The court of international public opinion

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 April 2012, 21:59 GMT]
During the last stages of the war, the Tamil diaspora did organize demonstrations in a historic way, but they were confined to Tamils and did not have the support from the rest of the international public as was the case with anti Vietnam-war protests or even in the case of recent anti Iraq-war protests, writes TamilNet Economic and Geopolitical Analyst in the Asia Pacific, stressing on the importance of mobilizing solidarity and public opinion of the Fourth World, compared to lobbying within the Establishments and filing futile court cases. As the May 17 movement has recently stated, the ICG representatives had spent 5 hours on him asking him not to raise the issues of genocide, war crimes and independence, but could not succeed, whereas certain international forces could convince our nominated politicians over a cup of coffee, he writes on the dependability of grassroot.
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Militarisation of southern South Asia centres-around Sri Lanka’s genocidal military

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 April 2012, 06:27 GMT]
While the Indian parliamentary delegation, boycotted by Tamil Nadu political parties but made up of imperial minded Congress, BJP and CPI-M, has winded up its tour in the island hoodwinking Tamils, the New Delhi Establishment has embarked upon recognising the genocidal Sinhala military for conducting a joint naval exercise in the waters off Maldives. The Coast Guards of the “three friendly countries,” India, Sri Lanka and Maldives have to ensure the safety and security of the Indian Ocean for all seafarers, the SL Navy was cited bragging by The Times of India, Monday. Knowing that the true face of New Delhi is for militarisation, Mahinda Rajapaksa blatantly rejected the call to withdraw the Sinhala military occupying the country of Eezham Tamils.
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TELO opposes Rajadurai attending Chelva anniversary in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 April 2012, 22:27 GMT]
“Inviting Chelliah Rajadurai to attend Thanthai Chelvanayakam's 35th death anniversary is like inviting Karuna to the memorial event of Kumarappa and Pulendran, said M.K. Sivajilingam, the former TNA MP and the political leader of Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), calling the act of the invitation a betrayal to the Tamil struggle. Mr. Sivajilingam has called for a black flag protest if Mr. Rajadurai, a former stalwart of the ITAK, who broke with the ITAK/TULF line after the demise of SJV Chelvanayakam and joined with the ruling parties in the south, is invited for the Chelva memorial event.
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Veteran Tamil activist and humanist reaches 88 in exile

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 April 2012, 20:06 GMT]
Solomon Arulanandam David (S.A. David), popularly known as Gandhiyam David, who presided the Gandhian movement which spread simple agriculture, self-sustenance, and importance to early education as a way of life in the deprived villages of Tamil Eelam for nearly a decade from 1972, reaches 88-years Tuesday as he spends his older years among his friends in Chennai. TamilNet extends its wishes to Mr David as it recognizes his unique and selfless contribution to Northeast Tamils and the hill-country Tamils displaced by Sinhala intimidation, riots and pogroms in the 1970s and 80s. David was assisted by another humanist of the 70s, the late Dr Rajasundaram. Rajasundaram was killed in the Welikade prison massacre in 1983, whereas his friend, David, escaped, re-incarcerated in Batticaloa jail to escape again in the famous Batticaloa jail break.
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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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800,000 landmines remain in Thenmaraadchi FDL: DCO in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 April 2012, 11:46 GMT]
The De-mining Coordinating Office attached to the District Secretariat of Jaffna, on Friday said that it estimated around 800,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO) as remaining in the former Forward Defence Line along Naakarkoayil, Mukamaalai and Ki'laali in Thenmaraadchi. The DCO is the civil authority coordinating that the de-mining is carried out according to UN procedures and is responsible for clearing areas vacated or otherwise cleared by the SL military operated ‘Humanitarian de-mining Units’. The recent tragic incident at Ketpali, where two teenagers sustained serious injuries, has taken place at an area, which is yet to be cleared by the coordinating office, according to DCO official V. Murugadas, who also said that the people, who are interested in resettling in their lands, have lost patience and start visiting the areas without verifying the status of de-mining.
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Colombo deploys EPDP leader against Tamil Nadu, India

