A lot has happened in the last two months

Yes, plenty has happened. The major events are of course the defeat of the LTTE, The return to power of UPA, our loss in the T 20, death of Michael Jackson, the shameful unveiling spree of the statues including her own in UP by Mayawati, The hotting up of the war against the Maoists. Change of portfolios at the centre.

I have written elsewhere in the media on some of the events mentioned above analysing them in detail. Notably on the defeat of LTTE and the killing of its leader, the role of the diaspora etc.,.

There was another event on May 12th that has largely gone unreported. This was the date that nations were to bid for their claims for delimitation of the continental shelf. Even before any scrutiny some of the neighbours are already complaining that there are overlaps and mutual claims to same areas in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian Sea. Well, all the claims would need to be vetted and so there is no cause for worry by the littorals in the IOR. So the family comes first and everytime after all. It was really mature of Rahul to have admitted that he lacks experience to be the PM of this country even when it was on offer to him If he wanted it it is highly unlikely that any one would oppose it. But it is good that Rahul is biding time and in the process learning the tot(tricks of the trade). So Manmohan is there yet again to run the affairs . Hopefully the strength of Congress is now available for him to be bolder than in his previous Avatar.

Will post on this blog things that were carried in other publications in the last couple of months.

The monsoons are playing truant and is giving jitters to the planners. In Jun there was deficit of over 45 percent . Every one is keeping fingers crossed though some like the CM of Madhya Pradesh are invoking the weather gods through yagnas and mantras.

Pakistan is in a different phase against the Talliban. The Army and the leadership appear more determined to retain Pakistan. US has assured aid amounting to billions. There are always suspicions about where this money would be used. If past is any indicatin, these have been used to fund cross border terrorism through the ISI. The recent disclosure about over 2000 crores of 1000 rupee counterfeit notes in circulation does cause serious concern. The fake is as good as the genuine one making it difficult to differentiate one from another. It is a miracle that despite decades of this effort by the ISI to flood India with counterfeit, we seem to absorb the whole thing like blotting paper with no side effects. Just shows the size of our economy.

Here in Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi appears to be the happiest man after propelling Azhagiri to Delhi which cleared the way for the anointment of Stalin as his heir apparent.

Well so long then
have a nice week end.

Updates Sri Lanka

... There has been plenty of drama in Tamil Nadu with the election dates drawing near. Jayalalithaa has suddenly found a lot of virtue in supporting the Tamil Eelam, which she feels is the only way to protect the Tamil interests. She claims that this change of heart is due to the video clippings that she was shown by the AOL master Shri Shri Ravishankar.

Well, the media and notably the Tamil net have been bringing out the reports from the war zones quite regularly. To any discerning observer, the pictures were fairly clear despite soms gaps in the information. The election manifesto of the AIADMK had said that it would support a Tamil Eelam if the SL Government did not give equal rights to the Tamils . However, this qualification has been removed with the recent stance adopted by the AIADMK supremo. It is clear that she did not want to let go of an opportunity to be identified as the enlightened leader who now stood for a cause and was willing to break away from her earlier stand . Her allies the PMK, MDMK and others look very happy that now there is synchronisation of their goals for fighting the elections in the near future.

The old man of Tamil Nadu decided to go on a fast this morning demanding a cease fire and called off the hunger strike with in hours appparently on being informed that the Sri Lankan forces have decided to call off heavy artillery and aerial bombardment in the NFZ. Quite a farce by any standards. There are tall claims now that the SL Government has been pressurised by the hunger strike of the leader of DMK. If that were the case, why it did not happen when he fasted last time begs answers. The DMK finds itseld in a state where all the winds have been taken out of its sails by the opponents and there is very little left for political manoeuvre just a few weeks before the election.

