Archive for
May 18th, 2009
Stories
Sri Lanka: Bloggers react to the death of the LTTE leader
The government of Sril Lanka announced via state media and SMS today (Monday, May 18, 2009) afternoon that the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Vellupillai Prabhakaran, is dead. News media are reporting that Prabhakaran, who was at the helm of one of the world's most violent rebellions, was killed by rocket grenade while in a van with the head of the LTTE's navy, Soosai, and the LTTE intelligence chief, Pottu Amman. The body of the rebel leader will undergo DNA tests to confirm identity. About 250 members of the Tamil Tigers were reportedly killed in the final surge of fighting in the country's 26-year-old war.
Obituaries of Prabhakaran note that he was a hero to some and a ruthless killer to others. The BBC writes, “To his followers, Vellupillai Prabhakaran was a freedom fighter struggling for Tamil emancipation. To his adversaries he was a secretive megalomaniac with a complete disregard for human life.” The Hindu in India says, “A ‘freedom fighter' for his supporters and a dreaded terrorist for others, Prabhakaran was wanted by Interpol and many other organisations since 1990 for terrorism, murder and organised crime.” Long before the world was aware of Osama Bin Laden or Al-Qaeda, Prabhakaran started to use a new method of guerrilla warfare, suicide bombing. This cover story on Tehelka magazine reveals a lot about this war lord.
The Blogger of Beyond Skin explains it this way:
First reaction: WHAAA! [goosebumps and jaw-drop and an overwhelmingly contradictory feeling of both dread and relief.]
Second reaction: Now what? After 26 years of fighting, after displacing and killing hundreds of thousands, after silencing those who dissent against both the government and the LTTE through assassinations, torture and disappearance, what now of the Tamil people?
United National Party organizer Ajith P. Perera wrote in his own obituary for Prabhakaran in his blog, Dare to be different: “He was a terrorist, no doubt, but Prabhakaran deserves an obituary, even in a language he barely understood,” Perera wrote.
Did he achieve anything worthwhile for his community? The answer is a big NO. Ethnic (Jaffna) Tamils are worse off than they were in 1970s. More than half of the Tamil population has already left for good. Thousands of Tamil families had to live with eternal grief of losing one or more family members. Ethnic Tamils, the largest minority in Sri Lanka then, has now reduced to the pathetic third place after Muslims and Indian Tamils. Jaffna, the second most advanced city in Sri Lanka, with its famous education system, is now far behind. As a community Tamils, at least the unfortunate ones to still remain, have moved ten or twenty years backward. They were termed as terrorists across the world. North and East have become more and more economically dependent on Colombo. At least for the next few years, till a UNP government implements a political solution, they will be remotely controlled from Colombo. All thanks to Prabhakaran.
Sri Lankan Tamil activist and former LTTE member Nirmala Rajasingam explains in an opinion piece in The Independent that her sister was murdered by the LTTE 20 years ago.
For that reason, the news of the demise of the LTTE's top leadership – which ordered her killing and the killings of many other Tamil dissenters – brings overwhelming relief. The war and carnage has at last stopped and the insistent bloodletting of Tamil dissent is now over.
But she cautions:
The continued refusal of full access to humanitarian agencies does not allay suspicions about the government's intentions toward the refugees and the LTTE cadres who have surrendered. The last three years have seen a large number of abductions, extrajudicial killings and disappearances, almost exclusively targeting the Tamil community as the government of Sri Lanka relentlessly pursued its military campaign. The militarisation of state and society has been able to suppress dissent in the south, even mounting attacks on journalists. We wait to see whether the government will reverse this downward spiral in democratic governance.
Blogger and columnist Indi Samarajiva used Twitter to discuss the death of Prabhakaran while he was traveling. He posted messages to his Twitter page on Monday afternoon:
is in Hambantota. Fire crackers. Seems Prabhakaran is dead. No glory in death, but, well, good. May Sri Lanka rebuild #fb
they're lighting firecrackers literally meters from the gas cylinder depot. The fishmongers are yelling to get back to work.
