Tony Wright
The Age, March 30, 2009
AUSTRALIA'S involvement in the war in Afghanistan is increasingly unpopular, despite Prime Minister Kevin Rudd backing at the weekend a larger role for military trainers in the conflict.
The latest Age/Nielsen poll has found 51 per cent of voters oppose Australia's current involvement. Two-thirds of voters oppose any increase in the number of Australian troops in Afghanistan.
The findings follow Mr Rudd's enthusiastic response in the US to President Barack Obama's revamped strategy to try to win the war.
The strategy — an integrated approach of increased military effort, training of Afghan security forces and civil aid —was described by Mr Rudd as "absolutely right".
Although he insisted there had been no direct request from the US for more Australian forces during his visit to Washington, his support for the renewed American effort was interpreted as flagging the likelihood that Australia would increase its troop commitment.
Mr Rudd admitted during a TV interview in the US last week that the war in Afghanistan did not have broad voter support in Australia.
Today's poll confirms that opposition is increasing. In February 2006, an Age/Nielsen poll found that 48 per cent of Australians opposed the war, while 45 per cent supported it. Support has now slipped to 44 per cent, and opposition is the majority position. In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, a Nielsen poll in October 2001 revealed 70 per cent support for the war on terrorism, though Afghanistan was not specifically named in the question.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Plight of Tamil Civilians: NO CHANGE
By Chandi Sinnathurai
Countercurrents.org March 20, 2009
There is no famine of view points or opinions on this Sri Lankan dirty war on Tamil civilians. Much ink has been spilt, and inch columns have been filled by various journalists and writers. So much have been spoken by politicians, protests by activists, government and non-Governmental agencies both local and foreign. But, one thing is constant: All of these have failed to change either the mind of the Sri Lankan state or the plight of the Tamil civilians in the North.
The international community on the other hand mooted the idea of an humanitarian intervention. The grand plan was to ‘evacuate’ the civilians (around 200,000) from the Tiger pocket (35 sq km) of land. In other words, to deplete the Tigers of the so-called ‘civilian shield.’ Nothing seem to have materialised.
Tamil Tigers have repeatedly called for a ceasefire in order to kick-start negotiations. The SL Government has categorically rejected that appeal. For both India and Sri Lanka they want the Tigers disarmed. That might be the position of the international community including the UN.
In the Vanni region, there are over 330,000 Internally Displaced People without proper medical care, shelter, food, water and other necessary items.
BBC News* reported yesterday (19/03/09):
‘In addition to the war-related casualties, the lack of food, water and medical supplies left a number of children dead from acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea in the final two weeks of February,’ says James Elder, the spokesperson for Unicef, the UN children's agency.
According to BBC, Annemarie Loof, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) head in Sri Lanka, is quoted to have said:
‘MSF doctors came across a mother who lived with her child inside a bunker for four months - another woman had lost her two children in the fighting, then her husband went missing after losing a leg and a hand in an artillery attack.’
The fundamental cause of civilian suffering, according to aid workers, is owing to ‘the denial of freedom of movement for people trapped…’ *MSF pointed out that, both parties need to prioritise civilian safety.
The sad fact is, the war is continuing, and daily helpless civilians are dying.
BBC News Article Civilian Misery in Northern Sri Lanka
Countercurrents.org March 20, 2009
There is no famine of view points or opinions on this Sri Lankan dirty war on Tamil civilians. Much ink has been spilt, and inch columns have been filled by various journalists and writers. So much have been spoken by politicians, protests by activists, government and non-Governmental agencies both local and foreign. But, one thing is constant: All of these have failed to change either the mind of the Sri Lankan state or the plight of the Tamil civilians in the North.
The international community on the other hand mooted the idea of an humanitarian intervention. The grand plan was to ‘evacuate’ the civilians (around 200,000) from the Tiger pocket (35 sq km) of land. In other words, to deplete the Tigers of the so-called ‘civilian shield.’ Nothing seem to have materialised.
Tamil Tigers have repeatedly called for a ceasefire in order to kick-start negotiations. The SL Government has categorically rejected that appeal. For both India and Sri Lanka they want the Tigers disarmed. That might be the position of the international community including the UN.
In the Vanni region, there are over 330,000 Internally Displaced People without proper medical care, shelter, food, water and other necessary items.
BBC News* reported yesterday (19/03/09):
‘In addition to the war-related casualties, the lack of food, water and medical supplies left a number of children dead from acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea in the final two weeks of February,’ says James Elder, the spokesperson for Unicef, the UN children's agency.
According to BBC, Annemarie Loof, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) head in Sri Lanka, is quoted to have said:
‘MSF doctors came across a mother who lived with her child inside a bunker for four months - another woman had lost her two children in the fighting, then her husband went missing after losing a leg and a hand in an artillery attack.’
The fundamental cause of civilian suffering, according to aid workers, is owing to ‘the denial of freedom of movement for people trapped…’ *MSF pointed out that, both parties need to prioritise civilian safety.
The sad fact is, the war is continuing, and daily helpless civilians are dying.
BBC News Article Civilian Misery in Northern Sri Lanka
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