Sri Lanka: Will we ever grow up?
By Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
The impending presidential election has brought critical issues relating to
the ethnic or majority-minority conflict back again to the fore. The JVP and
the JHU have in their own inimitable way focused attention on these issues
and have forced the SLFP and UNP to confront these issues and
unequivocally define their positions. A national debate on these issues-
which should have been the foremost in our national agenda, and which
was long overdue may be finally with us thanks to the JVP and JHU. The
SLFP and the UNP cannot dodge these critical issues any more and
prevaricate opportunistically as has been their usual practice. They cannot
run with the foxes and hunt with the dogs any more. As the JHU has rightly
said the presidential election will be a referendum on possible solutions to
the Sinhala- Tamil / Majority-Minority conflict and the economic direction
the country has to take.
Unitary State
must go for
Real Sri Lankan
Unity
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The single biggest
achievement of Norway
facilitated six rounds of
talks between the Sri
Lankan Government and
the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam was the
Oslo declaration.
For the first time in
modern Sri Lankan
history the Government
and tigers agreed in
principle to "explore" a
federal solution at Oslo.
This effectively meant
that Colombo and
Kilinochchi were
prepared to move away
from entrenched
positions of "unitary
Statism" and "separate
Statism " to seek a new
"Federal state
"alternative.
|
JVP- PM policy agreement [BBC]
Following is the 12-point policy plan agreed by the JVP and PM Rajapakse:
It is hereby declared that the Post-Tsunami Operational Management
Structure which was signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and the
Liberation Tamil Tiger Elam (herein after referred to as LTTE) on the 24th
June 2005 the implementation of which has been already stayed by the
Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and also was subject to much public criticism
shall not reactivate, enforce or implement in whatsoever manner and for
the purpose of accelerating, expediting and regularizing the provision of
the necessary relief services to all the people affected by Tsunami, a new
program shall be formulated as a priority task on reviewing the existing
program and to activate it forthwith through the assistance and intervention
of the government.
Mainstream Extremism [Tamil Guadian]
The stark polarisation amongst Sri Lanka’s ethnic communities is
undoubtedly set to deepen further. The Sinhala right wing coalition that
emerged this week behind Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse’s
Presidential candidacy is not just a marriage of political convenience but an
assertive statement of their shared vision of a future Sri Lanka – one in
which the Sinhala-Buddhism is the prevailing order and the minorities know
their place.
Twelve
Commandments
of the Crimson
Comrades
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The compelling need to
garner as many sources
of voter support as
possible has made
Mahendra Percy
Rajapakse alias
Mahinda Rajapakse
commit what may very
well be a major political
blunder.
|
SLFP believe in federal system - Mangala [BBC]
Sri Lanka Freedom Party still believe in a federal system,says Minister
Mangala Samaraweera.
The Minister was explaining the government's stand at a news conference
jointly called on Friday by the SLFP and JVP to clerify the current situation
that has come up as a result of the deal Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse
signed with the JVP.
Chandrika Mahinda row over JVP deal
A new row had developed between the President Chandrika Kumaratunge
and the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse over the agreement the Prime
Minister had signed with the JVP.
Sivaram killing: Will the case be dragged on and
dropped
As we all know by now from the copious reporting in the press, Sivaram
was abducted at 10.30 p.m. on 28th April after having drinks with three
others at Bambalapitiya Junction. He had moved away from the bar with
one companion to board a bus when he, fighting back, was pushed into a
vehicle by ruffians and driven away. His body was found in the morning
across the strip of water from the Parliament, along the Japan-Sri Lanka
Friendship Road. He had been killed with a blow to the head and shot at.
According to the post mortem report he was not tortured.
People lodge complaints with SLMM to allow
resettlement [LTTEPS]
Seventy families displaced from Valigamam north high security zones
(HSZ) lodged complaints with SLMM for ceasefire violations. According to
the ceasefire agreement (CFA) these people like thousands of others
should be allowed to resettle in their own land. However, the military has
failed to honour the CFA and vacate the land belonging to the people.
