ashanthi

2006-02-04T10:00:00.001+11:00

TRO ABDUCTION OF 10 AID WORKERS, 3 LEFT, 7 STILL HELD

Do you know that song ... Day by day, day by day .... well that's what I hear in the back of my head whilst we all sit and wait for the release of these 7 people. Before I go any further, I think we all need to who these people are ...

Kasinathar Ganeshalingam: PSEDC NorthEast Province Secretary
Thangarasa: Driver
Thanuskody Premini TRO Batticaloa Chief Accountant
Shanmuganathan Sujendram TRO Accountant, Manikkavasahar Children’s Home, Santhivelli
Thambiraja Vasantharajan Accountant, TRO Batticaloa
Kailayapillai Ravindran Accountant, Vipulananda Children’s Home, Palugamam
Arunesarasa Satheesharan Accounts Trainee, Vellavali

[By the way - if you want more details & you don't who the TRO are etc etc call this person - Arjunan Ethirveerasingam
SL Mobile Phone Number: +94 77 674 6594 arjunan100@yahoo.com]

So - let's just cover some burning questions ...

Who did it?
The Sri Lankan Army - oh sorry, Karuna, champion of the Tamil people, can't you tell? Man that hero is just buring his way into my heart. He's such a legend. Even on Christmas day he doesn't take a day off. He works real hard - killing, kidnapping & most importantly KEEPING the PEACE in the NORTH EAST. Yep that's his main job & you say why, why does he do this for .... simple, the dude is one hell of a smart arse & he lurves us, deeply. Well, certainly enough to destory all of our lives & lick the boots of the Sri Lankan Army.

So Why did they do it?
Because they are a law unto themselves and do not want peace in Sri Lanka - well let's face it, they'll be unemployed, bereft of a whole array of violent passtimes including rape, torture & abduction which as we know are oh so addictive once you become a trained serial killer. Yeah, the North East of Sri Lanka ain't New York but we sure do have a comparable murder rate.

Why did they abduct TRO workers, why specifically the TRO?
Because they have international credibility, they move from Govt controlled areas into Tiger areas regulariliy, they are funded, they get to regularily see whats going on & are mostly accountants (??) - oh & even Chandrika has given them a pat on the back. Look, I don't rightly know - because they are completely STUPID MORONS? Hey anyone out there want to explain it to me? Feel free, don't hold back.

So .... who can free these people?
Errr - well, who's in charge of the Sri Lankan Army? That's right folks, the PRESIDENT of SRI LANKA. Yep the one and only - Mahinda Rajakapske. He's in power, he's in charge, he's the man. So has anyone asked him to, you know, have a word with the boys up North? Yes they surely have.

What has Mahinda done about the abduction of TRO workers so far?
Hmmm - not sure - nothing? There again, if you know anything, pray do tell.

In the meantime ... what does this mean for Sri Lanka?
It means we have a President who has no real power, no control & is of no use to anyone. He's a puppet on a string. Who has he chosen to allow to control him - the JVP, the JHU & the Army. All men of war not peace.

Will there be Peace in Sri Lanka?
Not sure, maybe, maybe if you get your act together & tell Mahinda what you want. Peace. right? Much as it was very hard to do, we are going to have to go back to our bloggers Peace plan - visit Morquendi's Nittewa & let's see if we can show Mahinda the way ... shall we start off with a few simple things... here's a bit of advice for Mahinda ...

1. Take control of the Sri Lankan Army - a rogue Army is a very dangerous thing to the people it's supposed to serve & hence will eventually be dangerous to Mahinda himself... so slap 'em down & pull them into line.
2. Mahinda should command the release of all TRO detainees - that's right Mahinda, that's why you have that title, Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Army (all those photo opportunities when you're marching past them, it's not just for you to look good) - so tell them what to do & don't take no for an answer.
3. Arrest those who have been involved in this - no dodgy trials, no bullshit - punnish them & send them to jail.
4. Ensure the Peace talks go ahead. The GOSL will certainly be in a better position if steps 1-3 are followed at the Peace talks.
5. I don't know why but I get the impression that Mahinda is not such a bad egg - he's just a bit unlucky with the Sri Lanka that he clawed & fought his way to the top to rule - but that doesn't mean he can't change things around. We need to show him how.

2005-12-27T07:21:00.000+11:00

State Show Tsunami - KAVI.

A lot of strange things    are happening in Sri Lanka.
Today is the first anniversary of tsunami. Yesterday 25th December, I reached the worst hit coastal village known as PERALIYA which is located in close proximity to where I live and almost    daily I pass through this coastal stretch in bus.

