From: kimjimin@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.sri-lanka
Subject: Re: The future
Date: 5 Nov 92 19:36:43 -0500
Distribution: world
Organization: Georgetown University

In article <WEERAPAN.92Nov2174801@occs.cs.oberlin.edu>, weerapan@occs.cs.oberlin.edu (Akila Weerapana) writes:
> 		This is my first posting to soc.culture.sri-lanka
> since I finally have gained access to a system that lets me post :)
> I was deeply disturbed this summer by some events that seemed to be
> happening back home and I thought I would throw in my two cents worth
> and see what reactions people would have.
> 		I guess we should start with the "war" in the North. I
> was amazed at the tight grip that the government had placed on news
> that would be allowed to reach Colombo from the NE. Sometimes the
> Island had AP or Reuters reports on the front page which meant that
> they had no idea of what was going on in our own country. The
> government's policy seems to be to pretend that nothing is going on
> as evidenced by the stupid decision not to broadcast any information
> about the killing of Brigadier Kobbekaduwa's death until about 10-12
> hours had passed and being left far behind by the BBC.I fail to see
> how any self-respecting government can pretend that all problems
> will go away if u fail to acknowledge their existence for a while. An
> ill-informed population is fertile ground for rumor mongering and also
> does not do much for faith in the government. 
> 		I also think that we should have elections every 4
> years because a leader's mandate is pretty much exhausted after 6
> years. This is my personal opinion but I also think that by giving
> some of our leaders 6 years of carte-blanche rule , easily expandable
> to 12 a la JR can leave the country in one huge mess.
> 		It is far too easy to identify problems with the Sri
> Lankan political system, solutions are subjective and it is hard to
> implement solutions. But in the government today the hardest thing is
> not resolving which solution may be best but acknowledging the fact
> that there may be a problem at all.
> 		Will there ever be a government that will have enough
> self esteem or honesty to free itself up for criticism? Can we truly
> go on calling ourselves a democracy if parliamentary privilege is used
> as a blanket to shield every measly MP from facing the consequences of
> their actions.This has not been exclusive arrogance on the part of the
> UNP but of the SLFP as well but using the past to justify the present
> is never going to resolve the problems we face today.
> 		More of my random ramblings will come later....


Hi my name is JJ Kim and my best friend at Phillips Exeter Academy was 
a son of the Ex-Sri Lankan ambassador.  He is currently attending 
dartmouth college.  From him, i have learned of the atrocities that 
are happening in the beautiful island of Sri Lankan.  I don't know if 
you are a Sinaglese but I think some concessions have to made 
definitely in order for to have peace on that island.  I would love to 
visit the island someday but I am afraid of the instability that goes 
on there right now.  So if you are interested in talking to this Sri 
Lankan person at Dartmouth please do not hesitate to contact me for 
his address.  

Thanks