{"id":43159,"date":"2015-04-14T13:56:45","date_gmt":"2015-04-14T20:56:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=43159"},"modified":"2015-04-14T13:56:45","modified_gmt":"2015-04-14T20:56:45","slug":"fashioning-a-spectre-of-disaster-with-aid-from-humanitarian-agencies-tamil-marvels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2015\/04\/14\/fashioning-a-spectre-of-disaster-with-aid-from-humanitarian-agencies-tamil-marvels\/","title":{"rendered":"Fashioning a Spectre of Disaster with Aid from Humanitarian Agencies: Tamil\u00a0Marvels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Roberts,<\/strong> courtesy of<\/span> Groundviews<\/a>, where the title differs and where readers will find critical comments<\/em><\/h2>\n
\n

\"81<\/a>\u00a0A scene showing displaced Tamils in makeshift encampments in late 2008(?) or early 2009\u00a0as they faced multiple displacements in step with LTTE demands<\/em><\/p>\n

Summarising previous essays (see bibliography below) this article proceeds in point-form with an eye on greater impact via succinctness.<\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> During the last phase of Eelam War IV in 2008\/09 the LTTE attempted an international heist that is unprecedented in world history<\/strong>:[1]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a> they used some 320,000 of their own people to manufacture a picture of an impending humanitarian disaster\u201d so that concerned international forces would intervene and impose a ceasefire or effect a rescue operation. These entrapped Tamil people were not only so many sandbags and a source of labour and\/or conscripts. Their primary purpose was to constitute a spectre of impending horror.<\/strong> A2<\/strong> \u2013 Thus, the LTTE political commissar Puleedevan told some friends in Europe just as in Kosovo if enough civilians died \u2026 the world would be forced to step in\u201d (quoted in Harrison 2012: 63) \u2014 a line of policy confirmed subsequently by KP, the head of the Tiger international arm, during a frank interview with the redoubtable Tamil journalist in Canada, Jeyaraj: [we] had to magnify the humanitarian crisis,\u201d (Jeyaraj, KP\u201d speaks out<\/em>, 2011: 25, 30).A3<\/strong> \u2014 This spectre was disseminated by (a) LTTE satellite technology at their HQ, and by TamilNet <\/em>and the extensive Tiger networks abroad; and A4<\/strong> \u2014 was fed bythe reports of the Tamil medical men<\/a> within the battle theatre acting as patriots[2]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>or under duress.<\/p>\n

\"81-UNITED-NATIONS-SRI-LANKA-facebook+\"<\/a>\u00a0Tamil villagers on the move \u2014 Pic from Reuters<\/em><\/p>\n

B. <\/strong>From moral concerns<\/a> humanitarian agencies such as AI<\/a>, HRW, ICG and CPA became tools in the Tamil Tigers\u2019 grand strategy. These sympathetic agencies do not seem to have fully comprehended the fact that the situation of entrapment was solely a creation of the LTTE.[3]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a> In other words, they were unintentionally complicit[4]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a> in this act of monumental blackmail.<\/p>\n

C.<\/strong> So too were several Western states and the United Nations analytically blind[5]<\/a> and politically complicit \u2013 as witnessed in the active interventions of David Miliband, Bernard Kouchner and Hilary Clinton<\/a> in late April 2009 and the implications of an unverified thread of rumour suggesting that a couple of US military officers had been introduced to the SL Army HQ in May 2009 to work out the modalities of a possible intervention from the US Pacific Command designed to contain the remaining LTTE forces and rescue the civilians.[6]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

D.<\/strong> The Western media followed suit and the reporters based in Colombo naively accepted the bloated figures of death and bombardment<\/a> retailed by the Tamil medical men \u2013 a stance encouraged by their animus towards the Rajapaksa government in the wake of intimidation and killings of local journalists capped by the assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunga on 9 January 2009.[7]<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"82a-<\/a>\u00a0The Vanni Pocket\u201d on 22 February 2009 \u2014\u00a0<\/strong> Ministry of Defence web site<\/em><\/p>\n

E. <\/strong>In sum, A, B, C and D indicate that there was an appalling intellectual failure on the part of leading personalities and agencies in the Western world \u2013 a failure to read the theatre of war and the LTTE\u2019s strategy operationalized within a time-frame girded by the impending Indian General Election in May 2009. The failure can be underlined by addressing a critical question, one that is necessarily speculative: WHAT IF the UN, the Western states and Amnesty International had met in conclave, say on January 1st<\/sup> 2009, and told the LTTE abroad and in Mullaitivu in no uncertain terms that they would not step into Sri Lanka on any grounds and that the LTTE must lay down arms and surrender unconditionally (with maybe Eric Solheim flown in to convey that message!!!)\u2026.. A difficult question for us to answer now, but my argument is clear: it was a path missed because of a serious analytical error.<\/p>\n

