With regret

October 31, 2007 marks two years since Subcontinent South was launched as a weekly news digest.

We regret to announce that we are suspending publication of updates as of this date, for an indefinite period. We hope that someday, soon, we will have the resources and ability to resume this service in this or some other format. In that hope, we are not deleting this blog.

Thank you for visiting our site.

Subcontinent South Team

October 31, 2007.

Maldives Update; October 9, 2007.

Troops surrounded and then cleared an illegal mosque that had been accused of fomenting extremism.
Militants' arrested in Maldives, BBC News, October 8, 2007.

The move came a week after a British honeymoon couple were badly burned in the Maldives's first ever terrorist bomb attack

The Maldivian Government had four hundred radicals in detention in 2006.
Ajay Makan, Fundamentalism Biggest Threat To Maldives Security: Government Advisor, Minivan News, October 7, 2007.

Foreign Ministry has refused to comment officially on travel restrictions for Maldivians in Pakistan.
Ajay Makan, No Maldivians In Our Madrassas: Pakistan, Minivan News, October 7, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: October 7, 2007.

It has become a favourite pastime for government politicians to label as “Tigers” all those who oppose their views.
Iqbal Athas, If you tell the truth, you will be damned, Sunday Times, October 7, 2007.

“The LTTE is maintaining patience and still restricting itself to a defensive war.”
Senpathi, Military ups the ante in the Wanni, The Nation on Sunday, October 7, 2007.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) commenced covert investigations two years ago into LTTE fund raising activities, as part of its anti-terrorism initiative.
Ayesha R. Rafiq,Tiger lawyers in move to prove LTTE a liberation force, Sunday Times, October 7, 2007.

During the 2001-2004 regime of the UNP, it was able to take the peace process started by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to new heights.
Ravana, Federalism and the UNP’s political expediences, The Nation on Sunday, October 7, 2007.

The Tigers still control a mini-state in parts of the north, where they are engaged in near-constant fighting with government forces.

The war had its ups and downs, and even an Indian intervention, with peacekeepers, in the late 1980s. Nothing worked.
Slow Victory in Sri Lanka, Strategy Page, October 5, 2007.

Southern states Update; October 7, 2007.

A Sri Lankan fisheries trade union leader was shot dead at Madurai Central Prison.
Sri Lankan fisherman killed at Madurai prison , Colombo Page, October 6, 2007.

A magisterial enquiry has been ordered into the incident.
S. Vijay Kumar, Magisterial probe ordered into firing, The Hindu, October 07, 2007.

It is worth remembering that the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu subscribes to an anti-brahminical and even atheistic philosophy.
Amulya Ganguli, Ram Sethu issue unlikely to boost BJP prospects, India Interacts, October 07, 2007.

Most Indian prime ministers have either died in office, or faded away once they stepped down.
Debashish Mukerji, The southern satrap: H D Deve Gowda, Hindustan Times, October 5, 2007.

Also See:
Sitaram Yechury, Keep them separated, Hindustan Times, October 3, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: October 5, 2007.

Even a northern victory, momentous as it would be, would not bring an end to Sri Lanka's conflict.
The northern front, The Economist, October 4, 2007.

There is no doubt that troops manning the Defences in the Wanni, contrary to the position they had taken earlier, have now turned their role into a more active one.
Ranil Wijayapala, LTTE in dire straits as Forces mull Northern advance, Daily News, October 5, 2007.

"In fact, Rajapakse is responsible for effectively tearing up the 2002 ceasefire."
Wije Dias, Sri Lankan president’s speech at the UN: lies in defence of war and human rights abuses, WSW, October 5, 2007.

Southern states Update; October 2, 2007.

Despite frantic effort by the state administration in the wake of Supreme Court observations could not restore normal public transport service till night.
K N Arun, DMK, allies bring state to virtual standstill, New Indian Express, October 2, 2007.

Legal experts and the Congress’s spokesperson shrugged off the remarks made as mere “oral observations”
Bandh brings dismissal blast, Telegraph, October 02, 2007.

The biggest casualty. Roads in Chennai and other cities and major towns were for most part of the day virtually deserted.
M.R. Venkatesh, For CM, normal life was not hit, Telegraph, October 02, 2007.

Southern states Update; October 2, 2007.

Karnataka State Police became the first state police department in India to formally unveil a comprehensive and detailed Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS.
Deepanjali Bhas, Police workforce policy on HIV/AIDS, One World South Asia, October 1, 2007.

JD(S) refuses to relinquish the CM’s office in keeping with a deal it signed 20 months ago with BJP in Karnataka.

As per the coalition agreement reached between Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in February 2006, the JD(S) was to keep the Chief Minister's post for the first 20 months in power and the BJP for the remaining 20 months.
Maya Sharma, Flashpoint for Karnataka coalition, NDTV, October 2, 2007.

Maldives Update; October 1, 2007.

The Maldives, was shaken by a bomb that exploded in the capital city of Male, injuring 12 people on 30th of September.

Relations between the FBI and the Maldives police have been close since the government allowed the FBI into the country
Ajay Makan, Updated: Five More Arrests In Explosion Investigation, Minivan News, September 31, 2007.

More Reaction To Male' Explosion, Minivan News, September 30, 2007.

The country's political class is proud of its "moderate" Islamic tradition.
Ajay Makan, Extremist Maldives? Minivan News, September 30, 2007.

The Government of the Maldives had received explicit warnings of the dangers of rising Islamic fundamentalism.

Sri Lanka Update: October 1, 2007.

