Posts Categorized: Biography

Sri Lanka’s 1st Gold Medal Winner

by N. Ethirveerasingham, July 8, 2021 In 1958, two time Olympian, Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam, won the 1st ever Gold Medal in ANY sport for Sri Lanka (Ceylon) at the 3rd Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan. In this video Ethir narrates the silent film of the Asian Games, which includes film of his winning jump at the… Read more »

‘Methagu’ Film

#மேதகு Tamil period action drama movie written and directed by Kittu.  The movie stars Kutti Mani, Eashwar Basha, Vijay, and Anandan in lead roles. The music was composed by Praveen Kumar.  The movie Methagu is about Velupillai Prabhakaran, a warrior, and the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Release  Methagu was… Read more »

‘Pirapaharan,’ Volume 1 & 2 by T. Sabaratnam Reposted

From the Editor Mr. T. Sabaratnam wrote a two-volume historical biography of Velupillai Pirapaharan and his time from 2002-2005 that was posted on the Sangam website.  This history is of the period before the war began and of the early stages of the war.  It dwells on the root causes and the background of those… Read more »

TGTE Mourns Passing of Former US Attorney General Mr. Ramsey Clark

by Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, EINPresswire, April 14, 2021 He was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the TGTE & served as TGTE’s New York Election Commissioner for its first parliamentary elections in 2010 Mr. Clark served as lead counsel in representing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in its… Read more »

USTAG: Celebrating Bishop Rayappu

by US Tamil Action Group, April 3, 2021 Press release Bishop Rayappu Joseph FINAL For immediate release USTAG and Tamil Americans Commemorate Life of Bishop Rayappu Joseph While Tamils all over the world mourn the passing of the former Catholic Bishop of Mannar, Sri Lanka, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, Tamils in the homeland… Read more »

Mannar Bishop Rayappu Joseph and the Madhu Church crisis

The Sri Lankan Tamil people in general and Catholics in particular were deeply saddened by the loss of Bishop Rayappu Joseph. The words of St. Paul (2.Timothy 4.7) – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” – serve as a fitting epitaph to Most Rev. Rayappu… Read more »

Dr. Manorani Saravanamuttu

A dossier by Sachi Sri Kantha, February 21, 2021 The dictionary defines a dossier as ‘set of documents, esp. record of information about a person or event.’ Here, I have compiled a brief dossier on Dr. Manorani Saravanamuttu, based on materials in my files and internet search. The prime reason being, as of now, there… Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.44 The Massacres Continue

by T. Sabaratnam, April 23, 2005 Chapter 43 Original index to series Original Chapter 44 [renumbered from Chapter 42] In 1985 the Jayewardene – Athulathmudali regime continued its strategy of mass arrests, torture, massacres and forced evacuations, thus strengthening the Tamil will to fight back and widening and deepening the Tamil militant groups’ recruitment base. … Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.43 The Massacres

by T. Sabaratnam, April 18, 2005 Chapter 42 Original index to series Original Chapter 43 [renumbered from Chapter 41] The LTTE attacks on Kent and Dollar farms and Kokkilai and Nayaru fishing villages shook the Jayewardene government.  The attacks upset its plan to establish large-scale Israeli-type militarized Sinhala settlements within the border of the Northern… Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.42 Operation Green Arrow

by T. Sabaratnam, April 8, 2005 Chapter 41 Original index to series Original Chapter 42 [renumbered from Chapter 40] In mid- September 1985, the ENLF told the media in Chennai that Sri Lanka had launched a military onslaught code-named Operation Green Arrow in the Trincomalee district in total violation of the ceasefire then in operation. … Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.41 Pirapa Meets Rajiv

Feedback re 1986 killing of TULF MPs Alalasuntharam and Dharmalingam from a reader: March 29, 2005 Dear Editor, In Chapter 38 the writer mentioned that the TULF MPs’ murder had been carried out by Das.  This is totally untrue.  Sri Sabaratnam gave the order to kill all former TULF MPs who lived in Jaffna at… Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.40 Deportation Emboldens JR

by T. Sabaratnam, March 24, 2005 Chapter 39 Original index to series Original Chapter 40 [renumbered from Chapter 38] India was annoyed with the Tamil groups, particularly with Balasingham.  RAW, which listened to the conversations carried through the ‘hot line,’ told Bhandari and other officials that the decision to walk out was taken at the… Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.39 Thimpu Talks Collapse

by T. Sabaratnam, March 18, 2005 Chapter 38 Original index to series Original Chapter 39 [renumbered from Chapter 37] On 16 August 1985, the day on which Hector Jayewardene disappointed the Tamil delegation and India with his ‘new proposals’ at Thimpu, Tamil militants exploded a land mine to blow up an air force jeep speeding… Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.38 Thimpu – the Second Round Contd

by T. Sabaratnam, March 11, 2005 Chapter 37 Original index to series Original Chapter 38 [renumbered from Chapter 36, Part II] – The Tamil delegation did not permit the government representatives to present their proposals.  The Tamils told the government delegation they wanted to raise two matters that flowed from the opening statement of Hector… Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.37 Thimpu – the Second Round

by T. Sabaratnam, March 4, 2005 Chapter 36 Original index to series Original Chapter 37 [renumbered from Chapter 36, Part 1] I covered the press conference at the Indian High Commission at Colombo Fort on 14 July 1985, the day after the collapse of the First Round of the Thimpu talks.  That was the first… Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.36 Thimpu – the First Round Cont’d

by T. Sabaratnam, February 25, 2005 Chapter 35 Original index to series Original Chapter 36 [renumbered from Chapter 35, Part II] The First Round (Continued) As indicated in the previous chapter, the first day of the Thimpu Talks was devoted to the inauguration.  Talks commenced on the second day, 9 July 1985. The entire morning… Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.35 Thimpu – the First Round

by T. Sabaratnam, February 18, 2005 Chapter 34 Original index to series Original Chapter 35 On 3 July 1985 the ENLF leaders – Pirapaharan, Sri Sabaratnam, Pathmanabha and Balakumar – and their assistants were flown in an airforce plane to Delhi and were accommodated in the five-star Hotel Ashok. RAW officials accompanied them and kept… Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.34 From Ceasefire to Talks

by T. Sabaratnam, February 11, 2005 Chapter 33 Original index to series Original Chapter 34 The ceasefire came into effect on 18 June 1985.  The ENLF leaders realized that Athulathmudali had outsmarted them by declaring the ceasefire unilaterally.  Tamil liberation groups were forced to observe the ceasefire for fear of offending India and the international… Read more »

Pirapaharan: Vol.2, Chap.33 Thimpu Cont’d

by T. Sabaratnam, February 5, 2005 Chapter 32 Original index to series Original Chapter 33 Special note: Mr. J. N. Dixit and Mr. Shankar Raji died while I was writing this chapter.  Both were younger than me.  Both provided me with a wealth of information concerning the events about which I am currently writing.  Dixit… Read more »