\"90a-<\/a>\u00a0A Graphic Map composed y theDaily Mirror<\/em> <\/strong>\u2013 situation on\u00a0 20 March 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"92b--16_04_09_pokkanai\"<\/a> \"92a--Pokkanai_area_seaside_01--29<\/a>\u00a0Congestion at Pokkani within the Last Redoubt, March 2000\u2013 Pix from TamilNet<\/em><\/p>\n

F. <\/strong>Thus informed and concerned about the trapped civilian population, the UN,the media,<\/a> the aid agencies and the Western governments were steamrollered \u2014 then in January-May 2009 \u2014 into gullibly accepting the repetitive and insistent LTTE propaganda[8]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>depicting carnage\u201d and artillery barrages\u201d \u2013 spiced as they were with illustrative images and video presentations in what was psy-ops of a sophisticated character.<\/p>\n

G. <\/strong>The ground was thus established in 2009 itself for the LTTE international network to pursue its programme of vengeance by seeking justice\u201d for the alleged carnage\u201d wrought in the Vanni Pocket during the last phase of the war. Powerful allies (Channel Four and Gordon Weiss are examples) and telling word-imagery, such as Killing Fields\u201d and Srebrenica Moment,<\/a>\u201d have consolidated the impact. The continuous repetition of these refrains then compounds the ramifying effects.<\/p>\n

H.<\/strong> The refrains about carnage were supplemented by tales of severe malnutrition[9]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>and starvation within the populace trapped in the Vanni Pocket and then within the Last Redoubt within this arena. While seemingly plausible and not entirely without substance, retrospective knowledge indicates that remarkable forward planning by the combination of GSL and LTTE administrators as well as convoy supplies organised by the ICRC and others over land and sea had ensured the availability of essential items. Dr. Shanmugarajah\u2019srecent affidavit<\/a> (2014) and his account<\/a> (Roberts 2014a) demonstrate the extent to which the apocalyptic assertions of widespread malnutrition by both the human rights personnel and concerned Tamils were misleading the world.<\/p>\n

I. <\/strong>The slipshod methodology[10]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>of the UNSG Panel (also known as the Darusman Panel) consolidated this process. Worse still, the Panel\u2019s concluding statement that a number of credible sources have estimated that there could have been<\/strong> as many as 40,000 civilian deaths\u201d has been widely turned into a definitive figure by leading Western politicians as well as leading media personnel. Several Sri Lankan agencies and even members of the UTHR have adopted this figure.[11]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>In brief, we have seen several outstanding acts of duplicity and gross error.<\/p>\n

J. <\/strong>The figures on the civilian dead\u201d peddled by Tamil spokespersons and sympathetic Western outlets vary in range from 40,000 to 70,000 to 146,000. The range in these figures has an insidious effect: a cautious and non-partisan listener will discount the last figure as a likely exaggeration and settle on the lesser figure as probable fact.<\/p>\n

K. <\/strong>Remarkably, not one expert, nor any reporter, has asked a simple question about these enormous counts of the dead: if there were so many dead, how many civilians were injured and what was done with the civilian injured? <\/strong>In any battle theatre it is a truism that the number of injured soldiers outnumber those that die.<\/a> The casualty ratios among the forces of US forces during World War II was 1:1.7; during the Korean War 1: 2.8 and the Vietnam War 1: 2.6. The Vanni Pocket was a theatre of battle bearing risks for all of those kept corralled within its confines, soldier and civilian alike. Leaning on the side of conservatism therefore, one would expect at least two persons (whether Tiger fighters, Tiger auxiliaries or true-blue civilians) to be injured for every person killed (though one could also compute this at, say, one is to 2.5). So, for a supposed count of 40,000 civilian dead one should have at least 80,000 civilians injured or even perhaps 100,000. To this one must necessarily add some Tiger injured. Yet, in mid-2009, in a document that was never released publicly,\u201d the United Nations Country Team estimated a total figure of 7,721 killed and 18,479 injured from August 2008 up to 13 May 2009<\/a>, after which it became too difficult to count\u201d (UNSG or Darusman Report, 2011: para 134). Gordon Weiss was UN media officer in Colombo at that point and his subsequent study tells us that by late June, when all civilians were inside the [post-war IDP] camps, a collection of aid agencies had made a preliminary calculation of 15,000-20,000 wounded civilians\u201d (The Cage<\/em>, 2011: 321). If this estimate is deployed as a foundation for an approximate figure of civilians who were killed during the last phase, the latter statistic would rest at something between 8,000 to 12,000 dead. This figure is remarkably close to the estimates worked out separately (without access to this data) by the Tamil moderate Rajasingham Nadesan[12]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>and by Professor Gerald Peiris<\/a> (2014). That Weiss himself remains blissfully unaware<\/a> that the WIA figures he presented in June 2009 fatally undermine his bloated guesstimates of civilian dead during his recent advocacy politics[13]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>tells us more about the dangers of moral crusading extremism[14]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>than the topic at hand.<\/p>\n

