A REAL EYE-OPENER .......!!!

A REAL EYE-OPENER - Read from the bottom

Interesting!

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Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 3:50 PM
Subject: We need your help immediately

You will find Professor John P Neelsen's response to an appeal for financial contributions quite interesting and revealing. You can view the other emails shown here in the light of Professor Neelsen's response - you will find it enlightening.


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John - Peter NEELSEN
Date: Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 12:10 AM
Subject: Re: Emergency Appeal
To: Kumari de Silva

Dear Mr.Rupesinghe,
allow me to reply to your appeal for financial contributions for the construction of 1000 latrins, and (earlier for) educational materials for Tamil youngsters in the camps in the Vanni. To state my position clearly at the outset: I am totally opposed to your proposal and hope to convince at least some of the other recipients of your appeal!
Only in passing, I like to remind you of the high sounding speeches, including yours, on peace, negotiations, and reconciliation at the April 2006 conference in Zurich/Switzerland ("Envisioning New Trajectories for Peace in SL") or your similarly titled volumes. With the armed resistance defeated, the LTTE decapitated, today these sentiments and arguments appear light-years away. I wonder how you (and the other, particularly Singhalese, participants) read -and defend - your respective contributions now...
Anyhow, today you are seemingly assuming a purely humanitarian viewpoint and, indeed, the door has been thrown wide open for all manifestly similarly minded people in NGOs and governments all over the world.
But, the plight of the Tamils is not due to a natural disaster, not another tsunami, but the result of the conscious policy of a government that had no calms of bombarding people that it claims as its own citizens with heavy artillery, according to some reports even illegal chemical weapons.
When even the then supporters of the GoSL in Berlin, Paris or London have demanded an enquiry into war crimes and violations of human and humanitarian law in view of the estimated 20.000 mostly dead civilians during the last few weeks, when even the established media question the internment of 300.000 Tamil IDP, there is no way for any self-respecting intellectual or the critical public in general in the country concerned to pretend that the only problem left to be tackled is "humanitarian".
Just the contrary! You speak -echoing the official government line - of '300.000 temporarily displaced Tamils being 'sheltered in welfare centres'. This is but typical Orwellian language trying to turn reality upside down in light of the razor sharp barbed wires surrounding these camps, of the military controlling all access to and exits from them, of the prevention of independent outside observers, journalists and NGOs from entering them, of official announcements that a new prolonged phase of "counter-insurgency". The'welfare centres' are but internment camps, the 'rehabilitation in the camps' is but a racist policy of collective suspicion, intimidation, witchhunt, and impoverishment. When you talk of the "fear and anxiety of the people undoubtedly brainwashed by the LTTE" you seem to forget Bindunuwewa or Chemmani or the numerous reports by UN agencies and Human Rights organizations that have castigated the massive human rights violations, such as disappearances, extra-judicial killings, and torture committed for decades by the security forces especially against the SLT. Apart from their own experiences, these terrified people may also have heard of the situation on the ground following the 'liberation' of the Eastern province in mid-July 2007. What the government euphemistically describes as a "Nagenahira Navodaya or Eastern Awakening" programme, has nothing to do with "post-conflict reconstruction" but is a nightmare of violence, political instability, repression, and land expropiration according to the International Crisis Group (Asia report No 165 of April 16, 2009 entitled "Development Assistance and Conflict in Sri Lanka - Lessons from the Eastern Province"). And this is only the tip of the iceberg when viewed against the appropriation of the state by the majority coupled with the systemic oppression, including pogroms, of the Tamil people and the minorities in language, education, public employment or land colonisation.
Against this background, your appeal is anything but well-minded and humanitarian, it is highly political, in fact legitimizing the racist policies of the GoSL. Instead of rising against the root causes, mobilizing the Singhalese public to fight against chauvinism, the security state, the dictatorship maskerading as democracy, for the rule of law and against the "culture of impunity", for a democratic, inclusive, participatory polity and society, you call for hand-outs, for charity implicitely justifying the present state of affairs.
As a former Dy.Director of SIPRI, Oslo and coordinator of the UN Programme on Conflict Resolution, you know that in a conflict each and every action can not be viewed in isolation, but has to be seen in its socio-political context. In the concrete situation: A camp is a camp, to put a whole people behind barbed wire is racism.
The unambigous struggle for the immediate dissolution of the camps and the return of the IDP to their homes must be the absolute priority, and not to make life somewhat easier for the inmates...
Such a political commitment is, by the way, also in the best long-term interest of the Singhalese and all the other people living on the island.
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr.John P.Neelsen
Institute of Sociology
Tuebingen University
D - 72074 Tuebingen/Germany


