Monday, April 8, 2013

Margaret Thatcher Dies

April 8, 2013

Former UK Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher has died at 87 following a stroke, her spokesman has said. Baroness Thatcher was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990. She was the first woman to hold the post. Her family is expected to make a further statement later.

Read her maiden speech in the Commons;

HC Deb 05 February 1960 vol 616 cc1350-4531350

Order for Second Reading read.

This is a maiden speech, but I know that the constituency of Finchley which I have the honour to represent would not wish me to do other than come straight to the point and address myself to the matter before the House.

I cannot do better than begin by stating the objects of the Bill in the words used by Mr. Arthur Henderson when he introduced the Bill which became the Local Authorities (Admission of the Press to Meetings) Act, 1908, which was also a Private Member’s Measure. He specified the object and purpose as that of guarding the rights of members of the public by enabling the fullest information to be obtained for them in regard to the actions of their representatives upon local authorities.

It is appropriate at this stage to mention that the public does not have a right of admission, either at common law or by statute, to the meetings of local authorities. Members of the public are compelled, therefore, to rely upon the local Press for information on what their elected representatives are doing. The original Measure was brought as a result of a case in which the representatives of a particular paper were excluded from a particular meeting.

The public has the right, in the first instance, to know what its elected representatives are doing. That right extends in a number of directions. I do not know whether hon. Members generally appreciate the total amount of money spent by local authorities. In England and Wales, local authorities spend £1,400 million a year and, in Scotland, just over £200 million a year. Those sums are not insignificant, even in terms of national budgets. Less than half is raised by ratepayers’ money and the rest by taxpayers’ money, and the first purpose in admitting the Press is that we may know how those moneys are being spent. In the second place, I quote from the Report of the Franks Committee: Publicity is the greatest and most effective check against any arbitrary action. That is one of the fundamental rights of the subject. Further, publicity stimulates the interest of local persons in local government. That is also very important. But if there is a case for publicity, there is also a case for a certain amount of private conference when personal matters are being discussed and when questions are in a preliminary stage. It is in trying to find a point of balance between these two aspects—the public right of knowledge and the necessity on occasion for private conference—that the difficulty arises.

An attempt was made by the 1908 Act to meet this difficulty, and I now turn to the history of the Measure which I am about to present. Provision was made by the 1908 Act for Press representatives to attend meetings of local councils and meetings of education committees in so far as they had delegated powers, and, also a number of other bodies which have now ceased to exist because successive Parliaments have substituted new bodies to carry out the powers which the 1908 Act formerly permitted the Press to publicise.

Long before the events of the past summer, there was a very good case for amending the 1908 Act. The first good case arose when the Local Government Act, 1929, abolished boards of guardians, to whose meetings the Act admitted the Press. Boards of Guardians were responsible for the administration of hospitals and many other matters. The first attempt to bring the law of 1908 up-to-date came in 1930, when the right hon. Member for South Shields (Mr. Ede) introduced a Private Member’s Measure, which I am happy and relieved to learn received a Second Reading. It did not get any further because of a rather precipitate change of Government, which I do not think even the most optimistic hon. Member opposite would believe was imminent at the moment. The case for the Bill then was that boards of guardians no longer existed and the Act needed amending, firstly, by reference to its past performance, and secondly, by reference to the new legislation of 1929.

Surgeon banned by children's hospital in deaths scandal was investigated eight years ago
By JO MACFARLANE and MARTYN HALLE- 6 April 2013

Surgeon banned by children's hospital in deaths scandal was investigated eight years ago

Dr Nihal Weerasena stopped carrying out procedures at Leeds General Infirmary two weeks ago
Bosses are investigating concerns over his abilities
Dr Weerasena also stood aside in 2005 after hospital identified problems

MailOnline - news, sport, celebrity, science and health stories

A surgeon banned from operating at a children’s heart unit at the centre of a scandal over high death rates was previously investigated over his practice.

Sri Lankan-born Nihal Weerasena is the doctor who agreed to stop carrying out operations at Leeds General Infirmary two weeks ago while bosses investigated concerns over his abilities.

But Dr Weerasena also previously stood aside in 2005 after the hospital identified problems relating to a procedure he was carrying out to repair a congenital heart defect.

Suspended: Nihal Weerasena has agreed to stop carrying out procedures at Leeds General Infirmary while bosses investigate concerns over his abilities

Scandal: The unit at Leeds General Infirmary is set reopen next week if hospital chiefs can convince NHS officials there are no safety concerns

The hospital, which then had concerns over Dr Weerasena’s success rates with the procedure, asked the Royal College of Surgeons to carry out a review of his practice.

