Shiites-Sunni 'divide' and the The Oil map by M.R. Izady Jon Schwarz

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia executed Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday. Hours later, Iranian protestors set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran. On Sunday, the Saudi government, which considers itself the guardian of Sunni Islam, cut diplomatic ties with Iran, which is a Shiite Muslim theocracy.

To explain what’s going on, the New York Times provided a primer on the difference between Sunni and Shiite Islam, informing us that “a schism emerged after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632” — i.e., 1,383 years ago.

But to the degree that the current crisis has anything to do with religion, it’s much less about whether Abu Bakr or Ali was Muhammad’s rightful successor and much more about who’s going to control something more concrete right now: oil.

In fact, much of the conflict can be explained by a fascinating map created by M.R. Izady, a cartographer and adjunct master professor at the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School/Joint Special Operations University in Florida.

Shiites-Sunni 'divide' and the  The Oil map  by M.R. Izady

What the map shows is that, due to a peculiar correlation of religious history and anaerobic decomposition of plankton, almost all the Persian Gulf’s fossil fuels are located underneath Shiites. This is true even in Sunni Saudi Arabia, where the major oil fields are in the Eastern Province, which has a majority Shiite population.

As a result, one of the Saudi royal family’s deepest fears is that one day Saudi Shiites will secede, with their oil, and ally with Shiite Iran.

This fear has only grown since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq overturned Saddam Hussein’s minority Sunni regime, and empowered the pro-Iranian Shiite majority. Nimr himself said in 2009 that Saudi Shiites would call for secession if the Saudi government didn’t improve its treatment of them.

shia-oil-cropped-2 The map shows religious populations in the Middle East and proven developed oil and gas reserves. Click to view the full map of the wider region. The dark green areas are predominantly Shiite; light green predominantly Sunni; and purple predominantly Wahhabi/Salafi, a branch of Sunnis. The black and red areas represent oil and gas deposits, respectively.

Source: Dr. Michael Izady at Columbia University, Gulf2000, New York

As Izady’s map so strikingly demonstrates, essentially all of the Saudi oil wealth is located in a small sliver of its territory whose occupants are predominantly Shiite. (Nimr, for instance, lived in Awamiyya, in the heart of the Saudi oil region just northwest of Bahrain.) If this section of eastern Saudi Arabia were to break away, the Saudi royals would just be some broke 80-year-olds with nothing left but a lot of beard dye and Viagra prescriptions.

Nimr’s execution can be partly explained by the Saudis’ desperation to stamp out any sign of independent thinking among the country’s Shiites.

The same tension explains why Saudi Arabia helped Bahrain, an oil-rich, majority-Shiite country ruled by a Sunni monarchy, crush its version of the Arab Spring in 2011.

Similar calculations were behind George H.W. Bush’s decision to stand by while Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons in 1991 to put down an insurrection by Iraqi Shiites at the end of the Gulf War. As New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman explained at the time, Saddam had “held Iraq together, much to the satisfaction of the American allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia.”

Of course, it’s too simple to say that everything happening between Saudis and Iranians can be traced back to oil. Disdain and even hate for Shiites seem to be part of the DNA of Saudi Arabia’s peculiarly sectarian and belligerent version of Islam. In 1802, 136 years before oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia, the ideological predecessors to the modern Saudi state sacked Karbala, a city now in present-day Iraq and holy to Shiites. The attackers massacred thousands and plundered the tomb of Husayn ibn Ali, one of the most important figures in Shiite Islam.

Without fossil fuels, however, this sectarianism toward Shiites would likely be less intense today. And it would definitely be less well-financed. Winston Churchill once described Iran’s oil – which the U.K. was busy stealing at the time — as “a prize from fairyland far beyond our brightest hopes.”

Churchill was right, but didn’t realize that this was the kind of fairytale whose treasures carry a terrible curse.

Additional reporting: Murtaza Hussain

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M. R. Izady, PhD
Dr. Izady received his college education in the United States, finishing his doctorate in Middle Eastern Studies at Columbia University, New York in 1992.  He has taught at various American and European institutions such as Harvard University (1990-95), Smithsonian Institution (Washington, 1996), Uppsala University, (Sweden, 1997), Free University of Berlin (Germany, 1998), and Fordham University (New York, 1998-present).  Dr. Izady has also testified before two U.S. Congressional committees.  During the past eight years, Dr. Izady has been an Adjunct Master Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and History at the USAF Special Operations School/Joint Special Operations University (JSOU/USAFSOS), Hurlburt Field, Florida. Dr. Izady’s expertise has been in the education and preparation of military and diplomatic personnel being deployed in various volatile and unstable areas of the world.  He has provided comprehensive training in cultural, social, economic political and security fields here in America and in Europe.  The military units he has trained range from the Special Operations Commands (Hurlburt Field, Fort Bragg and Coronado) to CENTCOM, the Naval Academy and the National Defense University.  His training has also included the 1st Special Forces, Ft. Carson, CO, the Army Corps of Engineers, Winchester, VA, the Army Intelligence and Security Command, Belvoir, VA, and various Reserve and National Guard units in the US.  In Europe, he has provided training for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Reimstein, Germany and Special Forces units, Mildenhall, UK.  Dr. Izady has published and lectured extensively on ethnic and socio-historical topics on Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.  For six years, he served as the editor-in-chief of The International Journal of Kurdish Studies and is presently serving as the editor for the English edition of the Encyclopedia CyrticaHis first book titled The Kurds: A Concise Handbook was modeled after the U.S. State Department country handbook series and has been exhibited by theU.S. Information Agency around the world.

