The situation in Sri Lanka

[Piedro]

The situation in Sri Lanka
Supplement to IJ@ 4 (31) updated - with anarchist point of view
Summary

A ceasefire between the Sri Lankan Government and Tamil Tiger rebels is due to come into force on Saturday 23.02.2002 after 19 years of civil war. The landmark agreement signed on Friday by Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe and the separatists paves the way for direct peace talks. The face-to-face talks would be the first in seven years aimed at ending a conflict that has killed 64,000 people and divided the island nation. The Anarchist International's Conference on terrorism, the NAC, the UN and the USA have welcomed the Norwegian State Council's peace workers' continued attempts to broker a negotiated settlement.

The new deal must be seen mainly as a preliminary victory in the service of peace for the Norwegian special negotiator Erik Solheim, a non-dogmatic semilibertarian marxist from the Socialist Left party, SV. (A party that have a significantly semilibertarian and anarchist faction, although usually not the majority, that includes leftist-marxists and marxist-leninists, as well as left wing socialdemocrats). Erik S. volunteered to the work, as a special delegate from the Norwegian State Council and the UN.

The Anarchist Federation of Norway, AFIN, are afraid that the peace may break down because there is not really put up a significantly armed corps to support the peace, as in Bosnia, just observers to "watch the peace". The anarchists' advice is to put up a significantly armed corps to support the peacework, similar to Bosnia, and also advocate a new system based on a confederalist solution for the Tamils and the rest of the country. 05.12.2002: Sri Lankan central administration and Tamil Tiger rebels agree on a federal/confederal managerial system on the island. 09.06.2007 Despite an official truce, Sri Lanka has been sliding back to civil war.

The Anarchist International is troubled by the Sri Lankan Government's 02.01.2008 decision to terminate the 2002 cease-fire agreement. Ending the cease-fire agreement will make it more difficult to achieve a lasting, peaceful solution to Sri Lanka's conflict. We call on both the government and the LTTE to avoid an escalation of hostilities and further civilian casualties. All parties to the conflict share the responsibility to protect the rights of all of Sri Lanka's people. We urge them to work toward the goal of a just, political solution that ensures the rights of minority communities and benefits all Sri Lankans. Only a peaceful political solution, not a military one, offers a way out of the current cycle of escalating violence. The LTTE has 10.01.2008 asked the Norwegians to continue as peace negotiators.

The anarchists will follow the development of the situation and give more advice when relevant, below in this report.

Brief on Sri Lanka history

Nestling off the southern tip of India, the tropical island of Sri Lanka has beguiled travellers for centuries with its palm-fringed beaches, diverse landscapes and historical monuments. But for nearly two decades, the island has been scarred by a bitter civil war arising out of ethnic tensions. Home to an ancient Buddhist kingdom, Sri Lanka suffered repeated invasions from southern India. Known as "Serendip" to Arab geographers, it was to fall under Portuguese and Dutch influence and finally came under British rule when it was called Ceylon. The island has a long-established Tamil minority in the north and east. The British also brought in Tamil labourers to work the coffee and tea plantations in the central highlands, making the island a major tea producer. But the majority Buddhist Sinhalese community resented what they saw as favouritism towards the mainly-Hindu Tamils under British administration. The growth of a more assertive Sinhala nationalism after independence fanned the flames of ethnic division until civil war erupted in the 1980s between Tamils pressing for self-rule and the government. Most of the fighting is in the north. But the conflict has also penetrated the heart of Sri Lankan society with Tamil Tiger rebels carrying out devastating suicide bombings in Colombo in the 1990s. The violence is damaging the economy and harming tourism in what is one of South Asia's more advanced and potentially prosperous societies.

Basic Facts

Population: 19 million.Capital: Colombo. Major languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English. Major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity. Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 75 years (women). Main exports: Clothing and textiles, tea, gems, rubber, coconuts. Average annual income: US $820. Internet domain: .lk. International dialling code + 94 .

President to 2005: Chandrika Bandaranaike-Kumaratunga. Born in 1945, Bandaranaike-Kumaratunga hails from a family of politicians. Her father, Solomon Bandaranaika, was prime minister and her mother, Srimavo, was the world's first female prime minister. Kumaratunga studied both in Sri Lanka and abroad, and became president in 1994. Despite early socialist beliefs, she has been a strong advocate of economic liberalisation in Sri Lanka since taking office. She has pursued a twin-track approach to the civil war, trying to offer the Tamil rebels some form of autonomy while seeking the upper hand on the battlefield. Bandaranaike-Kumaratunga has suffered a number of personal tragedies. Her father was assassinated when she was just 14, and her husband was gunned down in 1989. She herself survived an assassination attempt in 1999 while campaigning for re-election as president. Prime minister: Ranil Wickramasinghe; Defence minister: Tilak Marapana; Foreign minister: Tyronne Fernando; Interior minister: John Amaratunga .

President 2005 and later: Mahinda Rajapakse. Mahinda Rajapakse, prime minister at the time of his election, won the November 2005 presidential poll by a narrow margin. His main rival was the opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Mr Rajapakse was backed by Marxist and Buddhist parties in the government. He also benefited from an extremely low turnout by Tamils in the north and east. But he inherited a troubled economy and a faltering peace process. During campaigning he promised to take a hard line in any peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels and said he would seek direct talks with the group's leader. He says the solution to the conflict lies in a unitary state. Mr Rajapakse, a Buddhist lawyer, became prime minister in 2004, heading a heavily-polarised parliament. He served under Chandrika Bandaranaike-Kumaratunga, president since 1994. She had backed economic liberalisation while in office but government rifts slowed the pace of change. Her coalition was also divided over the Tamil peace process. The former president pursued a twin-track approach during the civil war, trying to offer the Tamil rebels some form of autonomy while seeking the upper hand on the battlefield. However, she accused the government of making too many concessions to the rebels and tensions over the peace process led to a bitter power struggle with the then prime minister, Ranil Wickramasinghe, in 2003. The Sri Lankan president can appoint and dismiss the prime minister, and can dissolve parliament.

