Monthly Archives: March 2012

Vanished US tourist points to dark heart of Himalayas

After travelling through Sri Lanka and India, American yoga teacher Aubrey Sacco decided to cap her six-month trip of a lifetime with a solo trek in Nepal’s majestic Himalayas.
The 23-year-old told her family she would be hiking in Langtang National Park, on the Tibetan border, and would check back with them in a few days. […]

By | Published on March 19, 2012 at 12:28 pm

Indian activists call on their Govt to support UN Resolution against Sri Lanka

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. File photo

An Urgent Appeal by Indian Activists and Advocates to the Indian Government to Support the UN Resolution on Sri Lanka at the 19th Human Rights Council Sessions
STATEMENT
We, the undersigned, call upon the Indian Government to take action with regards to the situation in Sri Lanka through supporting the US-sponsored resolution at the on-going 19th Session of the […]

By | Published on March 19, 2012 at 12:16 pm

Sri Lanka: War-torn beauty

Ulagalla Resort. Image taken from FT.com

After 30 years of violence, northern Sri Lanka is opening up to tourism
Saying I’m going on holiday to Sri Lanka elicits one of two reactions from my friends. There’s the ooh-elephants-temples-cocktails-at-sunset-lucky-you! brigade. And
then there are my friends who read the newspapers. “Which beach did you say you’re staying on?” emails a friend. “The one where […]

By Carole Cadwalladr | Published on March 19, 2012 at 11:52 am

Afghanistan:Madness was not the reason for this massacre

In this Aug. 23, 2011 Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System photo, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, left, 1st platoon sergeant, Blackhorse Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division participates in an exercise at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. A senior U.S. official, Friday March 16, 2012 identified Bales as the man accused of killing 16 civilians in an attack on Afghan villagers five days ago. The man at the right is unidentified. Photo taken from Yahoo news

I’m getting a bit tired of the “deranged” soldier story. It was predictable, of course. The 38-year-old staff sergeant who massacred 16 Afghan civilians, including nine
children, near Kandahar this week had no sooner returned to base than the defence experts and the think-tank boys and girls announced that he was “deranged”. Not an evil, wicked, […]

By Robert Fisk | Published on March 19, 2012 at 11:39 am

New Channel 4 video is unprofessional and propagandist - Dayan

The documentary “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished”, was aired by Britain’s Channel 4 on Wednesday (14). The documentary is a follow-up to last
year’s controversial documentary “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields”. The new documentary, made by the same team reiterates accusations on “War Crimes” during the latter stages of the conflict. It also makes new […]

By Arthur Wamanan and Sandun Jayawardana | Published on March 19, 2012 at 11:13 am

Lanka’s economic miracle turns sour

The Satakaya Brigade: The Rajapakse family in customary garb complete with red shawl

Sri Lanka’s president began his second term vowing an economic miracle after decades of conflict, but the post-war boom is already fraying, putting his record on economic management to the test.
Mahinda Rajapakse launched his second six-year term in 2010 promising to turn Sri Lanka into the “wonder of Asia” by doubling GDP per capita income […]

By Staff Correspondent | Published on March 19, 2012 at 11:08 am

Iraq offers to step in as Sri Lanka stops Iran crude oil imports

Iraq has come forward to offer “substantial quantities” of crude oil to Sri Lanka, as the island desperately looks for alternatives to Iranian crude, a news report said
yesterday.
Iran supplies nearly 92% of Sri Lanka’s imported crude. But supplies have hit a snag in the face of US-led sanctions aimed at spurring Teheran to abandon its […]

By Staff Correspondent | Published on March 19, 2012 at 10:59 am

Geneva meet: rallies galore in Sri Lanka, not all altruistic though

Government supporters display placards during a street march, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Monday (February 27). Thousands of people in towns and cities across Sri Lanka took to streets to protest against a proposed U.N. Human Rights Council resolution on alleged human rights abuses during the country's civil war.

“What confirms the suspicions who is behind the protests was the fact that one such was organised in Jaffna. Ever since Sri Lanka took control of the northern province, nothing happens in the area without the Army being informed about it. The last protest in Jaffna was against India — in front of the Consulate […]

By R.K. Radhakrishnan | Published on March 19, 2012 at 10:48 am

Channel 4 videos on Sri Lanka: Background essential

POINT OF VIEW:The Channel 4 News videos on the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka are about the most important contributions to apprise the world of what has gone
on, and is still going on, behind the closed and censored doors of Sri Lanka.
There are now two documentaries, Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields released in June 2011, and […]

By Brian Senewiratne | Published on March 19, 2012 at 10:34 am

Bin Laden wanted President Obama killed

Before his death, Osama bin Laden boldly commanded his network to organize special cells in Afghanistan and Pakistan to attack the aircraft of President Barack Obama and Gen. David Petraeus.
“The reason for concentrating on them,” the al-Qaeda leader explained to his top lieutenant, “is that Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically […]

By David Ignatius | Published on March 17, 2012 at 1:41 am