by R. Cholan; published April 4, 2004 ‘The Voice of the People is the Voice of God.’ This is democracy. Many are unhappy with the ‘voice’ spoken by Sri Lankans on April 2nd. Headlines and editorials lament the expected instability of a hung parliament. They are wrong. The results of this election will not bring any… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Politics
Tamil People’s Duty
LTTE Political Division’s official communiqué, Kilinochchi, April 4, 2004 General Elections April 2004 “Tamil people have performed a commendable historical duty” http://www.lttepeacesecretariat.com/mainpages/n04044.htm The Tamil people, by their national mandate in the election held on 2nd April 2004, have performed a commendable historical duty. This endorsement reconfirms their acknowledgement of the supreme sacrifices our liberation fighters… Read more »
FTAUK Press Release
The Federation of Tamil AssociationsUnited Kingdom Earlier known as the Co-ordinating Committee of TAMIL ASSOCIATIONS of the UNITED KINGDOM ————————————————————— Deputy Chairman: Dr. K.S RAJAH, MBBS, FRCS Gen. Secretary: Dr. N. SATCHITHANANTHAN, MBBS Secretary: Mr. J.K. KARAN, FCCA, FCMA, MBIC Treasurer: Dr. L.S. RATNAM, MBBS, DMJ, MRCGP Tuesday 30th. March 2004. PRESS RELEASEAfter many decades… Read more »
‘Silent Waters’ in NYC & SF
This movie has a Sri Lankan producer. It is showing on Thursday and Friday in New York City, April 22 and 25 at the San Francisco Film Festival http://www.sfiff.org/fest04/titleDetail.asp?title_id=50, in Toronto in May and various other places around North America after winning many awards in Europe. Ed. MOVIE REVIEW | ‘SILENT WATERS’ The New York Timeshttp://movies2.nytimes.com/2004/03/30/movies/30WATE.html… Read more »
Need of the Hour
by Rajkumar Sivapatham ; published March 30, 2004 As the Eelam Tamils’ face historic changes, undoubtedly it is to be expected that Tamils will also be faced with challenges. These challenges are expected to come in various forms and from various directions. The Karuna crisis is certainly one of them. The dangerous crisis is the post-Karuna reaction… Read more »
After the April ’04 Elections
by The Action Group of Tamils (TAGOT); Kotte, Sri Lanka, March 29, 2004 Kotte, Sri Lanka Email: tagotsl /A_T/ hotmail /D_O_T/ com PRESS RELEASE 29 March 2004 AFTER THE APRIL ’04 ELECTIONS Whilst we await the post-election scenario, it is important to be fully aware of how Sinhala politicians are exploiting the rhetoric of “peace” laced with… Read more »
Life After Former Col. Karuna
by The Action Group of Tamils (TAGOT); Kotte, Sri Lanka, March 19, 2004 The Action Group of Tamils (TAGOT) Kotte, Sri Lanka Email: tagotsl /A_T/ hotmail /D_O_T/ com PRESS RELEASE 19 March 2004 LIFE AFTER FORMER COL. KARUNA The Reaction in the Sinhala south to Karuna’s exit from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is varied…. Read more »
The On-Coming Elections
by K. Mylvaganam; Tamil Circle #3380, March 28, 2004 The election fever is catching up hotly in Sri Lanka. Unlike in the previous elections the people of Thamil Eelam too seem to be taking a keen interest in the same. It is not because to see which of the two leading Buddhist Sinhala chauvinistic parties –… Read more »
Pandora’s Box
by V. Gunaratnam; published March 29, 2004 On the Brink As Sri Lanka stands on the brink of plunging into the murky waters of post-election politics, a veritable Pandora’s box full of political imponderables awaits the Tamils – a Tiger revolt, JVP shenanigans, Buddhist clergy in politics, and a powerful new political alliance. All hell will… Read more »
Terrorism Refined & Distinguished
by Wakeley Paul; published March 29, 2004 Those described by their enemies as ‘Terrorists’ who are engaged in a struggle for Independence from foreign domination, have often wound up as international heroes. Some obvious examples are Jomo Kenyata who defied the British in Kenya, Nelson Mandela who suffered imprisonment and humiliation at the hands of the… Read more »
An Appeal to Eelam Tamils
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 »
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 »