By: T. Sabaratnam, June 25, 2004 (Volume 2) Finding Scapegoats Jayewardene was disturbed by the criticism of the attacks on Tamils by many Western countries and international human rights watchers. Indira Gandhi’s telephone call on Thursday, 28 July evening upset him more. As mentioned earlier he, asked Ranil Wickremesinghe to summon his confidants, Gamini, Lalith,… Read more »
Monthly Archives: June 2004
Kumaratunga Goads the Tigers
Cloaked Daggers: Kumaratunga goads the Tigers while delaying talks Tamil Guardian editorial, London, June 25, 2004 The surrender to the Liberation Tigers this week of four former confidantes of the renegade LTTE commander, Karuna, has provided further proof of the Sri Lankan military’s campaign of destabilisation in the island’s volatile east. The accounts by the… Read more »
Sri Lanka Scene: Truce will Hold but Prospect of Peace Talks Recedes
By: T. Sabaratnam, June 23, 2004 The situation in Sri Lanka today is that the 2-year-old truce will continue to hold despite the incidents in the east, but the prospect of the resumption of peace talks will recede. Analysts rule out another war unless an unexpected explosive situation occurs. Colombo’s respected defence analyst Iqbal Athas… Read more »
A Review of the ‘Sooriya Puthalvargal’ 2003 Memorial Souvenir
Homage to the Black Tigers by Sachi Sri Kantha, June 23, 2004 LTTE leader Pirabhakaran has been assigned the [un]flattering accolade as one of the ‘pioneers’ of suicide bombing warfare, by his adversaries and quite a few academic turkeys. In my opinion, quasi scholars like Rohan Gunaratna or, for that matter, Yoram Schweitzer [currently affiliated… Read more »
The Pursuit of Peace in Sri Lanka
by The Daily News, Colombo, June 23, 2004 Following is a lecture by Bradman Weerakoon presented at the 7th Dudley Senanayake memorial lecture, on June 21, 2004 at the BMICH. A public lecture on the subject of peace in Sri Lanka would have a validity and relevance at most times and most places. Given the… Read more »
Slow Ebb: Prospects for Peace are Fading
Tamil Guardian editorial, June 18, 2004 The stalemate in Norway’s peace process deepened visibly this week. Oslo’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar flew to Kilinochchi to meet with senior LTTE officials there whilst Special Envoy Erik Solheim is to meet with the LTTE’s political strategist, Mr. Anton Balasingham on Thursday. Norway is striving to… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 7: JR Seeks Arms
By: T. Sabaratnam (Volume 2) Indian Factor President Jayewardene realized on Wednesday evening, after answering Indira Gandhi’s telephone call, that the riots had spawned unintended results. Firstly, it had, while weakening the Tamils, also weakened him and the Sinhala people, mainly by damaging their international image. Secondly, the riots had provided India a chance to… Read more »
More Reader Participation on 1983 Riots
by Rajkumar Sivapatham, June 18, 2004 Dear Mr. Sabaratnam, I am a regular visitor to Sangam website to learn about the Tamil history on “Pirapaharan story.” I was encouraged by Mr. Bala’s e-mail and wish to contribute my part as well. From 1979 to December 1983, I was working at Browns Group at Darley Road,… Read more »
Fifth Guru Paramarta Story
Going Home on Horseback Front Note by Sachi Sri Kantha, June 18, 2004 The fifth story in the Guru Paramarta series describes how the Guru received a gifted horse and set out on his journey. A contemporary analogy to this fifth story of Fr.Beschi in Colombo was the latest attempts of President Chandrika and her… Read more »
Feedback to Mr. Sabaratnam re July 1983
Pathirana Group helps Tamil Students Dear Mr. Sabaratnam, Thank you for writing Tamils History. As you have mentioned in your introduction I feel you are writing this biography without any bias. I also think you are the right person to write this biography. It is very important to write everything for our future generations. You… Read more »
Congrats to Dr. Indira Samarasekera
[June 17, 2004] The Sangam is proud to announce that Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera has been appointed vice president research at the University of British Columbia. She has been a professor in the Department of Metals and Materials Engineering and the Centre for Metallurgical Process Engineering at the University of British Columbia since 1980. Dr…. Read more »
India Looks East
India is really looking towards the East now by Pranay Gupte, Straits Times, Singapore, June 17, 2004 NEW DELHI – ‘We always said, ‘Look East’, but then we would go West,’ Mr Jairam Ramesh was saying in his small ground-floor office here over the weekend. ‘Now India wants to go East and also have the… Read more »
Thiru. Vaiko in Chicago June 19
Go Your Way!
By V. Gunaratnam, June 16, 2004 Dark Days The dark days are back again with us as Chandrika Kumaratunga, with her now well-known penchant for self-serving politics, has once more used her prodigious presidential powers to drive Sri Lanka to the brink. Everything is in disarray, with the UPFA government reduced to a political balancing… Read more »
Kumaratunga Prepares to Unleash the Sinhala Army
THE ACTION GROUP OF TAMILS (TAGOT) Kotte, Sri Lanka Email: tagots /A_T/ hotmail /D_O_T/ com”>tagots /A_T/ hotmail /D_O_T/ com PRESS RELEASE 15 June 2004 Kumaratunga prepares to unleash the Sinhala army The current political developments and war preparations in Colombo flow naturally and logically from the Sinhala President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s unparalleled anti-Tamil jingoism during her first… Read more »
Fragments of Grace
My Search for Meaning in the Strife of South Asia by Pamela Constable Released: May, 2004 ISBN: 1574886185 Table of Contents: Prologue Introduction Chapter One – Into the Fog Chapter Two – The River Chapter Three – Ashes in the Snow Chapter Four – The Hidden Heart Chapter Five – The Wrath of Allah Chapter Six… Read more »
Playing with Indian Fire
by Rajkumar Sivapatham, June 14, 2004 As expected by the Tamils, the Sri Lankan president is at her tricks again. That is – giving the impression that she is ready for peace talks in one hand and totally rejecting them on the other. So far, this tactic has worked very well with her Sinhalese political friends… Read more »
48 Years for the Wheel to Turn Full Circle!
by S Nadarajah, June 14, 2004 Even though the incidents that happened in the highest body of legislature in Sri Lanka on 8 June 2004 (manhandling of the Buddhist monk MPs by the government MPs) should be vehemently condemned by concerned citizens and by those who still hope to see democratic practices upheld in this… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 6: Indira’s Telephone Call
By: T. Sabaratnam, June 18, 2004 (from Volume 2) Tamil Nadu Erupts Tamil Nadu erupted in anger on Tuesday, 26 July 1983, when news spread that atrocities had been committed on Tamils in Sri Lanka. Thousands of Tamils poured onto the streets in Chennai, Madurai and other cities denouncing the Jayewardene government and demanding Prime… Read more »
The Time has Come to ‘Lock Horns’
by Adrian Wijemanne, June 11, 2004 1. This is the infelicitous phrase to describe the peace talks used by Foreign Minister Kadiragamar in his recent address at a meeting in Washington D.C. convened by the Brookings Institution. There is a combative fervour about the phrase, as if the conference table were another battlefield. Memories of… Read more »