Dr Weerasena, 59, no longer carries out the specific procedure at the hospital but has been allowed to remain part of the paediatric cardiac surgery team at Leeds.

More...

His latest suspension was revealed by The Mail on Sunday two weeks ago but the hospital has refused to confirm his identity – even though he stepped aside just before all surgery was halted at the unit over fears the death rate was twice the national average. The unit is set to reopen next week if hospital chiefs can convince NHS officials that there are no safety concerns.

One mother is demanding a fresh investigation into her seven-year-old daughter’s death after learning of the concerns raised about Dr Weerasena.

Mrs Burton, 39, a civil servant from York, lost Eve – her only child – after a third operation for a congenital heart condition in March last year which was carried out by the surgeon.

Tragic: Mrs Burton's lost her seven-year-old daughter Eve after her third operation on a heart condition

Eve had an initial operation in 2005 at just ten weeks old to insert a donor artery, and needed regular follow-ups and further surgery as she grew. A second operation in December 2009 was also a success. Neither operation involved the procedure that had been investigated by the Royal College of Surgeons and neither involved Dr Weerasena.

However, he did carry out the third operation last year when Eve died hours after a procedure to replace her artery led to the failure of a heart valve.

Mrs Burton said: ‘I knew the surgery would be risky but it certainly wasn’t spelled out that she might not make it. I did ask Dr Weerasena for the success rates of the operation and he told me he was unable to do so.

‘I kissed Eve and told her I would see her later. But after being in surgery all day, he came out and told me there had been complications and a heart valve had burst under the pressure.’

Mrs Burton held several meetings with Dr Weerasena but says she still does not understand why her daughter died.

Dr Weerasena trained at the University of Rajasthan in India and qualified in 1978. He has been working at Leeds General Infirmary for more than ten years.

Asked if he was the surgeon who had been suspended, he said: ‘You need to speak to the trust.’

A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust refused to confirm the surgeon’s identity. However, he added: ‘The reason the surgeon stopped working was nothing to do with mortality rates or children’s heart surgery.’

Commenting on the 2005 investigation, the trust said its findings were implemented in full and the surgeon voluntarily decided not to undertake the particular procedure in future.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Anti-Muslim campaign threatens renewed tensions in war-torn Sri Lanka

Published April 07, 2013

Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – A red-robbed Buddhist monk calmly picked up stones and hurled them at a security camera. Then, as police looked on, his followers smashed up a popular, Muslim-owned clothing store.

Last month's attack on the Fashion Bug chain near Colombo, filmed by a local television station whose cameraman was attacked by the mob, was the most public outburst in a growing anti-Muslim campaign by Sri Lanka's Buddhist nationalist groups.

The escalation in attacks and anti-Muslim rhetoric has caused fears of a new wave of ethnic violence in a country still recovering from a quarter-century civil war between the government, controlled by ethnic Sinhalese Buddhists, and a mainly Hindu ethnic Tamil rebel group.

"They just finished hunting the Tamils, without solving any of the issues, and now they are starting on the Muslim hunt. Virtually all minority communities are being threatened," said Muslim political leader Azad Salley.

The anti-Muslim campaign has been led by Buddhist monks and is fast gaining ground among youth through raging speeches and ludicrous conspiracy theories spread on social media.

The leaders of the campaign complain that Sri Lanka's ethnic Sinhalese Buddhists, who make up almost 75 percent of the country's 20 million people and control the government and the military, are under threat from the 9 percent of the country that is Muslim. They say Muslims dominate the nation's businesses, are fomenting religious fundamentalism and are conspiring to demographically take over the country by increasing their birthrate while secretly sterilizing the Sinhalese.

A Muslim volunteer group, which does not wish to be identified for fear of reprisals, has documented 33 anti-Muslim incidents since September 2011. They include at least five attacks on Muslim places of worship, attacks on businesses and an episode where Muslim students at a government agriculture school were served pork, which their religion forbids them from eating.

Buddhist nationalists demanded Muslim religious leaders stop issuing "Halal" certificates — which certify that local products comply with Islamic tenets — charging that the fees paid for certification were passed onto unwitting — often non-Muslim — consumers and used to construct mosques. Certification was made free of cost last month.

They have also campaigned for laws aimed at the Muslim community. One would stop women from wearing a veil.

"I have a fundamental right when I go in the street to see the face of a person," said Dilantha Withanage an official of the prominent Buddhist nationalist group, Bodu Bala Sena, or Buddhist Force.

Another proposed law would stop Muslim men from being able to marry up to four women.

"What we are fighting for is a single legal system in this country. If a Muslim has the right to marry four wives let the Buddhists also have that," he said.

Sri Lanka allows citizens to marry according to the customs of the four main religions — Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.

