Saudi Arabia condemns anti-Islam film, attacks on US

Saudi Arabia condemned Thursday a virulently Islamophobic film that has provoked rage throughout the Arab world and denounced the violent anti-American protests that caused the death of the US ambassador to Libya and three other embassy officials.

• Saudi Arabia outraged by film, but denounces violence against US interests
• Clinton says film is "disgusting" and "provokes rage"
• US embassy in Yemen stormed by hundreds, one protester shot dead
• YouTube access blocked in Egypt and Libya, to prevent viewing of film
• Violence spreads across Muslim countries as outrage over "insulting film" grows
Saudi Arabia condemned on Thursday a film Muslims consider blasphemous to Islam and
denounced the violent anti-American protests in some Middle East countries.
"Saudi Arabia has expressed... its condolences to the United States of America for the victims of violent actions in Libya that targeted the American consulate in Benghazi," state news agency SPA reported citing a senior official.

DIPLOMACY In Arab world, Obama has fallen from grace

The kingdom also denounced what it called an "irresponsible" group which produced the film deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed and condemned "the violent reactions that occurred in a number of countries against American interests."
The statement followed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's condemnation of the film on Thursday, stressing that the US government had nothing to do with it.
"To us, to me personally, this video is disgusting and reprehensible. It appears to have a deeply cynical purpose, to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage," Clinton said.
"The United States government had absolutely nothing to do with this video. We absolutely reject its content and message."
But she reiterated: "There is no justification, none at all, for responding to this video with violence."
Arab outrage over the virulently Islamophobic film, Innocence of Muslims, spread to Yemen earlier in the day when hundreds of angry protesters stormed the US embassy in Sanaa.

Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi condemned the offence caused by the US-produced movie which has caused offense to Muslims, but warned against resorting to violence. Morsi has promised that Egypt would honour its obligations to ensure the safety of American personnel on Egyptian soil. "We Egyptians reject any kind of assault or insult against our prophet. I condemn and oppose all who... insult our prophet," he said in remarks broadcast by state television. "(But) it is our duty to protect our guests and visitors from abroad," Morsi said. "I call on everyone to take that into consideration, not to violate Egyptian law... not to assault embassies."

Police used water cannons and fired warnings shots to drive the protesters out of the building, according to an AFP correspondent at the scene. There were unconfirmed reports of casualties on both sides. A security official reported that a protester had been shot dead by police outside the embassy.
The protests in Sanaa come two days after a similar attack on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi resulted in the deaths of four US citizens, including the US ambassador in Libya, Christopher Stevens.
There were also reports of fresh scuffles outside the US embassy in Cairo on Thursday, a day after protesters scaled the embassy walls, ripped down the US flag and replaced it with the black Islamic flag.
FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Cairo, Sonia Dridi, said most of the protesters there were men, a mix of Islamists and football supporters “who have been a regular fixture at protests in Egypt” since the 2011 overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak.
The U.S. embassy in Kabul has appealed to Afghan leaders for help in “maintaining calm” and Afghanistan ordered the YouTube site shut down so Afghans would not be able to see the film.
YouTube, owned by Google Inc, said it would not remove the clip but blocked access in Egypt and Libya

How to get to Arugam Bay

Dilshan Tours offers an affordable way to get here: $5 for a one-way ride between Colombo and Arugam Bay. Its Colombo-Pottuvil bus leaves the main Pettah bus terminal daily at 9:00pm (the trip takes eight or nine hours, depending on road and traffic conditions), while the Pottuvil-Colombo bus (seen here parked in its usual spot near the Sri New Dilshan Guest House on Arugam Bay’s main drag) leaves Pottuvil for Colombo at 7:45pm daily (see contact information below).

