"..What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it is the size of the fight in the dog." - Dwight D Eisenhower

"What was Mr.Chelvanayagam's achievement? About 450 years before the Christian era the Carthaginian armies invaded Italy and defeated the Romans in every battle; but Cincinnatus, the Roman Dictator would not give up. And the Roman Senate passed a resolution thanking him, because 'he had not despaired of the republic'. The logic was 'if he did not despair, why should we?'. The Tamils of Ceylon, in like manner, looked upon this gaunt and haggard man, stricken by disease, who could hardly walk and could hardly speak above a whisper, who through a life of continued failure and disappointment, yet had not despaired; and they asked themselves, the question, 'if he did not despair, why should we?' This then is Chelvanayagam's achievement: That he has taught the Tamils of this country to believe in themselves." - Late Rt.Rev.S.Kulendran, Bishop of Jaffna, Church of South India

1.Dr.S.Sampanthar writes from United Kingdom "I found the book  Half of a Yellow Sun, a novel based on the Biafran war of 1967/70 by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, winner of a literary prize very moving." Response by tamilnation.org  " We have some understanding as to why the book did touch you - as indeed it will many Tamils from Tamil Eelam... more

2. Sanmugam Sabesan writes from Australia வர்த்தமானியூடாகவும் வன்முறைகள் " " கடந்த 10-06-07 அன்று வெளியாகிய, சிறிலங்காவின் அரச வர்த்தமானியின் ஊடாக, மகிந்த ராஜபக்சவின் சிங்கள-பௌத்தப் பேரினவாதச் சிந்தனை, மீண்டும் ஒரு முறை வெளிப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. ...தமிழ் மக்களின் பாரம்பரிய மண்ணைப் பறிப்பதற்காகச் சிறிலங்கா அரசுகள் தொடர்ந்து மேற்கொண்டு வருகின்ற பேரினவாதச் செயற்பாடுகளின் நீட்சிதான், இந்த வர்த்தமானி அறிவித்தலாகும்... more

Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism, 18th Annual Conference, 2008 on "Nationalism, East and West: Civic and Ethnic Conceptions of Nationhood" - Call for Papers  "It has long been standard in the field of nationalism studies to classify nations according to which principle serves to unify the nation. The distinction between the Western, political type of nationalism, and Eastern, genealogical nationalism as systematised by Hans Kohn in 1945 has been used, extended and adjusted by scholars of nationalism to conceptualise a framework of “inclusive” nationalism based on citizenship and territory and “exclusive” nationalism based on common ethnic ties and descent. This conference seeks to assess the continuing relevance of this dichotomy in its various forms: its contribution to theoretical work on nationalism, its usefulness for historical interpretation and its value for contemporary policy-making." more

2. Revisited: LTTE Attacks Galle Naval Base & US Cancels Joint Naval Exercise with Sri Lanka, 18 -20 October 2006

Edre U. Olalia, Phillipino Human Rights Lawyer and Current President, International Association of People’s Lawyers on The Status in International Law of National Liberation Movements and their Use of Armed Force "...It is  submitted by way of legal opinion that national liberation movements, their alleged members and participants cannot be validly regarded as criminals or terrorists insofar as international law and international political and diplomatic perspectives are concerned... Apart from the mud-slinging, the tragedy is that states are in open violation of their jus cogens and erga omnes obligations to defend the principle of self-determination. And also, very sadly, not enough people know sufficiently both the law of self-determination and the law of armed conflict to properly redirect the dialogue...”

2.Terrorising the rule of law: the policy and practice of proscription - Ben Hayes, Statewatch Analysis "... "Proscription" is a legal sanction that criminalises the named "terrorists". However, the criminal courts are all but excluded from what is a highly politicised process that obviously has very serious implications for those who may be included on the "terrorist lists"... Resistance is ... defined as "terrorism" by tyrannical and occupying states, while the international community shows solidarity not with the oppressed, but the oppressor, in a framework geared toward the global criminalisation of all "terrorists". ..The process of proscription takes place in a secret realm which has marginalised democratic institutions and sidelined the judiciary. Those outlawed as "terrorists" have little possibility of a fair hearing at which they can challenge the evidence against them and the laws being used." more

2. ".... suffering in common unifies more than joy does. Where national memories are concerned, griefs are of more value than triumphs, for they impose duties, and require a common effort. A nation is therefore a large-scale solidarity, constituted by the feeling of the sacrifices that one has made in the past and of those that one is prepared to make in the future..."  What is a nation? - Ernest Renan, 1882

Sanmugam Sabesan writes from Australia சிங்கள ஹிட்லர்களின் கருதுகோள்! "நீங்கள் யார் எங்களைக் கேட்பதற்கு- நாங்கள் இப்படித்தான் செய்வோம் - என்று முன்பு தமிழர்களுக்குச் சிங்களம் சொல்லியதை, இன்று சிங்களம் உலகிற்கும் சொல்கின்றது. சிங்களத்திற்குப் புத்தி புகட்டப்படும்போது, அது மேற்குலகின் அறிவுக்கண்ணையும் திறக்கக் கூடும். அதைத்தவிர வேறு வழியிருப்பதாகத் தெரியவில்லை." more

