August 26, 2015 · 6:43 am

Ambassador Blake in Never-Never-Land: Misreading LTTE Capacity in Early 2009

Ambassador Blake in Never-Never-Land: Misreading LTTE Capacity in Early 2009

Michael Roberts ..…The initial version of this article was actually drafted in late 2014, but I let it lie because I wished to pursue my reading of the ambassadorial despatches further. It is now the first of two essays covering the US diplomatic operations in Sri Lanka in the first five months of 2009 – the second entitled “Off the Planet” being in line with the thrust of the title deployed here (and remaining as yet in draft form). Note that this essay was completed before I was aware of The Campbell Conversations of 28th January 2011 where Blake elaborated on the Sri Lankan situation. His position then has to be compared to the pressures exerted on the Sri Lankan government in 2009 with UN and EU support and the assessments of the fast-moving war scenario presented to his superiors over the course of 2008/09. Wikileaks have done all of us a favour in revealing these backroom diplomatic activities in the raw.

The Wikileaks disclosures have revealed to the world the American mind-set towards the heightened conflict in Sri Lanka in the last phase of Eelam War IV. Yet neither the functionaries in the service of the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) nor the intelligentsia commenting on that situation have drawn on this material. The stack of data is enormous: for instance, some 90 despatches in the period January to May 2009. Working alone amidst other tasks my studies of this material are incomplete; but are adequate for preliminary assessments. BLAKE and MR BLAKE www.tbcuk.net

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August 25, 2015 · 1:53 am

Kumar Sangakkara’s Reflections on Cricket and Life in Q and A with Rex

Rex Clementine, in The Island, 24 August 2015 ….http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=130535

Many have enjoyed Kumar Sangakkara’s elegant batting that fetched him 38 Test hundreds. He had been equally impressive at press conferences talking eloquently on several subjects. Sangakkara spoke to journalists one last time after his final Test at P. Sara Oval yesterday. The star batsman touched on a range of subjects from the support he had received from his parents, emotions during his last Test, comparisons with Sir Don Bradman and much more. Here are the excerpts.

SANGA FAREWELL Continue reading →

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August 24, 2015 · 6:02 am

Ranil in Q and A with N. Ram of THE HINDU

N. Ram, Editor of The Hindu, 24 August 2015, where the title reads “Ranil hopeful of political solution to Tamil question”

ranil A day after he assumed office, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe spoke to N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of “The Hindu”, on a wide range of issues. RMA-tehelka

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is confident and hopeful that the political situation in Sri Lanka following the August 17 general election, although complex, is favourable for forging an enduring political solution to the Tamil question. Noting that the two main national parties, his United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, and the Tamil National Alliance were “the three key players” in formulating the proposals for an enduring solution, he said he had “tried to keep the UNP position flexible so that we can bridge the differences.” Responding to a question on former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, he confirmed that she would have a significant role to play in this regard.

The Sri Lankan political situation has taken an interesting turn with the narrow victory of the United National Party in the general election, its leader being sworn in as Prime Minister for the fourth time, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two main parties, the UNP and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, paving the way for a ‘unity’ or national government. Continue reading →

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August 24, 2015 · 5:35 am

Recalling the Assassination of Trotsky aka Leo Bernstein

Richard Cavendish, courtesy of History Today, Vol 65/9, September 2015, where the title reads: “Leon Trotsky assassinated in Mexico”

The man born Lev Bronstein was attacked on August 20th, 1940. He died the following day.

TROTSKYY'S TOMB  Trotsky’s tomb in Mexico City

Born in the Ukraine in 1879 and later hailed by one admirer as the greatest Jew since Jesus Christ, Lev Bronstein became famous under another name. From 1902 he called himself Trotsky, adapted from the German word trotz, essentially meaning ‘defiance’, which would prove prophetic. He was a leading figure in the Bolshevik movement under Lenin, after whose death in 1924 he was the most important victim of Joseph Stalin’s insatiable lust for power.