Press and News agencies

Daily News - state-owned
Lake House - state-owned
The Sunday Leader
Uthayan - daily, Tamil language
The Island
Lankapuvath - state-owned agency
TamilNet - Tamil news service
Television and Radio

Rupavahini - government controlled
ITN - government-controlled
MTV
MTV News Vision
TNL
Dynavision
ETV I and II
SLBC - state radio
SLBC Commercial - state radio
Sirasa FM - private
TNL Radio - private, English language
More on the economic-political system of Sri Lanka

As Ceylon, the country became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. The full name is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka . Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in the ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006. Escalating violence between the two sides in 2006 killed hundreds of people and raised fears of a return to all-out war. 02.01.2008 the Sri Lankan Government decided to terminate the 2002 cease-fire agreement. The LTTE has 10.01.2008 asked the Norwegians to continue as peace negotiators. Since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2007 estimate).

Sri Lanka has a powerful president that is both the chief of state and head of government. It has a parliamentary political system but it is a democracy in the name only, not in reality. Sri Lanka is in reality a totalitarian state socialist society, far from real democracy. The degree of socialism is ca 50,3%, i.e. significant, and thus the degree of capitalism is ca 49,7%, i.e. not the significant, but still an important tendency. The gini-index is 33,2, according to UN-HDI statitics from 2005 with data from 2003, see http://www.anarchy.no/ranking.html , but the system has a low efficiency, the GDP per capita is only 958 US $, and this contributes to decrease the degree of socialism. As rule of the thumb a gini-index less than 35 indicates socialism. Deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal and air pollution in Colombo, contribute to lower the degree of socialism. The degree of statism is ca 86,1% - very significant, i.e. the degree of autonomy is only ca 13,9%. A relatively high life expectancy at birth, ca 74 years, and adult literacy rate, 90,4%, contribute to increase the degree of autonomy, but a lot of ochlarchy (mob rule broadly defined, included terrorism, especially connected to the conflict with the LTTE), contribute to a low degree of autonomy. However all in all the degree of autonomy is significantly higher than in, say, India with 6,2% degree of autonomy. The authoritarian degree is ca 70,3 %, and thus the libertarian degree is only ca 29,7 %. Sri Lanka is ranked as no 96 on the ranking of countries according to authoritatian degree, see http://www.anarchy.no/ranking.html . Sri Lanka is in reality located in the sector of state-communism , in the marxist quadrant of the map, see http://www.anarchy.no/a_e_p_m.html , more authoritarian than Cuba (ranked as no 65), in the same sector. It is state-communist in all but the name.
Negotiations on provisional ceasefire

08.02.2002: Two Norwegian peace mediators met with the Sri Lankan president and the prime minister and discussed a draft agreement for a long-term truce between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels, officials said Friday.The Norwegians were expected to hold more talks with government officials later Friday. The draft agreement will be completed, depending on the progress made in the discussions, state-run radio said. Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen and Erik Solheim, the peace envoy, held discussions with President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe shortly after their arrival in the island nation on Thursday 07.02.2002. Helgesen was hopeful that discussions with the government and the rebels would lead to a formal cease-fire, a Norwegian embassy statement said. The Norwegians met a top Tamil rebel leader, Anton Balasingham, in London earlier this week. A unilateral cease-fire announced by the rebels in December was quickly matched by the government. The two sides are expected to announce a long-term truce before the ceasefire expires Feb. 24. The Anarchy of Norway has been trying to arrange peace talks between the two sides for more than two years.

Ceasefire, truce and direct peace talks

A ceasefire between the Sri Lankan Government and Tamil Tiger rebels is due to come into force on Saturday 23.02.2002 after 19 years of civil war. The landmark agreement signed on Friday by Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe and the separatists paves the way for direct peace talks. The face-to-face talks would be the first in seven years aimed at ending a conflict that has killed 64,000 people and divided the island nation. The Anarchist International's Conference on terrorism, the NAC, the UN and the USA have welcomed the Norwegian State Council's peace workers', mainly the leftist-libertarian Erik Solheim's, continued attempts to broker a negotiated settlement. Longtime Norwegian politician Erik Solheim was named a special UN envoy as part of the effort to launch peace talks about three years ago. Mr Wickramasinghe said he would not disclose the full details of the agreement until Sunday, but said it represented the "first step towards peace".

Muted public reaction

The truce sets out a series of confidence-building measures to be implemented over a period of 90 days and will give government troops and rebels access to each other's areas while travelling unarmed and out of uniform. Public reaction to the deal has been muted as people wait to see what happens after the ceasefire takes effect at midnight local time (1800 GMT) on Saturday. In 1995 Sri Lankans saw a similar ceasefire fail after 100 days with an attack on the Sri Lankan navy. But that truce was not monitored by a third party. The fact that both sides have now signed up to an internationally-brokered deal should probably ensure that they stick to it. Negotiators from the Anarchy of Norway took three years to broker the deal. This deal allows for the truce to be monitored by observers from Norway, Finland and Sweden. By Monday, they are expected to form the monitoring mission, which will also include rebels and government representatives.

Historic visit

On Friday Mr Wickramasinghe visited a checkpoint leading to the rebel-controlled north of the country to formally hand over his signed copy of the agreement to the Norwegian ambassador. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister handed over the truce pact formalizing an indefinite ceasefire with Tamil Tiger guerrillas to Norwegian Ambassador Jon Westbourg in the northern town of Vavuniya on February 22, 2002. It was the first visit there by a Sri Lankan prime minister in more than 10 years and security was tight. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been fighting for a separate homeland in Tamil majority areas in the north and east of the country. At the root of the conflict is the discrimination the country's minority Tamils say they have suffered at the hands of the Sinhalese majority. A permanent ceasefire has come into force in Sri Lanka which it is hoped will lead to peace talks between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels. The truce, which will be observed by small teams headed by international monitors, has caused great excitement in the predominantly Tamil north of the island. This is the area worst-affected by the two decades of ethnic conflict. But some members of the majority Sinhalese community in the south believe their government has made too many concessions.

