New Delhis' suppression of Tamil Nadu equally detrimental as geopolitics of West

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 August 2018, 23:34 GMT]
The latest happenings in the quasi-federal state of Tamil Nadu in India, need to be perused in a broader historical context, grasping the ever-raging conflict between the Centre being the dominating New Delhi Establishment and Tamil Nadu. The oppressed people of Tamil Nadu have been unable to strike power of balance with it, argues Norway-based Eezham Tamil anthropology academic Athithan Jayapalan in a recent paper. The underlying hegemony has also been one of the significant impediments to finding a confederal or, at the least a federal, solution to the national question of Eezham Tamils in the island situated along the southern tip of India. The New Delhi Establishment is adamantly upholding the unitary character of the genocidal state of Sri Lanka, even at the cost of its national security, and it has no qualms in sacrificing the self-determination and sovereignty of Eezham Tamils.
Full story >>

Extremists among Sinhalese burnt Tiger flags in South, racism says Fr Sakthivel

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 May 2018, 12:32 GMT]
A section of Sinhala extremists in the South has burnt Tiger flags after an organised campaign in the social media by certain elements that are believed to be from the SL military intelligence wing operating in the North. Propaganda has been waged through the social media, intentionally spreading false information to the South that the Northern Provincial Council had lowered the Lion flags to half-staff on Mu'l'livaaykkaal Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day.
Full story >>

Lion flag controversy comes to forefront after NPC Minister declining to hoist it in Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 November 2017, 23:10 GMT]
“Without giving adequate recognition to the original inhabitants of this Island and their religion our National flag gives undue importance to the Sinhalese and to Buddhism. This is the reason for the resentment of the Hon’ Education Minister,” responded Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, the chief minister of Northern Provincial Council (NPC) in his weekly media address formed as Q&A. NPC CM's response came as SL Ministers in South started to react to media reports on the episode. On Wednesday, SL Governor to North, Reginald Cooray also exposed himself by interpreting the democratic and peaceful protest by the NPC Minister as “violating the constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka”. The SL Governor and ultra-nationalist Sinhalese in South seem to have not learnt their lessons from the recent history, commented political observers in Jaffna.
Full story >>

Tamil Nadu activists warn New Delhi for proxy meddling with Tamils’ affairs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 May 2017, 11:56 GMT]
The Police in Tamil Nadu, under the pressure of New Delhi, has forcefully clamped down on the peaceful Mu’l’livaaykkaal Remembrance Day on 21st of May. The brutal conduct by the Police has its origins from Jallikkaddu struggle, which was won by the masses of Tamil Nadu earlier this year. Following the victory of the mass struggle, the Police force in Tamil Nadu, initially supportive of the Jallikkaddu struggle, was suddenly let loose against the activists and particularly targeting the grassroots with violence as never witnessed before at the instigation by New Delhi. Ideology oriented Tamil activists of movements such as May 17 Movement have been targeted on both the occasions. The BJP and the Central Government of India will be sharply opposed for meddling in Tamil affairs through its proxies in Tamil Nadu and for instigating police violence, the activists in Tamil Nadu have warned.
Full story >>

US deceit worse than India, China opposition

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 September 2015, 23:03 GMT]
Rather than questioning the consistent opposition of India and China for any international investigation on ‘Sri Lanka’, Tamils targeting the US move for domestic investigation in the current UNHRC session is condemnable, argues a Tamil Nadu based environmental NGO of special consultative status with UN ECOSOC. The ‘international investigation’ is already over with the OISL process and referring the matter to the ICC depends mainly on the support of India and China, the NGO argues further for containing the anger and protests in Tamil Nadu against the USA. The US move, hijacking the Tamil struggle for international justice since 2009, and institutionally ditching it at the UNHRC in 2015, is worse than the game of India and China in suppressing the struggle of Eezham Tamils, commented Tamil activists for alternative politics in the island.
Full story >>

Ex Indian health minister tells UN to investigate Tamil genocide

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 September 2013, 14:03 GMT]
New Delhi’s former Health Minister, Dr. Anpumani Ramadoss revealed to the UNHRC on Tuesday about a serious genocidal crime, demographic genocide through forced sterilisation and abortions that is being carried by the Sri Lankan State on Eezham Tamils. He was citing recent reports of local human rights groups and a 2007 Wikileaks document of the US State Department. Saying that as a physician and former health minister of India he was outraged, he called upon the UNHRC to establish an independent, international commission of inquiry to investigate Sri Lanka’s past and present war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against Tamils.
Full story >>

Tamil Nadu activists protesting Manmohan Singh Trichy visit detained

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 August 2013, 23:48 GMT]
Hundreds of activists who protested Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Trichy were detained by the Tamil Nadu police on Friday. The protestors, who gathered near the Trichy airport with black flags, sought to express their dissent to the Dr. Singh over India’s continued complicity in the genocide of the Eezham Tamil nation and its endorsement of the CHOGM meeting in Sri Lanka. The detained include MDMK leader Vaiko, Tamizh Desiya Pothuvudamai Katchi leader Maniarasan, Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam leader Ramakrishnan and Thirumurugan Gandhi from the May 17 Movement. Separately, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha had sent another letter to Dr. Singh on Thursday condemning India’s ignoring of repeated assaults on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lanka Navy.
Full story >>

