Sri Lanka - U.S. Ambassador "slightly wounded" in rebel attack - Italy's ambassador also injured

AFP via translation | February 27, 2007

[HAL9000]

Sri Lanka: ambassadors Italian and US wounded in a rebellious offensive

COLOMBO - The ambassadors American and Italian in Sri Lanka were wounded Tuesday in an offensive with artillery carried out by rebels tamouls supposed in the east of the island, indicated to AFP the minister human rights Mahinda Samarasinghe.

The ambassador Robert Blake and his Italian counterpart Prio Mariani were touched by glares of shells which struck the landing strip of the air base of Batticaloa at the time when the diplomats left a military helicopter, specified the Samarasinghe minister.

Mr. Mariani was touched with the head, without the gravity of his wounds being known, and was transported to the local hospital with eleven others wounded, indicated the director of the establishment Muruganathan Moorthy.

The American ambassador “is slightly wounded”, added the Samarasinghe minister.

[Nathan Zachary]

And excuse my slight geographic inaccuracies, I'm relying on memory, not google.

The article you posted above is typical of what this rebel group does depending on the region it's in.
Because it's "cell" leaders can be any of the three religions and operate independently, This often leads to religious bigotry when they take over a village. The rebel group seems to have forgotten it's main cause in some instances, which was as mentioned, Tamale's Independence. Even that is a clouded issue, because it's also a blood line- or tribal if you wish- issue.

Stupid no matter how you look at it, but that seems to always be the case in less civilized parts of the world.

[Nathan Zachary]

"However Muslims and Sinhalese formed over half of the population of the East province throughout recent history".

Note the journalists error in that statement. Islam is not a race of people, it's a religion. You must always be alert to this, as Muslims try make it a racial issue. To be "Muslim" is like being "Christian" It isn't based on your skin color, or the shape of your cranium. "Muslim' is simply what a believer of Islam is called, as "Christian" is what a follower of Christ is called.

[CarrotAndStick]

The LTTE are nominally Hindu...but mostly atheist-leaning. Theirs is not a religious war. They are ethnic Tamils, distinct from the Sinhala majority of Sri Lanka. Major bloody riots in the early 80s spurred the LTTE movement. They are somewhat akin to the IRA. Even the conflict bears resemblance to the conflict in Ireland.


India has long designated the LTTE as a terrorist organisation.

[BullDog108]

Thanks, C&S, you confirmed my experience. It's a shame, as Sri Lanka is an extremely beautiful country. And the Tigers are the only example of Hindu terrorists that I am aware of, as most Hindus (along with Buddhists) are a very peaceful people.

FRegards,
BullDog

[CarrotAndStick]

The Subcontinent is a strange place, and even stranger at its fringes. You have Christian groups committing atrocities rivaling the Islamists, sometimes, in India's far North-East, although lately, the violence is down after an Indian federal troop surge coupled with an on-going dialogue process.

The semblances of normalcy that has been forced there has lead to a rise in tourism over the years.

[BullDog108]

The Subcontinent is a strange place, and even stranger at its fringes.

Tell me about it, ;^)

I'm on my way to Kolkata in the morning . . .

[Nathan Zachary]

Exactly what I was saying. It's a Tamelese issue. Members of this "organization" can be Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, even Christian, although there aren't many Christians around there.
Because the movement spans so many religious boundaries, it does adopt a nonreligious creed. I wouldn't say "atheist" however. That, whether you agree or not, is a religion in itself, and members of the Tamil Tigers do not abandon their individual religious beliefs.

[Nathan Zachary]

I spent some time there years ago.
I wouldn't say Christians commit attrocities at any level approcing what the Muslims do. Christians are usually the victims of both the Muzzies AND the Hindu's.
If you call self defence in rare cases "atrocities", well...

Some of the most beautiful places in India are where there are small Christian and Hindu villages that live very peaceful lives near the lush forests in the north east, but far enough away from Muslim infested Bangladesh where the Muslims don't exist at all. it's only where you have mosks that you have problems with muslims going crazy from time to time after pray day on friday nights.

[Cindy]

UPDATE:

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/February2765906CH.html


Sri Lanka::

"* Tiger mortar attack in Sri Lanka wounds US and Italian ambassadors"
Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 6:59 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Feb 27, Colombo:


ARTICLE SNIPPET: "US Ambassador in Sri Lanka Robert Blake and Italian Ambassador Prio Mariani were injured when shells fired by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam struck the helicopter which also carried the Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe and several other officials from Italian Embassy, UNDP and the Ministry of Disaster Management.

Blake had minor injuries and was whisked away to a safer location while Mariani suffered shrapnel wounds and is taken to a hospital in Colombo, a military spokesman said. Minister Samarasinghe escaped unhurt. The attack was directed at the helicopter as it touched the Batticaloa Air Force camp while one more Air Force helicopter was about to land at the same venue. Both helicopters were carrying the officials for a meeting. The attack also injured four Police Constables, three Special Task Force (STF) personnel, one airman, and a student, military spokesman said."

[CarrotAndStick]

Well, the NLFT ran a very violent campaign in the North East, driving out most of the Hindus there.

http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/tripura/terrorist_outfits/nlft.htm

[Michael81Dus]

And now that we are at it, the German Ambassador was also wounded.

[Michael81Dus]

I may have to correct myself. Althoigh several sources still claim that the German was wounded, too (http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2007/02/27/afx3465080.html), more recent informations state that he was not hurt at all.

[sukhoi-30mki]

The LTTE is a semi-socialist organisation based on the personality cult of Vellupillai Prabhakaran,their enigmatic leadership-you could call their setup a subcontinental version of North Korea.Their religion being predominantly Hindu is a coincidence as it's never exhibited.There are numerous Christians in the movement too-The late Anton Balasingham,their main negotiator is an example.

[sukhoi-30mki]

The T-Ts don't have appear to have too many Muslims-they hate & have attacked the Sri-Lankan Muslims(descended from Arab traders-living in the north ) for allying with the Sinhalese.