Today on 26th December, the Biggest State Show of Tsunami was held at Peraliya . The ever biggest train mishap also took place in this same village killing over 2000 passengers including the villagers when the giant tidal waves engulfed the area.    Yesterday (25th) two of us reached this village to observe a massive rehearsal of the State    function planned to be held to mark the tsunami catastrophe . All key government officials , and the Forces took part in this rehearsal a day prior to the real function which took place today. Two of us were issued Media Passes and special nvitations by the Southern Province Assistant Secretary yesterday.

Today we reached at the exact time but    12 Provincial Media Persons incluing two of us were not alowed   to  enter the Venue. Since the fateful day of tsunami upto now all of us, the Provincial Media persons stationed  in the tsunami hit areas did all the media coverages and not the Parachute Media Persons. Even   in yesterday's Sunday Observer there was a Feature of mine on tsunami victims.    But to our utter   surprise we who write about the affected areas continuously were not allowed to enter. We stayed out    and   even some  Foreign Volunteers   who worked day and night without any rest   since    the early days of tsunami were not given permission tro enter the venue. Total strangers who never sighted the area even though they were present since tsunami were allowed to go in.

The    only Member  of the Cabinet to provide relief for tsunami affected people, was Minister Fernandopulle .    He was the first to reach Peraliya immediately after tsunami .    His absence at   todays State Function was conspicuous.   He    is very popular among the tsunami survivors of this area but for unknown reasons he was not invited.   Large amout of money wasted for the preparation of this state show could have been utilized for the construction of several permanent houses for the dispaced families suffering in temporary sheds now for one year.    This is a short account of the biggest state function held in Sri  Lanka

The communal war-mongers JVP and JHU who preached ways and means of achieving so called  honourable peace and sustainable peace are totally silent now. They are the political parties responsible for the chaotic political situation of the country. Lord Buddha never   advocated   instigating one community against another one creed against another creed .   All peaceloving citizens   of Sri Lanka always eschew violence, hatred and jealousy against any other community.

As Media Persons we are responsible in promoting reconciliation among diverse communities of the country. I hope you have already carried my articles in your Web. Today I went through some items of the web and I was highly pleased to read certain items. You can use what I have written   today, if you wish in your web.

2005-12-27T07:16:00.001+11:00

Below is an article written by a friend, KAVI. He has asked me to publish this for him.

DELAY IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PERMANENT HOUSES   INCREASES THE
THE FRUSTRATION OF THE WORST AFFECTED TSUNAMI VICTIMS OF SRI LANKA:
                                                                             BY:
(W.T.J.S. KAVIRATNE - PRESIDENT SOUTHERN PROVINCE MEDIA ASSOCIATION)

Key Authorities of the Government ,   High Ranking Officials and Big NGOs who had given numerous pledges and    exaggerated false promises for the worst affected tsunami victims , that   a large number of   permanent houses could be built within a period of one year should be held responsible for the sluggish nature of tsunami    housing projects launched in Sri Lanka.       These responsible actors on Reconstruction and Rehabilitation   including   the Representatives of the Internationally Reputed NGOs   who had signed   many MoUs   with the Government   had miserably failed in keeping to their promises .

It is    not a secret that all those High Ranking Officials   who handle Permanent Housing Projects for tsunami victims,   are in the habit of moving here and there in luxury vehicles  while earning exorbitant   monthly salaries for the     jobs assigned to them.    In addition    both   major   NGOs    and the   relevant    Government   Authorities    maintained    state-of- the-   art  offices    equipped with ultra-modern computers and other gadgets.

Millions of rupees have been spent on the maintenance of the offices related to Tsunami Reconstruction and Rehabilitation .

On the completion of one year since tsunami ,    many thousands of worst hit tsunami victims who lived within 100 metre coastal buffer zone or on the beach itself are still    living in the temporary   sheds   made out of planks or aluminium sheets   technically known as    Transitional Houses..    These transitional housing schemes constructed only for a short period by both foreign and local NGOs    are not meant   to be used for ever but unfortunately    contrary to the expectations of the tsunami displaced , due to the prevailing situation , the tsunami victims  have to languish    many more   years in the temporary sheds till they get a permanent house.

According to reliable sources , the statistics given by    relevant authorities    and major NGOs  on the number of permanent houses completed   up to date   are not authentic.    Whenever a single model   house out of the number of permanent houses assigned to   a   NGO    in accordance with the MoU    was completed ,    NGO   representatives were in the habit of   giving false figures as   they had completed many houses but in reality , according to the ground situation only a very few   permanent houses   had been completed   so far even after the end of one year since tsunami catastrophe.

