Sri Lankan General goes up in smoke...literally.

[gilgamesh]

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/lankan-a...d/13875-2.html


Lankan army general assassinated

Associated Press
Posted Monday , June 26, 2006 at 09:30
Updated Monday , June 26, 2006 at 11:17 Email Print
Colombo: A suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up next to a car carrying a top Sri Lankan general on Monday, killing the military officer and three other people, officials said.


Authorities quickly blamed the Tamil Tiger rebels for the blast. ''This is the work of the LTTE,'' said military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe, using the initials of the insurgents' formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


Four months of violence have brought Sri Lanka dangerously close to the brink of resuming full-scale civil war, and Monday's attack came just over two months after the Tigers' tried to kill Sri Lanka's top military commander in a suicide bombing in Colombo.


The car carrying Maj. General Parami Kulatunga, the third-highest-ranking officer in Sri Lanka's military, was hit Monday by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle, Samarasinghe said.


The general was heading to work in Colombo.


Kulatunga survived the initial blast but died on the way to the city's National Hospital, Samarasinghe said.


The blast also killed the general's driver, a security guard and a civilian passer-by, the military said.


Earlier reports had indicated there were causalities on a passing bus, but it appeared the vehicle sustained only minor damages and that its passengers were unharmed.


Discrimination against Sri Lanka's 3.2 million Tamils led the Tigers to take up arms in 1983.


The resulting war on this tropical island of 19 million people - nearly three-quarters of them Buddhist Sinhalese - left more than 65,000 people dead before a 2002 cease-fire.


But talks to build on the truce soon faltered and in the past year, sporadic shootings and bombings have escalated into near-daily violence.


Almost 700 people, more than half of them civilians, have been killed since April.


Throughout the conflict, the Tamil Tigers have used suicide bombers to target Sri Lanka's military and political elite.


In April, a woman disguised to look pregnant blew herself up in front of a car carrying Sri Lanka's highest-ranking general, Lt. General Sarath Fonseka.


Eight people were killed and the general wounded.


Kulatunga, the general killed Monday, was a hardened combat veteran who had led numerous operations against the rebels in the Sri Lanka's northeast, the main theater of fighting during nearly two decades of full-scale war.



LTTE's alive and kicking. Looks like nobody can stop them.

[veera8]

Lessons sri lanka need to learn from india :::

# NO External enemy :::: had india stayed like a fierce enemy --sri lanka's would have realised the importance of internal unity and staying togher
# Discrimination :::: Policies of GOv very much biased towards singhalse majority and open discrimination against tamils ---perhaps they should learn from india how to devise a national policy that is neutral to all section of society

so sad to see such a lovely paradise island burning....

[Jay]

What is more surprising is, LTTE's will to get in and out of the high security perimeter zone in Colombo.

2 months bak it was their Army COAS and now a General. And for every bomb they drop in the northern areas, LTTE is going to retaliate some place even more brutal. Unless SLA reign in Karuna group, LTTE is not going to stop this.

Both are just killing innocent civilians along with thier targets. Hope both the parties understand this and make peace.

[667medic]

What is more surprising is, LTTE's will to get in and out of the high security perimeter zone in Colombo.

2 months bak it was their Army COAS and now a General. And for every bomb they drop in the northern areas, LTTE is going to retaliate some place even more brutal. Unless SLA reign in Karuna group, LTTE is not going to stop this.

Both are just killing innocent civilians along with thier targets. Hope both the parties understand this and make peace.

Why doesn't the SL Gov put LTTE on the defensive by making policies that give equal treatment to "all" citizens. Some months ago they wanted to issue a bill which punishes employers who discriminate based on "race". But the bill was shot down down because of violent protest by the Monks and the Sinhalese students....
The Sinhala racists fail to realize that time will heal everything and given a few years, Rajiv Gandhi's assasination will be a distant memory. By then, I won't be surprised if DMK, MDMK and even PMK make the Lankan situation into an election issue and twist the Central Gov to intervene, on behalf of the Tamils. Ofcourse Rahul and Sonia might have other ideas, but hey they are politicians, they would sell their own mothers for votes....

