Features Saturday 17Th March, 2012 13
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The Island Features Saturday 17th March, 2012 13 “The killing of innocent civilians is him to avoid prison. That is the account- outrageous and it’s unacceptable. It’s ability that Obama promises about latest not who we are as a country and it does massacre in Afghanistan, but certainly not represent our military,” Obama said, not what is asked of from Sri Lanka. in his call of apology. A U.S. military There must be a different standard for investigation “will follow the facts wher- Sri Lanka, Channel 4 must be vindicat- ever they lead us, and we will make sure ed, all the propagandists of the LTTE, that anybody who was involved is held who even donated funds to the Hillary fully accountable with the full force of Clinton election campaign, must be the law,” he added. pleased and Sri Lanka must be pun- How wonderful. If only Sri Lanka can ished. Are you shocked and saddened or say that and the even mildly heart- Obama/Clinton broken at it his duo would be sat- diabolical duplici- isfied. But we ty on humanitari- must take Obama an law? at his word. The If Panetta killer will be held spoke of war fully accountable being hell, there with the full are others too who “Yes, ‘n’ how many ears must one conflict that bled our coun- force of the law. have remembered man have try for three decades and Well the fact is hell earlier this Before he can hear people cry? had its bloody spill over to that he has week. In a side Yes ‘n’ how many deaths will it take neighbouring India, too. already been event organized by till he knows We, too, have reason to be spirited out of LUCIEN RAJAKARUNANAYAKE Human Rights That too many people have died? shocked, saddened and more Afghanistan to Watch in Geneva, The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in than heartbroken when the US Kuwait, while the with the full the wind Defence Secretary Leon Afghan people want him to be tried in intent of attacking Sri Lanka, the usual The answer is blowin’ in the wind” Panetta, commenting on last that country because the victims were brigade was present – Pakiasothy —- Bob Dylan Sunday’s rampage and mas- Afghan, men, women and children. Saravanamuttu, Nimalka Fernando, and sacre of civilians in Obama will have none of that and there Sunila Abeysekera. There was nothing illary Clinton was ‘shocked and Afghanistan said, “War is will be no backing for this Afghan good they knew or could say of this saddened like many Americans’ hell,”… “These kind of demand by Amnesty International or country. No matter, it is their right to Hat last Sunday’s predawn ram- events and incidents are Human Rights Watch. Not even the express their beliefs, whether paid for, page by a US soldier in Afghanistan, going to take place. various champions of Asian Human well earned or not. Nimalka Fernando, which left nine children, three women They’ve taken place in Rights will demand justice by the who loves to shine in such bashings of and four men dead in two villages in any war. They’re terri- Afghan people in this shocking, Sri Lanka, was angry and lashed out at rural Kandahar province. ble events. This is not saddening and heartbreaking the British for sending back failed asy- In Washington, US President Barak the first of those events, tragedy, lum seekers from Sri Lanka, yes, back to Obama said officials were ‘heartbroken’ and they probably won’t There will be accountability, as Sri Lanka. She does not explain where by the deaths, but have no plans to be the last.” Obama said, and the example is else they could be sent. Asked whether change course in the decade old War on Panetta really knows already available in the Haditha she thought that the British were blind Terror. about war and that it is Massacre in Iraq – where, too, US to the NGO assertion that Sri Lanka was Being shocked and saddened and feel- hell. And hell is no place and NATO are fighting a war on a ‘hellhole’, Nimalka had shot back: ing heartbroken is the favourite refrain where there is much terror. At a time when accountabil- “The British are the same as Sri Lanka.” of leaders, both civil and military, over respect for humanitarian ity by Sri Lanka is the chorus of If Leon Panetta knew that war was the continued killings, by the US and laws or human rights. It the ‘international community’ hell, Nimalka Fernando certainly knows NATO troops, in Afghanistan today, as it was to end that kind of a (minus the most populous countries a helluva lot about hellholes. She has was in Iraq not long ago. Expressions of hell for the US troops that of the world), the US accountability lumped Sri Lanka and Britain together sorrow and laments of heartbreak