The Sri Lankan Army brutally crushed a separatist movement a few years ago. Now they want you to stay at their luxury hotels and resorts.
“That’s not to say that travelers should avoid Sri Lanka categorically; this is not Myanmar in the bad old days, where a military junta got kickbacks on every tourist dollar spent. But the peace here is complicated. Lounging around at Thalsavena during my stay, there was a retired Sinhalese officer who hadn’t been to the north in years. The area “was like hell” during the war, he said, and a vacation on the strand was just another dividend of peace. The question remains, though: Who really paid the bill?” writes Brendan Brady.
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Rod Atkinds / September 3, 2013
This will be a another Egypt soon, and this is a one way sucess of LTTE operations that the Sinhalese kill Sinhalese soon… Army is for defence not to do business, once this monsters come to corporate, this where the all type of racket start in diffrent ways. lot of people knows what happned in Jaffana.. they looted, raped and killed for money,, this will be starting era for Sinhale people get ready die by monsters hand. :) keep finger crossed all Sinhala Brothers… hope LEELA and JIM SOFTLY will come on board to counter my comments… ( jim was a Saudi labour washing toilet in some arabs house) :)
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Rohan / September 3, 2013
Rajapakse Family will use Buddhism as a weapon. Monks will be at the forefront to protect Rajapakses. Sinhala people would live happily under the iron fist.
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JULAMPITIYE AMARAYA / September 3, 2013
“jim was a Saudi labourer washing toilet in some arabs house”.
Really??.
That is why he hate Muslims very badly.
we have to excuse him of hating Muslims.
because Mainly Saudis are Very bad, cruel and disgraceful, type of Muslims.
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Leelage Amma / September 3, 2013
Yeah that could well be the REASON jimsoftly to chase after musilms whenever he can…
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Peace Lover / September 3, 2013
and Leela was busy with Lee Potter housing scam and sold non-existent houses to unsuspecting people and now writes as K A Sumanasekera since the name Leela was getting a wee bit too hot for him to handle!
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abhaya / September 3, 2013
while you are washing toilets in canada . is there shit[Edited out]?
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Native Vedda / September 4, 2013
abhaya
“while you are washing toilets in canada . is there shit[Edited out]?”
It is similar to Sinhala/Buddhist woman cleaning Arab toilets while their heavily drunk jobless husbands back home rape their own daughters.
Are you one of them? I pity you.
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abhaya / September 4, 2013
No wedda , were you born when your father raped your sister ? I do pity you . that must have been difficult.
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Native Vedda / September 5, 2013
abhaya
“were you born when your father raped your sister ? “
You are reading too much Mahavamsa, the porn book by Mahanama.
I pity you.
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abhaya / September 4, 2013
lmao you edited out the wrong shit
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Spring Koha / September 3, 2013
Thank you Brendan for this interesting take on the stautus quo in paradise. Who pays the bill? We all do, some more than others. Who reaps the peace dividend? We all do, again, some more than others.
Sri Lanka went through hell for decades and if only the international media and political spotlight had been turned on earlier, less blood would have been spilt and peace might have come quicker. For years the governments of Sri Lanka fiddled while the differences between the communities festered; 1958, 1983 then the dark years to 2009. In the midst of the communal strife, there were the uprisings of 1971 and 1987-89 that threatened the government with a greater urgency and were brutally put down, with much help from friendly governments. This government has now established that the best way to prevent a repeat of the past is to have an ever ready armed force and zero tolerance to any display of civil unrest. We Sri Lankans had better get used to it; and we may well be better for it. The post mortem on the end of war will be long and bitter and recriminations and accusations will fly. The GOSL are hopelessly, woefully inadequate in defending their valid point of view thanks to an incompetent crop of ministers whose only qualification is in sycophancy. We, Sri Lankans are just thankful that we can now walk this blessed land with a much reduced probability of being blown up and our gratitude extends to defending, against international accusations, some of the necessary atrocities that were committed in the closing stages of the war. Closure is all well and good and lessons must be learnt, but the need of this hour is for us all to look to the future, repair the rifts between our communities and build a better tomorrow. Alas, if it were that easy! Machiavellian forces have unleashed the pestilential side of ethno-religious hatred and the rabid thugs in saffron robes, now in a pythonesque embrace with the GOSL, have a Sinhala-Buddhist army to protect them. Brendan, those purple clouds you saw may well turn forebodingly dark in the months to come.