L.<\/strong> The incessant drum beats about genocide\u201d and carnage\u201d with their statistical estimates has so overwhelmed the media waves in some quarters of the world that educated people who attend to Sri Lankan affairs have lost their ability to contextualize the issue and introduce proportionality into their assessments. I met a Muslim Lankan in Australia recently who referred to 70,000 Tamil dead. When I asked him how many Tiger personnel and Tamils had survived, he had no idea at all: he did not know that at least 295,873 had survived (a figure that has to be set against the estimate of 8,000-12,000 dead in a scenario read with an eye on pertinent maps and pictorial images[15]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>). The number that survived was not part of his evaluation. This kind of lacunae thereby marks the glaring absence of a contextualised overview that has enabled the Tamil agit-prop machine to make hay while darkness reigns.<\/p>\n

M.<\/strong> The Tamils are aided by others. My Muslim friend is not an isolated case. A similar failure of contextualisation and proportionality is embodied in the report of the ICEP<\/a> entitled Island of Impunity? (<\/em>2014) as well as the moral condemnations aired so vigorously by one of Australia\u2019s political parties, the Greens<\/a>. The speeches<\/a> on the subject delivered by the Greens\u2019 Leader, Christine Milne, provide us with a classic example of cloistered armchair inadequacies within the new generations of educated people[16]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>in the West. Many of these personnel do not seem to be able to read maps and grasp the import of such categories as KIA and WIA.<\/p>\n

N.<\/strong> That is not all. Take Island of Impunity? <\/em>composed by a panel of specialists assembled by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in Sydney. It included Gordon Weiss as one of the five specialists.[17]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>In effect, he was a party to an investigation of events in which he had been an active, and possibly partisan<\/a>, participant.[18]<\/strong><\/strong><\/a> Be that as it may, the ICEP document has displayed to the world their legalistic pedantry as well as their one-sided partiality and blatant duplicity. Their product (Island of Impunity?<\/em>) does not contain a bibliography, but has umpteen citations that indicate their source material. Their principal sources include the UNSG report (also called UNoPE Report and Darusman Report) andThe Cage<\/em> by Weiss. They have chosen not to consult the careful reviews of the UNSG report<\/a> by a Marga team or to study the Numbers Game<\/em><\/a>by IDAG (2013). Nor have they taken note of the numerous articles on the Eelam War IV from such outfits as the South Asia Terrorism Portal (2013) or such authors as Kath Noble<\/a> (2013a, 2013b). Since Weiss must be aware of the literature on Sri Lanka, including the several criticisms on his data and world view by one Michael Roberts, there is prima facie evidence that the ICEP\u2019s omission of this body of literature was a deliberate ploy \u2014 an act of intellectual dishonesty. If the ICEP document had been submitted to a reputed journal, it would have been rejected because it does not address the relevant literature in a fair manner. For its authors and such advocates as Christine Milne to pontificate in ethical tone about the processes of the war on this foundation is an example of arrogance that matches their duplicity.<\/p>\n

In sum, the propaganda drive initiated by the LTTE and sustained by an ever-growing body of Tamil and other supporters from late 2008 to the present day has secured astonishing success. It is a monument that exemplifies the methods an organisation can use to fool a wide spectrum of intelligent people all over the world, besides drawing support from powerful agencies in powerful state capitals. This success, no doubt, was aided by arcane forces hidden within such state agencies, but I am no Snowden and cannot dwell on these factors in any useful or intelligent way.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 REFERENCES<\/strong><\/h3>\n

ABC<\/strong>2013 Continuing Genocide in Sri Lanka \u2013 ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) http:\/\/www.lobbyforpeace.com<\/a> OR<\/em>http:\/\/search.mywebsearch.com<\/a> \/mywebsearch\/video.jhtml?searchfor=ABC+VIDEO+ON+SRI+LANKA&id=UXxdm014YYau&n=77edea53&ptnrS=UXxdm014YYau&ss=sub&st=sb&ptb=BCB5529D-57B4-40DA-B145-2649C52BFBCF&tpr=&si=maps4pc&vid=e05NpvXpeKc<\/span><\/p>\n

BBC 2009a Sri Lanka army \u2018killed civilians\u2019,\u201d<\/strong>http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/8009459.stm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

BBC 2009b Civilian casualties in Sri Lanka,\u201d<\/strong>http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/worldservice\/learningenglish\/language\/wordsinthenews\/2009\/05\/090511_witn_sri_casualites_page.shtml<\/a><\/p>\n

Citizen Silva<\/strong>See IDAG<\/p>\n

CNN<\/strong> 2009 London Tamils lament Conflict,\u201d 28 April 2009,https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/3c7v54v80ab0uca\/CNN%20%20London%20Tamils%20lament%20conflict.avi<\/a><\/p>\n