Hambantota town is mostly Muslim, back to business. Flag convoys thru Ambalantota. War's over, Prabha's dead. Long live Sri Lanka #fb
Prahalathan KK, a blogger in Chennai, India, says that rejoicing in Prabhakaran's death is a diservice to the civilians killed in order to make the LTTE's defeat possible.
“So Prabhakaran the Terrorist has been killed. Happy? Rejoicing? Ever thought of the thousands of innocent Tamils who were slaughtered by the indiscriminate use of artillery and chemical weapons by the Sri Lankan army during the Genocidal war?”
According to the Ministry of Defence website, the almost 150,000 civilians who have fled the war zone in less than a month are being cared for by the army. But The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the only independent organization that has had access to civilians in the conflict zone, called the situation “nothing short of catastrophic.” Today, they in a news release that the they have not had access to civilians in the north-east for nine days. “This is all the more urgent since no humanitarian aid has reached those who need it for over a week,” said director of operations, Pierre Krähenbühl. Selvarasa Pathmanathan, head of the LTTE’s International Diplomatic Relations, released a statement on Sunday announcing that the Tigers will “silence our guns to save our people.” He said that 3,000 civilians have died and 25,000 are injured.
Prominent South Asian diaspora blog Sepia Mutiny reports on continuing protests in Canada. In a post about a gathering in Winnipeg. Melvin writes:
They held candles, signs, black flags and pictures of children whom they see as victims of the Sri Lankan government’s assault on civilians. While people in Colombo and elsewhere celebrated the apparent end of the 25-year civil war, those at the vigil mourned the deaths of innocent people and wondered what, if anything, had been solved. “It doesn’t solve anything,” Singarajah said. “People’s grievances aren’t going to be over. This government is so ruthless. They don’t want to give us our rights. As long as that is the case, the problems will go on.”
Protests have been ongoing in London, many parts of Canada and more recently in Australia. But activist Rajasingam cautioned in Foreign Policy magazine that the Tamil diaspora has taken a misguided approach to its message:
As Sri Lanka's humanitarian crisis unfolds, the international community must make its message clear and forthright. The Tigers and the diaspora that supports them have no claim as the “sole representation” of the Tamil people. Nor is secession a reasonable option. Anything more superficial than this firm engagement will play into the hands of the LTTE lobby in the West — and inflame Sinhala nationalists in Sri Lanka. Only this firm message will serve the cause of peace and democracy.
At Moving Images, Moving People! blogger Nalaka Gunawardene says that he wants to believe that the war is truly over:
Sure, there is no independent verification – it has been a war without witnesses for the last few years. But I am willing to take an unusual leap of faith if that’s what it takes to usher in the long-elusive peace. I will go to the ends of the earth, and suspend disbelief if I have to, in return for lasting and meaningful peace.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa is scheduled to address Parliament and the nation on Tuesday morning.
Caribbean: Bloggers React to Walcott's Withdrawal
Derek Walcott, photo by Bert Nienhuis
A smear campaign, targeting Walcott's alleged sexual harassment against students of two prestigious universities at which he taught during the 1980s and 90s, seemed designed to keep the academic appointment out of his reach - Repeating Islands notes that:
Some writers have turned a bit against Ruth Padel, who has disassociated herself from Walcott’s anonymous detractors but stands to gain most from his withdrawal.
Padel has since won the post.
Repeating Islands goes on to quote writer Shirley Dent, who quips, “If anybody thinks this is a fine day for feminism they need to be disabused of that misapprehension sharpish.” The post continues:
Even one of Walcott’s alleged victims, American Writer Nicole Kelby, is deploring the outcome and calling for Walcott to reinstate his candidacy. Writing for the Sunday Times, Kelby, whose allegations against Walcott date from 1996 and were used as part of the smear campaign, says Oxford should scrap this weekend’s planned election rather than allow it to be dictated by underhand tactics.
Those “underhand tactics” seem to be disturbing bloggers the most. Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp says:
Walcott's greatness lies in the unrivaled body of work that he has created for the past fifty years. Nobel laureates, Oxford professorships and other awards are ‘loosely worn garments,' and throughout this minor ordeal, Walcott has demonstrated the kind of dignity that I have always associated with his verse.