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kk / September 3, 2013
This idiot keenan what he has done to the world , go and check what is your big masters doing in middle east and afganistan, you never wanted to critisise your big masters , isn’t it, we will look after our heros that is not your issue
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bandi / September 3, 2013
Who says the junta does not get kick backs? Plus brave army officers in the forefront of, crushing the brutal terrorists have long gone, only because they worked with GF!!! Early retirement!!!!! These happy shooters are fellows who are singing for their supper, not the ones who won the war.
DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE A TRUE OFFICER ,AND A GENTLEMAN, WHO COULD HAVE FOUGHT FOR HIS/HER COUNTRY WOULD SHOOT AN UNARMED CIVILLIAN LIKE A TRUE COWARD!
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lal / September 3, 2013
The reporter fellow says:
“The Sri Lankan Army brutally crushed a separatist movement a few years ago. Now they want you to stay at their luxury hotels and resorts”.
Truth: The military crushed the most barbaric and ruthless guerilla force ever, which was not just a separatist movement. Where has he been all these years? 40,000 is not a confirmed figure but something that fell out of a hat.
A sudden burst of affection for Tamils by an Englishmen? The English have killed, raped and enslaved more Tamils than that 40,000 figure, but their(country’s) security was never threatened by Tamils. And, they have done the same in India, Africa, Americas and ever ready to jump in with US on killing sprees in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Syria. And, their officers will sip their G & Ts served on varandhas at sunset following a day’s hard yakka of pulling triggers. Who pays the bill?
As a matter of interest what is the civilian death toll in Iraq and Afganistan as a result of the British/US joint adventures since 2001, Brady? Bugge. .ff!
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Anura / September 4, 2013
Sinhalese Siri Lankan never hesitate to call LTTE was the most barberic, ruthless rebel group very loudly to the world. But I hardly hear any similar judgements on JVP by Sinhalese.
In the era when Westerners did all you mentioned to Tamils and Africans, their intelligence was NOT developed even to see their own women as equals. Suddas and Mogolides (Chinese, Japanese) are moving forward fast and SL, Myannar people going backwsrds.
isn’t it silly to compare youself with the capacity of Englishmen of 100 years back?
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Native Vedda / September 4, 2013
lal
“The military crushed the most barbaric and ruthless guerilla force ever,”
India crushed the LTTE, Sinhala/Buddhist military was just the cannon fodder.
How do you define “the most barbaric and ruthless guerilla force ever”
Could you let us have any comparative studies to support your assertion.
“40,000 is not a confirmed figure but something that fell out of a hat.”
Does the hat large enough to hold 40,000?
“The English have killed, raped and enslaved more Tamils than that 40,000 figure,”
Could we have evidence to support your claim.
“As a matter of interest what is the civilian death toll in Iraq and Afganistan as a result of the British/US joint adventures since 2001,”
Their stated policy they didn’t count the dead, some honesty there whereas your army counted and found zero civilian casualty, with 100% accuracy/certainty. The Tamils should be blaming the Sinhala arithmetic teachers.
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Jim softy / September 3, 2013
Since the Vietkong, Sri Lankan army became the best in the world.
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Native Vedda / September 4, 2013
Jim softy
Vietcong
– A Vietnamese belonging to or supporting the National Liberation Front of the nation formerly named South Vietnam.
Or
The Vietcong or National Liberation Front, was a communist army based in South Vietnam that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War (1959-75). It had both guerrilla and regular army units.
Is Sri Lankan army a communist guerrilla group that fought an organised state army?
History improves with Jimmy’s stupidity. Well done Jimmy.
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kp / September 4, 2013
Comparing the army to the barbaric vietcong… interesting. thinking of converting, jimmy?
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Peter Casie Chetty / September 6, 2013
The Viet Cong were freedom fighters and if you know anything about military balance – they were fighting “the best army in the world”. In 1975 the best army in the world turned and ran with their tails between their legs now they will flee Afghanistan and Iraq leaving their mess to be cleaned up.
The LTTE were a bunch of cowards who relied on home made bombs to kill innocent Sinhalese civilians. When it came to fighting the army the boasted they were the “best” like teh Americans did. Cowards that they were the used the civilians as human shield and the English clown from Channel 4 has added another 30.000 to the earlier count on 40.000.
