Ironically, as I was uploading the previous post, news of the bus attack in Anuradhapura this morning was just making its way around here. And, of course the government responed by shelling the ltte controlled area outside of Trinco again today. So this is just a quick update to let everyone know I am fine and safe. It is not clear who was responsible for this horrible attack on the civilian population, but surely it is not going to help the peace process.
You can read about the incident here. And there is a decent analysis of the "not war, not peace" situation here if you are interested.
Peace!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Trouble in Paradise - April 2006
Ok, so some of you may have heard about the recent troubles that have been brewing in Sri Lanka over the past few months. I thought I would share some stories from the events of April 2006 in Trincomalee before they are potentially eclipsed by future events. Things have been heating up in Sri Lanka and Trinco for months now but things in April really exploded. For example, on April 12th, a bomb was detonated within the main vegetable market in the center of Trinco town. Civilian riots ensued and over 20 shops and several vehicles were burned. There were reports of looting of shops and rape of civilians during these riots and approximately 20 persons were killed. Several days of civil unrest followed the 12th April bomb attack including neighborhood mobs attacking and setting fire to houses in the areas surrounding Trinco town and there were several grenade and claymore mine attacks. I decided to leave Trinco for a few days to let the situation calm down and went to Colombo.
A vehicle and shop that had been burned out during the riots that followed the market blast.
Ouch.... A hand full of vehicles and ~ 20 shops received this fate.
This is a shot taken looking up Central Rd five days after the blast and riots. It was strange to see the bustling center of town to be so deserted.
The day I returned to Trinco, the LTTE bombed army HQ in Colombo and then the army started aerial bombing and shelling the LTTE controlled area next to Trinco. Yes, it was an experience; sitting on my veranda watching rockets fire over the harbor and listing to 135mm artillery guns fire every few mins. Jets were even turning over my house (not bombing here) to return to their targets 10 miles south. After a night an exciting night of shelling, I decided to move into a hotel in town next to my boss’s because he figures it is safer for me there. The cool thing is that I keep meeting these journalists there that are finally coming to cover the things happening in Trinco. The reporting has been pretty bad in terms of being balanced and fair. Most of the information coming from the international news agencies seems to be reported from the gov. Until recently there have been very few reporters coming to the district. Most of the reporters are from Colombo. Anyway, this guy was staying at my hotel and I ask him if he is covering blast at the market (two weeks before this now). He said yeah. So I asked if he new about all these nasty things that happened (that everyone in Trinco knows about) but aren’t getting reported? he said “uh, no... but we cant just print rumors because people say it”. At this point I want to throttle his neck. I mean, isn’t this the job of reporters: to go and in-vest-i-gate potential reports of wrong doings; talk to the people etc? So, I told him that these are not rumors, these people exist, you just need to go talk to them. I hooked him up this a man that had a "real story", and it made it to press the next day (London Guardian)! JUSTICE. The first 5 paragraphs pertain to the atrocities that were not being reported previously.
This is the view from the hotel that I stayed in for a week following the aerial attacks. It actually was a nice place to be. I could watch the boys play cricket in hte afternoon before the curfew was enforced. Also watched (painfully) as the army harrassed and beat some civilians traveling down the road...ugh. 
A vehicle and shop that had been burned out during the riots that followed the market blast.
Ouch.... A hand full of vehicles and ~ 20 shops received this fate.
This is a shot taken looking up Central Rd five days after the blast and riots. It was strange to see the bustling center of town to be so deserted. The day I returned to Trinco, the LTTE bombed army HQ in Colombo and then the army started aerial bombing and shelling the LTTE controlled area next to Trinco. Yes, it was an experience; sitting on my veranda watching rockets fire over the harbor and listing to 135mm artillery guns fire every few mins. Jets were even turning over my house (not bombing here) to return to their targets 10 miles south. After a night an exciting night of shelling, I decided to move into a hotel in town next to my boss’s because he figures it is safer for me there. The cool thing is that I keep meeting these journalists there that are finally coming to cover the things happening in Trinco. The reporting has been pretty bad in terms of being balanced and fair. Most of the information coming from the international news agencies seems to be reported from the gov. Until recently there have been very few reporters coming to the district. Most of the reporters are from Colombo. Anyway, this guy was staying at my hotel and I ask him if he is covering blast at the market (two weeks before this now). He said yeah. So I asked if he new about all these nasty things that happened (that everyone in Trinco knows about) but aren’t getting reported? he said “uh, no... but we cant just print rumors because people say it”. At this point I want to throttle his neck. I mean, isn’t this the job of reporters: to go and in-vest-i-gate potential reports of wrong doings; talk to the people etc? So, I told him that these are not rumors, these people exist, you just need to go talk to them. I hooked him up this a man that had a "real story", and it made it to press the next day (London Guardian)! JUSTICE. The first 5 paragraphs pertain to the atrocities that were not being reported previously.
