2005
all humanity is my
fraternity”
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By Professor Karthigesu Sivathamby
Source: Northeastern Monthly
While the Tamil government agent (district secretary) of Batticaloa
was going around in circles holding one meeting after another
without spending the Rs.10 million already allocated to him to
commence relief assistance, it were Sinhala people from
Polonnaruwa and the Muslims from Valaichenai and Ottamavadi, who
fed and clothed displaced Tamils from Batticaloa.
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By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
If only 30% of affected people were getting state aid after five weeks
then that blame or responsibility has to be borne by none other than
the President who was in overall charge of the relief work and is also
head of government. Former US President Harry Truman had a sign
plaque on his table in the White House oval office "The buck stops
here." If the game of deflecting blame or passing the buck stopped
with the White House in Washington the situation in Colombo is the
reverse. 'The buck starts here' is more appropriate at Janadhipathy
Mandhiraya.
In what was perhaps a related yet unacknowledged development
there was a news report within 24 hours of the Ranaviraja press
conference that Dr. Tara de Mel had tendered her resignation as
tsunami relief 'commissar' to focus her energies and undivided
attention to the Education Ministry. [Contd.]
over the world..
Language spoken by
hearts in love..
Language spoken
without sound..
Language of
sphereless divine"
It is now more than five weeks since the Indian Ocean tsunami
disaster. But thousands of fishermen in the southern Indian state of
Tamil Nadu have still not returned to the sea. The waters of the Bay
of Bengal off Nagappattinam remain empty. According to
government figures, the tsunami destroyed around 20,000 boats.
About 10,000 catamarans and motor boats were registered with the
government but it has little information about the rest.
(In 1966 MGR Hit Movie
"Naadodi")
Excerpts from interview to Hindustan Times in Colombo:
Q: What did you think you, as an Indian film actress, could do in
tsunami-hit Sri Lanka?
A: Initially, I was very hesitant to come here. I did not think that I
could do anything worthwhile in a week's visit. But at the same time,
I wanted to reach out and see things for myself. Tragedies abound
around us, and yet, they do not touch us very easily any more.
We tend to forget them and get on with our lives with amazing
alacrity. I feel that we have to see human life in all its aspects
face-to-face.
Only then it gets embedded in our minds and we can do something
about it.
a world in us,
A world possibly not
born until they arrive,
And it is only by this
meeting that
A new world is born."
- Anais Nin – French
born American writer
(1903 – 1977)
aftermath
in quotes “ ”
[Click] - updated daily........
tsunami with head injuries, cries in the arms of his mother, Sarmila.
[Anglican Journal]
New York Times
[From University of Waterloo Student Newspaper]
Before Boxing Day, I was scheduled to go on a foreign aid mission in
northeastern Sri Lanka along with a group of students from all over
the world. The group included 11 UW students and was set to be in
Mullaitivu, one of the regions most affected by the tsunami. However,
our plans were postponed at the last minute due to heavy rain
experienced in the area the night before.
ravaged Sri Lanka [NAPA
News]
A visit to a people in
peril
With coordination
between the Rotarians in
the Colombo Regency
Club and the Kalmunai
Club, Upton and Dacanay
were hosted by Dr.
Loganathan and Dr.
Pushpalatha Loganathan,
a gracious husband/wife
doctor team in the fishing
village of Kalmunai. Their
days in Kalmunai started
at 5:30 a.m. when the
mosque in the
neighborhood would start
blaring its daily wake-up
prayer and music. It was
nice to have a light, quick
breakfast before the flies
came out in full force.
LTTE Chief Negotiator Anton Balasingham states that if the
government and the LTTE can work together on the post-tsunami
reconstruction by working out a mechanism to handle the relief
assistance, it would create an ideal environment for both parties to
resume talks.
In an interview with The Sunday Leader, Balasingham said the JVP
was however the cardinal factor for the current stalemate in the
peace process and that if the government continues to embrace the
JVP there would not be any scope for peace talks.
