by Tamil Centre for Human Rights; Paris, February 24, 2004 TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS – TCHR/CTDH CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L’HOMME (Established in 1990) http://www.tchr.netPress release Ref : B07F/PR/2004 24 February 2004 There are still 76 Tamil political prisoners and detainees Arrest and detention are legal in any judicial system. But when there… Read more »
Monthly Archives: February 2004
Political Bifurcation Inevitable
by Taraki; Daily Mirror, Colombo, February 27, 2004 Polarization of political forces inevitable The Parliamentary power equation after the April 2 general elections is set to sharply reflect an acute polarization of political forces in Sri Lanka. The seats in Parliament are going to be divided mainly between two fundamentally distinct political formations. On the one… Read more »
The Macartney Maneuver
by Sachi Sri Kantha; published February 27, 2004 The Macartney Maneuver: a No-nonsense Straight Lesson from a Cricket Great I’m a subscriber to the Lancet medical journal and the first page I check in a newly received issue is the one which features the humorous column ‘Jabs and Jibes.’ The Feb.21, 2004 issue of Lancet carried a feature… Read more »
The Lion & His Shadow
by Rajkumar Sivapathan; originally published February 27, 2004 School children from all over the world study great stories of how an arrogant lion demanded one animal per day from the inmates of the forest and eventually was tricked and killed by a small hare. It is no doubt that leaders of the world would have read… Read more »
You Are What You Speak
by Janadas Devan; Straits Times, Singapore, January 25, 2004 THE ancient Egyptians employed hundreds of signs in their hieroglyphic writing, as did the Sumerians in their cuneiform. Both were complex systems, which no more than a tiny portion of Egyptians and Sumerians could have mastered. Janadas Devan Imagine a system consisting of hundreds of pictograms, or… Read more »
Mind Your Own Business
by Wakeley Paul; originally published February 27, 2004 “WHY DON¹T YOU MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS” says Lakshman Kadirgamar to Deputy British Foreign Secretary What does this portend? The situation in SL sends the shivers up the affluent; the Tamils and the international community interested in continuing the peace process which was begun by the UNF and… Read more »
Will the Election Solve the Impasse?
by Dr. Victor Rajakulendran; originally published February 26, 2004 Will President Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumarathunga’s snap election solve the current political impasse in Sri Lanka? Background of the impasse Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunga (CBK) and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesighe (RW) have been locked in a power struggle for months. The feud reached a climax last… Read more »
Kurds Demand Vote on Independence
By Barbara Plett, BBC, February 25, 2004 BBC correspondent in Baghdad Kurdish activists have collected 1.7 million signatures on a petition demanding a referendum on the future of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region. For the past decade, Kurds have ruled their own affairs, out of the reach of former strongman Saddam Hussein. Their status in the… Read more »
Pirapaharan, Chapter 31: The Death of the First Hero
by T. Sabaratnam; originally published February 25, 2004 31. The Death of the First Hero Shooting of Shankar Rajani, who was on the verandah of the main house, saw the army jeep entering their compound. She ran through the house to the back door and shouted, “Nirmala Akka, army jeep is coming.” She warned her… Read more »
Tamil Aspirations and Traitors
R Shanmugananthan, originally published February 24, 2004 The recent editorial in the Tamil Guardian on ‘Expressing Tamil Aspirations’ at the forthcoming elections is timely. Though greed of the Sinhala politicians – and in particular Chandrika Kumaratunge – is the reason for this election, the outcome will have far reaching consequences. Firstly the way Sinhalese people will vote… Read more »
Special General Meeting
originally published February 24, 2004 Ilankai Tamil Sangam’s Special General Meeting will be held on Saturday, March 20th 2004 (rain date March 27th, 2004) to finalize the new committee and office bearers. Further details, venue and directions will be sent out to members.
Sri Lanka Scene: Strengthening the Tamil Bargaining Position
by T. Sabaratnam; originally published February 24, 2004 Weekly Review Two significant developments have marked the parliamentary nominations that concluded at noon today (Tuesday). The first, in the order of importance, is the open entry of the LTTE into the democratic electoral process. The second was the intense debate generated by the entry of Buddhist priests… Read more »
Bob Dylan Stares at Sri Lankans
by Sachi Sri Kantha; originally published February 24, 2004 [an up-dated version of what originally appeared in the Tamil Nation website, 24 January 2001] I have a message to posterity in Sri Lanka. If 100 years from now, someone wants to know what was the situation in Sri Lanka at the beginning of the 21st century,… Read more »
The “New World Order” and Tamils – a Comment
by Rajkumar Sivapathan; February 12, 2004 The events in the past couple of years have changed the life style and attitude of most people in the world. The attack on WTC and the events followed affected many people. The main thing that affected the Tamils was the hurried inclusion of the LTTE, the only organisation that struggles… Read more »
Open Letter to President & PM
by Dr. Victor Rajakulendran; originally published February 24, 2004 An open letter to Sri Lankan President and the Prime Minister February 12, 2004 Her Excellency, Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumarathunga The President of Sri Lanka His Excellency, Ranil Wickramasinghe The Caretaker Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Your Excellencies Re: The current political crisis Your Excellency the President, you… Read more »
Call to Increased Action for War-Affected Children
by UNICEF; originally published February 24, 2004 SECURITY COUNCIL: Plight of Children in Armed Conflict Reaches Watershed Stage [press release] [NEW YORK, 20 January 2004] – The battle to uphold the rights and well-being of children exposed to armed conflict “has reached a watershed moment,” the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on the issue told the Security Council today…. Read more »
Some Reflections on Terrorism
by Wakeley Paul; originally published February 23, 2004 SOME REFLECTIONS ON TERRORISM Terrorism and Rebellion Distinguishable like Theocracy is from Democracy The common concept of terrorism is one of ruthless civilians who attack helpless unsuspecting civilians for political gain. Is that the only definition there is? If the first narrow definition was the only way to… Read more »
Tamils Health Organization-USA AGM May 1
originally published February 23, 2004 It’s peacetime in the North-East of Sri Lanka THO-USA is a non–political, non-profit organization Our goal is to help rebuild the Healthcare infrastructure of the North-East of Sri Lanka We need your help and support Now, is the time for you to help and support! Event : Annual General Meeting of… Read more »
Sinhala Buddhist Vote
by Sarath Bulathsinghala; Lankaweb, February 18, 2004 From a Sangam member: You might think of publishing this as the latest example of Sinhala Buddhist determination to exclude and discriminate- first it was ethnic, now it is religious as well. Where will this end? It reminds me of the cartoon of two roaring galloping lions chasing a… Read more »
Blood Bank of Jaffna Hospital
originally published February 22, 2004 Dear fellow friends, family, and community members, I hope you are all well and enjoying the new year. As you well know, the situation in Sri Lanka is tenuous at best and the recent political upheaval lends very little hope for such a dire situation. And yet the Tamil population… Read more »