Happy New Year – a Peaceful 2009

Let us hope that this new year provides Peace & Justice to a world in need and usher an era of Peace & Prosperity to Sri Lanka, with an end to this murderous War and the Scourge of the LTTE.

My prayers to all the innocent who lost their lives amidst the war,
the ones who died fighting for the freedom of this country and..
for those who lost their lives while fighting for a myth,
after all they too are one of us!

Let this new year bring peace of mind to all ordinary people of Sri Lanka and rest of the World..to all those who are tired of war and destruction,dirty politics and bad economics!

Tinker of Colombo.

Interactive Defence Map of Sri Lanka (Northern Battle field)

Above is a screen shot of the Interactive Defence Map of Sri Lanka (Northern Battle field) crated and maintained by Cyber Lanka.

Map itself is a cool tool, not only its updated daily (based on public reports via Govt.web sites ) it also contains location specific captions on daily happening’s and key incidents.

main feature of the map is, it depicts the troop movements and accordingly a great tool for all the Armchair Warlords,Peace Crusaders and citizens alike!

of course the warlords can go on and on talk about the disposition of Divisions and also strategy over long drinks on Friday and Saturday nights while the Flower Rd.based Civil Society Peace Crusaders can chart-out their next moves to pressure the IC to bring about ‘ forced peace‘ or scram ‘peace now’ ‘no war ‘ etc, just so that they could take the heat off Mullativu.. while UNP (or rather..whats left of it..  ) and SLFP (M) gang can engage in their futile conspiracies to bring down MR.

either way.. Map is a good tool to understand the developments and all the rhetoric and analysis on both print and electronic media over Military Operations happening in the North.

Good work Cyber Lanka for crating and managing  this map. i think this map can be a model for discussing many other issues that we face today, including Political violence and even Environmental issues like Floods , landslides etc.

Prabakaran using a Armoured Personal Carrier?

was reading the ‘Situation Report ‘ by Iqba Athas on Sunday Times of 16th March 2008 , on the events relation to the death and funeral of TNA MP Mr.Sivanesan and to quote Iqbal Athas;

” On Saturday morning, the body of Mr Sivanesan was taken from Kilinochchi to his home town of Mallavi. Thereafter, it was taken from village to village including Puthukudiyiruppu and Mullaitivu. Around 5.30 p.m. it was brought to the Kalachara Mandapam (Cultural Hall) in Kilinochchi for the public to pay their respects. Around 8.30 p.m. it was removed from there.

At the same time, members of the family of late Mr. Sivanesan, his wife, four children and the 13 MPs were transported in a vehicle to a location outside Kilinochchi. The journey had lasted almost an hour. There, they were ushered inside a building. Around 10.30 p.m. those inside heard the loud roar of the engine of a vehicle. They were not sure whether it was a Jeep or a coach. Moments later, they saw armed men walking in. [emphasis mine]

First to walk in thereafter was the head of LTTE intelligence Pottu Amman (Shivshankar) followed by the leader of the Political Wing (and former guerrilla “Police Chief”) Nadesan (Balasingham Mahendran). Thereafter, Tamilendhi, the head of Finance Wing and LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran followed. At least one TNA parliamentarian said his eyes “immediately focused on LTTE leader’s leg to see whether he had been injured or was using an artificial leg. He walked normal.”

point “those inside heard the loud roar of the engine of a vehicle. They were not sure whether it was a Jeep or a coach” captured my imagination and come to think of it , Jeeps and Coaches ,however badly maintained don’t do a laud roar. even if that’s the case one cant believe Prabakaran is using such a beat up vehicle, considering the accounts by people who were close to him and also by the nature of luxury and exotic merchandise used by Prabakaran which were later captured by Security Forces in the past.

so what is it then , that brought Prabakaran to this ‘secret’ venue?

 i think with the increased LRRP and dissident LTTE attacks against the LTTE targets in Vanni has forced Prabakaran to abandon his entourage of Pajero/Prado jeeps and use a armoured vehicle. LTTE has over the years captured number of APCs (Armoured Personal Carrier/wheeled) and even a couple of IFVs ( Infantry Fighting Vehicle/Tracked) from the Security Forces and it may be the fact that they have mustard one of them as Prabakarans means of transport.