Documentary on Tamil Nadu student uprising released in Chennai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 July 2013, 21:42 GMT]
A documentary based on the Tamil Nadu student uprising that challenged establishments’ abetment of the genocide of the Eezham Tamil nation, was released to the public in Chennai on Sunday. Titled “A'rappoar” (Righteous Struggle), the documentary focuses on the student upsurge against the pro-LLRC US Resolution in March 2013. The documentary, screened at Book Point Hall in Anna Salai on Sunday to packed audiences, also saw speakers talking about the continued international injustice to the Eezham Tamil nation and the future of the students’ struggle in Tamil Nadu.
Full story >>

Tamil Nadu protests condemn Indo-Sri Lanka military co-operation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 June 2013, 05:18 GMT]
Protests in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu came down sharply on the Indian government for its continued military co-operation with the Sri Lankan military, which is accused not just of the genocide of the Eezham Tamils but also of murdering hundreds of Tamil Nadu fishermen. The protests erupted in the wake of the news that two SL military officers were to be given training at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Nilgiris. While this opposition led to the transfer of the officers to another facility in Andhra Pradesh followed quickly by the GoSL’s recall of the officers, Congress minister E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan defended India’s military relationship with Sri Lanka, playing the China card.
Full story >>

Chennai event challenges ICE complicity in Tamil Genocide

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 May 2013, 08:29 GMT]
Articulating right demands and slogans in Genocide Remembrance events is crucial at a time when the Eezham Tamils in their homeland are barred from even silently mourning their heroes and civilians who sacrificed their lives in the culmination of the genocidal war at Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal, said a Tamil political activist from Jaffna commenting on the slogans used by protestors at the May 19 event at Marina beach in Chennai. Civil society activists, artists, political leaders and ordinary people had participated a mass gathering near the Kannagi statue in the honour of those Eezham Tamils who perished in Sri Lanka’s genocidal war despite dissuasion by the police. Speaking to TamilNet from the gathering, Umar, an activist from the May 17 criticized the failure of UN in preventing the genocide, stating that Sri Lanka must be hauled in the UNSC.
Full story >>

Protests intensify against Rajapaksa’s presence in India, Congress-BJP condemned

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 September 2012, 09:08 GMT]
Criticizing both the BJP led Madhya Pradesh state government and Congress Party for inviting SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa for a Buddhist event in Sanchi, MDMK leader Vaiko told reporters “Despite knowing that Rajapaksa is solely responsible for the genocide of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh has invited him and the Centre endorsed his visit,” a PTI report on Thursday said. As Mr. Vaiko and the MDMK cadres attempted to march to Sanchi today, all were arrested and have been temporarily detained at a location nearby, sources told TamilNet. Separately, a correspondent for The Hindu reported today that “It was an ironical scenario in Bhopal as a President accused of genocide arrived here on Thursday to inaugurate a ceremony on world peace.”
Full story >>

Self-immolation protestor dies, anti-Rajapaksa agitations intensify in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 September 2012, 01:38 GMT]
26-year old auto driver Vijayaraj from Salem in Tamil Nadu, who immolated himself on Monday early morning protesting Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to India, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday noon. A follower of Periyaar, member of CITU, and a supporter of the Tamil Eelam cause, Vijayaraj, despite being in his death bed, insisted on talking to media at the hospital that Rajapaksa should not be allowed into India. I did it, because Tamils in unison should rise up against the Indian government that welcomes Rajapaksa even after seeing the heroic sacrifices, he was cited by Tamil media Nakkeeran. Agitations intensify in Tamil Nadu, while the BJP Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivaraj Singh Chauhan, claims that Rajapaksa’s visit to Sanchi to inaugurate a Buddhist University is ‘apolitical’.
Full story >>

Youth Activist Sivanthan concludes 22 day hunger strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 August 2012, 07:27 GMT]
Gobi Sivanthan, UK based Eezham Tamil youth activist, concluded his 22 day hunger strike coinciding with the final day of the London 2012 Olympics, on Sunday. Eezham Tamils from across the UK gathered at the spot where Sivanthan was fasting at Stratford, to convey solidarity with his protest as he broke his fast at 4 PM. Sivanthan had undertaken the hunger strike with five demands, including calling for an immediate halt to the “ongoing genocidal land grabs”. After the end of the fast, Tamils took a procession to Aspen way, along the route of the closing ceremony of the Olympics, and staged a three hour demonstration calling for a free Tamil Eelam and an end to the genocide of the Eezham Tamils.
Full story >>

