humanity is my fraternity”
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aftermath
in quotes “ ”
[Click] - updated daily........
"The country mourns" reads a headline in Colombo's Lankadeepa.
"Today is the 30th day since the devastating tsunami struck its
catastrophic blow," it continues, echoing most Sri Lankan front
pages.
"One month elapses today since the tsunami havoc," Virakesari
says, pointing out that thousands of people are still reported
missing, and that accurate statistics are yet to be compiled in many
of the affected countries.
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opportunities in Sri
Lanka & Indonesia
From Tamil Press by S. Selvakumar
Constructive talks were held between the government's and LTTE's
Peace Secretariats to cooperate in relief operations and
rehabilitation in the tsunami devastated North-East regions, the
Thinakaran said in its main story on Monday.
The paper quoted LTTE Theoretician Anton Balasingham and said
action taken by the security forces to save people when the tsunami
hit Tamil areas was praiseworthy. Some foreign relief workers who
attempted to convert locals into a christian missionary religion in the
guise of distributing medicines at Akkaraipattu were rounded up and
beaten by the public. A vehicle that belonged to these missionary
workers was also smashed up.
The Virakesari in an interview with Sea Tiger Chief Soosai said he
could not understand as to why foreign relief workers failed to turn
up at Mullaitivu. He was also quoted as saying that the LTTE did not
ban them from visiting Mullaitivu and they should not think that all
Tamils in Mullaitivu were tiger cadres.
Jan 30, 1948:
Gandhi Is Killed By A
Hindu;
India Shaken, World
Mourns;
15 Die In Rioting In
Bombay - Three
Shots Fired.
New York Times
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was forced to cut short her
holiday in Britain because of the Tsunami disaster and return to Sri
Lanka. One of her foremost tasks after reaching Colombo was to
"undo" all what Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had accomplished
within a short time - frame in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy
and bring the entire relief and re - construction effort under the
centralised authority of the president. The speedy return and
"sacrifice" of holiday seems to have been propelled more by narrow
political considerations rather than overwhelming concern for the
affected people.
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam are engaged in talks about setting up a structured authority
to oversee and coordinate all tsunami related rehabilitation and
reconstruction activity in the North - East. The Suranimala column of
Jan 23rd "Sunday Leader" exclusively reported that a tiger
delegation headed by Pulithevan was in Colombo from Jan 15th to
19th for talks with a government team led by Jayantha Dhanapala.
The facilitator was Norwegian envoy Hans Brattskar. The LTTE was
scheduled to be in Colombo this week too for a second round of
talks.
A song parody that mocks victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami has
stirred up anger over its racially insensitive content. The staff of a
popular New York City radio show was suspended after airing a song
that denegrated Asians and made references to child slavery.
The Miss Jones morning show on hip-hop radio station Hot-97 has
been yanked off the air amid growing outrage over a twisted tsunami
parody song even the boss called "indefensible."
Emmis Radio, which owns Hot-97 (WQHT), said yesterday Jones,
whose real name is Tasha Nicole Jones, and her team have been
"indefinitely suspended," an action critics called belated and
insufficient.
"The people responsible need to be taken off the air permanently,"
said City Councilman John Liu (D-Queens). "And the company
should face financial sanctions, so no one can profit from this kind of
ugliness."
Reconstruction Bill [Bloomberg]
Sri Lanka expects overseas aid to cover the estimated $1.8 billion
cost of rebuilding areas devastated by the Dec. 26 tsunami,
Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera said.
``We have about $500 million committed from donors this year,''
Jayasundera, the top civil servant in charge of budget planning, told
a press briefing yesterday in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital. ``We
are confident'' aid will reach at least $1.8 billion in the next three
years, he said.
The world's response to the Tsunami has been impressive but
according to a new report issued today, one month after the tsunami
by the international agency Oxfam , there are some important
lessons to learn
The report, which summarises Oxfam's response to the Tsunami,
'Learning the lessons of the Tsunami: one month on', shows how
immense the response has been from governments, international aid
agencies, the United Nations,
local charities and the world's public. The aid effort has helped save
countless lives and one month after the Tsunami many communities
are already well on the way to physical recovery.
Oxfam alone has already helped over 300,000 people across the
disaster zone. For example, in India Oxfam has distributed over
17,000 hygiene kits, provided safe water and latrines for over 20,000
people living in camps, and assisted over 1,000 families with
temporary shelter.
The report shows that despite the scale of the response, the crisis
has also brought real challenges. For example, in some cases the
influx of money has meant that there are too many organisations
working without the appropriate experience, competencies and skills.
In some parts of Southern India, for
example, the coordination of agencies is a significant problem, while
in others, local governments are coordinating the effort very
effectively. The report calls on those coordinating the response to
ensure that all agencies working in the region are appropriate to the
task .
dubbed English movies [The Hindu Business]
SUN TV, leader in the Tamil general entertainment space, has
started airing English movies dubbed in Tamil, in what is seen as a
response to rival Star Vijay's success with such films last year.
The flagship channel of the Sun Network on Sunday telecast Pearl
Harbour in Tamil in the same time slot (11:30 a.m.) that Vijay uses to
air its dubbed movies.
A street in New York's Jackson Heights has been named after
Kalpana Chawla.
She loved soaring high, flying tail-wheel airplanes, hiking and
backpacking, and she had a devoted husband who shared these
passions. Most of all, she had the "Can Do" attitude that her
Americans bosses liked. This was Kalpana Chawla, the Indian
destined to die for her adopted land — the U.S. She was the first
Indian-American spacewoman to have tried and triumphed. In July
2005 she would have been 44.
Tiruvalluvar Day is celebrated on January 16. PARUTHIYUR K.
SANTHANARAMAN throws light on a temple dedicated to the Tamil
poet in Mylapore, Chennai.
MYLAI NATHAMUNI Mudaliyar, in his `Thirumayilai Thalavaralaru'
narrates Tiruvalluvar's biography in 51 Tamil verses. Valluvar's
livelihood came from weaving and he purchased raw materials from
Aelelasingar, an overseas trader. Aelelasingar considered
Tiruvalluvar as his Gnanaguru.
Devadhaiyai Kandaen
THIS IS probably the first Dhanush film that comes with a U
certificate! And again presumably for the first time you come across
a heroine who is practical — one who doesn't allow her heart to rule
her head. Falling in love with a tea vendor could suit the infatuated
young mind but when it comes to marriage she is able to visualise
the agony of penury and gets out of the affair. In the making for
quite a while Roja Combines' "Devadhaiyai Kandaen," with story,
screenplay, dialogue and direction by G. Bhoopathy Pandian, has
now seen the light of day. That could be a reason for the changes in
Dhanush's hairstyle between scenes, shots ending rather abruptly
and for the sudden introduction of that tasteless song sequence
towards the end.
Iyer IPS
HARIRAJAN, DIRECTOR of "Mangai," family soap, has ventured into
big screen. He has produced and directed "Iyer IPS" for Priyanka Art
Productions. He should have worked more on the script, his own, to
make it neat and tight. As such it sags at several places tempting the
viewer to take a nap not only in between, but also in the climax.
Except Satyaraj, the actors fail to raise to the expectations.
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