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 April 2012, 23:43 GMT]
Sabotaging the civic efforts to resolve the disputes between the Tamil fishermen across the Palk Strait, Mr. Douglas Devananda, a minister in the cabinet of Rajapaksa regime and an SL paramilitary leader, on Friday, vowed to take 5,000 fishermen from Jaffna in 1,000 boats to India, against the Tamil Nadu fishermen, who enter the waters off Jaffna peninsula and destroy the livelihood of the local fishermen in the peninsula. The EPDP leader also blamed India for not having completed the housing scheme on time in an effort to hijack the sentiments prevailing amongst the people against New Delhi for its abetment of Colombo's genocidal war against Eezham Tamils, fishermen representatives in Point Pedro told TamilNet Friday.
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SL colonial governor, EPDP, intrigue against Indian delegation

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 April 2012, 05:58 GMT]
While displaying a big show with welcoming posters particularly aimed at pleasing Sushma Swaraj, and with a dominated presence in receiving the Indian delegation, the SL colonial governor in the north, Maj. Gen. Chandrasri and SL minister Douglas Devananda, on the other hand played intrigues against the delegation, which were thwarted by the Deputy High Commission of India in Jaffna, news sources in Jaffna said. The delegation cancelled visiting Nalloor Kandasamy temple after being tipped on Devananda orchestrating a fishermen agitation in front of the temple during its planned visit. The SL governor ordered the secretariat officials not to attend a meeting convened by the delegation. On Thursday, the Sinhala colonial governor accused India for the delay in the construction of houses promised to the war victims.
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SLA prevents Tamil farmers from paddy cultivation in Punaanai, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 April 2012, 23:24 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lanka Army (SLA), which maintains a military base at Punaanai in Kora'laippattu North DS division of Batticaloa district, has been preventing Tamil farmers from engaging in paddy cultivation in their own land, even after the end of the war, the villagers complain. In the meantime, latest reports say that the occupying SL military is scheming a Sinhala colony in the occupied lands of Tamils.
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Indian money used in Sinhalicisation, Buddhicisation of Thirukkeatheesvaram

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 April 2012, 00:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Sinhala military occupying the famous archaeological site Maanthai in Mannaar, where the historically pivotal sacred Tamil-Saiva temple Thirukkeatheesvaram is located in the country of Eezham Tamils, has embarked upon building a Buddhist temple at a forcefully confiscated private land, just 200 metres away from the Saiva temple. Sometimes back, the New Delhi Establishment gave much publicity for the money it gave to preserve the Thirukkeatheesvaram sacred site. But the money is now used by genocidal Sri Lanka to build a Sinhala-Buddhist ‘pilgrim’ centre at the site in order to Sinhalicise the cultural landscape in the way Kathirkaamam was Sinhalicised and is now lost to the Eezham Tamils. The temple management that has now fallen into Colombo-centric hands is silent on the issue.
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Indian delegation disappoints civil representatives in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2012, 23:53 GMT]
Civil representatives in Mullaiththeevu on Wednesday said that they were not provided any opportunity to meet and convey the plight of resettled Tamils in the district to the visiting delegation of Indian parliamentarians led by Mrs Sushma Swaraj. The Tamil representatives belonging to several civil organisations in the district had been invited and were waiting for a long time since 10:00 a.m. to meet the delegation. But, no meeting took place. The visiting delegation was taken on a ‘guided tour’ giving priority to inaugurations and distributing gifts. The Congress group of the delegation which came late to the opening ceremony of a housing scheme was seen quarrelling with the group of parliamentarians led by Mrs Sushma Swaraj of the BJP, who had declared the scheme open, news sources in Mullaiththeevu told TamilNet.
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Tamil student abducted, killed near SL military zone in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2012, 17:33 GMT]
18-year-old Sivalingam Sivakumaran, a student from Kerudaavil village in Vadamaraadchi North of Jaffna district, was found slain inside a bush, 2 km away from his house on Wednesday. The Tamil student was abducted five days ago, on 13 April after 6:00 p.m., when he had left his house towards the historic Chelvach-channithi temple, according to the family of the victim. The Kerudaavil village is situated along the eastern border of the Valikaamam ‘High Security Zone’ of the occupying SL military. The student has been tortured and killed, the villagers who witnessed the recovery of the dead body told media. In the meantime, Indian parliamentarians were taken to Jaffna Wednesday evening, after being taken on a ‘guided’ tour, which was fully packed with ceremonial events, carefully avoiding interactions with civil representatives in Mullaiththeevu.
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Military-managed de-mining endangers security of Eezham Tamils

