Special Focus: 29 December 2004 Velupillai Pirabaharan, Leader of Tamil Eelam to include | Message on Tsunami Disaster in Tamil with English Translation "My beloved and respected Tamil people, Our homeland has faced an unprecedented major disaster and is submerged in deep sorrow today. .. In the island of Sri Lanka, the sea belt coast from Jaffna to Galle and especially our homeland territories became targets of Nature’s fury resulting in massive destruction of life and property. The devastation caused by this tidal surge has exacerbated the sufferings of our people already affected by a war that continued for over twenty years and has torn asunder our nation. I convey my feeling of attachment, consolation and deepest condolences to our people who have lost their beloved and dearest, and undergoing unbearable sorrow and pain." more |
29 December 2004 Tsunami Disaster & The Tamil People: Tamil Eelam - Tamil Nadu to include | 1.Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation Media Release, Press Conference at Swiss TRO Headquarters, Geneva "Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation...has grave concerns that our ability to respond in a timely manner is being hindered by excessive administrative, bureaucratic and control requirements imposed. We are going through a critical phase of the relief efforts to address the impact of the unparalleled calamity caused by Tsumani. Urgent response is of paramount importance to arrest further deterioration of this tragic situation. This is particularly so because relief channelled through the Government of Sri Lanka has not reached the people of the northeast of the Island... "more 2. Helping Hands in Sri Lanka – But When in the NorthEast? - Alex Doss "Several donor countries like the United States, Germany, Japan, and Australia have pledged aid to the countries effected by this destructive tsunami. However, in Sri Lanka, where exactly are these funds going to? Why hasn’t any funds reached the NorthEast as of yet? LTTE political wing leader SP Tamilchelvan told BBC Tamilosai that, “international aid is going mainly to the affected regions in the south.” As of now he is still waiting for a response from the government of Colombo in regards to the issue..." |
28 December 2004 Tamil Centre for Human Rights to include | Tsunami - Northeast death toll rises to 12200 - No relief or assistance received from government or international community "...TCHR sources have so far confirmed the death toll in the North East as 12,200 and the injured as more than 11,100. The death figure is likely to increase as the rescue and recovery operations are still underway in the affected villages in the North, East.....The Colombo media, especially TV and daily newspapers in English and Singhalese have failed to give a breakdown of the casualty and fatality figures, thus in effect putting a news block on the tragic reality as experienced in the North East. They also pointed out that the international help rendered to Sri Lanka has not reached the affected people in the North East... As the government help failed to reach the North East areas, the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation – TRO, which is presently helping the victims round the clock, is appealing for international help.Their urgent requirements to attend to the immediate phase are : Food items including milk powder, precooked for 80,000 families - 3 meals for two weeks; clothing for women and children; medicine -paracetamol, anti biotics, dressings, suture material, disposable syringes etc; water purification tablets and water containers; 25,000 temporary shelters and 50 medical tents; non food items includes kitchen utensils, a hundred thousand mats and portable generators..."more |
27 December 2004 Tamil Diaspora - a Trans State Nation to include  1. Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation - Urgent Appeal for Humanitarian Assistance: 8000 Dead and 500,000 Displaced in northeast of the Island of Sri Lanka "...The present resources available to TRO are nowhere near sufficient to meet the huge crisis that has arisen and we are faced with the prospect of an ever increasing toll of the dead, outbreak of epidemics as the dead lie in open fields and waterways, shortage of food and a continued denial of basic living needs for a half a million people. Assistance channelled through the Government of Sri Lanka has failed to reach the displaced in the northeast. It is only through the immediate, unstinted and generous support of the Tamil diaspora that we will be able to surmount the humanitarian crisis that has arisen. The Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation calls upon Tamils in each country to join with the efforts by the branch of the TRO in their country in this urgent task. Those individuals who wish to help directly may also do so on line through our website www.troonline.org..."