APCs/IFVs offer a relative amount of protection from landmine/claymore mine explosions and they are also quite reliable when it comes to negotiating off road/difficult terrain conditions and even has the capability of fording limited depths.plus they support comms/command control gear so its a very versatile option as a mobile command platform while offering armoured protection too.

Security Forces top brass do use APCs for VVIP transport and also as command vehicles most of the time and its quite possible that the LTTE is using the same tactics now , not only in order to transport Prabakaran but also as mobile command post , thus preventing a security risk of having him visiting one or few command centres .

over the time Sri Lanka Army and Navy has lost few APCs of different types including Buffels , Unicorns and Saracens , and even a couple of late modle BTRs. also some people say we have lost few IFVs including the Chinese made ones and a Russian BMP.event though the military claim most of these captured assets were destroyed by areal attacks we experianced the LTTE using captured T-55 from Elephant Pass , against a Navy Dovra in the 1990s.

although the possibility of use of the captured T-55 is very marginal considering its cumbersome maintenance and steady stream of spare parts , use of APCs or IFVs is quite high. hence i think the Military establishment should spend some time on this as if Prabakaran is really using such an armoured vehicle it will much more easy for a LRRP unit or a Jet to pick this target .

since there are more specialised and not so complicated ways of taking out a armored vehicle and also having being able to ID using thermal imaging with its distinctive thermal signature , Prabakaran traveling in a armoured vehicle will be a rich picking .

10th anniversary of LTTE attack on sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy

today falls the 10th anniversary of the LTTE attack on the sacred temple of the Tooth Relic , the Sri Dhalada Maligawa in Kandy.Dhalada Maligawa is the most sacred of all the places of Buddhist worship and some thing that’s equal to the Mecca for Islam or Jerusalem for Jews and Christians.

LTTE on 25th January 1998 exploded a powerful bomb laden truck within the temple precinct and followed by a attempt to raid the temple with 2 more suicide bombers.however the suicide bombers were prevented from entering the temple by two heroic Police personal but 13 people lost their lives and many more got injured in this attack.

this attack was clearly an attack to create a Sinhala-Buddhist backlash against the minority Tamils as the LTTE expected island wide riots and mass scale attacks against innocent Tamils and Tamil owned businesses in the rest of the country.however soon after the attack all most all the leading religious leaders in Sri Lanka and India condemned the heinous attack and called on the LTTE to take up responsibility .a backlash that the LTTE expected never materialised , however there was intense pressure from the public and mainly Buddhist organisations towards then President Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumarathunga to act strongly.

interestingly , no so called ‘Civil Society’ leader nor so called International Community condemned nor stated a single word against the LTTE over the attack. they simply issued statements that basically said they were sad and hoped things get better.

no one today talks about the LTTE targeting places of religious worship, let alone sacred sites nor the LTTE use of such sites and places as cover for launching attacks against military.today we hear so much about the LTTE or ‘Tamils’ being denied of so many rights but fails to ask how much the LTTE has done to destroy rights of believe a religion , place to worship etc.

LTTE continuously use places of worship as launch pads for military attacks and use them in a two pronged strategy. primarily LTTE used the sacred or holy places as cover and expect a military counter attack on the site as a example of SL Military attacking religious sites on a secondary basis. this is a time tested tactic for the LTTE, which they horned against the IPKF when they were in North and East Sri Lanka.

the LTTE used and continue to use the grounds around and within the sacred Madhu church to launch attacks against the military and during these days , with the continuing military operation against the LTTE in Mannar , the LTTE uses the Church grounds to launch Artillery attack against the Military forces. this is a known fact and for some reason the Church of Mannar and the Bishop of Mannar seems to be silent on this. when the SLMM was here , they too denied such use and went to the extent of stating that they have found ‘evidance’ of Military attacking the Church and its vicinity.

10 years on after the deadly attack against the Dhalada Maligawa , we not only remember the attack but also realise well , what the true face of the LTTE is and also take solace in understanding that even with such a devastating attack against the Buddhist faith , we the Sri Lankans , especially the Sinhala-Buddhist never yielded to terror nor wielded violence against innocent Tamils (against the wishes of V.Prabakaran ).