The Congress led UPA also appears to be seen as doing something and sent its emissaries to Colombo. Both the NSA and the Foreign Secretary came back explaining that "Sri Lanks is sensitive to India's concern". It is clear that this hardly changes anything in the context of the ongoing war. Sri Lanka is determined to bring the war to its logical conclusion on its terms. It has already snubbed US, UK and other who are trying to bring pressure to stop the war. It has maintained that we can not have double standards in tackling the war on terror. Remember, India made similar noises when Pakistan aided terrorists attacked Mumbai .Purely from the point of view of the military, it would be fool hardy to stop the war now as the LTTE is on its last breath and the end has to be expedited. Only then can the SL Government concentrate on the process of rehabilitation, restructuring and of course the most important of "devolution of power to the people in the North and the East".

The support of China has raised the heckles in the country as it has been interpreted as China using the opportunity to curry favour with Sri Lanka for its Indian Ocean ambitions.It is a major supplier of arms and ammunition to Sri Lanka . India in the past has tried to prevent the entry of China with selective success. The development of Hamban thota has already given the Chinese a foot hold in the southern tip of the Island giving it an option for future ambitions. Pakistan likewise has also helped out Sri Lanka in providng the necessary arms to fight the terrorists. India has come under intense pressure from the Tamil politicans to stop providing training and equipment to the SL Military. In the larger scheme of things, Sri Lanka has capitalised on the opportunity to get the best of all the countries involved in the regional power politics. So conveniently , it has used the China and Pakistan card against India and has perhaps used the India card with the willing neighbours of a volatile sub continent.

As this goes to the web, the Tamils who are stranded between the devil and the deep sea have very little options. The unending war has brutalised them and has played merry hell with their lives . Many have lost their family members in the war either due to forced conscription or due to the collateral damage. The statement by Mahinda that it may take up to three years for the process of rehabilitation is alarming and portends great trouble for the displaced tamilians of Sri Lanka. There is a need to expedite this process by involvement of all the international actors by both material and moral support.

Eye in the Sky (EiS)

..Hats off to the ISRO team for placing the RISAT in the orbit at 550 kilometers up in the sky. The RISAT with Israeli signature on it has been credited with a capability to see through weather and darkness at targets even as small as a car. It is also the first time perhaps that a University designed Anusat was also launched simultaneously. The coming together of the universities and ISRO is a healthy sign that would help the universities to raise their bench marks in research related projects.

As far as the RISAT is concerned, the pay load of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAT) would provide the edge required to carry out spying missions. The Chairman of ISRO apparently did not like the word"spy sat", naturally.He said"there is nothing like a spy satellite in our agenda. We have only earth observation satellite, communication satellite and scientific satellite."RISAT-2 is another earth observation satellite. I want to clarify that", he said, adding "there is nothing like a spy satellite at ISRO". Irrespective of this clarification,there can be no doubts that this technology also would come under the classification of "dual use"(civilian +military)by our understanding. The satelite has a certain capability and it is for the users to decide what to do with such data available both to the civil and military planners. What is also clear is that the spin offs of the successful space prgrammes have brought in rich dividends to the defence capability of the country. Whether it is the EiS, remote sensing for civilian use, launch of long range missiles to give us the strategic deterrant capability, communications, television and research in related areas, India has gone from strength to strength thanks to the committed team and the kind of support given to them.

While all the initial remote sensing was monitored at Hyderabad, the services got their own receiving stations at Delhi with the commissioning of DIPAC.With the levels of sophistication being achieved by the terrorists and Non State Actors, the spy satellite should help us particularly along the land and sea borders. It is hoped that the concerned agencies have chalked out the way ahead to optimise the data received by the new satellite up there providing critical data including in inclement weather.

It is just not enough to obtain data from the new toy. More importantly, it would be necessary to ensure that there is a mechanism to act on such quality inputs with out fail . The integration of the strategic/tactical data in the scheme of things for those protecting the borders, be it the BSF, Army, Navy, Coast Guard or the newly created marine police wing, needs to be done post haste, to see that the advantages conferred by the new monitoring satellite is not wasted.

