TamilWeek_Mar_12

The Art of
Chithrasena -
by Dr. Radhika
Coomaraswamy

Firstly- there was
strong sense of
national pride.
Today national
pride is somewhat
complicated.
Today, I believe
that both Sinhala
and Tamil
nationalism have
become self
destructive. Some
may also wonder
what is national
pride when the
nation itself is
contested and
there is so much
hatred, bigotry and
intolerance on all
sides.

HRW sheds light on Tiger fund raising in the West

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The respected US based organization which brought out in 2004 a
comprehensive report on recruitment and conscription of child soldiers by
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has released a new report on
the ides of March about fund raising activities by the tigers in the West.

Tigers must stay the course in Geneva

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Now that we have a President with a magnificient moustache in Mahendra
Percy Rajapakse quoting a Tamil proverb about a moustached man who
had a fall may not be inappropriate. “Kuppura Vilunthalum Meesaiyil Man
padavillai” (no sand on the moustache despite falling flat ) it goes.

Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark

By Dr. Rajasingham Narendran

Many analysts, some partisan, others neutral, from both sides of the
Tamil-Sinhala and pro-LTTE - anti-LTTE divides have analyzed the recently
concluded talks between the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam) and
the GOSL (Government of Sri Lanka) from various angles. Victory at Geneva
has been claimed for both the GOSL and the LTTE by some. This has been
described as a win-win situation, where there are no losers. Victories for the
GOSL or the LTTE have been claimed by partisans with vested interests.

“Amending the CFA”-an unnecessary provocation

Negotiators should not provoke each other

by Austin Fernando

The most discussed topic after Geneva was not the implementation of the
outcome of the Talks, but whether the CFA was amended. Even the JHU and
JVP "joined hands" with protests over this issue, hyped by a statement made
by Mr. H.L de Silva, based on legalistic interpretations. The attempt here is
to study his statements from an operational viewpoint.

Geneva Talks - Talking to the Tigers: How the state
presents it and the other side of the picture

By Professor Karthigesu Sivathamby

The first round of talks on the CFA in Geneva is over. And it is perhaps an
opportune moment to place on record some of the gnawing fears and
suspicions that Sri Lankan Tamils have towards peace moves advocated by
southern political groups.

“Envision
humanity”-
Prof.
Ratnajeevan
Hoole

In an annual Prize
Giving Day speech
at Jaffna St. John’s
College, Prof.
Ratnajeevan Hoole
drew on “spirit of
The Johnian” in
laying out a
humanitarian
treatise of
education. He
called on the youth
to be empowered
by education,
envisioning the
humanity in all and
be able to feel and
cry for each other.

British Model of Devolution

By Nisala Rodrigo

Having noted the 8 February declaration at the National Symposium at
BMICH made by a thousand participants representing twenty-five
organizations calling for a federal solution to solve Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict,
followed by Pres. Mahinda Rajapakse’s defense of the unitary state and
rejection of Tamil Eelam in his interview with Reuters on 13 February, I
followed the subsequent comments made by Mr. Douglas Jayasekera and
Mr. Devanesan Nesiah in The Island (as I read on www.tamilweek.com, 26
Feb 2006) with great interest. The two gentlemen presented their own
interpretations of “devolution within a unitary state” as particularly found in
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which Pres.
Rajapakse had himself offered as an alternative model to federalism. I hope
to add my own observations on the nature of devolution in the UK and point
out some neglected issues which may be very relevant to the context of the
Sri Lankan ethnic conflict.

Politics in
the name of
patriotism

By Dilrukshi
Handunnetti

Lambasting The
Sunday Leader
and its Editor
comes naturally to
JVP Parliamentary
Group Leader
Wimal
Weerawansa. He
does it often and
with great finesse,
making maximum
use of the
parliamentary
privileges he
enjoys.

A socialist answer to the danger of war in Sri Lanka
[WSWS]

Every time a new Sri Lankan president is elected, it is customary to promise
“a new approach” will be undertaken to solve all political and social evils.