2. ஈழம் வடக்குக்கிழக்கில் 6000 பொதுமக்கள் உயிரிழப்பு (27.12.2004) - 500 000 மக்கள் இடம்பெயர்வு - அவசர மனிதாபிமான உதவிகளை வழங்கிடுவீர்! - தமிழர் புனர்வாழ்வுக் கழகம், கிளிநொச்சி - "ஒவ்வொருநாடுகளிலும் உள்ள தமிழர் புனர்வாழ்வுக் கழகத்தின் கிளைநிறுவனங்கள் ஊடாக ஒருங்கிணைக்கப்பட்டு மேற்கொள்ளப்படும் இவ் அவசர பணிகளில் இணைந்து செயற்படுமாறு அனைத்து மக்களையும் புனர்வாழ்வுக்கழகம் கோரியுள்ளது." more |
25 December 2004 - Christmas Day - Reflections அன்பும் சிவமும் இரண்டென்பர் அறிவிலார்
அன்பேசிவமாவது யாரும் அறிகிலார்
அன்பே சிவமாவது யாரும் அறிந்தபின்
அன்பேசிவமாய் அமர்ந்திருந்தாரே - Thirumular
22 December 2004 Culture & the Tamil Contribution to World Civilisation to include Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Organization (TRRO) Presents Drama on War Widows in Tamil Eelam 22 December 2004 Struggle for Tamil Eelam to include 21 December 2004 India & the Tamil Struggle to include | M.Thanapalasingham from Australia - இந்தியாவும் ஈழத்தமிழர்களின் சுயநிர்ணய போராட்டமும் – பேசாப்பொருளை பேச நான் துணிந்தேன் "இந்தப் போராட்டம் Hindu பத்திரிகை கூறுவது போல் சலுகைகளுக்கான போராட்டமல்ல. இந்திய ஆட்சியாளர்கள் எண்ணுவது போல் இதற்கான தீர்வு அதிகார பரவலாக்கமோ மட்டுப்படுத்தப்பட்ட அல்லது ஆகக்கூடிய சுயாட்சியுமன்று. சுயநிர்ணயத்தை கூட்டவோ குறைக்கவோ மட்டுப்படுத்தவோ முடியாது.ஏனெனில் இந்தப் போராட்டம் அந்நிய சிங்கள ஆட்சியில் இருந்து விடுதலை பெறுவதற்கான சுதந்திரப் போராட்டமாகும். இதனை எந்த வழியிலாவது அடைந்தே தீருவோம் என்பதில் தமிழ் மக்கள் உறுதியுடன் இருக்கின்றனர். இதற்காக அவர்கள் கொடுத்த விலைகள் ஏராளம். " more |
19 December 2004 Eelam Tamil Literature to include | 1. அழியா நிழல்கள்: ஒரு கவிதைத் தொகுப்பு - M.A.Nuhuman "... எனது அனுபவங்களையும், உணர்வுகளையும் சிந்தனைகளையும் நான் கவிதைகளாகப் பரிவர்த்தனை செய்கின்றேன் அவ்வளவுதான். நான் ஒரு சாதாரண மனிதன்; எனது கவிதைகளும் சாதாரணமானவை..." more 2. ஏழாண்டு இலக்கிய வளர்ச்சி - மு. தளையசிங்கம் "...தமிழ் இலக்கிய உலகில் மு.த. எழுதிய ஏழாண்டு இலக்கிய வளர்ச்சி ஓர் மைல்கல்லாகவே நிற்கிறதென்றால் அது மிகைப்பட கூற்றாகாது. அந்தளவுக்கு அதன் முக்கியத்துவம் பல பக்கம் கொண்டது..." more 3. முகம் கொள் - கி.பி. அரவிந்தன் "...நட்பு, நேசம், தோழமை, காதல், கனிவு, மனிதம் என்பவற்றையும், அவலமுற்று தொய்த மனத்தின் ஆறாப் புண்களையும் எனக்கு பரிச்சயமான சொற்களுக்குள் புகுத்திவிடலாம் எனும் துணிபு. இச் சொற்களுக்குள் அவை வசப்படவில்லையாயின் அது என் மொழியறிவின் பற்றாக் குறையே. வெட்கம் கொள்கிறேன்..."more |
18 December 2004 Reflections to include | "...From Nostradamus to Alvin Toffler, individuals and organisations have long been obsessed with trying to see the future. The goal is to somehow get advance warning of "what will be".... (However) The goal is not to speculate on what might happen but to imagine what you can actually make happen... You can't be a revolutionary without a revolutionary point of view... You have to become your own seer, your own guru, and your own futurist.. A fresh way of seeing is often more valuable than sheer brainpower..." Gary Hamel in Leading the Revolution |
18 December 2004 Dravidian Temple Architecture to include  Dr.S.Jayabarathi writes from Malaysia on The Disappeared Mandapam of Madurai "This is a story about a Mandapam - a stone pavilion; a mandapam which had found a place in history, heritage, religion, architecture, and mythology. It was a land-mark of a beautiful city and was also an integral part of a festival based on a beautiful legend. It was called 'annak kulzi mandapam' Let me tell you that beautiful legend..." more |
17 December 2004 Tamil Nation Library - Eelam Section to include | Sachi Sri Kantha's Book Review of - Rendering Unto Caesar: Memoirs of a Sinhalese Bureaucrat by Bradman Weerakoon "...Of the millions of Sri Lankans born in the 20th century, Bradman Weerakoon is the only guy to be blessed uniquely. He was blessed for the first time in the year of his birth (1930), when his police officer father Edmund R.Weerakoon christened the name of legendary Australian cricket batsman Donald Bradman to him. ... Bradman Weerakoon was blessed again – the only Sri Lankan - to serve nine Sinhalese politicians who held the nominal executive power from 1954 to 2004...." |
17 December 2004 International Relations in the Age of Empire to include | Testing the Currents of Multipolarity - Dr. Michael A. Weinstein "The tendency toward a multipolar configuration of world politics, in which a number of regional power centers compete for hegemony over their spheres of influence within a framework of international agreements and institutions, is a long term process involving incremental gains and losses for the major players... The drift toward multipolarity has been confirmed by the E.U.'s move to lift its arms embargo on China, Brazil's success in starting a South American Community as an alternative to the F.T.A.A., India's opposition to U.S. arms sales to Pakistan, the Franco-German combine's refusal to support the training mission in Iraq, and Euro-Arab insistence on coupling the Palestine issue to democratic reforms..." more |
