When Nature Swallows Settlement: Ross Island in the Indian Ocean

Neelima Vallangi, 18 March 2018, “http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180308-a-ghost-island-in-the-middle-of-the-indian-ocean … where the original title is “A Ghost Island in the Middle of the Indian Ocean”

Situated in the Bay of Bengal, India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an isolated group of 572 tropical islands, of which only 38 are currently inhabited. Nautically located closer to South East Asia than India, they are known for stunning beaches, thriving marine life, rich coral reefs and largely undisturbed primary forests. But beyond the idyllic views lie a dark past. (Credit: Neelima Vallangi)

Eerie remains of a colonial settlement

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Maj-Genl Holmes deciphers the Eelam Wars

Major General John Holmes:  EXPERT MILITARY REPORT, 28 March 2015

  •  His page numbers are in RED on the left bottom of each page … followed by a line to indicate the end of that page
  • His FOOTNOTE REFERENCES at the bottom of some pages are presented in purple italics

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Piercing the LTTE’s Last Redoubt: THE HINDU Reportage, 21-30 April 2009

Michael Roberts

When the LTTE persuaded and/or forced their civilian population in Thamilīlam to retreat ahead of their defensive retreat in 2008, the grand strategy was to build up picture of “a humanitarian catastrophe” that would draw the Western nations and the HR lobbies in West and the island into the fray as active participant voices who would save the LTTE from total defeat – as I have argued from way back [i]

A Scene from Pokkanai in the Last redoubt , 9th March 2009 — Pic from TamilNet  SL Army Special Forces

  Schematic Map– from ICG

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Dushy Perera meets a Tiger … at Ranthambore in Rajasthan

Dushy Perera’s snap

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The Hidden Natural Treasures of Sinharaja Forest, Lanka: Snaps in 2014

Roshan Quintus

I was invited to participate in a  YZA Field trip to Sinharaja in 2014 as I was working on a wildlife protection related campaign. YZA office bearers and senior members conducted this field trip. Professional veteran naturalists and environmentalists Messrs Jagath Gunawardane, Uditha Hettige, Isuru De Zoysa, Pubudu  Weerarathne, and Parami Vidyarathne were among the resource persons.

A NOTE by Michael Roberts:  VISIT http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/284224/ for toher dimensions of Roshan’s ‘work’.

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On Theresa May’s Imperialist Stance on Syria — A Canadian Radical

Chris Black, courtesy of https://journal-neo.org/2018/04/20/the-stench-of-imperialism-the-statement-of-theresa-may/where the title tuns  The Stench of Imperialism: The Statement of Theresa May” ... with highlights by Editor, Thuppahi

On April 16 the British prime minister, Theresa May made a speech to parliament setting out the “justifications” for Britain’s participation on the aggression against Syria in the dead-of-night missile attack of April 14. Throughout her speech she dramatically referred to barrel bombs and the smell of gas in the air yet in the hall where she spoke it was the stench of imperialism that filled the air.

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Reflections: Interpreting the Gash Files IV

Michael Roberts

I proceed, here, to extract motifs from the details on the happenings in 2009 within the principle theatre of war that have been summarized in Gash IV. This arena has been aptly identified as “the Vanni Pocket” by Serge de Silva-Ranasinghe[1] and is in the north western corner of the island. My comments will be marked A, B, C, etc for ease of reference.

  Situation Map, 2 February 2009

A= The Grand Strategy of the LTTE

In his secret situation report of the 28th January, Lt. Col. Gash notes: “The LTTE appear to have no options left, and the language on TamilNet and other similar platforms is clearly striving for international intervention to force a ceasefire on the GoSL. Further civilian casualties are now inevitable as they no longer have options to move away from the combat zone. Without the presence of the IDPs the LTTE would be subjected to unrestricted air and artillery strikes, so have no incentive to release them. The SLA is exercising restraint but, without a change in political mood, will not hold back entirely.”

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A Slashing Critique of Hillary Clinton and the HR Lobby in April-May 2009: Realities of War

Michael Roberts: reproducing an article drafted in late April 2009 and appearing in FRONTLINE Volume 26 – Issue 10 :: May. 09-22, 2009 **



Frontline
Volume 26 – Issue 10 :: May. 09-22, 2009
INDIA’S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
 Contents

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COVER STORY

Realities of war

MICHAEL ROBERTS

A response challenging the calls for ceasefire as a solution to the hard realities around the LTTE’s endgame.

SRI LANKA NAVY HANDOUT/REUTERS 

IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH released by the Sri Lanka Navy on April 21, people flee a beach controlled by the LTTE in the north-east of the island nation.

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Spiritual Amity and Reconciliation: The Way Forward

Courtesy of Mervyn de Silva

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Immaculate Follies: The Contradictions within Wars of Humanitarian Intervention

George Friedman, in STRATfor Worldview, 5 April 2011, where the title is “Immaculate Intervention: Wars of Humanitarianism,” …. Note that the highlighting and break-up into paragraphs are the work of The Editor, Thuppahi

There are wars in pursuit of interest. In these wars, nations pursue economic or strategic ends to protect the nation or expand its power. There are also wars of ideology, designed to spread some idea of “the good,” whether this good is religious or secular. The two obviously can be intertwined, such that a war designed to spread an ideology also strengthens the interests of the nation spreading the ideology. Since Word War II, a new class of war has emerged that we might call humanitarian wars — wars in which the combatants claim to be fighting neither for their national interest nor to impose any ideology, but rather to prevent inordinate human suffering.

Devil selling angel wings.

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