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2005
conferred without weighing the return, it is larger
than the sea." - Kural 103
By
D.B.S. Jeyaraj
By D. B. S. Jeyaraj
A significant gain made by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam through the Post - Tsunami Operations
Management Structure was the legal extension of its writ in
areas not coming under its direct control in the Eastern
Province. Recent developments however suggest that the
tigers are likely to encounter problems while trying to assert
their authority via the P- TOMS in those areas of the
Eastern littoral.
Of the six North - Eastern districts coming under the P-
TOMS the LTTE controls the Mullaitheevu and Kilinochchi
districts entirely. In Jaffna the tigers control the Peninsulas
eastern coast up to Nagarkovil. In Trincomalee the Sampur
and Verugal coastal areas are under the LTTE. In
Batticaloa the Vaharai -Kathiraveli coastal area is under
them. In Amparai district they have no distinct coastal
control but have some influence in the Thirukkovil and
Pottuvil - Komari areas. [Contd.]
July 3-9
Archives
caught in its own trap
By Professor K. Sivathamby
It appears on the surface that the battle over the joint
mechanism or Tsunami Relief Council has been ‘won’ by
President Chandrika Kumaratunga and ‘lost’ by the JVP and
UNP. However, what the contest between these political
forces actually brings out are the deeper contradictions that
lie at the heart of Sinhala- Buddhism.
[NorthEastern]
While Sri Lankans, as a whole, are agitated over the
supposed environmental and economic impact of the
Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP) on their country,
the Tamil minority has an additional aspect to worry about,
namely, the possible impact of the project on the military
balance in North Sri Lanka, where the LTTE has a vital stake.
The LTTE and its accredited websites have been observing a
discrete silence on the SSCP, but the rest of the Tamil media
has been regularly carrying reports on it, almost always
disapproving the project.
The Sri lanka High Commission in London has established
a helpline to assist Sri Lankans who need to ascertain the
safety of any family members in London.
The help line telephone numbers are 00 44 2072621841
and 00 44 2072620875.
massacre observed [Tamilnet]
Tenth death anniversary of 147 Tamil civilians including men,
women and children who were killed in the indiscriminate
bombing by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and artillery attack
by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Navaly St Peters Church and
Navaly Murugamoorthy Kovil in the Jaffna district on 09 July
1995 was observed Saturday. "The massacre of hundreds of
civilians who sought refuge in places of worships was a gross
human rights violation by the government security forces," said
Rt.Rev Thomas Soundaranayagam, Jaffna Bishop at the Holy
Mass held at the Navaly St.Peter's Church Saturday evening,
sources said.
both his eyesight in 1995 Navaly
church bombing. He lived near to that
church and he lost his mother on the
spot. [HumanityAshore]
9th July, 1995 [TVI]
Security & Peoples’ Perceptions [Saag]
by Col Hariharan (retd)
As far as the tsunami victims are considered, the creation
of the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure
(P-TOMS) is good news. After dithering for nearly six
months, at last organized and promised relief is to be
delivered in a structured fashion. The 3-tier structure
provided for in the MOU, appears reasonably workable
and partially representative. But the delivery of relief
depends not on structures and policies on paper but the
spirit in which they are operated. Given the frosty
atmosphere of recrimination and suspicion that exists
between the various ethnic groups on the one hand, and
the LTTE and the Sinhala polity on the other, few expect
the operational progress of P-TOMS to be smooth.
for resuming peace talks [LTTEPS]
Editorial comment in Tamil Daily “Uthayan” of 07 July 2005
After the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE signed
the agreement on P-TOMS confidence that the stalled
peace talks could be taken forward to find a peaceful
resolution to the ethnic issue has been widely expressed
at many levels. In particular the international community is
eagerly expecting this to happen.
Much of the old housing has been in use for more than a
century, with a family of eight or nine members commonly living in
a one room apartment.
These lines of housing have shared toilets and bath facilities and
a common kitchen.
People have lived here for generations and their lives revolved
around the tea plantations.
USA [TIS-USA]
"Thiruvasakam - a classical crossover" was released on June
30, 2005 in a grand event held at the Music Academy, Chennai.
The CD will be officially released in the US, at the "Tamizhar
Thiruvizha" Annual Tamil Convention during the July 2-4
weekend in Dallas, Texas.
