Revd.B J Alexander On Human Shields  " '...The guerrilla force is independent of the civilian population, in action as well as in military organisation; consequently it need not assume the direct defence of the peasant population...' The above quote inspite of its moral bankruptcy fails to answer the question of the human shield. ..Let's walk in the moccasins of Vaharai Tamils before we philosophise in our own safety nets...". together with response by tamilnation.org  "Several matters arise in the comments made by Rev.B.J.Alexander. And we propose to address each of them in turn..." more

2.International Community's flawed approach assists Colombo- Thamilchelvan "We would never, under any circumstance, engage militarily and simultaneously enter talks,...The process towards a negotiated settlement can only take place in an environment conducive to talks. The LTTE has explicitly stated the conditions necessary to create such environment...The most basic of these conditions were agreed upon and laid down in the Cease Fire Agreement of February 2002."

" ...The irony is that to do things faster, you often have to go slower. You have to be more reflective. You have to develop real trust. You have to develop the abilities of people to think together. Why? Because it requires you to go through basic redesigns. You need to build a shared understanding of how the present system works.... People must trust one another through difficult systemic changes... ...First off, we often don't take any responsibility for what we have created, which is obviously patently absurd at some level. Organizations work the way they work because human beings create them that way!... To me, the essence of what systems thinking is all about is people beginning to consciously discover and conceptually explain and account for how their own patterns of thought and interaction, often very habitual and unaware patterns, patterns that we haven't ever reflected on, manifest on a large scale, and create the very forces which the organization then 'is doing it to me.' ...Given the way we operate, no wonder we can't win! And what is always significant to me, in those moments, is the we. Not "you," not "them," but we...." Peter Senge author of the Fifth Discipline more

2. Ho Chi Minh to Lydon Johnson - Exchange of Letters , February 1967 "..The U.S. government has committed war crimes, crimes against peace and against mankind. In South Vietnam, half a million U.S. and satellite troops have resorted to the most inhuman weapons and most barbarous methods of warfare, such as napalm, toxic chemicals and gases, to massacre our compatriots, destroy crops, and raze villages to the ground. In North Vietnam, thousands of U.S. aircraft have dropped hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs, destroying towns, villages, factories, schools. In your message, you apparently deplore the sufferings and destruction in Vietnam. May I ask you: Who has perpetrated these monstrous crimes? It is the United States and satellite troops. .. In your message you suggested direct talks between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the United States. If the U.S. government really wants these talks, it must first of all stop .definitely and unconditionally its bombing raids and all other acts of war against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, withdraw from South Vietnam all U.S. and satellite troops, recognize the South Vietnam National Front for Liberation, and let the Vietnamese people settle themselves their own affairs...This is the only way to restoration of peace. ..The Vietnamese people will never submit to force, they will never accept talks under threat of bombs. Our cause is absolutely just. It is to be hoped that the U.S. government will act in accordance with reason. " more

2.Dayan Jayatilleke in Sri Lanka Defence Ministry Website on Victory in Vakarai

"God gives us opportunities to be of service to humanity, to our country, to ourselves. You must be ready and equipped to make use of those opportunities ...More than 2500 years ago a great Tamil poet wrote "Every country is my country, every human being is my kinsman". The brotherhood of man and universal love are themes central to practically all religions of the world. From this followed human rights such as the right to life, right to freedom of thought and speech and right to equality between man and man........ According to the Upanishads life is work and work is worship. So in the evening of my life I have fought many a battle as a member of the Civil Rights Movement...  I have won a few and lost many. I console myself with the thought that what matters is the fight for the cause and not the results. What is important is the fight and struggle for justice and not the victory nor the defeat.The saying in Bhagavad Gita 'To action you have a right but not to the fruits thereof' has been a source of great comfort to me in my life as it has enabled me to cultivate a sense of detachment which is necessary for happiness and peace of mind." - from Somasunderam Nadesan at the Peter Pillai Award Presentation, 1984

2.Sanmugam Sabesan writes from Australia குடாரப்புத் தரையிறக்கமும், சமாதானப் பேச்சு வார்த்தைகளும் "...போரியலிலும், அரசியலிலும் நேர்கோடு எதுவும் இல்லை என்ற தத்துவத்தை நாம் இவ்வேளையில் உள்வாங்க வேண்டும்." more

 News & Whats New Archives - December 2006