By Rich Markandu, August 2, 2004 Pogrom/Extermination/Genocide are synonymous to Bandaranaikes and Jayawardenes. The meaning of ‘Pogrom’ ‘Extermination’ ‘Genocide’ implies the same expression when it comes to analyse the political-historical aspects of the two belligerent group of ethnic communities, Sinhalese and Tamils of Ceylon (now, Sri Lanka). For the last four to five decades the… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Politics
Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 10: Indira’s Double Track Policy
By T. Sabaratnam, July 19, 2004 (Volume 2) The Overt Track The second fortnight of August 1983 is as important to the Tamil freedom struggle and the history of Sri Lanka as the last ten days of July and the first 17 days of August. Indira Gandhi put into action during these two weeks her… 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 »
Greasing Up to the Power
By George Monbiot, The Guardian, UK, July 13, 2004 [An editorial comment: Modern media can not be expected to play an objective role in presenting the grievances of a community with weak lobbying power. Monbiot’s analysis of power structures that distort and subjugate people around the globe is very eduational. It is relevant to the… Read more »
Sri Lanka Scene: War Fear Returns to Sri Lanka
By: T. Sabaratnam, July 14, 2004 Weekly Review Around noon on Tuesday traffic braked to a sudden halt along busy Dickman’s Road in Bambalapitiya when someone said that there was a parcel bomb on the pavement. Crowd gathered at both ends of the road and prevented even pedestrians walking along it. Police was called as… 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 »
Sri Lanka Scene: The Kollupitiya Blast and its Message
by T. Sabaratnam, July 11, 2004 Weekly Review Wednesday noon suicide bomb blast in the heart of Colombo has sent shock waves among Sri Lanka’s business men and has made the common man worry about the country’s fragile peace process. “We hope that it is only an isolated incident,” was the common prayer of the… Read more »
Building Peace on Shifting Sands!
By V Gunaratnam, July 11, 2004 Try building peace on shifting sands. That’s what the Tamils and the LTTE are being asked to do with the Sri Lanka government. Ranil Wicremesinghe laid the groundwork for the peace process, and things were taking shape for negotiations to start on the ISGA when Chandrika Kumaratunga took power… Read more »
The Present Crisis: A Way Out
By Jayadeva Uyangoda, The Daily Mirror, Colombo, July 9, 2004 Sri Lanka’s peace process has now reached an unmistakable turning point. The Wednesday’s suicide explosion in Kollupitiya should not be allowed to mark itself as the beginning of a new process of low-intensity war. Without any further delay, President Kumaratunga’s government should take new political… Read more »
Dissecting the April 2004 General Election Voting in Jaffna District
by Sachi Sri Kantha, July 6, 2004 Perfidy of Bhairavan’s clones Many Tamil movie fans would remember the signature role of ace comedian K.A.Thangavelu – that of a phony writer named Bhairavan – in the popular tear-jerker Kalyana Parisu (1959), directed by C.V.Sridhar. On returning home with a garland he had bought from a flower shop, and… Read more »
TNA’s Thrust in Parliament
PRESENTATION By Hon. R. Sampathan, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, TRINCOMALEE DISTRICT, AT THE SIXTEENTH ANNUAL LUNCH OF THE INTERNATIONAL TAMIL FOUNDATION UNITED KINGDOM on June 27, 2004 Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honoured by the invitation extended to me by the International Tamil Foundation, to make a presentation to you on the occasion… Read more »
Sri Lanka Scene: Sinhala Chauvinism Raises its Head
By: T. Sabaratnam, July 3, 2004 Norwegian special envoy Erik Solheim returned to Colombo this (Wednesday) afternoon with the difficult task of saving the 2-year-old ceasefire agreement which the new government had put under severe strain. Tiger political chief S. P. Thamilchelvan told Solheim and Colombo-based Norwegian envoy Hans Brattskar who met him at Kilinochchi… 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 »
Sri Lanka Scene: Truce will Hold but Prospect of Peace Talks Recedes
By: T. Sabaratnam, June 23, 2004 The situation in Sri Lanka today is that the 2-year-old truce will continue to hold despite the incidents in the east, but the prospect of the resumption of peace talks will recede. Analysts rule out another war unless an unexpected explosive situation occurs. Colombo’s respected defence analyst Iqbal Athas… Read more »
The Pursuit of Peace in Sri Lanka
by The Daily News, Colombo, June 23, 2004 Following is a lecture by Bradman Weerakoon presented at the 7th Dudley Senanayake memorial lecture, on June 21, 2004 at the BMICH. A public lecture on the subject of peace in Sri Lanka would have a validity and relevance at most times and most places. Given 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 »
India Looks East
India is really looking towards the East now by Pranay Gupte, Straits Times, Singapore, June 17, 2004 NEW DELHI – ‘We always said, ‘Look East’, but then we would go West,’ Mr Jairam Ramesh was saying in his small ground-floor office here over the weekend. ‘Now India wants to go East and also have the… Read more »
Thiru. Vaiko in Chicago June 19
Go Your Way!
By V. Gunaratnam, June 16, 2004 Dark Days The dark days are back again with us as Chandrika Kumaratunga, with her now well-known penchant for self-serving politics, has once more used her prodigious presidential powers to drive Sri Lanka to the brink. Everything is in disarray, with the UPFA government reduced to a political balancing… Read more »