‘We have faced bigger challenges’ claims Rajapaksa on coronavirus pandemic

by Thusiyan
Apr 12, 2020

Sri Lanka’s prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed confidence in his government’s ability to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, reiterating the 2009 military defeat of the LTTE in which the Sri Lankan military massacred tens of thousands of Tamils, in a public address earlier this week.

“We have faced bigger challenges in our history,” said Rajapaksa in a televised address. “During the period of terrorism, people lived for twenty or thirty years in camps for the displaced. They slept through the night with their small children in the brush jungle. Having made such sacrifices, I believe it is not impossible for you to spend a little time at home for the country”. I call on my beloved people to make that sacrifice.

“I am confident that we can rise up without facing the disaster that other countries have faced,” he added.

Rajapaksa, who was president during the 2009 massacres, went on to state that “at no time did we take decisions based on political, racial or religious lines”. “We will not do so in the future either,” he claimed.

The current government strategy has been led by Shavendra Silva, a senior commander during the 2009 massacres and current head of the Sri Lankan army.

See his full speech here and more Colombo Gazette here.

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The crisis is compounded by the controversial 'Fast Track' system introduced in 2014 by the Abbott government. According to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, this system has resulted in the rejection of around 8,500 asylum seekers' cases. It specifically targets individuals who sought asylum by sea and arrived in Australia between August 13, 2012, and December 31, 2013. Tamil asylum seekers, stuck in visa limbo for years, have launched protests nationwide, with 24-hour encampments in Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane.

Amaran - Problematic propaganda

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The genre of war epic makes its grand re-entry to Tamil cinema with director Rajkumar Periasamy’s sophomore feature film, ‘Amaran.’ As is often the case with this genre, one cannot help but feel the events of the ‘true story’ onscreen have been heavily modified for easy consumption.

 

 

 

The patriotic military films of Tamil cinema had taken a back seat for a while. The subject matter is now seldom a prominent theme of a film, instead lurking in the shadows peeking through such as via the heroes in the works of Nelson Dilipkumar. The genre of war epic makes its grand re-entry to Tamil cinema with director Rajkumar Periasamy’s sophomore feature film, ‘Amaran.’ As is often the case with this genre, one cannot help but feel the events of the ‘true story’ onscreen have been heavily modified for easy consumption.

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Krishna's rating: 2.5 stars

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Official trailer for film below.

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(c) Halt all offensive arms transfers, including weapons, explosives, guns and/or ammunition, to Israel;

(d) Hold nationals, including those with dual Israeli citizenship, involved in settler violence or violations in Gaza, accountable for violations of international law;  

(e) Review financial transfer policies that allow religious and charitable organizations to fund activities in Israel, which enable the further sustenance of an apartheid system;  

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Read more here

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