Relatives of the murdered and disappeared blame it on state security forces or paramilitaries seen allied to the government, while others on the Tigers.
Simon Gardner, Sri Lanka lacks credibility on rights abuse - critics, Reuters, September 21, 2007.

The United Nations Security Council that focused its attention on the LTTE, for using child soldiers in combat, has now pointed fingers at the ‘Karuna’ group as well.
Childhood Lost, Nation on Sunday, September 31, 2007.

Yohan Perera, Several political parties have expressed outrage over terming of civilians as 'Tigers', Daily Mirror, October 1, 2007.

As many as 600,000 Tamils have fled Sri Lanka to escape the violence, more than half of them going to the U.K. and Canada.
Jay Shankar, Sri Lanka Asks Nations to Prevent Fundraising by Tamil Rebels, Bloomberg, October 1, 2007.

Soosai’s dramatic appearance on September 26 will at least help disprove some of the rumours surrounding his accident.
D.B.S. Jeyaraj, Sea Tiger Chief Soosai ‘surfaces’ after accident at sea, Nation on Sunday, September 31, 2007.

Also See:
Oscar E V Fernando, JVP: An open letter, Asian Tribune, October 1, 2007.

Maldives Update; September 26, 2007.

“We are still short of about seventy to eighty million dollars to complete tsunami reconstruction projects,” says Finance Minister.
Ajay Makan, Government Short Of Money For Tsunami Projects: Gasim, Minivan News, September 25, 2007.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has predicted a massive slowdown in growth for the Maldives economy.
Maldives Expenditure Unsustainable: Asian Development Bank, Minivan News, September 20, 2007

IDP's Election Pledge is to Punish Drug Offenders with Death Sentence.

Deep distrust between the government and opposition means election results in the Maldives may always be disputed.
Ajay Makan, Referendum Lessons Must Be Learnt, Minivan News, September 22, 2007.

Kaushik Basu, Time to give Saarc a facelift, BBC News, September 24, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: September 25, 2007.

If the government is able to come up with a political solution that is acceptable to the moderate majorities in the ethnic communities, there will be immense pressure on the LTTE from both the Tamil people and the international community to decommission their weapons and end the ethnic war for all time.
Will a military solution yield a political solution? Daily Mirror, September 25, 2007.

"Prabhakaran's destruction through military action would only result in his becoming a more dangerous legend among the Tamil people than he was already", says Dr Rajan Hoole, a Tamil rights activist.
PK Balachandran, Military solution will only make Prabhakaran a legend, Hindustan Times, September 24, 2007.

"The expulsion of the LTTE from the east and the recent sinking of several LTTE ships carrying arms and other provisions mark important military successes," says Robert Blake.
Sri Lanka conflict end in sight but dangers ahead, says US, LBO, September 25, 2007.

It is a sad part of the Sri Lankan history that the Tamils found themselves fighting the State in an unequal war.
N Sathiya Moorthy, Begin at the Beginning, Daily Mirror, September 24, 2007.

Despite the attacks on the ground, at sea and by air, Tiger guerrillas retain a military capability.
Iqbal Athas, Great military victories but Tigers still a threat, Sunday Times, September 23, 2007.

New Chaitanya Guide on Sethusamudram

Chaitanya's new resource guide on the Sethusamudram project and its politics is online.

Sethu Row, September 19, 2007.

The BJP is now engaged in a strident campaign against the canal project, arguing that it would end up in damaging the Ram Sethu.
BJP ministers selected Sethusamudram route: Baalu, M&C, September 19, 2007.

The BJP is now trying to put the ruling alliance on the mat over DMK leader M Karunanidhi’s reported remarks on Ram.
Karunanidhi’s remarks more offensive than affidavit: BJP, Indian Express, September 19, 2007.

Karunanidhi was only articulating the current mood among the secularists for whom the Hindu opinion just does not count.
P R Ramesh, Troubled bridge, Economic Times, September 19, 2007.

Although two ASI officials were suspended for the affidavit, the internal wrangles in the Congress over the issue are surfacing.
Ram Sethu widens schisms in Congress, India Interacts, September 18, 2007.

The Sangh Parivaar says as Chief Minister Karunanidhi had written a foreword to the Gazetteer of the Ramanathapuram district in 1972 citing the Adam's Bridge as an authentic proof of the culture and tradition of Tamil Nadu.
Ram Setu debate: Karuna flip-flops for the past 35 yrs, IBN, September 17, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: September 17, 2007.

The call by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to give up the hunger strike was rejected by Nedumaran on Saturday insisting that he should be allowed to sail to Jaffna.
Ananth Palakidnar, Nedumaran making S. Indian fishermen 'a scapegoat', Sunday Observer, September 16, 2007.

Top local defence officials feel the LTTE had cultivated the Thai authorities over a long period of time, while the Sri Lankan Embassy there in the past had not been effective enough.
Senpathi, ‘Peter Ibrahim’ arrest triggers KP controversy, The Nation on Sunday, September 16, 2007.

It will be worthwhile for the government to consider a “quasi-federal system” for devolution of powers and meeting the aspirations of all sections: N. Ram

If a President were to declare that he was elected to office only by only one section of the voters, and not the rest, and as such would be their President, and not for all of Sri Lanka, it is potent prescription for adding to the troubles of a troubled nation.
N Sathiya Moorthy, Defender of the faith, Daily Mirror, September 17, 2007.

Government forces have achieved an intelligence advantage over the LTTE, and used it to foil LTTE attempts to go on the offensive.
The Great War At Sea, Strategy Page, September 17, 2007.

Indian spymaster speculates whether KP whisked away by FBI

Also See:
Alastair Reynard, Global terrorism funded by bogus organizations setup by terrorists, Global Politician.

