humanity is my fraternity”
For the rain of love drench the world, the divine figure appeared
Arriving on the haystack glittering like a diamond
Sun can't appear in front of stars but god appears anytime
To wipe off the tears with his blood child Christ appeared
Son of god appeared to bloom flowers on the earth ruined by war
He shed his blood at Calvary Hills to quench the thirst of his children
He appeared as light to eradicate the darkness of centuries
He appeared to change the hard hearted into soft hearted
He appeared to change the desert into an oasis
For the rain of love drench the world, the divine figure appeared
Arriving on the haystack glittering like a diamond - By Vairamuthu
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Happy New Year
but the radiance
lingers [The Hindu]
Disrupting Peace Efforts [Voice of America]
The United States and two other international donors have
criticized Sri Lanka's coalition government, after one of its
partners made statements the donors say could disrupt efforts
to restart peace talks with separatist rebels.
The statement released by the international donors came after
the People's Liberation Front, or JVP, repeatedly criticized the
role Norway has played in mediating Sri Lanka's peace process.
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) says that it is not opposed to
peace talks with the Tamil Tigers.
The JVP has brought thousands on the streets to voice their
opposition in the past.
In response to a strongly worded announcement by foreign
donor countries in which they urged the government in Sri
Lanka not to allow the JVP to undermine peace efforts, the JVP
said in a statement on Thursday, "we are ever ready to for
peace talks but not on the basis of the ISGA".
Oli Padaitha
Kanninaai [MIOL]
Her own person [The Hindu]
unsatisfactory and does not change our position” [LTTEPS]
Japanese ambassador H. E. Akio Suda has expressed
dissatisfaction over the recent statement of the JVP in response
to USA, Japan and EU expressing their concern about JVP’s
obstructive stand in the peace process”.
The Japanese Ambassador reiterates that the explanation
offered by JVP is not sufficient to change their position vis a vis
the JVP’s obstructive stance. Earlier JVP has cynically criticized
Norway’s facilitatory role and this too was included in the joint
statement of these Ambassadors. JVP’s response referred to
above was consequence to the unequivocal condemnation of
JVP’s position in the peace process by US, Japan and EU.
of a different kind. She
is a rebel against social
inequity and for the
cause of the
underprivileged. Today,
with more than 30
pictures in 10
languages to her credit,
this antithesis of the
Bollywood syndrome is
bubbling with ideas for
making this world a
better place.
Were at Stake in the Human Rights Watch Conferences
[SLDF]
The event in Toronto had as panelists the former Premier of
Ontario Bob Rae and Jo Becker, who serves as Advocacy
Director of Human Rights Watch’s Children’s Rights division. It
was chaired by Noah Novogrodsky of the University of
Toronto's Law School.
A life in ideas and
writing [Sunday Observer]
to Lanka from Canada [Sunday Leader]
Thavaselvam Nandagopal alias Gopu the 32 year old brother
in law of LTTE political wing chief SP Tamilselvan has been
deported to Sri Lanka from Canada.
Nandagopal alias Gopu whose sister is married to the tiger
political chief was deported back to Colombo on Monday
December Sixth.
Gopu was a failed refugee claimant who had been living in
Canada since 1995. [Contd.]
of his life Siriwardena
was the Editor of the
International Centre for
Ethnic Studies and was
a father figure to the
young academics and
researchers of that
institute.
He was horrified and
saddened by the killing
of Dr. Neelan
Tiruchelvam which took
place almost at the
ICSES' doorstep and
was a staunch
advocate of a sane
approach towards the
resolution of the Tamil
national question. On a
different level he was
also a passionate
advocate of
multi-culturalism which
he has celebrated in
his short novel 'The
Lost Lenore' insisting
that all of us are
thuppahi under our
skins.
At least five people have been killed following torrential rains
and flooding in Sri Lanka.
More than half a million people have been affected in the north
and east of the country.
Many homes have been destroyed and people have been
forced to take shelter in schools and temples.
