by Anjali Siva, August 14, 2004 This past summer I went to Sri Lanka, for the first time in ten years. But what affected me was going to Thamil Eelam, for the first time ever. I spent three weeks in this war-torn and impoverished area, marveling at the spirit of the Thamil people. During my… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Diaspora
It is a Matter of Trust
By M. Nadarajan, August 11, 2004 So much of mistrust exists between the Sinhalese and Tamil nations that the LTTE had to ask for the government’s position in writing. It is said, “Once bitten twice shy.” If you are bitten many times, you have to watch every step of the way. Trust is something that has to… Read more »
Conversations & Comparisons
RECOLLECTIONS: Conversations & Comparisons – reading between the lines by Revd. BJA, UK “Now tell me” queried a senior Church official, “if the peace process were to be derailed who gets to be blamed, the Sinlease or the Tameel Tigers?” You actually mean, I emphasised, who is not to be blamed. The response to that I continued, is summed up in… Read more »
Sangam Press Release
Date: August 9, 2004 Title: Statements attributed to the Sangam on the John Kerry Presidential Campaign are not factual. Press Release Sangam ITS August 2004
Chavakachcheri Computer Training Center
Chavakachcheri gets a Free Computer Training Center as TITA and SKTATT of London once again join hands A third joint Free Computer Training Center by TITA and SKTATT (London Sri Kanaga Thurkai Amman Temple Trust), will be opened on, Sunday, the 08th of Aug 2004, in Chavakachcheri in the Jaffna district, following their joint center… Read more »
Some Thoughts on Ethnic Reconciliation in Sri Lanka
by M. Thiru, September 8, 2004 In the 1930’s though there were political differences between the Sinhalese and Tamil leaders, but there was no state terrorism on Tamils. There were no atrocities by the armed forces, no riots, no looting or arsons, no rape, no shelling or bombing of Tamil areas, Tamils were not displaced… Read more »
Black July – An Exodus to the Homeland
by Anonymous, July 26, 2004 People rush to their homes for security when they are threatened. As is obvious, their homeland is the land where their home is located. Their homeland, or country, nourishes them, providing for their economic and cultural sustenance. Is it that simple, or do we need a legal and anthropological analysis? Multiple workshops… Read more »
Black July – Prison Massacres
THE WELIKADE PRISON MASSACRES OF 1983 by S.A. David, President of the Gandhiyam Movement, July 25, 2004 An Eye-Witness The Sri Lanka government rounded up hundreds of Tamil Activists resisting the government attempt to establish a mono-ethnic-mono-religious [Sinhala-Buddhist] state in Sri Lanka. Most of them were engaged in non-violent programs to provide alternate opportunities to… Read more »
Black July – Revisited
STATE TERROR BLACK JULY OF 1983 REVISITED By Ana Pararajasingham, July 23, 2004 In late July 1983, Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital literally burst into flames as angry mobs of Sinhalese went on a rampage burning, looting and terrorising the occupants of Tamil homes in an orgy of violence unparalleled in the Island’s history. The Government… Read more »
International Community and Proxy War Against Tamils
By Rajkumar Sivapatham, July 17, 2004 [Editorial comment: Present proxy war against Tamil freedom struggle is nothing but another obstacle along our path to freedom. Proverbial ploy: “Rocking the cradle ( peace talks) and pinching the baby (proxy war)” is not rocket science to Tamils. Nevertheless the writer expresses his unhappiness and enlightens us on… Read more »
The Presidential Ploy: War for Peace Again?
By Wakeley Paul, July 13, 2004 How much longer does the President think she can piggy bank on the eternal Sinhala ploy to stymie the surrender of power to the Northeast? How long can the Tamils and Muslims wait to be freed from our tormented hopes and the Sinhala domineering past? Even the extremely limited… Read more »
Current Impasse in the Peace Process
An open letter to the President & the Opposition Leader of Sri Lanka Her Excellency, Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumarathunga The President of Sri Lanka His Excellency, Ranil Wickramasinghe The Opposition Leader of Sri Lanka Your Excellencies, Re: The current impasse in the peace process The long awaited, and often sighted reason for the government not willing… Read more »
Kumaratunga Goads the Tigers
Cloaked Daggers: Kumaratunga goads the Tigers while delaying talks Tamil Guardian editorial, London, June 25, 2004 The surrender to the Liberation Tigers this week of four former confidantes of the renegade LTTE commander, Karuna, has provided further proof of the Sri Lankan military’s campaign of destabilisation in the island’s volatile east. The accounts by the… Read more »
Slow Ebb: Prospects for Peace are Fading
Tamil Guardian editorial, June 18, 2004 The stalemate in Norway’s peace process deepened visibly this week. Oslo’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar flew to Kilinochchi to meet with senior LTTE officials there whilst Special Envoy Erik Solheim is to meet with the LTTE’s political strategist, Mr. Anton Balasingham on Thursday. Norway is striving to… Read more »
More Reader Participation on 1983 Riots
by Rajkumar Sivapatham, June 18, 2004 Dear Mr. Sabaratnam, I am a regular visitor to Sangam website to learn about the Tamil history on “Pirapaharan story.” I was encouraged by Mr. Bala’s e-mail and wish to contribute my part as well. From 1979 to December 1983, I was working at Browns Group at Darley Road,… 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 »
Playing with Indian Fire
by Rajkumar Sivapatham, June 14, 2004 As expected by the Tamils, the Sri Lankan president is at her tricks again. That is – giving the impression that she is ready for peace talks in one hand and totally rejecting them on the other. So far, this tactic has worked very well with her Sinhalese political friends… Read more »
The Time has Come to ‘Lock Horns’
by Adrian Wijemanne, June 11, 2004 1. This is the infelicitous phrase to describe the peace talks used by Foreign Minister Kadiragamar in his recent address at a meeting in Washington D.C. convened by the Brookings Institution. There is a combative fervour about the phrase, as if the conference table were another battlefield. Memories of… Read more »
The International Trauma Studies Program at New York University
http://www.nyu.edu/trauma.studies is accepting applications until July 15, for its 2004-2005 training program. This unique program, enriched by the participation of a diverse student body, offers a dynamic combination of academic studies, research, and practical experience working with trauma survivors in New York City, the U.S., and abroad. The coming year’s visiting faculty of international pioneers… Read more »
Reel Peace: Six Short Films from Sri Lanka
During the many years of hostilities in Sri Lanka there was a lot of misrepresentation of the conflict and the impact that this was having on the lives of ordinary civilians on both sides. REEL PEACE aims to produce honest and representative stories that can contribute to a wider understanding of the need for social… Read more »