Sri Lanka Update: September 12, 2007.

The Sri Lankan government is awaiting official confirmation of the arrest of top LTTE arms procurer and smuggler, Kumaran Pathmanathan.

PK Balachandran, Colombo awaits confirmation of top LTTE arms procurer's arrest, Hindustan Times, September 11, 2007.

India asked Thailand to extradite a leader of Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, saying he may provide information on the 1991 assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Paul Tighe and Anusha Ondaatjie, Sri Lankan Rebel Arrested May Be Linked to Gandhi Assassination, Bloomberg, September 12, 2007.

Sri Lankan navy claims it has destroyed much of the Tamil Tiger's arms smuggling network after sinking three large ships.
Tamil Tiger 'smuggling lines hit', BBC, September 11, 2007.

Human rights defenders, community leaders, and humanitarian workers are under attack in Sri Lanka. In September, figures published by a respected human rights organization showed that 43 humanitarian workers had been killed in Sri Lanka since January 2006.

The Internet has become a very effective venue through which terrorist organizations can spead their messages.
Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, The Internet as a Terrorist Propaganda Tool, Cyber terrorism, September 12, 2007.

Maldives Update; September 12, 2007.

A report released by a Peoples' Majlis committee alleges that the have authorities mismanaged the notorious Hussein Salah case.
Authorities Damned in Hussein Salah Case, Minivan News, September 10, 2007.

Constitution Drafting Committee to meet twice a day amidst concerns of missing November 30th deadline, MDP, September 11, 2007.

Today, the international community needs no further proof if they are genuinely interested in helping the people of Maldives by replacing the current dictatorial regime with a democratic government.
Ahmed Moosa, Rigging the referendum is a blessing in disguise, Dhivehi Observer, August 29, 2007.

The International Press Freedom Mission to the Maldives has sent a letter to the Minister of Information urging immediate amendments to the draft Press Law currently before parliament.

To increase the efficiency of the Police service, an independent survey has been constituted, to find out public opinion about the local police force.
Independent survey planned to find out public’s opinion of Police, Haveeru Online, September 12, 2007.

People’s Special Majlis have submitted a petition to the Government to confront the spiraling drugs crisis among young people.
Government Urged To Confront Drugs Crisis, Minivan News, September 6, 2007.

Also See:
Praful Bidwai, Sanctifying mass destruction, Frontline, September 8, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: September 9, 2007.

The President has gone on to say in a manner indicative of his profound pragmatism and compassion towards all Lankans, almost contemptuous of his opponents that he recognises the legitimate historic grievances of the Tamil people on the basis that they too are Sri Lankans.

Our CFA was only between two warring parties and totally excluded other interests such as the Muslim community and other Tamil groups independent of the LTTE.So the CFA was flawed from the beginning. Moreover, there were other loopholes which allowed the LTTE to commit so many violations, far exceeding those by the armed forces, and there was no punitive action by a powerless SLMM which only made noises now and then.
Neville de Silva, The cogent case should drown the raucous din, Sunday Times, September 9, 2007.

The total war strategy is capital intensive; therefore it requires an astronomical hike in defence expenditure. At the same time it undermines the country’s capacity to obtain international assistance. A permissive attitude towards civilian casualties and human rights violations is an integral component of the total war strategy.
Tisaranee Gunasekara, The Emerging Sri Lanka, Asian Tribune, September 9, 2007.

How did Sri Lanka get their MiG-27s so cheap?
James Dunnigan, MiGs That Earn Their Keep, Strategy Page, September 8, 2007.

As far as the international community, including the Indian establishment, is concerned, it is clear that the Government is pursuing a military solution.
Senpathi, Govt. suing for peace while pursuing war, Nation on Sunday, September 9, 2007.

What the government would want to do is to share power with the Tamils to satisfy the international community with the concurrence of India, so that it could solicit the support of international and regional powers to exert pressure on the LTTE to accept the solution arrived at.
Ravana, Military push halted in favour of devolution package?, Nation on Sunday, September 9, 2007.

The LTTE is also trying to use food shortages up north, where LTTE gunmen block many roads, to elicit international sympathy. This hasn't worked very well, but the tactic of using human shields has had some success.

Also See:
Deportations to Sri Lanka are continuing, Indymedia, September 9, 2007.

Terrorism in India and the Statistics of the America, NDTV Blogs, September 7, 2007.

Southern states Update; September 9, 2007.

With the countdown to the leadership change having clearly begun, the voices of discord are becoming increasingly apparent. The BJP is increasingly nervous and watching every action/statement of the JDS with caution.
Sandeep Shastri, Coalition Contradictions: Emerging Political Scenario in Karnataka, Mainstream, September 9, 2007.

The BJP’s allies are likely to help the NDA hang on to its current position in Orissa, Punjab and Bihar, but the alliance in Karnataka does not seem to be yielding much dividends for the Lok Sabha elections.
Yogendra Yadav, Rajeeva Karandikar, Sanjay Kumar, No one wants an election now but if there’s one, Left and BJP will lose the most, Indian Express, September 9, 2007.

Police have been blamed for the rising criminal activities of hoodlums in Belgaum. Police department too has been jolted out of its inertia when a wealth of evidences the alert media produced in the aftermath of the rape-and-murder of Sheetal Chougule last month.
Unholy nexus between cops and criminals, New Indian Express, September 9, 2007.

The BJP leadership is apprehensive about the JD (S) ditching its coalition partner in Karnataka. Unwillingly or deliberately, Venkaiah Naidu has expressed his fears that JD(S) might deny the BJP its rightful claim to Chief Ministership under an agreement.
Hari Shankar Vyas, No one ready to contest, The Pioneer, September 9, 2007.

