Archive for the ‘Conflict’ Category
Posted on June 12, 2009 - by Frank
Sri Lanka – Images from the war zone, military victory parade and an IDP camp
The following images from Sri Lanka include a few from within the war zone during the last days of the civil war and the defeat of the Tamil Tigers (they are the images towards the end). We also have images from the war zone that we chose not to include due to their graphic nature – they are heart breaking. The war zone pictures were taken by an unnamed priest.
Also included are images from the Sri Lankan military parade that was held to celebrate the defeat of the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) and pictures taken from within one of the restricted IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps where various aid agencies are assisting. They were taken by a person who shall remain anonymous.
Posted on June 12, 2009 - by Frank
Grief and Despondency in Sri Lanka’s Camps
The following is reprinted with permission from Reuters AlertNet. Images used in this article were obtained from the author and are used with permission from the author. The views expressed in this article are the author’s alone.
Through our partner in Sri Lanka, TEAR Fund is one of the few organisations with good access to those suffering through displacement.
Written by: A writer in Sri Lanka
She stood in the door frame of a former clothing factory in northern Sri Lanka. A tiny little woman with long, slightly grey hair pulled back in a ponytail. In her hand she held a small plastic photo album. She showed it to everyone who passed. There was no way I could understand what she said in Tamil but as I looked at the photos of three children, I understood the tone. It was one of absolute grief.
Posted on June 10, 2009 - by Frank
TEAR Fund Helping Refugees in Pakistan
TEAR Fund has recently approved a sum of money to be sent to our partner in Pakistan to provide assistance to the many people who are now refugees after fleeing the Swat Valley area to the fighting between government forces and the Taliban.
Pakistan is a country we are monitoring closely.
Posted on May 22, 2009 - by Frank
up:link – Podcast 8 – Ian McInnes – The latest from Sri Lanka
In this edition of the Podcast, with the Sri Lankan government declaring the defeat of the Tamil Tigers and the Red Cross pulling back from it’s aid operations with the victims of recent events due to the government restricting access, we thought we would catch up with Ian McInnes, one of our programme officers and the former director of our partner organisation in Sri Lanka to get an update on the latest events and TEAR Fund’s connection to the area.
up:link - The TEAR Fund Podcast
To support the work of TEAR Fund, visit www.tearfund.org.nz or call us on 0800 800 777
Posted on May 11, 2009 - by Frank
Problems in Pakistan
The situation in Pakistan is worsening for civilians from the Swat valley area with thousands fleeing after the government called for an evacuation so it could step up the level of its attacks against the Taliban.
With the latest evacuation coupled with people who have already left the area since August, the number of internally displaced people (IDP) now stands at over 1,000,000. The best accounts say that there is little government involvement in the IDP camps since many government officials have gone into hiding due to the breakdown in the peace arrangement between the Taliban and the government.
Posted on April 24, 2009 - by Frank
up:link Podcast 4 – Sri Lanka
In this edition of the Podcast we talk to Ian McInnes, former country director for World Concern in Sri Lanka, TEAR Fund’s partner in the area. We discuss the current situation and what TEAR Fund is involved with.
up:link - The TEAR Fund Podcast
To support the work of TEAR Fund, visit www.tearfund.org.nz or call us on 0800 800 777
Posted on April 20, 2009 - by Frank
Sri Lanka Update
This just appeared in the Guardian UK:
Hundreds of civilians are being killed or seriously injured in artillery and gun attacks as the Sri Lankan army attempts to finish off the last Tamil Tiger rebels trapped in a shrinking pocket of land.
Injured civilians lucky enough to get out have told of carnage in this so-called “no-fire zone” – a 17 sq km strip of coast where the Tigers are penned in with their backs to the sea.
Horrific stories of limbs ripped off by shellfire and bodies buried where they fell are emerging, despite the government’s efforts to hide the scale of the killing by confining the injured to hospitals in a military area around the government-declared no-fire zone, from which the media are strictly excluded.
Posted on April 3, 2009 - by Frank
up:link Podcast 3 – Steve Tollestrup
There is a book coming out in New Zealand that looks at 5 Christian perspectives on the Palestinian/Israeli issue and puts them in conversation with each other. One of the 5 contributors is Steve Tollestrup, the Executive Director of TEAR Fund. In this edition of the Podcast we chat with Steve about the book, the Christian perspective of the issue and TEAR Fund’s involvement in the West Bank and Gaza.
