Indonesia and the islands of the Indo-Pacific are among the largest Muslim populations on Earth. It is vital to the security of the USA that all efforts to improve the lives of the people there are met with support for the sovereign Indonesian government. Known terrorists have been known to strike in Bali. Where is the USA Peacekeepers in this region? Nowhere. Why? Because Bush's policies of 'overwhelming force' are viewed as a direct threat to the soveriegnty of these OPEC nations.
The USA military was allowed in the region for a limited engagement after the tsunami which is well documented on this blog. But, they were required to leave to ensure the sovereignty of the nations remained intact without occupation.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Clashes between Sri Lankan soldiers and Tamil rebels in the island's north have killed about 30 people, the two sides said Wednesday.
The clashes broke out a day earlier near the frontier separating government- and guerrilla-held areas in northern Sri Lanka -- violence that each side accused the other of instigating.
A military spokesman, Lt. Col. Upali Rajapakse, said unprovoked rebel mortar fire killed a soldier at a checkpoint, forcing the army to respond with its own artillery and mortar fire that left at least 20 insurgents dead.
"The figure may be more, but this is what we have from our intelligence sources," Rajapakse said.
Tamil rebels countered that their fighters had ambushed soldiers making a push through jungle into rebel territory, killing eight to 10 troops.
One of the aspects of terrorist strongholds that plays well with citizens of countries is that their government is curel. As a result they will stage episodes of attacks and attribute them to the government.
Violent Start
14 April 2007 13:37:23
Five including child shot by Tamil Tigers as Sri Lanka marks New Year: military
COLOMBO, April 14, 2007 (AFP) - Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead five people in eastern Sri Lanka on Saturday, the military said, as the country marked the traditional New Year and the president appealed for national unity.
Gunmen from the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ordered a family out of their home in Eravur and shot them dead, the military said, adding some of the victims were from a breakaway rebel faction.
Among those killed was a three-year-old boy, the military said.
The killings came as both the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamil community marked their common New Year on Saturday.
President Mahinda Rajapakse in his New Year message appealed for unity in the ethnically-divided nation of 19.5 million people.
"The observance of New Year traditions and rituals leads to the unity of the nation," he said.
"We should all come together to observe the New Year traditions, irrespective of all differences."
The Tigers on Friday vowed to hit back against an advance by government troops in the east of Sri Lanka where a breakaway faction known as the "Karuna Group" is collaborating with security forces to attack the Tigers.
Borrowed infrastructure.
They are brilliant.
George Walker Bush stated, "Iraq is the central front of terror." It wouldn't seem to be the case. How is the USA to stop terrorist networks if the sovereign countries that have authority over them see a relationship with the USA as adverse greater than the very terrorist networks that plague it?
Tamil Tigers 'hijack' satellite
Correspondents in Washington
APRIL 13, 2007
TAMIL Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka have been illegally using a satellite of US giant Intelsat to beam their radio and television broadcasts overseas."We have been actively pursuing avenues to terminate the illegal usage of our satellite," said Nick Mitsis, the spokesman for Intelsat, the world's largest provider of fixed satellite services.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), fighting for independence in Sri Lanka's northern and eastern regions, has been blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the United States since 1997.
Intelsat officials and technical experts met with Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States Bernard Goonetilleke on Tuesday to discuss steps Intelsat was taking "to address the unauthorised use of one of its satellites by the LTTE," an Intelsat statement said.
During the meeting, Intelsat's executive vice-president and general counsel Phillip Spector said: "Intelsat does not tolerate terrorists or others operating illegally on its satellites," the statement said.
Sri Lanka: Human rights is the issue, not cricket
The distortion in Sri Lanka of Amnesty International's campaign "Play by the Rules" is a ploy to distract attention from the increasingly desperate plight of hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan people.
"We are concerned at abuses by all parties to the conflict -- civilians are killed, abducted and forcibly disappeared every day at the hands of government forces, Tamil Tigers, the Karuna faction and other armed groups," said Purna Sen, Asia Pacific Director at Amnesty International. "Let us be clear -- no side in this conflict has anything to be complacent about. On the contrary, all parties are breaching international law by failing to protect civilians."
Increasing abductions, illegal killings and child recruitment in Sri Lanka are all going on unchecked and victims do not receive justice. The intensified fighting over the last year has forced over 300,000 people to flee their homes. At least 1000 people have been forcibly disappeared since the beginning of 2006."
The situation in Sri Lanka has become so desperate for local people that urgent action is needed. Civilians desperately need better protection and a key goal of our campaign is to press for independent human rights monitors to investigate human rights abuses and identify the perpetrators, so they can be brought to justice," said Purna Sen.
..."Cricket is a great game and the Sri Lankan people are rightly proud of their ethnically diverse national cricket team, which symbolises the best of Sri Lanka," said Purna Sen. "But hundreds of thousands of people have had to flee the fighting to live in temporary shelter -- and so are not able to live in safety let alone watch cricket."
