by Jayadeva Uyangoda; Daily Mirror, Colombo, published March 19, 2004 Northern and Southern monolithic blocks divided as crisis deepens Whatever the outcome of the election, and whoever forms the new government, the immediate task that the new regime faces would be one of establishing a new political equilibrium without which no measure of political stability could… Read more »
Monthly Archives: March 2004
Paradise Lost?
by V. Gunaratnam; published March 18, 2004 Magical names that once stirred the imagination, Pearl of the Orient, Teardrop of the Indian Ocean, Taprobane, Resplendent Isle, and Serendib, redolent of the lingering sun and emerald waters, lush tea gardens and aromatic spices, sparkling gems and intricate crafts, domed dagobas and towering temples, now conjure up nothing… Read more »
Tamil Hero Turned into a Zero
by Sachi Sri Kantha; March 15, 2004 Col.Karuna: The Tamil Hero who turned into a Zero By fortuitous circumstances, I found myself a guest of Kilinochchi people for a little over four days (March 2nd to 6th and again on 8th), when the Col.Karuna affair flared up in the open. Thus, unlike the contemporary hacks of… Read more »
ISGA Not for Separation: Prabha
by Daily Mirror, Colombo, March 16, 2004 The proposals for an Interim Administrative structure forwarded by the LTTE were not aimed at a separate state but only at an interim arrangement, said its leader V. Prabhakaran in a statement to the LTTE’s Sinhala paper Dedunne. “The accusations that our proposals are aimed at a separate… Read more »
Sri Lanka Scene: A Tool For Sinhala Chauvinism
by T. Sabaratnam; Colombo, March 15, 2004 Weekly Review Karuna – a tool for Sinhala Chauvinism Karuna is the new found hero of the Sinhala people. They are thrilled about his advent. They know his real name, the tongue-twisting Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan. They are aware that he is from Kiran. They also know that the 38-year old… Read more »
Tamileelam Bank
by Geert De Clercq; Reuters, London, published March 16, 2004 Tamileelam Bank Symbol of Sri Lankan Rebel Autonomy KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka (Reuters) – There’s no marble in the lobby, no computer on the counter and no air-conditioning for the customers. The risk of robbery is also very small. Welcome to the Bank of Tamileelam, the world’s… Read more »
Pirapaharan, Chapter 33: Knocking Out the Base
by T. Sabaratnam; published March 15, 2004 33. Knocking Out the Base Grabbing Land A joint police and army team led by police detectives raided the Pankulam settlement of Tamils of the Indian origin on the orders of Vavuniya Assistant Government Agent at 10 a.m. on 6 April 1983 and set fire to their crops and… Read more »
Will Tamils Be Disenfranchised?
by Dr. Victor Rajakulendran; Australia, published March 15, 2004 Are some of the Tamils going to be prevented from exercising their franchise once more? There are only 17 days left for the parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka, scheduled to be held on the 2nd of April, the 3rd such vote in the last 4 years. Violence… Read more »
Brigitte Morgenthaler Subramaniam
by Rev. S.J. Emmanuel; published April 14, 2004 We are shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the sudden passing away of Brigitte under tragic circumstances. None can understand the depth with which this Swiss lady committed herself to the just Cause of the Tamils and moved thousands of others to do the same. The… Read more »
Iraq & Sri Lanka: Compared, Contrasted
by Wakeley Paul; published March 12, 2004 IRAQ AND SRI LANKA: COMPARED, CONTRASTED AND ANALOGIZED Bernard Lewis, the scholar of Islam, wraps his political opinions on Iraq in a historical blanket. They have never had a democratic tradition, he argues, therefore democracy will be an ill advised imposition of a political system upon a people who… Read more »
Email Campaigning
by A Colombo Resident; published March 12, 2004 E-mail campaigning is on in this election. Up to the last election they used the fax. Buddhist monks are also campaigning using e-mail. Here is a sample…just for fun!! The extra benefits of voting for the Sangha. Today giving a dana or inviting a monk in Colombo and… Read more »
CPJ Report on Attacks on the Press in 2003
Annual survey documents changing press freedom landscape: 36 journalists killed; 136 jailed at year’s end; China world’s leading jailer of journalists for fifth year in a row New York, March 8, 2004-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) will release its annual survey of global press freedom conditions on Thursday, March 11, 2004. According to CPJ… Read more »
Wedding & Law Convocation in Vanni
by K. Mylvaganam; Tamil Circle, #3360 and #3361, published March 9, 2004 We Attended An L.T.T.E. Wedding In Vanni I have heard of the weddings taking place among the L.T.T.E. cadre, but never had the chance to attend one. This was the first time I had the rare opportunity to attend one personally. While my wife… Read more »
Amnesty’s Concerns re Sri Lanka
TO: Ambassador Devinda Subasinghe, Embassy of Sri Lanka FROM: Jim McDonald, Sri Lanka Country Specialist, Amnesty International USA RE: UN Human Rights Committee’s concluding observations DATE: February 24, 2004 On December 1 of last year, the U.N. Human Rights Committee issued its concluding observations (the “Observations”) on Sri Lanka’s fourth and fifth periodic reports under… Read more »
Crossing the Laugh Line
by Arun Venugopal; India Abroad, New York, March 12, 2004 Jokes from Vijai Nathan **My sister is a Born Again Christian. My mother was very upset when she converted. She said, ‘Why does she have to be Born Again Christian? We are Hindu – we are born again and again and again!’ **My parents were always… Read more »
Sri Lanka Scene: South Reacts with Restraint
by T. Sabaratnam; Colombo, published March 8, 2004 Weekly Review The most redeeming feature of the northeastern crisis is the restraint shown by southern leaders, who have treated it as the LTTE’s internal affair, and their reluctance to exploit the crisis for their benefit. The recently forged United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) strongman Mangala Samaraweera declined… Read more »
FeTNA Convention in Washington, DC
The 17th Annual National Convention of the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America will take place in Washington, DC on July 2, 3, 4 & 5. [Eventually ended up being held in Baltimore, MD] Originally published March 9, 2004
Facts & Opinions About American Elections
by Wakeley Paul; USA, published March 9, 2004 SOME FACTS AND OPINIONS ABOUT THE ON COMING AMERICAN ELECTIONS: HOW DOES IT AND CAN IT AFFECT EELAM? I am sure my views do not meet with [the editor’s] approval and are therefore highly controverial from an average Tamil viewpoint. That is what makes it interesting. It should… Read more »
Iraq Shiites Fail to Sign Charter
by Dexter Filkins; The New York Times, March 6, 2004 Iraqi Shiites, in a Blow to U.S., Fail to Sign Temporary Charter The article in the temporary constitution now in dispute deals with the ratification of the permanent constitution, which is supposed to be written sometime next year. According to language agreed on this week, the permanent… Read more »
Franchise Denied
by Tamil Guardian Editorial; published March 6, 2004 Franchise Denied: The Tamil vote has been thwarted – again As Sri Lankans go to vote at their third parliamentary elections in the space of five years, large sections of the Tamil people are once again to be hampered in exercising their right to vote. As at the… Read more »