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Janardhana Reddy and his wife N Rajyalakshmi, the education minister of the state, escaped unhurt while three Congress workers were killed in a Maoist attack in Nellore district.
Maoists down, but certainly not out in Andhra, Sify News, September 7, 2007.

The intelligence wing had alerted the SPs of the districts in August itself to be extra cautious in ensuring security for VIPs. However, the intelligence wing could not identify the Maoists’ target.
Cops foxed again? Times of India, September 8, 2007.

In the global hunt launched to kill and destroy terrorist leaders, sympathisers and recruits, the US and its allies have not only deepened the religious divide but also created a rallying point for Muslims hurt and incensed by real and imaginary humiliations and fears.
Wilson John, Club Extreme, The Pioneer, September 9, 2007.

Also See:
Charul Shah, Petition for Naxal accused, Cybernoon, September 07, 2007.

Madhu Chandra, Salwa Judum - India's Unreported Hidden War, Desicritics, September 09, 2007.

Southern States Update; September 6, 2007.

If private initiative within the state system, a very diluted form of public private partnership, is not working well for the poor and the better off are cornering the subsidies, what works?
Subir Roy, Elusive healthcare for the poor, Business Standard, September 5, 2007.

A lack of transparency and frequent smuggling of the food grains allotted under the Public Distribution System (PDS) are adversely affecting the scheme’s impact in Tamil Nadu.
Ananth Krishnan, Report finds problems in PDS in Tamil Nadu, The Hindu, September 5, 2007.

Objecting to the government's decision to clear a titanium project in Tuticorin district, a group of farmers has taken the Tamil Nadu government and the Tatas to court.

Historically in India, record keeping in employment generation schemes has been very poor and is not available for public scrutiny. Moreover, most projects would be implemented through contractors who would take a cut, ensuring that wages never reached the labourer.
Debaki Nandan Mandal, Social Audit Of Employment Guarantee Scheme, The Statesman, September 6, 2007.

Also See:
Major political parties, including the Congress, however, are clearly rethinking the anti-Iran issue in the nuclear pact, and it would be churlish to dismiss this as minority appeasement.
Sandhya Jain, India doesn't need 123 pact, Pioneer, September 6, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: September 5, 2007.

Sri Lankan forces have targeted bases of the LTTE's naval unit since the army captured the eastern region in July after 14 years of fighting.
Paul Tighe, Sri Lanka Says Captured Rebel Base Was Weapons Transit Center, Bloomberg, September 4, 2007.

Minister Rambukwelle has said that there was no land area that belonged to the LTTE, although demarcated in the CFA, adding that what existed now was only a “temporary measure” as all areas belonged to the government and the people of Sri Lanka.

Mr. Nedumaran has announced that he was determined to enter Jaffna unlawfully by crossing the Palk Strait on September 12 with boatloads of food, medicine and other essentials for the civilians in the Jaffna and Vavuniya districts.
Sunil Jayasiri, Diplomatic stir over Nedumaran’s Jaffna landing threat, Daily Mirror, September 5, 2007.

Reports reveal that Nedumaran is now joined forces by Dr. S. Ramadoss, Leader of the Pattali Makkal Kadchchi (PMK), Vaiko, Leader of the Marumarchchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, who have come forward to participate and inaugurate the propaganda rallies in connection with the proposed illegal boat journey to Sri Lanka.

The government is being urged to ratify the United Nations Convention for the Protection of All Persons from enforced disappearances to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of Human Rights in the country.
Ayesha Zuhair, Rights activists tell Govt. to ratify UN convention on enforced disappearances, Daily Mirror, September 5, 2007.

Also See:
Eastern Province elections will be held before the end of the year, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

Maldives Update, September 5, 2007.

The increase in xenophobia could also be related to the rise in organized crime and the proliferation of gangs in Malé. A large percentage of youth in the Maldives are brown sugar addicts.
Nihan Zafar, Inhumane Treatment of Migrant Workers, Global Voices, September 3, 2007.

Around 20 percent of the island nation's residents under the age of 15 are using banned substances, according to the National Narcotics Control Bureau.

The HRCM has not always been in the government’s good books, however. Saleem has frequently angered the Gayoom administration by speaking out against human rights abuses.
Paul Roberts, Referendum “Generally Fair” – Human Rights Commission, Minivan News, August 27, 2007.

In a referendum in the Maldives, voters supported a proposal for a presidential system, seen by the government as an endorsement of the president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has been in power for 29 years. The opposition alleged rigging, and the foreign minister became the latest reformist to quit Mr Gayoom's cabinet.
Stephen Abbott, Voters choose presidential system in Maldives referendum, Guardian, August 22, 2007.

Simon Gardner, Maldives Foreign Min quits over reform pace, Reuters, August 22, 2007.

Asia's longest-serving leader will run for re-election at the island cluster's first multi-party presidential elections next year.
Simon Gardner, Maldives President sees reforms complete in 2-3 yrs, Reuters, August 20, 2007.

However, it was unclear how the opposition, which backed a British-style parliamentary government rather than the presidential system favoured by Gayoom, would react to the president's olive branch.
Maldives strongman wants to rule on into fourth decade, AFP, August 20, 2007.

Journalists, reporters and photographers working for dissident websites and magazines are continuously being harassed and even detained, but fortunately Gayyoom is no longer capable of shutting us down because the public is not afraid to stand up against this tyrant.
Ahmed S. I. Moosa, Maldives dictator versus the free media, Asia Media, August 20, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: September 2, 2007.

