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 »
The International Trauma Studies Program at New York University
http://www.nyu.edu/trauma.studies is accepting applications until July 15, for its 2004-2005 training program. This unique program, enriched by the participation of a diverse student body, offers a dynamic combination of academic studies, research, and practical experience working with trauma survivors in New York City, the U.S., and abroad. The coming year’s visiting faculty of international pioneers… Read more »
Kurds Win Round on Constitution
By Dexter Filkins, The New York Times, June 10, 2004 BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 9 — Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said Wednesday that his government would adhere to the interim constitution agreed to in March until elections are held next year, in an effort to defuse, at least temporarily, a looming crisis with the Kurdish leadership…. Read more »
Sri Lanka Scene: Parliamentary Terrorism
by T. Sabaranam, June 9, 2004 Weekly Review Parliamentary Terrorism sounds somewhat funny and confusing. I did not coin it. I t was coined by a Buddhist monk legislator, the Venerable Ellawel Thera. He coined it to encapsulate Tuesday’s uproar and the recent events in the Sri Lankan parliament, where the ruling United People’s Freedom… Read more »
Reel Peace: Six Short Films from Sri Lanka
During the many years of hostilities in Sri Lanka there was a lot of misrepresentation of the conflict and the impact that this was having on the lives of ordinary civilians on both sides. REEL PEACE aims to produce honest and representative stories that can contribute to a wider understanding of the need for social… Read more »
World Refugee Day: June 20
2004 Theme: Rebuilding Lives in Safety and Dignity Each year June 20 is World Refugee Day. This year the theme of World Refugee Day is “A Place To Call Home: Rebuilding Lives in Safety and Dignity.” It looks at the challenges and hopes that accompany refugees in their search for a new home through voluntary repatriation,… Read more »
A Bridge to Sri Lanka
Dear Readers, Archeology has frequently been used by the Sinhalese nationalists to push their claims to the whole island of Sri Lanka. This article is primarily about the pre-Buddhist period. If any are encountered, could professional or amateur archeologists please alert us to any biases in this piece? We aim to be fair and objective…. Read more »
Defection of a RAW Agent from India
by Sachi Sri Kantha, June 8, 2004 As is repeated often, perfect timing is everything – whether in the battle field, sports, creative arts, science, politics and even in writing. Encouraged by my previous essay on the defection game, one of my young and alert readers from Canada sent me a mail requesting me to… Read more »