Trinidad and Tobago's Islandista is slightly more torn:
On the one hand, as true independent-minded islandistas, far be it from us to defend sexual harassment. It is low and dirty and it is at its heart not about sexual attraction but about asserting power over the victim.
On the other hand, does Walcott’s alleged inappropriate behaviour have anything to do with him being honoured for his poetic talent? As Kelby indicated, if we were to exclude writers (and artists on the whole) from being honoured because of their inappropriate sexual behaviour, there would hardly be anyone left to honour.
Artists, moreso than other people, tend to be sexually aggressive, exploratory and even inappropriate. While we don’t condone it, we should be able to seperate it from their art.
She also questions Padel's agenda:
If she feels so scooped out inside, why doesn’t she withdraw from the contest? A group of Oxford academics issued a letter yesterday calling for herself and the other candidate, Indian academic Arvind Krishna Mehrotra to do just that, as that is the only way that today’s election can be called off.
But tellingly, neither Padel nor Mehrohtra have pulled out so the farce goes on and the cloud of suspicion darkens.
Finally, Repeating Islands, the blog which has been following developments most closely, takes great interest in an article by the London Times, concluding:
The curious piece—described in the title as a ‘profile'—makes the case for considering Walcott ‘the modern world’s greatest living poet.' It also, however, offers a space for supporters of Walcott who believe the smear campaign against the St. Lucian poet was a conspiracy involving Ruth Padel and her backers.
It is all—to quote another poet—curiouser and curiouser.
Myanmar: 150th Anniversary of the Founding of Mandalay City
Mandalay, the last royal capital of Myanmar, celebrated its 150th anniversary as a three-day festival event from May 14th to May 16th.
Mandalay's 150th Anniversary Celebration
Mandalay is the capital city of Mandalay Division, and is the 2nd largest city in Myanmar.
Ye Lwin Oo wrote in his blog the background story of how Mandalay was founded:
Rich with cultural heritage, Mandalay, also known as Yadanabon, was historically built by King Mindon in 1857, standing as the last royal capital of Myanmar.
In 1857 Mandalay was set up in an empty area, because, according to an ancient prophecy, in that exact place a town would come into existence on occasion of the 2,400th jubilee of Buddhism.
King Mindon decided to fulfill the prophecy and during his reign in the Kingdom of Amarapura he issued a royal order on 13 January, A.D 1857 to establish a new kingdom. The Ceremony of Ascending the Throne was celebrated in July, 1858. The royal city and the kingdom were demarcated. The whole royal city was called Lay Kyun Aung Mye (”Victorious Land over the Four Islands”) and the royal palace, the Mya Nan San Kyaw (”The Royal Emerald Palace”). The kingdom was called the Kingdom of Yadanabon, along with other name Ratanapura, means “The Bejeweled Site”. Later it was called Mandalay after the Mandalay Hill, 2.5km far to the north east of the royal palace, and today the name still exists. The name “Mandalay” is a derivative of the Pali word “Mandala”, which means “a plains land”and also that of the Pali word “Mandare”, which means “an auspicious land”.
The event attracted many onlookers, photographers as well as bloggers. Nyi Min San, one photographer/blogger wrote in his blog:
The (parade) will begin from Mingalar Bridge (73rd St.) and will be walking along the 26th St., passing the pavilion built in front of MCDC (Mandalay City Development Council) City Hall, until the corner near Sedona Hotel. Then they will turn back, and walk back to the City Hall. When we reached Mingalar Bridge, there were a lot of photographers there. There must have been hundreds of them there. We joined those photographers, and we took photos and they were also taking photos. Many of them had worn white shirt & longyi, so when we looked at them from far away, everyone was white. When I touched my camera, I couldn't stop myself (from taking photos)…..
Mg Hla, another blogger from Mandalay wrote:
…. (In the past) The 100th Anniversary Festival was held as a state-level festival, but this 150th Anniversary was only held as a division-level. I didn't know when the ceremony will start, so I asked some journalists, and they told me that it will start at 8am. So I took half-day leave from work, and went there to take some photos. For the ceremony, real horses were used just like in the ancient times, but the elephants were kyauk-se elephants (puppet elephants with real people inside to move around). They originally planned to use real elephants, but they didn't want the elephants to be frightened by the crowd and run away, so they only used puppet elephants.