US No evidence to support North Korean ‘hydrogen bomb’ claim

White House: No evidence to support North Korean ‘hydrogen bomb’ claim

During a daily press briefing Jan. 6, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the administration is skeptical of North Korea's claims to have carried out a hydrogen bomb test. (AP)

By Anna Fifield January 6 at 2:48 PM

TOKYO — World leaders slammed North Korea on Wednesday for carrying out a fourth nuclear test, an explosion that Pyongyang claimed was a powerful hydrogen bomb but whose strength was strongly questioned by international experts and American officials.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said initial data from various monitoring sources were “not consistent with North Korean claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test.”

Nuclear monitors also said the magnitude of the blast suggested an atomic explosion rather than one produced by an exponentially more powerful hydrogen device — potentially more than 1,000 times more destructive than the bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima near the end of World War II.

In New York, meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council gathered in an emergency session and strongly denounced the reported test as a “clear threat to international peace and security,” said Elbio Rosselli, the envoy from Uruguay, which currently holds the council presidency.

He said the council would begin work on a new resolution. But Rosselli did not specify possible further U.N. measures against the North, which described the device as an “H-bomb of justice” needed for defense against the United States.

“Regardless of whether this is a hydrogen test or a normal, vanilla device, this is a very serious provocation,” said James Acton, co-director of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

North Korea's three previous nuclear tests since 2006 have been met with international condemnation, including resolutions and sanctions from the Security Council. But the response has done nothing to deter Pyongyang.

Despite the widespread skepticism about the North’s assertion, data from the blast will be carefully scrutinized for any hints of technological advances in its nuclear program. Even incremental progress would demonstrate that the North has been able to develop its expertise despite international sanctions and other pressures.

The test also appeared to be part of efforts by the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, to project strength at a time when the country faces increasing isolation, including growing strains in its critical lifeline with China.

The North’s renegade status has been further underscored by the nuclear deal reached last year between Iran and world powers, including the United States and China. Under the pact, Tehran agreed to limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of international sanctions.

Over the past decade, Iran has developed capacities to make nuclear material, but its leaders insist they do not seek an atomic weapon.

In contrast, North Korea “is apparently willing to accept international isolation,” said Earnest.

In Vienna, Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, said a seismic reading on Wednesday was “slightly down” compared with the level from the North’s last nuclear test in 2013.

A full analysis by the watchdog group could take days as experts look at other data including airborne radioactive isotopes, said Zerbo.

A U.S. dry fuel hydrogen, or thermonuclear, bomb tested in 1954 at Bikini Atoll had a yield of 15 megatons, making it more than 1,000 times as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb.

In Seoul, South Korean President Park Geun-hye put her military on alert and said North Korea would pay a price for the test, which she called a “grave provocation.” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a similar message, describing it as “a major threat” that Japan “absolutely cannot accept.”

The United States pledged to stand by its allies in the region.

“We do not and will not accept North Korea as a nuclear armed state, and actions such as this latest test only strengthen our resolve,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in a statement.

“The answer to North Korea’s threats is more pressure, not less,” said Rep. Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

White House: no evidence to support North Korea's hydrogen bomb test claims  

But the severity of any international response will depend on the level of political will in China and Russia, both veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council and the closest thing North Korea has to friends.

After a nuclear test in 2013, the first of Kim’s tenure as North Korea’s leader, China supported expanded sanctions against the country, although it is not clear how strictly Beijing has enforced the restrictions on its neighbor.

Still, China also condemned the test Wednesday.

“Today [North Korea] ignored the general objection from the international community and conducted a nuclear test once again. As to this matter, China strongly opposes,” Hua Chunying, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, told reporters in Beijing.

Although China remains North Korea's biggest patron, relations have been severely strained since Kim took power and detonated a nuclear device a month before Xi Jinping took over as president of China.

Russia, which declared 2015 a “year of friendship” with North Korea, also condemned the detonation and called for international nuclear talks with North Korea to resume.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who gave Kim a rare foreign invitation for a visit last year, ordered a full study of data from Russia’s monitoring stations, said the spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.

“The first H-bomb test was successfully conducted,” the official Korean Central News Agency said in a statement issued shortly after a special announcement was broadcast on state-run television. It said it needed the weapon for defense against the United States, which it described as “the chieftain of aggression” and a “gang of cruel robbers.”

“Nothing is more foolish than dropping a hunting gun before herds of ferocious wolves,” the statement said in North Korea's trademark colorful prose.

