By Indrani Balaratnam, March 30, 2016 A glimpse of the streets we would have called home, I’m laughing in the park, climbing the coconut trees, Cycling through the dusty lanes, playing at the local spots. It’s a strange relationship: Caught in opposition of the surveillance state, And, gratitude, for finally seeing the corners we’ve never… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Diaspora
flickering screens
by Varathas, Diasporaland.tumblr, October 2015 While working on an Al Jazeera documentary on Sri Lanka, I stumbled upon raw landscape footage of Jaffna. The camera captured the lush green, rural landscape of the peninsula in beautiful dawn light. Watered paddy fields, palm groves in the distance, thick jungles on the sides, narrow pathways elegantly drawn… Read more »
Vaddukoddai Resolution
The Vaddukoddai resolution of May 14th 1976 is a turning point for the history of the Eelam Tamils’ struggle. Dr A.J. Wilson, the late lamented head of the political science department, Brunswick University speaks in the following words about the turning point in the Eelam Tamils’ struggle. “In the years after the onset of the… Read more »
Leaderless Tamils and Floundering Causes
Tamils who once ruled the entire country, but later ruled in the name of Jaffna Kingdom lost their rule after the entry of foreign Kingdoms. The 1948 independence opened the route to the loss of language rights; land ownership rights, employment rights. The first blow fell on the plantation Tamils, depriving them of their citizenship… Read more »
Receding Hopes for Accountability, Reconciliation and Justice
The much talked and discussed current burning issues of accountability, reconciliation and justice appeared to be facing a life and death battle, the contributors being Sri Lanka’s Government thriving on an uneasy alliance, the UN Human Rights Commissioner and the chauvinistic politicians, spearheaded by Mahinda, BBS and others struggling to revive their political fortunes –… Read more »
Jaffna: The Past, The Present, and The Future
https://vimeo.com/131349915
No Turning Back
International pressure, which has relentlessly driven reform on the island so far, must persist if a justice process where the victims voices take centre place is to be forged.
Fundraising for Tamil Chair at Harvard University
http://www.harvardtamilchair.com/ Harvard University has endorsed the idea of a Tamil Chair in their Department of South Asian Studies. The following note, was part of a letter received from Harvard University: “We are very pleased to convey to you our desire to support the establishment of the first Sangam Professorship in Tamil Studies at Harvard University…. Read more »
Many Sri Lankan Thamils Now Feel Pessimistic
Sri Lankan Government Should Not Succumb to Empty Threats by Sinhalese Extremists The Commissioner of Human Rights Council Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein visited Sri Lanka on February 05, 2016. Apart from meeting the President, Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader and others he also visited the North to see at first hand the post-war situation there. The government is… Read more »
A New Reality for the Tamil People in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka appears to be a country in transition. Some amongst us question the sincerity of the government or the impact these purported changes will have on the Tamil community; how far and deep these changes are to address the long-standing Tamil national question? Considering the historic trust deficit the Tamil community has on the… Read more »
Wiki: Tamil Americans
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Americans Tamil Americans From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tamil Americans Ananda Coomaraswamy Sendhil Ramamurthy Kamala Harris Indra Nooyi Aziz Ansari Sundar Pichai Total population (132,573 (2010 US Census)[1]) Regions with significant populations Central New Jersey New York City Long Island Languages Predominantly: Tamil American English Minority: Other Indian Languages French Sinhala Religion Predominantly: Hinduism Minority:… Read more »
Tamils Need to Act Now
by Naga Narendran, December 27, 2015 The history and the sorry saga of the Tamils of the North-East of Sri Lanka in the last 60 years demands high level of vigilance, to be aware of the extent of progress being made and its context. Broken promises of the past require the people to be far… Read more »
Call for Submissions for Tamil Studies Symposium
Call for submissions for a Tamil Studies Symposium in Toronto at York University. The pdf includes the call for submissions in both Tamil and English. CFS Tamil Studies Symposium 2016
CTC Calls on GoSL to Release Tamil Political Prisoners
CTC calls on the Sri Lankan government to uphold promise to release Tamil political prisoners The Canadian Tamil Congress (“CTC”) is deeply concerned that the Sri Lankan government has failed to uphold its promise to Tamil political prisoners that it would review their cases and ensure their release by December 15, 2015. CTC is dedicated… Read more »
Tribute to Dr. Ananthan Satchi
Satchi Memorial Final Dear Tamil Americans, On Friday November 27th we lost one of our founding members, Dr. Ananthan Satchi. Born in 1939 and raised in Malaysia, he received his medical degree from the University of Colombo. He moved to the United States in 1971 and worked as an Anesthesiologist until his retirement. Since forming the… Read more »
Tamil Political Prisoners Must be Released Immediately
Photo credit: Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images Tamil political prisoners must be released immediately (WASHINGTON, DC; October 23, 2015): Tomorrow marks the 15th anniversary of the Bindanuwewa massacre, in which over 27 Tamil political detainees were killed by a Sinhala mob in a premeditated attack. Sinhalese villagers stormed the Bindanuwewa detention center in the south of Sri… Read more »
Inescapable Truth
The adoption of a UNHRC consensus resolution on the UN report into Sri Lanka’s atrocities (OISL) has been welcomed by many as the first step in a long process to move Sri Lanka towards an era of justice and reconciliation through genuine accountability, together with the Sri Lankan foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera’sopening address to the… Read more »
Role of UN and International Community in Sri Lanka
by Sarava Kanesathasan, ‘The Island,’ Colombo, September 20, 2015 To its credit, it was the US that initiated the international accountability process in Sri Lanka through the 2014 UNHRC resolution which called for an international investigation by the Office of the UN High Commissioner (OISL Report). That resolution was preceded by five years of failure… Read more »
A Deflated US Resolution & Tamils’ Quest for Justice and Accountability.
In conclusion, it is plain truth that unless Sri Lanka musters the political will and determination, shedding its majority dominant thinking and implements the mentioned encouraged fitting and just proposals fully and fairly, chances of true reconciliation will be a distance dream “Sowing the seeds for further conflict” as stated by the Commissioner.
The role of UN and Security Council is no less important. The UN and Security Council failed to stop the war and protect the Tamils by exercising their right under the RTP doctrine. If they fail again to uphold accountability and mete out justice, their credibility and relevance is at stake and will be open to question.
USTPAC Calls for Speedy Implementation of Transitional Justice Mechanism
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Human Rights Council Adopts Landmark Resolution on Sri Lanka USTPAC calls for speedy implementation of transitional justice mechanism Washington, DC – (October 2, 2015): The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka yesterday. With the Report of the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka… Read more »