No proper monitoring had been done on the construction of permanent houses   by the Supervisors or Engineers and this was revealed a few months back , on a surprise visit   made  by    one of the Voluntary Consultants to a   Housing Project    in     Galagodawatta   a land belong to the government   allocated for the permanent houses assigned to many donors who had signed MoUs with the government.    This surprise visit was made on a public holiday and the Sub Contractor was caught laying rocks and cement on a trench   having a depth of only 4 - 6 inches    as the foundation of a   permanent house   The Voluntary Consultant from Australia was shocked to observe   that this faulty   foundation was done    even in the presence of   the Managing Director of the Construction Company who had undertaken the contract   of the permanent houses . This faulty foundation was detected in the permanent housing project funded by Hollywood Artists and the World Trust Foundation in USA.     The consultant immediately  got the sub contractor to remove the freshly lain cement layer and requested to cut the trench of the foundation in accordance with the specified depth.

The consultant is having the photographs of all the faulty foundations laid in Permanent Housing Projects   under tsunami reconstruction , what he had observed in Sri Lanka.

Usually a trench for a foundation should have to be supervised before laying the rocks and this was not done by the Supervisors employed    by the big Contractors or the   NGOs. As a direct consequence of the lethargic nature of the Authorities concerned   low quality Building material had been used in many of the    permanent houses constructed .

Visiting building sites and close supervision of building material used and other aspects of the construction of the houses had not been done on regular basis   by the relevant officials according to the reliable sources .

The    Major Donors   Red Cross., SOS, Presidents Fund., Turkish Government ,   Small Fisheries, Lions Club, CARE, Tzuchi Foundation,   World Vision,   ARITAS,    TRO, Sarvodaya,

UN Habitat, Gift of Givers,    Women s Development Agency,   and several other local and   foreign    donors   had signed MoUs    with the government on the construction of   permanent houses for the tsunami displaced.      Out of   the total number of 41,738    permanent houses assigned to NGOs   according to the MoUs signes, they could complete only    2411 permanent

Houses.     Under this list, permanent houses constructed on personal level and by individual foreigners for tsunami displaced within 100 metres are not included.     This list indicate only the permanent    houses    constructed on lands allocated by the Government for the Donors who signed the MoUs

District:                  No of Permanent Houses                   No of Permanent Houses Completed
                                 Assigned to Donors

Ampara                    8435                                                           54 units
Batticaloa                 1469                                                          41 units
Kilinochchi                288                                                           02 units
Jaffna                        4551                                                          69 units
Mulaitivu                    311                                                                none
Puttalam                        56                                                                 none
Trincomalee              5737                                                          84 units
Colombo                   5998                                                           08 units
Galle                         4884                                                          513 units
Matara                      2759                                                           14 units
Hambantota                932                                                        1514 units
Gampha                      643                                                                 none
Kalutara                    2975                                                           12 units

Total                       41,738   units.                                    Total :     2411 units.

If the construction    of Permanent Houses for the tsunami displaced   continues at the present rate it could take many more years to reach the target   according to the reliable sources.

( W.    T.   J. S. Kaviratne - Sri Lanka)

2005-11-05T12:58:00.000+11:00

Sri Lankan men - Fabulous or Fetid?

At the request of a certain blogger, I have been asked to start up a debate on whether or not Sri Lankan men are the erudite, charming, genteel, gorgeous & God's gift to womankind superiour male specimens that they think they are - or ... are they just so full of it that they only reason we put up with them is because, hmmm, well - because we're polite & we'd rather not offend their fragile egos???

Well - having never quite had the fortune of engaing in a serious encounter with a Sri Lakan man, I now throw this debate open to the rest of the planet & request input from all my fellow blog sisters who have had the joy .... or lack thereof ... when getting deep & meaningful with a Sri Lankan man...tell us how things have gone, the good the bad & the ugly. Tell us what you'd like to remember & don't forget to divulge what you'd like to forget...

2005-10-03T06:27:00.000+10:00

Ranil Wickremasinghe - King, Egomaniac or the next President of Sri Lankan?

Well folks - I will start with a disclaimer. The best that I can ascertain is that Ranil is born on the 26th of November 1957. I am waiting confirmation from my dear Blogshpere friends Morq, Sittingnut or Ivap re this - but have just done Ranil's chart & I think I have my date...

So, the disclaimer is that if I'm wrong well I will probably be out by a few planets & his Sun sign & I will correct this. I do not know the man so I cannot correct myself.

So if Ranil was born on the 26th of November, 1957 he has the following planets in his chart...

