10 Books for Your 2011 Summer Reading List

Looking for a good book to add to your summer reading list that won’t bore but will also educate you about human rights? We asked our bloggers and staff members to recommend fiction and non-fiction titles published in the last year that do just that.

So behold, our list of 10 books (in no particular order) to add to your Kindle, Nook, or library queue right now. If your favorite didn’t make the list, please share your recommendations in the comments area below.

1. Then They Came For Me by Maziar Bahari and Aimee Molloy
Maziar Bahari, a Newsweek journalist, tells the story of his imprisonment and mistreatment in Iran for four months in 2009. His own story is weaved into that of his father and sister, who were also imprisoned for political reasons in earlier years. This book makes both for a gripping memoir and an introduction to the history of human rights in Iran. To learn more about human rights in Iran after reading this book, visit our website.

2. Oil on Water by Helon Habila
When the wife of a British oil executive is kidnapped, two journalists are sent to find her. A novel set upon the landscape of the oil rich Nigerian delta, Oil on Water gives the reader both a high-paced, skillfully told story and a venue through which to consider corporate responsibility and human rights. When you’re done reading this book, you can take action for corporate accountability in the Niger Delta.

3. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
And for a lighter “beach read” that also tackles serious human rights themes, try writer Suzanne Collins’ hugely popular Hunger Games trilogy. Imagine shades of Shirley Jackson’s disturbing short story “The Lottery” transplanted into today’s media-saturated, reality-show culture, and you have the story of heroine Katniss Everdeen, a young human rights defender in a future post-apocalyptic America. You’ll find this dystopian adventure series in the young adult section, but Collins’ fast-paced telling of Katniss’s battle with a cruel, arbitrary dictatorship will rivet readers of all ages.

4. Hope and Despair: My Struggle to Free My Husband, Maher Arar by Monia Mazigh
Monia Mazigh tells of how her husband, Canadian citizen Maher Arar, was kidnapped at JFK airport in New York by US officials and sent to Syria to be tortured, as part of the US “extraordinary rendition” program. This is a remarkable story of personal courage, and of an extraordinary woman who lets us into her life so that others can understand the denial of rights and the discarding of human rights her family suffered. After reading this book, join us in asking the US government to apologize for the treatment of Arar.

5. Undaunted: my struggle for freedom and survival in Burma by Zoya Phan, with Damien Lewis
Zoya Phan, a human rights activist in Burma (Myanmar), shares her story in this memoir, which illustrates the persecution experienced by the Karen people. After her family’s village was bombed by government troops in 1995, her family spent the next decade migrating between refugee camps. Since her father’s assassination in 2008, Phan has become an outspoken advocate for human rights in Myanmar/Burma. Visit our site to learn more about human rights in Myanmar.

6. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Henrietta Lacks, a poor African American migrant from Virginia, died from an aggressive cancer at the age of 30 in 1951. Without her knowledge or consent, a sample of her cancerous tissue was taken, which led to some of the most important advancements in modern science. As lives were saved because of her cells (known as “HeLa cells”), Henrietta’s family continued to live in poverty and frequently poor health, and only decades later learned about her contribution to science. Skloot tells the story of Henrietta’s legacy and that of her family, creating a book that addresses dignity, social and economic justice, and the complicated nature of memory and human legacies. When you’re done reading, learn more about economic and social justice at our website.

7. Haiti After the Earthquake by Paul Farmer
On January 12, 2010 a massive earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti, killing hundreds of thousands of people. From his own firsthand experiences, as well as stories from both fellow volunteers and earthquake survivors, Paul Farmer recounts the struggle and resilience of the Haitian people he encountered. He deconstructs the social and economic disparities that contributed to the destruction wrought by the earthquake. Haiti After the Earthquake is both an inspiring story of human survival in the face of disaster as well as a testament to the imperative need for social and economic justice worldwide. Visit our website to learn more about human rights in Haiti.