First Deal, First Hurdle [Tamil Guardian]

The first session of direct negotiations between the Liberation Tigers and the
government of President Mahinda Rajapakse in Geneva last month were
every bit as acrimonious as had been feared. That there wasn’t a complete
breakdown of the talks, as well as the tenuous ceasefire - the topic under
discussion, was undoubtedly due to the indefatigable efforts of the
Norwegian brokers. Successful negotiations usually allow for all participants
to claim a measure of success. But the acrimony that dogged the Geneva
talks erupted anew when the Sri Lankan government delegation, on its
return to Colombo, made patently false claims, both as to what was
discussed and the supposed outcome. In short, Sri Lanka claimed to have
amended the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). The LTTE has,
not unexpectedly, reacted furiously, delivering a blunt warning through the
Norwegians that Colombo’s distortions are fraying confidence in the peace
process.

EPRLF - P Objects charges made by Balasingham

by Gunarathinam Nehruji

The Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front - Padmanabha faction
has strongly objected to charges made by LTTE political adviser and Chief
negotiator Anton Balasingham in Geneva. Mr. Balasingam stated in his
address that the EPRLF Varathar faction was a paramilitary force along with
others like PLOTE, EPDP and the Karuna faction.

Siddharthan appeals to International community

by Gunarathinam Nehruji

Mr. Dharmalingam Siddharthan, president of the Peoples Liberation
organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) has appealed to the International
community to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan government and Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam to commence discussions on core issues of the ethnic
conflict instead of dragging their feet as in the past.

Amnesty fears for safety of disappeared TRO staffers

Kasinathar Ganeshalingam, Kathirkamar Thangarasa, Thanuskody Premini,
Shanmuganathan Sujendram, Thambiraja Vasantharajan, Kailayapillai
Ravindran and Arunesarasa Satheesharan, all employees of the Tamil relief
and development charity, Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), were
abducted in two separate incidents in late January 2006 on the Jaffna
Peninsula in the far north of Sri Lanka. It is feared that they may have
"disappeared" and there are grave concerns for their safety.

US slams police, Karuna and LTTE [BBC]

The United States has strongly criticised the human rights violations by the
Sri Lanka police, paramilitaries and the Tamil Tigers.

The US Department of State said both parties have failed to respect the
Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) signed in February 2002.

EU Press Release

Tsunami housing issues – the agencies’ side of the
story

By Jeevan Thiagarajah

Around 98,000 permanent housing units were to be provided following the
tsunami. They were found inside and outside buffer zones. The policy was a
house for a house if fully damaged as well as where partially damaged,
allocations to repair. The dimensions per unit was 500 sq. ft and a unit cost
was Rs. 500,000. Recent reports have highlighted the inadequacy of
progress. Many have and are contributing to the housing enterprise. These
include the government, the World Bank, International Federation of the Red
Cross, Caritas, International NGOs, national NGOs, philanthropic trusts and
funds and private sector contributions. In an ideal situation a 500 sq. ft.
structure could be completed within four months, whilst a 1500 sq. ft. and
above might take 9 months.

EU slams Tigers for polls boycott [BBC]

European Union election monitors in Sri Lanka have accused the Tamil Tiger
rebels of preventing members of the Tamil community from voting in last
November's presidential election.

The monitors say an election boycott was enforced in rebel-held north and
east of the island.

UN Tsunami Envoy Chides Sri Lankans, Praises India
for Response to Disaster [VOA]

A United Nations tsunami recovery envoy calls it "unfortunate" that Sri
Lankan leaders did not rise above their political differences to seize the
opportunity for peace after the December 2004 tragedy ravaged the country.

Canadian Tamils’ Chamber of Commerce launches
“Tamil Database Project”

Wednesday March 8, 2006 marked the launch of Canadian Tamils’
Chamber of Commerce’s much anticipated Tamil Database Project. Over
250 people attended this event, which was held at the Holiday-Inn Markham.
Distinguished guest at the event included the Honourable Michael Bryant,
Attorney General for Ontario, the Honourable Mary Anne Chambers, Minister
for Children and Youth Services and Mr. Jim Karygiannis, the Member of
Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt.

