Monday June 20, 2011 





Jun-18-2011 19:19printcomments


‘International Day in Support of Victims of Torture’


Remember the Tamil Genocide


Tim King Salem-News.com


Just two years ago, even today, the Tamils of Sri Lanka are suffering torture but denied a world stage.


Never forget the Tamils of Sri Lanka


Never forget the Tamils of Sri Lanka


(SALEM / CHENNAI) – As we approach the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, it is paramount that we direct our sharp attention toward the recent Genocide in Sri Lanka.




Occurring just over two years ago, it is so recent that no accurate figures exist regarding the true number of victims. 


Today, the Tamil Hindu and Christian survivors live in constant peril; occupied by Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese Buddhist army. Those able to get information out say the rapes and the deathly abuse of Tamils is far from over, but continuing today at a slower pace. 


This is what the world has turned its back to.


The number of Murdered civilians may actually be over 100,000, few dispute that at least 40,000 died. Sri Lankan President Majinda Rajapaksa’s military commanders pressed this gruesome ethnic cleansing after indirectly threatening the safety of the handful of United Nations aid workers on the ground. So, the UN pulled its people out, and the ‘games’ began. Sadly they were more like a game the Romans would play than any sport in this modern society.


One year ago, one of the most potentially important men alive, the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, held the cards and lost the hand. He even did a repeat of the Red Cross Holocaust tour scenario of the 30′s, touring a place of devastation and horrific suffering but only in the places designated by the Sri Lankan government.


A year ago this world leader said:


“The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is an occasion to underscore the internationally recognized right of all men and women to live free from torture. It is an opportunity to reaffirm our collective commitment to prohibit torture and all cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.”


Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon




Message for the International Day in


Support of Victims of Torture 2010




The United Nations release about this particularly important day stated:








Torture seeks to annihilate the victim’s personality and denies the inherent dignity of the human being. The United Nations has condemned torture from the outset as one of the vilest acts perpetrated by human beings on their fellow human beings.


Torture is a crime under international law. According to all relevant instruments, it is absolutely prohibited and cannot be justified under any circumstances. This prohibition forms part of customary international law, which means that it is binding on every member of the international community, regardless of whether a State has ratified international treaties in which torture is expressly prohibited. The systematic or widespread practice of torture constitutes a crime against humanity.




Channel-4 in London premiered the long awaited Jon Snow documentary “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” last week. It brought the Genocide together in a succinct way, tracing the early years of fighting between Tamil separatists who sought to have an autonomic region; Tamil Eelam, where their human rights would be respected, even guaranteed. 


In the 1980′s a resistance group was formed under military and political lines, known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and a revolution was on. This civil war led to much strife but a balance of peace had been reached. It existed until Rajapaksa took office in 2005. His Sinhalese Buddhist regime wants to have a religious nation like Israel’s and Afghanistan’s and there is no possible way to have this and also maintain human rights.


One example of the moves of the Sri Lankan Sinhalese majority had been to make their language; Sinhala, also known as Helabasa, the country’s official language, thus continuing the erosion of rights of the Tamil minority. It truly had become an apartheid state in terms of cultural acceptance. 


More background on Tamils in Sri Lanka




Many people are familiar with the state of Tamil Nadu in India. This in fact is where Salem, India, a sister city of Salem, Oregon that we have written about in the past, is located. Sri Lankan Tamils have lived on the island for a long time, since around the 2nd century BCE. 


Wikipedia explains that most modern Sri Lankan Tamils believe they are descended from residents of Jaffna Kingdom, a former kingdom in the north of the island and Vannimai chieftaincies from the east. 


On the island nation of Sri Lanka, Tamils constitute a majority of residents in the Northern Province, and also significant in numbers in the Eastern Province. In fact Tamil country includes both of Sri Lanka’s northern coastlines. Tamils also live in other parts of Sri Lanka as a minority population.


It is interesting that Sri Lankan Tamils have a distinct culture and language unlike the other two Tamil-speaking minorities in Sri Lanka; the Indian Tamils and the Moors.


As we have related before, Sri Lanka’s Tamils are mostly Hindus but there is also a significant Christian population. 


According to Wikipedia:




Sri Lankan Tamil literature on topics including religion and the sciences flourished during the medieval period in the court of the Jaffna Kingdom. Since the 1980s, it is distinguished by an emphasis on themes relating to the Sri Lankan Civil War. Sri Lankan Tamil dialects are noted for their archaism and retention of words not in everyday use in the Tamil Nadu state in India.