The situation can be equated to some of the pictures of those trying to infiltrate along the LoC;captured by thermal/IR devices by the military/BSF and released by the media. While the modern devices were able to detect their presence and the efforts by them to breach the defences, how was this input to be used , to be neutralise the threat by preemptive action remained a question mark. The use of the drones by the US forces in attacking the Taliban in the mountains on the western border of Pakistan illustrates that there is a method and technology available provided there is a willingness. If for instance, it is known that the terrorists are just marking time to cross the LoC, then it is just not enough to know their presence and do nothing about it. Allowed to cross,those lying in wait would infiltrate our borders and inflict heavy civilian casuality by terrorist acts.

There have been ample warnings,recently, about the possible sneaking in of trained cadres in tou our areas before elections to create chaos particularly in the J&K areas.In additon to the technical ability to detect these movements, there has to be political will to engage them and neutralise the infiltrators on the basis of pre emptive action in self defence. It is time that India acted with firmness in tackling terrorism by utilising all the technical and military means at its command.

Jaya Ho!.. Karuna Ho!

.....Well this has nothing to do with the posting on Jai Ho which I posted on 18th. This is to do with the statements of Jayalalithaa . There are some interesting aspects to the pre election promises/sops.

Suddenly, she has changed her stance on the Tamil Eelam and has said she would support a separate Tamil Eelam. She did qualify that statement though by saying that this would happen(only) if the aspirations of the tamil people are not met by the SL Govt by ensuring proper devolution of powers.

Even on Sethu, there seems to be a 180 degree turn. She did support the Sethu some years ago(2001 and 2004). However, in the recent years she has indicated that she is opposed due to the damage that would be caused to the marine biosphere. Taking cue from the BJP manifesto, she has declared that she would also exempt the salaried class from IT.

If that is what Madam Jaya has to promise, our friend Karuna seems to be perfecting the art of flip flopping putting many circus artists to shame. One day he says he did not like Prabhakaran for his autocratic ways and yesterday the terrorist group leader is suddenly his friend and not a terrorist! Some of my friends tried to say that this is due to infirmity and may be age related problems. The cause has more to do with the impending elections, Every leader is trying to suddenly become the champion of the Sri Lankan Tamils hoping that this would influence those who side with the LTTE. But it has been proved in the past that the percentage voting shift due to the LTTE is not a major factor at all.

What stands out in the elections both at the level of the national parties and the regional parties is that they dont mind joining hands with any one as long as this is likely to result in power. Even the Congress shamelessly has said that post elections it does not mind joining hands with the left again !! The sanctity of their manifestos would be thrown to the winds and they would bring out a kichadi called "common minimum programme" which pulls back the country from its march towards being a great power. The independents obviously are smart candidates who would like to leverage their power to tilt the balance one way or the other and thus in a commanding position to indulge in horse trading.

Jaya Ho(let there be victory to those with virtue, morality and conscience)....Karuna Ho( let there be mercy of the almighty on this great land)

Jai Ho!

... Jai Ho seems to be the flavour of the country since it made it to the Oscars and won an award. Many may feel that it was not definitely the best from AR Rahman. While that may be so, no one can take away the credit that was due to this genious from Mera Bharat Mahan.

The song has been used by the Congress to showcase what it seems to think that it has done for the country.(. high hopes!).. in response , the BJP lost no time in bringing out Bai Ho and indicated the failures on many counts giving raise to a sense of insecurity and desolation. Only the elections will tell us as to whether these adoptations of the Oscar winning songs had any impact on the voters.

At another level, the movie that won so many oscars has borne the brunt of criticism by many Indians who felt that the west has not gotten out of the way to look at India as poverty stricken and through the prism of a developed country with scorn and contempt. Well, the fact that Dharavi exists can not be taken away, it also is true that many in our country still livebelow the poverty line( BPL). The health,hygiene and sanitation have always been casualities at the hands of the municipalities, inept governance and public apathy. So all those who criticise the movie would do well to introspect a little more and see what can be done to get the corporations, municipal bodies and panchayats to do their job. More importantly we all need to subject to close scrutiny our own actions or lack of them in being part of a civilised society.