But there were immediate questions about the claim. Nuclear experts noted that the yield appeared to be similar to North Korea’s three previous atomic tests, rather than the “enormous” yield that would be expected if it had been a thermonuclear explosion.

Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Calif., said Wednesday’s explosion looked very similar to past tests and was not enormous, suggesting it was not a hydrogen bomb.

Either way, Pyongyang’s action presents a new challenge to the outside world, which has struggled to find ways to end North Korea’s nuclear defiance.

“North Korea’s fourth test — in the context of repeated statements by U.S., Chinese and South Korean leaders — throws down the gauntlet to the international community to go beyond paper resolutions and find a way to impose real costs on North Korea for pursuing this course of action,” said Scott Snyder, a Korea expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Simon Denyer in Beijing, Michael Birnbaum in Moscow, Yoonjung Seo in Seoul, Yuki Oda in Tokyo and Carol Morello and Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report.

Blair Sri Lankan peacemaker

Blair wants to be peacemaker here

N. Ireland peacemaker for Lanka

From Neville de Silva in London

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is sending a special envoy to Colombo this week to assist in getting the peace talks with the LTTE back on track.

The appointment of Paul Murphy who was closely involved in the Northern Ireland peace negotiations that eventually brought a political settlement is an indication that Britain intends to take a much more “hands on” role to revive Sri Lanka’s stalled talks than it had done before in the hope of bringing about a lasting political solution, informed political sources said.

The Sunday Times of September 17 exclusively reported that Mr. Blair had decided to appoint a special envoy with experience in negotiating peace following discussions he had with President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the latter’s visit to London in August.The two leaders met at “Chequers”, the British prime minister’s country residence where they discussed the Sri Lanka situation.

Following President Rajapaksa’s request, Mr. Blair is sending Paul Murphy, a former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who had earlier served as political development minister for Northern Ireland.

Mr. Murphy was at the heart of the Northern Ireland negotiations which led to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 that brought an end to the menacing problem of IRA terrorism.

Mr Murphy is remembered as a skilled problem solver during his time in Belfast from 1997 to 2005 first at the Northern Ireland Office and later as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he was succeeded by Peter Hain in a cabinet reshuffle.

Mr. Murphy is currently heading the security and intelligence committee of the House of Commons. The tireless and soft spoken negotiator will be assisted by Christopher Maccabe, a senior civil servant who is director of the Northern Ireland Office in Belfast. How long the two men spend in Sri Lanka is not quite certain yet but it is expected that they would want to meet a range of persons who are stakeholders and have direct interest in the issue.

This could mean a stay of anything between a week to two weeks, the sources said.
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Blair wants to be peacemaker here

Will former British Prime Minister Tony Blair be the latest peace maker in Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process?
The talk in the corridors of the Foreign Ministry in Colombo is that the prospects are high. They say the overtures to join in came from Blair, Britain’s Labour Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007. His main occupation now is a consultancy business and engaging in charitable work. He was also a West Asia peace maker who made more than 150 visits to the region, alas, to no avail.

One FO source whispered that he is now in contact with Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera with regard to his possible new assignment. The Foreign Minister was in Britain on holiday recently. The FO source pointed out that it was during Blair’s tenure that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) set up its so called headquarters in London despite an official ban on the terrorist organisation. Then, when even former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, sought meetings with him through diplomatic channels during her frequent visits to Britain, she was understandably, rebuffed. The British Premier’s office took up the position that the then Sri Lankan President was merely trying to make what was a private visit seem an official one back to her constituency at home.

Now, that peace has arrived in Sri Lanka, the man who allowed Tiger guerrillas to direct a war from Sri Lanka is hell bent on accelerating the reconciliation process which is largely under Kumaratunga.  Has he given up on West Asia and looking for a new assignment? Well, at least some of Blair’s new friends in Sri Lanka believe so.
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British Prime Minister Tony Blair be the latest peace maker in Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process?

( January 3, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Will former British Prime Minister Tony Blair be the latest peace maker in Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process?

The talk in the corridors of the Foreign Ministry in Colombo is that the prospects are high. They say the overtures to join in came from Blair, Britain’s Labour Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007. His main occupation now is a consultancy business and engaging in charitable work. He was also a West Asia peace maker who made more than 150 visits to the region, alas, to no avail.

One FO source whispered that he is now in contact with Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera with regard to his possible new assignment. The Foreign Minister was in Britain on holiday recently. The FO source pointed out that it was during Blair’s tenure that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) set up its so called headquarters in London despite an official ban on the terrorist organisation. Then, when even former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, sought meetings with him through diplomatic channels during her frequent visits to Britain, she was understandably, rebuffed. The British Premier’s office took up the position that the then Sri Lankan President was merely trying to make what was a private visit seem an official one back to her constituency at home.

Now, that peace has arrived in Sri Lanka, the man who allowed Tiger guerrillas to direct a war from Sri Lanka is hell bent on accelerating the reconciliation process which is largely under Kumaratunga. Has he given up on West Asia and looking for a new assignment? Well, at least some of Blair’s new friends in Sri Lanka believe so.

Sri Lanka To Ban Tobacco Cultivation By 2020

Sri Lanka To Ban Tobacco Cultivation By 2020

Monday, 04 January 2016 18:51

President Maithripala Sirisena said today that he expects to ban tobacco cultivation by 2020.

He made this observation during a ceremony of handing over letters of appointment to Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment field assistants.

Sirisena stated that the purpose of taking this decision is to prevent the damage and health issues caused by smoking cigarettes.

http://www.asianmirror.lk/news/item/13895-sri-lanka-to-ban-tobacco-cultivation-by-2020

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PAKISTAN PM ARRIVES IN SRI LANKA

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PM ARRIVES IN SRI LANKA ON THREE-DAY OFFICIAL VISIT
Monday, 04 January 2016 17:54 Posted by Zulqarnain Ali

COLOMBO: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Monday arrived in the Sri Lanka's capital Colombo to hold meetings with the Sri Lankan leadership on issues of mutual interest.

 Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe received Prime Minister Sharif on his arrival at the Bandranaike International Airport.

A red carpet was rolled out for Prime Minister Sharif and a contingent of Sri Lankan forces presented static guard of honour to him.

Two children clad in traditional dresses presented bouquets to Prime Minister Sharif and Begum Kalsoom Nawaz.

The Prime Minister's delegation included Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan, Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and National Security Advisor Lt Gen (retd) Nasir Khan Janjua.

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Maj. Gen. (retd) Syed Shakil Hussain and senior officials of the Sri Lankan government were present at the airport.

The Prime Minister is undertaking the visit on the invitation of President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena.

During his stay in Colombo, the Prime Minister will lead the bilateral and delegation-level talks to be joined by the Sri Lankan President, Prime Minister and cabinet ministers.

The two countries will sign several agreements and Memoranda of Understanding in the areas of health, science and technology, trade, statistics, gem and jewellery, money laundering and terrorism financing, and culture.

The Prime Minister will attend a state banquet hosted in his honour by the President Maithripala and a lunch by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Prime Minister Sharif will deliver a special lecture to parliamentarians, ministers and members of diplomatic corps, on the invitation of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies.

The Prime Minister will also visit the Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic, International Buddhist Museum and Jinnah Hall in the historic city of Kandy.

The two governments have maintained high-level bilateral interactions including President Maithripala's state visit to Pakistan from April 5-7, 2015. Prime Minister Sharif and President Maithripala also met on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session

in New York in September and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in November last year.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka enjoy friendly and cordial relations. The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1948. Since then, the bilateral relations have grown from strength to strength.

Being members of SAARC and Commonwealth, Pakistan and Sri Lanka cooperate closely and coordinate with each other on issues of common interest and regional and international concern.

US OUSTS CHINA in Sri Lanka

US OUSTS CHINA

The United States will soon oust China as Sri Lanka's single largest investor when it spearheads a US$ 2.5 billion investment into a petroleum refinery in the South, making the US$ 1.4 billion Chinese Port City pale into insignificance.

This will happen shortly with the world's largest oil refinery contractors, operators and managers – Fluor Corporation of USA spearheading a US$ 2.5 billion investment, backed by three or more international petroleum giants, catering to the local and export markets.

Ceylontoday, 2016-01-03 02:03:00 Read 2132 Times

BY Ravi Ladduwahetty

The United States will soon oust China as Sri Lanka's single largest investor when it spearheads a US$ 2.5 billion investment into a petroleum refinery in the South, making the US$ 1.4 billion Chinese Port City pale into insignificance.

This will happen shortly with the world's largest oil refinery contractors, operators and managers – Fluor Corporation of USA spearheading a US$ 2.5 billion investment, backed by three or more international petroleum giants, catering to the local and export markets.

Fluor, based in Texas and with worldwide representation, has topped the FORTUNE Magazine's Most Admired Companies in the Engineering and Construction List and has been ranked No. 1 for fourth consecutive year in 2015.

The designing of the project, which is also being done by UOP of USA, the world's largest oil refinery designer, has already begun and the physical construction will commence in six months, sources close to the deal told Ceylon Today.

It is also moot to know that UOP has also been instrumental in designing the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation's Sapugaskanda Refinery many years ago.

Fluor Corporation, which is a major player in the global petroleum industry, will be joined by other International petroleum players from Korea, Japan and China, who will participate in the funding, coinciding with the construction of the project, which will commence by around June 2016, they said.

The project will have a refining capacity of 100,000 barrels per day, when completed late 2018 or early 2019, will be for both the local market and export. This venture will significantly slash the local fuel prices as there is no freight cost in imports.

The deal has been struck with a group of senior management personnel who held very senior positions in the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and made a comprehensive proposal to set up a petroleum refinery in Sri Lanka. What is all the more striking is that the project will proceed without any guarantees from the Government of Sri Lanka, they said.

These sources also pointed out the significance of the project, given that for over 15 years Sri Lanka has imported nearly 50 per cent of its requirement of diesel and petrol at an enormous cost as the CPC's refinery was not able to refine all of Sri Lanka's needs of fuel. CPC refinery now needs extensive upgrading and expansion to continue its operation and is now in search of funding to undertake the necessary modernization at Sapugaskanda.