Details

The ceasefire agreement - signed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe and the rebels - is open-ended, but either side can give 14 days' notice to terminate the agreement. This detailed document stipulates not only how the two sides' military forces should behave with one another, but also a range of measures to restore normal life for civilians, and a timetable for implementation. This includes provisions for an unimpeded flow of non-military goods into rebel areas, opening up of road and rail links in the conflict areas, and the easing of restrictions on fishing. The idea is to build the right environment of goodwill and confidence to begin talking about a final political settlement.

Suspicions persist

But the Norwegians who have been mediating in the peace process have warned that the two sides are embarking on a long road towards a political solution that will involve risks, uncertainties and hard choices.

Already there are signs of some opposition to the agreement in the south of Sri Lanka, with the prime minister's rival, President Chandrika Kumaratunga, complaining she was not consulted. She described this as "undemocratic". The president still wields considerable power as commander in chief of the army, and she herself narrowly survived an assassination attempt by the Tamil Tigers. She said she was concerned about certain clauses in the ceasefire agreement. Many people share her reluctance to make concessions to the Tigers, fearful that they will just use this lull in the fighting to recruit more soldiers and capture more territory.

Text of Sri Lanka truce deal

Agreement on a ceasefire between the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Preamble

The overall objective of the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (hereinafter referred to as the GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (hereinafter referred to as the LTTE) is to find a negotiated solution to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

The GOSL and the LTTE (hereinafter referred to as the parties) recognise the importance of bringing an end to the hostilities and improving the living conditions for all inhabitants affected by the conflict.

Bringing an end to the hostilities is also seen by the parties as a means of establishing a positive atmosphere in which further steps towards negotiations on a lasting solution can be taken.

The parties further recognise that groups that are not directly party to the conflict are also suffering the consequences of it.

This is particularly the case as regards the Muslim population. Therefore, the provisions of this agreement regarding the security of civilians and their property apply to all inhabitants.

With reference to the above, the parties have agreed to enter into a ceasefire, refrain from conduct that could undermine the good intentions or violate the spirit of this agreement and implement confidence-building measures as indicated in the articles below.

Article 1: Modalities of a ceasefire

The parties have agreed to implement a ceasefire between their armed forces as follows:

1.1 A jointly agreed ceasefire between the GOSL and the LTTE shall enter into force on such date as is notified by the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs in accordance with Article 4.2, hereinafter referred to as D-day.

Military operations

1.2 Neither party shall engage in any offensive military operation. This requires the total cessation of all military action and includes, but is not limited to, such acts as:

a) The firing of direct and indirect weapons, armed raids, ambushes, assassinations, abductions, destruction of civilian or military property, sabotage, suicide missions and activities by deep penetration units;
b) Aerial bombardment;
c) Offensive naval operations.
1.3 The Sri Lankan armed forces shall continue to perform their legitimate task of safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka without engaging in offensive operations against the LTTE.

Separation of forces

1.4 Where forward defence localities have been established, the GOSL's armed forces and the LTTE's fighting formations shall hold their ground positions, maintaining a zone of separation of a minimum of 600 metres.

However, each party reserves the right of movement within 100 metres of its own defence localities, keeping an absolute minimum distance of 400 metres between them.

Where existing positions are closer than 400 metres, no such right of movement applies and the parties agree to ensure the maximum possible distance between their personnel.

1.5 In areas where localities have not been clearly established, the status quo as regards the areas controlled by the GOSL and the LTTE, respectively, on 24 December 2001 shall continue to apply pending such demarcation as is provided in article 1.6.

1.6 The parties shall provide information to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) regarding defence localities in all areas of contention, cf. Article 3. The monitoring mission shall assist the parties in drawing up demarcation lines at the latest by D-day + 30.

1.7 The parties shall not move munitions, explosives or military equipment into the area controlled by the other party.

1.8 Tamil paramilitary groups shall be disarmed by the GOSL by D-day + 30 at the latest. The GOSL shall offer to integrate individuals in these units under the command and disciplinary structure of the GOSL armed forces for service away from the Northern and Eastern Province.

Freedom of movement

1.9 The parties' forces shall initially stay in the areas under their respective control, as provided in Article 1.4 and Article 1.5.

1.10 Unarmed GOSL troops shall, as of D-day + 60, be permitted unlimited passage between Jaffna and Vavunyia using the Jaffna-Kandy road (A9). The modalities are to be worked out by the parties with the assistance of the SLMM.

1.11 The parties agree that as of D-day individual combatants shall, on the recommendation of their area commander, be permitted, unarmed and in plain clothes, to visit family and friends residing in areas under the control of the other party. Such visits shall be limited to six days every second month, not including the time of travel by the shortest applicable route. The LTTE shall facilitate the use of the Jaffna-Kandy road for this purpose. The parties reserve the right to deny entry to specified military areas.

1.12 The parties agree that as of D-day individual combatants shall notwithstanding the two-month restriction, be permitted, unarmed and in plain clothes, to visit immediate family (ie spouses, children, grandparents, parents and siblings) in connection with weddings or funerals. The right to deny entry to specified military areas applies.

1.13 Fifty unarmed LTTE members shall as of D-day + 30, for the purpose of political work, be permitted freedom of movement in the areas of the North and the East dominated by the GOSL. Additional 100 unarmed LTTE members shall be permitted freedom of movement as of D-day + 60. As of D-day + 90, all unarmed LTTE members shall be permitted freedom of movement in the North and the East. The LTTE members shall carry identity papers. The right of the GOSL to deny entry to specified military areas applies.

Article 2: Measures to restore normalcy

The parties shall undertake the following confidence-building measures with the aim of restoring normalcy for all inhabitants of Sri Lanka:

2.1 The parties shall in accordance with international law abstain from hostile acts against the civilian population, including such acts as torture, intimidation, abduction, extortion and harassment.

2.2 The parties shall refrain from engaging in activities or propagating ideas that could offend cultural or religious sensitivities. Places of worship (temples, churches, mosques and other holy sites etc.) currently held by the forces of either of the parties shall be vacated by D-day + 30 and made accessible to the public. Places of worship which are situated in "high security zones" shall be vacated by all armed personnel and maintained in good order by civilian workers, even when they are not made accessible to the public.

2.3 Beginning on the date on which this agreement enters into force, school buildings occupied by either party shall be vacated and returned to their intended use. This activity shall be completed by D-day + 160 at the latest.

2.4 A schedule indicating the return of all other public buildings to their intended use shall be drawn up by the parties and published at the latest by D-day + 30.

2.5 The parties shall review the security measures and the set-up of checkpoints, particularly in densely populated cities and towns, in order to introduce systems that will prevent harassment of the civilian population. Such systems shall be in place from D-day + 60.

2.6 The parties agree to ensure the unimpeded flow of non-military goods to and from the LTTE-dominated areas with the exception of certain items as shown in Annex A. Quantities shall be determined by market demand. The GOSL shall regularly review the matter with the aim of gradually removing any remaining restrictions on non-military goods.

2.7 In order to facilitate the flow of goods and the movement of civilians, the parties agree to establish checkpoints on their line of control at such locations as are specified in Annex B.

2.8 The parties shall take steps to ensure that the Trincomalee-Habarana road remains open on a 24-hour basis for passenger traffic with effect from D-day + 10.

2.9 The parties shall facilitate the extension of the rail service on the Batticaloa-line to Welikanda. Repairs and maintenance shall be carried out by the GOSL in order to extend the service up to Batticaloa.

2.10 The parties shall open the Kandy-Jaffna road (A9) to non-military traffic of goods and passengers. Specific modalities shall be worked out by the parties with the assistance of the Royal Norwegian Government by D-day + 30 at the latest.

2.11 A gradual easing of the fishing restrictions shall take place starting from D-day. As of D-day + 90, all restrictions on day and night fishing shall be removed, subject to the following exceptions: (i) fishing will not be permitted within an area of 1 nautical mile on either side along the coast and 2 nautical miles seawards from all security forces camps on the coast; (ii) fishing will not be permitted in harbours or approaches to harbours, bays and estuaries along the coast.

2.12 The parties agree that search operations and arrests under the Prevention of Terrorism Act shall not take place. Arrests shall be conducted under due process of law in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code.

2.13 The parties agree to provide family members of detainees access to the detainees within D-day + 30.

Article 3: The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission

The parties have agreed to set up an international monitoring mission to enquire into any instance of violation of the terms and conditions of this agreement. Both parties shall fully cooperate to rectify any matter of conflict caused by their respective sides. The mission shall conduct international verification through on-site monitoring of the fulfilment of the commitments entered into in this agreement as follows:

3.1 The name of the monitoring mission shall be the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (hereinafter referred to as the SLMM).

3.2 Subject to acceptance by the parties, the Royal Norwegian Government (hereinafter referred to as the RNG) shall appoint the Head of the SLMM (hereinafter referred to as the HoM), who shall be the final authority regarding interpretation of this agreement.

3.3 The SLMM shall liaise with the parties and report to the RNG.

3.4 The HoM shall decide the date for the commencement of the SLMM's operations.

3.5 The SLMM shall be composed of representatives from Nordic countries.

3.6 The SLMM shall establish a headquarters in such place as the HoM finds appropriate. An office shall be established in Colombo and in Vanni in order to liaise with the GOSL and the LTTE, respectively. The SLMM will maintain a presence in the districts of Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai.

3.7 A local monitoring committee shall be established in Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai. Each committee shall consist of five members, two appointed by the GOSL, two by the LTTE and one international monitor appointed by the HoM. The international monitor shall chair the committee. The GOSL and the LTTE appointees may be selected from among retired judges, public servants, religious leaders or similar leading citizens.

3.8 The committees shall serve the SLMM in an advisory capacity and discuss issues relating to the implementation of this agreement in their respective districts, with a view to establishing a common understanding of such issues. In particular, they will seek to resolve any dispute concerning the implementation of this agreement at the lowest possible level.

3.9 The parties shall be responsible for the appropriate protection of and security arrangements for all SLMM members.

3.10 The parties agree to ensure the freedom of movement of the SLMM members in performing their tasks. The members of the SLMM shall be given immediate access to areas where violations of the agreement are alleged to have taken place. The parties also agree to facilitate the widest possible access to such areas for the local members of the six above-mentioned committees, cf. Article 3.7.

3.11 It shall be the responsibility of the SLMM to take immediate action on any complaints made by either Party to the agreement, and to enquire into and assist the parties in the settlement of any dispute that might arise in connection with such complaints.

3.12 With the aim of resolving disputes at the lowest possible level, communication shall be established between commanders of the GOSL armed forces and the LTTE area leaders to enable them to resolve problems in the conflict zones.

3.13 Guidelines for the operations of the SLMM shall be established in a separate document.

Article 4: Entry into force, amendments and termination of the agreement

4.1 Each party shall notify its consent to be bound by this agreement through a letter to the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs signed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe on behalf of the GOSL and by leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on behalf of the LTTE respectively. The agreement shall be initialled by each party and enclosed in the above-mentioned letter.

4.2 The agreement shall enter into force on such date as is notified by the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

4.3 This agreement may be amended and modified by mutual agreement of both parties. Such amendments shall be notified in writing to the RNG.

4.4 This agreement shall remain in force until notice of termination is given by either party to the RNG. Such notice shall be given 14 days in advance of the effective date of termination.

Annexes

Annex A: List of goods

Annex B: Checkpoints

Anarchist comments and news updates

The new deal must be seen mainly as a preliminary victory in the service of peace for the Norwegian special negotiator Erik Solheim , a non-dogmatic semilibertarian marxist from the Socialist Left party, SV. (A party that have a significantly semilibertarian and anarchist faction, although usually not the majority, that includes leftist-marxists and marxist-leninists, as well as left wing socialdemocrats). Erik S. volunteered to the work, as a special delegate from the Norwegian State Council. The Anarchist Federation of Norway, AFIN, congratulates Erik Solheim with the good results so far, but are afraid that the peace may break down because there is not really put up a significantly armed corps to support the peace, as in Bosnia, just observers to "watch the peace". The anarchists' advice is to put up a significantly armed corps to support the peacework, similar to Bosnia, and also advocate a new system based on a confederalist solution for the Tamils and the rest of the country. This solution should be based on approximations to the anarchist principles broadly defined, see http://www.anarchy.no/a_e_p_m.html

24.02.2002: The Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, has said he is not ruling out anything in resolving the country's civil war - except granting Tamil Tiger rebels a separate state. Mr Wickremasinghe said the next stage is talks about talks and then, possibly within three months, direct negotiations on a political solution to two decades of separatist struggle. The main concern in most people's minds is whether the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, really have given up their demand for a separate state in the north and east of the island. 26.02.2002: Sri Lanka's government says the objections of a noisy few to the ceasefire agreement with Tamil Tiger rebels do not mean that public opinion as a whole is against it Government spokesman GL Peiris said December's elections had demonstrated the overwhelming support for Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe's efforts to tackle the problem. President Chandrika Kumaratunga, however, seems to differ.

27-28.02.2002: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has denied suggestions that she is trying to scuttle the Norwegian-brokered peace bid between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels. The denial followed press reports quoting her as saying she could cancel a recent ceasefire agreement "with one letter to the army commander". A statement from her office said Mrs Kumaratunga, who is also commander-in-chief of the army, "categorically denied" making the remark. Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, who belongs to a different political party to the president, signed the permanent ceasefire with rebels last week raising hopes for an end to Sri Lanka's long-running ethnic conflict. President Kumaratunga's secretary, Mr K Balapatabendi, said the president had certain reservations about the agreement, but remained totally committed to the peace process. President Kumaratunga has accused the prime minister of failing to consult her fully about ceasefire. But the statement from her office said this did not mean she was trying to destroy the truce. "The peace agreement seems a bit fragile", the anarchists say, "- this is not going to be easy to implement."

01-3.03.2002: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has demanded a review of the agreement between the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels on a permanent ceasefire. In a letter sent to Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe on Friday the president accused him of compromising Sri Lanka's sovereignty by entering into the agreement. She also accused the Anarchy of Norway, the country which brokered the deal, of trying to cause more trouble in her already embattled country. The Norwegians were first invited to broker peace in Sri Lanka by President Kumaratunga three years ago. However, after accusing the Anarchy's special envoy, the semilibertarian marxist Erik Solheim of siding with the Tamil Tiger rebels, the president suspended the peace initiative last June. The fragile process was further complicated by parliamentary elections nearly three months ago in which the president's party lost control of parliament. Mr Wickramasinghe's United National Front won a majority and this led to an uneasy cohabitation government.

The new prime minister invited Oslo to resume its peace drive and broker an indefinite ceasefire which, as mentioned above, went into effect on 23 February. In an 11-page letter the president says the prime minister rushed to sign the truce deal and compromised national security and sovereignty. She says this was the result of allowing a foreigner to draw lines of control between government forces and Tamil rebels. The president argued that that could lead to a Kashmir-style crisis and destabilise the entire region. Mrs Kumaratunga says this is the first major threat to the country's sovereignty since independence from Britain in 1948. The prime minister has been receiving encouragement from world leaders and anarchists. US Secretary of State Colin Powell has telephoned Mr Wickramasinghe to pledge strong US support for Sri Lanka's peace bid. This indicates that the a bit matriarchical president has become increasingly isolated internationally. Mrs Kumaratunga unexpectedly called off a visit to Australia to attend a Commonwealth summit after accusing the government of attacking her supporters.

The president says she must stay at home at this time to protect her supporters. Diplomats say she would have come under considerable international pressure to support the Norwegian Anarchy's peace bid if she attended the Commonwealth summit. The Norwegian Anarchist Council, NACO, says the matriarchal militarist president should try to do the best out of the situation, not act against the peace, and support a confederalist solution with the Tamils, based on mutual autonomy, similar to the solution in Bosnia. By the way, the lifting of war-risk insurance premiums on Sri Lanka's ports will save importers and exporters hundreds of millions of dollars. Thus, several positive effects of the peace agreement are already a fact. "The problem is if it will last without a real peace corps." NACO says.

2-4.03.2002: THE Anarchist International Embassy sends "A NOTE ON THE SITUATION IN SRI LANKA..." world wide, where it reports from AIIS updated about NACO's point of view on Sri Lanka: "Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has demanded a review of the agreement between the government and the Tamils. Friday the president accused her PM of compromising Sri Lanka's sovereignty by entering into the agreement. She also accused the Anarchy of Norway, which brokered the deal, of trying to cause more trouble in her already embattled country. The Norwegian Anarchist Council, NACO, says the matriarchal, militarist, president should try to do the best out of the situation, not act against the peace, and support a confederalist solution with the Tamils, based on mutual autonomy. "

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe urged the nation on Monday to back his plans for peace with local rebels, but opposition lawmakers immediately denounced the Norwegian-brokered cease-fire as a sell-out. In a speech to a special parliamentary session called to review the truce, Wickramasinghe said partisan politics had made it almost impossible to end a nearly two decade ethnic war. "Often where one stands on an issue depends on where one sits at that particular time and this is especially the case in Sri Lankan politics, where parochial, opportunistic and divisive politics often overwhelm statesmanship..." Wickramasinghe said. The session was expected to end on Tuesday with a decision to form a multi-party committee to overlook the cease-fire. Four previous peace bids have ended in bloodbaths. Wickramasinghe's plea for bipartisan support was quickly rebuffed by the opposition. "This is a de facto granting of a separate state, a deception practiced on parliament and the people," said Wimal Weerawansa of the Marxist People's Liberation Front. President Chandrika Kumaratunga's People's Alliance also criticized the pact. "What right has the government to sign an accord with an outlawed terrorist group," said alliance lawmaker Dinesh Gunawardene. In his speech, Wickramasinghe did not mention Kumaratunga, the country's executive president with sweeping powers to sack the government and suspend parliament, who has said Norway had gone too far in trying to end the conflict.

The prime minister's party, which won parliamentary elections in December, was also accused of partisan politics two years ago when it refused to support Kumaratunga's peace plan that included constitutional changes. Wickramasinghe dismissed criticism that the agreement's provisions for a demarcation between the armies of the two sides gave the Tigers de facto recognition. "We have no control over law and order on significant portions of land in the north and east. The armed units of the LTTE dominate these areas," he said. "The armed forces have so far been unable to regain control. We all know this is the reality. "We have been fooling the people and in the process we have fooled ourselves," said Wickramasinghe, who added face-to-face talks were likely to begin within three months. The Anarchy of Norway, which has been shuttling between the two sides since 1999, has the final decision regarding interpretation of the cease-fire agreement. The first of the monitors, led by a Norwegian veteran from the armed defence, Trond Furuhovde, arrived at the weekend and were expected to be in place later this week.

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has said the country's armed forces will remain on alert despite a ceasefire between the government and Tamil separatist rebels. He told parliament he was aware of the pitfalls of the peace process. "Given the history of the conflict, it is not surprising that there is a high level of mistrust between the two parties," he said. He also rejected criticism that by giving the Anarchy of Norway a monitoring role in the process, he had compromised Sri Lanka's sovereignty. This, a special, parliamentary session was called following demands by the opposition Peoples Alliance and the Marxist JVP, both of which have criticised the peace move. Wickramasinghe has called on the people to back his plans for peace with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, but warned that the process could be fraught with danger. Several opposition embers attacked the plan, with one - Wimal Weerawansa of the Marxist JVP - saying it amounted to de facto partition of Sri Lanka, in the interests of the Tamil Tigers. "If the Swiss Confederation is a "de facto partition" the Sri Lank should perhaps support a similar "de facto partition", the anarchists say 06.03.2002.

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has met a senior Norwegian official to discuss arrangements for monitoring the current ceasefire. 08.03.2002: President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga in a message on "International Women's Day" expressed belief that all women should actively participate in the peace process. Since women have suffered most in this war, they should play a major role in the peace process, she said. "My warm and sincere wishes to all Sri Lankan women on the occasion of International Women's Day, March 8. This year's theme for Women's Day, "The increased participation of women in politics," is most opportune. Women's participation in Sri Lankan politics is insufficient compared to developed countries even though 51 per cent of our population is made up of women. However there are quite a number of Sri Lankan women who participate in social, economic and political activities. I am happy to note that the trend is on the increase. A spokeswoman for the Anarcha-Feminist International said this speech was an improvement compared to the matriarchal, militarist talking some days ago, and sends a special solidaric 08.03 greeting to all women of Sri Lanka.

The de-commissioning of weapons in line with a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire has begun in Sri Lanka. A former Tamil militant group, the Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF), has started returning its weapons to government forces ahead of a deadline to disarm paramilitary groups. Meanwhile at least four people were killed and 20 injured in an explosion at an election rally on the edge of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo.The DPLF move probabaly puts pressure on other Tamil groups to fall in line with the deadline for de-commissioning weapons in the hands of paramilitary groups. Scandinavian truce monitors have already begun their preliminary work and the government hopes that initial talks with Tiger rebels could open within about two and a half months when the truce is set to be fully implemented. The truce allows Tiger rebels to enter into government-held areas so long as they are unarmed and out of uniform. But Tamil parties have expressed fears that they may fall victim to assassination and hit-and-run attacks as in the past, the Tigers have tried to eliminate any rivals.

14.03.2002: Senior U.S. officials visited Sri Lanka's Jaffna peninsula on Friday to throw Washington's weight behind Prime Minster Ranil Wickramasinghe's peace mission to the epicenter of the island's ethnic war.The visit by Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca and Marine Brigadier General Timothy Ghormley underlines the carrot-and-stick diplomacy that helped Norway broker a truce between the government and Tamil guerrillas."We strongly support the peace process and hope the two sides will reach a settlement soon," said Rocca, disembarking from a U.S. Marines C-130 transport plane at Jaffna's Pallaly airport. Rocca, the highest ranking U.S. diplomat to visit Jaffna, held talks with Wickramasinghe, who received a rapturous welcome on Thursday when he became the first prime minister in 20 years to tour the heartland of the island's Tamil minority. Earlier this week, Washington warned the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) against reneging on the truce. On Friday Wickramasinghe was promised America's support in the face of growing nationalist protests among the Sinhalese majority. Rocca gave Wickramasinghe a special message from President Bush and joined him in a tour of Chavakachcheri, a town that was pounded to rubble in the most ferocious artillery battle of the war two years ago.

Chavakachcheri, still a ghost town, straddles the main highway into the peninsula which was once part of a de facto state run by the rebels fighting for Tamil independence n Sri Lanka's north and east. The rebels are listed as a terrorist group by several Western countries including the United States, which threatened on Monday to tighten the noose around the guerrillas if they tried to undermine the truce. The rebels, whose finances depend on an international Tamil diaspora, immediately promised to fall in line -- a rare public acknowledgement of the intense diplomatic pressure on both sides to end a conflict that, as mentioned, has killed more than 64,000 people. The Sri Lankan government said Ghormley, accompanied by a dozen marines, would discuss military training and assistance. The normally staid Wickramasinghe, a Sinhalese Buddhist, was mobbed by crowds of mostly Hindu Tamils who have not seen a Sri Lankan president or prime minister since 1982, one year before the war began. By contrast, Buddhist monks took to the streets on Thursday in the largely Sinhalese south to denounce him as a traitor. But Wickramasinghe used the euphoria of his visit to plead for reconciliation. "There are doubts on both sides but we must give peace a chance," he said. Jaffna's media hailed Wickramasinghe as a peace maker but warned him that this could be Sri Lanka's last chance for peace. "If you don't deliver, the next time you come you'll need a passport," said the Tamil daily Vallampuri. The 1,000 square miles Jaffna peninsula, cut off from the rest of the island by rebel lines, has long been the biggest territorial prize of the war. The guerrillas drove the army out of the peninsula in 1990 but lost it to a massive military offensive about five years. The two sides eventually fought to a stalemate last year. "We have nothing to add to what we said before, so far," the Conference said.

