by V. Sivasupramaniam, October 7, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/585.html Diaspora comes from the Greek word ‘diaspeirein’ to mean disperse or scatter. Diaspora is the dispersal or the scattering of persons with a common identity such as culture and language in different directions. Diaspora transcends all its variations. The diaspora maintains and nurtures their civilisational and cultural distinctiveness and… Read more »
Reporting from Vanni, Part 1
by K. Mylvaganam, October 6, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/584.html I was back in heaven (Vanni) for three wonderful months. Only those who have been here will understand what I mean. You are in a homely atmosphere listening to Tamil music and Tamil being spoken everywhere. The only time I did not enjoy this music is when the… Read more »
by a former child soldier – a Poem
by Peter P. sangam.org/articles/view2/583.html We are the people We are the leaders And they They say it’s their rights We say it’s their rights They say release We say releasing them They say don’t recruit We say stop recruiting them They say protect We say protecting them They say education We see ruined schools They… Read more »
Do Not Cry – a Poem
by Prem J., October 6, 2004 https://www.sangam.org/articles/view2/582.html This is quite a tough and controversial poem, so if you are squeamish, please move on to the next item. — Editor From the author — Here is a song I wrote to people who ignorantly stand for non-violence. In no way does this support the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Yes,… Read more »
President Chandrika’s Address to the Asia Society
in New York by Nadodi, October 6, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/581.html http://www.asiasociety.org/speeches/kumaratunga04.html The caption given to the news item about President’s speech at the Asia Society on September 20 in the Yahoo India news was “LTTE must give up Tamil Eelam demand: Kumaratunga.” This statement of the President is totally out of place and indicates how Kumaratunge… Read more »
Inspiration and Hope: The Youth of Sri Lanka
by Greg Buie, October 5, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/580.html As I prepared for my summer adventure in my comfortable Southern California home, I had a hard time imagining what sorts of experiences I was in store for in Sri Lanka. Yet, in a state of unchallenged enthusiasm and naiveté, I excitedly boarded the plane to this country,… Read more »
Back to Basics for S.Lanka’s ‘Mine Sweepers’
By Simon Gardner sangam.org/articles/view2/579.html THADDUVANKODDY, Sri Lanka, Oct 5 (Reuters) – In a remote sun-baked corner of northern Sri Lanka, farmers are pioneering an unlikely new weapon in the fight to clear hundreds of thousands of landmines strewn during two decades of civil war. Across a no man’s land littered with mines, small groups of Sri… Read more »
An Analysis of SLFP Objections to the ISGA Proposals
By Wakeley Paul, Esq., October 4, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/577.html The SLFP’s initial flap over the Interim Self-Governing Administration (ISGA) proposals, suggesting that the proposals are nothing but a stepping stone toward separation, is one more example of the Sinhalese effort to blunt their sins and desire to perpetuate the concept of Sinhalese supremacy. The Sinhalese also… Read more »
Response to President Kumaratunga’s UN Address
by M. Nadarajan, October 4, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/576.html The headline in the Daily News reporting the President’s speech quoted her as saying “My government has got a clear mandate for peace.” She said that at numerous elections her government had obtained that mandate. She did not say whether that included the last elections of April 2004, when her… Read more »
Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on his 135th Anniversary of Birth
by Sachi Sri Kantha, October 1, 2004 https://www.sangam.org/articles/view2/578.html During the past 40 years, I have read hundreds of popular articles, reasearch papers and a dozen books on Mahatma Gandhi. Among all the portrayals made of this great human being by academics, acquaintances, politicians and journalists, I suppose if I’m asked what I consider as the… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 18: Tamils Lose Faith in Talks
by T. Sabaratnam, October 1, 2004 (Volume 2) sangam.org/articles/view2/575.html Three Lessons Tamil people drew three important lessons from the All Party Conference (APC) of 1984. They were: the Sinhala leadership and the Buddhist clergy are unwilling to accommodate Tamil aspirations; Sinhala leaders are not interested in a political settlement; the safety and security of the Tamil… Read more »
Is Uncle Sam’s ‘No Fly List’ a Net to Supress Voice?
Elicited Responses by Sachi Sri Kantha, October 1, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/574.html Introduction It seems that my Turin travelogue, “I Got Trapped in the Secret ‘No Fly List’ of the Transportation Security Administration” (posted on September 1) hit a nerve among quite a number of Eelam Tamils and non-Tamils. I very much appreciate the phone calls and… Read more »
The Worst Weapon of Mass Destruction
Thinakural Editorial, Colombo, Sept. 22, 2004 Translation by M. Thiru sangam.org/articles/view2/573.html A Summit among world leaders to discuss World Hunger took place at the UN Headquarters last Monday (20/09/04), the day before the commencement of the United Nation’s 59th General Assembly session. More than 100 nations participated in this summit, of which more than 50… Read more »
TNA’s Press Release on President’s Speech at UN General Assembly
24 September 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/572.html The Parliamentary Group of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) met on September 23 2004 to consider the statements made by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge relating to “Peace Negotiations” in Sri Lanka during the course of her address to the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The President has stated… Read more »
Political Chaos in Sri Lanka
by V Gunaratnam, September 30, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/571.html There are new imperatives driving Sri Lankan politics at this time, as it struggles to move the peace process forward and around the corner. But it is difficult to make out anything, because the political scene is like a huge iceberg: only the tip is visible but there… Read more »
Tide? Or Ivory Snow? Public Power in the Age of Empire
by Arundhati Roy August 24, 2004 Transcript of full speech by Arundhati Roy in San Francisco, California on August 16th, 2004. The editor and the Sangam do not agree with everything in this article, but it is a powerful alternative view, with a global persective not found in many other places. I’ve been asked to… Read more »
THO Healthcare Projects in Vanni
September 29, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/569.html and THOsummer2004.pdf (sangam.org) Several doctors from Australia worked in Vanni this past summer and describe their experiences within the framework of requirements for successful short term visits. THO summer 2004
The Stories of Guru Paramarta: Sixth Story
The Stories of Guru Paramarta: Sixth Story of the Brahman’s Prophecy by Fr. Costanzo Beschi [aka, Veera MaMuni] Front Note by Sachi Sri Kantha, September 29, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/568.html The sixth story in the Guru Paramarta series describes how the Guru Paramartha interpreted a Brahman’s prophecy about his impending death, as heard from one of his… Read more »
The Persecuted, in Chains
The New York Times editorial, September 25, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/567.html In jails and prisons across the United States, thousands of people are detained who have never been accused of crimes. The guards treat them like criminals, and the criminals they bunk with often abuse them. They are held for months, sometimes even years, but unlike the criminals,… Read more »
Elagupillai’s Pongu Tamil Speech
Full Script of Speech By Prof. Elagu . V. Elagupillai at Pongu Thamil in Queen’s Park, Toronto, September 25, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/566.html Members of the Tamil Students Association, Vicar General Fr. Emmanuel, Special Guests, Federal Provincial and Local Government authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen: I am honoured to be with you this evening at this historic Pongu… Read more »