A United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee (USSFRC) report has revealed that Eritrea was providing direct military assistance to LTTE.
Sri Lanka should not ignore Eritrean aid for LTTE terrorism, African Path, September 1, 2007.

The bigwigs of the Foreign Ministry cannot be unaware of the fact that UN Human Rights Commission which was established 60 years ago shortly after the birth of the UN, worked out of Geneva as does its successor body, the Human Rights Council.
Neville de Silva, On the flight path to diplomatic lunacy, Sunday Times, September 2, 2007.

Holding elections without evolving a proper mechanism to resettle all the IDPs would be a crime and this would certainly boomerang on President Mahinda Rajapakse when the time comes for him to stretch his arms again, seeking for votes to extend his office for another term.
Wilson Gnanadass, Where do the IDP’s go from here? Nation on Sunday, September 2, 2007.

One key factor contributing towards increasing the national security, under the present administration was the shutting down of all the possibilities available with the LTTE to bargain on issues threatening to keep the national security at a risk.
Forces launch humanitarian mission to liberate 6,000 population in Silavatura, Nation on Sunday, September 2, 2007.

The subcontinent achieved independence due to a few thousand mutinies. We achieved it peacefully and went onto create a few thousand mutinies.
Nikhil Mustaffa, Long walk to freedom, Daily Mirror, September 1, 2007.

Also See:
Tamil people are in LTTE’s bondage, Hard news, September, 2007.

Separate state leads Tamils to extinction - Prof. Hoole, Sunday Observer, September 2, 2007.

Blasts in Hyderabad: News and Analysis Round-up, September 2, 2007.

Since 1998, the terrorist activities are going on in South India but these continuous incidents show now terrorists are in search of striking at the pleasant atmosphere of communal harmony prevalent in South India.
Tanveer Jafri, Terrorists New Attack on Communal Harmony in India, American Chronicle, August 27, 2007.

Indian intelligence agencies say a new terror channel has emerged that begins in Pakistan, passes through Male in Maldives and then goes to the southern Indian cities that have direct flights to Male.
Siddharth Srivastava, Bomb attacks raise new Indian fears, Asia Times, August 28, 2007.

HUJI's violent past apart, several Bangladeshi officials express surprise at the Indian government's propensity to blame the group for terror acts even before these are investigated. It happened in Varanasi, it has again happened in Hyderabad.
Julfikar Ali Manik, Growth Of A Cancer, Outlook, September 10, 2007.

No one here is fooling themselves that some Bangladeshis spent days and nights plotting to kill Indian civilians in Hyderabad. Most people believe the origins of the ghastly act lie in the city itself.
Saikat Datta, Charminar's Curse, Outlook, September 10, 2007.

In many ways the sites targeted by terrorists in the second attack in the City in a little over three months were also symbols of co-existence—the Gokul Chat Bhandar, where 32 people were killed, situated in the Old City was popular with almost everyone and the Lumbini Park a proud Hyderabadi tourist attraction.
Johnson T A, Target Hyderabad, Indian Express, September 2, 2007.

Also See:
After every bomb blast or terrorist incident, security "experts," analysts and media channels repeat similar things that people accept as the gospel truth. However, I have many questions and doubts that need to be cleared before I can accept the explanations given by these "experts."
Nasiruddin Haider Khan, Some questions related to Muslims and India, India Muslims, August 31, 2007.

Major terror attacks in India - A Profile, IPCS.

Blasts in Hyderabad: News and Analysis Round-up, August 30, 2007.

Two explosions within minutes killed at least 20 people in Hyderabad on Saturday. One blast was at the Lumbini amusement park and another explosion at a street-side eatery was caused by a exploding gas cylinder.

With pressure mounting to tackle terrorism with a firm hand, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to constitute an elite anti-terror force.

Indian police released the sketch of a person suspected of being linked with one of the twin weekend bombings in the southern city of Hyderabad that killed 42 people.
Bibhudatta Pradhan, Indian Police Release Sketch of Suspect in Hyderabad Bombing, Bloomberg, August 29, 2007.

As terrorists strike at will across the country, good intelligence is appearing to be a major chink in India's anti-terror armour. Though some of our intelligence operatives have been rated on par with the best in the business and have even earned the admiration of their international peers, overall, the country's intelligence set-up is simply inadequate for the challenge.
Untrained force can't tackle motivated terrorists, Times of India, Augusst 30, 2007.

The anti-terror strategy that India has formulated so far lacks a nationwide actionable counterintelligence mechanism, as most of the Indian states do not have a proper counterintelligence wing in their police departments to get prior information of a possible attack and prevent the possible incident.
Kushal Jeena, India plans counterintelligence, United Press International, August 29, 2007.

Indian Railways has identified 185 railway stations all over the country that could be vulnerable to terrorist strikes and is taking measures to upgrade the security system, Union Minister of State for Railways R Velu has told Parliament.

Southern States Update; August 29, 2007.

The People's War Group of Naxalites based in Andhra Pradesh is increasingly turning to the LTTE once again in what experts view as mutual interest.
M Rama Rao, Indian Naxalites and Tigers cozying up again, Asian Tribune, August 28, 2007.

In the 21st Century War is always possible and that too a Nuclear or Missile war, when Pakistan, India and China have nuclear weapons and missiles. Sri Lanka is guaranteed to be a recepient of the wayward missile in this century, as well as all the nuclear waste and radiation polluting the water, air and land. But who cares or does India care?
Jayantha Gnanakone, Singhala Fools and Tamil Nadu Nuclear facility, Siber News, August 26, 2007.