Colombo Telegraph<\/strong> 2013a WikiLeaks: LTTE Stored Weapons at Hospitals \u2013 ICRC to US Mission to UN,\u201d 4 November 2013,https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/ index.php\/wikileaks-ltte-stored-weapons-at-hospitals-icrc-to-us-mission-to-un\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Darusman Report<\/strong> 2011 Report of the Secretary General\u2019s Panel of Experts report on Accountability in Sri Lanka, <\/em>March 2011\u2026.http:\/\/www.un.org\/News\/dh\/infocus\/Sri_Lanka\/ POE_Report_Full.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gamvaesiya<\/strong> 2012 The full version of \u2018boy in the bunker\u2019 \u2014 faked photo or real?\u201d 21 February 2013, http:\/\/dh-web.org\/place.names\/gamv\/boybunker.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Government of Sri Lanka<\/strong>2013 The Last Phase,\u201dhttp:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ngNeF5WY64s<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Groundviews<\/strong>2009 Would killing 50,000 civilians to finish off the LTTE bring peace?\u201d http:\/\/groundviews.org\/2009\/05\/03\/would-killing-50000-civilians-to-finish-off-the-ltte-bring-peace\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Harrison, Frances<\/strong>2011 Still counting the Dead<\/em>, London: Portobello Books.<\/p>\n

Harshula<\/strong>2011a When allegations becomes evidence,\u201d 6 June 2011,http:\/\/groundviews.org\/2011\/06\/06\/when-allegations-become-evidence\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Harshula<\/strong>2011b Channel 4 \u2018Killing Fields\u2019: Journalism, Advocacy or Propaganda?\u201d 13 Sept. 2011, http:\/\/groundviews.org\/2011\/09\/13\/channel-4s-killing-fields-journalism-advocacy-or-propaganda\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Harshula<\/strong>2011c Australia\u2019s Tamil Eelam Lobby and CHOGM,\u201d\u00a0http:\/\/groundviews.org\/ 2011\/11\/03\/australia%e2%80%99s-tamil-eelam-lobby-and-chogm\/<\/a><\/p>\n

ICEP <\/strong>2013 Island of Impunity?<\/em> Investigation into international crimes in the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war<\/em>,http:\/\/www.scribd.com\/doc\/205066154\/Island-of-Impunity<\/a><\/p>\n

IDAG<\/strong> [i.e. Citizen Silva] 2013 The Numbers Game: Politics of Retributive Justice,\u201d http:\/\/www.scribd.com\/doc\/132499266\/The-Numbers-Game-Politics-of-Retributive-Justice<\/a> ORhttp:\/\/<\/a>www.satp.org\/satporgtp\/countries\/shrilanka\/document\/TheNG.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jenkins, Simon<\/strong>2011 Simon Jenkins pulverized Miliband\u2019s assinine foreign interventions in 2009,\u201d http:\/\/www.aspensrental.com\/simon-jenkins-pulverized-milibands-assinine-foreign-interventions-in-2009\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeyaraj, D. B. S.<\/strong> 2009a Wretched of the Wanni Earth break Free of Bondage,\u201d http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/archives\/380<\/a> and Daily Mirror<\/em>, 25 April 2009.<\/p>\n

Jeyaraj, D. B. S<\/strong>.<\/strong> 2010 KP speaks out ~ 2 \u2013 An interview with the former LTTE chief,\u201d 13 August 2010, http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/archives\/1631<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jeyaraj, D. B. S.<\/strong>2011 KP\u201d speaks out: an Interview with former Tiger Chief<\/em>, Vavuniya: Kum Pvt.<\/p>\n

Marga<\/strong>2011 Truth and Accountability. The Last Stages of the War in Sri Lanka<\/em>,http:\/\/www.margasrilanka.org\/Truth-Accountability.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mango <\/strong>2011 Jim Macdonald of AI boxed into corner by\u00a0Mango in 2009,\u201d 10 August 2011, https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2011\/08\/10\/3133\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Milne, Christine<\/strong> 2014a Christine Milne speaks on human rights abuses in Sri Lanka,\u201d[Speech in the Senate], March 2014, http:\/\/greens.org.au\/node\/3507<\/a><\/p>\n