8. Can Intervention Work? by Rory Stewart
This is the second book in the Amnesty Global Ethics Series, published in partnership with Norton. Rory Stewart and Gerald Knaus distill their remarkable firsthand experiences of political and military interventions into a potent examination of what we can and cannot achieve in a new era of “nation building.” Delving into massive, military-driven efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans, and elsewhere, the authors reveal each effort’s enormous consequences for international relations, human rights, and our understanding of state building.

9. Family of Shadows by Garin K. Hovannisian
This memoir, by an Armenian-American author, tells a family history over three generations, spanning the Armenian genocide to post Soviet democratization. He recounts the personal histories of his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father and places them within the context of Armenian history over the past century. It is an engaging read for anyone interested in human rights history from a personal perspective. Learn more about human rights in Armenia at our website.

10. The Cage: The Fight for Sri Lanka & the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers by Gordon Weiss
Weiss was the UN spokesperson in Sri Lanka during the final months of the war, when both the government forces and the opposition Tamil Tigers committed massive human rights abuses, including war crimes. He provides a gripping, behind-the-scenes account of how international aid workers struggled to provide help to civilians trapped in the war zone and delves behind the propaganda from both sides. Learn more about human rights in Sri Lanka and take action at our website.

Note: All links lead to Amazon.com, and if you click through and buy a book, a small portion of the proceeds go to Amnesty. Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by Amnesty International.

AIUSA welcomes a lively and courteous discussion that follow our Community Guidelines. Comments are not pre-screened before they post but AIUSA reserves the right to remove any comments violating our guidelines.

56 thoughts on “10 Books for Your 2011 Summer Reading List

  1. "Inside" by Michael G. Santos
    A must read. It gives the raw reality of life behind bars in America with over a hundred inmate accounts in detail including corruption from inmates and staff. It's an eye opener for sure

  2. “Inside” by Michael G. Santos
    A must read. It gives the raw reality of life behind bars in America with over a hundred inmate accounts in detail including corruption from inmates and staff. It’s an eye opener for sure

  3. A long way gone by ishmael beah, the autobiographical story of a child-soldier turned peace advocate, and man's search for meaning by viktor frankl, the autobiographical and philosophical account of frankl's time in a concentration camp and the life-philosophy which he developed and credits with his survival, which he incorporated into his practice of psychology and influenced modern counseling methods. Also, the story of mý experiments with truth by mahondas karamchand gandhi, gandhi's autobiographical and philosophical work regarding his nonviolent ideals and their synthesis during the long struggle for india's independence.

  4. Autobiography of Kashmiri Separatist Leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani,'WULAR KINARE'(ON THE BANKS OF WULAR) in which he has penned down the political history of Kashmir and Indian attrocities on the Kashmiri populace.A must read for those who want to know the conflict in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

  5. A long way gone by ishmael beah, the autobiographical story of a child-soldier turned peace advocate, and man’s search for meaning by viktor frankl, the autobiographical and philosophical account of frankl’s time in a concentration camp and the life-philosophy which he developed and credits with his survival, which he incorporated into his practice of psychology and influenced modern counseling methods. Also, the story of mý experiments with truth by mahondas karamchand gandhi, gandhi’s autobiographical and philosophical work regarding his nonviolent ideals and their synthesis during the long struggle for india’s independence.

  6. Autobiography of Kashmiri Separatist Leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani,’WULAR KINARE'(ON THE BANKS OF WULAR) in which he has penned down the political history of Kashmir and Indian attrocities on the Kashmiri populace.A must read for those who want to know the conflict in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

  7. Gordon Weiss (The Cage) provides a "a gripping, behind-the-scenes account" with wholly fictional casualty figures, which through repetition have become accepted as fact.

    I must also congratulate Weiss for having invented a new field of mathematics, that I shall call 'Truthy Maths' named in honour of Stephen Colbert's 'truthiness' which means a 'truth' that a person claims to know intuitively "from the gut" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts.