[gilgamesh]

Why doesn't the SL Gov put LTTE on the defensive by making policies that give equal treatment to "all" citizens. Some months ago they wanted to issue a bill which punishes employers who discriminate based on "race". But the bill was shot down down because of violent protest by the Monks and the Sinhalese students....
The Sinhala racists fail to realize that time will heal everything and given a few years, Rajiv Gandhi's assasination will be a distant memory. By then, I won't be surprised if DMK, MDMK and even PMK make the Lankan situation into an election issue and twist the Central Gov to intervene, on behalf of the Tamils. Ofcourse Rahul and Sonia might have other ideas, but hey they are politicians, they would sell their own mothers for votes....

Too little, too late. Best option is to have a federation with India and eventually join India as a state. First option is already being discussed. Second will inevitably happen. One down, next Bhutan and then Nepal.

[Vaman]

Honestly I wish there were more poeple around from the Indian subcontinent region -other than the paks- to discuss these things with. The different perspective and insight would have been very welcome.

[667medic]

Too little, too late. Best option is to have a federation with India and eventually join India as a state. First option is already being discussed. Second will inevitably happen. One down, next Bhutan and then Nepal.

Sorry dude, apparently the whole problem cropped out because the Sinhalese considered themselves to be "superior" to the Tamils because of the race. The Sinhalese consider themselves to be descendants of the Biharis/Bengalese thererefore by defacto they are supposed to be Aryans and thus superior to the "Dravidian" Tamils. I would never want a bunch of racist motherfockers to become a part of India and neither would the Sinhalese racists agree to that as they would then argue that Buddhism is superior to Hindu/Moslem/Sikh....
BTW the only country which has ever had a Buddhist Monk assasin is SL...

One down, next Bhutan and then Nepal.

Neither Nepal, nor Bhutan would agree to be a part of any entity that has the other. Don't underestimate the mutual hatred between the Nepalese and Bhutanese....

[667medic]

Honestly I wish there were more poeple around from the Indian subcontinent region -other than the paks- to discuss these things with. The different perspective and insight would have been very welcome.

We need to integrate with the ASEAN community.
Thats one organization which contains pragmatic members with diverse views. India is taking the right step by wooving Singapore.......
South Asia is a basket case

[gilgamesh]

Sorry dude, apparently the whole problem cropped out because the Sinhalese considered themselves to be "superior" to the Tamils because of the race. The Sinhalese consider themselves to be descendants of the Biharis/Bengalese thererefore by defacto they are supposed to be Aryans and thus superior to the "Dravidian" Tamils. I would never want a bunch of racist motherfockers to become a part of India and neither would the Sinhalese racists agree to that as they would then argue that Buddhism is superior to Hindu/Moslem/Sikh....
BTW the only country which has ever had a Buddhist Monk assasin is SL...
....

I think they claim they are from Orissa and that Sinhala decended from Pali. About 400 plus warriors/adventurers set off from Orissa and established a kingdom by marrying locals. Something like that.

Buddhists always being peaceful is a sham. Look at Japan. Shinto and Zen Buddhist. Also look at China, one of the most violent culture in the world. In fact Singhalese are relatively peaceful compared to these cultures.

Neither Nepal, nor Bhutan would agree to be a part of any entity that has the other. Don't underestimate the mutual hatred between the Nepalese and Bhutanese....

Bhutnese deported many Nepalis(illegals) who were at one time 60% of the population. Same problem in Assam, with Bangla illegals. Bhutan is De Facto Indian territory, like Sikkim once was, before being formalised as a state.

[667medic]

Buddhists always being peaceful is a sham. Look at Japan. Shinto and Zen Buddhist. Also look at China, one of the most violent culture in the world.

No dude, Japan is predominantly Shinto. Moreover Japanese were violent only in WWII. During WWI, they were actually praised for their treatment of the POW's.
BTW China is Atheist as they are Commies. The few Buddhists around are the Shaolin Monks(Defensive Warriors). Probably the only Buddhist who are combative are the Khampa Tibetan tribes..
Very good examples of peaceful Buddhists were the Vietnamese and the Thai Buddhists who used peaceful means to protest...

