As Agents for Change in the Post-Conflict Zones of Sri Lanka R. Cheran of the Dept. of Sociology and Refugee Studies of York University, Toronto has written a paper entitled “Diaspora Circulation and Transnationalism as Agents for Change in the Post Conflict Zones of Sri Lanka” which does exactly what sociology is supposed to: observe… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Politics
Collective Rights and the ISGA
by Dr. Kumar Rupesinghe, LTTE Peace Secretariat, September 1, 2004 In looking at peace and development we need to recognize that peace is not the absence of war. In a wider perspective of peace we have to look at several dimensions of violence. The Ceasefire Agreement ensures an absence of direct violence between the two… Read more »
Is the XIII Amendment the Roadblock to Peace?
Sinhalese Myths and Fallacies Challenged by Wakeley Paul, Esq., September 1, 2004 Several recent articles reveal once more the cherished myths under which the Sinhala press continues to delude itself. These Sinhalese myths need to be punctured once and for all, since they are founded on three fundamental misconceptions. 1. That Sinhalese supremacy is the… Read more »
Tamils Alone in Hostile World
Tamils Should Realise They Stand Alone in a Hostile World An Editorial from Northeastern Monthly Every few months or so, accusations of human rights violations are flung at the LTTE by various local and international actors whose concern for human suffering knows no bounds when it gives them an opportunity to cause the Tiger rebels discomfiture…. Read more »
Won’t the Sri Lankan Leadership Reform?
Centre for Peace and Human Rights Culture Director Rev.Fr. A.I. Bernard has underlined an urgent and necessary remedy for the ailment Sri Lanka is undergoing on account of the ethnic conflict that grips the island state. On behalf of the Jaffna-based Centre Rev.Fr. A.I. Bernard says, in a letter addressed to the Sri Lanka’s Peace… Read more »
Good Government: You Can Put a Value to It
By Janadas Devan, Straits Times, Singapore, August 2004 WHY did Singapore succeed and so many other post-colonial states didn’t? The answer to that question often takes the form of a litany: Singapore got the fundamentals right – political stability, meritocracy, an incorruptible administration. It instituted the rule of law, ensuring the sanctity of contracts and… Read more »
ISGA Bashing: Much Ado About Nothing
by Taraki (aka D. Sivaram), The Daily Mirror, Colombo, August 25, 2004 “Myself when young did eagerly frequent Doctor and Saint, and heard great argument About it and about: but evermore Came out by the same door as in I went” – Omar Khayyam (Rubaiyat. Edward Fitzgerald translation) Reams have been written against the Interim… Read more »
Vaiko Reiterates Support to LTTE, Not to Seek Bail
by NewIndPress.com, August 4, 2004 CHENNAI: MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Wednesday reiterated his support to LTTE’s activities in Sri Lanka, stating that the Tigers were only fighting for a genuine cause in that country. Speaking to mediapersons outside the POTA Special Court at Poonamallee, he said, “The LTTE is the only organisation which has… Read more »
Thoughts on the Creation of a Federal State
Some Concrete Thoughts on the Creation of a Federal State by Wakeley Paul, August 21, 2004 The ISGA sets out the interim structures for an ultimate Federal Constitution. This must first be given the chance to work in order to determine what further restructuring is necessary. Both main ethnic groups must acknowledge that the whole… Read more »
Sri Lankan Attack on Norway’s Peace Effort
by Brian Senewiratne, MA (Camb),MD(Lond),FRCP(Lond),FRACP(Lond), Consultant Physician, Brisbane, Australia , August 16, 2004 A group calling itself “The World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka” is meeting on 20 August 2004 in Oslo to attack the Norwegian peace initiative in Sri Lanka. The behind-the-scenes hand of the Sri Lankan Government is clearly visible. If the flyer is anything… Read more »
Why ISGA is LTTE’s Irreducible Minimum
COLOMBO DIARY | PK Balachanddran Hindustan Times, August 16, 2004 The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have now made it abundantly clear that they will not entertain any alternative to their proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) for the predominantly Tamil, North Eastern Province (NEP) of Sri Lanka. In the immediate context… Read more »
Sri Lanka Scene: Southern Conflicts Hinder Talks
Weekly Review Sri Lanka Scene 18 August 2004 Southern conflicts hinder talks by: T. Sabaratnam The latest: JVP says there is no government proposal for the establishment of an interim body for the northeast! It says as far as it is concerned alternate proposals do not exist. The JVP’s propaganda secretary Wimal Weerawansa told a seminar… Read more »
What is All This Fuss About?
by M. Nadarajan, August 19, 2004 Rudyard Kipling wrote “East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet.” A modern day poet would be tempted to write a Tamil is a Tamil and a Sinhalese is a Sinhalese and never the twain shall meet (except perhaps on a battlefield). The goings on… Read more »
WAPS’ Activities Expose Sri Lankan Government’s Duplicity
Vis-à-vis the peace process by Dr. Victor Rajakulendran, Sydney, Australia, August 18, 2004 After the Sri Lankan Security Forces (SLSF) experienced major setbacks in their efforts to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)in the ‘War for Peace’ strategy of President Chandrika Kumaratunge, both the President and the LTTE realised that the 20-year long conflict… Read more »
Singapore Must Not Alienate its Brightest
by Ngiam Tong Dow, Straits Times, Singapore, August 15, 2004 Comments from M. Thiru: As a Tamil I could draw parallels when the concerns of this article come to the population sisze and why our own talents are important. We SL Tamils & the diaspora are a small-sized population and our problems are numerous. So… Read more »
A Way Out?
A talk that could be taking place By V Gunaratnam, August 15, 2004 “Good evening Excellency.” “Ayubowan, it was nice of you to have come Mr Salmon…eh…pardon me, Ambassador…?” “It’s quite all right Madam, we do eat a lot of salmon, but they have Omega-3, good for the health and brain.” “Eh? Very interesting, I… Read more »
Kelsen’s ‘Theory of Necessity’
To amend the constitution with a simple majority By Wakeley Paul, Esq., August 14, 2004 If, in a democratic setting, the element of ‘necessity’ warrants the change of a constitution with a simple Parliamentary majority, then constitutions with the usual requirement of a 2/3 majority to amend or replace them become meaningless. Any party with… Read more »
Mapuche Indians in Chile Struggle to Take Back Forests
by Larry Rohter, The New York Times, August 11, 2004 Before the conquistadors arrived, and even for centuries afterward, the lush, verdant forests of southern Chile belonged to the Mapuche people. Today, though, tree farms stretch in all directions here, property of timber companies that supply lumber to the United States, Japan and Europe. But… Read more »
Creating the Right Environment to Take the Peace Forward
The Norway facilitators creating the right environment to take the peace efforts forward by Kaddurai, Thinnakural, August 9, 2004 (translation from the original Tamil by Thiru) All of us know how the Sinhalese ruling class has given assurances to Tamils since Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan’s era and how the Sinhalese ruling class has gone back on such… Read more »
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 »