This refers to David Watts' article 'Uncivil victory' (June 2009), which makes for a one-sided reading. While the writer comes down hard on the government in Colombo for its use of brute force, he lets the Tamil Tigers get away with murder.

It is true that Tamil civilians who were trapped in the war zone bore the brunt of the assault, but as they say: when wheels of justice move even the innocent get crushed. The LTTE had emerged as a highly desperate terrorist organisation hell-bent on destroying anyone and anything that got in its way. Their leaders did not spare anyone, including their own Tamil women and children. For Prabhakaran, everyone was dispensable in the cause of 'Eelam'.

No sovereign nation can allow its territory to be partitioned into separate homelands for minorities. There are a lot of Muslims settled in Britain, and they too are discriminated against by the white majority. How will London react if these Muslims were to demand another Pakistan in UK?

The writer also finds fault with India for not coming forward to help the Tamils. But he should know that India does not interfere in the affairs of other countries, unless of course its own security is threatened, as was the case when Bangladesh came into being. Besides, this war was against the LTTE, the same terror outfit that ruthlessly assassinated India's beloved former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The international community by and large did not protest because it was a war for a just cause. LTTE has been designated as a terrorist organisation by a majority of the countries.

The government of Mahinda Rajapaksa took a bold initiative in destroying the LTTE. But Colombo's job is only half done. Now comes the part when it has to rehabilitate the displaced Tamils and provide them a life of dignity. If Rajapaksa is able to do this he will emerge as a shining example of a tough and benevolent leader.

Sukbir Rana
London

Right choice

n the article 'Job creation swings the vote' (June 2009) Subhash Chopra is right in pointing out that Manmohan Singh's government got a renewed mandate to govern mainly because it was able to provide jobs to the rural poor.

This government is the right government for India and Manmohan Singh is the right prime minister. He has managed to sustain a viable economy when economies around the world are crumbling in these difficult times.

Singh's government, by and large, consists of forward-looking, development oriented ministers who have also been told by the prime minister that their performance is under watch and they have do deliver or move out. This is a different lot than BJP's communalists, the outdated communists or the opportunists from AIADMK. Indians have done well in choosing this government over the others.

Harshvardhan Singh
New Delhi

Caution for Congress

Inder Malhotra's piece on Indian elections (June 2009) is quite comprehensive. It rightly outlines the concerns of the Indian electorate even after a convincing win for the Indian Congress party. In fact, the second edition of the UPA, which Malhotra calls UPA-2, has more challenges in store than the UPA-1. He has rightly stated his concerns regarding India's foreign policy and the revival of a dynastic trend in Indian politics. His contention that 51 per cent of the electorate have still voted away from Congress and BJP gives us reason to hope that there is a chance of a far greater swing of popular votes than we would expect in the next elections. One only hopes the Congress party is aware of it and trying to rise to the occasion and deliver rather than celebrate the downfall of BJP in the days to come.

Sudhendu Dattaray
Kolkata

Way with words

t was a pleasure reading the 'Book review' by Reginald Massey (June 2009). He sure has a way with his words. I promptly went to a bookshop and bought Meghnad Desai's Dead on Time and am reading it presently.

Pradeep Mehra
Jaipur (Rajasthan)

Cover Kim

Your magazine Asian Affairs is so focused on Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka that it may be called 'South Asian Affairs' instead. There is so much happening in China, Japan, the Korean peninsula and in countries like Burma, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. Can you get these countries covered for your readers?

North Korea's Kim Jong Il is getting more provocative by the day and is threatening to nuke its southern counterpart. It has said it will consider UN sanctions against it as an act of war and the UN has gone right ahead with sanctions. This may well emerge as Barack Obama's toughest test. Let's have a comprehensive report on the situation.

Arthur Wheaton
Northampton

Thank you for your suggestions. We are carrying an article on North Korea in our July 2009 issue.

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