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.