The operative word is ‘yet’. There is a clutch of ‘ifs’ before a Third Front government can stake claim to power. One, they need to have the numbers. Two, the Left has to be clear about what it wants to do with the numbers. Three, the Congress has to want to support them in realising their ambition.
Aditi Phadnis, Weekend Special: A Left Prime Minister? Business Standard, August 25, 2007.

Also See:
A Ganesh Nadar, 'We don't need Reliance', Rediff News, August 24, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: August 28, 2007.

There is no denying that much of the current problems facing the Sri Lankan nation owe to the 'exclusivist' agenda from the past, taken to ethnic extremes. At the height of the ethnic strife and subsequent war was the 'JVP militancy', first of the early Seventies and later of the late Eighties.
N Sathiya Moorthy, Inclusive, not Exclusivist, Daily Mirror, August 26, 2007.

Wars can be won militarily, but winning the war for people’s hearts and minds is the ultimate victory. The government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa strongly believes that its war on terror against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will end in a resounding victory.
Ameen Izzadeen, Born of political skullduggery, lived a rulers’ tool...another sham, Khaleej Times, August 28, 2007.

Commenting on SLMM’s notion that the CFA was being violated frequently, Minister Rambukwelle said the government would not allow the ceasefire monitors to dictate terms to the state when it came to national security.
Easwaran Rutnam, SLMM concerned over Gotabhaya’s comments, Daily Mirror, August 28, 2007.

The CFA certainly served a useful purpose at the initial stages, however flawed it may be. It helped minimise killings. But, the subservience of the UNF government enabled the LTTE to abuse the truce to the hilt, ably assisted by the Norwegians, to train its cadres abroad and smuggle in war related material besides gaining a great deal of legitimacy for its cause.
Dances with Tigers, Ministry of Defense, August 28, 2007.

Last week Jayantha Dhanapala, a former UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs who made an unsuccessful run for the job of Secretary-General, also weighed in with his comments. Dhanapala was quoted as saying that Sri Lanka's international reputation had been tarnished by the use of language not befitting our cultural traditions and international diplomacy.
Thalif Deen, The consequences of Lanka’s rude diplomacy, Sunday Times, August 26, 2007.

The Buddhist monks at a recent media conference said that some INGOs operated in rural areas still practise unethical conversions in the guise of pre-schools and other charity organisations. They said that with the restoration of the day-to-day life in the Eastern province these INGOs would attempt to convert Buddhists and Hindus into their religions using their displacement and poverty to their advantage.
Shanika Sriyananda, SLBC up in arms against unethical conversions, Sunday Observer, August 26, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: August 25, 2007.

Bureaucrats in our foreign ministry must be a sad lot. The blunders the government makes in its relations with the outside world make one believe that their advice is no longer sought.
Ameen Izzadeen, How Sri Lanka’s foreign policy mechanics have degenerated, Khaleej Times, August 21, 2007.

Where the rot starts at the top, it will take no less than a change of heart and strategy on the part of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to go back to his roots as a human rights champion in the opposition and to make the difference.
Jehan Perera, Government has potential to do what is right, Daily Mirror, August 21, 2007.

MIG 27 fighters were purchased to save the lives of the SL citizens by destroying a terror outfit that murders the people of this country. However, the procurement of MIG 27 fighters seems to have hurt certain segments other than the LTTE.
The MIG27 affair - Fighter Pilots reveal what the "defence analysts" forgot to tell, Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka - Geneva - Switzerland.

Sri Lanka's population of the internally displaced has shot up ever since violence and fighting involving government forces, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the breakaway LTTE group led by Karuna escalated sharply from December 2005.
M.R. Narayan Swamy, Refugees within Sri Lanka face pathetic situation: study, India Muslims, August 20, 2007.

There are now fresh hopes of a negotiated settlement to the vexatious and violence-ridden ethnic strife in Sri Lanka, after all. On the one hand, All-Party Representative Committee (APRC) Chairman, Minister Tissa Vitharana, has asserted that a consensus package on power-devolution would emerge this week, after all.
N Sathiya Moorthy, There are now fresh hopes of a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict, Daily Mirror, August 20, 2007.

Also See:
Tony Corn, The Revolution in Transatlantic Affairs, Real Clear Politics, August 21, 2007.

Maldives Referendum, August 20, 2007

In the referendum on Maldives adopting the presidential or the parliamentary system, the known devil--the presidential system won an endorsement from two-thirds of voters.

President declares victory in referendum, calls for national reconciliation, Haveeru Daily, August 19, 2007.

The validity of the referendum was challenged by not just the opposition parties but also some Maldivian citizens as this report shows.

Some views on what makes an election free and fair:
ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, Guiding Principles of Electoral Integrity.
Common Cause, Election Reform Agenda.
Australian Election Commission, What makes an election free and fair?

Postscript: India is going to give the Maldives anti-terror training. On whom will those guns be trained?

Southern States Update; August 16, 2007.

Police registered a case against the authorities of Calicut University for showing "disrespect" to the national flag, which was hoisted "upside down" on the Independence Day.

Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan claimed that Indo-US nuclear deal was the design of certain ''neo-imperialistic forces, holding sway in the country's decision-making process''.

If caste and language complicate the notion of Indian identity, ethnicity makes it worse. Most of the time, an Indian's name immediately reveals where he is from or what her mother-tongue is: when we introduce ourselves, we are advertising our origins.
Shashi Tharoor, Indian identity is forged in diversity. Every one of us is in a minority, The Guardian, August 15, 2007.

The Kerala Panchayat Raj Act envisages the need to prepare a citizen’s charter and it annual revision. Many panchayats do not attempt to frame a charter and even where it has been prepared, the services do not measure up to the standards mentioned in it.
N.J. Nair, Study finds flaws in Panchayati Raj, The Hindu, August 16, 2007.

