TamilWeek_Oct_30

Elite Mobilization, Symbolic Politics, and
Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka

Dr. A.R.M. Imtiyaz

In democracy, the vote plays a key role. Politicians and leaders, either as
individuals or in teams, sometimes both, fiercely compete for votes. While
some of these politicians present rosy social and economic promises and
policies during the election period, so-called nationalists employ the hostile -
or what political science strategically calls symbolic politics - to maximize votes.
Whatever policies/tactics politicians adopt as an election strategy, their aim is
to win votes.

Fifteenth anniversary of the Muslim expulsion from
Jaffna

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Fifteen years ago on this day (Oct 30th ) around 28, 000 men , women and
children were expelled from Jaffna by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
organization. They were all Tamil - speaking Muslims living in the Muslim
"vattaaram" or zone of Jaffna town. About 500 plus Muslims living in
Chavakachcheri had been expelled about a week earlier. Around 150 other
Muslims living in other parts of the peninsula were rounded up and sent away
in the days that followed.Only the Muslims of Nainatheevu Island or
Nagadeepa remained safe due to the Naval protection and benign presence
of the Buddhist prelate.

Dutugemunu Strategy and Ellalan Respons e

by: Dr.Rajasingham Narendran

The battle in which an ambitious and aggrieved young Sinhala Prince ‘Dutu’
Gemunu defeated the ageing Tamil King Ellalan (Elara-in Sinhalese) to
become King in ancient Sri Lanka, has underscored Sri Lankan ethnic politics
in the past sixty years. The anguished cry of a restless ‘Dutu’ Gemunu that
he was unable to sleep because of being hemmed in by the Tamils on one
side and the deep ocean on the other resonates in most Sinhala hearts to this
day.

Ethnic cleansing in the Northern Province

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The Muslims of the North - East are Tamil speaking. The North - East is their
homeland. They have lived there for generations. They have every right to
live in their traditional homelands as in the case of the Tamils. The Tamil
nationalist project perceived the North - Eastern Muslims as an integral
component . In the case of Northern Muslims they were only a small minority in
comparison with Eastern Muslims.

Presidential elections and the dilemma of the
northeastern Tamil

By: Professor Karthigesu Sivathamby

As the days draw nearer and nearer to 17 November, we can diagnose the
fever becoming frenzy. The candidates, or to be more exact their supporters
from the two major political combinations, are frantically attacking each other
and making declarations about how they or their leaders would deal with
matters ranging from childcare to geriatrics and from agriculture and industry
to peace.

Play up! play up! and play the game!”

By Keith Noyahr

The two main presidential candidates and their supporters must be
congratulated for desisting from violence during the three weeks of
campaigning since the October 7 Nominations. There is exactly three more
weeks to go for the crucial election and the same restraint is expected from
the two sides.

The CPA has noted 39 major incidents of violence including one death and 67
minor ones, including 40 election offences, adding up to a total of 106.

Eastern Muslims in quandary over polls

By A. M. Jazeel

The votes of the eastern Muslims are significant in deciding the victory of the
presidential candidate in the country. The two leading candidates, Ranil
Wickremesinghe from the UNP and Mahinda Rajapaksa from UPFA are
involved in alluring the votes of thee Muslims in their favour when the Muslims
in the east are nowadays politically divided into many factions.

Sixty eight years old
A.L.Jeynudeen breaks
the Ramazan fast at
6.30pm in the evening
, in his transitional
shetler. Flanked by
him are his fifty eight
years old wife Roja
Nona, his thirty two
years old daughter in
law Fathima Baby
Sajakan, his six years
old grand daughter
Akila Sajakan ans his
eight years old grand
son Farshad Sajakan.

[HA By Dushiyanthini
Kanagasabapathipillai

Presidents or puppets, citizens or slaves?

By Malinda Seneviratne

Mahinda Rajapakse and Ranil Wickremesinghe are, true to the tradition of
their breed, very promising candidates. They have both promised heaven and
earth and much else besides, both to the parties and organisations that have
pledged them support and to the general public. In the matter of auctioning off
non-existent resources, neither is second to the other.

Sri Lanka accused on riot report [BBC]

Sri Lanka must publish an official report into the massacre of 27 young
Tamils, a human rights group has urged.
The Delhi-based Asian Centre for Human Rights says it has seen the report,
which was commissioned by President Kumaratunga but never released.

The group says police knew locals were about to attack a detention centre
housing the Tamil youths five years ago, but did nothing to stop them.