The online world encyclopedia also explains how relations between Sinhalese and Tamils have been on a path of deterioration since 1948, when Sri Lanka gained independence from Britain. 




Rising ethnic and political tensions, along with ethnic riots and pogroms in 1956, 1958, 1977, 1981 and 1983, led to the formation and strengthening of militant groups advocating independence for Tamils. The ensuing Sri Lankan Civil War has resulted in the deaths of more than 70,000 people and the forced disappearance of thousands of others.





    

    

    Vietnam’s Bloody Defeat of China – Tim King Salem-News.com
    

    Sino-Vietnamese War – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    

    

    __________________________________ 
    

    Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer
    

    Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com’s Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines.
    

    Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Silver Spoke Award by the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (2011), Excellence in Journalism Award by the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (2010), Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), First-place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Tim was a member of the National Press Photographer’s Association for several years and is a current member of the Orange County Press Club.
    

    Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation’s only truly independent high traffic news Website. As News Editor, Tim among other things, is responsible for publishing the original content of 88 Salem-News.com writers. He reminds viewers that emails are easily missed and urges those trying to reach him, to please send a second email if the first goes unanswered. You can write to Tim at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com
    

    

     Sri Lanka’s Violence Toward Tamil Minority Continues
    

     Security News: Equal Opportunity Hit Squads
    

     
    

    

    Comments
    

    Saro June 19, 2011 3:49 pm (Pacific time)
    

    Dear Tim King, we bow humbly to thank your service to humanity. 
    

    The number of casualties you quoted more than 100,000 is more to the actual figure as 430,000 lived there during the military bombardment according to the register that the Government Agents had but now in government’s hand. Only an independent probe will get to the truth. 
    

    Tim King: Thank you Saro, I too question how the number could only be 40k, we will have to consider how to creatively determine numbers.  One way that would be expedient would be to receive contact from more Sri Lankan soldiers who are having to live with this as their reality.  I can maintain any level of confidentiality requested, Sinhalese SLA soldiers, write to Tim@salem-news.com.  
    

    Paul June 19, 2011 8:14 am (Pacific time)
    

    Dear Tim King of the Salem-News.com 
    

    I’m a great admirer of your fearless and honest writing, which is the only way to achieve true reconciliation and lasting peace in Sri Lanka.
    

    The Sri Lankan Army is the most barbaric army .
    

    The ineptitude of the Rajapaksa regime in the face of intensifying and relentless international pressure is driving Sri Lanka further and further into isolation and is likely to have devastating effects for this country’s prospects for rebuilding and reconciliation in the post-conflict phase.
    

    One example of the Rajapaksa Dictatorship’s ineptitude is that the regime argues that the Channel 4 execution footage was debunked by experts; unfortunately the sole expert cited is a Sri Lankan-Australian, Siri Hewavitharana, described in the Sri Lanka Defence Ministry website as ‘one of the world’s leading experts on digital video systems’. 
    

    However most us believe four experts cited by Channel 4: forensic pathologist Daniel Spitz, forensic video-analyst Jeff Spivack, firearms-evidence expert Peter Diaczuk and forensic-video expert Grant Fredricks. 
    

    Channel 4 seems to be more credible than the Rajapaksa regime’s sole authority.
    

    The horrendous execution video looks, sounds (the Sinhala voices in the background, the terminology used) and feels horrifyingly real to me. 
    

    The mere thought that this barbarity could have been committed by the Sri Lankan army, and in the name of all Sinhalese, is an undying shame and an unbearable burden
    

    Colli June 19, 2011 5:33 am (Pacific time)
    

    These may be an obvious questions but I must ask them: (1) Why is it that the leadership of the Buddhist faith and the individuals in charge of the various temples have not come out loudly and forcefully against this atrocity? (2) Why would any government that wishes to be awarded credibility, allow such atrocities to occur within their borders?
    

    What loving God wants people killed in his or her name? Will a ruler who supports and allows genocide ever be viewed as credible, intelligent, caring, or for that matter . . . human?
    

    Tamil Eelam June 18, 2011 8:14 pm (Pacific time)
    

    Long Live the Tamil Tigers!
    

    jo June 18, 2011 7:58 pm (Pacific time)
    

    thanks for the info.
    

    [nd certain characters are removed – (numbers, letters only or post may be cut short.) certain words are banned to stop spammers. All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.
    

    ©2009 Salem-News.com. All opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Salem-News.com.