TamilWeek_Mar_05

The Geneva Conclave and Sri Lanka ground realities

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The Geneva conclave between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - facilitated by Norway with
assistance by Switzerland - is over but the shouting is yet to subside.

If one were to ignore the diversionary post - Geneva cackle and focus only
on the joint statement released by Oslo seven points are of relevant
importance.

President Rajapakse’s New Approach to Peace

By Dr. S. Narapalasingam

President Mahinda Rajapakse addressing the ‘All Party Conference’ on
February 17 said, since the ‘bi-party discussion approach’ which the past
governments followed was a failure he would take a “multi-party discussion
approach” in handling the peace process in the future. “I don’t want to
distinguish parties as for the peace process and against the peace process”
he said. “Although the LTTE is a main party in the process there should be
room for others who speak Tamil as well,” he added. The Tamil National
Alliance (TNA) the LTTE’s proxy in the Parliament boycotted this and
subsequent meetings. President’s decision to consult all the parties before
arriving at a consensus has generally been welcomed by other political
parties kept out of the peace talks. The President also said that a new
approach would be taken to solve the problems arising out of the
implementation of the CFA.

What is terrorism, and who is a terrorist?

By Dr. Devanesan Nesiah

Many who attended the Neelan Tiruchelvam Memorial Cultural Programme
at the Bishop’s College Auditorium on 31 January 2006 would remember
seeing the placards held outside the gates by members of the National
Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT) challenging attendees to publicly
identify the organization responsible for Neelan’s assassination.

The objective of the Memorial Cultural Programme was to celebrate his life,
and neither to mourn his death nor to spit venom on his killers.

Geneva: Full of missed opportunities

By Farah Mihlar Ahamed

Geneva - As the dust settles after the first round of talks in Geneva
between this Government and the LTTE, it is timely to assess in more detail
what this round of talks means to the peace process in the country. It has
already been stated that the biggest success of these talks was that it
averted a war. But the two days of negotiations also unravelled some
serious issues that could threaten the prospects for peace.

Caution during LG polls needed for second round
of peace talks

By Darisha Bastians

Government peace negotiators last week successfully negated any
confidence-building measures put in place at the Geneva talks the previous
week, by sparking off a war of words with the LTTE delegation about an
“alleged” amendment to the ceasefire agreement.

Geneva Talks — a small yet giant step forward

by A. Kandappah

Erik Solheim, that ubiquitous Norwegian charmer who shares more than a
love-hate confetti-rotten eggs outburst from the LTTE and the GoSL
respectively, demonstrated he knows the jaundiced mind of both sides when
he warned: "not to entertain raised hopes in these talks, just yet’. And so it
was. Look at the diametrically opposed pronouncements of both leaders.
Said Minister Nimal Siripala de, Silva: "it (CFA) is contrary to our Constitution
and law. Furthermore, it is prejudicial to the sovereignty and the territorial
integrity of the Republic of Sri Lanka.

Language barrier [FrontLine]

by V.S. Sambandan

The language issue torments Sri Lankan society as parity between the
two official languages has not gone beyond signposts.

What's in a language? Everything, as far as Sri Lanka is concerned. Fifty
years after Ceylon (as it was then called) opted for Sinhala as the main
official language, the course of the island-nation has been charted along
linguistic lines.

South Asia's 19-million-strong paradise island has battled the language
issue ever since. Consequently, despite a statutory reversal of the "Sinhala
Only" position 17 years ago, the Tamil-speaking minorities have to contend
with a daily linguistic angst. It is not just in the manner in which the
Tamil-speaking citizens have to carry out their dealings with the various
state apparatuses; the language issue has touched the very psyche of Sri
Lanka.

Ethnic conflict:
Power-sharing seen as the answer [DailyNews]

Devolution: The need to move away from the present highly centralised
governing system and go for significant power sharing with the periphery
was what most speakers advocated last week, when they gathered in
Colombo at the symposium that followed the launch of Negotiating Peace in
Sri Lanka Volume I and II, edited by Kumar Rupasinghe.

Journalists in Sri Lanka are a threatened species [ML]

The main concern of the FMM now is to safeguard the journalists in the
northeast. They live in a terrible situation where they fear to ride in their own
vehicles, fearing that a hand grenade might be thrown. They are forced to
live in fear and many have left their families and have fled their homes,
fearing for their lives. If the Geneva talks were not held, journalists,
especially in Jaffna would have faced a terrible plight.

Africa Endorses Asia's Bid for Next U.N. Chief [IPS]

The African Group's decision "is consistent with the longstanding principle of
reciprocity and understanding which exists between the two groups", the
letter said.
So far, the three officially declared Asian candidates are Jayantha
Dhanapala of Sri Lanka, a former U.N. under-secretary-general for
disarmament affairs; Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai; and
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon.

Youth Brigade [LBO]

Illiteracy, no jobs, high risk activities among South Asia’s young could
stifle progress

Illiteracy, no jobs and high risk behaviour among South Asia’s young people
could affect the region’s progress and development, the World Bank says.
About 20 percent of South Asia’s population is between 15 and 24, 30
percent are illiterate and they account for half of the unemployed in the
region.

The World Bank is meeting with youth across South Asia to understand
changing demographics in the region and development challenges in their
home countries.