If the army diversify and manage hotels while they are helping the security situation where do you see any wrong doing. Servile people of Jaffna and the “homelands will have to get used to the fact that they are the losers. Like teh Jews claim 6 million dead in gas chambers your numbers will mount with everyday passing. Only there are more than a million suspected LTTE people living in the western province and in my home town- Kotahena. I wish you would all pack up and leave so we can live our lives in peace.
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RajasH / September 6, 2013
King Kong the monkey
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Thondamanaru / September 3, 2013
Who paid the bill? Brendan Brady, the is none of your business. If you stayed there,pay your bill & get out.BTW, did you have to pay any taxes to Velupillai to get clearance to get to the Talsevana??
A cocknee Journo visiting Jaffna by the courtesy of the Diaspora attempts to score browny points to appease the sponsors of his trip.
This beggar from Great Brittain a country in debt to their eye balls and plays poodle to USA might to demonstrate their faded super power status.
Rod Atkinds…..comments give way to your standing in the Jaffna society. You have displayed the bucket carrier’s language.
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Fonseka / September 4, 2013
Luxury hotels for these barbaric Sinhala Army? They deserve a casket each to rest. Blady scoundrels.
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gonbella / September 4, 2013
The issue for the government is how to house, feed and pay the staggeringly huge armed forces. If they could generate some income it will help even in a small way.
What is the alternative.
Send the soldiers home now that the war is over. Not possible. It will be an act of gross ungratefulness. Besides the well trained battle hardened personel may take matters to their own hands. The government definitely don’t want that to happen.
There is no one else to fight (perhaps this is why BBS has been deployed to start a new theatre of conflict – target muslims).
I really have no answer. Any suggestions?
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hannah.rajaratnam / September 4, 2013
From Tea and Rotti kades they have graduated to HOTELS.
In 2003 in Jaffna when I asked them whether the flour,Tea and sugar is taken free from the Tamil vendors who were trying to eek out a living they smiled.!
No more smiles.
Hotels? At our Service.
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Vichara / September 4, 2013
“up to 40,000 civilians died during the last few weeks of fighting, according to the United Nations.”
This is a quotation from Gordan Weiss. He is not the UN.
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Jim softy / September 5, 2013
LTTE was the most Ruth and Barbaric as well as Most Cowardly.
LTTE never had the courage to accept that many crimes they involved in. The most well know one such crime is killing Rajiv Gandhi.
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Voice of Justice / September 6, 2013
Sri lanka has become Military ruled country under the leadership of MARA a dictator who was elected to be the president through a constitution that gives unlimited and ultimate powers to him. His and his family rule will last at least for another three decades as the majority Sinhala people praise him for his victory over Tamils.The soldiers who learned to engage in all kinds of ruthless crimes against people in north and east are now put in practice in south and all over the country.Unfortunately,there is no movement to change the constitution to ensure democracy and people control over governments in the country.
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Widura Wijenayake / September 6, 2013
hey, why you people always blame SL army, this was a country that have 30 years war and now its over thanks to SL army. After waliwaria incident lot of anti-mahinda rajapaksha reporters have courage to insult SL military forces without no hesitation. Remember they have dedicated lots for this country even their life. not like you dummy blog writers who thinks know everything and who have no responsible what you are writing. i am not Mahinda Rajapaksha supporter. but making a bad image of our military forces not a wise thing. <>
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Never4getyrpast / September 7, 2013
The fact remains whatever we may or whoever say -Bread and butter coming from islamic countries, japan no giving, america no giving, china giving but taking more and more (and we will in the future soon have more and more names like rajapakse ching ho, gota sung sung, kamala sung po, silva ping ping and so on!)the way our friends are patronising the casinos widely encouraged by the Mahinda Chintanaya!
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Never4getyrpast / September 7, 2013
The story goes that when the Old Fox was asked why he brought the IPKF into Sri Lanka, he had replied that we do not need a 40,000 army to secure the 250 sq miles we have. We will give them logistical support. Let the Indians fight the people they trained – The Indians groomed, fed, trained the LTTE to fight for their homeland – in short they taught them all their tactics! The obvious loser would’nt be the future Lankans but the Indians – we would’nt have lost generations of our young nor the future generations be paying for survival in Sri Lanka! We are now ONLY starting to pay to maintain and hold in LEASH A MAMMOTH ARMY which we DO NOT NEED if our politicians are more patriotic! The OLD FOX (whatever other faults we may attribute towards him) foresaw the future for Sri Lankans!
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