR !!

(DM)Only a colossal idiot could believe the lies and pious platitudes in the speech delivered by the thug Prabhakaran last Thursday. If such an idiot does exist, he would be left with the belief that Prabhakaran is the very personification of virtue, who abhors violence, and stands much higher in the index of virtue than Mother Theresa !!

Apart from his diatribe against the Sinhalese people, the essential message that Prabhakaran sought to convey is that he, being dedicated to peace, is ever ready to engage in `peace talks’. The unspoken premise on which this lie is based is that there must be an immediate cease-fire as a pre-requisite for such talks !!

While Prabhakaran contends that all previous `Peace Talks’ were used by the Government to strengthen itself for a renewed war against the LTTE, the indisputable facts prove the contrary. Let us remind ourselves of those facts. Full Text

Ill-timed, after all

(DM)LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran, his supporters and sympathisers could not have asked for worse. The 'Mumbai Mayhem' crowded out Prabhakaran's annual "Heroes Day" speech as nothing had done in the past. The television imagery of the worst ever case of recorded urban guerrilla warfare, as different from serial blasts and suicide-bombings, will remain etched in every mind for a long time. Plain and simple, the world will be in no mood to hear Prabhakaran's call for lifting the ban on the LTTE – and will remain so for a relatively long time to come than the LTTE can afford.

The less said about India the better. The Indian mood assumes significance for the simple reason Prabhakaran's speech mentioned only India by name – barring of course the 'Sinhala nation', on which poured scorn, as was only to be expected. "At no stage did we ever consider India as an enemy force. Our people always consider India as our friend. They have great expectations that the Indian super-power will take a positive stand on our national question," Prabhakaran said. Full Text

We will talk to LTTE if they disarm DM tells India

(DM)The Sri Lankan government has reiterated to India that it will talk with the LTTE only if the group disarms and surrenders.

This assurance was conveyed by Minister D.M.Jayaratna to the Deputy High Commissioner of India in Colombo, a statement by the Minister’s office said. According to the statement, the Minister said the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is keen on resolving the ongoing conflict through a political solution and that the ongoing military operations are merely aimed at eliminating terrorism.

“The door remains open for the LTTE to enter negotiations if it disarms,” the statement quoted the Minister as telling the Indian diplomat and added he also emphasized the fact that the people of this country had given a mandate to the President to eliminate terrorism and bring a lasting peace to the country. Full Text

Prospects for democracy brighter in Sri Lanka than US

by Rohini Hensman

(FI)In recent years, America’s claim to be a democracy has been seriously damaged in the eyes of its own citizens. Even the most minimal definition of democracy – that it entails free and fair elections – was contradicted by two presidential elections (in 2000 and 2004), in which there was damning evidence that George W. Bush won only because the vote was rigged. The fact that the overwhelming majority of those who were disenfranchised in the elections were Black Americans linked up this outrage to the persistence of discrimination and violence against minority communities in the US. A lack of equal rights, exclusion from the franchise, and, after the attacks of 9/11, a rapid erosion of civil liberties: these were the marks of a state heading towards totalitarianism. Full Text

With The LTTE Eventually Eliminated Who Will Represent The Tamils?

By Apratim Mukarji

(FI)There was scarcely any surprise when the pro-LTTE Tamilnet website of Sri Lanka accorded the pride of place in its news items on November 12 to the unanimous resolution adopted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly earlier, calling for a ceasefire in the island nation.

Fighting a last-ditch battle for survival, the Tigers and their supporters clutched at the Assembly resolution as one possible key to an eventual Indian intervention to save them from the relentless Sri Lankan military onslaught.

The Tamil Nadu resolution was adopted solely in the context of the humanitarian crisis that has gripped the Northern districts of Sri Lanka ever since the military offensive was launched to finish off the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). It is clear by now that if the offensive is not halted immediately, the LTTE rebellion-over twenty-five years old- would be finally crushed. Full Text