Sri Lanka to explore crude oil [BBC]

Authorities in Sri Lanka are planning to call for bids from international oil
companies to explore crude oil off the north-western and south-eastern
coast.

The bids will be opened in July and closed in December this year, Petroleum
Minister AHM Fowzie told BBC Sandeshaya.

Crude oil has already found off Mannar and Jaffna, he added.

“I am certain that we will find oil off Hambantota,too,” he told bbcsinhala.com.

Muttiah Muralitharan: Milestone man [BBC]

When cricket fans of the future look back on the period either side of the
millennium, Muttiah Muralitharan will surely be viewed as a phenomenon.

In 13 and a half years representing Sri Lanka, he has sent more than 1,000
international batsmen on their way back to the dressing room.

He is the first bowler in international cricket history to reach that mark.

A Welcome End to India's Pariah Status [YaleGlobal]

On the face of it, the nuclear deal that President Bush signed with India
yesterday is outrageous.It blows a hole in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT), just as the world is trying to deter Iran from its nuclear aims. It
gives India too much, and demands too little. There is some truth in these
fears. For good reason, the US Congress, which must approve the deal, will
give Bush a very hard time as it scrutinises the terms.

Radha cautious on comeback [NewsToday]

She ruled Tamil filmdom a couple of decades ago, being paired opposite
almost all top stars. After the highs in the world of showbiz, actress Radha
settled for marital bliss and quietly moved away from the centre stage.

After being away from the arc lights and stardom, Radha is back in the news.
And, she will be under the spotlight. However, she will not be donning the
greasepaint and facing the camera. The actress of yesteryear will be giving
a Bharathanatyam performance at the famous Natyanjali festival in
Chidambaram, 2 March.

Overdose of mimicry [Hindu]

Mimicry is great, as a form of entertainment, and it is fun to watch stars
mimic each other. Director Sakthi Chidambaram has made it his forte and
with Satyaraj translating his ideas with élan, we had some hilarious stuff in
"Englishkaran." Mimicry, however, cannot become the staple food of a
director. But this is what has happened in ``Kovai Brothers" where the
director has obviously spent his time and energy trying to imitate film
personalities from Simbu to Surya. And this does not speak well of the
director or the actor, Satyaraj. The director should have concentrated more
on the screenplay.

Short Story: Who was Raja Harishchandra?

"WHO was Raja Harishchandra?" Amit asked me abruptly, as I sat on the
lawn sipping my tea and reading my paper.

The question was simple enough. I was about to reply, "He was a truthful and
honest king." But I managed to stop myself.

A reply of this sort would lead to questions about truth and honesty and I
would then be forced to hand down rules: You must be truthful, you must be
honest and the like.

Amit was six years old. And six year olds remember. I would have to come up
with an innocuous reply. But it was not a battle that I could hope to win.

Orphanage not tied to Tamil Tigers [Toronto Star, Mar 2, 2006]

I am the Canadian nurse mentioned in this story. For 11 months, the
Tsunami Tender Sprout Home Initiative (TTSHI) has raised funds for children
at the Senthalir orphanage in Sri Lanka. Out of 132 children, 94 were killed
during the tsunami of December 2004. Many children orphaned by the
tsunami have since been taken into the facility, yet more children remain on
the waiting list. Through the sale of calendars depicting the orphans'
drawings, we have raised $75,000 to date which has been used to purchase
beds, build bathrooms and hire caregivers.

From the wording in your story, readers might be errantly led to believe our
fundraising effort is in some way connected to the Tamil Tigers. This could
not be further from the truth. Funds raised through TTSHI are donated
directly to the Centre for Women's Development and Rehabilitation (CWDR),
an independent organization that runs the orphanage. The Norwegian
government and NGOs such as Oxfam and UNICEF have assessed CWDR
and the government of Sri Lanka gave the organization registered NGO
status at the national level.

The Sri Lankan political situation is extremely complex and TTSHI, like many
relief efforts, was established as a neutral organization determined to see aid
delivered despite political dynamics. We believe that politics should have no
bearing on aid provision and are working hard to relieve the suffering of the
orphaned children living in northern Sri Lanka.

Andrea Warnick, RN, Founder and Director,
Tsunami Tender Sprout Home Initiative, Toronto

Center for Women’s Development and
Rehabilitation (CWDR)

CWDR is non-governmental organization whose mission is to ensure that
the right to life and human dignity of women and children is not violated. The
organization was formed in February 1991 by 11 socially conscious women
as a result of the urgent need for an organized welfare system for women in
the war ravaged provinces of North and East of Sri Lanka. They strive to aid
victims of war and most recently victims of Tsunami, focusing on women and
children, by providing them with the much needed love, care and basic
necessities to sustain life. Attached for your easy reference is a report on
the activities of CWDR, which is also available online at
www.cwdronline.org.

Mail Link

The Program:

“Mail Link” is a letter writing program to foster friendship between the Tamil
children of North America and the Tamil children affected by the war and
Tsunami in the North and East of Sri Lanka. “Mail Link” was initiated to help
in healing the hearts of those children who
survived by fostering friendship and care through regular mail
correspondence.
For Info, Please contact Thanja at 416-497-0885. [Contd.]