Withanage denied having an anti-Islam agenda, saying his group wanted only for Buddhism to get the credit for building up Sri Lankan civilization. Other religions can still be practiced, he said.

The attack on Fashion Bug came a week after a monk accused the company and other Muslim businesses of committing "sexual crimes" against Sinhalese female employees and converting them to Islam by marrying them to Muslim employees. The mob stormed the store on the pretext that a 15-year-old girl had been raped inside, an accusation that proved to be false.

Another monk told a rally that another Muslim-owned clothing store was giving free candy to Sinhalese women customers with ingredients that caused miscarriages and infertility. He said men's belts sold by these companies caused kidney diseases and damaged customers' testicles.

Text messages were sent en masse accusing another Muslim company of manufacturing sanitary napkins that turned women barren. The claims were passed around on Facebook and Twitter as well.

The campaign has frightened Muslims, who suspect the government is not just refusing to protect them, but is actively fomenting the tension, a charge the government denies.

Sri Lanka's national telecom provider started selling the Buddhist Force theme song as a ring tone to help raise funds for the group. Following protests, the company apologized for any "emotional distress" any community might feel — but refused to withdraw the tone.

Suspicion that authorities were complicit grew after the police stood by and watched the Fashion Bug attack.

Amid criticism of police inaction, 17 suspects, including three monks, were brought to court. The court later released them, saying the parties arrived at an amicable settlement. The injured cameraman also withdrew his complaint, saying fighting his case might create social unrest.

The powerful defense secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the president's brother, was recently a chief guest at a Buddhist Force event, where he defended the group.

"The venerable monks always came forward to protect our country, race, religion and culture. This effort is to bring them to a correct course, not to spread hatred," he said.

Mohamed Saleem, a Muslim community worker in Colombo, called the defense secretary's endorsement of an extremist group "worrying."

"Are the Muslims equal citizens of this country or not?" he asked.

Presidential spokesman Mohan Samaranayake dismissed accusations the government was involved in an anti-Muslim campaign as the "usual finger pointing" by the opposition.

"I need to emphasize the fact that from the beginning, the government has treated every community equally," he said.

He said the government would not restrain anyone's freedom of expression, but would take action if they violated the law

The Muslims, descended from Arab traders who came to the island more than a millenium ago, are considered a separate ethnic group. But they have had a relatively amicable history with the Sinhalese majority and were persecuted by Tamil rebels for siding with the state during the war.

Kusal Perera, a Sinhalese political analyst, said he believes the anti-Muslim campaign is aimed at distracting Sri Lankans from the rising cost of living and other contentious issues. Sinhalese traders have also seen an opportunity to "grab the market" dominated by Muslim businesses, he said.

Mohammed Thanis, a resident of the eastern town of Kantalai, says the government is more concerned about retaining the votes of its Sinhalese base rather than taking action against anti-Muslim forces.

Opposition politician Mujeebur Rahman said the Muslim community has so far been restrained in responding, but he feared what would happen when that patience ran out.

"If they try to react, it can flare up into a major clash," he said.

Colombo, Shuler, new US lobby firm, cozy alliance rumored

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 April 2013, 00:02 GMT]

Colombo has inked a lobbying and government affairs contract with the US-based Majority Group, after the previous lobby firm, Patton Boggs, terminated its representation of Sri Lanka in early February, sources in Washington said. While the diplomatic performance of Jaliya Wickremasuriya, Sri Lanka's President's relative and the current Ambassador to Sri Lanka in Washington, has been lackluster, Wickremasuriya-mooted relationship with North Carolina Congressman, Heath Shuler, is rumored to have played a role in the selection of the lobby firm, even while the Congressman's nexus to the Majority group has raised questions on "revolving door" ambitions of Shuler, political sources in Washington said.

The two-year old Majority Group was founded by Capitol Hill veteran Rob Ellsworth, former Congressman Walt Minnick (D-ID), former Congressman Charles Djou (R-HI), and Wall Street attorney Chris DiAngelo.

"We're excited to work with Sri Lanka on a number of issues important to both of our countries. As a small boutique firm, we are able to give constant and individualized attention to our clients; I know that was very important to Sri Lanka," Ellsworth is reported to have said according to the Politico website.

Congressman Heath Shuler (D-11th District NC)

The following facts on the Colombo, Shuler, and The Majority nexus are feeding the rumor mill in Washington, especially on Shuler if his Majority deal is "Bribery, or Legitimate Career Change?":

Sri Lanka Embassy funds Rep. Shulers trip to Vanni after the end of war.
Shuler provides much needed positive propaganda for Colombo complimenting Rajapakses of the transparency and the treatment of Tamils in internment camps.
Majority Co-founder Ellsworth served as a key Aide to Shuler
Revolving Door: Heath Shuler, who is about to quit Congress, is reportedly already talking to different lobbying firms, assessing his options. One of the organizations taking a serious look at Shuler is The Majority Group.
Colombo hires Ellsewood's The Majority Groupto represent Sri Lanka in the US for lobbying activities.