The quotes of Nyi Min San and Mg Hla, mentioned in the post, were translations done by the author. The original quotes were written in Burmese language.
Uruguay: The Passing of Writer Mario Benedetti
Uruguayan writer and poet Mario Benedetti passed away on May 17 at the age of 88. He had written more than 80 novels, as well as many more poems, essays and short stories as part of his body of work, which has been translated into approximately 20 languages. Benedetti is extremely important to Uruguayan society, especially because of his history as an exile and as an outspoken critic during the military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s.
With news of his death, many Uruguayan bloggers have been reflecting upon what his work has meant to them over the years. The blogger at Psicosesion [es] describes what one might find in Benedetti's writing in the context of the turbulent time in the region's history:
Su escritura refleja los tiempos más difíciles de una Latinoamérica oprimida, por el autoritarismo, donde no se respetaron los derechos humanos, donde deja ver el sufrimiento humano a flor de piel, opresión que hizo que Mario se mantuviera durante largo período exiliado del país.
Pero siempre Mario desde donde cualquier lugar, hacia sentir su voz….jamás lograron callarle.
His writing reflects the most difficult times for Latin America oppressed by authoritarianism, where human rights were not respected, where he shows human suffering with great sensitivity, oppression that forced Mario to remain exiled from the country for a long period of time.
However, Mario always let his voice be heard no matter where he was…they never silenced him.
Gaba en Montevideo [es] also writes about the personal meaning and how Benedetti's words had accompanied her throughout life:
Murio benedetti, asi, con solo dos palabras se fue su inspiracion y dejo mil poesias. Mil poesias y una historia que se repetia una y otra vez, como marcada en fuego, en la vida de muchos uruguayos, en mi vida. Benedetti formo parte de mi memoria. Con Benedetti pase noches y dias y encuentros leyendo sus vivencias, su audacia, su historia de hombre comun. Su literatura ha sido parte de mi sangre, de mis entrañas, ha sido como el aire que he respirado para crecer. Y desde siempre mi brujula.
Beneditti died, and like that, with only those two words my inspiration has left and left behind a thousand poems. A thousand poems and a story that repeated over and over, as if marked by fire in the lives of so many Uruguayans and in my own life. Benedetti formed part of my memory. With Benedetti, I passed days and nights reading his experiences, his audacity, his story of a common man. His literature has been a part of my blood, of my insides, and has been like the air that I breathed in order to grow. And it has always been my compass.
Another Uruguayan blogger, Mario Blanco, recalls the time when he met Benedetti and received a dedicated inscription signed in one of his books [es]. Blanco is also especially proud of being Benedetti's “tocayo,” which is a term used when two people share the same name. In addition, they also both share the same initials “MB”
As an exile for ten years, Benedetti spent time in Spain, Cuba and Peru. It was not only the fact that he lived in other Spanish-speaking countries that made him popular throughout the region, but it was the words and convictions that resonated with citizens of other Latin American countries experiencing the same hardships under their own authoritarian regimes.
His literary works transcended borders, and other Latin American bloggers shared their experiences such as Modestamente Humano [es] from Guatemala who wrote:
por dedicar un poema de él que a fin de cuentas decía las cosas tal y como uno hubiera querido pero tal vez no tenía el talento para decirlas de una forma tan clara, tan franca, tan sencilla y tan bella.
From the Dominican Republic, Alexéi Tellerías of Catarsis Diaria [es] writes “Mario, we say goodbye to you (only) physically, because you are staying with us.” Zenia Regalado mentions that Benedetti spent time in Cuba when in exile [es] and when he worked at the House of the Americas in Havana.