A major Sri Lankan company has also evinced interest as an investor. The Government of Sri Lanka has requested that this be located at Hambantota.

It is reported that the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka was unable to give 500 acres in a single bloc near the Port in Hambantota.

Therefore, it will release adequate land already identified in two blocks both inside and outside the Port premises. Investments terms are expected to be finalized early this year. The area inside the Port will be for the refinery and the area outside the Port will be for the tank farm.

UOP has designed refineries worldwide and is easily the biggest refinery designer in the world. This refinery is expected to be in operation in late 2018 or early 2019. It will be an export-oriented refinery, which will have a significant impact on petroleum prices within Sri Lanka, while also ensuring its energy security.

ஐ நா வில் வெசாக் மதத் திருவிழா

UN declares Vesak as ‘floating’ holiday

The 193-member UN General Assembly, which in 1999 declared an “International Day of Observance for Vesak” — on the initiative of the then Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar — has gone one better, this time declaring May 20 this year an unofficial UN holiday for Vesak.

Respecting the diverse religious affiliations of UN staffers, the General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution last week recognising seven new UN “floating holidays”, including Vesak, Orthodox Good Friday, Yom Kippur and Diwali.

According to the resolution, staff members should inform their supervisors in advance, as early in the year as possible, of the floating holiday they wish to observe.

Meanwhile, the UN will continue with its nine “official holidays” which include Christmas, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha, Memorial Day and Thanksgiving Day, the last two celebrated by the Americans. When Sri Lanka approached the UN, seeking a holiday for Vesak in the 1990s, it was rebuffed on the grounds that it will incur additional costs on the world body.

In 2014, when Israel raised the issue of a Yom Kippur holiday for Jews, the UN’s Administrative and Budgetary Committee was quick to endorse the proposal — and saw no financial implications. ”We saw the opportunity and went in with both guns blazing,” a former Sri Lankan diplomat said last year.

“If 14 million Jews in the world could ask for a religious holiday at the UN on Yom Kippur, surely 530 million Buddhists could ask for Vesak,” he said. India jumped in later seeking a holiday for Diwali or Deepavali.

The vigorous lobbying before the Committee this time round was done by Chamitri Rambukwella, then Vice chair of the Budget Committee and a former Second Secretary at the Sri Lanka Mission to the UN. The Committee finally endorsed the proposal and sent it to the General Assembly for ratification last week.

Sri Lanka’s efforts were strongly backed by several countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Malaysia and Singapore.

The Butterfly Room by Saurav Dutt

The Butterfly Room 
by Saurav Dutt  (Author)

4 out of 5 stars   Kindle Edition
£1.95

Paperback 
£7.99

As well as Amazon.com, his books are available in Waterstones and Barnes & Noble in paperback, hardback and Kindle formats across iTunes, Kobo, Nook and other multiple formats.

================
Inspired by the recent efforts of the Joyful Heart Foundation’s NO MORE campaign and an existing relationship with InterAct to help raise awareness around domestic violence and LGBTI rights, proceeds from this book will be donated to Refuge the UK’s largest provider of specialist domestic violence services as well as Southall Black Sisters, Stonewall, Women’s Aid and the charities highlighted above.

For years Vikram and his two sisters have lived in the shadow of their powerful father Rohan. His wife Lakshmi has watched the family slowly disintegrate, living uncertainly within a web of fractured love, deceit and broken promises.

Determined to change her own life and those of her children she is now faced with the most dangerous choice of all. A course of events will now place everything she loves, cherishes and holds sacred under direct threat, plunging the family inexorably towards a journey of pain, self-realisation and ultimately heart breaking tragedy.

"Heartbreaking and deeply moving..." The Indian Express
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4.0 out of 5 stars
5(1) customer reviews
What a perfect story..!!
ByLennomarkon 29 April 2015
Format: Kindle Edition

Author Saurav Dutt who wrote put together this dark story, has a rather short resumé, book wise, but the quality of his work sufficiently impresses me enough to look out for future releases.

The story was extremely well developed and the characterisation flawless in my view. Given the horrible issues of homophobia and domestic violence & sexual abuse we have to ask why must life deal such horrible blows to the good and innocent people of this world? This story tore my heart out. Deep sorrow, deep tragedy, but overall, triumphal beauty of the human soul. Dutt imparts an example of strength, courage, dignity, and fearlessness. What a perfect story.

A loyal wife has suffered years of psychological torment and physical abuse at the hands of her powerful husband who as Dutt explains “uses his fists to communicate” when he’s not verbally putting her down. Yet as a well to do Indian wife she cannot disrupt the family fabric by simply getting up and leaving him, feeling her own pain is insignificant compared to other women who are regularly beaten and scorned. She is the crux of the story and whilst everyone in the family has a secret none is more telling than the oldest son Vikram who is a gay man but feels obliged to marry a woman and hide his sexuality beneath the veneer of respectability.