16 December 2004 Tamil National Forum to include  Sachi Sri Kantha's Tribute to M.S.Subbulakshmi "M.S.Subbulakshmi (the supreme musician of 20th century Tamil Nadu and known to millions simply by her initials M.S. ) bid farewell to us on December 11th at the age of 88...Since 12th of December I have been reading the eulogies to M.S. in the internet, which she well deserved. In these days of word inflation, even correspondents and editorialists heap adjectives abundantly to show their appreciation. The music produced by M.S. doesn’t need all these adjectives. Couple of words would suffice, to describe her talent perfectly; ‘great’ and its superlative form ‘greatest’..." more |
15 December 2004 India & the Struggle for Tamil Eelam to include Ana Pararajasingham writing in the Indian Think Tank, 'South Asia Analysis Group' suggests India’s Sri Lanka Policy: Need For A Review “'It appears evident, then, that the Indian State failed to take the political force and mass appeal of Tamil nationalism seriously If the violence and perfidy of the Sri Lankan State had given rise to Tamil nationalism in the first place, the popular commitment to Eelam was cemented and solidified by the Tamils bitter experience with the Indian State.' The current policy of supporting the unity and integrity of Sri Lanka while not addressing the spectre of Tamil nationalism will therefore have to be construed as a policy not much different from that which resulted in the physical intervention by India in support of Colombo. The question that needs to be asked is how realistic is it for the Indian Government to persist with such a policy when ground realities have changed significantly during the intervening period." more |
12 December 2004 Tamil Language & Literature to include Cultural Guerrilla Warfare in Tamil Eelam: Aspects of Tamil Resistance Literature - V.Geetha "..The culture of resistance in Sri Lanka that grew out of the Tamil People's struggles for their traditional homeland of Eelam sought to respond to the genocidal assault on Tamil language and culture through various strategies of defiance and subversion. The cultural realm was thoroughly transformed in the process and soon, a 'literary and aesthetic guerrilla warfare' came to be, whose instances of protest and resistance may be regarded as the articulations of a Resistance Literature. It is this Resistance Literature that will be the object of my understanding here. At this moment in history, when the Tamils of Sri Lanka are, fast, becoming a dispossessed people, clutching at the cruel and intangible fact of homelessness in diaspora, it seems important and urgent that we seek to remember and commemorate our immediate shared past. For the anxieties of history require this of us and so in anticipation of Tamil Eelam..." |
10 December 2004 Tamils: a Trans State Nation to include The Tamil Migration Cycle 1830 - 1950 -Christophe Z Guilmoto "Tamil migration abroad was the largest regional component of Indian emigration during the colonial era. More than 1.5 million ethnic Tamils from south India were enumerated in 1931 in other (mainly British) colonies where they had poured in during the previous one hundred years. .."more 8 December 2004 International Relations in the Age of Empire to include | Tell me no lies: How Silent are the 'Humanitarian' Invaders of Kosovo? - John Pilger, 2004 "..Muted by the evidence of the Anglo-American catastrophe in Iraq, the international "humanitarian" war party ought to be called to account for its largely forgotten crusade in Kosovo...Lies as great as those of Bush and Blair were deployed by Clinton and Blair in their grooming of public opinion for an illegal, unprovoked attack on a European country..." more |