2. TamilNet banned? - How to continue to access TamilNet from Sri Lanka "There is a workaround ..." more

“Courage and patience are qualities…one needs very badly when…placed in difficult circumstances….  But above all else, what is most needed in a community which considers itself to be ill-treated at the hands of others, is the virtue of love and charity.. There is hardly any virtue in the ability to do a good turn to those who have done similarly by us. That even criminals do. But it would be some credit if a good turn could be done to an opponent.” - Mahatma Gandhi

2.Sri Lanka accuses 'bullying' West  "..Sri Lanka's defence secretary has said the international community, especially the UK and other European nations, are bullying his country over human rights. "We won't be isolated. We have all the Saarc [South Asia Association of Regional Co-operation] countries, the Asian countries. Britain, or Western countries, the EU countries, they can do whatever. We don't depend on them. They think that they we get aid. No, they are not giving anything... When the US does operations they say covert operations. When something is in Sri Lanka they call abductions. This is playing with the words." more

Each “pearl” in the “String of Pearls” is a nexus of Chinese geopolitical influence or military presence. Hainan Island, with recently upgraded military facilities, is a “pearl.” An upgraded airstrip on Woody Island, located in the Paracel archipelago 300 nautical miles east of Vietnam, is a “pearl.” A container shipping facility in Chittagong, Bangladesh, is a “pearl.” Construction of a deep water port in Sittwe, Myanmar, is a “pearl,” as is the construction of a navy base in Gwadar, Pakistan. ... The “pearls” extend from the coast of mainland China through the littorals of the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca, across the Indian Ocean, and on to the littorals of the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf. China is building strategic relationships and developing a capability to establish a forward presence along the sea lines of communication (SLOCs) that connect China to the Middle East." more

2. Sanmugam Sabesan - Responsibility of USA and the West for the Devastation of the People of Tamil Eelam "..The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam did not engage in peace talks trusting the integrity of the Sri Lankan government. They went to peace talks trusting the acumen and sagacity of the international community. Today our people are perishing because the international actors have failed to demonstrate justice and integrity..." more

2. Declaration of the Indian Ocean  as a Zone of Peace - UN General Assembly Resolution 2832 (XXVI),
16 December 1971 "The item "Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace" was included in the agenda of the 26th General Assembly in 1971 at the initiative of Sri Lanka (SLFP led Srimavo Bandaranaike Government) ...  At the Ad Hoc Committee on Indian Ocean, 451st Meeting (PM) on 26 July 2005 the representative of China "called for common efforts for countries inside and outside the region ... to establish the Zone of Peace at an early date.  To that end, the major Powers outside the region should eliminate their military presence in the Indian Ocean region." more

3. 'China, a benign and sincere friend of Sri Lanka' - (SLFP led Peoples Alliance) Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, at the unveiling of the bust of the late Premier Chou En Lai at the BMICH on 9 April 2005

Sri Lanka deports Tamils from Colombo to Tamil Eelam  "...as they were forced out of Colombo, many of the Tamils may have asked if they were citizens of Sri Lanka or Tamil Eelam..." M.R. Narayan Swamy, Author of Inside an Elusive Mind - Prabhakaran

Tamils ordered to vacate lodges in Pettah, 31 May 2007
500 Tamils expelled in 8 buses from Colombo, 7 June 2007
கொழும்பில் தமிழர்கள் பலவந்தமாக வெளியேற்றப்பட்டது தொடர்பாக மேலக மக்கள் முன்னணியின் பொதுச்செயலாளர் வழங்கிய நேர்காணல், 7 June 2007
Expulsions ‘a disgrace to humanity’ - NGOs, 8 June 2007
Evicted Tamils Arrive in North - BBC, 8 June 2007
U.S. calls on Sri Lanka to stop removal of Tamils but fails to call for return of evicted Tamils to Colombo, 8 June 2007
Sri Lanka  Supreme Court issues temporary order to suspend eviction, 8 June 2007
Facilitating voluntary departure of Tamils says Sri Lanka Government, 8 June 2007
Evicted - Professor Aaron Rajah, San Diego, California, 8 June 2007
மகிந்தவின் கொழும்பு நடவடிக்கைக்கு விடுதலைப் புலிகள் கண்டனம், 8 June 2007 more

2. At 6th International Institute For Strategic Studies Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore - Securing Regional Waters, How Much Progress? -  Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka  "I wish to appeal to those of you associated with the defence establishments in your respective countries who would possibly better appreciate the difficult struggle faced by my country as well as the security ramifications to the world and to the global community that I have outlined to ensure that your Governments remain seized of the complexities the Government of Sri Lanka faces in continuing to keep the LTTE under check... " together with Comments by tamilnation.org ... "Given that Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama was speaking in Singapore, perhaps,  he should have been more mindful of the assessment of  Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew in 1998 - '... (In Ceylon) One-man one-vote led to the domination of the Sinhalese majority over the minority Tamils ... And the country will never be put together again.'... " more

2. Remembering the 26th Anniversary of the Burning of the Jaffna Public Library Sanmugam Sabesan writes from Melbourne Australia - யாழ்ப்பாண நூல் நிலையமும் சிங்கள (Nazi) நாசிக்களும்

Reflection by tamilnation.org -  That which Joel Henning said of the workplace is also true, perhaps even more so, of liberation organisations, if they are to succeed in their goal of national liberation - and for 'broad and deep distribution of business literacy ' one may read ' broad and deep distribution of political literacy'. War after all is a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means.