---- Original Message -----

From: Kumari de Silva

To: undisclosed-recipients:
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 1:01 PM
Subject: Emergency Appeal


Or your message of May 22nd, 2009

WINNING THE PEACE

Kumar Rupesinghe.

The territorial battle between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE is at an end. Over two hundred and eighty thousand people have come into government controlled areas with fear and anxiety in their eyes, some maimed and injured and some separated from their kith and kin.

The rehabilitation of the Tamil people in the camps is a major challenge, for they look a defeated people, undoubtedly brainwashed by the LTTE and shell shocked and emaciated.

This is why I am keen to ensure these young people to obtain English training and training in information technology. Once this program gets going then other vocational training skills can be imparted to them. The young people should not be allowed to be idle for 24 hours is a very long time in a camp. Therefore they should be given reading material in Tamil and the books, magazines and journals should be carefully whetted. A strategic plan must be created with a long term vision. We owe this to a desperate and troubled mind of a future younger generation in the camps. We must not let history repeat itself.

During any war terminations, people must pick up the pieces and rebuild their societies. In Sri Lanka too such a moment has arisen.


On 6/4/09, Henry Sathananthan wrote:

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From: Henry Sathananthan [mailto:henry.sathananthan@med.monash.edu.au]
Sent: Thursday, 4 June 2009 7:10 PM
To: 'Michael Coultas'; 'Pauline Burren'
Cc: 'Donald MacDonald (domacdon)'; 'WA&C Spring'; 'CFSL Members'; 'Bandu Dissanayake'; 'cj.lawton@bigpond.com'
Subject: RE: Fw: We need your help immediately
Importance: High

Dear Michael and Pauline
Thank you for your untiring efforts. I am forwarding this to the Committee for Sri Lanka, who have decided to collect drugs and medicines for the IDPs to be sent to Rotary Colombo. We shall try to meet the deadline 20 June 2009.I will also forward this to The Australia Ceylon Fellowship

Deeply grateful for all the assistance given by Rotary to the IDPs from Day 1. Henry



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From: Michael Coultas [mailto:coultasmonak@ozemail.com.au]
Sent: Thursday, 4 June 2009 2:40 PM
To: Pauline Burren
Cc: Donald MacDonald (domacdon); 'WA&C Spring'; Henry Sathananthan
Subject: Re: Fw: We need your help immediately

Dear Pualine -Many thanks.I do hope your international director will contact me so that we may work together on this cause.I am hopefull that we will also have the support of the Brighton club.
We have a shipping container packing to go to Sri Lanka which may be of interest to you .I am confident that I can get the container into the country without problems ,for example with customs.We have some experience in this.
The Mornington Club has just sent money to our sister club in Colombo to commence a fresh water reticulation scheme to provide fresh water to one of the northern I D P camps.At present there is no running waterof any sort.
With best wishes Michael C
----- Original Message -----

From: Pauline Burren

To: Michael Coultas
Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 5:57 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: We need your help immediately

Michael
The international ctee are in the process of looking a next year's projects and I know we have had a number of requests to help in Sri Lanka.
I am sending your email on the the International Director.
It is so close to the end of this Rotary year, that I am not likely to be personally very useful to the cause.
Regards to your self and to Judy.
Pauline

