Category Archives: asylum-seekers

Remembering the Unseen Hands Supporting One of My Books

Michael Roberts in the DEDICATION presented on the first page of the book Tamil Person and State: Essays,  Colombo, Vijitha Yapa Publications, 2014, … ISBN 978-955- 665-230-7 

The essays that make up this anthology would not have been possible without the assistance of numerous individuals who provided me with information during face-to-face conversations, Skype and telephone chats or through responses by email. This will be only too evident if readers take note of my citations and footnotes. For this reason, it is entirely appropriate that I dedicate this work to all those who have assisted me in my researches over the last few years. Not all of them will agree with my thrusts. Indeed, there are a few of them in Colombo, such as Ananda Chittambalam, who have disputed some of my arguments, while yet encouraging me in my researches and publication programmes.

Ana Chittambalam: ex-Royal College, raconteur, promoter of causes and a staunch ally and dangerous foe

 

Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, atrocities, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, demography, economic processes, Eelam, ethnicity, fundamentalism, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, insurrections, language policies, law of armed conflict, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, martyrdom, military strategy, nationalism, patriotism, performance, photography, politIcal discourse, power politics, prabhakaran, refugees, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, Tamil migration, Tamil Tiger fighters, terrorism, transport and communications, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, war reportage, world events & processes, zealotry

Australia’s Response to the Refugee Problems generated by Sri Lanka’s Civil War in the 2000s and 2010s

Betts & Higgins address the “Migration Policy” pursued by Australia in the context of the refugee problems arising in the context of Sri Lanka’s “Civil War.” [i.e. what most refer to as the “Eelam Wars.”]. The full title is noted below and their “Abstract” is presented.

The infamous Alex Kuhendarajah on the Sumatran(?) coast witha boatlad of Tamil refugees  …. and other pictorial illustrations of refugees and their boats

 

For the benefit of those not familiar with the scenario, the refugees were mostly SL Tamils, but there was a ‘supply chain’ of agents and smuggler boats from Sri Lanka, India and the Indonesian islands that also catered to Sinhala and Muslim personnel seeking “eldorado” in the West via Australia. See some bibliographical items listed at the end which will lead one to even more literature…. Michael Roberts with thanks to Johnny De Silva in Melbourne for converting the file containing the Betts & Higgins article.

Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, atrocities, Australian culture, australian media, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, demography, discrimination, doctoring evidence, economic processes, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, people smugglers, politIcal discourse, refugees, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, trauma, travelogue, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes

Protecting Women from Trafficking & Abuse: Here. There. Everywhere

Stephen Keim, reviewing Elaine Pearson’s Chasing Wrongs and Rights” ….

 https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/Chasing-Wrongs-and-Rights/Elaine-Pearson/97

Elaine Pearson was born in Sydney but grew up in Perth and completed her law degree at Murdoch University in November 1998.

Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, anti-racism, asylum-seekers, authoritarian regimes, democratic measures, female empowerment, historical interpretation, human rights, Islamic fundamentalism, landscape wondrous, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, war crimes, war reportage, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes

Playing to the Western Gallery? Shehan Karunatilaka

A Simple Silva

Shehan’s intervention with his prize-winning book at the present juncture is significant. He states the obvious re corruption, cronyism and expresses thumps his bleeding heart for the suffering people of Sri Lanka (and YES, Shehan, do please gift the prize money of 50,000£ to the suffering masses in the island).

In an article published in the Financial Times, he laments that “I would like to write from a Tamil woman’s point of view. I mean, that would be calling in a lot of grief if I get it wrong”. (Financial Times) …. … …………………………………. https://www.ft.com/content/fa8c6ebb-7c93-4b54-8337-b6f568234d78

Continue reading

3 Comments

Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, atrocities, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, communal relations, cultural transmission, ethnicity, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, military strategy, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, Tamil migration, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, trauma, travelogue, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, war reportage, world events & processes

Tamil Civilians as Sandbags in 2008/09 & Blinding Ignorance in Geneva

Lucien Rajakarunanayake in An Article on 11th September 2014 entitled “Sandbags of Humans” in strategy to woo the West” …. with the highlighting being the present impositions of The Editor, Thuppahi

“I come across new evidence regularly in the midst of misinformation and dis-information that is a facet of the propaganda war that has been sharpening since the LTTE began to retreat in 2008. Since the volume of data is huge, a thorough investigation calls for assiduous work by a team which includes those who are culturally competent and able to discern manipulation.”

Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, atrocities, authoritarian regimes, demography, disparagement, doctoring evidence, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, military strategy, nationalism, patriotism, photography, politIcal discourse, power politics, prabhakaran, Rajapaksa regime, refugees, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, tamil refugees, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, war crimes, war reportage, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes

Miracles Amidst the Horrendous Holocaust

Cameron Stewart in The Australian, 24 August 2022, where the title reads “Holocaust Twin Phillip Maisel leaves behind a life of miracles,” .… with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

Just weeks ago, after he turned 100 with his twin sister Bella, holocaust survivor Phillip Maisel shared his secret of his miraculous life: “Just be positive,’ he said with a grin. “Always be positive.”

 

 

 

Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, anti-racism, asylum-seekers, Australian culture, australian media, citizen journalism, cultural transmission, demography, disparagement, education, ethnicity, European history, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, landscape wondrous, life stories, martyrdom, politIcal discourse, racism, refugees, self-reflexivity, tolerance, trauma, unusual people, war crimes, world events & processes, zealotry

Gotabaya’s Getaway: His Devious Routes amidst Many Pressures

Kapila Punchihewa, in Mawbima, July 22 2022, where the title runs thus:  The story of the running man Gotabaya unfolded. Exclusive”

  • President Pleads for safety with Sajith whom he sidelined a few weeks ago.
     All powerful President is shaken and runs for safety from place to place. 18 million for a luxury hotel in Malé 
     Indian USA and European Nations show the “cold shoulder’.
  • No place to go at home or the world

President Gotabaya Rajapakse was elected with 69,lacks of the votes. He was only in office for 969 days before abruptly leaving the country last Monday afternoon, amidst massive public opposition he had to face. No one knew until that fateful Monday afternoon that he hAD left the country. Nobody even knew where the president was.

Continue reading

3 Comments

Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, disparagement, governance, Indian Ocean politics, landscape wondrous, life stories, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, refugees, security, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, trauma, travelogue, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, world events & processes

Only in Sri Lanka!!! Presidential Self-Deprecation

 

1 Comment

Filed under architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, asylum-seekers, charitable outreach, commoditification, disparagement, economic processes, heritage, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, performance, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, taking the piss, trauma, truth as casualty of war

Bhavani Fonseka & Sumanthiran in Q and A with Indian Media Outfit

THE PRINT: Jothi Malhotra in Q and A with Bhavani fonseka & MA Sumanthiran …………..  “Why Gotabaya Rajpaksa fled & next steps for Sri Lanka : MA Sumanthiran and Bhavani Fonseka”

#SriLankaCrisis #GotabayaRajpaksa In this edition of #ThePrintDebates, ThePrint’s Senior Consulting Editor Jyoti Malhotra spoke to M. A. Sumanthiran, MP from Jaffna district in Sri Lanka and a member of the Tamil National Alliance and Bhavani Fonseka, a human rights lawyer and political analyst on the volatile situation in Sri Lanka, the flight of Gotabaya Rajpaksa to the Maldives, the future of the country and whether the people are relieved. Watch #ThePrintDebates

ALSO NOTE

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, conspiracies, democratic measures, disparagement, economic processes, electoral structures, governance, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, insurrections, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, news fabrication, performance, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, Rajapaksa regime, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, social justice, sri lankan society, taking the piss, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, working class conditions, world events & processes

Asylum Australia for Sri Lankans? THEN and NOW

Michael Roberts 

Through the first decade of the 21st century fishing trawlers attempted to breach the Australian borders with illegal migrants and this process continued even after Eelam War IV ended in May 2009 …. indeed, even receiving a boost because of the circumstances of considerable segments of the SL Tamil populace in Sri Lanka and in refugee camps in southern India.

In July 2012 I presented a BIBLIOGRAPHY on this topic in Thuppahi and I call attention to it here: …………. ………………………………………. http://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/a-flourishing-bibliographical-tree-tamil-migration-asylum-seekers-and-australia/

epa03396379 A young girl from a group of Sri Lankan asylum seekers as they arrive at Bungus port, near Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia 13 September 2012. At least 40 asylum seekers from Sri Lanka were transferred from Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra to the Immigration Detention Pekan Baru, Riau. Total number of migrants for 2012 is close to 10,000, with many of them Afghans, Iraqis and Iranians who have paid people-smugglers to ferry them from Indonesia to Australia. EPA/STRINGER

Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, Australian culture, australian media, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, demography, economic processes, ethnicity, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, politIcal discourse, refugees, self-reflexivity, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, transport and communications, trauma, travelogue, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes