Shan Weereratne

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2010/04/03/204395_gold-coast-news.html

The focal point of this article should not be human rights. The topic of HR violations can be debated at another forum.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Does the SL govt intend busting up billions of dollars for an event which simply glorifies the ugly side of the white man and his past antics.

Australia, do not get carried away cos your descendents too were treated with disdain by the Brits. Responding to the perennial criticism on Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s conduct on the final phase of the war, the SL Army did not kill 40,000 people as Jeh claims. Why not prop up that to a round figure of 100,000. It would be a godsend to all you LTTE sympathises craving for publicity, in order to delude gullible western nations blinded by sympathy. The more the merrier in order to boost the numbers simply to convince countries like Australia to grant refugee status to Tamils who illegally come here in hordes purely for economic reasons under the pretext of fleeing persecution.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Michael Jeh, by using your former status as a Sri Lankan cricketer just to catch the attention of the reader, you too are simply trying to jump the bandwagon harping on a widely used dictum especially by some Tamils and particularly NGO groups who thrive on the vulnerable to earn their bread and butter. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Jeh, did you seriously expect the Lankan military to let go of the only opportunity they had to annihilate the tyrant who was responsible for human destruction and misery for decades?

The Tamils who died in the crossfire were unfortunate prisoners of war held captive by the Tamil Tigers using them as human shields, the very same people they professed to represent. Western countries continuously turned a blind eye to fund raising activities in their own backyards until the word Terrorism touched their hearts and souls via 9/11 and subsequently through places like Bali and London. Sri Lankans experienced Bali on a daily basis for 30 years. Michael Jeh seems to be oblivious to the facts or is deliberately trying to boost his academic profile by blatantly misrepresenting himself.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Hambantota with its great geographical placement between the East and the West and unspoilt beaches of charm and splendour has immense potential to be a power house of South-Eastern Sri Lanka and the South Asian region. I agree that the massive development drive for that region with a new harbour, international airport,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  railway extension, Southern expressway project, international cricket stadium, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ entertainment centre, state of the art conference centre, new federal government service centre, countless new five star beach hotels and other infrastructure projects bode well for the future. However it still seems too early in my opinion for Sri Lanka to bid for any major sporting event let aside the Commonwealth games.