8 December 2004 Tamil Diaspora - Canada to include Rhodes Scholar Ashwini Vasanthakumar - 'her thesis, entitled "Speaking for the Homeland: the Political Activism of Tamils in Toronto" dealt with the question of whether Tamils living in a different part of the world can claim to represent the people of their homeland through activism' 8 December 2004 Tamils: a Trans State Nation - Tamil Nadu to include 7 December 2004 Tracking the Norwegian Peace Initiative in the island of Sri Lanka - Peace Process? What Peace Process? 1. Sri Lanka rejects LTTE's Offer for Talks & vows to strengthen its armed forces "We will strengthen the armed forces in terms of men, material, ideas and weapons," Wickremanayake (Minister for Public Security) said during a debate on the defence budget which goes up by eight per cent in the 2005 budget... Parliament today (6 December 2004) approved the defence ministry spending of 56.29 billion rupees ($541 million), up from 52.08 billion rupees this year. " more 2. Massive rise in Sri Lankan firepower "Sri Lanka’s armed forces substantially expanded their offensive capability after the ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers was signed in February 2002.. The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has doubled its manpower and acquired twenty new aircraft, while the Army (SLA) has tripled its tanks and doubled its artillery firepower says Brian Blodgett, a career United States Army intelligence officer and an adjunct professor with the American Military in a book titled "Sri Lanka’s military: The Search For A Mission"" more 3. "We are being pushed again in to the war era" says Federation of Public Organizations of Vavuniya District in letter to President Kumaratunga "...on 25.11.2004, in Vepankulam, Vavuniya, in a commemorative event organized by the people of that village, the Sri Lankan government forces attempted to take away the national flag of Tamils, which had been hoisted there, by crashing an armored vehicle in to it. The army fired indiscriminately into the people, when they rose up in anger protest. The Vavuniya Head of the Political Wing, who heard about the incident in which many people sustained serious injuries, informed SLMM in person, and went to the place of incident. He was kept at gun point by an army major and some soldiers. His hand phone, motorbike key and some documents were seized. A gun was thrust on his forehead, while death threats and obscenities were made against him in Sinhalese..." more 4. Counter proposals not conducive to peace says Vanni MP "Clear evidence of Sri Lanka Government's complicity in many violence incidents point to violations of the CeaseFire Agreement (CFA) by the Security Forces. The Government's main interest seems to be to portray the situation as peaceful with the aim of getting access to the promised aid. The entrenched political rivalry between the main political parties, United national party, and ruling coalition that includes the Sri Lanka freedom party (SLFP), Janatha Vimukthy peramuna (JVP)) are serious impediments to the furtherance of the peace process" more 5. Sri Lanka must start talks based on ISGA say Jaffna NGOs "If peace and goodwill are to prevail, the Government of Sri Lanka should come forward to discuss without delay the Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals put forward by the LTTE. The proposals represent the collective will of all NorthEast Tamils," said Rev. Father Jeyakumar on behalf of the consortium of NGOs at a meeting held Monday in Nallur, Jaffna. Academics from the South who were on a fact finding mission to Jaffna also participated in the meeting..." more 6. "Impending disaster is SL President's own making"- Jaffna daily "'There is no ethnic problem in this Country, LTTE leader has referred to Tamil Home Land in his Hero's Day Speech. But historically there is nothing known as Tamil Homeland or Tamil area,'' says the Hela Urumaya. It blares out such slogans having reached the zenith of Buddhist Sinhala Chauvinism, and makes futile endeavour to bury historical truths. 'It is from this position the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), another political entity which is soaked in Buddhist-Sinhala chauvinism, speaks out..." more |
6 December 2004 Tamil Digital Renaissance to include 1.அறிமுகம் Swiss Tamil Educational Project in Information Technology for Homeland நோக்கம்: தாயகத்திலுள்ள பின்தங்கிய பிரதேச மாணவர்களுக்கு கணனிக்கல்வியைக்கற்பித்தலும் தொடர்ந்து மேம்படுத்தலும். 2. 7th Tamil Internet Conference, Singapore - Special Issue of Min Manjari - உலகத் தமிழ்த் தகவல் தொழில் நுட்ப மன்றத்தின் இதழ்  5 December 2004 Tamils: a Trans State Nation - Tamil Nadu to include Bharathiraja moved by LTTE's sacrifices "..the people of Tamil Nadu had made great achievements but they were dwarfed by those of the LTTE..."