Sun @ 4 degrees in Saggittarius
Moon @ 2 degrees in Aquarius
Mercury @ 23 degrees in Saggittarius
Venus @ 20 degrees in Capricorn
Mars @ 11 degrees in Scorpio
Jupiter @ 23 degrees in Libra
Saturn @ 15 degrees in Saggittarius
Uranus @ 11 degrees in Leo
Neptune @ 3 degrees in Scorpio
Pluto @ 2 degrees in Virgo

Now I apologise to all astrologers in blogsphere but I haven't worked out how to format things so the above is what we are stuck with.

Sun in Saggitarius at 4 degrees
As a leadership trait - yes Ranil wins the day here. He is reasonably early in the Sag cycle so there is strength from the Sun position. He has courage & Sag repeats itself through his chart to enhance this.

Moon in Aquarius
This is problematic, the Moon is in detriment in Aquarius. Very ironic that he is Sri Lankan where Full Moon days - Poya days are worshipped. I sympathise with the man because I too have Moon in Aquarius. I can be cold, remote, aloof & distant. I do not bond well with motherhood & I have rejected it. Can someone tell me what Ranil's relationship with his mother was?

On the other side of course you don't get more egalitarian than Moon in Aquarius. So Ranil has principles, he is elitist and yes a dreamer. He has a vision which stops short of the universe. He is expansive, a thinker & able to use his brain to the nth degree.

Mercury in Saggitarius at 23 degrees
I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the man but he should be a good orator. Again I need confirmation from my friends on the ground. The Moon in Aquarius will give him a certain finnesse but the Mercury in Saggitarius should give him passion in his speech. I have to be honest and say - he hasn't lit any fires under my bushel with his oration yet! So this may mean that the Moon in Aquarius dominates and restrains him.

Venus in Capricorn @ 20 degrees
Well - then we have this... harsh. Can someone tell me about Ranil's love life? Presumably an arranged high caste marriage? Are there children? This man suffers for love & he enjoys it. Again I sympathise - not because I have Venus in Capricorn but because I am a Libran & he does not understand the freedom of love. His love life is ruled by duty, boundary & restriction. In essence he all but has never been able to express it. Furthermore he never will. In fact one might say that Ranil's arranged marriage was to Sri Lanka. He has gone to the wedding, met the bride but will never tell her that he loves her. When you couple this with the Moon in Aquarius, it explains why he does not know how to reach the people. I have a lot of respect for Capricornians but I now how dark & bleak they can be. Venus is suffacted in this environment. On his own, quitely when the Saggitarius bravado is not booming through, Ranil suffers quietly & wishes to dear god that somone had proposed a different mistress for him.

Mars in Scorpio @ degrees
Hmmm.... again bleak, troubled. Ranil has a streak for vengence - given the murderous environment that most Sri Lankans live in, not something we need. He holds a gurdge. He is as a contrast to the cold, lost soul searching for solace above, relentless, unflinching, controlled & knows how to use power. He can be domineering, callous & controlling. Hmmm ... yes well all good traits for a politician don't you think?

I will stop here awaiting confirmation re if I have the correct date. If I am wrong it is these planets that will have to change...

2005-10-02T19:46:00.000+10:00

Oh no my dear! We aren't Caste conscious, we are Egalitarian!

Viva la Revolution, Workers Unite & Free the Proletariat! Yeah sure, the Caste System is a live & well in Sri Lanka. Mainly because it can be used to facilitate more predjudice...

Are we a nation of shop-keepers? Maybe we are a nation of gourmet chefs? How about a nation of Gem Merchants? No we are a nation of racist bigots. One day when the sea has swalloed us up, this is what we will be remmebered for - rabid, racist, ruthless ... fools!

First we are a particular religon, all 4 major faiths are represented in Sri Lanka and then we are a caste. Then we are a Tamil or Sinhalese.

So - how do we become a Nation? The proud, unified nation of Sri Lanka??? Got any ideas???

2005-10-02T19:39:00.000+10:00

Tasty, Ledgendary, Sri Lankan Recipies ....

Ok folks - don't hold back, hand them over.... I want all your secret Sri Lankan Recipies....

From Wattlapam to Deviled Beef, Stinghoppers to Pol Sambol... tell me what your favourtie dish is.

Include a photo if possible, dishes must be a speciality of your mum, aunt or grandma. They must also include one secret ingredient.

2005-09-19T07:45:00.000+10:00

SL Government sponsored Under-Age Sex

Unbelievable - the GOSL in it's infinite wisdom & as if it didn't have anything else to do!~#!#@!@#!@#% has now made SL the main destination for every debased peodophile on the planet.