Milne, Christine<\/strong> 2014b Christine Milne\u2019s speech to the National Press Club, April 1,\u201d 1 April 2012, http:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/federal-politics\/political-news\/christine-milnes-speech-to-the-national-press-club-april-1-20140401-35vnj.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Noble, Kath<\/strong>\u00a02013Numbers Game reviewed by Kath Noble: The full monty,\u201d 14 July 2013,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/07\/14\/numbers-game-reviewed-by-kath-noble-the-full-monty\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Padraig Colman<\/strong>2011 The Cage by Gordon Weiss,\u201d Island, 13 May 2013, 2http:\/\/www.island.lk\/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=78825<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Padraig Colman<\/strong>2013 Revisiting Gordon Weiss\u2019s accountability in his The\u00a0Cage<\/a>,\u201d 12 May 2013,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/05\/12\/revisiting-gordon-weisss-accountability-in-his-the-cage\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Peiris, Gerald H<\/strong>.<\/strong> 2014 Pitfalls in Counting the Dead during the Final Phase of Eelam War\u00a0IV<\/a>,\u201d 12 February 2014,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2014\/02\/12\/pitfalls-in-counting-the-dead-during-the-final-phase-of-eelam-war-iv\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Prasad, Kanchan<\/strong>2011a Indian Reporter Pics at NFZ-14-to-18 May 2009,\u201d \u00a0http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/thuppahi\/sets\/72157626797805167\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Prasad, Kanchan<\/strong>2011b Mullivaikkal Hospital in NFZ Last Redoubt,\u201d inhttp:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/thuppahi\/sets\/72157626797848747\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Prasad, Kanchan<\/strong> 2011c Two Indian Reporters\u2019 Post-War Pictures at the LTTE\u2019s Last Redoubt, May 14-19, 2009<\/a>,\u201d ed. by Roberts, June 2011,http:\/\/asiapacific.anu.edu.au\/blogs\/southasiamasala\/<\/a>2011\/06\/10\/two-indian-reporters%E2%80%99-post-war-pictures-at-the-ltte%E2%80%99s-last-redoubt-may-14-19-2009<\/p>\n