Trotsky 11  Trotsky_Portrait--en.wikipedia.org Trotsky 22 Continue reading →

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August 22, 2015 · 12:51 am

Jaffna Public Library: From the Ashes of 1981 in Rejuvenation for Its People

Julie McCarthy, 19 August 2015, in item with this title “Up From The Ashes, A Public Library In Sri Lanka Welcomes New Readers”

The Jaffna Public Library, destroyed in 1981 and rebuilt twice since, once sat in a no man's land between warring forces. It's been fully restored and become a haven for readers young and old.

The Jaffna Public Library, destroyed in 1981 and rebuilt twice since, once sat in a no man’s land between warring forces. It’s been fully restored and become a haven for readers young and old.– Julie McCarthy/NPR

Rising two stories and capped by three domes, the Jaffna Public Library looks a bit like a stately wedding cake. Gleaming white under the Sri Lanka sun, the building’s classical lines and beautiful proportions make it one of the architectural standouts of the South Asia region.That it survived at all is a testament to resilience. The fact that it was restored to such pristine condition, including its lush gardens, and modernized (it now offers Wi-Fi) makes it all the more remarkable.

The library’s renovation is as exquisite as its history is turbulent. The building sits in the heart of the provincial capital that was wracked not so long ago by battles and bullets. A three-decade civil war pitted Sri Lankan forces against rebels fighting a brutal campaign for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils. The rebels, known as Tamil Tigers, were crushed in 2009, in the closing months of the fighting.

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August 21, 2015 · 10:48 am

Asst Secy Blake’s Review of the Indian Ocean Political Scene in January 2011 in the Campbell Conversations

Grant Reeher in Interview Session with Robert O. Blake, Jr. Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at WRVO Radio, Syracuse, NY, 28 January 2011…. http://www.state.gov/p/sca/ci/in/rmk/2011/155628.htm

GrantReeher-WWW.MAXWELL.SYR.EDUQUESTION: Welcome to the Campbell Conversations. My guest today is Bob Blake. Since 2009 he’s been Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. Prior to that he was the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Bob, welcome to the program.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Thank you, Grant. It’s a pleasure to be here.

bLAKE AT us-iNDIA DIALOGUE-csis.org Blake pictured at US-India Strategic Dialogue — Pic by csis.org

QUESTION: On a recent piece in the New York Times Jim Yardley called the region that you deal with, quote, “perhaps the most politically complicated region on earth.” Would you agree with that?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Yes, it does have its complications, but it’s also an enormously rewarding region, one I think where we have a lot of opportunities to really advance our interests.

QUESTION: What makes it so complicated? Maybe that’s a dumb question, but what are some of the things that —

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: First of all, we have about a quarter of the world’s population. We have a lot of countries that are still relatively young countries, that are still emerging democracies, so they don’t have necessarily the most developed institutions. They’re very young countries, most of them. About half of the population of South and Central Asia is under the age of 25. Of course in many cases the governments are run by people who are 70 or above and sometimes out of touch with the views and the needs of the younger people. So there are a lot of those kind of natural tensions that arise as a result of things like that. Continue reading →

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August 21, 2015 · 8:00 am

Key Issues in the North-South Divide in Lanka: Then …. and NOW

Chandre-Dharma-wardanaChandre Dharmawardana, an unmodified version of an article that appeaered in The Island, 20 August 2015, with the title “‘Self-determination’ or ‘mutual-interdependence’? TNA Victory in North and UNF Victory in South

The people of Sri Lanka have spoken, both on Jan. 08, and now on August 17. The North has backed the TNA while the South has supported the UNF and the UPFA with a simple  majority to the UNF. The country has apparently returned to the politics of the 1960s, with the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) holding the balance of power.

