July 24, 2015 · 1:53 pm

World War One in Australia via The Journal of Australian Studies — A Commemoration

AUSTRALIAN STUDIES -CommemorationThis commemorative issue of The Journal of Australian Studies (JAS) marks the 100-year anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign by revisiting a series of published articles that considered why and how we commemorate Anzac, what we remember, and what is of enduring relevance. The nineteen articles selected for inclusion in this virtual special issue are all available, free-access, via this site until the end of 2015.

The following links offer an introduction to the collection along with an original essay by Australian military-social historian Peter Stanley, which historically and intellectually frames the articles. Contributor notes, as well as a bibliography that serves as a reference guide to further World War One scholarship published by the journal from 1978 to the present, are also provided below.

Contributor Notes

Introduction from Alexandra Dellios and Katherine McCabe

“Australians and the Great War”: An essay by Professor Peter Stanley

Extended Bibliography

Peter-Stanley

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July 24, 2015 · 11:34 am

Sacrificial Death in the Confirmation of Australian Nationhood

Richard A. Koenigsberg, whose essay is entitled “Warfare, Sacrificial Death and Memorialization” in its original version for an international audience at http://www.libraryofsocialscience.com/newsletter/posts/2015/2015-5-26-commemoration1.html — itself part of a Newsletter series, http://archive.benchmarkemail.com/Library-of-Social-Science

Wars are undertaken based on a structure of thought—a template enacted upon the stage of reality. In the first place—in order for a war to occur—there must be an “enemy:” a particular group or class of people imagined to be seeking to harm or to destroy one’s nation and its sacred values. Identification of this dangerous or threatening enemy generates the belief that it may be necessary to wage war—to defeat this enemy that threatens the existence of one’s nation.

Waging war requires engaging in battle, where some citizens may become casualties. Citizens who die in battle (often soldiers) are said to have made the “supreme sacrifice.” Their sacrificial death is conceived as a gift: they have given their lives to their country—so that the nation might live.

anzac memorials ANZAC Memorial, Hyde Park, Sydney

Subsequent to a war (or during it—as was the case in the First World War), a nation may create monuments—whose purpose is to preserve the memory of soldiers who have “given their lives” in the process of fighting for or defending the nation. Gravestones memorialize or symbolize the dead soldiers who have sacrificed their lives. Continue reading →

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July 22, 2015 · 1:56 pm

Ban Ki-Moon as handmaiden of USA?

Dharshan Weerasekera  Anonymous providing a summary & review of Dharshan Weerasekera’s  book The UN’s subversion of international law : The Sri Lanka Story

A Sri Lankan attorney has attempted to put together a case study that depicts a very sinister move by the UN to subvert international laws and create precedents that would detrimentally affect other nations as well. Taking the reports of the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts, the Human Rights Council as well as the Human Rights Commissioners oral reports and recommendations, Dharshan Weerasekera shows that not only is there an illegality involved in the manner three resolutions led to a call for an international investigation but highlights how resolutions and reports that started out being about the last phase of the war ended up maligning Sri Lanka on a plethora of non-conflict related other matters that should have been dealt through the other UN systems in existence. Dharshan presents a solid case for a Sri Lankan citizen to pursue legal action against the UN, the UN Human Rights Council and the Human Rights Commissioner for the subversion of justice and international laws.

SRILANKA-UNREST-UN-BAN...U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (r) is greeted by IDPs (Internaly Displaced Percons) as he visits Manik Farm in Sri Lanka on May 23, 2009. Just days after Colombo declared victory over Tamil Tiger, he toured the sprawling Menik Farm camp, 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Colombo, which was jammed with civilians who had fled the war zone. AFP PHOTO/JOE KLAMAR (Photo credit should read JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images)

SRILANKA-UNREST-UN-BAN…U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (r) is greeted by IDPs (Internaly Displaced Percons) as he visits Manik Farm in Sri Lanka on May 23, 2009. Just days after Colombo declared victory over Tamil Tiger, he toured the sprawling Menik Farm camp, 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Colombo, which was jammed with civilians who had fled the war zone.
AFP PHOTO/JOE KLAMAR (Photo credit should read JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images)

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July 22, 2015 · 1:44 am

Tamil Tigers arrested in southern India

Press Trust of India, 21 July 2015

One of the two Sri Lankan Tamils arrested last night along with communication gadgets and cyanide in the district has been identified as Krishnakumar, a close associate of slain LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran, police said today. Sleuths from Intelligence Bureau, Tamil Nadu ‘Q Branch’ Police, and Special Intelligence Unit were now interrogating the LTTE militant, arrested along with two others during a routi ..

On Monday 20th ex LTTE close associate of Prabakaran and secretary to LTTE leader was arrested by the “Q” branch, when he travelled from Trichy to Ramanathapuram. He was caught with the following: Possession of Krishna Kumar was 75 Cyanide capsules, 300 grams Cyanide, 4 GPS, 8 Mobile phones. 42,200 Indian Rupees and 19,300 SL rupees were confiscated.

Sasikumar was driving the car plus additional two people were inside the car. One is Krishna Kumar (39), and the other Rajendran (44) Krishna Kumar has been isolated and been interrogated. Krishna Kumar is from Alaveddy near Tellipalai.

During the final war, several LTTE cadre left the country and assembled in TN. He has been living in KK Town in Trichy. He is been kept in a special cell and interrogated. It is believed that he was planning to leave for SriLanka by illegal boat. It is also presumed that he may have planned to take the Cyanide capsules to LTTE cadre in Jaffna. It is also assumed that LTTE may be planning to resurrect in SL.