EU warns of future monitoring missions [BBC]

The European Union said it is ‘frustrated’ of lack of progress on implementing
recommendations made by previous EU delegations on improving democratic
process in Sri Lanka. John Cushnahan, Chief Observer of European Union
Election Observation Mission (EOM) told the journalists that Sri Lanka has
failed to implement any key recommendations of the previous three EU
missions.

Charles Gnanakone and the Kadirgamar killing

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate
and Additional District Judge Sarojini Kusala Weerawardena on Monday Oct
24th that they have detained Charles Selvakumar Gnanakone an Australian
passport holder for questioning in connection with the assassination of
Former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. Responding to a request
made by the CCD Judge Weerawardena extended the detention period of
Gnanakone for a further 90 days. He was taken into custody on Oct 10th.

Scars remain after bandit's demise [BBC News]

A year after police killed the notorious bandit Veerappan, the forests of
southern India that were once his domain are quiet. The police pickets have
gone and security check posts have been removed. In some places villagers
have been allowed to graze their cattle in the forest. Veerappan's unmarked
grave on the banks of the Periyar River continues to get curious visitors.

Veerappan's unmarked grave still draws the curious.

From TamilWeek Oct 24, 2004:
Troubling questions about the killing of Veerappan

By D. B. S. Jeyaraj

This 'disconnect' in official claim and public belief is somewhat symptomatic of
the increasing credibility gap between the state and people and media and
people in general. It is widely believed that Veerappan and co. were not killed
in the way that they were supposedly killed by the police. These types of
killings are "officially sanctioned, unofficial executions" and are generally
described as "encounter killings" in India.

Tsunami reveals ancient temple sites [BBC]

Archaeologists say they have discovered the site of an ancient temple in the
southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

It is the latest in a series of archaeological discoveries in the area struck by
December's tsunami, which desilted large areas of the coastline.

The brick temple dates back more than 2,000 years to the late Tamil Sangam
period and was discovered on the beachfront near Saluvankuppam, just north
of a famous World Heritage site at Mahabalipuram.

Vibhasha: an ideal publication for translators

by K. S. Sivakumaran

Vibhasha is the name given to a bulletin in three languages, Sinhala, Thamil
and English. It's private circulated and has not been on sale for more than two
years. It comes out from the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a well-known
non-governmental organisation (NGO). Some bitter hardliners are averse to
NGOs as a rule, even when such institutions do positive things that benefit the
community at large. The "Vibhasha" project is such a good venture. What
does "Vibhasha" (a Sanskrit word) set out to do? Prof. Arjuna Parakrama
(former journalist of the Daily News and a producer of trilingual plays) in the
English Department of the University of Peradeniya heads this project. I would
like to add here that Arjuna and his equally talented siblings are the children
of famous parents, Sali and Sita Parakrama that held sway over the electronic
and print media by their productive contributions half a century ago.

Vikram on a `Maja' trip [Hindu]

Vikram promises his fans another treat this Deepavali. Can he repeat
Anniyan's success?

When you catch Vikram on a rainy evening for the latest on his Deepavali
release, he is characteristically loquacious.

Showing no signs of pre-release tension, the actor dwells at length on his
much-awaited `Maja.' "Till I saw the completed product, I was anxious. But now
that I have, I'm cool and smug. Healthy comedy and plenty of action will make
a perfect combo for a family treat. `Maja' should win," he smiles.

`Maja' is Malayalam director Shafi's first film in Tamil. "The entire credit should
go to him. Shafi will carve a niche for himself in Tamil. And in `Maja,' the
camera is the real hero. Balu has done fabulous work," certifies Vikram.

From Five Star to a star in his own right

Among the crowd in Five Star, Prasanna's film journey has had its rough
edges before enveloped by the smoothness . His restrained performance in
Kasturi Maan winning rave reviews has been the pre-Deepavali gift.

Catching up with the youngster in the right mood set the tone as the heavens
opened up with all its might to shower blessings on the silent performer. Far
from being overawed by the presence of national award winner Meera
Jasmine, he relished the chance to play his part in the denouement.

Deepavalli Movies [Rediff]

Tavamai Tavamirundu
Cast: Cheran, Padmapriya
Director: Cheran

Cheran has just returned from collecting the National Award for his last film
Autograph, which was loved by the masses and critics alike.

While expectations for his next film ride high, TT will be released only if it gets
out of the legal mess it is currently mired in.

