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Tamil Canadians
and the Human Rights Watch Report
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The largest concentration of Sri Lankan Tamils outside Sri Lanka is in
Canada. More than 250,000 Tamils live in Canada now. Of these more
than 200,000 Tamils are in the Greater Toronto area. Toronto is the
largest “Sri Lankan Tamil” City in the Global Tamil Diaspora. The Tamil
population here is larger than those in North - Eastern cities and towns
like Jaffna, Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Trincomalee etc
The sacred, mundane, profane and obscene
By Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
“ Marathil Marainthathu Maa Matha Yaanai-
Parathil Marainthathu Paar Muthat Pootham—-” – Thirumoolar
( in Tamil)
Wood carved into the form of an elephant, ceases to be called wood-
The Universal Spirit (God) is similarly lost sight of in the details of
this universe. (Translation)
Ten Questons For Sinhala Nationalists
By Dr Victor Ragunathan
In 1948, with the anticipation of independence which was to be declared on
February 04, 1948, a motion was tabled in January 1948 calling for the
adoption of Lion Flag of the last Sinhala King of Kandy, Sri Wickrama
Rajasinghe as the National Flag. Senator S. Nadesan who was part of the
Parliamentary Select Committee has to say this:
JVP can’t help solve crisis
by A. P. S. Galapata
The recruitment of "child soldiers" "LTTE terrorism" are not of
relevance to the lives of the farmers or workers at the periphery, regard
less of ethnicity, villagers live in peace.
I read the article of Mr. Anandasangari and offer a few comments. Having
been a keen observer of the political scene from village level I have a fair
knowledge of the thinking of the rural population.
JVP increasing its pressure on President
Any gains by the Marxists will boomerang on Rajapaksa
By Dharisha Bastians
President Mahinda Rajapakse is an honourable man. Even as his former
election allies hurled abuse at his government and the presidency and
speculation was rife that the new President had started considering allying
with the UNP to form a national government, Rajapakse informed confidants
at Temple Trees last week that he was not the kind of man to forget a past
kindness and go about his way.
Muslim tsunami victims face discrimination in East
by M. I. M. Mohideen
It is widely claimed that the government has not treated the Muslim Tsunami
victims fairly. According to statistics maintained by the Task Force to Rebuild
the Nation (TAFREN) not a single house has been constructed during the
last one year to resettle those Muslim ‘Tsunami’ victims within the 200 meter
area from the sea in the Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee Districts in the
Eastern Province.
"It's obvious the LTTE is preparing for war"-
Ponnambalam Jnr.
Q: Is the LTTE preparing for war?
A: That is pretty obvious. There had been no meaningful effort made on
humanitarian grounds, to make a conflict sensitive approach towards the
issues of the civilians over the last 4 years. There has been instead a
systematic effort by the Sri Lankan armed forces and the government to
undermine the LTTE by using paramilitary groups. Under these
circumstances, unless the agreement reached on the issue of the [Contd]
Are our government advisers stupid?
By A. Denis N. Fernando
Fellow of National Academy of Sciences
Counsel Member, Citizens Movement for Good Governance
Our advisers instead of changing the time to suit the children by delaying the
opening of schools by half an hour, in their stupidity are trying to change the
Sri Lanka Standard Time to turn the clock forward. Countries of the whole
world determine their standard time on the basis of its Meridian based on
their geographic position.
Abductions worry S Lanka students [BBC]
Four years ago the Tamil Tigers agreed a ceasefire with the Sri Lankan
government, but talks aimed at ending the violence forever and solving the
island's political problems have yet to make a breakthrough. In eastern Sri
Lanka there is an uneasy peace.
In the town of Valaichchenai swarms of children in immaculate white uniforms
are on their way to school.
They make a startling contrast with the Sri Lankan soldiers in army-issue
green moving along the same streets in the morning heat.
Rajapaske’s ‘balancing act’ : The Sri Lankan knot
[DecanHerald]
by Kuldip Nayar
A federal status may be acceptable to the Sinhalese if it would
constitute a full and final settlement
Sri Lanka is one country where you take no time to pick up the thread from
where you have left it off three months or three decades ago. It is the same
old ethnic divide in different forms at different times. The Sinhalese are on
one side and the Tamils, particularly in the north, on the other. The divide
takes an ugly turn, as it has done many a time before.
No Multi-Ethnic Balance in Sri Lanka, Says Expert [IPS]
Sri Lankan human rights lawyer Nimalka Fernando says "the world is
steeped in racism and religious intolerance," which threaten the very
existence of minority communities in countries like her own.
"In today's world, the ‘other' than me and my community is an alien and an
object to be dealt with and annihilated somehow," said Fernando, president
of the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and
Racism (IMADR), which was founded in Japan in 1988.
UNP loses CMC petition [BBC]
The main opposition in Sri Lanka, United National Party (UNP), has
effectively lost a battle to regain the control of Colombo Municipal Council
(CMC) with the latest ruling by the Appeals Court.
The courts have rejected a petition by the UNP against the rejection of their
nomination papers for the CMC.
