Robert O Blake: a diplomatic religious deity
Posted on August 25th, 2009

Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 . Canada

August 25, 2009

Ambassador Robert O BlakeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ,
Assistant State Secretary of State, South & CentralƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ AsiaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
State DepartmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
Washington DC, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ USA

Dear Robert Blake:

Re:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Robert Blake: a Diplomatic-Religious Deity

I am sure the come back by President Mahinda Rajapaksa through his spokesperson ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on your statement claiming that the delay in resettling thousands displaced in the north would seriously affect US funding for Sri Lanka was embarrassing.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In case you missed it this is what he had to say:

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I would like to ask Robert O Blake whether the US government has finished resettling the people who were displaced in the Hurricane Katrina?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They could not even resettle that number. Those people are still living in trailer parks.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In Kabul, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since the US invasion in 2001.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In Iraq it is the same.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  First Blake must give attention to this peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

He continued that the US has never, during President Mahinda RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s time ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” or even before that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” given any bilateral funds for Sri Lanka. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-According to a Treasury official, apart from the tsunami funds, the US ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ has never given us any bilateral funds.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They have given us multilateral funds, either through the WHO or other UN agencies.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But only one third of those funds actually reached them, with the rest being the administrative and other costs.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

I sent ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ an e-mail to PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s office with this sentiment ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Woooo! Mr. President.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Way to go!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  DonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t let this American treat us as if we were a Banana Republic.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Let him know that you can certainly handle your business for your people and country and count your marbles at the same time without having to cow down to an American Big Brother who has a tendency to bully.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

But my real reason for writing you is to share with you a real incident that I experienced around April.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The validity of this incident I can now comprehend fully with your insistence to continue to meddle with Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s affairs as if you were God and wanting to direct that puny islandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s destiny.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  A meddlesome American, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-YesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, but a God, most definitely ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-NoƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

During April at the thick of the Tamil demonstrations in Toronto wanting the Canadian government to forge a ceasefire in Sri Lanka when its forces had ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ whipped and cornered the Tamil Tigers after 26 years of warring when Prabhakaran acted like a cock-a-hoop, my curiosity dragged me 450 kilometres to witness what was going on.

That evening in Scarborough I came across a pretty, fulsome Tamil woman in a sari and a red thumb print between her eyebrows carrying a portrait of Prabhakaran and a red Tamil Tiger terrorist flag on one hand and another portrait of someone who I couldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t recognize in the other hand.

I approached this 40ish looking amiable woman.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  She introduced herself as Purnima Murugesu, formerly from Vadukoddai in the North of Sri Lanka. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This is where the Vadukoddai Resolution was adopted in May 14, 1976 which provided the seal to go ahead with Tamil terrorism.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Who is this person?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I asked, pointing to the portrait that I couldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t recognize.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- Oh! ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s God BobƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, she said

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-What?” I interjected in surprise, looking again at the face of the whiteman in the portrait.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-This person is our God, who will eventually take care of our LTTE leaders and take them out of the country if they find themselves in real trouble.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This is the reincarnation of Lord Murugan, the handsome, fire-eating and spear-wielding Hindu God of War.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  He is now the American Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ O. Blake,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ she said.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ She seemed quite convinced of the reincarnation of this person and when I looked dumbfounded she said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Come home and I will show you. He has got a place in my shrineƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s altarƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This was something that I had to see, I thought.

I entered her apartment with some trepidation as I didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t know this woman from Adam a hour ago.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  There stood an elderly lady, her mother; who I soon found out did not speak English.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It was communication in sign language from there on for me.

They exchanged words in Tamil and escorted me to an inner sanctum of the apartment where the aroma was that of burnt sandalwood incense.

At one corner of the room was an altar with several Hindu Gods and Goddesses.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I recognized the portraits of Lord Ganesh (Lord of success), Lord Siva, (Lord of death and destruction), Goddess Sarasvathi ( goddess of wisdom), Lord Vishnu (God of Maintenance), Goddess ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) and Krishna ( the Vishnu avatar). ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And sure enough amongst them was the portrait of the whiteman God Bob (the saviour of the Tamil Tigers) which was also garlanded like the rest of the deities with a Kataragama red and yellow plastic floral braid.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In front of his portrait was an incense Tea candle burning.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This is serious business I thought.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  She believed in this God Bob who she recognized was the saviour of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Eelam Tamils and their leaders. She would swear on her deceased fatherƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s photograph that he was the reincarnation of Lord Murugan.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  There may be some truth to this revelation, I thought by now.

But, what has disappointed me most, which I am kicking myself now is that I do not have PurnimaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s e-mail address nor her telephone number to find out whether her God Bob has disappointed her, now that the Tamil Tigers have been wiped out and her Tamil Tiger leaders have been killed, because God Bob did not really exercise his bully-powers, and that she has now found that God Bob is a fraud and an imposter and smashed his God portrait on the floor and has blown out the Tea candle with disgust.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Ambassador Blake, that surely must be hurting you like a pin pricked voodoo doll.

It is obvious that, although unintentional, you have that aura to convince the Sri Lankan TamilsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  with your busy-body statements that you are the powerful, andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ all mighty, and exude the impression of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Watch how I grind Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s political power base to a halt with the snap of my fingers and provide the Tamil Tigers a voice to get their separate state Eelam.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Your meeting with the Tamil Diaspora in the US, who really have abdicated any say in the destiny of the Tamils that they left behind and not coming home to fight for their Eelam with the gang of Tamil Tiger terrorists, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ nor sending their children to become child soldiers to fight the adult war but provided them a life of luxury and a good schooling and not let them carry Kalashnikovs to be marched under the hot sun to the bellow of a Tamil Tiger sergeant ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-left-right-left-rightƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚; injected into the Tamil Diaspora a show of your place of authority on Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s affairs, for them to feel that ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-This man is God, at least he acts like one, and he can make things happen in Sri Lanka for us Tamils.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Such meetings with you certainly give them that big-headed gumption to think that they have the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”moral rightƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to talk of the conditions of the IDP camps that they have not visited.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And you expressing your ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-disappointmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ with the Government of Sri Lanka when the President had commented that he would consider a political solution only after the Presidential election, surely gives us the wrongƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ impression of you like:

Wow! Here comes God Bob into action believing that he is the one who would decide what process that Sri Lanka should take in solving her problems.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Mr. Ambassador, that is what I call ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the classic text book example of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ white colonial minded bullying with a touch of arroganceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, that wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t go heavy on any non-Tamil Sri Lankan.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  May be that some Tamils too would take exception to yourƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  expression of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-disappointmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

I am only hoping that Tamils like Purinama will read President RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s come back on your meddlesome interference in Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s internal affairs, which might tell them that Ambassador Robert O. Blake after all is no reincarnation of Lord Murugan the God of War, and if he had given them that impression, it was unfortunate as it may have been unintentional fraudulence.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I also hope that they would also read between the lines of what President Rajapaksa told Ambassador Robert O Blake, diplomatically: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Robert, why donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you go hitch a hike to the moon in the next NASA space shuttle.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Sincerely

Asoka Weerasinghe

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