Blogging with wordpress

Well,  many months after setting this blog, i explored the possibility of posting via e-mail. this is a cool feature that Blogger offers but not with Word-press it seems.so i guess i have to do the postings the regular way!

some times when you don’t have the time and the peace of mind to log in and create a post the next best thing is to compose an e-mail and then send/post it to the blog but since this feather is not yet supported in WordPress ,any one using WordPress ends up having to log in and post.

would have been good to have the e-mail thing, as it will save time and having a new year resolution that says ” i will write/update by blog on a regular basis ” means i have to move my lazy ass and get a post or two on this blog.

not that i don’t have anything to write , its just that i end up writing endless number of posts mentally with regards to all kinds of stuff , from day to day life to politics and times to philosophical stuff like ‘dark matter’ or ‘who serious is blogging with regards to reducing cost of living ‘ etc., and fail to turn them to actual posts in my Blog. unless someone comes with with the Bluetooth or Wi-fi version for connecting with the brain or some serious cybernetics that can connect to a regular laptop then there is no option but to end up doing the dhahdhadha.. and type all that cokes up your head , ed of the day as a post.

Prabakaran celebrates the end of CFA in a bloodbath

the whole world knows how the blood thirsty LTTE led by V.Prabakaran celebrated the end of the ceasefire agreement yesterday.Prabakaran ended the ceasefire officially not in North or Eastern province of Sri Lanka but on a remote road leading to Buttala from Kataragama in the Uva province and a chena in a remote area of Monaragala.

we all saw the dead bodies,stacked on each other of the people who died in the Prabakarans attack on a bus in Okkampitiya , yesterday. dead included many small children.those innocent and poor people were not shareholders of the war,separate state nor within the spear of power and influence. at the same time these innocent people had no connection to the President , Defence Sec or the Army commander or any other important person within the Sri Lankan State. for these people , wither the CFA was alive or not was not a issue, it was the same for them. the piece of paper which is called the CFA agreement (which by the way the original signed doc has gone missing, according to the Govt..maybe at 5th Lane residence of Ranil,where he might be reading it every morning before he starts his work!) is not a thing for them,for the only war they know that existed in this country was the war to stay alive. its was the same war that the people who died on the Kebithigollawa bus had to face and it was the same war that the farmers who took water from the Maavil Aru anicut for cultivation had to fight.it is the same war that the Tamil community who live beyond the check point in Omanthai , under the hands of Prabakaran who fight on a daily basis.

since the dawn of civilisation the worst scourge faced by the humans was violence and terrorism is the pinnacle of that scourge.during the rain of Hitler , terrorism was called ‘facisim’ and the height of fascism is the terrorism of the modern days. if someone takes revenge on fellow humans for the single intention of capturing or seizing power , then that person is a monster and Prabakaran is a monster beyond imagination.he is in fact far beyond Hitler when it comes to the amount of cruelty he had imposed on the human race.

with the advent of the ceasefire in 2002 , prabakaran had the chance of entering a fair process of Political engagement, yet for him it was a sojourn to re arm and re group his bad of murderers. had Prabakaran had a genuine interest in Peace and a peaceful settlement to the ethnic issue, then he could have used the opening when Mahinda assumed the Presidency, however instead Prabakaran decided to increase the scale of LTTEs ceasefire breeches in ten fold and enter a era of mass scale assassinations and bombings. after waiting patiently for few months the Government started to fight back, throwing Prabakaran to a rapid pace of withdrawals and defeats.

today Prabakaran bombs and kills people in desperation ,knowing that he will face the same fate as that was met by his close confidants such as Shankar,Tamilchelvam, and Charles and understands very well that his days are numbered.

although Prabakaran is living in air conditioned very deep hole somewhere in Killinochchi or Mullativu , he will be met by a bunker buster bomb pretty soon and when that happens President Mahindas promise of handing over Prabakara to India will be fulfilled though it will be in form of a box.

