An Appeal to Eelam Tamils A Rare Moment in History: Seize the Moment In the course of human history, a few nations have been granted rare moments, of a propitious alignment of diverse forces affecting them. It could be luck, destiny or the product of perseverance, but such moments are rare. Some nations have ‘seized… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Politics
UN Commission on Human Rights
INTERFAITH INTERNATIONAL A non-government organisation with ‘consultative status’ at the United Nations * * * * * * United Nations Commission on Human Rights – 60th session Item 5 – Right to Self-determination Intervention by Visuvalingam KIRUPAHARAN March, 2004 In 1918, President W Wilson used the term ‘self-determination’ in his speeches to Congress. He stated… Read more »
The April Fools Election
by Rajan Philips; published March 21, 2004 The April Fools Election and Post-Election Possibilities The almost April Fools election, an election about nothing and one nobody wanted, has suddenly become the moving stage for a political drama that is unfolding as no one could have predicted. The election itself is not the drama, but everything around… Read more »
IMF 2003 Consultation with Sri Lanka
by International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC via ReliefWeb, March 5, 2004 IMF concludes 2003 Article IV consultation with Sri Lanka Public Information Notice (PIN) No. 04/20 Public Information Notices (PINs) are issued, (i) at the request of a member country, following the conclusion of the Article IV consultation for countries seeking to make known the… Read more »
Tamil Homeland is Part of Tamil Identity
by Tamil Guardian Editorial; London, March 17, 2004 Indelible Blot – The homeland is part of the Tamil identity The standoff between the Liberation Tigers’ leadership and the rebellious former commander of the movement’s forces in the Batticaloa-Ampara districts continued this week, with several developing aspects of the crisis raising anxieties amongst the Tamil people, particularly… Read more »
Northern & Southern Blocks Divided
by Jayadeva Uyangoda; Daily Mirror, Colombo, published March 19, 2004 Northern and Southern monolithic blocks divided as crisis deepens Whatever the outcome of the election, and whoever forms the new government, the immediate task that the new regime faces would be one of establishing a new political equilibrium without which no measure of political stability could… Read more »
Paradise Lost?
by V. Gunaratnam; published March 18, 2004 Magical names that once stirred the imagination, Pearl of the Orient, Teardrop of the Indian Ocean, Taprobane, Resplendent Isle, and Serendib, redolent of the lingering sun and emerald waters, lush tea gardens and aromatic spices, sparkling gems and intricate crafts, domed dagobas and towering temples, now conjure up nothing… Read more »
ISGA Not for Separation: Prabha
by Daily Mirror, Colombo, March 16, 2004 The proposals for an Interim Administrative structure forwarded by the LTTE were not aimed at a separate state but only at an interim arrangement, said its leader V. Prabhakaran in a statement to the LTTE’s Sinhala paper Dedunne. “The accusations that our proposals are aimed at a separate… Read more »
Tamileelam Bank
by Geert De Clercq; Reuters, London, published March 16, 2004 Tamileelam Bank Symbol of Sri Lankan Rebel Autonomy KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka (Reuters) – There’s no marble in the lobby, no computer on the counter and no air-conditioning for the customers. The risk of robbery is also very small. Welcome to the Bank of Tamileelam, the world’s… Read more »
Will Tamils Be Disenfranchised?
by Dr. Victor Rajakulendran; Australia, published March 15, 2004 Are some of the Tamils going to be prevented from exercising their franchise once more? There are only 17 days left for the parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka, scheduled to be held on the 2nd of April, the 3rd such vote in the last 4 years. Violence… Read more »
Iraq & Sri Lanka: Compared, Contrasted
by Wakeley Paul; published March 12, 2004 IRAQ AND SRI LANKA: COMPARED, CONTRASTED AND ANALOGIZED Bernard Lewis, the scholar of Islam, wraps his political opinions on Iraq in a historical blanket. They have never had a democratic tradition, he argues, therefore democracy will be an ill advised imposition of a political system upon a people who… Read more »
Email Campaigning
by A Colombo Resident; published March 12, 2004 E-mail campaigning is on in this election. Up to the last election they used the fax. Buddhist monks are also campaigning using e-mail. Here is a sample…just for fun!! The extra benefits of voting for the Sangha. Today giving a dana or inviting a monk in Colombo and… Read more »
Amnesty’s Concerns re Sri Lanka
TO: Ambassador Devinda Subasinghe, Embassy of Sri Lanka FROM: Jim McDonald, Sri Lanka Country Specialist, Amnesty International USA RE: UN Human Rights Committee’s concluding observations DATE: February 24, 2004 On December 1 of last year, the U.N. Human Rights Committee issued its concluding observations (the “Observations”) on Sri Lanka’s fourth and fifth periodic reports under… Read more »
Facts & Opinions About American Elections
by Wakeley Paul; USA, published March 9, 2004 SOME FACTS AND OPINIONS ABOUT THE ON COMING AMERICAN ELECTIONS: HOW DOES IT AND CAN IT AFFECT EELAM? I am sure my views do not meet with [the editor’s] approval and are therefore highly controverial from an average Tamil viewpoint. That is what makes it interesting. It should… Read more »
Iraq Shiites Fail to Sign Charter
by Dexter Filkins; The New York Times, March 6, 2004 Iraqi Shiites, in a Blow to U.S., Fail to Sign Temporary Charter The article in the temporary constitution now in dispute deals with the ratification of the permanent constitution, which is supposed to be written sometime next year. According to language agreed on this week, the permanent… Read more »
Franchise Denied
by Tamil Guardian Editorial; published March 6, 2004 Franchise Denied: The Tamil vote has been thwarted – again As Sri Lankans go to vote at their third parliamentary elections in the space of five years, large sections of the Tamil people are once again to be hampered in exercising their right to vote. As at the… Read more »
Pay Any Price?
by Janadas Devan; The Straits Times, Singapore, March 5, 2004 http://www.straitstimes.asia1.com/columnist/0,1886,145-238457,00.html? LAST year, as United States forces were conquering Iraq, Middle East expert Bernard Lewis attacked those who thought US plans to install democracy in Iraq were bound to fail. Janadas Devan They think Arabs aren’t ready for democracy, he said accusingly. He, on the other… Read more »
Lions vs. Tigers
by Kopel, Gallant & Eisen; March 3, 2004 What is particularly interesting about this article is that, because of the distinct ideological position of the authors – weapons in the hands of ordinary citizens are a requirement for freedom – , the conclusion reached is different from the usually monolithic Western viewpoint on the Sri Lankan… Read more »
Election Cartoon
Published March 3, 2004
Sri Lanka Scene: Peace Cry to Win Votes
by T. Sabaratnam; Colombo, March 1, 2004 Weekly Review Now, the battle is to win votes with a peace cry. President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe are competing with each other to show to the electorate that their government would be in a better position to usher in permanent peace in Sri Lanka. In… Read more »