by Dr. Victor Rajakulendran; originally published February 24, 2004 An open letter to Sri Lankan President and the Prime Minister February 12, 2004 Her Excellency, Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumarathunga The President of Sri Lanka His Excellency, Ranil Wickramasinghe The Caretaker Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Your Excellencies Re: The current political crisis Your Excellency the President, you… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Diaspora
Tamils Health Organization-USA AGM May 1
originally published February 23, 2004 It’s peacetime in the North-East of Sri Lanka THO-USA is a non–political, non-profit organization Our goal is to help rebuild the Healthcare infrastructure of the North-East of Sri Lanka We need your help and support Now, is the time for you to help and support! Event : Annual General Meeting of… Read more »
Blood Bank of Jaffna Hospital
originally published February 22, 2004 Dear fellow friends, family, and community members, I hope you are all well and enjoying the new year. As you well know, the situation in Sri Lanka is tenuous at best and the recent political upheaval lends very little hope for such a dire situation. And yet the Tamil population… Read more »
Letter to Jehan Perera
by Rajan Sriskandarajah; originally published February 11, 2004 Jehan Perera Media Director National Peace Council Sri Lanka. Dear Jehan, I read your latest Press Release in the Tamil Circle. This is a good analysis. However, I beg to disagree with your statement that, “… the LTTE’s own proposals for an interim self governing authority exceed those… Read more »
Looking for the Pony
by Roy Ratnavel; originally published February 11, 2004 “Will someone tell me what the hell this is about?” — Rock Hudson at the Los Angeles premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey There is no denying that the political arena in Sri Lanka has been filled with unpleasant aromas recently. In addition to manufactured geopolitical fears, Tamils… Read more »
Getting the Education & Credentials to Advance Your Career in the US
Asylees, Refugees and Asylum-seekers, You are invited to attend… The Action Network for Refugees and Asylum-Seekers Informational Meeting “ADVANCE YOUR CAREER! Getting the Education and Credentials to Work in Your Field in the US” (Plus updates on the “We Want Green Cards Campaign”.) SATURDAY FEBRUARY 21, 1:30pm Guest Speaker Catherine Casey will discuss the EMPLOYMENT… Read more »
The Enduring Power of Traditional Art
by Janadas Devan; The Straits Times, February 1, 2004 SHIVA-NATARAJA, the Lord of the Dance, is a metaphysic in stone – or bronze or copper or whatever material it happens to be made from, the material being immaterial to its meaning. Janadas Devan The features of Shiva-Nataraja have symbolic signifiance but sadly, many Hindus have forgotten… Read more »
Projects Needed for Vanni Tech Graduates
originally published February 5, 2004 Greetings from VanniTech, As you may know, our students will be finishing up their studies on February 13, 2004. As we prepare them for real life, we would like to get projects that would create employment for them. We already have some website projects from Canada. We are working on… Read more »
War or Recognition of Realities on the Ground?
by Wakeley Paul; originally published February 5, 2004 WHAT’S NEXT ? WAR OR RECOGNITION OF REALITIES ON THE GROUND The question that confronts everyone, Tamils, Sinhalese and the international community is, how long are the Sinhalese parties in parliament intending to maintain the current stalemate? While nothing happens, who suffers more than the Sinhalese people? The… Read more »
Open Letter to US Secretary of State
by Appuacci; originally published February 5, 2004 Dear Mr. Secretary, Today is February 4, 2004; the day Britain handed over the reins of government to the people of Sri Lanka (the former Ceylon). Lord Soulbury, in a Foreword to the book A Divided Nation by B. H. Farmer, showed his bitter disappointment at the direction Ceylon took during… Read more »
Barriers to Equality of Educational Opportunity in Sri Lanka
by Meera Pathmarajah; originally published February 5, 2004 Meera Pathmarajah is a graduate student at Harvard University Graduate School of Education, pursuing a Master of Education Degree in International Education Policy. This paper was written for her final project in a class titled ‘Education Policy Analysis and Research in Developing Countries’, taught by Professor Fernando Reimers…. Read more »
Batticaloa Summer Camp Seeks Volunteers
by Meera Pathmarajah; originally published February 5, 2004 We are currently recruiting volunteers to staff the 2004 VISIONS leadership camp, which will take place from July 14th-August 1st at the St. Johns Girls Home in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. Volunteers must provide their own air-fare to Sri Lanka. Food and lodging will be provided free for volunteers… Read more »
Help US Asylum Seekers: 4 Things You Can Do
by Human Rights First; published February 3, 2004 Dear Friends, Do you know hundreds of Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers are detained in INS (DHS) detention centers around the country, and some of them for two years? Do you ever wonder what it would be like to go through the asylum seeking process? Do you have… Read more »
Lessons to be Learnt from the LTTE
by Rajkumar Sivapatham; TamilCanadian, January 30, 2004 Lessons to be learnt from LTTE by Tamils For years, the Tamils (no matter whether they are from India, Sri Lanka or any other part of the world) have been longing for a leadership that make them proud. There has not been any such organisation which made an impact… Read more »
Primary Trauma Course in Jaffna Teaching Hospital
by Dr. C. Ambalavanar; originally published January 29, 2004 Trauma is one of the major causes for emergency admissions at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Over the past two decades much of this was due to war-related injuries. However over the past two years, with the reopening of the A-9, road accidents have become a major cause… Read more »
Judge Voids Part of Anti-Terror Act
by Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, January 26, 2004 Citing Free Speech, Judge Voids Part of Antiterror Act WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 — For the first time, a federal judge has struck down part of the sweeping antiterrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act, joining other courts that have challenged integral parts of the Bush… Read more »
Caste in Transition
by V. G. Julie Rajan; Hinduism Today, Hawaii, April/May/June 2003 issue http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2003/4-6/30-35_caste.shtml Caste in Transition Education, economics and protest drive changes and reform to India’s ancient societal divisions Caste is not a pleasant topic for Hindus, and in the international arena today, it has elicited a shame upon the Hindu religion. I have written this article… Read more »
India’s Interest in a JVP Sri Lanka
by Thileelar; originally published January 22, 2004 While there have been many articles written about the military importance of Srilanka to India, many have overlooked the role of Srilanka in India’s long term economic vision. It is obvious that India has been aspiring to be an economic powerhouse and seeks to organize the south Asian countries… Read more »
An Indian Takeover of Sri Lanka?
by Wakeley Paul; originally published January 22, 2004 While both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan President are claiming friendship with the Indian government, it is obvious that the Indian government is playing up to the President rather than the LTTE. The Indian government has declined the invitation to be part of the aid donor group… Read more »
Still Time Left to Revive Peace
by Rajkumar Sivapatham (UK); TamilCanadian, published January 20, 2004 Sri Lankan Peace – There is still some time left to revive In view of the events that are happening fast in Sri Lanka, it is important to assess them and have a clear understanding of the situation. I am sure the Sri Lankan Tamils inside and… Read more »