Also See:
The CPM’s hardening stance was evident from a stern politburo release that asserted “the Prime Minister’s statement in Parliament does not shed any new light on the India-US Nuclear Agreement that calls for a reassessment on our part” and offered a point-by-point rebuttal of Singh’s claims.
Manini Chatterjee, Bush fuel in Left fire, The Telegraph, August 15, 2007.

Following the split in the Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1964, effective communist movements have been confined to West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura. And the CPM has been in the vanguard when it comes to carrying out the peoples’ movement in these red bastions.
Tamal Sengupta, Left is only growing in Right company, Economic Times, August 15, 2007.

One strand in the knot of corruption is the legacy of the License Raj, which ended in the early 1990s. The system created bureaucracies that were all but self-perpetuating.
Will Growth Slow Corruption In India? Forbes, August 15, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update; August 12, 2007.

The UN’s aid chief John Holmes has said that Sri Lanka is among the most dangerous places on earth for humanitarian workers. He called on the government to probe civil war abuses and consider an international rights monitoring mission.
Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, Lanka a top danger spot for aid workers, The News, August 12, 2007.

The Foreign ministry has hit back at his comments by questioning the credibility of the UN office in Colombo, saying that they “have made a practice of hiding from their own headquarters in New York.”
Foreign Ministry hits back at Holmes’ comments, Sunday Times, August 12, 2007.

An escalating conflict in Sri Lanka has hindered plans to rid the country of anti-personnel mines, with both the government and the LTTE reluctant to give up use of the weapon.
Vathsala Yatagamage, Losing Battle, LBO, August 11, 2007.


Unlike those days of propaganda uncertainty so openly expressed by Kittu and Raheem some 20 years ago, the Tigers have become experts at putting over their message. They are not alone, as terror groups around the world now use the internet and the power of television to put across their distorted agendas.
David Williams, From bullets to bulletins, Nation on Sunday, August 12, 2007.

The Tamil community, who blindly worshipped the LTTE as their saviour, have now realised the bitter truth that they can no longer keep faith on them as their liberator as it is not capable of attaining their own liberation.
Tamil community no longer tolerates LTTE demands blindly, Sunday Observer, August 12, 2007.


Also See:
Countries indulge in diplomacy to secure advantages. At a time when the country needs the best of efforts to counter the huge propaganda campaign mounted against the country, and a surreptitious campaign to intervene in this country on so-called ‘humanitarian grounds,’ we appear to be going out of our way to make enemies of friends, particularly the powerful countries whose friendship we do most badly need in this war against the terrorist LTTE.
K. Godage, Diplomacy is too important to be left to amateurs, The Nation, August 12, 2007.

Unlike the decentralised jihadist movement, the LTTE is a centralised, hierarchical organisation commanded and controlled by its founding leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Omar Karmi, Feeding the Tiger - how Sri Lankan insurgents fund their war, Jane's, August 10, 2007.

Southern States Update; August 10, 2007.

A shutdown call was given by Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Left parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue of distribution of land to poor in Andhra Pradesh. The opposition parties have been demanding the government to set up an independent body to oversee the land distribution process.

Four persons were killed and eight injured, when the police opened fire as the state-wide bandh called by the Left parties, to protest against police lathicharge on their activists recently, turned violent at Mudigonda village in Khammam district.
Andhra government orders inquiry into police firing at Khammam, Hindustan Times, July 28, 2007.

TDP leader N. Chandrababu Naidu accused the police of using AK-47 and self-loading rifles to fire at protestors. “Never before in the history of the state have such sophisticated weapons been used against political activists,” he said.
Nirmala Carvalho, People continue to die in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal over land, Asia Times, July 30, 2007.

How much compensation the victims’ families will get and when is anybody’s guess. But in the din over compensation and parties vying with each other to trash the government, the real issue has been missed. The state government declined the demand for booking a murder case under Section 302.
Ground to dust, Hindustan Times, July 30, 2007.

India, however, has been unable to handle the growing influence of Maoist rebels who have been striking at will in at least 10 Indian states, killing several thousands of people in last five years.
Kushal Jeena, India`s counter-terror strategy, M&C, August 9, 2007.

Also See:
As a teenager, Sunita herself had been gang raped. The incident made angry more than leaving her shattered. It was then that she started an anti-trafficking organisation, Prajwala.

Maldives Update; August 8, 2007.

The justice minister and attorney general from the Maldives have resigned, saying they were frustrated with delays in introducing democratic reforms to the tiny nation.
Maldives' ministers quit over 'delay' in democratic reforms, IHT, August 6, 2007.

President Gayoom has responded to the resignations by blaming parliament for the slow pace of reforms.
Ajay Makan, President Blames Parliament For Slow Reforms, Minivan News, August 7, 2007.

Maldives has been rocked by the news of four rapists receiving a light sentence after a judge decided that because the raped girl did not shout or scream, it meant she gave consent.
Nihan Zafar, Maldives: Secret Haven for Pedophiles, Global Voices, August 6, 2007.

Two lawyers witnessed police officers beating a detainee on Saturday night, and have submitted formal complaints to Police HQ, the Attorney General’s Office and the Maldives Human Rights Commission.
Ajay Makan, Caught In The Act: Lawyers Witness Police Beating Detainee, Minivan News, August
1, 2007.

The August 18 constitutional referendum is likely to take place without international observers. “SAARC do not have a mandate” for election observation, and “it will be difficult” for the EU and Commonwealth to “send teams at such short notice,” the Foreign Minister has said.
Ajay Makan, Referendum Without International Observers? Minivan News, July 30, 2007.