    "…the chapter of that name [Convoy 11] begins with a lie, when Weiss claims that in January 2009 a majority of ‘330,000 people’ waited in a triangle of land one third the size of London. Then, with what is standard precision for Weiss, he declares that ,‘10,000 to 40,000 civilians died, and many more were seriously injured’, for which no evidence whatsoever is provided (Weiss’s difficulties with numbers is apparent from the fact that he claims the ICRC evacuated 18,000 patients and bystanders by sea, when the actual figure was under 14,000, with only 4,000 of these being wounded)." http://tinyurl.com/3e5ukgd

    Yeah, long may AI rely on Weiss to attack Sri Lanka ! 🙂 🙂

  8. Gordon Weiss (The Cage) provides a "a gripping, behind-the-scenes account" with wholly fictional casualty figures, which through repetition have become accepted as fact.

    I must also congratulate Weiss for having invented a new field of mathematics, that I shall call 'Truthy Maths' named in honour of Stephen Colbert's 'truthiness' which means a 'truth' that a person claims to know intuitively "from the gut" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts.

    "…the chapter of that name [Convoy 11] begins with a lie, when Weiss claims that in January 2009 a majority of ‘330,000 people’ waited in a triangle of land one third the size of London. Then, with what is standard precision for Weiss, he declares that ,‘10,000 to 40,000 civilians died, and many more were seriously injured’, for which no evidence whatsoever is provided (Weiss’s difficulties with numbers is apparent from the fact that he claims the ICRC evacuated 18,000 patients and bystanders by sea, when the actual figure was under 14,000, with only 4,000 of these being wounded)." http://tinyurl.com/3e5ukgd

    Yeah, long may AI rely on Weiss to attack Sri Lanka ! 🙂 🙂

  9. Gordon Weiss (The Cage) provides a "a gripping, behind-the-scenes account" with wholly fictional casualty figures, which through repetition have become accepted as fact.

    I must also congratulate Weiss for having invented a new field of mathematics, that I shall call 'Truthy Maths' named in honour of Stephen Colbert's 'truthiness' which means a 'truth' that a person claims to know intuitively "from the gut" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts.

    "…the chapter of that name [Convoy 11] begins with a lie, when Weiss claims that in January 2009 a majority of ‘330,000 people’ waited in a triangle of land one third the size of London. Then, with what is standard precision for Weiss, he declares that ,‘10,000 to 40,000 civilians died, and many more were seriously injured’, for which no evidence whatsoever is provided (Weiss’s difficulties with numbers is apparent from the fact that he claims the ICRC evacuated 18,000 patients and bystanders by sea, when the actual figure was under 14,000, with only 4,000 of these being wounded)." http://tinyurl.com/3e5ukgd

    Yeah, long may AI rely on Weiss to attack Sri Lanka ! 🙂 🙂

  10. Gordon Weiss (The Cage) provides a “a gripping, behind-the-scenes account” with wholly fictional casualty figures, which through repetition have become accepted as fact.

    I must also congratulate Weiss for having invented a new field of mathematics, that I shall call ‘Truthy Maths’ named in honour of Stephen Colbert’s ‘truthiness’ which means a ‘truth’ that a person claims to know intuitively “from the gut” without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts.

    “…the chapter of that name [Convoy 11] begins with a lie, when Weiss claims that in January 2009 a majority of ‘330,000 people’ waited in a triangle of land one third the size of London. Then, with what is standard precision for Weiss, he declares that ,‘10,000 to 40,000 civilians died, and many more were seriously injured’, for which no evidence whatsoever is provided (Weiss’s difficulties with numbers is apparent from the fact that he claims the ICRC evacuated 18,000 patients and bystanders by sea, when the actual figure was under 14,000, with only 4,000 of these being wounded).” http://tinyurl.com/3e5ukgd