Sri Lanka’s central bank recently inked a separate contract with Thompson Advisory Group to promote the country’s economic interests.

Heroic history of Tamil Eelam, include in text books. Tamil Nadu students decide.

Sunday , 07 April 2013
The decision of Tamil Nadu and Puthucheri law college students to the inclusion of the heroic history of Tamil Eelam in textbooks was implemented.

A discussion by the Tamil Nadu and Puthucheri Law College students Federation was held two days back and five resolution in support of Eelam Tamils was implemented.

* Systermized genocide executed at the final stage of war in Sri Lanka and concerning this by processing reliable probe, punishment should be granted to President Mahinda Rajapakse.

* Separate Tamil Eelam is the only settlement for Eelam Tamils. This should be implemented through referendum by United Nation Council.

* Economy embargo should be imposed against Sri Lanka.India should condemn the relationship with Sri lanka.

* Impede attacks against Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka forces.

* Kachchatheevu should be reverted back to Sri Lanka

* Heroic history of Tamil Eelam should be included in the text books

Were the five resolutions implemented and by urging these demands, students carried out protest in Tamil Nadu and Puthucheri.

India delays visa for SL’s envoy to Chennai

External Affairs Ministry officials say never before has it taken such a long time�

By Our Diplomatic Editor-Sunday, April 07, 2013

Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Deputy High Commissioner to India has not been able to assume duties in the south Indian Tamil Nadu state capital of Chennai for the past three months. �The new Deputy High Commissioner A. Sabrullah Khan’s application for a diplomatic visa to take over duties at the mission was made in December last year.

The reason – the Government of India is yet to grant concurrence for the new Sri Lankan envoy’s appointment. �Indian High Commission spokesperson Birendar Singh Yadav declined comment saying only that “approval has to come from New Delhi.” He said he could not say anything more.

However, External Affairs Ministry sources in Colombo yesterday said this was the first time their counterparts in New Delhi were taking “a long time” to process a nomination. “Surprisingly we have not been told yes or no. Never before has there been such a delay,” one official said.

The refusal by New Delhi to expedite matters comes in the wake of escalating agitation in Tamil Nadu against the Government of Sri Lanka over allegations of discrimination of Sri Lankan Tamils compounded with violent attacks on Sri Lankans visiting the state and Sri Lankan establishments in Chennai.

External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunatilleke Amunugama confirmed that New Delhi had not granted Mr. Khan a visa so far. “We are still awaiting approval,” he told the Sunday Times.�Mr. Khan is currently a Director General in the Economic Affairs Division of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Ministry wants to replace the present Deputy High Commissioner Ameer Ajwad, who was on a temporary posting in Chennai
In the wake of the on-going anti-Sri Lanka campaign in Tamil Nadu, the Government last week was exploring whether to shift the Chennai mission to Trivandrum in Kerala.

Tamil MPs not part of delegation visiting Sri Lanka

April 07, 2013 12:54 IST

A six-member delegation of Indian parliamentarians will visit Sri Lanka [Images ] from April 8 to 12. The multi-party delegation visiting Colombo and Jaffna will not, however, include MPs from Tamil Nadu.

Jyoti Malhotra, a journalist and coordinator of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, foreign cell -- which is organising the visit -- said that the delegation will include Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress [ Images ], Sandeep Dikshit of the Congress, Anurag Thakur of the Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ], Dhananjay Singh of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Madu Goud Yaskhi of the Congress from the Lok Sabha, and BJP’s Prakash Javadekar from the Rajya Sabha.

The Indian parliamentarians will meet Sri Lankan MPs, senior ministers and other political leaders.

The Indian MPs will visit Jaffna to check on projects supported by the Indian government, particularly the owner-driven housing initiative, the High Commission said on Friday.

India [ Images ] is funding the construction of 50,000 dwelling units to help rehabilitate the internally displaced Tamils in the ethnic strife in the island’s northeast. They will be accompanied by two FICCI representatives.

Malhotra, who will be accompanying the MPs, said that FICCI has been working to constitute a ‘track two political dialogue’ between Indian parliamentarians and their Sri Lankan counterparts for greater political interaction and understanding.