Indian media speculating on the incident had mentioned four
possible groups who would have carried out the attack. Most
Indians believe it was carried out by the LTTE to mollify India.
But media ruled out that possibility saying that LTTE would go
for a 'mega scale' attack rather than hurling a grenade.
The second accusing finger was pointed at Janatha Vimukthi
Peramuna (JVP). Media here claimed the JVP as a Sinhala
Buddhist and Marxist-Leninist party with strong anti-Indian
sentiments. It was also pointed out the JVP is now looking for
Indian support to checkmate the LTTE. Jathika Hela Urumaya,
the party of Buddhist monks as it is known here was also
among the suspects, but said the party changed its stance on
the concert day.
Accent on Solheim's visit, floods [Sunday Observer]
The Virakesari had a large picture of Foreign Minister
Lakshman Kadirgamar greeting Dinesh Rajaratnam who was
abducted in Iraq and released last week. The Thinakkural in its
lead story quoted President Kumaratunga's address in Matara
and said that she would in future control the UNP's terrorism
since Ranil Wickremesinghe could not do so. The Sudaroli in its
lead story screamed that even parliamentarians had been
prohibited from meeting jailed S.B. Dissanayake, a UNP
parliamentarian.
All Tamil dailies on Tuesday highlighted the floods in the East.
The Thinakaran in a front page story said Minister Mangala
Samaraweera would appoint a committee to probe whether the
media had a hand in the troubles that erupted at the Race
Course grounds during the Temptations 2004 show.
Following a complaint by the LTTE that attempts were made to
set fire to the LTTE political office in Nilaweli, an SLMM team
visited the area and held an inquiry, the Thinakkural reported.
It further said that Navy personnel attached to a nearby camp
were the main suspects.
The Sudaroli quoted Commissioner General of Prisons Rumy
Marzook and said a parliamentarian could visit the prisons to
examine its shortcomings but would not be allowed to meet S.B.
Dissanayake on that guise. In another story, the paper quoted
Parliamentarian Karu Jayasuriya and said that Dissanayake's
release would be secured through Parliament. Four Tamils had
been abducted by an armed gang in Seruwila, the paper said in
another front page story. The Virakesari reported the arrival of
Erik Solheim and his intended meeting with the LTTE on
Wednesday.
Erik Solheim met with Muslim representatives of the North-East
at the Norwegian Embassy and assured that he would arrange
a meeting between their representatives and Prabhakaran on
his next visit to Sri Lanka, the Thinakaran said in a front page
story on Wednesday.
A TRUE INTELLECTUAL
OF OUR TIMES
[Sunday Leader]
BY D.B.S.JEYARAJ
Death has taken away
from our midst a great
soul with a great mind.
Regi Siriwardena who at
the age of eighty -three
passed away peacefully
last week was a true
intellectual of our times.
Regi was an intellectual
giant possessed of
versatile talents but
never flaunted it. He was
a modest and simple
man with an unassuming
personality embodying
or personifying the
saying "Speak less than
thou knowest and have
more than thou showest".
[Contd.]
Silambarasan's impressive story telling skills find the right
platform in Indian Theatre Production's much-awaited venture,
"Manmadhan" (A). The hero takes on the onus of story,
screenplay and direction supervision for the first time and
displays a reasonable level of maturity.
How does he do it? ``Radio Ceylon,'' he says. ``Forty years of
listening,'' he adds proudly, and credits the rest to his
knowledge of Carnatic music.
The latest Disney product, "The Incredibles," launches its next
cartoon era to critical acclaim. Kamal Mistry, is Technical
Director at Pixar, the animation studio that crafted the seamless
crossover from 2-D to 3-D.
1447, Gerrard Street,
Toronto
Tel: 416-778-4542
Demographically, we are a dying community-our deaths
outweigh our births. Parsis like to quote a remark that Mahatma
Gandhi once reportedly made, "In numbers Parsis are beneath
contempt, but in contribution, beyond compare."
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