LTTE's military strength key to
Tamils' future- Theepan [TamilNet]
Speaking at a sports event commemorating the martyrs of the Special
Reconnaissance Wing of the Liberation Tigers Wednesday, in an undisclosed
location in Vanni, Northern Region Military Commander, Col.Theepan said,
"Tamil peoples' future and victory in the struggle for self-determination are
critically dependent on our military strength. Our continued transformation to
engage and beat the enemy in all types of warfare is fundamental to our
security and to live as a free nation," sources in Vanni said.
Doubts rise over April talks [TamilGuardian]
Despite the Sri Lankan government’s pledge last month to disarm Army
backed paramilitary groups, activities by the gunmen have continued and
have, if anything, expanded, sparking angry protests and raising doubts over
the second round of talks between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers
scheduled for next month.
LTTE officials say that far from dismantling paramilitary operations in the
Northeast as obliged under the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA)
and in line with the agreement struck at the first round in Geneva in
February, the Sri Lanka military is assisting the paramilitaries in setting up
new bases and forcibly conscripting new cadres.
250 Years old tortise dies
A tortoise that once belonged to British colonial general Clive of India in the
18th Century has died in a zoo in Calcutta.
Toda threatened as women break out [BBC]
The Toda tribe in India - one of the country's smallest communities - is
gradually breaking up as its women marry men from outside. Is this the end
for the Toda?
The Toda are based in the Nilgiri Hills in southern India, and number
around 1,700. While the tribe's men own property and work in agriculture,
the women are renowned for their skills and embroidery. They are not
allowed near the tribe's tall temples.
Arts - Culture - Heritage
Cocktails by the seaside [Hindu]
Experience life in the slow lane
Truly Sri Lanka's famed serendipity isn't only in its wondrous
landscapes but also in its people
The Sri Lankans have a unique way of putting across things. With the avian
flu fear permeating nearly every corner of the globe, newspapers have
columns on how the import of chicken had been temporarily stopped and
various reassurances provided to the public. But nothing could be as
effective as the huge paper poster on a prominent wall on Galle Road. A
benign looking chicken, fat and grey, peers blearily out of the black and
white poster with the catch line, "Please spare us". Any chick worth her
coconut milk seasoning listening?
AVM studio: 60 years and counting
On March 14, AVM launched the music of its latest film, Thirupathi.
The hero Ajit came with his pretty wife Shalini. The heroine, Sada, was also
present. Her first movie was Jeyam in Tamil, and she was also the heroine of
the successful Anniyan. Peraarasu, the director, was also around. His latest
movies, Thirupachhi and Sivakasi, have both been big hits.
Meet South India's biggest sensation!
Trisha Krishnan - Within a short span of two-and-a-half years, she is
straddling two worlds -- the Tamil and Telugu film industries. She says,
"Initially, it was difficult. Now, the films are well spaced out."
Tamil cinema's next big thing [Rediff]
The release record of a recent Tamil film called Chithiram Pesuthadi is truly
unbelievable. When the film, directed by Mishkin, was first released without
any publicity, it sank without a trace within a week. Noted producer and
distributor Oscar Ravichandran saw it though, and was impressed. He
decided to re-release it with a lot of publicity. And it's now on top, running
houseful at theatres all over.
A multi-hued Jasmine [Hindu]
National Award winning actor Meera Jasmine, whose `Mercury
Pookal' has just been released, has her course in cinema clearly
charted out.
It was tough to believe that the beautiful girl with large eyes, in traditional
mundum neriyathum, waiting in the wings to be honoured by the President,
looking visibly tense and almost vulnerable, was actually the one who had
beat many capable contenders to win the National Best Actress Award. The
year was 2004. `Padam Onnu Oru Vilapam' was the film, T. V. Chandran was
the director and Meera Jasmine, the winner. She had been in the field for
just a couple of years when the nation's greatest recognition for an actress
came her way. "Looking back, even when I was on the stage it was as though
I was in a spell. And it's still like a dream," laughs Jasmine.
Advertisement
Tamil Movie Review:
Simple story simply told - Mercury Pookal
A series of simple incidents strung together in Stanley style make up Sri
Nandi Productions' `Mercury Pookal' (U/A). S. S. Stanley, who is in charge of
the story, screenplay, dialogue and direction, believes that no out-of-the-
ordinary happenings are essential to make a film appealing — you saw it in
`April Madhathil' and in `Pudukkottaiyil Irundhu Saravanan' and now again
you notice it in `Mercury Pookal.' And many of the sequences he has
conceived are natural. Every incident need not be action-packed or high-
voltage, as long as it is interesting Stanley seems to say.
Non Profit Organization:
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.
Tamil Children's Endowment Fund
A nation’s most precious natural resource is its children. The conflict in Sri
Lanka, coupled with a state-enforced economic embargo has literally and
figuratively crippled this resource. Presently, a ceasefire and the lifting of
the embargo has brought about a climate of positive change. The conflict-
affected areas are abuzz with the theme of redevelopment and
reconstruction.
It is paramount that measures also be taken to ensure the well being,
protection, and development of the region’s most treasured resource- the
children. With a sustained commitment to this task, we can build a brighter
future for the children and a stronger foundation for society.
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Disclaimers
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"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]
