2015_08_19_ATC on Parliament Election Australian Tamil Congress Congratulates the Tamil National Alliance Wednesday 19th of August | 15:30 PM | The Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) congratulates Mr. R. Sampanthan and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on their resounding election victory in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka. The Tamil people have once again… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Diaspora
NPC Chief Minister Speeches in US & UK
Speech to Federation of Tamil Sangams in North America convention, San Jose, July 4, 2015 Transcript of speech in Tamil — CVWigneswaran-Speech-FeTNA-July042015 Transcript of speech in English — CVWigneswaran-Speech-FeTNA-July042015-TxEng Speech in London hosted by International Association of Tamil Journalists, July 17, 2015
TAPI: Reports Document Missing Persons, Military Occupation, Land Grabs
Oakland Institute Details Sri Lanka’s Human Rights ViolationsReports Document Missing Persons, Military Occupation, Land Grabs WASHINGTON, DC (May 28, 2015) – The Oakland Institute, an independent policy think tank, today released two reports that call on the international community to play a larger role in Sri Lanka to ensure that “the culture of impunity is… Read more »
Accountability, Reconciliation and Sinhala Buddhism
If instead it continues on its current course of pledging accountability, political reform and an inclusive multi-ethnic order to international audiences whilst pandering to the Sinhala Buddhist majoritarianism of domestic ones, this current set of pledges will simply be washed away by the next tide of Sinhala nationalist mobilisation as have all previous ones.
Tamil Americans Urge Sec. Kerry to Press Pres. Sirisena on Reform
WASHINGTON, DC (May 1, 2015) – The Tamil American Peace Initiative (TAPI), a nonprofit that seeks to promote peace, prosperity and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, today called on US Secretary of State John Kerry to urge Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to deliver concrete action on building a society in which all religious and ethnic… Read more »
Prabu Somanaidu MMA Fighter
‘Never back down’ is Prabu’s philosophy in life. He believes that mixed martial arts is about consistency, hard work, and discipline. Prabu’s ultimate dreams are to be amongst the top 10 UFC champions in the world and to become one of the top MMA coaches in Malaysia. His aspiration is to make his country proud,… Read more »
Children of Sri Lankan Refugees Born in India Uncertain about Future
More pictures KEEZHPUDHUPATTU, India – The election of a new president in Sri Lanka in January ushered in renewed hopes for the return of thousands of ethnic Tamils displaced by war – and uncertainty for their children born abroad during decades of bloody conflict. Many of the children are in their twenties now and have… Read more »
USTPAC: Justice and Accountability Must Be Realized in Sri Lanka
Dismay on delayed Report tempered by promises for stronger outcome- says USTPAC
Hopes Rise as Rajapakse Bites the Dust
PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS GONE ASTRAY Rajapakse triggered the presidential election, believing he would be easily returned to power for a third term, even though he had two more years left in his 2nd term. A great believer in soothsayers, he probably relied on their advice, and the war-victory over the LTTE in 2009, to carry him… Read more »
Artful Democracy
by Nimmi Gowrinathan, ‘Outlook India,’ January 26, 2015 As the old guard in Sri Lanka was dramatically toppled in the recent presidential elections, best wishes were offered not only to the opponent, Maithripala Sirisena, but to a hopefully imminent resuscitation of a suffocated democracy. For nearly a decade, former president Rajapaksa had steadily strengthened his… Read more »
MIA: Same Government with a Different Face
New Crossroad?
If Sirisena’s promise of a new dawn is to have any meaning, this must end. The point was made yet again last week, by over a hundred war affected women and a number of women’s groups who called on the new president to prioritise demilitarisation. However, Sirisena’s assurances to the Buddhist clergy – also echoed by newly appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe – that the Tamil areas will remain under tight security, do not augur well.
The Logic of Helping the Lesser Evil
One thing is clear. For the Tamils, the upcoming elections are not about a boycott. It is about if Tamil leadership should actively endorse either of the two Sinhala nationalist candidates and campaign. The lack of strategic thinking and inability to think outside the mainstream have been the TNA leadership failures. It was evident in… Read more »
GTF Statement on Presidential Election
GTF Statement on Presidential Election – 2015 v Final Issued for immediate release PRESS STATEMENT 24 December 2014 Tamils should freely exercise their franchise at the upcoming Sri Lanka Presidential Election Global Tamil Forum (GTF) strongly urges the Tamil people in Sri Lanka to use every vote carefully during the January 8 Presidential Election. Tamil… Read more »
Honoring Father Emmanuel
Speech at event to honor Rev. Dr. Seemanpillai Joseph Emmanuel, Catholic priest and President, Global Tamil Forum, in New Jersey, USA during the Annual General Meetings of Ilankai Tamil Sangam & US Tamil Political Action Council Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen: Thank you all for coming today, to celebrate the life of service to humanity of… Read more »
Topography of Terror and Exile
Where do we carry our dead when our soil is stolen and our oceans were turned into impenetrable walls and borders? Where do we take our grief when our kovil bells are forced into silence and our mourners made illegal? Where do we sing our songs of sorrow and resilience when our lips have been… Read more »
Tamil Americans Urge Pres. Rajapaksa to Respect Sri Lanka’s Commitments to the United Nations
Today Sri Lanka’s President Rajapaksa spoke before the United Nations General Assembly on the status and future of Sri Lanka, yet overtly neglected to address the ongoing human rights abuses and limitation of democratic freedoms. USTPAC joins with others committed to human rights and calls on President Rajapaksa to honor Sri Lanka’s commitments to the United Nations and… Read more »
USTPAC Launches #getthepicture Campaign
www.ustpac.org/getthepicture USTPAC_PressRelease_092314 WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The US Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) today launched a #getthepicture campaign to highlight the frequency and severity of massacres and other serious violence against the Tamil civilian population in Sri Lanka. The campaign follows on the heels of a joint letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in August by Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern Provincial… Read more »
Karen Parker on Self-Determination 2008
Part 1 Part 2
Witness Testimony to OISL
http://www.canadiantamilcongress.ca/article.php?lan=eng&cat=pr&id=144 URGENT Appeal from CTC: Witness Testimony from Tamil Canadians Needed in Support of UN Investigation Our Dear Community, As many of you may know, on August 5th, 2014 the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced it will accept submissions pursuant to the mandate… Read more »