read- another, even more blazing on the Haditha Massacre is unique, as hellholes. But what is interesting is ily wash away any allegations of war and destructive hell was created standing out as a example of the that she prefers the failed asylum seek- crimes, human rights violations or vio- by the US when it used atom bombs for duplicity of the US and all of the ers to remain in the British hellhole lations of humanitarian law by the the first time on Hiroshima and ears of Obama and Hillary Clinton to be great champions of human rights etc than be sent to the Sri Lanka hellhole. It forces of countries that are labouring to Nagasaki to end the Japanese resistance actually shocked, saddened and heart- ranged against Sri Lanka today, is only demons that know full well what teach democracy to the Islamic world. in World War II. Panetta must also be broken at the tragedies faced in liberat- In the Haditha Massacre, 24 civilians, hell is all about so I presume Nimalka While deeply shocked and saddened knowing what a hell it must have been ing nearly 300,000 Tamils from the unarmed men, women and children were has such hellish experiences behind her and with great feelings of heartbreak at for the Sri Lankan troops and Tamil clutches of their terrorist ‘liberators’ of killed by a group of United States with hell fires burning behind her as she the tragedies taking place, they will con- civilians, who were the human shield of the tiger stripe and to act with such feel- Marines on November 19, 2005 in raves and rants against Sri Lanka. But tinue to let the drones fly and pick off the LTTE, in the fighting to defeat and ings of genuine sadness at what Sri Haditha in western Iraq. The dead there is another twist to this hellhole the targets in villages, where one has eliminate the most ruthless terrorist Lanka has gone through. include several children and elderly peo- vulgarism. Nimalka Fernando obviously only the word of the military strategists organization in the world, as Sri Lanka Every attempt is made to bring Sri ple, who were shot multiple times at believes that a white British hellhole is that those killed are Taliban activists was compelled to do 2009, culminating Lanka to the dock for liberating people close range while unarmed. better than a brown Sri Lankan one for and Afghan or Pakistan civilians. in May that year. from terror and restoring peace with And what was the great US accounta- the failed asylum seekers to remain This is the reality of war today and All the charges against Sri Lanka are civilian casualties in the hell that is bility? By the time of the trial, charges there. The British Border Control the actuality of the situation on war about that bloody period that unmistak- war. But, we are assured by none other against six Marines had been dropped, authorities had better get some lessons crimes and the violations of humanitar- able hell, when civilians were used as than Barack Obama, President of the and a seventh Marine had been acquit- from Nimalka Fernando as to how best ian law. Obama and Clinton with David human shields by the leaders of terror USA that he has told Afghan President ted in a court martial. After several days to manage a hellhole. She is an expert on Cameron and Nikolas Sarkozy thrown and their lesser ranks with the full Karzai that the United States takes the of spotty evidence about the last remain- raging fires of hellish NGO funds. in for good measure are squeaky clean knowledge of their propagandists and rampage of civilians of last Sunday ing defendant, Staff Sgt Frank Wuterich, Let’s all be shocked, saddened and when it comes to the charges that are fund raisers of then and today, who ‘seriously as if it was our own citizens who admitted telling his men to ‘shoot heartbroken about hellholes and the new being leveled today with such force claim to be the Tamil Diaspora. But and our own children who were mur- first and ask questions later’, the mili- think on accountability. against Sri Lanka at how we ended a Panetta does not even whisper in the dered’. tary agreed to a plea bargain allowing SL Ports Authority make 324 for five Premier League Tier ‘A’ Cricket wickets against Saracens SC Openers steer Ragama The three half centuries made by Supun Nirmala scored 61 runs for Police. Openers Udara Jayasundera and Ian Kasun Madushanka 2/68, Chathuranga at stumps on day in the Premier League Hashan Gunathilleke, Shantha Kalavitigoda Brief Scores: Daniel shared a 252-run-stand as Ragama de Silva 2/22) Tier ‘A’ match which commenced at and Tharidu Mendis guided SL Ports Police SC 220 all out in 67.4 overs (Supun put into bat reached 453 for four wickets Moors SC 57 for 1 wicket in 14 overs Kalutara yesterday.