Read more at: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/48164939.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

detained-sri-lankan-national-close-aide-of-ltte-chief-police Police said all coastal districts in the state had been alerted to monitor for movement of members of LTTE and checkposts asked to be extra vigilant.
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* Roberts: “The Induction Oath of Tamil Tiger Fighters at their Passing Out Ceremony,” 23 June 2014, https://thuppahis.com/2014/06/23/the-induction-oath-of-tamil-tiger-fighters-at-their-passing-out-ceremony/

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July 18, 2015 · 3:07 pm

From Frying Pan to Carnival in Sri Lanka! The Political Circus that is Sri Lankan Democracy

18 July 2015, Elmo Jayawardena, whose preferred title title is “Oh what a circus Oh what a shame!”

ELMO J--GV PICNo this is not Argentina that has gone to town, but good old Sri Lanka, my beloved home land. Only thing missing is a flamboyant Evita to come and sing the haunting ‘Don’t cry for me’ to complete the carnival. The day has dawned again for the political leaders to gather and discuss who should represent the swans, bells, elephants, betel leaves, weighing scales and such symbols and we the minions like fools await the dawn of reckoning on 17th August. Man! I am even scared to write the who’s who of this situation as things change like monsoon skies and many a modern day Humpty Dumpty gets toppled from the wall. But there is a difference, all the King’s men in this fairy tale are putting all the Humpty Dumpties together again.

Let us ponder a while about this mega comedy called politics. Where is the corruption that was spoken of in the loudest decibels and flashed in brilliant neon before the January regime change? What happened to the billions that were supposed to have been stashed overseas and who drove away the flashy Lamborghinis? What about those who did not settle debts to the Air Force for joy rides in helicopters? This report was called for and that inquiry got completed, they came, they saw and nothing was conquered, and everything slid out like drain water. COPE findings and Weliamuna conclusions, man! Didn’t we really ‘go around the mulberry bush’ to cleanse the country? Sannasgala interviews with hopes eternal and sastharakarayas barbecued for wrong predictions and all that rigmarole of change, what happened? A hundred days was ear-marked to incubate a ‘born again’ new Sri Lanka. Where did it all end? Oh what a circus, oh what a shame?

CIRCUS 22 Pic from circus.com  devil-dancerPic from www.thesrilankatravelblog.com Continue reading →

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July 14, 2015 · 12:11 am

Greece and EU are Off the Hook: How Events Unfolded

It is a slow day in a little Greek Village. The rain is beating down and the streets are deserted.

Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

On this particular day a rich German tourist is driving through the village, stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, telling the hotel owner he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.

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July 13, 2015 · 1:12 pm

Political Convolutions in Sri Lanka Today: Perspectives from Hariharan and Jehan Perera

mahinda-rajapaksa-vs-maithripala-sirisena

ONE: “Mahinda’s return as PM: Not yet a done deal”  —  by Col. Hariharan, courtesy of Times of India, 13 July 2015

Unfazed by his surprise defeat in the last presidential polls, Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Rajapaksa appears to be back with a bang on the nation’s political centre stage with the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) coalition nominating him to contest the August 17parliamentary election. as a candidate. Six months ago, when Rajapaksa went into a sulk after his  defeat, nobody would have imagined that he would bounce back so soon and so strongly with the support of UPFA.

His nomination ended weeks of suspense, as his bête noire President Maithripala Sirisena, chief of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), tried to persuade the party, the UPFA coalition and even Mahinda to prevent the latter’s comeback. But Rajapaksa seems to have made up his mind, well before political manoevures began, to contest the election with or without SLFP support as the anti-corruption bodies were making life miserable for him and his siblings. But no one, probably not even Mahinda, was certain of the UPFA nominating him. Continue reading →

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July 13, 2015 · 12:58 pm

The Spectre of China in the Pacific and Indian Oceans worries the West

Brendon Nicholson, in The Australian, 13 July 2015, where the title is “Era of US dominance in region ‘coming to close’: report”

China’s growing naval power and long-range missiles threaten to bring Canberra within range of the People’s Liberation Army as Australia’s geographical isolation no longer protects it. The dramatic warning is contained in a joint analysis of the state of the ANZUS alliance by US and Australian defence specialists with high-level access to key policymakers in Washington and Canberra. The report says there are increasing concerns about China’s behaviour in maritime disputes in the South China Sea and about the possibility of Australia becoming involved if China takes more risks to consolidate its control over large areas of ocean, including the Indian Ocean. It says current strategic movements, and the rise of China, indic­ate that the era of regional stability backed by uncontested US maritime superiority “seems to be coming to a close”.

Us jheli---news Corp  A V-22 Osprey landing — Picture: Michael Franchi Source: News Corp Australia Continue reading →

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July 10, 2015 · 4:40 am

Muralitharan as Teacher: Overcoming Strife in Life, Cricket and Politics

murali speaks-dm-22 

murali-and-cameron Murali at cricket with David Cameron in Lanka –just before Murali pilloried Channel Four

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July 2, 2015 · 9:16 am

Tony Abbott & Loong Lee consolidate Australian-Singaporean Strategic Bonds

Joint Press Conference with Prime Minister Lee, Singapore ….from http://www.pm.gov.au/media/2015-06-29/joint-press-conference-prime-minister-lee-singapore

29 June 2015, Singapore

Prime Minister

Subjects: Visit to Singapore; Singapore-Australia relationship; Singapore Free Trade Agreement; Daesh death cult; South China Sea; Indonesia; counter-terrorism.

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PRIME MINISTER LEE: Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Ministers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

I give a very warm welcome to Prime Minister Abbott and his delegation to Singapore. Your visit comes at a significant moment because this is not just our 50th year of independence, but also 50 years of bilateral relations with Australia – and the relations are worth celebrating because of how close our two countries have grown over the years. Continue reading →

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