Another blogger from a country where Benedetti spent time during his exile, Peruvian Juan Carlos De La Fuente of Noticias del Interior [es] writes that the Uruguayan author lived his life to the fullest:
A estas altura de mi vida, después de tantas muertes y tantos renacimientos, sé que Mario Benedetti vivió de lo que escribió y escribió de lo que vivió. Y sé que fue feliz, por más sospechosa que pueda parecerle esta palabra a algunos despiadados críticos, es decir –como decía Borges y lo repite mi amiga Luz María Sarria- no pasó un solo día sin estar un instante en el paraíso.
Hong Kong: Donald Tsang, please die!
Last week, the public was outraged by the Chief Executive Donald Tsang's remark on June 4 Incident in the Legislative Council's policy address in May 13. When asked about his personal view on the vindication of June 4 student movement, he answered:
I understand Hong Kong people’s feelings about June 4, but the incident happened many years ago. The country’s development in many areas has since achieved tremendous results and brought economic prosperity to Hong Kong. I believe Hong Kong people will make an objective assessment of the nation’s development.
He then claimed that his view represented the general public's opinion, which invited more criticism as he was not elected by Hong Kong people. ESWN translated a poll from HKU and the public opinion showed that more than 58% said the Chinese government was wrong in the June 4 repression, although a majority of the public believed the human rights condition has been improving in the last three years. (Detail reports and polls see ESWN)
How the public has been outraged by Donald Tsang's comment? This music video, Donald Tsang, Please Die, which has more than 30,000 views over the weekend, reflects vividly the public sentiment:
Donald Tsang, please die
我哋實上街 (translation: we will definitely take on the street to protest)
Donald Tsang, please die
When will you be fired?
假設donald今日你俾人斬左隻手
二十年後嗰個人發咗達又做埋特首
你會否因為佢嘅成就
然後叫自己不要追究？
Twenty years later that somebody has become the Chief Executive
Will you stop seeking justice because of his achievement?
And ask yourself give up pursuing for justice?
Donald Tsang, please die
我哋實上街 (translation: we will definitely take on the street to protest)
Donald Tsang, please die
We’re all poor guys
董建華雖然做野係渣
但係良心都唔會好似你咁差
你任內最驕人既成就
就係強化市民對民主嘅要求
But his conscience is better than yours.
What you have achieved in your term
Is the strengthening of people's demand for democracy.
Donald Tsang, please die
When will you die?
Donald Tsang, please die…
When will you be fired?
The song is written by Ah P from a group called my little airport.
Israel: Eurovision Peace Duo Push for Another Way
Can music help bring us closer together? Noa and Mira Awad hope their message from the Eurovision Song Contest reaches far and wide.
Earlier this year, in the midst of the Israeli military operation in Gaza, it was announced that Mira Awad, a Palestinian-Israeli actress-singer, will perfom a duet with the Jewish-Israeli singer Achinoam Nini (known as “Noa”) in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. While the chosen song held a message about finding “another way”, condemnation rained down on the duo. The objection came from Arab artists who urged Mira to withdraw from the contest. In their message, they asked her not to represent the same state that kills other Palestinians. The radical left wing both within and beyond Israel was unequivocal: Awad should refuse to sing on such a blood-soaked stage.
The Eurovision song contest is one of the most viewed and televised events across the European continent. It has been broadcast every year since its inauguration in 1956 and is one of the longest-running television programs in the world, bridging together countries that are part of the European Broadcasting Union (including some countries outside of continental Europe such as Israel, Lebanon and Tunisia). Although its nature is purely musical, the event can turn out to be a highly politicized night, with regards to participants and the voting choices that each country makes. In the past, Lebanon has pulled out of the contest because it refused to show the Israeli song entry on the Lebanese TV channel Tele-Liban. This put Lebanon in breach of the contest rules, stating that countries taking part must broadcast the entire event.
In a guest post on Binyamin Netanyahu's blog, Zalman Shoval writes:
I admit: I did not feel sorry that the movie Waltz for Bashir did not win the Oscar. I will also not shed a tear if Achinoam Nini reaches the last place in the Eurovision song contest. Both are examples of what's currently happening in our culture, trying to de-legitimize and vilify Israel for the world to see. The journalist who interviewed both singers is also not clean from guilt, as he wrote that the two are “trying to prove that even with the election results, Israel of 2009 still has people who seek peace…” - in other words, he thinks that the 70 per cent who supported this coalition are seeking war.