Click here for instructions on how to subscribe to the Podcast.
up:link - The TEAR Fund Podcast
To support the work of TEAR Fund, visit www.tearfund.org.nz or call us on 0800 800 777
Posted on March 27, 2009 - by Frank
Sri Lanka: Thousands of civilians under attack as fighting intensifies
Tens of thousands of people, trapped in ’safe zones’ in the north eastern Wanni region are at increased risk from the escalation in attacks by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, Amnesty International said today.
via ReliefWeb » Document » Sri Lanka: Thousands of civilians under attack as fighting intensifies.
TEAR Fund’s Easter Focus this year is the situation in Sri Lanka.
Our partner in the area is the only aid agency with direct access to the wounded as they are evacuated from the conflict zone. They are ensuring they receive food, bedding, sanitary kits, clothes and other basic essentials. Beyond just helping these wounded, they have long-term programs for helping people earn a living as well as reconcilliation between communities, like neighboring Tamil and Singhalese communities. The program has been able to get these communities to start trading between them and seeing that they really aren’t so different after all.
It is the reconciliation program that TEAR Fund is involved in and that you can support.
Through TEAR Fund, help support the victims of this tragedy in Sri Lanka. To give your support, call 0800 800 777
Posted on February 25, 2009 - by Frank
Dey Krahorm Eviction – Eyewitness Account
The following was written by Kristin Jack, team leader for Servants Cambodia and an eyewitness to the violent eviction of slum residents and the demolition of their homes that took place on Saturday January 24th.
The history of Cambodia is littered with tragedies brought about by the oppression of the weak by the powerful. Power, and it’s abuse, seem to be a constant theme that spreads its destructive influences through all levels of society here.
On the morning of Saturday, January 24th, I witnessed yet another display of this ‘naked power’ being used to crush those who were weak and poor, in order that the rich and powerful of this city might take something from those who already have so little.
Posted on February 18, 2009 - by Frank
Pact Signed in Darfur
A first step has been made towards peace in Darfur with an agreement of “good intention” being signed between the government of Sudan and the main rebel group from the western Darfur region.
The agreement comes after negotiations hosted by Qatar and jointly sponsored by Qatar, the United Nations, African Union and Arab League and they hold the hope that this will lead to broader conference on peace for Darfur.
It seems that the agreement includes measures to aid and protect refugees in Darfur and a commitment by the two sides to continue negotiations in Doha.
May this be a true move towards peace and security.
Darfur Rebel Group Signs Accord – BBC
Sudan, rebels sign prisoner release deal – CNN
Sudan Rivals Sign Darfur Pact – Al Jazeera
Posted on February 10, 2009 - by Frank
Sri Lanka’s Tragic War
Article by: Ian McInnes – Country Director World Concern Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s three decade old conflict between the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) and the Sri Lankan Government is at its fiercest. 70,000 have already lost their lives in a separatist struggle for control of ‘Eelam’, a self-designated homeland for Tamils by the LTTE. Having lost control of the East of the island in 2007 the LTTE now faces a fight for survival in an ever decreasing space in the North.
Posted on February 5, 2009 - by Frank
Genesis 17:8 and the Two State Solution
God speaking to Abraham - “And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:8 (NRSV)
Before we go any further, it is important to point out that many English translations of this passage use phrases such as “everlasting posession” indicating a gift that is in place eternally, rather than the phrase employed by the NRSV – “perpetual holding”. We’ll come to this very soon, because it is extremely important to this discussion.
Posted on January 23, 2009 - by Frank
Guantanamo is to be Closed (video)
After campaigning for a number of years now, many activists will be taking delight in the first executive order signed by the newly inauguarated President Obama.
His first executive order was no less than to set in place the closing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba within one year, a prison that has been known as the bastion and symbol of the Bush era’s war on terror. It embodied a poor outworking of justice with people being held for long periods with no charges brought against them. It embodied a shift in interrogation methods towards CIA devised torture as opposed to methods outlined in the Army field manual, another isue covered in one of the first three executive orders where President Obama stated this:
Posted on January 17, 2009 - by Frank
New Zealand Church Leaders’ Statement on Gaza
The leaders of New Zealand churches are deeply concerned about the dire situation in Gaza and support the call for an immediate ceasefire in the region
The escalation of violence and associated increase in civilian casualties is intolerable. It is time for concerted action to end the suffering of the 1.5 million people trapped within the 360 square kilometers of Gaza with little food, water and medicine, and under almost continuous attack from the land, sea and air.
Posted on January 14, 2009 - by Frank
Kiwis See Past Politics and Give to Gaza Appeal
AS the death toll in the Gaza war nears 1000, Kiwis have responded quickly by giving to TEAR Fund’s Gaza appeal. TEAR Fund is on target to raise NZ$30,000 and anticipates raising more than NZ$50,000
TEAR Fund executive director Stephen Tollestrup said he is pleased that Kiwis are seeing past the politics of the situation.
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