Tamil civilians
CNN-IBN just happens to be on my television. This is what I see on the chyron, interspersed with the occasional story, mostly full of b-reel footage of the SLA and unending lines of shell-shocked families marching to an uncertain future.
Read between these lines below and you will see the war and its political context in India, stripped of all complexity and boiled down to its essential absurdity:
. . .
19 Mar 2009
While war rages in north-eastern Sri Lanka, aid agencies say that the outside world is still largely ignorant of the miserable conditions endured by civilians caught up in fighting between the security forces and Tamil Tiger rebels.
20 Mar 2009
"Australia again calls on the Sri Lankan government to put forward credible political reforms to engage Tamils and other minorities without delay," [Australian Foreign Minister Stephen] Smith said.
"A political solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of all Sri Lankans is essential for the long-term security and prosperity of Sri Lanka."
The minister said arrangements must be put in place urgently to allow the safe passage of civilians from the shrinking war zone, where government forces are leading their biggest ever offensive against the Tigers.