    Yeah, long may AI rely on Weiss to attack Sri Lanka ! 🙂 🙂

  11. Well, "Being Unbiased" by Jim Mc Donnald will also surely be a Top Seller – LOL !

  12. Well, “Being Unbiased” by Jim Mc Donnald will also surely be a Top Seller – LOL !

  13. I highly recommend the memoir Tamil Tigress by Niromi de Soyza on Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict.
    At 17 years of age as one of the Tamil Tigers' first female soldiers, Niromi was engaged in front-line combat. Her memoir illustrates the persecution of the Tamil minority by the elected government which drove the middle-class girl to join the insurgency. However, she doesn't hold back on detailing the violent ways of the Tigers. The book is about coming of age in extraordinary circumstrances, where human life seems worth nothing. Its a compelling read, well written. http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94

  14. I highly recommend the memoir Tamil Tigress by Niromi de Soyza on Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict.
    At 17 years of age as one of the Tamil Tigers' first female soldiers, Niromi was engaged in front-line combat. Her memoir illustrates the persecution of the Tamil minority by the elected government which drove the middle-class girl to join the insurgency. However, she doesn't hold back on detailing the violent ways of the Tigers. The book is about coming of age in extraordinary circumstrances, where human life seems worth nothing. Its a compelling read, well written. http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94

  15. I highly recommend the memoir Tamil Tigress by Niromi de Soyza on Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict.
    At 17 years of age as one of the Tamil Tigers' first female soldiers, Niromi was engaged in front-line combat. Her memoir illustrates the persecution of the Tamil minority by the elected government which drove the middle-class girl to join the insurgency. However, she doesn't hold back on detailing the violent ways of the Tigers. The book is about coming of age in extraordinary circumstrances, where human life seems worth nothing. Its a compelling read, well written. http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94

  16. I highly recommend the memoir Tamil Tigress by Niromi de Soyza on Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict.
    At 17 years of age as one of the Tamil Tigers’ first female soldiers, Niromi was engaged in front-line combat. Her memoir illustrates the persecution of the Tamil minority by the elected government which drove the middle-class girl to join the insurgency. However, she doesn’t hold back on detailing the violent ways of the Tigers. The book is about coming of age in extraordinary circumstrances, where human life seems worth nothing. Its a compelling read, well written.
    http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94&book=9781742375182

  17. Have just finished 'Three Letter Plague…A Young Man's Journey Through a Great Epidemic' by Jonny Steinberg. Brilliant. Was in the place he was writing about in Eastern Cape in March. Now reading 'Wolf Among Wolves' by Hans Fallada, Berlin, 1923….

  18. Have just finished ‘Three Letter Plague…A Young Man’s Journey Through a Great Epidemic’ by Jonny Steinberg. Brilliant. Was in the place he was writing about in Eastern Cape in March. Now reading ‘Wolf Among Wolves’ by Hans Fallada, Berlin, 1923….

  19. I'd like to recommend Edward Luttwak's short, superbly prescient essay published in 1999 "Give War A Chance".

    The killer opening paragraph:

    AN UNPLEASANT truth often overlooked is that although war is a great evil, it does have a great virtue: it can resolve political conflicts and lead to peace. This can happen when all belligerents become exhausted or when one wins decisively. Either way the key is that the fighting must continue until a resolution is reached. War brings peace only after passing a culminating phase of violence. Hopes of military success must fade for accommodation to become more attractive than further combat.

    My favourite part is where he proves conclusively that, sometimes, human rights organisations (and similar NGOs) prolong war and suffering by calling for ceasefires. Exactly as AI did (calling for ceasefires) in Sri Lanka's final war against the LTTE.

    "Too MANY wars nowadays become endemic conflicts that never end because the transformative effects of both decisive victory and exhaustion are blocked by outside intervention. "

    You can download or read it here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/7258092/Luttwak-Give-Wa

    and here: <a href="http://thecarthaginiansolution.wordpress.com/war/give-war-a-chance/” target=”_blank”>http://thecarthaginiansolution.wordpress.com/war/give-war-a-chance/

  20. I'd like to recommend Edward Luttwak's short, superbly prescient essay published in 1999 "Give War A Chance".

    The killer opening paragraph:

    AN UNPLEASANT truth often overlooked is that although war is a great evil, it does have a great virtue: it can resolve political conflicts and lead to peace. This can happen when all belligerents become exhausted or when one wins decisively. Either way the key is that the fighting must continue until a resolution is reached. War brings peace only after passing a culminating phase of violence. Hopes of military success must fade for accommodation to become more attractive than further combat.