That even after sixty two years of freedom, we still do not have access to clean water, clean roads,primary health care and even today, there is manual scavenging in many places should open our eyes to the sad state of affairs. The rich and pompous live at one level in the same country where the poor live a miserable life. Empty promises by the politicians, inefficient bureacracy, corrupt officials and a very tolerant (couldnt care less) population have brought us to this pitiful stage.

There can not be much hope even with the forthcoming elections. It would be the story of old wine in new bottle. How can any one expect the Government (read kichadi of self serving parties) to function when despite their idealogical and other differences they join hands just to grab power. This happens even when there is such hatred between the parties and personalities before the elections. Just after the elections, they dont mind joining hands with any one just to be in power.

Unless there is electoral reforms, we will continue to see convicts and those with greed for power coming back to rule us elections after elections.

Jai Ho!

Action and reaction are equal and opposite -Counter piracy measures

The action by the US special forces who killed three pirates to release the master of the ship Maersk Alabama, Captain Richard Phillips seems to have evoked strong reaction from the Pirates. The killing has not deterred them from attacking more ships in the region. They have also threatened to intensify their actions against the Americans in addition to killing of the hostages if they perceive any threat from warships.

This anti American feeling can snow ball in to increased attacks on American interests. While there can be no doubt about the inevitable need to save the captain whose life was under threat, the killing of the three pirates opens up some space for the Islamic terrorists to now start recruiting the Somalian pirates for acts of terrorism. US would now need to factor the aspect of Al Queda recruitment of pirates for acts of terrorism against ships of opportunity both commercial and military.

It has always been argued that there is a thin line that separates acts of piracy, robbery from maritime terrorism. While all the nations around the world have vowed to protect the lives of mariners who sail their ships, the task would be rendered even more difficult with stiff resistance from the pirates. From the point of view of the pirates, as long as they are able to get the hostages to the coast in the safe sanctuaries over land, the process of negotiation with the ship owners would be easy. The fact that over 300 hostages are still held in custody of the pirates is a serious one.

The reasons for not being able to contain the menace has been attributed to the vastness of the area at over 1.1 million square kilometers( this is 50 percent of the Indian EEZ) and lack of resources. The pirates also have been using faster mother ships and modern devices to accomplish their missions with determined volunteers. The hefty ransom money is being used to equip the pirates with boats, weapons and sensors. While Combined Task Force 151 was set up as an anti piracy force by the USA, the European countries and NATO have also joined together in the battle against the pirates. At the moment, the pirates seem to continue to enjoy the freedom of the seas to strike at will.

President Obama has asked his forces to go after them and render the seas safe. On Friday(tomorrow), there is to be a meeting to work out the modalities for enhancing the safety of the ships in the Gulf of Aden and the areas targeted by the pirates. The west has been talking for many years now about Maritime Domain Awareness(MDA) a scheme that is aimed at providing the ships and shore authorities with complete maritime picture for taking timely action. Looks like the scheme is not working in this part of the Indian Ocean. It should be a matter of time before satellites , reconnaissance aircraft and other such domain awareness enhancing components join the fray and prevent the pirates from acting with total impunity.

The unending war in Sri Lanka

The temporary truce of two days to celebrate(??) the Tamil and Budhist new year ought to mean nothing to one and all. How can one celebrate or observe a new year when there is despair and doom all around. The Tigers have done nothing to alleviate the suffering of the civilians in their control. Ditto from the Sri Lankan Army which hopes to finish the war at what ever cost.