 i hope that happens soon , so that the poor innocent people of this country can still cram into a bus early morning and go to places of their work and to know that their children got to school on time, and not to fear the deaths awaiting them by the road and all the Tamils who live overseas who blindly fund a bloody war in Sri Lanka can use that money for something more benevolent and also the so called international community to focus more on talking peace with Taliban or the Iraqi insurgents and entering to ceasefire with them with the facilitation of the Norwegians .

annulling the ceasefire and the crocodile tears of the bogus ‘civil society’

ceasefire ceased to exist for me the day LTTE killed Lakshman Kadiragamar MP and minister of Foreign Affairs.minister Kadiragamar,a Tamil and believer in democracy and non violance was killed by the LTTE not because he was a crusader to liberate the Tamils from the LTTE but because LTTE leader V.Prabakaran and his cohorts realised Kadiragamar  was a moderate Tamil leader who could not only reach out to the rest of the Sri Lankans , whole world how had a pinch of interest in happenings in Sri Lanka and the Tamils in the rest of the world.
 
when Kadiragamar was killed, the bogus ‘civil society’ only made vague statements and called for all ‘parties’ to adhere to the ceasefire. whats the f… , all parties to the CFA was adhering to the ceasefire minus the LTTE at that time , but for some unknown reasons they never mentioned the LTTEs hand in killing Kadiragamar nor Kethesh Loganadhan , another Tamil moderate killed by the LTTE during .. of course the ceasefire.
 
so called civil society of Sri Lanka , who constantly we hear on mainly English language print and electronic media , who ‘represent’ rest of the civilians in Sri Lanka , in overseas mainly in Western countries are a bunch of wankers , spineless crowds who pay lip service to the LTTE. for them ‘loss’ of Tamilchelvam was for more serious then scores of civilians getting killed by road side bombs or Tamil politicians from opposition political parties in the hands of the LTTE.
 
day has come for Dr.Jehan Perera,Dr.Kumar Rupasingha,Prof.Jayadeva Uyangoda, Sunila Abesekara , Nimalka Fernando and rest of the so called ‘civil society’ band wagon  to understand who the real enemies of peace in Sri Lanka is and why they should stand against not only the ills of the Sri Lankan government ,as they do all the time but also the scourge of the LTTE too.

Tamil Tiger Inc. exposed by Jane’s Intelligence Review

Jane’s Intelligence Review, in its August 2007 edition will publish a major expose on the Global financial network of the LTTE, according to a press release issued by the JIR.  

This will be some what the most updated and informed report on LTTE’s international funding and procurement network, published on the public fora in resent times and surely will be welcomed by almost all who are interested in LTTE and its rain of terror.  This report will be a chronicle of LTTE’s culture of fear and deceit as lions share of its funding are gained through ‘taxes’ from overseas Tamil Diaspora and the people living in areas under the LTTE in Northern Sri Lanka.    

Reuters commenting on the Jane’s report added that the report paints a picture of a powerful global network of professional managers — both Tamils and others — across a string of countries with operations perhaps from shipping to drugs and extortion. Furthermore, Christian LeMiere, managing editor of Jane’s Country Risk, commented to Reuters “Some of the money will go on arms, some of it on administrating areas controlled by the LTTE,” and It further states that “with financial and procurement structures well organized and strategically positioned around the globe, the group has a profit margin that would be the envy of any multinational corporation – some USD200 to 300 million per year”  

Some of the interesting aspects of the envisaged report as highlighted by the JIR press release are the LTTE’s channeling of Tsunami aid money, LTTE use of fronts and cover organisations involved in charity and social work, transfer of arms, narcotics ,contraband and people smuggling. Press Release further indicates the reports details of how the LTTE convert the gains into arms, utilizing a charitable façade’s tax-free status and legitimacy.

 This report will be very much welcomed in terms of understanding the depth of the LTTE’s reach and its nature as a global financial terrorist group. I guess the LTTE will face more increased pressure once the report will be public, so are the governments who’s territory are being used by LTTE for its illegal activity.  

Of the main hubs of LTTE activity the report has highlighted Cambodia and Southern India, being its principal staging posts, while it lists some other countries in Southeast Asia and rest of the world as sources of arms for the LTTE.  

How much the Sri Lankan government will do to curb such activity in terms of raising this issue with host governments remains a question.  