The LTTE Theoretician was also critical of the government's
decision to prevent UN Secretary General Kofi Annan visiting the
Wanni and described it as a 'historical blunder.'
Following are excerpts:
Q. The President herself soon after the tsunami said that the
LTTE as a military force has been finished and that they are
not in a position to wage war - that was the focus that was
presented to the country soon after she returned from
London. How serious is the damage inflicted to the LTTE's
military might and can the government work on the
assumption that the LTTE is militarily weakened and that it is
now negotiating from a position of weakness?
A. No, I wouldn't say that because I have been there and met all the
senior military commanders. I spent several days with Soosai, the
naval commander and visited all the naval bases on the Tamil Eelam
coast. What I can say is this, to be very honest with you, there is no
serious damage in terms of casualties. Of course some of our naval
bases have been damaged and some of our boats have been
destroyed, there is no doubt about it. But in terms of casualties, it is
very very minimal. I don't want to say how many, but I would say
minimal. Because all our armed forces are confined to military bases
in the jungle areas. Only the naval unit was confined to the coastal
regions.
I think D.B. S. Jeyaraj is correct when he says in his article that all
the ship building and all the naval gunboats are always inside
because we know from experience in the last 10 years that if you
keep your naval gunboats along the coastal belt there are two
dangers - one by aerial bombardment and by naval bombardment
you can destroy our boats because you have a powerful navy. So
what we do is we bring the boats from inside our secret bases - we
pull them inside by various means, we don't have massive ships only
small gunboats. So we bring them, put them into action after that
they are withdrawn to their bases. Only few boats here and there
were affected. [Contd.]
Ambassador of Tamil
After Tsunami [VOA News]
U.N. spokesman Geoffrey Keele in Colombo has welcomed the
release of these children, but says there are still hundreds of
underage recruits in the rebel ranks, known as the L.T.T.E.
"Since the tsunami struck on 26th of December we have confirmed
52 cases of recruitment of children," he said. "So we are very
pleased that 23 children have been released this weekend.
The commonest cause of headache, however, is Sinusitis. This may
be associated with nasal obstruction, running nose, postnasal
discharge, dry cough and other such factors. With the nose being
subject to various environmental pollutants and infections, sinusitis
has become an increasingly common problem.
The director said, "Economy is the basic factor one should bear in
mind while producing a film. I give the complete chart of all the days
of shooting nearly two months in advance. So that from the producer
to the last office boy work is specified. This is why all my previous
films have met with success. This will also be a hit. I have to finish
only two songs and am ready for the release on February 14,
Lovers' Day."
An international Thirukkural conference is to be held in Columbia,
USA, on 9 and 10 July, 2005. The Tamil community in USA is
organising the conference in collaboration with academic institutions
and cultural organisations in USA and India. The main objective of
the conference is to create and promote awareness of Thirukkural in
US among Americans and the youth of Indian origin.
The programme includes lectures, discussions, workshops for
students, cultural programs and Thirukkural competitions for
children. Speaking at a press meet in Chennai yesterday R
Prabhakaran, conference co-ordinator, said the conference
proceedings would be in English and be headed by V C Kulandai
Swamy, former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University and Indira Gandhi
Open University. Tamil scholar Dr George Hart, professor, Tamil
chair at the University of California, would deliver the keynote
address. Speakers from India and other countries had been invited
for the conference, he added.
The tiny village of Tirumukkudal in Kanchipuram district, about 75 km
from Chennai, dates back to the Pallava era. It earns its name from
the picturesque location it is situated at — the confluence of the
Palar and two of its tributaries, the Vegavati and the Cheyyar. An
inscription engraved in this shrine is ample proof that a temple
dedicated to Venkatesa Perumal found on the deserted outskirts of
this village, overlooking the now-dry rivers existed as early as the
ninth century A.D.
1447, Gerrard Street,
Toronto
Tel: 416-778-4542
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