However, if the TNA lends a constructive hand, there is now a prospect of a governing party and a strong Opposition unlike during the previous decade. Furthermore, given the TNA leadership’s ‘war crimes’ campaign against the leaders of the previous government, a better understanding should exist between the new UNF and the TNA. In fact, if the UPFA had come back to power, Jaffna and Colombo would have been on a collision course.2b-Chelva hustings Chelva campaigning in the north
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August 20, 2015 · 2:10 pm

Rejected MPs should have no place in the National List … and the MPs who did Best

ShenaliShenali Waduge

If a government is supposed to be by the people and for the people why should MPs who have been rejected by the people be brought back into Parliament through the backdoor using the provision of the national list. What a mockery when parties hand over their individual national lists with names before election only to replace these names to accommodate shock defeats of MPs who have been rejected by the people. It is an affront to the names already given by parties when names are removed to include the names of MPs whom the people have rejected. What is the point in claiming to be following good governance when all political parties are guilty of bringing rejected MPs through the backdoor? These are politicians who know they cannot go before the people and win votes but somehow wriggle their way to enjoy 5 years of parliamentary privileges at the cost of the tax payers! Continue reading →

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August 20, 2015 · 7:19 am

Skandakumar in Canberra as Sri Lankan High Commissioner

SKANDHA at Canberra

S. Skandakumar presented credentials today to the Governor General of the Commonwealth  of  Australia H.E Sir Peter Cosgrove in Canberra. 
His official duties as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner commenced today.
BSc (HONS) Sri Lanka
Cricket for Ceylon in the Gopalan Trophy,
Secretary Sri Lanka  Cricket Board
Chairman of Geo Steuarts
Gifted his Exec Pension to the Geo Steuarts Staff Association
Ran a Charity for the Young School Kids affected by the War using his own resources
Gentleman Par Excellence
ALSO SEE … https://www.justgiving.com/orupaanai … A CHARITY WITH WHICH SKANDAKUMAR IS ASSOCIATED

Oru Paannai – feeding hungry children in schools in North East Sri Lanka. Oru Paannai Kaithdy – helping hearing impaired children. Oru Paannai Education – helping with the remedial classes for exam students. Oru Paannai – Emergency Flood Relief Fund. Please visit http://www.orupaanai.org.uk/

www.orupaanai.org

orupaanai@hadenvale.org

Oru Paanai Registered charity number 1136376

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August 20, 2015 · 2:43 am

Sri Lanka Cricket Team’s Quiet Investment in Charity Work

This line of investment over the years has been brought to light, more or less in passing, during Kumar Sangakkara’s swan-song Q and A with Rex Clementine, in The Island, 20 August 2015

Rex: You have been involved in several charities as well.

Kumar: The main foundation that I have been a trustee since early 2000s is Foundation of Goodness headed by Kushil Gunasekara and Muttiah Muralitharan. That’s been one of the most effective charity organizations in Sri Lanka. And at this moment, we maintain well in excess of 50,000 people annually all over Sri Lanka from the south to the north. We have a Centre of Excellence in Seenigama, we partner with the MCC, with Tesco, with Laureus, Dell Computers and various other wonderful institutions that come and partner up to help us be more effective. We offer free psychosocial support, pharmacy, dentistry, indoor and outdoor facilities for sports, vocational training, English language training – basically life skills to bridge the gap between the urban and the rural communities. Since the war ended in 2009, we have gone every month without fail from then to now and we keep going every month without fail. We are trying to replicate the same centre and the same facilities we have down south in Mankulam and we have just got approval for the land as well which was granted to us a few years ago. They are exciting times. There are also other projects that I am very proud to be part of. There’s another charity works specifically on anti-suicide and mental health related issues. We are just starting to establish a centre of excellence for differently abled children in Ragama. We have just joined hands with Hemas and the doctors in Ragama to try and set up a centre. The first of its kind, and it has just got underway. Hopefully, in the next three years we will be able to achieve that. There is never enough time really and never enough that you can do but I think again this game has given us so much and I think the Sri Lankan team especially, I should commend everyone who has been a part of it that they have set a great example for me to follow and for others to follow after me where we have set up instances where even the Man of the Match and Man of the Series cash awards that we get, we put it into a pool and that is used as a team fund for not just team-related issues but mainly to help anyone who comes and makes requests from us. We just put whatever we get into a fund, we don’t have the habit of sharing that out between individuals or the team. We put it into a fund, the manager usually has access to it and it’s to benefit people who come for urgent bypass operations or cancer-related treatment or any urgent medical help that we can then contribute towards. Continue reading →

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