Below is the full text of the Press Release issued by the Jane’s:

USD200 million profit margins maintain sophisticated Tamil Tiger war

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has created one of the most sophisticated insurgencies in the world, largely due to a complex global network of financial resources and weapons that are integral to prolonging its campaign for a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka.

In a unique report on the financial operations of the LTTE, Jane’s Intelligence Review reports that with financial and procurement structures well organised and strategically positioned around the globe, the group has a profit margin that would be the envy of any multinational corporation – some USD200 to 300 million per year.

The Tamil Tigers is consequently the only known insurgent organisation with its own army, navy and now even a rudimentary air force, with access to financial resources and weapons giving it the luxury of introducing bold, new dimensions to the conflict.

The report details two overarching financial and procurement bodies that provide the main source of LTTE money, manpower and weapons; the Aiyanna Group and the Office of Overseas Purchases (nicknamed the KP Department).

The Aiyanna Group functions as the group’s intelligence and operations body, likely to be responsible for monitoring and ensuring the organisation’s financial support and revenue streams, while the KP Department is most probably the LTTE’s procurement arm. In addition, the LTTE creates and staffs some charitable organisations, projecting its influence through this front to raise money from Tamil communities and, ultimately, convert the gains into arms.

The Jane’s Intelligence Review report says that the system works as an efficient way to move funds wherever investment or procurement opportunities arise while utilising a charitable façade’s tax-free status and legitimacy.Geographically, the LTTE use a myriad of methods to maintain this formidable, non-state support structure.

The southern province of Tamil Nadu in India plays a pivotal role in LTTE procurement and has become an essential transit point in the LTTE arms, narcotics, contraband and possibly human smuggling.Beyond Sri Lanka’s neighbour, Cambodia is one of the most significant single sources of weapons for the insurgent group. The remainder of internationally procured weapons are believed to originate from the rest of Southeast Asia, North Korea, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Ukraine.

The report adds that the procurement of anti-aircraft technology, given the destruction wrought by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces’ aerial assets, will be the primary driver of the LTTE’s continued international fundraising campaign. (ENDS)

Unethical hiring practices by NGOs in Sri Lanka

i got this article written by Hemendra Fernando via e-mail and not sure about the original source, but I believe it may have had appeared on the last weeks Daily Mirror .

however , this article highlights somewhat controversial aspect of NGOs in Sri Lanka.

Not only hiring of staff members, but firing and pay scales of NGOs are very much a subject of interest to many but one thing that’s not highlighted is that these activities are not governed by any law of the country nor there is a mechanism to monitor any malpractices.

There is a vast disparity in terms of Salaries and payments for staff in many NGOs, expeacially the ‘Elite’ Colombo based National level NGOs. However, there has not been much discussion on these issues in either the public or state forums. The government keeps on following its ‘anti NGO’ stance, while some of the Opposition parties fuel the greater anti NGO drive.

This is the same with INGOs operating in Sri Lanka, and this is more evident in the Eastern Province where there is still a major presence of INGOs and Local NGOs. Rather than promoting a anti NGO rhetoric, the Government should look into establishing a Competent Authority or a NGO Regulator, thereby not only monitor what the NGOs do but also how they treat their staff.

During my time with a certain UN agency in Eastern Province during the post Tsunami reconstruction period, I have witnessed so many expatriates working in capacity of minor positions, ie-Accoutants/Logisticians etc, positions that can be easily filled by qualified and competent Sri Lankans. Most or, all most all Organisations don’t have Local counterparts for high positions held by expatriates. And the access to facilities and benefits that are enjoyed by expatriates are far away from the reach of the Locals within Organisations.

In most of the Colombo based ‘elite’ class NGOs like the FoCEx, CHA, CPA and Berghoff, there is a particular group of people who consist the public face of these organisations. They also get all the benefits or at least the lion’s share of benefits plus retaining the ability to undertake foreign travel (disguised as study visits/meetings/workshops etc) and other vide range of ‘Civil Society’ type activity.