    My favourite part is where he proves conclusively that, sometimes, human rights organisations (and similar NGOs) prolong war and suffering by calling for ceasefires. Exactly as AI did (calling for ceasefires) in Sri Lanka's final war against the LTTE.

    "Too MANY wars nowadays become endemic conflicts that never end because the transformative effects of both decisive victory and exhaustion are blocked by outside intervention. "

    You can download or read it here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/7258092/Luttwak-Give-Wa

    and here: <a href="http://thecarthaginiansolution.wordpress.com/war/give-war-a-chance/” target=”_blank”>http://thecarthaginiansolution.wordpress.com/war/give-war-a-chance/

  21. I'd like to recommend Edward Luttwak's short, superbly prescient essay published in 1999 "Give War A Chance".

    The killer opening paragraph:

    AN UNPLEASANT truth often overlooked is that although war is a great evil, it does have a great virtue: it can resolve political conflicts and lead to peace. This can happen when all belligerents become exhausted or when one wins decisively. Either way the key is that the fighting must continue until a resolution is reached. War brings peace only after passing a culminating phase of violence. Hopes of military success must fade for accommodation to become more attractive than further combat.

    My favourite part is where he proves conclusively that, sometimes, human rights organisations (and similar NGOs) prolong war and suffering by calling for ceasefires. Exactly as AI did (calling for ceasefires) in Sri Lanka's final war against the LTTE.

    "Too MANY wars nowadays become endemic conflicts that never end because the transformative effects of both decisive victory and exhaustion are blocked by outside intervention. "

    You can download or read it here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/7258092/Luttwak-Give-Wa

    and here: <a href="http://thecarthaginiansolution.wordpress.com/war/give-war-a-chance/” target=”_blank”>http://thecarthaginiansolution.wordpress.com/war/give-war-a-chance/

  22. I’d like to recommend Edward Luttwak’s short, superbly prescient essay published in 1999 “Give War A Chance”.

    The killer opening paragraph:

    AN UNPLEASANT truth often overlooked is that although war is a great evil, it does have a great virtue: it can resolve political conflicts and lead to peace. This can happen when all belligerents become exhausted or when one wins decisively. Either way the key is that the fighting must continue until a resolution is reached. War brings peace only after passing a culminating phase of violence. Hopes of military success must fade for accommodation to become more attractive than further combat.

    My favourite part is where he proves conclusively that, sometimes, human rights organisations (and similar NGOs) prolong war and suffering by calling for ceasefires. Exactly as AI did (calling for ceasefires) in Sri Lanka’s final war against the LTTE.

    “Too MANY wars nowadays become endemic conflicts that never end because the transformative effects of both decisive victory and exhaustion are blocked by outside intervention. ”

    You can download or read it here:
    http://www.scribd.com/doc/7258092/Luttwak-Give-War-a-Chance

    and here: http://thecarthaginiansolution.wordpress.com/war/give-war-a-chance/

  23. I'll add "Manifestations of identity( the lived reality of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon)"edited by Muhammed Ali Khalidi, from the Institute for Palestine Studies-Beirut.

  24. I’ll add “Manifestations of identity( the lived reality of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon)”edited by Muhammed Ali Khalidi, from the Institute for Palestine Studies-Beirut.

  25. I'd like to recommend "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, an amazing novel following the events of the Biafran independence movement of the late '60s. "Living on the Edge" is a collection of short fiction written by Peace Corps volunteers. "DeNiro's Game" by Rawi Hage is a novel set in wartime Beirut. Hope you enjoy 🙂

  26. Oh! Let's not forget "What is the What," by Dave Eggers, one of my favourite contemporary fiction writers. It's about one of Sudan's "Lost Boys" and his transition to America.

