Raping of Gaza

The crisis in Gaza continues for the 15th day and the western powers that be, seem to be in deep slumber. Maybe they are in hibernation because of the winter. Anyhow there is no such comfort to the innocent civilians trapped in the Gaza strip. The Israelis claim that the goal of this operation is to eradicate the Hamas guerrillas. But I simply cannot see how oppressing the Palestinian people can achieve this. This is clear to any observer. So what is Israel’s hidden agenda? It could be to test out the new US administration and its willingness to standby Israel. If so, the Obama administration seems clearly to back Israel. Also the invasion could be to warn the Arab countries like Syria and Iran that Israel is still a power to reckon with (Lest the Arabs have forgotten the six day war).

Anyhow, what is really appalling is how the western governments are giving a blind eye to the suffering of the Palestinians. The congress and senate, which were outspoken against Sudan about Darfur, seemed uncharacteristically subdued in stating their concerns. I saw one congresswoman saying that the Israeli attacks were “precision attacks’ targeted at militants. Whoever originated this term should be inducted to the humankind’s wall of shame. As far as i know, there are no ‘precision attacks’ or ’surgical strikes’. There is only war, and there’s nothing precise about war. There is nothing precise about bombing a village in order to target a militant who may or may not be there at all! Where are the anti-war democrats now? Or is the AIPAC lobbyists so powerful that they could puppeteer the American politics by just throwing money at politicians? This is definitely NOT the change I expected.

Another infuriating factor is the radio silence maintained by western media about this incident. In the first few days of the crisis, i saw CNN being quite balanced showing both sides of the story. It even covered a story where a ship full of medical aid by the ‘free Gaza’ movement was rammed by an Israeli navy ship. But as the crisis developed, there has been less and less coverage by the western media. Of course Rupert Murdoch’s warmongering FOX news was as always, justifying the Israeli ’cause’. Only the Arab stations seem to be even interested in the plight of the Palestinians. It is shameful to see that Israel is still describing this oppression as ’self defense’. How could killing innocent civilians and denying the basic human necessities to reach the Palestinian people be ’self defense’? I honestly do not know.

A mother cries for her children, for humanity which seems so far away from Gaza right now (Photo: AP)

We report, you attack!

I was very saddened to see the violence unleashed on the MTV hq yesterday. Look, I do not harbour any love for the Sirasa media which is an organization which only focuses on earning money and not delivering quality programming to the Sri lankan people. I usually refrain from watching the worthless programs dished out by the channel (There are exceptions of course, but they are few and far between). But the attack on the MTV Hq is a deplorable act and is more so because it provides an opening for the enemies of Sri lanka to take part in their heinous slander. Even if I sometimes disagree with the programming in Sirasa, I have always been an advocate of its brand of independent media. The availability of  such a diverse view was, as I saw, evidence that Sri lankans respected viewpoints other than their own.

I may not agree with his view, but I would defend with my life his right to express it

This quote from Voltaire sums up my take on the incident. I am a strict advocate of freedom of expression and free media. However lately, I can see that there is increased pressure on media to be controlled by external forces, be it politics or the ownership of private media. This is also because the power of media as an influence of public perception. So I believe that free media should be protected and the media should also be responsible in handling sensitive issues such as war.

Kilinochchi and beyond

The rebel bastion of Kilinochchi has finally fallen to the military. This is quite an achievement when you put it in context of the past missions to Kili, which have almost always been failures in the long run.
Still there is a lot to be done when considering the future operations. The time now is to act very carefully and prevent any harm from coming to the civilians trapped in LTTE controlled areas. The LTTE has never been a humane organization. However this will become even more prominent as it dwindles down. The desperate ploys of LTTE would be to hide among civilians to try and do what Iraqi militant groups did against the American military, start an insurgency.
The best way to prevent an insurgency is to win the hearts and minds of the people. This is what is being done by the military now by giving support to the fleeing civilians. However in the long run, the government’s commitment to a lasting political solution would be the decisive factor in achieving peace in our country. And I think president Mahinda Rajapakshe is best suited for this reconciliation as he can persuade the fundamentalists to compromise and achieve consensus in the south. Especially since the Tamils lack a bargaining chip in the negotiating table which was occupied by the LTTE.

What I hope for in 2009

It is the beginning of a whole new year, 2009. You know, its funny how ambitious people are at the start of the year. Everyone is smiling and happy. It seems as if they are in a different solar system. To me however, it is good enough if 2009 at least puts an end to the conflict in my country. And hopefully, with the inauguration of a new American president. The world will become a much more peaceful place. The financial crisis was the baggage left over from 2008. With luck it wont turn out into a Pandora’s box in 2009.
Of course I know that a lot of these cheesy dreams that people have, never actually come true. But I definitely do not blame them for having them. Hope is what we live for right?
P.S. Wish you a glorious 2009!