Tamil Cuisine in Paris?

Dishny Restaurant at La Chapelle

by Mala Kadar

Bonjour Madame! A young French Tamil greeted me at the entrance to an
unpretentious Sri Lankan Tamil restaurant in La Chapelle, Paris. The Tamil
immigrants have concentrated their business ventures in this district and
they are thriving. Grocery stores, small cafes, real estate agents,
hairdressers, colorfully draped sari mannequins with jewellery stores lined
‘Rue Cail’ in La Chapelle. The restaurants with the delectable vegetarian and
non vegetarian preparations have also drawn the French connoisseur.

Vigeland Sculpture Park [HA]

"These beautiful sculptures have to be admired with the artistic eyes. The
Hindu temple sculptures are similar" says Sellathurai Selvakumaran, who is a
Sri Lankan born - now residing in Norway.

Hinduism for Hindus and non-Hindus

by Prof. C. Suriyakumaran

(Published by The Department of Hindu Religions and Cultural Affairs)

Reviewed by Justice C. V. Vigneswaran

Hinduism is not like other religions. It has no founder, no fixed set of common
tenets to be compulsorily believed and no single path towards spiritual
realization. It is the oldest in the world among practiced religions. Its direction
of Life has produced the most number of extraordinary men and women—all
spiritual giants—at various Ages.

Hinduism in ancient Lanka

by K.S.Sivakumaran

This is a review of a review. The original 'review' appeared in Thamil in the
Quarterly of All Ceylon Hindu Congress,
no. 3 (2005). The reviewer was the distinguished retired justice C. V.
Wigneswaran.

Star then, a stoic now [Hindu]

Poignant moments with Kanchana, beautiful actor of the
1970s, who continues to face odds with grit.

From MGR and Sivaji Ganesan to Muthuraman and Ravichandran,
Kanchana has acted with all top heroes of her time.
Aging is inevitable. But when the scars of time leave an indelible mark on the
visage and physique of a celebrity, it does disconcert you. Like when you
see Kanchana, a beauty, who made young men fall flat for her four decades
ago, with her debut film, `Kadhalikka Naeramillai,' walk towards you at the
lobby of a hotel in Mylapore, with a quizzical look.

On a proven track - Sudesi

Replace MGR with Vijayakanth and Ashima with yesteryear heroines Latha
or Manjula and you have a complete Puratchi Thalaivar cocktail of the 1970s
in Captain Cine Creations' `Sudesi.' Nambiar is a sober soul in `Sudesi' —
Shayaji Shinde takes care of the villainy instead.

Apart from the slightly astute moves of private detective Thilak (Manoj K.
Jayan) and the hero himself there's nothing new that three decades and
more have done to the routine plot.

Short Story: We'll bury our past

Somewhere between the age of 40 and 50, the affections between an
attached couple shift to a new plane. The couple would rather maintain a
minimum distance of three feet between themselves than occasionally hold
hands as they did in their thirties. The man constantly grunts his
acknowledgement to his wife's lengthy banter though no part of their earlier
intimacy is lost. Balu and Anjana, after 22 years of marriage, had reached
this stage. One evening, after their two sons had left for their colleges after
summer vacation, the house felt empty. Anjana suggested that it might be
very entertaining to go through the letters they wrote each other during the
long courtship preceding their marriage.

There were six cardboard boxes of the letters, written over three years,
stowed away in the attic. With great effort, Balu brought down one box while
Anjana held the stool he stood on. With a cloth, he dusted the box and
swiped the few silverfish that had managed to invade the fumigated attic.

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.]

"There are two things born from mountains, shining so brilliantly that the great bow down, driving
darkness from earth circled by roaring waters. One is the flaming sun, single wheel bright as
lightning, the other is Tamil that has no like." — from the taNTiyalankârum [Berkeley Tamil]