Chalapathy brings out Thamotharampillai letters

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 May 2012, 10:15 GMT]
Tamil historian Professor AR Venkatachalapathy, delivering keynote address at Tamil Studies Conference in Toronto on Saturday, brought out hitherto untapped objective evidences of around two scores of letters written by CW Thamotharampillai (1832–1901) to UV Swaminathaiyar (1855–1942), for a better understanding of the relationship between the two pioneer editors coming from Jaffna and Tamil Nadu in transferring Tamil classics from palm leaf manuscripts to print media. The letters dating between 1883 and 1899 show that despite being rivals in publication the two were in close contact and cooperative if not collaborative. The letters also show the generosity and magnanimity of Thamotharampillai, personally and in matters of publication, and as a senior scholar he encouraged Swaminathaiyar and saw in him the future of classical editorial scholarship, Chalapathy said.
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Contributions of Sivaram remembered at Memorial Seminar in London

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 May 2012, 02:41 GMT]
Commemorating the life, thoughts and contributions of ‘Taraki’ Sivaram Dharmeratnam, and inviting diverse views on the same, the Sivaram Memorial Seminar conducted in London on Sunday brought together Tamil, Sinhala, Muslim, British and Tamil Nadu journalists, academics and activists to discuss the intellectual legacy of the late senior editor of TamilNet. Referring to personal interactions with Sivaram, his ideological influences, his life as journalist and activist, his political and strategic analysis, the speakers interacted with the audience that included members of different shades of diaspora organizations, mainstream media and solidarity groups. The tightly packed programme included a closed door screening of award winning film-maker Beate Arnestad’s documentary ‘Silenced Voices’ to the seminar attendees.
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Sinhalicization of Batticaloa takes place under guise of archaeology: TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 May 2012, 16:48 GMT]
Saiva temples located along the border of the Batticaloa district are being desecrated and demolished under the guise of archaeological excavation, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian P. Ariyanethran said Wednesday at Thaan-thoan'ri-eesvarar temple situated in Kokkaddich-choalai of Batticaloa district. The parliamentarian blamed Buddhist monks for constructing Buddhist viharas on such sites with the backing of Colombo government and the occupying Sri Lanka Army.
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Parappaang-ka’ndal, Paraapa-mulla

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 May 2012, 05:59 GMT]
The mangrove of the flood plains
The flood-plains corner
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Viyaapaari-moolai, Hetti-mulla

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 April 2012, 20:18 GMT]
The merchant’s corner
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Ampaa'rai Tamil politician questions Rauff Hakeem on land justice

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 April 2012, 21:12 GMT]
Traditional lands belong to Tamil people in the Ampaa'rai district have been continuously grabbed by those sitting in power in Colombo, according to Selliah Rasaiah, the chairman of Kaaraitheevu Piratheasa Chapai (PS) situated in Ampaa'ria district of the Eastern Provice. Mr Rasiah, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) politician, has asked the SL Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem, whether the Tamil people chased out of their villages in the district would be able to demand their lands forcibly occupied by the Sinhalese and Muslims. The SL minister had recently gone on record saying that he would make laws to enable those who lost their lands in the times of the war to gain them back.
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Religious fundamentalism on rise among Sinhalese, Muslims

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 April 2012, 23:56 GMT]
Following the threats issued by Buddhist monks against a mosque in Dambulla on Friday that they would demolish it unless the Muslims relocated the mosque from the area, which the monks claimed as a holy Buddhist site, the SL Prime Minister DM Jayaratne, who is also the minister of Buddhist affairs, on Sunday instructed the Muslims to relocate the mosque, triggering anger among Muslims. The Buddhist monks, who are engaged in setting up new Buddhist viharas and Sinhala colonies in the country of Eezham Tamils, have carefully timed their action against the Muslims in Dambulla after successfully wooing the votes of the countries with overwhelming Muslim populations, either to back Sri Lanka or to abstain from voting at the recent Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Muslim circles in Colombo said.
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India shows urgency in ‘ready-cash’ returns for ready abetment in genocide