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 April 2012, 18:27 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lankan military, which dominates de-mining activities in the former Forward Defence Line areas and in the so-called High Security Zone under its occupation, was not doing the de-mining work according to established norms and procedures, complain humanitarian workers in Jaffna, formerly attached to independent de-mining operations of international NGOs. On Monday, two teenage boys sustained severe injuries, one of them losing his leg, caught in landmine explosion in Ketpali in Thenmaraadchi while they were plucking co-conuts at a palm grove that had been cleared by the SL military. A few days ago, school children at Ki'laali School found unexploded shells from the sand brought inside the school for construction work. The children were saved by the timely intervention of the teachers, the NGO workers further 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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Eezham Tamil activist Neethan Shan elected President of NDP, Ontario

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 April 2012, 22:50 GMT]
In a landmark event in Canadian politics and among the Eezham Tamil diaspora in Canada, Neethan Shan, vice chair of the NCCT, was elected as the President of Ontario New Democratic Party. The 33 year old Eezham Tamil activist, who is also the Executive Director of the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, won the election competing against two other candidates. "As the President of the Ontario New Democratic Party, I will continue to advocate for the rights of all marginalized communities in Ontario and maintain my focus on helping children, youth and families,” Neethan Shan told TamilNet, adding that his history of being a refugee from his occupied homeland is what led him to become involved as a community organizer in his own community and the broader Canadian community to fight for the rights of the marginalized.
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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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Sinhala academic blames US-UK axis for genocide in Tamil homeland

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 April 2012, 23:15 GMT]
Speaking at a meeting on “The Tamil Struggle for Self-Determination: A Leftist Sinhala Perspective” at University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute of Studies in Education, Sinhala academic Dr. Jude Lal Fernando highlighted the need to understand the role of powers in shaping and manipulating the forces among the Sri Lankan state and the Eezham Tamils, on Thursday. Talking extensively about how the western establishments tilted the parity of status against the Tigers during the CFA period, he expressed the view that the US-UK axis was to blame for the 2009 massacre. Dr. Fernando, who was one of the main co-ordinators of the Dublin Permanent People’s Tribunal on Sri Lanka, explained how with the implementation of neoliberal policies the Sri Lankan state expedited privatization and militarization of the Tamil homeland.
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SL military's draconian ‘civil’ rule hardens further in Vanni

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 April 2012, 17:58 GMT]
The village level Rural Development Societies (RDS), which have started functioning again, especially in the agricultural areas of Vanni mainland, have been subjected to harassments by the occupying SL military in recent days. On the one hand, the Sri Lankan authorities have gone on record as if they were encouraging the re-emerging RDS societies, and on the other hand, the SL military is curbing the activities of the rural development organisations. The SL military has instructed the RDS societies not to conduct any meeting without securing permission in advance from the nearby military camps. In the meantime, female members of the families of former LTTE cadres and even the temple deities face sadistic treatment from the occupying Sinhala military, say civil sources in Ki'linochchi district.
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