Ambrose Bierce may have said that war is God’s way of teaching Americans geography, but I’m assuming you already know where Arugam Bay is (OK, OK, it’s a tiny fishing village two miles south of Pottuvil on the east coast of Sri Lanka, a proudly independent 25,000-square-mile island nation off the southern coast of India; the 33-mile-wide Palk Strait separates the country from the Indian subcontinent).
For a place that’s only 200 miles (320 kilometers) from Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, Arugam Bay can seem hopelessly remote. Some surfers may think that’s a good thing, but the area’s handful of hotel and restaurant operators are glad that getting here is getting easier—and in some instances more affordable—for surfers, birders, nature lovers and anyone else who’s looking to spend a few days or weeks in the sun.
The perception is that coming to Sri Lanka is the easy part of your trip—there are daily flights to Colombo from all over the world—and that getting to Arugam Bay from the airport is the hard part. That perception is at odds with reality. Because now there are many more ways to get here. Most area hotels will be happy to pick you up at the airport and whisk you to Arugam Bay for around $160. You can also get to Arugam Bay in a rental car, taxi, three-wheeler scooter taxi, train, air-conditioned bus or air taxi.
Fred Netzband-Miller thinks traveling part of the way to Arugam Bay by train is an often overlooked option: “Ella and Badulla are well known rail destinations in Sri Lanka,” he says. “But Batticaloa is not, although with overnight sleeper trains, it’s the most convenient.”
Fred points out that Batticaloa is just 60 miles (about 100 kilometers) north of Arugam Bay, adding that there’s a pretty good bus service between Batticaloa and Pottuvil on the A4 coastal road. You can also arrange to be picked up by a shuttle bus or taxi on arrival in Batticaloa. (Fred is proud of the luxury bus service he envisioned back in 2007, and that now operates between Colombo and Pottuvil.)

The Sri Lankan Airlines air taxi (a DeHavilland Twin Otter DHC-6 with straight floats) docks here at Arugam Bay.

Sri Lankan Airlines operates a chartered air taxi service for those who’d prefer to skip Colombo altogether and get here directly from the airport. The flight time for the air taxis—Twin Otter planes with straight floats and seating for 15 passengers—is 90 minutes. You can email Sri Lankan Airlines at reservations@srilankan.aero to make your own arrangements. Incidentally, you only need to punch four digits (1979) to call the airline’s 24-hour contact center from anywhere in Sri Lanka (01194777771979 from the U.S.).

Watch out for elephant crossing signs on the way to Arugam Bay: Anytime after 4:00pm (till dawn) is a good time to see elephants, depending on your route. We saw this young bull on the shoulder of the Buttala Road.

It wasn’t always this easy. It used to be that getting to Arugam Bay from Colombo would take you all day. Sometimes you’d sit in your jeep with the engine idling while a wild elephant stood swaying gently in the middle of a jungle road, blocking your way. In fact, you can still see elephants on the way to Arugam Bay, depending on the route you take and the time of day.
The first time my brother Tyrone and I were in Arugam Bay was in August 1963, on a hunting trip to Okande with our Dad. We came back in April 1964, again on a hunting trip. Back in those days the only way to get your jeep across the bay was on a ferry—a platform of wooden planks lashed to oil drums—with an old man hauling away on a rope to get you to the other side. Later in 1964 a box girder bridge, built with aid from the German government, put the ferry out of business and finally made it possible to drive nonstop from Pottuvil to Arugam Bay, Panama, Okande and the Kumana Bird Sanctuary.
Anyway, here’s contact information for car rental companies, taxi, rail and bus services that I know you can use to get to and from Arugam Bay (I’m sure there are many other taxi services and car rental companies; I’ll add them to this list when I learn about them):

Car Rental Companies:

Shineway Rent-a-Car: 0112368747, 0114361706 and 0712789323 (shineway@sltnet.lk)

Malkey Rent-a-Car: 0112365365, 0112502008, 0112365251 and 0112365253 (info@malkey.lk)

Kings Rent-a-Car: 0112889860 and 0112875063 (info@kingsrentacar.com)

Taxi Services:

Arugam Taxi Initiative: 0778888877 (011940778888877 from the U.S.) (arugamtaxi@gmail.com)

Kango Cabs: 0112577577 and 0112810810 (kango577@gmail.com)

Yellow Radio Cabs: 0112942942

Casons Taxi: 0113300400, 0771055360 and 0777381929 (info@casonstravels.com)

Comfort Cabs: 0112590590 (2590590@inbox.com)

Budget Meter Taxi: 0117299299

Bus Services:

Dilshan Tours: 0713506631 and 0724847432

Aradhana Super Service: 0712490307 and 0771348927

Super Line Travels: 0113150151, 0112567799, 0112887799 and 0773864656

Additionally, the Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) operates a daily bus service from Colombo to Pottuvil. A bus leaves Pettah (the location of Colombo’s central bus terminal) at 5:00am and arrives in Pottuvil at 4:00pm. You can take a three-wheeler scooter taxi from Pottuvil to Arugam Bay, or walk the two miles if you need to stretch you legs.

Rail Services:

Arugam Surf has details of the rail service between Colombo and Batticaloa, including schedules.