Both these conflicts come together and predictably the results don’t make for a happy ending. This has got movie written all over it, while some chapters and scenes disturb I can imagine how heart rendering they might be as a film.

I take my hat off to author Saurav Dutt for putting this book together and for giving proceeds of the book to charity.
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More About the Author

Biography

British Author and Screenwriter Saurav Dutt is a creative polymath. He wrote for The Guardian, The Independent; he is a painter, film producer, photographer, graphic design illustrator and above all, an accomplished author and writer. His books have covered film star biographies, contemporary fiction and horror, Manga and graphic novels. His books have been short-listed and featured at the London and Frankfurt book fairs, MCM Comic Book Convention and BookExpo America amongst others. As co-writer and associate producer of the independent film 'Live Life Dearest' he is also a Gothenberg Independent Film Festival winner.

His books have featured at the LA Times Festival of Books, International Kolkata Book Fair, Paris Book Fair, GBO New Delhi's annual event GLOBALOCAL, New Delhi World Book Fair and BookExpo America. In 2014 he was shortlisted for Outstanding Contribution to Arts & Culture Awareness at the 2014 British Indian Awards.

As well as Amazon.com, his books are available in Waterstones and Barnes & Noble in paperback, hardback and Kindle formats across iTunes, Kobo, Nook and other multiple formats.

Dutt currently resides in the United Kingdom and can be contacted at saurav@sauravdutt.com and his official website is www.sauravdutt.com

Pakistan pushes for JF-17 sale to Sri Lanka

இரண்டாம் செய்தி:
No Decision On JF-17 Fighter Jets
by  Camelia Nathaniel

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) claims that no decision has been made regarding the purchase of aircraft for the SLAF yet, despite reports that  Pakistan is expected to be pushing hard for a follow-up agreement with Sri Lanka on the purchase of its 

JF-17 multirole fighter aircraft for the Sri Lanka Air Force.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader regarding this issue, the Air Force spokesman Group Captain Chandima Alwis said that the evaluation process is still on-going and no decision has been made regarding a decision.

“We are not interested in particular models of aircraft but we are looking at multi role aircraft that would be best suited for our purpose,” he said.

Although numerous news articles had been published regarding the SLAF’s desire to purchase the JF-17 Thunder – a third-generation fighter co-produced by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation 

(CAC), according to the spokesman perhaps certain interested parties are trying to push for this deal by claiming that the deal had been confirmed.

However Group Captain Alwis said that a decision will be taken for the purchase of aircraft to the SLAF as the current fleet is now old. He said that as the war has ended, there was no particular requirement for combat aircraft and there was a greater need for aircraft that could be used for multiple purposes.

Meanwhile it was also reported that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka this week, and this issue is likely to be high on his agenda.

The Sunday Leader 03-01-2016



Air Platforms
Pakistan pushes for JF-17 sale to Sri Lanka

Anthony Davis, Bangkok - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
29 December 2015

A JF-17 being demonstrated at the 2015 Paris Air Show. Pakistan is looking to sell the aircraft to Sri Lanka as well as Myanmar. 

Following the first export deal for its JF-17 multirole fighter to Myanmar, Pakistan is expected to be pushing hard for a follow-up agreement with Sri Lanka that would mark an important step in further extending its defence co-operation footprint in the Indian Ocean region.

With Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif scheduled to visit Sri Lanka in the first week of January 2016, efforts to secure an agreement in principle for the sale of the JF-17 Thunder - a third-generation fighter co-produced by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC) - are likely to be high on his agenda, diplomatic sources have told IHS Jane's .

Sharif's upcoming talks in Colombo follow a mid-November visit to Pakistan by Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) commander Air Marshal Gagan Bulathsinhala during which the JF-17 was showcased by the Pakistanis. Immediately after the visit AM Bulathsinhala was invited to send an evaluation team of technicians and pilots to PAC's Kamra facilities near Islamabad, where the JF-17 is produced.

The SLAF - which already flies several other Chinese-made aircraft types - is currently looking to upgrade its fighter capabilities. At present these rely on the Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir, which served as the workhorse of SLAF ground attack operations in the 1983-2009 civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Currently the JF-17 is flown only by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), with the first squadron of Block 1 aircraft becoming operational in 2010. In late December 2015, PAC rolled out the 16th of a planned total of 50 Block 2 aircraft to complete the PAF's fourth JF-17 squadron in service.

Phasing out its older Dassault Mirage III/5s and Chinese F-7Ps fighters, the PAF reportedly plans to induct at least 250 JF-17s. By contrast, China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) does not fly the JF-17.

Note: Graphic in put ENB

What might explain the recent increase in defense spending?

அண்மைக்கால இலங்கை அரசின் பாதுகாப்பு செலவின உயர்வை எதைக் கொண்டு விளக்க முடியும்?

ஆசிய பசுபிக் பிராந்தியத்தை குறிப்பொருளாகக் கொண்டு இயங்கும் THE DIPLOMAT பத்திரிகைக்கு எழுதிய கட்டுரையில்  Ana Pararajasingham இந்தக் கேள்வியை எழுப்பியுள்ளார்.ஈழத்தமிழ் அறிவிலிகளோடு ஒப்பிடுகையில் இந்தக் கேள்வியை எழுப்பியவர் உண்மையில் அதிகார பூர்வ தொண்டூழிய அறிவு ஜீவிதான்.

இதே காரணத்தினாலேயே அவர் எழுப்பிய காலத்தின் தேவையான நியாயமான கேள்விக்கு அவர் கண்டறியும் பதில் சற்றும் காலப் பொருத்தமற்று, தர்க்கமற்று அவரது அதிகார பூர்வ தொண்டூழிய அறிவு ஜீவித் தனத்தின் வங்குரோத்து நிலையையும் அம்பலப்படுத்தி நிற்கின்றது.

1) இலங்கையில் யுத்தம் ஓய்ந்த பின்னால் பாதுகாப்பு செலவினம் ஏறத்தாழ இருமடங்கு அதிகரித்துள்ளதாகவும்,

2) படைப்பெருக்கம் பெரு முதலீடுகளில் நடை பெறுவதாகவும்,

3) உலக விவகார கொள்கை சார்ந்து இலங்கையில் ஆட்சிக்கவிழ்ப்பு நடந்ததாகவும் இவர் ஆதாரங்களின் அடிப்படையில் நிரூபித்துள்ளார், மேலும் ஒத்துக் கொண்டுமுள்ளார், நன்றி!

ஆனால் இந்த அறிவு ஜீவி இலங்கையின் தற்காலப் படைப்பெருக்கம் இந்தியாவுக்கு எதிரான இலங்கையின் இராணுவ அணிவகுப்பு என அறுதியிட்டுக் கூறுகின்றார்.

இந்த அறியாமையை-திட்டமிட்ட புரட்டலை- திருத்திச் சொல்ல நாம் கடமைப்பட்டுள்ளோம்.

இந்த இலங்கையின் படைப்பெருக்கம் மூன்றாவது உலக மறுபங்கீட்டு போர்க்காலகட்டத்தில் `அமெரிக்க இந்திய முகாமின்` இராணுவக் காலனியாக இலங்கையைக் கட்டியெழுப்பும் ரணில் மைத்திரி பாசிசத்தின் பகிரங்க முயற்சியாகும் என புதிய ஈழப் புரட்சியாளர்களாகிய  நாம் பிரகடனம் செய்கின்றோம்!

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Colombo’s Military Build-Up: A Strategy of Deterrence

What might explain the recent increase in defense spending?

By Ana Pararajasingham
December 30, 2015

Contrary to expectations that with the end of the civil war, Sri Lanka would reduce its spending on defense, Colombo has in fact increased its defense expenditure. Defense spending in 2009, the year the civil war ended with the comprehensive defeat of the Tamil Tigers, was Rs 175 billion ($1.2 billion). By 2011, this had risen to Rs 194 billion, and in 2013 it was Rs 235 billion. In late 2015, Colombo was looking to procure 18 to 24 new fighter aircraft to replace its obsolete fleet of MIG-21s by 2017. The budget allocation for defense in 2016 is Rs 307 billion.

Colombo’s 2009 victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was achieved with heavy civilian casualties. Tens of thousands were killed and maimed. There was a purpose, to convince the survivors of the heavy price of war and remove the risk of any future uprising. Colombo was successful and knows it. Not only have thousands of Tamil Tiger soldiers been killed, but many thousands of former fighters and other young men and women have fled the country in fear of their lives Thousands of others are believed to be in government custody. Another uprising is highly unlikely.

Why then should Colombo spend a significant proportion of its GDP on defense, funds that could otherwise be spent on restoring the country’s war-ravaged economy? What exactly is the rationale for this exponential increase in defense spending?

If internal threats are non-existent, the threat must be external. From Colombo’s perspective, the major threat has always been its giant neighbour, India. It is a fear that has plagued Colombo since the late 1940s when Sri Lanka was about to be granted independence following Britain’s decision to relinquish India, the Jewel in the Crown. In 1947, Sri Lanka’s first Prime Minister, D. S. Senanayake, based the strategy of his country’s security on the assumption that the most likely threat to its independence would come from India. The British saw in these perceived fears a strategic advantage, linking the granting of independence to the island under a unitary constitution that gave the Sinhala majority enormous political power, while defense agreements gave Britain the use of naval and air bases in Trincomalee. The base in Trincomalee was of strategic significance to Britain, especially for securing links to Australia and New Zealand. D. S. Senanayake considered the unitary constitution as a safeguard against the Tamils federating with India, just as Ulster separated from the Irish Republic to federate with Britain, another of his fears and one that he shared with Lord Soulbury, the head of the commission appointed by the British to draft a constitution for the island.

Until the early 1980s, New Delhi sought to allay Sri Lanka’s fears through displays of generosity in bilateral relations. These included accepting in 1964 over half a million Tamils of Indian origin who had been disenfranchised by the Sri Lankan government in 1948; maintaining a cordial relationship with Sri Lanka despite the latter’s pro-Pakistan position during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971; and conceding the disputed island of Kachatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974.