The shameless world looks on with out doing much. All that the big neighbour does is to pay lip service to the plight of those trapped and caught in the cross fire. The mercury in Tamil Nadu is slowly soaring, but the rising temperatures have nothing to do with the elections. The issue of Tamils in the Island manages to come up every now and then, propped by one party or another in the hope that some voters would turn their way. The case of a few immolations and the threat of blood bath in Tamil Nadu are unlikely to influence the course of events. Vaiko after all the drama has backtracked and has said that he remains committed to a united India while he is opposed to the idea of a united Sri Lanka at any cost! With the clout that he seems to enjoy with the leader of LTTE, even Vaiko seems uninterested in the safety of the civilians. He would be willing to sacrifice the civilians just to ensure that the life of his dear friend Prabhakaran is protected. Remember he said that no harm should come to Prabhakaran or else.... . But one must grant that through the thick and thin if one person has steadfastly supported the LTTE it is Vaiko who has not changed his stripes. For him it is something that is worth his time in prison and much more.

There have already been reports of violations even during the period of truce for these two days. Nothing more was expected in any case. The Sri Lankan Govt also has shown the door to Norway who may even be relieved that they could now keep away from both the parties who would not heed to any advice from anyone. The SL Govt always felt that Norway had a soft corner for the LTTE and did not really work for a unitary Sri Lanka.

The Tamil have been trying their best to see if any of their actions would change the course of the war of attrition. Their demonstrations in Canada, the desecration of the statue of Nehru in London, demonstrations in Australia , UK etc., have not resulted in any change in the world opinion. There have been the usual noises to say that there has to be a negotiated settlement and devolution of powers to the Tamils and the civilians should not be held has hostages against their will etc., The no fire zones have been reported to be safe havens for the LTTE, an excuse apparently used by the SLA to fire in to these very safe areas.

When will the plight end?? is a million dollar or rupee question depending on who you want to blame for the continued sad state of affairs.

Troubled waters of Somalia

The recent action by the US naval ship did save the captain of the Maersk Alabama by some bold action . The snipers of the special forces managed to kill the three pirates on the life boat which held the captive master. But, this has not prevented more hijackings in the last two days since the daring rescue of the captain.

On the part of the Somali pirates, they have vowed to avenge the death of their brethern . The remark that they would now kill the hostages if the concerned nation makes an attempt to rescue them is alarming and is likely to deter such attempts fearing the lives of the hostages. As on date, it has been reported that there are still over 300 hostages held in captivity pending negotiations at different levels. On an average, over 20,000 ships ply in these waters through the gulf of aden.

The initial deployment of Indian Naval Ships met with success when INS Tabar was able to sink the hijacked fishing vessel that was commandeered by pirates. But such actions may become even more tricky in the days to come due to the complicated nature of operations . The threat to kill the hostages looms large and would render the rescue attempts almost near impossible.

Happy New Year

Hello all,

First of all a very happy new year/vishu/baisakhi or what ever you wish to call the beginning of the solar calendar. At least in Tamil Nadu, many are angry with the shameful attempt of the DMK Govt to interfere with the age old practice of commencing the new year when the Sun transit to Mesha rashi.Not withstanding what Mr Karunanidhi tried to do shamelessly, majority of Tamils continued thronging the temples and would have silently prayed for the defeat of this shoddy and inept governance.

The anti Hindu dispensation is hell bent to destroy the agamic traditions . People will hardly be influenced by the unwarranted influence of the Govt in religious affairs and some one's faith. How is that they seem to only target the Hindu calendar and not that of any other religion. This can only happen due to the passivity of the Tamil Hindus who appear content even when heaped with such wanton mischief by the Minister. He has also tried to project himself as the leader of the pan Tamil community.The fact that the diaspora Tamils around the world continue to celebrate the Tamil new year with gutso is a clear indication that the Tamils worldwide continue to follow their age old traditions and would not be swayed by this mischievous act by the self serving Government.

I am sure there would be not even one vote for the DMK Government from any self respecting Tamil.