The visit beginning on Monday is part of a larger programme that seeks to institutionalise political partnerships. Similar interactions have earlier been held between Indian MPs and their counterparts from Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Malhotra in a statement said: "We intend to pursue these political tracks within South Asia because we believe that talking to each other can be the only way forward out of any crisis, whether political or economic. We greatly look forward to our visit to Sri Lanka to take forward our very dynamic relationship."

This year’s visit comes at a time when political parties, students and social activists in Tamil Nadu have been protesting against the Sri Lankan government for the atrocities committed by its security forces in the northeast during the last phase of Eelam War IV and the continuing harassment of minority Tamils even four years after the civil war ended.

A Correspondent in New Delhi

DMK members to meet Commonwealth representatives

PTI Apr 6, 2013,

CHENNAI: DMK today said its MPs and members of pro-Tamil TESO backed by it will meet envoys of Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group of countries, scheduled to meet at London on April 26, to demand that the CHOGM should not be held in Sri Lanka.

DMK, which has been opposing Sri Lanka as the venue for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) slated for November, said in a statement that its representatives will call on the CMAG members to press their demand.

Potent grip against Tamil Nadu fishermen. 26 arrested on Friday.

At a state the entire Tamil Nadu is in turbulence in support of Eelam Tamils, the potent grip against the Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka navy forces is getting tightened.

Sri Lanka navy arrested 26 Tamil Nadu fishermen two days back, notifying they were involved in fishing illegally intruding the territorial waters.

Sri Lanka navy forces said, 26 Tamil Nadu fishermen were engaged in fishing intruding the Delft sea area, were arrested. Kayts Deputy Magistrate R.Sabesan ordered remand prison until 11th.

The arrested 26 fishermen belongs to Tamil Nadu Pondichery, and Karaikurinchi and were arrested yesterday along with five of their fishing trawlers while they were illegally fishing in the northern seas, Sri Lanka Navy said.

“Our fishermen while fishing in the international sea boarder line was arrested by Sri Lanka navy forces. Sri Lanka forces willfully carrying out attacks continuously against the Tamil Nadu fishermen, the Tamil Nadu fishermen federation representatives allege

Collective protests are advanced in support of Eelam Tamils for the past one month in Tamil Nadu. The entire Tamil Nadu is in turmoil due to this protest.

The protest advanced by the Tamil nadu students later transformed has peoples protest and now it has escalated.

In this state, a resolution was unanimously passed at the Tamil Nadu Assembly, for the origination of separate Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka.

The entire Tamil Nadu is antagonized against the Sri Lanka government, and sudden attack and arrest incidents against the Tamil Nadu fishermen has got escalated.

On last March month 14th, 53 Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lanka navy force. Out of this 34 persons were arrested by Delft navy and the remaining 19 were arrested by the Mannar navy force.

Out of this, 34 Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by the Delft navy were released after two days. However the fishermen arrested by the Mannar navy force are serving remand prion until the forthcoming 11th.

The Rameshwaram fishermen carried out a protest for more than two weeks

to release these 19 fishermen, but their protest was finally abandoned because the fishermen were not released.

Rameswaram fishermen engaged in fishing trade some days back near Kachatheevu, were chased away and attacked. The Rameshwaram fishermen federation representatives alleged that they were attacked by Sri Lanka navy.

In this state, Sri Lanka navy arrested last Friday at about 9.00 p.m, 26 fishermen from Pandichery at the Delft sea area and handed over to the Jaffna district Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources officials.

Officials produced them to Kayts Deputy Magistrate R.Sabesan. District Judge ordered to destroy more than 1000 kg fish captured.

The arrested fisherman intruded illegally into the Sri Lanka sea periphery and by utilizing illegal fishing equipment was engaged in fishing, was said by navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya.

For the immediate release of the arrested fishermen, a request was made by Puthucheri Chief Minister Rangasamy to the Central government.

Details of the arrested fishermen, Subramaniam, Kariyappan, Kopalan, Kovindaraja, Murugaiya, Thangarasa, Yoganath, Pakkiyaraj, Suresh, Ramesh, Piramanathan, Veerapathiran, Chandrakasu, Sarangabani, Kannadasan, Arokiyaraj, Rajraaman, Ambikairajan, Kumarasamy, Eswaran, Sivakumar, John Victor, Vijayan, Vijenthiran, Thatchanamoorthy, Balamurugan.

Sunday , 07 April 2013

Bikkhu Brigade, Dr Roberts And The Tamil Spring

By Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah -April 6, 2013

Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah

Tamil Spring: The Eelam Revolution Not Fought with Guns but with the Mobilization of 80 Million People

What intimidates the Sinhala apologists is the fact that the Eelam revolution is not being fought with guns any more on the Tamil side, unlike the heavy handed military response that the Sri Lankan government is still pursuing in the NorthEast with no political solution offered or insight; it is being fought with cell phones, the Indian media and pure solidarity, involving the mobilization of 80 Million people, moved by high moral principles of justice and freedom, achieved through a democratic uprising which people are calling the beginning of the ‘Tamil Spring’. The LTTE may be defeated but Eelam lives on in the hearts of not only Eelam Tamils but also in the hearts of 80 Million fellow Tamils just across the Palk Straits in Tamil Nadu.

Dr Michael Roberts Inciting Violence?

In an article in the Colombo Telegraph titled: ‘Searing Danger: Death Clouds Over The Sri Lankan Cricketers At The IPL’, Dr Michael Roberts in raising concerns for the Sri Lankan IPL cricketers has blamed everyone under the sun except his government, the real perpetrator for the dangers posed to his countrymen and our Sinhala brethren. His caveat in the end is a classic example of the ultimate in hypocrisy that aught to be thrown back at him for his own self reflection as he seeks to incite, spur violence and indulge in hate speech of his own kind, apparently unaware that he himself, to quote him is “part of the circuits of virulence and hate-speech” that he attributes to others. Seemingly he wants to be the exception to his rule.

Cleansing the Sri Lankan Government of all Responsibility for its Crimes

Not only that, Dr Robert is acting as a spokesman for his government, cleansing it of any responsibility for the mass atrocities it committed and dismissing it as “tales of exaggeration, distortion and fabrication and of some concocted heinous act by a named enemy”:

“The stirrers are key forces in the generation of violence. They are not restricted to the activists who occupy political platforms or address impromptu crowds. Ordinary folk who purvey rumour or concoct tales of some heinous act by a named enemy other are incendiary elements contributing to the violence of assassinations, affrays, riots and pogroms. They are part of the circuits of virulence and hate-speech. Rumours and tales of atrocity often embody exaggerations, distortions and fabrications as part of their incitement to strike back at the atrocious Other. Motives of revenge reshaped as just acts of retribution are powerful gunpowder. It is towards this verdict that my initial warnings about the IPL scenario via the very real case of victimisation that occurred in Sydney in mid-May 2009 are presented. Ultimately, the purpose is to encourage self-reflection and to caution one against the virulent excesses that enter street-talk and salon-talk as well as the blogs and messages on internet and social media.”

Placing Blame on anyone but his government

So saying Dr Roberts ventures to place all blame not on his government but on those who have risen in a ‘Tamil Spring’ and are raising their voices to condemn “not concocted tales of heinous acts,” as he claims but against “credible allegations” of war crimes and crimes against humanity that his government has committed which now 80 million people believe to be nothing less than genocide.

Fears of Death Clouds Hanging over Sri Lankan Cricketers

“A gnawing fear resides in my gut,” says Dr Michael Roberts, fearing “that one or more of the Sri Lanka cricketers at the IPL matches in India will end up maimed or dead,” adding it could be an imminent or distinct possibility, admitting that it’s albeit “slim” but “not fanciful” and earnestly “wishing he is wrong”.

The Ban on Sri Lankan IPL Cricketers Playing in Tamil Nadu was Right

It is “unfortunate that the Sri Lankan cricketers have to bear the brunt of their government’s crimes,” I tweeted NDTV, responding to some cricketers expressing the view that politics must not come into sports, referring to the ban that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had slapped on Sri Lankan IPL players.

It is not fair to chastise Tamil Nadu politicians and most of all the Chief Minister accusing her of playing politics for her own gain in view of the upcoming 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Ban on South African Cricketers that killed Apartheid

On the contrary, Jayalalithaa, in keeping with her persistent call since assuming office for an economic embargo, ever since the war was over and after giving Sri Lanka enough time to mend its ways and end the culture of impunity, was right in banning the Sri Lankan IPL cricketers from playing in Tamil Nadu. Imposing sanctions are nothing new; it is a political tool that is applied by counties including the UN to reign in excesses committed by deviant governments. Let’s not forget it was the worldwide sanctions applied to South Africa including the ban on South African cricketers that brought down the white supremacist South African government to its knees and ended apartheid forever in that country.

Full Force of the Law on Anyone Contemplating Violence

I highly condemn any violence against any one, not just the Sri Lankan IPL cricketers; anyone violating the rule of law and perpetrating violence must face the full force of the law. No one should be even thinking on those lines of harming Sri Lankan players in the name of agitating against Sri Lankan government impunity for genocide and for liberating Tamil Eelam. Even “independent extremists” or “lone rangers” should be stopped in their tracks, but no one could stop a psychopath from doing the unthinkable, in that I have empathy for Dr. Roberts.

