15 years and still no justice by Tamil Guardian, London, November 10, 2021 Today marks 15 years since Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP and human rights lawyer, Nadarajah Raviraj was assassinated in Colombo. Mr Raviraj was shot in Colombo at close range by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike at around 8:30am on November 10 2006, as… Read more »
Aubrey Collette’s 1950s’ Political Cartoons Revisited
by Sachi Sri Kantha, November 3, 2021 I like political cartoons. Nine years ago, in Sept. 15, 2012, I wrote a column entitled, ‘On Sri Lankan Political Cartoonists, stray dogs and hypocrites’ in which I had commented about cartoonists Hasantha Wijenayake and Jiffry Yoonoos. [https://sangam.org/on-sri-lankan-political-cartoonists-stray-dogs-and-hypocrites/] Prior to that, in November 2006, I had contributed a… Read more »
Sangam Global Nov. 6
www.sangam.global Saturday, November 6 10:30 am EST (US & Canada) 3:30 pmpm BST (UK) 8:00 pm IST (India & Sri Lanka) * Live links https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilIRnB4O2Gk https://www.facebook.com/sangamglobal.live Program details at www.sangam.global
Poet Kannadasan: Autobiographical Notes
Of pre-1943 period translated by Sachi Sri Kantha, October 25, 2021 Front Note by Sachi 40th death anniversary of King Poet Kannadasan (1927-1981) passed by on October 17th. Among his numerous books, two autobiographical memoirs, Vana Vaasam (1965, 376 pp) and Mana Vaasam (1980, 228 pp) stands out. Vana Vaasam covers the period of Kannadasan’s… Read more »
Zero Performance of Tamil Parties
And their leaders N.B. Not to say that Tamil leaders could not do a lot better than their current splintered disarray, but we’d like to quote a frequent comment by a member of our editorial committee – “One can’t blame Tamil leaders for not accomplishing much, since they hold no power.” — Editor by Thambu… Read more »
Banishment and Belonging
Exile and Diaspora in Sarandib, Lanka and Ceylon (2019) Book Review by Greg Fealy, New Mandala, June 29, 2020 Ronit Ricci, Banishment and Belonging: Exile and Diaspora in Sarandib, Lanka and Ceylon, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2019, 282pp, ISBN 978-1-108-72724-2. For well over a century, Sri Lanka was the Dutch colonial administration’s main site of exile for… Read more »
Management of the Tamil Diaspora 2006
LTTE’s Primary Function Abroad by Vipula Wanigasekera, Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria Virginia, March 2006 Building a CATR Research Agenda, Proceedings of the Third Bi-Annual International Symposium of the Center for Asian Terrorism Research (CATR) March 1-3, 2006, Colombo, Sri Lanka Proceedings_of_Center_for_Asian_Terrorism Research 2006 Management of the Tamil Diaspora–LTTE’s Primary Function Abroad … III-52 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… Read more »
With Murunga, There Is No Need For Miracles
by Smriti Daniel, Diaspara Co blog, October, 2021 Far from a passing fad, murunga has always had deep roots in South Asian cultures. In Sri Lanka, where it is widely eaten, murunga has helped tide over wartime shortages and graced festive meals, without fuss or fanfare. Sometime in the ‘80s, my husband watched in fascination… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 62
Two Peculiar Thought Balloons: Annaism and Tattoos by Sachi Sri Kantha, September 30, 2021 Fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan’s expert comments on the previous chapter Part 61, received by email of July 7, 2021, are as follows: “Sachi, Read your piece with interest. MGR’s use of the interchangeable spelling of his names in the initial… Read more »
Sangam Global Program Oct. 2
Saturday, October 2 11:0am EDT (US & Canada) 4:00pm BST (UK) 8:30pm IST (India & Sri Lanka) * Live links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7RFmsYRR6Y https://www.facebook.com/sangamglobal.live * Sangam Global-Program-Flyer with live links *
The Quad was Born in Crisis
An exclusive interview with U.S Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B.Teplitz by A. Jathindra, Centre for Strategic Studies, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, September 25, 2021 Ambassador Alaina B.Teplitz has served as the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives since 2018. Prior to this, she was the U.S. Ambassador to Nepal. A career member of… Read more »
UNHCHR: Oral Update on Sri Lanka
by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, Geneva, September 13, 2021 48th session of the Human Rights Council Geneva, 13 September 2021 Distinguished President, Excellencies, I am pleased to update the Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka and the trends and issues identified in my last report. I acknowledge the inputs sent by… Read more »
Core Group Statement on Sri Lanka
UN Human Rights Council 48 by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office & Simon Manley CMG, UK Government, September 14, 2021 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Thank you Madam President This statement is by the Core Group on Sri Lanka comprising Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, Malawi, Montenegro and the UK. We thank… Read more »
CV Wigneswaran Letter to HCHR
by Chief Justice CV Wigneswaran, September 8, 2021 Letter from MP Wigneswaran to HCHR Bachelet Sept 8 2021 Addendum to Wigneswaran letter to Bachelet Sept 10 2021 Honourable Michele Bachelet UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Geneva. Dear Madam High Commissioner! The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Sri Lanka has sent a… Read more »
UN Special Rapporteur on Transitional Justice
by UN Special Rapporteur on Transitional Justice, September 2021 Human Rights Council Forty-eighth session 13 September–1 October 2021 Agenda item 3 — Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Interactive Dialogue at UNHRC Sept. 16, 2021 – ID: SR on Truth & Justice… Read more »
Memoriam: Poet Pulamaipithan
A die-hard Eelam supporter dies at 86 by Sachi Sri Kantha, September 12, 2021 Renowned die-hard Eelam supporters in Tamilnadu, who could courageously express their views in public platforms, are not that many now. In these days of political sycophancy to rulers in power at the New Delhi for personal gains, it is not so… Read more »
Genocide Designations Aren’t Enough to Stop Mass Atrocities
by Kate Ferguson, World Policy Review, New York, September 7, 2021 There is extensive evidence that the Chinese government is violating the human rights of ethnic Uyghurs, and that these violations include crimes against humanity and genocide. Satellite imagery, testimonials, demographic data and photographs substantiate the extensive allegations against China, which include the use of mass surveillance… Read more »
Notes on Four pre-1950 Ph.D Recipients among Eelam Tamils
by Sachi Sri Kantha, September 7, 2021 University of Vavuniya was the 17th public university to be established in Sri Lanka in Aug 1, 2021. With a total of 17 universities in Sri Lanka now, an earned Ph.D degree is now dime a dozen (figuratively at least) among Sri Lankans. But 70 years ago (in… Read more »
Sangam Global Program Sept. 4
Saturday, September 4, 2021 * 11:0am EDT (US & Canada) 4:00pm BST (UK) 8:30pm IST (India & Sri Lanka) * Live links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYDdrJ-GlUY https://www.facebook.com/sangamglobal.live * Sangam Global-Program-Flyer-with live links * * Last month’s program Sangam Global Program August 7 * More at www.Sangam.Global
SR TJ: Follow-up on 2017 visit to Sri Lanka
by UN Special Rapporteur on Transitional Justice, Geneva, September 2021 Follow-up on the visits to Burundi, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Fabián Salvioli Summary The Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth,… Read more »