Air Taxi Services:

Sri Lankan Airlines: 1979 (Sri Lanka) and 01194777771979 (U.S.) (reservations@srilankan.aero)

Getting around in Arugam Bay:
Arugam Bay Taxi Service:
You can walk or rent a bicycle (most hotels have bikes for rent), but if you plan to go (say) to Okande, an air-conditioned taxi is your best best. A company called Sathsara operates two small four-door taxis; they charge Rs. 50 (41¢) per kilometer. You can either call the company at 0573588797 or the drivers themselves (Bandula at 0777886559 or Mubarak at 0778909790).
Three-wheeler scooter taxis are another good way for getting around in Arugam Bay. They are what most surfers use to get to the best spots. Here’s contact information for six guys who took my bro and me all over the place (names are in alphabetical order):
Amzar: 0778176972
Khalideen: 0779234473
Manju: 0776576239
Nilantha: 0770592382 (abaynilantha@gmail.com)
Samantha: 0777677281
Shantha Lal: 0776625337

Copyright © David Graham

No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

மன்னார் சம்பவம்: கிழக்கிலும் முஸ்லிம்கள் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம்

மன்னார் உப்புக்குளம் சம்பவத்தில் கைதான முஸ்லிம் மீனவர்களை விடுதலை செய்யக் கோரியும் வடக்கு முஸ்லிம்களின் பாதுகாப்பை உறுதிப்படுத்தக் கோரியும் கிழக்கு மாகாணத்தில் உள்ள சில முஸ்லிம் பிரதேசங்களிலும் ஆர்ப்பாட்டங்கள் நடந்துள்ளன.

தொடர்புடைய விடயங்கள்

• தாக்குதல்,
• துஷ்பிரயோகம்,
• மனித உரிமை,
• கொலை,
• போர்

இன்று வெள்ளிக்கிழமை நண்பகல் பள்ளிவாசல்களில் நடைபெற்ற ஜும்மா தொழுகையின் பின்னர் பள்ளிவாசல்கள் முன்பாக கூடிய நூற்றுக் கணக்கான முஸ்லிம்கள் இந்த ஆர்ப்பாட்டங்களில் கலந்து கொண்டனர்.

ஆர்ப்பாட்டங்களில் கலந்து கொண்ட முஸ்லிம்கள் வடக்கிலிருந்து இடம்பெயர்ந்த முஸ்லிம்களின் மீள்குடியேற்றத்தை துரிதப்படுத்த வேண்டும் போன்ற வாசகங்களை ஏந்தியவாறு கோசங்களை எழுப்பினார்கள்.

மன்னார் ஆயருக்கு எதிராகவும் அங்கு கோசங்கள் எழுப்பப்பட்டதைக் காணமுடிந்தது.

மட்டக்களப்பு மாவட்டத்தில் ஓட்டமாவடி ,ஏறாவுர் மற்றும் காத்தான்குடி ஆகிய இடங்களில் நடைபெற்ற ஆர்ப்பாட்டங்களில் அமைச்சர் ரிசாட் பதியுதீன் தலைமையிலான அகில இலங்கை முஸ்லிம் காங்கிரஸ் முக்கியஸ்தர்களே ஏற்பாட்டாளர்களாக காணப்பட்டனர்.

காத்தான்குடியில் நடைபெற்ற ஆர்ப்பாட்டத்திற்கு நகரசபைத் தலைவர் எஸ்.எச்.அஸ்பர் தலைமை தாங்கினார்.

ஏறாவூரில் நடைபெற்ற ஆர்ப்பாட்டத்திற்கு தலைமை வகித்த முன்னாள் மாகாண சுகாதார அமைச்சர் எம்.எஸ்.சுபைர் மன்னாரில் முஸ்லிம்களின் மீள்குடியேற்றத்திற்கு சில இனவாத சக்திகள் தடையாக இருப்பதாக குற்றம் சாட்டினார்.

மன்னார் சிவில் சமூகமும் ஆயரும் முஸ்லிம்கள் சுதந்திரமாக குடியேறி வாழும் சூழலை ஏற்படுத்த முன்வரவேண்டும் என்றும் அவர் கேட்டுக் கொண்டார்.

வவுனியா நகரிலும் அமைச்சர் ரிசாட் பதியுதீனுக்கு ஆதரவான ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் இன்று நடத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இதேவேளை மன்னார் நீதிமன்றம் மீது மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்ட தாக்குதல் மற்றும் நீதவானுக்கு விடுக்கப்பட்ட அச்சுறுத்தல்களை கண்டித்து வடக்கு கிழக்கு உட்பட நாடு முழுவதும் நீதித்துறையினர் இன்று பணிப்பகிஷ்கரிப்பில் ஈடுபட்டதால், நீதிமன்ற விசாரணைகள் பிறிதொரு தினத்திற்கு ஒத்திவைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.