  27. I’d like to recommend “Half of a Yellow Sun” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, an amazing novel following the events of the Biafran independence movement of the late ’60s. “Living on the Edge” is a collection of short fiction written by Peace Corps volunteers. “DeNiro’s Game” by Rawi Hage is a novel set in wartime Beirut. Hope you enjoy 🙂

  28. Oh! Let’s not forget “What is the What,” by Dave Eggers, one of my favourite contemporary fiction writers. It’s about one of Sudan’s “Lost Boys” and his transition to America.

  29. If you seek to understand the Muslim world view, A Brief History of Islam is a good read.

  30. I omitted credit to author Karen Armstrong, who writes insightfully about religion and it's impact on society.

  31. If you seek to understand the Muslim world view, A Brief History of Islam is a good read.

  32. I omitted credit to author Karen Armstrong, who writes insightfully about religion and it’s impact on society.

  33. Mango,
    Did u read the book "Grease Devil" http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_08_17_00
    Villager shave already handed over about 40 persons to the police after capturing them as suspected Grease Devils. Most of them have been military personnel and interestingly, the police have released them without filing any charges. Villagers have expressed doubts over the release of these persons when any person arrested by the police is presented before courts. Villagers therefore are now hesitant to hand over persons captured for allegedly posing as Grease Devils to the police.

    Book on Lankan alleged war crimes http://globalpeacesupport.com/globalpeacesupport….

  34. Mango,
    Did u read the book "Grease Devil" http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_08_17_00
    Villager shave already handed over about 40 persons to the police after capturing them as suspected Grease Devils. Most of them have been military personnel and interestingly, the police have released them without filing any charges. Villagers have expressed doubts over the release of these persons when any person arrested by the police is presented before courts. Villagers therefore are now hesitant to hand over persons captured for allegedly posing as Grease Devils to the police.

    Book on Lankan alleged war crimes http://globalpeacesupport.com/globalpeacesupport….

  35. Mango,
    Did u read the book "Grease Devil" http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_08_17_00
    Villager shave already handed over about 40 persons to the police after capturing them as suspected Grease Devils. Most of them have been military personnel and interestingly, the police have released them without filing any charges. Villagers have expressed doubts over the release of these persons when any person arrested by the police is presented before courts. Villagers therefore are now hesitant to hand over persons captured for allegedly posing as Grease Devils to the police.

    Book on Lankan alleged war crimes http://globalpeacesupport.com/globalpeacesupport….

  36. Mango,
    Did u read the book “Grease Devil”
    http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_08_17_002.html
    Villager shave already handed over about 40 persons to the police after capturing them as suspected Grease Devils. Most of them have been military personnel and interestingly, the police have released them without filing any charges. Villagers have expressed doubts over the release of these persons when any person arrested by the police is presented before courts. Villagers therefore are now hesitant to hand over persons captured for allegedly posing as Grease Devils to the police.

    Book on Lankan alleged war crimes
    http://globalpeacesupport.com/globalpeacesupport.com/post/2011/08/02/Book-on-Lankan-alleged-war-crimes-hits-stands.aspx

  37. 10. The Cage: The Fight for Sri Lanka & the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers by Gordon Weiss

    Book festival interview: Gordon Weiss on Sri Lanka's civil war
    UN spokesman during the bloody end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, Gordon Weiss says the organisation ‘should have pushed harder’ to save lives, especially those of trapped civilians…

    By early 2009, in spite of the best efforts of the Sri Lankan government, the UN had irrefutable evidence that the SLA had been deliberately targeting civilians. On the night of 22 January a UN convoy, led by a retired Bangladeshi brigadier called Harun Khan, came under sustained bombardment in the middle of a government-designated no-fire zone, packed with Tamil refugees. All night, Khan transmitted his coordinates to SLA commanders via UN officials in Colombo, along with descriptions of the carnage being inflicted, but there was no let-up in the shelling.

