{"id":41003,"date":"2015-01-25T17:22:52","date_gmt":"2015-01-26T00:22:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=41003"},"modified":"2015-01-25T17:22:52","modified_gmt":"2015-01-26T00:22:52","slug":"response-to-the-new-york-times-article-of-january-19-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2015\/01\/25\/response-to-the-new-york-times-article-of-january-19-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Response to the New York Times Article of January 19, 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

Helping Sri Lanka\u2019s New Democracy<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this piece of high handed journalism you have desecrated the sacred flag of Sri Lanka by altering it with figures riding the lion with an American Flag.\u00a0 No Sri Lankan will accept your idea of graphic alternation to their national flag.\u00a0 You need to apologize profusely to Sri Lanka for desecrating the national flag of Sri Lanka.\u00a0\u00a0 Protests will be made to the NY Times too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ryan Goodman, the author of this article speaks with authority as if Sri Lanka\u2019s future should be determined by his recommendations that are based on suggested interference by the US Administration in the affairs of Sri Lanka.\u00a0 Sri Lanka\u2019s democracy does not need this kind of help.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is furthest from the wishes of the Sri Lankan people who were brainwashed against the US during the Rajapakse regime due to the high handed attitude shown to Sri Lanka by the US under the influence of supporters of terrorism who had left the country and still wished to see Sri Lanka divided and decimated without any consideration for not only the Tamil people who suffered under the LTTE but all ethnic groups.\u00a0 The US was intent on saving a terrorist leader who had killed 90,000 civilians over 28 years, valiantly fought by the Sri Lankan military that lost 30,000 soldiers leaving behind 50,000 or more disabled by suicide bomb attacks. Who is accountable for the 90,000 civilian lives lost.\u00a0 LTTE disabled were a liability and they were blown up according to eyewitnesses.\u00a0 They were Sri Lankans and their Human Rights were violated by the LTTE.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After successive governments failed in peace talks with the LTTE and leaders failed to bring peace to the people of the country Rajapakse took the situation in control.\u00a0 There were imperfections in his regime that could have been fixed and he was one leader who was able to bring to an end the longest running terrorist struggle against a democratic nation.\u00a0 The Peace that is at stake if lost will never be recovered.\u00a0 Taking Rajapakses to war crimes tribunal also attaches the military that sacrificed for all including Tamils to gain their peace.\u00a0 Today, the same people who object to Rajapakse, push for war crimes are happily enjoying the peace travelling at will to Sri Lanka and investing in property in any part of the country without any restrictions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Goodman dictates that Sri Lanka should be punished for ending terrorism and bringing peace to all.\u00a0 Then what could be said about the civilian deaths in the hands of the US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan?\u00a0 What about drone attacks that are killing not only terrorists but also civilians at random?\u00a0 What do you have to say Mr. Goodman about those deaths?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Would you take the US men and women in uniforms before war tribunals?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The reference to an insurgency is a misnomer.\u00a0 Sri Lanka had an insurgency in 1971 which arose from educated youth of the Sinhala community.\u00a0 The then Prime Minister Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranayake\u00a0 the mother of the former President Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaranatunge one of the architects of the regime change gave a blanket ruling to shoot them down in cold blood.\u00a0 There was no Amnesty International, UN Human Rights outcry in those instances.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t have ground, sea, air power and suicide bombers as the LTTE did making the battle with terrorism for the country far worse.\u00a0 Sri Lanka knows the difference between its insurgency and the terrorist war.\u00a0 Use the word terrorism Mr. Goodman.\u00a0 If you call ISIS terrorists, the same brand of terrorism applies to the LTTE.\u00a0 It is a brand of terrorism that uses civilians as human shields as a way to bring disrepute to their opponents.\u00a0 This practice is a part of their operations manual. Beheadings and killings by the LTTE were so rampant and no one was safe.\u00a0 It was supposed to be the Tamil Cause\u201d but the Tamils who suffered most because they were plundered, their children taken away and any resistance resulted in cold blooded killing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The author refers to statement attributed to John Kerry which are totally misinformed.\u00a0 Sri Lanka\u2019s new chapter was peace and freedom attained in May 2009.\u00a0 If Mr. Goodman saw the carnage, he could not write this nonsense if he is human.\u00a0 To write such canards, one has to be paid and Mr. Goodman has consistently supported stilted writings that can only be classified as paid, corrupt journalism for a reward from sources that want only one side of the story told.<\/p>\n

