by Charles.S.Perera

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Let India get credit for the delay in finishing off with terrorism, even at great risk to our Soldiers.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is true Indian Prime Minister , though he had not been exceptionally cordial towards Sri Lanka, had not been unfriendly as well.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But he kept the Tamil Nadu jokers in check without giving into theirƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  hysterics. Therefore, it would beƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  good to give him a chance to win the Indian Elections.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But that does not mean that we should expose our valiant soldiersƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to danger allowing them to face ruthless Prabhakaran and his demons, without heavy weapons.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  One can never say with the terrorists, who knows what more surprises they have up their sleeves.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I think the President Rajapakse had not been fair by the soldiers in allowing them to take unnecessary risks just to give Manmohan Singh a chance to win the election.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ However, if heavy weapons had been in use, the military operations would have been over by now, the terrorists killed or in Jail, and the Tamil Civilians in safety.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Anna Niestat, Brad Adam and the New York Based Human Rights Watch.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ At last she had been expelled.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That was the good news of the week. Human Rights Watch was getting nauseatingly stinking. They were just a lot of interfering nincompoops without any humanitarianism in them. They are merely earningƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  their living carrying aroundƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Humanitarian flagƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  with them.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Criticism and fault finding of government and Armed forces has become the principle activity of the Human Rights Watch.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  According to their talk of intense artilleryƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and aerial attacks on hospitals in the war zone one would think that there areƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  thousands of hospitals.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I really wonder who they are trying to fool ? ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ TheyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  accuse the Military Commanders for war crimes.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Strangely they do not seem to find any fault with the terroristsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦. They worry the more because the aid workers and media personnel are not allowed into the conflict zone. What a lot ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  opportunities for attacks against the government and the ArmedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  forces they are missing as a result.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That the Human Rights Watch cannot afford.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The New York Based ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ human Rights Watch Group must be on theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  20^th or 25^th floor of a sky scraper. I am sure they are seated comfortably before a computer, and imaging things to write about sipping theirƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ice cold beer. What they write about has to be horrendous to give the correct effect and show how their hearts meltƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  at theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  suffering of thoseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  innocent people in their imaginedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  war torn land in the north of Sri Lanka.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The New York Based HRW group gets information ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  every attack on permanentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and makeshift hospitals . ObviouslyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  it is ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the Government Forces that are responsible for the attacks.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  We can of course guess from where they get the precious information.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Brad Adams the holiest of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Human Rights Watch makes a pronouncement ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-“Hospitals are supposed to be sanctuaries from shelling, not targets,”ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Brad Adams sees hospitals in the North falling underƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  attacks by the Government forces one after the other as if nothing else exists their except overcrowded hospitals.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The stories ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  attacking hospital by the Armed Forces is the best way to put the International Community against the army. The others areƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  accusations ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  rape and molestations.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Brad Adams has still not come to the latter.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Brad Adams has alsoƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  not heardƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  of civilians fired at by the terrorists nor ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Tamil civilians held as human shields by the terrorists. That is because Brad Adams is specialising in finding atrocities committed by the Government Armed Force against the terrorists and the Tamil Civilians.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Miliband, Kouchner and Malcolm Bruce.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Liberal Democrat MP Malcolm Bruce has belittledƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  MilibandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s and KouchnerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  attempt at sensationalising the situation ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the civilians in the no fire zone and the overwhelming conditions of the IDP refugee camps. He has simply said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Horror stories in Britain about conditions in Sri Lanka camps housing hundreds of thousands of Tamil refugees are wrong.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

HeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  adds that IDPs interviewed said, that ” they had not been able to leave the conflict zone because the rebels warned them that if they attempted to escape they would be shot and sentries were posted to prevent escape.”

The Kouchners and Milibands , Adams and Evans cannot fathom the implication of a military operation by a disciplined and experienced Government Armed Force, to save hundreds of thousand of innocent old and young, men and women, children and babies, mothers and pregnant women kept in most pitiable conditions by the terrorists to serve as a barrier against artillery fire of the Armed Forces.

Neither can they fathom the Gargantuan enormity of the task of accommodating, providing medical and sanitary facilities, food and clothing, protection and security to a sudden exodus of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ people fleeing from a veritable group of demoniac terrorists to camps under the protection of the armed forces.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

The Armed Forces have to win the confidence of the people.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They have to be protected from the terrorists hiding among them. The IDPs will be met by all types of people calling themselves bothers, sisters, cousins and uncles.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Such people have to be questioned, and no one can be handed over to some one who calls himself or herselfƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  a brother or a sister, or an uncle and anƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  aunt. The IDPs have psychological traumas they have to be kept under surveillance.

It is easy to go round the camps and makeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  critical observations but the enormity of the work in hand cannot be understood by aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  visit round the camp and questioning a few IDPs.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Scandal Mongers, Scavengers and UK Channel 4

A UK Teleivision Channel 4 recentlyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  televised a programme on the refugee camps in Vavuniya calling them internment camps .ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It was on baseless pack of lies.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It spoke of dead bodies rotting inside camps with worms coming out of the mouths andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  childrenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  playing about near the corpses. In a tropical country likeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  leave alone corpses, aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  carcase of a dead rat cannot be left to rot as the stink will driveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  away any one coming close to it.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So it is an exaggeration beyond belief.

In the west sexual immorality isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  well known, even young children have notƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  escaped their sexual urge. The western media thrive on sexual gossip. The reporters from Channel 4 with that background search sexual abuses as delicacies, and when they donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t find any they invent them.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Because in the North of Sri Lanka with military operations sex is an easy means to lay accusations at any oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s door.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So the Channel 4 – a scandal mongering chain reports of finding three bodies of women in a bathing area and casts innuendos seeking to put the blame on the armed guardians.

The Channel 4 is perhaps being encouraged by the International Media Forum with the intention of getting journalists and media enter into to conflict Zones in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Military Operational Zones areƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  not always opened for journalists, as certainƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  sensitive informationƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  is considered best kept within the Army.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is so with theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  American Army.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The following is taken from the Columbia Journalism Review which says:

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦There are certain information considered sensitive by the American Army, which are not imparted to the journalists. Steven Aftergood, senior research analyst at the Federation of American Scientists and director of the federationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Project on Government Secrecy, raises some red flags about the new regulations, writing that the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-sensitiveƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ information as defined in the manual includes ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-not just vital details of military operations and technologies but also documents marked ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-For Official Use OnlyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (FOUO) that may be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ In other words, as he says, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-it follows that inquisitive members of the press or the public who actively pursue such FOUO records may be deemed enemies of the United States.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

American ArmyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Operational Guide Lines adds that, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-A person doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have to be in the military or government to support OPSECƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦As a Nation, we are in this fight together, and all Americans are encouraged to practice OPSEC.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

( OPSEC stands for Operation Security Guidelines)

The Channel 4 as much as the BBC may be funded by the Sri Lanka terrorists who have a vast net work for distributing money.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Channel 4 is obviously trying to prepare programmes discrediting the government toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  put the International Community against military operation of the Government Armed Forces.