People have submitted all the details about themselves and their
displacement from their own land in their complaints to the SLMM.
US Congressional briefing of the Sri Lanka Caucus
Asserting that "a major political change is needed if all communities are to
live together in Sri Lanka," Teresita Schaffer, former U.S Ambassador to
Sri Lanka, said at a US Congressional briefing of the Sri Lanka Caucus on
Thursday that she hoped "Sri Lanka won’t throw away chances for this in
the election campaign." [TamilNet]
Calls for greater international involvement
"I would like to conclude by saying that the impact of the international
community has been mixed in Sri Lanka’s peace process. On the one hand
it has had a positive impact on the sustainability of the peace process
through sustained interest and economic support. It has however, not been
particularly effective in stemming the tide of grave ceasefire violations,
insisting on a resumption of talks or transforming the LTTE into a
democratic institution." [Lacnet]
Arugambay Photojournal: Turning the tide [BBC]
Even before the 2002 ceasefire in Sri Lanka's civil war, Arugam Bay, a
sleepy village on the island's south-east coast, had a reputation for its
awesome waves.
Equipped with their boards, hardcore surfers would travel thousands of
miles, and dodge the bullets, to enjoy the six-foot barrelling waves that
swept into shore.
As peace spread, the beach prospered.
Then, on Boxing Day 2004, the most extreme wave of all - the tsunami -
nearly wiped the settlement clean off the map.
Months earlier, Arugam Bay had earned the surfing community's official
sanction, by hosting a major sporting event - the British Pro Surf
Association's Champion of Champions.
"We found a quality of wave that gives surfers the chance to perform at
their best," says BPSA chairman Dave Reed.
Tsunami victims still on the streets [BBC]
More than 1,200 families are still living on the streets of Madras (Chennai)
nearly a year after the Asian tsunami tore into the city's coastline.
With only crude shelter and negligible provision from NGOs, the families
say they are being harassed by police and are threatened with violence by
people who want them off the streets.
Sri Lanka's Central Bank Reviews
2006 Growth Forecast on Oil [Bloomberg]
Sri Lanka's central bank is reviewing its 2006 economic growth forecast of
6 percent due to high oil prices, governor Sunil Mendis said.
``If corrective action isn't taken, oil can cost us a lot next year,'' Mendis
said in a Sept. 2 interview in Colombo. ``If we have to live with oil at $70 a
barrel, we need to look at how to continue to absorb the shock through
remittances, tourism and our ports, while conserving energy.''
Mendis, 61, said he was still confident Sri Lanka's $20 billion economy
would meet the central bank's 2005 growth forecast of 5 percent to 5.5
percent ``as exports are doing well and tourism is recovering.''
Inflationary pressures caused by higher fuel prices is threatening Sri
Lanka's recovery from last year's tsunami and a two-decade civil war than
ended in a cease-fire in 2002. Inflation may rise further this year after
President Chandrika Kumaratunga's stopped paying subsidies to Lanka
IOC Ltd., a unit of the state-run Indian Oil Corp., to compensate the
company for selling fuel at below-market prices.
Charity & Non-Profit Organizations
Senthalir is run
by:
Centre for Women
Development and
Rehabilitation (CWDR),
Jaffna-Kandy Road(A9),
Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka.
A/C:
Bank-Bank of Ceylon,
Kilinochchi Branch,
Account number-24562.
Telephone:
00940212285710.
Email:
cwdr_tamils@yahoo.com
Senthalir:
Tender Sprouts - was located in Mullaitivu coastal line, when tsunami hit.
There were 175 war orphans stayed at Tender Sprouts at that time. Only
30 kids survived.
Thirukkural Bharatam
Thirukkural Bharatham, combining South Indian Classical Dance with the
wisdom of Tamil classical literature, will be held on the 11th of September,
2005, 5 PM, at Lestor B. Pearson Theatre, 150 Central Park Drive,
Brampton.