Thursday 11.04.2002, Peace possible says Sri Lanka PM: Tigers say they will end suicide bombings. Sri Lanka's prime minister sees a real chance of ending its bloody civil war after a historic statement by the leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels. Ranil Wickramasinghe said Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's rejection of new suicide bomb attacks created a "window of opportunity" for peace. While the rebels still called for a separate Tamil state, Mr Wickramasinghe said their leader had hinted he might settle for autonomy within Sri Lanka. Peace talks between the two sides are due to open in Thailand in May. "The peace process can be intensified after yesterday's comments by Prabhakaran," the prime minister told Sri Lankan TV. In his first news conference to the media for 12 years, the rebel leader had announced an end to "Black Tiger" operations - the suicide bombings which struck terror over the years into Sri Lanka and India alike. Mr Prabhakaran called the historic briefing in the wake of a ceasefire agreed with government forces in late December. The rebel leader insisted the government must lift its four-year ban on his organisation before the talks in Thailand.

Eighteen years of war seem to be going towards an end. Tamils allege discrimination by majority Sinhalese. About 64,000 people have been killed. India lost 1,200 troops when it intervened against the Tigers in the late 1980s. "The current peace negotiated by the Anarchy of Norway is so far working a bit, but as mentioned, this less authoritarian tendency may easy stop, as it seems to be no significantly common armed corps to stop any major challenge against the negotiated peace," the anarchists say.

05.05.2002: International observers take blame for marine fighting. The Norwegian-led observer group in Sri Lanka shouldered responsibility for Thursday's sea battle between the navy and boats belonging to the rebel Tamil Tigers. The monitoring group composed of 23 members from Norway, Sweden and Finland failed to deliver a written request from the Tamil Tigers to cross government-controlled waters. Deputy leader for the council, Hagrup Haukland, admitted Friday that it had been an error only to deliver the message verbally. The skirmish developed into a minor sea battle and one of the guerrillas' boats was sunk and another exploded. A new round of talks between the parties managed to restore calm. "The situation is quite unstable, " the anarchists say: " We must remind you about the problems mentioned above!"

13.09.2002: European Commission to support peace talks in Sri Lanka. The European Commission has adopted on 13 September 2002 a decision to support the peace process in Sri Lanka under its Rapid Reaction Mechanism. Following the February 23 Cease Fire Agreement, the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will start on Monday September 16, formal talks in Thailand on further steps to be taken in the peace process. The Commission’s Decision is timed to coincide with the start of these talks. The additional Community funding is in recognition of the parties’ commitment to the Cease Fire Agreement. Its main objective, for which the total budget is € 1.8 million (euro), is to finance a series of measures to implement key provisions of the Cease Fire Agreement and to build confidence in the peace process.

The programme will focus on highly visible actions and is additional to and supportive of other Community programmes.The programme consists of the following measures: Support to the implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement by rehabilitating schools that had been used for military purposes before being vacated as agreed in the Cease Fire Agreement. This includes clearing the school areas of mines, rehabilitation of the buildings and refurbishing them with basic equipment. The rehabilitation of electricity lines between the checkpoints on the Kandy-Jaffna road in order to improve the movement of people between the former conflict zones by allowing the checkpoints to be operational on a 24h per day basis. A financial contribution to the Peace Secretariat in order to facilitate activities aiming at the dissemination of information concerning developments related to the peace process to key stakeholders and the population. Support to activities of the Human Rights Commission aiming at raising awareness among the population of human rights in general and minority rights in particular.

The contracts under this programme will be signed in the coming days. Implementation of the planned activities will start shortly after. In parallel, the Commission has started the process to mobilise € 4 million under the Rehabilitation budget line. These funds will be used for the rehabilitation of the Batticaloa Railroad, an additional contribution to assist the return of displaced persons and to finance a mine survey under the UN Mine Action Programme. The Commission will follow up these activities with its Country Strategy Paper 2003-2006. "International contribution to the peace prosess is vital. For the future establishing federalism in Sri Lanka is discussed, as opposed to the separatist case. In this case a confederalist anarchist type of federalism, perhaps even in somewhat more horizontal direction than the Swiss Confederation, with great autonomy for the Tamils, is recommended," - says the anarchists, mentioning the http://www.anarchy.no/course1.html as a basis for further discussion. (This file updated was sent to Sri Lanka's general consulate in Oslo, embassies and media by AIE 19.09.2002.)

05.12.2002: Sri Lankan central administration and Tamil Tiger rebels agree on a federal/confederal managerial system on the island, paving the way for an end to almost two decades of war.

04.11.2003 Sri Lanka's president has defended her decision to suspend parliament and sack key ministers, saying she acted to protect national security. In a nationwide address, President Chandrika Kumaratunga accused the government of making too many concessions to Tamil Tiger rebels. She offered to talk to the rebels but said law and order was her priority. Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has 04.11.2003 accused President Chandrika Kumaratunga of bringing Sri Lanka to the verge of anarchy and chaos, according to BBC and several other newsmedia. If it is on the verge of anarchy the country cannot be on the verge of chaos, because anarchy is quite the opposite of chaos, according to the Oslo Convention, and Ranil Wickramasinghe gets a Brown Card from IAT-APT together with the newsmedia. The president's speech on state television came at the end of a day of fast-moving events. Her decision to sack the information, defence and interior ministers, suspend parliament and deploy troops around key buildings in the capital, Colombo, stunned the country and brought howls of protest from her political rivals. President Kumaratunga accused Mr Wickramasinghe of giving too much ground to the Tamil Tigers.

12.08.2005: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has been assassinated in a gun attack in the capital, Colombo. The murder was blamed by a senior police officer on the separatist Tamil Tigers, who have been observing a ceasefire since 2002. A spokeswoman for the Norwegian monitors overseeing the truce warned that the killing could "put the whole ceasefire under risk".