Rajasingham, Narendran<\/strong> 2009 Rise and Fall of the LTTE \u2014 An Overview,\u201dSri Lanka Guardian<\/em>, 7 Feb. 2009,http:\/\/www.srilankaguardian.org\/2009\/02\/rise-and-fall-of-ltte-overview.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rajasingham, Narendran<\/strong> 2010 Pro-LTTE Diaspora pursue Eelam Agenda without Any Thought about Tamils living in Sri Lanka,\u201d 26 May 2010,http:\/\/transcurrents.com\/tc\/2010\/05\/proltte_diaspora_pursue_eelam.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Narendran, Rajasingham 2014 <\/strong>Harsh Ground Realities in War: Decomposing Bodies and Missing Persons and\u00a0Soldiers<\/a>,\u201d 28 January 2014,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2014\/01\/28\/11702\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Reddy, B. Muralidhar<\/strong>2009a An Escape from Hellhole,\u201dhttp:\/\/www.hindu.com\/ 2009\/04\/25\/<\/a>stories\/2009042558390100.html.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael<\/strong> 2009a Confrontations in Sri Lanka: Sinhalese, LTTE and Others<\/em>\u00b8 Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael<\/strong>2009a Dilemma\u2019s at War\u2019s End: Thoughts on Hard Realities,\u201d http:\/\/www.groundviews.org<\/a>, 10 Feb. 2009\u2026. rep. in Roberts, Fire and Storm, <\/em>Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications, 2010, pp. 267-74.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael<\/strong> 2009b Realities of War,\u201d Frontline<\/em>, 26\/10, 9-22 May 2009,http:\/\/www.frontline.in\/navigation\/?type=static&page=archiveSearch&aid=20090522261001600&ais=10&avol=26<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael<\/strong> 2009c The Rajapaksa Regime and the Fourth Estate,\u201d 8 December 2009, http:\/\/www.groundviews.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2010a Fire and Storm. Essays in Sri Lankan Politics<\/em>, Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael<\/strong> 2010b Hitler, Nationalism, Sacrifice: Koenigsberg and Beyond\u2026Towards the Tamil Tigers,\u201dhttp:\/\/www.srilankaguardian.org\/2010\/03\/hitler-nationalism-sacrifice.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2010c Omanthai! Omanthai! Succour for the Tamil Thousands,\u201d 9 August 2010,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2010\/08\/09\/omanthai-omanthai-succour-for-the-tamil-thousands\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2010d Self Annihilation for Political Cause: Cultural Premises in Tamil Tiger Selflessness,\u201d in Roberts, Fire and Storm. Essays in Sri Lankan Politics<\/em>, Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications, pp. 161-201.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2010f Dilemma\u2019s at War\u2019s End: Clarifications and Counter-offensive,\u201d www. groundviews.org<\/a>, rep. in Roberts, Fire and Storm, <\/em>Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications, pp. 275-87.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2010g Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu\u2019s Metamorphosis in Death?\u201d South Asian History and Culture, <\/em>1: 25-41.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2010h Encountering Extremism: Biographical Tracks and\u00a0Twists<\/a>,\u201d 7 March 2010,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2010\/03\/07\/encountering-extremism-a-biographical-backdrop-%E2%80%93-tracks-twists-contingencies\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael<\/strong> 2011a Understanding Zealotry: Questions for Post-Orientalism,\u201d October 2011,http:\/\/sacrificialdevotionnetwork.wordpress.com\/2007\/12\/29\/understanding-zealotryquestions-for-post-orientalism\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael<\/strong> 2011a People of Righteousness march on Sri Lanka,\u201d The<\/em>Island<\/em>, 22 June 2011 and https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2011\/06\/27\/people-of-righteousness-target-sri-lanka\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2011b Death and Eternal Life: Contrasting Sensibilities in the Face of\u00a0Corpses,\u201d 29 June 2011,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2011\/06\/29\/death-and-eternal-life-contrasting-sensibilities-in-the-face-of-corpses\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael 2011c <\/strong>Obama and Osama triumph: A Win-Win\u00a0Outcome,\u201d2 May 2011<\/em>, <\/em>https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2011\/05\/02\/obama-and-osama-triumph-a-win-win-outcome\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2011dA Think-Piece drafted in May\u00a02011,\u201dhttp:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress<\/a>. com \/2011\/07\/23\/a-think-piece-drafted-in-may\/#more-2998, 23 July 2011<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2011e Amnesty International reveals its Flawed Tunnel-Vision in Sri Lanka in\u00a02009,\u201d 10 Aug. 2011,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2011\/08\/10\/amnesty-international-reveals-its-flawed-tunnel-vision-on-sri-lanka-in-2009\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael<\/strong> 2011g Visual Evidence I: Vitality, Value and Pitfall \u2013 Borella Junction, 24\/25 July 1983,\u201d 20 October 2011,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2011\/10\/29\/visual-evidence-i-vitality-value-and-pitfall-%E2%80%93-borella-junction-2425-july-1983\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2011f The Tamil Death Toll in Early 2009: A Misleading Count by Rohan Gunaratna,\u201d 23 November 2011,http:\/\/transcurrents.com\/news-views\/archives\/6285<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2011g Visual Evidence II: Torture Images on Channel 4 \u2026 and Weiss,\u201d 2 January 2011, http:\/\/www.defence.lk\/new.asp?fname=20120107_01<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2012a Inspirations: Hero Figures and Hitler in Young Pirap\u0101haran\u2019s\u00a0Thinking,\u201d Colombo Telegraph<\/em>, 12 February 2012,http:\/\/thuppahi<\/a>. wordpress.com\/2012\/11\/26\/velupillai-pirapaharan-veera-maranam<\/span>\/\u2026 rep. in TPS: Essays<\/em>, 2014: 69-89.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2012b Velupillai Pirapaharan: Veera Maranam<\/em>,\u201d 26 November 2012, https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2012\/11\/26\/velupillai-pirapaharan-veera-maranam\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2012c Longitudinal UNICEF Survey of Nutrition in the IDP Camps in 2009,\u201d December 2012,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/12\/longitudinal-unicef-survey-of-nutrition-in-the-idp-camps-in-2009\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2012d Blackmail during the Endgame in Eelam War\u00a0IV<\/a>,\u201d 12 April 2012, https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2012\/04\/12\/blackmail-during-the-endgame-in-eelam-war-iv\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2012eThe Torture Scene in Killing Fields\u201d and Gordon Weiss,\u201d 9 January 2012, https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2012\/01\/09\/the-torture-scene-in-killing-fields-and-gordon-weiss\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2012f <\/strong>Misreading and Distorting the Sri Lankan War, 2009-2012<\/a>,\u201d25 May 2012,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2012\/05\/25\/misreading-and-distorting-the-sri-lankan-war-2009-2012\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2012g <\/strong>The Disappeared in Sri Lanka\u2019s War in the Recent Past: What is missing in those Missing\u201d? 27 May,<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2013a Lone Cell Assaults: From Boston to Westmead-in-Sydney to the Unabomber. Inspirations and Enabling Conditions in Comparative Perspective,\u201d<\/a>13 April 2013, https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/04\/19\/lone-cell-assaults-from-boston-to-westmead-in-sydney-to-the-unabomber-inspirations-and-enabling-conditions-in-comparative-perspective\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael<\/strong> 2013b A Missing Person in Sri Lanka: Heartfelt Issues & Ground Realities,\u201d 28 March 2013,http:\/\/groundviews.org\/2013\/03\/28\/a-missing-person-in-sri-lanka-heartfelt-issues-ground-realities\/?doing_wp_cron=1364438547.7250208854675292968750<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2013c BBC-Blind: Misreading the Tamil Tiger Strategy of International Blackmail, 2008-13,\u201dhttps:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/12\/08\/bbc-blind-misreading-the-tamil-tiger-strategy-of-international-blackmail-2008-13\/#more-11221<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2013d Estimates of the Tamil Civilian Death Toll during the Last Phase of Eelam War IV in 2009: Appendix I for \u2018BBC Blind\u2019,\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2013e Estimates of the Death Toll among the Fighting Forces of the LTTE and Government of Sri Lanka: Appendix II for \u2018BBC Blind\u2019,\u201dhttps:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/12\/08\/estimates-of-the-death-toll-among-the-fighting-forces-of-the-ltte-and-government-of-sri-lanka\/#more-11234<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2013f Wikileak Disclosures of Secret US Despatches on the Last Phase of Eelam War IV in 2009: Appendix III for \u2018BBC Blind\u2019,\u201dhttps:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/12\/08\/wikileak-disclosures-of-secret-us-despatches-on-the-last-phase-of-eelam-war-iv-in-2009-appendix-iii-for-bbc-blind\/#more-11239<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2013g Congestion in the Vanni Pocket\u201d January-May 2009: Appendix IV<\/strong> for BBC Blind,\u201dhttps:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/12\/09\/congestion-in-the-vanni-pocket-january-may-2009-appendix-iv-for-bbc-blind\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2013h Pictorial Illustrations of the Mass Exodus from the Last Redoubt, 20-22 April and mid-May 2009,\u201d Appendix V for BBC Blind\u201d,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/12\/11\/exodus-from-the-last-redoubt-late-april-mid-may-2009-appendix-v-for-bbc-blind\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2013i Witnesses to the War without Witnesses\u201d \u2026 Voiceless? Buried Foreign\u00a0Reporters?\u201d 30 December 2013,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/12\/30\/11504\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2014a Dedicated Medical Work Amidst the Heat of War, Death and Propaganda: In the Vanni Pocket,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a> 8 January 2014,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2014\/01\/08\/dedicated-medical-work-amidst-the-heat-of-war-death-and-propaganda-in-the-vanni-pocket-2009\/#more-11562<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2014b The War in Sri Lanka: Ravi Nessman\u2019s Slanted Story for USA on the Tavis Smiley Show, 18 February\u00a02009<\/a>,\u201d 31 January 2014,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2014\/01\/31\/the-war-in-sri-lanka-ravi-nessmans-slanted-story-for-usa-on-the-tavis-smiley-show-18-february-200\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts, Michael <\/strong>2014c Encompassing Empowerment in Ritual, War & Assassination: Tantric Principles in Tamil Tiger Instrumentalities,\u201d in Social Analysis<\/em>, sp. issue on War Magic ed. by D. S. Farrer, in press.<\/p>\n