Tamils should protest against UN, demand referendum: May 17 Movement

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 August 2012, 04:07 GMT]
Criticizing the UN for collaborating with vested interests of world powers in denying a just political solution for the Eezham Tamils, Thirumurugan Gandhi from the May 17th Movement said that Tamils should direct their protests against the UN asking for an internationally monitored referendum to resolve the national question of the genocide affected Eezham Tamils at a demonstration held at Valluvar Kottam, Chennai on Saturday. Speaking to TamilNet, Mr. Gandhi said “The single point common demand of Tamils world over should be to demand for a referendum for Tamil Eelam,” adding that talks about rehabilitation and ‘step by step approach’ without addressing the fundamental demand for political freedom was useless, only giving legitimacy to genocidal Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Local community protests HSBC display of Sri Lanka flag in London

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 August 2012, 06:34 GMT]
The local community of New Malden, Surrey, is enraged at the insensitivity of the HSBC bank for its display of Sri Lanka’s Lion Flag in its New Malden branch. In making a request addressed to its manager, Ms. Sam Fletcher, the local community members said, “HSBC prides themselves in being the local bank and we hope that this also involves for them to be aware of our local issues.” The protestors pointed out that as most of the island’s community in the UK are victims of State with memories of torture, rape and massacre, they are greatly upset at seeing the flag reminding them of the horrors. The protest, led by even non-Tamil South Asians in New Malden, cited support of local parliamentarian, Mr Edward Davey. The London-based HSBC was the first foreign bank to initiate a branch in Jaffna. It has 16 branches in the island labelled Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Rajapaksa for jubilee protested by 19 parties, civil groups in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 June 2012, 12:58 GMT]
Political parties, including mainstream parties, Communist Party of India (CPI), MDMK and VCK, and civil groups of Muslims, youth, students and women including the May 17 movement – altogether 19 organisations and two prominent individuals led a demonstration and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy British High Commission in Chennai on Wednesday, protesting the British government inviting Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the diamond jubilee celebrating 60 years of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Reminding the UK government of its international obligation to deal with a war criminal, the memorandum also urged the UK to work for the removal of Sri Lanka from the commonwealth.
Full story >>

Thirumavalavan hurts sentiments of Eezham Tamils

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 May 2012, 17:43 GMT]
New Delhi parliamentarian and leader of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a member of ruling UPA alliance, Mr Thirumavalavan, meeting UPA leader Mrs Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday expressed his ‘appreciation’ about New Delhi’s stand on ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ at the UNHRC resolution, and requested her to implement it and pressurise the Sri Lankan government to find a permanent political solution. The moment Thirumavalavan uses the phrase ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ and thrust an identity despised by Eezham Tamils on to them, he perverts righteous political solution, commented Tamil political circles in the island. Rather than urging recognition of rights of the nation, the VCK leader pleading Sonia Gandhi, whose party presided over the genocide of Eezham Tamils, to implement UNHRC resolutions paving way for structural genocide, makes him no different from the Congress and CPI-M, they further said.
Full story >>

Tamil Nadu demands India to declare Rajapaksa guilty of genocide

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 March 2012, 13:07 GMT]
In a pan-Tamil Nadu fasting campaign organised by the Communist Party of India with the support of many major political parties of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, the Government of India was urged to declare Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa as guilty of genocide. The CPI demand supported by the ruling AIDMK and by political parties MDMK, VCK and Tamil National Communist Party gains much significance against the backdrop of repeated bailouts of the Rajapaksa regime in the international forums by the New Delhi Establishment, political observers in Chennai said. The main fasting campaign, participated by a large number of party activists, took place in front of the Thaamparam divisional secretariat in Chennai.
Full story >>

Protests make India withdraw SLA training in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 July 2011, 14:21 GMT]
A programme of the Indian military to train soldiers of the genocidal Army of Sri Lanka at the Madras Regimental Centre at Wellington in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu was withdrawn after a protest of the people of Tamil Nadu staged by Periyar Dravida Kazhakam (PDK), Naam Thamizhar Party (NTP), Viduthali Chiruththaigal Katchi (VCK) and other activists groups on Friday. 25 soldiers of Sri Lanka’s Army who arrived at Wellington Thursday night for a three months training were sent back in a bus via Chennai, Indian officials said Saturday. About 200 activists participated in the protest demonstration at Wellington on Friday. A wordy quarrel took place between the Tamil Nadu police and a section of the agitators when the latter attempted to squat on road, PTI reported.
Full story >>

China urged to play constructive role in the island: Prof Sitrampalam

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 March 2011, 05:21 GMT]
As a super power having influence on the Sri Lankan state, Eezham Tamils urge China to play a constructive role in the island of Sri Lanka, says Dr. S.K. Sitrampalam, the vice president of Ilankai Thamizh Arasuk Katchi (ITAK), the main constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). The retired senior professor of Archaeology of the University of Jaffna recently visited China following an official invitation to the ITAK to take part in an organised trip extended to delegations from selected political parties from South Asia to have an exposure of how the Chinese government deals with its internal and external affairs.
Full story >>