Photo: Juliana Rufuz
Well known comparative news agency the Aljazeera has been broadcasts three documentaries on their satellite service about situation in Sri Lanka and Tamil Diaspora during last few days. The documentaries produced and reported by Juliana Ruhfus.
Tiger Tax
After the UK government classified - and banned - the Tamil separatist group LTTE as a 'terrorist' organisation in 2001, diaspora Tamils became more wary of publicly expressing their support for the armed group.
The ban has not been heavily enforced however and the LTTE has allegedly continued to fundraise actively in the UK.
While many Tamils voluntarily give money to the LTTE, others have been subject to intimidation,
Juliana Ruhfus of People & Power investigates the massive fundraising drive purportedly launched by the LTTE in London from November 2005 onwards, a time when violence was intensifying in the north and east of Sri Lanka.
Monks of War
To many of us, Buddhism, with the sacred principle of non-violence, is the most peaceful religion of all. But in Sri Lanka a group of radical monks who say they represent the Singhalese majority are urging the government to take a hard-line, pro-war stance against the Tamil Tiger rebels.
To make their voices heard in the political arena the monks have even set up their own political party - the JHU - which participated in the 2004 elections and secured nine seats in parliament.
Tiger Tax
After the UK government classified - and banned - the Tamil separatist group LTTE as a 'terrorist' organisation in 2001, diaspora Tamils became more wary of publicly expressing their support for the armed group.
The ban has not been heavily enforced however and the LTTE has allegedly continued to fundraise actively in the UK.While many Tamils voluntarily give money to the LTTE, others have been subject to intimidation,
Juliana Ruhfus of People & Power investigates the massive fundraising drive purportedly launched by the LTTE in London from November 2005 onwards, a time when violence was intensifying in the north and east of Sri Lanka.
Monks of War
To many of us, Buddhism, with the sacred principle of non-violence, is the most peaceful religion of all. But in Sri Lanka a group of radical monks who say they represent the Singhalese majority are urging the government to take a hard-line, pro-war stance against the Tamil Tiger rebels.
To make their voices heard in the political arena the monks have even set up their own political party - the JHU - which participated in the 2004 elections and secured nine seats in parliament.
They are monks, they are political and they are not shy of controversy. Their belief that only a full-out military offensive will end the conflict with the Tamil Tiger rebels has put them at loggerheads with peace activists, foreign mediators, and Buddhists who favour non-violence. Pro-war monks have attacked peace marches and accused international NGOs of secretly funding the Tamil Tigers to stop the global advance of political Buddhism.But how representative are they of popular Singhalese feelings? Is it true that Buddhism in Sri Lanka is under threat? And can war really be the way to peace?
How the East Was Won
When the LTTE fighters were expelled from the Toppigalla region in July this year the government declared that its "war for peace" strategy had succeeded in the east of the country and that the region was 'liberated' from rebel forces.
After months of shelling and heavy fighting, soldiers began to embark on a hearts and minds campaign - distributing food and resettling civilians - in order to show local people that they are better off under government control.But the impact of the fighting is not so easily brushed off. Many doubt whether the Tamil Tigers really have been defeated and the humanitarian and political challenges are huge. Refugees have yet to make it home from their camps, child soldiers remain missing, and many locals hold a deep-seated fear of Col Karuna, a break-away Tamil faction leader, whose men act with impunity.
Lanka Guardian special thanks for Juliana Ruhfus.
Here link for the videos
Tax of Tigers
PART 01
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