by NewIndPress.com, August 4, 2004 CHENNAI: MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Wednesday reiterated his support to LTTE’s activities in Sri Lanka, stating that the Tigers were only fighting for a genuine cause in that country. Speaking to mediapersons outside the POTA Special Court at Poonamallee, he said, “The LTTE is the only organisation which has… Read more »
Thoughts on the Creation of a Federal State
Some Concrete Thoughts on the Creation of a Federal State by Wakeley Paul, August 21, 2004 The ISGA sets out the interim structures for an ultimate Federal Constitution. This must first be given the chance to work in order to determine what further restructuring is necessary. Both main ethnic groups must acknowledge that the whole… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 12: Conflicting Objectives
Pirapaharan, Chapter 12 By: T. Sabaratnam (Volume 2) 12. Conflicting Objectives The Training In September, 1983 Chennai was full of Sri Lankan Tamil boys. They were taken to Delhi in batches in luxury buses by RAW officers. “It was a tiring, long journey,” Nirupan (not his real name), a youth from my village, Ariyalai in Jaffna,… Read more »
Topless Dance of a Transmuted Karuna
by Sachi Sri Kantha, August 20, 2004 A week ago, the voice of Karuna – the sacked LTTE colonel – was heard again, in the Bangkok-based blog sheet Asian Tribune [dated Aug.10, 11 and 12]. One reader requested me to comment on these interviews. My one sentence answer is nothing but: “Karuna shows some flare for a… Read more »
Sri Lankan Attack on Norway’s Peace Effort
by Brian Senewiratne, MA (Camb),MD(Lond),FRCP(Lond),FRACP(Lond), Consultant Physician, Brisbane, Australia , August 16, 2004 A group calling itself “The World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka” is meeting on 20 August 2004 in Oslo to attack the Norwegian peace initiative in Sri Lanka. The behind-the-scenes hand of the Sri Lankan Government is clearly visible. If the flyer is anything… Read more »
Why ISGA is LTTE’s Irreducible Minimum
COLOMBO DIARY | PK Balachanddran Hindustan Times, August 16, 2004 The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have now made it abundantly clear that they will not entertain any alternative to their proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) for the predominantly Tamil, North Eastern Province (NEP) of Sri Lanka. In the immediate context… Read more »
Sri Lanka Scene: Southern Conflicts Hinder Talks
Weekly Review Sri Lanka Scene 18 August 2004 Southern conflicts hinder talks by: T. Sabaratnam The latest: JVP says there is no government proposal for the establishment of an interim body for the northeast! It says as far as it is concerned alternate proposals do not exist. The JVP’s propaganda secretary Wimal Weerawansa told a seminar… Read more »
What is All This Fuss About?
by M. Nadarajan, August 19, 2004 Rudyard Kipling wrote “East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet.” A modern day poet would be tempted to write a Tamil is a Tamil and a Sinhalese is a Sinhalese and never the twain shall meet (except perhaps on a battlefield). The goings on… Read more »
WAPS’ Activities Expose Sri Lankan Government’s Duplicity
Vis-à-vis the peace process by Dr. Victor Rajakulendran, Sydney, Australia, August 18, 2004 After the Sri Lankan Security Forces (SLSF) experienced major setbacks in their efforts to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)in the ‘War for Peace’ strategy of President Chandrika Kumaratunge, both the President and the LTTE realised that the 20-year long conflict… Read more »
Vignettes on Three Black Tiger Heroes
In the Battlefield by Sachi Sri Kantha, August 17, 2004 After the posting of my review of the Sooriya Puthalvargal 2003 Memorial Souvenir in the Sangam website [June 23, 2004], I received two appreciatory emails for the details I had provided on Black Tigers. One was from American academic Dr. Robert Pape, Associate Professor in Political Science,… Read more »
Third Batch of TSVP Interns
Press Communiqué FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 14, 2004 Mississauga, ON Third Batch of Interns Deployed ——————————- Mississauga, Aug. 14, 2004 – The Student Volunteer Program (TSVP) is a Toronto-based sustainable development organisation that participates in rehabilitation and redevelopment activities in various developing countries. It serves as a forum for students, and recent graduates to discover,… Read more »
Singapore Must Not Alienate its Brightest
by Ngiam Tong Dow, Straits Times, Singapore, August 15, 2004 Comments from M. Thiru: As a Tamil I could draw parallels when the concerns of this article come to the population sisze and why our own talents are important. We SL Tamils & the diaspora are a small-sized population and our problems are numerous. So… Read more »
A Way Out?
A talk that could be taking place By V Gunaratnam, August 15, 2004 “Good evening Excellency.” “Ayubowan, it was nice of you to have come Mr Salmon…eh…pardon me, Ambassador…?” “It’s quite all right Madam, we do eat a lot of salmon, but they have Omega-3, good for the health and brain.” “Eh? Very interesting, I… Read more »
Kelsen’s ‘Theory of Necessity’
To amend the constitution with a simple majority By Wakeley Paul, Esq., August 14, 2004 If, in a democratic setting, the element of ‘necessity’ warrants the change of a constitution with a simple Parliamentary majority, then constitutions with the usual requirement of a 2/3 majority to amend or replace them become meaningless. Any party with… Read more »
A Jarring Summer
by Anjali Siva, August 14, 2004 This past summer I went to Sri Lanka, for the first time in ten years. But what affected me was going to Thamil Eelam, for the first time ever. I spent three weeks in this war-torn and impoverished area, marveling at the spirit of the Thamil people. During my… Read more »
Sri Lanka Scene: Talking Again about Talks
Weekly Review Sri Lanka Scene 13 August 2004 Talking Again about Talks by T. Sabaratnam Tension has begun to ease in Sri Lanka. The fear of another round of war is receding. A Norwegian diplomat confidently told international investors on Thursday that Sri Lanka would not face another full-fledged war. Norwegian embassy first secretary Christian… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 11: Indira Gandhi’s Covert Track
By T. Sabaratnam, August 13, 2004 (Volume 2) Training Militants Indira Gandhi always called President Jayewardene ‘the old fox.’ Her assessment of him was that he could not be trusted. Her opinion of Jayewardene was based on the information given to her by her friend Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the lady who suffered most at Jayawardene’s hands, and… Read more »
Mapuche Indians in Chile Struggle to Take Back Forests
by Larry Rohter, The New York Times, August 11, 2004 Before the conquistadors arrived, and even for centuries afterward, the lush, verdant forests of southern Chile belonged to the Mapuche people. Today, though, tree farms stretch in all directions here, property of timber companies that supply lumber to the United States, Japan and Europe. But… Read more »
Creating the Right Environment to Take the Peace Forward
The Norway facilitators creating the right environment to take the peace efforts forward by Kaddurai, Thinnakural, August 9, 2004 (translation from the original Tamil by Thiru) All of us know how the Sinhalese ruling class has given assurances to Tamils since Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan’s era and how the Sinhalese ruling class has gone back on such… Read more »
It is a Matter of Trust
By M. Nadarajan, August 11, 2004 So much of mistrust exists between the Sinhalese and Tamil nations that the LTTE had to ask for the government’s position in writing. It is said, “Once bitten twice shy.” If you are bitten many times, you have to watch every step of the way. Trust is something that has to… Read more »