You have no authority to tell Sri Lanka\u2019s people whether or not the ousted leaders can return to democracy.\u00a0 Do not forget that Sri Lankan voter choice is not like the Florida debacle with hanging chads and half punched polling cards and the stoppage of counting votes.\u00a0 The over 80% voter turnout was almost equally divided and as such if you talk about democracy people have the right to choose.<\/p>\n

If the new team doesn\u2019t deliver or pushes war crimes against the military that saved everyone from terror, the people have the right to choose to remove anyone who takes that away from them.\u00a0 The families that sacrificed lives for the war were 90% from the majority community.\u00a0 After the peace all minorities also enjoyed the fruits of development while sacrifices were made by a few poor families that gave their children to the volunteer services.\u00a0 No regime is all good or all bad.\u00a0 The Commander Sarath Fonseka\u2019s unverified story about white flags has been disputed by many who knew that the terrorists who had cyanide capsules on them to avoid being captured alive were not going to surrender.\u00a0 Goodman needs to read some of the reports of the Jaffna Teachers about the inaccuracies reported to international media.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If Goodman is calling for US intervention now, where was the US when for 28 years, the people suffered under terrorism?\u00a0 When 9\/11 happened, Sri Lanka had suffered 18 years of terrorism. We Sri Lankan Americans stood with President Bush in the aftermath of the single terror attack on US soil.\u00a0 All US allies are going after ISIS and Al-Qaida but their record is nothing like the killing of heads of state and leaders of not only Sri Lanka but the Prime Minister of India as carried out by the LTTE.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However, the same push was not seen when Sri Lanka suffered and even our peace is now at stake with a push from people like you.\u00a0 You forget that the LTTE invented the suicide bombing paraphernalia that continues to be used in other conflicts and has killed many US soldiers.\u00a0 They have connections with Yemen and the same sources that network all terror groups.\u00a0 In May 2009 Sri Lanka ended terror and not a single bomb exploded since then.\u00a0\u00a0 In January 2015 the same is happening from Paris to other European countries with emerging terror threats and cells in Europe and the US and the hype was not seen when Sri Lanka had daily bombings and killings.\u00a0 Your article is a bifurcation of the truth applying it to Sri Lanka differently.\u00a0 The LTTE were terrorists and no matter what name you use to describe them, their actions were just like other you continue to call terrorists.<\/p>\n

They procured arms using connections while on US soil violating laws of this country.\u00a0 The US should have gone to the aid of Sri Lanka when the terrorist war ended.\u00a0 Instead of pandering to pro LTTE diaspora who pressured the US to take a wrong turn in foreign policy and turn against Sri Lanka, they should have been there first.\u00a0 When China came to their aid instead, all hell broke loose.<\/p>\n

Goodman has the audacity to push war crimes allegations against the formal military when the non-state players are getting off without a scratch.\u00a0 The end of the war was a few months. Sri Lanka\u2019s people suffered for decades.\u00a0 The funding to cause all the hardship and terrorist bombings was raised in western countries including the USA.\u00a0 The USA naively opened their doors for immigration to illiterate liars who earned US dollars and fed the terror coffers. They are here now and raising funds for future terror under your noses and you are turning a blind eye.\u00a0 Now it is coming out the same way with all the revelations of what the Jihadists are following. Sri Lanka\u2019s issues were never considered by the US although it was the same type of carnage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Goodman wants the Obama administration to step in.\u00a0 No thank you.\u00a0 The US has enough on their plate.\u00a0 What the Obama administration should be doing is to watch those who made large contributions to political campaigns like Tamils for Obama\u201d\u00a0 Tamils for Hillary\u201d to push their one sided agenda to destabilize Sri Lanka.\u00a0 This is all about separatism.\u00a0 They find an excuse cause, the Tamil people.\u00a0 They did nothing for the Tamil people except torture them if they didn\u2019t join them, take their kids as child soldiers, they created the women suicide bombers and even strapped bombs to young people as they did to destroy Sri Lanka\u2019s President Premadasa.\u00a0 Your article calls them insurgents.\u00a0 Get your facts straight Mr. Goodman.\u00a0 Who are you to decide what is good for Sri Lanka?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sri Lanka fought a terrorist war and ended it.\u00a0 They can do the rest too. You are nitpicking something the US has not been able to achieve with all the large scale resources.\u00a0 Stay out of Sri Lanka\u2019s business.\u00a0 They can manage it without your stilted opinion.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An anti-terrorist US Citizen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Helping Sri Lanka\u2019s New Democracy In this piece of high handed journalism you have desecrated the sacred flag of Sri Lanka by altering it with figures riding the lion with an American Flag.\u00a0 No Sri Lankan will accept your idea of graphic alternation to their national flag.\u00a0 You need to apologize profusely to Sri Lanka […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41003\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}