Samarajiva, Indi<\/strong>2012 Channel 4\u2019s \u2013 A Review,\u201d The Nation<\/em>, 18 March 2012,http:\/\/www.publications.parliament.uk\/pa\/cm201314\/cmhansrd\/cm131118\/debtext\/131118-0001.htm#1311188000001<\/a><\/p>\n

Shanmugarajah, V. 2014 <\/strong>Dr. Veerakanthipillai Shanmugarajah\u2019s Affidavit Description of Conditions in the Vanni Pocket in Refutation of Channel\u00a0Four<\/a>,\u201d 5 January 2014, https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2014\/01\/05\/dr-veerakanthipillai-shanmugarajahs-affidavit-description-of-conditions-in-the-vanni-pocket-in-refutation-of-channel-four\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Somasundaram D, and S. Sivayokan<\/strong> 2013 Rebuilding community resilience in a post-war context: developing insight and recommendations \u2013 a qualitative study in Northern Sri Lanka,\u201d International Journal of Mental Health Systems<\/em> 7(3).<\/p>\n

Weiss, Gordon<\/strong>2011 Sri Lanka faces its \u2018Srebrenica moment\u2019,\u201d The Australian<\/em>, 23 April 2011, http:\/\/www.theaustralian.com.au\/news\/world\/sri-lanka-faces-its-srebrenica-moment\/story-e6frg6ux-1226043466322<\/a>.<\/p>\n

UNSG <\/strong>2011 Report of the UN Secretary General\u2019s (UNSG) Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka<\/em>, 31 March 2011,http:\/\/www.un.org\/News\/dh\/infocus\/Sri_Lanka\/POE_Report_Full.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Weiss, Gordon<\/strong>2011 Sri Lanka faces its \u2018Srebrenica moment\u2019,\u201d The Australian<\/em>, 23 April 2011, http:\/\/www.theaustralian.com.au\/news\/world\/sri-lanka-faces-its-srebrenica-moment\/story-e6frg6ux-1226043466322<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Weiss, Gordon<\/strong>2011b The Cage<\/em>, Sydney: Picador.<\/p>\n