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 April 2012, 18:38 GMT]
The Indian parliamentary delegation’s statement in Colombo, differing nothing from what the Congress regime, its bureaucrats and intelligence officials say, but designed to come through the Opposition Leader, shows New Delhi’s urgency in getting ready-cash returns apart from showing how the multiparty parliament is manipulated by some forces to follow a particular line of thinking leading to the annihilation of the nation of Eezham Tamils, commented a new generation Tamil politician in the island. The unity of the Congress, BJP and the CPI-M in this respect has to be carefully scrutinized by Tamil Nadu people and political parties in unity, in planning the composition of the next parliament and in extracting a genuine change in the thinking of the next government, he commented.
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Indian delegation's visit to East, an eyewash: Batticaloa MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 April 2012, 18:01 GMT]
For more than 6 years, five thousand uprooted people from Moothoor East in the Trincomalee district have been languishing in temporary shelters and have been denied resettlement. The Indian parliamentary delegation that had vowed to talk to uprooted Tamils before they departed India, has changed the agenda and was only attending “tea parties” and “opening ceremonies” without hearing the real concerns of the affected people during their visit to East, Tamil National Alliance MP from Batticaloa P. Selvarasa, told media Friday. The itinerary of the delegation was fully decided by the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, the Tamil MP said.
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New Delhi delegation’s Sri Lanka visit loses face in its own country

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 April 2012, 17:18 GMT]
With four major political parties, including the two government-making political parties of Tamil Nadu, boycotting the ‘All Party’ delegation of New Delhi visiting Sri Lanka, New Delhi’s approach to the national question of Eezham Tamils in the island and its strategic partnership with the genocidal regime of Rajapaksa lose face in its own country, political observers said. The ruling AIADMK of Tamil Nadu State and the New Delhi regime’s coalition partner DMK have announced in advance about their boycott. Mamata Banerjee’s AITMC, the ruling party of West Bengal, and United Janata Dal pulled out in the last minute. Communist Party of India was not invited. The ‘All Party’ delegation ultimately turned out to be only a five-party delegation of the ruling Congress, Opposition BJP, Rajapaksa-friendly Marxist Communists and two other regional parties.
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‘Development’ gives no light to people while SL cantonment gets electricity in Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 April 2012, 21:41 GMT]
More than 30 months have elapsed since the Sri Lankan government was promising electricity link to the resettling people in Ki'linochchi under the so-called Spring of North ‘development’, which is nothing but a camouflage for the structural genocide committed by Colombo in the country of Eezham Tamils. Electricity posts were put up creating hope among the people that power would be supplied. Many trees were also felled in Vanni jungle in the name of putting up infrastructure. Renewed hopes were again given during the civic elections held a year ago by SL Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka, the theoretician of the JHU, the Sinhala Buddhist extremist monks party, who declared opened a transformer at Chalvaa-nakar, a suburb of Ki'linochchi. The suburb is yet to see the light promised by the ‘Spring of North’, while the power lines are directed only to illuminate an SL cantonment.
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Nedumaran releases book on LTTE leader

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 April 2012, 18:30 GMT]
The much anticipated ‘Pirapaharan – Tamizhar Ezhuchchiyin Vadivam’ (Pirapaharan - The Embodiment of Tamils’ Struggle) written by veteran Tamil Nadu political activist Pazha Nedumaran was released in Chennai on Friday at PT Thiyagaraja Hall. Published by Tamizhk-kulam Pathippaalayam, this book, of 1223 pages and illustrated with 32 pages of photographs some of which are hitherto unpublished, contains handwritten letters of Mr. Pirapaharan and includes important personal conversations with the author, that throw light on the deep philosophy of the LTTE leader. Along with CPI stalwart Mahendran’s book ‘Veezhveanen’ru ninaiththaayoa’, this book written by a long time supporter of the Eezham Tamils’ struggle will join the series of must-read literature written by Tamil Nadu activists on the struggle for Tamil Eelam, for Tamils everywhere, Tamil literary circles in Chennai said.
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Tamil Nadu ruling party withdraws from Delhi's Sri Lanka tour

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 April 2012, 09:28 GMT]
Preempting the joint agenda of Colombo and New Delhi that seek to project a positive image of Genocidal Colombo among the Indian public, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa on Wednesday pulled out AIADMK Rajya Sabha parliamentarian Rabi Bernard who was to take part in a parliamentary delegation, scheduled to visit the island in the coming week to inspect the condition of Eezham Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka after the war. The reaction from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister comes following the itinerary of the visit has been produced by the Indian External Affairs Ministry in collusion with the Sri Lankan counter-part, favoring the Sri Lankan State and excluding a free and fair way of inspecting and debating the post-war policies of the SL state. Ms. Jayalalithaa also blamed the Centre for having watered down the US resolution at the recent UNHRC sessions in Geneva.
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SL Army restricts NGO movement in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 April 2012, 18:57 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lanka Army has imposed restrictions on the movement of Non Governmental Organizations to Paduvaankarai from Batticaloa via Kiraan Bridge, civil sources in Batticaloa city told TamilNet Wednesday. The SLA soldiers at Kiraan Bridge are reported to have refused permission to several NGOs in recent days to travel beyond the bridge without SL Defense ministry authority. The NGO officials have been asked to obtain ‘pass’ from Welikanda SLA camp. The travel-ban on NGOs comes as SL military backed encroachment of Sinhalese is reported in the border areas of the Piratheasa Chapai (PS) divisions of Koa'ra'laip-pattu South, Vavu'na-theevu, Ea'raavoor-pattu and Chengkaladi.
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Watered-down resolution passes in UNHRC, stops short of international investigations

