Portrait

we got to bangalore from cochin two days ago after a gruelling over-night bus ride.

it’s great seeing iroms, kush and deanne properly. their flat is really great, small and neat and very colourful. bangalore is very crowded with incessent traffic, tonnes of people, lots of great shopping to be done and probably india’s only flourishing pub culture.

so far we’ve been to this popular pub (that serves only beer) called peco’s. it’s dark and dingy and plays great music, with drawings of the beatles on the ceiling and of the likes of bob marley on the walls. reminded me a little of the den from colombo’s sort of recent history. we also went to this super seedy bar full of men after for more hard alcohol.

last night we went to the ever green purple haze, which i’ve always heard so much about. its apparently been renovated and rebuilt. again nice place, sort of clancy’s-ish lay out but better music and nicer on the whole. we also went to this club last night called fusion lounge, it was, lo and behold, hip hop night and the place was packed with ‘asians’.

everything here shuts at 11 pm which means you start drinking at about 5 pm. kind of strange, but it grows on you.

boggy also made us watch this atrocity called ‘just my luck’. hopefully, we’ll be able to catch the return of johnny depp as jack sparrow before we leave.

we also went to this place called tibetan plaza which sells cool CHEAP things. that’s probably where everyone’s gifts will come from. A and i went crazy and plan on doing so again today.

lots of things to do before we leave for goa on thursday and so little time. everything is so cheap. we cannot get over it.

A and i are safely in india. it was too good being reunited with old friends in bangalore. the bus ride to cochin was painfully long. my bladder really deserves a medal. i cannot imagine making the same trip back to bangalore, and an even longer one to goa in a week.

cochin is great, but there’s still much left to be seen and experienced…

meanwhile, the food is cheap and i’m loving it.

from the people for peace blog.

plenty of people have always had a lot of things to say. things in the nature of protests and demonstrations have always been subject to scrutiny and condemnation for their apparent futility. there has always been a part of the world that has readily called someone else’s efforts useless and a waste of time. there have always been those that search for more ‘productive’ methods of doing things, less belligerent ways of changing the way things are. there have always been many that talk a lot and do next to nothing. there have been countless numbers that just aren’t bothered enough. as is always the case, you can’t make everyone happy. but, i was there and i will be there again.

everyone can sit around and wait for someone else to find the perfect solution, one that clearly doesn’t exist, because by perfect, they mean perfect for them. or, everyone can sit around and diss everything other people are doing, because it’s so goddamn easy to pin the blame on the concerned. or, everyone can shout about wanting action and the redundancy of just talking and then not participate in the action when it takes place because it just takes up too much of their precious time. or, everyone even just display not only consistent, but persistent negativity at someone else’s efforts because it’s not their own. or, everyone could even do nothing but question another. question question question. that’s all. no action, no clear-cut opinion, no alternative solution, just condescending, pessimistic questioning of another’s beliefs and actions.

i’m sick and tired of talking too. although i’m a firm believer that talking about action leads to more effective action than action that is unplanned, there has been plenty of that already. i believe that people can change things because they can. i believe that it is right of me to have been at that protest because of many reasons : protests are a good (and sometimes only) way of creating awareness in the minds of people that may be otherwise busy and unconcerned about the recklessness with which the current situation of the country is declining, protests bring people together in large numbers to publicly display their concern for one cause, paving the way for discussions and relationships between these people which will lead to unity within a frame of ‘fighting for a cause’. and mostly because it’s an effective way of voicing my opinion, not only to those that know it already, but to those that are just passing me by. it’s a loud and clear way of saying ‘here i am, here’s what i believe in’. i was there, and will be there tomorrow, because i exist. because i care. because i give a shit.

there’s a protest tomorrow at 4.30 pm at the lipton circus (that’s the odel roundabout). there’s also a meeting before that. everyone that was shouting about immediate action on this blog and many others, i’d like to see you there, standing on the road, holding up a sign that says something meaningful. then, we’ll talk.