    The following morning, Khan emerged from a hastily constructed bunker to find a nightmarish scene: "The bodies of entire families with whom he had been idly chatting the night before lay scattered about him. Blood and shrapnel had spattered UN vehicles, body parts were underfoot, the corpse of a baby hung from a tree." http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/viewpreview.as

  38. 10. The Cage: The Fight for Sri Lanka & the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers by Gordon Weiss

    Book festival interview: Gordon Weiss on Sri Lanka's civil war
    UN spokesman during the bloody end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, Gordon Weiss says the organisation ‘should have pushed harder’ to save lives, especially those of trapped civilians…

    By early 2009, in spite of the best efforts of the Sri Lankan government, the UN had irrefutable evidence that the SLA had been deliberately targeting civilians. On the night of 22 January a UN convoy, led by a retired Bangladeshi brigadier called Harun Khan, came under sustained bombardment in the middle of a government-designated no-fire zone, packed with Tamil refugees. All night, Khan transmitted his coordinates to SLA commanders via UN officials in Colombo, along with descriptions of the carnage being inflicted, but there was no let-up in the shelling.

    The following morning, Khan emerged from a hastily constructed bunker to find a nightmarish scene: "The bodies of entire families with whom he had been idly chatting the night before lay scattered about him. Blood and shrapnel had spattered UN vehicles, body parts were underfoot, the corpse of a baby hung from a tree." http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/viewpreview.as

  39. 10. The Cage: The Fight for Sri Lanka & the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers by Gordon Weiss

    Book festival interview: Gordon Weiss on Sri Lanka's civil war
    UN spokesman during the bloody end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, Gordon Weiss says the organisation ‘should have pushed harder’ to save lives, especially those of trapped civilians…

    By early 2009, in spite of the best efforts of the Sri Lankan government, the UN had irrefutable evidence that the SLA had been deliberately targeting civilians. On the night of 22 January a UN convoy, led by a retired Bangladeshi brigadier called Harun Khan, came under sustained bombardment in the middle of a government-designated no-fire zone, packed with Tamil refugees. All night, Khan transmitted his coordinates to SLA commanders via UN officials in Colombo, along with descriptions of the carnage being inflicted, but there was no let-up in the shelling.

    The following morning, Khan emerged from a hastily constructed bunker to find a nightmarish scene: "The bodies of entire families with whom he had been idly chatting the night before lay scattered about him. Blood and shrapnel had spattered UN vehicles, body parts were underfoot, the corpse of a baby hung from a tree." http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/viewpreview.as

  40. 10. The Cage: The Fight for Sri Lanka & the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers by Gordon Weiss

    Book festival interview: Gordon Weiss on Sri Lanka’s civil war
    UN spokesman during the bloody end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, Gordon Weiss says the organisation ‘should have pushed harder’ to save lives, especially those of trapped civilians…

    By early 2009, in spite of the best efforts of the Sri Lankan government, the UN had irrefutable evidence that the SLA had been deliberately targeting civilians. On the night of 22 January a UN convoy, led by a retired Bangladeshi brigadier called Harun Khan, came under sustained bombardment in the middle of a government-designated no-fire zone, packed with Tamil refugees. All night, Khan transmitted his coordinates to SLA commanders via UN officials in Colombo, along with descriptions of the carnage being inflicted, but there was no let-up in the shelling.

    The following morning, Khan emerged from a hastily constructed bunker to find a nightmarish scene: “The bodies of entire families with whom he had been idly chatting the night before lay scattered about him. Blood and shrapnel had spattered UN vehicles, body parts were underfoot, the corpse of a baby hung from a tree.”
    http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/viewpreview.aspx?id=3176

  41. Tamil Tigress by Niromi de Soyza is sold as a memoir (i.e autobiographical and true) but is now exposed by a Tamil writer as a fake !
    http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/08/farce-of-

    Some classic mistakes (or lies) include:

    The very first paragraph of the very first chapter of the book opens thus: “The air was sweetly pungent with the smell of ripening bananas and palmyrah fruit.” She experienced this in 1987 two days before Christmas. Palmyrah fruit is available in Jaffna only in the Tamil venil kalam (Summer: June-July). Not in December which is the rainy season.