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 March 2012, 13:57 GMT]
The UN Rights Council on Thursday approved the LLRC-based US-tabled resolution urging Colombo to probe Human Rights violations domestically with assistance and advice from the UN rights body. The resolution stopped short of calling for an international investigation. In the 47-member UNHRC, 24 countries including India, voted for the resolution while 15 voted against. 8 countries abstained. Meanwhile, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported SL minister Laksman Yapa Abeywardene as saying that Colombo's relationship with close neighbor India and powerful USA would not be changed despite the resolution passed in UN Human Rights Council. "Whatever decisions taken by India and the U.S. with regard to the resolution, that will be limited to that issue only," the Sri Lankan minister said.
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Jayalalithaa blasts New Delhi supporting US-bailout of Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 March 2012, 19:45 GMT]
Coming hard on Indian Prime Minister’s announcement in the parliament on Monday forenoon that India is inclined to vote in favour of the US-resolution at Geneva UNHRC, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms Jayalalithaa on Monday evening described the stand as evasive and useless as it is not answering an earlier TN Assembly resolution calling for international investigation on the war crimes and genocide. According to Jayalalithaa, both New Delhi and the DMK chief Karunanidhi once again enact a drama similar to the one in the last days of the Vanni war in hoodwinking Tamils. Leaving aside seeking a commitment from Sri Lanka to report to the UNHRC on progress, the US-tabled resolution at Geneva leaves everything in the hands of Sri Lanka and harps on only implementing Sri Lanka’s own LLRC recommendations.
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Tamil Nadu activists caution diaspora of the US-resolution ploy

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 March 2012, 00:07 GMT]
Diaspora Tamils, who have witnessed several setbacks, are made to believe that they should welcome and promote anything that looks like a buoy to hold on. This is wrong and Diaspora groups should think before being carried away in an imposed trend to welcome such ploys, opined activists from Tamil Nadu belonging to various shades of polity in a flagship programme, Neethiyin Kural (Voice of Justice), in WinTV on Friday, anchored by CR Baskaran. Thoazhar Thiyagu called the resolution as an escape route being offered to Sri Lankan state by the USA. Professor Dheeran said Tamils should not be trapped once again by the joint ploy of the USA, India and Norway. Oaviyar Pukazheanthi said Tamil organisations had attributed much significance to the Geneva sessions without the knowledge of the outcome and now the draft resolution clearly exposes the agenda seeking bailout of the SL state.
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Protest sends away Sri Lanka’s law academic in Tamil Nadu conference

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 March 2012, 09:55 GMT]
Organizers of an international conference at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Thirunelvely, Tamil Nadu, decided to escort out Ms Jeeva Niriella of the Colombo University law faculty through the side door, when barging in protestors accusing Sri Lanka of genocide demanded Jeeva to leave India. The afternoon session of the 3-day conference on Thursday was disrupted to the disbelief and shock of the organisers, reported Times of India on Friday. During the morning session, Ms. Niriella was eulogising ‘women empowerment’ in Sri Lanka, citing Srimao Bandaranayake, world’s first woman prime minister and the current chief justice who is a woman. She was silent to a question about large-scale crimes committed on women in the island.
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Tamil Nadu Catholic Church reminds umbilical cord relations at Kachchatheevu fete

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 March 2012, 08:42 GMT]
Amidst intense presence of the occupying Sinhala military at Kachcha-theevu during the annual fete of St. Antony on Sunday, the Ramnad diocese of Tamil Nadu Catholic Church that jointly conducts the prayers along with the Jaffna diocese, reminded the umbilical cord relations of the people on either side of the Palk Bay. The theme of this year’s joint prayer by Tamil Nadu and Jaffna Catholic Church was war-torn Eezham Tamils reuniting with their relatives. The commanders of the occupying military were shocked when Fr. Michael of Ramnad, delivering the sermon, deeply felt for the mass killings of Eezham Tamils and death of humanism in the island, and said that the sons of the soil should be released, they should be honoured and they should lead their lives as heroes (Maaveerar).
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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.
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