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 »
Posts Categorized: Diaspora
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 »
The Case for Direct Economic Assistance to the NorthEast
by Ana Pararajasingam; published January 18, 2004 [The writer is an Australian based Management Consultant, who, between March 2003 and June 2003 this year, was in Sri Lanka working with the LTTE’s Planning & Development Unit and the World Bank, UN agencies and the Asian Development Bank, to assess the needs of the war torn Northeast…. Read more »
‘Chasing Freedom’ on Court TV Monday
A COURT TV ORIGINAL MOVIE ‘CHASING FREEDOM’ STARRING JULIETTE LEWIS Monday, January 19, 2004 9:00 pm EST/PST Court TV Check your local cable listings for Court TV station Chasing Freedom will repeat on Jan. 24 at 9 pm, Jan. 27 at 10 pm and Feb. 22 at 10 pm Tune in to the premiere of… Read more »
Think, India, Think
by Sebsan; Melbourne’s 3CR Tamil Voice, December 22, 2003. The Tamil version is published in www.tamilnaatham.com Sri Lanka is going through political turmoil caused by a constitutional crisis, whilst the Indian political arena is also tensed at the moment. The ruling BJP has achieved unexpected victories in the recently held state elections. At the same… Read more »
Fait Accompli!?
by M. Nadarajah; originally published January 16, 2004 The several Governments that have been in power in Ceylon, renamed Sri Lanka, of whichever colour or hue, and whether capitalist-oriented or socialist-oriented, have had one common objective and that has been to make it a Sinhala Buddhist country, irrespective of the fact that nearly 26% of the… Read more »
Terms & Conditions
Tamil Guardian editorial, London, January 14, 2004 If the consequences for Sri Lanka’s peoples didn’t threaten to be so tragic, the dynamics of the constitutional crisis gripping Colombo would be farcical. President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s dramatic announcement Tuesday that she intends to remain in office till 2006 – a full year longer than expected – would… Read more »
Review of ‘Tamils in Independent Ceylon’
by R .Shanmugananthan ; Circle Digest, Sunday, January 11 2004, Volume 2001 : Number 3321 TAMILS IN INDEPENDENT CEYLON BY: SUPPIRAMANIAM MAKENTHIRAN Makenthiran.PDF (sangam.org) Mr. Suppiramaniam Makenthiran has addressed the long felt need for an account of the recent history of Eelam Tamils in English, by publishing his book Tamils of Independent Ceylon. It covers the political… Read more »
Global Myths and Realities
by Wakeley Paul; originally published January 11, 2004 GLOBAL MYTHS AND REALITIES AMERICA¹S APPROACHPresident Bush, on his recent visit to London made a rather presumptuous statement at the Royal Banqueting Hall of Whitehall Palace when he said. “Your nation and mine in the past have been willing to tolerate oppression for the sake of stability……Now we… Read more »
Review of ‘Elusive Mind’
by Shan Ranjit; from Circle Digest, Tuesday, December 30 2003, Volume 2001 : Number 3311 INSIDE AN ELUSIVE MIND ; BOOK REVIEW OLD WINE IN A NEW BOTTLE The latest book by Narayan Swamy (henceforth referred to as NS) on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and its chief, Vellupillai Pirabakaran is a disappointment. I would… Read more »
Film on US Detention of Asylum Seekers
In New York Jan. 15 Invitation to Sneak Preview and Discussion New Film Shines a Light on U.S. Detention of Asylum Seekers You’re invited to a sneak preview of Chasing Freedom, a new Court TV movie inspired by a Lawyers Committee for Human Rights asylum case. Chasing Freedom stars Juliette Lewis as a corporate lawyer who takes on… Read more »
Kumar’s Calling to Tamil Intellectuals
by Father S.J. Emmanuel; originally published January 5, 2004 Kumar’s calling to Tamil Intellectuals and Professionals On the 4th anniversary of the death of our beloved Kumar Ponnambalam, when the Tamils in and out of Sri Lanka, salute him as a Great Man – Maamanithar –, as a courageous Prophet, who stood up and spoke out in defence… Read more »
Re-evaluating Concepts of Sovereignty
by Ana Pararajasingam; South Asia Analysis Group paper No. 879, January 1, 2004 India’s former Prime Minister, Nehru and Sri Lanka’s former Prime Minister Bandaranaike shared a common Westernised background and an education at Oxford and Cambridge respectively- England’s oldest and prestigious universities. But, the similarities ended right there. By heeding the sentiments that led to… Read more »
US Presidential election 2004
Received from a Sangam member: I encourage Sangam members to get involved in the US 2004 presidential elections. I think now is a good time throw our support behind a candidate and engage our community to get involved locally around US. The relationships we build now with local supporters and party officials can help us… Read more »
Queens, NY Immigrants
by Corey Kilgannon; New York Times: December 29, 2003 Authors Never Left Queens on Three-Year Trip Around the World http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/29/books/29ETHN.html At a certain subway station in Queens [a borough of New York City], a highly decorated dancer from Tajikistan runs a Bukharan dance studio. At a Jackson Heights table tennis club, a former member of the… Read more »
Christmas Message from Father Emmanuel
Christmas 2003 May the Birthday of this Universal Liberator Enliven the Hope of our own LiberationThe time of Liberation was at hand. Joseph and Mary, destined to carry the divine Liberator into this world Journeyed faithfully into their own land of Bethlehem, They came in obedience to the laws of the Ruler, but the Ruler… Read more »
Status of Healthcare in the Vanni
by a Sangam member; originally published December 14, 2003 Many of my friends and colleagues have traveled to NorthEast of the island of Sri Lanka since the ceasefire agreement was signed between the LTTE and the government of Sri Lanka. There have been extensive reports of the destruction of 20 years of war, but none to… Read more »
Winter Tamil Classes
Vanakkam! Many of you have expressed your interest in attending the first ever Winter Holiday Tamil classes. The Tamil Students Association of the University of Toronto, with the help of a dedicated team of teachers from the United States, including Sendhil Cheran (founder of tamilclass.com), are working hard to ensure that these classes be the… Read more »
A Reply to ‘TE Proposals and Beyond’
by Wakeley Paul, Esq.; originally published December 10, 2003 A REPLY TO ‘TE PROPOSALS AND BEYOND’ ANOTHER CHANCE TO JETTISON TALKS AND RESUME WAR?Mr. Mahanama Prematilaka’s article entitled “TE proposals and beyond” published December 8, reminds us of that famous saying ‘We had to destroy the Town to save it.’ Prematilaka’s suggestions for dealing with the… Read more »
Examining the ISGA Proposal
by A. Sri-Jayantha; originally published December 10, 2003 The proposal for an Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) for the NorthEast of Sri Lanka was made public by the LTTE on Nov.1, 2003. The constitutional crisis in the South precipitated by Pres. Kumaratunge on Nov. 4 has allowed us to mull on this proposal and to react to… Read more »