Dr Robert’s Audacious Charge against TGTE and GTF

That is why I was utterly mortified to find him making an audacious charge against the TGTE and the GTFthat’s completely unfounded: “The danger will be that much greater if an operation mounted by a body of zealous Tamils residing in India which has established links with the Transnational Government and the Global Tamil Forum,” Dr Roberts speculates without an iota of evidence to go by.

That’s an outlandish irresponsible and mischievous statement to make; outlandish because both TGTE and GTF have avowed to follow only peaceful and diplomatic means to achieve their goals and will not ‘establish links’, as Dr Roberts alleges with anyone who is even remotely connected with violence. No one can point a finger at either; they have acted impeccably, with transparency, consistent with their core beliefs and have only engaged in strictly diplomatic pursuits. Irresponsible because that would only exacerbate and incite hate crimes, that he himself pontificates against and wants to avoid. Mischievous because he wants to implicate the TGTE and GTF when there has been no wrongdoing on their part and no reason what so ever for him to make such allegations.

Neither the TGTE nor the GTF I don’t think would care to respond to Dr Robert’s false allegations.

The TGTE takes much pride in its democratic configuration and takes pains to explain its distinctive characteristic and for the benefit of those who may harbour some reservations about TGTE it may be timely to share TGTE’s aims and ideology:

TGTE is a New and Unique Concept

The TGTE is a new and unique political concept, reflecting the ‘transnational’ nature of the Eelam Tamil polity, constituting a part of the ‘Elam Tamil Nation’ (the other, existing in the NorthEast of the island of Sri Lanka) that is distributed around the globe but united in their aspirations for Tamil Eelam based on the principles of nationhood, homeland and self-determination. Although an elected body, the TGTE is not a government in exile.

TGTE is a political formation to win fundamental civil, political and human rights including the right to self determination for the Tamil people in the NorthEast, providing a political space for Eelam Tamils everywhere to articulate fully and realize their aspirations that’s not available to them in the island due to constitutional impediments, racist political environment and military strangulation; The TGTE upholds democratic values and non-violence, espouses diplomacy and engagement and abides by the laws of the countries that its elected members and the Senate represent.

TGTE Committed to Democratic Ideals

TGTE held internationally supervised elections in 12 countries. These elections were held to ensure that the core belief of democracy be upheld within the TGTE and to demonstrate TGTE’s reliance upon democratic ideals. TGTE has a bicameral legislature and a Cabinet. The Constitution of the TGTE mandates that it should realize its political objective only through peaceful means.

Some of TGTE’s Current Projects and Campaigns

Presently, in addition to the campaign for an international investigation, the TGTE is also campaigning for an ‘International Protection Mechanism’ for the Tamil people in the NorthEast and the release of documents pertaining to Tamils prepared by the Office of the Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide. TGTE is also in the process of preparing the Freedom Charter incorporating the “freedom demands” of Tamils across the globe.

TGTE Solidly Behind Tamil Nadu

TGTE believes that the referendum among the Tamils inside the island of Sri Lanka and among the Tamil Diaspora will contribute to the political resolution of the Tamil national conflict and is pleased with the developments in Tamil Nadu and is in sync with the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s call to the government of India (among other) for a “Referendum conducted among the Tamils living in Sri Lanka, and all Tamil Diaspora displaced from Sri Lanka, living in various parts of the world,” with Prime Minister Rudrakumaran in a statement released, expressing TGTE’s, “delight and profound gratitude,” to the CM, the leaders of all political parties and the people of Tamil Nadu for the resolution it passed: The resolution stands, “as excellent testimony to the remarkable political acumen and statesmanship of Chief Minister Selvi Jayalalithaa, and we, at the TGTE, congratulate her on bringing forth such an excellent resolution at this time…,” he said

In its statement, in response to the Tamil Nadu Student agitation in support of Eelam Tamils, the TGTE “joined hands” with the students and praised them for, “the relentless manner in which they have kept alive the struggle in support of the people of Tamil Eelam.”

Immolations Must Stop and Has Been Discouraged by All

Dr Roberts is wrong when he insinuates that the acts of immolation that happened in Tamil Nadu were encouraged either by, ‘Tamils worldwide” or “inspired by the student upsurge provoked by the “NO Fire Zone” documentary.

“The recent acts of immolation have been interpreted by Tamils worldwide as Tamil nationalist acts directed against Sri Lanka. The CTK man’s act seems to have been inspired by the student movement in Tamil Nadu launched recently in condemnation of Sri Lanka, an upsurge seemingly provoked by the latest Channel Four documentary and the focus on the alleged killing of young Balachandran Prabhakaran,” Dr. Roberts writes, deducing and theorizing all the probabilities, but not even once did he blame his government for the ills he points out.