CALLING FOR AN IMMEDIATE END TO THE SIEGE IN MUTTUR

Over the last 48 hours the town of Muttur has been under siege and the situation is rapidly deteriorating. There is little factual information regarding the ground situation in Muttur but according to some sources at least 20 civilians have been killed, more than 50 injured and 30,000 plus displaced. The town’s food medical and water supplies are rapidly running out. Under the onslaught of artillery bombardment the town’s residents want to flee but are effectively trapped in the town.

The violence in Muttur has intensified as the Sri Lankan Armed Forces are attempting to drive out the LTTE, who are presently within the town. The Muttur Siege is itself a spillover of a battle down stream in and around Mavil Aru. As both sides were unable to reach an understanding on the water dispute, the LTTE responded by closing the sluice gate at Mavil Aru to which the state reacted by ordering an aerial bombardment and a ground offensive. As the two sides have attempted to secure control through offensives and counter offensives the civilians have been caught in the middle. The LTTE reportedly infiltrated Muttur and is said to be in control of parts of the town while simultaneously launching mortar attacks on key targets within the Town and nearby army camps. The security forces are attacking LTTE positions, carrying out artillery attacks on Muttur and launching an aerial bombardment of Sampur. As of 17:00 hours August 3rd the LTTE remains in Muttur and the armed forces continue their artillery barrage on Muttur.

Both sides are insisting that they are fighting for humanitarian reasons and that civilians are not targets but it is the civilians who have to bear the brunt of the violence. The battle for the town effectively makes the civilians human shields. Given that Muttur is a populated urban settlement the armed forces’ artillery and the LTTE’s mortar attacks are indiscriminate. An artillery shell hit the Arabic College in Muttur at approximately 13:00 hours, killing ten civilians who were seeking shelter there and injuring scores of others. Both sides have charged the other responsible for the ‘misfire.’ Neither side has, however ceased their use of heavy weapons.

Many of the town’s residents have reportedly left their homes and sought shelter in schools, mosques and churches. Although these buildings, according to international humanitarian law, are safe zones for civilians during armed conflict, as the Arabic College incident clearly shows civilians are not safe even there. The maternity unit of the Muttur District Hospital was hit by a shell on August 2nd which led to the closure of the hospital thereby intensifying the humanitarian crisis. The town is running short of basic supplies as no rations are coming through and international and local agencies who attempt to bring supplies through can not secure a guarantee from both sides that they would not be attacked. An ambulance from Muttur was fired on in Seruvila on the 2nd killing three civilians including the ambulance driver. Both sides are demonstrating a fundamental disregard for civilian life and humanitarian norms.

The civilians are faced with a stark choice: each side have made demands on the civilians to evacuate, to make to it easier for them to achieve their politico-military strategy. With the ferry system shut down and the violence spreading across the coastline and the hinterland of East Trincomalee it is clear that flight to safety is itself a dangerous process. Flight is not the first choice for the civilians who first and foremost want an end to the artillery bombardment and violence, a delivery of basic supplies and a return to normalcy. Both sides have made statements expressing willingness to agree to a ‘ceasefire’ and to devise humanitarian measures, but the violence continues.

On the morning of August 4th a decision was made by the Muttur Muslim Community to flee en mass as the firing has not stopped despite their pleas. An estimated 20,000 + people planned to walk with white flags from Muttur to Kantale. At the last minute a convoy was arranged.

While providing humanitarian assistance is an urgent requirement to address the basic needs of the displaced, it is an unsustainable solution. The situation requires immediate political action.

We the undersigned demand;

a.) An immediate cessation of hostilities, especially an end to artillery bombardment of Muttur
b.) Guaranteed safe passage by both sides for humanitarian relief to Muttur and for the wounded and the vulnerable to be evacuated
c.) An immediate negotiation on the Maavil Aru Issue to ensure that the civilians of all ethnic communities have access to water.
d.) Recognition by both parties of ‘Safe Zones’ such as schools and religious institution where civilians can seek refuge during periods of violence.

Speak out and protest against the situation today, friday the 4th of August at Lipton Circus.

Please be sure to sign and express your support for this important initiative by posting comments.