Currently the NGO Secretariat of the Ministry of Social Services and the Centre for Non Governmental Sectors (CNGS) in Ministry of Finance handle all NGO matters particularly INGOs and big Local NGOs. Registation, visas and work permits are issued by or recommend by these two institutions. However, I’m not sure if any applicant has to neither justify any staff appointment nor account for the pay scales or benefits issued to the staff.

there has to be a uniformed structure ,may be a National Policy on NGOs , therefore not only the state and the public can keep tabs but also facilitate the good work of the NGOs in Sri Lanka.

I hope the Government and the State Structures act soon and not rather sit on their lazy rear sides to formulate some effective procedures and set up a structure to ensure the rights of the staff of NGOs and also ensure transparent and accountable manner in which the NGOs are managed.

this is the Article-here goes>

FEATURES

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Unethical hiring practices by NGOs in Sri Lanka

By Hemendra Fernando

Ever wondered why some of us can’t get a job in an NGO; especially in the old and established INGOs? This is a question that many qualified and experienced often ask. What is required to get hired into an NGO?

The writer conducted many interviews on this matter with current and ex INGO/LNGO staff and a range of applicants with diverse qualifications who continue to apply for specialized positions in INGOs/LNGOs. Often, an organization would place huge advertisements in the print media and the internet, advertising for various posts that require a very high standard of education and experience. However, when the selection is complete, it is rather interesting to know that the person who has bagged the job has merely a basic degree or in some cases just their secondary education only. On some occasions, positions are not advertised at all and backdoor recruitment takes place.

Many interviewees who are qualified (graduates, post graduate degree holders and those with doctorates) said of their experiences; that despite more than 30-40 attempts, their applications have never been acknowledged leave alone have an opportunity for an interview.

Most INGOs when interviewed declined to talk about their hiring practices perhaps because of the negative publicity and public opposition they already experience. Some senior officials point blank refuted any such malpractice in the hiring of staff while other senior managers feigned ignorance. The middle and junior personnel were afraid to commit themselves openly for fear of retribution.

A lady who worked as an assistant to the Human Resources manager of an INGO described how applications of qualified and experienced candidates are immediately thrown into the waste bin and unqualified persons are recruited via the back door. She related the story of how an unqualified yet highly connected lady who worked as an ‘Office Assistant’ (this position was previously referred to as Clerk) was later recruited into the INGO as an “Office manager” who subsequently became the designated ‘Program Officer’ for a very important National Project. She takes home a considerable LKR. 100,000 as salary.

The Human Resources lady acknowledged that this particular post was never advertised. In another instance, two PhD candidates who applied for specialized posts said that they were amused to be interviewed by persons with no more than just O/L qualifications.

Many INGO/LNGOs are supposed to be involved in a variety of activities ranging from conflict resolution, awareness raising programs, peace conferences, advocacy for women and child rights, human rights issues, legal aid, youth empowerment programs, community development, psychosocial support to micro-credit schemes and so on.

However, they lack the capacity in suitably skilled staff to manage the projects. The temptation for most NGOs is to first take the money, and thereafter worry about their actual ability to implement the projects. They often cling on to existing projects and engage in fragmented work just to satisfy donor funding requirements.

A country manager of an NGO was heard complaining that he is unable to get a project completed due to lack of competent staff. On further probing, he discovered that the reason for the dearth of talent in his organization was owing to the unscrupulous deeds of his own project manager/coordinator. There is speculation that the said Project Manager possibly is someone who has reached his maximum level of incompetence (Peter Principle- “In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.” Formulated by Dr. Laurence J. Peter) thus he feels uneasy in recruiting persons more qualified than him.

Projects funded by foreign aid always come with conditions imposed by the donor countries. What is surprising is that even these donor agencies show disinterest to investigate the reasons behind the lack of capacity and trained staff to be properly engaged with their projects. This has in turn created confusion amongst the public that INGO contributions do not have any practical impact.

Legally unauthorized personnel

There have been occasions when legally unsuitable persons have been recruited into INGOs. In one instance, a reputable INGO recruited a raw unregistered medical graduate, (with no internship and practice experience at all) to the important post of National Health Advisor. He was paid a very high salary. This person posed as a consultant doctor by having a photocopied hospital (cancer hospital, Maharagama) entry permit pasted on his car windscreen!! It’s shocking that he still operates “at large” escaping the Medical Council’s “Quacks catching net”.