I n fact Tamils the world over, politicians and the students have discouraged such acts, condemning them as counter productive and a waste of a precious lives. I know the TN students were quite expressive on Facebook and twitter, critical of such acts. A chorus of dissenting voices was raised that acts of immolation should not be encouraged but stopped.

“No Fire Zone” Documentary and the Student Protests

The documentary “No Fire Zone” and “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” before it, have both exposed the hidden atrocities that took place in Sri Lanka without which the truth would never have come out. The students who have mobilized much of Tamil Nadu with their demands for “justice” and for the “liberation of Eelam”, as a natural response to the atrocities committed; the execution pictures of the young 12 year old boyBalachandran being the catalyst for the outrage people felt.

Students have Started an Eelam Revolution Not with Guns

The students are an intelligent and civilized lot coming from elite institutions; (it was the eight Loyola College students who started the hunger strike) studying theology, the arts and sciences including engineering, medicine, law, IT and more. To a tweet that boasted that, “the LTTE was defeated” sent by a Sri Lankan Consul General, I tweeted back that thanks to Tamil Nadu and especially the students, “Eelam lives on in 80 Million people. This is the message one gets from Facebook and Twitter from the student uprising.

What intimidates the Sinhala apologists is the fact that the Eelam revolution is not being fought with guns any more on the Tamil side, unlike the heavy handed military response that the Sri Lankan government is still pursuing in the NorthEast with no political solution offered or in sight; it is being fought with cell phones, the Indian media and pure solidarity, involving the mobilization of 80 Million people, moved by high moral principles of justice and freedom and achieved through a democratic uprising which people are calling the beginning of the ‘Tamil Spring’. The LTTE may be defeated but Eelam lives on in the hearts of not only Eelam Tamils but also in the hearts of 80 Million fellow Tamils just across the Palk Straits in Tamil Nadu.

The students have simultaneously started a cyber revolution that can be assembled any time on the ground if needed. That’s what bothers Dr Roberts when he suggests that it could lead to “virulent excesses” when what he want to do is to crush all democratic dissent against his own government’s excesses.

Monks and Violence

Any “violence against Lankan travelers” and the “spate of violence against Monks” that he raises must be condemned. Even one incident, is one incident too many. If the TN student movement is a force for good, the “Bikkhu Brigade” from South Sri Lanka endorsed by the most powerful man in the government, Gotabaya is a force for evil, if you study the moral fibre that underpins both. If Dr Roberts has any fears about IPL players and the “death clouds hanging over them” as he puts it, he must turn his attention to the Bodu Bala Senagroup and their threats against IPL players, with one Monk warning the players would be, pelted by “rotten eggs” on their return to Sri Lanka: “…an extremist group Bodu Bala Sena which has been at the forefront of growing anti-Muslim sentiment in Sri Lanka has warned the Sri Lankan players that if they betrayed the nation that loved them so much for mere financial gain, they would be pelted with rotten eggs at the Katunayaka international airport. Ironically the threats were made by a member of the Buddhist clergy,” the First Postreported.

Sri Lanka is still trying to up the ante by signing up with a US Lobby Firm

If Dr Roberts and the IPL Players are brave enough they should stand up and ask their government to open itself to independent international scrutiny and resolve the Tamil National Question without any procrastination. Players like Muralitharan and Arjuna Ranatunga must cut the rhetoric and pretense and call a spade a spade. Do they want to help Sri Lanka or the Rajapaksas, that’s the question they must ask themselves. Only then Sri Lanka will be on the ascendance. The Latest scoop from ‘Politico Influence’ reveals that Sri Lanka has signed up with MAJORITY GROUP and Thompson Advisory Group two lobbying firms: “The Sri Lankan government has inked a lobbying and government affairs contract with the Majority Group. Previously, the country had been represented by Patton Boggs. Patton terminated its representation of Sri Lanka in early February, according to Department of Justice records. Majority Group’s partner and co-founder Rob Ellsworth confirmed the news to PI. “We’re excited to work with Sri Lanka on a number of issues important to both of our countries. As a small boutique firm, we are able to give constant and individualized attention to our clients; I know that was very important to Sri Lanka,” Ellsworth said. The Majority Group was formed by Ellsworth and former Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho). Sri Lanka’s central bank recently inked a separate contract with Thompson Advisory Group to promote the country’s economic interests.

Dr Robert’s words must never come true. Any violence or harm must not come to any Sri Lankan IPL cricketers. It should never happen, it won’t happen is my ardent prayer. Let there be no violence perpetrated against any one, people are waiting to tarnish the freedom cause and set us back in our journey towards Eelam. The Tamil Spring, the cause for justice and freedom is not being fought with guns any more on the Tamil side.