By the early 1980s, however, India’s actions appeared to justify Sri Lanka’s suspicions when it armed and trained Tamil militants to exert pressure on Sri Lanka, which was showing clear signs of moving into the Western camp. These suspicions were only reinforced when India intervened directly in 1987 under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord to deny the use of the Trincomalee Harbour to the U.S. and the setting up of a Voice of America broadcasting facility in Sri Lanka.

Although India provided Colombo with training and logistical support during Colombo’s final assault on the Tamil Tigers, this did not allay Colombo’s reservations about India. Colombo knows that New Delhi’s assistance to defeat the Tamil Tigers was to eliminate the organization that had assassinated Rajiv Gandhi, and was being made at the behest of Rajiv’s widow Sonia, who pledged full military support to Sri Lanka to achieve that goal.

Although Colombo’s war efforts had the support of New Delhi, it balanced that relationship by maintaining strong relationships with China and Pakistan. Without the help of the Chinese, who, in addition to their military aid, gave the Sri Lankan government diplomatic cover at the UN Security Council, Colombo could not have won the long-running civil war. Subsequently, when Colombo’s relationship with China grew stronger under President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Washington and New Delhi played a crucial role in bringing about a new government in Colombo. Sri Lanka’s new leader is decidedly pro-Western, but like all its predecessors, the new government has its reservations about New Delhi. A Crisis Group report in 2011 noted that with the LTTE gone, New Delhi’s capacity to influence Sri Lankan policy has been greatly reduced. Yet still Colombo mistrusts New Delhi. To many Sinhalese, India’s overt intervention in 1987, citing the plight of Tamils was a humiliating affair. At that time Sri Lanka’s armed forces were a fraction of their current strength, and were barely capable of dealing with the Tamil insurgency underway.

And so the victory over its internal foe, achieved with Chinese assistance, has provided Colombo with an opportunity to build up its forces as a deterrent against any future actions by what many Sinhalese perceive to be their external foe: India.

Ana Pararajasingham was Director-Programmes with the Centre for Just Peace and Democracy (CJPD) and is the author “Sri Lanka’s Endan gered Peace Process and the Way Forward” (2007).

 The Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder multi-role fighter was jointly developed by China and Pakistan. Development started in 1999. Most of the development was carried out in China by Chengdu, however development costs were split equally. It was reported that Russian Mikoyan design bureau provided some assistance in development of this aircraft. Aircraft made its maiden flight in 2003. Its official Chinese designation is the Fighter China-1 or FC-1 Xiaolong (Fiece Dragon). First 8 Chinese-built fighters were delivered to Pakistan in 2007 - 2008. In 2009 an order was signed for a further 42 fighters. These were license-produced locally by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. By 2015 Pakistan Air Force operates 60 of these aircraft and production continues. It is estimated that total requirement of the Pakistani Air Force is for 250 new fighters. Currently Pakistan Air Force also operate a number of ageing A-5C, F-7P, Mirage 3 and Mirage 5 that a due to be replaced. This multi-role aircraft is also proposed for developing countries as a low-cost replacement for their ageing types. Recently Azerbaijan ordered 26 of these multi-role fighters.

    It is worth mentioning that the FC-1 traces its origins to the Super-7 programme. It was a joint Chengdu-Grumman development project to upgrade the Chinese J-7 fighter. This programme was cancelled in 1990. China continued the Super-7 project and renamed the design as the FC-1.

   The JF-17 Thunder has a conventional aerodynamic layout. Aircraft is fitted with Russian Klimov RD-93 turbofan engine with afterburner. It is a derivative of the RD-33, used on the MiG-29. In 2007 a contract was signed to supply 150 RD-93 engines for the JF-17, exported to Pakistan. China is also developing an indigenous turbofan engine, which is a copy of the RD-93, but has some modifications. It is designated as the WS-13 (Tianshan-21).

     The Thunder multi-role fighters delivered to Pakistan are fitted with Italian Grifo S-7 multi-track, multi-mode pulse Doppler radar. It has look-down, shoot-down capability. Other radars can be fitted. Some sources claim, that aircraft are fitted with the Russian radars. Avionics systems will be gradually upgraded in later batches.

   This aircraft is intended for air defense and ground attack missions. It is armed with a single 23-mm GSh-23 or 30-mm GSh-30 twin-barrel cannon. Maximum weapon payload is about 3.7 t. There are five hardpoints and two wingtips for missiles and fuel tanks. The JF-17 has beyond visual range attack capability. Its primary weapon are Chinese PL-12/SD-10 medium-range air-to-air missiles with active radar-homing. Aircraft also carries short-range Chinese PL-7, PL-8, PL-9 or US AIM-9P, mounted on wingtip rails. The JF-17 multi-role fighter can also carry general purpose of laser-guided bombs. Aircraft has no in-flight refueling capability.

   In 2013 Pakistan began production of improved JF-17 Thunder (Block 2). It has improved countermeasures systems, in-flight refueling capability. Also this fighter aircraft can use more different weapons.