Majaa
Cast: Vikram, Asin, Manivannan, Pasupathy
Director: Shafi

Vikram's last film Anniyan was one of the biggest hits of 2005. Majaa, his next,
is a remake of the blockbuster Malayalam hit Thommanum Makkalum with
Rajan P Dev playing Thomman the thief and Mammootty and Lal (not to be
confused with Mohanlal) taking on the roles of his sons.

It is a fun film, with lots of action. Apparently, Vikram fell in love with the film
the minute he saw it, and wanted to remake it in Tamil. Hence, Majaa. The
director of the original, Shafi, has directed the remake as well.

Thommanum Makalum's posters showed the father and his sons. The Tamil
version, however, has only the pictures of the hero and heroine -- Vikram and
Asin. Yes, there is a father, played by Manivannan, and two sons -- Vikram
and Pasupathy.

Kasturiman
Cast: Meera Jasmine, Prasanna
Director: Lohitadas

Like Majaa, Kasturiman is a remake of a Malayalam film. Unlike the other
Diwali releases, the protagonist is a young college girl who works hard to help
her lover realise his dream of becoming an IAS officer.

Meera Jasmine, in the lead role, gave a sterling performance in the Malayalam
original. She plays the lead in the Tamil version too, with Prasanna donning
the role of Kunchacko Boban in the original.

Sivakasi
Cast: Vijay, Asin, Geetha
Director: Perarasu.

Sarasaviya Film Festival winners

THE award winners at the 30th Sarasaviya Cinema awards
Night for the year 2004.

Film Review : Randiya Dahara (Shower of Gold)

Randiya Dahara is the finest film Udayakantha Warnasuriya has made to
date. It happens to be his eighth and latest feature film. His mastery of the art
of the film, the creative montage of moving images and sounds to convey
meaning, is now complete.

Mysteries of Sigiriya and its landscape garden

BY Mihindukulasuriya Susantha Fernando

Sigiriya rock has mystified visitors to the site throughout her long, colourful
history. Different scholars, historians and journalists have expressed various
views on the Sigiriya rock, in order to unveil the eternal mystery and enigma
shrouding the famous, historical site.

In doing so, they have often contradicted each other and overstretched their
imagination. Some distinguished scholars are of the view that the ruins of
Sigiriya are those of a Buddhist meditation centre; others of great erudition
dispute such claim, and stand by the Culavasma version.

Cricket better than wife?

By Asitha Jayawardena

"A loving wife is better than making 50 at cricket or even 99," James Barrie
says, "beyond that I will not go".

What is cricket? Casting a ball at three straight sticks and defending the same
with a fourth. That's how Rudyard Kipling, Indian born writer who won the
Nobel Prize for literature in 1907, defines the game. Meanwhile, Robin William
views cricket as "baseball on Valium".

Tribute: No compromise in writing

Sundara Ramaswamy will be remembered as a writer who
set no standards for others that he himself did not strive to
follow.

"No damsel within the curtained palanquin." This is the refrain in a poem by
Pasuvayya. The verse throbs with the excitement of the cavalcade — led by
the haughty sword-in-hand warrior on the steed, a sweaty rearguard. The
images echo countless legends and folk tales. But the rhythm re-invents the
scene, the mood, the emotion. The verse canters straight into your pulse
beats. It has a striking mysteriousness, a haunting eeriness. Unlike much
modern verse, it cries aloud to be recited, chanted, resonating with meanings
indirect, insistent. It mesmerises you into reading the 107 poems in the
anthology by Pasuvayya, a pseudonym for Sundara Ramaswamy when he
wrote verse.

'Shalimar the Clown' Takes Salman Rushdie Back to
Kashmir [NPR Audio]

Author Salman Rushdie has a new book out. Shalimar the Clown is set in
Kashmir, the volatile region bordering Indian Pakistan that was recently
devastated by an earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people.

Rushdie is intimately familiar with the area. He had family in Kashmir growing
up and spent summers there, much the way Americans might vacation in
Maine or along the Great Lakes.

Rushdie tells Steve Inskeep about the book's vision of Kashmir, one that
differs dramatically from the chaotic reputation it has today.

2007 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2007)

State Department Web site for the 2007 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2007) is
now open. The application submission period for DV-2007 is from 12:00PM
EST (GMT -5) on October 5, 2005 to 12:00PM EST (GMT -5) on December 4,
2005. The application form will only be available for submission during this
period and this period only. Applications will not be accepted through the U.S.
Postal Service.

The 2007 Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery where 50,000 individuals worldwide
will be selected has been formally declared open in Washington, the US
embassy in Colombo said yesterday.