Discourse in desperation

(The Hindu)The characterisation of LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabakaran’s 2008 message as ‘Great Heroes Day’ speech is full of irony. The 3,283-word statement was made public on the evening of November 27, twenty hours after the start of the horrific fidayeen terror in Mumbai. In stark contrast to the response of the rest of the world, the ‘Great Heroes Day’ speech makes no reference to the Pakistan-origin terrorist strike at India’s financial capita l. The apologists of the LTTE might attribute the omission to the possibility that the speech was recorded well before it was broadcast. But how to explain the LTTE’s subsequent silence on Mumbai? The only credible explanation is that any comment on this subject would invite unwelcome comparisons, in Sri Lanka, in India, and elsewhere, given that the LTTE’s own terrorist track record that goes back to the early 1980s, has involved every conceivable atrocity against civil society and common humanity, and even spilt over into India to claim the life of a former Prime Minister. In essence, Prabakaran’s 2008 speech is a mercy plea to India to bail out Tiger forces on the run from a successful campaign by the Sri Lankan armed forces. It is entirely in character that he betrays no remorse for the propaganda war his organisation has waged against India since 1987, portraying it as a soulless power with hegemonistic ambitions in the region. His flattering 2008 references to India as a benevolent “superpower” are patently insincere. They also sit ill with the boast about LTTE cadres humbling the mighty Indian Peace Keeping Force two decades ago.

Bangalore Tamil Sangam wants ceasefire declared in Sri Lanka

‘Military action will not provide a permanent solution to the problem’
— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Expressing solidarity: (From left) Shivaraji Lingam, MP from Sri Lanka, former Deputy Speaker of Tamil Nadu Assembly Pulamaipithan, and M. Meenakshi Sundaram, Bangalore Tamil Sangam vice-president, at a meeting in Bangalore on Sunday.

(The HinduBANGALORE: Expressing concern over the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka following the military action in the Tamil-dominated areas, the Bangalore Tamil Sangam has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan Government to immediately declare a ceasefire. Full Text

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Air raids on LTTE targets in Sri Lanka, ground troops advance despite heavy resistance

Sunday, November 30, 2008, 16:56 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 30, Colombo: Sri Lankan ground troops supported by air assaults on LTTE targets continued their advances ahead of the northern fronts amid heavy resistance from the Tigers, the military said.

Sri Lanka Air Force Mi-24 helicopter gunships launched precision air assaults at identified LTTE resistance positions at Murukandy, east of Akkarayankulama in Kilinochchi this morning in support of the advancing 57 Division infantry battalions, Air Force Spokesperson Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said.

Meanwhile Troops of 59 Division moving along the eastern axis towards Alampil in Mullaitivu faced heavy confrontations with the LTTE Tigers since this morning and inflicted heavy damages to the rebels, the military said. Full Text

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LTTE inflicted heavy damages - West of Alampil

(defence.lk)Troops of 59 Division moving along the eastern axis towards Alampil engaged in heavy confrontations with the LTTE terrorists since this morning (Nov 30). According to the military sources, troops were able to inflict serious damages to the terrorists during these clashes.

Troops during the search operations found three bodies of LTTE cadres along with three T-56 rifles this evening, the sources said.

Alampil is a strategically vital coastal village located about 10 Km, south of LTTE's last bastion Mullaittivu. The LTTE used the village as a launching pad for the seaborne operations in the northeastern coast of the Island. At present, troops of 59 Division on the process of eliminating LTTE hiding places along the northern bank of the Nayaru lagoon and dominating the Kumalamunai- Alampil road. Also, another group of 59 division men have already established their positions on the southern bank of the lagoon.

Wanted: A New Tamil Leader For Peace In Sri Lanka

by Dr. Noel Nadesan

Editorial in chief of the Uthayam, community paper based in Melbourne

(November 30, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) What no Tamil thought would happen in Jaffna is now shocking the world: the Tamils are carrying the Sri Lankan flag and hailing the victory of the Sri Lankan forces in Pooneryn.

We may not like it and say Sri Lankan Government propaganda. But even if one Tamil in Jaffna is voting with his/her feet, carrying the Sri Lankan flag, then who are we to say “NO”? This is a clear signal for the Tamils in the Diaspora to wake up and take notice of the responses of our desperate people. This new trend is not going to end here. World is moving forward and away from LTTE. Tamils also moving away from Prabaharan’s dream except some diehard Tamil expatriate and few self-seeking Tamilnadu politicians. It is going to gather momentum as the Tigers run abandoning the people. The people have nowhere to go except to embrace the Sri Lankan flag. They see hope in it more than in the Tiger flag. This is not surprising as the war-weary Tamils are yearning for peace – any sort of peace. Full Text