A UN report into the Maldivian legal system has found “it does not fulfil its fundamental role of administering fair and independent justice and safeguarding and protecting human rights.”
Ajay Makan, Legal System Requires Urgent Reform: UN, Minivan News, July 16, 2007.

Also See:
Warnings from a Warming World: World Meteorological Organization Reports on Extreme Weather Events,

Sri Lanka Update; August 8, 2007.

It is the irony of our times that 'R2P' should stand for the 'responsibility to protect', and not the 'right to protect', as should have been the case in the normal understanding of concepts such as 'State', its right and responsibilities.
N Sathiya Moorthy, Whose 'R2P' is it anyway? Daily Mirror, August 6, 2007.

Human Rights Watch Asia Director, Brad Adams, has said that "the Sri Lankan government has apparently given its security forces a green light to use 'dirty war' tactics," adding that "abuses by the LTTE are no excuse for the government's campaign of killings, 'disappearances' and forced returns of the displaced."
Michael Sung, Sri Lanka government rights abuses on the rise: HRW, Jurist, August 6, 2007.

Meanwhile Sri Lankan Government’s Peace Secretariat Head, Rajiva Wijesinha, has retorted stating that, the Human Rights Watch report on Sri Lanka is misleading, rife with contradictions and could be used by organizations like the LTTE to disrupt the democratically elected governments like Sri Lanka.
HRW report misleading says SL Peace Sec. Chief, Daily Mirror, August 8, 2007.

Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe added that the international community should offer constructive help instead of making ‘sweeping and subjective’ statements.
Manjula Fernando, Global community should offer constructive help - Human Rights Minister, Daily News, August 8, 2007.

India has sent more radars to Sri Lanka to help it ward off the threat of airborne attacks by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Sri Lanka is looking to bolster its military capabilities and the Air Force's share of this planned build up is worth nearly USD 300 million.
Iqbal Athas, Situation Report, Sunday Times, August 5, 2007.

"Sampur has been taken, Vakarai captured and the feather in the government’s cap, Thoppigala is ‘ours’ again. But elsewhere in this country, 17 families grieve for loved ones lost, for crimes gone unpunished, for disclosures never afforded to them. On behalf of my ‘elected representatives’, I hang my head in shame."
Dharisha Bastians, Have we no shame? Nation on Sunday, August 8, 2007.

Before taking the drastic step of stepping up the war in the north, the Rajapaksa government has a duty to present a reasonable political package that could be the basis for a just solution to the ethnic conflict, and is acceptable to moderate Tamil opinion. Only if such a political package is rejected by the LTTE should an offensive military campaign on the lines of the eastern campaign be contemplated for the north.
Jehan Perera, Pre-Condition for taking war from east to north, Daily Mirror, August 7, 2007.

President Rajpaksa has two options now to get out of the tight situation he is in parliament:
(1) he can mend his fences with the estranged Marxist and radical Sinhala JVP
(2) he could try and get three or four more defectors from the opposition UNP.
PK Balachandran, Indian Party's quitting puts Rajpaksa in a spot, Hindustan Times, August 3, 2007.

Five days after the government announced that Thoppigala, the last stronghold of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, had fallen and two days before Rajapaksa’s celebrations, the Eastern Province’s chief secretary, the topmost government official in the province, was shot dead. The crime sent a chilling message to the government that the battle was not over yet in the east.
Ameen Izzadeen, What does freedom really mean? Khaleej Times, July 24, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update; July 29, 2007.

The Indo-Lanka Peace Accord between India and Sri Lanka was signed by President J.R. Jayewardene (JRJ) and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, 20-years to this date, on July 29, 1987. An analysis of the security situation in the past 20 years.
Keith Noyahr, Devolve or disintegrate, Nation on Sunday, July 29, 2007.

It was hailed as India's biggest diplomatic coup when it was signed amid violent street protests. 'Though the agreement is a dead letter, though neither government wants to give any life to it, there are some fundamental principles advocated in it that still remain a source of inspiration,' said S. Sahadevan, a South Asia expert at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Two decades of India-Sri Lanka peace accord, Zee News, July 29, 2007.

Indian troops deployed in Sri Lanka's northeast under the terms of the accord ended up fighting the Tigers for well over two years, losing nearly 1,200 men, before they returned home in March 1990.
M.R. Narayan Swamy, 'Why no memorial for the IPKF in India?', M&C News, July 29, 2007.

"It was a golden opportunity missed by the Tamils in fulfilling their political aspirations due to the war waged by the LTTE against the Indians." says The Eelam People's Democratic Party leader and Minister of Social Services Douglas Devananda.

In an interview on July 12, 2007, the LTTE political wing leader, S.P. Tamilselvan, declared "our targets would be in the future major military and economic structures of the Government. They will be targets which help the Government sustain its military operations."
Ajit Kumar Singh, Vigilance the key as LTTE suffers serial defeats, Daily News, July 27, 2007.

Amidst war euphoria and celebrations, Colombo’s Anglican Bishop Rt Revd. Duleep de Chickera has strongly warned against the investment of the war agenda in the lives of our children.
Nikhil Mustaffa, Fighting the good fight, Daily Mirror, July 26, 2007.

Also See:

Neelan: Why did LTTE kill him? Sunday Times, July 29, 2007.

Neelan was one of the very few Tamils who dared to provide an alternative to Eelam says Sydney Knight in Tamil Week.

International Aid and Human Rights Violations in Sri Lanka, Human Rights Features, SAHRDC, June 15, 2007.