The persons responsible for such unscrupulous and unethical hiring practices are the INGO/LNGO heads themselves. Higher level bosses of established INGOs pursue their own interests rather than national interests. The behaviour of some of them are worse than those in ‘spurious’ organizations that are formed to acquire donor funding. They lack total interest in inducting staff with exceptional skills. These bosses enjoy extravagant perks and are a breed of irresponsible spendthrifts. Developing countries with poverty and conflict is a fiesta for these mercenaries who fail to acknowledge that there is a cost to their extravagance.

This further contributes to the notion that foreign aid is associated with fraud, waste, and abuse and the main cause for the culture of corruption that pervades our society. These facts are even highlighted in an American Economic Review study by James Bovard. (http://www.lewrockwell.com/bovard/bovard13.html) Most interviewees confirm that aid money is used in unproductive ways and not towards real needs. They claim that although some aid money goes into projects, it has only brought about economic and social calamity rather than encouraging good governance and economic stability because NGO bosses fail to take practical decisions that are necessary for self-sustainable growth of the beneficiary.

Subcontracting mechanisms

Subcontracting mechanisms within NGO systems also cast doubts and is a process which is dubious. It is observed that when an NGO arrives in the country, politicians and other shady characters tag onto them. They then thrive on foreign money by obtaining highly inflated subcontracts. In one instance, a media and advertising campaign (AIDS Day 2004) was handed over to the niece of the office manager of an INGO. A sum close to six million rupees was granted for the poster and banner printing! Other printers quoted between 2-3 million for the same job. What was more surprising is how this very lady appeared at a UN workshop and talked about corruption of other INGOs! Another common occurrence is when powerful local staff members of various INGOs hire their houses for the use of INGOs using fake quotation procedures.

In Sri Lanka, the majority of the public perceive INGO activities as foreign intrusion and most such activities are closely monitored by various ethics groups. NGOs are playing a negative and irresponsible role that harms their reputation by encouraging unethical hiring practices.

Thus it is time for INGO/LNGOs to make a significant investment in organizational change and development. Ethical hiring practices require the change in mindsets of the donor agency and the INGO/LNGO. It is time for the big bosses to re-think their employment strategy and implement considerable organizational change if development and peace initiatives are to be taken seriously.

There are many qualified individuals trained in a range of disciplines much suitable for NGO activities. (Community development, Capacity building, peace-building health etc) These individuals must be absorbed into organizations in order to build integrated, highly knowledgeable multi-disciplinary teams. A few INGOs interviewed said that they have already started this process. The ethics groups will continue to monitor the code of conduct of all INGO/LNGOs.
 

Rajiv Ghandhi Assassination-India remembers

India marked the 16 th anniversary of the assassination of Rajiv Ghandhi, PM of India and son of former PM of India Mrs.Indira Ghandhi by the Sri Lankan Tamil LTTE .

Rajiv was killed on 21st May, 1999  by a LTTE suicide bomber named Thenmoli Rajaratnam alias Dhanu  at Siriperumbudur near Chennai under orders of  Velupillai Prabhakaran and his intelligence Chief Pottu Amman.

16 years later the  two main accused of the murder Velupillai Prabhakaran, the supremo of the LTTE and Pottuamman, his intelligence chief are still at large,with both the Indian and  Sri Lankan authorities unble to even come close to either .LTTE  still fighting the same war ,which led to the assassination 16 years ago, from the Northern jungles of Sri Lanka.

an assassination for long LTTE denied , but later following a marked turnaround the LTTEs late theoretician Anton Balasingham stated the decision to kill Rajiv was a ‘a monumental historical tragedy“.

But many say the irony of the matter is that the LTTE has staged a come back to Tamil Nadu , once again getting involved in murders and kidnappings of Indian citizens while procuring arms for them and aiding other separatist movements in India.

during the very interview with NDTV, an Indian TV channel on Tuesday the 27th of June Anton Balasingham said “As far as that event is concerned…I would say it is a great tragedy… a monumental historical tragedy… which we deeply regret, and we call upon the government of India and people of India to be magnanimous to put the past behind…”

Balasinghams’ words are a reflection of the true state of the LTTE, simply put…they kill, they forget….all to their convenience…