In fact Singhalese are relatively peaceful compared to these cultures

Sorry dude, they are racist and violent. Ever heard of a Monk assasinating a primeminister before, it happened in SL.
Also remember the incident when a grenade was thrown at Shahrukh Khan.....

[anand1266]

Too little, too late. Best option is to have a federation with India and eventually join India as a state. First option is already being discussed. Second will inevitably happen. One down, next Bhutan and then Nepal.

u r joking right? LOL why would these countries even think doing that?
anyways this is not at all a feasible solution. India first needs to look at herself , eliminating all maoists , naxalites living freely in almost every part of india and then look the outer world.
just imagine the situation if at all ur proposal becomes reality

LTTE+maoists+naxalites+underworld = total doom

[Vaman]

India first needs to look at herself , eliminating all maoists , naxalites living freely in almost every part of india and then look the outer world.
just imagine the situation if at all ur proposal becomes reality

LTTE+maoists+naxalites+underworld = total doom

What do you really know about the maoists and the naxalites?
There may actually be a reasonable cause for them to have taken up violence. Just by "eliminating" them by sheer force may not even solve the problem.

[Tronic]

What do you really know about the maoists and the naxalites?
There may actually be a reasonable cause for them to have taken up violence. Just by "eliminating" them by sheer force may not even solve the problem.

maoists and naxalites... errmm... commie terrorists who dream of igniting communism in South Asia... they are no good... Eliminating them is the only option... ;) unless ofcourse they drop their weapons, join politics and then call out for communism... I feel India i a fair system and if the Commies can rally up enough support they can get their government in the areas they hold majority... we've allowed commie governments to be formed in the past in some states... they can go for the same... but I feel these people find that picking up guns is the only option since they probably wouldn't be able to win any elections anywayz... because for that, they would have to win over the people first... same thing goes for Nepal...

[Vaman]

I dont agree because most people who join the naxal or the maoist movement do it out of frustration from lack of opportunities than from any love for the commie ideology. The fact that the movements originate from the rural hinterlands rather than the urban/industralised areas where idealists breed should also clue in where the problem lies.
Ofcourse to someone who feels disenfranchised and powerless, anything that promises to put him at the same pedestal as the zamindars/babus/policewalla/local dadas would be extremely attrative. Thats what communism is to them. Its certainly not because they have read Marx or Stalin or Mao.
Its the reason why most of their ire is directed against the local administration and not against the state or the nation as a whole.
The next time they attack a local police chowki think about how the policewallahs may have extracted their hafta. Its not an implausible idea.. policewallahs taking their "cut" happens all the time. We all know that.

[Tronic]

I dont agree because most people who join the naxal or the maoist movement do it out of frustration from lack of opportunities than from any love for the commie ideology. The fact that the movements originate from the rural hinterlands rather than the urban/industralised areas where idealists breed should also clue in where the problem lies.
Ofcourse to someone who feels disenfranchised and powerless, anything that promises to put him at the same pedestal as the zamindars/babus/policewalla/local dadas would be extremely attrative. Thats what communism is to them. Its certainly not because they have read Marx or Stalin or Mao.
Its the reason why most of their ire is directed against the local administration and not against the state or the nation as a whole.
The next time they attack a local police chowki think about how the policewallahs may have extracted their hafta. Its not an implausible idea.. policewallahs taking their "cut" happens all the time. We all know that.

listen, that is no excuse for them to pick up weapons and start killing people... the political doors are always open for such issues... and all these people want is to get something without working for it... typical communist mindset... they want to move up the ladder without working their ass off... thats simply not how the capitalist system works... you have to work to climb up the ladder... and for the Zameendars (landowners)... what right do these commies have to snatch away the land of the zameendars??? I mean this is like robbing someone elses house for your own comforts and then saying.. well, we have to rob cuz we're poor... thats a pathetic excuse...