Dance is choreographed by world renowned dancing couple V.P and
Shantha Dhananjayan and performed by the Pathmarajah sisters, in aid of
The Tamil Children's' Endowment Fund.
Tamil Children’s Endowment Fund
(In partnership with the Center for Women’s
Development and Rehabilitation, Sri Lanka)
#1203 - 100 Echo Point, Scarborough, ON. M1W 2V2
416-451-3125 | www.tcefund.org | info@tcefund.org
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have
done for others and the world remains and is immortal." - Albert Pike
Arts - Culture - Heritage
Water premieres in Toronto, at long last [Hindu]
Film Festival opens with third of Deepa Mehta's trilogy
The Toronto International Film Festival opened on Thursday night with the
world premiere of Deepa Mehta's Water, which had triggered protests
when it began filming in India five years ago. Crowds gathered at the two
cinema halls to watch the film set in pre-Independence India. Water tells
the story of eight-year-old child bride Chuyia, who is sent to a widow's
ashram after her husband's death.
Over 10 days, a total of 335 films from 52 countries will be showcased at
the 30th edition of the annual festival. Of them, 109 will be world premieres.
Toronto Film Fest begins [CBC]
The prestigious Toronto International Film Festival has begun. This is the
30th anniversary of the festival, which has become a must-stop on the film
circuit.
The festival will feature 335 movies from around the world, and include
more than 100 world premieres.
Canadian director Deepa Mehta will open the festival with her film called
Water.
Celebrities attending the festival include Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony
Hopkins and Morgan Freeman.
Tamil Moview Review: Lyrical tilt to a love story:
`Oru Kallooriyin Kadhai,'
From shot one of Chozha Creations (P) Ltd.'s `Oru Kallooriyin Kadhai,'
you see writer-director Nanda Periyasamy's urge to be different. And
different he definitely is. It is one of those rare instances when happenings
in a college backdrop are projected very naturally. Sounds of lectures from
different classrooms that filter down the corridors of an otherwise quiet
ambience, as opposed to the levity in the hostel, are impressive examples.
Casting is another scoring point — the actors just glide into their roles with
ease. And Periyasamy's story telling style has a lyrical quality about it.
Arundhati Roy demands withdrawal of Indian army
from Kashmir [Daily Times]
“Indians have no right to talk about whatever is happening in Palestine
and Iraq unless we discuss and highlight the atrocities being committed in
the Valley. The issue is not just related to the freedom of Kashmiris, it is a
matter of concern for all Indians. What farcical peace are we talking about?”
She added: “In the global arena, India is revered for its democracy and
Gandhian values, which is nothing but a lie. Indian occupation in Jammu
and Kashmir has surpassed the excesses of Pinochet in Chile.
“Everyday, ordinary Kashmiris are being subjected to humiliation, and we
say peace is returning to the Valley. During my recent visit to the State, I
found numerous cases of repression, but the Government is not ready to
accept it.”
Lost and Found in the Louisiana Diaspora [NPR Audio]
One is reminded of the dazed and wandering survivors of the tsunami that
hit Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. But those survivors were so
far away, and foreign. These lost people are American. Yet for many of us,
these survivors are almost as foreign. Most in Father Wagner's church this
past Sunday were from the city -- the poorest, blackest part of the city.
These are the very people he and members of his order have counseled
for decades.
The Spirit of New Orleans Is in Its Music [NPR Audio]
For many music fans, it has been hard to hear the dramatic stories coming
out of New Orleans and not think about the city's rich cultural heritage. New
Orleans is steeped in music, from the street parades of Mardi Gras to
smoky blues bars and the brass bands that march in jazz funerals.
The flooding sparked by Hurricane Katrina has resonated on several levels
with folklorist Nick Spitzer, host of the roots-music program American
Routes on public radio. Spitzer and his family evacuated the day before
the storm hit -- his home and office are both in New Orleans.
Standard
Disclaimers
Applicable
"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]