Comming up with some crap about how they were feeling sorry for all the young men in remand centres (yeah - we know how sorry they feel for them) the age of consent for sex is down to 13 years old from 16 years old.

What about teenage preganancy, what about sexually transmitted diseases. what about how hard it is for a THIRTEEN year old girl standing up in COURT & saying I DID NOT CONSENT.

How on Earth does this disgrace fit in with our traditional cultural beliefs???

I absolutely despair...

2005-09-17T23:29:00.000+10:00

Conversion, Converts & the Converted - following on from Morquendi's Blog

The issue of the perceived, real or not real, under-hand methods of winning over the natives is actually at the very core of the religious divisions that permeate throughout Ceylon & Sri Lanka.

All over the British Empire, the way to get ahead was to convert. You then climbed the social ladder via education at an English institution & joined a hierarchical Civil Service, hey and maybe even got a knighthood. Once the Poms left, most of these ex-colonial colonies maintained structures that they inherited. I think they were enamoured by the social status afforded everyone from Headmaster to Governor General.

By and large, yes we can say, that if you were "British Educated" and Christian, you were a chosen one. Again right across Africa, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong - as it was true of Tamils in Ceylon.

However, in Sri Lanka, following independence their was a fierce determination - through astoundingly discriminatory legislature to reverse the privileged position of Tamils. Sri Lanka sent delegates to "Non Aligned" conferences, had a woman for Prime Minister & voted in favour of other indigenous minorities liberating themselves at the UN. Back home, segregation was introduced into every classroom in the country - astounding! We kicked out those pesky Poms because we didn't like them sticking their noses up at us & thinking they were better ... and then introduced a method where we could feel just as superior. Frankly it's a social disgrace & not one that the international community knows about Sri Lanka.

Hence was born a fantastic tool to deliberately introduce a new class system. High caste, a party member and a relative of the Bandaranike or Wickramsinghe clan? You got the job - oh & of course, you had to be Sinhala and Buddhist - not Tamil and Christian anymore.

Now some might say, well what's wrong with that - we replaced one "Class" system with another & those Tamils deserved what they got anyway. Except for one thing - most Tamils were & still are HINDUS!!! They didn't convert!!!

So people "converted" to a belief system that was based purely on gaining membership of the new cult. They survived & could now continue to be upwardly mobile. Again, you might say, what's wrong with that? Everyone else did it. In Zimbabwe, you joined ZANUPF, you were maShona & ... you got the job. In Malaysia, you joined Mahathir, were a Malay Muslim & ...you got the job.

What's wrong with this - well I think "converts" are often fanatics. The "converted" enjoy an exclusive club, they get a whole new identity & all of a sudden, they are on top of the heap - it's intoxicating & it goes to their heads. But tell me, what does "conversion" do for Spirituality & morality. What exactly do you believe in when you are indoctrinated & you become a blind follower, a crusader of your new faith, caste, party or cult?

In Sri Lanka, politicians used the introduction of religious intolerance and they unleashed an ugly violent fist at minority communities. Following the Tsunami, well-meaning do gooders have flooded into the country & boy have they felt some hostility.

A comment was made about World Vision on Morq's Blog - I think it has been deleted so I won't be able to debate it precisely. I will say though that there is a very strong perception amongst anti-Globalisation supporters that the intention of World Vision is less than honourable. It's unfortunate because World Vision hasn't come out in force & dismissed these allegations.

Frankly, I have absolutely no tolerance for Christian/Catholic Evangelists. Give me some real - not silly propaganda - evidence about how "dumb natives" in the rural coastal areas of Sri Lanka have been "converted" & I'll get on the anti-conversion bandwagon in no time at all. Use it to just attack another group of people that are helping both Tamils & Sinhalese & really all you are doing is showing the world how backward you are. Attacks dished out to, Christian, American, Norwegian foreigners & NGOs are a joke. It also displays what the real new religion is in Sri Lanka - racial/religious intolerance. We'd dish this out to Blacks, Chinese or Eskimos if they dared to show up here in droves & make friends with those Tamil scum...

I agree that not so tranquil natives are now able to say "thanks Mr Missionary, I'll have your dosh but you keep your faith." More importantly, how safe is it for someone to convert to Christianity if you live in a village dominated by one party or another??? Fact of the matter is in Sri Lanka, to this day to be Male, Sinhala, Buddhist, from a high caste family, connected to either B or W means you rule the roost. Sure, join the JVP, become a monk but overall, we know who calls the shots.

2005-09-15T18:00:00.000+10:00

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Having travelled Oh! so far & wide, I have finally come to rest in my own special corner of Cyber Space...

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