An Overview of the Final 31 movies of 1970s by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 27, 2019 Part 53 Front Note Due to commitments in teaching, I took a five month ‘leave’ from writing this series. Since I began this series in December 2012, seven years have passed by. As evident, I have covered MGR’s life… Read more »
Monthly Archives: December 2019
High Time to Act on Sri Lanka
By United Nations & international community by Thambu Kanagasabai, LLM [Lond]. Former Lecturer in Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has been in the limelight of UN and International Community for the last thirty years and more intensively during and after the genocidal war launched against the Tamil civilians and Liberation Tigers of… Read more »
Thirteenth Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution
This article is generally agreed to be the best discussion of the weakness of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, instituted after the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord to provide the ‘devolution’ the Tamils have requested to allow them to manage some of their own affairs within Sri Lanka. by Nadesan Satyendra, ‘TamilNation.org,’ March 1988,… Read more »
Speech by Nadesan Satyendra at Thimpu Talks 1985
posted by Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), February 12, 2012 Satyendra was the TELO representative at the Thimbu Talks We recognise that the Tamil national struggle is not taking place in some Himalayan stratosphere… At the outset, we would like to emphasise something which all of us amongst the Tamil delegation present here today, recognise… Read more »
2004 Tsunami
Note the divergence in information on number of casualties, etc. The NorthEast of Sri Lanka was one area severely under-counted due to lack of facilities and official interest. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-24/boxing-day-tsunami-how-the-disaster-unfolded/5977568 January 2007 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/29459974_The_Economic_Effects_of_the_Asian_Tsunami_on_the_Tear_Drop_in_the_Indian_Ocean_A_General_Equilibrium_Analysis https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/dec/25/where-did-indian-ocean-tsunami-aid-money-go
Organized Encroachments on State Land by Indian Tamils
Results of physical survey done on 1983 Settled since 198(illegible) by Gandhian Movement Documents dated 22-Feb-92, difficult to read due to being a copy & age. Organized Encroachment on State Land by Indian Tamils Pages 1-2 Organized Encroachments on State Land by Indian Tamils
Devolution of Powers under the 13th Amendment in Sri Lanka
Fact or Fiction? by MCM Iqbal, ‘Groundviews,’ Colombo, July 19, 2009 (The writer was one of the secretaries of the first Provincial Council of the Western Province) 1. Introduction In the aftermath of the defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka, many expected the government to put forward the promised political solution to the problems of… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 11
Sex education in Tamil Countries – Circa 50 years ago by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 14, 2019 The other day, during my routine visit to the Tokyo Metropolitan Library. I glanced at the last month’s The Times (London) newspaper copies. Four brief letters to the editor on sex education, all written by women, in response… Read more »
Will the New President of Sri Lanka Guide the Country on the Correct Path?
by Kumarathasan Rasingam – Secretary, The Tamil Canadian Elders for Human Rights Org., December 16, 2019 The Singapore success is attributed to their leader LEE KUAN YEW developing a society where each race appreciate and respect that of others, encouraged to preserve its unique culture and traditions, let alone that of the majority. It’s fostering… Read more »
Sri Lanka Fast Becoming a Failed State
by Thambu Kanagasabai – LLM [Lond] Former Lecturer in Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, December 9, 2019 A Failed state is one which is failing to function properly regarding its responsibilities, including an inability to interact with other states as a full member of the international community. Ethnic conflicts and tension, violation of human… Read more »
How Perumal Murugan Was Resurrected Through Writing
by Amitava Kumar, The New Yorker, December 12, 2019 Earlier this year, at a literary festival in Jaipur, I met the Tamil writer Perumal Murugan. I had just finished reading his book “Poonachi,” which will be published in the U.S. this month as “The Story of a Goat.” (The translation is by N. Kalyan Raman.)… Read more »
Will Tamils Overcome Politics of Fear to Find New Leadership?
by JS Tissainayagam, Asian Correspondent, UK, November 24, 2019 THE overwhelming turnout by Tamil voters in North and East Sri Lanka to vote for Sajith Premadasa at the presidential election epitomised the admonition they had heard for over five years: “Don’t rock the political boat lest the Rajapaksas return to power.” Hence, the politics of… Read more »
Sri Lanka’s Tamils Need Genocide Recognition and Innovative Justice Mechanisms
Emerging Voices by Anjali Manivannan, OpinioJuris, Geneva, August, 15, 2019 [Anji Manivannan is the Legal Director at People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) and a Senior Programs Officer at the World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP).] Introduction May 18th marked the tenth anniversary of the end of the 26-year-long armed conflict between… Read more »
A Graphic Novel that Documents the Horrors of Vanni in Sri Lanka
A decade after the Sri Lankan civil war, a former UN worker revisits the lives of those he left behind on the island through a graphic novel by Amrita Dutta, The Indian Express, November 17, 2019 Drawn on Horror: The spirit of straight-up reportage animates Vanni, rather than complex storytelling. Right top: Benjamin Dix; below:… Read more »
The Rajapaksas Will Ruin Sri Lanka’s Economy
Virulent ethnic nationalism and hateful rhetoric toward minorities might win votes, but it will lead the country to economic ruin. by Amita Arudpragasam, Foreign Policy, Washington, DC, November 27, 2019 On Nov. 18, Gotabaya Rajapaksa took his oath as Sri Lanka’s seventh executive president, at the sacred Buddhist temple Ruwanwelisaya in Anuradhapura. Three days later, his brother,… Read more »
The Fate of Sri Lanka’s Tamil National Anthem
What the past (and future) of the Tamil version of the national anthem tells us about minority rights in Sri Lanka. by Dishani Senaratne, ‘The Diplomat,’ Washington, DC, November 22, 2019 Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former defense secretary and brother of ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, emerged victorious in Sri Lanka’s presidential election last Sunday. Gotabaya was largely backed… Read more »
US Press Statements on Sri Lanka Elections
On Sri Lanka’s Elections: Press Statement by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State November 18, 2019 The United States congratulates the people of Sri Lanka on their democratic election and stands ready to work with Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the new President of Sri Lanka. We call on President Rajapaksa to uphold Sri Lanka’s commitments to… Read more »
Reading List on Civil War and Political Violence
by Prof. Paul Staniland, November 2019 StanilandReadingsCivilWar11-18-19.pdf https://thepearsoninstitute.org/faculty/paul-staniland
Deep Divisions Confront Sri Lanka’s New President
by Amy Kazmin, Financial Times, London, November 19, 2019 The ancient Buddhist stupa where Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s president on Monday is rich in symbolism: the structure was built by the first Sinhalese king to unify the island under his rule after the defeat of a Tamil dynasty. But Mr Rajapaksa’s choice of… Read more »
What’s Behind a Flurry of Legal Bids to Prosecute Myanmar for Genocide?
‘The net is tightening around the Myanmar military and civilian leadership.’ by Emmanuel Stoakes, The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News), UN, November 21, 2019 CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand A burst of legal action across the globe this month has provided fresh impetus for efforts to examine atrocity crimes allegedly committed by Myanmar against its Rohingya minority…. Read more »