tamilweek.com/news-features

The residents of the Nanthan Kudiyiruppu in Kallaru in Kilinochchi were brutally awoken at 1.30am on 29 November as sixteen bombs rained on the camp of these internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had displaced multiple times. Three civilians were killed including a five year old child and a further eighteen were seriously injured. Among the injured are seven children under the age of fifteen, Tamil daily Virakesari reported.

The residents of this area are IDPs from all parts of Vanni. Following the heavy rains over the last ten days the IDPs in this settlement displaced yet again to higher grounds and returned to their shelters only on that day after the floods had receded.

A Sri Lankan student attacked by Malaysian youth, passed away from his injuries at the Surdan Hospital in Suban on Nov 30th, 40 kilometers from the capital Kuala Lumpur, Tamil daily Virakesari said on it’s website.

Virakesari report further says, Sri Sarangan, a student of Nottingham University Engineering faculty, in Malaysia was rushed to the Surdan Hospital in a critical condition after being attacked by Malaysian youths targeting ‘Indian students’ three days ago. Sri Sarangan is an old boy (A/L 2005) of Colombo Hindu College, Bambalapitty.

According to Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry sources, the Malaysian youth had mistaken Sri Sarangan and other Sri Lankan students to be ‘Indians’ and assaulted them. A friend of Sri Sarangan was also admitted to the hospital.

The Sri Lankan Mission in Kuala Lumpur immediately informed the Malaysian Government to ensure maximum security to the Sri Lankan student community in Malaysia on the instructions of the Sri lanka Foreign Ministry.

Sri Lankan Mission officials have visited the hospital, Virakesari report said.

Australian universities such as Monash University and Curtin University, and Britain’s University of Nottingham have campuses in Malaysia.

It has been just over a year since Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi announced the country’s goal of attracting 100,000 international students by 2010 as part of its plan to become an education hub.

Heavy rains in the past few days have caused floods that have killed five in Jaffna district and six in Vanni region, according to expressnews.lk due to floods and torrential downpour over the past four days.

Electricity and telephone services have been disrupted in many places.

Free movement of aid delivery is hindering the arrival of much needed help for the civilians, according to aid agencies.

The Sri Lankan government should immediately lift its September order barring humanitarian agencies from the conflict area in northern Sri Lanka so they can assist thousands of persons displaced by flooding from Cyclone Nisha, Human Rights Watch said on Nov 28th.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the floods are worst in five districts in Sri Lanka: Jaffna, Mannar, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu in Northern province, and Trincomalee in Eastern province.

Planning Manager of Vetri FM, A. R. V.Loshan was released by TID this morning in Colombo, according to Virakesari.

He was arrested at home in Wellawatte near Colombo, just before dawn last Saturday. Sri Lanka Terrorism Investigations Department (TID) alleged the Tamil journalist possessed a mobile phone number of a ‘terrorist’.

He was produced at the court by TID today and released subsequently.

Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), the worldwide press freedom organization said a few days ago that TID allegations against him of having “links with terrorists” and “aiding terrorist activities” should be based on evidence and not on simple conjecture.

“The growing number of arrests by the authorities of Tamil journalists under the anti-terror law gives currency to the common rumor that many of them are Tamil Tiger agents, but also undermines the anti-terror law itself”, RSF added.

On March 7, the Terrorist Investigative Department (TID) arrested journalist J.S. Tissainayagam and detained him without charges for more than 150 days. He was later charged both under Emergency Regulations and the Prevention of Terrorism Act for printing and distributing the North Eastern Monthly magazine and aiding and abetting terrorist organisations through raising money for the magazine. His trial is presently before the High Court in Colombo.

J.S. Tissainayagam, a political prisoner being transferred to a violent prison on Nov 18th and now being held with Sri Lanka’s notorious criminals has also received widespread condemnations, from independent media and human rights groups.

The International Federation of Journalist (IFJ) has unequivocally condemned what it sees as attempts to intimidate, harm and harass journalists in Sri Lanka. 

The people in Vanni marched in thousands towards two Government Agents’ offices and two Divisional Secretariat offices in four locations on Friday Nov 21st, protesting against Sri Lanka Government’s restrictions on food and essential supplies, blaming Colombo for using humanitarian supplies as a tool of war to force civilians to flee against their will into the hands of Sri Lanka Army (SLA).

Participants marched from Number 1 school located near Neththali-aattup-paalam in Tharmapuram towards Kilinochchi GA’s office. More than 5,000 civilains took part forming a 1 km long march

Velamalikithan, a representative of Vanni Peoples Welfare Organisation (VPWO), addressing more than 5,000 protesters in front of Kilinochchi Government Agent’s office at Tharmapuram described how the supplies were reduced from 600 lorries per month in 2007 to 250 lorries per month in 2008, but only 54 have allowed to cross into Vanni in the recent days.

The march began at 9:30 a.m.

People from all walks of life took part in the demonstration in Vanni

Placard against fishing blockade by Sri lanka navy

Demonstrators condemned Sri Lanka government restrictions on food supplies to Vanni people

We condemn the Sri Lanka government, which blocks humanitarian supplies to the people of Vanni.”

On Nov 20th, Amnesty International has appealed to Sri Lanka’s government to allow aid to reach more than 300,000 people displaced by fighting in the north. The human rights group urged both the government and Tamil Tiger rebels to allow international monitors into the northern Wanni region.

[Video by Amnesty International on call for access to humanitarian aid]

Sri Lanka government has emphatically rejected the charges of humanitarian aid blockage to the displaced people in the in the Wanni region, made by the Amnesty International in its latest report.

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Manjeri Narayanan Nambiar or M.N.Nambiar (89) as he was generally known passed away after prolonged illness around 1.00 pm , at a private nursing home in Chennai on Wednesday November 19th 2008. The remains were taken to his residence at Gopalapuram for fans and members of the film fraternity to pay their respects to the legendary “villain” of Tamil cinema.

Nambiar was a rare individual who played villainous roles on screen while remaining a virtuous person with saintly qualities off-screen. Contrary to his villainous screen persona, Nambiar was in real life a teetotaler and vegetarian and, above all, a man who upheld ethical values without any scandal or gossip ever being attributed to him.

He was also a great devotee of Sabarimalai Shree Aiyappan and undertook annual pilgrimages to the shrine for over 65 years. He was one of those instrumental in popularising the comparatively unknown deity over the years. He initiated mountain-trekking pilgrimages at a time when it was not ‘fashionable’ to worship Shree Aiyappan on the scale it is being done today. As a result, he was hailed not merely as a ‘Guruswamy’ but a ‘Mahaguruswamy’ by Aiyappan devotees.

Recently, former film actress and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jayaram worshipped at the octogenarian’s feet and sought his blessings on her 60th birthday. Tamil superstar and Aiyappan devotee Rajnikanth is another who regularly got himself blessed by the Mahaguruswamy. [Click here to read the article in full, M.N. Nambiar: Legendary "Villain" of Tamil Cinema ~ in transCurrents.com]

D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at: djeyaraj2005@yahoo.com