This is the view from the hotel that I stayed in for a week following the aerial attacks. It actually was a nice place to be. I could watch the boys play cricket in hte afternoon before the curfew was enforced. Also watched (painfully) as the army harrassed and beat some civilians traveling down the road...ugh.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Tamil Wedding
In late March, Florian and I were invited to a Tamil Wedding ceremony for the brother of Shanti, one of the administrators at Sewa Lanka. It is a really intricate affair and is very colorful as you can see by the pics. There is not to much action though. The ceremony mainly consists of the Hindu priest performing a ritual blessing that requires little or no participation from others. It is very important that the couple is wed during an auspicious time. For example, this wedding was scheduled between 10:36 AM and 11:52. The times are dictated by ancient charts I suppose. After the wedding there is a reception that consist of a luncheon at a wedding hall. It was really nice to see everyone dressed so nice and so elaborately. And for me it was a rare opportunity to wear Armani pants with flip-flops (thanks again bryan!).
During the ceremony….
During the photo shoot, Florian and I were asked to join in the photo. It is strange to be a little bit of a celebrity at these functions.
This is as good as rice and curry gets! The green pea and prawn dish was my favorite but unfortunately this was the first and last time I have seen it available. Also on this plate is chicken deviled, fish ball, and dal. They wrap the plate in plastic to ensure that it is clean...a nice touch.
And this is Shanti, one of our more enthusiast administrators. She is a little more sassy and out spoken than most of her female colleagues.
During the ceremony….
During the photo shoot, Florian and I were asked to join in the photo. It is strange to be a little bit of a celebrity at these functions.
This is as good as rice and curry gets! The green pea and prawn dish was my favorite but unfortunately this was the first and last time I have seen it available. Also on this plate is chicken deviled, fish ball, and dal. They wrap the plate in plastic to ensure that it is clean...a nice touch.
And this is Shanti, one of our more enthusiast administrators. She is a little more sassy and out spoken than most of her female colleagues.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Trip to Nuwar Elliya
In february, I headed south to meet my friend Tom in Nuwara Elliya and be a bit of a tourist in Sri Lanka for a few days. It was a nice break from Trinco as the climate is quite cool in the central highlands with an altitude of ~ 6,000 ft. In fact it is down right cold at night. To be honest I dont really know what this means, maybe 50 degs? All I know is that I was wearing shoes a lot and borrowing a jacket from Tom's friend, Brian, that was visiting from NY. He was well prepared with fleeces and shells (hmmm... must be cold in NY in Feb). We traveled around a fair amount but I would have to say one of the things I enjoyed most was the market in town. There were no tourist there, only locals, and the variety and quality of fruits and vegetables was much better than what I can often find in Trinco.
Thanks Picasa!
We (Brian and I) decided to try the popular if not fashinable, chewing of Beetle Nut. In reality, you are chewing much more than just beetle nut. The whole package consists of beetle nut (small red nut), a dried leafy plant that seems like it could be tobacco or one of its cousins, and lime (or lye) paste. You basically take the mix and rap it up in a small banana leave and shove it in you mouth. The result of this stimulant coctail is a big head rush and a lot of red spittle. (Photo by Tom Ramsson)
Is this going to kill me? (Photo by Tom Ramsson)
Beautiful sunrise on the way to Worlds End... (Photo by Tom Ramsson)
Oddities...
...of the week?
This is a signboard posted near the entrance to Worlds End, a beautiful park reserve with rolling grass lands that lead to a stunning vistas. It is surely one of the main points of interest in the central highlands. The Of course it sits next to a Singalese version of the same sign. You have to love translations.
We found this little guy while walking back from the market in Nuwara Elliya. He decided to jump onto my foot as we were trying to get a good photo of him. Handsome fellow, eh? (note: this is probably the second time wearing shoes in Sri Lanka, the central highlands can be quite cool.)
This is a signboard posted near the entrance to Worlds End, a beautiful park reserve with rolling grass lands that lead to a stunning vistas. It is surely one of the main points of interest in the central highlands. The Of course it sits next to a Singalese version of the same sign. You have to love translations.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Oddities...
Its amazing what can be transported by bicycle. Ive often seen people carrying (dragging) 20ft sections of re-bar and even pvc pipe!
Maybe I will do an Oddity of the week or something... I have some pretty phone pics...we will see.
Still trying to figure out how to post multiple images...
Posted by Picasa
Welcome to my new blog
Hello All,
After a long hiatus from the cyber world, I have decided to return. My former website had not been updated since December (sorry!) due to a number of reasons, and now, the company that was hosting the site has closed its doors. So it is gone forever. Thanks again to Jesse for allowing me the opportunity to post a website on his account (for free). Thanks Jesse!
This is my first post and I am just figuring the site out, so bare with me. I hope to do shorter, but more frequent updates and post some pics. This new site should be easier to update, although it means I have to compose online. Keep in mind I have pretty shabby dial-up connection here.
Ok, in short I am doing well and am healthy (now). I have been here for 8 months! Can you believe it? Not sure what pics I will post today but just want to get started. I miss you all and hope you are happy and well and enjoying spring/summer! Ciao!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