    She mentions an engineering faculty in Jaffna University. To this day Jaffna university has no Engineering faculty.(See Pg 177)

    She writes that even before her military training began, as would-be trainees they were given cyanide capsules and firearms. (Pg 115) LTTE practices have been well-documented over the years and there is no evidence that such practices existed in the LTTE. The LTTE was known to hand over firearms to its cadres only after physical training and cyanide capsules were given only after cadets completed the training.

    The demolition of Tamil Tigress continues here: http://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/another-

    Oops. Fat Boy VP must be furious! He can't even find decent liars.

  42. Tamil Tigress by Niromi de Soyza is sold as a memoir (i.e autobiographical and true) but is now exposed by a Tamil writer as a fake !
    http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/08/farce-of-

    Some classic mistakes (or lies) include:

    The very first paragraph of the very first chapter of the book opens thus: “The air was sweetly pungent with the smell of ripening bananas and palmyrah fruit.” She experienced this in 1987 two days before Christmas. Palmyrah fruit is available in Jaffna only in the Tamil venil kalam (Summer: June-July). Not in December which is the rainy season.

    She mentions an engineering faculty in Jaffna University. To this day Jaffna university has no Engineering faculty.(See Pg 177)

    She writes that even before her military training began, as would-be trainees they were given cyanide capsules and firearms. (Pg 115) LTTE practices have been well-documented over the years and there is no evidence that such practices existed in the LTTE. The LTTE was known to hand over firearms to its cadres only after physical training and cyanide capsules were given only after cadets completed the training.

    The demolition of Tamil Tigress continues here: http://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/another-

    Oops. Fat Boy VP must be furious! He can't even find decent liars.

  43. Tamil Tigress by Niromi de Soyza is sold as a memoir (i.e autobiographical and true) but is now exposed by a Tamil writer as a fake !
    http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/08/farce-of-

    Some classic mistakes (or lies) include:

    The very first paragraph of the very first chapter of the book opens thus: “The air was sweetly pungent with the smell of ripening bananas and palmyrah fruit.” She experienced this in 1987 two days before Christmas. Palmyrah fruit is available in Jaffna only in the Tamil venil kalam (Summer: June-July). Not in December which is the rainy season.

    She mentions an engineering faculty in Jaffna University. To this day Jaffna university has no Engineering faculty.(See Pg 177)

    She writes that even before her military training began, as would-be trainees they were given cyanide capsules and firearms. (Pg 115) LTTE practices have been well-documented over the years and there is no evidence that such practices existed in the LTTE. The LTTE was known to hand over firearms to its cadres only after physical training and cyanide capsules were given only after cadets completed the training.

    The demolition of Tamil Tigress continues here: http://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/another-

    Oops. Fat Boy VP must be furious! He can't even find decent liars.

  44. Tamil Tigress by Niromi de Soyza is sold as a memoir (i.e autobiographical and true) but is now exposed by a Tamil writer as a fake !

    http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/08/farce-of-fake-tigress.html

    Some classic mistakes (or lies) include:

    The very first paragraph of the very first chapter of the book opens thus: “The air was sweetly pungent with the smell of ripening bananas and palmyrah fruit.” She experienced this in 1987 two days before Christmas. Palmyrah fruit is available in Jaffna only in the Tamil venil kalam (Summer: June-July). Not in December which is the rainy season.

    She mentions an engineering faculty in Jaffna University. To this day Jaffna university has no Engineering faculty.(See Pg 177)

    She writes that even before her military training began, as would-be trainees they were given cyanide capsules and firearms. (Pg 115) LTTE practices have been well-documented over the years and there is no evidence that such practices existed in the LTTE. The LTTE was known to hand over firearms to its cadres only after physical training and cyanide capsules were given only after cadets completed the training.

    The demolition of Tamil Tigress continues here:
    http://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/another-demidenko-niromi-de-soyza-as-a-tiger-fighter/

    Oops. Fat Boy VP must be furious! He can’t even find decent liars.

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