by Tamil Guardian editorial, London, August 24, 2005 The welcome decision last week by the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government to hold direct talks on the implementation of the February 2002 ceasefire has given a desperately needed boost to the Norwegian peace process. The talks are to centre on the implementation of the truce. There… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Biography
Letter to Hindustan Times
about Assassination by M. Thiru, August 16, 2005 Dear Mr. Balachandran, Please refer to your article ‘ Sombre mood in Lanka augurs well for peace.’ In that article you have not mentioned about the upcoming Presidential elections, the pending court case on when the current presidential term ends, what will be the effect of FM… Read more »
Kadirgamar and the Tamils
by Rajendra, August 15, 2005 Many readers will consider this poem and its sentiments in somewhat bad taste because they do not speak well of someone who has passed on. The editor is of the opinion that one must look at a life honestly and acknowledge the good and the bad. The feelings expressed in… Read more »
Remembering a Martyr
Who Died in the Defense of Justice by Rev B.J. Alexander, August 9, 2005 THE DISAPPEARANCE of Fr. Herbert happened on August 15, 1990. As in the cases of a multitude of disappearances in the NorthEast Tamil areas, Fr. Herbert’s remains still an unsolved mystery! Eugene John Herbert, S.J. was born in Jennings, Louisiana, USA, on October… Read more »
Prof. Sundaralingam Killed by Tsunami
OSU Professor, Wife Reportedly Killed By Tsunami Professor Sundaralingam received the Sangam’s Honorary Award at our Annual General Meeting this past November. — Editor Massive Waves Hit Sri Lanka’s Coast COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio State University professor and his wife were reportedly among those who died after a tsunami crashed into the coast of… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 30: Jaffna Police Station Attack
by T. Sabaratnam, December 24, 2004 (Volume 2) The Kokkilai attack of 13 February 1985, which Jayewardene acknowledged had changed the character of the Tamil armed struggle and had been timed to coincide with the Rajiv – Gandhi – Athulathmudali meeting, was not a total success. It failed to achieve the target Pirapaharan had set:… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 29: JR’s Trap for Rajiv Backtracking
by T. Sabaratnam, December 17, 2004 (Volume 2) Indira Gandhi’s assassination on 31 October 1984 provided President Jayewardene an opportunity to wriggle out of the peace process and pursue the military option he had carefully mapped out. He abruptly discontinued the All Party Conference on 26 December 1984 and gave the go-ahead to the armed… Read more »
R Shanmugalingam Obituary
About Ramalingam Shanmugalingam 1934 – 2004 [see also 1. US Tamil Activist Dies ; 2. ciRpi cetukkAta cintany Unsculptured Thought by R.Shanmugalingam ; 3. Selected Writings – R.Shanmugalingam] Ramalingam Kichi Yazhan Shanmugalingam was born on September 29th 1934 to Ramalingam Karthiravel and Pakiam, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. He was lovingly known as’ Kichi’ by his family and friends. Kichi was… Read more »
Velupillai Pirapaharan Turns Fifty Today
Ethnic Politics By Taraki (aka D. Sivaram), Daily Mirror, Colombo, November 26, 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/663.html It is not my intention here to interrupt the unceasing labours of those who love to hate him. There is little I can add to the invectives that Sinhala nationalist politicians, academics, opinion makers and editorialists relentlessly heap on the LTTE… Read more »
Inventor of the Yellow Fever Vaccine and Jaffna
by National Library of Science’s Profiles in Science, Washington, DC, accessed October 2004 sangam.org/articles/view2/614.html Wilbur Sawyer started college at the University of California, Berkeley. He transferred to Harvard University in his second year, and got his AB there in 1902. He attended Harvard Medical School, received his MD in 1906. In 1908, Sawyer returned to… Read more »
Short Biography of Velupillai Pirapaharan
by T. Sabaratnam, October 19, 2004 ‘Pirapaharan,’ Volume 1 & 2 by T. Sabaratnam Reposted – Ilankai Tamil Sangam sangam.org/articles/view2/610.html On numerous occasions the detailed biography that Mr. Sabaratnam has been writing, and which is being posted on the Sangam website, is too much material, particularly when dealing with non-Tamils. We, therefore, requested Mr. Sabaratnam… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 14: JR’s Three Track Policy
by T. Sabaratnam, September 3, 2004 (Volume 2) Building a Military Machine President Jayewardene, his fans and critics readily admit, was a grandmaster in political chess. He schemed three moves ahead when his opponent planned only two. He played the same game with Indira Gandhi. He countered her double track policy with three. Jayewardene’s three tracks… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 13: The Love Story
By: T. Sabaratnam, (Volume 2) Adele’s Influence The third and fourth matters on which Pirapaharan’s attention was focused during the closing months of 1983 were interestingly intertwined. They involved the theoretical issue of the role of women in the freedom struggle and Pirapaharan’s personal life. The general issue of women’s emancipation and the freedom struggle was… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 9: The Indira Doctrine
By: T. Sabaratnam, July 6, 2004 (Volume 2) India’s Solution The Sixth Amendment produced two immediate results. Firstly, Indira Gandhi made her second telephone call within 12 hours of its passage. Secondly, the TULF decided the next day, 6 August, to quit parliament and take refuge in India. These results had a profound effect on… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 7: JR Seeks Arms
By: T. Sabaratnam (Volume 2) Indian Factor President Jayewardene realized on Wednesday evening, after answering Indira Gandhi’s telephone call, that the riots had spawned unintended results. Firstly, it had, while weakening the Tamils, also weakened him and the Sinhala people, mainly by damaging their international image. Secondly, the riots had provided India a chance to… 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 »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 5: The Second Massacre
by T. Sabaratnam; published June 4, 2004 (Volume 2) 5. The Second Massacre The prison massacre on Monday, July 25, 1983 that killed 35 of their colleagues made the 28 prisoners in C3 feel insecure. They felt that they would be the next target. Three of them – Panagoda Maheswaran, Paranthan Rajan and Douglas Devananda –… Read more »
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 4: Massacre of Prisoners
by T. Sabaratnam; published May 31, 2004 (Volume 2) 4. Massacre of Prisoners The Talk In the last chapter, I referred to the information that my friend in the Jathika Seva Sangamaya (JSS) gave me about the final solution. I also said that at that time I did not realize the actual meaning of that phrase…. Read more »
Chelvanayakam’s 27th Death Anniversary
by C. V. Vivekananthan, Attorney-at-law ; published April 27, 2004 Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam departed this life on the 27th day of April 1977, two decades and seven years ago. He was born in Malaysia on 31st March 1898, one century and six years ago. He received his secondary education at the Union College, Tellippalai and later… Read more »
Tribute to M.K. Eelaventhan
by Sachi Sri Kantha; published April 12, 2004 M.K.Eelaventhan – A Tribute to a Mentor It is gladdening to read in the TamilNet news of April 9th that Mr.M.K.Eelaventhan has been officially nominated by the Tamil National Alliance as one of the two national list parliamentarians, through the Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK). What a turn of events for… Read more »