In any case, this is the message of the song the two artists are about to sing to the world. Nini (Noa) thinks that “the situation in Israel is a catastrophe”, she adds that she thinks many give their lives towards peace from both sides, but without being able to mention herself even one name from the Palestinian side whose done this.
Throughout the controversy, the duo gave a stellar performance in the song contest and even reached the finals, which took place last night (May 16th):
isRealli posts an interview Noa gave to the Spanish paper La Razon. Noa, a known peace activist, highlights the importance of their song's message:
- This is the first time that an Israeli/Arabic combination will go to the Eurovision Song Contest. Is the music the best way to join a divided town?
Noa: Mira and I are very proud to be the first Arab-Jewish Israeli duo to go to Eurovision. We are also proud that upon our demand, the internal laws were changed and Arabic was allowed to be sung as a formal language representing Israel in the ESC. Our duo sheds light on the complexity of our situation here in the Middle East. Israel has a very large minority, almost 20 per cent, of Palestinians, Christian (like Mira) and Muslim, who are Israeli citizens. This sector is still fighting for full integration into Israeli society. This is separate from the Palestinians living in the occupied territories, who are fighting for their independence and the establishment of the state of Palestine. In addition, Israel is surrounded by Arab countries most of which do not recognize her right to exist. So you can see, the situation is complicated. Mira and I do not represent [Israel] to present reality, but what our nations can STRIVE for if we choose dialogue over violence. Our friendship is a symbol of how we CAN get along, based on respect and communication.
Art and music cannot solve the world’s problems, but we can help. And we MUST help. We must do our part in the GLOBAL effort for peace and reconciliation that must include EVERY human being and every organization, each playing his part.- How was the announcement received in Israel? How have the levels of support been from the public since the song was chosen?
Noa: There were some people who objected to this duet for various reasons, but the large majority are VERY supportive and excited. I think for most people we are a symbol of hope. I have received amazing e-mails from all over the world, including Arab countries like Lebanon, Syria and Qatar! This always moves me so deeply and gives me strength to continue my road.
David Hirsh posts text from a Guardian article by Rachel Shabi, where she describes her feelings towards the duo after interviewing them:
Interviewing the two, I was struck by Mira Awad talking about staying friends and maintaining discussion with Noa despite their deep disagreements over aspects of the Gaza war. Sticking around for such conversations, when every part of you wants to walk away in disgust, is perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of genuine peace work – and it deserves respect.
These two singers seem to be saying that, whatever the international community does or doesn't do about this conflict, Palestinians and Israelis are still going to have to find a way to live together. That's the draining, demoralising and largely invisible day-to-day work of conflict resolution. That's what they seem to want to use the Euro stage to state. And you could say it's a bit hippie and way too understated – but is it nonetheless worth broadcasting?
Links for Mon, 2009-05
New America Media in the United States announces the winners of the 2009 Ethnic Media Awards. Pro-migrant blog The Sanctuary takes best ethnic blogger award.
Egyptian Leftist is urging his readers to sign a petition to “stop the senseless slaughter of Egypt's pigs,” following the government's decision to cull more than 300,000 pigs in the wake of the H1N1 Swine Flu paranoia. So far more than 900 people signed the petition which aims to target 50,000 signatures.
Saudi blogger Saudi Jeans notes: “It’s official now. The municipal elections will be put off for two years, but instead of saying we are delaying the elections they came out today saying they will extend the mandate of municipal councils by two years. Classic.”
Ajith P. Perera at Dare To Be Different writes about the life of the slain LTTE rebel chief: “Prabhakaran is no more a hero than Hitler or Pol Pot, but he is a legend that will live on. I am sure for centuries to come mothers use his name to scare little children.”
Chandra at Desicritics lists five truths about the recently concluded Indian Elections 2009.
Eric Testroete has posted ‘This is Japan!', a fantastic video using hundred of images from a three week stay in Japan. [via watashi to tokyo]
Trinidadian bloggers This Beach Called Life and Jumbie's Watch take issue with the President's “apology” over the Integrity Commission debacle.
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