5 December 2004 India takes the lead in South Asia arms purchase "...The US has already offered to sell the P-3C Orion naval reconnaissance aircraft to India. The aircraft is equipped with the latest avionics and equipment systems...The US has also offered Perry class frigates and Sea Hawk helicopters to New Delhi. India's special operations forces are seeking to purchase chemical and biological protection equipment from Washington as well. But most significant is the US offer to sell Patriot missiles to India..." 5 December 2004 அறிமுகம் Tamil Nation Library to include link to | "The struggle of the people of Tamil Eelam has brought out an ocean of literature, documentaries and films. While fighting state sponsored terrorism, the artists of Tamil Eelam have been creating a wealth of publications. At the moment, these publications are not widely available either to the Diaspora community or to any scholars. It is our aim to make these publications widely available to everyone who is interested..." |
5 December 2004 Tamil Nation Library to include Sri Lanka's Military: The Search for a Mission by Brian Blodgett, July 2004 4 December 2004 International Tamil Conferences to include 3 December 2004 International Relations in the Age of Empire to include | 1. Power & Interest News Report (PINR) on the Lessons of Romania "....As in all lagging states that are transitioning from state-dominated or relatively statist economies to globalized capitalism, Romania is characterized by a deep social division between those who believe that their lives will improve by integrating into the new competitive arena and those who fear -- often with good reason -- that they will not be able to compete successfully. The same divide is present in more economically advanced states, but, in them, the sector of the population that fears that it will be left behind by globalization is relatively small, allowing politics to be based on multiple issues, of which the globalization divide is one among many. Lagging states do not have that luxury and their societies tend to become polarized along the lines of would-be haves and anxious have-nots... "more 2. Noam Chomsky on the 2004 US Presidential Election "... politics remains 'the shadow cast by big business over society,' as America's leading social philosopher, John Dewey, described the results of "industrial feudalism" long ago. Deceit is employed to undermine democracy, just as it is the natural device to undermine markets. And voters appear to be aware of it. ...The world is pretty awful today, but it is far better than yesterday, not only with regard to unwillingness to tolerate aggression, but also in many other ways, which we now tend to take for granted. There are very important lessons here, which should always be uppermost in our minds - for the same reason they are suppressed in the elite culture..." more |
2 December 2004 Velupillai Pirabakaran to include M.Thanapalasingham at Leader for All Seasons Book Release in Melbourne, Australia | "You can't be neutral in a moving train! என்னும் நூலை எழுதிய Howard Zinn என்னும் அமெரிக்க வரலாற்று ஆசிரியர் the struggle for justice should never be abandoned because of the apparent overwhelming power of those who have the guns and the money and who seem invincible in their determination to hold on to it. That apparent power has, again and again, proved vulnerable to human qualities less measurable than bombs and dollars"… எனக் கூறி அந்த மனிதப்பண்புகளாக அவர் குறிப்பிடும் moral fervor, determination, unity, organization, sacrifice, wit, ingenuity, courage, patience அனைத்தையும் எங்கள் தலைவர் உள்வாங்கியுள்ளார். .." more |
News & Whats New Archives - November 2004 |
