warning the photos are strong
Link removed
Thanks for the link-and-run. Too much trouble to at least explain what “Tamils” are so people know what they’re clicking? For anyone who’s wondering, they’re an ethnic group, and the pictures are of dead men, women, and children. I’m not familiar with the term, and I assumed it referred to some kind of animal. No offense intended, I just really didn’t know.
All that being said, those are horrible pictures.
Wait, so the Tamil Tigers aren’t actually tigers?
Would the OP please stop doing these drive-by pittings?
Sheesh. Leave it to Wildfire to do a one-liner on a legitimately Pittable (if still valid) issue.
The ethnic composition of Sri Lanka traditionally included two groups – the somewhat-more-dominant and majority Sinhalese (an Indo-Aryan group, if you happen to be interested in ethnolinguistics) and the Srilankan Tamils, a Dravidian group indistinguishable from their compeers in South India, who tended to be lower class but were not unduly discriminated against – officially; it resembles parts of the non-South U.S. before the civil rights movement, where black people were “officially” the equal of whites but tended to get lower-stature, low-paying jobs and be restricted in where they were welcomed to live, etc.
Somewhere during the British Raj, additional workers were imported to the island, and by and large, given the Tamil people already present, these tended to be Indian Tamils.
The net result was a major shift in sociocultural structures. The Tamils became more nearly a majority people (I believe they are the majority now), and the Indian Tamils began agitating for equal treatment, joined to varying degrees by the Srilankan Tamils. For a while this turned into a half-baked civil war – the kind where guerrillas and assassination raids, rather than actual troops controlling territory, are par for the course.
I was under the impression that some sort of modus vivendi had been put in place and that the Tamils were, if not satified, at least accepting of a compromise settlement.
Anyone want to provide more background?
Crappy OP as ever, I agree, but come on.
Rather less charitably than Polycarp, I don’t think it’s too much to expect that dopers know the name of the members of the second/third most serious insurgency in the world. That’s a pathetic request, I’m afraid.
Anyway, when you see what Tamil Tigers do to the Sri Lankan military, you realise it’s a fucked up situation all round.
Good point. I wonder if there’s a website out there where I can fight my ignorance on this and other subjects, then return here when I know everything so we can stroke our beards and discuss the situation intelligently.
Sarcasm aside, you really think most people know about this? I’d be willing to bet most people still don’t know about Darfur, must less this situation. Thanks to Polycarp for the detail by the way.
The ceasefire’s been in trouble for some years. From here:
As for being a “half-baked” civil war, that’s not quite right. The Tigers held the Jaffna Pensinsula and other territory for some time and defended it. They act as the government of 10% of the country in the sense that they provide police, hospitals, schools etc.
In addition, this is the conflict that gave the world the suicide bomber as a regular tactic.
Who doesn’t know about Darfur?
“This situation” in Sri Lanka has been running for more than 30 years. Tens of thousands have died. It “popularized” suicide bombing. They assassinated the president of Sri Lanka. They also assassinated the leader of the second biggest country on earth, for goodness’ sake. The Tigers took over half of a sovereign nation and most recently were in the news embroiled in a huge amouth of post-tsunami reconstruction/hassle.
Sorry to insult you Slacker, but I don’t think you should get a free pass for not having heard of “this situation”.
So on a board ostensibly dedicated to fighting ignorance, anyone who actually expresses ignorance has earned derision for it. I see.
There’s only so much I can pay attention to, and only so much I seem to be able to retain. I’d also like to thank Polycarp for the succinct recap of “this situation,” because I needed it. I would very much like to be erudite on all things sociopolitical, but I’m not. Looking down your nose at ignoramuses like me will never accomplish as much as an elegant post like Poly’s.
Was more really needed in the OP? It’s a safe bet he or she was coming out against the killing of children, and if you don’t know what a tamil is we have thing called The Google on the internets, it’s quite a popular way to figure out stuff like that these days.
The Civil War is not some obscure event. Anyone who pays any sort of attention to world affairs should have heard about it. And if not, surely the correct response here is to go and inform yourself if you’re interested, not bitch about not having heard of something any half-way informed person should be familiar with?
It’s not like Google and Wiki don’t exist.
The Fight Against Ignorance should involve a degree of self-help.
Yeah, there’s really not much in the way of moral high ground in that conflict, at least among those who keep committing these acts of violence. As usual, everyday people just trying to live their lives are the ones who pay the biggest price, not the gun- and bomb-toting militants on either side.
I worked with a Sri Lankan guy in Sydney whose family had fled Sri Lanka due to threats from both sides. His father was Tamil and his mother was Sinhalese.
If someone hasn’t heard of XHTML calls or hadrons, that’s fair enough. But major, current world events should be part of basic knowledge.
You needn’t be erudite on all things sociopolitical, as I am not either, but I feel there’s a basic minimum that a normal, educated person should know, such as, prior to 2001, the biggest insurgency in the world.
As I said, I’m uncharitable about this. Poly is a kinder person than I.
Anyway, it’s hard to look down one’s nose when one’s jaw is on the floor.
Google requires one to sort through the crap, and Wiki may or may not give a good in-depth synopsis. Asking for good resources to wizen oneself on a subject is not out of line.
As for the OP, a drive-by link is SOP, and does nothing to foster conversation.
why said that Buddhism was all about peace?
Why not?
And who’s on first base?
So the yardstick for a normal, educated person is based on the topics YOU are familiar with? Really snotty response.
I get that. My point was that a succinct summary of even immensely important current events – or a link to a good summary – is helpful. Something that I struggle with how news is covered is that stories tend to a) offer only the latest developments and b) depend on knowledge of all the previous coverage. Poly’s post gave the whole history in one swoop, and served as a reminder about the causes of the ongoing conflict.
Should it be necessary for Poly or other knowledgeable types to post such a summary? No. But on a board to fight ignorance, it can only help.
FYI: “LTTE” stands for “Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.” “Tamil Eelam” is the name that Sri Lankan Tamils use for the territory they wish to make into a politically autonomous territory.
For the record, Rajiv Gandhi was no longer prime minister when he was killed by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber. He was, however, campaigning in an election that he hoped would return him to the premiership.