Michael Coultas wrote:
Dear Pauline-We do hope you are now well.As you may know Judy had an operation on her feet abot three weeks ago and is now making a good recovery.Walking is still difficult but she can now move from the bed to the kitchen which is great for me as my cooking is not a strong point.
I would like to bring the human trajedy in Sri Lanka to your attention.As you know Sri Lanka has many strong Rotary clubs who are doing what they can to assist about 300 000 displaced persons-I.D.P.s.The Mornington club is doing all it can in conjunction with other clubs in our district but the requirments are massive.
Prof Henry Sathanathan,of Monash University ,an ex collegue of the Governor of Victoria,and a council member of the Australia Sri Lanka Council ,is heading a team to assist the I.D.P.s A number of Australian Doctors have offered their skills.However to work in northern Sri Lanka in the newly estalbishesd IDP camps they need equipment and medical tools.You will see some details below.
I am wondering whether we could request some assistance from your great club.I would be happy to talk to the club about the need or to take any action that you feel might be usefull.Any contribution towards getting Dr Young to Sri Lanka would be wonderfull.
Australia and Sri Lanka have long enjoyed a close relationship and there is much need at this time for our assistance.
I look forward to your views.
With best wishes Michael C
----- Original Message -----

From: WA&C Spring

To: 'Michael Coultas' ; 'Donald MacDonald (domacdon)'
Cc: JMcKee@phcn.vic.gov.au
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 6:15 PM
Subject: RE: We need your help immediately

Hi Michael,
I am away from tomorrow until 27 June. I have spoken to Don. Andrew Walsh has a container arriving to be filled for Sri Lanka and expects to be filling it on Saturday 20 June. He already has 20 beds that will be loaded into it. Don will be contacting you re hospital and Rotary contacts in Sri Lanka - possibly Dr Gunasekera and RC Colombo Regency. Please speak to him. If we can get some of the other equipment to fill the container it would be good.
Best Regards,
Tony
From: Michael Coultas [mailto:coultasmonak@ozemail.com.au]
Sent: Tuesday, 2 June 2009 4:40 PM
To: Donald MacDonald (domacdon); 'WA&C Spring'
Subject: Fw: We need your help immediately
Importance: High
Dear Don and Tony-This list and Henry s cost estimate are above the capacity of most Rotary clubs in our area.We will be providing funds to help the assistance program of our sister club in Colombo--.Colombo Regency,but I doubt we can assist with this request.Can we take this up with donations in kind.Jonathan Mayne is still away.With best wishes Michael C

----- Original Message -----

From: Henry Sathananthan

To: 'Michael Coultas' ; 'Donald MacDonald (domacdon)' ; 'Jonathan Mayne'
Cc: vallipuram1@bigpond.com ; 'david young' ; 'Chandra Dia'
Sent: Saturday, May 30, 2009 6:33 PM
Subject: FW: We need your help immediately
Dear Michael, Donald & Jonathan - Rotarians in Mornington
Please help Dr.David Young with some funds to buy urgent orthopaedic equipment for his trip in July 2009. This a short list he gave us. I am waiting for a costing. I surmise it could be around $20,000 but anything now will be very useful to his team. Please visit Orthopaedic Outreach – Sri Lankan Chapter. www.orthoreach.org.au/structure.htm

Jonathan we need an ambulance and beds if possible for this hospital. Please consider. Thank you for helping us immensely in the past. Best regards. Henry
Cuhen please contact your Rotarians in Texas.
Prof.A.Henry Sathananthan
Medical Aid Co-ordinator, IDPs
Honorary Rotarian, Kandy Metro



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From: APerera
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 1:07 PM
To: pulle@msn.com
Subject: FW: We need your help immediately

Dear Dr. Pulle,
Please pass on to your friends in the USA. We need help immediately. Please send your donations to Sri Lanka embassy in support of “Medical Emergency – Handicap International”.
With thanks.
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. Ananda Perera
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Nearly 28,000 refugees lost limbs in final conflict
News Services May 25, 2009
One in 10 of the 280,000 civilian refugees who fled the Sri Lankan army's final onslaught against the Tamil Tiger rebels had either lost limbs or been so badly injured that they urgently needed prosthetic limbs or wheelchairs, says Handicap International, a French charity that makes artificial limbs in Sri Lanka.