Stop Sri Lanka Violence
"The current situation is a threatening one and we believe that the continuation of the fighting will only make the prospects for peace worse and will benefit neither side," a spokesperson for the Anarchist International (AI) says to AIIS friday 18.08.2006. Violence between government forces and rebels has spiked in the past few weeks in the north and east, where the insurgents want to establish a separate homeland for the country's minority 3.2 million Tamils. Hundreds of rebels and government troops have been killed in the past week alone in fighting in government-controlled northern Jaffna Peninsula, the heartland of Tamil culture. The clashes in Jaffna are some of the fiercest since the two sides signed a 2002 Norwegian-brokered cease-fire. Since Aug. 11, when the insurgents made a major push to retake the peninsula, fighting has killed at least 700 rebels and 106 government troops. The AI spokesperson said the ongoing fighting would "not resolve the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka." and that she was "deeply concerned about the growing humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka and the suffering of innocent people." The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland for the tropical island's ethnic Tamils. At least 65,000 people are known to have died before the cease-fire, many of them civilians. Thursday 17.08.2006, half a dozen hardline Buddhist monks hijacked a peace rally in the capital, shouting pro-war slogans and scuffling with some of the 1,000 anti-war demonstrators, underscoring divided sentiments here about the peace process.

2006 October - A suicide bomber attacks a military convoy, killing more than 90 sailors. Tamil Tigers attack a naval base in Galle, the southern city frequented by tourists. Peace talks resume in Geneva but fail.

2007 January - After weeks of heavy fighting the military says it has captured the Tamil Tiger stronghold of Vakarai, in the east. Tens of thousands of civilians flee the area. President Mahinda Rajapakse's government secures a long-elusive parliamentary majority after 25 opposition MPs defect to its ranks. Italian and US ambassadors are slightly hurt as rebels shell a delegation of diplomats touring eastern areas.

2007 March - Government troops claim continuing success in clearing eastern coastal areas of rebels. Thousands of civilians flee the fighting. Tamil Tigers launch their first confirmed air raid, hitting a military base next to the international airport.

2007 April - Two international airlines suspend flights to Sri Lanka following another air raid by Tamil Tigers.

2007 May - Tourism slumps because of fighting between the army and Tamil rebels.

2007 June - Police force hundreds of Tamils out of the capital, citing security concerns, but a court orders an end to the expulsions. 09.06.2007: "Despite an official truce, Sri Lanka has been sliding back to civil war. More than 4,000 people have been killed in violence in the past 15 months. All parties involved in the war in Sri Lanka have come in for heavy criticism for disregarding human rights by the Anarchist International", says a spokesperson for the AI to AIIS.

2008 January - 02.01.2008 Sri Lanka ends LTTE cease-fire agreement. Sri Lankan government officials announced plans Wednesday to withdraw from a cease-fire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Officials announced the policy decision that ends the formal agreement brokered by Norway in 2002 between the Sri Lankan government and the rebel organization, the Sri Lanka Government news reported. "Today it was proposed to the Cabinet by the honorable prime minister that the cease-fire is no longer valid and it's time to withdraw from the cease-fire agreement," Anura Yapa, the Sri Lanka Cabinet spokesman, said in a statement. "All the ministers agreed to the proposal." Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake will be required to inform Norway about the government's decision and give LTTE 14 days' notice before officially withdrawing. Critics argue terrorist activities by LTTE and other military operations have resulted in an estimated 5,000 people killed as fighting intensified since the signing of the agreement. Early Wednesday 02.01.2008, a roadside bomb killed four people and injured 20 others in Colombo. "The government has taken a policy decision to not to have any further agreement with a terrorist outfit since Norway facilitated 2002 CFA has failed," Government Defense spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. "The attempts made so far to have a negotiated settlement with LTTE terrorists could bring no favorable results. Therefore the government sees no point of having any attempt to come to a settlement with a terrorist outfit." The LTTE has 10.01.2008 asked the Norwegians to continue as peace negotiators.

The Anarchist International is troubled by the Sri Lankan Government's 02.01.2008 decision to terminate the 2002 cease-fire agreement. Ending the cease-fire agreement will make it more difficult to achieve a lasting, peaceful solution to Sri Lanka's conflict. We call on both the government and the LTTE to avoid an escalation of hostilities and further civilian casualties. All parties to the conflict share the responsibility to protect the rights of all of Sri Lanka's people. We urge them to work toward the goal of a just, political solution that ensures the rights of minority communities and benefits all Sri Lankans. Only a peaceful political solution, not a military one, offers a way out of the current cycle of escalating violence. The LTTE has 10.01.2008 asked the Norwegians to continue as peace negotiators.

[cwinton]

Damn, that is one long article. :

But the majority Buddhist Sinhalese community resented what they saw as favouritism towards the mainly-Hindu Tamils

Greedy Buddhists HATING minority Hindu Tamils. How quaint.

chicken before egg? HatefulReligiousSupremacy, no matter which way you look at it.

-- "We demand more equality than them! Why are you oppressing us! Boo-hoo!" -- it doesn't matter the religion, they all are brainwashed to HATE government.

[cwinton]

-- "They can't wear those clothes!"
-- "They can't look at that!"
-- "They can't teach that!"
-- "They can't learn that!"
-- "They can't buy that!"
-- "They can't do that!"
-- "They can't be that!"
-- "They can't say that!"
-- "They can't listen to that!"
-- "They can't eat that!"
-- "They can't print that!"
-- "They can't print that!"
-- "They can't smoke that!"
-- "They can't drink that!"
-- "They can't smell that!"
-- "They can't feel that!"
-- "They can't hear that!"
-- "They can't sense that!"
-- "We're so offended! We're victims! Our eyes! Our ears! Our noses! Our brains! Everything we see! Our eyes offend us! Oh the insufferable pain!"

Mention it, and they say: "Why are you oppressing our religious freedom! We're victims! Boo-hoo!"

They've already infiltrated and infected Legislatures to PUNISH all of 'not their kinds of people' to outlaw half of economy, globally, concocting the world's greatest debts to ENFORCE and PUNISH their HATEFULNESS and are now working feverishly to outlaw the other half to KILL ALL GOVERNMENTS, globally.

WTF part of "HatefulReligiousSupremacy" don't YOU get?

[cwinton]

It's THEIR concocted 'offensive-eye-issues' -- (or ears or noses or whatever) -- which is why I always remind them to take personal-responsibility for it and pluck 'em out -- PROBLEM SOLVED.

[P & CA News Bot]

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