Category Archives: counter-insurgency

October 16, 2024 · 12:40 am

Tekwani’s Review of the Sri Lankan Political Situation in Mid-2020

Shyam Tekwani, an Item presented as a “Sri Lanka Brief” in June 2020, AT https://eastasiaforum.org/2020/06/19/sri-lankas-return-to-ethnic-majoritarianism/ entitled “Sri Lanka’s return to ethnic majoritarianism” … with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

The voyage from Serendib to Sri Lanka through Ceylon continues to be an uninterrupted tale of opportunities lost, scorned and spurned. The brutal end to the quarter-century war with the Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009 brought an unprecedented opportunity for the government to heal the Sinhala–Tamil ethnic divide. But now a new front is opening, one against Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority. Events since the Easter attacks of 2019 are reinforcing the belief that tolerance and inclusive governance are a chimeric dream.

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September 16, 2024 · 3:24 pm

Noel Nadesan’s Critical Reflections on the Sri Lankan Tamils’Armed Struggle

Rajeswary Balasubramaniam, reviewing Odyssey of War by Noel Nadesan **

The ‘Odyssey of War’, a novel by Dr. Noel Nadesan published by Sarasavi Publishers, reflects the struggle for the liberation of Tamils in Sri Lanka (1977-2009) and the failure of interwoven world politics. The novel illustrates how upper-class Tamils overcame caste, religion, and regions and united for the liberation of Tamils, but went beyond the spirit of liberation, migrated, and eventually made the liberation struggle of Tamils a profitable business.

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September 11, 2024 · 10:35 pm

Gamini Goonetilleke’s Wide-ranging Medical Work in Lanka

“In the Line of Duty: The Life and Times of a Surgeon in War and Peace” a memoir published in 2008. …………………. now sold out.

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June 26, 2024 · 3:52 pm

Kenya: An IMF Lapdog in Serious Strife

A. K. L.  Steinbeck, …. with title and underlining imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

WATCH =  https://x.com/DOmowale/status/1805701195366822364 …& … https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/6/25/kenya-protests-live-deadly-anti-tax-protests-after-finance-bill-approved

ONE = Here, Kenyan protestors wreck Kenya’s parliament, setting fire to the building. About 20 protestors have been killed by police at a time when Biden refers to Kenya as “a major non-NATO ally,” after Kenya surrendered its sovereignty over to the IMF, World Bank, Western creditors, bankers, NATO and the CIA. 

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June 24, 2024 · 8:13 pm

For Muralidhar Reddy: Thoughts on Eelam War IV in late 2009

ONE: Preamble by Michael Roberts

I was in Colombo from mid-April 2009 to early June and observed the local coverage of Eelam War IV at its bitter end. I was invited by Muralidhar Reddy[i] to write articles for Frontline on aspects of the politics surrounding the war. Though Frontline is a magazine produced by The Hindu consortium, I was not a regular follower of that newspaper on web — even though I had once been introduced to its owner and chief executive, N. Ram, way back in time by Chandra Schafter and had also had an extended chat with him in Delhi in 1995.[ii]

 

 

Thus, the receipt of a Hindu report on President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s thoughts in mid-2009, expressed in an extended session with him conducted by N. Ram serves up new material from my position. In step with my policy of raising significant episodes in the course of Eelam War IV to public notice,[iii] I  hasten to present this exchange in the public domain.

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May 24, 2024 · 5:48 pm

More Revelations re the Crocus Concert Hall Attack

Observer in a Black Sea Resort

After a lengthy and detailed investigation,  the Director of the Russian Security Service, Aleksandr Bortnikov, has confirmed that Ukrainian military intelligence had direct involvement in the Crocus terrorist attack.
 Thus, Russia has gathered evidence that confirms the preparation,  financing and escape from the crime scene was coordinated by members of Wailayat Khorasan or ISIS-K. Twenty people have now been arrested. Not all are members of ISIS-K.
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Aleksandr Bortnikov attends a meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Board in Moscow, Russia. ©  Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov

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May 22, 2024 · 10:59 pm

Lankan Military Personnel Mark Their Hard-Won Triumph in the Eelam Wars on Anniversary of the Final Moments

Kumar Kirinde & Co, 18 May 2024

Dear RAFOA Member,  Tomorrow, 18th May marks the 15th anniversary of the end of the armed conflict  between the GOSL and the LTTE. In remembrance of the efforts made by the SL armed forces and sacrifices made by tri-services personnel in bringing this conflict to an end, attached is a one page brief and an article done by two retired SLAF officers based overseas and a copy of an article written by a Sri Lankan defence analyst to an Australian defence journal (shared by a military history enthusiast also based overseas for the benefit of our RAFOA membership).

 

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May 16, 2024 · 7:20 pm

Be Tamil Bibliography…….For Sri Lanka 2003/04

Michael Roberts

 About the time that I retired from my teaching duties at the Anthropology Department at Adelaide University in 2003/04, the topic of “suicide terrorism” was attracting a lot of attention in academic circles through books and articles. As I dwelt on this topic within the alternative title of “Sacrificial Devotion,” I also had, perforce, to dwell on the grievances espoused by the Sri Lanka Tamils.

Through happenchance, today, I came across an old Word File entitled “Be Tamil Bibliography.” Its entries suggest that it was drafted circa 2003/04 – so the temporal sweep is restricted. It lists academic books and articles on the ethnic contretemps in Sri Lanka as well as the Tamil world of Sri Lanka and India. Thus, the authors marked include such personnel as Zvelebil, Schalk, Kenneth David and Hellmann-Rajanayagam as well as the local Tamils Chelliah Manogaran, Valentine Daniel, Sivathamby, Somasundaram and Sivaram …. to name a few.

Tamil demonstrators invade the pitch during a Cricket World Cup, Group B, match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Oval, London, 11th June 1975. Australian opening batsman Alan Turner (foreground) turns his back on the protest while his teammate Rick McCosker looks on. Australia won the match by 52 runs..…Photo by Dennis Oulds/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

 

 

 

 

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April 30, 2024 · 7:47 pm

The WEST: In Engagement in Two Contrasting Wars

Lakshman Gunasekara.  in Daily News, 30 April 2024, where the  chosen title is “Russia advances as NATO stingy wit Ukraine aid” …. with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

Ukrainians are realising with horror that their Western “allies” are de-prioritising their war with Russia as the Palestine war and West Asian flare-ups keep the Western power bloc focused on sustaining tiny client Israel. The United States alone has so far provided Ukraine with military aid worth US$ 44 billion since the Russian invasion of Ukraine but that is small compared with the West’s pampering of Israel.

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March 27, 2024 · 7:44 pm

Why the West is wrong to blame ISIS for the Crocus Terrorist Attack

An Observer in a Black Sea town 

” The American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) assert Russia has no evidence to claim Ukraine was involved in the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall on 22 March 2024.”

Actually, the Russians do have evidence and they have shared some of it with the world including,

  1. The terrorists were heading to the Ukraine border to escape.
  2. A window was opened at the border from the Ukrainian side, which means instructions must have been issued to Ukrainian border guards from the highest levels of the Ukrainian government.
  3. The terrorists do not fit the typical Jihadist prototype as they were motivated by money, not religious ideology. It would be more accurate to describe them as “mercenaries”, or “mercenary terrorists”. Each was to be paid a half a million roubles (US$5400; AUS$8272)

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