Associated Press,  Mon Jan 22 09:24:04 EST 2007

    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -  (AP)  Sri Lankan air force bombers and helicopters targeted a Tamil rebel camp in northeastern Sri Lanka -  on Monday, killing an unspecified, but ``large number'' of insurgents, a military official said. Full Story


_________________
- The Academic

Such strikes are critical, but as Iqbal Athas cautioned us in the S.Times this week, Sea Tigers are still virtually intact and deadly. If SLAF strikes have been so successful how can they launch a flotilla of 20 boats to attack a Cargo Ship?  A lot remains to be done and as much as the SLN has been good at rebuffing the attacks they are still the weakest link.  They are mostly engaged in defensive operations and no one seems to have an inkling of the strength of the Sea Tigers. They are the key to Tigers prowess now and if they are not curbed, they will regroup and launch attacks in the North as the SLA keeps gaining ground in the EAst and they will keep resorting to guerilla attacks because that is their normal mode. IT is critical to wipe out their Thoppigala base and to wipe out Sea Tigers if we want real success.  Then negotiate and offer a viable political solution.  Without that all these gains are temporary.

Today MR said 95% of the East is clean from LTTE.  Unless it is well over 100% clean, one can never say that you defeated LTTE from LTTE.  Since whatever our politicians say are not trustworthy, people will never know whether the operations were successful or not.  Removing LTTE is the first step, the big and next steps are rebuilding these areas so that people will not or forced to choose LTTE in the future.


_________________
.... inspire me

Quote:

"hardX"]Today MR said 95% of the East is clean from LTTE.  

Yes, this is crucial.  The remaining 5% should be eliminated.  Otherwise it can multiply as bacterium

Amarakoon wrote:

Quote:

"hardX"]Today MR said 95% of the East is clean from LTTE.  

Yes, this is crucial.  The remaining 5% should be eliminated.  Otherwise it can multiply as bacterium

Ah, but remember Rattwatte and the A9.

While the LTTE is no angels (certainly, they are terrorists!), neither are the state terrorists and their cohorts, the Karuna terrorists.

[quote="Oh_Yeah"]

Amarakoon wrote:

Quote:

"hardX"]Today MR said 95% of the East is clean from LTTE.  

Yes, this is crucial.  The remaining 5% should be eliminated.  Otherwise it can multiply as bacterium

Quote:

Ah, but remember Rattwatte and the A9.

Ratwatta is gone gone.  Lessons learned are remaining.  During Ratwatta era LTTE even bombed the Dalada Maligawa. A9 is still there.

Quote:

While the LTTE is no angels (certainly, they are terrorists!), neither are the state terrorists and their cohorts, the Karuna terrorists.

Yes LTTE are devils.  There are no state terrorists they are accountable solders of a democratically elected Govt.  If LTTE is so powerful ask them to take care of Karuna.

Oh_Yeah wrote:

Amarakoon wrote:

Quote:

"hardX"]Today MR said 95% of the East is clean from LTTE.  

Yes, this is crucial.  The remaining 5% should be eliminated.  Otherwise it can multiply as bacterium

Ah, but remember Rattwatte and the A9.

While the LTTE is no angels (certainly, they are terrorists!), neither are the state terrorists and their cohorts, the Karuna terrorists.

You can’t use the term “State Terrorism” since the state to a certain degree is democratically elected and within its judicial system you can fight for your rights.  For the most part, the life of over 70% people are fine.  The term State Terrorism has been invented by pro-LTTE Terrorism to trash the government and justify their violence.

Sri Lankans can criticize the government and expect to live their full life.  Same thing can’t be said for someone living under LTTE.  I don’t think that type of freedom of expression exist in Singapore or Malaysia.

Anyone sympathies with LTTE are not qualified to use that term unless they want to portray themselves as hypocrites.

People will support State Terrorists when they go after National Terrorists.


_________________
.... inspire me

hardX wrote:

Oh_Yeah wrote:

Amarakoon wrote:

Quote:

"hardX"]Today MR said 95% of the East is clean from LTTE.  

Yes, this is crucial.  The remaining 5% should be eliminated.  Otherwise it can multiply as bacterium

Ah, but remember Rattwatte and the A9.

While the LTTE is no angels (certainly, they are terrorists!), neither are the state terrorists and their cohorts, the Karuna terrorists.

You can’t use the term “State Terrorism” since the state to a certain degree is democratically elected and within its judicial system you can fight for your rights.  For the most part, the life of over 70% people are fine.  The term State Terrorism has been invented by pro-LTTE Terrorism to trash the government and justify their violence.

Sri Lankans can criticize the government and expect to live their full life.  Same thing can’t be said for someone living under LTTE.  I don’t think that type of freedom of expression exist in Singapore or Malaysia.

Anyone sympathies with LTTE are not qualified to use that term unless they want to portray themselves as hypocrites.

People will support State Terrorists when they go after National Terrorists.

Sure. The state (in the reading of Weber's concept) maintains the legitimate use of force. Now that point has been debated within various branches of the Political and International Relations academia. Lets say we agree for one moment that the state retains this particular power (not considering for a moment that in a democracy, that it could also be argued to amount to tyranny of the majority), the next question would be what is "certain degree".

The term State Terrorism is not a pro-LTTE concept. It has been in use amongst writers (both academic and journalist) long before the LTTE stared using it.

In a study of Internationl Relations and Nationalism and State, we also learn to question what is ment by National... so one has to question what is meant by National Terrorism here.

And finally, noting that this is an "academic" site, one should not take any critiq of the state to mean sympathising or agreeing with the LTTE.

[quote="Amarakoon"]

Oh_Yeah wrote:

Amarakoon wrote:

Quote:

"hardX"]Today MR said 95% of the East is clean from LTTE.  

Yes, this is crucial.  The remaining 5% should be eliminated.  Otherwise it can multiply as bacterium

Quote:

Ah, but remember Rattwatte and the A9.

Ratwatta is gone gone.  Lessons learned are remaining.  During Ratwatta era LTTE even bombed the Dalada Maligawa. A9 is still there.

Quote:

While the LTTE is no angels (certainly, they are terrorists!), neither are the state terrorists and their cohorts, the Karuna terrorists.

Yes LTTE are devils.  There are no state terrorists they are accountable solders of a democratically elected Govt.  If LTTE is so powerful ask them to take care of Karuna.

Sorry my friend. Accountability is a term that is anathema in Sri Lanka. Please refer to the various Persidential Commission reports on Involuntary Disappearance... Please refer to the number of ruling by the Supreme Court where it has been noted time again that evidence against many who were detained either under the PTA or ER were extracted under duress/torture. In fact in each occation the Supreme Court made such rulings, it also called on the head of the police as well as the chief justice to take action to prosecute those responsible. None have been so far. Accountablity?

Now 95% of east is free of LTTE. The whole island should be 100% free of LTTE and Tamils. The Tamils have brought this on to themselves. They should have rejected the LTTE and other separatist elements. The they will pay the price.

Only way they have is to toe the Sinhalese majority's line and be part of Sri Lanka or they will be eliminated.

A lot of you make good points. This is supposedly a place for academic and intellectual discussions. Hence any criticism of the STATE or MR should NOT be viewed as being pro-tiger. That is really myopic.  Remember Daya Sandagiri made claims that VP was killed in the Tsunami and that Sea tigers got wiped out? They are still a deadly force now...So take these comments from our Politikkas with a bit more than a pinch of salt.


I can understand the cynicism expressed by some with Mahinda's "95"% clear claims made to extract political mileage.  Others did the same and lost a lot of face, land and material and men to the Tigers!! MR is trying to portray himself as a modern Dutugemunu and his ego and his actions in the last year have been quite strange to most although he remains a likeable fellow.  His temper tantrums have not been displayed by any leader before in SL. His outburst at S.Leader Editor was very bad.  Presidents need to show a bit more maturity. Presidency expects classy behavior.

And all of you know Guerilla or terrorist movements don't need to occupy land to prove a point. Tigers did LOSE in the East and hence some of their bogus claims to be the "Sole Representatives of the Tamil people in their Traditional homeland" myth was weakened.  But they can easily go back to their "hit and run" tactics and suicide bombers anyplace with impunity still. SLA can beat Tigers any given day in real battles now.  Our Army is ably led and are lot more professional than those days.

The ELECTED STATE in a democracy is accountable and answerable to the people and the international community it depends on for aid/begging.  It cannot behave the same way as non-state actors. Kidnappings h ave risen rapidly since 2005,  assassinations by all sides and murder is beginning to look a bit like the Premedasa era and some may argue it is necessary and others may say no.  Who knows if State actors have no choice but to resort to this sort of measure to fight unconventional enemies. Everyone has done it before.  Afterall, today the BRITISH were exposed in N.Ireland for using the same sort of tactics albeit on a smaller scale.  Check news item

Quote:

Police colluded with loyalists behind over a dozen murders in north Belfast, a report by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland has confirmed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6286695.stm

So we as free thinking Sinhalese, and Tamils or any other ethnicity, we should be allowed to DISCUSS and DEBATE these issues on this forum without rancour and fear of persecution.  I speak as one whose telephones were tapped during the Premedasa era and had visits from the CID under that donkey JR when he started the "naxalite" scare to intimidate us and do away with democracy..  I selectively used a bad adjective to describe JR because his absurd constitution is a the root cause of many of the problems today.  So I sort of broke my own rule. Sorry.

SRI LANKA IS NOT ONLY FOR SINHALESE please note that is a fascist comment as bad as the VP ideology of a racially pure Tamil Homeland. Most of us in SL do NOT subscribe to that sort of lunacy.  Only racists with inferiority complexes will say that sort of thing.

I am aware of some of the questionable activities the government is engaged in.  
Blame the state if you are not part of a political or Terror group.  Only the sinners shouldn’t be allowed to blame the fellow kind.  If you are not, please criticize the govt. by all means.


_________________
.... inspire me

Good points HardX.  YEs LEGITIMATE REASONABLE questions and criticisms are good.

The term "state terrorism" can be used in discussions.

During '88-90 era the whole of 2nd generation JVPers were eliminated through state terrorism.

Journalists like Richard de Zoysa were eliminated with state terrorism.

Several muslims (Udathalawinna) were eliminated during an election with state terrorism.
Sadaam Husain used it heavily and finally he was punished for it.

Many LTTEs and may be some innocent tamils have been eliminated with state terrorism.


_________________
Peace for Sri Lanka

Quote:

Sorry my friend. Accountability is a term that is anathema in Sri Lanka. Please refer to the various Persidential Commission reports on Involuntary Disappearance... Please refer to the number of ruling by the Supreme Court where it has been noted time again that evidence against many who were detained either under the PTA or ER were extracted under duress/torture. In fact in each occation the Supreme Court made such rulings, it also called on the head of the police as well as the chief justice to take action to prosecute those responsible. None have been so far. Accountablity?

Hi "ohyeah1x

You do not have to say sorry.  The answer to your question is embedded in your posting itself.  Your so called state sponsored terrorism went through a commission and a ruling was given to take action those who have been responsible.  May be it went that far.  It was documented.  In the case of real terrorism (by LTTE) where it goes? For an example, a cutting of a hand by LTTE for voting, killing of Kabilithigolawa where it goes?

Same, for killing Rajiv, VP was convicted. So what?