********************<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>In response to my inquiry [at the Narratives of War conference, Nov 2013] Professor Peter Stanley told me that he could not think of any other instance of this sort with reference to the period 1789-2013 in the world order. This needs checking out of course.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Roberts, The War in Sri Lanka: Ravi Nessman\u2019s Slanted Story for USA on the Tavis Smiley Show, 18 February\u00a02009<\/a>,\u201d 31 January 2014.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a>Speaking to the media in New York on 26 March 2009 John Holmes\u00a0 (Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, UN) admitted as much when he remarked that the civilians trapped \u2026 they are not being allowed to leave by the LTTE\u201d \u2014http:\/\/content.time.com\/time\/video\/player\/0,32068,187756390011889799,00.html<\/a> orhttp:\/\/youtube\/tikQZTbDxg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> I am giving them (some) the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> My critical reading of their politics THEN in Frontline <\/em>(Roberts 2009b) has since been reprinted with the title Simpletons at the World\u2019s Peak: Sri Lankan Situation stumps the World,\u201d in Roberts, Fire & Storm<\/em>, Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications, 2010, pp.289-302<\/span>.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> I picked up this rumour from the gossip circuit in Colombo way back; but more recently it was noted by some of the personnel at an in-house brainstorming discussion at Marga (information from Amar Gunatilleke). I surmise that the intention of the US government was to implement a scheme tentatively outlined by KP Pathman\u0101than (located in Malaysia) whereby (a) the Liberation Tigers would lock-off their heavy weapons in specified locations; while (b) other areas would be deemed no-fire zones and (c) the US Pacific Commandwould then transport the Tamil civilians by sea to Trincomalee (Jeyaraj 2011: 29-32). Clearly, if this information is valid, Gothabaya Rajapaksa and other elements in GSL were inveigled into cooperating with this exploratory move, but have kept their silence on the topic.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a>\u00a0See http:\/\/jdsrilanka.blogspot.com\/2009\/08\/sri-lanka-thirty-four-journalists-media.html<\/a> & Roberts, The Rajapaksa Regime and the Fourth Estate,\u201d 2009b. Also note this comment from an Indian think tank: \u2026.President Rajapaksa\u2019s growing authoritarianism, his personalized vendettas against critics and opponents, and the progressive undermining of institutional governance\u201d (SATP 2013).<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Thus, for instance, the TamilNet <\/em>headline on the 10th May2009: 2000 feared slaughtered in a single night\u201d and its account was accepted without question by the BBC (2009), CBS News (2009) and many leading Western media agencies. Note the way one Tim Martin in UK swallowed every bloated tale wholesale (CNN 2009).<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Located in Colombo as UN Media Officer, Gordon Weiss told the BBC on 11th<\/sup>May that the UN believed that malnutrition levels are extremely high\u201d (BBC 2009a), This supplemented a more serious note: The UN\u2019s spokesman <\/strong>here, Gordon Weiss, told the BBC that more than 100 children died during what he called the large-scale killing of civilians <\/strong>over the weekend. He said the UN had \u2018warned against the bloodbath scenario<\/strong>\u2018 and the weekend\u2019s events showed that \u2018that bloodbath has become a reality\u2019.\u201d (BBC 2009b).<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Note the severe criticism within Marga, Truth and Accountability. The Last Stages of the War in Sri Lanka<\/em>, http:\/\/www.margasrilanka.org\/Truth-Accountability.pdf<\/a>. Likewise Kath Noble tells me that there is a marked disjunction between the Executive Summary\u201d and the body of the work \u2013almost as if the summary was pre-ordained (Skype telephone chat, late 2013).<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> See Somasundaram and S. Sivayokan 2013: page 5 of 24.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> See Roberts, The Tamil Death Toll in early 2009: Challenging Rohan Gunaratna,\u201d 1 December 2011.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> See the charts depicting the Weiss claims at various points in Mango 2013 and IDAG 2013.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Re the either\/or epistemology that distorts the claims of some humanitarian and\/or civil rights a campaigners in the West, see Mango 2011 and Roberts 2011b and 2011d; and Roberts 2012d<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> Minimally those evaluating the scenario should study the maps and images (mostly photographs from Tamil sources) in Roberts, BBC Blind,\u201d 2013 and Roberts, Congestion in the Vanni Pocket\u201d January-May 2009: Appendix IV for BBC Blind,\u201d https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/12\/09\/ congestion-in-the-vanni-pocket-january-may-2009-appendix-iv-for-bbc-blind\/<\/a>; and Roberts,\u201d Pictorial Illustrations of the Mass Exodus from the Last Redoubt, 20-22 April and mid-May 2009: Appendix V for BBC Blind\u201d,https:\/\/thuppahi.wordpress.com\/2013\/12\/11\/exodus-from-the-last-redoubt-late-april-mid-may-2009-appendix-v-for-bbc-blind\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[16]<\/a> Older generations in the West who had some experience of World War Two and the Korean and Vietnam wars would have better groundings.<\/p>\n

[17]<\/a> Three were from a legal background while Col Desmond Travers provided the military expertise. There was no sociologist and\/or geographer and\/or political scientist in this review panel<\/p>\n

[18]<\/a> See Roberts,Visual Evidence II: Torture Images on Channel 4 \u2026 and Weiss,\u201d 2 January 2011, http:\/\/www.defence.lk\/new.asp?fname=20120107_01<\/a>. Also see fn. 9 above.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michael Roberts, courtesy of Groundviews, where the title differs and where readers will find critical comments \u00a0A scene showing displaced Tamils in makeshift encampments in late 2008(?) or early 2009\u00a0as they faced multiple displacements in step with LTTE demands Summarising previous essays (see bibliography below) this article proceeds in point-form with an eye on greater […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-michael-roberts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43159","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=43159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43159\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}