Maestro Ilaiyaraaja leads the high-profile team of artists and
engineers involved in this project, which includes the Budapest
Symphony Orchestra conducted by Laszlo Kovacs, Oscar
winning lyricist Stephen Schwartz, and Richard King a five-time
Grammy Award-winning sound engineer.
This project is coordinated by Tamil Maiyam, a registered
non-profit organization in India, committed to bring out high
quality productions in Tamil art, culture and literature. Tamil
Maiyam was founded by Fr. Jegath Gasper who is also the
principal coordinator of this project. The US activities of this
project are managed by the Thiruvasakam in Symphony
Foundation led by Dr. Sankar Kumar. Thiruvasakam in
Symphony Foundation is a registered non-profit in the USA.
Ilayaraja dared to take a sacred verse (the Thiruvasagam) on a
cross-cultural journey to transform it into a symphony.
IT is amazing how a set of verses on Lord Siva composed by a
minister in the Tamil Pandya kingdom has grabbed the attention
of South India's biggest film stars, a Union Minister, a Catholic
priest and a frail old man at Music Academy, Chennai, on June
30. All thanks to the man known as "king".
[Thirukkural2005.org]
Over the course of the civilized human history, there have been
a number of philosophers, saints and social and religious
leaders around the world who have pondered over the meaning
of life, the nature of truth, the existence of God, the ethical code
of conduct, intricacies of human emotions and other intriguing
questions. Their answers vary depending upon their religious
beliefs, national origin and the time period in which they lived. It
is unusual to find one book, written by one person that has
explored almost all aspects of life and arrived at conclusions
that are universally and eternally valid. Thiruvalluvar lived about
2000 years ago in Tamil Nadu, meaning the land of Tamils,
currently one of the states in the southern part of India.
Thiruvalluvar was a unique genius who wrote the book called
Muppaal, later known as Thirukkural which has been hailed by
many as the greatest gift to mankind.
In many respects, Thiruvalluvar is more comprehensive and
covers the whole spectrum of human experiences than the
well-known philosophers like Buddha, Confucius, Aristotle,
Plato, Machiavelli and others. In spite of the remarkable nature
of his contribution, Thiruvalluvar is relatively unknown outside
his native land.
The objective of this conference is to create an awareness and
understanding of Thiruvalluvar and Thirukkural among the
younger generation Indians and people of other cultures in
North America. This is also the first time a conference of this
nature is being held in North America. It is expected that many
Tamil Scholars and Thirukkural researchers will participate in
this conference from many countries in the world.
The location was all set for the adventurous sport on a dazzling
sunny day. Bustling waves, rolling and rushing as if in a race,
ending up ashore with an impetuous embrace made the
atmosphere nothing less than perfect for the event. Waves here
reach a height of fifteen feet or more , receiving the same swell
that hit other world renown surfing locations during mid-year.
Arugam Bay, resurrecting from the tsunami devastation, has
risen from the ashes, and was trying to get back to normalcy.
The British Surfing Championship 2005 began two weeks ago
and a number of foreigners flocked to the village to watch the
thrilling moments of surfing.
Satyaraj is a busy actor on the commercial circuit. But he has
other plans too.
Recently the media went berserk splashing pictures of Satyaraj
dressed as a woman in bright yellow Bharatanatyam costume a
la `Chandramukhi,' for a scene in the soon-to-be-released
`Englishkaaran.'
The impishness of director Shakti Chidambaram and Satyaraj
went down well with all. You cannot but admire the wit of the
winning duo and their wacky sense of humour on screen.
"Shakti knows how to use me," laughs Satyaraj. "These young
directors have been watching me for a long time ... it is 28 years
since I entered cinema. He knows my pluses well."
`Englishkaaran' will be their third film together — their two
earlier films `Ennamma Kannu' and `Maha Nadigan' had also
been hits. "The film has my brand of sarcasm and a strong
message too," says Satyaraj. "It clicks because by nature I'm
cool and fun loving and the persona rubs off on screen," he grins.
When a friend spoke about the newest sensation in New York —
the recently opened Devi — an Indian eatery, where he did not
get a reservation, it naturally piqued the senses to find out more..
.
I heard about "Devi" from an American friend on a recent visit to
New York. This is a city where food rules and top restauranteurs
have celebrity status as class cuisine is revered and respected
and must be tried and re-tried.
Disclaimers
Applicable